the miles are way too long

[saviorexe]

WHO: Markus, Ardyn, V & various
WHERE: All around.
WHEN: The first half of IC November.
WHAT: This is basically a catch-all log for my characters.
NOTES OR WARNINGS: None, will add if any crop up.

[Closed starters below! If you want a thread, just hit me up at aurajen and we can figure something out!]

Comments

[verflair]

[ Sometimes, X’rhun just like to get out of the house. He takes a lot of walks, has seen most everything the richer parts of the city has to offer from overpriced eateries to virtual museums and everything in between. It’s all very nice, of course, but now and again he just finds himself missing nature.

To that end, in a world where the very idea of plant life seems to be a myth on most days, botanical gardens are a wonderful invention. It gives him a chance to quite literally stop and smell the roses.

Most people keep to themselves, but this isn’t the first time he’s had a remark about his wardrobe tossed his way, and he turns to the young man that offered it this time. With a wide grin, he spreads his hands. ]

What can I say? I do so hate to be outshone.

[verselet]

Yes. I can see that. You are very... lucent.

[Lucent. Okay, V.

Is it strange that such a compliment comes from a man dressed in all black, a stark contrast to his surroundings? Maybe, but V can appreciate flair and flourish. Though he considers himself someone who doesn't skew towards (over)dramatics, the truth is that he does -- and at the very least, he can appreciate the boldness of X'rhun's manner of dress. Of turning heads and apparently being quite proud of it.

CONGRATS, YOU GET A POEM]

As I wander'd the forest,
The green leaves among,
I heard a wild flower
Singing a song.

[He gestures at the man. V wears a short-sleeved tee today, displaying the black crawl of tattoos along his arms with little restraint.]

You'll make everyone else look ill-equipped to walk in these gardens.

[verflair]

[ Goodness, but this young man is eccentric. Which of course means that X’rhun instantly likes him. He cannot recall if anyone has ever described him as “lucent” before, or if he’s ever had a poem recited at him, and now here he gets both within mere moments of each other. Truly a red-letter day at the botanic gardens. ]

‘Tis certainly not my aim to put everyone else to shame.

… Ah, it seems I’m a poet as well, though not half as well-spoken as yourself.

[verselet]

[Eccentric might be a small understatement, but sure, he's that, too.]

'You were a poet and didn't even know it. But your feet show it, Longfellow.'

[Stop the madness. Don't let him straddle the line between dramatic and weirdly nerdy.

But V grins faintly, amused at the conversation's turn. He meanders into small talk, rare for someone who likes to keep to himself.]

You flatter me. And you certainly sound well-spoken enough yourself. I've heard "'tis" less times than I've read it.

[Which is, admittedly, an oddity.]

[verflair]

[ But some of his favorite people are quite good at straddling the line between dramatic and weirdly nerdy – himself included – so of course he’s happy to let this young man do it. ]

You’ll find that my wardrobe is not the only thing flowery about me. In fact, I daresay that you’ll hear “'tis” again ere the day is out.

[ ‘Tis. Ere. Yes, he really talks like this. ]

[verselet]

[Then he might regret, or he might not. We'll find out soon enough.]

Are you willfully trying to sound like a Shakespearean, or is that just how you speak?

[Like V is one to talk! If Griffon were here, he'd be perched next to him, flaring his wings, laughing at the hypocrisy.]

I'd have to call you a man of the theatre if the latter is true.

[verflair]

‘Tis just how I speak.

[ See, he said V would hear it again. Of course, X’rhun cannot hope to keep track of every Displaced in the city, so he holds off on revealing more about his origins to the stranger until he learns that this young man is from elsewhere, too. ]

I have been called quirky by a fair few folk around the city, but hopefully charmingly so. I choose to take it as a compliment, anyroad.

[verselet]

[Anyroad.]

'Anyroad'. If you don't know where you're going...

[...any road will get you there. V only hums in amusement, a soft sound from the back of his throat, letting the phrase die on his tongue. Dark green eyes lift, a small tilt of his head, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees.]

...Where are you from?

[He's starting to suspect that it might be from very far away. There is something... unusual about most of the Displaced. An aura, a charisma, an oddity -- but something that allots them as different, though they should try their best to blend in.

This man certainly has a touch of that ineffable quality, hard to pin down but distinctly there.]

[verflair]

[ A loaded question, and one X'rhun has had to answer many times. Sure, he's acquainting himself with the modern vernacular, but there are some habits one just cannot break, and his manner of speech often draws curiosity. ]

Oh, someplace quite far away. I doubt you would have heard of it.

[ A smile to accompany that non-answer. ]

Why do you ask?

[verselet]

[The grin widens, X'rhun's reply having echoed the thoughts in his mind.]

Because I come from somewhere very far away. You might not have heard of it, either.

[V was seated on the other end of an interrogation table when he last gave such an answer, trying to dance around the truth while doling out on pieces of it in turn. At least the circumstances this time are far more welcoming.]

Just trying to... unearth any similarities between us.

[verflair]

[ Well now, there are pieces falling into place, aren’t there? X’rhun would not shy away from the chance to better know one of his fellow Displaced, and if his suspicions are correct, this young man is one of them. ]

Might I ask your name?

[verselet]

Of course. You can call me V.

[And he stands with the help of his cane, its tip planted to the floor. Straightening, he considers the other.]

My implant will tell you "Vee Blake", however, but that's all a matter of necessity rather than preference.

[verflair]

X’rhun Tia is my name, a pleasure. You’ll have to forgive me for not offering you a handshake, but I’m not terribly… touchy when it comes to strangers.

[ Because the middle of a public venue is the last place they need both of their chests to go lighting up, and that’s not forgetting that while X’rhun may not have much to hide, his fellow Displaced are probably not so keen to share. ]

I’m sure you understand.

[verselet]

I do.

[And not that V was ever very "touchy" even before he was stripped of his familiars and tossed into a strange world, with a blue glow to replace all that he had before. Granted, he's no longer falling apart at the seams, but that hardly makes up for the fact that they're stuck here indefinitely.]

Walk with me, X'rhun? The weather is... as nice as one can expect it to be. [He'll trail along the path, plants hanging over head, if the idea is agreeable.] Tell me what you make of New Amsterdam.