Brin leans slightly agains the edge of the massive entrance to the hideout, his reddened face showing his dislike of this intense heat. Perhaps his fresh air idea was not so good after all. His cloak is slung over one forearm, but the absence of it gives only slight relief. He exhales deeply, and mops his brow with the nearest corner of the collar of his cloak.
The desert holds a sort of calm all its own, a sea of gold and gasping heat which envelop the world in full. It seems to reach to every horizon, to hold the full of the world in a perpetual state of lifelessness.. And yet at the same time, not anything of the sort. Which is perhaps why it is so -utterly- peculiar to hear the bell-high chime of a girl ringing out in mild plea, "Aaaa~sa! Come -back- here!" But, well.. No one really accounted all -that- much common sense to the young Solarian, come to think of it. And as she runs across those familiar sands, she chases a tiny gray kitten, barely distinguishable against the sands, as pale as it is, quite fully oblivious as to just where she is in the desert at all.
Archer has arrived.
Brin begins to make for the door, but is halted suddenly by the sight of someone in the desert. Strange, he thinks, for someone to be wandering about out here, least of all in such an apparently secluded location. As the figre draws nearer, he makes out the purpose of its wandering, a small grey kitten, which seems to be heading in his vague direction. He halts, and waits for the two to come nearer, a slightly bemused look on his face to see the girl's predicament.
And as the girl continues running after that cute little gray ball of fluff across the desert, it becomes ever so apparent that the high and light voice.. Comes not from a girl at all. If nothing else, Miss Khiea Dalant looks to be half through a teenager at least, a fifteen year old chasing kittens across the desert in a voice forced an octave unnaturally high. And if that enough isn't peculiar enough.. She wears a most peculiar, foreign looking outfit. Solarian true, and yet running full through an area she knows familiar as not. How strange. However, also being not the most coordinated girl on the face of this earth, she looses her footing upon the sand and tumbles down a small hill of sorts of sand, falling to her knees with a rather pronounced whine that carries, somehow, the distance.
Brin starts, as he notices the figure disappear from view behind a dune. He turns, and breaks into a slight trot toward where he last saw it, a look of slight con
Brin cern on his face. One wonders if it's at all safe to wander about on the dunes. There may be traps, or pits, or monsters about. Oh my. He slows to a brisk wal
Archer lands nearby, his cloak flowing around him. His gaze is locked in the direction of the young woman chasing her cat. He looks to the man. Maybe it's his own kind of thinking...but...she can't be the one who owns that gear...can she? He thinks the man is more likely. He starts a slow gait heading straight for the young man.
Brin says, "Are you all right, miss?"
Khiea sniffles weakly, muttering a few unpleasantries beneath her breath- not obscene, but more the laments of a child who just happened to slide and scrape her knee. Rather, Kheia seems.. Well, unhurt, as she struggles to her feet, turning an innocently questioning gaze up to Brin and noting simply, "Hm? No worries, Mister, I'm fine." She pauses, and then notes, voice held in an octave-too-high as she stumbles up to the top of the mound of sand she fell down, looking about with an edge of unease, "Have.. have you seen my cat, Mister?" It seems the more important issue on her mind, rather than wondering about any sort of rational explanation.
Archer has disconnected.
Brin looks concernedly at the girl, as she makes several indications of being unhurt. His expression flicks over to one of relief, as she stumbles to the top of the dune. o 0 ( How strange... It's not just the voice, it's like a much younger person in an older body. At least She's unhurt). He casts a glance around him to see if he can spot the small furry cat again. Oh my. The cat had had his full attention not 15 seconds ago, and now he seems not to be able to spot it. "I appear to have lost it. It can't have gone far.". He turns around toward the most likely place for the cat to have gone, and makes some low squeaking and purring noises.
