A blanket of stars reflected off of ocean blue eyes, the dark hues settling up to watch the sparkling lights flickering amidst the vast space that surrounded them. This world truly was just like the one that he knew outside of it all, a gloved hand rose, touching his middle digit against the curve of his lower lip. What he wouldn't have killed for a cigarette just to feel the odd euphoric sensations of the addiction coursing through him. Still, this was a new beginning for him, a brave new world full of adventure and he was just starting to get used to it all. Without a gold coin to his name though, that left him pretty stuck. His equipment were all starting gear, useless or broken - nothing worth using or that'd help him get through any scuffles. It was a harsh truth but money runs the world here, just like the real one. Shaking his head, Baqir stood off of the bench he'd sat upon and brushed off his rear, a faint chuckle ringing from him as he spoke up. "No sense sticking around here like I'm in quicksand, gotta find a job or something to earn some cash in. Might as well meet some of the locals and see where I should start..." His feet began to carry him in the middle of his talking, just stretching his arms upwards with a yawn coming free. He likely wouldn't have even paid enough attention with his eyes narrowing to a short close whilst he was stretching to not bump into someone, that'd be a bad start to run a conversation with but it could happen as easily as anything else. Only thing left for him now was to see what the world threw his way, this was a place of opportunities right? Well, he's ready - bring your best.
While things still only simmered low in the political spectrum between Astorea and Falderen, Gwyn still couldn't find herself entirely comfortable in the capital city. Visiting was always shadowed by the worry hounding her heels. There was a quiet "what if they know," "what if they were there," "what if they survived your shot," and other terrible, hissed possibilities that nagged at her. She left Nathair at one of the open stables in the former Adecus Forest and brought her two hounds with her on her task. A quest had gotten picked up somewhere along the way and there was some manner of thieving problem in the city that needed dealing with. A young girl had begged her to hunt down her mother's heirloom and the thief who had picked her pocket to get it. Apparently her father would be a might bit irate to find out she had gone and lost it. Hati and Skoll were coming along in their socializing training. Stokbon was still a strain on them, but they were doing phenomenal so far. The hunter would occasionally pause after they weaved through a large crowd or a noisy cart passed by to reward them with small bits of dried meat if they had ignored the stimulus or reacted favorably. She wouldn't train them to be friendly, they were war hounds after all, but she could train them to want to slack their bloodthirst on her enemies alone. Gwyn fancied herself a responsible pet owner. Quest or not, she was in not particular hurry and was set to do a few other errands while in town. The tall woman cut a bit of a figure that drew an eye or two, but she tried to not let it get to her as she pulled open her menu as subtly as possible. The GUI was invisible to NPCs and fiddling around with it in front of them was never a great idea. She skimmed the map of the city before selecting a few waypoints. There was a tavern, a small bowyer's shop, a tack store, and of course the area where the young quest giver's trinket was lifted. What a boring fucking laundry list. Less boring was hearing the sudden yip of one of the hounds. The GUI closed the instant her hand closed into a tight fist, eyes flashing as she twisted to find who had done what. From the sudden leap toward her and the favoring of a paw around her low snarling, Hati had gotten her paw stepped on. "Really? You were trained to fight in a bloody arena and that spooks you?" She wasn't laughing at the dog, certainly not, but it was admittedly a little ridiculous an overreaction. The man however would receive no such quarter. Her icy blue eyes met @Baqir Ignatius's with a flat expression. "What kind of monster steps on a dog, I wonder? I've never hunted one of those."
