>>41269959 >>41269970 Huh? Well, yeah, the train station. Right?
>Turning back to look at Leo and Elias, when he met the beastkin girl's dumbfounded gaze and his old friend's doubtful one, he realised that he might've been slipping out of their typical realm of knowledge without realising it.
Ah, that's right, you wouldn't know I guess.
>Feeling a little embarrassed about his assumption and deciding to continue onwards to hide it, he continued to lead them in the general direction of the station.
Volunteer miners usually sleep in barracks on-site because it's more convenient, but on their days off most of them go home. It's not like everyone just lives next to the mine or something, so a lot of them go home by train, and it's...
>Stopping to turn around, he look at either of the two but instead at a small clock on a tower in the distance, which was an awfully quick find.
Around 4pm right now, so if we wait there for a bit my guess is that we'll eventually spot someone who looks a little ragged and worn out, maybe a little dirt here or there.
>Logan seemed to know a fair bit about how these mines worked. Maybe it was part of him being from Termina? Neither of them asked too many questions about the other, so it was entirely possible that Logan had family that worked in the mines, whether willingly or not. That'd definitely give him a fair bit of insider info.
>Still, he wasn't going to say anything more on the subject. If he knew, he knew, and Elias wasn't one to turn down any free information.
Leopon-dji (at work) 25 Feb 2016 3:09:11 PM No.41270510>>41270937>>41272187
>>41269990 >He had a startling familiarity with the city and its habits. Leo wasn't surprised--she had gained a fair bit of knowledge on the area around Rayfield from all the traveling they did--but her interest was piqued.
>>41270403 >Unfortunately, Leo wasn't so easily satisfied.
>She jogs a little closer to walk at Logan's side, and asks of the mercenary, Is this your home town?
>There's a slight freeze in his step when the question registers in his mind, but he managed to carry on, albeit at an awkward pace. He'd forgotten how inquisitive Leo could be, what with her bold and direct personality. Elias and he had made something of an unspoken pact not to talk about each other's pasts before their membership at the Wolves, and this mutual understanding had been one of the pillars of their long-standing friendship, so for Leo to ask him so bluntly wasn't something he expected.
>A sudden and very forlorn look spreads across his face, equal if not worse than the kind he'd make when considering the actions he'd taken against Leo's group. It only lasts a moment or two, however, before he turns to Leo with a particularly insecure smile. If Logan knew at least a little bit about her past, as well as having rid her of a potential future, it was only fair.
Yeah. Yeah... I used to live here. Bits have changed over the years, but I guess cities like this stay the same in a lot of ways, even after a decade.
>A brief glance or two around him as he walked, taking in some small part of the atmosphere he'd been trying his best to ignore til now, before Logan moved onwards down a cobbled path, flanked on either side by a number of terraced houses.
The station on this side of town isn't far, but we're practically on the opposite side of the city to the mine. If anyone's gonna take the train to get home, it'll be someone who's coming here.
>They were getting close to the south-eastern docks and the wonderfully crafted floodgates that stood there. A lot of the people who lived here tended to be dock-workers, but there was also enough cheap housing nearby for those who worked in other parts of the city. There wouldn't be many miners here, but the ones they did meet would have to be pretty dedicated to their job if they were willing to go across the city to get there, and that meant they'd have the most reliable information.
>Ah, so he was Empyrean by birth. Curious that he didn't really get along well with Tai then, though Logan had been with the Wolves for a long time. Maybe he'd had the standard Terminian attitude already beaten out of him before he met.
>He'd always had an inkling that he came from the fiery red nation, but he'd never vocalised it, or dwelt too much on it. Mostly because the vicious rivalry between his home of Alaestus and Termina was the stuff of legends. He'd grown up with angry remarks being flung over his head about the place and, as things often do with kids, they'd quietly sunk into his brain and it manifested later in life as distaste for the mage addled country.
>Knowing it for definite made a pit of doubt start to form in his stomach. Elias stared at the back of his friend, would this change anything? Would that distaste manifest as full blown...Well, he didn't really want to think about it.
>Perhaps suspecting it for so long would mean nothing would change at all. And Logan certainly didn't possess the arrogant sneer that seemed so common among Terminians. He wasn't even sure if the distaste was a conscious thing or just an ingrained reaction. This on top of all the stress he was having over a potential plan melt down couldn't be good for his blood pressure...
