[se] you're such a heavenly view (open)
the Firebrand
Headmaster / Grand Healer

Age: 29 | Height: 5' 11' | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 11 - Strg: 32 - Dext: 33 - Endr: 35 - Luck: 39 - Int:
ASTRA - Mythical - Luxere
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MP: 3415
#1
like thunder gonna shake the ground
After seeing Amalia, Loren had been reminded that Longheat was Safrin's season. Well, Tanau's, but the healer could remember something about the sun. Something about not letting it set, which seemed ironic given Halo's lack of night during these months.

Still, he'd eventually found himself heading towards the shrine. It took him a while to find it, since he was stumbling about in a daze. Shifted into the form of a lion as he was, he couldn't exactly ask for directions even if he wanted or was in the right state of mind to do so.

Eventually he found it. Staring at it for a while, he padded back and forth in front of it. Safrin! Pretty smart star lady. You should take the sun. You deserve it.

Coming to a halt, he realized he hadn't brought her anything. Looking around for something suitable, he growled when nothing caught his eye. However, his attention was drawn to his own fur.

At the moment, it was ratty, matted together with sweat and even some blood. Scars were evident on parts of his body and his eyes were slightly bloodshot. However, even with all that, it glittered a metallic gold in the light.

So he brought a paw up to his mouth. It took him a few tries, but eventually he ripped out a chunk of fur. It stuck on his tongue, so he had to paw at it and hack and spit until he had a small clump gathered. He placed it on the shrine and stepped back. Something shiny for you! For now, he ignored the small spots of blood that came from where he ripped out the hairs.
LOREN
Brecken Michaelis
The Lance

Age: 33 | Height: 6' | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
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#2
Brecken

Time coiled itself around the Citadel in so many pale bands they lost all meaning. Sunrise, sunset wavered back and forth indistinguishable from each other, neither quite occurring. Instead, the light of LongHeat writhed around the horizon, and Brecken could not be sure if he enjoyed the phenomenon or not. Interesting, sure — but a way to live? And did that mean Deepfrost ushered in the opposite? Total darkness to complement the howl of wind and the silencing blanket of snow? He supposed so, but imagining such a thing was difficult in the light of eternal day.

Brecken had not been in Halo long. He wanted to explore more of the city, to stick his nose in the darkest parts of it, sniff up whatever he could. In part because he was supposed to, but in part because he wanted to. A pure, boyish wonder fed the wanderlust in him. And he would allow it to draw him back into the crowds, down the side streets, in due time. For the time being, however, with the light of LongHeat smiling down on him, Brecken made his way eventually toward the closest approximation he could find to a shrine. Not so well-used or so lovingly shaped as those in Stormbreak, he thought, but clearly a manifestation of devotion to Safrin, all the same. It was to her he would look these bright months, as he made his way beyond the only city he loved in search of... well. Secrets, of course.

He was not thinking about who else — what else — he would meet at the shrine. He was not accustomed to cleaning out trash when he visited such places, and when the smell of the beast first struck him, a rare surge of surprise ran coldly down Brecken's spine. He shifted naturally into a wider stance, the fingers of one hand already around the haft of his spear, as his eyes ran over it. On further inspection, it looked... well, sickly, at the very least. Sickly and out of place, and this combination was all that stayed his hand for the moment. He knew enough of the depravities in the outside world, of course, to know it very well could be some kind of person inside the beast's skin, and it might therefore yield information. He could not keep his lip from curling, though, as he stopped well away from it. "What are you doing, beast?" he managed to ask, his voice heavy with scorn. "The Gods have better things to do than put you out of your misery."
Real gods require blood.
the Firebrand
Headmaster / Grand Healer

Age: 29 | Height: 5' 11' | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 11 - Strg: 32 - Dext: 33 - Endr: 35 - Luck: 39 - Int:
ASTRA - Mythical - Luxere
Played by: Crooked Offline
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Posts: 5,165 | Total: 9,913
MP: 3415
#3
When the man spoke to Loren, he turned to look at the stranger. The healer growled a little and pawed at the ground. Still, he backed up. Astra moved with him, hiding behind his bulk.