Khiea breaks into a small bout of a giggle at such noises, but by grace of some ingrained politeness, she does nothing more in reaction, spare the high chime of, "Thanks for helping me look, then!" And she slides down the hill with a shade more control this time- managing not to fall down it again as she follows Brin, "Where could she -be-? She hardly -ever- runs off, but..." She grants a pale sigh, barely sounded at all, and continues her search. How.. Very much she -does- seem to be a child in an older form, but if such is even an issue, well.. Khiea apparently is oblivious to it. So she grants another cry of, "Asa! Come -back-!" And pauses, before repeating it in Solarian. And then, with a blink, she turns her glance over to where Brin is. And by the nearest dune to him, the tiny kitten peeks out into sight, as if all were some part of a rather odd game of hide and seek.
Brin grins slightly at the thought of how silly he must sound, and stops, blushing slightly. He turns his face away, and begins another, quieter scan of the sand around him. He hears something the girl says that he doesnt quite understand, and wonders for a while, yet chooses not to act on it, in case she is self-conscious about her own, less feral cat-summoning language. He notices her gaze, and follows it to the small shape, moving from bhind a small rock outcropping. He slowly faces the cat, and crouches, emitting the same feline ballad as before. After a few seconds, he slowly stands, and turns toward the girl, holding a tiny furry kitten cupped between his large hands. He breathes the sigh and smiles the smile of success, and begins moving slowly toward the girl. "It's quite easy for such a small animal to get lost in such a large expanse. You should be careful". He strokes the kitten's tiny head with one thumb.
Khiea blinks a few times and then breaks full again into laughter, a far more joyous sound for this breath. And light of step, she dashes over to him, steps awkward for all her apparent blatant inability to walk skillfully on sand. And so, with a few graceless steps, but no further falls, she darts over to Brin and stops a few feet before him, clapping her hands together once, happilly, "How wonderful! Thankyou-thankyou, Mister!" How her words blur together when she's excited, how fast they run when she's happy. She extends her hands in a silent gesture to be given her cat, as she notes, ever smiling, "Thank you, Mister.. Mister..." She frowns, "Mister... Something or other. I don't believe I know you." And it would be a surprise, that. A Solarian being familiar with each and every person walking about the Yggdrasil's base would be.. Unfitting.
Brin grins broadly, and warms to the carefree laughter. o0 ( She's like a child. More then some children I've met. Who _is_ she? ). He holds out his hands, and lets the kitten hop slightly from his hands to hers. He smiles reassuringly. "You're welcome, indeed". He watches the reunification of pet and owner, and continues his smile. "My name is Brin Gaisce, Etone, at your service", he grins mischievously, and gives a mock bow. "Although Mister Something-Or-Other will do, if you like."
Khiea embraces the kitten as soon as it hops into her arms, smiling in radience as she holds it with such a care that her grasp is not strong enough to hurt it, and yet quite enough to keep it securely in her arms. A few words, quite cooed, she notes to the kitten, in quiet Solarian beneath her breath, before she glances back up to Brin again. She nods in resposne to his greeting, chiming happilly, "Nice to meet you, then, Mister Brin!" A pause, and she notes in delay, as if just realizing to that breath that she was failing a rule of politeness, "Oh! And I'm Khiea. Nice to meet you!"
Brin nods. "Nice to meet you too, Miss Khiea.".He nods and smiles politely. "And what brings you out here, anyway? I wouldnt have thought the Aveh desert would be a very good place to just wander about". He stares over Khiea's shoulder. o0 (And yet...it's somethingI want to do right now more then anything. Stuffed away inside this base, it's a wonder any of us stay sane ). He snaps back, and grins. "...and you haven't introduced me to your little frind yet!".
Khiea shrugs lighlty, rocking back on her feet a shade, from heel to toe in mild repetition, "Well, I wanted to see the desert. Its a lovely place, don't you think?" As if.. Some oddly dressed woman running around in the heart of the desert could be so easily justified. Apparently, to her immature logic, it is, "But -someone- got bored and wanted to play.." She casts a glance down to the cat in her arms, before giggling and holding it in one arm, scratching its head with her other hand, "And I chased her and chased her and ended up here." She glances over her shoulder, following his glance.. And blinks mildly, "My.. I remember this place." Is all she notes, simply, with.. Far less affection in her voice than before. But with that, she turns her glance back to Brin, joyous enthusiasm returned, "Hm? Oh, her name is Asanta! Asa for short. Isn't she pretty?"
