A new World

Blackeye

Not the strongest win the battle —

Dakeyes face was a face of shock. "In my eyes that is no true immortality. You can die so you are not immortal.  Every moment has its meaning because our time is limited. If time is not important anymore what do you live for then? I'm one-hundred and sixty-five years old and I know that my days are numbered. I saw good people die and that hurt me whenever they died. They were true friends I was fighting side by side with. I know what I'm talking about. It's a curse, nothing more. I'm truly sorry for you Bastien." Darkeye looked at Bastien with true pity.

Darkeye smiled "Then it is on me to change that. I will show you that it is possible. I will never follow the Voice. I follow Kor or myself. The Voice is a coward from what I know so far. I can't follow a coward. In all of us is something that the gods need from us. It's the spark, that's what we call it in my world. A spark can change the world. I will try to bring Kor into this world. If this is not possible then I will become his only servant. And become the embodiment of his nature." There was no doubt in Darkeyes statement.

Darkeye was very hungry, the last meal was a piece of dry bread and water. "Then I will do my part. Yes, beer will be fine and maybe something stronger if you have one. This was a lot to swallow, and hard liquor helps with that. I could eat an entire cow right now." Darkeye sat at the table and hoped that the meal would be good. Bastien was friendly and kind, he could be a friend in this world.

— the smartest do

B a s t i e n

I can fit two people under my skin
Yea I can fit two people under my skin

Bastien hummed and tilted his head back and forth, ending with a shrug. "Do not be sad for me. I am content with my lot. If I ever grow tired of the immortality and wish to return to Rexanna, I am sure the Voice would help me with that wish-" Or he could do it himself, given that the Ascended felt no pain, but it felt dark to say so. "-But for now, the chance to see so much time pass feels like a blessing."

Darkeye was probably fortunate that the first person he had met was the artist, as Bastien was very forgiving and hard to anger. He smiled to himself at the bold words and simply said: "Be careful who you say such things to. I myself am not offended, but there are those who would start a fight the second you call their God a coward." And they're stronger than you'll be right now, he nearly added, but held it back.

He drew a pint of beer as it was the first thing on hand and put it on the table before Darkeye, then turned to look into the pantry and kitchen. Something was simmering on the stove in a pot and Bastien went to uncover it, finding a thick meat stew. The normal kind of sustenance for people living in the difficult Grounds - he poured it into a bowl and brought it over. "Here. I'll get on with finding you something 'stronger'." He winked. "I only wish I could join you, but I'm afraid Ascended are not allowed to experience such delights of the flesh."

And I will prove it if you will listen
You crawl up in there and join me within

Blackeye

Not the strongest win the battle —

"I'm sorry based on how you spoke about the Voice, that you don't serve her. I do have not the right to talk so openly about my thoughts. But if it is okay with you, I will give you a piece of advice. Love is the reason we live, fight and exist. I have the feeling that you amuse yourself to forget the pain. You can still feel the pain. I saw it when you talk about Rexanna. Death is a God of balance, I don't think that the Voice can bargain with him." Darkeye talked with remorse in his voice.

" I say what I think. I know that this can lead to a battle. I'm ready to die for my credo. I'm a cleric of a war god and lies are the reason for many wars. But I will take your advice, Bastien. However, if you want to fight me for my behavior, I will accept your Challenge." Darkeye knew he overstepped but he would never waver from his mindset.

Darkeye was happy to see the beer before him and in a few seconds, the cup was empty. " You don't eat Bastien? Then perhaps you can join me at the table. Forget about the grog. I like talking with you. If you want to show me where your workplace is, I can show you how to work on stone. We can talk about art. " Darkeye looked at the meat stew and started eating.

— the smartest do

B a s t i e n

I can fit two people under my skin
Yea I can fit two people under my skin

Darkeye certainly wasn't afraid to speak his mind. Bastien found the frankness mostly amusing, if a little surprising. "Oh, we all have pain, of course. What is amusement for if not to cover it? And ah...death here...is an it, and it is a strange being indeed." He'd never actually spoken to Ludo face to...hood, but Bastien had heard enough tales to know he didn't want to. "I could not rightly say how it would act with the Voice."

