Scene #2503: An Oceanic Encounter

Owner	Pose
Raine Arland	Raine had been busy. After dealing with that partially botched impromptu stealth mission yesterday, he was out to do a job that he knew he could actually do. So here he was, scouring the Oceanic Ruins for one thing or another. Navigating the ruined stone structures or countless differing architectures, he seemed to be on a careful lookout. In his hand was an ornate blade that occasionally glowed a light blue. He must have either seen or was expecting unwanted action during his searching. "Man...the job was simple in writing, but...I didn't expect this place to be such a mess." And so the young man grumbled aloud. A faint, ethereal giggle followed his complaint and a voice echoed out from the sword he was carrying. "Leave it to you to leap before you look. Truly a fool amongst fools~" Raine frowned. "Yeah, yeah, shut up. If you're not going to help then play the part of an inanimate object to it's fullest." The search went on...
Ineryon	Ineryon had been out of the limelight, to the knowledge of the mainstream, as far as anyone knew, because, he'd been trying to reach a better understanding of the nature of things, which led him down many paths. The drow had found some intriguing tidbits in some versions of 'Earth', which included a plethora of ideological, or scientific approaches on how to view the world, or, how to try and comprehend what was that 'is' of whatever is, that is, versus, what is not! Jainism, epistemology, and all that other mind-candy had helped him reach the conclusion that, ultimately, he would never have a complete view of the whole picture, thus, he strove to find a balance that lay somewhere between following intuition, and factuality. This is what had led him to the Oceanic Ruin, whereupon being approached, most unintentionally, by a pair who he /seemed/ to remember having encountered at some past juncture; Raine and... a sword bearing a voice that sounded similar to a female with whom the elven nobleman had once been acquainted! Sitting atop one outcropping of his own personal design, modified from the form forged by erosion, he peered down into the direction from whence Raine and 'Fragarach'(?) could be heard, Ineryon ceased his current activity, which had been a pursuit in the assemblage of some gemstones, collected over time, mentionable by virtue of their importance in Ineryon's attempt to increase his insight into the way of the world. His instincts, or mayhap the temptation to bolster rapport with the feminine voice, were motivation enough to bequeath Raine and his sword precedence over the dark-elf's previous activity, for the duration of a few minutes, or more, as Ineryon immediately showed preference towards the line of thinking generated by the 'sword' who was evidently holding a debate with Raine, "....If it is so that you would permit me the opportunity to show difference to your stance, male entity, then, I would like to suggest that it is possible your companion is only unable to help, because you are unable, or even unwilling to learn. I cannot state, with impervious confidence, that I am privy to the developments that have led to your arrival in this place, lending to your feminine-voiced sword, a justification to scold you, yet, I /WOULD/ declare, that learning the lesson of being aware of the consequences of actions, prior to taking actions, is a more optimal course, if it is true that you wish to preserve your life in this nexus of worlds, known as The Multiverse." He paused "It is /MY/ observation that, the evolution of the frontal lobes have granted many sapient organisms a venue through which they may act on reason, combined with memory, as opposed to showing total defiance of delayed-gratification, in a wilderness-type setting, which, might have encouraged less-advanced life forms to act quickly, and decisively... with less interest in distant rewards!... Do you agree?" It was a typical Valosian diatribe, masked in the guise of charitable advice, bent either in the vein of winning the favor of 'Fragarach'(?), or else, simply to pull Raine's leash, since Ineryon felt that Raine was pulling the leash of someone(or something) else! If you can dish it out, you'd better be able to take it~
Raine Arland	In the middle of kneeling down and peering under a half eroded archway, Raine's surveillance was interrupted by the sound of a vaguely familiar voice. "Hah?" He paused and turned to look in the direction it came from, spotting none other than Ineryon himself. The young man in black brushed himself off with his free hand and stared, listening to the other's spiel. "Uhhhhhh......wait, wait, wait." He pressed a finger to the side of his head, processing all of that which was said. "Let me break that down into simple words...basically, you're saying that this-" He lifted his sword lazily. "-Can't help me because I haven't taken the proper measures to prevent this situation from happening in the first place?" ...Well, that WAS true. If he'd staked out the place beforehand, he'd realize this job was trouble. But heeeeeeeey! ".......Uh.....wait, was that an insult?" Raine, being somewhat lower on the ladder of intellectual prowess found himself floundering. "And before that, I've seen you before, haven't I?" The sword Raine was carrying shook and then broke free of his grasp, floating into the air on it's own. In a flash of light, what replaced it was the figure of a girl. With a familiar white dress, long white hair, elongated ears, and a tail. Yes, that sword /was/ Fragarach. "Ehehehehe..." And she was amused. Giggling to herself, she covered her mouth with a sleeve. Clearly she had no sympathy for Raine. Her gaze settled upon the dark elf and she smiled after lowering her sleeve. "It's been quite some time, Ineryon, was it? I trust you've been well?" She was in a good mood. Meanwhile, Raine just stood back, rubbing the back of his head in a mildly confused, and miffed manner. Did he just become the third wheel? Sheesh. Well, work still needed to be done. He didn't need Fragarach to look around, so he turned and wandered off to continue his search. At least of the immediate area.