Which began to shift and morph, until he was half-human half-lion. His bottom half was all man, but his torso and arms were lionlike, with metallic fur and hands tipped with claws. His head was human, but as he smiled his teeth were far too pointy "That's not very nice. And I'm not miserable, not anymore."

Laughing, he gestured vaguely at the shrine. "I was leaving something for star lady. She likes shiny things." He ran his hands down his arms and fur.
you are lost, hope is gone
but you must go on
Loren
Base Code by Sky!
Brecken Michaelis
The Lance

Age: 33 | Height: 6' | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
Level: 3 - Strg: 17 - Dext: 10 - Endr: 13 - Luck: 10 - Int:
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#4
Brecken

If Brecken hoped for a rebuttal, a challenge, he was sadly disappointed. Instead, the sorry beast twisted and collapsed into something else: a halfway horror, indistinct and chimeric, gazing at him with human eyes. He found no trace of repentance in those eyes. Only a strange, blank emptiness. Words issued from the mouth in the same tone, and Brecken felt his features collapsing in toward each other as he struggled to maintain composure. The disgust slipped through; his gaze raked the strange thing up and down with obvious disgust.

In truth, Brecken was not so familiar with the Attuned. He knew of them, knew what they were, but the general concept baffled him. He had no preexisting category for the spectacle before him save perhaps annoyance, definitely disgust. But not outright enemy, and certainly not respect. He merely watched for a long moment, while the stranger babbled words into the silence. Perhaps, Brecken thought, Attuned were to the gods as idiot children were to doting parents.

"Safrin," he said at last. "Do you not even know her name?" His gaze narrowed as he asked. The things he knew of Attuned did not fit together with the aspect this creature now turned toward him. And why — why did it persist that way? Half man and half beast, in either form normal enough but in between a monstrosity? He did not sense an intent to frighten him. Instead, there was only that blank friendliness. The vacant eyes.

What was going on here?
Real gods require blood.
the Firebrand
Headmaster / Grand Healer

Age: 29 | Height: 5' 11' | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 11 - Strg: 32 - Dext: 33 - Endr: 35 - Luck: 39 - Int:
ASTRA - Mythical - Luxere
Played by: Crooked Offline
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Posts: 5,165 | Total: 9,913
MP: 3415
#5
Eyes narrowing, Loren swayed back and forth where he stood. However, he made no move to get closer to the other man. Instead, the healer just shifted his hands to fully human so he could stroke Astra's fur. She pressed herself against his leg, supporting him.

Grinning at the stranger's words, the Firebrand nodded. "Safrin! Yes, that's the star lady. Saffron." He tilted his head to one side. "Why do you think star lady is named after a spice?" Brow furrowing, he pressed his lips together.

Then he shrugged and gestured at the altar. "Do you have something shiny for Saffron? If not, you can have some of mine."
you are lost, hope is gone
but you must go on
Loren
Base Code by Sky!
Brecken Michaelis
The Lance

Age: 33 | Height: 6' | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
Level: 3 - Strg: 17 - Dext: 10 - Endr: 13 - Luck: 10 - Int:
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#6
Brecken

Why do you think star lady is named after a spice? This may have been the breaking point in their little exchange. This, coupled with everything else — the sight of the creature, the unfamiliar ground, the idea of being interrupted on his way to do one of the very few things Brecken considered private. His fingers clenched on the haft of the spear at his back, muscles in his shoulders straining as if against an invisible yoke. And yet — is this really a good use of your time? — that nagging voice in the back of his mind. Like a tiny Dorian perched on his shoulder, amused and annoyed in turns, politely so. Brecken was not here to pick fights with random idiots he found in the streets. He was here — he was here to do something purely mundane and yet he found himself interrupted, and what choice did he have?

He could leave, which felt like defeat, which was inexcusable in the given situation. He could threaten the creature, or try to provoke it, which might feel good in the moment but was probably not appropriate for a multitude of reasons. So — Brecken had to do the difficult thing and swallow his pride and bite back on every single surge or emotion in him, until it subsided enough for him to shake his head as if this was funny. Funny, yes instead of infuriating.

