[Chapter 2 - Scene] Dinner and a ...wait a sec there

[hateindignashun.livejournal.com]

Who: Raine Sage, Yuri Lowell, Judith Sykes, Dhaos, Genis Sage
Where: A restaurant near the inn that we made up :)
When: About an hour after the Tree Hugging scene
Warnings: Dhaos and Raine are geeks? Well, Raine definitely is, Dhaos is just well, Dhaos.



Dhaos being his usual slightly paranoid self made sure to arrive a bit early and obtained a table for the group. He wanted to do this himself so he'd have an idea of the area just in case.

He noticed that a few people were staring at him already, he wasn't sure if that was the usual weird looks because he wore such a heavy cloak indoors or because of the earlier events. He'd probably find out eventually what it was all about, but for now his interest was in the woman he saved the life of. Not a romantic interest, just an interest in her as a person and if she'd be interested in eventually becoming a part of the Alliance. He could always use more members, especially more replicas. He just needed to find the right angle to approach her with, and this would go a long way towards finding that.

Of course, it was looking like her interests may go more towards knowledge in general from what she had already said. If that were indeed the case, she'd be easy to recruit, he definitely had gained much in the way of interesting knowledge over the years.

But for now, all he could do was wait and see.

Comments

[ruinsruinsruins.livejournal.com]

"We're late!" Raine was irritated at the fact that there was a chance that she found somebody who could somewhat speak her language and her colleagues were making her waste precious time being able to discuss things with this person! Despite the fact that half of them weren't ready yet, exasperated, Raine decided to go on ahead without them to meet with Dhaos; after all, this never happened!

Composing herself outside of the restaurant, Raine took a deep breath, and a smile emerged from her expression. "Hello there!" She walked on in, and noticed Dhaos. She promptly began walking toward him. "My apologies for being late, Dhaos. My colleagues should be arriving shortly."

[hateindignashun.livejournal.com]

Dhaos definitely did note the late arrival, not that it was a huge issue with him, he was used to such things. It just meant that he'd set meetings with such people for earlier than he actually wanted to meet with them.

It was the fact that she arrived alone that was interesting. That showed she already trusted him to some degree to meet with him without the safety of company. Good, things were moving along rather nicely then. Now he just had to learn more about her.

"I wasn't waiting long, my order hasn't even been taken yet." He answered her with his best attempt to seem like a decent and charming man, though he was probably failing quite a bit considering he usually spoke with people who were not in the least bit normal.

He motioned towards a seat across from him. "Please, do sit down and perhaps you can tell me about what brought you to such distraction at the Tree?"

If he was right in his estimation about her, this would get her talking and probably more than he wanted. So far she was seeming to be somewhat like Harold, a distracted and obsessed researcher. It was just a matter of finding this woman's area of interest, whether it was science or something else entirely.

forgot to track this; responses should be quicker now.

[ruinsruinsruins.livejournal.com]

Taking a seat, Raine was astounded by the good and impeccable manners that Dhaos displayed to her. Definitely better than Yuri, that was for certain! ... wait, why was she thinking about that sort of thing? For some reason, Dhaos seemed to exude an air of... regality and sophistication which Raine had never encountered before.

It was like he was a deity, for some reason. Dazzling like a star in the night sky.

Shaking her head, Raine regained her senses and gave a small smile. "The Soil Tree is rather well known throughout Auldrant; I don't think it should be so strange that it would be something to interest me, would it?" Raine chuckled. Of course, her own brother treated her as a sort of oddity in her lust for knowledge, and none of her other companions seemed to be able to appreciate such things, either... but she became accustomed to that sort of thing.

[hateindignashun.livejournal.com]

It didn't take much for Dhaos to gather that Raine was interested in him, her admiration definitely showed in her eyes and that told him he was doing something right.

"Perhaps not, but most do not do much more than admire it from afar. It is an uncommon sort who wants to find out why things are the way they are and to use that knowledge to try and makes things different or better."

He really hoped he was going about the right way of this. Truly, he'd been forced more to the idea of being a researcher himself, but then his reasons at least were enough motivation to learn what he needed to learn. It would just be hard to steer this conversation towards the realms that would be far more fascinating to find out if she had any knowledge of.

But at least the results would be well worth his time.

my apologies; trying to brain Raine responses is taking some work

[ruinsruinsruins.livejournal.com]

"I'm currently on a sort of... 'pilgrimage'... across Auldrant, if you will." Raine tried to explain. It would sound silly to say that her little brother dragged her off during his break period in order to look for a nonexistent foster father. That was an entirely different argument. If anything, she'd leave Genis to share that bit of information.

"I originally hail from Keterburg, and we arrived at Grand Chokmah a few days ago. We're making our way across the Rugnica Continent; I suppose I wish to stop by Chesedonia next as well as visit the Zao Ruins." She explained, taking a sip of her water. "This is my first time traveling around, so I thought I'd make it more enjoyable."

