Ayer Lecomte 

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- Mentions: [@Mataus] 

Ayer felt tired and sore, but they were so close now. He simply started to oar towards the sandy beach before them at the command while his companion nestled themselves. 

While the water trickled the sounds of the oar splashing faintly in the murky nighttime water, he heard to more of Paric's story. He didn't know if it was the waters or the thought of escape that made the man so leisurely. Or maybe it was the lack of blood that made the man pour out his personal story? Isn't this what people did if they thought they were going to die? If that was the case, he needed to hurry. Though still, despite his focusing on paddling, he listened as much as he could. Much of the tale felt foreign to him, as he didn't bother involving himself with politics or customs or social dynamics. All he knew was magic, machines, and tinkermanship, and the laws that govern those things. Ayer learned only what was in books, or essays, and old manuscripts. He was no person to say what was right or wrong, or how things should have been in a society or should be. But Ayer felt a tinge of sorrow for the lonely life of a traveler. 

	He glanced back, a familiar wicked smile perched across his lips. "Keep your spirits high, my friend. Whatever happened in our pasts affects us no more! As travelers, we live in the now."
	
	Ayer suddenly threw his head back and laughed, "If you have nowhere to go, then be my assistant! A position of utmost prestige, I assure you. This is only the beginning of my grand path! This may have been an unfortunate roadblock, but I have overcome adversity after calamity all my life! Like you said, Leias will be a new opportunity for us. And there, I will find my wings among the ruins of the ancients. And with them, to the very heavens I will soar! Like a glorious Phoenix, burning bright in the pyre of my naysayers! And my allies will share in my profound bounty. Those fools that lead you astray before. None of them were a genius like me, I bet! Together, with you as my assistant, we will make changes in this world that not even the Gods can defy!" 

His haughty, near maniacal laughing continued for a while. Until he was promptly thrown off his seat by a rough halt of the boat. They seem to have landed. 

...