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Gallowglass:
Gallowglass is sitting in the midst of the small cottages, sitting in the grass. He has his sketchbook out, of course, working on one of his drawings; head bent, hair in a messy knot. The light catches and scatters across the smoked mirror-glass of his features.
Asbolus:
Movement from the gate from the mundane side of the Thorns might catch Gallowglass' attention, the Lost coming through dressed casually but neatly with a messenger bag slung over one shoulder. Asbolus began to make his way towards the bulletin board to see if anything new had been added since his last visit, pausing as he spotted the other Lost and looking him over with "do I know you?" sort of look in those sharp blue-grey eyes.
Gallowglass:
Gal glances up at the new arrival; he looks delighted to see company arrive at last, stretching his arm overhead to wave at Asbolus. "Hey!"
Asbolus:
"Salutations." Asbolus nodded, moving from the path to the board to be in better conversation range. "Asbolus, pleasure."
Gallowglass:
"Gallowglass," he replies, slinging his bag over his shoulder. "Pleasure's mine, I'm sure. We ain't met before, right?"
Asbolus:
"Potentially...you seem familiar, but I can't quite put my finger on it."
Gallowglass:
Gal wrinkles his nose, scrunching his mouth to one side. "Shit, me either. Were you my one-nighter in Reno back in ninety-six?" He breaks into a grin, waving a hand. "Kidding, kidding. I'm sure it'll come t'me. You just passin' through, or lookin' for company?"
Asbolus:
He chuckled at that, shaking his head. "Doubtful, since I wasn't in the States at that point. Came to check the boards, but willing to stay for a bit."
Gallowglass:
"Good, I'm tryin' t'meet new people." He drops back into his spot on the grass, stretching out. "Where were you before bein' in the States? England?"
Asbolus:
"London, yes." He moved to take a seat as well, setting his bag down beside him. "Was here for a few years before I got taken."
Gallowglass:
Gal sobers, nodding; his expression shifts with curiosity. "Is it way different here than London? Which one d'you like better?"
Asbolus:
"They both have their charms." He smirked a touch, thinking properly on the question. "There are some things I do miss from home, but overall the city here has grown on me. I would have left not long after I got here otherwise."
Gallowglass:
"I s'pose that makes sense," he admits, settling back on his forearms to stretch out. "I been right in Philly my whole life, I don't even know where I'd want t'go if I wasn't here."
Asbolus:
"I've been to New York a few times, which I enjoyed. Haven't been since my trip further in, admittedly...or left the city in general, truth be told."
Gallowglass:
"That's fair. Can't imagine New York would be dull, so long as you like a city. How long you been back, then? If you don't mind me askin'."
Arthur Phoenix:
The Ironside door opens and into the hollow steps a young changeling, his head is down as he pulls out a notebook and flips between two pages back and forth. His attention clearly captivated by the words on the pages.
He's clearly familiar enough with the area to walk without looking up, avoiding little bumps and dips here and there casually.
Asbolus:
"A little over a year at this point. Was gone for about five, best as I can tell."
He glanced towards the gate as it opened, smirking a touch as he saw the young Wizened weaving about. "That's rather impressive..."
Gallowglass:
Gal twists to peer over his shoulder, tracking Arthur as he moves so easily. "I can barely manage that even with my eyes wide open," Gal admits. "Well, maybe not that bad, but close enough. I have no idea how long it's been; it felt like forever over there, but here I don't think it was that long."
Arthur Phoenix:
His chucks clop and scuff to a stop as he catches the sound of voices. His head snaps up and blinks a moment, his golden eyes adjusting to look around. People? Right... People.
"Oh... Uh... H-hi." Artie offers, but then he remembers Peter's orders. His spine snaps straight as he stands properly. Clearing his throat a little he repeats. "Hi."
Asbolus:
"Salutations." He gave Arthur a nod. "Day going well, I hope?"
Gallowglass:
Gal glances over Arthur before offering a casual lift of his chin in greeting. "Hey. I'm Gallowglass. This is Asbolus, we're doin' the meet-and-greet mambo."
Arthur Phoenix:
Artie blinks again, putting all of that together. "I uh. It's g-going well I think. I-i'm Arthur. Good to meet you b-both." He manages.
