Where Exhaustion Leads

Rylen has been all but radio silence since the last time he spoke to Xander. The simple fact of the extent of his journey likely explains most of it. He had to scale down three floors of the tower, across the Isle of Beginnings, then catch a boat to the Holy Empire on short notice. Which likely meant having to hire himself out as protection for a smaller vessel, as most of the passenger ships weren't running quite on that fast a schedule.

It also meant very, very little sleep. So, by the time Rylen finally arrives, he is all but exhausted.

Chimlink to Xander: "One Pooka, delivered as ordered. Location?" He murmurs, voice carrying with it some of that exhaustion.

    Chimlink response back to Rylen: "I'm actually coming to you." It wouldn't be to long after those words does Rylen see Xander walking toward him among the crowd.

The Black salamander walking that military gait that even if Xander /tries/ to get rid of, he can't. What was odd was the salamander didn't have his armor on. Just the tunic, pants, boots, and gloves. Yes there was a sword at his hip, but, he didn't look very tankish.

    As he comes closer, he tries to give Rylen a smile, though there was his own distance in his eyes. A hint of defeat, and yet, concern. Concern for the very tired Pooka before him. "I would say its great to see you Rylen," Then he tries to joke. To lighten what is a troubling mood. "But you look like you could use five cups of coffee, each with espresso."

There is a grunt in response. One of those manly acknowledgements that he heard the message, but without the need for actually confirming it outloud.

With the indication to wait, Rylen leans against his peko, his head occasionally dipping slightly as his body tries to sleep despite being upright. He's wearing the same traveling coat and undershirt as Xander had last seen him in, although both look a little worse for wear after the travel back and forth.

Rylen's head lifts at the sight of Xander, giving him a nod and a lift of one hand. "Well, someone didn't seem inclined to wait very long, so I was in a little bit of a rush." He explains, a small smirk on the corner of his lips.

"Yeah, I could use a tea, and a good bath, and some sleep." He'd obviously at least used the menu to wash up before arriving, but there's a huge difference between not having the 'filthy' status and feeling properly clean.

    "I still have the room to the inn. Probably for about two more nights." Xander explains moving up a bit closer to Rylen, giving him a quick look over. "From there... I have no clue where I am going. Was going to take an empty bottle, give it a spin, and go in the direction it pointed too."

The Salamander reaches out with a cautious hand to pet the Peko on the head gently, though he looks back to Rylen, "So... Let's get you back to the inn. I'll order up some hot water to the tub so you can get a nice soak."

"Ahh, so maybe I can call in that debt of inn rooms you owe me." Rylen chuckles, though with that sleep-deprived state that he's in, it's hard to tell if there is any real humor behind it.

He doesn't respond to Xander's plans at first, either because his brain isn't quite operating on that level yet, or because it's better to discuss such matters elsewhere. Regardless, he just gives a faint nod.

Moko bumps his beak into Xander's hand, the peko flapping his tiny wings once. "Sounds like a plan." Rylen responds pushing himself back properly to his feet, then stifling a yawn behind one hand. "Lead the way, my good Salamander." He motions with one hand.

    "Do you need me to carry you?" Xander asks Rylen looking at him. "I /will/ carry you if you fall flat on your face." The Salamander then motions to the two to follow.

It seems in this little fishing town is where Xander has rented a place to stay. Mostly making use of one of the little huts that had a spare room to offer and eager fisherman's wife for some extra coin beyond what her husband brings in. He motions to Rylen where he can tie up Moko, before lead him inside.

Once in, he opens the door to the room with the key he was given and motions with an open hand to Rylen. "Ladies first." He teases to Pooka.

    The room was a quaint little room, nice view of the ocean and the cool breeze coming from the waters kept it cool. The tub was just a nice wooden bucket type tub that had an easy to pull curtain around it. The floor boards creaked a little when walked on and the bed was on the floor, with the 'mattress' probably made of tucked up fibers of some kind. It wasn't fancy by any means, but it was a nice private room.

Rylen raises an eyebrow at Xander, "It would only be fair, figuring the number of times I've had to carry your drunk ass." The Pooka rolls his eyes, "But I'm fine. I've never been the sort to fall asleep on my feet." The dark circles under his eyes seem to agree with that.

