Zeris

Slowly turns his head toward you and raises his brows slowly. "... Thanks." He then lifts his glass back to his lips and takes another deep sip from it.

Welcome back! If you need any help with unlocking stuff, roulettes, or just getting back into the RP scene with some RP; feel free to add me! There's plenty of other people in this community that I know would be more than happy to help as well!

Improvisation, ultimately. This is more of a preference of myself as a player, but I like doing creative and out of the box things when it comes to combat. Grabbing a tea kettle full of hot tea and slapping someone in the face with it, using a book to block a sword attack... things like that. I dunno why, but I've always enjoyed combat that was "use whatever is available and use your own weapons as a last resort".

The mission Drej is talking about had so many funny RP moments. A cliff face was literally their worst enemy and got the best of them more than any of the actual combat situations did. Well... that and... smoke grenades... ah heh. Ultimately it's all about knowing your audience and knowing comedic timing. It's not a science or anything, but unless you're going for dark humor, you wouldn't crack a joke when someone is bleeding out or when someone's sibling is dying for example. But when you're in the middle of a service and you accidentally put too much spice in someone's food? More often than not if they're not a stick in the mud, they'll gladly play along.

(( What follows is a story about Zair’is and his partner in crime’s last ditch effort to get his memories back. Hope you enjoy the read! )) “Check your gear.” Zair'is absently addressed the smaller female Xaela. They had made camp just outside of Castrum Abania, the sun had set, it was raining. Zair'is was decked out in his usual combat gear; full range of motion in the arms, gauntlets that defended his forearms, greaves that gave him protection to his knees and lower legs. The Xaela's name was Artani and for the last few months they had been operating on and off as a pair when missions called for it. “I did.” The Xaela responded simply. She could tell Zair'is was nervous, even if he didn't outright show it. Her eyes scanned him and watched him as he checked his pack for the fourth time. “Check it again.” Zair'is paused to flatly deliver the command to her. Artani rolled her eyes and couldn't help but smirk a little, checking her small pack again to humor him. Artani's gear almost mirrored Zair'is', lighter and easier to move around in than his with less protection on the arms and legs. “I assume you know where we're going and what we're looking for?” Artani's heterochromia affected eyes pierced through Zair'is as she stared at him. Zair'is was mouthing to himself and making a checklist in his head, for as much as he could remember anyway. He absently nodded in response to her question. Artani shrugged, his response good enough for her. She shouldered her pack and checked her weapons, tilting her head up to look toward the horizon at the looming castrum. The plan was, at least as far as Zair'is explained to her, was to sneak in, find where they kept the test subjects for the hypertuned project, insert Zair'is in, and try to reverse the process that was done to him in an effort to get his memories back. Even Zair'is himself wasn't sure the plan would work, but he was running out of time and didn't have many other options. He was given some hand-written notes on his “condition” but nothing that would help him reverse it or fix it. Nothing that would even help him delay it. To him, he was going to have to handle the problem himself, only this time Artani insisted she help and watch his back. Artani rest her hand on Zair'is' shoulder, causing him to pause his pack check. “We should get moving. The rain's only going to get worse. I'll go in first and make a path. Follow my lead in.” Artani hummed and gave a slight nod as if to cap a period on her statement, moving past Zair'is toward the bridge leading into the Castrum. Zair'is took a few slow breaths and shouldered his pack. He used his thumb to push his katana out of his scabbard a slight amount, checking the motion of it to ensure he could draw and sheath it as quickly as he needed to. Satisfied, he followed after the Xaela. It would be storming soon, and the idea was to use the heavy rain to their advantage to get into the facility unnoticed. The hardest part would be retracing Zair'is' steps during his initial raid and hope that they didn't butch up security in that time. Zair'is had assumed security would still be recovering from the raid that nearly killed him. In reality, he didn't have much of a plan; more of an act of desperation that he hoped would be a solution to his looming problem. “We're on the way in. I'll keep you posted.” Zair'is murmured into his linkpearl, his footsteps sinking in the soggy sand. He was smart enough to tie his hair back to keep his hair from getting in his way, and without it he likely would have had a difficult time tracking the fast-moving Xaela as she darted through the night. She was eliminating guards in such a ruthlessly