So this was Gallowglass. The guy from the notes. Neat. "Are you guys having good days?"
Asbolus:
"Good to meet you as well, and so far so good."
Gallowglass:
"Can't complain. Actually..." He thinks back over the day, head cocked, and his brows lift in surprise. "Actually, yeah. Today was a great day. And if you're Arthur, Peter says you're part of takin' Petra from Spring into th'Hedge. Guard duty."
Arthur Phoenix:
The wizened nods. "Uh huh. That's right. D-did you know when we wanted to go?"
Asbolus:
"Sounds like that should be interesting...best of luck."
Gallowglass:
Gal shakes his head, leaning back on his hands once again. "Nah. I left it up t'Petra, this is her show. Figure if she don't get back t'me in a few days, I'll text her t'see what th'plan is." he nods to Asbolus, brow furrowing. "Just time for her t'go pick goblin fruit, sounds like. You a fighter?"
Arthur Phoenix:
This time he nods. "It should be fun. Petra is fun. Not sure what we'll find but it should be a fun adventure!" He agrees.
"And y-yes. I'mma Summer boy. I like spears. How about you?"
Asbolus:
"Ah...interesting." He nodded to Gal. "I do better at range than up close, admittedly, but I can handle myself well enough."
Gallowglass:
"Yeah?" Gal's brows lift in consideration, a hand stroking idly over his beard. "I'm better close up, but I could sure as hell use a marksman on call - I'm assumin' you're a marksman, so correct me if I'm bein' presumptive."
Arthur Phoenix:
Artie walks over to the pair and sits down, hiding that he's a little put out. Range was one of his shortcomings and he knew it.
"Wh-what do you use, Asbolus?"
Asbolus:
"Thrown weapons rather than firearms, in this case. Knives primarily. "
Gallowglass:
Gal whistles, brows lifting. "Even better. Guns are noisy. I never got good with a blade - well, no. I take that back. I have gotten very creative when it comes to turnin' whatever I can get my hands on into a weapon," he laughs a little, rueful, "But not real blades, not th'things with elegance."
Arthur Phoenix:
"Oh cool. That's what I use for distance too!" He exclaims, eagerly pulling up his pant leg to reveal a pair of throwing knives sheathed on his ankle.
"Really? But blades and stuff are fun to wield. It's like when you're using the perfect kind of tool. Just feeling all of your energy focused juuust right." He grins dreamily.
Asbolus:
Asbolus looked over at the sheathed blades, nodding with approval. "Very nice. I tend to call mine up when I need them. Nothing to lose or leave behind when they're shadow and all."
He smirked a touch as Artie continued. "Truth be told, I'm actually rubbish at using one in hand to hand. Not opposed to changing that, though."
Gallowglass:
He smiles faintly at Artie's description, nodding a little. "Sounds like how I feel when I'm fightin', but I just use my hands." He nods toward Asbolus. "But I'm with you - I ain't that great at using blades hand-to-hand. Should probably learn."
Arthur Phoenix:
"I guess that's fair. But i only s-summon a weapon when I don't have one. That way I can save my juice for other stuff if I want to," he suggests. He could see Asbolus' point though.
"Really? Well um... I-I could teach you guys a bit if you ever w-want? I taught myself s-so maybe I could t-teach you?"
Asbolus:
"To each their own." Asbolus replied, thinking a moment about the offer before nodding. "I wouldn't be opposed."
Gallowglass:
Gal lifts his brows, nodding in approval. "Sure, that'd be great. Figure that's what we ought t'do as Summer pages anyway, offer up defensive trainin'. I'm willin' t'do th'same, but my methods are...well. Dirty street, maybe even edgin' into th'gutter."
Arthur Phoenix:
Those big golden eyes widen happily, the light around their little gathering seeming to brighten a bit. "Cool. I'll find some time if you guys do."
Oh boy! But ... Oh no. What even would he do to teach them?
"Uhm... I dunno. I don't like using m-my hands to fight." He looks at them, scorched charcoal black, his digits are still somehow delicate looking. Not brittle or weak, simply... Elegant in their own way. "I need them to stay unbroken so I can make stuff and punching hurts." He frowns a little.
