Big Talk

Most of the damage to the nobility district has been repaired at this point, but not long ago the fronts of houses and storefronts had been torn away by the too-large form of a dragon moving through the streets a size too small. Even the streets themselves had not faired well. Unable to hold up the weight of that massive creature without cracking under the behemoth form. Now though, the last finishing touches are being put up on ornate doors and fixtures are being returned to their rightful places.

Alexandria as ever; recovers.

Zeke wanders through the district, offering fresh water from a bucket to those thirsty workers who have been hard at work through the day. His bucket now however is much diminished, and his eyes seem mostly on the lingering scars left in the wake of the dragon more than on the people who walk and work the street.

"Amateurs." As if he himself has never damaged things simply by being around or moving past them. Because he has. Often..

And yet..not quite like this. He's yet to take out an entire block of a city after all. At any rate, a few moments of looming study and observation of the final phases of restoration eventually draws his attention towards Zeke and he swivels his head in the Sith-Makars direction like the movement of some sort of goblins tank turret given the thickness of his neck. A moment later and he's beginning to approach, saying nothing just yet, but passing into the construction area much to the alarmed looks of workers beginning to fear the Giantborn’s potential collateral damage should something amiss happen.

Eventually, Zeke notices the giantborn. It takes him longer than others, because of his level of distraction, but he turns his gaze down and... The other man is difficult to miss. "Peasce on your nessst." He offers politely to the giantborn man, lifting his bucket and offering its burden of a ladle. "Would you like sssome water?"

"No." rumbles the gargantua brusquely though he considers for a moment and adds, harsh Dranei accent not making it any more gentle sounding, "No thank you."

Arngrim lifts a heavy arm up and gestures, sweeping it over the area to indicate the fullness of the damage and construction. "I am having left Alexandria to return home and I return again to find the city broken. This place is so fragile but..at the same time..." he pauses and rubs his jaw, getting a closer look at everything and then acknowledges, "This seems more then I am used to seeing..and I destroyed the fountain in the temple district once. Tell me..what happened?"

Zeke lowers the bucket and blinks at the other man's admittance to having destroyed the fountain in the temple district. That fountain did seem to find its fair share of trouble and yet, it too remained even now. Likely not in its original form, but still. That it endured was not nothing. "Thisss one wasss witnesss to sssome of the dessstruction." Zeke admits, looking himself at the scars. "One of the People, being unusssed to sssuch tight quartersss became a dragon of sssome sssize and walked thessse ssstreeetsss to the templesss."

He seems slightly embarrassed to admit this news.

"The People?" Logic and the ability to connect the dots would suggest that Zeke may mean another of his kind but Arngrim is the consummate embodiment of 'more brawn then brains' so it takes him a moment. The rest of Zeke's statement does continue to pique his interests and he blinks a few times as he leans forward, looming over his conversation partner like some redwood deciding to lean in to hear gossip.

"Did you say....become a dragon? And then just...went for a walk? But..why?" Arngrim rests his hands on his knees to push back up to his full height and turns to look over the area. "..That seems rather..uh.."

Thankfully, Zeke does not seem to mind this particular 'tree' leaning toward him. He is unused generally to being the smaller individual, but it is not totally uncommon. He simply tilts his head up somewhat to look at the other man and is glad that he is not sith-makar and can not /smell/ the embarrassment rising from him. "Of a poor choisce?" Offers Zeke quietly in suggestion. "Thisss one hass asssked that quessstion many timessss, but it ssseemss that the ansswer iss not to be easssily won. There wasss a demon invoved, sssso perhapsss the one who transssformed thought to better fight the demon in that form? But thisss one can not be scertain."

"Hmm."

Arngrim considers this matter carefully now and taps his fingers against his jaw and then scratches his lightly unshaven beard, producing a sound not to distinct from that of a dried out brush being scrapped over stone.

"I see. When I broke the fountain...I believe I was asked to because there was a demon summoning ritual involved there as well. Underneath it. Bizarre. It's as if this place is plagued with such matters. But then tell me.. did the demon at least be caught or slain? Perhaps the damage was worth it to prevent more from escalating if the demon escaped or was it not worth it in the end?"

Zeke lowers his gaze somewhat, shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot. "The demon essscaped. You have the right of it however. Thisss land isss besset by demonsss and even other creaturesss that mean it ill. It needsss very much for thossse that protect it to... do better." Zeke sighs and looks at Arngrim. "Tell thisss one, wasss the demon you fought Eclavdran? For thisss one knowsss sssome-thing of thisss particular demon."