Brin gently reaches out and strokes Asa's head with one hand. "Good day, Stealth-Cat Asanta", he grins lightly. "You remember this place? I see. Where have you come from, Dazil?". He casts a glance over her attire, and already has doubts, but is interested to hear the answer anyway. "...And the desert is...nice...in a way" o 0 ( Damnable hot, though. )
Khiea shakes her head weakly, "Nope. I live very far away. Very, veeeeeery far away. But I think I was born in Bledavik." 'I think'? That's a rather odd line to say with such a casually light tone, "But I used to know.. Mister Bart, is it? Well, somewhat. Father isn't very fond of him, so I don't come here often." She shifts the cat in her arms and shrugs, before breaking back into glee, "It's wonderful! Much better than home, much better indeed. It reminds me of my mother."
Brin reflects for a few seconds on the loose term used by Khiea. o 0 ( 'i think'. She doesnt know where she's from, or where she belongs even. How sad ) He has always belonged somehow, be it before the Ethos, during training, or even now, he has managed to carve a niche, and hide away from everything. He thinks. Perhaps being secluded in a aplace you belong is preferable to being everywhere, yet belonging nowhere. o 0 She's Staring... ) . Perhaps what I have here is somehow sufferable, because I can belong. I can gain strength from the resilience of this person, whose situation is... o 0 ( _Now_ she's staring ) "Oh, I, er... yes, Bart. I have yet to meethim in person. He seems quite elusive lately." ... He assumes a thoughtful gaze. "How exactly did you get here, then?".
Khiea tilts her head lightly in question, looking utterly confused as to why such a question would be asked, "Why, I flew, Mister Brin." A pause. And she realizes that this deserves some clarification, "In my Gear, that is. Its the prettiest thing! All purple and lovely and its really fast and... I got it as a gift. Its so wonderful!" And she giggles brilliantly. Somehow, the thought of this obviously unstable girl riding around in a Gear is... Disturbing. Quite. Giving children weapons of destruction. How charming the world can be, "Well, be glad you don' know Mister Bart, then. He's.. Kinda unpleasant." And, well, how censored a version that is of the dominant thoughts of Bart she hears from her friends in Solaris. But Khiea's too young.. or.. Something to use such language.
"Ah", says Brin in realisation. "I never really ... took to gears myself, although some can be quite beautiful" . He thinks of people who might possibly have the wherewithal to give a child a gear, and can only some up with one answer. His tone becomes slightly guarded and edgy. " ... although it is quite a shame that they must be used for such... unpleasant purposes." He frowns slightly.
Khiea nods lightly, although her eyes of silver-blue betray how utterly she -doesn't- understand, "Whatever do you mean? Unpleasant things?" She skips a few steps in a random direction, an.. Apparent accompanyment to her following gleeful words, "I merely use mine to flyyyyy! Father hasn't had me do anything else in ages and ages... Isn't that nice? So I had time to visit this place. Although I don't think Mister Bart or Mister Sigurd would be happy to have me around here. They're so -mean- sometimes, did you know that, Mister Brin? Did you?"
Khiea spoofs: Archer lands nearby, his cloak flowing around him. His gaze is locked in the direction of the young woman chasing her cat. He looks to the man. Maybe it's his own kind of thinking...but...she can't be the one who owns that gear...can she? He thinks the man is more likely. He starts a slow gait heading straight for the young man.
Brin isnt sure. "I've not talked to them much yet. Sigurdseems pleasant enough, yet that is only a first impression". He turns to face Archer, and a puzzled look crosses his face. "Whoever can this be?"