efficient fashion it would have made even the most established assassin blush. “So far so good.” Zair'is gave kudos to his partner over their private pearl. The Xaela didn't respond, clambering up one of the pipes on the outside of the castrum to pry the haphazardly repaired grating loose; their way in. She squeezed into the pipe, leaning her upper body out and lowering a hand to give Zair'is a pull up. Trudging through the wet sand to pick up speed, he kicked from the pipe and used the momentum to push himself upward, clapping his hand into Artani's, who simultaneously pulled him up to allow him to grab onto the lip of the pipe. She had turned back around at this point and worked her way further into the pipe, leaving Zair'is to work his way into it in a much slower manner, his build being much bigger than Artani's. Artani wormed her way through the pipe to the point she was out of sight, while Zair'is slowly shifted ilm by ilm through the pipe behind her. “Should probably lose some weight.” Zair'is heard over the private pearl. “You're almost a foot shorter than me, and you have much less muscle than I do.” Zair'is bit back in a strained tone as he continued to shift through the pipe. “All I heard was that you're a bigger target.” Was the quip he heard back. He saw another opening finally at the end of the pipe that Artani had already cleared for him. Leaning his upper body out first, he gripped the lip of the pipe and pushed the rest of his body out of the pipe, flipping his lower half over his upper half then dropping into the facility. Artani was already making friends, introducing herself to one of the Garlean scientists the best way she knew how. “Hypertuned. Location. Now.” Zair'is could barely hear the words, but could read her lips well enough as she threatened the scientist with her dagger and superior choke hold positioning. The scientist didn't say much, but did point down the hall which meant that Zair'is' memory hadn't betrayed him completely yet. Zair'is held his position for several moments, scanning his eyes across the facility and recalling the events that lead up to his near death experience. His timing was off, and there was some big shot lieutenant present that evening which meant a larger guard presence, and he had the misfortune of squaring off with the lieutenant himself. “Hey. Let's go. You can think later.” Artani encouraged him forward as she made her way down the hall, having given the scientist an unexpected napping opportunity. Zair'is pressed on behind the Xaela, letting her take the lead as she insisted. Artani wasn't convinced that Zair'is had fully recovered from being deathly ill and almost bleeding to death, so she was trying to stay out in front of the male Miqo'te to keep him from getting involved in too much action. Plus, in her mind, she was vastly sneakier than he was. “We're inside. Heading toward the hypertuned testing chamber.” Zair'is posted an update across the linkpearl. The hallways leading to the hypertuned project were surprisingly light on guard postings. Something that made both the Miqo'te and the Xaela nervous, but gave Zair'is hope that his intuition was correct and that were still on the recovery. Zair'is pulled a small leather bound notebook from his satchel and made a “psst” noise to the Xaela in front. Artani perked up and paused her movements, turning to look at the Miqo'te. Zair'is flung the notebook to her with a long, underhanded toss. Artani snatched it out of the air, looking at it with a quizzical look on her face. “Notes on how to operate the machine. They're basic and incomplete, but hopefully it helps.” Zair'is explained over the private pearl. Artani nodded wordlessly and stowed the notebook. Truthfully, she was nervous about having to operate the machine at all. Machinery wasn't her forte to begin with, and considering Zair'is' entire mental structure was on the line for this particular event, she was feeling less than confident. Zair'is' footsteps quietly padded across the metal floor, until they approached a door. Zair'is took a moment to reflect and then keyed in the combination of symbols to the best of his recollection. The panel flashed green and the door slid open with a gliding sound, revealing the hypertuned testing chamber to the Miqo'te and the Xaela. “Empty. Trap.” Artani quietly gave her analysis to the Miqo'te next to her, keeping her eyes scanning across the room. “Maybe. They might be trying to reboot the project. Or... maybe testing is finished.” Zair'is gave his assumption, taking a few steps into the room. He noticed the tube was closed next to the machine, with a dim red light providing a minor amount of illumination throughout the chamber. “...They put someone in there.” Zair'is alerted Artani, his eyes narrowed as he approached the machine and the tube. There was dim lighting throughout the room, overpowered by the dim red light on the tube itself. Zair'is stared at the control panel and held his hands out in front like he was about to start pushing buttons, but paused for a few moments to collect himself. Muscle memory kicked in and his fingers slowly danced across the