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[deviances]

"Hey, it's Eithan. Leave a message, I'll get back to you. Thanks."

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[arcanepower]

A couple? Oh, please, you're not even trying.

[This guy is so cocky. Belthazar immediately wants to punch him in the face-- but he probably can't reach.]

Have they accepted you yet? If not, I might be persuaded to put in a good word for you... if you promise to stop being so reckless. You could very well hurt someone, you know.

[deviances]

[ Eithan's just hella amused right now - and still wondering why this guy's bothering to talk to him at all if he's clearly so annoyed about it. ]

Yeah no, not really.

[ What? It's true. ]

Some have, yeah. I've got some of the stuff people have asked me for, but the rest is behind a few more walls, I guess. [ Beat. ] Wait. Why do you wanna help me?

[ Seriously all you've done so far is rag on him?? ]

[arcanepower]

[Wow, okay, never mind. Maybe he won't help this guy after all.]

I'll do anything to keep idiots from abusing magic. Don't confuse it for generosity.

[Actually, he's blushing, so it probably is.]

[deviances]

I'm not abusin'--...

[ He cuts himself off with a sigh. Wow, way to get under his skin a little bit, he actually looks a little offended! But, he does see that blush, and let's face it, every single person in his life back home was at least a 7 out of 10 on the tsundere scale. Usually higher. So, he winds himself back down. ]

Okay. New deal. How about this - there's one particular library I need to get into. Someone wants information on terraformers, and I heard that's the place to go. Problem is? They won't let me in. Which I'm sure doesn't surprise you. You get me in? I'll back off of Spirit entirely. 'Cause clearly this is a bigger deal to you than it is to me, I'm just tryin' to get stuff for people who need it.

[arcanepower]

[Belthazar seems to be mulling this over. He feels like absolute garbage lately, but this is a mission that sounds like it would be fun for him, nice and distracting. Light knows he needs more of that. Also, there are books involved. When will he ever say no to books?]

Where is it? I can meet you outside.

[deviances]

It's on [ insert planet here! ]. I can send you specifics.

[ In fact, he'll do so while they're still talking~ ]

One more thing - no more accusin' me of abusin' magic. It's literally a part of who I am.

[arcanepower]

[Belthazar receives them and reads them over, not looking at Eithan directly anymore. But then he pauses. Eithan mentions it's a part of who he is, and that makes his lips form into a line.]

You're not a mage?

[deviances]

[ :| ]

I am, yeah. Trained with the Order, mastered the trials, all that stuff. But I'm also demon, and where I come from, demons are more tied up in magic than others. It's like a... boost, I guess?

[ Dammit Belth, he's a mage, not a scientist. ]

[arcanepower]

[A demon! Then again, Eithan doesn't look like part of the Burning Legion. There's still a sort of momentary panic, a tightness to his shoulders, before he takes a breath and reminds himself that not all demons are the same. There are demons living on the Fleet who haven't given anyone problems. He had seen some in Exsilium, too.]

... If it is a part of you, then I suppose-- we are not too much different in that respect.

[Look, he's trying.]

I am an elf -- [as if the ears weren't obvious] -- and my kind are nourished by magic.

[deviances]

[ He does smirk a little bit at that reaction, but only to keep from sighing again, honestly. And hey, it's all good in the end. Hooray for trying! ]

Huh. Guess we're not. So like, you feed off of magic? ... Like vampires and blood?

[ He's never heard of anything like that before, and he's actually curious about it. ]

[arcanepower]

[Usually when he says nourished people don't go directly to vampire. So Eithan gets him to panic for the second time in a minute.]

Ah, um, I--

[He's trying so hard to stay frostbolt but it isn't happening. And here he thought he was actually about to help the guy, but he's terrified, suddenly, of what he might say. Such is the life of someone who actually gives a damn about appearances.]

You mustn't tell anyone!

[deviances]

[ Whoa. Okay. He likes pushing people's buttons, but not unintentionally. And besides, he can tell the elf is legitimately terrified right now. Geez. Poor kid. ]

Hey, no, dude, I won't. Seriously. [ He holds up both hands - a gesture of peace, and a "please keep breathing that shit's important" ] I just meant, I am a vampire, so if that's what it's like, then I get it. That's all. It makes sense. To me, anyway.

[arcanepower]

[Belthazar finally remembers how to breathe when Eithan says that it makes sense, and there's nothing about him going to the network and outing him as some kind of mana vampire. That's the last thing Belth wants or needs right now. Vampires don't really exist in the same context in Azeroth, but Belth has picked up knowledge of them from his interdimensional adventures and many, many books.]