As for a fight, all he could was laugh and shake his head. "It would not be so much a fight as a beating. I am not made for violence." In fact, since coming to Caido, he could only recall one time he'd resorted to physical aggression, and that had been so long ago, when Lucas had left Rexanna half-dead at the Spire. It seemed like a different life. "I am quite comfortable with disagreements in philosophy."

Especially with one so newly arrived - he knew himself how long it took to adjust.

"Ah, once you have eaten I can absolutely take you to my Sanctuary." Bastien sat at the table and smiled, a far away look in his eyes. "It is the one defeat to nostalgia I give myself. I modelled it after the studio I had in Venice, where I would teach students from the poorest streets to paint for the elite. Awful clients, but a way to support ones family with artistic skill."

And I will prove it if you will listen
You crawl up in there and join me within

Blackeye

Not the strongest win the battle —

"Easily said when you lie to yourself. So if you hide it and don't show it from time to time the wound that you have can never heal. Sometimes it is better to let it bleed so that the body can regenerate. That is how it is with the mind too. Strong mind, strong will, and a strong body. It is not easy, I know that. And I think you do it from time to time and don't want to show others. Everyone wears a mask, but from time to time it is better to show your true self to others. It helps." Darkeye felt like a cleric again. He thought that not all of it would get through to Bastien, but perhaps a few things would shift his thinking.

"It could be a fight in philosophy too. From what I know about you so far Bastien, I would say that you are a good man. Not every battle is fought on a battlefield. This is why I love chess. Do you know that game? It's about strategy and helps to read people. It's so interesting and fun. Are you a player that protects his figures or are you a player who sacrifices the pawn?" Darkeye hoped that this game existed here too.

Darkeye was eating fast and listened to what Bastien had to say."Sure a part of a home is always nice to have. It helps to relax, and that is very important. What you did is a good way to help poor families. Rich people are the worst." Darkeye had eaten all of the meat and was ready to go. "Then where are we going? Show me the way."

— the smartest do

B a s t i e n

I can fit two people under my skin
Yea I can fit two people under my skin

"You are right." Bastien said simply, nodding along. He'd never really been one to advocate for bottling ones emotions up, the artist preferring to use them as inspiration and performance (which, in of itself, had it's problems). "Though I would argue that eventually, one is tired of indulging in their sadness and must enjoy what life has to offer. That I have more time to enjoy it is only a good thing, in my mind." More time to paint, to know friends, to see the world shift and change - and at the end of it all, he'd be able to go somewhere Rexanna was.

It had been so long since he'd heard anyone mention chess that he had to pause for a moment, the memory needing shaking off and polishing before it was recognisable in his mind. "Oh! Yes, I know of chess. We played it on Earth - or, at least, those that could afford the time and money for the board and pieces did. I must admit I was not very good at it. I could not really tell you that I had a specific strategy." The few times he'd been pulled into a game, usually by a rich client eager to amuse themselves with the bohemian artist, Bastien had decided his moves out of thin air and relied on luck.

He laughed suddenly at the simple, yet accurate summation of 'rich people are the worst'. "Such a statement in Venice would have marked you as a dangerous man - and a prime candidate for my Sanctuary."

Impressed by the speed Darkeye demolished the stew, Bastien gathered up the bowl and mug to put behind the bar, then headed out and back into the streets. "It is in the residential area. There used to be many people there all day, but....with the war being on everyone's minds and this being a place with many Ascended...a lot of people have left." There was a definite sadness about him when he said this that had been absent previously.