The night air was a pleasant touch across his face, some of the smooth stubble still lingering about even picked up the breeze to offer him some relaxing comfort. Though any real comfort he had was pretty much ruined when his eyes opened up to the sound of a sharp 'yip' to the air and a canine had jumped to a woman, showing tell-tale signs of an injury. Before he could protest and see of the canine had any long-term wound from the step, the woman across from him addressed the canine and then him. Her expression almost reminded him of the kind he gave sometimes, sharp and like daggers. "I assure you miss, I'm no monster - it was my fault for having my eyes closed a moment while I was stretching and walking. I hope your canine isn't badly harmed from my stepping, I don't have much money to my name but I'd prefer to make it up to you and your companion there who I harmed." His words were genuine, if there was one thing Baqir was, it was a dog person - having had some back at his home in the real world. He walked over towards @Gwyn ap Herne and offered a hand out. "I apologize for not introducing myself right away, I mean no disrespect. I'm Baqir Ignatius, but just Baqir is fine. Your hounds look amazing - it's a shame I stepped on one accidentally, I would've rather petted them than harm them at all." He offered somewhat of a smile, trying to diffuse the situation and show that he was a man that knew how to apologize for his actions and take the repercussions of them. "If you require any kind of assistance, it's the least I can do for what happened."
She snorted as the man spoke, lifting a brow slightly at how formal he fancied himself. There was no knowing in the game if people were taking up traits and tics of a character they played or if they were honestly as they acted. Either way, she always found herself entertained when people got into it. She didn't think she would ever understand the draw of it personally, but it kept things from getting dull. That she could admit easily enough. The archer flattened snapped her fingers before flattening her hand, palm faced down, to catch Hati's attention and bid her to lay down. While she doubted the dog was actually injured, it was better she not have weight on it until it was checked. Skoll took no such instruction and growled furiously when the newly met man offered his hand. The hum of animal empathy in the back of her mind boiled with the canine's protective fury. Too many days, months, years of Hadrian's abuse. An offered hand turned into a striking blow. There was no trust in the gesture. Not in the poor canine's eyes. Gwyn lowered her free hand to pet soothingly over his brow with the tips of her fingers while the other accepted the offered handshake with a tight grip. "Hmph, Hati'll be fine and I've got money to take care of her if she isn't. To be fair, I wasn't watching where I was going either. I at least have some situational and spacial awareness." Alright, so that might have been a bit much. She leaned forward just slightly to stage whisper, as if the dog could fully understand English in the first place, "Between you and me, I think she's just being whiny to get to go. Long day and all." Gwyn leaned back to straighten and return to full height. Her severe expression lessen though the tightness in her shoulders stayed. That at least had little to nothing to do with @Baqir Ignatius. "Gwyn, Gwyn ap Herne. And these two are Hati and Skoll." Both lifted their heads to look at her as their new names were mentioned, but she didn't look away from the other. "And thank you, they've been a lot of work, but well worth it. Kangal mixes maybe? Hard to tell in a fantasy game, if I'm honest. And it's a good thing you didn't pet them. They've not had a good track record with people." At that she finally broke eye contact to look down at the two. The beast tamer never did find out how long Hadrian had them fighting in the arena or what things they had seen and done and had done to them... it chilled her to imagine and so often she let it go. They were in a better place now at her side instead. They would never know anything but the hunt, her love, and her loyalty until their dying days. The offer to aid her in apology was odd. She certainly didn't have need for an extra set of hands in nearly anything she did outside of boss fights. However, the equipment on the man showed he was likely newer to the game or at least saving up to skip tiers. It wasn't exactly optimal, but Gwyn nor Sabine had a mind for that type of play. "I've got errands to run here in Stokbon before I return to Astorea," her voice lowered to near a whisper for a moment as she spoke the name of the new player nation, "but I suppose the twins do need more socializing training. Company might be good to desensitize them. None of them are of any great import though? I just have a few things to grab." A parcel of herbs, a pack of bowstrings, new reins, and a thief to be precise. "You're welcome to go with, but it won't be exciting. You're new to the game aren't you? Shouldn't you be off running amok around Brisshal?" Even if she was well past that, she could admit to the more simple hunts and grinding being a fun way to pass the time.
