Goodfellow

On being addressed, he calmed himself to respond. There was something odd in her manner just now, though he was himself too given over to the excitement of her success to catch on to it. "Heh, heh--eh...yes, Miss Joz?"

She'll be needing another notebook soon if she keeps burning through pages at this rate. He was just reaching towards his pocket to pull out a book to read, prepared for the fact that this exercise might take all day and then some, when Joz finally succeeded. He felt, heard, and saw the bolt arc out before her and strike the one of the rocks. It wasn't a clean cast, and it wasn't particularly powerful, but she had done it! They stared at one another a long moment before a smile cracked across Lolo's face and he began jumping and clapping excitedly.

Lolo took a few short steps towards her and handed the notebook back to her, open to the last used page. He pointed to the symbol there and said, "Do what you did last night. Only this time, don't stop it."

As they stepped off of the bridge, Lolo took a deep, deep breath. He loved La Noscea. The rolling hills, so like the dunes of Thanalan, but green and redolent with the sticky salt smell of the Rhotano. Too often the crush of people in the city crowded out the clean smell of the sea, but mere steps outside the gates and the island rushed into one's lungs in an intoxicating way. He continued walking, his student following, out into a wide open area just east of the road from the Zephyr Gate. He looked around and nodded. "Here. Those rocks," he pointed, "right over there." He turned and spoke directly to Joz. "What you felt, Miss Joz, was the aether that fills you, whether you were aware of it or not. It has always been there, and it always will be, like your blood or your breath. It wells up inside of you and if you are cognizant of its flow, you can express it, manifest it outside of yourself. The purest, the simplest of these techniques is Ruin, the symbol you've been practicing." He paused and squinted seriously. "Do not think of Ruin as destruction, and the Twelve take its name. It is simply unrefined power. Raw power is dangerous, yes, but it does a disservice to the aether and its wielding to be satisfied with such." He breathed, loosened his expression, and smiled. "Now that my speech is out of the way, would you like to try?"

Lolo felt invigorated. If he could truly teach her, it would serve as vindication for his goals. And if she learned something difficult and of value from him, maybe she would fear him less. He tossed a reply over his shoulder without stopping. "We're going outside, Miss Joz, to practice more freely."

He nodded along as she spoke. As she was falling asleep tracing, her mind must have gone totally blank. Except for the symbol. "That's it, Miss Joz," he whispered. Then, louder, "We're leaving. The Zephyr Gate, I should think." He smiled and turned away, waving along his companion with his hand.

He looked at the notebook in his hands, at the page that Joz was so excitedly indicating. It's not the last page. She was to return when she had run out of pages or made some progress in her awareness of her aether, and she had returned before the last page. His eyes opened wide as he examined the symbol before him. Yes, yes, this one was different. At one very precise angle, she had brought the line curving outward, only to cut it back in tightly at the next vertex. He looked up at her and smiled. "You felt something? What was it? Do tell, Miss Joz!"

Yeah, I got myself into that mess. It's like my mom always used to tell me, "Always read the instructions, Goodfellow*." But, it did get resolved, the system clearly works (almost too well), and the rep I communicated was only polite, prompt, and helpful. My advice to anyone dealing with SE Customer Support is swallow your frustration and treat them like people. They are way more timely and helpful that way. *Not my real name.

EDIT: Issue resolved. I think. Finally got through to Customer Service. Note: If this is in the wrong subforum, Freelance, then please correct my mistake. Now, on to business. Having had an account scare some time back, I decided to go for the one-time password thing. I downloaded the security token app and things have been great so far. I did a software update on my phone this morning and when I went to open the app, it wanted me to re-register, complete with a registration code. I come to find I can unlink and then re-register the app with some code from the SE account management page, but I can't access my account without the very one-time password that I cannot access. I submitted a customer service ticket, but despite this being business hours, they claim that chat services are unavailable. So, I tried to submit another for phone contact, but this time they won't allow me to submit a ticket without first logging into my account, which you will recall I have no access to. So essentially, tl;dr, to regain access to my one-time password, I need a one-time password which I cannot get without having a one-time password. I feel like I've fallen down an electo-bureaucratic hole of absurd contradictions and impossible irreconcilability. HALP PLOX!

