Thread C - The Bar

[Author]

Some time within the first few days of the journey, Aurora wanders down to the bar to find Luc throwing together a small drink for himself. Fruity, of course.

[Aurora the Dragon]

"Hey, Luc. I was just wondering, because I saw you messing with water in the bar, how did you get those powers? For me, as a blue dragon, it's pretty normal. But your level of elemental affinity is uncommon in mortals."

[Luc Weiyn]

"Hm?" Luc tops off his drink with the essential shot of vodka, pouring it into his cleaved coconut of a cup.
"Oh, that? Water spirit."
Luc pauses for a moment, and when it seems like he's about to elaborate, he simply shrugs and takes a sip of his drink.

[Aurora the Dragon]

"A water spirit? Like, with you? Inside you? Explain please, this is fascinating," Aurora says, pulling out her notebook.

[Luc Weiyn]

"Something like that, yeah." He takes another sip of his drink.
"I call her Loire, I've had her around as long as I remember. Oh, funny story, apparently I was pulled out of the ocean as a tyke. Not exactly your typical catch, not that I'm complaining."
He gives a small little chuckle.

[Aurora the Dragon]

"Pulled from the ocean? That's so cool! You've got a great mysterious backstory to you! Have you ever tried to find where you came from?"

[Luc Weiyn]

Luc swirls his drink around in his coconut cup, then gives a nonchalant shrug.
"Not really. Don't see the point, honestly, there's plenty of other things to chase after."

[Aurora the Dragon]

"What? But chasing your history is an amazing plot hook!"

[Luc Weiyn]

And the world was a big place. He had next to no leads on where to even start looking, and the only viable place to find more was long since behind him. But... that wasn't any reason to crush her spirits. He stares at her for a moment, then grows a smile before taking another sip of his drink.
"Yknow, maybe you have a point there. Tell you what. While we're out and about on the high seas, what say you and I keep a look out for any clues on where I come from? We'll call it a side plot of our little story here."
He didn't expect to find much... but hey. Who's to say he wouldn't be surprised?

[Aurora the Dragon]

"That sounds awesome! I'll keep notes. By the way, did you know that Marcy totally loves you?"

[Luc Weiyn]

Well, that was a very abrupt turn of conversation. He blinks as the question takes a moment to register, to which he then leans against a nearby wall.
"Well, that depends. Define love."

[Aurora the Dragon]

"Head over heels, wants you in her pants right now, be together forever kind of love."

[Luc Weiyn]

"Okay... well, you just described two, maybe three very distinct things there. But, regardless."
She really was like a naive eight year old, wasn't she? Amidst talking to Aurora, Luc realizes he forgot the most important part of his drink (i.e. the little umbrella in the cup), and makes his way back to the bar counter to rectify the situation.
"We're certainly close, I'll give you that much. I'd hazard that she values my opinion, probably more than she consciously realizes, and she'd take it pretty damn hard if I went and kicked the bucket. In love, though? That's murky territory you're getting into, and is usually better described as shades and gradients than with a binary yes or no. So..."
With his drink now properly adorned, he takes another sip.
"Maybe."

[Aurora the Dragon]

"Oh, she definitely loves you. You should have seen the look on her face when I suggested she did."

[Luc Weiyn]

Luc sighs inwardly. Regardless of how right or wrong she actually was, trying to convince her otherwise was a lost cause. It seems he wasn't the first person she approached with the topic, either... hmm. A small smile tugs at the corner of his mouth.
"Is that so? And what did she look like?"

[Aurora the Dragon]

"Very embarrassed. I didn't think her pale face could get that red. She was really playing too heavily at the denial game too."

[Luc Weiyn]

Luc pauses for a moment and blinks, staring blankly across the room.
"That's... actually rather impressive," he admits, before taking another sip of his drink. Marcy has control over all the blood in her body, that must've been some intense fluster for blush to get through...

[Aurora the Dragon]

"Indeed. She really loves you. I don't know why she won't admit it, though."

[Luc Weiyn]

In all honesty, this wasn't a conversation Luc was especially thrilled to be having, and finds her eager insistence growing very tiring. But... Aurora was effectively still a child, and a sheltered one at that. As much as he'd like to change the topic, he wasn't about to fault her for curiosity.
"Look at it this way: Marcy is a dhampir. I'm sure you understand how that makes her unpopular among quite a few folks. Me? I don't mind, and am probably one of the only folks to travel with her in a long while, discounting you and everyone else on the boat. It's obvious we're good friends at this point, and that means a lot to her. Now... how do you think most people react when you take something they value, and then someone comes in and tries to shake it up?"

[Aurora the Dragon]

"I'm not trying to shake anything up. I point out the obvious truths."

[Luc Weiyn]

"Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying you're trying to."
Luc downs the rest of his drink, giving a satisfied little 'ahh' after the fact, then begins mixing himself up another one.
"I understand you're just trying to help, but hear me out. What she knows, what she's familiar with is that we're friends. Regardess of how right you actually are, you're effectively taking that friendship and trying to shunt it into territory she's not familiar with. Bluntly pointing out sensitive territory generally won't fly well with most people. Just something to consider."
His last drink was a hazy pink concoction; this one appears to be some sort of blue lemonade mix, complete with the essential bit of vodka.
"Anyway, you hungry? Want a drink, maybe?"

[Aurora the Dragon]

"Well, I could use a steak. Are they any cocktails you recommend with steak? Hmm... I just realized. In human form I might actually be susceptible to alcohol. Probably best I leave it alone. Also, I get what you're saying. I'll keep quiet about Marcy's love life for now."

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