>Elias starts mumbling under his breath again. This time, if you were to pay close enough attention to him, you'd make out him very quietly counting to ten, and upon reaching it, he'd start over. Basic stress removal, but his long term stress removal plan generally boiled down to him leaving Kingsmeet for a few years.
Leopon-dji 26 Feb 2016 10:05:07 PM No.41272340>>41275214>>41275231
>>41270937 >Her question struck a deeper chord than she was expecting. The hesitating freeze in her step was enough evidence of that. Tight-lipped to avoid asking any further questions, she nodded, and allowed him a little space.
>She had enough experience with these sorts of things to know that a little response like that meant he didn't want to talk about it. Something must've happened to drive him out of the city and to the mercenary life.
Right...
>A decade, huh? It had been a little over that since she had... well, last saw her tribe. She wanted to go back as much as Logan wanted to be here. She nodded to the merc.
So should we stay here, or continue to the station?
>>41272187 >Elias, however, was a little concerning. Even with her ears covered by the scarf, she could hear him counting softly and tensely. She knew of the rivalry between the regions, but would Elias really let that get between them...?
>She fell into a slow pace, somewhere between the two to ensure they didn't kill each other.
>>41272187 >Elias's mild distaste for the typical Terminian sort hadn't been lost on Logan over the years, yet in all the time the two had known each other the more laid back of the pair had never voiced a complaint, or a counter-argument of any sort. Truth be told he'd always been trying to erase any connection with this place whilst harboring a separate hatred all his own - not the typical one between nations or countries, but towards something he felt was far more sinister.
>So far it had all worked. For ten long years he'd managed to truly settle in as a mercenary, someone unbound by loyalties or faith aside from what he chose for himself, and that suited him just fine. Right now, however, his long-severed connection to Empyrean could serve them in their task, and that was more important than his own secrecy; better yet, it might serve as a gentle blow to the true villains here.
>Despite trying so hard to hide that past, however, he'd never seemed nervous once he was here, and he had good reason not to be. No-one here would know anyone who went by 'Logan Faust', after all.
>>41272340 We're better off getting there sooner rather than later, that way we can kinda sit there for however long we need to. Assuming they haven't changed the station much, there should be a really nice sandwich place around the back if we need something to eat.
>Forbe's used to be the highlight of the day when his parents were done dragging him around. It'd be a shame if it was gone, though perhaps it'd be for the best if it meant he wouldn't have anyone recognise him from back then. It wasn't as if he'd changed much physically; taller, certainly, but not much else. Of course, he had a contingency already in place for that.
For now, welcome to Empyrean, the biggest shit-hole you'll find here in the ass-end of Termina! To your left, you'll see the housing provided to the poor unfortunate souls who're forced to unload snapping crabs from boats, and if you look way off to the right you'll see where the owners of said seaworthy craft go to get their dicks wet while everyone else does all the work.
Please remember to keep hands and feet inside your pockets at all times, and exits can be found in any four corners of the inner wall here - here, here and here! >He was even doing elaborate gestures to each gate as he walked, regardless of how far away the other three were. If you've got any questions for the guide, please keep them to yourself because I couldn't give less of a damn! Thanks for taking the patented Faust Tour, where I want to be here just as little as you do!
>Elias continued muttering, even as Logan affirmed his absolute hate for the place. This went beyond his prejudice and had now morphed into poor stress management. The mage NEEDED something to keep him busy, anything at all, so sitting in for three weeks and formulating paranoid plan after paranoid plan because he thought it was too risky hadn't exactly done wonders for his mental state.
>So, a distraction would be welcome right now.
A meal sounds wonderful right about now.
>Especially since the idiot hadn't bothered with lunch because he was too busy planning.
>Elias' eyes flit over to the people unloading crabs and his face withers in sympathy.
Nothing but respect for those people. Angry crabs are a force to be reckoned with, I've been told horror stories by Dragoons of Daimyo Hermitaurs.
>>41275231 What's that, Elias? Trouble with crabs? You should really get that checked out!
>Ah, the old crude jab to lighten his mood, he was in a bit of a troublesome state as it was so prodding at easy targets was just too tempting to avoid.
Which makes me wonder, Leo, have you ever had a problem with fleas or furballs?
