What are this? [OPEN]

remi The higher I climb the farther I fall when I do He wouldn't get too close. Though Remi hadn't been around when Ronin, Koel, Roana, and Ashetta had been attacked by the Spire Monster, he had heard about it from the former-captain (Ronin, as there were two in that group). Though the alchemist was more than a little interested in knowing what the creature looked like and how it moved (Remi was a budding zoologist), he was more interested in the Spire itself. Rory had told him that it had just appeared one day, or so the legend went, and had remained closed off ever since. There appeared to be no discernible way in or out and yet all the tales he'd heard from the Naturals linked the magnetic field to the appearance of the Spire. Nibbling the inside of his lip, the alchemist looked around. The Spire Monster did not appear to be in the direct vicinity, and from what Remi had been told, it only appeared when anyone tried to get too close to the Spire. About 20 meters away or so, judging that amount of distance to be sufficient, Remi sat himself down on the dusty and barren ground and pulled out his sketchbook. Luckily it had made the journey with him, as had more than a few sticks of charcoal. Unfolding the leather bound book, Remi flipped to a clean page and began to sketch. His movements were swift and appeared abstract, though quickly an incredible likeness of the Spire began to appear. With writing that would be nearly illegible to any eyes but his own, Remi began to make notations about the relative distance of the Spire to anything else, any differences in the texture of it, and whether it appeared to obey all the laws of physics. Surely to anyone else this would be a mundane and uninteresting task, but the alchemist's mind firmly sought the foundations of this particular puzzle, and would work its way up from there.

R O N I N

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"What in five hells are you doing?"

He shouldn't be out here. Neither of them should. Ronin thought himself a fairly grounded sort of man, especially given his existence in Northaven up until now. But the thing he'd seen and faced out there at the base of the obsidian shard was beyond his wildest nightmares. (And he was having plenty of those too, after the encounter).

When he'd told his friends about the creature that had nearly ended both himself and Roana, he hadn't meant it as an invitation to come and look at the bloody place themselves. Having hissed his accusation, Ronin moved on quiet feet, keeping low to the ground until he was next to the alchemist.

His blue eyes held an uncharacteristic wariness in place of their usual cheer, and his gaze flicked at measured intervals between Remi and the Spire. He was ruffled by the alchemist's brazenness, but he was mostly just worried for his friend.

"To come out here is bad enough," he said, "but alone? Was hearing about what happened to us not enough?"

Hopefully being caught out wouldn't incline Remi to ask what Ronin was doing out there.

remi The higher I climb the farther I fall when I do Lost in thought and his sketches, Remi hardly heard Ronin approach.The man’s admonishment caught him off guard, making the smile he offered the captain lopsided and slightly surprised. “Hello to you too. “ Remi replied with a grin, closing his sketch book and resting his hands on his knees as he gazed up at his friend. The lines of worry and the darkness in Ronin’s gaze was immediately apparent, and a similar shade of worry darkened Remi’s face in response. “I am far enough way I thought. “ Remi replied, gesturing at the distance between he and the Spire, and the decided lack of any monsters. The reminder of the injuries that the captain had sustained made the alchemist wince. Once upon a time seeing Ronin’s exposed body had made him wince as well, but not in quite the same way. “I had hoped to learn more about whatever it is that is going on. One of the locals, Rory, told me a bit about the Spire and the creature. Not enough to know what to make of it all, and I had hoped by studying it perhaps I could learn something more.” Grinning up at the captain, the alchemist shrugged. “Well I’m not alone anymore am I?” He chuckled cheekily, before his expression grew a bit more serious. “What brings you out here Ronin? Come to sketch as well?”

R O N I N

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Remi's cheerful response was unexpected to say the least, and Ronin pinched at the bridge of his nose and let himself sink down to sit beside the alchemist, albeit very reluctantly. "You thought," he repeated, rubbing at the scruff on his chin. "And what if you were wrong? What if it came out here and there was no one around to help? It's fast, Remi. And deadly." It was a rarity for Ronin to sound quite so serious, and hopefully that would drive home just how he felt about the Spire and the creature that guarded it so fervently.

