exsiliumlogs | (no subject) (part 2)

He had come because he had actually needed more salt for the pelts that he was tanning, but this had just been a stop after the General Store had closed itself. He knew that Elza wouldn't stay here long, was not interested in the clients here, though there might have been an allure to sleeping in a bed for once. The inns were too packed for such things to be considered.

He cast a glance at her out of the corner of his eye, considering her words before moving his eyes to stare straight ahead again. The hairs on the back of his neck prickled at the loud shouting to call end to another poker game, but he didn't turn or make ready his weapons. His hands were almost lazily settled on the counter, but he was ready.

"You can do whatever you want with whoever you want," he replied with little emotion on the matter. Having never officially owned anything in his life, he had never been brought up to be jealous of anything. They all suffered the same in his mind, just in different ways.

"I met the Silverberg," he finally said, as conversational as he got.

Elza was just as calm and relaxed on the outside as she turned on her stool to regard Clive. Crossing one leg over her other, she leant her elbow against the bar as she regarded him with a pleasant smile. Oh she knew that he was ready, should the other table decide to make a scene of themselves, and he was just as ready as she was even if she had no interest in those idiots.

The reply he gave also didn't surprise her. Clive never had cared in that sense, and neither had she in all honesty. She knew well where her heart lay, just as she did with Clive and Kelley. None of them would betray the other, even if Clive had thought that of her. That thought had her pausing before she huffed lightly and down-turned her gaze from him. No, she had betrayed him once, and it was one of her heaviest regrets.

"You met the brat, aye?" Elza said in return before gesturing to the bar tender to get Clive a drink. "He's not like the others."

Part of their training meant that they were ready for a fight at any time, and Clive knew that Elza was as prepared as he was. He made no move to even look back at the table behind where they were seated, aware that people would change up and more gambling would happen. He had seen it done far too many times.

"He's not much to look at," he agreed before his expression soured at the sight of the ale put in front of him. He looked at the woman next to him with narrowed eyes, as if to accuse her of some trickery even as he pulled the ale closer to himself. He wasn't much of a drinker, but he knew he had to at least pretend. "Like the other Silverbergs? Like you knew any personally," he said with a shake of his head.

"The kid is kind of like Mathiu... which is good because I disliked Leon," he said, not usually willing to speak on such subjects. His time in the wars were generally a silent affair on his part.

Elza didn't bother hiding her amusement at Clive's assessment as she chuckled lightly. Stretching one leg out, she used a small part of her companion's stool to perch her booted foot there as an obvious sign of her comfort. She didn't care what the scene would have looked like, even as she reached for her own ale and took a drink, all the while ignoring the dirty look Clive sent her when he received a glass of his own.

If he was going to talk here, then he would look the part while doing it.

"No, but I observed enough of them in my time," Elza said in return. She had watched Clive from a distance as he fought in those wars, and had watched as the Silverbergs, and those associated with them, had tackled the war and made their victories. They did have an impressive mind, as she was certain Caesar had, but the kid just wasn't up to par with those that she had witnessed from a distance either. Not yet anyway.

"Because he worked for the once mad prince? Or you more disliked his cold strategic mind?" She asked, even if she already knew the answer.

Clive let her get comfortable next to him, and he knew that putting down his hood was as comfortable as he liked to get in public. It was nice to feel the air on the back of his neck from time to time, like tonight. He took a sip of ale, wrinkling his nose at the taste. It was alright but slightly sour to his less than masterful tongue. It was acceptable.

"Hmpt, listening in on their little strategic meetings is different," he replied. He didn't deny that the Silverbergs were brilliant tacticians, even their non-Silverberg students could be amazing at times. He saw in Caesar a lack of experience and the immaturity of youth the the others had not.

"Any price could buy a good strategist. Leon's strategies were vicious but effective. He wasn't afraid to call in any power that he could, which made him unpredictable and dangerous." He frowned and took another drink from the ale in his hand. "His final strategy was to activate the True Beast Rune on the rebel army."

