(Open) Paws upon the Stones of Many Colors

Gideon wasn't quite sure how much of the Outlander's tales he believed; of all the stories he'd heard, one able to shift into people, animals or whatever else they wanted was new, and he wondered why, if Neos had been able to choose his outfit, he'd gone for that. Maybe fashion was just different where he'd come from, he supposed. "Some of the Attuned, once they are used to their abilities, can manifest some of it in their human forms." He confirmed, nodding, though he wasn't sure how much practice or effort it took them to do. "I doubt you'll ever be able to become another person, though. The only power I've heard of even vaguely like that was possessed by an Ascended." He'd heard rumours that the Voice's children could adapt their faces, shift their features, to change their appearances; the thought made him a little queasy. He flashed Amalia a smile at her comment about his knowledge, though he suspected it had not been entirely genuine. "The ones you have to worry about for the moment are Safrin, Ludo and Frey. Safrin controls the night sky, though...she has a lot of goals." Knowing that the Goddess was fond of Amalia, he glanced down to her, wondering if she had anything to add to that. "Ludo is a spirit of remembrance and death, and Frey has recently become two beings; one for nature, and one for, well, sex." Gideon Reckon up the variables Find a way to make it real Make a deal Until my protector comes

The worst thing about always being on the move...

"Rocks, trees, plants...one time, I even turned myself into wind to pull off the ultimate escape artist stunt...though reforming to even just my real form after that was absolute pain..." He shook his head after recalling that moment, then chuckled as he swears Amalia turned a shade lighter for a moment.

To make a point, he removed his hat before revealing the inside of it that would be against the hairs on his head and showing how it was just like the inside of a normal hat. "Don't worry, they're still like any other clothes in function, but if I don't want them flying off, like in the case of my hat, even the strongest windstorms ain't blowing it off." He then places it back on his head, tugging at the wide brim to make sure it was firmly on once more.

When Gideon mentioned never being able to turn into another person, probably to the priest's surprise, Neos just shrugged. "Honestly, I ain't too worried about that. Considering how long I've been in this form, I would probably feel weird being in a different human's skin," he admitted. "I'm more mad that this Voice went out of her way to do so. Every reality I've been in, the laws of that realm would force me to change to adopt to it anyway..." He then blinked as he crossed his arms in front of himself while bring a hand to his chin in thought. "...unless the Voice is how the laws of this world are enforced..."

He then turned to listen to Gideon about the gods, trying not to snort in humor over how one of the three mentioned had become the God (or is it Goddess, Frey sounded like it would be either a male or female name, now that he thought about it) of the Horizontal Tango. None of them seem immediately interesting, but considering how he was still an animal in mind, heart and spirit, if no longer body... "How does being split like that even work," he asked in confusion. He's never heard of any form of divine being splitting like that. "And I'm throwing myself under the b---uh, wagon with saying this, but you might as well explain it like you're telling this to an awakened animal."

These people likely didn't know what a 'bus' was, and he wasn't willing to be the one that explained it. Not this time, at least.

...is that no one believes the tales that emerge later on.

NEOS

She's imperfect, but she tries She is good, but she lies She is hard on herself She is broken and won't ask for help Though she can't imagine the benefit of turning into a tree or stone, Amalia is impressed by the versatility that Neos seems to have possessed. To the once-Attuned changing shape is less about changing and more about being a form one is- but she does not try to explain that now. The man has endured enough culture shock. "She is not." Anger sparks in her smoky voice at the implication that the Voice has more say over Caido than she does, the Shield naturally defensive of the authority of her gods. "The Voice is only interested in interrupting the natural order of the world, and corrupting it into her image." Clawed fingers ball into fists at her sides, the girl looking away as thorns sprout up in her golden locks. She's calmed down by the time Gideon finishes his explanation, Neos looking for clarification on the subject of the gods. Softening her stance, the Shield turns back, warmth appearing in her face as fondness slips into her voice. "Frey now appears in two bodies, dependent on the role they are fulfilling," she explains, thinking back to her last encounter with the deity. "The Old Gods are... there was first Caido, the God of All, who created the world and the Three." Amalia extends her arm to vaguely demonstrate the world, her voice and face becoming animated. "From it rose Rae, god of nature, Mort, god of death, and Vi, god of life." She lingers on the last name, adoration bright in onyx eyes. "The Three are, of course, occupied with maintaining the balance of the world, and so from them came heralds, to manage the affairs of mortals. As Gideon said, there are three: Frey for Rae, Ludo for Mort, and Safrin for Vi. These are the deities who would be most likely to answer your questions, and guide you in this world." a m a l i a She is messy, but she's kind She is lonely most of the time She is all of this mixed up and baked in a beautiful pie She is gone, but she used to be mine