Ineryon	Clearing his throat, while listening to Raine paraphrase, Ineryon tried to alter his wording to make it more transparent, since the mental gaze of the male-co-conspirator of Fragarach was not as acute as that of his 'sidekick', who was obviously the brains of the outfit, "What I am saying, Entity Raine... is that, the teacher can only appear, when the student is ready... and, while I do agree, also, that her assessment seems fitting, the fact is... you had renounced her words as being helpful, but, this, I suggest, you consider, is due to your own shortcomings, and inability to recognize pearls to be what they actually are, when they are cast before you..." For academic sorts, this would have been an indication that 'throwing pearls before swine' was being used as an analogy for the fact that Fragarach had given Raine wisdom that was valuable, which went unappreciated, because Raine wasn't able to see the value of something even when it was right in front of him. Silently, the drow was hoping Raine would not have heard of the reference, because he didn't want the situation to escalate into violence, in spite of the fact that Ineryon was more than complacent to administer incisively demeaning condemnations without hesitation, or mercy, in the presence of his female cohort, who was undoubtedly smart enough to understand that Raine was being called a hog. And!... when Raine /asks/ if it was an insult, Ineryon spin-doctors the term 'insult' so as to feign benevolence, when there was probably nothing of the sort, coming from his metaphorically forked-tongue... The drow nobleman had no qualms about establishing a Potemkin's Village to falsely represent what warmth he was willing to extend to those who were 'lower' than himself, in his eyes, "Let us say, it is an estimation, based on personal experience, from my vantage point, that you have a vast room for improvement, contrasted against others presently occupying this vicinity, who are less desperately in need of said upgrades?" One side of his lips curls upwards, as Ineryon stifles a full-scale smirk, since that would have undeniably telegraphed his smugness. Bowing to Fragarach, on the other hand, whereas Raine got nary beyond a criticism, the 'suddenly-reformed' dark-skinned sylvan man adopts a more tranquil, gentle vocalization, "Greetings, Miss Fragarach!... I prefer 'Mister Valos', but, if recollection serves, I /did/ give you, and ONLY you the privilege to refer to me as -Ineryon-, if you should so elect, for, I shall admit freely that your presence is ever welcome!" A remote hint of a genuine grin appears, as he speaks these words, "So... Miss Fragarach, did you choose to ensure the health of your pets by taking them for a walk, in this environ, because of its archaic, if not.... culturally-intriguing appearance? Or... Maybe 'it' dragged you herein such an enthusiastic haste, that you didn't have a chance to catch a breather? Curious minds like to hear from others who have enough of a mind to give an articulated answer, and, I cannot say I've ever had a sophisticated discussion with something that needs be led on a leash" Apparently, Raine was a cross between a pig, and a dog, and not even a purebred swine!