He follows through the fishing town, seeming reasonably awake enough to be able to handle such a daunting task. When they arrive, he takes the proper time to tend to his peko, giving the bird food and water before giving another of those tired looks at Xander, "Oh, shut your lizard face, Xan." He mutters, though there is his usual good humor there.

Once inside, he slips off the jacket, tossing that down over a chair, then hooking his hands underneath his shirt to tug that off over his head. The man certainly had little in the way of shame when it comes to his physical form. He pulls the curtain though, when it comes to his pants, tossing those out to join his other clothing. The sound of water follows.

"I should assume you're at least feeling a little calmer?" He asks, over the sound of washing. "Other than the whole... dramatic world tour plans anyways. You're back to the whole... stone faced lizard thing."

    The Salamander stands there and closes the door before one of the daughter's of the woman stares to long. He goes to sit down on the bedding and just keeps his legs kicked out.

When Rylen asks, Xander doesn't respond right away. He leans forward a bit, bringing up his knees, and rests his arms over them. "Calmer. Yeah. Your blanket helped." He chuckles. "A little." It was hard to say if he was being honest or not.

    "The world tour doesn't change. I need to walk. I need to clear my head. I could-- never escape my house after the event. I had to stare at the reality of /what/ it did to me and /what/ it took from me." Xander closes his eyes. "Here. I don't have too, beyond what-- my mind likes to remind me. The little things that remind me. I get it stuffed away, but then it finds the means to break out."

Xander opens his eyes once more. "So... I want to walk. I want to find a decent place... and I plan to create several burial sites. Not just for me-- but for others who lost those in the real world. A place... A place we can /all/ go to... to remember those who have lost and loved." The Salamander looks over to Rylen. "Maybe... Maybe if I can keep paying my respects. Maybe it will slowly ease my mind. I don't know. Maybe the whole thing is idiotic."

    "... that and I will be another year older here soon enough." Xander says softly closing his eyes. "... and even though things were shit. Birthdays. Birthdays were always a /massive/ deal in my family."

As he washes up, Rylen lets Xander talk. The water is enough to help ease some of the tiredness in his limbs and offer some hint of wakefulness, though it's likely short lived. He doesn't interrupt, but the sound of the water suggests he hasn't fallen asleep in the tub.

After a time, a hand reaches out and he pulls a towel in behind the curtain. "I can understand that need to move. When you're trapped in your own head, being trapped in the same place only seems to amplify that." It's an idea that he understands all too well. "It's probably why I took to traveling when I first started playing. Too trapped in the real world, day to day, reminding me of everything I'd lost."

Then, Rylen steps out, holding a towel around his waist. One thing Xander might notice is that there is an additional tattoo, usually covered by his clothing. His ankle is wrapped in lines which almost look, robotic. As if someone had traced a mechanical ankle over his skin. It's also the same ankle he tends to limp on each morning.

Rylen walks over this bags, crouching to sort through and pull out a pair of loose sleeping pants. The towel covers any of the important bits as he does. "I know the Landers have cemetaries, or I guess they're memorials, since there's no bodies to bury." In his travels, the Pooka has likely come across them a time or two, in passing.

He faces away from Xander as he tugs the trousers on under the towel, then pulls the towel up to rest it on his shoulders, keeping the damp hair off his back. "I'd offer to take you out for your birthday, but I'm guessing you'll be gone by then." That's when he actually turns and faces Xander more fully. He's clean, but that tiredness lingers. "They were big things for Kyo and I, too. God, the last one without her sucked." He shakes his head.

    "It always sucks when you know someone has a birthday coming up, you go to say happy birthday-- but then realize they are not there." Xander admits with a frown. "... if time does run like the real world.." He pulls up the menu and stares at the date. "... My mom has to be extremely beside herself right now." Then with a wave of his hand, removes the window.

"By the way, your ankle." He motions to it, "Why the mechanical tattoo?" Xander then trails his eyes up along the other man, at least till he gets to his eyes, where he tries to keep his focus there.

"I'm sure she'd be thankful you're alive, even if your brain is trapped in here for the time being." Rylen doesn't know very much about Xander's family, only bits and pieces he's heard in those rare times that the Salamander talks about them. Slowly, he walks over to sit down on the bed, leaving space between himself and Xander. He leans forward a bit, resting his elbows against his legs.

