Welcome to Gaia! ::

’She's cute. . .’ he muses dismissively as he observes her rather thoroughly. ’and dangerous,’ he adds, admiring her holsters while being thankful she didn’t draw. That doesn’t mean he lets his guard down, considering the nature of the environment, and the fact she travels alone. Still, her friendly rebut is reflected to the best of his ability.

As she points towards distant storms, he peers curiously with furrowed brow. It’s kind of far, whether she’s indicating the silhouette of the city beneath the storm clouds. When she asks what brings him to Ahlaevor his cinnabar gaze returns to her and he smiles softly.

”Business, I’m one of the trending for hire types. A private investigator to be most precise,” he admits easily.

Simple enough, it was the nature of his business. A believable enough cover, not a lie but only a half truth. ’Ahlaevor,’ he muses, properly identifying the castle. Cementing the prospect that he wasn’t quite where he intends to be.

”Names Kai by the way, Kai Kaladin.” he says, offering his hand to shake.

”What about you, what brings you here?” he asks, propping half closed fists on his hips.

As she’d put it, can’t possibly be the thrilling scenery. To be as unimpressed, why spend a lot of time here? Though she doesn’t live here, she lives ambiguously that way. As sweet as he grins, chuckles, and snorts appear, he can’t help but feel mildly unsettled by her subtle appearance.

”Would you mind showing me around the castle, miss spend a lot of time here? he asks, gesturing further into the grounds; walking and talking sounds better than loitering here.



Whether they begin touring the premises, the psion hones his mind in his forte; Perception manipulation. Though it may unsettle her if she notices, he effectively metabolizes an effect that renders him unseen unless one is peering directly at him. There was a more harshly modified variation of this that could make him nigh imperceptible, though he wasn’t trying to breed insanity in anyone so much as he intends to remain guarded; in a land rife with ne'er do wells and the culpable as Arshia had put it. Perhaps the old man should have fed him more names than just Alice. Though in Arshia's defense, the area surrounding the keep was said to be vacated. He hadn't anticipated Arusha would meet many people, certainly not one of the Phantasia crew.; not without paying the Dark City a visit.

Rain, a simple enough name. A lot easier on the tongue than what he’d called her. He laughs when she quips over her vacation spot, and oddly enough he concurs; silently yet wholeheartedly. Occasionally he craves connection, though most often he craves solitude. Even when the world was silent, sometimes the less observable was still overwhelming to his delicate senses.

”Admirable of you,” he murmurs as he inspects the castle at their leisurely pace.

She asks if he’s here on a job, and while he’s sure he’d already answered that question albeit less directly, he’s content to answer it again as his certainty continues to grow. He laughs at the lost and confused bit, shaking his head as he waves a hand dismissively. Closing the fist he’d waved, he brings it to his mouth and gently clears his throat, and his arm falls to sway naturally at his side again.

”Yes and no. Here as in the world, yes. Though I don’t believe my business is in this castle,” he says, pondering whether to be straight about his presence despite not being sword to secrecy or anything like that.

Alice, the Nexus, and Sorcha; that was the jist of what he’s afforded as far as intelligence goes. Otherwise, his would-be sword is in the bottom of the keep, and with it something he’s been told to monitor for returned activity. Something dark, though he remains uncertain what.

”Considering I suppose I should thank you for not shooting me. I can imagine the surprise of returning to a family home and being greeted by a stranger,” he says coyly, chasing his words with a nervous chuckle as he scratches at the back of his head.

He continues with his perceptive ********, careful not to fall in step behind her. Though this isn’t where he’s headed, he doesn’t mind the sudden detour, especially now that someone familiar has been discovered. Given his lack of knowledge, perhaps she would prove beneficial to overshare what he knows little. Even if he remains limited in conversation to the keep itself. It’s not like he found her approaching the keep itself, now that would be suspect.

”Sure,” he complies without protest.

Initially, he’d considered asking if she was okay. Though her words were enough to compensate for her hesitation. Most people took much longer than him to process their thoughts, and he’d worked hard to become as patient as he is today. He continues to keep pace as they detour to the stairway, and up it. Her modesty and mild humility do not go unnoticed, though he merely quirks a brow curiously despite the urge to inquire as to which word most would use to describe her. Perhaps he’d ask around sometime should he venture into more densely populated areas.