And I will prove it if you will listen
You crawl up in there and join me within

Blackeye

Not the strongest win the battle —

" Too much suffering can hold us back too. I don't say it isn't allowed. But like everything it has a time for it, like tea. " Darkeye looked where his backpack was and panicked for a moment." No, no, where is it? Where is my backpack? All my good tobacco and tea leaves. All gone... That is not fair, I needed years to collect them. I hope you have good tobacco and tea at your sanctuary." Darkeye was mad at the voice to take all good things away from him.

"On any great battlefield I had been on, I picked a stone or a bone and made a figure out of it. I loved it to construct my figures. Later there was no time for it. In my world, many play it, poor and rich. It's a game that is for all. It's not exclusive. Then you are an impulsive player. Interesting, that tells much about you Bastien." Darkeye liked the young man before him. A man that can do many things if you give him the right direction. Did Bastien know that by himself?

"The problem with the rich people is that they can change so much, but they are afraid to lose their money. I met many rich people in my world. But from a thousand, only a few would give up some coin to make the world a better place. The funny part about this is that most gold comes from wars and they try to hide it." Darkeye started to laugh about his own words.

"Then it is time to give this place some life. Make good art so the people come to visit it and watch it. Make people happy with your expression. I wish I could do that. But the problem with stone is everything looks cold. Do you understand what I mean? Wood is different. It looks more alive than stone. But I have no talent for painting. All I paint is not good in my eyes. I would love to see your art. And if you have the right tools, then I can show you how I work."

— the smartest do

B a s t i e n

I can fit two people under my skin
Yea I can fit two people under my skin

Bastien noted Darkeye's panic and nodded sympathetically. "When I arrived here I had only the trousers I was wearing. We bring nothing with us. I have some tea...the tobacco will need to be found at one of the local farms. Maybe you can use it as an excuse to explore around." It was how most of them started, wandering around the outskirts of the Grounds while they gathered the courage to go further.

Not that Darkeye seemed to want for courage.

Heading down the street now to his sanctuary, which was obvious from the painted patterns exploding out from the door and along the walls, bright colours and intricate designs that looped under windows and between the cobbles on the street, Bastien smiled at Darkeye's words about the power of art. "Oh, believe me, I do try. Many of the streets here bear the work of me and my students, for various events or reasons over the years. We used to have quite the thriving artistic community here...before people left, worried about the war. I'm hoping we can bring it back, eventually." Whether he was there or not.

The door was open, as it always was, but no one was inside. Bastien gestured for Darkeye to enter first. Immediately beyond the door was a staircase and to the left an opening to the studio, which Bastien waved Darkeye towards. Here, several tables in the middle bore the evidence of many works in progress of many different kinds of crafts, while easels closer to the door lifted up several paintings. "I believe we have something that might do for the moment, but I will have to speak to the blacksmith at the market for more specialised tools..." Bastien said absentmindedly, going to a storeroom at the back to look for anything appropriate.

If Darkeye was attentive to his surroundings, he might notice from behind a stack of canvases in the corner there were two small, shiny eyes watching him, seemingly too shy to come out of the shadows.

And I will prove it if you will listen
You crawl up in there and join me within

Blackeye

Not the strongest win the battle —

Darkeye was very angry at the Voice. First, she brought him here without asking, and then she took all tea or tobacco. The Voice couldn't be a good god in the eyes of Darkeye. "It's not a good start for me here without it. But I got the luck to have you, Bastien, to show me around. I could have met another person and could be dead already. Yes, I will explore these lands and find what I can use." Darkeye was worried because he was weak and he didn't have his stuff. What had he lost...

For a moment Darkeye stood still and watched the colors and the designs. It was a good change to all the adversity of the Grounds. Darkeye loved stone but on the stone in this area, he felt a melancholy that he even felt bad for it. The color gave them a better life. Darkeye could feel that even the stones liked it. "You should paint more Bastien, this gives the place something. It's important. I think it gives them a soul. All the sadness that is in the settlement needs your paint. You have to think about what comes after the war." Darkeye loved the colorful play on the walls.