control panel. Soon, the panel flashed green and the light mirrored the action by turning from red to green. The tube slid open and both the Miqo'te and the Xaela turned their attention to it. There was another Miqo'te inside. Male. Almost an exact match for the color pattern for Zair'is. Intrigued, Zair'is approached the tube, leaning over the lip of it to investigate the Miqo'te inside. His eyes were closed, looking as if he was asleep. Zair'is widened his eyes slowly as he noticed a strikingly familiar look to the Miqo'te. “...He... looks like me. No scars. Younger. I... I don't understand.” Zair'is vocalized his confusion, but was cut short by the Miqo'te's eyes suddenly popping open. His arm darted up and his fingers wrapped around Zair'is' neck, which Zair'is reflexively gripped the wrist of the familiar tubed Miqo'te. Artani was already in motion toward the tube, darting to the base of the tube. Zair'is stared into the tube Miqo'te's eyes, narrowed and noticing that his mouth was sneered in anger. Snapping his attention from Zair'is, the tube Miqo'te attempted to grab Zair'is' katana to defend himself from the rapidly approaching Xaela. Using his free hand, Zair'is pressed his fist into the outstretched hand of the tube Miqo'te, forcing it into the edge of the tube and holding it there. Forced with the decision of getting assaulted by the approaching Xaela and keeping his hold on Zair'is, the tube Miqo'te released his grip on Zair'is' neck, allowing Zair'is to retreat a few steps and get his hand on his katana. The tube Miqo'te raised a foot to plant it on Artani's stomach as she spiraled through the air to get over the lip of the tube and skewer the tube Miqo'te with her daggers, interrupted by the intercepting foot and forced backward. Flipping to a lowered posture as she hit the ground, Artani waited to see what the tube Miqo'te's next move would be, much as Zair'is was doing. Neither of them said anything, but watched as the tube Miqo'te climbed out of the tube, pulling free of the tubes attached to his form-fitting helmet. “I. Am rage.” The tube Miqo'te finally spoke. It sounded similar to Zair'is, but different enough to be off-putting in an uncanny valley sort of way. Still unsure as to what the purpose of the tube Miqo'te, but understanding completely that he was indeed hostile, Zair'is darted forward, drawing his katana in the same moment to attempt a horizontal slice across the tube Miqo'te's abdomen. The tube Miqo'te reflexively darted backward, using the tube to rebound back toward Zair'is and deliver a swift kick into his ribs. Into Zair'is' healing wound. The sharp pain bloomed across his stomach and his midsection in an instant, causing his arms to shiver, threatening to drop his blade. He felt moisture form on his eyelids, dropping to a knee. Artani responded in kind, launching into the tube Miqo'te's flank and attempting to bull rush him away from Zair'is. She connected, the tube Miqo'te not fast enough to intercept her completely. His hands pressed against her shoulder and the side of her head as she threatened to push the tube Miqo'te prone. Sheathing his blade, Zair'is rotated his body on the floor, kicking his leg out to sweep the tube Miqo'te's feet out from under him in an effort to take advantage of the momentum provided by Artani. He found purchase in the back of the tube Miqo'te's knees, sending him toppling over onto his back. Artani found herself perched on top of the tube Miqo'te with his foot planted on her midsection, attempting to kick her off and use the momentum to right himself with a kip-up in the process. Zair'is reached out and grabbed the free ankle of the tube Miqo'te, restraining him from completing the second part of his process. Artani was kicked up and slightly back into the air, throwing her slightly off balance, though she was able to roll and recover on the metal floor. Zair'is pulled the tube Miqo'te across the metal floor, his metal helmet scraping and bumping across the grooves in the floor. Climbing on top of him and digging his knees into the side of the tube Miqo'te, Zair'is propelled his right hand into the Miqo'te's face, striking him across his left cheek, then following up with a left. This process continued for three more punches until the tube Miqo'te grabbed Zair'is' right arm, noticing the wound he had that went across the whole of his shoulder and wrapped around under his armpit. He sank his thumb into the wound, applying pressure while simultaneously rocking his body upward toward Zair'is and gripping him by the throat again. Zair'is cried out from the shooting pain across his arm, his whole body shivering. He breathed in and out with heavy breaths through his teeth, saliva spitting across the tube Miqo'te's face as he stared unblinking with complete hatred and anger at Zair'is. His thumb continued to sink into his shoulder, blood spurting from the wound and oozing across the tube Miqo'te's hand. Zair'is attempted to used his left hand to grip the tsuka of his katana with an underhanded grip, trying to pull the katana out enough to use the tsuka as a blunt attack against the tube Miqo'te's ribs. The