RP:Linn Returns

Summary: Pilar sees her lover off, and sees an old friend return.

Chartsend Docks

Pilar chased the ship down the docks, her eyes locked on her lover, tears streaming down her face. She stopped at the edge of the jetty, but the ship kept going, carrying Cassy away. Pilar couldn't look away, desperate to see her lover's face for as long as she could. But eventually, the ship was too far away for even her vampire eyes to discern Cassy's features, and she broke down in sobs, unaware of another ship coming in.

Linn sat on one of the many barrels appropriated for chairs on the deck of the ship coming in. The ship was really destined for the ports in Venturil, but rough conditions at the harbor of the big city kept anyone from coming in or out. So… the ship came in at Chartsend as the other –just- left. Needless to say, port authority was –not- going to be happy about this one. The enchanter wore an attire much unlike the one people knew, a decently made, if simple brown robe. A sudden laugh and mash of cheering and jeering came over the side of the ship from the men above. Not long after the brown-robed man was standing up with his arms out in triumph, one sleeve falling before a cluster of flax-blue specks that seemed to glow in the sun. “Hey, I told you that you didn’t have a chance!” he joked back as the gangplank came down; the voice was Linn’s. Before any accusations were made of cheating he was running his way down the plank without dealing in whatever bet may have been made up on that ship. Just as he turned his head to ensure he was going where he should have been his eyes went wide he went stumbling down the plank, barely catching himself before going over the other side of the dock and into the drink. He stood there for a second staring down into the water, was that Pilar? He supported himself with only his left arm on his knee; the right sleeve seemed baggy and ended in nothing as it fell straight down, at a first glance unoccupied, but a closer look might find something in the baggy folds.

Pilar continued to stand and sob, her heart broken. Would she ever see her lady love again? Would the hole she left behind ever heal? The shouting from above was ignored, until she heard a familiar voice. "Linn...?" She looked towards the ship, trying to control her sobbing. She saw the man descend the gangplank and nearly topple over into the water. She let out another sob. It was him. It was really him! "Linn!!!" She ran towards him and gathered him into a hug, sobbing and smiling at the same time. "Oh gods, Linn... You're alive..."

Linn ’s question was quickly answered as the familiar voice cried out his name. He turned his head with a smile that turned quickly to ‘oh crap’ as he saw her bum-rushing him for the hug. If that baggy sleeve could fly, oh, it flew as he lifted his arms up fast as he could, the form of a hand appearing in that same light glowing blue as the sleeve came back and the light caught it again. He threw his most definitely still-human arm around her to squeeze her tight in the hug. “Still alive…” he nodded before letting out a sigh. “Somehow.” He ended on a joking note. “Pilar…” he said, tasting the name for the first time in… how long? “It’s good to see you again.” He hung in silence for a bit before speaking up again, “How long has it been?” he’d ask, lacking any sort of the rhetoric the question might normally come with.

Pilar needed a few moments before she was calm enough to speak. She looked up at him, tears still running down her face. "Too long... too long..." The light glinting off his hand drew her attention and her eyes widened. "Linn... your hand... what happened?" She looked back at him. "Where have you been?"

Linn pursed his lips and nodded. “Always too long…” the nodding shifted to a shaking of his head as he trailed off. As she asked about his hand he took in a breath before shaking his arm a bit to bring the sleeve back up to show his hand, the flesh now replaced with a bunch of floating cloudy blue gemstones that formed the parts of one’s hand, surfaces neatly scored and their bodies bound together by invisible force. Given the bagginess of the sleeve, the damage may have been even more extensive; there even seemed to be a number of cuts and frayed cloth at his forearm. “Dealing with some personal problems” he succinctly answered about where he had been, “And had to make this piece of junk to make up for more of the stuff that went wrong.”

Pilar gazed at him with sad eyes. "Oh... Linn... I'm so sorry. I guess we have something in common, now." She stepped back and pulled up her right pant leg, revealing a silver prosthetic. She dropped it down and placed her hand on his good arm. "Is there anything I can do for you?" Her own pain, her own problems were pushed aside for the time being.

Linn barely had time for a weak shrug before Pilar showed off her own prosthetic, prompting a sympathetic gulp from the enchanter. Still, something in it caught his eye; the craftsmanship was quite familiar… “Alvina make that for you?” he curiously asked as more and more of the passengers went by. More shouting coming from shoreside took his attention away for a second as some of the port workers began muscling their way down the dock.” We should probably get off of here before things get… unpredictable.” With a quick wave he beckoned them forward into the flowing crowd. “I’m…” he shook his head. “I’m fine.” As they pushed through he seemed to make a conscious effort to keep that stony arm away from people as they moved through the crowd, only managing to answer the question after quite some time. “I suppose you could tell me what has happened in this great bunch of insanity while I was gone.” He flashed a light, joking smile with the request.

Pilar was surprised at Linn's guess. "I... Yes, she did." She followed him off the dock, towards the shore, watching how he kept his arm away from others. When he asked what had been going on,she sighed. "There's... there's so much. I don't know where to start... But not much of it has been good. Larket has a new, awful king and queen, and was devastated by an earthquake. That is the biggest thing I can think of. But... for things that matter more personally..." Pilar looked up at Linn sadly. "Lanara is dead, Linn."

Linn flashed that same mischievous smile at Pilar at his guess on the leg. “We’ve made stuff together before. I know what it looks like.” He chuckled before moving through the crowd, a quick nod and rolling of his eyes at the ‘awful king and queen’ like it was old, generic news. Once they had made it to shore and the news about Lanara came out, Linn just froze, mouth opening and closing a couple times as he attempted to figure out something to say before taking a resigned sigh and a tight swallow. “Well then…” he trailed off sadly himself, more stunned than anything else.

Pilar gave Linn another gentle hug. She had never been very fond of Lanara, but the witch certainly hadn't deserved to die so young. "I'm sorry, Linn. I'm so sorry. I wish I'd had good news for you, but..." She shook her head. "Everything's so awful right now..."

Linn just shook his head and tightened the hug with Pilar. “It isn’t just right now, believe me.” He took another sad sigh, looking down to the ground for a short period of silent mourning. The sapphire fist had become concealed in the sleeve again, but a few soft clicks of stone against stone would signal him clenching the thing. “How have you been? With me it’s just been… same old.” He weakly shrugged as he gave the vague events of his vanishing. The question itself came more as if he was trying to distract himself, keep going right now as if things… weren’t so bad.

Pilar stayed silent for a bit. "I've been... Not good. I was kidnapped by Desparrow, and he cast a spell on me to turn me human again, but it destroyed my leg instead. And this was after he cut of my drake Mikau's wings and killed my teacher Harold. Then I found out I... I lost my magic, and Cassy just left to try and regain her memories, but wouldn't let me go with her, and I..." She sniffed as another bout of crying threatened to come.

Linn could only stand there, blink, and pull Pilar closer. In the face of all this loss, he couldn’t gather any inspiration or other words right now. Only comfort could do. “I’m sorry.” Was all he managed to softly speak before holding her tight with that one arm.

Pilar sighed shakily. "Well... If you don't have anything else to do, want to go get dinner and drinks at the tavern? My treat."

Linn weakly nodded. “Let’s go eat. Something we can do before we wind up all metal or stone…” the morbid joke was followed by some low mumbling, something about it being the only way to survive out here. It wasn’t long before he shook his head at himself. That wasn’t all that funny come to think of it.