What is truth?

"If I can't move the heavens above, I will move Hell" Sah had been in the GreatWood for a few days now. And that night he found himself simply meandering the Whispershore. It was a beautiful place and the stars shone so brightly up above him. Sah walked along, a warm buzz in his veins from an earlier drink. The former canine wasn't drunk, no, just relaxed. He had spent the early portion of the night at a tavern-stop hearing stories from the locals. And now Sah was just enjoying the warm night air as he explored the area. Turning a corner he noticed a comfortable looking area, shaded beneath the twisting branches of an old tree. Heading over, Sah sat down next to the bench, his back against the elderly tree's bark. Closing his eyes, he leaned his head back, listening to the sounds of the sleeping world. Sah's eyes opened the second he heard a set of footsteps approaching, his head snapping in the direction of the newcomer. sah There stood the wolf in the winter wind Full of fearsome might There stood the wolf in the winter wind King of the winter night. -Tim Vallie

LOCKE

Locke had, originally, been in search of certain ingredients. How he ended up here is kind of beyond him. He hadn't intended on going this far from home but he kept finding interesting new flavors to try and here he was. He'd spent a good portion of the day in the herb and things before he found a tavern.

And look, Locke is impulsive at best. So what if he's a little drunk? A little out of it and in an entirely unfamiliar place? It's fine~ And it seems like he's not the only newcomer either. He pauses a few feet from the sleeping man, head tilted to the side. Oops. He must've startled him. Locke cocks his head to one side, "Sorry fer wakin' you up.. Shouldn't sleep outside. Get a cold." As if he didn't sleep on the beach all the time..

Callin' it quits now
baby, I'm a wreck

"If I can't move the heavens above, I will move Hell" Sah raised an eyebrow, assessing the man before him. Deeming him simply a fellow traveler and not hostile, Sah just sighed. "I wasn't really asleep. Just relaxing a bit." He insisted. A slightly mischievous smirk stretches across his face. "And sleeping outside is sure as hell better then sleeping inside. Too cramped."   Sah tilted his head slightly, eyes narrowed slightly. And although he was more relaxed then usual given the slight buzz, the Outlander was as perceptive as usual. At least, he hopefully was. "What can I do for you anyway? I doubt you walked over to a stranger just to tell them go sleep in an actual bed." The inquiry was posed without hostility. Sah was genuinely curious. Wary and ready to defend himself should need be, but still curious. sah There stood the wolf in the winter wind Full of fearsome might There stood the wolf in the winter wind King of the winter night. -Tim Vallie

LOCKE

Locke barks out a laugh, running a hand through his hair, "I feel that. Not used to all these trees." Locke's more of a sleep on the beach kinda guy but this isn't too bad either, he supposes. It smells good at least. Like forest and smoke.

He stands there for a moment, looking down at the other man before shrugging, "Usually just tell people to come sleep in my bed.. You're welcome to join me for the night." Maeve's off doin something somewhere and he wouldn't mind a romp or something. He takes a swig of the booze he's holding, thinking for a moment before sinking down next to Sah. "Or we can do somethin' else. Don't really feel like goin' inside either."

Callin' it quits now
baby, I'm a wreck

"If I can't move the heavens above, I will move Hell" Sah raised a brow when the man burst out laughing. "Trees are great, preferable even. I take it you're from Torchline though given your aversion." He noted. Why anyone would hate trees was beside him. Batshit crazy. So the guy had to be from Torchline, right? that's where the crazy people were supposedly anyway. Sah had to pause at Locke's next words, his brain scrambling to process the clearly double meaning. There was no way the man meant that literally. His tone and body language was all wrong. There was only one explanation that was even remotely logical to Sah. One didn't invite a stranger to sleep beside them after all. Too risky. So he looked back at Locke with a slightly tilted head. "I'd rather stay outside as well. But... Are you asking for a hug?" Is this how humans asked for hugs from strangers? Sah thought they didn't do that in the first place? sah There stood the wolf in the winter wind Full of fearsome might There stood the wolf in the winter wind King of the winter night. -Tim Vallie

LOCKE

"Oh he's cute and he's smart." Locke snorts, another swig of booze hiding a crooked grin. He wonders what gave it away. Probably the trees comment. His even present tan probably didn't help. Maeve also said his clothes always smelled like salt but he doesn't know how much that has lingered. It's fine.