tube Miqo'te reflexively raised a knee and blocked the blade from releasing by hooking his knee cap against the fuchi. Zair'is locked eyes with the tube Miqo'te, both growling like wild animals at one another and locked in a grapple that Zair'is was quickly losing. The whistling sound of steel through the air could be heard along with the dull thunk of steel sinking into something soft. Artani had successfully aimed and lodged one of her daggers into the tube Miqo'te's thigh that was blocking Zair'is' katana from releasing. The tube Miqo'te flinched, but maintained his posture, still applying pressure in Zair'is' wound and flexing his fingers around his throat. Hearing Artani's footsteps rapidly approaching, the tube Miqo'te attempted his initial maneuver a second time, rolling backward and throwing Zair'is in the direction of the approaching footsteps. Successfully using the momentum from the throw, the tube Miqo'te rolled into a crouch and turned his attention behind him. Artani shifted to the side and held her hand out, catching Zair'is' good arm and throwing herself out of alignment in the process. The Miqo'te and the Xaela spun one and a half rotations before landing prone on the floor. Artani was the first to right herself, using a kip-up to get herself up from the floor. She stood defensively over Zair'is, who rolled over to his good arm and pushed himself up on his elbow, using a knee to elevate himself. The tube Miqo'te slowly paced across the metal floor with his bare feet, approaching the duo with his eyes locked on Zair'is. Grunting and still breathing in and out heavily, Zair'is tried to move his right arm and experienced the sharp stabbing pain he was intimately familiar with. Unable to move it more than a few ilms, he let the arm dangle by his side, blood still oozing across his pale skin. Slowly and wobbly, Zair'is stood, his underhanded grip remaining on the tsuka of his katana. “You're going to bleed out. You need to run.” Artani commanded Zair'is, not moving her eyes from the approaching tube Miqo'te. “I'm not leaving you.” He responded to her through grit teeth, his voice pained. He was breathing with sharp bursts of noises accompanying his exhales. “I can buy you time. You can't fight in your condition. I can.” Artani protested, still standing defensively in front of the wounded Miqo'te. “Now is not the time to be stubborn, old man.” Her words didn't seem to be doing much good to getting the wounded Miqo'te to make a run for it. Zair'is continued to stare at the tube Miqo'te as the distance closed between them. Artani grunted as she ducked low and attempted to gouge the tube Miqo'te between the ribs, which the caused the tube Miqo'te to respond by shifting his posture and wrapping his arm around Artani's wrist. The tube Miqo'te's hand applied pressure to her elbow, pushing it in the wrong direction and threatening to break her arm at the joint. Artani attempted to respond by jabbing her other dagger up toward his jaw. The tube Miqo'te attempted to intercept her strike by gripping her wrist but wasn't quite fast enough, instead catching the dagger through the palm of his hand. His hand was skewered but he had effectively stopped her from utilizing that dagger further, as the guard was locked against the bottom of his palm, the point of the dagger sticking through the top of the tube Miqo'te's hand. The tube Miqo'te continued to stare at Zair'is, flinching a bare amount at the blade gouging through his hand. Zair'is grit his teeth and took a step toward them, trying to quickly think of a solution that wouldn't involve Artani's arm being broken. Noticing that Artani's body was held off and slightly to the left of the tube Miqo'te, Zair'is didn't like the solution he came up with, but acted instead of thinking further. “I'm sorry!” Is all he vocalized as he turned his body and in one smooth motion released his katana and stabbed behind him with the freed katana, using his momentum and his underhanded grip to stab through Artani's side, ideally above her kidney and under her lung, then puncturing through her and stabbing into the stomach of the tube Miqo'te. Artani's eyes widened as she felt the steel sink through the soft part just above her hip, but felt the pressure against her arm alleviate as the shocked tube Miqo'te recoiled backward, his hand instinctively going for what was stabbing through his stomach. Artani flipped her dagger around in her hand and stabbed just below the shoulder blade into the tube Miqo'te's back, dragging her blade diagonally upward toward his neck. Zair'is turned the blade and as quickly as he could, pushed the blade to the right. Artani grunted loudly as the blade of the katana cut free from her skin, freeing her from being pinned against the still skewered tube Miqo'te. Zair'is twisted the blade again, pulling the blade in a z-like pattern through his stomach, pulling the blade free from his stomach with a spurt and fount of blood, then sinking it back into his stomach at a slightly upward angle, going through the bottom of his chest cavity and toward his spine. Artani and Zair'is' blades both reached the same