Day 196 // Open

[wayofvoice]

Who: Paarthurnax and folks
Open: Open
When: 196, in the evening
Where: By the river
What: Amongst the things from a land of mountains and frost: a pair of gloves meant for more than thieves. A creation of metal and steam and other things from a race that didn't need the Calamity to do themselves in. Glowing plants that chime.
Format: any
Warnings: Grampadragon is harmless (usually). No guarantees for the rest of the losers in the Bastion.


In the absence of the group that head to Sky Haven Temple, the Bastion has brought something to fruition for Paarthurnax. In the evening as the dragon returns, he circles about before landing by the riverside to inspect his new prizes.

The most notable is an enormous construct which shines in the light of the dimming sun. It almost seems to breathe in and out, but that's just the puff of steam which exit from it- a sign it's active if nothing else although it doesn't seem to move. Draped across one of its arms are a set of gloves, a dark contrast against the brilliant metal.

The last of his acquisitions would be the plants which now are growing along the river's edge and amongst the shore of the lake. It's harder to tell in the daytime, but as it grows darker, one can see the pale green glow they give off. It's one constant, however, is the faint chiming noise that becomes readily apparent to any who are near to it.

Paarthurnax seems pleased with it all, inspecting the Centurion carefully and brushing his nose against the plants.

Comments

[dragonform]

"So they're kind of like ghosts?" He asks, as far as his experience with supernatural entities go, that's about the long and short of it. "Well, I guess they'd be a lot stronger if they could make entire worlds to their liking."

He nods, though he doesn't know Rosethorn all that well, he'll trust Paar's wisdom on the matter. "So what are these gloves?" He asks, motioning to the pair resting on the Centurion's limb.

[wayofvoice]

"Not all that has no physical form is anything like the the spirits of mortals," Paarthurnax simply replies. He's not bothered or rebuking, however- simply patient explanatory in his tone.

"They are part of a set of armor. Have you met Crona?"

[dragonform]

He nods, knowing that from firsthand experience. "I never told you I met the spirit of one of my kind, did I? I don't think I've ever seen anything that angry before." He remarks, recalling the sheer malice the beast radiated. Even now, he knows he has that Brood's power with him in the form of the Shadow Gene.

"I don't know that I have, but I've probably seen them before. Especially if Crona is also learning your language."

[wayofvoice]

"Purple hair and pale eyes- greh, that is Crona." Paarthurnax gives an approving and clearly fond nod. "I could not ask for a finer student- one of the first to ask about learning my language. As a gift for such patience, I bought this armor- yet I could only gift some of it. With these gloves, the set will be complete."

[dragonform]

Ryu smiles, glancing over to Paarthunax. "Hi honaht ful zokah. I bet they'll be ecstatic to see the set complete." He says, careful in his pronunciation of the dragon's language. He pauses for a moment, mulling over their lessons before remembering the words to what he wants to say next. If nothing else, it seems to make Paar happy to use his language and hear it spoken in kind.

"Hi dreh ni fon wah laan fah naan, Paarthunax." He says after a moment. Unlike speaking in his common tongue, his skill with the new language requires him to slow down and be a bit more deliberate in his speech, but he's coming along nicely for a kid with little formal education. "I feel like you should also get something in kind. Your language may not be that of the Brood, but it feels like we have some kinship all the same."

[wayofvoice]

The way Paarthurnax bows his head certainly is proud in its own way, a teacher pleased that his lessons are being taken to heart. It's not just in regards to Crona, either. Ryu has honestly nailed it on the head. If any of his kind have also survived the Calamity intact as he has, then it is anyone's guess as to when they will appear. He waited many centuries before speaking with someone of his own kind; Paarthurnax expects to wait many more. So to hear his students speak to him so carefully, handling the language of his kind best that is possible, is something that stirs a feeling in him that is near possible to explain in its potency.

"Dii firig prustiik vust ni selvakor nistmaar wah dii tinvok ol pogaas ol nust vust wah dii Thu'um. Zu'u los zokah do fos nust doj. Gah wah hon dii joriinro zul saag wah zey ont zuk ter fresh ven wah dii viing." It is a lot of words- Paarthurnax says them clealry and carefully. He doesn't want his student to feel lost. "And nid- I do not want for much. I once spent a life of greed. Then, for many centuries after that, I spent a life of nothing but the barest of what I needed. It is a life I am content with. So long as I have good company, I am happy."

[dragonform]

"Waan tol los pah hi smaal, Zu'u fen kos unaz wah dein hi company. Zu'u fund lost med wah wundun zeim hin hofkiin, wah koraav pah hi lost fun zey do." He answers after a moment. His speech is slow and the words simple, but he hopes the meaning still comes across. Paar has always proven a patient teacher, and this moment is likely one of the happiest he has seen the older dragon.