"Are you really this stupid, or do you think this is some kind of game?" he said, rolling his shoulders and circling a few steps to the right. The offer, of course, went ignored. Brecken found it insulting on mulitple levels, so much so that to acknowledge it without taking further action was almost impossible. He'd been trying to mind his own business.
Real gods require blood.
the Firebrand
Headmaster / Grand Healer

Age: 29 | Height: 5' 11' | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 11 - Strg: 32 - Dext: 33 - Endr: 35 - Luck: 39 - Int:
ASTRA - Mythical - Luxere
Played by: Crooked Offline
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Posts: 5,165 | Total: 9,913
MP: 3415
#7
As the strange man started to circle, Loren did the same. The predators that lurked just below the surface of his skin would accept nothing less at this sign of a threat from the other man. The fur rippled along the healer's arms and his fingers grew claws again as his teeth lengthened.

Frowning, he titled his head to one side. "What's a funny game? I don't think Saffron is very funny, do you?" Staring at the stranger, the Firebrand's eyes narrowed.

Then he found himself halting in his tracks. Grinning, he rubbed his hands together. "But I know lots of fun games if you want to play one." Astra trotted forward and tugged on his pants, but he ignored her.
you are lost, hope is gone
but you must go on
Loren
Base Code by Sky!
Brecken Michaelis
The Lance

Age: 33 | Height: 6' | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
Level: 3 - Strg: 17 - Dext: 10 - Endr: 13 - Luck: 10 - Int:
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Posts: 18 | Total: 255
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#8
Brecken

For an instant, Brecken wanted nothing more than to punch the man-beast in the face. Half his mind was there already, shrugging off his pack and setting aside his weapon, lunging forward and smashing the stupid fucking grin off its face before it returned to being a lion again and disemboweled him. Gods, he deserved some kind of reward for resisting the urge, it was so powerful and the anticipation tasted so satisfying. If only it were not here, not now, not the culmination of these circumstances. Brecken grated his teeth instead, the muscles in his jaw standing out. He could picture the aftermath, too, of course — Here lies Brecken Michaelis, who accomplished no great deeds, and was crushed too early under the weight of his own ego. Truly his father would be proud. And Saffrin, too. This was what truly gave him pause — the presence of the goddess in his mind, the knowledge that he had come to offer homage and was now so thoroughly off the rails he was thinking about fighting with a stranger. The disrespect.

Another roll of the shoulders, like a boxer squaring up for a match, only Brecken was trying to wind down. "Games," he said, his grin sudden and jagged. "I'm sure you do." He was certain now the stranger was taunting him, playing the fool only to elicit a reaction. Still, he could not in good faith act on this knowledge, and that alone made him all the more furious. If only he were slightly more reckless, or slightly less....

"I'm not going to break one of the gods' favorite toys in sight of a shrine, though," he said, twisting the mangled situation as best he could to make himself the victor, even if it were only in his own mind. "You want to meet me where there's a little more open space, I'd be happy to play." His eyes remained on the stranger, the lengthening teeth and the return of the claws duly noted as they occurred. This way, at least, whatever happened wasn't entirely Brecken's fault. He could enjoy the violence, if it happened. And if no violence unfolded, if he had actually managed to diffuse a situation rather than make it worse, then — surely that made him some kind of saint.
Real gods require blood.
the Firebrand
Headmaster / Grand Healer

Age: 29 | Height: 5' 11' | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 11 - Strg: 32 - Dext: 33 - Endr: 35 - Luck: 39 - Int:
ASTRA - Mythical - Luxere
Played by: Crooked Offline
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Posts: 5,165 | Total: 9,913
MP: 3415
#9
Nodding at the stranger's words, Loren grinned. "I do." His features became more humanlike as the pelt slid away and his claws melted away again. Stroking Astra, who'd come to stand beside him, he peered at the other man. "What games do you know?" He found himself yawning.

Wiping some sweat from his brow, he flicked it off his fingers and scowled at it. Frowning now, he looked around the area and at the shrine. "What toy? Where?" His gaze snapped back to the stranger at the second half of his statement. "What kind of game needs an open field?"

