black sand ballads
Harper Quinn
the Stalwart
Teacher

Age: 33 | Height: 5'10 | Race: Attuned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Nomadic
Level: 5 - Strg: 15 - Dext: 15 - Endr: 27 - Luck: 19 - Int:
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MP: 9427
#1
HARPER
Harper looks distinctly out of place on the blackened sands of the beach. It's in the way he walks uncertainly, yes, but also the vivid nature of his winter clothing. He'd purchased it in Torchline in preparation for the journey, and as such the local dyes are apparent in his outfit. While it's warm enough at least, it still makes him a bit of a sore thumb on the dark landscape.

Painting had seemed far more difficult this time around, so his gloved hand holds only graphite and colored pencils this time around. No risk of that freezing, though it feels cold enough for it despite the clear skies and sunlight. It has been days of waiting in the Citadel for this exact weather combination, and while Harper has enjoyed the opportunity to explore, he's ready to be back home. Sketching the light he sees in the ice, and with yet another vial ready to take a sample back home, Harper tries not to selfishly hurry. This was for Safrin after all. He could weather the cold to give her something of value.
let your faith be bigger than your fear
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Talyson Seawright
the Messenger
Courier

Age: 27 | Height: 5'10" | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: King's End
Level: 10 - Strg: 44 - Dext: 46 - Endr: 50 - Luck: 52 - Int: 1
BOREAL - Mythical - Dragon (Fire Breath)
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#2
Even with the Eirachi's hold shaken loose, Deepfrost was a wicked time to be outside the Citadel. Tal had his Cuff from Frey to mitigate the worst of the cold, but he was still bundled up in multiple layers beneath his parka as he tacked his skyboat towards the Bay. It was a sin to waste one of the rare beautiful days when they weren't being battered by high winds, blizzards, or ice, and he was out sailing just for the joy of it!

...And to get out of the Citadel for a few hours before he got into a shouting match with one of his sisters. Again. LongNight was just around the corner and his anxiety at being cooped up inside for so long was driving everyone around him crazy. Maybe it was time to think about moving out...

But that was a problem for Flowerbirth.

His musings were brought to a sudden halt as he leaned out over the edge of the Peregrine to catch a lifting breeze and caught sight of someone on the shore of the bay below.

What the hail??

The little two-person skyboat was nimble but still took some work to bring around until Tal could find an ice-covered pile of rocks to drop the anchor into, making sure the hooks were secure in the crevices before he furled the sheets and threw the rope ladder over the edge. Scampering down - as much as anyone could scamper with heavy gloves and all those layers - he trotted across the snow towards the stranger and his... was that an easel??

"Hey!" The word was as much a bark as his dogs might make as the courier side-eyed what was going on. "What're you doin' out here?" The 'you crazy idiot' was silently implied.
Harper Quinn
the Stalwart
Teacher

Age: 33 | Height: 5'10 | Race: Attuned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Nomadic
Level: 5 - Strg: 15 - Dext: 15 - Endr: 27 - Luck: 19 - Int:
Played by: Brit Offline
Change author:
Posts: 1,036 | Total: 6,168
MP: 9427
#3
HARPER
The chattering of teeth is only silenced by the grit he keeps them in, idly wondering if working the muscle in his jaw by doing so would provide a scant amount of heat in that area. Harper doesn't miss the literal skyboat as it docks, but given he assumes it's a fisherman or something, he still startles at the bark of noise as the man who had presumably been steering it comes trotting across the snow towards him.

It's a miracle he doesn't creak like a cartoon as he turns to face the man, still managing a warm smile despite his current state. "Capturing sunlight in ice!" he calls back, gleefully aware of how crazy it sounds. Frozen, stiff fingers lower away from the easel, the charcoal inside thankfully unbroken; there are quite a few sticks in his little drawing bag that weren't so lucky. The wrapped, oil pastel sticks still remain there, their vibrant colors waiting to bring the sunlight to the work on the easel once the charcoal is done. It's an interesting way to depict ice, and he appreciates the challenge.