Darkeye followed Bastien to the studio and looked at all the paintings. Not all were in the taste for Darkeye. But a few he liked much. "That is a nice place, Bastien. If I can borrow a few tools that will be amazing. I can make some of the tools myself if you give me a forge." Darkeye knew what he needed.

Darkeye tried to take a closer look and find out what animal was there. Was it a cat or something different? "Hello little one I don't want to harm you. Come into the light that I can see you."

— the smartest do

B a s t i e n

I can fit two people under my skin
Yea I can fit two people under my skin

"The Grounds is...generally full of those with good intent. You're not likely to run into much trouble here. Nowadays, it is mostly populated by Ascended frightened to live anywhere else." Bastien said with a sad shrug, the realities of what once had been a vibrant and diverse hometown coming to roost in the visions of deserted streets and houses that were now commonplace.

It was nice to have the doorway admired; Bastien had always been a fan of compliments for his work and grinned as he watched Darkeye's gaze drift over the mural. "Some do not want their walls painted, but I agree. It would be wonderful to fill all the streets with colour. I have a very long time to do it, so perhaps one day I shall accomplish just that." It was a nice thought: some time in the future, enough peace to spend his days painting away in the Grounds until every stone and door was vibrant and beautiful.

Coming out of the storeroom with a few chisels and hammers (small, but usable), he laid them out on the table. "I can certainly show you to a forge in town. I haven't any experience myself with one." As much as the last few years had made him far more practical, he still was reluctant to engage with more...intense methods of creating. Remembering some stone tablets they had somewhere among the supplies, he went to find them, but was distracted by Darkeye calling out to the shadows.

"Oh. Pittore, vieni qui e parla con l'uomo." He called out as he walked to another chest. From the shadows emerged, with shuffling, shy steps, a little green gremlin. Small and while aesthetically ugly, clearly gentle and scared, the creature tilted it's head at Darkeye and made a soft hum noise. "He's nice, Pittore." Bastien reassured.

And I will prove it if you will listen
You crawl up in there and join me within

Blackeye

Not the strongest win the battle —

"I would love to meet them all." Darkeye looked around and tried to form the sentence. "You can only make yourself a home. It's always easier to start somewhere new. But you will do the same mistakes. If you stay and face the problems, you grow. And then you can finally make your true home." He looked at Bastien. "Those who left will not survive long, I think. Then is it on you to fill these streets with life. It's on you to make them special."

Darkeye looked at the doorway, it was amazing to see good work. He started to get closer and looked at it. Touched it to feel how it was made. He was focused on the mural. "Then ask the Lord of these lands if it is okay to paint the empty houses. That will give this land more life."

With an appraising expression, Darkeye looked at the tools. Some of them were usable but he would make a few tools for himself. "I can show you how to use a forge if you want." Darkeye looked at the eyes that watched him from the shadows.

He looked at the thing before him, mustering it from head to toe, and got on one of his knees so that he was near the creature "Hello Mr. Pittore, it's nice to make your acquaintance." Darkeye tried to sound friendly. He meant what he said.

— the smartest do

B a s t i e n

I can fit two people under my skin
Yea I can fit two people under my skin

"I wish them all the luck, but...I agree. I think we have the best chances here." He nodded slowly, a hand dropping to gently run over the edge of one of the studio tables. The Voice seemed more present in the Grounds, their home more theirs than anywhere else. Besides, for his part, Bastien would never leave. He'd sooner be killed on the same soil as Rexanna than leave the home they'd made together.

He laughed at the idea of having to ask for permission to paint the walls and roads - even in Venice, where such a thing would have been expected, Bastien would have much rather begged forgiveness. "The 'Lord' here is a good friend of mine, hardly strict...and I myself was in a leadership position with her until I chose to give it up. I think I could paint without concern. There has just been...too much else to be doing. Things far less fun than painting the town." Missions to do, things to kill and place...

As for a forge, he shook his head. "Ah, no. I wouldn't want to put the Blacksmith out of business. Here-" Successful in his search, he brought out some flat stone tablets. Hardly exciting, not very big...but something to start with. "-You can have these. I look forward to seeing what you'll make."

