Old habits can comfort [Yushin / Social]

The sorceress pushed the wetted lock of hair from her face, the silvery strand hanging behind her ear in a newly assigned position. Thoughts raced through her mind faster than they had before, and she had yet to even throw anything sugar related into her system. There was an uneasy feeling about the woman, as though she were expecting something. In part she was. If there was anything that the youthful sorceress had learned on her travels, it was that nothing was certain, and that the unexpected should always be prepared for.

Still, the lady felt far more at ease as she strode into Reim. It was her home, and something about the aura of the untamed city held a comfort for her. It could have been the scent of spice that seemingly permeated the entire market, or perhaps it was they way the steel tips of her boots tapped against the stone streets. Maybe it was the constant hustle and bustle that she'd grown used to. Or maybe it was just the simple act of sitting in her home and staring at the sunset through her window.

She drew her cloak around herself a little more, the beaming silver of her hair bursting against the deep violet tones. She'd long since stopped dying her hair, having found an alchemist to permanently change the color. She was relieved about that. It gave her an excuse to stop buying the concoction that smelled somewhat like rotting fish. The sunlight bounced off of the prismatic strands, casting vivid streaks of the rainbow across her locks.

She gently pushed aside the door, slipping into the tavern unnoticed. The dimmed, amber light fell through the window and onto the oaken table where Minerva placed herself. A sigh fell from the girls lips as her placid stare and mental meandering was interrupted by the bartender sliding her a drink. She let a gentle smile slide towards the old man, met with a knowing nod and a simple "Welcome home."

She let the soft alcohol wash into her mouth, savoring the familiar taste before swallowing the first sip of the mug. It really had been far to long for comfort, and this routine was a peaceful one. She slipped another sip of the liquor before leaning back into her seat and watching the milling crowd of people stroll by the light of the setting sun.

The door to enter the tavern squeaked open smoothly as the white haired man entered the quaint establishment. It was a pleasantly nice change to hear the wooden door open so cleanly. The man had pestered the owner of the tavern to get it fixed as it looked as if the hinges of the door would break right off from the smallest of irritation. He inspected the hinge as he walked in and nodded at a gentleman seated next to the entrance. The recognition was reciprocated and without any more words, the white haired foreigner took his steps to the front counter.

"I can see you finally fixed that old thing." Yushin stood in front of the bartender with a woven bag hustled over his shoulder. The bartender finished cleaning a recently used cup with a cloth before slinging the cloth over his shoulder in a mirrored fashion. "Yeah, the old man finally caved in. It was good of you to ask him though, the dang thing was bothering the guests every time it creaked." The bald, older man slid a new cup down the counter which in turn stopped right in front of Yushin in accuracy. "I take it you're back from work?" With a smile, the Sangju man took the bag from over his shoulder and laid it down on the counter before him.

"Thirty, all in the bag." The bartender almost choked from the utterance of these words. It was around this time that a stout elderly man emerged from the back of the tavern. "What's this I hear about thirty?!" The elderly man lumped his way over to the bag and peeked inside to see its contents. With a gasp, the owner's eyes bulged at the sight of the goods. "Y-you....how?!"

With his signature warm smile still present across his face, Yushin merely looked back at the bartender with humility. "You asked me for a handsome number of scorpions for your liquor, and a handsome number I sought and brought." The white haired man was commissioned by the owner to bring back a few scorpions to put inside some of the hard liquor. The practice was unique to only a few people, and after suggesting it to the owner, the old man politely asked Yushin to fetch some. He sat down now and still taking note of the cup before him, the young man gestured for a bit of brandy.

"Here, it's on me." The old man even poured the cup himself and took the bag of scorpions to take to the back. "Remember to marinade them before you serve the drinks." With a laugh the old man nodded.

It was peaceful again, or at least as peaceful as it could get for a tavern full of drunk men. Taking full notice of his surroundings again for the second time, Yushin noticed the presence of a woman next to him. He took the cup of brandy and settled by the window of the cavern. The young man, not all too against small talk, took a sip of his brandy and managed a friendly, "Nice day isn't it? Not a lot of women come here so it's nice to see a change. What brings you here?"

Minerva noted the man with the snowy hair approach. While it may have been true that she'd wanted some peace and quiet, her appearance certainly did nothing to conceal her visage, what with the almost garish plumage atop her circlet. Still, she was rather unsure of how to react. Most steered well clear of her in the tavern, and most that approached were looking for nothing more than a night together.

"A fair enough assessment. A crowd of drunkards is the last place you'd expect to find a woman, much less one merely interested in watching the crowd." Her gaze swivels to the man, amethyst irises taking in his attire and figure. White, lots of white. Were he not in the midst of a tavern she would have mistook him for a priest. He wasn't after her for the wrong reasons. The simple way he spoke at least hinted at that.

