musetime | The breath that passed from you to me

The breath that passed from you to me

[He had always found the culture in Eorzea very baffling. From the people to just the terrain. It was all very different from what he grew up. It was fascinating to some extent, but mildly stressful. Still... he enjoyed traveling quite a bit. It would be a tad easier if it didn't require having to constantly interact with people of such unfamiliar customs though.

His travels had taken him to an area known as La Noscea. The beaches were actually quite gorgeous and he was particularly taken by the water. Eremes considers trying to find a means to travel on it with a small boat next time.

He was currently hunting though. With how long he spends away from Kugane; it wasn't feasible to just always eat food that was offered at restaurants and the what have you. And he's always been more partial towards preparing his own food. It's why he's currently got his bow out and his eyes trained on a bison. His concentration on what he's doing doesn't help him with how he struggles to react to things to his right though. He hasn't noticed the raptor slowly approaching him from his blind side at all.

His focus is completely trained on his target.]

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[Although he'd recently gotten an apartment in the Lavender Beds, Lance couldn't help but go back to La Noscea often. It was an adjustment after an entire life of living with his family, one he had to slowly make. And although Gridania was beautiful, he was still a beach boy at heart.

His current plan was to stay a few days back in Costa del Sol before going adventuring again. For now, he'd decided to take a walk, enjoy the salty scent of the air, and get some sun. From the corner of his eye, as he strolls down the path, he sees a man with a bow aiming at a bison. An Au Ra, at that. Lance doesn't think much of it until he spots a raptor that seems to have caught scent of the hunter.

An archer has to be completely aware of his surroundings, so surely he must notice it. But he doesn't. And Lance realizes it's too late to call out a warning. He grabs his bow off of his back, aiming a shot as quickly as he can--

It goes through the raptor's head, downing it immediately. Phew.]

[The arrow he sets loose on the bison goes out the same time as the arrow Lance lets loose on the raptor. He doesn't have time to appreciate the shot he made because he jumps a little when the raptor falls. He could feel how the earth beneath him moves just slightly with the thud of the creature's body against it.

Ah...

He glances at the dead creature he hadn't noticed before and glances around until he spots Lance in the distance. Well, that's lucky. He probably wouldn't have gotten out of this unscathed had the other not been around.

Eremes hesitates a bit before shyly raising his hand in greeting at the other before giving a polite bow.]

[Lance breathes another sigh of relief. The raptor seemed to have been on its own rather than with a pack, so the coast is clear. He jogs up anyway after putting his bow back, giving a cheerful wave as he approaches.]

Hello! I wasn't sure if you noticed ol' toothy face here, so I thought I'd lend a hand.

[He rubs the back of his neck sheepishly, but his expression doesn't change much from what it was before. Eremes hadn't noticed it at all.]

I appreciate it. Thank you. I have trouble with noticing things to my right, so it caught me completely unaware.

[The pigment difference in Eremes' eyes are obvious this close up. His left one was purple, but his right eye was a striking pure white. He puts his bow away and glances at the raptor then at the bison he had shot at. Well. At least there's no shortage of meat for the night.] It probably would have injured me otherwise.

Oh. Oh.

[He notices the color difference in his eyes right away once he's in front of him. Lance gives a sheepish look, rubbing the back of his head.]

You don't have to thank me, really. It's what any good person would have done. Though not everyone can make a shot as great as I can, so maybe you really are lucky I was around.

[Smile! His eyes dart over to the bison laying on the ground.]

Though from the looks of it, you'd be some pretty stiff competition.

Oh?

[He tilts his head in question for a moment, but doesn't push. The other must have realized something. Maybe there's something concerning about him that the shorter man noticed?]

I am lucky that a good person such as yourself had came then. [He doesn't trust people so easily. He wouldn't have been surprised if someone would let it happen.

Eremes waves his hand dismissively. He seems a bit embarrassed by Lance's words.] I would be dead if I could not hunt is all. I had plenty of years to practice a good shot on such a large creature.

Come on, take the compliment.

[He leans in, giving him a little nudge. Lance had a bad habit of invading people's personal space, even people he'd just met.]

That's dinner for you, then? Do you want help skinning it? I've done that enough with these boys around here.

[He jumps a little. He won't ever get used to how forward some people are. It's not quite so back in Kugane. It seems to only fluster the poor guy more as he tries to regain his composure.]

O-Oh! I don't need help, but if you wish to have some you may. Thanks for saving me from the raptor. [He offers a shy smile.] It would be rude of me not to return the gesture in some way.

[Aw. Easily flustered, huh? Lance can't help but grin. Not in a predatory way, just...kind of amused, mostly at the fact that this guy who's a heck of a lot taller than him seems almost nervous around him.

Lance isn't exactly anything anyone would call intimidating.]

As I said, there's no need to repay me. I live close by, so food's not a huge concern. Still... I suppose I could take some of the pelt? My sister might like to fashion something out of it.