Lolo's eyebrows climbed high as the torrent of Joz's words sped by him. Raising his palms before him he indicated for her to slow down. His eyes fell on the notebook being proffered him. Distractedly, he responded, "Yes, yes, of course. Where did you have in mind?" He reached out and took the book before craning his head back to look her in the eye. "You did what, exactly?" he inquired.

As with their first meeting, Lolotaru didn't see Joz until he had almost stepped on her. He was in something of a hurry, arriving several hours later than he had intended, and his head was cloudy from replacing sleep with wine. Despite the sad and tense beginnings of his meeting with Styrmsthal the night before, they had ended up running fast from sleep with wine and revelry, as they always seemed to when meeting in the vicinity of alcohol. They had, of course, had to remove themselves from the Bismarck, but the Drowning Wench was built for just such raucousness. Had the Mizzenmast not been connected to the Wench, Lolo may never have found his way back to his room. And so it was, in light of the contents of Styrmsthal's report and the cloudiness of Lolotaru's mind, that he stopped the descent of his foot just shy of Joz's kinked tail--Funny, never noticed that before--and allowed a very obvious species of shock to appear on his face before slowly and clumsily composing himself. "Ah...er...good morn--uh...good afternoon, Miss Joz," he said with a shallow bow, blinking his eyes deliberately to clear his view and hold her gaze.

Styrmsthal made his way straight from Barnacles' Reach to the Upper Decks and to the Bismarck, specifically. Lolotaru generally dined late and was fond of the venue, although he generally brought his own wine and spices to liven up the dishes. Unfortunately, having gotten mussed and muddied with Joz and having walked the whole way in the rain, the staff was unwilling to let him enter. Being the sort of man he was, the ruckus he caused caught Lolotaru's attention and the lalafell finally, with considerable effort, managed to persuade them to allow the roegadyn entry. They seated themselves in the of the balcony area, barely covered from the rain. Lolo went to pour the bigger man a glass of wine, then thought better of it and handed him the whole bottle. "Well?" he asked. He seemed tense. Styrm feigned offense, waving his arms in an exaggerated pantomime, "Woah, woah, woah, Taru. S'that any way to talk to an ol' friend?" Lolo hissed in response and motioned for him to be calm, "Fine, fine, you're right. I'm sorry. But please do try not to draw so much attention." "Gods, she's really got ye lookin' o'er yer shoulders, ain't she?" He looked at his diminutive companion in bemusement. Lolo did not respond. Styrm took a long swig straight from the bottle, sighed appreciatively, and put his hands on the table in front of him. "I ain't got it fer certain ye need to be frettin' yerself so, friend. I spent longer with 'er than I meant, but not fer suspectin' nothin'," he said. He flipped his hands palm down on the table in front of him, an emphatic tic, and said in a low but intense voice, "The girl's a crack, Taru! Ye didn't tell me she was a funny one! Jus' shy o' cute, too." He grinned and winked. In the dark, he couldn't tell whether or not Lolo was blushing. Styrm laughed to himself at the thought. A look of confusion crossed Lolo's face, but he didn't comment, instead brushing his damp hair from his forehead, taking a gulp to rival that of his tablemate, and asking, "And what did you find?" "Nothin'." "Nothing? What do you mean, 'nothing'?" The roegadyn laid his elbows on the table's edge, careful not to tip or break it, and leaned in. "I mean nothin'. Gods, girl seems twice as worried o'er ye, Taru. A regular cold an' sober fearin'. Don't think it's jus' the homework, neither. Ye've got 'er spooked, some way." The look of confusion returned and deepened. "She's scared of me?" He felt upset and was unsure if he should. If she was scared, she might leave him alone. But if she was scared, she might leave, abandon her studies. And if she was scared, she'd have a reason to dig. "How much food did you take to her?" he asked. "'Bout two, three suns' worth. But she looks a sack o' bones, so that bag may be empty by t'morrow night." He shook his head. "Taru, we known each other a li'l while now. What's it about ye got her shakin' so? Ain't yer magic, nor yer gil. It's somethin' about ye." "Styrmsthal," he replied, eyes downcast, "you know I can't tell you that. You're my friend and you know that I trust you, but--" "Yeah, yeah. I gotcha, Taru. I ain't one to begrudge a man 'is past. I'll work 'er next time I'm by, but I ain't no good at lyin' and she fits right in me soft spot, so ye may have more luck jus' askin' 'er yerself." "She's scared of me, Styrm," Lolo replied. His wore a sad face, and his words were full of a world of regret. "I can't."