"I'm just here to people watch, in all honesty. It's a nice way to welcome myself home after a long way away." She chuckles. "What about you? What's man with such an elegant garb doing mucking around with a squadron of drunkards? Lying to yourself, or is there a story to be told about your garment?"

She taps her fingers across the head of her staff, idly waiting for his response. Regardless of whether a lie or the truth came out, it would be an interesting story she'd have the pleasure of tuning her ears to. She leaned in, elbows atop the table, her lips finding her glass once more. "Come on. There's a story there."

Yushin was pleasantly pleased with the intelligence sensed behind the women before him now. Not many people that came to this particular tavern possessed this disposition, and it was nice to have a talk such as this than ramble on about the boring day. At this women's first response, Yushin teased in amusement. "I would say that you're the one being watched, not the other way around." He indicated her attire which could have come off suggestive to some minds.

Deeply yet gently, he returned her gaze to subtly note he was invested in the conversation; however it was more so that he was amused than anything other. This woman had caught his interest; like a tingle and buzz of electricity around the air, there was a spark that eminated from her that drew him over. Just as Yushin's white aura permeated throughout the room, this woman had a sparkling interest to her.

He mused at her comment about merely watching people, because to him his earlier remark still stood. His amber eyes dilated briefly at the mention of her next statement. So she's a traveler, like me?" The young man pondered this thought only momentarily as he re-invested his focus as the woman chuckled. Now it was his time to chuckle, but rather, it was a more internal chuckle as  really as he gave this woman one of his gently bright smiles.

"Just watching." He playfully responded back to the silver haired woman about his reasons of being here as he took another sip of his brandy. A pause, as Yushin held the words for dramatic effect. "For starters, I thank you for your kind words. This garb of mine is quite dear to my heart." He set his cup down onto the table and faced himself forward, leaning on his hands and elbows as he did so.

Now taking a closer look at this women, Yushin could notice her noticeable slender face. It was true that his intentions were far from dirty ones, but the well-garbed man was a gentleman at heart. He truly prized and treasured women, and with a chivalrous heart at that. Unfortunately, however, this may or may not have also come along with the fact this of his heart could be shaken as well. Many times he had wondered if this was merely because of his loving and protective innate qualities, and usually he just shrugged them off. He noticed that he had sidetracked himself again and returned his focus onto the question at hand.

Continuing his smile he said, "A story? Well just by my garbs you would presume something like that?" Once again Yushin spoke in a friendly manner as he pondered his next answer. "By that reasoning, I'd be far more interested by your story. With an attire such as yours, I could only imagine wondrous thoughts of romance and adventure." This was another jest of course, but the idea behind it was quite true. This women stood out amongst many of the people he had met, and his own ravenous curiosity had taken hold. "Besides," he mused once more, "How I could even conceive to dare bore such a woman of your refine? Especially when I don't even know your name?"

She held a placid face. Brandy. She could tell by the aroma that gently wafted across the table. He had taste, that was for sure, and intelligence too. It was something about his eyes that kept her interested though. The bright, amber tones seemed warm and inviting, like the soft light of a candle. It felt like staring home.

Then again, she was home, and she was rather relieved of that fact. "Travel hasn't truly been a pursuit of mine. My attire has more to do with rejecting the chains that bind me than where I have gone." She pushes her ale aside gently, leaning backwards and throwing her arms over her head in a stretch. Across the abdomen of her garment ran a slit, the line from the center of her bust down to her right hip, and tied with lace. Provocative, certainly, but something about the nature of the violet and black corset was just as elegant as the aura she exuded. With a gentle, fluid motion, she stood up from the table, tipping her staff into her hand with the same momentum she rose with.

"Come on. It's a long story, and not many here should have the thrill of hearing it." She casts her gaze around, her voice rhythmically floating across the table. "There are things I'd rather keep unknown to most of these visitors." The woman seemed almost to glide from the tavern, awaiting the company of the mysterious man in the pearlescent clothing.

---

The woman stood in the midst of the garden with her newfound companion, sharing the gloaming hours with a man that had piqued her curiosity in more ways than one. Still, she wasn't one to deny someone an answer. Something about him led her to believe he could be trusted.

"It's not the most pleasant tale, that's for sure," she sighed. "My name is Minerva. Minerva Gladius. Daughter of the Reiman nobles Anax Gladius and Diana Theonese." She observes his reaction. "It's not the kind of blessing it sounds like, to be utterly truthful. I was loved, that I will never doubt, but I was never respected and treated as an individual. I was trained to use magic from the age the discovered I could utilize it, and for no purpose other than it making me desirable as a potential marriage partner. It came to nothing. A life of useless semantics, endless gatherings with arbitrary rules, and nothing within the other person that was genuine. It wasn't something I wanted for myself. Paltry politics held no place within me, and I felt like a trophy."

