[ I'm so grateful that D is a big nerd who probably would go spend some time in the huge library in Highstorm just for the sake of having access to books, otherwise I'd be dying trying to figure out how the hell to justify this incoming trainwreck. Anyway.
Despite the Tomes being located in Highstorm -- ostensibly his own home turf -- Gen's the one who feels awfully out of place there. He's never been the bookish type, after all. His career path had been decided as far back as he can remember, after all; studying was always a pointless waste of time for him, given he had a lifetime of manual labor awaiting him, and so he'd never trained himself to appreciate the joys of learning. The only reason he's here now is because recent events have placed him in a position where he needs to learn some of the finer ins-and-outs of blacksmithing magic, stuff beyond what he can just learn through practical experience and trial-and-error. It's a few hours now he's been hunched over a table with a stack of books, one hand tangled through his hair as he slogs through texts, teeth gritted and brow furrowed as he struggles to process all this new information ... aided by a liberal helping of drinks from that nearby kiosk, of course.
What's he even had to drink by now? Who knows! He'd just picked something random off the menu each time, but he's definitely had more than he should have by now.
But even they have their limit in how much they can aid his focus. (Or maybe they've just been making it harder, without his realizing it.) Hours in, and his gaze keeps drifting across the floor of the Tomes, skimming across the scenery and the faces of various strangers in search of a valid distraction. When he spots a face he does recognize, he automatically sits up straighter in his seat, suddenly feeling much more alert. (It's just because now he has an excuse to ditch these books, he tells himself. That's all. It's not like there's any deeper meaning behind why his pulse is suddenly quickening a touch.)
Does D sense the rancid presence of his thrall somewhere nearby? Or does the bustle of the holiday crowd block out that sensation for him? Either way, he's suddenly being accosted by ... a stranger. A tall one that he definitely doesn't recognize -- longer brown hair, soft green eyes, dark skin -- who suddenly wraps an arm over his shoulder and leans in close to croon into his face, ]
What brings you here, stranger?
[ It's Gen. He's just been practicing his disguise magic, and he can't resist the temptation to try and punk D a bit. (It's totally just a fun coinkydink that this gives him an excuse to get up close and personal with D, haha. No meaning behind it at all. Don't worry about it.) ]
action ; highstorm, mid-january
Despite the Tomes being located in Highstorm -- ostensibly his own home turf -- Gen's the one who feels awfully out of place there. He's never been the bookish type, after all. His career path had been decided as far back as he can remember, after all; studying was always a pointless waste of time for him, given he had a lifetime of manual labor awaiting him, and so he'd never trained himself to appreciate the joys of learning. The only reason he's here now is because recent events have placed him in a position where he needs to learn some of the finer ins-and-outs of blacksmithing magic, stuff beyond what he can just learn through practical experience and trial-and-error. It's a few hours now he's been hunched over a table with a stack of books, one hand tangled through his hair as he slogs through texts, teeth gritted and brow furrowed as he struggles to process all this new information ... aided by a liberal helping of drinks from that nearby kiosk, of course.
What's he even had to drink by now? Who knows! He'd just picked something random off the menu each time, but he's definitely had more than he should have by now.
But even they have their limit in how much they can aid his focus. (Or maybe they've just been making it harder, without his realizing it.) Hours in, and his gaze keeps drifting across the floor of the Tomes, skimming across the scenery and the faces of various strangers in search of a valid distraction. When he spots a face he does recognize, he automatically sits up straighter in his seat, suddenly feeling much more alert. (It's just because now he has an excuse to ditch these books, he tells himself. That's all. It's not like there's any deeper meaning behind why his pulse is suddenly quickening a touch.)
Does D sense the rancid presence of his thrall somewhere nearby? Or does the bustle of the holiday crowd block out that sensation for him? Either way, he's suddenly being accosted by ... a stranger. A tall one that he definitely doesn't recognize -- longer brown hair, soft green eyes, dark skin -- who suddenly wraps an arm over his shoulder and leans in close to croon into his face, ]
What brings you here, stranger?
[ It's Gen. He's just been practicing his disguise magic, and he can't resist the temptation to try and punk D a bit. (It's totally just a fun coinkydink that this gives him an excuse to get up close and personal with D, haha. No meaning behind it at all. Don't worry about it.) ]