[Malevin - Ford] Entwined Fate and A long journey ahead.

[Gloomcrest]

31st of Glade, 4623

The smaller Alistian male couldn’t help but play with his food for a moment, using the spoon to poke at some of the boiled root vegetables and cuts of meat as he pondered for a moment if his perception of himself was valid. It was easier to doubt yourself and make it a self-fulfilling prophecy. All the internalised stress that the Draedan has been experiencing may have suppressed his appetite, which was cruel for someone who values cooking and enjoying a simple meal over the hearth.

At this point, Jared started to eat his meal with small, meek but fast bites, Almost as if he was a squirrel trying to salvage as much of its meal as possible. However, only when Ford started to furrow his brows for a moment the thief became more silent, almost as if one could drop a pin, and the noise it would generate could wake an entire room. But, the thief could immediately tell that he was overreacting to the situation, which caused the brief moment of tension to dissipate into the air.

“And, that I appreciate; It isn’t easy to find friends you can confide with isn't easy. But, honestly, I am scared of dragging people into my problems since everyone has their path to choose from. But you do have the right idea that we are essentially our authors still writing up a chronicle of their journey. So what we include in those chapters is for us to decide, and putting it that way, we appreciate you spending some of your time comforting a frazzled man like myself, haha.”

From there, the thief continued to eat his meal, piece by piece, as he had ever had since he could remember. Shoving food was something that he didn’t want to present in front of Ford since it would look like Jared was constantly starving for food when in fact, it was mainly the concept of getting fresh food first and slowest got scrapes which aren’t unheard of when you are a lowborn.

“I guess I can add that to my list of qualities, but I must admit, sometimes I wonder if ignorance would have been better. Of course, as some would say, ignorance is bliss, but I don’t think I would have been faithful to who I was; it probably would go against my true nature, but that is another topic that shouldn’t be discussed when eating.

Also, you are right… One small step at a time might not seem much, but even the tiniest wave can make a difference in some shape and form… I like that thought; it is quite soothing.”

As the thief watched Ford’s reaction to him changing the spoon’s properties to something completely different through the use of his divinity, the amber-eyed thief couldn’t help but smile for a moment, thinking for a moment that it was nice to show someone something mystical in nature. It reminds him of when he first obtained Nightfall and how surprised his street friends were with the concept of magic.

“I recall our conversation about blending into the crowd and how some tend to stick out amongst the rest. I think you are right that we are all flying different paths and that the journey is bound to lose some, but eventually, we all come back in some shape or form.

True, I have managed to get here despite all the odds, and I really should stop doubting myself… It is hard, though, when you constantly have time to think about the mistakes you could make and never take the risk, but if I am honest, it is a foolish way to grow.

I haven’t thought of taking a break or being able to rest my head. That would be nice to simply sleep in an open field and watch the stars drift, the sky that glimmers and beyond our reach.”

The thief took a moment to think about how one would be able to make a quick verse or poem about taking a step forward or being different, briefly distracted by the thought; the brief excitement caused his divinity to flare for just a moment as his skin would shortly crack, exposing a soft golden light would seep out as the thief began to hum which grew into a soft verse.

“It’s hard to be a normal person, but it's not me
I'm writing a journal to keep my feelings hiding
I cross the bridge; what would I see?
Wanna see it dreaming my dreams
Miracles, beautiful, here we go all the way.”

The brief melody that was being sung while rough due to the lack of experience in singing, in general, felt soft. The usual gravelly, low-pitched tone suddenly had a brief soft, feminine style; in some aspects, it had a euphonious, mezzo-soprano quality, slightly sweet, which was cut short as the thief was brought back to reality after his brief moment of clarity.

“AH… Sorry…. I guess that was out of habit….”

The thief resumed returning to eating his meal, albeit rather quickly, as he attempted to salvage the situation as best he could. However, it wasn’t often that the Draedan felt vulnerable, and it can be easily seen that Jared was reacting and quickly becoming flustered by the situation he set up and got caught in.

