Brightest of Days
Log Info
- Title: Brightest of Days
- Emitter: Andelena
- Place: Temple District
The Temple District, afternoon.
Daeus's light is bright in the world again on this sunny day, a day where it seems all of Alexandria is slowly cooking in the last days of summer. Yet people are going about their days out of necessity, and children are laughing and playing here and there in the Temple District closer to the Temple of Tarien, where their joy is always welcomed and encouraged.
Leaving the temple that belongs to Tarien's noble father, however, is Andelena, the Sunguard distinctive in her mithral armor, white cloak, and beautiful longsword on her hilt. She runs a hand through her somewhat frizzy waves of hair, and the redhead sighs a little.
"Man, this weather fucking sucks," she says as she walks through the District. "You should be glad you're just a sword, Livvie."
A chuckle comes from the sword on Andelena's hip. "Must you curse as soon as we leave the Knight's Temple, Andelena?"
"Must you be a nag?" Andelena fires back. "Anyway, I got kittens to go feed."
Culix is bundled up- not because she's cold, by any means. She's roasting under the baleful gaze of the the merciless sun. But because it's much too bright for her tastes. Her hood is drawn and her mask is up, leaving only a narrow slit visible for her eyes. The skin that is visible is mostly gray, save for a blotch of green around her left eye and across the bridge of her nose. Wisps of black hair streaked with silver escape her hood. "Fucking right." she mutters, overhearing Andelena's complaint. "Can't you Sungards ask Him to take it easy?" she grumbles.
"No can do," Andelena replies to Culix, although she offers the goblin a little wave. "The summer's His time and I ain't about to holler at my god to turn it down a notch. Haven't seen you in a few minutes, Culix."
"Hello, Culix," greets the maternal-sounding voice from within the sword. "A pleasure to meet you."
Andelena pats the hilt of her sword. "Don't mind the talking sword. Her name's Deliverance. I call her Livvie for short. What brings you to the Temple District today?"
Culix rolls her eyes, "Then what's the point of all that praying?" she wonders, but there's humour in her tone- she's only slightly serious. At the question, she shrugs, "Askin' a priest 'bout this," and after a moment's hesitation, pulls her mask down a bit revealing more of her face. Almost all of her skin is grey- and it wasn't always. "Supposedly not a disease or a curse." she adds then, though sounds somewhat sceptical, and she pulls the mask back up again. She eyes the sword then, "Not the first talking sword I've seen, believe it or not." she says, "Not sure I trust a blade that can think." she admits.
"There's more than one out there, it's true," Andelena responds to Culix. "I've met Sir Seldan and his blade, Reunion. That's an experience all of its own."
"A noisome one, yes," Deliverance responds with a sigh.
Andelena just pats the blade on the hilt. "That grey skin--if the priest told you it's not a disease or a curse, maybe it's some kind of... manifestation of something. Like a quirk of the bloodline or some shit. I've heard of it happening recently to other people."
Culix snorts at the blades words, but makes no comment.
She huffs, "That's the theory I'm working with." she says then, "'specially given the other shit that's been going on with me lately." she adds, but chooses rather than to elaborate, to change the subject. "So, I heard you've been dabbling with a bit of smithin'. Maybe more than dabbling." she says to Andelena then. "You was there when I was thinking about picking up a new blade, weren't you?" she wonders.
The doors to the Sunlord's temple swing wide once again - really, why do they bother closing them on a day like this? This time, a plainly clad figure in browns and a shirt with rolled-up sleeves beneath a brown leather vest emerges from it. Dolan has a longsword at his hip, but no other sign of arms or armor, and the amber-gold gem in its bronze and steel ring is set where his right eye should be. He ambles over in the pair's direction, coincidentally taking nearly the exact same route that Andelena had been, and so he ends up coming up behind her, with a gesture towards Culix that is one finger held over his lips and a cheeky grin.
Andelena has no idea of cheeky husband shenanigans, because she has that light in her eyes that comes with discussing business. "Yeah, I work on weapons and armor," she tells Culix. "I forged my husband's greatsword as a wedding gift to him, and I've done work here and there on other people's stuff. I actually just got done with improving Bry's backup weapon, a longsword, so I'm all free and clear for commission work."
She smiles a little. "So, if you're looking for a new blade, I can help pretty handily. I like to think my shit doesn't suck."
GAME: Culix rolls bluff: (6)+9: 15
Culix's beady eyes spy the approaching figure- but her face remains placid so as not to betray it, as she carries on her conversation. "I was thinking on getting a shortsword or a rapier. Something with a bit more reach to it, but truth be told, none of 'em really felt right. So I'm thinking on getting a dagger, a real nice one." she says then. "You know I thought I'd be pissing my gold up the wall when I started this adventuring gig, but it's burning a hole in my pocket. Heavy coinpurse don't feel as nice as I thought it would, so I reckon I ought to invest in protecting my hide some."
Suddenly, strong arms reach to wrap around Andelena's waist, and the one-eyed face appears over her shoulder, the mobile half of the scarred features alight with gleeful mischief. "You did an outstanding job, baby," he tells her from behind.