He noticed her snort, but he didn't seem to pay it too much mind. Baqir was exactly how he normally acted outside of the game, back in a world his name was Jenny and he was a woman of all things. They were both honest and they had the habit of being formal due to Jen's work inside of a bar where the customers needed special treatment and to have some semblance of a safe-haven away from the daily stresses. Still, perhaps he was still a bit guarded on his behavior due to being new to the game, it was likely a key factor in it all. His attention kept focused on @Gwyn ap Herne mainly but they hues of his eyes did sometimes shift over to check if the canine being petted on the ground now was alright. At the very least the woman took his hand and gave it a firm grip that he himself could respect. First impressions had him believing that she was someone with experience and knew how to hold herself as well as had some fine control of the canines around her with the way they seemed to trust in her and growl in protection from foreign touch. "I think it was just a big accident, it happens but still I should've been paying more attention. Normally I'm much better at it but I suppose I just relaxed too much." Even if it might've been a shot towards his perceptive capabilities, his expression didn't turn sour or show any signs of becoming perturbed. She was blunt and he accepted it. Though when she leaned in to whisper in his ear about the canine he leaned just slightly and listened in, "Ah I can understand that feeling. I've had one too many long days outside of this place. Everyone needs a break." After their brief whispering exchange and Gwyn pulled herself back to stand tall again, he noticed her body language relaxed a little from what it was moments ago. It was a good start, that much could be said. "Gwyn huh? Nice name, same goes for those two. All three run off the tongue nicely." The canines lifted their heads up and he ended up stifling a little chuckle at the reaction. It almost reminded him of his own pet back home and how the little rascal liked to whip it's head around at any little noise or name-call. "Not the friendliest I take it? That's fine, every animal's got it's reason for how it acts and your companions are no different. It's at least nice to see they trust you a lot. Shows they've warmed up to someone at least." In his mind, Baqir had the curiosity behind the woman and the animal's story, how they met and just what she went through to bond with them as much as she did. It was an incredible thought that in this game one could become so in tune with animals and creatures of fantastical nature and come to work together in a synchronicity. His attire was basic, equipment shoddy and borderline the worst tier that they could be. It couldn't be helped with his finances but he'd at least look forward to improving them sometime. "Errands? Simple tasks can sometimes be more entertaining when not done alone. I'll happily accompany you. At least you'll have someone to carry the items for you if need be - or to talk to if you get bored along the way. Being able to help the two there socialize is a nice bonus - maybe they won't growl at me as much, haha." Perhaps an optimistic viewpoint but still genuine as it comes. He continues shortly after to answer the other questions. "Yeah I'm new and I don't mind if it's boring or anything - I didn't have something better to do so you kind of saved me by giving me something to put some time into. Running crazy in that place doesn't interest me as much as good company would." Grinding for the experience of it all and helping him to further his progress as a player might've been a good use of his time though, but hey - if he's not complaining then there's no problem to it right?
Gwyn eyed him as they spoke and settled further as his reactions remained tame despite the situation and her initial flat words. From what she could see, he didn't seem very bothered by it. Then again, she had been told more than once that she was awful at reading people. The Hunting helped some. Seeing the minute shifts of posture, the keying up of breath, the pulse of an artery hammering away in a throat, their gait changing, their weight resettling, the whites of their eyes and the size of their pupils. Her eyes felt clearer in Terrasphere than they had in the waking world, odd considering she had never had sight issues there to begin with, but that didn't magically make her able to fit the clues together. She gave up on trying to suss out anything but what he offered on his face and in his voice. It was sincere enough all in all that it didn't raise any red flags and, if he was insulted, why compliment the names of the twins? That simply didn't pan out. So she would accept it at face value and move on rather than locking onto a target and refusing to let go. Like a dog and a bone. When the topic drifted to their innate natures, she scowled down at them. Neither reacted negatively though. Through the muted bond between tamer and tame, they could feel her anger directed at another. They weren't as bright as