Sah doesn't seem interested in his proposal which is fine but his question makes Locke's face scrunch in confusion. "Hug is.. One way of putting it.. But no, I'm not asking for a hug.." Maybe he's being too forward. Shame. The other man isn't bad on the eyes. "Why don't we play a game instead.." He holds the bottle out to Sah, something like a gesture of friendship.

Callin' it quits now
baby, I'm a wreck

"If I can't move the heavens above, I will move Hell" Sah had to fight not to roll his eyes at the comment. What about what he'd said was cute? And if it wasn't something he'd said, why in the seven hells was sitting against a tree cute? Sah decided not to linger on that and simply ignored the comment entirely. If it was important, he was sure that the other man would give some further indicator. Locke's confusion at Sah's question only deepened Sah's own bafflement. He was clearly missing something to this interaction. But for fuck's sake, he had no idea what. Was this guy actually just wanting so share a bed? Sah was about to question him further when the next question was posed as a clear change in subject. Shrugging off the confusion, Sah nodded, taking the bottle. "A game? Sure. What do you have in mind?" He asked as he took a hearty swig before passing it back. "Name's Sah by the way. Yours?" sah There stood the wolf in the winter wind Full of fearsome might There stood the wolf in the winter wind King of the winter night. -Tim Vallie

LOCKE

There is something clearly off about this conversation but he can't quite pinpoint it. Maybe they flirt different up here or something. Oh well. It's not exactly high on his list of priorities at the moment. Sah is cute though so he's a little bummed out by the rejection. Better luck next time or something.

"Two truths, one lie. We say two truths about ourselves and a lie and the other one has to figure out which one is the lie. We can make it a best two out of three or something. Loser has to.. Get more booze or something." He takes the bottle back but doesn't drink again, not yet. "Locke. Nice to meet ya, Sah." He gives the other man a crooked grin before finally taking a drink. Is his leg maybe pressed against Sah's? Maybe. It's fine.

"You can go first."

Callin' it quits now
baby, I'm a wreck

"If I can't move the heavens above, I will move Hell" Sah raised an eyebrow at Locke, letting out a small hum. Sounded like an interesting enough game to pass the time. And with low enough stakes, it seemed fine. He vaguely noticed Locke's invasion of his personal space, mostly because he'd found the people of Caido less likely to do so. But back home, this was nothing so he didn't comment on it.  Sah settled back against the tree, relaxing. "Alright then, give me a second to think." After a pause, a mischievous grin stretched across his face. "I think I've got one." Hopefully this would at least be entertaining if Sah proved horrible at the game.  He'd start out with simple ones regardless. "I'm an Outlander. I love the cold. I have two roommates." Sah said each statement with his best poker face, his tone flat, giving away nothing. Afterwards, the grin returned. "So? Which one is a lie?" sah There stood the wolf in the winter wind Full of fearsome might There stood the wolf in the winter wind King of the winter night. -Tim Vallie

LOCKE

His head tilts back against the tree as Sah thinks. It's quiet and dark and calm. Maybe the woods aren't so bad. He'd like it more if he could see the sky though. Sah begins to talk and he rolls his head to look at the other man, another swig of booze. He studies him for a moment. Outlander makes sense, not understanding the flirting. Loving the cold too. He likes being outside this far North so.. "The lie is you have two roommates." He nods firmly, holding the bottle out to Sah once again.

It's his turn and his eyes flutter close a moment as he thinks. It's almost harder to tell the truth. "Okay. M'the oldest of 10 kids. I've been to Halo, and I got this scar in a fight with my Dad." He points to the one above his right eye. It's faded but cuts right through his eyebrow.

