Nyr wasn’t entirely sure what he had expected when he set off on a journey to go to ‘someplace the exact opposite of the Frost Gale’, but he supposes he likely should have expected heat. Lots of it. Like sitting by a roaring fireplace, only all around you, all day long, never ending.

Fucking shit, Zeinav was hot.

But, in a way, the heat was a welcome change. As much as Nyr had a hard time coping with it, it was a welcome reminder that he had run fast and far. He was no longer in Frost Gale, and there was nothing in Zeinav to even remind him of it. Everything about the scenery and the people and culture was so different to all he had ever known. And he… He kind of liked it.

Right now he was in a place known as the.. Oasis, was it? Yes, the Oasis. A community built up around a source of water in a land generally devoid of the precious resource. It had been a long journey to get here, but he had never felt freer.

There was only one problem.

He had left Frost Gale with a desire to be free, and to learn. But he did not know where to begin when it came to the second half of his goals. Nyr had his freedom, but no idea what to do with it now. Which left him… Wandering around, trying to ask strangers for help locating a school, or a library, a local alchemist? Anything.

Maybe he should have planned out his escape a little more before making it…

It's strange to even consider leaving roots anywhere.

For a child of the forest, however distant he is from is, now, however far-removed he is from gnarled trees and gentle-lit leaves and the brilliance of the moon he grew up beneath, wandering has been in Kvasir's blood for a long while, now; the years meld together, the specificity indistinguishable within the mass, but he knows the years have been long and carried him back and forth across Charon more times than he can count. He's journeyed to every corner of it, looped the land over and over and over again, all for the sake of his work and his ever-spiraling mind.

And yet, here he stands, amidst the sand and waters and greenery of his beloved desert, ready to dig deep and plant roots and pray that they will stay, and oh, does it feel strange.

Getting things settled within The Desert Rose had... taken a while. Considering he's spent most of his adult life that he can remember traveling, unable to ever really leave behind the nomadic nature of what was once his second family, it isn't as if he has much to his name beyond the belongings he carries with him, so purchasing furnishing and the like had eaten up the better half of his day. At least he hadn't had to worry too much about setting aside Solars for medical supplies-- he had those in spades.

Still, the shelves had looked a little empty, especially since Kvasir had already set plans in motion for that library extension once he thought he could afford to finish it, and there had been a vendor for some rare books at the trading outpost today, so... he hadn't been able to resist. So now he has an armful of medicinal texts, each one packed with myriad notes on various herbs and fruits and flowers, most of it likely things he's already well-acquainted with, but... always something that's nice to keep on hand.

He hums quietly beneath his breath as he wanders the area, contemplating whether or not it's a good idea to go and get some tea right about now, when he.... catches sight of a strange young man glancing aimlessly around, equal parts frustration and anxiety dawning on his face. Despite how obviously lost he looks, no one seems to be coming to his rescue.

Well. Kvasir has nothing but time.

"You alright there, friend?" he asks as he approaches, giving the boy a concerned look. "You seem a bit lost."

Kara walked with purpose. That purpose was to walk in this direction. Wait, no, maybe this direction? She turned slightly, heel crunching the soft sand beneath her, and took off in this new direction, once again filled with purpose. As far as this physical realm went, Kara was starting to get the distinct feeling that being lost in a desert was not one of the great pleasures it offered. Not that anything was pleasant in this stupid, stupid physical body. Kara lifted her hand to shade her eyes from the glare of the sun. This is ridiculous. I used to be made of light, and now I need to squint just to see in it. Being in a body was definitely Kara's least favorite thing ever. No, wait, I really don't like onions. Maybe onions are my least favorite thing? Kara, having been new to the whole "eating food for sustenance and all that jazz" concept, had listened intently when it had been explained to her, then proceeded to take a large bite out of a raw onion. It had been... Unpleasant.

Kara was snapped out of her memories by a sight in the distance. No, not the settlement around that body of water, Kara didn't care about that. Something... gleamed there. Something... Kara sped up.

