Downtime (Open)

[Wilfstahl Swygynsyn]

It wasn't often that Gerunthian Longblade had the opportunity to really sit and relax. As one of the many Guard-Captains throughout the great city of Ul'dah, he found himself very busy doing his best to maintain or lower the level of crime in his particular assigned area of the city. With only three others to help him, and their chemistry being less-than-stellar, it came as no surprise that he was busy. Whether it was paperwork or cleaning up after the messes of his youngest guard, the Guard-Captain was a busy man.

 

Not tonight, though. Tonight Gerunthian found himself in the Quicksand, tucked in the corner. The Highlander was out of uniform, eyes moving about the room and taking in the various patrons. Catching Momodi's eyes he gave her a wink and knowing nod, and in a few short moments, his ale was refilled and the old glass taken away.

 

Dark-skinned and tall for his race, Gerunthian Longblade had a small mess of black hair atop his head that occasionally got in his eyes, but never grew lower than his earlobes. Muscles made his clothing a bit snug, and sharp eyes took near-constant appraisal of his surroundings.

 

He was almost a half-hour into his second drink, taking a longer time to finish this one. Gerunthian let his eyes move about the tavern, taking in the newcomers with a certain idle curiosity. Never hurt to scout the local patrons, after all.

[Nodem]

Aoi descended the stairs from the inn room's rubbing her eyes. Her revolver laid strapped to her hip, a snaphance on her back, and wearing her black silk yukata and black long skirt. As she entered the dimly lit hall, she'd take a spot at the bar and lay out a few gil. It was a well practice move by now, and without even uttering an order somebody set some tea in front of her.

 

Even in the dim lighting her white hair and white eyes seemed to glow as she scanned the Quicksand behind her. "Rather peaceful so far," so she to herself out loud before returning to her tea, letting the aroma waft across her nose as she held it there.

 

It'd be a minute after holding her tea that she'd pull out her glasses and put them on, and sip from her tea. Softly she'd set the tea down before pulling out her visor and tinkering with it using a precision screwdriver.

[Wilfstahl Swygynsyn]

It certainly was quiet. The only other company, aside fromGerun, that Aoi shared was a pair of hyur women toward the center of the tavern looking as though they were comparing some sort of notes, and the various guards at the entrances around the Quicksand. It was still early, of course; the patrons didn’t normally start filtering in until at least another hour or two after Aoi entered the inn.

 

Considering she was really the only moving piece in thetavern itself, Gerunthian’s eyes followed Aoi as she moved. Analytically he took in the silk draped over her form, the gun on her back and the extra one strapped at her side. Well, she certainly was prepared for the worst; the thought made him grin, taking another sip of his ale. That, or she was up to the worst.

 

Premature conclusions weren’t the best idea, particularlyconsidering the only weapon he had on him was a knife concealed inside his leather jacket and the sword strapped to his own hip. Neither of those would dohim any good at a distance, and he was no caster. Plus, she’d really not shown any sign of hostility in the first place.

 

He was beginning to wonder if time had frozen her with her teain front of her eyes when she set it down and pulled her visor out. He couldn’t see the details, but she seemed intent on doing something with the tools shehad out. The Guard-Captain leaned forward a bit, brow furrowed and eyes squinting to try and get a better look without being particularly noticeable.

[Nodem]

Not one to hide what she was doing with her visor, Aoi continued adjusting a set of screws on the inside of the visor. They clearly didn't seem to hold it together, so they must have had another function entirely. With a huff she'd lift the visor up and tap the right side, looking through them, but over her glasses, before returning to adjusting the screws some.

 

It's was a faint flicker, but her shadow seemed to move for a moment before Aoi's lips start to move. It was as if she was speaking to herself, her voice no more then a whisper. "Find her, and leave her unharmed please." Perhaps she was speaking into a linkpearl quickly, despite her hands clearly working the visor in front of her, and no visible linkpearl seen on her person.

 

"What of -him-," she asked, her voice betraying her and giving off a bit of disdain at the thought of some man. Anger and fear mixed on her face as she clearly didn't get the response she was seeking. "My thanks, keep me informed." Her shadow steadied once more and she looked over her shoulder to those in the Quicksand.

 

Women gossiping in the center, the normal guards, and the strange man. Her eyes looked him over a soft smile on her face before turning back around and uttering, "My thanks," as a fresh plate of steak with rice and carrots was set before her.

 

Whatever the reason, her gaze when she steadied the man didn't seem maleficent, or like a person sizing up a possible opponent, it would have been more like a tailor or seamstress sizing a person for clothes.

[Wilfstahl Swygynsyn]

Tinkering. Gerunthian had never taken much of an interest inthe art of engineering and mechanical repair, so shortly after she began working on the screws, he glanced elsewhere. The two young hyur in the middle, on closer observation, had other books strewn across the table and were chattering angrily. Probably students of some sort trying to figure out a complex homework problem, or the perfect method through which to cast a spell. Whichever it was, they didn’t seem to be paying anybody real heed outside their own table.

 

When the shadows flickered, Gerun’s eyes flicked back toher. He hadn’t been looking directly at Aoi when it happened, but despite his lack of proficiency in the magical arts, the phenomena that couldn’t be explained in deliberate physical terms still interested him in a purely curious way. So the absence of a linkpearl and the fact that she was having some sort of conversation, albeit in hushed tones, had him leaning forward a bit, squinting as he observed.

 

When her eyes reached him, Gerun did his best to lookcasual, returning his smile with a small grin of his own. He raised his glass to her as though in a wave, and brought it to his lips as she turned around. He didn’t feel threatened by her look, but he did feel analyzed.

 

A few more moments of observation were in order. He didn’thave food before him to distract him from watching, after all, and it was hard to talk politely with food in one’s face.