Nathair, not as adept at the press and play of emotions, but it was enough. Gwyn always found it odd that a cold-blooded serpent with a bladed mind was better at feeling than the live wire emotional canines. "Friendly? Yes, they're dogs, they're always friendly to something. To themselves and to me... sort of toward Nathair, but they're still afraid of it. Watching something try and swallow whole your abuser is a bit unsettling I guess. Who knew?" She shrugged it off as she spoke, fighting back valiantly over the want to bare her teeth and snarl and snap with them over the memories. She wished she had gotten to make it last long. She had been on death's door and she had to put him down before he killed her, but by all the gods of Terrasphere did she wish she could have fed him to his former dogs. "It's taken a bit, but they were starved for a kind touch and words. It helped, as sad as it was being needed in the first place." As for the errands, she simply shook her head. If he honestly wanted something to do then she didn't have a problem letting the kid new tag ago. Well... new man. Kid didn't seem to fit that one too well. The facial hair definitely ruined any chance at that one. "If you're sure about it then here's to you. I won't be needing any helping carrying though seeing as," she said and lifted one arm to flex at her side with a joking laugh, "I can carry a whole party. What's a few herbs and equipment?" With that she shifted the longbow on her back that had been moved by her reaction to Hati's panic before and glanced down at the dogs to make sure they both moved out of the way. The two leapt to their paws, tongues lolling and their short, curled tails wagging slightly. Hati still eyed @Baqir Ignatius nervously, but made no move to growl. "Right this way then! So, any questions about the game? I've been around a hot minute. Might be of some help."
Baqir could tell at some point that Gwyn was trying to figure something out, just wasn't sure what - however eventually she seemed to give up. Still, the thought did linger in his mind about whatever she might've been curious about, he would've preferred to answer any questions she might've had about him upfront but not everyone was the kind of blunt person that Baqir was. Not everyone was willing to lay out their thoughts onto the table and spill whatever happened to be on their mind at the time. At least, not everything. That didn't seem to stop Gwyn from responding to his earlier comments though and he began to get some further insight into just how deeply connected she was with the two companions at her side. Baqir didn't realize for how long the three might've been together these days but he could tell that someone would be hard-pressed to ever separate the trio from one another if the other two had anything to say about it. It brought a smile to his face, though he hid it as best as he could, not wanting to seem rude when she had begun to explain just how bad things were for the canines. It was awful, plain and simple. "Dogs aren't always friendly though, they learn not to be to those they don't know as we've seen with their reaction towards me. Not that I'd blame them, given what you've just told me. Only wish that didn't happen to them, but I suppose in a way it's brought you three together so maybe even terrible things happen for a reason? If it didn't you and I wouldn't be standing here sharing this conversation, now would we?" He nodded towards her and took a moment to gaze at the two canines again when she had made mention about being starved for kind attention and a gentle touch. "Well we can thank their recovery in that regard then to you for being the one to offer them that kindness where their previous... associate, did not." He wouldn't grace someone that mistreated animals with any formal title like 'owner' or 'master', it was no better than giving them even the minor bit of respect that they just didn't deserve. Whoever it was, Baqir didn't know them personally but he still judged them harshly as no better than a petty criminal. When she lifted her arm and gave it a flex he couldn't help but lean back a bit and laugh, nodding. "Well I'll be sure not to slow you down then! Long as I don't have you needing to carry me on that team things should be fine, right?" He gave her a wink and then began to stride over to her side, much more mindful over the canines this time around. He looked down towards Hati and gave a small wave, whispering a short little "Sorry." towards the canine, even if there was the chance in his mind that the creature wouldn't understand Baqir anyway. "Questions huh? Well, I suppose I do have a few. Any recommendations as far as putting my attention into as far as my skills go? I know I need to get equipment but I wasn't sure how far just some new equipment would get me if I didn't know how to use it all correctly. I can fill you in on what I specialize in, if that helps. Oh-- and another question, what led you here if you don't mind me asking? I mean to say, what inspired you to get where you are today, speaking with me now? What drove you?"
