[color=E0D6C0] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/wFqApY1.png[/img][/center]
[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/fXzi00H.gif[/img][hr][h1][b][color=30A4D9]Bastion[/color][/b][/h1][/center]

[center][color=30A4D9][b]Race:[/b][/color] Warforged
[color=30A4D9][b]Class:[/b][/color] Guardian
[color=30A4D9][b]Location:[/b][/color] The Kraken's Wake  Seadragon Keep
[color=30A4D9][b]Mentions:[/b][/color] Phia [@princess], Arya [@potter], Corin [@Lava Alckon], Minerva / Malik[@FunnyGuy], Meiyu [@Tae]
[color=30A4D9][b]Equipment:[/b][/color]  
[hider=equipment][color=F9D972]☼[/color] Tower Shield  
[color=F9D972]☼[/color] Greatsword made of Glacium (A material as hard as steel, yet formed from eternally frozen ice.)
[color=F9D972]☼[/color] Titan Chain – A reinforced tow chain housed in his left palm, functioning as a powerful grappling hook.  
[color=F9D972]☼[/color] Aged Leather Satchel   
[color=F9D972]☼[/color] Worn but cherished scarf
[color=F9D972]☼[/color] Maintenance Kit .
[color=F9D972]☼[/color] Heavy-duty rations (for companions, not himself).  
[color=F9D972]☼[/color] A delicate glass figurine of a bird—an old keepsake.  
[color=F9D972]☼[/color] A locked, timeworn journal—contents unknown.  [/hider]
[color=30A4D9][b]Attire:[/b][/color]  
[color=F9D972]☼[/color] Etched and weathered ivory metal plating with bronze accents.  
[color=F9D972]☼[/color] Fitted harness for carrying supplies.  
[color=F9D972]☼[/color] Worn scarf 
[color=30A4D9][b]Gold Balance:[/b][/color] 37 gold
[color=30A4D9][b]Injuries:[/b][/color]  
[color=F9D972]☼[/color] Left shoulder was injured in the battle and is still leaking fluid.  
 [/center][hr]

Bastion did not sleep.

This was not a matter of discipline, nor pride, nor some noble thing like heroism. Sleep simply did not come for him the way it did for others. Their bodies surrendered to it, each in their own fashion whether it be uneasy or welcomed. Their minds and bodies required rest. His did too, but just not in the same ways. 

For Bastion, there was only the rest of stillness. Hours and hours of quiet and still that was only interrupted by the occasional patron coming or going from their room, in which they had to awkwardly step over Bastion’s massive legs as he waved up to them from his place on the ground, and of course the sounds that boomed from below as even though many were sleeping by this hour… The Kraken’s Wake, much like him, itself never slept. 

Morning crept in without ceremony, gray and pale through the warped windows, sunlight spilling across the hallway in thin pieces that slowly touched his legs, his hands, the old plates and seams of his body. Doors began to open and voices emerged, some quiet, some strained, some still intoxicated from the evening’s libations. 

Bastion rose when the others did, and he was excited when he felt the door from Phia’s room open behind his back. As he stood it was obvious that there was always a weight to him when he moved, a carefulness, as if every step required calculation before committing to it. The last thing he needed was another incident like with the chair the night before… Though it did seem to make everyone happy. Well, everyone except for Minerva. 

 He gave Phia space when she came out, his gaze touching her briefly, checking for injury, distress, anything immediate or requiring action. Then that same curious gaze passed to Menzai, then Corin, then Arya, then Meiyu.

Then to a stranger.

There was not a Minerva in sight. This form was different. Height, face, frame, hair, posture, clothing, all different from her. Yet how could it be that this man was in the room and Minerva was not, when Bastion had taken vigil outside of the door all night. No one had gotten in or out without him knowing. His head tilted like that of a confused dog as he pondered, but no one else acted as though there was a problem, which only confused him even more.

 Thankfully it wasn’t long until he was introduced to Malik, and though the interaction did not answer all of his questions, it did alleviate some of his concern. At the very least, he did not have long to react at all since by the time the group arrived downstairs, Beckett and the other pirates came to collect them. 

A brief time later, they were in the depths of Seadragon Keep receiving introductions by a blue prince that looked more like a child to Bastion. The child prince called them property… He did not appreciate that. The child prince insinuated that their survival was now dependent on their submission to him… He did not appreciate that either. 

Bastion watched as, one by one, the group began to introduce themselves. Malik started things off as though he Was their leader. The Warforged’s head tilted once more with curiosity towards the Elf. Not only because of the obvious confusion, but also because in some ways the man reminded him of someone. He pulled memories of a Valenar champion of the Tairnadal with which he once served. Painful memories… And thus he pushed them from his mind almost as quickly as they came. 

Next was Phia, and the way she carried herself made him feel proud to know her, despite it only being for a brief time. When she struck her staff against the floor, Bastion could feel the vibration of its echo through the soles of his metal plated feet. She made her stance known, made it clear that she was not property, and she carried a presence with her that he had not seen from the kind girl before. 

Corin stepped up to make introductions next. The man, in all of his honor, was defiant in his own way. His competence was put on full display, as was his confidence in his abilities. He gave only his title; The Gem Knight. Bastion wondered why, but something in his own depths understood the choice even if his mind had not fully processed it as of yet. 

It was then that Arya moved to step forward, but she did not make it far. Her body trembled, slight enough that perhaps others missed it, but Bastion did not. Her hand remained near her bow. Her hood hid much, but not all of her face. Stella was tucked away close, quiet as a secret. Even now, he admired the creatures majesty and beauty. Arya’s gaze did not settle. It flickered, retreated, returned, then vanished somewhere inward.

Bastion did not know everything. He did not know the shape of the chains that had left their memory around her wrists. He did not know why some silences were chosen and others were endured. But for all he did not know, he did in fact know fear.

But a shield did not need to understand the entire battlefield to know when to interpose, so Bastion stepped forward without even thinking. 

As he took his place where the others had stood, Bastion gazed upon Prince Dane the way he once gazed upwards at the very Queen of Cyre. Even Warforged could experience nostalgia. 

[color=30A4D9]“The designation that was given to me upon my creation is Bastion.”[/color] He divulged. [color=30A4D9]“I was once a guardian of Cyre, but now my shield has been sworn to these people here. I am their defender. I have vowed to protect them. If you wish to harm them, I fear I will be forced to add more bones to the collection in this room. For almost 100 years I lived a life consumed by war. I wish for something different, but I will not be your property, child, and you will not bring harm to my companions… Or war it shall be again.”[/color] 

Bastion did not wait for a response, turning an about face like he once did in formation as a soldier, and taking his place between Phia and Arya once more. 
[/color]