Sighing, the healer rubbed his eyes and then his temples. "Do you have anything to drink?" He licked his lips, which were dry and cracking.
you are lost, hope is gone
but you must go on
Loren
Base Code by Sky!
Brecken Michaelis
The Lance

Age: 33 | Height: 6' | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
Level: 3 - Strg: 17 - Dext: 10 - Endr: 13 - Luck: 10 - Int:
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Posts: 18 | Total: 255
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#10
Brecken

There is a moment, easy enough to pinpoint, where a light comes on in the otherwise soft emptiness of the attic of Brecken's mind. One moment, belligerence; the next, a sudden closing off, a narrowing around the eyes, and then a dawning comprehension. He is a blind scholar, half illiterate, stumbling through the libraries of the world. Only now does a familiar word catch his eye — do you have anything to drink?.

He remembers this part because it reminded him of something else. His mouth drops open just slightly, as if he is about to breathe a softer word, but he says nothing before he closes it, relaxes, nods to himself. Of course, he thinks. Of course. You fucking idiot. He was too consumed by bravado to see what was happening right in front of him. Thank the gods no one else is here.

His manner changes; he's a showman pulling on another mask, another costume. Smiling suddenly, though it is far from sincere. "Thirsty, are you? You're not feeling well, are you, friend?" The friend in this case is deeply sarcastic, almost mocking, but the rest is earnest enough. "Did you come here to see if Safrin could help you?" Thoughts of his own objective tonight forgotten — opportunity for the Order overriding everything Brecken has ever sought to fulfill himself.
Real gods require blood.
the Firebrand
Headmaster / Grand Healer

Age: 29 | Height: 5' 11' | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 11 - Strg: 32 - Dext: 33 - Endr: 35 - Luck: 39 - Int:
ASTRA - Mythical - Luxere
Played by: Crooked Offline
Change author:
Posts: 5,165 | Total: 9,913
MP: 3415
#11
As the stranger relaxed, so did Loren. The fur and fangs and claws melted away, leaving him entirely human. Smiling back at the other man, the healer bobbed his head up and down at the stranger's question. "Yes. And no." The Firebrand ran a hand through his hair and frowned. "Everything's all fuzzy," he confessed.

Brow furrowing, he glanced at the shrine. Shaking his head, he stepped closer to the other man. Loren dropped his voice to a whisper, as if he was letting the stranger in on a big secret. "No. I came here because if we're really nice to her she'll forget to take the sun away for LongNight." Stepping back, the healer put a finger to his lips, then jerked his chin at the shrine.
you are lost, hope is gone
but you must go on
Loren
Base Code by Sky!
Brecken Michaelis
The Lance

Age: 33 | Height: 6' | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
Level: 3 - Strg: 17 - Dext: 10 - Endr: 13 - Luck: 10 - Int:
Played by: kae Offline
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Posts: 18 | Total: 255
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#12
Brecken

It makes sense now. Were Brecken a creature of premeditation rather than a creature of instinct, he might be angry with himself. Instead, he is merely surprised. It makes sense now. The more intellectual members of the Order would had handled this better. They would already have some kind of useful information. But — better late than never.

Brecken's eyebrows raise in answer to the stranger's conspiratorial whisper. "I see," he says. "That's, uh, pretty clever. What did you say your name was, again?" He is trying to think up what kind of information is useful to him, to his allies, and how he should go about extracting it. But Brecken is not a spy and he is not a scholar, and truly he was more comfortable a few minutes ago preparing to come to blows. "Maybe I can buy you a drink?"
Real gods require blood.
the Firebrand
Headmaster / Grand Healer

Age: 29 | Height: 5' 11' | Race: Attuned x Abandoned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Halo
Level: 11 - Strg: 32 - Dext: 33 - Endr: 35 - Luck: 39 - Int:
ASTRA - Mythical - Luxere
Played by: Crooked Offline
Change author:
Posts: 5,165 | Total: 9,913
MP: 3415
#13
Loren grinned when the stranger called the healer clever. "I didn't! I'm Loren." Pleased to have made a new friend, he asked, "What's yours?" Leaning forward, he fixed his gaze on the other man.

When the stranger asked if he could get the Firebrand a drink he tilted his head to one side. Frowning now, he backed away a few steps. "I live in the bar. And I don't like water. So what would you be getting me?" Loren folded his arms across his chest. However, he didn't run even if he looked like he was about to bolt at any second. Only Astra pressing against his legs kept him there for the moment.
you are lost, hope is gone
but you must go on
Loren
Base Code by Sky!


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