Arching an eyebrow down at the sketch the other man had drawn, he couldn't help but look impressed, Ronin managing a smile. "I'm more of a painter myself," he said in response to the question about what he was doing out there, before a slightly guilty expression took over. "I circle the very borders of this place at least once a day," he admitted. "I need to make sure that thing is still there, because if it is that means it isn't anywhere near the people I care about."

remi The higher I climb the farther I fall when I do Once upon a time Remi might have stiffened ever so slightly to have a man such as Ronin seated so easily (and so close) at his side. Now though, despite the pesky images of a naked captain Ronin emerging from the sea, Remi was able to listen to his friend with more or less his full attention. Softening as Ronin spoke, Remi nodded understandingly, the submissive lowering of his shoulders an obvious result of Ronin's tone. "I can fly, if you recall." The alchemist replied a bit sheepishly, glancing around to ensure that no monsters were indeed creeping towards them. "Are you now?" Remi asked, sounding both impressed and curious. The onion metaphor was truly an absurd one, and yet here Remi sat indeed thinking about all the hidden layers the captain seemed to possess. Of course Ronin was patrolling. You could take the soldier out of Northwind, but you couldn't take the soldier out of...wait. No. That wasn't how it went. Either way, it didn't surprise Remi at all to know that official title or no, Ronin was still doing what he could to protect them all. "Well, I've not seen anything yet." Remi said, then bit the inside of his lip for just a second. Ronin and Loren were friends, he knew that. Of course he didn't know how close they were (or had been, perhaps), and given that the alchemist hadn't seen so much as a glimpse of the librarian since coming here, the unbidden image of him suddenly sparked brightly in his mind. Clearly his throat slightly with a smile, Remi turned his gaze towards the captain. "Vanya?" He inquired, meaning that she was one of those that Ronin cared about.

Rory

For a long time, all Rory heard was the soft footfall of unshod horse feet on the not-yet-frozen ground. It was a constant sound matching whatever was going on in his head these days: an endless plod towards a distant horizon as time and space ceased to exist. He was lost in the haze of these Outlanders having popped up like weeds in his neighborhood.

What it might mean for them all.

What it might mean for him.

A hunger and a hope flaring bright and hot, scorching his chest; a fickle and dangerous thing, that. He didn't even know what he wanted, for he didn't know what there was to want. It was directionless and primal, a force he did not know what to do with.

He was astride Bakshi—his favorite mare was still recovering from her abscessed hoof—because out of his remaining choices, Bakshi was always the best. He was sure-footed and even-tempered and fairly comfortable unlike the other mare, who had really strong opinions on everything and a trot that was specifically designed to castrate you. One of her opinions was, sadly, that jogging—which wasn't all that bad on her—was overrated.

And considering that he only had three ponies to choose from, Bakshi was always the second best choice.

He was heading over towards what little civilization there was for two reasons: one, the usual hello does anyone need my services? he had been performing since he first learned how to work leather, and two, the new and exciting what sort of weird people will I see today?!

He didn't even make it past the Spire before seeing weird people.

They were sitting fairly close to the Spire, one with what looked to be a book spread over his lap. His outline seemed familiar. Everything in Rory's brain suggested it was Remi. The other he hadn't seen before.

He'd brought Bakshi to a halt without even noticing, gauging the distance between the duo and the Spire with a wary expression. After a couple of seconds he heaved a small sigh and turned the pony in their direction, ambling over and bringing the animal to a halt some five yards behind them.

"Don't you think you're a little close to the Spire for a picnic?" he asked mildly, but from his rather unhurried demeanor, one could assume he did not believe them to be in immediate, mortal danger.

R O N I N

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Ronin relaxed a little as he recalled his friend had wings, but not by much. "Yes, I do recall. I just hope you'd use them the instant something appeared, rather than trying to sketch it." He smirked, nudging Remi and brightening, even if only a little, as the conversation turned to more creative subjects. "Mmhm," he confirmed with a nod. "Delphine was teaching me, for a few months before... well, all this. I was beginning to enjoy it, truthfully." Mostly because of what - or rather who - he was painting, but it looked as though they were going to get onto that subject soon enough anyway.

Vanya's name fell from Remi's lips and the ex-captain smiled, glancing back out towards the Spire. "Yes," he said, "as well as others. My friends, my colleagues... and--"

Cut off by the sound of something approaching, Ronin was on his feet before his mind could catch up, and whatever he'd been about to say to Remi was lost in the sudden rush of adrenaline. His fists raised, he had arranged himself to stand between the stranger on the horse and his friend behind him, though he let out a slow breath at the realisation that it was a person and not a monster.

