The falls trickled gently, their shimmering beauty enchanting in the fading afternoon light.

They reminded Frey of home. Of the falls he used to live by. Of the little cottage he'd grown up in so many decades ago before. He'd stayed there quite a time before being chased from it, but eventually he had managed to return.

Settled on a patch of grass a wary distance from the water's surface, the mage gazed longingly at the top of the falls and the sky beyond. The stars weren't out yet, but he'd been in this land just long enough to recognize they were different than he was accustomed to. But then, even the stars back home had long since stopped speaking to him.

With a weary sigh, the mage set his backpack in his lap. On the one hand, traveling light was oddly refreshing. On the other hand, gods, how very dearly he missed his usual repertoire.

Come to think of it, there were a lot of things he missed about his old life.

Hagar walked along through the forest, listening to the sounds of nature. He eventually came to some waterfalls trickling ever so beautifully along.

The shaman sat still for a moment, just listening to the sounds of the moving water. His eyes scanned the area around him looking for somewhere to lay down and relax. He saw no signs of life anywhere around him at first, but then he spotted someone sitting alone on a little patch of grass a short distance away from the water.

Hagar decided to speak to the person to see if he was friendly. "Hello lone traveler!" Hagar yelled over to the stranger. "Might I join you in your stargazing?"

The shaman began walking towards the stranger slowly. He was hoping the person was friendly but he had to prepare for the worst so that he didn't end up at a disadvantage should a fight arise.

Thoughts adrift, the mage was more startled than he'd ever admit by the sudden voice calling to him out of the blue. He'd not even registered the big man's footsteps prior. Head swiveling in Hagar's direction, Frey lifted a subconscious, skeletal hand to check that his mask was still secured in place. Much to his relief, he found that it was.

"Hail, stranger!" he returned heartily, offering a wave with the same hand. "By all means. The skies are for all to share." Setting his bag aside and drawing his knees comfortably to his chest, the mage hunkered over them and craned his neck upward. He had no intentions of getting too friendly with the folks from these lands before setting his own matters in order, but being polite couldn't hurt. And besides, it felt a lonelier night than most. The company would be welcome.

"The name's LeSilve. Have you traveled far this eve?"

Hagar had not meant to startle the stranger but that was exactly what had happened. When he called out the man had flinched a little, which solicited a small fit of laughter from the shaman.

Hagar's laughter died off and was replaced with a smile when the stranger called back to him and accented his words with a friendly wave. The shaman walked swiftly over to where the man was sitting. As he drew closer he realized that the stranger was wearing a mask upon his face, which was fine by Hagar. These were dangerous times and concealing your identity was a smart plan for survival. The shaman sat down next to the stranger and gazed up at the stars above.

Just mere seconds after Hagar sat down the stranger introduced himself as LeSilve. This act confused Hagar. What was the point of wearing a mask if you were willing to reveal your name. Although confused, Hagar saw no problem in introducing himself as well.

"Interesting name." Hagar responded. "My name is Hagar, and to answer your question, I'm always traveling." A booming laugh escaped the Shaman's throat after mentioning his travels. "I'm a wandering shaman, so I travel the lands offering my magic where it is needed." Hagar's mind drifted back to the mask on LeSilve's face. "If you don't mind my curiosity, I would like to know why you wear a mask upon your face?"

He sat quietly in growing awe as the man approached - he looked even bigger up close, impressive and just a little daunting despite his friendly approach. The man reminded him of a friend of his.

Except, he amended, for the part about traveling in order to offer his aid to those in need. The friend he had in mind was more the sort to offer his services in return for material wealth, most commonly gold. Such was the lot of a mercenary, one supposed.

"Well met, Hagar, fellow traveler." Frey inclined his head briefly. Then, with a sigh, he glanced skyward again and considered the man's question. "I guess you could call it a precaution. I've been recognized here a few times without wanting to be, nor expecting to be." He frowned behind his mask before reaching up to take it off. "But, in truth," he said as he pulled it away, better revealing his green eyes and a freckled face, "I've nothing to hide." He offered a small, confident smile.

"So. What do the stars in this land tell you, when you look upon them?"

Hagar sat quietly beside LeSilve listening to him talk. Lesilve mentioned that he had been recognized before when he didn't want to be,  but then continued to say that he had nothing to hide as he removed the mask from his face. The man's face was covered in freckles and his green eyes shined bright against the dark night. LeSive then asked what the stars told Hagar when he gazed upon them. Hagar had to think a moment before answering this question.

"While I've never really practiced divining the stars or listening to their message," Hagar started out "I would say that they are telling me that even in these danger filled lands their is beauty everywhere we look. The beasts of this place are lethal in form yet graceful in appearance and motion. Killers roam the lands but even they have beauty in their hearts, regardless of how deeply hidden that beauty is." The shaman paused for a moment as he moved his pelt around on his shoulders. "I don't know if that's the sort of answer you were expecting" the shaman stated, "but that's all i hear when I listen to the stars.Those lights in the sky serve as motivation for me on my many lonely nights. They keep me moving forward." Hagar took this chance to shift the focus back to LeSilve.