Edited 2013-01-19 04:13 (UTC)

She quietly sipped at her ale while watching him. The rest of the saloon seemingly went unnoticed as she smiled behind her glass at the wrinkling of his nose. He never had been much of a drinker, which was part of the reason to why she'd ordered him one to begin with. Clive was always one to play his role so wonderfully though.

Elza listened as he spoke, taking in the words about the Silverbergs that she'd never had access to. Not that it bothered her since during those times, she'd had far more to worry about than what one Silverberg was saying over another. As it was, when Clive finished speaking, she placed her glass back on the bar and gave a light shrug.

"The power of that rune was quite immense," the gunner muttered as she remembered her run in with a number of wolves created by the Beast Rune. "I trust that you managed to slay it though, handsome?"

He wasn't actually certain how Elza could drink this stuff, and he wasn't certain how anyone else could find liking for it. He set it down on the counter and ran a finger over the glass handle idly, remembering well some of the things that he had agreed to do in those wars. Nothing he ever regretted for one second, but it was generally a different outlook than the Guild.

He shrugged his shoulders a little at her observation. "We had the Shield Rune for that battle," he replied simply, as if that was all that was required. That was a fight he wasn't yet able to forget for the intensity of it, and he frowned with memories and rubbed his forehead where the Thunder Rune resided silently.

He pulled himself out of his thoughts and glanced at her. "It was deactivated eventually. A pity I couldn't bring it back to Harmonia; I'm sure the reward would have been worth the effort."

It was interesting watching Clive as he sat there reminiscing about the past. In some ways she could see the kid she'd fallen in love with while he spoke, and yet while she'd watched him, there had always been that distance between them that she could never break. She was glad that he'd found companionship with the Rune bearer and the others, even if it had only been for a short while, as it gave him experiences the Guild never would have given him.

"He's a good kid," Elza muttered in honesty about Riou even as her pale gaze watched as Clive rubbed at the Thunder Rune mark on his forehead. Feeling his glance on her, she easily hid her own feelings away as she offered him a smug smirk in return. "You would have, but if legend's right, it wouldn't allow itself to be anywhere else but in L'Renouille."

He pulled himself out of his thoughts a moment later and absently drank some more of the sour ale. It didn't make him like it any more even as he drank it, and he doubted that he ever would enjoy it. Still, for appearance sake, he would force himself to stomach it. They wouldn't stay too long after all. He didn't need to be thinking of the past anymore; those days were over and time for the Guild was returning.

"Just a kid though," he replied simply. "Like Tir McDohl... a victim of Runes and circumstances." Weren't they all though? He had little time for such thoughts and sat up a little straighter on his stool, huffing at the mention of the legends. "No doubt Harmonia intends to take over the land anyway."

There seemed to be some spark within Clive, and she watched with fascination as he pulled himself out of whatever thoughts he'd spiralled into. Smirking to herself, Elza dropped her leg down to the base of her own stool as she pushed her glass to the other end of the bar and moved to stand up.

"And if they did, the Guild Master would be there to aid their endeavours," Elza announced. If Harmonia paid enough, then Clive wouldn't have hesitated into sending whatever members they had available, provided the payment of course. Taking a step away from the bar, she glanced back over to Clive and settled him with a flirtatious wink. "Coming, handsome?"

He was keenly aware of her movements and released the hold he had on his ale with a thankfulness that was almost palpable. It wasn't getting any better the more he drank of it, and he was keen to abandon it where it sat on the table for something far better tasting. He didn't get up though, waiting for a more plain indication.

"No doubt, I would be required to show the way and share my knowledge on how it was activated." He rose to his feet and let her lead the way with a nod of his head in acceptance to be away from the noise of this place. "Gunners aren't that required in such a mission. It would need the Harmonian army, which I have no interest in being involved in."