She stares up towards the setting sun, losing herself in the memories of her past endeavors. "I left. That was my solution. If they wouldn't respect who I wanted to be as a person, than I'd leave what fate had assigned me and I'd forge my own path through the world. I met men and women that made me truly happy, and I learned to be truly happy with myself as a result. I fought, I loved, and I saw. I learned I was right. There's more to life than what fate gives you." Her eyes swivel back to the man.

"I suppose you were right, in that respect. Travel and romance doesn't have to be between two places and people. Maybe it's really the journey of learning to love yourself, and finding where you belong, not where life places you." She smiled gently as a back bird, the semblance of her rukh, alights on her shoulder. "It's about finding who you want to be, not what the world does."

The young prince listened intently at the notions of this women. His head tilted slightly as he he adjusted himself, putting his chin on the palm of one hand rather than both. "I see, quite the interesting remark. Please, continue." The woman acknowledged these words by suggesting a change of scenery. Once again, Yushin took note of the her attire. The elegance of the fabric, and the gentleness of its connection led him to believe the previous comment about her chains. It was quite the lady's attire, and only the foolish of men would dare defile her with their eyes. Unfortunately, the masses of the male species tended to be this way, and it burdened the young man greatly.

Similarly to the delicacy of the woman's stride, Yushin walked out the tavern in gentility yet grandeur. No matter where he went, the ever looming radiant aura that emanated from his inner core illuminated every atmosphere with the greatest of noblesse. With the exit of these two figures, the density of the room atmosphere dimmed to normality.

A garden, well groomed at that. The young man took several notes to the beauty and luminance to this obviously well nurtured wonderland. The garden itself was wide and circular in nature. The colors of the environment blended professionally from the lightest of hues to the darkest and then the lightest again. The fauna of the garden in particular fascinated Yushin. Many of these are native?" It was a shocking thought really. The variety of nature gave the young prince many doubts to the authenticity of their origins. Most likely, the fauns were imported from a many of foreign nations, therefore, the garden must have been a popular tourist location.

He smiled at the woman's first words. "I could only imagine pleasant words from a woman of your refine. Dirty as they may be in nature, I have every faith in knowing that your lips will sickle these words into the sweetest of honey. In turn, she sighed and that was that. Finally, it was time for the formalities. Minerva was her name, and by her last name, Yushin could already deduce her noble background. Hmm, that could explain a few things.

Minerva continued with the then woes of her past, and the triviality of her lifestyle came as no surprise to the once Uncrowned Prince. The wind ruffled through his white hair, passing along his memories from the past. For a brief moment, the two strangers, peered up to view the same setting sky, and a bond was formed. Not any kind of bond, the the very kind that this woman seemed to digress from; it was fate.

The alignment of the two rukhs circled together into a gust of wind. The very nature of this clash created a whirlwind of rukh that Yushin could not see. "You," The white clad youth took a step forward, "Love people as much I do, I can see it in those violet eyes of yours." Yushin's own amber eyes locked gaze with Minerva's, and once again the spark ignited. "There is a disparity in this world, a great rift of social dissociation. And you..." He smiled, "Have seen this disparity, and lived."

With that smile still firmly locked onto his face, a sudden shift of intensity brewed in the atmosphere. "In that case, your heart, in some way shape of form, aches to change this, am I wrong?" It was out of his place to impose such an assessment of Minerva's disposition, but the moment, and the time, felt like he was called to address this. With a frightening aura bursting forth from his very presence, the once Uncrowned Prince made a bold statement. "Forgive me, but it appears that this very fate that you left behind, has brought the two of us together. At the very least, you appear to know who you are. I myself, am still young, and impressionable; but my philosophy and aspirations hold true. I do apologize for we have just met, and you have just arrived back home but..." another step forward, this time with gentle authority, "would you like to see the world with me, again, through my eyes? With another noble grin plastered onto his face, he made the proposition. "Maybe along the way, I could tell you my story, as we go to this world's deserts."

(Sorry that this feels rushed, but we should be heading to Heliohapt soon)

She couldn't help but smile. Perhaps it was fate that had brought them together, and perhaps it was indeed fate that had planned her this journey since the beginning, but Minerva, so burned by the prison of her upbringing, could not accept that idea. Fate had never held justice for her, only bars and walls. "I've always fought the tide of what others call fate. Perhaps it isn't something that exists in the first place. Perhaps everything is mere happenstance, and we've just been swept along the current of a world controlled by unseen dice." She drags her hand along the leaf, severing it from the branch with a sharp tug. "Was I fated to pluck this leaf? Or have I just irrevocably altered the plans of the universe in a way unseen? Fate is too complex an ordeal for me to place my faith in anymore. Perfection of fate removes autonomy, and I refuse to believe we're all merely puppets dancing around for the amusement of some cosmic audience."