[hateindignashun.livejournal.com]

From her choices it was rather hard for Dhaos to figure out what exactly this woman's interest was. The Soil Tree tended to interest those who liked science, but the Zao Ruins were more for the history buff, though a scientist may also have interest in the effects of the environment over the numerous years the place had existed. The fact that it had even stood for over 2000 years, even if now buried in the sand was testament to the technologies of those days, even if they didn't show outwardly.

Chesedonia and Grand Chokmah were obviously for her companions, they were the type of places tourists enjoyed, and would serve as a respite for the traveling, and traveling Rugnica wouldn't be a problem for someone from Keterburg.

"Interesting choices, I do find the Zao Ruins fascinating myself, but one sees few places of such an age that are able to be accessed these days. There is also an oasis nearby that may interest you."

He had to admit, he didn't mind the idea of spending more time with this woman. Though he knew she wasn't the same type of replica as him, she obviously shared some interests. And her being from Keterburg was interesting also, perhaps she may know something of two of the figures he was seeking who were from there.

"If you don't mind, I was actually planning on visiting the ruins myself soon. Maybe I could show you some of my own findings that can easily be missed?"

[ruinsruinsruins.livejournal.com]

"I wouldn't mind at all, Sir Dhaos." Raine simply nodded. "As our group stands, we could use a bit more manpower." Typically she'd be a bit suspicious about inviting yet another stranger to join their travel group, but at this point it would be rude since he had quite possibly saved her life. Looking a gift horse in the mouth wasn't cordial at all, and while Raine felt a bit off about it... well, she was certain that Yuri would at least be able to help if things got out of hand.

Putting aside her usual suspicious nature, Raine simply kept on her smile. "Having a guide of some sort would greatly increase the enjoyment of the experience, I think. I'm all up for it."

[hateindignashun.livejournal.com]

Dhaos couldn't help but smile, it was all going far too well. The time it would take to travel to the ruins would serve well for him to learn more and to see if his ideals matched hers, and if her talents would be of any benefit to the Alliance as a whole. Though her being a replica was enough for him to welcome her into the Tower, even if she didn't join him in the end,

"A guide can be useful, especially one who knows much about the subject. Though for me to guess at what would interest you, might I ask what interest you have in the ruins? Would it be the history, or would it be the structure itself? Or maybe something else entirely?"

Hopefully that would help get some idea of what interested her. If it was history, he'd be able to share plenty on the subject, very few outside those who came with him to the Tower of Rem all those years ago have the vast amount of knowledge he had, a knowledge that could only come from having lived during the times. But sadly outside of the few of them that remained, none lived that long, and if he didn't accomplish his goals, the last of them would die out within a few short years, decades at most.

And it just wasn't the same for them to record what they knew, if it would even be believed.

[ruinsruinsruins.livejournal.com]

"I'd say the history and architecture rank rather high on my list of motivations." Raine explained. "I simply love history, and the possibility of discovering something new so that we, the current generation, don't repeat the mistakes of the past... the notion of that simply fascinates me. After all, the current Auldrant was built on wars and bloodshed; being able to learn more about the past which the governments refuse to tell us would prove beneficial for everybody, I believe." Another sip.

[hateindignashun.livejournal.com]

Dhaos continued to eat his meal absently, truly he was more interested in his companion at this point in time. With her interest, he was almost tempted to tell some of what he knew, of course cleverly disguised so she wouldn't know that he actually lived that Dawn Age history. He'd still have to be careful, since he couldn't quire mention the Tower of Rem yet, and Yulia City was also something that shouldn't be mentioned, though he knew to stay far away from there even if he did know the way in. It was Yulia City's entrance that he had based his own portal off of after all.

"It would seem we share at least one common interest. I personally study history, mostly specializing in Dawn Age history and the technology of those days."

[ruinsruinsruins.livejournal.com]

"Really? Have you done self study, or attended a university?" Raine's eyes lit up at the prospect. "I haven't heard your name among the scholars at the university in Keterburg, so it's probably more of a personal interest? or are you perhaps a researcher who does more exploration than academic study?" The life of an explorer seemed rather glamorous to Raine, who's been holed up in Keterburg for most of her life. Even if Genis weren't looking for Schwann, Raine would have wanted to spend her break exploring the world and its ruins.

[hateindignashun.livejournal.com]

Of course his name wouldn't be mentioned, as far as Auldrant was concerned, he and his kind did not exist. He didn't mind that, but at times it was a bit annoying to say the least.

"I guess you could say self study considering that I have access to a great deal of stories passed down over the years."

That was probably the closest he could come to the truth. Typically he gave it as something passed down by his "family", which was the closest he could come, but one can't admit to being as old as he is. Not even members outside the fellow replicas really knew the full truth.

"And I do prefer exploration. I just prefer to actually see the sun and sky every now and then, and sometimes I have to go out personally to do what needs to be done."