When she reached the Oasis, she made a beeline straight for that gleaming she had seen. It was less of a visible shine and more of a... feeling. If Kara had remembered that she had guts now, she might have called it a gut feeling. Alas, she did not, and therefore it was more like, just kind of a general, overall feeling she had. Very non-specific, body-wise. Really could be located anywhere in any part of her body. 

But most likely her guts.

There it was, a man standing tall- er, well, not really tall, per se. But then, Kara stood at 6 feet herself, so tall was subjective; She tended to look down on a lot of people, and not just because she didn't think highly of mortals. She pushed past a few people that stood between her and her goal, careless of their cries as they went tumbling to the floor in her wake. She walked up to the man, noting that he had the ears of an animal, very strange that, definitely didn't have that combo when she was first on Charon all those years ago, but anyways, stop getting distracted, and she reached out and grabbed his face.

"You! You... are an angel too??" A big smile broke out on Kara's face.

A comedic scene was playing out before his very eyes as a tall bronze woman walks up to a familiar little fox man, clasping his face and calling him an angel as a young dark-skinned tiefling stood nearby looking lost. It definitely was not what Zarius was expecting to come across this bright and swelteringly hot day. 

Word of Kvasir's recent acquisition of a building in the Oasis had first reached Zarius' ears through his network of allies. Given how Astrid had caught him off guard with her adoption by Cantio and strange relation to the Lord of Ghouls himself, he has been trying to keep better informed on those he considers allies just so that he can save himself the stress of being blindsided. 

Kvasir choosing to settle in Zeinav of all places was a surprising turn of events. He would have assumed the botanist would prefer to live somewhere with a more agreeable climate for growing various plants. Then again, herbalism was big business in Zeinav, so he hardly would be hurting for clients. There also was a rumor floating about that the fox-man had been seen with a ostentateous purple tiefling scam artist, which made Zarius a little concerned for the man's wellbeing. There was no shortage of manipulative bastards in Zeinav, himself included. 

Not wanting to interrupt...whatever was going on, the charcoal skinned tiefling hangs back in the shadow of a building. He carried a few housewarming gifts for Kvasir including a book of medicinal uses for Ash Land specific flora and a few carefully transported plant specimens he acquired in trade from a client for some information on a business rival. He had no use for the plants himself, so he figured Kvasir would at least be able to do something with them.

He watches the situation continue to unfold. The tall woman's behavior made her stand out more than her appearance. She was very forward and clearly had no sense for personal boundaries. It didn't appear that she was a previous acquaintance of Kvasir given her loud remarks and the fox-man's expression towards her. 

The other figure, the young dark-skinned tiefling just seemed to be a passer-by as well. Kvasir must have noticed the lost look on their face and decided to try an be helpful. The young man definitely was not dressed as a local, the colors were much more reminiscent of what would be expected in further north, though the outfit was far from appropriate for colder climates.

It wasn't often that Zarius saw other tieflings outside of his family who lacked the hellish red hues most commonly associated with their kind. He doubts there's any family relation...though he would admit his knowledge of his own ancestral ties was not that great.

Nyr isn’t expecting to be approached by anyone, really, but when a strange man with foxears and a flower on his face steps forward, he can’t help but feel just the tiniest bit relieved. He was lost after all. There was really no point in denying something that was likely obvious to everyone around him…

“Ah- Well, yes, I am a bit lost.” He admits, still a touch sheepish over the matter. “I’ve been trying to find- Uhm… A library, maybe? Or- Do you know where I could maybe find an alchemist? I’m searching for some books and no one has been able to point me in the right direction.” He’s wringing his hands in front of him when he seems to realize something. “Actually, I don’t know where the inn is either, I just got here with the latest carava–”

His words are interrupted by another figure marching on up to them, only she seems to ignore Nyr’s presence entirely as she takes the Fox-Man’s face in her hands and declares him to be an… An angel?

The poor boy’s eyes go wide at that, both with shock and confusion. He looks between the two strangers a bit helplessly. Should he… should he leave? If these two were angels, he probably should. No good would likely come if they realized anything off about his presence. But what if she was just confused? He didn’t imagine angels walking around looking like human women or fox people. But she seemed so confident.

Ah, he was psyching himself out already. Even if he did leave, he had no where to go in this town. Not unless he found another caravan to join and tried again somewhere else.

