eye to eye

There's a lot that happens between Ronin's meeting with Safrin and his landing in Stormbreak, but that's not what this meeting is all about. The feeling of the wind in feathers that have never before felt it; fire in the air and the call of a bird so rare that it will echo in the minds of those who hear it for days to come; that will be for another time. Another conversation. No, for now Ronin has landed in the Pacifist Plaza, awash in ash and cinders, and he strides straight for the Tower with fiery gold still fading from his blue eyes. Like a phoenix he has risen from whatever came before, and he's not done climbing yet. Is he aware that he still looks like he's come from the streets of Torchline, wearing Sunjata's clothes with the sleeves rolled up several times? Does he realise that he's not showered in some time, he needs a shave, and he's been gone from Stormbreak since the middle of Longnight? Obviously not. Arriving outside of the Eye's office, he draws up straight and reaches out to rap at the door, waiting patiently to be given entry. "Cian?" he calls, just in case. "It's Ronin." RONIN Darkness is a funny thing. It creeps up on you.

CIAN

Cian sits at his desk with everything perfectly in place. If Ronin has interrupted him, it's impossible to tell. But then, the Eye is always working, so it's more likely that he's simply meticulous in keeping things neat and tidy than it is to think he was simply relaxing.

"Come." That Ronin has been gone has not escaped the Eye of course, and yet his voice is entirely neutral; his eyes too, as he regards the Stare with a dusty blue stare when he enters.

"Have a seat." He offers, gesturing to the two high-backed ornate chairs that sit before his desk. "What can I do for you today, Ronin?" Cian asks amicably enough, as if he were merely some civil servant at the beck and call of the Star.

the truth hurts
but lies can k i l l

Code taken from Sky who is utter perfection

Ronin does indeed come (not like that, gutter brains), stepping into the office of the Eye and clicking the door shut behind him. There are still feathers, crimson and threatening to spark into fire running down the back of his neck and flecking along his temples, and he does nothing to get rid of them as he approaches. Sitting in one of the offered seats, he is reminded suddenly of his promise to kill the Eye. Whether or not that still comes to pass is questionable, but... that is not what today is about. Not immediately, anyway. "Nothing at all," he tells the other man, his voice remarkably calm as he leans forward, elbows propped on his knees as he locks eyes with Cian across the desk. "This is about what I can do for you." A ghost of a smile crosses his face. "I'm ready to join the Order, if you would have me. I know the deal. I know the rules and I know the restrictions. While I don't agree with all of them - while I'd like to discuss leeway if and when the situation arises... I think it's time I stopped fucking around here. Don't you?" RONIN Darkness is a funny thing. It creeps up on you.

CIAN

"Be careful. Not unlike the Sparkbird's feathers, Pheonix feathers can ignite nearly anything." An impressive way of saying all at once, I know what you are, I'm not impressed, and do not burn my furniture.

If Cian is meant to be moved or intrigued by Ronin's steady gaze and intense posture, he simply isn't. Folding his hands comfortably into his lap, the Eye leans back into his chair, regarding the Star for a moment. Whatever he might be thinking is expertly hidden behind a handsome and cleanly shaven face, and a wonderfully neutral denim stare.

"Very well."

the truth hurts
but lies can k i l l

Code taken from Sky who is utter perfection

"Oh shit, sorry." Ronin glances around to check that nothing has caught fire, trying to pat out the feathers as if that might be something he could actually do. Only once he's sure there's no phoenix sneaking out to singe the chair and rug does he glance back at Cian, furrowing his brow. "How did you...?" He doesn't need to finish the sentence, but there's no doubt that he's impressed. Not as impressed as when the other man simply agrees to his offer, and Ronin sits up in his seat, looking like a homeless person dragged in off the streets compared to Cian. "Right. Okay. Well, good," he says, not coming across nearly as put together or as neutral as the Eye. Which is precisely the point, he supposes. "What happens now, then?" he asks. "I still plan to be a part of the Dragoons, unless that interferes with the other plans you might have." RONIN Darkness is a funny thing. It creeps up on you.

CIAN

The Eye raises a brow ever so slightly at Ronin's question but doesn't answer it. How did he know, indeed. It's the same way he knew that Ronin was going to ask to join the Order before he did it. The same way he knew it was Safrin's instructions that made up the Star's mind. What point would there be in arguing, or asking after Ronin's intentions? If he really was going to do as he was told?

