Welcome to Adventu, your final fantasy rp haven. adventu focuses on both canon and original characters from different worlds and timelines that have all been pulled to the world of zephon: a familiar final fantasy-styled land where all adventurers will fight, explore, and make new personal connections.
at adventu, we believe that colorful story and plots far outweigh the need for a battle system. rp should be about the writing, the fun, and the creativity. you will see that the only system on our site is the encouragement to create amazing adventures with other members. welcome to adventu... how will you arrive?
year 5, quarter 3
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[attr="class","tlbody"]The Great Sage of Mysidia had no idea where he was. At least not at first, when he found himself in an arid, desert city he didn’t recognize. It hadn’t struck him as entirely odd. It almost looked like Kaipo in the Damcyan Desert. But there were little differences here and there. Different peoples and customs, some technology he’d never seen before. But Tellah had adapted fairly easily, all things considered. He’d learned the city was called Aljana and it was the only city in the vast desert known as the Reikin Sands. [break][break] The main thing that bothered Tellah about Aljana was that he had no idea how he ended up here. And no idea where it even was. After months in the desert city, he was no closer to learning the answer to the first question. But at least he knew the answer to the second. Aljana was in a world called Zephon and it just so happened that Tellah wasn’t the only traveler from far-flung lands here. There were others with strange backstories and wavering memories. He was happy to learn it wasn’t just his age making him forget these details. There was some strange magical force at work here. [break][break] Tellah’s memory seemed decently intact, all things considered. He remembered Anna and Amira. He could still easily recall the pain of their deaths as vividly as if they’d happened just yesterday. And he remembered Cecil, Rydia, and the rest. But that’s where he knew there were some gaps. The sage remembered Mount Ordeals and their quests up the mountain. He’d learned meteor on the summit, right? He was nearly certain that he had. But now he had lost all knowledge of how to cast the spell again. Maybe he never actually learned. Tellah thought he remembered tragedy - the twins - but what? What had happened that was now blocked in his mind? His head throbbed when he tried to think about it so eventually Tellah had stopped trying to recall the details. He dwelt on memories of Anna and Amira instead. Those memories were sweeter anyway. [break][break] Tellah hated that he needed a job and income here in Aljana. Apparently no one wanted to hire an old man for their magical needs here. He’d been the Great Sage, but here he was treated like a feeble, doddering grandfather! The members of Desert Adventure Inc. had all but laughed in his face when he’d offered his services! It was positively annoying. And since he wasn’t earning his keep as a mage anymore, he was forced to find another way to earn gil to pay for his small house. The townspeople might have given him charity, but Tellah would be damned before he accepted pity money. He wasn’t that old and he certainly wasn’t helpless. [break][break] But now he might be regretting that foolish pride. He was leaning against the rough stone counter of a small sundries shop on the bustling market street. He’d been hired by a man half his age to man the counter. At first, he’d been swayed with the promise of assessing and dealing in items of great magical power. Apparently, that meant potions and ethers and all manner of mundane items. Every once in a while they might have one or two interesting items, but usually Tellah was bored out of his mind. He’d worked in his parent’s store when he was young, but that was years ago. He barely remembered the experience or if it had been as mind numbing. [break][break] The bell on the door chimed and he glanced up, adjusting his thick glasses. A young girl grinned at him from the doorway. She waved. He stared. How old was this kid? Ten? What was she doing here alone? The girl was undeterred by his lack of enthusiasm. “Woah, you look like my grandpa! But your robe is better. I love pink, it’s my favorite color!” She emphasized this point by gesturing to her pink dress. [break][break] “Are you here to shop?” Tellah asked, his voice monotone even to his own ears. The girl still seemed undeterred. “Oh yes, mama sent me.” She rummaged in her pocket and produced a crumpled list and a handful of gil. The sage-turned-shopkeep sighed and took the list. Thankfully the girl’s mother had neat handwriting. She just needed a few basics: potions, antidotes, eyedrops. He had plenty of all those. “What’s your name?” the persistent girl asked, following him like a particularly clingy shadow as he collected the items. “Tellah.” She beamed and proclaimed, “My name’s Anna!” He dropped the potion he’d been holding. It shattered and spilled viscous liquid across the earthen floor but he hardly noticed. “Anna?” The girl looked uncertain now and took a step away. “Y-yeah. My mama named me.”[break][break] She looked nothing like his Anna. This girl was dark-skinned with dark curly hair. But he couldn’t help imagining his daughter in her place. “I had a daughter named Anna,” he said is a hoarse voice. She seemed to grasp the implication of his reaction and the use of past tense. Or at least she didn’t ask. She nodded solemnly. “Did you love her lots?” she asked. “Oh, yes. The most.” Pain, as fresh as the day she’d died, gripped him. He said nothing more to this Anna, just bagged up her items and took the offered gil in exchange. “Thanks, grandpa Tellah,” she said. He didn’t reprimand her for calling him grandpa. At least not this time. Just as Anna was about to leave, the door chimed again as someone new stepped inside the little store. Tellah was thankful for the distraction. And even more thankful that his thick glasses hid his watery eyes.
