Darius talks to Agrien

[02:56] "That's a way to put it. But no, that's not the case. I'd be ready to invest the money on the Sudburian infrastructure myself if it were as easy as just doing it."

She said as she smiled again at Barca, and the inviting sight of those bottles coming to her sight. Of course she was going to drink that, only so after convincing herself to have more glasses.

"The best way to put it would be that no candidate had a campaign and a governing plan worth the investment I was intending on making to support them. Their plans were vague at best, and simply non-existent at worst." shaking her head, she hooked a bottle in with two fingers, lifting it up to her face as she looked it around, appreciating the sight of Barca's handwork at that brewing as she continued. "I thought...If I have to choose the less bad among the all bad, I'd chose none. If there is no good option, I'll just not chose then. That's my take on politics."

Sighing with a defeated expression, she uncorked the bottle to pour herself another glass, and moving so to actually fill one for the huntress as well.

"How was the government system of your place though, Darius? Anything like votes, plans and sponsoring?"
(Agrien Vandroy)
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[02:58] {Item} You picked up Grape Wine. Dropped by Barca Scipio . .
[03:02] And without batting an eye, she took hold of her glass by the pinch of its neck, clinking it lightly over Agrien's before tilting it over her lips. The same blend. The same flavor. Most likely poured out from the same barrel, too. A poor choice perhaps, reaching for quantity rather than variety, but she was thinking of handing the leftovers as a present for them to take home later.

Well- assuming they weren't awful drunks and finished them in one night.

"It's a mess. It's not as though there's a shortage of interested sponsors. Gendo and Desean are both accomplished business men in their own right, but even after lending their support, none of the candidates really made an impression. It's been so long though- so I can't remember who they were both sponsoring, though."

And as yet another person filters through the door, she waves with a lazy smile.

"Oh? Hello there. Welcome."
(Barca Scipio )
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[03:06] "So no one was good enough for it- And well, that is some noble purpose itself. Refusing to allow evil to settle in with any of your help." He speaks, while picking up one single bottle and uncorking it, allowing the liquid to pour down on his own glass. The wine is then smelled by the desert warrior, and it causes him to...

... Flinch. Alcohol just wasn't his thing, but everyone was drinking. Peer pressure set in. Yellow eyes stared at the violet fluid, and he built up the courage needed to drink it, sipping from the wine as if it was simply a bad-tasting juice. The reaction was instantly to nearly cough after swallowing it down.

Alcohol was weird.

Why? He did not know what Alcohol even was, but it was what caused his reaction. The flinching after tasting and smelling, yet... Soon enough, he nodded. "There are no things like votes, plans and sponsoring. This is all... Big city talk, you know? We are- Ahem. Were simpler." Was he getting loose with just half a glass of wine?

He was.

Continuing to sip from the beverage, he explained further. "We organize ourselves in our tribes. We do not settle in a place, and we always just move around as much as we can- Me and my crew are just... Well, the ones I managed to gather around and try something better somewhere else."

With that, however, someone absolutely fitting walks in. His own brother. "Hello, brother." He speaks, still holding the glass of wine in his hand like a total barbarian.
(Darius Parsi)
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[03:07] Ka walked in, opening the door sort of clumsily, perhaps making loud sounds that could be obviously avoided, but he's having such a hard time at getting used to his height. Once in, he gave several glances- each to one sitting around table, though his gaze would rest on the woman who addressed him.

"Hiya." To both- to his brother and to the woman.

And then, he stands awkwardly alongside his brother, rubbing his forehead, apparently, he just woke up.
(Ka Parsi)
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[03:13] "-And what were the name of the Knight who wanted to be mayor again, B? Erick, Felrick, Folrich...Something." she waved her hand as if she couldn't remember the name even if she tried. "I made him the offer and he looked outraged, almost accusing me of being a Syndicalist at the proposal of the militia. He probably just wanted - or want - to run down Sudbury still and make a City Watch garrison down to the heart of the district. A good plan to rile the people against themselves."

She clanked the glasses together, being in better sports as she smiled while doing it, and downing the wine. Truth be told, while Agrien knew how to drink, she had a bad time actually flavoring and tasting it. Wine was wine in her opinion, and if it tasted good, it tasted good.

