[closed]

[blacklord]

Date & Time: 01/24 onwards
Location: civic gardens usually, or just generally out 'n about
Characters: Bariyan e Kodhi (blacklord), Martin Darkov (theguideless), Ranka Lee (symbioses), Koltira Brightdawn (brightdawn), Ico (hornedomen) POSSIBLY MORE TO BE ADDED IN THE FUTURE
Summary: Catch-all log for timeswap Bariyan 'n flower shenanigans
Warnings: timeswap Bariyan is weird

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01/24 | martin darkov | civic gardens
01/25 | koltira brightdawn | THE GREAT OUTDOORS idk
01/26 | ranka lee | civic gardens
01/27 | koltira brightdawn | a bar
01/28 | ico | civic gardens

Comments

[01/24 | martin darkov]

[blacklord]

Bariyan was not altogether too keen on reflecting upon the circumstances that had brought him here, so most of his downtime was spent wandering, in search of sights to distract himself with. His feet had eventually brought him to the gardens, and the sight of greenery beyond so much broken glass and bent steel set his curiosity churning. Distraction found.

He spent a long while staring at what he surmised was the actual entrance, but saw no way in. So he'd gone around to the sides instead, until he found a window broken enough for him to crawl through. One leg up to the sill -- then the other, pulled up -- then a careful hop back down to the floor inside--

(It didn't occur to him that wandering in alone might be dangerous -- it didn't occur to him to think of anything here as dangerous. He'd seen danger. He'd faced it down. Kharta had been dangerous. But he still had a hard time convincing himself that this place was even real.)

He scraped the back of his neck against the edge of a jutting piece of glass, not hard enough to cut skin, but close enough for the chain to catch. It pulled taut when Bariyan slid himself back off the sill. He jerked around in surprise, but the glass snapped before his feet even hit the ground. Freed, Bariyan immediately raised his hands to the chain, running it through his fingers until they hit the medallion.

[theguideless]

It wasn't danger, not a call to drive him outside of his body, but it was a kind of chime – a buzzing in Martin's head that stirred him from his daze. Whatever had been floating around in his mind scattered like kicked-up sand and left him with a strong stirring in his chest, like something forgotten suddenly and urgently remembered.

The rustling sounds he heard not far away impressed the matter, made his heart drum loudly as he hopped over dense overgrowth and swiped low-hanging, half-naked branches and caught his breath short to see Bariyan there. Martin's eyes were big, mouth hung open in unspoken surprise, and the drumming seemed to stop outright.

What was the right word for the feeling, even? If it was just one to describe at all. Nauseous, maybe...that might've been one.

[blacklord]

Bariyan tilted his head slowly at this new arrival, dropping the medallion back into his shirt as if he'd been caught thieving it. But this one had a quicker, sharper memory than the other, and the connection between Martin now and Martin then was clear, even taking into account the difference of light versus flesh.

But... gods, this was just a child. There was no sense of otherworldliness about him. Perhaps Bariyan was mistaken, after all.

"I'm sorry!" He put his hands up, speaking before any of the above thoughts even cleared, reacting immediately to the surprised look on Martin's face. "I only wanted to look around. I can leave, if I'm not allowed."

[theguideless]

He had embraced this altered Bariyan before – that whole, freed aspect of himself held no resentments, doubts, or anger over what had happened, simply accepting it as Time's course and their role in it ever-changing. But it was different, there in the flesh, a boy. A boy who felt the way other humans did – a boy who opened his eyes with life again and felt tears stinging in them right away.

This Bariyan forgot– His head did a bit of a quiver, like shaking a buzzing insect away from his ear. No, never knew me. It wasn't something to resent, by no means, but...but it still left him very far from happy. How everyone had been changing, and him hardly...

And now hastened apologies, not an unfamiliar thing between them, but certainly not in the voice it came from. Things were changing too much. Martin had to be quick to speak in turn – not something he was ever very good at.

"No–" He felt his voice crack and winced a little, swallowing, exhaling loudly to clear his throat. "No, it's all right." It's all right, child. "You can stay. You can look. I was just surprised..."

[blacklord]

Bariyan relaxed, having been legitimately fearful that he'd trespassed -- and he'd hardly been here for a full day yet.

"This isn't where you live, is it?" he asked. It certainly didn't look like any place for a young boy to live, or anyone else, for that matter. Though Bariyan liked it just fine. He'd barely seen any plants yet, and now, all of a sudden: an entire dome of them.

But his eyes kept coming back to Martin. Was this the one who'd come to him, just yesterday? But he was obviously nervous. Unassuming. Very human, and very different from the overwhelming presence that had been Martin in spirit.