Asbolus:
"Understandable." Asbolus glanced over the Wizened's hands in kind, giving a little nod. "One must protect the tools of one's craft and whatnot."
Gallowglass:
Gallowglass almost winces at the sight of those hands, lips pressing together. "Fair," he agrees, nodding. "That's okay, though. Sounds like you got strengths without havin' t'do that." Gallowglass hops up, stretching; his spine makes a series of satisfying pops. "I should probably get on. Gotta work in th'mornin'."
Arthur Phoenix:
"Oh! ... Uhm o-ok. Wel good meeting y-you. Just lemme know when you're ready to do the venture. I'll message Petra and see what she's thinkin." He waves as Gallow rises.
Asbolus:
Asbolus gave the Ogre a nod as he stood. "It was good meeting you, Gallowglass. Be seeing you around, I imagine."
Gallowglass:
"My number's on th'board, you two need anythin'," he replies, jerking a thumb over his shoulder. "Other'n that, don't do nothin' I wouldn't. Should leave you pretty open." He cocks a grin at the pair and shoulders his bag, trudging for the trod.
Glitch:
Glitch comes wandering along up the trod, dressed in his usual getup of black clothes with white pop-contrasts here and there. Hands shoved in his pockets, headphones hanging around his neck, he approaches the Lost sitting on the grass and lifts one hand free to raise it in greeting. "Yo."
Arthur Phoenix:
Artie's eyes widen again in both surprise and Joy. "Glitch! Hi! I haven't s-seen you in forever." He says clambering to his feet and running over to the sprite. Not one to just hug people, he just sort of stops and bounces a little bit.
"Are you ok? Have you been ok?"
Asbolus:
Asbolus looked up at Glitch's arrival and Arthur's rather joyful greeting, smiling a touch as he gave the Torrent a nod. "Salutations."
Glitch:
Glitch blinks as Artie runs up to him like that, eyes widening a moment. He looks like he's expecting to be tackled, but as the other Lost skids to a stop in front of him he smiles gently, just a flicker across his otherwise serious face. "Artie. Hey. I'm good now. I was kind of...fragmented," he says, his voice hissing out in that distorted and static-laden electronic tone, like a crunched-down sample from an arcade cabinet's speaker. "It happens sometimes. My motley helped. Teagan helped. I'm a lot better now." He reaches out and pats Arthur gently on the shoulder before looking past him at Absolus.
Arthur Phoenix:
His face morphs into one of concern and dismay. He felt bad, he'd seen members of DA so many times and he had never asked about Glitch. Was he a bad friend? Of course he was.
"I'm sorry..." He whispers, looking at his feet. He should've checked on his friend. He had to do better.
"I'm glad you're better th-though. I... Missed you."
Following Glitch's gaze. "Oh. Ha-have you met Asbolus before? I just met him but he seems cool. He likes knives." He added the only real thing he knew about the darkling.
Asbolus:
"Don't believe I've had the pleasure, no." Asbolus moved to stand and joined the two Spears, giving Glitch a polite nod. "Good to meet you."
He smirked a touch at the factoid passed on by Artie, looking somewhat amused. "And a few other things, but they are my weapon of choice."
Glitch:
Glitch eyes Arthur when he has that reaction, and tilts his head slightly. He reaches out with a pixellated finger and touches it to Artie's chin. His skin is warm and smooth, the pixels seen but not felt, but it buzzes with the faint tingle of static electricity like the glass of a cathode ray tube. The Sprite tilts Arthur's head up to meet his gaze again, stepping in slightly. "Hey," he murmurs through the static. "It's not your fault. Don't apologize to me. I'd rather see you smile."
Letting go just as quickly, he turns his attention nonchalantly to Absolus, hands going back in his pockets. He returns the polite nod, the pixels around the edges of his face shifting and flickering slightly. "Same. Call me Glitch. Knives are cool. I like knives."
Arthur Phoenix:
As the finger lifts his gaze, Artie looks worried but he grins a little at the request. He could smile.
"... I... We were just talking about learning how to use weapons a bit but... I was going to ask more stuff about Asbo. I was just realizing I don't know the winters very well... Which I guess is kind of their thing though..."
Asbolus:
"It does tend to be. Been trying to be a little more...engaging with the rest of the freehold, though, so more than happy to answer questions."
