How am I, huh…?

In a moment of quiet that followed, as Felicity smiled at him, Shinsou Vaan Osiris saw something in his apprentice as his golden eyes swept over her. She seemed more lively. The Neanderthal’s face had colour. Her eyes had life in them that the Telgradian hadn’t seen in a long time. Before he got a chance to answer, the waitress returned with Felicity’s loaf of bread.

“There you go, miss.” The woman set down the silver platter, and winked at Shinsou. “Top up?”

“Sure.”

The bread looked, and smelled, amazing – some sourdough stuff with a crusty salted edge that was warm to the touch. Shinsou supped more of his replenished ale and smiled as the Neanderthal began devouring the loaf with large bites.

“Life is…” Shinsou mustered, eventually. As he lifted his tankard, deep in thought, he caught his reflection for long enough to notice how much he had weathered. The long days of travel and battle had begun to show on his form once again; creases in his forehead, bags under his eyes. “Well, we finally got that son-of-a-bitch Arius in a cemetery outside Tylmerande, but Whitevale is a smouldering wreck. I moved here to give myself a bit of head space and some time to heal up while the contractors clear the debris. For now, this town is still loyal to the Brotherhood. What’s left of it, at least. They treat me well enough.”

He knew he’d dodged the question, really. The warm, green eyes of his friend across the table flashed up from her meal as he felt her pick up on it. Unlike Shinsou, Felicity was too experienced in empathy to ignore the signs that the Telgradian had offered, and he knew better than to wait to be offered the chance to really explain his mental state.

“It’s not been great, Fel. He’s been in my head for years, living right there.” Shinsou tapped his index finger on the side of his temple, his eyes narrowing. “And I found out something that Storm doesn’t know, something that’s got me up most nights. Arius was looking for something called the Ark of the Watcher. I’ve got no idea what or where it is, but it has to be important. The whole situation’s got me thinking like a paranoid idiot. What if Arius himself finds a way to come back? What if, what if, what if. All the fucking time. It’s hard to live like that. I’m trying not to.”

The Telgradian was suddenly cognizant of patrons spilling out around them. A pair of thick, large sofas next to them, typically occupied by high-priced whores and movers were now getting filled up, and staff bustled about cleaning the place. The squeak of shoes created a bizarre melody, steins clinking as a handsome barkeep prepped his inventory, systematically hanging the pristine glasses from hooks high above the bar. Shinsou stretched himself in his large chair.

“So, I’m just trying to keep a handle on all this, really. I’ve been spending most of my time training and trying to figure out what the Ark of the Watcher is. I’m no further on with the latter – but the former really helps.”

“Sir, perhaps a whiskey?” The tall, thin waitress was back again, stood by the hip of the Telgradian. Her milky hands held a small notepad and pen to take the order.

“No thanks. Just a tea, maybe a touch of vanilla.” Immediately, Shinsou’s disarming smile broke any tension in the room, as the Telgradian flashed his bright white teeth and rested his hands harmlessly across his lap, running a single finger along the seam of the white coat that snugly wrapped his frame.

“Then, there’s you.” Shinsou turned back to Felicity, who was a good three quarters way through the bread. “What do I say to you, who I let down so badly? How do I make that up to you? I don’t really have an answer. You needed me and I wasn’t there. I won’t be making that mistake again.”

The waitress interrupted him momentarily by placing a silver tray on the table containing his order. Picking up the cup and sipping gently at the hot, richly flavoured crest of his beverage, Shinsou raised the cup and thanked the serving girl with a few gold coins. Turning, he stared in at the cup of swirling brown and steam, feeling the gentle whisper of vapours against his jaw. He slid something across to Felicity, a small item contained in a wax sealed envelope.

“It’s a ring, made from a piece of my sword, Enpera. I call it Imperatrix. It’s basically enchanted Prevailda. If you wear it, I’ll be able to teach you to conjure dark matter. Gives you another string to your bow, and not one that tries to kill you every time you use it.”

OOC: The Prevailda Ring is a spoil to come out of Shinsou's GP at the end of the thread.