You mentioned that you had been recognized around these lands before when you didn't want to be, yet you claim you have nothing to hide." Hagar declared. "From this statement I assume that you're either a criminal or you have a lot of enemies. Now I'm not one to judge, I've done some bad things myself, I just want to get to know you. So why is it that you don't want to be recognized?"

Frey shrugged, a light smile tugging at his lips. "It is about the kind of answer one expects, I suppose - though it is an intriguing philosophy nonetheless. I don't know that I would so readily believe in the good in all beings. Not anymore." Taking his own good look at the stars, Frey shook his head. The stars had spoken to him, once upon a time - he was sure of it. But even now, memory of what they might have imparted to him was hazy at best, intangible, as though he might have dreamt it all up.

It was a prospect that did not appeal to him.

The mage's smile faded with Hagar's question. The slightest tinge of rose coloured his cheeks. "I, err…"

In hindsight, he'd perhaps been a bit silly in his quest for dramatic flair. "I should have better elaborated," he offered by way of apology. "I do not believe myself to be a criminal. But I also do not know what to believe. There was an… event? Worlds crashing… Some have recognized me across these lands and claimed to be friends when I, on the other hand, cannot seem to recall more than some vague sense of familiarity about them, if that. It is a frustrating experience to repeat, and I would rather see it sorted before complicating things further."

He folded his hands in his lap and sighed. "Does that make sense? I did not intend to be quite so cryptic."

Hagar couldn't help but smile when LeSilve mentioned that he wouldn't readily believe that all people have good in their hearts. Hagar knew better, for he had seen murderers drop to their knees in apology, and had witnessed thieves donate to people who had little but the clothes on their backs. "Everyone has good in their hearts." Hagar stated. "That good may have to be mined from mineral veins as solid as bedrock but with enough faith and a lot of patience, you can help people break their good nature free from the bedrock of their evil ways."

Hagar noted that his stargazing companion had said the words, "not anymore," as if he once agreed that everyone had good in their hearts. The shaman was about to question LeSilve about why he had said those words when LeSilve continued talking. LeSilve mentioned worlds falling, as well as not recognizing people who claimed to be his friends. Hagar didn't know what had happened but he figured that LeSilve had been caught in some sort of violent or tragic experience that had caused a loss of memory. The green eyed stargazer then mentioned that he would like to get his situation sorted out. Hagar saw this as the perfect opportunity to do some more traveling, all while getting to know more about his new acquaintance

"It wasn't cryptic at all." Hagar declared with a smile. "As a matter of fact i think i perfectly understand your predicament and if you don't mind, I would like to travel with you for a while and try to help you sort things out. Traveling by yourself gets mighty lonely, and i love to help people out when they have need." Hagar smiled a big toothy smile at LeSilve in the hopes that he would accept the shaman's offer of assistance.. 

Frey shrugged his indifference. Perhaps most had some good in them, and that, he would not doubt. But when it came to his brother - in fact, when it came to most of his people, the likes of which he had been lucky enough to grow up away from - Frey could not readily agree. They were dour creatures, the whole lot of them, oppressive on the best of days and downright savage on the worst. Miserable. Cruel. Pathetic.

"If you say so," he merely mumbled, not keen on arguing the point.

Having then related his story, the aerkai remained silent a moment, both digesting his own words and allowing the other to sift through them at his leisure. Hagar's smile was not quite the answer he'd been expecting, however, and it sent chills down his spine. This guy seemed too… too bloody nice. The paranoid sort to begin with, Frey frowned. "I very much mind, in fact," he retorted. "We've only just met! Not even five minutes ago! And you claim to 'understand my predicament,' you say?"

He leaned back with a huff, crossing his arms. 

"Look, sorry, just… Mmm… How about you tell me more about yourself, Hagar?"

Hagar laughed at the man's reaction. He seemed a little surprised, if not entirely shocked, by Hagar's offer to travel with him.  LeSilve then asked Hagar to tell him more about himself. Well if he wanted to know then Hagar would gladly tell him about his life.

"Well I was orphaned as a young toddler" Hagar stated, beginning his story. "An old man found me and took me back to his village in the middle of a dense forest. Turns out, that old man was the shaman for a group of tribal warriors who had made that particular forest their home. As I grew older I the old man began teaching me the ways of the shaman, as well as giving me plenty of life lessons along the way. He taught me how to channel my energies to work wonders, and I learned all he had to offer. When I came of age he sent me out of the village to make my own way in life. I haven't seen him or my village since then. I often wander if they are still in that forest."

Hagar closed his eyes as he embraced a moment of remembrance. The shaman saw an image of his mentor's face in his head and imagined being back in his village once again. He opened his eyes and smiled before continuing.

"As for the present times, I now wander the lands helping anyone in need of assistance. That's why I asked if I could come along with you in your travels. My purpose in life is to assist others, so I would very much like to help you." Hagar's lips spread into a wide smile and his eyes twinkled with anticipation of what LeSilve's answer would be.