[ 001 ] [ Audio / Commentlog ]

[bloodtothebest]

 Ladies and Gents, Bots and Trolls,

Welcome to the Keep and all that other crap I'm meant to say.

[He makes an amused, growling sound.]

You can call me Dos. I'm one of the staff here and I man the stables. The doors are open down here so come say hi and stuff.

[In the background, a horse whinnies, the sound followed closely by the cry of a chocobo.]

We

Comments

[thequeensown]

[Talia flushes brightly in a mixture of embarrassment and guilt, her expression mirroring the emotion she has tightly wrapped behind her shields.]

Aye .. to both .. I apologize again for the slip in my control. I was a .. a bit panicked at the time.

[She looks to Dos then, flush still coloring her cheeks and neck as she offers him a strained smile.]

I do not make a point of prying into the mind of others without cause or permission when I can avoid it.

[Her hands keep busy on the stallions' form and she chews her lower lip before looking at Dos again.]

I would like to help you here, in the stables, if you would be accepting to the aide. I have spent my entire life around farm animals .. I can do anything on horseback and especially enjoy working with them.

[She caresses the stallions' nose again and he whuffles at her fingers softly. Her expression softens, fingers tracing the curve of his nostrils as they flare. Her voice is soft as she continues, gaze distant and not focused on anything specific though she looks at the horse.]

I lost Rolan before I was brought here .. It would set my soul at ease to, I think..

[bloodtothebest]

Help is always wanted in this place, and I can tell already that you've got skill with them. This one's been restless all day. Calms down when I talk to him but hell if he lets anyone else get close.

[Dos smirks.]

'cept for you.

[He pushes back from the gate and moves to the mare he'd told to wait earlier. Fingers scratching behind her ear, the horse nuzzles his shoulder affectionately.]

You gonna tell me you're name? Don't think I've heard it yet.

[thequeensown]

[His answer brings no small amount of relief and Talia feels herself smiling. She pats the stallions' neck and glances sidelong at Dos as he smirks at her, moving back toward the mare.

At his question she glances his way again, hazel gaze seeming far more relaxed than she was when she arrived.]

You are correct .. I apologize for my rudeness. It is Talia..

[bloodtothebest]

[He gives a slow nod, the action a sign of respect. Talia is rather likable when she's not in his head. Provided she stays out, they'll get along just fine.]

Talia. Heh, I like it. Knew a girl back home with the same name.

[Dos shrugs. He'll say no more on that.]

Uh, Coen Dostre. Call me Dos.

[thequeensown]

[No, Talia is going to keep herself well and truly out of his head unless invited in for some strange reason, thanks.]

Then she must have been quite a fine girl.

[Her tone is teasing, her smile coming far easier now. She'll not press for anymore than he offers, content to settle with what is freely shared. She nods to him in official greeting, patting the stallions' neck one last time before withdrawing her hand. She might be more comfortable referring to him as Coen, but in the end it was his to say one way or another.]

It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Dos. Is there anything that you would rather I leave be, when assisting?

[bloodtothebest]

[Dos grins and looks skyward.]

Oh, yeah she definitely was.

[He chuckles, expression mischievous and starts to move, motioning for Talia to follow.]

We get a lot of things in here. Animals and vehicles. It's always changing. This lot will be gone in a few weeks and something else will have arrived to take their place. Only thing to watch for in this batch, is the freakin' moose.

[Lifting a hand to point to the moose, Dos' expression darkens. The moose peels it's ears back and grunts in reply.]

He's an angry bastard. Makes that stallion look all cute and fluffy in comparison.

[thequeensown]

[Talia knows that look, whether or not she's mingling her thoughts with his! Her lips quirk and she chuckles softly, moving to follow at his gesture, her stride easy and relaxed.

She listens as attentively as she ever would have at the Collegium, taking what Dos tells her to mind. She cants a brow slightly at the note that things leave and come at regular intervals, including the surly beast she is now looking at.]

Havens, but he is tall ..

[And he is .. nearly two hands taller at the withers than even Rolan, who was the tallest of the Companions. She meets his angry glance and speaks sidelong to Dos, grinning a bit wryly.]

A regular pussycat, hmm?

[bloodtothebest]

[The memories she's brought back are good and bad. Dos chuckles lightly and turns his thoughts to the moose. Coloured as his past might be, getting lost in it never worked out well for him.]

That pussy cat is the reason why I couldn't open this place up earlier. He popped up, started running the place down and attacking the other animals. I had to step in. He got me good.

[He lifts his shirt enough to reveal bandages around his ribs, strong body scarred and tattooed amongst the bruising. Even before this injury, Dos has been through a lot.]

That's why me and him don't get along.

[Dos lets his shirt drop and folds his arms. There's nothing in his stance or movement otherwise to suggest that something were wrong, the Helcian far too stubborn to admit to pain.]

And why I'd like you to keep your distance from him if you can. You get hurt, I ain't gonna be a happy guy.

[thequeensown]

[Talia listens attentively, making a point to not even lean on the gate of the mooses' fenced in pen. Her gaze moves from the bull and back to Dos as he shows he just what the beast is capable of.