But he really didn’t wan to go traveling through the desert again so soon…! It was so hot, and even with his thick outer jacket tucked into his traveling pack, his clothing was still far too much for the local climate.

Nevermind what he thought earlier about liking Zeinav, on second thought, the idea of traveling again has convinced him that he absolutely hates the desert, actually.

But all this panicked thinking does nothing to help him sort out what to do in the current situation.

“Um…?”

When one travels as much and chooses a career that requires as much social interaction as Kvasir's does, it's inevitable that there will be quite the assortment of strange encounters along the way. He's met strange patients with stranger ailments, odd adventurers with unusual quirks, holy men with strange divine power and odd women with a deep love for the moon, so on and so forth-- the oddities are so common that they hardly feel strange anymore.

And yet, in this moment, with this strange, tall woman staring him down, her bright eyes so earnest and her hand against his face like he's an old friend, Kvasir can confidently say he's never met anyone stranger.

There's the immediate initial panic that this is someone he knows, someone he's forgotten; another person Kasra has pried from his memories in his sleep and cast away, but the longer he stares back into that waiting gaze, searching for intention, the quicker he realizes that he's just as much a stranger to her as she is to him. There's a small relief that comes with that, gratitude for the salvation from the awkwardness that comes with explaining all he's lost to an old friend he no longer knows, but it doesn't change the oddity of the situation in the slightest. Hell, this just makes it more weird, actually-- he's never actually wished for Kasra's influence to be at play, but at least that might make this make sense!

"Whoa, there, friend," Kvasir chuckles, forcing a weak smile as he holds a hand up, very carefully leaning back, not wishing to offend. Even so, his personal space has been stormed upon quite enough. "Angel's an awfully kind term, but that's very forward of you, and I'm... accounted for."

It isn't entirely a lie, at least-- he knows his heart well and he knows where it lies, even if he has to keep it under lock and key. There's stardust in his veins left by lilac fingertips, and he'd be a fool to think he could pry them away.

As stressed as he is about all of this, it hardly compares to the look of utter shock plastered all over the poor tiefling boy's face-- dear Solaria, poor thing, this whole mess certainly isn't helping his confusion. Kvasir shoots another weak smile at the woman standing before him, a very polite request for her to at least give him the chance to finish this conversation before she goes and asks about angels and celestials any more, before looking to the boy before him, a softness returning to his gaze.

"You're looking for an alchemist?" he asks with a tilt of his head, one of his ears slightly flopping to one side with it. "I may have some good news for you, then. I'm one myself-- what can I do to help you?"

Oh, crap. I messed up, didn't I? Kara quickly realized she must have crossed some social taboo, and as the foxman leaned back out of her grip, she let her arm fall. The man gave her a smile, and turned back to the boy he had been talking to. What was that species called again?....Tiefling, that's it.

Kara let the two of them speak, and observed the man she had grabbed closer. Her smile slipped from her face. Now that she took the time to actually study the celestial energy stored within him, it was apparent that he was no angel. She tilted her head, studying the energy quizzically. She reached out, intent on grabbing his face again to examine him more closely, but stopped herself just in time. She turned the motion into a sudden stretch to hide her mistake. Now why is everyone looking at me? She quickly reviewed the motion she had just performed in her head. She was positive she did it right... Crap, I didn't do the yawning thing that usually accompanies a stretch. Well... Damn it, who invented all these stupid rules?

"Fine!" she snapped at the foxman, startling him out of his conversation. He actually hadn't been looking at her when she did the fake stretch, but Kara was annoyed at herself now, and angrily put her hands on her hips. "Yes, I was going to touch you again, so what?" She thrust out her chin defiantly. "You try learning an entirely new set of social norms that revolve around an entire concept that doesn't even exist in your realm!"

Kara felt like she was losing control of this entire situation, which was unfortunate, because even she would have to admit she never really had any control here in the first place.

"Besides," she muttered, "I'm not the one pretending to be a celestial!" She hesitated for a moment, observing the man once more. "A... dead celestial?" She leaned in, hand coming up once more to touch his face. What in the Light is residing in this man's soul?