The sheer amount of relief Clive felt was plainly obvious to those who knew him, which was only her in that room. That was part of the reason to why she'd taken pity on him, and the only reason she'd ever admit to if he'd ever asked. He wouldn't though, and Elza was more than fine with that.

"Doing so might put you in direct confrontation with that kid and the army you fought with," the gunner said in return even while she began to head to the exit. Pushing open the swinging doors, Elza stepped out into the cool night as the sound of the saloon was left behind her. "There are always roles for our kind to play in wars, gunslinger."

Clive wordlessly followed Elza out of the saloon, pulling his black hood up over his blond hair again to keep the cold of the night out. He let the doors swing shut behind him and was all too thankful to be out of the smoke-filled ale-stained room. It was much better out in the wilds after all.

"I doubt it," he said with a shrug of his shoulders. "Harmonia is looking elsewhere for True Runes right now, but if they collect more, the Beast Rune will be in their sights." He knew that right now, he wouldn't be called on to do more than serve as a figurehead of the Guild. "Depends who's in charge."

She didn't put her hood up to begin with, even as Clive did it for himself. Standing there quietly for a moment, Elza couldn't help the thought that she'd never thought they'd ever do this again. In a way they wouldn't, not in their true realm at least, and it was a regret and desire she shoved to the back of her mind.

"I'm sure that you'll be in charge for a long time, kid," Elza said before finally disappearing behind the protection of her hood. She did it more to hide from Clive than to hide from the elements, not that she'd ever let him know that, and hid it further as she began to step off the raised porch, and off to the street instead.

He glanced up to the stars above, finding them a comfort because of their familiarity even if the constellations were different. Stars were stars, silent in the night but assuring in their own way. He glanced at Elza when she pulled her hood up, but he turned his gaze back to the stars a moment later.

"Perhaps," was all he said on the matter, even if he had his own doubts. Sturm hummed against his shoulder, and he reached up to adjust his hood a little more before stepping off the porch and following after Elza into the streets.

Clive was stronger than he gave himself credit for. It was something he'd never see in himself, but she had faith that he would be strong enough to do what was necessary. He always had been regardless of the situation. The future that waited for her on her return was proof enough of that.

Keeping her pace slow to begin with, she only picked it up when the Guild Master came walking alongside her. She kept her pace in time with his own, and allowed for the silence to drift between them to begin with.

Glancing at him from the edge of her hood, she bumped her shoulder against his own. "You might be soft in some places, but you've got strength where it counts."

There were plans in his mind, but he had pushed them back when he had arrived at this place. When there was downtime, he would continue to forge his plans while he made new bullets. That was the best time to think in his mind, the best time to concentrate on a future that was hazy to him.

Still, he couldn't quite decide if the current 'war' and mostly Elza were a blessing or a curse to him. It was made more difficult when she suddenly bumped shoulders with him, drawing his attention over to her as they walked together.

"Hmpt, I'll always be stronger than you," he remarked, even if he only meant physically. "I'm unfortunately soft in vital areas still... except my head. Apparently, according to you, it's still rather thick."

He almost seemed to be surprised by her gesture. In some ways, she couldn't blame him. There was much more for him to take in that her, since in her time, she had still been living and breathing. There wasn't much that she could do about that, but she did wonder if her past actions were what had been throwing him off most of all.

"Heh, maybe in denial," she muttered. Oh Elza knew what he meant though, but that hadn't stopped her from teasing him either. Reaching up to poke him in the forehead, a smirk effortlessly made its way onto her lips as she turned her attention back to the street around them. "Thick enough to house a Thunder Rune, I see."

Clive didn't consider himself in the denial, but he let her comment slide because it was Elza. She had forced his eyes open to the reality of the place that he called home, and he would have to face that reality for as long as he lived and was seated as Guild Master. He would face all that alone too, which wasn't the most ideal situation. No, he had Sturm who would demand justice.

He paused in walking when she suddenly poked him in the forehead, and the rune there itched in response, though he put on a purposefully sour face at her smirk. There was no need to hide the runes he bore. "It wasn't entirely my choice to have it. Riou insisted, and I never took it off."