conclusion, connecting into the tube Miqo'te's spine and applying pressure. The tube Miqo'te stared with burning eyes at Zair'is as Zair'is looked over his shoulder. Blood spilled from the tube Miqo'te's mouth, until his eyes rolled back into his head and he went limp, held up only by their blades. Zair'is pulled his katana free first, then Artani unhooked her dagger from his neck. She released her hold on the dagger in his hand, letting the lifeless body collapse to the ground. Zair'is dropped his bloodied katana on the ground, dropping back onto his backside. He was panting, his skin paling to an even lighter shade of white than it normally was. Blood had pooled along the metal from where he was standing. Pulling a cloth free from his satchel, he cleaned his blade one handed as effectively as he could. He dropped the blade onto the metal floor toward Artani, nodding toward it. “Heat it up.” He commanded with a hurried and winded tone of voice. Dropping to her knees, Artani pulled a whetstone from her pouch and proceeded to rapidly rake it across the blade. Panting with pain, she continued to rake the stone across the blade until it began to smoke and spark. Zair'is collected the blade with his good hand and immediately pressed it to Artani's exposed blade wound, a sizzling sound accompanying the gesture. Artani hissed and bit down on her tongue, feeling a tear roll down her cheek. Zair'is rubbed the blade along her wound until the brief flash of heat was ineffective and tossed the blade aside again. Pushing himself up back into a standing posture over Artani, he pulled a small bottle from his pack and proceeded to uncap it and dump its contents across Artani's barely cauterized wound. He watched the liquid foam slightly along the wound, Artani still biting down on her tongue and hissing through the process. Wobbling, Zair'is gripped his shoulder to apply pressure to it. He swallowed heavily with a noise of pain coming from his throat. “Sit.” Artani groaned from her throat, coming up to her knees as Zair'is dropped back down on his backside. Digging through Zair'is' pack, Artani pulled out a couple more cloths, wrapping them around Zair'is shoulder and under his armpit to cover the wound as completely as she could. She dumped what remained of the bottle into the cloth to soak it, then wrapped more cloth around it. Tying it off to ensure it stayed tight, she checked Zair'is stomach, noticing that the scab had ruptured, but the bleeding was controlled. She lifted her gaze to Zair'is' face, then to the machine. “We have to hurry. Can you stand up?” Artani slowly pulled herself to her feet, gently gripping Zair'is' arm to help him up. Zair'is groaned and hissed through his grit teeth as he stood with her assistance. Slowly they made their way to the machine. Zair'is gripped the edge of the tube with his good arm and with Artani's help guided himself into the tube. “We're starting the process now.” Zair'is updated the linkpearl with a slow and deliberate delivery of words, feeling faint and weak at this point. Flopping onto his back into the tube, Zair'is gave Artani a limp thumbs up. Sliding Zair'is' instructions onto the control panel, Artani scanned it and then the panel, pressing a few buttons to cause the tube to slide closed. The Xaela's eyes scanned over the Garlean script appearing along the machine, slowly working through it with the aid of Zair'is' hasty instructions. Deliberately and carefully punching the buttons as she went, she noticed that the machine was a bit more freeform in what it could do. Potentially, if she was understanding things correctly, she could alter the Miqo'te's memories; even erase some entirely if she wanted. It did look like there was a means to revert the destruction of his memories, but there was also a risk of leaving him brain-dead from the process. Artani paused, thinking over her options. Zair'is had commandeered the helmet the tube Miqo'te had on and had plugged himself in once the door had shut. Feeling an overwhelming sense of drowsiness mixed with a sharp painful sensation like the worst migraine he'd ever had, he felt like he was listlessly floating in a black void. Sounds echoed in his mind in what seemed like slow motion, voices with indiscernible messages infiltrated his thoughts, and fragments of thoughts and memories floated through his peripheral like stars in the sky. Artani was scared. She could be responsible for the death of the Miqo'te if she didn't do this right. Even if she did everything right there was still a chance it wouldn't take and would leave the Miqo'te brain-dead in the tube. Knowing that Zair'is’ wish was to have all of his memories, both good and bad, back; she began the process of reverting the subjugation. Tapping buttons on the console while trying to ignore the searing pain in her side, she darted her eyes to the notes, then back to the console. She had entered everything correctly. She thought she did, anyway. The machine whirred and made several clicking noises, lights flashing from red, to green, then back again. Artani stared at the console, her hands balling into fists. She darted her gaze to the