Didn't help much that she was already by her fourth or fifth glass, and her tongue and throat already soaked and dulled by the alcohol.

"Nomads then,that explain a little as to why you had an easy time finding your way over here. I mean...All the way over here." she chuckled at that, given she still didn't know exactly where they were from.

"I told you before and I have to admit again that I've never been for too long in the desert. Only once or twice. Once for when we were practicing, and twice for when I went to hire the caravan for the expedition." she commented, looking over Barca as well with a curious look on her half drunk face. "Have you had any hunt in the desert yet, B? I wonder how different it can be from ranging in the woods. Without...Trees...And mostly on a wide open space. Place."

She corrected herself, rubbing the back of her fingers on her reddened lips as she used the very same hand to wave at Ka.

"Hello brother, sit with us as well. No, not brother, his brother. But still as well, mhm?"
(Agrien Vandroy)
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[03:22] "As long as you're fully armored, there isn't much that can really hurt you." said Barca, taking yet another sip from her glass. The Huntress had a more measured approach to drinking, usually starting with smaller sips, and letting the flavor simmer in her mouth for a lingering taste. Clear enough, her glass had been filled only twice more, roughly a pace behind Agrien.

"The biggest problem is just- the logistics of it. Traveling. Food. Water. Shelter. But other than that? It's a bit on the harder end. As an earth magus, I can feel through the ground. It's easier with naked earth- stones, roots, and other debris of that ilk all get in the way. But with the desert? It's fuzzy. It's hard to distinguish anything other than motion, so if something's burrowed, I won't be able to notice it until I'm already staring down it's throat."

And with a sigh, she took yet another sip. Her constitution was far more robust, and though the lingering heat made every brush of wind a pleasant tickle over bare skin, it did little else to dull her mind.

"And it was Erick, yes. I know a few people who supported him- at least the people in the Order vouch for his personality, but I don't know much else about him." She shrugged, then peeled the topic back toward Darius. "Tribes. It does make sense. Is there anything you have in mind? There isn't much you can do alone, but with a group, however small, you can accomplish great things. Take Agrien here, for example." She nudges her with a poke of her elbow- though it probably landed a tad too hard with the nyeshk gauntleting her arms.
(Barca Scipio )
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[03:30] "There's quite a lot that can hurt you, but you're right. The biggest problem is just that the desert itself is fighting you- My brother knows just as much as I do that things where we come from are much harsher than in the desert you have so close to this city, though." He commented, a brief nigh-boastful smirk spreading through Darius' face at that. Did he feel pride that he was a victim to a harsher environment than this?

It seemed like so. Yet, he had to address something else. "And well, we do have a small group- If only budding. Most of our people made their way here a while back, and it... Well, it has been a difficult thing to establish ourselves here."

"Some are too tired from the trip. Some are already up and well, like me and him." A brief snicker leaves his lips, eyes averting to Ka. "After all, we're the ones that take the forefront always." And then, yellow irises move back to stare directly at Barca's eyes.

"We are not a big group, but we try our best." And yet, another sip from the glass of wine- Before he uncorked the bottle again, putting more of the purple ichor in his glass.
(Darius Parsi)
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[03:36] Upon the invite to take a seat, Ka shook his head, he had no urgency to sit, plus it's visible he's yet to feel comfortable around that kind of people, and so he awkwardly stood there.

"Ain't easy to live there. Havin' a big group means nothin' if it's formed by weak anyway."

Ka, however, has no idea about what they're talking about- once he threw a single remark, he shut his mouth, giving blatant judgmental glances to the ones drinking wine, rubbing his nose.

That smell is certainly unpleasant to the teenager.
(Ka Parsi)
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[03:41] The nudge to her side actually came a little harder indeed, as Agrien almost lost her balance on her seat, be it for her own small drunkness, or maybe Barca's unmeasured strength with that armor.

Whatever reason that be, the pale woman actually swallowed whatever short pain she felt from it into a chuckle, and drowned it with another glass of wine. She wouldn't die from a small purpled bruised elbow tomorrow.

"Pff, take me? I should- No, you meant it right and I was about to correct you wrongly. We indeed have a small group. Each with...A function, a role, a personality, a face and a name. Must be similar to you, Darius. A family not of blood but bond."