Raine Arland	Ineryon's description of Raine earned him another amused giggle from the floating woman. "Ehehehe...oh my. A pet, hm? I suppose that is an accurate likening." She took a deep breath and glanced off towards nowhere in particular, adopting a seated position in the air, one leg crossed over the other. "But to answer in actuality; the boy took a job from a client and only read part of the request before accepting." She rest her chin in one of her hands after that. "And as you can clearly see, we happen to find ourselves searching for a needle in the proverbial haystack. Typical situation." Despite how much of a bother this was, Fragarach only smiled in an entertained manner. Raine meanwhile was thankfully out of earshot of all those insults. His persistence to the job at hand eventually paid off however. After peeking around a ruined wall, he spotted his target! A clump of elemental ore! "Alright!" He fistpumped enthusiastically and picked up the lump of rock, weighing it in his hand. "One down, a couple more to go." He turned towards the direction of the other two and waved for Fragarach's attention. "We got one! I'm gonna keep looking!" And then he was off again. Fragarach nodded in acknowledgement to Raine's shouted report and turned her gaze over to the dark elf. "So...what brings you out to these parts anyhow? I somehow doubt that you're sightseeing now."
Ineryon	Nodding in understanding of Fragarach's explanation on their predicament, the dark elf breathed deeply, before gesturing towards Raine with his index finger, "For all the liabilities that one seems to house, I still query what assets are intrinsic to his being, aside from... tenacity... which afford him any conceivable merit, which enable you to tolerate his presence, Miss Fragarach. On the other hand, I shall give you the choice of disclosing this information, or keeping it secretive." He bobs his head back and forth, eyes closed, in consideration of the question delivered his own way, from the woman, Ineryon opens one eye, which shoots down so as to transfix upon the arrangement of gemstones that had been placed within proximity of his temporary residence, "This is, as any fool can see, a compilation of precious rocks... rounded, polished.... and capable of reflecting, on their surface, whatever other materialisms are in this premises." Ineryon is almost tempted to beat a dead horse, by calling over to Raine, to request Raine confirm that the dark-haired youth 'can see' that there was a compilation of rocks present, for an instant. Soon enough, he allows the moment to pass by, and the drow remarks, "It is a rudimentary, yet expensive tribute to Indra's Net." Leaning forward, Ineryon gets a closer look at one of the jewels, at which point, he chimes in, "Imagine if you will, for example... a home devised by the funnel-web spider, in the very early morning, covered by droplets of dew." Drawing back to a more comfortable position, his back no longer arched forward, and face no more pressed close to the stone, the dark elf proceeds, "In one droplet, you might see the reflection of the sun... and, additionally, an adjacent droplet of dew, mirrored in the initial droplet. Now, picture, if you will... an infinity of droplets all clinging to the inside, and outside of the web, glimmering in the sun. The first droplet reflects the second, and the third, which both in turn reflect each other, in which all the others are then reflected in themselves, through the first, second, and third... So, how many contingencies are there? And, by the mere presence of the one, does that mean that one must acknowledge, that as one, there is something that one is not, such that if there is one, and there is something which is not the one, there must be two... and if there must be two, there must be three!" Shrugging, Ineryon glanced over to Fragarach, "....So then... If it is so that I can never have a complete picture, I remind myself the pertinence of trying to keep in focus, that as things are the way that they ultimately are, that I should aspire to keep a vigil on action, versus stagnation... Applying force, versus offering passivity, or submission. Accepting some changes, while trying to prevent others. Plus...." He cocks an eyebrow at her, deviously, smiling, "....I'm admiring what I have been given the opportunity to admire, while I can. I think you are more shapely than not too long before now, when you were more liable to provide cutting of flesh alongside Entity Raine's ego, to simply cutting of his ego, which, I myself have apparently indulged in, if it is okay for me to trust that you realized, all this duration, that I had meager respect for him, in truth?" Ineryon yawns, "....And, lastly, I have other harvests that have yet to fruit, so.... I am seeking to cultivate patience, for lacking the ability to watch, and wait, leaves itself vulnerable to the impulses of idle-hands, which seldom provide a good rate of return...."
