[Exalted] Protectors of the River Province

[SirNitram]

"Orduin. Orduin Balkinor." The Gunzosha extended a hand in greeting. "Now. The Fourth Circle, we should be able to track down a caravan there. Please, follow me. I'm certain we can sort this out."

[rhoenix]

Watching the man's reaction begin from polite dismissal, to surprised shock, to amusement, Kolth's little trick had its desired effect.

"So, there is a back door to this place after all," the man said, amused, while politely accepting the large mug of ale.

Kolth just shrugged. "There's always more than one way to get something done," he said with a touch of amusement.

Chuckling, the man took a sip after properly introducing himself. "My name is Yvela Sharas. What is yours?" He said, bringing the mug to his lips, and tasting the fine brew. Kolth had to admit the ale in the place was almost worth the admission. Almost, anyway - that sign out front really needed to go. He'd been tempted to "liberate" said sign, but never could bring himself to do it.

Taking a sip of his own, Kolth enjoyed the sip of the ale very much before replying. Once he did, his eyes looked directly into Yvela's. "I'm Kolth Inzeti - pleased to meet you; Lookshy's a very...interesting place. So, what had you so curious about myself, my friend, or a rather curious traveling dancer?"

[LadyTevar]

She took his hand, and stiffened as yet -another- of the damned flashbacks took place, this time of the golden man leaning over to kiss her hand lovingly.

Annoyance made her clasp his hand far tighter than normal, and her golden eyes flashed as she glared at him. "A better idea... a private place for the two of us to talk."

[Marcao]

The moment that the brew reached his tongue he was able to appreciate the surprising quality of the drink in question. The truth was that he had expected far less and it showed in his facial expression.

"This is quite good, better than I expected." He admitted. He would have to visit this establishment a bit more often now that he had been properly introduced. He watched as his as of yet unnamed guest sampled his own beverage before his eyes sought his own. His eyes locked on the mans as he introduced himself.

"Kolth." He repeated a moment after he had finished speaking as if trying out the name. The name hung in the air for a handful of precious seconds as he sought to reach within his memories and see if anything came to the surface. Unsurprisingly, nothing did. His memories, those flashes of insights that he understood now represented a past life were in control of him and not the other way around.

He considered Kolth's comment and decided against lying. It would be rude to lie to a man that had gone through the trouble of buying him a drink and frankly he did not believe that anything would be gained. "The dancer mostly, not that you and your friend are not a striking pair of course." He went silent for a moment before he continued.

"There was something about the dancer that tugged at my memory. I could be mistaken however, since when I got a closer look I did not feel anything." His voice was neutral as he spoke. He did not typically enjoy being at the mercy of ages come and gone but those flashes had proven to be helpful in the past. It had been the flashes that had kept him safe during those early years after his exaltation. The flashes had reminded him of danger, the flashes had revealed the truth lurking beneath satin clad lies, the flashes had led him to the buried complex that had contained the sword and sheath at his waist, the choker around his neck and the armor which even now laid stored elsewhere.

The insights granted to him by the Unconquered Sun itself had never led him astray. Until now...

[rhoenix]

(OOC: Sorry Nomad, I didn't notice your post about the vision until now. So - now will work, I suppose)
(EDIT: clarity in second paragraph)

As the vision faded, Kolth shook himself quickly; the memory of that vision, of Yvela as a mighty golden-armored man captaining a sky vessel, making fun of him being paranoid had shaken him. Slightly embarassed at the sudden lapse, Kolth casually took another sip of his ale before meeting Yvela's gaze with his own unblinking one.

"Interesting. Speaking of memories, mine told me that not only did you and I know each other a while ago, but that you have a sunnier disposition than most," he said with an amused smile. "It's not often one runs into such old friends."

Kolth seemed to relax slightly; now that he knew the true nature of this man, he felt substantially relieved. Especially now that his odd behavior earlier was now perfectly explained. Taking the last sip of his ale, he leaned over to put his mug on the bar, giving a nod to the barkeep. After he leaned back, he looked Yvela in the eyes again with the same thoughtfully unblinking gaze before speaking. "I've you've some time, I'd like to introduce you to a friend of mine."

[SirNitram]

Rocked by the memory, the Solar simply nodded to the strange woman. "Let's. I know a place which offers discretion." He said simply, escorting the exotic woman through Lookshy to somewhere quiet to speak. Thankfully, the Gunzosha were afforded luxuries when not on combat tours. Among them were private tables for them to drown the unique horrors they saw away.