She grimaces, eyes moving over the bandaged ribs and then taking in the other scars and marks tha riddle his torso. Idly she moves one hand to rest atop her own covered ribs, covered in a variety of scars that wrap around her, courtesy of the tentacle like legs of The End. The jagged, fading scar that stretches from temple to chin on the left side if her face is really nothing in comparison.

She finally nods, meeting his gaze again as he drops his shirt back into place.]

I shall heed your warning and tread most carefully around him. I have every interest in keeping my ribs whole as long as feasibly possible .. I have never been overly fond of broken limbs or punctured lungs.

[Did one ever really get used to such?]

[bloodtothebest]

[He reads her actions probably better than Talia realizes, but doesn't react to it. Dos has been trained to read movement since his birth, that he might better find the weak point in his opponent before he strikes. He smirks at her last line.]

Depends on how you get them, I reckon. My kind are fighters. A scar is a reminder of something that was greater than you, but that you survived. Broken ones hurt like a bitch but they heal up in time.

[He makes an amused sound.]

Well, most of the time. Point is, you gotta pick up and keep fighting. And not let meatheads like Moose over there get the best of you.

[thequeensown]

[One of the downsides about being Talia is that well .. she is downright horrible about carrying her emotions on her face. It's not bad enough that she's an empath, but she's terrible at keeping any sort of poker face. Being 'read' by those around her is something Alberich has brought up before, but she's gotten a bit lax these past six months.

She looks at Dos as he speaks, taking in his words for the simple true that they are. She blinks and her brows knit and she lowers her hand from her ribs.]

There is that .. to have survived means one has gotten stronger through the course of the event. [There was no controlling how horrible the event was, but in the end Dos' words were true no matter how horrible.]

It is all what you make of it ..

[She smiles then, meeting his gaze once more and nods.]

You are right .. that truth has kept me alive in the past and I am certain it will do so again. [Within an inch of death, but alive all the same.]

[bloodtothebest]

[He nods and hooks his thumbs into the pockets of his pants, all the while watching Talia with interest. It's rare that someone accepts his words without arguing. His respect for the woman creeps up a little more.]

You either pick up and keep moving or crumble and fall.

[Dos grins.]

And I ain't fallin'.

[He moves a hand from his pocket to jerk a thumb in the direction of the bikes.]

You know what they are or do you want to just stick to the animals?

[thequeensown]

[Talia watches as Dos's posture relaxes a bit more, his gaze studious as he continues to look at her. She's learned, Dos. There are some people that know well of what they speak, and do not do so simply for the sake of hearing their own voices. She's a strong feeling that you're of this sort and that when you speak, it would be in ones' best interest to listen.

At his quip and grin she actually laughs, the sound of genuine amusement brightening her features considerably.]

I would not think you the sort that would, Coen Dostre.

[Her tone is amused, but sincere. Respect for you the padawan has, learned Helcian. She then looks in the direction he gestures, eying the bikes with curiosity and interest. She then shoots him a glance sidelong, lips curling into a confident smile.]

Never seen one in my life, but I am hardly one to make no effort simply because something is new. If you are willing to teach me .. I am willing to learn.

[bloodtothebest]

[What starts as a smile at the compliment turns into a slightly exaggerated cringe when she voices his full name. It's not something he's used to hearing.]

Just Dos will do. Coen's a bit too intimate and Dostre is a damn stupid name. Dunno what the hell my folks were thinkin'.

[It was the only right they had over him. To his people, 'Dostre' was a strong name. Dos just thought it was stupid. There's nothing in him to say he's mad, Dos' easy-going nature never skipping a beat.]

It's a motorbike. Dirt bike in this sense. Not living so it's not like the animals. Just a vehicle with a bit more bite than what I'm guess you're used to.

[As if to prove his point, he throws a leg over to sit on it, kicks the stand up and sparks the bike to life. It gives a rather loud growl before settling for an idle rumble.]

[thequeensown]

[Talia's nose wrinkles as she laughs, quite amused at his reaction, inclining her head in acquiesce. Oh, she'll be calling you Coen in no time, you big softy!!]

Mmmm.

[She then turns her attention to the bike, listening as he explains it to her. She's seen something of the sort before, back on the racing decks of the Elegante, but she never took the moment to give the strange things a once over, let alone drive them.]

Perhaps a bit more bite, yes.

[Her eyes widen just a bit as he revs the bike to life, but instead of backing away in any avoidance, she steps forward and looks at it.]

How does it function?

[Interest is GO!!]

[bloodtothebest]

[The last person to react like that was Sycora, who calls him Coen and has been for some time now. Dos smirks in return and turns his attention to the bike.]

Fuel cell in the back that powers the machine. When I give it a bit of gas...

[He lets the clutch out slowly and gives the accelerator a turn to match. The bike eases forward a little. Dos rides a slow circle of the room before coming to a stop again.]

The more go I give it, the faster it'll move.

[The Helcian is in the habit of keeping his explanations simple. He's not even going to try and explain gears just yet.]

Can get a hellava lot of speed up on these things. Damn fun, even for a relic.

[And he grins, a little mischievous.]

Can give ya a proper demo outside if you want?