[01/26 | ranka lee | civic gardens]

[blacklord]

[ Bariyan has decided that this is thus far his favorite part of the city. It's the greenest part of it, certainly. He'd hoped that maybe there'd be more wilderness outside of the city, but he can't figure out how to leave it -- the damn places goes on forever.

So, for now, he's content with tending to the flowers here. There's a bed of flowers that haven't bloomed yet, hidden at the foot of a broken statue, and he's kneeling in front of them, carefully pulling through the leaves and wondering if he ought to disbud them. He doesn't know. He hasn't gardened in so long.... ]

oh no i'm sorry HI have some slightly aged up flavor

[ex_symbioses706]

( she likes the flowers and the gardens. they remind her a little of griffith park back home, which she hasn't seen in she doesn't know how long now, or maybe the vajra planet. she didn't know what to think about finding herself again - everything had finally worked out, miraculously, and then...

..no, she's happy to be here. but it allows the full weight of what happened to fall on her too, without sheryl and alto and her brother and brother ozma and everyone she loves. nanase. little ai.

audibly, she begins to hum, the sound carrying through the gardens.

aimo, aimo. beloved, beloved. )

[blacklord]

[ Bariyan pauses at the humming. He stands, and gets a leg up on the base of the broken statue, pulling the rest of himself along, moving around to the other side to look around until he spots Ranka.

He stands there a while and watches her, listening, not entirely sure if he ought to interrupt her. But eventually he realizes that it would be ruder to stand there and stare, so he raises a hand and calls out. ]

Hello! I'm sorry to disturb you, but....

[ex_symbioses706]

Ah!

( she looks up to see him, surprised but not startled. he looks a little familiar somehow... )

Hello.

[blacklord]

[ Bariyan relaxes once he has her attention, and favors her with a smile. ]

I just wanted to say, that sounds like a lovely song.

[ He sits down on the base of the statue, drawing one knee up to rest his chin on. ]

I'm Bariyan, by the way.

[01/25 | koltira brightdawn | SEARCHING. OUT IN THE STREETS]

[blacklord]

[ Koltira's been on his mind ever since he arrived, which is rather natural, considering the fact that Martin aside, Bariyan has yet to be distracted by anyone else. He's not sure if he even should try reaching out to others. There's certainly plenty of people around, and there's the tablet and the network, which Koltira had explained to him....

But he has suspicions. And he does not feel entirely ready to confirm them yet.

So he's left it all alone, been kind and polite to the few others he's run into, kept to himself otherwise. Content to while his time away in peace and quiet. Still, there's an uncomfortable thought nagging at him -- a short burst of uncomfortably fresh memories -- and, two days later, he's decided that he ought to do something about it.

Which is how Bariyan finds himself back out in the streets, a new jacket pulled tight around his shoulders. One of his arms is out of the sleeve, holding something close to his chest under the cover of the jacket, safe from the light rain and prying eyes.

Koltira ought to be easy to spot, but Bariyan's not entirely sure where to find him... and now he's rather lost, himself. Oops. He'll find his bearings later. ]

[brightdawn]

[Although Ashraf had told Koltira that the cabin in the woods belonged to him--that Koltira had personally built it, even--he has little desire to spend any time there. Its existence strikes him as eerie, given the clear high elven influence in the carved archways; obviously, someone who knew of the quel'dorei had constructed it. But he wasn't ready to accept that it might have been some version of himself.

Furthermore, it was miles away from the city, from where everything was actually happening. For as long as he was here, he wanted to meet these people, to know them. He couldn't do that while locked away in a dreary hermit cabin.

Granted, it presented him with a problem with regard to his sleeping arrangements, but he'd gone without long periods of rest many times before. Vigils and guard watches and so on.

Even so, it's been a few days now, and that's why he's nodding off on a bench somewhere in the center of the city, yawning through half-shut eyes as he watches the crowds pass.]

[blacklord]

[ There. Bariyan considered himself lucky, really -- he hadn't been expecting to find Koltira like this. Had rather expected that he'd have to ask around about a tall elf, actually. But upon seeing Koltira on the bench he smiles to himself and immediately approaches, at a rather slower pace.

He keeps the hand under his jacket tucked away, hidden. ]

Hello, Koltira. [ Bariyan stopped just a few feet short of the bench, cocking his head to the side. ] Tired?

[brightdawn]

[He covers his mouth in advance of another yawn.]

Ahh ... just a bit. I don't seem to have any lodgings in this city! I'm managing, though. [He clears his throat; smiles.] It's good to see you again, Bariyan. You're looking well.