[LadyTevar]

She paced easily at his side as he lead her down the streets of Lookshy. She did not feel like pointing out they had yet to drop hands, nor did she say anything as he touched her lightly to guide her out of the way of knots of citizens as they passed by. The sudden familiarity in their movements towards each other was both unsettling and somehow -right-.

[Marcao]

Something happened to his guest, he had seen it ripple through his body and facial expression like an electric spark but the man hid it well. It was then that he began to take full measure of the man before him, he doubted that he himself would have managed to control his emotions and body language as well as the man in front of him. What had occurred? What had he missed? His eyes remained on those of Kolth as their eyes made contact. His words a moment later revealed what a part of him had suspected.

"It is interesting how that works isn't it? Not that I am about to turn down the help or guidance of course." The will of the Unconquered Sun was all around them. It was his will that drew all of his children like moths to the flames. He did not understand all of it. He did not even understand most of it, his memories where fragments of the past, of ages come and gone but one thing remained constant. In all the memories he had perceived, he had never changed. He was then as he was now. The core of him, that near divine spark that had turned him from Yvela Sharas, fisherman, sailor of Coral into Yvela Sharas, child of the sun was unchanged. He was now who he was then and who he would be for all time.

Kolth's seemed to relax and he did so too, his right hand offered to him as he spoke. "I admit, I no longer consider living in interesting times quite
the burden that it had once been." He smiled at that, the glass in his left hand brought to his lips as he took a longer drink than before. Kolth looked at him once more and made his offer. He blinked and arched a brow.

"The other man with the woman earlier or someone else entirely? I have..." He hesitated for a moment and reached into himself, a mote of personal essence spent in order to precisely understand the position of Lookshy in context of all of creation and through such knowledge derive an exact understanding of the passage of time. "A little over three hours to kill before I have a meeting to attend to. Until then, I am at your disposal."

The Unconquered Sun had drawn them together. There had to be a reason for that...

[rhoenix]

As his new (and old) acquaintance sipped his ale, Kolth smiled at Yvela's question. "To your first question - yes, the man with the woman earlier; I think they knew one another from long ago as well, though in a much different way," he said with a rueful smirk.

"So," he said while straightening, "once you've finished your ale, let's go. The serving wenches will be tempting us to stay, drink more, and gamble against terrible odds if we stay any longer..."

As he trailed off, four beautiful and buxom women giggled and skipped toward them, offering in utterly innocent high-pitched voices to get them more ale, walk with them to the gambling area, and flirting outrageously.

Some of them evidently knew Kolth, and two of them flirted blatantly with him, asking him to finally stay just this once overnight, after all the owner had made it clear he was grateful, and nothing was out of his reach if he would just go with them over there...

Despite the polite brusqueness with which he shrugged it off, there was a brief instance or two where Yevela could see that Kolth was tempted - but they quickly passed. "I'm sorry ladies - you're all beautiful, but I have shit to do," Kolth offered as an explanation as he and Yvela made for the exit.

When the two men finally made it out of the entrance, Kolth just shook his head as they walked at a casual pace. "See what I mean? The ale there is excellent, but it's bait more than anything else," he said wryly. "So," he said as he continued, "Orduin probably wanted to talk more with this new lady friend of his. Let us both hope that 'talking' is all they're doing, or he'll probably be very upset here shortly."

[SirNitram]

Once in the quiet diner, it's clear this isn't where most visiting Lookshy go. The trinkets and cheap tricks of advanced society aren't flaunted, and there's a quiet, hardworking sense about it. Alot of those present have the signs of military service, and a few have the Aegis-Insets that Orduin have. Several look particularly ancient and getting worse in health as they trade stories.

What was perhaps stranger was Orduin greeting the aging men with the tone of brothers in arms. When settled into a booth, he leaned back. "I must admit.. Never felt memories this strong, not even the hypno-training crystals I managed to fix. Your doing?"

[LadyTevar]

The way she slid into the seat caused more than one of the veterans to get wide-eyed and wistful, as well as a couple of the younger bucks. There was something almost illegal about how she moved.

"No, not mine entirely." she answered, keeping her voice low enough not to carry. "This is far bigger than either of us."

[SirNitram]

"Don't excite them too much.." Orduin can't help but smirk. "They may be young, but their hearts aren't really up to the strain such a beauty will cause."