tube, then back to the console. Zair'is continued to float in the void. Voices started to register and make sense. Familiar voices from people he recognized. He could place faces with the voices. His memories slowly coming out of his peripheral and back into focus. Occasionally there would be an interruption to the voices, like a orchestrion skipping while it played, but things that he had once had great difficulty remembering slowly came back into focus. The machine continued to click and go through commands, Garlean script scrolling along the machine. Suddenly, the lights began to click off one by one, pulling Artani's attention from the console to the lights themselves. Emergency lighting began to click on. Panicked, Artani figured they were killing power to the facility. She slammed her fists on the edge of the console. “Faster.” She commanded it as if it would cater to her every whim. Within moments she was plunged into darkness, the only source of light being the faint pulsing light of the emergency lights and the lazily blinking red light on top of the tube. Artani's eyes were wide, darting between the console and the tube. “No. Nononono...” She muttered, tapping at the buttons furiously to get some sort of response out of the console. The machine was silent. “No. No, please.” She begged the console, raising her hand to slowly pull the release lever on the console to pop the lock on the tube. With a forceful tug, she unlocked the tube. Moving to the side of the tube, she put her weight into pulling the lid open, feeling stabbing pain running through her side as she did so. Finally throwing the lid off the tube, Zair'is was barely visible in the dim light, still with his head tilted to the side. Artani clambered up onto the tube and pressed her ear to his chest. He was breathing, faintly. Her hand moved up to his face, running along his cheek for a moment until she began pulling the lightless tubes from the helmet. Sitting Zair'is up, she pulled the helmet from him. She flicked him in the forehead. No response. Next she pinched his ear. No response. “Wake up! WAKE UP, GODS DAMN YOU!” She shouted, frustrated and slapping her hand across his cheek. Zair'is furrowed his brow, blinking his eyes open in a bewildered manner. “F-...fuckin'... ow! What was that for?” Zair'is murmured in a groggy fashion, trying to raise a hand to wipe his eyes, but was intercepted by a Xaela squeezing him into a hug against her. “Scaring me like the asshole you are.” She responded. The hug was brief, before she clambered back out of the tube, helping Zair'is out of it over the lip. “What do you remember? Do you know where we are? Do you know who you are?” She tried to assess his mental faculties in a hurry. “We... we need to leave. You made it work.” Zair'is nodded in her direction in the dim light. That was enough for Artani, collecting his katana from the floor, Zair'is followed closely behind the Xaela, using the darkness to their advantage to exit the same way they came in. Squeezing through the tube with his arm in the state that it was was one of the most agonizing things imaginable to Zair'is, and with a less than graceful flop out of the mouth of the tube, he landed on his back in the wet sand. He grunted and laid there for several moments, breathing slowly and evenly. Artani reached down and grabbed his good arm, pulling him to a sitting posture, then up to a stand. “We're... ou... out.” He murmured over the linkpearl. “And? What do you remember?” A voice responded back through the linkpearl. “I... I remember. The smug look on your face... when I thought I was being so slick and tried to steal a kiss from you under the Thaliak constellation... and you beat me to it.” Zair'is replied back with a small grin on his face, making his way across the bridge with the Xaela. “I'm going to make sure you get to your safehouse, then we go our separate ways for now. Best to lay low.” The Xaela took point through the rain as they made their way to the aetheryte. “Hey, Artani...” Zair'is started, both of them illuminated by the pale blue glow of the aetheryte. “Later.” She says, nodding and giving Zair'is a knowing smile. “We can talk about it later. Get going.” Zair'is stared at her for a moment, patted her on the shoulder then moved to the aetheryte, reaching out to touch it. He braced himself for the all-to-familiar feeling of nausea as he was whisked away to safer territory. Artani paused for a few moments, releasing an exhale like she had been holding her breath for the last hour or so. She couldn't help but laugh to herself quietly, rubbing her face a few times. With a smile, she too touched the aetheryte, disappearing in a flash of white light.

Back at it again! Looking for contacts and associates! Just finished up a major story arc for my character so I'm looking to try and meet some new people to RP with! Feel free to friend me on Discord or shoot me a tell ingame!

If you want to read the long winded ramblings of a philosophical AWOL soldier, then look no further! https://zairiswilzuun.tumblr.com/ Just recently started it up due to a major character arc, so there's not a lot there yet.