She quirked up an eyebrow as he spoke more on the nature of the dogs, but it was fine if he didn't quite connect the dots. It was different for beast tamers. There was a greater understanding to be found in the connection between them and a clearer window to be found with which to view the core of creatures and their kin. Dogs were always kind. Were always full of love. There was not a singular canine that wasn't friendly to something, be it a person it trusted, another animal it felt a kinship to, a place it felt safe, or an item it clung to for comfort. They were too good of soul to ever be ruined by abuse. Not really. It just took some digging. @Baqir Ignatius seemed genial enough and she didn't mind the company while in town. On hunts or climbs it would have been a different beast entirely. There was a very specific breed of person suited for that kind of company, one she had met few of in the game so far. For all the players that fancied themselves adventurers and explorers, she had yet to meet anyone she wouldn't eventually tire of or who wouldn't tire of the wilds. Not everything was a thrill or a kill. Too many of them didn't have the capacity for that kind of patience and stamina. Gwyn had yet to meet anyone bad enough she couldn't weather a few errands in the company of. Except maybe that shitty king. Or Alpha. Sweet kid, but weird. Really fucking weird. She glanced at him as they walked and talked, cutting down the cobbled streets of Stokbon toward the closest of the markers she had set. "Hmm, for skills starting out you really want to keep your main kit highest. So what you attack with, what you tank with, what you heal with. Obviously depending on your build and all. At the same time, get a bit into your other skills. You never know what you'll need until you need it. Can always count on something trying to kick your teeth in though. Get everything up a little and then focus on your use in combat, occasionally taking a break to spread the love around to your other masteries. To each his own though." It was bizarre thinking about how far she had come since starting. The guided system of the game wasn't needed anymore, it felt as natural as climbing did back home. Perhaps she would try and find an archery range in New Jersey, see if it had carried over to muscle memory in the waking world too. "Equipment will keep you alive. Armor first, always armor first. Doesn't matter how hard you hit if everything and its mother can oneshot your ass. Rely on skill primarily for dealing out the damage until you can afford to sink gold on a good weapon." She paused a moment to consider the system itself in terms of using it reliably before humming lowly to herself in indecision. "Skill-wise for armor though I wouldn't worry. Get what you can, if you can decently wield a sword or have the energy to be casting spells commonly then you have the strength or the stamina to manage armor at the same tier. It wouldn't worry on that overmuch. Weapons are the same case, but again. Previous point stands. And I'm specifically a Ranged, Beast Taming, and Hunting kit, but I can always try and help or point you to someone who can about other masteries. This game is a lot to take in, but I've fought by a lot of sides at this point." The man didn't scream any particular masteries to her, but few did. Those that made their characters to look like the stereotype of the kind of "class" they emulated weren't uncommon, but assumptions were dangerous to make. She'd let him rattle off his list rather than pinning him any one thing. His final question however caught her a little off guard and she gait caught for a moment mid-step. Gwyn fell back into her easy walk without any trouble, but her expression grew something close to troubled. "What drove me? To play the game in general or to keep at it? Not sure there's a difference if so. I uhhh- sorry, haven't thought much on it. I just. I do. It's what I do, here and back home. I've always been rather active and what's life if not a big challenge full of a fuckton more challenges? What got me here is that when you start, why would you ever stop? It's all so big, there's so much to do and see and learn. You just... do. You just put a foot in front of the other over and over and over and over again. Fuck everything and everyone else. You and the climb are what matters. Getting that bit higher, that bit farther. Realizing yesterday you could do that much and that today you could do more." Gwyn grinned to herself as she spoke, hands occasionally lifting to motion vaguely along to the excited pattern of her words. The familiar wild light in her eyes and vicious set to her jaw returned for a moment before fading as she settled herself with a nod to no one and nothing. "Anything but keeping moving and growing and learning is giving up. It's losing." She paused to glance over at him before settling her eyes on the storefront of the tavern she needed to pop into a little ways ahead of them. "If there's one thing anyone needs to know about me? It's that I don't care for giving up. Losing? That's fine, sometimes you have to lose. Sometimes you gotta lose a lot. At least before you finally win. It's worth the struggle and the set backs, no?"