Gideon, equally offended at the idea that The Voice could ever hope to rule or have any kind of say in the way Caido worked, nodded at Amalia's words. "The Voice brings Outlanders through into our world, but that is where her influence stops. The best thing you can do to thwart her and get your revenge, if you want it, is to serve the Old Gods." Coincidentally, that was also the best thing to do to get into Gideon's good graces. He let Amalia take over with her longer explanation of the Gods behind the heralds, nodding along as she got it all right; at least the Demi-God, for all of her insecurity about the role, knew what she was talking about. "Also..." He raised a hand to rub at the back of his neck, trying to think of the right way to phrase what he was trying to say. "I wouldn't go around calling yourself an animal. People are already hesitant to welcome Outlanders. No need to other yourself further." Gideon himself was not fond of them as a whole, though he did have sympathy for their plight; enough that he'd offer his advice. Gideon Reckon up the variables Find a way to make it real Make a deal Until my protector comes

The worst thing about always being on the move...

He did not need to be native to this world to get the vibe that he pissed off the people in front of him with his remark about the Voice having any real reign over this world. He backed up a step or two away from then, open hands in front of himself. "Whoa, whoa, did not mean to anger anyone with anything, I was just trying to make sense of things," he defended, biting the inside of his bottom lip for a moment when he was done speaking.

He shut his mouth and listened as best as he could to Amalia's explanation, thinking as he both watched and processed the information being given to him. As of right now, the one among the heralds that had his curiosity the most was Frey, specifically the aspect of her leaning towards nature...he wasn't touching the aspect that leaned the other way with how his brain wants to smartass what to refer to that particular domain as. The urge to refer to that domain as the Horizontal Tango in more than just his head was just too great to let himself say it outloud.

He then frowned at Gideon's advice, sighing sadly through his nose. "That...is going to take a lot of human...er, people-watching and a lot of unlearning of lifelong habits to be able to learn more about this world and not reveal myself to others with my...interesting word choices," he confessed. "Though, the fact that this Voice is pulling so many in, creatures and humanoids alike, without much care...I'm not sure I want to see, or even be part of, whatever endgame she seems to have..."

"Also..." Neos rubbed the side of his neck, looking down and away while his eyes shifted side to side. "...um, do either of you know what that form I was taking when you both crossed paths with me was? I really don't know..."

...is that no one believes the tales that emerge later on.

NEOS

She's imperfect, but she tries She is good, but she lies She is hard on herself She is broken and won't ask for help She's growing restless, wondering how much more she can tell the man, how much he can take. Glancing over to the town in the distance, Amalia listens as Neos and Gideon continue to speak about adjusting to a brand new world. "You don't," is all she has to contribute to the idea that one would not want to be involved in the Voice's plans. Ah, but here is an easy question. "You're a lion," Amalia answers, blinking as she turns back to Neos. "Have you not... you've travelled to different worlds, but you've never heard of a lion?" True, lions aren't exactly common in Caido either, but Amalia has yet to meet an outlander who doesn't know of them. a m a l i a She is messy, but she's kind She is lonely most of the time She is all of this mixed up and baked in a beautiful pie She is gone, but she used to be mine

"You don't seem to be doing too bad right now. Just...less on the animal-talk." Gideon advised. "...That, and the outfit is a little strange." He'd never been particularly shy about giving his opinion, and often struggled to stop when he began, though he forced himself to shut up after that; if he really wanted this new Outlander to listen to his points about the Voice, he had to make sure he didn't insult him right away. The thought of the Voice's 'endgame' actually coming to any kind of fruition was enough to make him shudder. "You won't need to worry about that." He said confidently, sure that the Order was going to throw enough of a wrench in the Voice's plans that they would never see their goals. Equally as confused as Amalia, he nodded to her question. "I suppose they might only be native to Caido, but I'm sure I've heard some Outlanders have animals in common with our world." Gideon Reckon up the variables Find a way to make it real Make a deal Until my protector comes

The worst thing about always being on the move...

Neos winced at the question of never having heard of a 'lion' before. "I mean, I've seen somewhat similar, but not quite like that." He crossed his arms as he tried to think of how to explain what he meant. "There was a figure that sometimes visited one of the realities I went to that referred to himself as a 'leonin' when I asked what he was, for starts. There was also a couple of species of P--creatures that had a similar body structure in my home reality, but that's about it."

Almost said 'Pokemon' again, Neos scolded himself mentally, keeping the self-aggravated thinking off his face for the moment.