Once the man is presumably closer, Harper readjusts his feet to try and stomp some warmth back into them and explains a little further. "Something Safrin asked me to do. Not a lot of ice in Torchline, and I like the black sand as a contrast." Frostbite may be on the horizon, but Harper had courted worse odds.
let your faith be bigger than your fear
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
Talyson Seawright
the Messenger
Courier

Age: 27 | Height: 5'10" | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: King's End
Level: 10 - Strg: 44 - Dext: 46 - Endr: 50 - Luck: 52 - Int: 1
BOREAL - Mythical - Dragon (Fire Breath)
Played by: Cirago Offline
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#4
Tal squinted through his goggles at the stranger and slowed his approach to a more cautious pace at the gleefully crazed answer to his question. He wasn't quite sure how to respond to such a nonsensical statement but before he had to figure out anything too complicated the other man continued. Safrin's name was like a ray of moonlight, clarifying the madness into a framework that made sense to the pious(ish) Natural and he relaxed a little of the tension in the shoulders beneath his down-stuffed parka.

"Oh. Well... I guess that makes as much sense as any quest does," he allowed, still doubtful but no longer quite so hostile. Safrin was pretty nice and she'd set him some similar tasks in the past, after all. "But what the hail are y'doin' out here in the middle o' Deepfrost? If y'want ice we got plenty o' that back in th'Citadel where your balls won't try t'crawl up an' shake hands with your tonsils."

A natural poet, was Tal.
Harper Quinn
the Stalwart
Teacher

Age: 33 | Height: 5'10 | Race: Attuned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Nomadic
Level: 5 - Strg: 15 - Dext: 15 - Endr: 27 - Luck: 19 - Int:
Played by: Brit Offline
Change author:
Posts: 1,036 | Total: 6,168
MP: 9427
#5
HARPER
The man's incredulity seems to vanish the moment Harper invokes Safrin's name, which is partly hilarious. Were all godly quests meant to be so strange? Probably not, admittedly this was likely all Harper's doing, being unnecessarily extravagant. But he'd grown up in a literal circus, extravagance was to be expected!

Harper laughs boisterously at the younger man's crudeness, little tears of mirth gathering in the corners of his eyes. "Well sure, but it's prettier here, isn't it?" He gestures with his hand out over the rich black sand. "You sound native to here, but black sand isn't exactly common anywhere else. Why not go above and beyond for my goddess?" Stretching out his cramped and frozen fingers, the man smiles unapologetically. "Plus what other lost and stupid travelers would you save if I didn't provide one for you?"
let your faith be bigger than your fear
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
Talyson Seawright
the Messenger
Courier

Age: 27 | Height: 5'10" | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: King's End
Level: 10 - Strg: 44 - Dext: 46 - Endr: 50 - Luck: 52 - Int: 1
BOREAL - Mythical - Dragon (Fire Breath)
Played by: Cirago Offline
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Posts: 1,869 | Total: 7,219
MP: 10170
#6
Given what Ludo had put him through recently, Tal wouldn't put anything past the gods. But between Safrin's name and the fact that the weird guy was out here trying to paint or... color or... whatever... well. He didn't exactly look like a threat to Halo's borders.

Hail, he seemed more like a threat to himself, all the way out here in Deepfrost!

Harper's rebuttal earned a scowl from the courier, who didn't actually have a convincing counterargument. It was prettier out here; that's why he was always trying to get out of the Citadel, too! He settled for jamming his hands in his pockets and kicking at some of the black sand right as the other man mentioned it. "Hmph. Well... if it's for Safrin, I guess," he agreed, sounding like the words were being pulled from his throat like a dentist pulling teeth.