>Oh boy, this was going to end well. Still, at this point it was all going to end up a bonding experience anyway, and if she was going to tear his throat out again she probably would've done it some other time during the three weeks they'd been wandering around.
>They'd been putting their time to good use, of course, honing skills that might not need to be used, but a Mercenary's life was one of constant self-improvement and it was something Logan had often reviled when sitting at the guild hall, attempting to be as average as possible. Still, once a person got bored and everyone around them was practicing technique it was hard not to join in.
>Maybe he could goad them into a 2v1 spar? There was nothing like the thrill of facing down the odds and trying to come out on top. They'd have to find somewhere in Empyrean to do it, but thankfully he knew a few open areas in the city they could go.
Leopon-dji (at work) 1 Mar 2016 1:52:08 PM No.41276239>>41276328>>41276879
>>41275214 >>41275231 >Logan certainly knew how to never shut up, didn't he?
>At least she hadn't caused any lasting emotional trauma with her question. She had a feeling Logan was playing it off by acting like a one-man tourist attraction, but if it kept him from getting all sour again, so be it. They already had one grumpypants in Elias, they didn't need two.
>>41276123 >Leo looked over at Logan, then at Elias. Did he have an infestation of miniature crabs or something? She had never eaten one before, let alone got within arm's reach of a live one, but she hoped they didn't spread tiny versions of themselves. Fauna around here was weird.
I am not a house cat, thank you. I do not lick myself, so I do not get furballs.
>Her brow twitched in annoyance. Fleas were a different story, though. She motioned towards the crustaceans to change the subject.
Those are meant to be consumed, correct? How are you meant to eat them if they are made out of shell?
Ha ha. I've certainly not heard that one from at least FIVE other Dragoons present at the time.
Perhaps next, you could make another crass joke about a flower? It worked wonders for you last time.
>>41276239
>And then he directed his attention to Leo and her crustacean queries.
You can pull the shell off, it's not too tough, and especially once it's cooked, you can just twist it off with a little effort. They give you a cracker to deal with the claws, but they're called snapping crabs for a reason. Even after they're cooked, muscle memory means their claws are still deadly. Nobles have lost fingers.
>And the mage shudders slightly, going a little green in the face.
I hear they taste good, but me and seafood don't agree. So I've never tried it.
>It was worth it just for that reaction, really, though it would've been better if she weren't so uptight lately. Ah well, loosening up was sometimes a rather slow process, you just had to persevere!
>>41276328 Hey, crass jokes about flowers are products of accidental genius, you can't just come up with them on the fly, they have to be carefully crafted by fate!
>And then the conversation shifted to crabs, which wasn't the most amusing of subjects and this didn't hold much stock in Logan's mind for the moment... until Elias decided to go into a little more detail about the reputation of the Snapping Crab, even so far as to-
Oh, no, NO, please don't remind me of that, you do not want to be sat at a dinner table while someone's bleeding from the stump of their former finger and screaming at the top of their lungs.
>Well, he certainly hadn't known that Logan had seen it happen. The bit about Snapping Crabs was just a little piece of trivia he'd picked up while travelling. But the idea itself was enough to make him wince.
Well...That's why you're meant to use the cracker. The implement gets snapped and not your hand.
>>41278766 No, he did not. But hey, at least he started touching women on the street less.
>Remembering his old family was like trying to find a string of hay in a needlestack, everywhere he went in those memories shot some small dose of pain and he often wondered whether it was worth the bother at all. Standing in Empyrean again made not thinking about all of that difficult, however, so he simply opted to speak what came to mind whilst missing out on what details he could spare.
To be honest, though, the seafood dishes you can pick up at The King's Bar & Grill back home are way better, if you're into that sort of stuff. More on the plate, and you don't have to fight to get at your food either. Taste wasn't really worth it, in my opinion, which makes the work those poor sailors do seem even worse.
Leopon-dji 4 Mar 2016 10:18:20 AM No.41278845>>41278913>>41279346
>>41276879 >Leo winced at the mental image that brought up. Sometimes she wondered if the smaller creatures of Astrolia, however spiny or scaly, were less troublesome to eat than the creatures here. She repositioned herself so she walked by Elias' side, furthest from the water.
>>41278766 >>41278802 >She knew Logan didn't like to talk about his past, which was why he changed the subject so fast, but she couldn't help herself.