[He's not particularly good with people. Eremes is doing his best, but he's always been very people shy. One would think being a server would eventually help him get over that, but apparently not.

He pulls a knife out and kneels down over the raptor. It would be a waste not to make use of the raptor and the bison both.]

You can have as much as you want. It would be too tedious for me to carry it during my duration here and transporting it back to Kugane. [He offers a small smile towards the other.] Siblings must be nice.

[Lance pulls out his own knife before getting to work on skinning the bison. It's hardly glamorous work, and not exactly on the top of his favorite things to do, but everyone in his family has learned basic survival and gathering skills. It's necessary, and for him especially now that he's an adventurer.]

Kugane, huh? You're a loooong way from home. I've never gone that far East.

[He hums a little before commenting on the last part.]

They are, but they can be immense pains as well. There's rarely a middle ground.

[Eremes is very efficient with skinning and butchering the creatures. It's very obvious that this is something he's done for awhile now. He seems to have a good idea how to cut everything without too much of a loss.]

I have a bit of wanderlust in me I suppose. We get many foreigners, so being here hopefully helps me understand people here when I serve them. [It's not been very successful. He gets overwhelmed by the crowds too easily.]

I have one, but I cannot say she has been a pain of any kind. She has helped me out a lot. [She's pretty overprotective of him though.] I must value the family I have.

[He's not as efficient, as he only does this when he has to, but he can get the job done at least. Lance shoots him a little grin.]

That's what I tell myself every time my siblings make me want to catch the next boat to Kugane. Family is family, and that can't be replaced easily.

[It takes a bit, but he finishes skinning some pelts from the creature, folding them up so that he can carry back.]

Do you have a place to stay tonight, by the way?

[Eremes seems satisfied with his work. He'll be able to make a nice stew and cook some of the meat over a fire.]

Perhaps I am biased, but I recommend visiting at least once for the experience. It is very different than how things are.

[He blinks in surprise at the question. He's used to just camping out that he never really thought about where he stays.]

Oh? No. I planned to find a good place to camp out and cook.

I definitely want to one day. It's quite a trip, though... Maybe when I save up some more coin?

[Lance hums a little before snapping his fingers.]

There's a little hut on the edge of town that I've been staying at while visiting my family. Why don't you stay with me tonight, since you're here? We can put together a nice meal out of this and everything.

I hope that you will be able to in the near future. There are many places i recommend visiting.

[He seems a little troubled.]

I wouldn't want to trouble or to intrude in such a way. [Sharing a space? With a stranger? He might as well die.] You don't have to trouble yourself with my affairs.

Nooooo, there's no intruding or trouble involved here. I'm offering. Besides, it tends to get chilly at night this time of year. It'd hardly be good for your health if you caught cold.

[Stare. Lance is very insistent.]

[Please don't stare at him so intently. He doesn't make eye contact with the other and seems to obviously be looking down at the ground. For someone with such an intimidating presence; he sure is pretty timid.]

If you insist.

[He's noticed that, and it intrigues him. Lance won't lie--sometimes Au Ra do intimidate them with their sheer size. For some reason, even more so than Roegadyn. But this guy? His quiet personality makes him easier to connect to, even if said personality is completely at odds with Lance's brash one.

Lance gathers the hides up in his arms, giving him a nod.]

Grab the meat and follow me, then! I've got a new recipe I've been meaning to try, and I think you'll like it.

[He hefts up the large chunks of meat. Eremes will definitely need to get himself cleaned after transporting them; but he expected that he would need one when he was butchering them before.]

I am easy to please, so I'm sure that wouldn't be false.

I'll keep that in mind.

[He gives Eremes a wink as they begin to walk, Lance leading them closer to the shore. Ever since he left his home to start his life as an adventurer, his old room had been given to a cousin of his. Which, of course, made sense considering the size of the family and how cramped things could get. He was lucky enough to have a side place to stay, however, a hut that used to be used by the family for storage.]

...I just realized, we never did properly introduce ourselves to each other, did we? The name's Lance.

[Why did Lance wink at him...? The only times people have done that are usually people flirting with him at the tea ho-oh. Eremes stops walking pretty abruptly and his face has gone quite red.] I-I [He's so embarrassed. Did the other think he meant in that way???]

I-I I-It's Eremes. E-Eremes Avagnar.

[At least he managed to tell the other his name.]

[By the twelve... How can a huge guy like this be so shy and cute? He smiles brightly.]

It's been a pleasure to have met you, Eremes. And there's no need to be nervous around me! I'm harmless. Unless you're that raptor who attacked you.

[He shakes his head a little.]

It isn't you. I. I am quite shy around people. It isn't anything you've done or said to cause it.

[ He starts walking to catch up with the other.] Your aim is very good. I don't think claiming to be harmless is an accurate description given that.

It's not a bad trait.

[They reach the hut after a little while, and he lets out a sigh of relief as he dumps the pelts into a bin near the entrance. He'll take care of that later.]