Pittore, delighted by being referred to as a 'Mr', clapped his hands and chirped a few melodic noises towards Darkeye, before rushing off to another corner to busy himself with whatever art supply the gremlin had gotten into today. Bastien smiled after his companion, fondly shaking his head. "My child has left home, so it is nice to have some youthful energy in the studio."

And I will prove it if you will listen
You crawl up in there and join me within

Blackeye

Not the strongest win the battle —

"I wish that I'm wrong in this scenario Bastien, truly." Darkeye looked around to see more of the art from Bastien. He was gifted. There were some nice pieces among his work. Darkeye breathed in and out "Is there a painting of Rexanna? I would like to see it if possible. She must have been a special person."

Darkeye tried to understand why Bastien laughed. "You were a leader of the village, interesting. Hm, I understand that the here and now is important. But the future needs to be considered as well. You should do it when you have the time and the right feeling for painting the streets. I would love to see that. What did you do instead of painting?" Darkeye was surprised to find out that Bastien was once a leader. But why did he give up such a good position?

Darkeye moved the hand over the stone to get a feeling of what kind of stone he had here. It was a good stone. "I can work with that. A good side table maybe or a piece of text. I know, I will write Sanctuary on them in my runes and on the other the same in your language. Then we can put them outside. I think that this will show you my skills. Do you have some paper and coal for me to make a sketch?" Darkeye was full of anticipation to start with the work.

Darkeye was happy to see that even a gremlin had a place in this world. He stood up again. "Congratulation for being a father, I hope your child is doing well. Gremlins are such misunderstood beings. Where is your child, if it is allowed to ask?" Darkeye followed that beautiful gremlin with his eyes.

— the smartest do

B a s t i e n

I can fit two people under my skin
Yea I can fit two people under my skin

Darkeye didn't know it, but the question of if there were any paintings of Rexanna was quite funny, given the room above them was half-full of nothing but oil interpretations of her face. With a quiet huff of laughter, Bastien nodded and headed just out of the studio door, up a couple of steps to where one of the portraits hung. Walking back to the opening, he turned it so Darkeye could see: She was beautiful, brown hair just past her shoulders that had a subtle sheen almost like dark oil; eyes with flecks of sapphire in a warm smile - red lips turned up at the edges. Gold earrings and what looked like the beginnings of a complex gold and white dress covered her shoulders, the painting ending at her collarbones. "This is Rexanna. My love...I am fortunate that I thought to paint her many times before she left."

As for what had been taking his time...he opened his mouth then closed it again, unsure just how much he could say. "Things the Voice asks us to do. I'm afraid I cannot say more - I hope you understand, but there are some secrets that cannot reach the wrong people." After all, Darkeye was Accepted. While he was kind to Bastien on this first meeting, there was no guarantee he'd stay friendly to the Ascended once a member of the Order had gotten their claws in.

Happy for something else to speak of, something he could help with, Bastien nodded and went to fetch paper and charcoal, pencils and all other variety of drawing tools. These were found easily, a large box containing enough for ten people to draw all day placed on the table. "Feel free to take what you wish. Anyone is welcome in here, even when I am not here, if you want to work on it. I would love to see your tablets." He'd never been scared of other's cultures and beliefs; were Caido a different place he would have happily been making portraits of all the Gods together.

As for Az...a fond smile came over his face as he ran a hand along the edge of the box. "Thank you. They are out exploring, living life...you see, Rexanna and I only had Azrael a couple of years ago, just before she died, but - they grew within only a couple of years to an adult. That is the way here with children the Gods have assisted with." It had been fascinating, but heartbreaking, to see the years zoom by in months. "So while it hardly feels like it, Azrael is an adult. They are out doing what all young adults do. Making friends, having adventures...I just ask them to come and speak to their worrying father every so often."

And I will prove it if you will listen
You crawl up in there and join me within