[break]
[attr="class","tlinfo"]Someone come visit the Sundries Shop! / TAGGED
Truthfully, Andrea already suspected that the end destination for his travels lay in Sonora. That mysterious girl in the Torensten bar had refused to give him her name, but she had given him something better. The comparison between Sonora and Midgar had told him that the solitary northern city would be the best place for him to make a living. While he had grown accustomed to the small amount of fame that the Honey Bee Inn had afforded him, Andrea was most at home in the slums among the gangsters and pick-pockets. They were an honest sort in their own way. He knew exactly what to expect from desperate, hardened people who wanted a chance to escape reality through performance and sexuality. Truly, Sonora sounded like the best place for him.
Of course, it was a long journey up north, and Andrea wasn’t one to leave things to chance. He was determined to see everything that Zephon had to offer before committing to one location, so he decided to strike out east first instead, though the damaging desert heat was doing terrible things to his skin. He’d need to find a proper face lotion and more appropriate clothing as soon as he arrived in the one city that he’d been told of.
Alijana was a magnificent oasis in the middle of so much sand, and Andrea spent the first morning of his arrival people-watching as he maneuvered his way through the crowded streets. It was fairly easy to tell the difference between the residents and the way they ran confidently through the winding roads and the tourists with the way they stopped and gawked at everything. Andrea had built a rather successful life for himself in Sector 6, so it had been a long time since he’d been forced to rely on pick-pocketing to survive, but the gleam of the yellow Steal materia inserted into his jacket assisted him in gaining a pocketful of coins from the tourists before the day was out. Travelers could spare the cash, after all. He’d seen and served more than enough of their type in Wall Market.
Andrea’s spirits were rather high despite the heat feeling almost unbearable in his leather, fur-lined jacket. He spent the afternoon wandering in and out of shops, trying to get a feel for Alijana and to see if anything would catch his eye. Eventually he wandered his way into a small sundries shop selling various magical items. He hadn’t really expected to find anything of note, so he was a little caught off guard when he opened the door and almost immediately stepped into something wet.
“Ah…” Lifting his shoe, Andrea saw the remnants of broken glass and a viscous potion beneath his foot, and he looked up to see a fabulous-looking older gentleman finishing up an exchange with a young girl. Andrea was rather amused to see the odd collection of scarves and star-spangled clothes the man wore under a bright pink cloak. He could only hope that he was still as spirited when he reached the man’s age.
“Well, the shoes were already ruined by sand anyway,” he sighed before greeting the shopkeeper with a smile. “If you don’t mind my saying so, you have an impeccable sense of style. We should all aspire to wear what we desire without fear.” Entering the store further, he leaned one elbow on the counter as he lined up behind the girl. “Two potions, if you please.” Andrea hadn’t really been planning on buying anything, but potions were something small that were always needed. Anyway, he wanted to do something to show his appreciation for the old man. People like that always raised his spirits.
A thought struck him while the man was getting his order together, and Andrea laughed softly under his breath before acting on impulse. “I’m afraid I’m new to the city. Can you tell me what the night life is like here? You look like someone who could surprise a lot of people on the dance floor.”