Glitch:
Glitch nods, smiling back when Artie responds with an eager grin. He turns his attention to Asbolus, considering a moment. "You know Sturm? Still meeting and greeting and all that shit, but I know her."
Arthur Phoenix:
Artie considers what he'd want to know about a person that wasn't a rude question.
"Hmm... What do you do for your court? I-if you can tell me. I know you guys make sure we all stay real secret."
Asbolus:
"I do, although I haven't gotten a chance to know her particularly well." He nodded to Glitch then looked to Artie. "I'm simply a Page at the moment, so for right now whatever tasks those of higher standing point me towards."
Glitch:
Glitch nods at that, shifting on his feet a bit. "The joke's always that Winter wouldn't really tell you what they were doing, of course. He could secretly be the crown or something." He keeps a mostly serious face through that, though the corners of his mouth turn up just enough to indicate he knows he's being absurd. "I'm about to swear into Summer myself. Avoided the Courts for a long time. Took me a while to be convinced to give them another shot."
Arthur Phoenix:
The smith's lips part like a shocked pikachu. "He could be the Winter monarch... I don't even know who it's supposed to be." He agreees.
"Oh. Well that's good. I'm a page too! It's kind of nice because I don't have to worry about not knowing what to do." He really did enjoy it. It gave him the freedom to do a little bit of everything here and there which kept things from feeling boring.
"You are?! Cool. I wonder what your mantle will be like."
Asbolus:
Asbolus chuckled quietly, shaking his head with a smirk. "Now that would be something, wouldn't it..."
"The variety does keep things interesting." He looked to Glitch at his comment, a note of curiosity in those sharp features. "Ah...congratulations. What kept you from them initially, if you don't mind my asking?"
Glitch:
The Sprite nods along to both of them before folding his arms. "If we're gonna talk about this I need a buff," he beeps out. Fishing a hand-rolled joint out of his pocket, he takes a seat on the grass as they were before. Glitch puts one end of the joint in his mouth and pinches the other between his thumb and forefinger when there's a sudden tiny crackle of electricity between his digits, just enough to get the joint lit and going.
"I was pretty messed up when I first broke free. Lot of feelings and not much of a grip on reality. Problem is I was in a big urban Freehold with like hundreds of people in it, and the people in charge cared more about their egos than actually helping anyone out. I pissed them off enough to get kicked out of town and they pissed me off enough to decide all that shit was..."
He's quiet for a moment, considering. "The same as any other Kings or Queens or Courts," he intones.
Arthur Phoenix:
The wizened follows Glitch back onto the grass. He listens to the story, having not heard it before.
"Hmm... That had to be awful. If no one had helped me... I don't know where I'd be. I was so clueless at first about everything..." He admits. He'd come a long way in the lst few months despite how unknowing he still felt often.
"I was... N-nine when I went Away so I had to learn... A lot of stuff. I'm glad it's nicer here than there."
Asbolus:
Asbolus moved to retake his seat, a small frown forming as both Glitch and then Artie spun their particular tales. "That is a shame, considering that's what a freehold is meant to do, guide and protect those that make it back. Glad you were able to make it here and find some proper representation of what we should be."
"I was just shy of thirty myself. Can't say how long I was actually in, but it was about five years on the other side of the Thorns so I usually go with that if asked." He allowed himself a small smirk at that. "The folks here were quite welcoming, which I certainely appreciated."
Glitch:
Glitch shrugs. "I don't even blame them that much. I slipped through the cracks. They already had a world they'd built and an idea of how it worked and I didn't fit into it. But it can happen to anyone. Ruling over people, having the power to judge them...just leads to abuse. Matter of time."
He turns to look at Artie with a slight smile. "That's why they trade the crown though. Lots of places where it just trades between the same hands over and over though." The Sprite takes a drag on the joint and holds it out in case either of his friends want a hit. "I was 13, I think."
Arthur Phoenix:
"Wow. I-it's cool that you can let go of the grudge..." Artie tells Glitch. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to do that kind of thing. Sure he was nice, but he waan't good with getting burned.
"Thirty.... Wow." He whispers. To Artie 30 was a somewhat... Venerable age. A whole decade away for him which was difficult for him to truly fathom. An annoying side effect given that he had just over 20 years under his belt and so little of it was things he could remember.