Raine Arland	Fragarach patiently listened as her company spoke about the peculiarities of his situation. The infinite possibilities revealed to him by a single presence, and his inability to physically and mentally take in all of those aforementioned possibilities. It was complicated. From what she could surmise, it seemed like he was seeking total knowledge of all that encompassed existence. ...A daunting task. And one he seemed to have already realized was not an immediately fruitful effort. "I see. You must have come a long way then." She shifted her posture a bit then, uncrossing her legs and then crossing them the other way, and resting her arms in her lap. His praise of her earned him a smile. "My, quite a flatterer you are, hm?" She drifted just a bit closer to the man, playfully settling her back against his chest. Her tail curled around to poke at his cheek in the meantime. "Well, dear sir, you have my heartfelt appreciation~" And as soon as she had made contact with him however, she drifted apart, returning to a respectable proximity. "Nevertheless, I do wish you good fortune in your endeavors. Surely you will see results sooner than my companion here..." And speaking of Raine, Fragarach turned her attention towards the boy, who was busy digging through a pile of rocks in the distance. "As for why I put up with him...No particular reason." A nonchalant shrug followed. "He may not be the most intelligent, and he may get himself into more trouble than I care to recall, but...I suppose he is entertaining. In his own unique manner." A smirk adorned the girl's features upon saying so. Well, looks like there wasn't any binding pacts or spells keeping them together. It was just for the hell of it. Right about that moment, Raine hopped back up to his feet, holding up another clump of rock. "Found another one! One more left!" And he marched off to search another spot.
Ineryon	Scratching his head, when she suggested that he'd come a long way, Ineryon announced, with a mundane degree of self-assuredness, "...Uhh... Hmm. I'd like to take some credit for the milestones traversed, nevertheless, if there's but one quasi-objective bone in my body, it would compel me to say that, compared to some, this may be so, while others... not." Chortling, he cants his head to the side, in Raine's direction, bragging a teensy bit, "...Then again, if this world has nothing more than just myself, which would be too solipsistic for my tastes, on a personal level, in accordance with the concept of Object Permanence, I'd then be forced to say that there is that which is more grandiose than I, and that which is less... and that which encompasses all three, at the same time. With this being the case, your pet is a reminder to folk of my design, that I am yet above an amoeba, if anything can be said for possessing an advantageous position on a totem pole, which would belong to something of an ethical-meritocracy." He nervously twitches when Fragarach closes the gap between themselves, even if it's for only a few seconds in full, being that his prowess in the department of self-control is something he prides himself on, although this has also made Ineryon unconfident when it comes to genuine advancement of flirtation, for, although he was fascinated by Fragarach.... should things ever 'progress', could the dark elf be wholly certain that his ascetic lifestyle could prepare him to meet the standards of performance to which the she-demon might be accustomed? This, like a many other number of things, he did not know! Lightly, regardless, the drow took a chance window to touch her tail, to get a feel for it, and try to seer into his mind the sensation... for it was customary to envision a visual image, produced by light, what was happening as it happened... but if one closed their eyes, and were to seek to give words to how a sensation 'felt', other than imagining an object, texturally, how would one describe such things? The good nobleman was not so gimmicky as to give way exclusively to one means of detection, whilst letting others rust. "....Maybe... you keep him around, since his failures help to assist in teaching you how to deal with others who might be better parted with their valuables, yet not engaging with their weaponry?" This wasn't to say Ineryon was calling Fragarach a 'con-artist', exactly.... seeing that in the mind of the drow, folks with too much money or other resources, and not enough brains to deserve to keep those possessions, deserved very much to be given an opportunity to choose to 'trade' their gold for fool's-gold, and, was it truly Fragarach's fault if she offered a wealthy passerby with a chance to give her their authentic gold, so that she could put in their own hands, fool's-gold she'd picked up from some nameless hiking path? Ineryon Valos saw no issue with this. "A word of advice, though, Miss Fragarach... keep him on a short leash. And don't let him hold onto the deed to the farm, if he is to wander out of your sight. He'll return with a few beans, and, lest you believe in giants living in castles aloft, within the heavens, who lay claim to fowl predisposed to laying golden eggs, I suspect you'd be sorry for it. If he's good for performing parlor tricks when you invite guests, and respectable company over, though.... by all means, do keep him in your employ~"