[attr="class","tlbody"]Tellah hastily wiped his eyes, shifting his thick purple glasses as the newcomer walked in. He was instantly dismayed to see the man had stepped in the spilled potion. Hopefully he wouldn’t demand payment for new shoes or something outrageous. Tellah was about to apologize, begrudgingly, for the spilled potion but the man beat him to it. He had a smooth, gentle way of speaking. It was rather polished, just like his appearance. Tellah was pretty certain there wasn’t a single hair or thread out of place anywhere on him. He said his shoes were already ruined by the sand, but a glance down told Tellah that the potion had certainly done more damage. He didn’t pursue it though if the man was willing to overlook it. “Sorry. My hand slipped,” was all he said by way of explanation. He wasn’t eager to get into a conversation about his dead daughter with this stranger. [break][break] Tellah’s mood instantly elevated when the stranger commented on his sense of style. Tellah had always worn whatever he liked, opinions of others be damned. He’d accumulated his striped, spangled, overly pink wardrobe over years. And it was honestly a travesty that he’d left much of it behind when he arrived in Zephon. He had to start all over again, with only the clothes on his back. And so far, the people of Zephon seemed more boring and dour in their fashion choices. They looked at him in derision or confusion, or whispered about the crazy old man. Not, of course, that Tellah cared about their opinions. But it was nice to have someone actually appreciate his style for once. “Thank you,” he said with a flourish of his wide sleeves. [break][break] Tellah sent little Anna on her way and tried to force his sadness back down where he usually kept it well hidden. Then he turned his attention back to the man. Two potions. That was simple enough. As long as he didn’t drop it this time. Tellah turned and grabbed the requested two stoppered bottles and set them on the counter in front of the man. “Forty gil,” Tellah said. That was far less than they actually cost, but he was in a giving mood today. And this man liked his style. [break][break] But as he spoke again, Tellah was caught immensely off guard. Aljana… nightlife? Dancing? What was he on about? “I can’t say Aljana has much to offer for nightlife,” he said slowly. “I’ve heard there’s some ruins in the desert nearby where people go to party. And there are maybe two bars in the city that stay open late.” Tellah tried to think. He wasn’t really one for partying and nightlife activities. “I think there’s a club near Market Street. I’ve never been.” His brow knit in confusion at the comment about dancing. “Isn’t dancing for those not in their 60s?”
[break]
[attr="class","tlinfo"]I hope this is the start of an unconventional bromance. / @andrea
I hope this is the start of a beautiful friendship.
True beauty is an expression of the heart
The older gentleman behind the counter apologized for the spilled potion in such a brusque way that Andrea suspected he either didn’t care or didn’t want to speak about it. Well, that was fine. Perhaps he was embarrassed by the lack of coordination brought on by his age, or perhaps it had something to do with the little girl he was currently serving. Either way, Andrea minded his own business as he leaned one arm on the counter while the girl left clutching her wares.
The shopkeeper had a sad look on his face while he watched her go, though Andrea’s compliment towards his wardrobe seemed to brighten his mood a little. He was glad to have distracted the man from whatever ill thoughts were plaguing him. He didn’t seem to have any relationship with the child herself, but perhaps he was feeling homesick? The man’s eccentric appearance made him stick out here as much as Andrea did, so he doubted that he was from Aljana originally either.
Forty gil was incredibly reasonable for two potions, and Andrea gave him a knowing smile as he slid the coins across the counter to him. It was very kind of him to offer a discount, though he suspected the shopkeeper would feel differently about him if he knew that the only money that he had on him was pilfered from the pockets of local tourists. Andrea had lived in the slums of Midgar for long enough that he found thievery to be a legitimate way of earning money, but not many agreed. Oh well. He’d find a place to replicate his beloved Honey Bee Inn at eventually, and then he wouldn’t need to resort to underhanded tactics to survive anymore. It was just a pity that he had to start all over, but sulking about it wouldn’t get him anywhere. No one helped people who didn’t help themselves.
“Parties at desert ruins?” Andrea perked up at the possibility, touching one hand to his chin in thought. “I’ll have to look into that one. Clubs are always enjoyable, but they exist everywhere. That sort of party sounds like a rare experience...” Loud music, crumbling structures, and a sea of sand in every direction. That atmosphere sounded like it could only be improved upon with colored lights and hallucinogenic drugs, but Andrea wasn’t there to tell the Aijanans how to enjoy themselves. He was there to see how they did it.
“Oh no, not at all.” Andrea was a little affronted as the man expressed that he might be too old to dance. What sort of experiences had he endured to end up with that attitude? “Dancing is for everyone. It’s an expression of the body’s emotions, and it comes straight from the heart.” Andrea touched at his own chest earnestly to echo what he was saying. “Age, gender, nationality...They might affect the type of dance a person is most comfortable with, but they’re all irrelevant in deciding who should dance. Everyone could use an outlet for their emotions, wouldn’t you say?”