Khiea shrugs, "Sigurd... Is wierd." She wrinkles her nose a bit, stopping her skipping about at the mild protesting meow of her cat. And she shrugs, noting, "He's so mean sometimes.. And nice other times. He helped me find the Eigth Princess relic, after all!" And then she pauses, drawing off into a silence as she blinks at the newcomer, "Hello, Mister Person-I-don'-know."
Archer finally reaches the two. His gaze slowly moves between the girl and the man, any kind of expression hidden by the cloak. Neither of them look like the person he's currently hunting down...but that gear almost matched the description perfectly. He's rather confused, and not a word comes from him for the moment.
Brin couchs lightly, and forces a polite smile, in spite of the silence of the newcomer. "Greetings.", he smiles thinly. "And how does this day find you?"
Khiea shrugs, "Sigurd... Is wierd." She wrinkles her nose a bit, stopping her skipping about at the mild protesting meow of her cat. And she shrugs, noting, "He's so mean sometimes.. And nice other times. He helped me find the Eigth Princess relic, after all!" She casts a proud-looking grin in response.
Brin nods "I See. Well, everyone has the capacity to be just about anything. Including mean. You should neither trust nor distrust someone based on isolated incidents"... he pauses ... "Although that said, your opinion is your opinion. i refuse to take sides in any argument". He gives a slightly nervous grin.
Khiea shrugs, "True, true. But some people are mean more often than others. Although I know they have their reasons..." She frowns, grants a mild cast of a sigh.., "Father will be -so- cross if he finds out I'm down here. This place is... not a good place, in some ways, after all."
Brin chances the question ... "Where is it you come from, if you don't mind me asking?". He seems to somehow regret asking this as soon as it is done. But it is done.
Khiea shrugs mildly, "Where I come from? I come from a lot of places. I was born here, raised in lots of places.. But where do I -live- Mister?" She giggles brilliantly, "That's -easy-!" She shifts her cat to one arm, to its mild mewing protest, to point with the other arm to the sky.
Brin shifts his weight to another foot, and glances about, eyes slightly wider. He begins to fidget with his robe. "Ah, I think I understand". He desperately tries to change the subject. He looks around, resisitng the urge to talk about the weather. He reaches out, as if to stroke Asa, but shrinks back, as if in retrospect of his action. "I, um, er, have not conversed in much detail with one from ... up there... before. I hear it is some kind of paradise of sorts.".
Khiea merely blinks, in a rather perplexed sort of glance, "Is something the matter?" She drops her arm and goes back to holding the cat comfortably between both arms, rather than just draped across one. She shrugs lightly, noting, "I.. Well, its not a -bad- place. Its just kind of.. Dull. There's not much to do. And, honestly.. Can you keep a secret, Mister Brin?" Her voice drops to a whisper, a game of a child in quiet. And yet, she doesn't wait all that long for a response, "I"m not even supposed to be down here. Did you know that? Its not safe down here, Father says."
Brin attempts a grin, badly. "Nothing, nothing at all. I'm not aware of wether it is necessarily _bad_, and worse then the surface. Perhaps your father is just a little worried about you being so far away. I doubt wandering alone about Solaris is any less dangerous then walking about here.". He bends over slightly to hear her whisper, and grins, properly this time. 2i won't tell, I promise.". He feels somehow confident that Khiea would not draw Solaris' attentions to him. After all, it is in both their interests that ahe not mention it. He seems to lighten up, and grins broadly.
Khiea giggles lightly beneath her breath, the innocence of childish mischieviousness, "Oh, thank you!" As if keeping secrets was some sort of.. Chore. Although one doubt's that anyone would -actually- go out of their way to tattle on the actions of a girl who is rather out of the look of Solarian military responcibility in the first place, "And.. And you know what its -called-, Mister? How wonderful! It seems to be some big, scary secret down here.. Isn't that strange? But for all it sounds, Solaris is -boring-."