... It appears I've completely misjudged you. When I heard the rumors, I thought it must be some cocky human who has no idea of what he's getting into.

[He bows his head.]

I apologize.

[deviances]

[ Aaand he's back to smiling, amused. ]

Heh. Y'know, I can't really blame you for assumin' that. Don't worry about it. It's fine.

[arcanepower]

All right.

[The deal is still on, or at least, Belth has to come up with his half.] I can meet you on the planet in a half hour. Will that be acceptable?

aaaand action~

[deviances]

Yep. I'll be by the front door.

[ He really is relieved that the guy still wants to go through with this. So... here's hoping it works. dsfajk

And he isn't late! ... Well, okay, he's like two minutes late. But that's pretty good, for him. He waves when he gets closer, grinning like they're already friends and no ridiculousness literally just happened. ]

Glad you made it. And hey - thanks for givin' it a shot.

[arcanepower]

[Belth looks embarrassed, but that's mostly because of his own conduct. He bows again when he reaches Eithan.]

I just wanted to see the inside of this library. My name is Belthazar, by the way.

[It's clear as day now that he has glowing green eyes, but Belth figures his new compatriot won't ask questions. More importantly, he isn't reading Eithan as a real Azerothian demon.

That's good. That's really good.]

Books on terraforming. Is there anything specific about it, or should I grab every single one I can find?

[deviances]

[ Just wanted to see--... Goodness, kid. Eithan can't even keep from shaking his head at that. ]

Nice to meet you in person, Belthazar. Eithan Paine - though I'm guessin' from the rumors and the trackin' me down, you already knew that. [ Shrug~ ]

He didn't give me any specifics to look for, but he seemed really interested in fixin' broken ones. So I guess just grab whatever looks detailed, technical, and like a damn good resource. Sound good?

[arcanepower]

I did. [He's not very good at people, can you tell? Still, the dryness of his tone means that he's prone to honesty, which is a good thing... probably...]

Wait, you were doing this for someone else? [It's Belthazar's turn to shake his head.] You should have mentioned that in the first place.

I'll see what I can find. Wait here, and try not to look too suspicious.

[deviances]

[ Snort. Yep, he can tell. ]

I'll, uh, try to make it more clear next time?

[ He nods, finds a spot by the wall and leans back against it, arms crossed and completely casual. ]

No problem. Just your typical guy, waitin' on someone to finish whatever they're doin' in the library. [ Beat. ] And if anyone recognizes me, I'll... improvise, I guess.

[ Doesn't that just fill you with confidence? ]

[arcanepower]

[Belth turns to go into the library, but Eithan is being totally unconvincing. He sighs in a long-suffering way and reaches into his black robes for something. He isn't very nice about throwing the history novel at Eithan's chest, but at least he didn't aim for his head.]

Here, at least pretend you're not a delinquent.

[He disappears through the doors, huffy and stubborn as usual, and he doesn't return for a solid hour. But when he does-- he nearly trips on his way out.]

Eithan! Are you still here?

[deviances]

[ Oof! He snickers as he catches the book against his chest, but he does at least crack the thing open and start reading.

For a little bit. After that, he's just pretending. Oh well, it's not like he's gonna be quizzed on this later, right?

Belthazar comes back, and he closes the book, turning toward him - in time to see him nearly trip. He frowns, concerned, and makes his way over. ]

Whoa, careful there. You okay?

[arcanepower]

[Belth catches himself before he can fall. He's obviously kind of clumsy if his nonchalance is anything to go by. Still, he looks exhausted from what should've been a very enlightening and wonderful experience.]

I'm fine. Here, I have your book.

[He holds it out in one hand. The other goes to his forehead. Maybe he should sit down.]

[deviances]

[ ... Yeah, maybe he should sit down. And Eithan definitely notices the fatigue, and the way that hand goes to his forehead. He takes the book with a nod, but he's not about to let this go. ]

Thanks. I'll get it to him, and as promised, no more Spirit.

[ He salutes - three fingers against the side his forehead. ... It means something back in Meridia okay just roll with it. dfjkls ]

But, dude, you're not fine. You're lookin' paler than you did before you went in there. Will you at least sit down somewhere?

[arcanepower]

I don't care about that! [he snaps, and it comes out quite a bit harsher than intended. He's trying very hard to hold it together but he looks so feverish, and he feels like it, too.] I mean-- don't worry about Spirit or whatever faction you want to be. Your friend is trying to help the planets we come across, right? That is far more important.

[He brushes Eithan off and turns, intending to simply go back to his ship and not worry about this anymore, but then he simply crumples where he stands. He's not sure how he got on the ground, but he sure is tasting pavement right now.]