Collecting the potions he’d bought, Andrea tucked them away in the hidden pockets of his leather jacket before realizing that he had yet to introduce himself. “Andrea Rhodea, at your service by the way. I have to thank you for the tip.”
A sudden impulse struck him--it wasn’t often that someone caught his attention after all--and Andrea held out his arms in a sweeping motion as he made his offer. “When you’re done with work, I’d be honored if you would accompany me to the ruins. I’d like to show you firsthand that it’s an experience you’re never too old for.”
[attr="class","tlbody"]Tellah knew by the man’s knowing smile that his altruism with the price of potions hadn’t gone unnoticed. He found he didn’t even care if the shop owner found out. Tellah was just about done working at the Sundries Shop anyway. He was restless and had to find something else to do. Maybe it was partially due to the girl named Anna and the emotions she’d stirred inside him, but he suddenly felt like he was dying in this stuffy old shop, wasting away the rest of his life. He missed adventure. [break][break] The other man looked thoroughly intrigued at the thought of the parties in the desert ruins. He supposed it was a bit different, something a little adventurous and new. Maybe it didn’t sound half bad, now that he thought about it. But was that really the place for an older man like himself? He’d probably hate it. [break][break] The stranger… really liked dancing. He seemed almost personally offended by Tellah’s comment about being too old then went into a lengthy diatribe about how everyone could - nay, should - dance. Tellah had honestly never given much thought to dancing. He had danced before. A ballroom dance with Amira, his wife. Maybe a masquerade or two back in his youth. But it had never been a preoccupation of his life at any age. Clearly it was a preoccupation in the other man’s life. He was truly passionate about it. [break][break] “Tellah,” he gave his name in response to the stranger’s introduction. He couldn’t decide why exactly, but Andrea Rhodea just perfectly fit the poised, passionate, and handsome man before him. “The Great Sage,” he added gruffly, as if by some sort of compulsive habit then looked around the dusty old shop with disdain. “Once, anyway.” [break][break] Andrea swept his arms in a grand expression then proposed that they go to the desert ruins together, to experience the part first hand. Tellah looked at him for a long moment, trying to decide what he thought about the strange man. He really didn’t know what to make of him, but he seemed nice enough and certainly interesting. Oh, what the hell. [break][break] Tellah dropped Andrea’s 40 gil on the counter beside Anna’s payment. Then he grabbed his staff from behind the counter, unceremoniously dropped his store apron beside the gil, and stood beside Andrea. “I think I’m done with work now, forever in fact. I don’t want to waste my life toiling away in someone else’s shop. ” [break][break] Tellah felt suddenly invigorated in a way he hadn’t in so long as he stepped outside into the sandy streets. He didn’t know about dancing and parties, but the call of adventure thrummed through his veins. “It’ll be dark soon and the ruins are rather far away. We can go now.”
[break]
[attr="class","tlinfo"]Impulsive job-quitting and party-going. Woo! / @andrea
No desert rave is complete without magic mushrooms.
True beauty is an expression of the heart
The shopkeeper introduced himself as Tellah after he had given his own name, and Andrea rather liked the flair with which he added his title. Unfortunately the older man’s face fell shortly afterward as he glanced around the sundries shop, and Andrea frowned before vehemently shaking his head.
“Not at all! If you were once, then you still can be. If you’d like to be known as the Great Sage, then go out and claim it. Shout it to the rooftops if you like.” Tellah seemed like he could use a bit of encouragement. In a way, the old man reminded him a bit of what he’d seen when he’d looked at Cloud--not in personality or looks certainly, but in terms of potential. They both had all the tools they needed to become who they wanted to be. They just needed the barest push to get themselves on their own path. Andrea considered himself the right man for the job.
Andrea had invited Tellah to come with him to the desert ruins on a whim. It seemed like the man would make for fascinating company tonight, but he hadn’t had much hope that he would accept on the first offer. Most people were creatures of habit rather than impulse after all. His words must have made more of an impact than he’d thought though. Andrea was delighted when Tellah accepted his company, and when the pink-robed sage threw his apron on the counter, he threw back his head and laughed.