Composed, but still smiling oafishly, Styrm reached out one huge hand and ruffled Joz's hair. "Eat up, Jozzie, looks t'me ye still got 'omework needs doin'." With that, he walked over to the window, put one foot out, and turned back towards her. "G'night, kid," he said, "be seein' ye." He squeezed back out, tumbled slightly, caught himself again between the buildings, and headed off back the way they had come. Guess I should go see 'im, he thought to himself. Then a drink.

Gods knew when the rain would let up again. Certainly not before he left. No matter, the rain didn't bother him so much on land. What's got 'er so nervous all of a sudden? She hadn't seemed threatened by him so far, despite his size, and he'd been all sweetness. He made a noise of understanding as she described her relationship with the authorities. But she'd already mentioned that to Taru, so why bring it up to him? He was just the sort you didn't have to explain yourself to. He was wondering whether he should head all the way out or try to find a place to sleep for the night when her words hooked his attention once again. Did she say 'kill'? He stared right back at her. He wasn't nearly the clever sort that Taru was, but he put everything he could into keeping straight, into reading behind her face and her words. He leaned in close, his great face drawn shadowed in the dim candlelight. And then he laughed. His face cracked and his mouth opened wide and his arms came to his sides and his great guffawing shook the boards beneath them. He slapped his belly and tried to open his eyes, to look at her. "Taru?" More laughter, and greater. "Yer askin' me 'bout Taru?" Chuckles continued to sneak out of him as he composed himself. He stood up and wiped his eyes and said, "Oh kid, yer sharp. Heh, a regular riot." He lowered his head into his hands and shook lightly, mumbling to himself incredulously, "Worryin' herself o'er Taru, heh heh."

Styrmsthal raised his hands out before him. "Ne'er met a puppet fit o'er these. Shadow puppets, mebbe." He laughed and eyed the girl's bulging cheeks, advising, "And save some for t'morrow, girl. Taru's not sending me e'ery day." He looked at the window for a moment and said, "Gods, we're so low can't even 'ear the bells. Althyk hisself would lose track o' time."

Was she trying to draw him out? What in the hells did she think he knew. He had nothing but respect for Taru, but he was a little nonplussed at being stuck between two schemers. "Me? Ha! I'm an open book, Jozzie." He contorted his face into a parody of innocence and spread his long arms wide for emphasis. "With pictures," he added with a wink.

Styrm squinted his eyes slightly and replied, "Ye're like him, y'know. He asks lots o' question too." And before she could retort, "I do 'im odd jobs. Watch his cargo, watch his people. Keep 'em safe an' the like. The occasional market run an' heavy sack delivery." A great big grin broke his lips and he leaned forward and asked, "An' what's got ye so suddenly interested in me deeps an' darks, eh?"

"I ain't so. Night I met him, matter o' fact." He waved away the bread. Taru paid fair, as he said, and the girl had more need of it than he, scrawny thing that she was. "Was in Ul'dah, in the Quicksand. Eh..." he scratched his head, "can't recall how we got started, but this 'un right 'ere?" He indicated a short but deep scar on his jaw that peeked over the edge of his beard, "Got 'er fallin' face first on a pile o' mugs. Shattered 'em all. Drunk as he was, and he was just 'bout drunk as me, he tried workin' some magic on me bleedin' face," he explained. He fingered the little scar and said, "Not such bad work for castin' blind. Next evenin' when we finally dragged our arses outta bed, he had a job fer me and we been workin' 'em time to time e'er since." He looked across at her. Sitting there on her haunches, munching and listening to stories she really did look just a kid. He watched her as though expecting further disbelieving protestations.