She said as she was just showing the hints of the wine taking the best of her, given she was even venturing in the poetry and theatrics of the words while at it. Not enough however to actually take her mind away.

With a playful look at Barca, she continued, moving her eyes once more to the foreign duo.

"-And now, you're here. Besides the...Challenges, missions and tasks I've offered you, do you have any long term plan for your staying? In Osrona, I mean."
(Agrien Vandroy)
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[03:47] "And here it comes. The hard questions." said Barca, matching her playful look with a soft smirk of her own. Her brows drew more of a concerned furrow, for it dawns on her that perhaps she might've struck her a smidge too hard- as quick as she took to the armor, her mastery over it wasn't wholly perfect. A life bereft of armor did little to cushion the transition.

Not to mention the whimsy in her words- she thought back to the play at the park and the image alone drew a soft giggle from the girl.

Maybe the wine was starting to tinge her thoughts too.

She shifted into her seat, earning a creaking groan from the chair as she spoke. "It's alright not to have a perfectly crafted plan now- though I'm certain the rest of your group would feel more at ease, especially after the sacrifice you've made to get this far. We'll make sure to pick your brains until you have a modestly well-thought out plan."


(Barca Scipio )
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[03:52] He knit his eyebrows together at the questioning of a plan. Why did everyone insist on that? He had a plan, it was just carefully being woven as things went on. They needed to get their bearings in order to fully fulfill anything.

Another sip of the wine is taken, yet another flinch coming from the desert dweller, before it is set down at the table. Enough of the foul-tasting poison, for now.

And observing them both growing more and more tipsy did not help him want to continue, still. "We do have a plan. We will make our own life here, and then continue our own way. As you have obviously noted, there is a desert down to the south."

"We can return to our homeland, carrying the prosperity we managed to harvest here." One hand moved up, and the bright ochre eyes followed the same direction of motion. "Or." His other hand rose, yellow hues averting to face the rising clenched fist. "We can make this place into our homeland. Not this one exactly, but the vacant one. No one feels more at home in the desert than we do."

"And given this one's merciful nature... Well."
(Darius Parsi)
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[03:58] Ka gives a sideways glance to his brother, nodding and throwing another remark seemingly ironic. "Makin' this one our homeland isn't a bad idea though."

Well, they had a plan, plans even. "We got plans, no one lives without any plan. We need to find people who're willin' to help us."

And once his gaze settled on the duo, his reaction is just a blink in mild confusion, but that'd put a simple smirk on his face. He had no why as to why they were that tipsy, but it wasn't an unfunny view!

Once comfortable, he introduces himself, grinning proudly... Of his own name. "Name's Ka."
(Ka Parsi)
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[04:03] "B's right, I shouldn't be prying too much in your plans and dreams. I've just asked out of curiosity. It's always good to hear about people's visions and goals and ambitions. Everyone wants something."

Agrien said as she rubbed her elbow discretely with a hand, but her eyes were focused on the Parsi brothers. She might have been a little drunk, but she noticed a thing or two about everything they said. Mostly, about everything Darius said.

A brief squint was made followed by a frowning smile. She was trying to make a whole of what he said, and put some sense to his words. The more she thought on it though, the more her line of thinking was derailed, not only by the wine on her mind but also her own fantastical creativity.

The strange lingering idea to his words however remained and came, and it was something rather hard to ignore, even if to be left unmentioned.

"A home, yes." she said briefly, giving up onfilling another glass, and simply leaving it empty by the table. "Everyone needs one. I suppose you're find a good one here. Just a good thing you arrived here and not at Moonfall for such a want though. It could end up poorly."
(Agrien Vandroy)
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[04:08] "Sorry-" said Barca, wearing a look crossed between apologetic and embarrassed as she filled her own glass. The lurch of liquid filled the brief silence as she worked her jaw for a proper response. A way to frame it properly- didn't appear. Instead, she simply made do with half-formed thoughts and a touch of emotion to garnish.