He shakes his head to the joint. Muvh like last time, the smith had breathed a lot of amoke. That he could still taste in a dead sleep.
Asbolus:
Asbolus passed on the joint as well when it was offered, nodding quietly. "The leadership here has seemed rather solid, all told. Not that I have much to compare it to, admittedly, but they do their part to keep folks from falling through those cracks from what I've seen."
Glitch:
There's a slightly empty laugh at Arthur's words as Glitch looks over to him. "I didn't say I let go of the grudge, I just said I don't blame them. You don't blame every monster that gets in your way in a video game, right? They're just there. It's what they do."
Something goes unsaid. "There's still anger in there about it. But I spent years trying to shut all that away and act like I didn't have feelings because I didn't wanna fuckin deal with them, or didn't think they were useful. That's why I'm just trying to figure out what the fuck to even do with my anger. How to control it so I don't just lose my shit and hurt people I care about."
Arthur Phoenix:
Arthur looks at Glitch for a long moment. He's quiet as he considers what to say.
"I suppose that's just sort of emotions, isn't it? They're inside you and all over the place but they're so... Uhm... Imp-impotent? Like they don't do anything. Like a lump of metal waiting to be forged." He tries to explain.
"You have to figure out where to put them and point them d-do anything with em. That's why I think there's a difference between wrath and anger. Wrath is anger with a purpose. Like a blow torch. B-but anger is just... Fire that burns everything"
Glitch:
Glitch nods. "Indiscriminate. Unfocused. Feeling like you could just...break everything." He gets a far off look before glancing over to Arthur again, sincerity and respect in his expression, the joint burning in his flickering fingers. "The other stuff just gets in the way when I don't deal with it. But the anger... that's the real one I had to shut off. Just went cold, you know. Because when that anger comes out I don't have...any control. It's just something raw and pure, pouring out of me."
Arthur Phoenix:
He nods understanding. "It be like that... A lot. I thinkbit's cuz anger is easy? Like it... It can replace so many other feelings and it feels acceptable to scream and break and rage."
He'd been angry, bitter really when he'd gotten free at first. The elation was so short lived.
"I'm glad you've warmed up though. It's hard looking at yourself sometimes and saying y-you're n-not ok. That's why I got my plants."
Glitch:
Glitch nods. "Heh. Thanks. Yeah. I had a hard time admitting I had problems. Flaws. Especially when you come from somewhere that doesn't accept imperfection." The corruption scrambles across his forehead briefly, a swath of pixels just above his eyebrows flickering with fragmented bits of white and black. "I'm glad I warmed up too though. It took me a while to realize it was okay to just fuckin' relax or enjoy things, that it wasn't 'pointless' or 'wasted time' or 'unproductive' or whatever."
Arthur Phoenix:
Artie giggles a little. "I don't think wasted time exists anymore now that we're free. That's what it is to be free. You can do anything and sometimes, anything... Is nothing!" He laughs again.
"It's so weird having to just... Learn how to life but then... That's what life is for everybody"
Glitch:
"Sure fuckin' is. At least we get some tricks and cheats to help us out. Shitty prize for what happened to us, but..." He stares off for a bit before slipping to his feet again. "Some of us weren't really going anywhere before it did."
Arthur Phoenix:
The smith sits up and looks a bit concerned again. "Y-yeah... The sacrifices for superpowers... And I can't really fly."
He frowns a bit. "R-really? I... Barely remember the before for me..."
Glitch:
Glitch shakes his head. "It's okay. I'll tell you what I remember sometime. It's not real fun. Maybe we can talk about it at your place soon." He offers a hand to the smith. "It's getting late. You want me to walk you home?"
Arthur Phoenix:
He seems puzzled by the hand a second then realizes and takes it, getting pulled up.
As he dusts off his butt he answers: "N-nah it's ok. I drove. D-do you want me to take y-you home?"
Glitch:
Glitch thinks a bit, then nods. "Yeah, sure. That'd be nice. Thanks." He squeezes Artie's hand a moment, then lets go before it becomes too much. But he walks off with him shoulder to shoulder, just enjoying being in the company of someone nice, something he didn't let himself do for far too long
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