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Maureen and Cal had a very nice conversation. Apparently, she was born here and lived with her mother and younger brother. She never never knew her father. She was a natural blonde and has always kept a clean and healthy diet. HE also found out she was single. HE had to make it a point to coem back here after his buissness. After a while of their small talk and his banquet was finished, while she onlyu ate an apple and a banana, he asked her an important question.
Maureen, since you've lived here your entire life, have you seen any travelers come into town lately? He has a reddish hair color, and he plays this mysterious type usually. I also think he's traveling with a friend.
Well, there are a few red-haired travelers here, youa re on of them, teehee. She laughed at her little observation and he smiled in return, not really caring. Well, I did see one. It was kind of short, and he was traveling with a dark red-haired man, whsoe ahir was rather spiky, but less than yours.
He smield at the news. He found his man. And he was still in town. He could feel it. He got up from his bed, finishign the last of his orange juice. HE kissed ehr on the cheek. Your company and information was very satisfying. He walked over to the window, the bright sun shinign upon him. HE opened the window doors and stepped on the mantle.
Wait! W-will I ever see you again?
He looked back at her, sunglasses catching the sun's ray upon her face. She was standing now, almost worried about something. He told her the barrne truth, but wondered if he could keep it. Maybe... someday. As long as I don't die. With that, he jumped out the window. Apparently, she looked out the window to see him fall, but he was already on the ground. He teleported his way down. He waved at her, and ran off to find Vahn.

Waves his bandaged arms in Vahns face.

"All you have are weapon wounds! I got stabbed, stomped, toasted, AND had all my innards violated.....I'm not sure I'll ever get over the mental anguish of seeing someone stick their hand through my ribcage....I hope he'd washed his hands first...."

Sunstrike hopped off in a huff and grabbed his half of the luggage....and most of Vahns....leaving just a few of the lighter things for his friend, before wandering off towards the smell of food.

Sunstrike wasn't really mad, and any little irritation was gone by the time he found the tiny resteraunt where the nice smells were comming from. If he wanted to be honest, his own feelings mirrored that of his friends (although he was oblivious to the irony of that), about not being there in time...or when he was needed.

Then again had he NOT gone to help those people...to help Lucind, he doubted he would have felt any better. It had been a choice, nothing more nothing less. If he'd doubted for a second that Vahn could take care of himself, things might have been different. But the other man was more then able, and they were both still here, still alive, albeit a bit sore, and so were the people he'd saved from the Destroyer....he hoped anyway.

The whole thing with the traitor Kyonuske had been beyond his control, and Vahn had rescued him, full stop. He owed a great deal to the other man, and wouldn't let him down over the small matter of preventing a war. He shook his head and sighed. Hunger made him think too much. He turned and grinned at his companion, faltering only a little when he saw such a serious expression before lightening again.

"How much gold you still got...treat me?"

Sunstrike grinned and threw a friendly arm over Vahns shoulder as he came close, patting him on the chest consolingly, he could tell that something was a bit down about his friend, and worried vaugly that maybe he'd gone too far with the guilt trip earlier.

"Relax boy-o, this place looks nice enough...though I think they'd be hard pressed to fit a whole cow into it..." Sun gave it the once over, then shrugged and let his bandaged hand slip down Vahn's arm to the hand, pulling the other man like a child would a reluctant friend.

The interior was cool compared to the outside, like most of the places in this city. And plants were abundant. Sunstrike happily led them through some of the patrons tables to an empty two seater. People looked up only for a moment at the strange pair before going back to their respective meals and drinks.

"O.O!!" Whump. Sunstrike blinked as the ground was suddenly a lot closer. Once the stars went away he realized that something was squishing him.

"Good grief are you okay, Vahn?! Sorry sorry," He turned over, still half under the other man and picked him up comically by the face, squishing his cheeks. He really was worried about his friend, no matter how silly he acted though. "I didn't realize that you might miss that step..."

Too daft again Sunstrike...why can't you ever find a happy medium that most normal humans have?! His own cheeks took a red tinge as laughter washed over his ears, it wasn't hurtful, but it was rather embarassing to be making such a fuss. He looked down. "Sorry..."

Sunstrike sighed softly and got up too, getting into a seat, his embarassement seemingly forgotten as he looked at one of the tiny alchoholic drinks menu curiously, before the waiter came by with the actual much larger food list. Humming to himself as he looked it over...a lot had crushed ice in it which made him shudder, there didnt' really seem to be anything warm...ah.

He pointed to it so the waiter could see. Said waiter raised an eyebrow but shrugged. "Your stomach lining..." Was the comment, which made Sun look back at the description....it didn't seem that bad to him, of course....there were a lot of strange words that he didn't know...but he just figured that was for marketing appeal to foreigners.

"Vahn..." Sunstrike looked at him from across the table, once the waiter had their orders, and then back down at his hands. "Have you been getting weird feelings? I mean over the past coupla days I can't shake the feeling that we're being watched...s'giving me the creeps."

Sunstrike made a face, and rubbed his chest thoughtfully, the stiches itched. "Maybe I'm just too damn paranoid then...your rubbing off on me...must be an old age thing." The grin was wry as he stared at the other man from across the table.

Internally something was growling though, it had started, Sunstrike noticed, around the same time Vahn had awoken and hadn't stopped. It was as niggling as the stiches that were healing all over his chest. Maybe one of these nights he'd do a little scoutin-

A drink was gently placed in front of him and he grinned happily, even though most of the patrons and the waiter gave him a weird look. No one had really been able to stomach what was called the "house whiskey" since before war times, it was rumoured to be made out of many things best left to rumour....it smoked...

And Sunstrike just calmly began drinking it in front of at least fifty people who'd ended up either under the table or in the hospital for three nights. It was a real anti-climax to watch him just sipping at it and talking aimiably with his friend as if it were water.

"Max," One of the old time customers, Joe, turned back to the owner and bartender, who's face had turned a few shades past white. "Tell me you've watered that stuff down...cause if you haven't..."

"Shhhh." The hush was more then a little frantic. "Give it a bit, maybe it just needs a bit more time...to, y'know...settle...."

"Max...he doesn't look different, Max...in fact, he was pretty weird looking to start with..." Max looked at his compatriot cutting him off before he continued. A few of the other patrons looked a little TOO interested in this conversation. Both had the scars of oldtime veterans...both had seen first hand what that drink could do to bigger men then them. Then the bartender sighed and muttered very quietly to the other man.

"Strange times we be livin in, Joe. Never fancy I'd see anyone that could drink "Lizards Bile" and still stay seated and out of the infirmary..."

Joe just wordlessly turned back to his drink. "Aye Max...strange times indeed."

Sunstrike looked at him in surprise and then looked down at the drink. "S'just coffee...isn't it?" His cheeks WERE a little red tinged, but he was no where near out of it. He grinned. "Makes me warm!!" In fact it'd made him warmer then most coffee ever had, which was nice. He had to raise an eyebrow at the kissing comment though.

"Hah, thought never entered my head, Vahn..." His grin was hidden behind the cup as he finished the last of the warm liquid. It actually tasted a lot like liquorice mixed with other spices, it was nice. "Though if you'd like me to get a breathmint at the next stall and have a go, I'm all yours. I gotta warn you though, I'm not a "one kiss" kinda guy..."

And their food came, interupting any other elaboration Sunstrike would have given about what "kinda guy" he was.