"I don't have that many people left on the other side." Ry explains, "At least those that would care more than in passing. Maybe my old coach. Other than that, probably just Aiya. She was one of the only people who stuck with me after everything else went to shit." He hasn't spoken about this perosn before, whomever she is.

At the question about his ankle, Rylen looks down at the tattooed lines. "Ahh." He smirks. "I suppose it's a reminder, just as much as the wings are." He's likely meaning the swirling wing-like tattoo on his back. "I lost count of the number of surgeries they did on that ankle in the real world." He explains, lightly flexing the limb. The old injury doesn't translate into the game, like for most people, "It took them almost a year to give up on different treatments."

He chuckles to himself, though it lacks humor, "I've got a slight limp. Not enough that most people would notice but... I notice." Then, perhaps because he is quite so tired, he murmurs in an undertone, "Still wonder if it's just me being a coward." It's obvious he didn't really intend to say that outloud, but it comes out anyways.

    Xander listens to the first part before he slips out a soft, ".. Aiya?" Though when Rylen explains the ankle, he overhears the coward part and tilts his head faintly.

His brows furrow, he opens his mouth, but then closes it. His eyes look away. He /should/ leave it be, but...

The Salamander looks back to him. "Why would you ever call yourself a coward?"

"An old friend." Rylen answers, seeming to pause for a moment to yawn before explaining further. "Her parents are very... noble." He smirks, "Tried to fix us up, but mostly we just would hang out, talk, do things to get her away from the pressures of her family. After my career ended... they didn't want her to have anything to do with me, but we stayed friends."

The question about the coward comment seems to surprise him, and then he groans, "I said that outloud didn't I? God I'm tired." Rylen sighs to himself.

There is a moment where he is quiet. Some might consider that silence evasive, but it's more that his brain takes that long to come up with something to say. "After Flash of Death, I had to go back to training and competition while trying to juggle the death of my mother, and my now disabled sister." He leans his head forward on his hand, "Father was useless. Left it all on me. So it all started getting overwhelming. I couldn't juggle it all and make it work."

He raises his head then, looking over at Xander, "I had that in my head instead of what I should have been focusing on. Botched a landing, snapped my ankle. So there I was, sitting in the back of an ambulance, and some stupid part of me was relieved. One less thing." He shrugs then, and in that moment there is some vulnerability there in Rylen's expression, "I still don't know if some part of me botched that landing on purpose, because I was too afraid to face everything, or if it was just some accident. Some twist of fate."

    Xander listens and falls quiet. He then goes to stand up. He remembers a little bit about Rylen's dad, though some details he didn't know. His eyes look lost in thought, before he turns to face Rylen. His tail gently flicks the air as he speaks. "Things happen for reasons we can never explain. Maybe it was one part you didn't have the focus. Maybe it was another part fate."

The Salamander shrugs then. "None of it was your fault though, as I could never blame you for having your mind elsewhere, you know? That was a bad experience. It is-- hard to recover from shit like that."

Xander sighs softly, "Anyways, get yourself some rest. I am going to go practice some sword sings or-- maybe show the kids here a game of hackey sack. If you need something though, I'll have my chimlink available."

There is a soft sound that Rylen manages, his silver eyes following Xander as he gets up. That retreating isn't surprising to him, since the Salamander usually kept space between them. "Wise words." He nods his head, "But don't worry too much about me. I make do with the shadows in my own head." Those white eyebrows lift as he looks across at Xander, "Now if only you'd accept those same words when they come to you."

Xander wants to carry blame for things that aren't his fault. Things that are really just cruel twists of fate. So it seems fitting that Rylen would turn the same words of support back at him.

And then, the Salamander is making his escape. There is a look of disappointment that Rylen isn't quite able to hide. Normally, he's quite good at keeping his expression moderated, but the exhaustion leaves him just that much more open in that moment. "Ahh, right. I'll... get some sleep." He lets himself flop back onto the mattress, placing his hands behind his head, eyes closing.

    Xander lowers his head, but doesn't say anything in turn. Only when he gets to the door does he look back and softly say, "... sleep well sweet prince..." Then laughs a little at his own words. "... yeah.. sweet prince of crows... He probably work well with that title.." The Salamander muses to himself before closing the door behind him.