Putting aside the flirting for a moment, the Gunzosha nodded quietly. "Much bigger. I've heard of it, of course, and one or two flashes before. You ever had 'em?"

[LadyTevar]

Teamhair turned her head to look at the men all staring at her, and gave the room a saucy wink before looking back to Orduin, leaning forward slightly to give the room the hint she was With Him.

"This is my first time," she murmurred, which could be taken all kind of ways by anyone trying to listen in. "Would you like to see me by moonlight, or wait for the sun to rise again?"

[SirNitram]

"You know, their hearts really can't take the strain." Orduin chastised her with a grin, not meaning it at all. "I think the moon would favour you.. Wonderfully."

"We'll have to meet after you find your caravan and I'm finished with my meeting... Who knows what might come of those, but I wouldn't miss it for Dehlezen itself."

[LadyTevar]

"I have been told moonlight favors me very well. Some have compared me to ... Moonlight Dancing on River Below." It was a sly way to give her Lunar name, and she was sure no other would take it for anything but meaningless flirtation. A flirtation that was further emphasized by how her fingers had interlaced with his across the table without conscious thought or knowledge.

[SirNitram]

"I'm afraid I carry no such praise of myself.. Save the occasional exclamation that I must be a demon, the way I fight." Orduin smiled as he noticed the interlacing fingers.. And gave a gentle squeeze.

"Careful. Showing up to a briefing intoxicated carries such harsh penalties.. And your presense is stronger than wine."

Meanwhile, of course, the other soldiers were catcalling at the flirtation. Soldiers are as soldiers do.

[LadyTevar]

"A pity I cannot join you for your meeting, so they would know why you're intoxicated," she replied underneath the louder catcalls. "Would you be upset to know I can find my caravan easily, and merely left it for the sight of you?"

[Marcao]

The answer was not completely unexpected, the smirk that blossomed on Kolth’s face speaking volumes about what he meant. “I see, do you think that it would be prudent for you to lead me to them if that is the case?â€

[rhoenix]

The smirk that grew on Kolth's face at Yvela's comment spoke volumes before his lips did. "Well, I imagine that either way, they'll be talking soon after we arrive. So, shall we?"

As they walked through the bustling city, Yvela was offered a view of the city through Kolth's eyes. Knowing which small side-streets offered a faster path than the main streets, followed by taking the upper path above the buildings, offering a breathtaking view of the city below them. All the while, Kolth offered a dryly amusing, though accurate commentary about various sights and people they passed as they drew closer to the more regimented area of the city.

"See that guy down there?," Kolth asked. "That man holds the record for unpaid taxes in Lookshy, which should say something. Those in charge get cranky about someone being a second late with their taxes, and yet this guy just flat-out hasn't paid for more than nineteen months. One of the more modern mysteries of Lookshy is why that cranky old man's house hasn't been flattened by soldiers yet."

"I was even paid to try to convince him to start paying - when I told them that acting as hired muscle isn't my thing, they doubled my payment," Kolth shrugged wryly. "So I talked with the guy, and he's not as crazy as he leads others to believe. After all, nobody wants to be an asshole to an elder with whose mind is going, right? He has it down to a system. That old bastard has truly amazing tea, though. He says he imports it from Ayodha, which can't be cheap. It also helps explain where some of his tax money disappears to, I'd say."

As Kolth was giving a commentary, a badly-dressed, desperate, and dirty-looking man with a large, rusty knife jumped out in front of them. He was beginning to yell for them to get out their wallets when Kolth simultaneously shoved the man into a water trough and yanked the knife out of the man's flailing hand. Throwing the knife up onto a nearby rooftop, Kolth nonchalantly walked past the man, and continued talking as if nothing at all unusual had happened. "What's worse is that his daughter is apparently some super-secret higher-up in the Immaculate Order, which probably explains why her father is allowed to get away with such outrageous shit. He even started screaming and throwing horse pies at some soldiers at random one morning, and all they did was ignore him. I swear, there's enough of a mystery there to fill thick textbooks of the savants."

He paused for a moment as both men took in the less stylish, and much more functional part of Lookshy, where the soldiers had their barracks, and lived most of their lives. Kolth explained after a moment. "Orduin uses Gunzosha armor, and though I won't butter up his ego to tell him to his face, he's a scary bastard with that armor on. Loud and clumsy, yes, but a little scary. He's likely in his favorite bar, talking with that lady you saw earlier. Who very quickly might be his lady, unless I'm missing my guess."