"I'm afraid I don't recall. People usually only ask me to break, smash, lift, crush, compress, hurl or otherwise obliterate things without actually giving me the specifics." offers Arngrim. He absently plucks up a piece of rubble as he speaks as if to punctuate his point. It's not particularly gigantic but it is sufficient that it certainly weighs more then a large man and yet he handles it with a single hand, the muscles of his arm bulging up titanically like watching the legs of some large horse pump and move. He balances the rubble under a meaty grip and then tosses the large piece of stone up and down to impact his palm with heavy *thuds*. The workers watch with alarm as the giant manhandles what is surely hundreds of pounds like a child's ball.

"I have wondered if this area is cursed..to be frank." He clasps the small boulder between both hands now, sending chips of stone flying and producing small cracks. "Who is this..er...Eclavdran and how, exactly, do the local hunters, adventurers, and sort, need to do better? Are you all often turning into dragons and destroying homes?"

"Eclavdran is the name of a foul demon, one whom hassss wrecked much havoc in Alexandria." He seems somewhat saddened to think that Arngrin is not usually informed of things which should be basic courtesy. The destruction rather than causing an awe in the sith seems to make him wince. Perhaps a too-soon representation of what had so recently happened. "Thisss one thinksss that the Adventurerss do to often do thingsss which are dangerousss to the scity. It hasss been ssseen of late and thiss one doess not know why. Perhapsss thiss one ssshould assk them..."

The goliath gingerly brings one arm around and lowers the rubble back towards the pile he grabbed it from - though by his standards, moving gingerly does still cause an audible *THUD* and a vibration to rattle the area when he sets it back and releases it from his control. He keeps his attention on Zeke the whole time as if reading the blue-scaled priests body language and mood quite well despite his seeming obliviousness to other things.

"They should be careful lest the bounty hunters become the hunted. Putting ones life at risk for adventure and treasure seeking is not licensed to do as one wishes." Perhaps an odd observation coming from a Dranei but Arngrim is not without some experience.

"I do not know who I would ask or if they would even listen to me. Many of my former peers have left the city or..have had other things happen to them. Perhaps even retired. Who would listen to me?"

Zeke looks up, a touch surprised by the offer and pleased by the response. "Thisss one doess not know, but if you can but ssspread the thought that we musst be careful in our dealingsss with othersss, and that the sservantsss of the demon Eclavdran mussst be hunted down... you will be doing a great ssservisce to thiss scity." Zeke's tail shifts back and forth gently. "Sssurely othersss of many kindss will lissten to a warrior of your sstature."

"Unlikely if they are reckless enough to turn into dragons and go on afternoon strolls." notes Arngrim, "If that type of thinking is common then words alone, especially from a stranger, isn't likely to make a difference." He is quickly backpedaling yes, sensing he may have left an impression with Zeke he's uncertain he's willing to follow up on, "Surely the elf-witch Sandy might be a better choice for such a warning or is she still in seclusion?"

"Thisss one hasss never heard of 'Ssandy'. Isss sshe of the keeper-caste?" Zeke tilts his head in confusion at the name and shrugs. "Yet you are not wrong. If they will not lisssten to reassson from thossse they know... they may not lissten to it at all. Yet what can we do if we do not try?"

"That you don't know who Lady Sandiel is..is kind of my point. She is stern, powerful, perhaps cruel..but was well respected in the adventuring community for some time." notes Arngrim as he folds his arms, physique fighting to find space on itself to comfortably let his limbs rest against his torso, "What about the paladin, Serene?" he shudders in memory, "She was quite displeased when I used the altar of Eluna as a bludgeoning weapon against a demon but..it did act as a holy power against it.."

Zeke nods at this name. "Thisss one knowsss Ssserene quite well. Ssshe isss a good ally to thiss one'sss kin Sseldan." He shifts his tail back and forth. "Thissss one can well imagine her dissspleasssed sshould you do sssome-thing like that."

He hefts a sigh. "Though, thiss one musst go now. The bell saysss that thisss one hass other dutiess to perform." Even as he speaks a bell tolls in the city and reminds those close by to the temple district of prayer-times.

"Very well. Another time.." rumbles Arngrim, though he doesn't move himself and just sort of waits for Zeke to leave, looking at him like some sort of mindless monolith. There is a long pause and the giant then adds, "..It was good talking to you."

Zeke bows his head politely to the huge man. "Peassce on your nesst." He offers again, his way of agreeing that it had been a good talk, and then he turns to go. Leaving his conversational companion behind to do as he will.

-End