The tacked on addendum drew a grumbling huff from the Halovian as he squinted over the water to avoid having to look at the stupidly handsome man. "Who said I was out here savin' you? You're pretty suspicious, out here this time o' year-- hey, where're you from anyways?" Wait, 'you sound native' sounded pretty weird, too!
Harper Quinn
the Stalwart
Teacher

Age: 33 | Height: 5'10 | Race: Attuned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Nomadic
Level: 5 - Strg: 15 - Dext: 15 - Endr: 27 - Luck: 19 - Int:
Played by: Brit Offline
Change author:
Posts: 1,036 | Total: 6,168
MP: 9427
#7
HARPER
He seems like the grumpy sort, which Harper finds immeasurably endearing. It reminds him of so many others (though admittedly mostly younger individuals, to put it nicely) that he can't help but grin every time the nameless man's prickles seem to flare. Like an adorable hedgehog that thinks it's a porcupine. "Are you a Safrin man then?" he asks kindly, genuinely curious given the way he'd acquiesced at the mention of her.

Something that is immediately replaced by bluster and defensiveness, which makes Harper laugh warmly under his breath, not wanting to offend. "You look rather impressively savior-y to me," he assures, in what could easily come off as teasing but is too obviously sincere, blue eyes crinkling at the edges with his omnipresent smile. "I'm from Torchline. Harper Quinn, nice to meet you!" One numb hand extends out, floppy glove soaked and clearly meant for warmer, dryer climates - and yet clearly not dampening his mood at all.
let your faith be bigger than your fear
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
Talyson Seawright
the Messenger
Courier

Age: 27 | Height: 5'10" | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: King's End
Level: 10 - Strg: 44 - Dext: 46 - Endr: 50 - Luck: 52 - Int: 1
BOREAL - Mythical - Dragon (Fire Breath)
Played by: Cirago Offline
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Posts: 1,869 | Total: 7,219
MP: 10170
#8
The question made Tal pause, nose wrinkling in thought. Not a lot of thought, though. He knew where he stood with the gods, and he crossed his arms proudly over his chest. "Sure. An' all the Old Gods." Er... was it just 'the gods' now that there weren't any new ones? A debate on semantics and philosophy that would have to wait for another time as the stranger teased him and Tal bristled defensively.

He couldn't help it. Ugh. It was all Sah's fault.

Except at least he knew when Sah or Ru or his sisters were deliberately poking fun at him. This guy looked so damnably sincere about his compliments that Tal almost felt a bit bad at snapping at him. He ended up freeing a hand to rub at the back of his neck through the furred hood of his parka, scowling even harder.

And then his pale grey eyes widened and he had to consciously stop his jaw from dropping open at the news that this guy was a Torcher, of all things! "Fuckin' hail, y'really are mad!" He reached for the extended hand - not to shake it, but to examine the wet glove with a fierce glare. "Are y'tryin' t'lose fingers? Y'gotta be kiddin' me..." He let go and started to stomp away, then turned back and jabbed a finger towards Harper. "Stay right there!" he barked, before turning back around and continuing his stomping, clomping journey back to the skyboat, grumbling under his breath the whole time, and completely forgetting his own introduction.

Good thing he kept spare gloves and other dry clothes stored on the nimble little ship for emergencies. Honestly!
Harper Quinn
the Stalwart
Teacher

Age: 33 | Height: 5'10 | Race: Attuned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Nomadic
Level: 5 - Strg: 15 - Dext: 15 - Endr: 27 - Luck: 19 - Int:
Played by: Brit Offline
Change author:
Posts: 1,036 | Total: 6,168
MP: 9427
#9
HARPER
Harper shoots the young man an admiring glance at his admission. "That's tough, being so neutral. I admire it!" Because he has yet to learn, even as a grown man and now a father, the use of not talking out of his heart. Better than talking out of your ass, right?

It's soon Harper's turn to be sheepish however, allowing his hand to be taken with nary a flinch or narrowing of the eyes. "It's all they had in Kaiholo!" he objects, in what is definitely not a whine meant to inspire sympathy. Harper waits obediently (perhaps sensing fortuitous impending aid, like a dog awaiting reluctant scratches after getting into the trash and being scolded) and wiggles his fingers in their wet confines to try and wake up the nerves to pass the time. But...