"I didn't mean to be insulting about it- It's just with the talk over the Sudbury Elections that brought the talk of planning to mind." Her gaze shifts to Ka at the man's back. "Anyway, it's a pleasure to meet you, Ka. I'm Barca. Barca Scipio. Pleasure to meet you."
(Barca Scipio )
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[04:13] "We did arrive at... Well, the entirety of the capital. We saw the lights, and unfortunately got attracted to it like flies. But the woods of Moonfall..." He glances over to the glass of wine, half-full. Perhaps it had an effect on him as he thought of what to say more, words slipping out of his mouth as if he struggled to keep them inside, and failed to do so well enough.

"They're annoying to me." It was plain and simple. Woods were too much for him, just like the desert was a little too much for Barca. Living things were harder to listen to compared to the sands. Yet, he shook his hand in a dismissive wave, although the stern look from him never left his face afterwards. "It is no problem, Barca. We all have questions. I still have my fair share, but- I believe you're far too tipsy to answer them now."
(Darius Parsi)
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[04:18] Ka nods, he'd keep that name in mind, he even repeated it slowly, under his breath, inaudible to those around. Once his brother mentions Moonfall and its woods, a simple nod is given.

"And that village also stinks a bit, I wonder what they do there daily. Though I didn't know they were that bad to the point of being praised to arrive here and not there."
(Ka Parsi)
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[04:20] "Too tipsy?" She wore a disapproving look, but it was more feigned, than anything, for it melted into a soft smile as she spoke on with rouged lips, "It varies. There are plenty of honest people there, but it doesn't change the fact that there are some less- favorable people hiding behind them." She took another sip from her glass, before casting a glance over to Agrien, awaiting her opinion.
(Barca Scipio )
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[04:26] "It's the saying...One rotten egg screws up all the others. There is one of the Moonfallers is a known murderer and serial killer, practitioner of occultism among other things. And...They don't seem to have a problem with that, too. It's true though that they're not all as bad, and some just want to live their lives, but...There's enough suspicion about it to make the whole village...Heh, suspicious."

She added it with her eyes already closed, and ultimately, leaning with her head at Barca's shoulder as she continued speaking.

"I'm not very much aligned to the idea of an entire community being occultists thought. I'm not a devotee myself, but it doesn't take one to notice nothing very good would come from it. All in all, Moonfall is just...A little...Weird."

Agrien said as her tone dragged and derailed, she was very likely to be falling asleep there as she spoke and allowed the wine to take her senses away at last.
(Agrien Vandroy)
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[04:27] Vali puffed at his cigarettes, as one does.

He didn't speak much.. even occasionally nodded off in his seat.

These drinks were potent! Certainly enjoyable.

Upon unlidding those crimson sights.. it was quite obvious he had no clue what they were talking about, still nodding as though he did.
(Vali Lauriem)
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[04:31] "A little weird indee-" He spoke out, before suddenly halting his speech as Agrien dozed off to sleep. He knit his eyebrows together, before looking over towards Barca. Brows rose, and he pursed his lips if only slightly, as if to simply try to speak through his gestures.

His entire face was stamped with 'I told you so'. "She fell asleep. This means..." He looked over to his brother, before pushing himself off from his current seat at the table. "That we overstayed our welcome, brother. It is never good for a host to fall asleep while we're still here."

A brief, polite smile is flashed Barca's way. "Will you get her to a bed or anything like that? I assume that position will... Cause her a large deal of a neck pain, to say the least." Of course- He wasn't going to go entirely out of his way and even slightly out of his place to help her at that.

Imagine doing that.
(Darius Parsi)
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[04:37] Had it not been so quiet, Barca's voice wouldn't even reach, but thankfully the silence took her words in well, casting a dim echo as she spoke.

"If anything, it was a misstep on my part."

With the barest dip of a nod, she smiled toward Darius with as best of a defusing air as she could carry.

"Personally, it was my first time seeing her drink, so I wanted to tease her a bit." She chuckles softly, though she mastered herself just shy of heaving her shoulders. A small gesture to preserve the small shred of rest the artificer had earned.

"Surprising, no? But I believe if there is any fault to this, it should be mine alone to carry. I'll be sure to bring her to her room after. If you find yourself bored or in need of rest, feel free to come again. I'll make sure to serve something a bit more appropriate for a proper talk next time around. I wouldn't want to injure her reputation any further now, would I?"
(Barca Scipio )
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