He stopped abruptly before turning the corner, risking a quick peek before darting back. Looking somewhat apologetic, he explained to Yvela. "The soldiering types don't like anyone who's not their kind in their playground, and they're typically pretty quick to express their displeasure, so to speak. So, I'm afraid we have to climb a bit."

Without a backward glance, Kolth swept up the two-story ladder like a wraith, only looking back once he'd reached the top to help Yvela up and over the ledge of the roof. "Alright," he said confidently, "Now we go down those stairs over there, and we'll be able to meet them inside. Just act like you've been here a couple times before, and you'll be fine. It's how I'm able to sample the good ale every once in a while," he said with a grin. With that, the two began to descend the stairs.

[Marcao]

There was something about Kolth's smirk that set him ill at ease. It was as if he was seeing someone promising to misbehave. The words that followed did little to soothe his fears. He was not particularly interested in stumbling into that sort of mess. He sighed softly and followed where Kolth led. He hoped that the Unconquered Sun did not allow him to regret this.

Kolth led him on a series of paths that he would ordinarily not have taken. It quickly became apparent that the man knew Lookshy far better than he did, but that was not at all surprising. This was the first time he had ventured into the city. Still, while he was unfamiliar with Lookshy itself there was something oddly familiar about the shapes arrayed around them. He was not afraid of heights, but he lacked Kolth's all but supernatural grace as they moved.

Kolth stopped and began to talk about a man, his eyes seeking out the individual in question. "Yes, I see him." He replied, and listened as Kolth began his story. Only when he had finished did he interject.

"I can't say that I am surprised. Lookshy has some unique qualities but a city is a city and has with it all the assorted turns within turns of such a metropolis." favors led to favors, all good rulers had to understand when it was time to let something slide and when it was time to crack the whip.


The desperate looking man jumped out in front of them and there was no outward reaction. He was a chosen of the Unconquered Sun what did this man hope to accomplish? Kolth's reaction was impressive in its simplicity. He watched the man for only a moment before he followed Kolth as best he could, darting around rooftops was not exactly something that he was practiced in.

"I was under the impression that the immaculate order held less sway in this city than in other places within the realm." He said before going silent. "It is a mystery indeed, one that perhaps with time may be able to be unraveled."

He moved to Kolth's side and paused. Kolth's words were answered without thought as his eyes focused on the distance.

"Gunzosha armor was not created for subtlety. It was designed to allow mere mortals to fight on near even terms with the chosen. Loud and clumsy sounds about right." He went silent for a moment before he continued. "Lets find them before they have enjoyed too much of their company then."

A moment later and his blue eyes widened as Kolth began to explain his plan. "Kolth, you may enjoy sneaking about rooftops and bypassing guards but what makes you think that I am up to that task?"

Kolth swept up the two story ladded like a monkey scrambling up a tree and he gritted his teeth.

"Kolth!" He half whispered and half hissed before the man reached the top and prepared to help him up.

"..." He sighed softly and began the climb himself lacking all of the grace and most of the speed that Kolth had displayed moments earlier. It took some help for him to make it easily over the ledge.

"Easy for you to say." He half muttered as he spoke of acting like he had been inside a couple of times. When Kolth began to descend the stairs he followed...

[LadyTevar]

In the tabroom, old soldiers were sitting back enjoying their drinks and their second favorite past-time, picking on one of their own. The catcalls were good-natured, inventive, and heavily suggestive, letting everyone know that -someone- had brought a woman into the soldiers' territory.

Still, when one of these old soldiers thought to ask how much Orduin was paying for her company, Teamhair felt she had to defend her profession. "-I'm- paying -him- an Obol," she teased the room, giving the tea-house price she herself would charge for a full night. It was a fair amount of jade.

[rhoenix]

Kolth's look was apologetic as he helped Yvela up and over the rooftop. "My apologies, Yvela. Believe it or not, I was born in the woods, and all I know was learned as a woodsman and hunter, not as a city rat. I tend to assume others have about the same ability as I as a result," he said with a rueful smile, as the two began walking into an unobtrusive entrance. "Growing up in the middle of a forest relatively near Lunar territory lends itself to that, I suppose; you have to be a bit light-footed."

As the two walked through a short tunnel, it became apparent that it led into the kitchen of the soldier's bar. The cooks and assistants paid neither of them any mind, but as they neared the bar proper where the soldiers were, the barkeep saw them as she looked up from restocking some of the alcohol. Something in the woman's gaze; perhaps the narrowed eyes, perhaps the scowl, perhaps the specific way in which the woman was shaking her head gave the impression that the entrance was, in fact, the other side of the building, and that this side was a place in which the two really and truly shouldn't be.