Correction, then. Harmless unless you're attempting to hurt me or anyone who doesn't deserve it.

It can be troublesome...

[And he hates the feeling of being troublesome to others. He already must be much more cautious given his shortcomings. Lance had to save him already and it reminds him he must be more attentive.]

I should have been more aware of my surroundings.

[Hey, it happens. Lance may or may not have gotten slightly chewed on by several monsters here and there due to not paying close enough attention. It'd been mostly in the earlier days of his adventuring, before he'd come to be more aware of his surroundings, but still.]

First, the two of us should take a moment to bathe. There's a pretty big river just to the west of here. Bath time, then I can start cooking.

[Eremes usually travels with his sister and she always make sure to keep watch of anything from his blindside. She was so very good to him. He had gotten better at reacting, but it can be a struggle.]

Ah yes. It wouldn't be particularly good hygiene.

[He already feels gross and would have excused himself otherwise. Being covered in blood and other things is just not appealing.]

No, and I'd rather keep my little hut nice and clean and guts free, thank you very much.

[He goes inside momentarily, though, to pack some clean clothes in a bag. Once he returns, he gestures for the Au Ra to follow him as he makes his way towards the river in question. The ocean is a little closer, but fresh water is much better to bathe in. And obviously, wash clothes in.]

[After making sure that the meat won't attract predators; Eremes follows the other to the river.

if there's one thing he isn't surprisingly shy about; it's apparently stripping down. He starts undressing once they arrive at the river. His outfit wasn't particularly covering in the first place. He was wearing a tribal chest wrap and wore a loincloth underneath. He kept the loincloth and his sandals on. Eremes had quite a few scars that covered his body. There's some very large ones on his right arm and side.]

[Lance does his best not to openly stare. Of course, it isn't as if Eremes isn't a sight to behold. He's extremely easy on the eyes. But Lance has been raised well enough to not openly leer at every hot person he sees.

He does sneak a few glances, though, as he strips down to his own underthings and starts to wash himself in the river.]

[Eremes brushes his braids out with his fingers before getting into the water. They'll be ruined anyways and he'll have to rebraid them after cleaning up. The male Au ra seems content with just sitting in the river for a little bit in just the loincloth and the many jewelry that he wears.

He feels a lot better now that he's cleaned off blood and sweat from earlier.]

[Eremes isn't the only one who's enjoying his time in the river. Lance stretches out, enjoying the feel of the cool water on his skin. He's a water child at heart, always has been, feeling at home whenever he gets a chance like this.]

Sometimes I just come here and swim all day. The ocean, too.

[Eremes eventually finishes cleaning up and climbs out of the water to stretch out on dry land. He enjoys the water, but he much prefers warmer temperatures.]

I prefer the water from hot springs, but I don't handle the cold particularly well.

[He lingers a little longer in the water, but eventually gets up to do the same. He'll get up and wash his clothes in a little bit.]

Neither do I. Ishgard was really, really hard to be in. Hot springs, though--I love 'em. There's one here in La Noscea, actually.

I wouldn't know anything about Ishgard. I haven't traveled to that area before. Where I grew up; the conditions could be harsh and unforgiving and the nights could get very cold. The warmth of the sun is preferable.

[Eremes is much like a lizard sunbathing right now.]

Where did you grow up, if I might ask?

[Sunbathing is good. Lance does it a lot himself, which is partially why he has such a healthy tan.]

[How Eremes manages to stay so pale is pretty impressive.

He sits up and seems to be thinking over Lance's words.] Azim Steppes. [A pause. He seems kind of troubled though. I guess maybe I can't say i grew up there. I lived most of my life in Kugane.

Azim Steppes... That's in Doma, yes? I've heard so many things about Kugane, though! It's supposed to be a completely gorgeous city.

[One day he'll go there....one day.]

Yes. Near Yanxia if you know where that is. [There's a certain melancholy tone. He misses the Steppes to some extent, but he'd never return to them. He wasn't sure he'd be safe going back.]

It is quite gorgeous. I could not imagine living anywhere else now that I've lived there for so long. Although, there aren't many places that are safe to live in Doma, but my father has many great stories when before he left to the Steppes.

Yanxia... I think. I've seen it on a map before a few times, but it was probably a while ago.

[Lance eventually turns on his side to look at him properly.]

You should go back and see it sometime, then. Even if not to stay... It might bring some comfort.

[Eremes glances at him, but looks away.]

I wouldn't be welcomed, so it's in my best interest that I don't return.

Wouldn't be welcomed? What do you mean?

[He raises an eyebrow.]

Uh, if it's too personal, you don't have to tell me.

There's a tribe in particular that would kill me if they figured out my identity.

[He says it easily.]

I'm sure the likeliness is slim, but I'd prefer not to. [The remnants of their escape lingers heavily in the back of his mind. He was young and small and was shown absolutely no mercy when his family fled.]

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The breath that passed from you to me

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