Welcome to Gaia! ::

I have no idea myself, but I think we should wait for the okay. Nice sig btw, that's pretty funny and I would so follow him anywhere XD.

Dust was laying on his back in the water, looking up at The Moon through glass dome over The Garden, drifting very slowly downstream. It was a "lazy river" kind of day. The sounds of the place were muffled, as his ears were below water-level, but he knew it was the usual mix of birdsong and whores singing fighters to sleep, or occasionally the sounds of sex and passion would leak out of a mostly private cove, grotto, or grove. He could hear it all with his mind.

Somehow, he knew where things were, knew what people were saying, but didn't always need his eyes and ears to tell him so. Sometimes he even saw the future, or got this feeling about what would happen. He just knew things. Didn't know why. It was a strange way to make a living, getting food and shelter because of something that just happened with him, not a skill he'd practiced and honed.

The river helped. Being near water always helped him drown out all that noise. And it was warm, and most of The Garden knew him, knew he liked to sleep on the water and wasn't here to be entertained...

But sleep wasn't coming, this night, and he lay his back in the water, awake, looking up at the sky through the willow leaves and the glass farther above. He wore only a loincloth, as was his customary underwear, wrapped around him and knotted tightly in back, as much to avoid it falling off while he swam as someone attempting to yank it off "in good fun." And he found himself lying with his hands behind his head and watching the goings-on on shore, the crooked smile on his face.

((And thus, the trashiest intro to a game I've yet written.))

Drifting slowly by, Dust watched him take his leave for the night. He never really "got" the fear of water. Heights, spiders, snakes, those fears... while he didn't share them, he thought he could understand them. But water. Water was life, as far as he was concerned.

In one smooth motion he was diving down and then surfacing at the bank and pulling himself out of the water and onto shore. He sat on the bank, his back to the dancer.

"It's safe to drink, if nothing else," he said, fishing for a nearby rock smooth enough to skip. He wasn't a fighter, Shiyaa would know him if he was. Just one of the night Watch out for a swim.

Tristan danced slowly before the fighters that sat before him. Each with their own story, each with their own scars to prove their worth in that cursed arena. He enjoyed listening to their stories as much as they enjoyed his dance. As he played his sitar, he sang in a soft, but a dark voice."Sleep now, sweet warrior, for the morrow waits for no one. Your strength will grow as you slumber, and I will watch you as you battle for me, knowing that when your war is done you will return and stories will be told. I wish to dream of you in the night as you rest and dream of me". He finished his song and in a simple spin he landed softly in the arms of a fighter behind him."You guys know I love your stories, right? Tell me one, please." he asked as he sat up amongst the group. The fighters all spoke among themselves for a moment and finally decided which of them was to tell his story. As he broke out into his story, Tristan listened intently, learning al he could from this man.

After the story was done, Tristan danced for the fighters once more, until they finally fell asleep. He walked over to the nearest pond from the group of sleeping fighters and undressed slowly. He dived into the water, catching his satin boxers before they slipped off. He surfaced and swam over to the others. He knew one of them, another Whore. Shiyaa sat on the edge with his feet in the water, talking to someone Tristan didn't recognize."Hi." He spoke in his soft but dark voice. He brushed some of his wet crimson hair out of his face and rested his arms on the bank.

"Uh, thanks." Tristan blushed slightly, thinking he really should get some boxers that fit properly. He took Dust's hand and shook it lightly."Name's Tristan. Nice to meet you Dust." he listened to Dust rambling on about that odd looking thing tied about his waist and simply waved it off."Everyone but me maybe. I don't think you'd ever catch me in that." His light Irish accent made his speach a bit harder to understand than it should have been."Hi there Shiyaa. Enjoying yourself out here?" He blew a kiss at Shiyaa as he turned around and looked at him.

"I'm more of a fish. I can barely swim on the surface myself. I swim faster than you'd believe underwater." he grinned at Dust as he untied the cloth."Not a bad view but I think I'll stick with domestic undergarments. Besides, I like the feel of satin." he rubbed his satin covered thigh against Dusts."See, erotic feel isn't it." he grinned again, knowing that feeling of constantly being aroused by the fabric.

He took a breath and his spine straightened as goosebumps rose all over him in response to Tristan's touch. "Umm... ummm....," came out, at some point, but that was about as coherent as he got, staring straight ahead out across the water, senses apparently stunned by such a simple thing.

But when he recovered he grinned back at the boy, "Well the key to swimming fast is in reducing your drag on the water, and by the look of those things, they'd slow ya down something fierce if you caught them before they slipped right off ya every time," he said, conversationally. Then his grin turned devilish, "Here, lemme take those off your hands." Well, actually, he was playfully snatching to take them off Tristan's hips, but semantics.

And then... he caught sight of Yaru, sitting alone, and looking upset. He liked Yaru, wanted to help him with his problems but... he didn't really have the clout. "Hey, Yaru!" He waved, smiling cheerfully. "C'mere and feel this kid's undies! They're like nothing else!" And he shot a slightly bashful glance Tristan's way, "He's not so bad, either," he said less loudly, but still audible to the other boy.

"You're gonna drive yourself crazy if you don't ever think of something else," he said sagely to Yaru... yet still idly grasping for Tristan's satin boxers. "There's more to life than... well, Pit Fighting," he shrugged. Then he flinched, "Ah, just don't let The Boss hear me saying that."

He moved to sit next to Yaru, shoulders touching, and he'd drag Tristan over by his underwear if he could. "Ever thought of signing up with The Watch, for the sake of irony if nothing else," and he reached up to adjust the boy's blindfold.