Well this was a bit of déjà vu. The last time a Rose had sent him out to keep an eye on someone, it had eventually led to him marrying said person. He could at least say with absolute certainty that it wouldn’t be a risk this time. He chuckled, shaking his head to himself and his thoughts as he walked through the streets of Vilpamolan.

Angela had tipped him off about a few things that would make Kale easier to find, and the pirate haven felt like the best place to start his search. That, and the hair she’d been able to procure had been woven into his map to seek him out. The man sounded troubled, he only hoped that he’d actually be able to be of some aid to him since the two had never crossed paths before. Sometimes it was hard to breach a connection with someone for whom you’d had no previous acquaintance.

Angela spoke of Kale as if he were her own child, and while many could hold a similar sentiment to Angela as their mother, it wasn’t often that she took someone in so intimately. Though he was under strict instruction not to mention her if he could avoid it. That shouldn’t be too hard to do, right? Still, walking around like this wasn’t as easy as it would have been years ago. It didn’t matter how many layers of dark clothing he wore; even his old attire when he had been a hunter did nothing to hide the glow that always followed him. Any exposed flesh was luminescent from the white holy markings that lined his deep olive skin, and the constant glow of his crystalline eyes didn’t help either.

Thankfully, he didn’t have to work through too many encounters with the more asinine individuals that prowled the alleyways. A window broke ahead and he sighed, so much for avoiding roadway brawls. His walking slowed, however, when he saw one of the two men in the…argument. That was a polite way to put it. The accurate description would be a heated swearing match teetering on a fist fight. And with the looks of the ring of people forming around him, he could tell all it would take was one misguided swing of a balled fist to start a frenzy. The air in Vilpamolan was always thick with aggressive energy.

The description and likeness he’d been shown left no question: this man was the Kale he had been looking for. Fate couldn’t make this easy on him, could it? Now what was he supposed to do? Thus far he’d kept a decently clean track record in the pirate haven, not being one to want to continue unnecessary violence if it could be avoided. Patience was one of his many virtues. Right now, though, he needed to separate Kale from this situation.

He was as polite as he could be as he pushed himself through the thickening throng of people, catching snippets of the accusations the other man was spitting Kale’s way as he got closer. Something about someone’s sister. Well then, he had his work cut out for him, didn’t he? He knew that he could easily stop this should he want to, all it would require was mass paralyzing all of them, but that would be too obvious. There had to be some way to form a sliver of an alliance with him, and his eyes darted back and forth between them, surveying the situation. He’d need to intervene soon though, lest he miss his chance completely to an all-out brawl.

A young man with dark black hair sat at a table, his head resting against the wooden surface before him. His head pulsated with a pain he'd become very familiar with as of late. This was Kale, once a great pirate captain of both sea and sky. These days, the man filled his day with alcohol and seeking the company of women. It would often get him into trouble, much like his previous night was about to catch up to him.

The sound of hands slamming into the table hit Kale like a runaway carriage, causing a grimace of pain and agony to consume his expression. "The Hell do you think you're doing," he roared as he tried to keep his head from cracking open, "Do you want to-" he stopped in mid sentence. The man who had slammed the table towered above him, snarling down at the slouching pirate. At the man's sides were two others; they weren't as tall as the other man, but they were about Kale's own size more or less. "You chose the wrong girl last night," said the wall of human, "We're gonna take a little walk and 'chat' about what happened with my sister."

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With a loud 'CRASH,' the window of the tavern was shattered as Kale's form was thrown through it. His body rolled on the ground a ways like a rag doll. Very slowly, the ragged man began to push himself up while the large one graciously allowed him to stand. Vitriol spewed forth from the large animal's mouth, blaspheming the names of the gods and drawing a fit of wicked laughter from the young man. "Ya swear to th' gods tha' you'll make me pay," he said in his unrefined accent before releasing a mad cackle, "You're an idio' aren' ya? Do ya really think they give a damn about your profane promises?"

Kale cackled once more, "If'n the gods do give a damn about yer promise, may Angela herself step in now or forever hold her peace!" With a gale-like speed, the young pirate closed the distance to the man that towered over him. The giant's face barely had time to show his shock before Kale's comparably small fist found purchase with unbelievable force. The creature's body went limp as it flew through the very wall of the tavern, breaking the tables and chairs it landed on top of.

The lackeys looked as dumbfounded as the general spectators, motionless until the sound of Kale's voice shook them. "Get 'im and go," he said as he walked passed them and through the doors of the tavern, "Unless ya'd rather join 'im on the floor, tha' is." Kale moved to his previous table, taking great care to step on top of the unconscious beast, digging his boot heel in before moving on.

The barkeep set a mug before him without a word, as if this was a common occurrence, and went about his business. Kale's head returned to the table and he slipped back into his thoughts once more.

His bright eyes widened, watching the brief argument unfold. There had hardly been enough time to intervene before Kale had sent the other man crashing through the tavern’s wall. The boy was powerful, he could respect that being who he was, though he couldn’t help but think the display was superfluously unnecessary. In a place such as Vilpamolan, occurrences like this were a normality, and he watched silently as people slowly began to peter back out to their nightly duties.