“Wonderful! I envy your spirit! You’re right, a Great Sage can do much better than this.” Perhaps it wasn’t the most responsible thing to encourage a man of his age to quit their steady employment, but no one had ever accused Andrea of being a realist. He had reached for the stars himself, despite having to crawl his way up from the slums, and he’d encourage everyone to do the same until the day he died.
Tellah pointed out that they should leave now since it would be dark soon, and Andrea considered the sky as the two left the shop and were met with the heat of a desert breeze. He was right--the sun was beginning to dip below the horizon and the entire sky had turned into a fiery orange with deep patches of purple peeking through to the east. Andrea didn’t know enough about Aljana’s customs or these desert ruins to say when any parties would be likely to start, but they had at most an hour or two before full dark. He didn’t imagine it would be any later than that.
“Right you are. We’ll need a few...provisions before we depart, but I believe I saw just the place during my walk around town today. It won’t take long.” Andrea whirled to the side, his leather coat twirling around him as he started to march over the few blocks towards the Oasis itself. He had noted a rather cramped looking herbal shop pushed between a bakery and a tailor, and the sweet smoke that had come out of the door when a patron had left had enticed Andrea to come back once he had a reason to.
This certainly qualified.
The shop was cramped with all sorts of odd looking plants and fungi that Andrea couldn’t have named. He’d barely ever seen a growing plant before, having lived his entire life under the plate, but he registered that most of these were probably desert-grown anyway and far outside of his own experience. That’s fine, he wasn’t here for herbal remedies.
Spying what he was looking for, Andrea slid a thin package of mushrooms across the counter for purchase. “And anything my sage friend wants of course.” He shot a wink towards Tellah before paying with more of the gil that he’d pick-pocketed earlier in the day. He’d need a fresh source of income tomorrow with all the spending that he was doing today, but Andrea would worry about that tomorrow. He enjoyed living in the present.
“Alright.” His purchase complete, Andrea stowed them away in his jacket before turning towards Tellah. “Lead the way, my good sir.”
[attr="class","tlbody"]Andrea was very enthusiastic about Tellah referring to himself as the Great Sage despite his drab, adventure-deprived life. He appreciated the other man’s encouragement. Andrea was certainly self-confident. In a way he reminded Tellah of himself. Hadn’t he once been a similar man, confident bordering on arrogance? What had happened to him? He was pretty sure the change happened before Zephon. Maybe it had to do with Anna. His eyes followed the little Anna through the window of the store as she skipped up the dusty street. Maybe her death had affected him more than he’d ever cared to admit. [break][break] Quitting his job abruptly was not the most intelligent plan, but oh well. Tellah was done with this banal existence pining over the adventures he once had. He would go out again and seek those adventures. He was done standing behind this dusty counter day in and day out. Besides, he had enough gil saved up for a couple months of just living his life. He’d figure something else out if the gil ran out. [break][break] Andrea considered the sky and agreed with Tellah that they should be on their way soon. But first, provisions. Tellah raised one bushy, white eyebrow but didn’t question what he meant. Was the man hungry? Or did he just mean water? Certainly they’d had drinks at the party, right? But the sage just followed the other man curiously. [break][break] He hadn’t expected the provisions to come from a cramped little herbalism shop. Tellah peered inside at the plants coating the walls and tables. It smelled pungent, of dirt and greenery and flowers of all types. He fought back a sneeze as he waited for Andrea to make his purchases. The other man seemed to only be buying a small package of mushrooms that Tellah didn’t recognize. He offered to buy anything else that Tellah wanted. [break][break] He meandered around the cramped little shop, taking in the different herbs and twisting vines. Nothing seemed useful to him so he politely declined, letting Andrea pay for just his mushrooms. Once back outside on the streets of Aljana, Tellah shot the other man a curious look. “What type of mushrooms are those?” he had to ask. Tellah wasn’t a sheltered man. He had a pretty good assumption that those weren’t… normal mushrooms. But he still felt like he had to ask. [break][break] Tellah was instructed to lead the way. Good think he’d memorized the twisting streets of Aljana like the back of his hand. He’d even been out to the ruins before, though never for one of the parties. The sage knew exactly where to go and led Andrea confidently through the sands. The people around them dwindled as the chill desert night grew closer and the temperature dropped. Only a few others seemed to be heading towards the outskirts of the city to the ruins. [break][break] The walk wasn’t too long. The ruins were just outside the city. Crumbling stones and ruined obelisks marked what had once been a great temple to some forgotten desert god. Aljana hadn’t existed when the temple still thrived but the founders of the city had decided to keep the ruins undisturbed for the cultural significance. [break][break] But, of course, the former religious site was being quite disturbed this evening. As the two men approached, Tellah could hear music emanating from somewhere. There were lights also, appearing to be summoned by some types of crystals. They glimmered in all sorts of colors across the crumbling stones. A huge bonfire wafted fragrant smoke into the air on the edge of the ruin. People milled around but it didn’t look like the party had truly started yet. It was still too early, Tellah supposed. The sun had barely set. He glanced over at his companion. “Guess we’re a little early,” he said with a shrug. But a young woman with colorful braided hair approached them as they stood, watching the gathering party. [break][break] The woman grinned hugely and held out a hand. “Fifty gil each. Gets you unlimited drinks!” Tellah glanced past her to a huge wooden table serving as a makeshift bar. Various bottles of unlabeled liquid, certainly alcohol, sat there. A couple bartenders were still setting up. Tellah shrugged and pulled out the necessary money. You only lived once, right?