"This is my burden, and if you're willing to bear the weight of our conflict of ideals, I would be more than willing to travel with you to Heliohapt." She leans back against the tree, her violet stare landing directly against the candlelight irises within Yushin's face. Something tugged at her then, a familiar memory cascading back through the confines of her mind. She knew this feeling. She felt it when she locked eyes with Jahangir, Ayero, Merrze, and even with Ariella. This was someone she connected with, somehow... She blows a strand of hair from in front of her gaze, the lids to her eyes closing as she lets a soft sigh escape her lips. "We can leave whenever you feel as though you're ready, although I've some things I'd prefer to see to before I leave." Minerva flicks her finger towards the man. "For instance, I'd at least like to know some minor details about you before I commit to leaving the country I was born in over a simple desire to see the desert."

"We can start with a simple question, nothing to revealing, unless you find handing out your name to be overly intrusive. I'd like to start with that, and the simple question of why me? What gives you the notion you could trust me? Who's to say I won't fry you into a crisp the second we're outside the city gates?" She listens patiently to his response, ceasing to pay complete attention halfway through as her gaze slowly drifts upward into the swirling flurry of their mismatched essences. She watches the black and white birds intermingle in the space around them, seeming almost to dance as their presences began to mesh with one another. With no regard for where the man was in his sentence, the sorceress opens her mouth once more, "It's beautiful the way our rukh spirals together, mixing like oil and vinegar. It shouldn't be possible, but they seem to get along like old friends."

What was he doing? How did he find himself in such a position as this? Talking about fate, with the most peculiar woman, no...captivating was a better word. Fate, faith, what was the difference? Ah, there was none. Fate...is to put your faith in into the flow of life. Minerva, it seemed, chose to oppose this natural flow. Many people would scoff at such absurdity, yet, Yushin held no ill feelings whatsoever. Who am I to judge. I don't even fully understand my own fate. Yes, the young man did acknowledge the notion of fate, but, to completely embrace it? No, that was unclear.

Amused once more by her words, Yushin answered in a relaxed manner. "Minerva, there is no weight between our ideals. I'll be more than willing to share a piece of my adventures with you." He stood there, almost motionless, nothing but the wind swayed his exterior traits. His white hair leaned freely to the will of the breeze, and his garments fluttered excitedly by the kiss of the wind. Unlike Minerva who leaned against a tree, Yushin remained fully standing, holding his ground to the woman before him now. The confidence and light that brimmed from the facets of his being once again even encouraged the garden fauna to dance. Or was that merely the wind? It was hard to tell.

"Know minor details?" The Sangju man found this reasonable, he had realized that he never gave Minerva his name. "That was quite rude of me," He bowed slightly to display his apologies. He began with his name of course, "My name is Yushin....Wang Yushin. And before you start, no, I'm not from Kou-" A frown fell onto his face as noticed Minerva's dissociation from his formality. He stopped, only to hear what she had to say. "Then you weren't kidding." he smiled, "you have been blessed with magic. What I would give to see this wonder." He paused, a sudden sharp pain pierced through the deep folds of his memories. For a barely noticeable moment, his rukh split to become two types, and then...just as it did so it reverted back to normality. Hye-Won...

Realizing his upset expression, Yushin once again smiled his bright smile and continued. "Well then, friends we will be." His face shimmered at the mention of 'friends'. "To continue, I was, in a sense, born into royalty. I come from the 'Forgotten People'. Long ago, we were a great nation, united and strong, but now...that is but a distant memory. The young man's eyes became distant. "I've been traveling, for so long. To be lost, to a people, who lost it all, the wandering is..." With a deep breath, Yushin once again turned his full attention back to the enchantress and smiled. "But enough of that. Maybe as we travel, you can learn more." He finally moved, the motions were graceful and surreal. With even twitch and nudge of his body, it was like watching the reflection of oneself in a mirror, it was other wordly. He glided himself away from the garden, and motioned kindly for Minerva to follow. "I don't know if that answer is sufficient enough for you to follow me, but I assure you one thing. I don't know if I can trust you." With his back turned now, Yushin began to walk away. ""But, I can hold my own, no mistress with magic will take me down so easily." He of course said this again jokingly, but the serious undertone could not be ignored. "If you will come with me, meet me by the gates in two days time. And, from that point on, let us drop these formalities, and be comfortable with each other, friend." With those last words, he was gone, leaving Minerva to ponder these words.

[EXIT]