It was another boring day, spent in the heat of the desert in Thanalan. “How could the empire even want this shitty place,†said a Merc who was clearly getting drunk in the early afternoon. Of course, he didn’t say those exact words out loud in the Quicksand, that would simply be stupid. Instead, he kept the thoughts to himself the best he could, trying not to fall into another fitful rage.
Thankful to at least not be in heavy iron armor on this day, Merc did keep a small mask covering the top half of his face. While he didn’t care if anyone in Eorzea knew his face, there were….others who would. The mask would keep his identity hidden well enough to at least get through the town, should there be any spies sent after him. Of course, he knew the one person who would be keeping a constant watch, regardless of his actions. “She better not get my arse killed for this,†he muttered.
The small Lalafellin form outfitted in most of the Brass Blades uniform attire walked into the Quicksand as part of his patrol. Seeing only men and women getting drunk or chatting, he felt it was fine to stop for a moment. It wasn’t yet time for the usual bar fights that may occur. At least, to Kage’s eyes it appeared that no one looked that drunk just yet. Though it was particularly worrisome when he saw some patrons who were hooded or masked. The hidden dangers of not knowing what may be hidden or who they may be.
Kage noticed that Aya was not working yet so he took the turban off his head, sweat locking together some hair to his face. A quick swipe meant that at the very least it wasn’t as if he stepped outside into hot water. He turned to the barkeeper to ask for a glass of cold sweet water. He placed some gil on the counter and took the glass, drinking its contents quickly. Placing the empty glass in front of the barkeep, his eyes swept over the Quicksand once more before he resumed his patrol outside of Quicksand into Pearl Lane.
“Of course he’d end up here,†Merc thought to himself. “I can’t even get a good drink before that little shit shows up.†Downing what could only be considered one of too many mugs of ale, he slightly adjusted his mask and made his best attempt to stagger out of the Quicksand. “HEY!â€, clearly yelling in Kage’s direction. “I think the two of us need to have a little ‘chat’.†He assumed the people around would think of him as dead-drunk, and would pay no mind, pleased with the acted staggering.
Kage made a growl of frustration. Really? Now? Of all times it had to be now. This Garlean was becoming a massive pain in Kage’s arse.
“You need to pick a new hobby, merc. Get out of Ul’dah and leave me be,†Kage spat. One hand gripped the scimitar hilt while another gripped one of the concoctions that Frhanz had given him. He stared down the masked man, gritting his teeth.
“Hey, hey! I’m not here to fight much,†as Merc dropped the staggering act and walked over. “Like I said, I want a conversation this time,†he said snickering. “Maybe I’ll even pretend to ‘behave’ and carry you over,†mocking Eorzean society.
Kage narrowed his eyes, loosening the grip on his scimitar but not letting go of the item Frhanz had given him. He looked around at the poor in Pearl Lane, before he gestured to one of the hallway chambers  leading to one of the various guilds in Ul’dah. “What do we have to talk about?â€
Merc looked around the hallway a bit, checking to see if there are any people around or watching. Merc looked around a couple more times, making sure nobody was following. Judging that none of the people who get close cared, he turned his attention to Kage and promptly gave the Lalafell a heavy kick. “Day wouldn’t be complete without that,†he almost smiled at the pain caused by his kick onto the smaller figure.
“GARGH!†Kage yelped out in pain and anger. “What is wrong with you, you twelve-damned piece of scummer?!† Kage threw the flashy concoction that Frhanz had given him, using his turban to shield his eyes briefly from the light. He unsheathed the scimitar, wielding it unsteadily. He missed his straight sword and the scimitar was a blade he did not spend much time with when he had been training on his swordsmanship. He regretted that now.
“What’s wrong with me? A lot,†Merc said as he saw Kage reach for the concoction, not knowing what it is, or what it could be used for. By the time he saw Kage throw the thing and cover the lalafell’s eyes, it was too late. The bright flash blasts Merc and stuns him a temporary blindness. “You see, wouldn’t you ‘miss’ these wonderful little encounters if one of us were to disappear?â€
Merc went back to the “conversation†trying to hear a response out of Kage. Somehow, he managed to keep a steady control on the aether device, almost intuitively keeping it from drawing too much from the surrounding area.