[Ford Edevane]

Unfortunately, Ford knew quite a bit about being unable to confide in people about what you were thinking or who you were. He had lived a particular lifestyle in the Commonwealth for some time before he had put his foot down and left it. That was long ago, but recently, thoughts about that time in his life began permeating his thoughts and dreams again. Listening to Jared, Ford pressed his back firmly against the backing of the seating and relaxed his knees beneath the table as his hands interlocked fingers and rested them in his lap. The thief had some sound reasoning, but unfortunately, it sounded like the reasoning of someone who walked a solitary path. Of course, Ford wanted to react, but he politely waited for Jared to finish speaking before interjecting his own comment. "It is definitely your choice on who you wish to interact with and talk to. Finding someone who is special, friend or not, whom you can confide things in eases the burden we carry on our shoulders of what we think society needs or wants from us. But you forget one thing. As it is your choice to involve someone in your life, it is also the other person's choice to react however they wish. So if you confide in or trust someone, they involve themselves and interweave their path with yours. Sometimes, you have to allow a friend to be a friend. It's difficult." Ford chuckled and momentarily looked up from Jared to the tavern's ceiling. "I am still learning that lesson myself. You find ways to keep people away when you learn that you can not trust people with your truth."

"You're an interesting one, Jared..." He allowed after Jared spoke of his sense of true self and smiled, his eyes lowering back down to look at the thief. "I always find it fascinating when someone expresses to society the person they think they are or should be, but in moments of panic or emotion, the true person slips out from underneath and surprises us all." An appreciative smile was flashed to the amber-eyed Draedan before him. "And you should take risks. Another lesson I learned later in life. Sometimes things don't work out, but other times, you end with a sweeter prize than you could have ever imagined. And doubting yourself is normal. It is disproving your doubts and finding faith in yourself that is the hard part. And I am not talking about being cocky or arrogant. I am talking about having faith in the person you are and want to be. Learn to have faith in your new path, that although things have changed, find the good it can bring you. And most of all, my friend." Leaning forward, he placed a hand on the table once it was unlaced from the other hand. "Pardon my reach." Reaching across the table, sliding his arm up and over one of Jared's own, he poked his index and middle fingers to where Jared's heart was or should have been and tapped it. "Learn to have faith in this. And never, ever lose sight of it. And just in case, if you get close to forgetting that faith in yourself, come find me; I'll help you remember it."

Leaning back in his seat, Ford cleared his throat and listened to the hummed verse, and for a moment, the Griscian's expression faltered. It was just words and something Jared had just come up with, but the words in the verse held some awkward connection to the blonde. Lowering his gaze, he thought about some of the terms and did not instantly reply, at least not as quickly as he had been in their conversation thus far. After the apology, Ford lifted his gaze to look at the stew and bread and nodded. "Don't apologize for that. It was nice to hear. Well done." He smiled after a moment and went silent as he stared at Jared, contemplating something.

"...If you want to sleep in a field or a soft bed to yourself, I can make sure it happens. I'll even stick around to ensure you get uninterrupted sleep if you want."

It might have sounded stupid or even meant something else. But to be honest, Ford felt that Jared could probably use a good, uninterrupted sleep where he did not have to worry about anything other than doing just that, sleeping.

[Gloomcrest]

31st of Glade, 4623

Despite being flustered for a couple of seconds, the raven-haired thief takes a moment to steer his nerves, letting out a brief cough as he takes in a deep breath which causes his divinity to settle back from within. The crackling golden light would quickly fade into his slightly pale-tanned skin, and the shimmer in his honey-hued eyes would dim to a darker hue of orange/brown amber hue. For a brief moment, the thief turned his head, quickly scanning the room to see if anyone caught wind of his temporary flare-up, which was starting to annoy the thief since it tends to happen when some form of excitement or solid emotional pull is triggered.