"By the way," she murmured as she leaned even closer, analyzing the energy, "What's with your friend in the shadows? The horned one. Is he scared of you?"

Okay. He'd seen enough. It looked like this woman was one second away from slapping Kvasir for some reason as she kept lifting her hands towards his face. 

The tiefling quickly walks over to the group, his tail held just above the ground so that it did not drag in the sand. He does not bother being stealthy in his approach and clearly moves with intent to intercept. The younger man was unfortunately between himself and Kvasir and the strange loud woman.

"Excuse me."

He gently puts a hand on the shoulder of the younger tiefling as he passes by him. Putting on a friendly smile, he looks at Kvasir. 

"Kvasir, it is good to see you again. I heard you were in the area and figured I would drop by."

The brawler not-so-subtly puts himself between the fox-man and the woman to try and encourage her to back off. He might not be the tallest person around, but he knew how to muscle his way through crowds and make himself a solid obstacle if being imposing failed.

Turning his gaze on the woman, he keeps the smile though the words he speaks to her are a little more direct and have the slightest hiss of a warning.

"Pardon the interruption, ma'am, but I think you are a little too close for my friend's comfort."

Kvasir didn't likely need to be rescued, but he also wouldn't likely tell someone off for bothering him either. Zarius was more than willing to play the part of a rude jerk for the man's sake.

Nyr experiences a range of emotions in the next few moments. First, relief when the fox-man tells him he is the local alchemist. Yes! His luck was turning around! Second, an even deeper sense of confusion as the woman began speaking of… Social norms? Different realms? dead celestials?

Third, he experiences fright, as a heavy hand lands on his shoulder and makes him nearly jump out of his skin. But when he looks to see who touched him, he sees a friendly smile on the face of a–

Another tiefling? One that… Kind of looks like him actually?

That was a first.

It seems the older tielfing and the alchemist know each other, if the way the tiefling talks to him is any indication, but he can sense a subtle tension lingering in the undercurrent of the conversation. Was it because of the woman? Or worse yet, it wasn’t because of him was it? He didn’t think he’d done anything wrong so far, but who knows.

It’s not like his education back home ever really included making friends.

“Ah… Um… I’m sorry. Am I… I’m not bothering you all, am I? Were you busy already?” The look on his face is only slightly pathetic as he looks at the alchemist. “I was just looking for a place to study, thats all. I was hoping whoever the local alchemist is might be able to lend me some books- But if you are busy I don’t want to trouble you or your, erm, friends? I could always look somewhere else.” He’d frankly rather brave the desert again to make it to the next settlement than be stuck in a social situation where he wasn’t wanted.

A dead celestial.

Despite the persistent heat of the Zeinavian air, however eased it may be in the area around the Oasis, hearing those words spoken so plainly and easily, out in the open for anyone to hear, is enough to make Kvasir's blood run cold, the World Crown's wind ghosting through his veins like a cruel, taunting cackle.

He's maintained such a soft expression for the sake of the poor, lost-looking boy-- who only seems to look more and more lost with every passing moment--, but his one visible eye twitches at this strange woman's mention of the god who dwells in the corners of his mind, the mention of something she cannot and should not know of. Still, despite the wildness in her eyes, the erratic confusion etched into every word she speaks, the fact that she can see the traces of the God of Remains is proof alone that she is no mere ordinary woman.

But before Kvasir can say a word, before he can think to ask her how she knows or try to conjure up some deflection, an all too familiar figure slinks out of nowhere, carefully inserting himself into the situation, as practiced and confident as he's ever seen him.

Kvasir has never been more grateful to see Zarius in his life.

"Ah, good to see you too, friend," he says, forcing a weak smile at the tiefling, gratitude melting the sharpness from his features as he gives a quick nod. "It's been a while-- ah... thank you."

Figuring that Zarius can... likely handle whatever has the strange woman so aggravated, Kvasir is quick to turn back to the younger tiefling, who really looks quite mortified by this whole ordeal-- dear Solaria, who can blame him? The poor thing just wanted some guidance, and wound up thrown into the midst of an unintentional celestial debacle, with just as many answers and twice as many questions as he'd walked in with. In an exact mirror of Zarius's own gesture from moments before, Kvasir sets a gentle hand against the young man's shoulder, lightly, lest he needs to suddenly withdraw it.