"Who are you?" he asked warily.

remi The higher I climb the farther I fall when I do "Certainly I would. If anything I can see better with hawk eyes anyways." Remi added with a playful grin, scrunching the side of his face so as almost to wink but not quite. The mention of Delphine however made the alchemist's face falter slightly. After what she'd done in the jungle to Ronin the alchemist was a bit surprised to hear him speak so easily of her, especially given Loren's near crazed reaction to simply hearing her name. "Ahh well. I am working on creating some colours and am stretching a view canvases....perhaps you will find time to start again." As Ronin suddenly rose to his feet, Remi likewise scrambled up. Though the alchemist was quite nimble, the captain's actions had caught him off guard, and so he rose almost unsteadily. Seeing Rory and Baskhi the alchemist relaxed immediately. Extending a hand to place it gently on Ronin's shoulder, the alchemist squeezed gently in a reassuring manner. "This is Rory, once of the locals I had mentioned." Remi said easily, stepping forward and offering a small welcoming wave to the other blue-eyed man. The mention of the proximity caused Remi to glance over his shoulder. Though Ronin had told Remi precisely the same thing, presumably Rory's opinion held just a bit more weight given how much more familiar he was wth this place. "I had thought this seemed appropriate..." He offered vaguely, nibbling the inside of his lip and shading his eyes against the sun to better see Rory who appeared quite magnificently backlit at the moment.

Rory

He didn't want to blame the strangers for their skittishness, but still, the hand which had loosely held Bakshi's reins stiffened as the unknown man shot to his feet. The pony flicked one ear back questioningly—far too trusting, even after encountering Elyna. In silence Rory watched the stranger, but aside from throwing his fists up, he didn't seem interested in attacking; but just like Elyna, his body language screamed danger. This, also, was a man who knew what he was doing with his body.

Behind him, Remi stood up swiftly as well, seeking to soothe the other and answering the question.

The so-called-Rory it was, indeed.

"At least there's no glaive this time," he said dryly, considering this a vast improvement. Once was nothing, but did twice make a theme? And if so, was the theme to protect Remi, or simply distrust of this new place they'd found themselves in? Rory found himself narrowing his eyes briefly at the alchemist—not in wariness, but simply in the way one does when focused.

Then he gave his head a little shake, still not quite trusting Ronin enough to get off the pony's back. "Believe me, I wouldn't be standing here like this if it wasn't," he eventually said in response, once again feeling the allure of that likable face Remi wore, that strange urge to placate and soothe. He didn't like it. "But go much closer, and you'll definitely catch its attention."

R O N I N

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Ronin was wary, then he was confused, and that followed very swiftly into a dry sort of amusement as Rory commented about a glaive, of all things. His fellow soldier used one (Ronin had nearly been on the receiving end of it once or twice, so he ought to recognise it). Remi 's hand was warm on his shoulder, earning a quick glance to check what the other man was getting at, and he finally relaxed as the hawk introduced the apparent not-stranger. Clearing his throat and straightening up, Ronin gave a shallow bow.

"Sorry," he said. "I've been on the receiving end of that particular monster, assuming that we are speaking of the same thing." Rubbing at the back of his head, he lowered his fists and glanced over his shoulder again towards the Spire. He couldn't agree enough with Rory, nodding emphatically and circling around to stand by the man on the horse. "I am very keen to get farther away, if I'm being honest," he said.

remi The higher I climb the farther I fall when I do Remi chuckled affectionately at the mention of there not being a glaive. "Elyna." The alchemist offered by way of explanation, which would prove to be unnecessary but of course helpful as he sought to be, Remi couldn't have known the captain's familiarity with the former-bloodfiend's weapon of choice. Looking towards Rory, Remi nodded with a warm light in his pale eyes. "And hopefully not again." With a drama that seemed ill-fitting the alchemists affable and submissive nature, Remi sighed and ran a hand from the back of his neck forwards through his hair, making his curls flop comically against his forehead. "Is there anything more you can tell us about it Rory?" Remi asked, still shielding his eyes to better see the blue-eyed man, and squinting a bit more to try and discern the details of his face. Glancing over his shoulder with a weary sigh, Remi held up the leather-bound notebook he'd been sketching in, and gestured towards it absently. "I had only hoped that by studying the Spire perhaps we could learn more about it ... about what it inside or how to open it, or even just about the thing which attacked you." So saying this latter bit, Remi nodded his head thoughtfully toward Ronin.

Rory

"I won't bet on it," he responded lightly to Remi, and while he didn't quite hold any hard feelings over the whole thing, he wasn't one to trust blindly or believe in the best. Sure, he'd be happy to never be threatened in such a way by her—or anyone else for the matter—again, but he wouldn't stake his life on it. Far from it.