All this conversation had him thinking about what was said about the gods, how active they seemed to be, and how willing this duo was about to talk about them. With this in mind, he nodded slightly as he asked a question that was floating on his mind: "...with the activity these gods seem to have shown as of late...have either of you directly met any of them? The gods or their heralds?" He bowed his head forward slightly before saying, "Sorry if I'm giving you both some real headaches right now. I'd rather find out what I can without having to learn it the hard way. Learning new customs and ways of life with each forced change of world has never gotten easier, " he confessed.

He wished he had a chair to sit in after asking those questions, though.

...is that no one believes the tales that emerge later on.

NEOS

She's imperfect, but she tries She is good, but she lies She is hard on herself She is broken and won't ask for help Amalia cannot resist it: she glances pointedly at Gideon when he comments on Neos' outfit, raising an eyebrow at the man who has opted for strange formalwear in the Torchline heat. "Yes. He's dressed strangely." It's not that she doesn't agree with the Priest, it's just that she's found she takes a strange measure of amusement from ribbing him. And right now the Shield finds herself eager for entertainment in whatever form. As Neos continues to muse about things he has no knowledge of, Amalia has to bite her lip against a retort, not sure how best to respond. Again she looks to Gideon, certain that he's about to explain the recent change in her life. "The Heralds sometimes offer audience to those who are pious. I've encountered all of them, personally- I'm sure Gideon has as well. As a priest of the Old Gods." a m a l i a She is messy, but she's kind She is lonely most of the time She is all of this mixed up and baked in a beautiful pie She is gone, but she used to be mine

"I have to dress for the prestige my position gives me. He arrived on the beach ten minutes ago. Or however long he said." Gideon pointed out, raising his eyebrows at Amalia and smirking as if to challenge her to say anything else. This new fellow was certainly calm about his fate, asking theological questions before he'd even found himself a home or new life; Gideon would never discourage curiosity about the Gods in an Outlander, but he did find it unusual. Still, he could answer the questions, so he waited for Amalia to speak first (and didn't react when she said he must have met every God). "Yes, I've met Gods. All you have to do is pray at the shrine and give an offering, and hope they feel like talking to you. I wouldn't waste their time just with saying hi, though." He'd had people come to the temple before, distraught and upset that their shrine prayer had gone badly, when they had had nothing to say; the Gods were busy, and one couldn't expect to simply have their time for the sake of it. Gideon Reckon up the variables Find a way to make it real Make a deal Until my protector comes

The worst thing about always being on the move...

Neos chuckled at the exchange regarding the attire. He knew this appearance looked strange or goofy to others, he just personally liked it. And there was no changing that. "Hey, I agree with the priest here," he started, an open palm-up hand pointing towards Gideon. "You gotta dress the part to get the respect you you should get from your rank and position. That's true just about anywhere, even outside of Caido. Part of why I took this attire on for myself originally...though I grew to just like it."

Neos had to bite his tongue, and hard, to resist the urge to verbally-smartass a remark regarding Gideon's warning regarding the shrines. Just about anyone in authority hates it when you interrupt them just to say 'hi', not just gods. "In other words, don't visit the shrines unless you have an Arce--er, god-damned good reason to. Got it."

He blew air out of his mouth before looking up towards the sky above in thought. "...guess I'm gonna need to find the equal to a lot of what I normally say and quick as well," he muttered in to himself, before looking back down at the others.

"...I have the feeling I've taken enough of your time already," he said with a sad sigh. "You both probably have more important things to do than deal with someone still new to this place."

(Running out of things for him to ask right now, we can wrap up if you two want.)

...is that no one believes the tales that emerge later on.

NEOS

She's imperfect, but she tries She is good, but she lies She is hard on herself She is broken and won't ask for help "I never knew a priest who needed special clothing to prove their piety to the Gods," Amalia replies with a shrug, mischief sparkling in her dark eyes. "He arrived ten minutes ago. You've had your whole life to learn how to dress yourself, and yet." Big words coming from a woman with no sense of fashion, dressed in clothes more likely inherited than intentionally bought, but she isn't trying to present herself as a paragon of style. The conversation winding down, Amalia nods at the suggestion that there are other tasks to do, gnawing gently on her lip. "Okay. I live up on Aumakua if you need anything," the Shield offers warmly, tilting her head towards the lighthouse on the hill. "I hope you have no trouble settling in, but if you do... well. Good luck, Neos." With that she will spread her wings, taking to the relative safety of the sky and making her way back home. {fin!} a m a l i a She is messy, but she's kind She is lonely most of the time She is all of this mixed up and baked in a beautiful pie She is gone, but she used to be mine