"Please, you're no bother at all," he says, willing the stress away from his face, channeling all the warmth he can back into his expression. "If you're in need of some books, or a place to study, I would be all too happy to provide either. Is there anything in particular you're looking into, in regards to alchemy?"

The vessel housing the dead celestial turned to speak to the younger Tiefling, leaving Kara facing the newest member to join the cast of this increasingly absurd farce. The dark-skinned Tiefling had placed himself between her and the celestial, and though he continued to smile, a subtle undertone of warning layered his words. Kara may have had little experience with understanding physical bodies and the rules that accompanied them, but she could pick up the hints a voice could drop as well as anyone. She took a step back, giving this Tiefling the space he demanded. Something about him made her skin crawl anyways, and she was glad to create distance between them.

She inclined her head ever so slightly. "I didn't mean to offend." Her tone was cold, so unlike the bright energy or even the defiant anger she had displayed earlier; However subtly, this man had threatened her, and Kara didn't like threats. Or onions. Besides, Kara was definitely getting a strange vibe off of him.

She took a breath, then glanced behind the Tiefling at the foxman. This one called him Kvasir. Her curiosity was burning bright, and it seemed she would have to play nice if she wanted answers. Focusing her gaze back on the Tiefling, she smiled suddenly. "I'm just here to offer a friendly hand." The change from cold to happy was as sudden as the desert was hot, but Kara wasn't one to notice if her social skills were a little... off.

She placed her hands on her hips and grinned at the Tiefling. This one stands between you and answers, Kara. Win him over. "So, how have you been liking the weather?" That seemed to be a common question these mortals asked each other, so Kara figured it was a safe way to start building the undying bonds of friendship with this dark being that... had... threatened her... Kara felt her smile falter. She really didn't like being threatened.

"Oh, to hell with it." she muttered, and blasted him in the chest with a bolt of golden, angelic energy. [Purity Bolt]

He gives a nod of acknowledgement to Kvasir and gives the other tiefling a reassuring smile. The fox-man would be able to help them with whatever they needed better than he could given the context of the conversation he has managed to glean. He keeps his attention on the problematic woman, standing his ground and ensuring that she could not simply overlook him despite the height difference. 

Seeing the woman back off, he takes a step or two towards her to make her back off from Kvasir and the younger tiefling more. It almost looked like they were squaring up for a fight. He wasn't anticipating it to come to that if this woman had any sense to speak of. 

"A friendly hand. Sure. Whatever you say."

She brings up the weather and he is about to answer when her smile falters.

The woman raises her hand and a blinding light emits from her palm and radiates across Zarius' form. It's a powerful, diving infused magic...that for the briefest of moments seems to get consumed harmlessly by a flash of blue flame which leaves a shower of dark sparks that drift harmlessly to the ground.^[1] Zarius blinks slowly and looks down at the woman's hand pointed towards him and then back at her face with an unimpressed head tilt and expression on his face. 

"Sorry to disappoint you, but I have already been to hell and back. I do not anticipate making a return journey anytime soon."

It wasn't a bluff. It wasn't even a lie. He had been to hell and came back in one piece. Barely. Though the trip had left its mark on him in more ways than one. Or at least, that's what he believes. He really couldn't explain some of the powers he has gained in the past few months after that incident. The burning in his veins was just his new normal and the taste of smoke lingered on his tongue. So far nothing bad had happened, but he also didn't really understand how it works. Sometimes it feels like something beyond his control. Which is concerning. 

---

[1] Elemental Immunity (Light)

A flash of light. Unnatural blue fire. That’s all it takes to set Nyr’s heart racing. In an instant, his expression morphs from just nervous to outright terrified. He’s not even sure what the Fox-man just said to him. He’s unsure what the other tiefling and that woman are saying to each other. He can’t hear any of it.

Distantly he realizes he must be panicking.