Seeing this, Kolth just nodded to Orduin and Teamhair, sitting together in the relatively secluded area of the bar, and looked back at the barkeeper with a smile.

The innkeeper simply shook her head once, but there appeared a brief twinkle in the woman's eye.

Kolth raised his eyebrows, looking shocked. "Are you serious?"

The woman simply smiled coldly with the air of the victor, and held her hand out.

Shaking his head, Kolth withdrew a flask from inside his long coat, and handed it to the barkeeper with a sigh. "I don't know if anyone's told you this, but you're a barkeeper. You're supposed to have stuff like this on hand."

The woman's smile grew wider, and not a little smug. "True, but moron runners like you who don't know the true value of things give this shit away like it's candy for favors. Boy, if you knew the true value of what this shit is worth per flask, you'd have a heart attack, and then try and fail to steal back this bottle."

Kolth just rolled his eyes while shaking his head. "Hey, I got it all as a bonus a few months back, and trust me, I've quite a bit left. I only give it to people who look like they salivate so much at the very thought that they'll promise their own mother's soul for it, just so they can rush excitedly into the bathroom with it after I leave. With some," he said while glaring at the bartender, "they might not even wait that long."

There was several seconds of cold, tense silence as the two glared at one another. Unexpectedly, the two erupted with laughter, and hugged warmly. The barkeeper chuckled as she spoke, her tone of voice belying her rough words. "You're lucky you managed to save my childrens' lives, boy. That's the only reason I let you casually walk in here."

At this, Kolth chuckled, his eyes twinkling. "That or blatant bribery with something you can't buy very easily - one of the two."

The barkeeper chuckled in return. "Aye, one of the two indeed. Go join the lovebirds. Seeing you in here will distract the rest from salivating at Orduin's lady."

However, Kolth simply stood there, looking thoughful, though there was a very small hint of a smile on one corner of his mouth he couldn't quite suppress. The barkeeper sighed loudly in impatience after a few seconds, and asked what was on her mind. "What?"

Kolth didn't reply right away, still looking as if he were considering. "I think I'd like a dinner and a drink to go with it, barkeep."

Looking as if she'd rather punch a high-ranking member of the Immaculate Order in the face and call them horribly offensive names questioning his or her ancestry, code of ethics, sexual history, sexual preferences of specific species, and other assorted insults than be here, dealing with Kolth at this very moment, she spoke with restrained irritation. "I'm just burning up with anticipation, boy. What do you want?"

Answering with a grin, Kolth began walking toward the table, answering over his shoulder. "Oh, just the usual, if it's not any trouble."

He ducked and laughed as the barkeeper growled, and threw a wiping cloth at him. Catching the rag, he wore a cheerfully helpful expression as he walked it back to the barkeeper, and dropped it into her hand. "I think you dropped this, ma'am."

She just shook her head and chuckled. "Just get out of here, and don't cause any trouble in the bar. You remember what happened last time - there are patrols very close by, you know."

Kolth visibly winced at the memory. "I know."

With that, the two walked into the bar proper, Kolth making sure they crossed Orduin's vision before they arrived at the table. Though they were bursting in unexpected, it didn't hurt to give proper warning. As they did, they heard Teamhair's comment, which caused him to ask Orduin as he approached, "Really, now? Are you going to get up and dance?"

[SirNitram]

"I don't know. I think I'd want more than an obol for a public performance. I don't know what the market price." Orduin commented dryly with a smirk. "Kolth. See I can't hide from you. What is so desperately important that it couldn't wait until after my quiet drink and my briefing?" The Gunzosha smiled, adding a kiss blown to the catcalling soldiers who had tried to encourage him to get up and dance. Laughter and more catcalls ensued.

[rhoenix]

At this, Kolth grinned. "It was easy - I just had to track you by smell," he said as he took a seat comfortably, and motioning Yvela to do the same. "As for importance, I solved our earlier mystery, and do believe I've found another person with a warm, sunny, and winning personality. For the record, I'm still shocked about it, though I think he has his reservations."

As he relaxed into the chair, his smug smile returned. "However, I'd add a couple jade pieces to the lady's total, just to see you dance."

[Marcao]

“Considering the way you scampered up the ladder I am not surprised.â€