These were all strings that lead back to Safrin, and while Ronin and the goddess might have quite intimate knowledge of one another, the Eye has been around to see a thing or two.

"Well, now there is the blood oath and the swearing-in orgy ceremony, of course." Dryly said, the Eye rises and walks toward the fireplace where the barcart has been placed. Removing the stopper from a decanter of moonstone, the Eye pours them each a healthy drink. "Of course. The dragoons are better for having you in their ranks." He agrees, holding out the drink toward Ronin.

the truth hurts
but lies can k i l l

Code taken from Sky who is utter perfection

Ronin raises an eyebrow right back at the other man, though his is a lot more pronounced (how could it not be, with eyebrows like those?) Still, talk of a blood oaths and orgies have him perking up somewhat, and he disregards the lack of an answer - something that would have infuriated him not so long ago - to let out a rumble of a laugh. "And here I got the impression that the Order was boring," he drawls, rising to his feet and assuming they are done here, only for the Eye to go and pour them both a drink. Of course the Star accepts, taking the glass and holding it up in a lazy toast. "I'm glad you think so. I've been focusing on their training, mainly, but I'll happily extend that offer to the rest of the Order, if they are interested." Taking a healthy drink, Ronin relishes it and finds himself breathing out a sigh of relief, of exhaustion. His shoulders relax, and he regards Cian as if seeing him for the first time. "Sorry I threatened your life. Still not sure if I plan to make good on it, but... I was in a thousand wrong places at the wrong times. You didn't deserve my asshattery." RONIN Darkness is a funny thing. It creeps up on you.

CIAN

"No, no. We just make sure we look that way to the outside. Have to keep our ranks trim." The Eye drawls right back. Cian's is a dry and almost dangerous humour at times. To get it wrong might spell disaster. Who knows, maybe a shower is in order for you, Ronin, just in case there is an orgy later.

As to whether or not he has any thoughts about extending training to the rest of the Order, Cian gives no indication. Not for now, anyway.

"I appreciate that." Looking at the bones of last night's fire, the Eye's jaw feathers for a moment before he straightens and takes a sip of his drink. "It wasn't the first time, and I doubt it will be the last. The only question is—" Turning around, Cian flashes the Star a smile so charming it is almost possible to see why someone might love a man like Cian. "—will it be you who finally does me in." The Eye considers Ronin for a moment before shrugging far too casually.

Maybe, that gesture admits. But maybe not.

"There is something I'd discuss with you though, if you have the time."

the truth hurts
but lies can k i l l

Code taken from Sky who is utter perfection

"Careful. You don't want them too trim at a time like this," Ronin remarks, though he can't help the smile that threatens as he takes another drink, surprised to hear anything like humour from the Eye, dry and dangerous though it might be. His glass lowers and he tilts his head, wondering what the other man might be searching for in the ashes leftover from the fire. Then Cian turns, of course, and the Star's mental state is still bruised and battered enough to be thoroughly disarmed. The smile being as contagious as it is, Ronin returns something like it (if not less bright and charming, given the circumstances of his life as it is) and raises his glass in another gesture of I'll drink to that. "Maybe I'll be the one who stops it," he suggests. Such a thing was nigh on impossible even an hour before, but now? Many a door has opened. Some have closed. Ronin doesn't know yet which way his path falls. For now, though, it's in this office. "Until I return to the barracks, I have all the time in the world. I'm all ears." RONIN Darkness is a funny thing. It creeps up on you.

CIAN

"Numbers do not a war, win." Cian fires back. "Not unless you're planning on using your soldiers as fodder." Which there is absolutely a time and a place for. "The last time all this happened...that was exactly the plan. And nearly everyone died. And quite quickly, I might add."

The look of surprise that flashes over the Eye's face suggests he hadn't at all thought of that outcome. That Ronin has managed to say anything that catches him off guard is a shock on its own. But saviour? How interesting.

"It is no secret that you and Amalia have been..out of Stormbreak. No secret either that now that conflict is brewing many are wanting to see things for themselves. To be away from the safety of our walls." Tapping his fingers against the mantle, the Eye places his drink down carefully on a coaster. "Perhaps it is time that travel restrictions are loosened up, if only to prevent the desire to break boundaries simply because they are there." It's so strange, how similar in accent the two men are and yet how their cadences are strikingly different.