Andelena has a split-second reaction where there's arms curling around her waist where she looks like she's about to sock someone in the gut, but then she looks down, recognizes those hands, and then Dolan speaks. She laughs, hard. "Gods damn it, babe, I was getting ready to wheel around and punch whoever decided I was free and clear for a hug from behind. Hey hot shit." She twists a little to plant a little peck on his lips before looking back at Culix.
"Sure, I can do a dagger for you, Culix. It'll be a quicker job, too. Something with a keener edge than you get buying any random old piece of shit from the market--I recommend that to start with, and then you can bring it back to me if you want more bells and whistles on it." Andelena grins broadly. "Bry here can testify the sort of things I can do."
Culix grins under her mask a the display, "Heel to the nads is better." She recommends to Andie then, "Don't need to waste time on spinning around." she adds. "Yeah, guess I better find something halfway decent to start with though. Had these since 'fore I went to the big house, and they've seen some shit before and since." she says, twisting one foot just so that the hilt of one of her daggers peeks out of the top of her boot. "So I'm not thinking anything fancy. Just, you know, a dagger but stabbier."
"If you're going to do that, I'll be expecting it." "Brydion" still hasn't moved, other than to return the peck on the lips, but peers down at Culix from behind Andelena. "Step on the instep first and then kick." He's still grinning like a fool, though. "I can vouch for Andie's work. It's damned fine." He seems to be content to be snuggled close, and eventually releases one hand to come around to her left, one arm wrapped around her waist still.
"I'm sure as shit not kicking Bry's balls to test," Andelena responds with a snort. "I need those for later, after all." There's a wicked little grin on her face and a suggestive little flicker of the steel-gray eyes to Dolan's.
She looks back at Culix. "Yeah, just come by the forge I work at with whatever dagger you end up finding." She rattles off the directions and address for a forge that's, really, only a short jog away from where they are now in the Temple District. "We'll sort it and the payment out then and there. Gotta cover the cost of materials and my time on labor."
Then she adds, "Bry here does furniture if you're in the market for that too. He made our current bedframe."
The doting pair get a side eye but Culix manages to refrain from comment on their antics, until the bedframe comment. She mutters something under her breath, something involving the word "Sturdy" and then shrugs. "I ought to get myself a proper place first. Still living in inn rooms. Out of town half the time on guild work, anyway, so don't seem worth putting down roots."
She stuffs her hands into her back pockets, "You know it's funny. When I was a babby, I always wondered about what it'd be like to be rich. It was my dream. Now, I got more than enough to buy some of the fancy useless shit I used to want, but I've realized half of it is pointless. I got myself a horse I hardly ever ride, 'cause it hurts my arse and I reckon the thing has it in for me."
"Good. I'd rather you didn't," Brydion tells Andelena, a shit-eating, wicked grin threatening to split his face in half as he looks over and up at her. The crack about sturdy, only widens that grin - he seems to take the jab in stride. "Yeah, that was the first thing," he laughs.
The laughter fades, though, and he nods slowly, his tone turning more gentle. "It ain't about what you got, is it? I've seen people who've got nothing be happy, and people who've got everything and hate their lives. It's about who you got."
"Bry's right," Andelena replies, her face becoming a warmer, more compassionate sort befitting a Sunguard. "I used to be a noble, y'know--before my mother had me kicked out because I wanted to marry Bry here. I was fucking miserable when I was younger despite being surrounded by wealth, because the people around me were sacks of shit or were caught up trying to chase impossible fucking standards. Now, Bry and I aren't poor by any means, but it's not like we're living off the teat of a baron's wealth like my parents were--and I am way happier for it."
She grins a little. "Far as I'm concerned, I made the right decision. If I'd done what Mother wanted, things would look really fucking different for me, and for the worse."
"Now hang on a minute." Culix says, extracting her hands and holding them out in front of them. "I ain't saying I was happier when I was skint. I mean, my folks did what they could, but if I had honey on my bread it was 'cause me or one of my brothers nicked it." she says then. "An' no offense, love, but I'm not too keen on having the virtues of poverty preached to me by a blue blood. But, I take your meaning. I'm just saying, that once you can afford to keep your belly full and a roof over your head, a gilded piss-pot starts to look ridiculous. But when you're having sleep for dinner, it's all you can think about." she explains then.
The smile - all of it - has vanished from Brydion's features, but he only eyes Culix. "True enough. Don't think that was what Andie here meant, though. You have trouble with this one, baby, you call me, yeah? I'll go feed the cats." He turns and leans up to kiss her on the cheek, then lets his arm drop and steps away, as if to move on.
"I was headed on my way to feed 'em too, babe," Andelena replies to Dolan. She gives Culix a little wave. "So I guess that means we're both going home. Come by the forge when you're ready, yeah? Brightest of days, Culix."
The Sunguard goes to catch up with her Corona-husband, her arm finding his. Hungry cats aren't going to wait on anyone.
Culix frowns at the proffered goodbye, "I bloody hope not, it's already too bright. Catch you later." she replies to the Sunguard, offering her a wave as she heads off, and then stuffs her hands back into her pockets and continues her own amble.