Welcome to Gaia! ::

Ryugi turned to face his friend, a somewhat shocked look on his face.

Are you kidding?! That was one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard!

His friend must not have played for others all that much, or else he'd know what a beautiful talent he really had.

Ryugi paused for a moment and looked out of Max's window at the goings on outside. The lamps were lit and the people were still moving along outside. On a street corner there was even a small band of people playing music and a few couples and children dancing to the beat.

When he was younger, his parents would be one of those couples, and the kids would dance and play and laugh while the music drifted on long into the night when his parents finally told the kids to get to bed. This really was his home, even if he did wander all over Gaia, and he was glad to be back with no agenda other than showing his friend around the land of his birth. Then he heard Maximos speak and turned to face him.

That is tea indeed. And since we're here visiting my home, perhaps we can discuss yours over a nice cup and maybe make you feel a little closer to it.

Ryugi would smile, and would then head for the door, motioning for his friend to follow. Max may not have been visiting his home, but perhaps Ryugi could make him feel more at home while visiting his.

Oh, I wouldn't worry about that too much, Max.

Ryugi replied, as he headed out the door and moved across the hallway to his own room. As he entered, the smell of fresh, piping hot tea would grace both of their noses, and the loud shrill of a teapot was just beginning. Ryugi would quickly hustle over and remove the pot from the burner and set it down on the table before placing the teacups, saucers, sugar, milk, and all the other doodads commonly associated with tea drinking on the table. He then grabbed a small plate of blueberry muffins, which Grace had placed in his room while he was gone. She knew he loved her baked goods, and couldn't think of a better way to welcome him home.

All stories that have a beginning eventually find their end. Its the way that life works. So however you decide to start your story, I'm sure it'll find its way to its completion.

Ryugi pulled out a chair for his friend as he made his way over to the other side of the table and moved everything around to allow the both of them plenty of room to enjoy the whole setup. He'd pour two cups full of tea, and place them on the saucers, before heading over to the fireplace. He would have prepared Max's tea for him, but having no clue as to what Max liked in his tea, Ryugi thought it would be better to let his shadowy friend decide for himself from the numerous options. As a habit Grace kept the fireplaces stocked with wood in case any cold weather blew down from the mountains over the plains. It was a bit chilly out, and Ryugi figured it'd make a nice addition to the situation. Plus, he liked the smell of burning wood and the crackle that came with it. It seemed to give the place a homey quality and helped him to relax. Fire elemental and all...

He'd use a quick burst of fire to light the logs, then make his way back to the table where he'd sit down on the chair and make himself comfortable. He'd plop two lumps of sugar into his tea and mix in a little milk and stir the entire drink with a spoon before sitting back and taking a sip, crossing his legs as he did so and letting out a long sigh of comfort as he finished.

Ahhhhh...

A cool night, a hot cup of tea, a warm fire, and a good friend to share it all with. A perfect setting for storytelling I'd say.

Ryugi would grin and take another sip of tea. It had been an eternity since he had a good cup of tea and, bless her heart, poor Vargus could never make it exactly the way he liked it, though this was not without many attempts of trial and error to get it right. He liked her tea anyway, but it just wasn't as good as the stuff he'd make himself. Either way, his friend had a story to tell, and he'd wait to hear its beginning.

Ryugi smiled a bit at his friend's last comment. It was somewhat strange to him. Almost paradoxical in nature, that comment coming from his friend...

You know, a very good friend of mine once told me that the memories and emotions, even trinkets from others, that we carry of a place, or the people that we love, continues to allow their spirits to keep living ever onwards, and keep them from permanently being designated to the past tense...

Ryugi sipped his tea and shuffled himself down into his seat as he got more comfortable. He took a deep breath, inhaling the warm rising steam and the comforting smell of the cloudy, sweetened tea as he did so. He closed his eyes, enjoying the smell and the warmth as it traveled down his throat, and spoke.

After all, the thing a spirit fears most is to be forgotten, right?

Ryugi would open his eyes and look to his friend as he finished, his eyes filled with something distant, and yet close and meaningful.

Your home may or may not be gone, your loved ones and some of your dearest friends may not be among the living, but they live in you, in your heart, and as long as you remember them, treasure them, love them... They'll continue to do so as you remember them, at least some part of them will, and no matter what time may pass, what distance there may be between you and them, whatever universal force may separate you from them, they'll always be with you, as part of you.

Ryugi set his teacup and saucer down on his lap and spoke to his friend, his red eyes very deep.

If theres one thing I've learned when it comes to these things its that you're never alone. You never have nothing. I've heard stories of people that have wished for death because they think they have nothing left to live for, people that simply stopped trying because they believed they had nothing important to them. Or, they simply stopped fighting for what they believed in because they believed it was useless.

He would sigh, closing his eyes for a bit and lean back in his chair, before looking at the ceiling, and then once more resting his gaze upon Maximos as he stirred his tea.