Brin enquires "Really? I suppose familiarity with a place always eventually makes you bored of it" ... o 0 ( How similar our siuations are. Both of us wish for something we can't have. Perhaps everyone does ).He stares into space for a second, then snaps back. "I mightdescribe this place as boring ... " He sweeps his hand to one side, indicating the base, " ... but that in itself makes you appreciate the smaller things, like meeting new people". He stares at the ground at his feet. "I'm ... glad we met.".
Khiea nods lightly, "But its nice to get out now and then, isn't it? Vacations are fun!" That's what you call skirting the outskirts of the enemy base? Well.. Khiea's reasoning apparently falls short and away from most others. And with a giggle, she nods, smile brightening, while she hasn't the faintest clue why he looked away, "It was nice to meet you, too, Mister Brin. Its so rare that I meet new friends..!" A child in a teenager indeed. From just met to friends in a heartbeat?
Brin nods and smiles. "Yes, it is. Expecially when the alternative is being bored". He gives a mischievous grin, and falls silent. o 0 ( So trusting...And easily exploitable, no doubt. ). He frowns slightly at this, but quickly maintains his effective happy face facade. "And beleieve me, I know what it is to be _bored_".
Exploitable? That's.. pretty much Khiea's life in a nutshell. The little girl perpetually torn between people, on the soul basis of who pretended to care more for her. Its pitiful, in a way and yet.. How peculiar that Khiea herself has never noticed it. But children seldom do, "Honestly? I always thought the base down here would be bustling with activity! I mean.. You know!" She shifts her weight lightly like a child caught on a sugar high, "Rebel pirates struggling against big kingdoms.. The only people in aaaaaall of Ignas who want to stand up to Solaris and blow up stuff... How could that be boring?"
Brin grins at the choice of words Khiea uses. "Well, the blowing up of stuff is usually left to others. I stay behind at the fort, or on the sand cruiser. Or at least i would if anything were happening." ... he pauses ... " ... Not that I _mind_ being well away from fighting, but sometimes I ... " .. he pauses ... o 0 ( Sometimes I what? I want to fight? I want to do..what? ) ... "Sometimes, I just don't know.
Khiea nods mildly in response, "Honestly? I would have never imagined.." Of course not. Khiea's knowledge of the outside world is apparently limited to very broad generalizations. Deus praise the Stereotype, "But fighting -is- awfully upsetting... I don't like it much either. But, well.. Sometimes it doesn't matter what I think, of course. You knew that, I'm sure." She sighs, shifting free an arm once more to brush her bangs from before her eyes, sleeves falling around the glistening banding of silver which marks her, so shortly, a number more a person, "Sometimes one just has to do somethings for their family and country and all that silly stuff. This world can be so very unfair some times."
Brin thinks about this for a while. "It is people who make the world unfair. They choose to do that, I choose to ignore them, to a great extent. Fighting a war that affects more then just the combatants is selfish, and bad. If people could learn that..." he trails off, as he realises the tirade would probably go to waste. He bites his lip, and murmurs "Well, at least for the moment, it is peaceful enough.".
Khiea nods lightly. How many people have spurted off philosophy to her recently? And.. Most more confusing than this. So its not all that hard a task for Khiea to.. Get the basic gist of it, "I suppose that's true. But.. People are such strange things sometimes, always fighting. I just.. Can't see why people can't be friends." And this is why Khiea hasn't succeeded in solving world suffering. Impractical, silly ideas..., "Anyway, it was wonderful to meet you, Mister Brin, but if I don't get back home.. Father will be sooooo~ cross with me! I should probably go..." A sigh.
Brin nods understandingly. "I understand. It's been nice meeting you. Perhaps another time we may meet again. Goodbye".
Khiea nods happilly, and then once more drapes her cat over an arm to wave happilly, "Been nice meeting you, Mister Brin! Have a wonderful da~y!" And with that and a final childish beam, she starts walking off towards the south, where the distant frame of her Gear can be seen, light of step and mildly skipping as she goes.
Brin waves, and walks back toward the pirate base.