Callin' it quits now
baby, I'm a wreck

Sah

The wind howls
I answer

Sah nodded, not surprised that Locke had guessed correctly. Sah took the bottle and took a swig, listening to Locke's statements. Handing the bottle back, he grew silent, thinking. For a former canine, 10 siblings didn't seem like that big of a number. A slightly  higher number then the norm, yes. But not extreme. He eyed Locke appraisingly. The man definetly seemed like one who would fight his sire if the man deserved it. He was also from Torchline. And Sah had been told how hot and humid it was there. Given that the man seemed to find the current temperature a bit chilly, he had a feeling that Locke would never willingly go to Halo. "I'm going to guess that you've never been to Halo." He stated with a slightly questioning tone. He wasn't certain, but it seemed the most likely to him.

Sah hummed as he thought of his next statements. A mischievous smirk came to his lips. Time to up the ante. "I used to have wings. I used to be feline. I've cussed out a god." Sah had a feeling Locke would still get this one, but he planned to pull out the most ludicrous parts of his former life in the next round."

The storm rages
I conquer

LOCKE

Locke grins in return, nodding. "I wanna go though. My girlfriend went for a bit but I was too busy doing other things." Maybe before leafchange or something. He sure as hell isn't getting caught there during Longnight.

His eyes only go slightly wide as the other man speaks. His head tilts to the side as he studies him, taking another swig of his drink. "You're lying about cussing out a god." Unless that's how he got here? Nah, he wouldn't still be alive if he did that, at least not here.

He doesn't wait for a response before taking his turn. "Lesee. I've seen a ghost whale. I was a dragoon. And I've got two kids." He nods his head as he takes the booze back and takes a swig. It's not super outlandish but nothing about him is really.

Callin' it quits now
baby, I'm a wreck

Sah

The wind howls
I answer

Sah nodded, pleased that he'd guessed correctly. "You should go sometime. Even if I have a feeling you'll find it unbearably cold. It's beautiful out there." Truly, Halo at night with the stars over it was something to behold. And definetly worth tolerating a bit of cold for.

Locke's guess made a mischievous smirk come to Sah's lips. "Wrong. I used to be canine creature, not feline." He reached over and stole a swig from the bottle before continuing. "I did cuss out a god. Didn't end great for me, but was worth it. I used to be a lot more powerful, back in my world. I was able to back crazy stunts like that up." He ran subconscious hand over his collar where a particularly bad scar rested beneath his shirt. "Still nearly died from that one. It took another god healing me to save my life."

Sah listened intently to Locke's statements, studying the man in front of him. He could picture the kids being true, but maybe not biological. Seeing a ghost whale was rare yes, but not impossible. And as for Locke once being a dragoon? Sah could picture it, if the man had left due to it not fitting with his personality. So which was the lie? "I'm going to guess that you don't have two kids. Or if you do, they're not biological ones."

After waiting for a response, Sah gave his last statements. "I've witnessed an apocalypse. I've sunk an island. I've bit a god." His grin was pure mischief. "Clearly, my time before Caido was wild." The bit of drink was making Sah's competitive streak rear it's head for sure.

The storm rages
I conquer

LOCKE

"Maybe I'll come visit Halo and you can come down to Torchline. It's pretty nice during Longnight. Just bonfires on the beach and stuff." Torchline also has pretty bomb ass stars at night. It's the whole beach thing.

"Oh? You can be both here.. Kind of. You ever met an Attuned? The guy I met had a fucking dragon shift.." And one day maybe he will but this predates the shrine thread so not yet. "Pretty ballsy for that one, gotta admit. Gotta suck to not have all that power here, though." He doesn't know what he'd do in that situation. Probably commit crimes.

"Right on that one, as far as I know.. I want kids though. Maybe." The thought always leaves a weird feeling in his chest. Like maybe he doesn't deserve to have kids. And he probably doesn't. It's his turn to study Sah, tilting his head. Well the cussing out a god was true so biting one is probably too, especially if he was a dog at some point.

"Never sunk an island.. Also you should write a book or somethin'." He nods, that sounds right. Although an apocalypse is kinda weird.. But maybe that's how he got here? He rubs his chin as he thinks, trying to think up some truths to tack on with his lie. "I've never prayed to a god. My favorite food is Cloud Manta soup and I've only killed someone once." Well that is a random assortment of things, isn't it?

Callin' it quits now
baby, I'm a wreck