Watching what Ford was doing closely, seeing a hulking figure simply lean back against his seat and listening carefully to what the thief had to say. It was soothing to have someone willing to listen to your woes. After all, everyone has a set amount of time, and spending it determines who you are and what you value most.

“Ha, you are right; during moments of stress or when backed into a corner, you tend to see a lot of whoever is. But, despite being anxious and flustered at times, I recall moments when I pushed through the thickest mud or broke down the heaviest of stones. I guess that is why we are constantly being put to the test whether we see it or not.”

The thief took a moment to look at his empty bowl, thinking of how Ford’s advice on seeking new horizons would help him grow. But, in essence, he was kind of trapped by the thoughts of others; society as a whole, because that was his only compass to draw from.

It was only then that Ford reached over and tapped Jared’s chest, more specifically where his heart would be, which raised a brow from the smaller male before listening to what Ford had to say about learning about having faith in his heart which confused the thief for a moment as he was trying his best to understand what that meant.

“Rest would be nice; anywhere is fine as long as I can drift off to sleep comfortably. Maybe beside a hearth, the scent of charred wood, the sounds of the timber crackling, and the flicker of the contained blaze somehow bring much comfort… Well, would you like to lead the way, since I am pretty much a stranger around these parts….”

The thief simply leaned back on his seat for a moment, enjoying the murmurs being tossed around and, for once, not needing to keep his guard up. Despite being foreign lands, here in Radenor, the comfort and, to Jared, the sense of urgency was none existence.

“Just a random thought, but I like being a travelling cook; I wonder how far that would get through… I hope that it doesn’t bring too much attention, however…. Never liked being in the middle of stage….”

[Ford Edevane]

Jared's affirmation to himself had Ford chuckling. The chuckle was deep enough that it caused his chest to rise and fall with each sound he made. Jared was most definitely an interesting character. He had thought so back when they had all been summoned. Each of them had been curious or nervous. Even through all of the different emotions and uncertainties, Jared was sneaking away to cook and carrying on similar conversations while preparing food. The memory was fond of Ford as he did not have many friends, despite his seemingly open and congenial presence. There was a reason for that, but that required alcohol and a long bit of talking to get to the root of that problem.

"Think of where you are, Jared. Despite what you had to endure as a kid, despite what you had to do to survive, and despite all the changes and curves that have been thrown your way, you are still here. You are breathing and enjoying some stew. Every single day that you thought was your worst, that you could not survive, you did. Which means you are strong enough to survive the worst that fate has had to throw at you. I think that is something to be proud of."

The mention of having somewhere to rest and relax being something he would be amenable to had Ford looking off to the side to the tavernkeeper. It was clear Ford was trying to think of something, or at least think of the way to best move forward. Glancing back to Jared, the larger of the pair was pulling himself up from his seat and grinned. "A traveling cook would be nice. Different cuisines in different areas. And you would only bring as much attention as you would welcome. A simple cart or tent with your food would be enough to stay low. If you turned it into a spectacle, that would be something else entirely. Eat up, and I will be right back."

Ford stepped away from the table and made his way back to the keep, where he leaned on the bar and speaking the gentleman behind the counter. At one point, both men looked from their location toward Jared as they spoke and returned to looking at one another. With a chuckle from Ford and some money pulled for the keep, a key was granted to the blonde, and he tucked it away in a pocket and stepped back toward the table with his friend. "Alright, take the bowl of stew and bread with you if you want. I got you a room you can sleep in. Come on." Reaching down, Ford plucked up the burlap-covered semi-dome and then reached down to pick up the thief's belongings. If Jared tried to take them to carry them, Ford would give them up. If he didn't, Ford would carry them for him. Walking toward the stairs, Ford would lead the way to the room he had procured and eventually into it, holding it open so Jared could enter it first, followed by the Griscian, who would close the door behind them.