"With how much everyone likes you, I don't think you'll have any shortage of friends." He adds with a soft chuckle.

[wayofvoice]

"It is part of my good fortune in coming here." Paarthurnax chuckles as well. "I have met many interesting people here. Fewer still scream at my presence. It is... pleasant."

[dragonform]

He nods in agreement. "After everything that's happened in my travels, that's definitely a sentiment I can agree with. Even if my powers aren't all that widely known, nobody has been scared of me so far." It's a subject Ryu is usually pretty tense about, but here he sounds a bit more relieved than usual. "I just hope it can stay that way."

[wayofvoice]

"In our lands, there were tales and things expected to the people who dwelled there. 'Fear dragons for bring destruction and death', for example." He gives an acknowledging nod of his head. "Not without good reason, in my case. However, here, the people all have tales of different places. For some, I am merely a tale still. For others, such as Colin, I am nothing new.

"Yet regardless of individual thought, the Bastion as a whole accepts us. I imagine that makes newcomers accept us as well accept our presence." He finally gives pause, seeming to think of something. "So long as none from our own worlds who have cause to bring blade up against us, we should do well here."

[dragonform]

He nods, that's a story he knows all too well. "That's what everyone thought about the Brood when the war happened, but they never wanted to hurt anyone." Though he figures Paarthunax has already long since understood this, it's still important for Ryu to reaffirm it for himself. Especially after meeting them for the first time.

"There was someone like that, who traveled with me to hunt my kind to the end, but that's a pretty long story in and of itself." He adds, while he's told Paarthunax bits and pieces of his travels, he's never really taken the time to sit down with someone and recount the whole tale of seeking God for answers about the Brood.

[wayofvoice]

"If you would ever like to tell it, I will always listen." Paarthurnax gives a nod of his head. He understands long tales. His own is one, after all.

[dragonform]

"Well... Some parts of it are a blur now. My first few transformations weren't really at will." He starts, giving himself a moment to get comfortable and figure some parts out. "There was... A mine. See, where I'm from, if something dies that has especially powerful magical abilities, their remains eventually become chrysm ore. It's used to power a lot of different machines, and there are huge technological advances that were made as a result.

That's where they found me. A couple of miners found me and tried to detonate the vein. I don't know how I got there, or how long I had been asleep, but their explosives woke me up. I remember being scared. They were just as scared, they attacked me, and..." He trails off for a moment, it's a memory that still bothers him. "I burned them. I was scared and angry and I didn't know what was going on, so I burned anyone that looked like a threat." It's pretty clear this part of the story is a little difficult for him to recount, but he takes a few calming breaths and moves on.

"They eventually caught me, I don't remember how they did it. I woke up in a cage and managed to break out. That's when I changed back from a dragon for the first time, and that's when my brother Rei found me. Turns out I had scared off some game and was about to be eaten by some curs. If he hadn't found me, we probably wouldn't be talking right now." He smiles a little, remembering how Rei recounted the story to him. He was sure there might have been a little embellishing, but still. It's sort of a happy memory for him.

"That's when Rei and Teepo took me in, and taught me how to survive. I learned a lot from them. We used to steal from people to survive, but... That got us in trouble later." He pauses, glancing up to Paarthunax if the dragon had any questions so far.

[wayofvoice]

Paarthurnax really is a patient listener. He takes care in Ryu's words, and doesn't interrupt. Everything is simply taken in. It's only when he's finally looked to does he give a slow nod.

"When one is desperate and confused, unfortunate things may happen. It simply is." There's no judging for either Ryu attacking the miners or thieving. "What occurred then?"

[dragonform]

"So they tried teaching me how to mug someone. To be honest, I've always been awful at it. I eventually got better at stealing from monsters, but it's not something I like doing. They set me to attack merchants and traders on the road, though they insisted we were only scaring them and not actually hurting them. They eventually set me on to an old man who lived in the woods, his name was Bunyan." He answers, smiling a little at the memory.

"He seemed so big back then, he was strong enough that he knocked us all out with no problems when Rei had the bright idea of trying to break into his house and steal some food. Bunyan thought we should do some real work, so he sent Rei into the mountains to hunt a monster. Teepo and I caught up with him and fought her, it was a monster we called Nue. That was probably the first real time I put myself in danger." He shakes his head after a moment, turning to Paarthunax. "Do you remember how I acted while we were hunting the Gasfella? That Nue we were hunting was also a mother, trying to protect its cubs. But by the time we killed her, the cubs were long dead. Bunyan knew all about them, and he asked us a question when we came down. He said to us: If you had known the cubs were there, would you have let her live?"

It's a question Ryu has mulled over a great deal, even in the years since the event has passed. "To be honest, I don't know the answer to this day. She was still attacking the farmers' livestock, but she was just trying to feed her cubs, even if she didn't realize they were dead."