I. Basic Info Characters: Zair'is Wilzuun Primary character: Zair'is Wilzuun Linkshells: N/A Primary RP linkshell: N/A II. RP Style Amount of RP (light, medium, heavy): Medium to Heavy Views on RP combat and injuries: Good with it. Views on IC romance: Good with it. Views on non-romantic RP (family ties, etc): Most likely good with it, but ask me first. Views on lore: Ehh... not really sure on this one. Loose, I guess? Views on chat functions (/say, /linkshell, etc): I'm good with any and all forms of chat. III. Other Info Country: United States Timezone: EST Contact info: Discord (Zeris#0001) Always looking for players for the events that I put on and I'm mainly looking for contacts/connections for my character in general. Thanks for reading!

It was still raining. Since Zair'is arrived in Kugane, there had been very few appearances of the sun. He sat in an open courtyard of the Sekiseigumi barracks, kneeling in a meditative position. He was stripped of his shirt, clad in well worn in pants and boots. His katana sat beside him, water pattering across his scarred skin and dripping down his soaked hair. An older woman wearing traditional Sekiseigumi garb paced around him. Zair'is never made eye contact with her, keeping his eyes focused on the ground in front of him. "There is a reason for your visit." The older woman broke the ambient sound of rainfall, speaking in Hingashi dialect. She paused her pacing, looking down the courtyard as she propped a shinai in the wet soil, rolling it idlely in her hands. "Yes." Zair'is responded quietly in the same dialect. The woman circled in front of him, lifting the shinai and pressing the end underneath his chin to lift his head. Zair'is' eyes were bloodshot and bagged. He was shivering in the rain, his lips slightly blued. "Terrible. You can't even take care of yourself, yet you spill your emotions on others." She clicked her mouth at him, shifting the shinai to the right of his head, then drawing it across his cheek with a resonating smacking sound. The bamboo stung against his cheek. Zair'is simply shut his eyes, but made no noise or attempt at a retort. "It's resonating off of you like a dark haze; so much anger and spite. You not only disappoint me, but you also disappoint him. You are aware of this, yes?" Zair'is simply nodded. Another resounding clap hit across his other cheek. "Answer me." "Yes." He finally spoke up, louder than his previous affirmative. "I know what I have done. My behavior is unacceptable." "Unacceptable is not the word I would have chosen, but not incorrect." She tapped the shinai on her shoulder as she resumed her pacing around the kneeling Miqo'te. "Why do you carry this weight upon your soul? Have you failed so spectacularly in continuing your training that in mere months you have forgotten everything he taught you?" The words burned him, his features wincing slightly as his lack of discipline was laid bare. He remained silent until another loud crack resonated against the back of his head. He clenched his teeth together, almost biting his tongue in the process. "I have nightmares. Not of the imprisonment or the torture, but what I left behind. I have been given the chance to start over. A hand has been offered to me, but just as quickly it seems like it is being pulled away. I do not know if I can trust them. There are... things that have not been explained, despite promises being made." "Why does it matter to you?" Zair'is didn't have an answer right away. He opened his mouth and closed it a few times before he finally sighed. "I felt like I was apart of a family again. But, truthfully, now I feel like I'm back in the Maelstrom again. It angers me to be treated this way." The shinai was tapped against the top of his head several times. "You feel as though this "family" owes you something? You are a stray. A man with no home. You have no past, only a future. This is how you would spend your new beginning? Angry." She sounded bitter and frustrated, releasing an impatient sigh as she tapped the shinai against his ear. "You disgrace the very man who brought you back up from nothing with your behavior. You dishonor yourself, me, and most importantly him. I should have you gut yourself open before me." Zair'is lowered his head further, feeling wetness under his eyes that was masked over by the rain that dripped across his face. He breathed evenly through his nose, his teeth still clenched as he balled his fists on his knees. The shinai cracked down across his bandaged hands. "Look at your hands. You are frustrated, at yourself no doubt. As you should be. Tell me, why are your hands bandaged?" She stood in front of him, holding the shinai over his left hand. "... My knuckles split open attacking a striking dummy." He started to respond quietly, but raised his tone as he was sure he would get scolded for not speaking up. "You are stupid. You brim with so much anger you would destroy your body in the pursuit of release. It is plain to see. You drink yourself to some form of sleep, as brief as it may be. You spend your days drinking in spite and you spend your evenings attacking inanimate objects as your release. Explain this to me." She planted the shinai back in the soil, idlely drumming her fingers