[blacklord]

If you're unable to find anywhere to stay, I apparently have lodgings. [ though he thinks all the beds in the apartment are occupied, er ] We could make room for you. [ BARIYAN CAN SLEEP ON THE FLOOR, WHATEVER

He invited himself to a seat on the bench next to Koltira, adjusting his jacket once he was settled. He returned Koltira's smile, though his was rather less bright. ]

I'm sorry for the way I treated you when I arrived. That was unacceptable on my part.

[01/28 | ico | civic gardens]

[blacklord]

[ It's noon. Sunlight filters in through broken bits in the dome above and the collapsing walls around. In the northeast corner of this room, Bariyan is taking great pains to try and shift a chunk of marble approximately half his size. He can see a door behind it and he's curious to see what's inside; but first, he has to clear the debris.

It's tough going, though. ]

[hornedomen]

[Ico felt well enough to go outside again. His wounds were healing and his right horn had stopped wobbling. Because of his penchant for exploration, Ico had found the Civic Gardens a long time ago. However, he liked it enough to keep visiting from time to time. He had learned how to enter through the small cracks and avoid the occasional surly civilian.

Yet this was not a civilian. He knew Bariyan. However, he could not remember why he was so upset with him in the first place. This was his chance to make amends.]

Bariyan? Do you need help?

[blacklord]

[ Bariyan blinks, with his back against the debris and his feet braced against the floor as he pushed it away, and hurriedly straightens up to look down at Ico. Are those horns part of his headband, or what?

Ah, well, Bariyan's already seen stranger things in his time here. So he merely smiles, brightly. ]

Only if you have the time. [ Wait, this boy had called him by his name. Oh, dear. Bariyan scratches the back of his head. ]

I'm sorry. You must be someone he-- someone I knew, but I'm afraid I don't remember anything.

[hornedomen]

[So Bariyan had changed as well, and from a time before they met it seemed. This did not trouble him. Even if it did, seeing Bariyan smile made him feel happy.]

I understand.

[He wondered briefly if he could still make amends but he was more invested in helping him.]

Are you trying to get in?

[blacklord]

That I am. If you give me another... say, hour or so, I might be able to move this rock halfway over.

[ Bariyan wipes his brow and laughs, shaking his head at the chunk of marble in question. He's exaggerating, of course; but it will take a little bit of effort to shift it far enough to unblock the door.

Bariyan cocks his head at Ico. ]

Do you want to help? And tell me your name, while you're at it?

[1/27 | A BAR]

[brightdawn]

[Koltira has no other clothes aside from his armor and tunic, but he supposes that the latter will suffice for now. If his stay becomes any more extended, he supposes he'll have to look into something new. But, at present, his mind is only occupied by what's in front of him: the polished bar counter, the hum of other patrons talking and laughing, and the as-yet empty seat beside him.

Koltira adjusts his collar, unthinkingly, just as something for his hands to do. He's not nervous, precisely, but he likes Bariyan. He wants their time together--however much they might have--to go well. So he watches the bar's entrance, keeping his smile in place, trying to be cautiously optimistic.]

[blacklord]

[ As he's still unfamiliar with the city, Bariyan manages to get himself lost again while searching for the bar. It's only through the help of some kind strangers that he manages to get there eventually, though he doesn't look or feel very guilty about being late -- he's always been a tardy person, throughout his entire life.

When he spots Koltira, he grins and moves over to slide into the empty seat. He folds his hands over the bar and tilts his head to look at Koltira. ]

Sorry. I got lost.

[ Bariyan unfolds his hands to shrug his jacket off. Underneath that he's wearing a black shirt and jeans; after he'd recovered from the shock of his initial arrival, he'd been quick to replace his blood-stained clothes. Realizing how much colder it was here than in Kharta had spurred that process along, as well. ]

[brightdawn]

[Koltira makes a 'forget about it' gesture with one hand.]

I'm just glad you weren't unceremoniously abducted.

[Once Bariyan's seated, Koltira calls over the bartender. He asks for wine for himself, then--]

--what would you like?

[blacklord]

Er-- [ Bariyan's gaze flicks up to the unfamiliar selection of bottles behind the bar, and his eyes threaten to glaze over. He has a brief discussion with the bartender before settling for a dry martini.

While waiting for their drinks, Bariyan turns back to Koltira. ]

What, are your companions often abducted?

[brightdawn]

Well, I do come from a land blanketed in dark forests ... and adjacent to a great many irritable, cannibalistic trolls. So it wasn't unheard of.

[He grins.] Trolls probably aren't very common here, though.