The energy had died down to a disappointed buzz; yes, this was indeed the type of city that preferred bloodshed, but he was happy it had ended. What he wasn’t happy about, was seeing how much work he had cut out for himself. Kale didn’t seem like the talking type, and as he stepped into the tavern, he could tell he wasn’t much of the sober type either.

Funny enough, the two’s back and forth had given him a small opening, and he walked over to the table, sitting in the chair across from him. Angela hadn’t mentioned his arm, but he had more than enough tact not to bring attention to it. After all, the man clearly had enough force for five behind his one punch, “Well,” he said quietly, “I’m not Angela, but either way the time has passed for stepping in.” He looked over his shoulder at where the man was still sprawled, and then returned his attention to Kale,

“Of course, I don’t think immediate violence was what was necessary against a man who believed he was defending the honor of his sibling.” he chose his words carefully. He had no idea what the arrangement between Kale and the woman had been, but bringing in her gender should have had no weight on any one man’s reaction. Overreaction. His eyes narrowed on him in thought, his aura was all over the place and he doubted anything that was spoken tonight would truly stick.

The sound of shifting cloth, the reaction of the wooden seat across from him as weight was applied… Someone had come to bother him. A sound of frustration escaped from Kale's lips as he lifted his head to get a look at the intruder. He was blinded; maybe it was the hangover, but the man seemed to glow. It dawned on the pirate as his eyes tried to adjust the little they could in his current state. "No," he said as he grabbed the tankard, "No, no, no, no, no."

Kale downed the liquid within, nearly finishing the drink in one go. He set the tankard down heavily and, none too gently, returned his head to the table. He picked up his head after a moment more, a dull fire in his eyes, "As for that guy, his sister and I just had a good time last night, that's all! We enjoyed each other's company and it's none of his concern. And if you wanna start something about it, then I'm gonna need a few more drinks, first. And I'm talkin' the kind Caitlin used to make!" Kale caught himself, looking confused by what he'd just said, "Not that you know what I'm talkin' about. Anyway, that jerk had it comin'."

The half-drunken man thought a moment, his senses dulled. It took a moment. "What do ya wan' with me? Surely ya've got more important things ta do than sit 'ere and chat with a drunken, one-armed man like me. And on that subject," he said with a combination of annoyance and curiosity in his voice, "Just 'ow in the 'ell did ya even find me? I've taken great effort to hide from you lot; even Angela hadn't been able to find me. That's it, innit? She told ya where I'd be, didn't she? Well, 'ere I am! Ya found me. Now what are ya plannin'?"

He squinted once more at the glowing man, his eyes overwhelmed by the light. "Look, Mr. God, I'm assuming you're some god of light or blinding-ness or whatever," he said, "I canno' make you leave, but if you're gonna sit here with me, do ya think ya could turn down the brightness?" With that, he finished off the tankard just as the bartender set a fresh tankard down in front of him.

From Kale’s immediate reaction to him, it was easy to tell that he knew who he was. So much for keeping him calm at the prospect of interacting with a deity. Even so, he kept his hands comfortably folded on the table as if this unraveling negative attitude was normal. In a strange way it was, to him at least. There were so many that traveled to Suisho no Kyuden, and many of them had more than they could bear on their shoulders. Some showed this pain in tears, others with harsh words and misdirected strikes. All were dealt with meticulous thought and understanding. Kale would be no different.

And so, he quietly listened as the troubled young man spoke. After he was finished he stayed quiet for an uncomfortably long amount of time, just looking at him. Seemingly out of nowhere, he reached across the table and pulled a strand of hair from Kale’s head as if he were picking a flower for one of his children’s nature crowns. His eyes moved down to the dark strand, and he spun it between his thumb and index finger, “Actually,” he commented, “Angela had nothing to do with how I found you, outside of supplying some of your clothing.”

He looked at him over the strand and then blew it from his fingers, “You should be careful not to be so careless with parts of your body when you’re trying to hide from people.” Despite the subject, his eyes softened, “Now then, if you’re done feeling sorry for yourself I think we can get this conversation started on the right foot. First things first,” the perpetual glow around him began to slowly dim until the majority of it was in his eyes and white tattoos, “I think I can oblige with dimming. Now then,”

He leaned forward on his elbows, putting up a protective sphere around the two of them that blocked out all sound from those in the tavern, “God of Light? Yes. Of blindingness? No. My other domain is that of Strength, and while I’ve seen an impressive amount from you thus far, I’d prefer not having to test my own tonight.” He smiled, yes Strength was a part of him, but so was patience. And more stubborn and ill-tempered than Kale had already tested his these past years of being a deity.

“Since you’re already aware that Angela is in search of you, there’s no real point to mask my intentions. Though now that I’m here with you,” he gave him a quick survey with his eyes, “I’m starting to have personal interest in your situation. Your state Kale, this worries me. I’ve been honest with you; can you be honest with me? Why are you wasting your potential?”