Raine Arland	The short window in which Ineryon had touched Fragarach's tail caused it to twitch momentarily, but beyond that, there was no obvious reaction. She must have masked it well. Regardless, it coiled back to her side after that. His statement of totem poles and merits, as well as the imagined reason for her continuing to keep Raine's company, caused her smile to widen. She raised a sleeve to her mouth again, laughing lightly after. "Well, in a manner of speaking, I suppose his failings do serve as convenient lessons. Ones learned without having to directly experience." She did pretty much see everything Raine went through, without take any of the burden herself. It was actually an enviable position to be in, for someone like her. She was never the target of attacks or ridicule. As far as anyone cared, she was just a familiar. It was much more convenient and much less troublesome. "However, I have little need for material things like riches and money. Such fleeting things mean little to me." For once in her life, she actually made contact with the ground after saying such. Standing on her own two feet and stretching her arms above her head in a bored manner. Bored of the task at hand. Not of the conversation, most likely. Interestingly, now that she was actually standing, one could tell that she was quite short. Somewhere around five foot four. The length of her tail, would increase that to around six and a half feet, but that hardly counted. Once she was done stretching her arms, the girl in white immediately rose back into the air again. "Your advice is well noted. Granted, if he ever screws up, the one who will be affected is not me." True, she didn't seem to eat that much, or require material things like housing, money, and such. That was all Raine. But her? ...Not particularly. "But regardless, I believe he will not 'lose the deed to the farm', despite not standing in the upper echelons of mental prowess." That is to say, he wasn't a genius, and he made little mistakes now and then, but far be it for him to be conned. She'd watched him for a long time now. Relatively speaking. At that moment, Raine rounded a corner into the pair's sight. he held two large pieces of ore under one arm, and waved a third piece around with his other as he approached. "Alright, we're done here! Three pieces of elemental ore found! Let's get this show on the road and get ourselves paid!" And with that, he marched past the two and in the direction that he'd landed his ship in. "Hurry up and quit flirting! We've got things to do!" Fragarach rolled her eyes at Raine's arrival and then departure to the ship, but smiled all the same. "Oh my. he found them." She chuckled a tad at that. "I suppose this is farewell then." She turned to Ineryon, waving an arm slightly. "I suppose I will be seeing you about some other time. Tata~" And without further ado, she floated off after her companion.
Ineryon	Ineryon watched as Raine 'accused' them of flirting, with a twitch of his eyelid, in one eye, which was presumably an appropriate conclusion to have reached, but not something the dark elf enjoyed seeing transformed into the subject of degradation; who was this upstart to judge the nobleman of the Valii? By happenstance, it might've been partly dismay towards the attack itself, or, the fashion in which it was done, which was brash, and devoid of any subtlety-- but would Ineryon be a hypocrite to gripe over Raine's minuscule persuasion over exercising tact, while, at the same time, delight in the man's inept attempts at defending himself from disparaging quips, born from the same, 'presumed mediocrity' that the noble drow beheld within the confines of Raine's essence? No words are decreed, until finally, he passive-aggressively mocks Raine indirectly, when the youth starts being bossy with Fragarach, "....It appears your self-appointed drill-sergeant has barked 'orders' for you to desist your flirtation, Miss Fragarach. It appears as though the a55 wearing the skin of a lion has forgotten that he is still just an a55. I guess you get to pretend to be the one following orders for a bit longer, which, I wager.... works well to your advantage, if he is indeed convinced that he's in charge, such that he gets the 'honor' of doing the hard labor, which I'm sure he prides himself in, when you reassure him that it's a mark of his stalwart determination, and unbreakable will to succeed at.... whatever he's doing...." Ineryon winks, "....under your 'suggested' behest!" Quietly, the Valosian drow inquired what it was that Fragarach depended on, since it was clear that, within the environments where he'd seen her, she required nil to sustain her, that her respective atmospheres could provide. Then again.... if she wandered other places, did she need for there to be specific conditions met, to survive, or was she banished from some planes or dimensions, altogether? Ineryon did not believe anything was invincible, holistically, then again, because of relativity... it was true that a horse needed a certain amount of water to thrive, in a moist location, less often than wild mustangs did who survived in Death Valley; they could not simply take a singular sip of water once every century and hope to cope with the mercilessly sweltering temperatures in that desert. Patience was a virtue.... maybe it would take a hundred years... a thousand years... but if one waited long enough, they might just see a camel take that rare visit to the oasis, before it resumes another eon in its hiatus from demonstrating what needs it truly relied upon, in order to remain intact, or, to maintain whatever defenses kept it protected, or fast enough to flee from would-be predators. Patience.... that was the key. Ineryon had his own weaknesses, and yet... maybe Fragarach herself was starting to become one of them, with the passage of time, as he obsessed over her nature....?