She affirms Arshia’s vague warning, albeit indirectly. He chortles, shaking his head dismissively at the prospect of serving abhorrent wretches. Not that he enjoys being pandered to himself. Not so long as he’s capable of managing on his own just fine. He might not have been able to walk when he was born, but he could talk, and as soon as he could walk, he’d rapidly grown independent. Even at the cost of essentially alienating himself, more severely than merely being a b*****d.

She shrugs, concluding the place has been like this for about ten years, and that its only current inhabitants are ghosts and a litter of dragons? He gasps mildly in shock, his eyes widening at her in disbelief. He hadn’t anticipated starting a menagerie, though he’d already acquired one exotic pet. Adding a dragon to his collection would be insanely priceless.

”That’s wild if I’m being honest. Perhaps I could convince you to acquire one, name your price. One of the dragons that is,” he says, specifying to ensure there was no confusion; he had no use for ghosts beyond their lingering knowledge.

As if his hands weren’t full raising a damn displacer beast. She was getting big too, recently enough surpassing the halfway point of her maturity. It was expensive, though he’s glad he went out of his way to have her spay early on. Otherwise, she’d be growing rapidly more aggressive anytime now, anticipating her first heat cycle.

”I don’t have any experience with handling them, though I’m distantly related to a dragon if you believe it. Not that it translates to much for me aside from some cool ancestry,” he says, vaguely referring to his lack of anything relative to despite his diverse family; him being the odd one out as far as mana and magics are concerned.

Again, he considers asking whether she’s alright, though her gesture finger suffices. Inevitably she delivers her rebut, to which he grins widely. Free was a whole thing, especially for something so precious and rare. Not that paying mankind has any bearing on the dragons, in which most of the ones he’s heard of would rather horde and tradable valuable for itself; especially gold. Even better she insists he takes mor than one, though she rightly warns him of another force that would proclaim ownership of them, even if vicariously. He briefly reminisces over the archdevil he plays a dangerous game with.

’It’s just a naga,’ he muses dismissively. Which stirs a chuckle from him as she verbally agrees with his unspoken thoughts. He joins her in overlooking the wall, spying on the ship down yonder as she expresses the ease of raising dragons; with respect to their respective natures. Finally, she reveals how intense of a toss up the bunch of them are. He thinks the prospect of interdimensional dragons being tossed into a single sandbox is nothing short of insane, though he is considering traversing planes with his in theory. Considering he’s limited to one, he refuses to label himself any sort of hypocrite.

”Is everything in these parts as foreign and insane, everyone for that matter?” he asks half joking yet entirely serious, chasing his words with a giggle.

He wasn’t necessarily accusing her or calling her out, but he wouldn’t go out of his way to convince her not to wear the shoe if it fits. Though he considers himself a special case, he’s certainly no saner than his closest relatives; excluding the Ashiq. Not that he’s that close with his uncle, or his cousins including the heir.

”If you don’t mind, I’ll kill some time here and try my hand at taming one enough to take willingly. Otherwise, I’ll have to sedate it. Unless there’s still a dormant egg lying around overlooked,” he says with a shrug of indifference, knowing well that a dormant egg may or may not be inert.

Regardless, he’d have to check out the one’s roaming the premises. He might not be able to identify them intimately by any means, though he has the keenest senses and mind he knows exists. If one of them piqued his interest apart from the rest, he’d run the risk of making it his own. Just as he had with Grau, his displacer cub. This wouldn’t be his first time, and he’s fairly certain it won’t be his last.

Kai grimaces, withholding his laughter despite his dark humor. He wasn’t sure if the revelation made him content with his presence. She prescribes to him another that may frequent the castle, a strange looking man named Silas. He quietly appreciates the tip that the man has been feeding the dragons rabbit, that tad of information could prove more helpful than one might give credit. Without his need to, she reminds them that they were on a brief tour.