Tellah asked him what sort of mushrooms that he’d purchased, and Andrea was suddenly a little worried that perhaps he was moving a bit fast for the ex-shopkeeper. Then again, the older man was clearly on board with everything that had happened so far, so Andrea doubted that he needed to shelter Tellah much. The eccentric man was ready to spread his wings. He just needed someone to reassure him that he could fly. Andrea was only too happy to take the job.
“These are magic mushrooms,” he said with a slight wink. “They can be a transformative experience. Only if you’re comfortable of course, but I thought a desert ruin would be a fabulous location to use them.” They dramatically improved even the worst parties in Andrea’s opinion. It was hard to have a boring time while your emotions were running so high.
Tellah seemed to know his way around the streets of Aljana, and Andrea was more than happy to follow the trail of his pink robes as the sun started to fade behind the horizon. Eventually they left most of the buildings behind them, and they were left to trudge through sand until the structure of a large ruin rose up ahead of them. The temple must have meant a lot to the people who had once lived in the desert, so it was almost a little jarring to see the lights and music of a party that was just now getting set up. Amused, Andrea wondered whether the long-dead people would be scandalized or proud to see what today’s generations used their holy site for. He liked to think that he himself would have been proud.
Tellah pointed out that they were early, and Andrea nodded in agreement. “That’s alright. We can have a proper amount of drinks before everything is in full-swing.” He certainly couldn’t drink as much as he had when he was younger, but he was determined to show Tellah a fun night at least. One that hopefully wouldn’t leave the older man regretting everything in the morning.
A woman with fascinating hair came over to offer them a price for unlimited alcoholic beverages, and Andrea looked over the jars of colorful liquid with interest. 50 gil was a great price, though he was running a bit low on his stolen money. He wasn’t entirely sure where he’d sleep tonight at this rate, but he still didn’t hesitate in pulling out the money when Tellah did. This was his show now, after all.
“Your hair is magnificent,” he complimented the woman as he looked over his options. It was on the tip of his tongue to ask for a Cosmo Canyon mixed drink, but he realized at the last second that of course they wouldn’t have those in a world where there was no Cosmo Canyon. He ended up settling on some sweet concoction mixed with tequila, which appeared to be local to Aljana and made from the cacti that surrounded the city.
“To living in the moment,” Andrea toasted once Tellah had his own drink. It was a bit sweet for his taste, but he wanted to start slow. Especially with the mushrooms in his pocket. “I suppose we may have some time before the party’s in full swing...Why don’t you tell me what your world was like?” Andrea’s world had always been confined to Wallmarket or the Sector 6 slums, so learning that there was a seemingly endless amount of places that other people came from had intrigued him.