“I would prefer not having any more of these conversations, really.†An eyebrow twitched. What would it take to phase this man? Really? Kage didn’t want to use the other concoction that was given to him. After all, Frhanz had said that it would be quite… well he didn’t want to use it. Not here. Not now.
“Why don’t you go back to the Empire’s lands, leave me and mine in Ul’dah alone?†Kage gripped the scimitar tightly, his other arm reaching out for his shield.
“Where’d the fun be in that?†As Merc blinked a few times, trying to regain sight again. After a few times, he could make out enough outlines to see the obviously uncomfortable and ready for battle Lalafell holding some new weapon. “You know, that back cut bloody hurt. Maybe I’ll give it back.†He was started to get riled up. Probably not the best thing, given how collected he had been. He knew if things go too heated, being inside a city would be a bad idea, whether because of an aether-drain near an aetherite, or from an aether-release that might overload the aethernet he knew better than to try.
He figured Kage would try to make another attack. Merc was treating this like a game. He stood by, waiting for a good reaction.
Kage snarled, “You can just try it.â€
The lalafell was having none of it. He hated being in this position but he wasn’t Sultansworn. Not anymore. He didn’t have any pull within the Brass Blades, in fact he was pretty sure he was on the shit list within the organization.
“Leave Ul’dah and leave me be. Or attack me. Choose already,†Kage spat once more.
Merc simply smirked at Kage, there was a glimmer of regret in his eyes, “I don’t get to go home. And this….is boring. Don’t think this will be the last time.†Merc simply turned around, made sure his mask was on, and walked away. “Let’s have a real ‘conversation’ next time.†He simply walked away, expecting to get something out. He was almost hoping to get attacked from behind. Anything. She had told him to keep Kage alive, and he didn’t want to upset her. She probably could hear the whole thing anyways.
Kage narrowed his eyes at the fleeting back. He wanted to make sure that the man wouldn’t cause trouble within the city. For himself? Hopefully Kage could just handle that. He didn’t want this man to continue to cause problems but it wasn’t like him to attack anyone. He still had the concoction that Frhanz gave him after all. Perhaps it would work on the man. Perhaps he’d never need to use it.
Thankful to at least not be in heavy iron armor on this day, Merc did keep a small mask covering the top half of his face. While he didn’t care if anyone in Eorzea knew his face, there were….others who would. The mask would keep his identity hidden well enough to at least get through the town, should there be any spies sent after him. Of course, he knew the one person who would be keeping a constant watch, regardless of his actions. “She better not get my arse killed for this,†he muttered.
The small Lalafellin form outfitted in most of the Brass Blades uniform attire walked into the Quicksand as part of his patrol. Seeing only men and women getting drunk or chatting, he felt it was fine to stop for a moment. It wasn’t yet time for the usual bar fights that may occur. At least, to Kage’s eyes it appeared that no one looked that drunk just yet. Though it was particularly worrisome when he saw some patrons who were hooded or masked. The hidden dangers of not knowing what may be hidden or who they may be.
Kage noticed that Aya was not working yet so he took the turban off his head, sweat locking together some hair to his face. A quick swipe meant that at the very least it wasn’t as if he stepped outside into hot water. He turned to the barkeeper to ask for a glass of cold sweet water. He placed some gil on the counter and took the glass, drinking its contents quickly. Placing the empty glass in front of the barkeep, his eyes swept over the Quicksand once more before he resumed his patrol outside of Quicksand into Pearl Lane.
“Of course he’d end up here,†Merc thought to himself. “I can’t even get a good drink before that little shit shows up.†Downing what could only be considered one of too many mugs of ale, he slightly adjusted his mask and made his best attempt to stagger out of the Quicksand. “HEY!â€, clearly yelling in Kage’s direction. “I think the two of us need to have a little ‘chat’.†He assumed the people around would think of him as dead-drunk, and would pay no mind, pleased with the acted staggering.
Kage made a growl of frustration. Really? Now? Of all times it had to be now. This Garlean was becoming a massive pain in Kage’s arse.