“I-I’m sorry- I- I need to go.” There’s a slight tremor running through his body when he speaks, likely one that the fox can feel just from the hand on his shoulder. He thinks that maybe the fox-man has been offering to help him somehow. It was probably rude of Nyr to run off in the middle of that, but he could not bring himself to care in the moment.

Nyr pulls away from the stranger’s hand with one last wide-eyed look at the group around him, likely not realizing quite how frightened he looks at the moment. Then, he turns his back to them with the full intention of bolting across the oasis and never coming back here.

He would run across the desert right now, just to get away from whatever the hell this was.

On any other day, in any other situation, the first thing that might catch Kvasir's attention would certainly be the ease with which Zarius shrugs off the sudden burst of celestial energy thrown his way, as if he's been hit by a wayward little june beetle rather than a bolt of Solaria's magic. It's certainly quite impressive, and coupled with the scathing words he tosses forth, it sparks more than a couple questions to Kvasir's ever-curious mind, but those fade away into insignificance almost immediately.

No, what matters more is the way the stranger jolts, frozen before the entanglement of blue and gold flashing before him, unhearing, unseeing-- before Kvasir can get a word in, he's turning and running, a hasty apology hanging in the air behind him.

Kvasir does not think before running right after him.

He sets the books in his arms carefully down on the earth, distantly aware of the strange woman's shifting concern, of Zarius's interception, of some further continuation between them, but he cannot bring himself to care-- he has seen the seeds of panic bloom like this before, ugly and unstoppable, and though he knows there is little to be done to prevent it now, he has eased these things a hundred times before. He knows every trick in the book, the rule of the maximum of twenty, every sight and sound and tangible thing that anchors you down when the wind rips you away from the comforts of the earth.

It's fortunate, really, that as far out as they manage to get, Kvasir is more than capable of catching up to the young man, sand flying up around his ankles as he slides out in front of him, just desperate to get him to stop in his tracks.

"Hey," he begins, hands held up, fingers curved inward, a plea for the young man to hold still, to settle. He tilts his head to the side just so, his tone soft and slow, the same one he always uses for young children and disoriented patients, for those who need something tangible to cling to. "Please-- you'll only make breathing more difficult on yourself if you keep running like that. You're safe. I won't let anything happen to you. I promise."

He gives it a minute before taking a step closer, hands still up, expression still warm, yet urging. He makes no move to reach out, knowing better than to attempt physical contact with someone in the throes of panic, especially when he has no concept of their tolerance for touch.

"Can you do me a favor?" Kvasir asks softly. "Take a deep breath-- in, count to four, hold for six, and out over seven. Slow and easy. Don't count the seconds if you don't want to, just do what feels right. In, hold, then out... Only focus on that, nothing more. In, hold, out. It's just you, and me, and you're safe."

He isn't sure how much the words mean, coming from a stranger, but he prays they mean something.

The panic in the boy's eyes melted Kara's heart. These mortals were so fragile. You're fragile now too, Kara. But there was a difference; living eons as an immortal being makes it difficult for the fear of mortality to grip one's soul. And when one did not fear dying, one feared very little indeed. But this boy knew fear. Something had terrified him to his core, and Kara was sure it wasn't her or the other Teifling. She took a step forward, and found her way blocked by the dark-skinned Tiefling.

She looked at him, all the anger she had felt earlier gone. Petty squabbles of petty mortals, they didn't matter. You're the petty mortal squabbling now. The thought pulled her up short, and she watched as Kvasir took off after the boy. She kept watching as they disappeared into the distance, and slowly refocused her gaze on the person in front of her. 

Petty mortals.

Petty squabbles.

Petty.

Mortals.

Me.

Kara opened her mouth and found she had nothing to say. She closed her mouth, lips curved ever so slightly downwards, and felt the shame rise up. That little boy had been terrified, absolutely terrified, and his panic and youth and innocence had pierced directly into Kara's soul. To her immense surprise she felt a tear fall from her eye. It gleamed golden, still filled with her angelic essence as it traveled down her cheek; halfway down the glow faded, and by the time the tear ran along her jaw, it was simply a tear, like any other.

She looked at the Tiefling, thought about apologizing. Thought about saying something, anything. Maybe just goodbye. Finally, she just turned, silently, and started walking away.