along the handle as she waited for a response. Slowly lifting his head back up to face the woman, he breathed heavily through clenched teeth, water particles blowing from his lips with the breaths he takes. "I am rage. I was indoctrinated and trained to be a weapon. A tool to be used as a means to an end. That is my worth. That is my li-..." He was struck hard across the face with the shinai before he could finish his statement. Then again on the other side of his face. Then once more on the opposite side. "Stupid! Stupid! You are not retaining!" The woman scolded him loudly, leaning down to grip his chin forcefully, peering into his silver eyes with her own burning set, slightly shadowed by her wide brimmed straw hat. "That is not your life anymore. You have no past. Why do you cling so tenaciously to something that is no longer you? You are not defined. You are an empty slate - tempered and hardened by your former mentor. Do you not remember any of that?" Zair'is stared for several moments at the woman's eyes, his own set glazing over. His breathing became quicker as it quivered from between his teeth. Finally he broke and began to sob. His entire body shook with the emotion, tears streaming down his face only to be washed away by the rain. He continued to sob, though for the most part he was quiet. The woman released his chin and stood back up, returning her hands to the shinai's handle and idlely drumming her fingers on it again. "Catharsis. The first and most important step to realization and improvement." She tilted her head up slightly, watching the rain fall from the sky. "You still have much to learn, but I have not given up on you yet. I owe him just as much as you do. This is my charge." Zair'is continued to sob, but was calming down bit by bit as she continued to speak to him. "Anger. Hate. Frustration. All of these things are weight upon your soul. Eventually, they destroy your mind and make you blind to all else. Your body follows soon after. You cannot live entirely free of such things, but that is why you were instructed so heavily on the importance of balance. It's good for Hydaelyn but most importantly it is good for you." She ceased drumming her fingers on the shinai, using the end of it to slowly tap under his chin again and lift it back up to face her. "I cannot always be here to remind you of this." Zair'is stared up at her, his eyes widened slightly as he was laid bare in front of her. He felt like an immature child again, the shame almost too much for him to bear. He steeled his expression and nodded to her, his chin tapping against the shinai. "I understand. I will not let this happen to me again. I will purge myself of this." He assertively spoke to her, though it sounded more as if he was assuring himself. The woman made a small amused noise and grinned at him. "I hope so. I really do. Do not bring this shame upon yourself again. The weight of it will crush you." She lightly tapped his shoulder with the shinai. "Meditate. Reflect. You will know when you are ready to leave. Do not disappoint me again." She pulled the shinai back to rest on her shoulder as she paced around until she was behind the Miqo'te, walking back toward the barracks themselves and disappearing behind the sliding screen after removing her sandals. Zair'is continued to stare forward, the rain becoming background noise as his head flooded with thoughts. He took several slow breaths as he shut his eyes, normalizing his breathing again. Pools of water were forming around his knees and his feet, but he remained in his position, lowering his head again as he took the time to reflect. Not many would have the chance he was given, and he didn't want to waste it.

Yeah! We did a thing! Thanks everyone who came out and put up with my shenanigans!

Enjoyed myself. Thank you for having me!

[video=youtube] Also Perturbator, Carpenter Brut, FM-84, and Gunship.

Zair'is is a ronin that helped form his own company known as The Sophic Hand. After his near death experience and long stint as a POW by the hands of the Empire - he abandoned his previous patriotic stance as a stalwart Maelstrom soldier to one of bringing balance. He has a much more cynical outlook toward war, mainly due to the reasons they are fought but ultimately finds himself at the disposal of a cause he finds interest in. He enjoys drinking, dark humor, watching other people try to mack the pants off of others, and eating as many different types of food as he possibly can. Despite his heavily scarred and rough appearance, he has a surprisingly chipper attitude in most occasions and usually isn't one for verbose commentary - preferring to take the direct route and keep his responses concise and to the point. I'm not really looking for anything very specific per say, but I certainly welcome anyone who is interested in learning more about his beliefs or his outlook on the current war in Ala Mhigo/Doma. More simple than that, someone who also shares his interest in food and ale. After close to two years of being a POW and then training essentially 24/7, he's looking for something a little more light hearted.

Thanks. I'll blindly feel my way around for a bit and likely post up random bits of text vomit. Appreciate the welcome!