"Aye, I do work fer the man time to time. Nothin' permanent or the like, see, but yeah, we've done our business here and there. Pays fair." Styrmsthal looked pensive. He continued, "He's a good sort, an' I wouldn't worry too hard 'bout pissin' 'im off; he's a hard man to upset, he is." He noticed her wrinkled brow. Worried? Suspicious? Of Taru? He sat down on the floor across from the girl and leaned back on his elbows. "Hells of a drinker, too, that one. Drank me under the table right there with 'im a time or two. Dunno where he puts it all..."

Styrmsthal continued turning about lazily, trying to disguise his observation with disinterest. "I been a time or ten. Good folk 'round here. Salty as ye like 'em." He chuckled and the low rumble of it filled up the room. "So...ye're studying with Taru?"

He had just stepped back as she'd asked when she came flying in through the window, landing only ilms before his feet. "Huh," he shrugged. Seeing her point at the sack, he furrowed his brow and set it on the ground, saying, "Hells, girl, it's yer food. No need to layabout askin' permission or nothin'. I thought ye weren't no kitten," he added with a smirk before turning around to take in the room around him. Eyes open, Styrm. He gestured to the curtain dividing the room. "What, won't let a girl live by her lonesome way down here?"

He looked up after her, then around. He examined the the make of the buildings. He could jump up, easy, but he thought better of it. Big as he was, he was no klutz and wasn't prone to falling through thin roofs. He looked around the side of the building she'd indicated at the window. "Hmm..." He might just fit through if he sucked in real tight. Not wanting to rough up the contents of the bag any more than necessary, he gently swung them up to Joz before stepping off the street into the space between the two buildings. He spread his arms and legs out wide and with a grunt managed to catch and support himself between the walls. He hobbled forward with his palms and soles carefully. The rain made it slick, but the stone was rough-hewn, so with a little sustained pressure he was able to make his way to the window, where he caught the sill with his right hand, brought his left over to meet it, sucked in, and hoisted himself up and wriggling through and inside. He stood up, brushed off his hands, and stuck his arms back out the window. "Hop down, then. And careful wi' the sack!"

She's got some bite, he thought at hearing her quip back. She wasn't half the nervous little dormouse he'd been expecting. Sure, lower sorts could clam up around folks like Taru, but Joz didn't seem the sort to bite her lip just cause someone wore a nicer robe than her. Eyes open, Styrm. He returned her smile, warm despite the rain. Why, if she was a little older, had a little more meat on her... "Better be. The Wanderer hisself woulda stopped fer the night three stairs back."

The left corner of Styrmsthal's mouth pulled up into a big lopsided grin. "Don't look such a lump in the right light. And when I ain't luggin' someone else's food about." He hefted the sack high before remembering the rain and tucking it back under his chest, shielding it with the expanse of his shoulders. He mumbled, "Lumpy, mebbe." As they descended yet another set of stairs he asked, "How low do ye livin', Jozzie? Can't be too much higher than Thal's house."

Her repartee elicited another great belly laugh from the roegadyn. Clearly, the girl hadn't met many chocobos, least of all Minerva. She was small (looked half a lalafell herself from where he was looking), yeah, but Taru hadn't mentioned she'd be funny. The runt had been more than a little high-strung when he'd come calling, starting and stopping in that goofy, fluttery way he had. Get these things at the market, he'd said. Go to this street, go with the miqo'te girl, eyes open, remember the way, remember her words, remember her home. A weird job, especially from Taru, but Styrmsthal Tyrbsyn was a man who only had one question for his employers: Are you a pirate? He didn't know the little man well, but he knew that much, he liked the knee-high, and gil was gil. He'd burned through all he'd had getting home (and having some fun on the way), so this job came right on the bell. "What's yer name, then?" he heard her ask. Eyes open, Styrm. "Call me Styrm, kitten."