When he paused, Elza slowed her pace so that she could peer back over her shoulder at him. The smirk remained a constant presence on her face, before she was found shaking her head in amusement. While he grew older and matured, there were some things about him that would never change, and Elza hoped that it would remain that way as she peered at him.

"Is that how it is," the gunner murmured in amusement in return. Huffing lightly in amusement, she began to head back off again down the street. "You must have liked the kid."

Now that her finger was removed, he reached up and rubbed his forehead to settle the itch there before he slowly followed after her again. It seemed to him that she was deriving great amusement over his rune and how he had acquired it in the war. She might not realize that he had three of them, but he wouldn't make mention of it or she's make him take off his gloves too.

"He knew how to make things work and gather people to his cause. He showed me that any cause can be achieved if there's a will and a way," he said simply, looking off at the houses that they were passing as they left town. "You're not part of the current war effort, are you?"

Edited 2013-01-19 14:30 (UTC)

It seemed that Clive had quite the luck stumbling on kids who could manage such a feat. First it was Tir, and then that Riou kid, and she wondered just what had been at work to make such people draw her once-lover in. She knew well that it hadn't just been a regular assignment either, as the once Knight Class Gunner had already been given the task of her execution. So there had to be something right about each kid to draw Clive in to such an effort.

"He did, huh?" She asked in response to what the kid showed him. Funny how a kid could show Clive something that she never could. It only went to show her how much her failings were over the time, and she looked back towards the street to consider that. Maybe she was too warped from what she once was in order to see how to deal with things in a more normal way.

Glad for the topic change, however, the gunner once again peered back at her companion with a flirtatious smile on her lips. "I've no interest in their war."

There were few things that made him appreciate the effectiveness of good leadership than seeing it in action beyond the walls of the Tower. Watching those young men juggle lives with such care and still gather allies to such a degree. He had learned more for those years than he had about leadership in the Howling Voice Guild. It also made him reflect on his time there to a degree.

"I give credit where credit is due," he replied stiffly, picking up his pace a little by simply lengthening his stride. His longer legs quickly ate up the ground between them and he was soon walking ahead of her instead of behind.

"So you have no need to join? You'll just wallow in boredom until it's time to go back to our world and face my bullet, then?" He didn't look back at her to give anything away.

He was always like that, and when Clive began to walk ahead of her, Elza felt her expression soften. Her gunslinger would never take credit for anything someone else did. He was a good kid at heart, one who was truly too pure for the Guild and its poison methods, and yet he knew of nothing else.

Her footsteps faltered momentarily at his next question before she continued on her way. She should have guessed that he'd say such a thing. Picking up her pace, she moved up to join his side again. Peering up through hher bangs, there was a flirtatious smile on her lips. "My will is that of my Guild Master," she said in return. Clive had been adamant about telling her who she still belonged to when they met around that camp fire, and that until she died, she belonged to the Guild regardless of her crimes. "Unless you qish for me to act without orders, Guild Master."

Edited 2013-01-20 02:13 (UTC)

He heard the way that her footfalls didn't match up, but he didn't look back to make certain that she was alright. Elza was sure on her feet, and it would be like nothing for her to recover. It meant that she hadn't actually thought to consider the war effort at all, and he supposed that spending that long running, being alone would be the only choice. He had had freedom to make his own choices in that regard.

He stopped dead at her words, turning his head to stare at her, and his eyes searched her bearing and expression for signs of mockery. Was she simply throwing his words back into his face about her place? She did like to twist things after all, tug him along until he stumbled onto her truth, but he thought himself wiser now. He was the Guild Master though, even if he hadn't taken a formal role just yet.

He rubbed his chin with the back of his gloved hand, staring at her still before nodding his head. "Then if the decision is mine, I will research the need for the Howling Voice Guild to be involved. Until then, consider yourself free to make your own decisions. When my decision comes, it will be ironclad."