The other man—still nameless in Rory's book—surprised him then; not with his apology or the shallow bow (though Rory certainly wasn't used to such a thing, and likely look startled for a split second), but with what he said. He had faced off with the monster—and survived? Was it the same one? But what else would it have been? Rory said nothing as the man came up to the pony, but followed the suggestion and had Bakshi walk a couple of paces back.

And there was something about Remi that seemed too open, too naive, too defenseless and far too trusting: the way he had gone all the way to the Outskirts with only Elyna, the way he seemed to want to trust Rory. The way he sat by the Spire, sketching and thinking.

Rory wanted both to shake it out of him, and preserve it.

"You survived? How?" he finally managed to say, blue eyes keen as they landed on the stranger. Then, as if to postpone an eventual answer, Rory decided it was time to prove he wasn't part of his pony, so he swung a leg over its withers and slid off. Maybe this would be the day he got eaten by Outlanders for being too trusting, but he was equal parts wary and equal parts sick of being wary.

"The monster doesn't eat, sleep, shit, or age, at least we've never seen signs of it, and no one ever has. And the Spire, well.. some theorize there's a door, that the outline there is a door. Problem is, you can't get past the monster. As to what's inside, I've heard everything from our sins and failures to the Old Gods to paradise to.. I don't know, all the goats you could ever need. Riches. The dead. Death itself. Amazing things. Horrible things."

And something in his face fell then, and he frowned as he looked towards the imposing building. Three hundred years, and no one had been able to find any answers—and there he stood, wanting to apologize to these two well-spoken and well-dressed gentlemen that he couldn't be of more help.

Something about the Northaveners appearance put some things into perspective.

"It's really quite pitiful, huh? Trapped for three centuries and we have nothing to show for it..."

R O N I N

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Raising his eyebrows at Remi's drama but also managing a small smile, Ronin followed suit with the other man's pony and dropped back a few more paces. They were still in range of the Spire, as far as he was concerned, but this was better. Better still would be when his friend came to join them. Turning towards Rory, he offered a smile and a gentle shrug at his shock and his questions. "A very good healer and a lot of luck," he said honestly. He didn't really like thinking about how close a call it had been.

"There were four of us, too. One of our group wields power over lightning, and the monster didn't seem to like that." Fire, he felt, would have the same effect. And one day Ronin would test his theory out. (Something he kept very close to his chest indeed). Drawn from his darker thoughts by Rory's unexpected candidness about everything he knew regarding the Spire and the being that guarded it, Ronin listened intently, packing everything the newcomer said away for later.

He smiled lopsidedly at his comment, shaking his head. "You're alive, aren't you?" he said. "Three hundred years trapped and you're still trying. Thank you, Rory, for explaining more about this place. I'm Ronin, by the way - it's good to meet you. Any friend of Remi's is a friend of mine."

remi The higher I climb the farther I fall when I do Remi was a bit disappointed by Rory's reply. Not because he was surprised at all—Elyna was a prickly pear at the best of times—but because of the lingering negative impression the duo seemed to have imprinted on the strange native of this world. The alchemist's lips twisted slightly as he offered Rory yet another apologetic smile, his pale eyes lowering slightly as he sighed. With a rather charming reluctance, Remi watched as both Ronin and Rory retreated a few paces as if that was going to make the difference. Glancing over his shoulder he regarded the spire solemnly, naively thinking that if he could just get close to it that he could probably puzzle out its secrets. With a sigh he joined the group, finding himself more or less at eye-level with Rory now which he found surprising. The native had cut such a striking figure on top of his pony that Remi's mind must have made him out to be a good deal taller than he actually was. Though in fact, the alchemist found he rather liked this properly humanized version of the man. Listening intently, Remi perked up at some of the descriptions Rory was giving of the creature. "Doesn't eat or sleep?" He intoned brightly, opening his notebook and jotting the words down as well as a few other notes. "Are we even sure it is alive?" He mostly chuckled to himself shaking his head slightly as he continued to write during Ronin's retelling of his own encounter with the creature. Smiling sunnily as Ronin described Rory as being a friend of his, he nodded gently in agreement. "Has anyone tried to study it? The spire or the creature?" Remi asked, a flash of uncharacteristic stubbornness galavanting across his face as he gave Ronin a pointed look, softening to one of genuine curiosity as he turned to Rory. He was in full agreement with the former-captain that survival in itself was quite an accomplishment. But if no one had ever taken the time to properly study either mystery, then it was no real surprise that little progress had been made.