“You need to pick a new hobby, merc. Get out of Ul’dah and leave me be,†Kage spat. One hand gripped the scimitar hilt while another gripped one of the concoctions that Frhanz had given him. He stared down the masked man, gritting his teeth.
“Hey, hey! I’m not here to fight much,†as Merc dropped the staggering act and walked over. “Like I said, I want a conversation this time,†he said snickering. “Maybe I’ll even pretend to ‘behave’ and carry you over,†mocking Eorzean society.
Kage narrowed his eyes, loosening the grip on his scimitar but not letting go of the item Frhanz had given him. He looked around at the poor in Pearl Lane, before he gestured to one of the hallway chambers  leading to one of the various guilds in Ul’dah. “What do we have to talk about?â€
Merc looked around the hallway a bit, checking to see if there are any people around or watching. Merc looked around a couple more times, making sure nobody was following. Judging that none of the people who get close cared, he turned his attention to Kage and promptly gave the Lalafell a heavy kick. “Day wouldn’t be complete without that,†he almost smiled at the pain caused by his kick onto the smaller figure.
“GARGH!†Kage yelped out in pain and anger. “What is wrong with you, you twelve-damned piece of scummer?!† Kage threw the flashy concoction that Frhanz had given him, using his turban to shield his eyes briefly from the light. He unsheathed the scimitar, wielding it unsteadily. He missed his straight sword and the scimitar was a blade he did not spend much time with when he had been training on his swordsmanship. He regretted that now.
“What’s wrong with me? A lot,†Merc said as he saw Kage reach for the concoction, not knowing what it is, or what it could be used for. By the time he saw Kage throw the thing and cover the lalafell’s eyes, it was too late. The bright flash blasts Merc and stuns him a temporary blindness. “You see, wouldn’t you ‘miss’ these wonderful little encounters if one of us were to disappear?â€
Merc went back to the “conversation†trying to hear a response out of Kage. Somehow, he managed to keep a steady control on the aether device, almost intuitively keeping it from drawing too much from the surrounding area.
“I would prefer not having any more of these conversations, really.†An eyebrow twitched. What would it take to phase this man? Really? Kage didn’t want to use the other concoction that was given to him. After all, Frhanz had said that it would be quite… well he didn’t want to use it. Not here. Not now.
“Why don’t you go back to the Empire’s lands, leave me and mine in Ul’dah alone?†Kage gripped the scimitar tightly, his other arm reaching out for his shield.
“Where’d the fun be in that?†As Merc blinked a few times, trying to regain sight again. After a few times, he could make out enough outlines to see the obviously uncomfortable and ready for battle Lalafell holding some new weapon. “You know, that back cut bloody hurt. Maybe I’ll give it back.†He was started to get riled up. Probably not the best thing, given how collected he had been. He knew if things go too heated, being inside a city would be a bad idea, whether because of an aether-drain near an aetherite, or from an aether-release that might overload the aethernet he knew better than to try.
He figured Kage would try to make another attack. Merc was treating this like a game. He stood by, waiting for a good reaction.
Kage snarled, “You can just try it.â€
The lalafell was having none of it. He hated being in this position but he wasn’t Sultansworn. Not anymore. He didn’t have any pull within the Brass Blades, in fact he was pretty sure he was on the shit list within the organization.
“Leave Ul’dah and leave me be. Or attack me. Choose already,†Kage spat once more.
Merc simply smirked at Kage, there was a glimmer of regret in his eyes, “I don’t get to go home. And this….is boring. Don’t think this will be the last time.†Merc simply turned around, made sure his mask was on, and walked away. “Let’s have a real ‘conversation’ next time.†He simply walked away, expecting to get something out. He was almost hoping to get attacked from behind. Anything. She had told him to keep Kage alive, and he didn’t want to upset her. She probably could hear the whole thing anyways.
Kage narrowed his eyes at the fleeting back. He wanted to make sure that the man wouldn’t cause trouble within the city. For himself? Hopefully Kage could just handle that. He didn’t want this man to continue to cause problems but it wasn’t like him to attack anyone. He still had the concoction that Frhanz gave him after all. Perhaps it would work on the man. Perhaps he’d never need to use it.