Distracted, he turns back to his easel and the charcoal work there, nearly completed. He can surely continue for a bit while the still-unnamed man fetches things, right? He's merely making good use of time at that point! Harper grabs his charcoal in hand once more, and begins filling in the dark beach once more, easily distracted.
let your faith be bigger than your fear
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
Talyson Seawright
the Messenger
Courier

Age: 27 | Height: 5'10" | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: King's End
Level: 10 - Strg: 44 - Dext: 46 - Endr: 50 - Luck: 52 - Int: 1
BOREAL - Mythical - Dragon (Fire Breath)
Played by: Cirago Offline
Change author:
Posts: 1,869 | Total: 7,219
MP: 10170
#10
Again there was a suspicious glance as Tal tried to decide whether he was being teased or not, and once again decided that Harper was sincere. 'Um. Thanks... I think? I just like 'em all well enough, I s'pose." And he liked getting stuff from all of them, so there was that. The courier was nothing if not pragmatic.

Ever the soul of tact, he did scoff openly at the idea of gloves from Kaiholo. "Sure, an for what? A nippy Leafchange picnic on th'beach? Those aren't gloves." He growled at the workmanship and the tropical interpretation of Deepfrost survival gear and as he made his noisy exeunt, stage left, the gloomy mutterings of 'a fool an' his fingers are soon separated' might have drifted back to Harper's ears, amongst other dire predictions.

But while the Torcher worked on his art, the courier scampered up into his boat and headed for the chest that held his backup supplies. Everything was in its meticulous place, as always, and he quickly retrieved a few things and made his way back to Harper, thrusting a bundle of fabric at the other man with a scowl of discomfort. "Here." A thick woolen scarf was wrapped around a pair of heavy, dry mittens filled with ningo down and a stocking cap that matched the scarf. "Since it's for Safrin, I guess y'better make sure y'don't freeze up before you're finished..." Definitely for Her sake and not to help a stranger on the Tundra out of the goodness of his heart!
Harper Quinn
the Stalwart
Teacher

Age: 33 | Height: 5'10 | Race: Attuned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Nomadic
Level: 5 - Strg: 15 - Dext: 15 - Endr: 27 - Luck: 19 - Int:
Played by: Brit Offline
Change author:
Posts: 1,036 | Total: 6,168
MP: 9427
#11
HARPER
Harper is more than capable of entertaining himself even amidst the doom-and-gloom mutterings that make him do little more than grin at his charcoal stump, amused. He doesn't bother trying to defend the Kaiholo merchants; clearly their work is shoddy given his frozen extremities. Frozen everything, really.

The crunch of snow and ice is unmistakable as it heralds the man's return, so Harper spins back on his heel and is met with a scarf to the chest. It's an act of kindness he's not used to - Torchers help in far subtler ways back home - so he can't help the touched expression that takes up residence on his face. "Are you sure? You're welcome to stay, I'm almost done, and then I can give them back," Harper is quick to assure, too in need to decline but unwilling to take the items fully.. "Or I can drop them off at your house? I didn't even get your name!" It bursts free in a startled realization halfway through, abhorred by his own lack of manners.
let your faith be bigger than your fear
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
Talyson Seawright
the Messenger
Courier

Age: 27 | Height: 5'10" | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: King's End
Level: 10 - Strg: 44 - Dext: 46 - Endr: 50 - Luck: 52 - Int: 1
BOREAL - Mythical - Dragon (Fire Breath)
Played by: Cirago Offline
Change author:
Posts: 1,869 | Total: 7,219
MP: 10170
#12
Tal's scowl deepened and he looked down at his feet, feeling his ears turning read beneath his own hat, and not from frostbite. Ugh. Why'd the guy have to be so cute? "I guess I could stick around," Tal muttered gracelessly, shoulders hunched against Harper's sunny brightness. He started to shake his head in negation at Harper dropping the things off, but the reminder of introductions made him stiffen and wince all in the same motion.