I know you're lonely, Max. It doesn't take someone thats empathic to sense that about you. Theres always been a deep sadness to you, even under the happiest of circumstances. Now, I don't need to know what that sadness is, because thats your own monster to fight and deal with. But know, that in your fight to continue on, you're never alone. There is always someone, somewhere, somehow that's with you, or who's wondering how you are, or simply rooting for you.

Life, Death, it doesn't affect this. The memories that you carry of your loved ones allow them to be with you even when you think you don't have anything left. No matter how bleak, how empty, how meaningless your life or existence may seem, those loved ones are with you, and some part of them is cheering for you, willing you on. And this knowledge can bring great strength. A person that understands that they can never have nothing, never truly be left alone and forgotten, is a strong individual indeed. In rare instances in my life, that knowledge is all that I've had to go on, and its kept me going, knowing that these people have been there for me, been there with me, trying to help me along in my life.

So, in a way, you're very right. Your world may not physically exist anymore, but it DOES exist in you, as a part of you. And if you find yourself ever wondering what you're fighting for, or trying to ask yourself why you even bother, look inside yourself to see those thoughts, those happy memories of your loved ones, and of your home. They're fighting with you, and in a sense, you're fighting to protect them, and any of your other friends and their memories from destruction.

Ryugi sighed once more and shook his head, seemingly coming out of his deep trance-like monologue. He took another sip of his freshly stirred tea, and tasted the renewed flavor from the drink. He smiled.

Anyway, I'm sorry to have prattled on for so long. This is supposed to be YOUR time to share stories, not mine. Please, continue. I'm interested to hear more about your home.

Ryugi sighed a bit. He knew his opinions about these sorts of things were lofty, but they did hold at least some truth to them. Of course, so did the words of his friend. Life was often made up of these such paradoxical answers to questions. And for a moment, Ryugi puzzled the amazing coincidence of light versus dark in their attire, and their outlook on the world. As he listened to the words of his friend, he watched him, and for a moment, he saw a very different Maximos. However, that tiny glimpse was gone almost as quickly as it had arrived, and made Ryugi wonder for a moment if his keen eyes were playing tricks on him. Though, if what he saw was really there, then his friend had a very big monster to deal with indeed, and one that he wasn't fully willing to deal with, or forgive himself for. As his friend finished, Ryugi smiled a bit and looked into his teacup, seeming to ponder the liquid before speaking again.

Dragon's Brown. It isn't really named anything exotic. Its the only real main tea we have here on the island.

Ryugi took another sip of tea as he thought, and decided to at least finish their discussion on something that they could both agree on.

I suppose we're both right in a sense, Max... But those memories that we have are all the more reason to look to the future, and to try to make the world a bit of a better place for others, so maybe they won't have to deal with the...events...that we've had to endure. We wish things could have been different, but at the same time, there really isn't anything we could do to change them.

And even if we could, theres no guarantee that you and I would be talking as friends right now if either of us did manage to change something. So, at least in that sense, I think we can agree that it is important to remember the past. To love and cherish it, but not to LIVE in it, and to instead live in the present, and look to the future. Wouldn't you agree?

I don't know. Depending on who you ask most people think one of me is quite enough.

Ryugi would chuckle and take another sip of his tea, which was nearly empty by now. He poured a little more tea into his cup, added a bit more milk, and dropped in another lump of sugar. He then started to stir the contents as he spoke again.

Well, who knows, Max. If our lives had been switched, our outlooks on life might be different too. In a way, you're almost a dark mirror of what I could have been. I've had some pretty horrible events in my life, and if I hadn't been as strong as I've been... Well, who knows what could have become of me.

Ryugi shrugged and stopped stirring his tea. He then set took a sip and sighed.

Ryugi grinned, deciding to stop being so deep. Deep conversations were amusing, but why continue to babble on about life, the universe, and everything when you had a good cup of tea and a good friend to share it with. The universe would still be there tomorrow. The tea, the friend, and the moment might not be. Thus, Ryugi decided to enjoy the moment.

Oh! Certainly. If you'd like, I could even buy you a few seeds of the plant so Walter could grow his own. I know that man has a green thumb.

Ryugi took another drink and relaxed, his mind coming out of the deep eternity of what could have been, the past, etc etc.

What about you Max? I know Walter's hobby is the garden, but what about you? I don't think you've ever told me any of your hobbies.

Ryugi nodded as he listened.

Yes. Magic is amazing stuff. I was born with the natural abilities to tap into pure arcane powers, but casting it or calling it forth is a very interesting thing indeed, and has never been something I've been able to do well. It must be due to my status as an elemental I suppose.

Ryugi shrugged and took another sip of his tea. Magic was interesting alright. And sometimes he wished he understood it a little more than he did. To him, it felt like a natural process, but there were always more parts to something that seemed so simple.