[attr="class","tlbody"]Tellah’s bushy eyebrows furrowed as Andrea answered him about the mushrooms he purchased. Magic mushrooms? The way the other man spoke, Tellah came to the conclusion that he did not mean literal magic. And a quick visual inspection corroborated that thought. There was nothing that looked unique or out of the ordinary about them. So he could only conclude that they were a type of drug, apparently a hallucinogen. [break][break] The Great Sage of Mysidia had seen much in his life. He was not a sheltered youth. And in fact, he’d once been a bit wild. He knew about certain drugs from his home world, even sampled them once or twice. But mushrooms were new. And it had been years since he’d experimented with anything stronger than liquor. But hey. He was going to a party in the middle of the desert ruins with a man he just met. Maybe eventually there would be cause for magic mushrooms by the end of the night. At any rate, Andrea was free to do as he so pleased. [break][break] He shrugged. “Perhaps later on tonight,” was all he said about the mushrooms. There would certainly be time for that decision later. [break][break] When they arrived at the ruins, Andrea happily paid the gil for unlimited drinks as well. He didn’t seem to hesitate at all with the decision. Tellah was unsurprised when he complimented the woman’s brightly colored braids. After all, Andrea was a man with a keen eye for fashion and design, especially when it came to colorful looks. He certainly appreciated Tellah’s flamboyant look too, after all. [break][break] The other man selected a mixed drink with local tequila. Tellah ordered something similar, but with far less sweetness and more citrusy tang. He liked his drinks sour and strong. Too much sugar detracted from the taste of the alcohol in his mind. Perhaps it was inadvisable to start with stronger drinks, but Tellah knew what he liked and sometimes it was difficult to branch out. [break][break] The two men toasted with a gentle clink of their glasses and Tellah sipped his concoction. It was perfectly made and well-balanced. Surprising, for a makeshift bar in the temple ruins. When Andrea asked about his homeworld Tellah shrugged. “There’s not much to tell, honestly. It was a fairly simple land. This city and Torensten are not dissimilar from the cities that existed there. We had a few sophisticated airships, but nothing like the technology I’ve heard of from Sonora.” He gestured to the desert around them. “I lived in a desert city much like Aljana for a good portion of my life there.” [break][break] And of course, remembering his home brought back the painful reminders of Anna that always came with it. His expression closed off and his eyes, barely visible beneath his thick glasses, were slightly unfocused. He didn’t look at Andrea when he asked, “What about yours? Assuming you do not hail from Zephon.” Tellah was reasonably certain someone like Andrea very much did not come from Zephon, but you could never be too sure. “What was life like for you before you were dragged here?”
[break]
[attr="class","tlinfo"]This night is going to end poorly for at least one of them. / @andrea
I think they're about to get down on the dancefloor.
True beauty is an expression of the heart
Tellah didn’t seem to want to talk much about his homeworld, for whatever reason. Andrea could respect that, though he couldn’t help pressing the issue just a bit when the older man seemed to shut down a little after getting lost in his thoughts. After years of running a nightclub where people came to forget the pain of their daily lives, Andrea knew that expression.
“I see why you settled here then if you’re used to the desert...What is it that you miss most about your home?” A personal question perhaps, but Andrea wasn’t one to beat around the bush when he thought that he was close to the source of a person’s pain. Sipping his drink, Andrea took a moment to savor the sweet mixed drink. It was rather good for being made all the way out here in such a casual setting.
“This world is much freer than the one I come from,” he admitted to Tellah as he glanced over at the last rays of sun on the horizon. At this point, the stars were starting to peek out overhead, which had amazed Andrea during his first few nights here. He’d thought that he might miss the blaze of the overhead lights under the plate that had replaced the stars in Midgar, but the night sky was beautiful enough to outweigh the familiar. “I suppose that you’d say I worked in...entertainment. I owned the Honey Bee Inn, where we gave performances nearly every night.”
Andrea wasn’t ashamed at all that the Honey Bee Inn was a tad more than a club, but he thought that knowledge might offend Tellah’s sensibilities until he’d had a few more drinks. On the other hand, he was ashamed of his ties to Don Corneo--he’d never really liked the man or the things that he’d done for him to maintain his favor--but he felt that he’d more than made up for that during Cloud’s little visit to the Don’s mansion. Whatever removed that uncultured imbecile from holding all the power in Wall Market was fine with him.
Music started playing overhead, and Andrea noted with pleasure that more people had joined their ranks. He was unfamiliar with the song being played, but it had a nice beat to it with the sway of foreign instruments from Zephon. Andrea thought that he would love to choreograph a routine for it someday.
“Another drink?” Andrea winked towards his companion, deciding that he wanted to help the man be more comfortable. “Before I learned to enjoy being center-stage, I found that it can help to have something to hold onto while you’re on the dance floor.”