"Fuck, Boreal usually reminds me-- Shit. Sorry about that. I'm Tal. Talyson Seawright, courier." He started to stick a mittened hand out and then realized that Harper's hands were full of Art™ supplies and retracted it awkwardly. "Um. Yeah. Look... don't worry about me. The Citadel's a long ways off an' if y'don't know the landmarks in the Tundra you'll prob'ly get lost so..." He gestured vaguely back towards his skyboat where it floated serenely in the calm air. "I can wait around here a bit longer, I guess." The apology had taken the gruffness right out of him, but did nothing to make his offer of assistance any less artlessly roundabout.
Harper Quinn
the Stalwart
Teacher

Age: 33 | Height: 5'10 | Race: Attuned | Nationality: Outlander | Citizenship: Nomadic
Level: 5 - Strg: 15 - Dext: 15 - Endr: 27 - Luck: 19 - Int:
Played by: Brit Offline
Change author:
Posts: 1,036 | Total: 6,168
MP: 9427
#13
HARPER
Normally Harper would feel a little guilty over the man's presumed distaste for his company, but there are enough glimmers of intrigue and selflessness in the young stranger to have him holding his tongue against a veritable flood of apologies and goodbyes. Plus he is admittedly lonely; as beautiful as the surroundings are, nobody else had been visible even from a distance for many hours now.

Boreal is an equally unknown name, but the bumbling clarifies into something comprehensible within moments, leaving Harper beaming and shoving his charcoal back onto the stand to retrieve Talyson's retreating hand in an eager shake. "Nice to meet you! Formally, that is. Uh, if name exchanges count for that sort of thing," he rambles through an undercurrent of laughter. With the prospect of continued company on the line, Harper ups the wattage of his smile in the vain hopes of luring the courier in. Not unlike a particularly socially starved angler fish. "I'm almost done with my drawing, then I just need to chip a piece of ice into the vial I brought. But you can't strangle me when I admit that I didn't actually bring a weapon or tool to do that...just my staff Safrin gave me." Another sheepish smile. His plan for encountering any dangerous elements outside of the Citadel had mostly involved shifting and flying away. Killing is well within his wheelhouse, but he'd never choose it as the first option.
let your faith be bigger than your fear
BASE INSPIRED BY ODD <3
Talyson Seawright
the Messenger
Courier

Age: 27 | Height: 5'10" | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: King's End
Level: 10 - Strg: 44 - Dext: 46 - Endr: 50 - Luck: 52 - Int: 1
BOREAL - Mythical - Dragon (Fire Breath)
Played by: Cirago Offline
Change author:
Posts: 1,869 | Total: 7,219
MP: 10170
#14
Most Halovians knew better than to venture out onto the Sea or Tundra mid-Deepfrost without magic to protect them. Luckily for Harper, Tal had both protective magic and a reliable means of transport that could handle the frigid temperatures and brutal winds of the north when conditions were less unseasonably pleasant than they were now.

Unluckily for Tal, Harper had quick reflexes and no qualms about setting aside his art supplies in order to capture the courier's hand. He endured the shake with a sense of helpless resignation given that he had reflexively tried to initiate it, carried along like a raft in a riptide by Harper's cheerful rambling, unsure how to get a word in edgewise.

It was hard to stay mad at the man, though, not when he reminded Tal so much of one of the particularly big, friendly dogs that hadn't made the training for the sled team, but lived and worked in the family store as a combination of guest greeter and guardian.

It took him a moment after Harper wound down to parse his last few sentences and when he did the courier didn't bother to hide his groan. "Y'can't be serious." He tried not to plead with the other man, but something of his despair likely made it into his voice. "What if y'were attacked by an ursur out here? They get pretty desperate for fresh meat in Deepfrost!" It was hard to tell whether he was more shocked or dismayed, and Harper was wrong about one thing.

Tal could absolutely strangle him for that particular decision and only the feeling that it would be like kicking a particularly friendly golden retriever kept him from reaching out and shaking the Torcher until his perfect, shiny teeth rattled.


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