He’d only asked to tour the premises, though he’s thankful for the additional scenic view as she plays tour guide. He releases his technique, relaxing his mind as he trails her twixt battlements. When he identifies the mountains, he follows them parallel to the horizon until he sees it. Beyond the expanse of trees, he sees it, a solemn tower that nearly looks out of place between the forest and the mountains beyond it. His gaze lingers a bit longer than he’d have liked, though he continues observing as he listens. Based on his impression of it, according to Rain’s opinion, he’s almost certain he won’t be visiting End of the World; he certainly won’t be adding it to the top of his list.

”What about that ship across the lake, can I call that family business too?” he asks, resisting his urge to smoke if only because of their proximity, and her labored breathing.

At least he’s become oriented enough with his surroundings to affirm his destination, which was almost as enjoyable as the prospect of adopting a dragon. What’s more is he’s learned this castle is essentially an inn, which he assumes must be self service unless the ghosts double as local staff. Regardless, it means if nowhere else has he a space to occupy as a base of operations; a place to lay his head at night. Whether the ghosts occupying the castle would be of any annoyance or concern was a whole other consideration, one he’d worry about only when he had to, if even.

”Wicked,” he murmured.

He’d kill for a vessel described as such, though a ship typically requires a crew. She makes the subtle correlation that perhaps the hauntings were tied to the water more so than the structures found in it. A curiosity that only grows traction as he notices the obelisk. Judging by the way she talks about it, she seems none the wiser. Though not wise she was smart, insightful or intuitive in the least. The most intriguing bit is the singing, not a common trait of an obelisk.

”Considering their purpose, you’re probably more right than you realize. Unless it’s just a rather large mimic,” he says, as if such a creature was universally known; they had dragons, why not mimics?

She points out Illumi and pointedly remarks that’s where the naga resides. Far for someone claiming stakes anything beyond their perception and reach. Still, he heeds her vicarious warnings, and places Illumi on his mental list right beneath End of the World.

”These are some gnarly battlements too. The architecture feels both familiar and foreign,” he says, reminiscing briefly of Predator’s Keep; and with it his mother.

As harsh as it would be to admit aloud, he’s rather content his home world was destroyed, and with it his throne. It was liberating in the darkest way, considering the fallout thereof. Some of their people, their region was spared. Though that was following an invasion less than a year prior. They suffered surmountable casualties, not to mention those segregated on their fiefdom on a differing continent.

”Thanks by the way. I only intended to bother for a tour of the grounds, though you’ve don’t me a great deal better. Though considering the nature of the beast, is there anywhere around here that isn’t unsettling for a vacation?” he asks as he tucks his fingers into his pockets, leaving his thumbs poking through the belt loops nearest each on either side.

He’s reassured concerning the castle and its amenities, and initially the same is true as she points; until she says Land’s End. End of the World, Land’s End; he’s beginning to think that perhaps this world follows the trend of those like the one he was born on. His work doesn’t entail him traveling to the fringes of this world, even if he ventures into the Nexus, he doesn’t need to go as far; the door to the Nexus is behind the library about the Dark city. His greatest lead regarding that last name he was given, though that one was at the bottom of the priorities list.

”Sounds nice,” he says, grinning softly as he crosses his arms over his chest.

When she mentions their staffing, he looks at her with wide eyes and raised brows. A sense of dread gnaws at the back of his mind, and he recalls the invasion at Predator’s Keep vicariously. He hadn’t been born yet, though his mother had managed to escape unscathed, and ultimately had him in secrecy briefly before vanishing.

”I’ll keep that in mind,” he says as his expression softens and he grins nervously, averting his gaze ahead once more; though staring at the ground some feet ahead of his stride.

When he looks at Rain again, she’s looking at the sky. He looks up as well, curious as to what she’s intrigued or distracted by. Though to him it’s just a sky, nothing special.

”I suppose I should at least eat something while I’m here, even if I don’t spend the night tonight. Would you like to join me?” he asks flatly; plainly.

He’s not coming onto her nor asking her out, or if he was it was platonic in intent. It wasn’t often he shared a meal with another mortal soul, though he never shies from the opportunity. Especially when it’s as perfect as not being crowded, whether they were as immediately insightful as her kindness begs. Of course, he wonders what else he might learn over prolonged conversation; food and drink was merely complimentary.