"But it would take new infrastructure. The compasses simply will not cut it for everyone. Not if they fall into the wrong hands."

the truth hurts
but lies can k i l l

Code taken from Sky who is utter perfection

Ronin nods his understanding - he had been a member of an army that regarded his friends and fellow soldiers as fodder, after all. His fists clench and he lets out a soft sigh as if to blow away the memory. "Be that as it may, keep your numbers too low and run the risk that those free agents might fill the ranks of other organisations," he points back. It's true, though, that he does not have enough experience with Stormbreak or the Order as of yet to know how close those loyalties lie. Moving now to sit once more in the seat across from Cian's desk, this time at least Ronin is much more relaxed. It's strange that where once the weight of repsonsibility threatened to flatten him, now talk of work and infrastructure is a soothing break from the turmoil of his personal life. A personal life he's keeping well beneath his feet whilst he's in the office with the Eye, he might add. Not so easy when the mention of their being out of Stormbreak comes to light, and Ronin can do little more than agree. Rubbing at his chin, he needs only a moment of consideraton before the idea strikes him. "Why not extend the reaches of the skyboats?" he suggests. "That way you can filter the traffic in and out of Stormbreak. Set up a route from here to Torchline, perhaps, as a trial." The islands are closest, or at least that's how it appeared when he was flying over them. "If that goes well, perhaps you can establish other exploratory routes." RONIN Darkness is a funny thing. It creeps up on you.

CIAN

Cian chuckles, and though the heart is empty of flame, for a moment there indeed appears to be firelight smouldering in his eyes. "If there are other organisations, I'd welcome them." He says at last, the words rolling off of his lips like a groan.

"I was thinking of construction our own portals." The Eye muses, unbuttoning the lowest button on his jacket to sit down comfortably back in his chair. "But the Skyboats..." Tapping his fingers on the desk, the Eye swivels his chair and stares out of his large window and the square below.

"An ingenious idea." He concludes at last. Far more easily done than his own plan, and low-tier technology-wise that the ascended shouldn't be able to easily (or ever) take it over.

the truth hurts
but lies can k i l l

Code taken from Sky who is utter perfection

"If I find any, I'll send them our way," Ronin concludes of the other organisations. Certainly there are guilds aplenty throughout Caido, though their alliances fall into the grey blur between Old and New gods at best. Still, he's certain that there must be some out there that they can build connections between. And given that he is (as Cian has already noted) prone to gallivanting, he might be in more of a position to make contact with those guilds. He turns, as well, to look out of the window, though what the Eye sees and what Ronin sees are guaranteed to differ greatly. Indeed, Ronin is musing about how ugly one of the gargoyles is and whether to complain about it to Sera when Cian speaks again. He just about stifles his surprise at the other man's approval, clearing his throat. "More than just a pretty face, this," he says, though the boyish slant to his lips suggests otherwise. "I would offer to liaise with the skyboat pilots, but since my joyride I think they hide when they see me. Still, even if it's hosting introductions on the other side in Torchline, I'll do what I can to help. I'm close friends with the Governor." Ronin smirks. "Though I'm sure you already knew that." RONIN Darkness is a funny thing. It creeps up on you.

CIAN

"Perhaps I take our history for granted." Cian replies through a dusty sigh. "I expect everyone to side with us, if only because of the Voice's wickedness. But...perhaps more of a history lesson is in order for those who don't know what she's capable of."

At Ronin's quip, the Eye indeed turns to look at the not-just-a-pretty-face, as if it judge it for himself. What Cian's sexual preferences are these days are anyone's guess (his choices and partners at Molly's being a well guarded (and compensated-for) secret).

Now it's Cian's turn to offer a sideways smile as he nods. "I do indeed." He says of Sunjata and Ronin's relationship. "Quite an interesting LongNight your Governor had, hmmm?" The Eye downs the remaining whiskey from his glass. "Do you expect him to be able to see his leadership through what he's just had to endure? Or do you think he will be stepping down?"

the truth hurts
but lies can k i l l

Code taken from Sky who is utter perfection