The pirate was impressed with the suited blue tunic he was given to wear. He felt handsome and clean, though he couldn't help but think of how little armor it had. There was no need for it, but he usually felt more comfortable wearing clothes for protection, not for looks. It mattered little, as this night was intended for show and entertainment. It was a side to protecting the king he would have to get used to, and he quickly did as he marveled in awe at the structure of the theatre. He had never been to a play before, not quite sure what their meaning was. To entertain? The only form of entertainment he knew was women and fighting. Perhaps the world was changing faster than he liked.
As he ordered a whiskey from the servants, he took a seat in his area and grinned. Regardless of what he thought of it all, it was still very exciting. Everyone in one large space, all together in peace. Would be the perfect place for an ambush, but these days, almost every place in society made him think one would break out. When his drink arrived, he happily drank and noted the people around him. Sitting to one side of him was Calypso, and she looked even better than he did in her gown.
"You look lovely, Calypso," he told her in a friendly manner. He knew she wasn't interested in men, he was just truthful and bold to whomever he spoke to. "Nice to have a night out, eh? This will be my first play, what about you? Surely a beautiful thing as yourself has experienced such luxuries before?"
When Dalious first spoke to her, Calypso was off in her own world. Rather than looking to the stage or people below, her orange eyes had traveled to the rafters up above, all the way to a distant corner that was nothing special, and certainly had nothing in it. Yet all the same she continued to stare, right up until the pirate got her attention.
She jumped in her seat, eyebrows raising as she looked back and forth before looking at Dalious with newly green eyes but the same strange smile she always wore. Listening with her head slightly cocked to the side, her dress shimmered like liquid silver, material soft and shifting with each movement.
Eventually, she shook her head, smiling a little more. "Nope...~ This is my first time going to one too...~ Well, at least from what I can remember~"
The idea seemed to amuse her, and she silently giggled to herself. Her gaze drifted away, finally looking to the stage and at the curtain, as if she expected it to open at any moment. Instead, it remained stubbornly closed.
"I am excited for this...~ I'm very curious to see how they work...~"
"Well, if plays are any good, someone will get their head chopped off surely," he replied. "Even jousting men get stabbed through the throat. People lose fingers in proper duels. And of course, the arena is the arena. To entertain is to shed blood, and so it will always be. We might even see someone get split in two, who knows!" He held his walking cane between his legs as he waved over another drink. "Still, best to be cautious even here. Would be the perfect place to trap the king, be on your guard." As he spoke he scanned the theatre for the ins and outs, noting the walls were easily climbable for him. His leg still ached a bit, but with his constant stretching and exercise, it was quickly coming back to normal. "If you sense anything during the play, do let me know."
"Noted...~" Calypso's usual inflection almost seemed to undermine the idea that she was taking the situation seriously, but that was simply the way Calypso was. Her eyes continued to drift around, and she jerked when the lights were suddenly dimmed and put out by servants spread throughout the Theater.
"Oh, it's starting~" She quickly shushed herself with the quieting of the crowd, silence falling over like an invisible, massive blanket. On the stage a single, circular light appeared in the middle of the stage, and the curtains were swept aside in oiled quiet, exposing the stage behind them.
There were several people, but just two sat at a table in the light; everyone else was in shadows. She supposed it was supposed to be some sort of inn, though the decorations were purposefully bare; only a few tables and chairs, bars with stools, and glasses and mugs spread around.
The two in the light were men, and one of them was rather nondescript with brown attire, a beard, and the taller of the mugs. On the other hand the other male was decidedly unique: he was tall and pale, with long dark hair that went down past his shoulders. He was dressed in finer clothes, whites and greys missed together in coat, pants, and shirt.
The other was the one speaking, and he began almost as soon as the light appeared.
"Iaim, this is madness. You can't expect to win against the God Kings! They have power beyond anything we can dream of! If they catch you, they'll Remake you, change what you are-"
"I care not!" The other brought down his cup heavily, but it seemed more accident than purposeful; he immediately followed it up with a heavy cough, turning his head to the side as his hair shook with each escape, before he looked back to the other man once again. "Enough is enough. They have ruled us for too long, these tyrants; we all suffer across all of the Lands. We are not the only ones who are unsatisfied! They may have power, but there are eight of them. There are thousands of us; tens of thousands! They cannot hope to Remake us all."
"But who would be willing to risk their soul for this?! They face a fate worth than death!"
"No, my friend. The fate worse than death is our lives now."
The light suddenly dimmed, disappearing before it reappeared elsewhere. Though it had only been dark for just a moment, the inn scene had been rearrange, the two who had been talking were gone, and now there were three men focused on.
One was quite short with auburn hair pulled back; clearly, he was meant to be a dwarf, one who wore a big blue coat. Next to him was a man with a white wig of short, messy hair; the man seemed nervous, tapping his fingers often against his mug, often biting at his nails.
And then the third man, who was the most handsome of the lot so far, sat there calmly, almost serenely. His hair was silver, so much that it was like the metal itself grew from his head in the long locks. His eyes were strange, from what Calypso could tell; gold and silver glinting together. He dressed roughly, but with a certain sense of style: a black jacket with the pants, a white tunic beneath.
The dwarf was the one who spoke: "You're crazy, Kuraihi. Setting fire to a crib, to God King Ridat's kid? How are you still alive?"
"Luck." The silver haired man spoke softly, almost disinterestedly.
"It's getting closer each time." The white-haired man said, with a nervous laugh afterwards. "They're getting closer to catching him. It's only a matter of time."
"As I said, luck."
"Be that as it may..." The dwarf paused to take a sip from his drink. "Maybe he's causing things to happen. Rumors of a Rebellion forming, getting ready to fight back. Maybe you two should join."
"Mmm..." The silver haired man leaned back. "Maybe we should, Strahan. Luke?"
The white-haired man stopped biting at his fingers to hold both hands up and away from himself. "It's whatever you say, Kuraihi, just... can you be careful this time? Especially since you're involving me?"
"We'll see."
The curtains suddenly shut, and a voice spoke, magically magnified:
"The Rebellion began quietly enough, the idea of a few brave people, inspired by one brave, Gifted individual. Men and women would leave their homes, their lives to come together under one banner, demanding the blood of the God Kings."
"Well, no one has died yet," Dalious muttered, staring forward as he spoke. "I'm sure someone will lose a head soon, at the very least a limb!"
The play continued from there at a quick pace. It detailed the beginning of the Rebellion, and the initial responses of the God Kings; those few that were shown were nearly monster-like in appearance, and larger than life. In particular, Ridat Mazami, the God King of Fire, had the longest scene, and the actor who played him stepped onto stage truly wreathed in flame.
The play then proceeded quickly into the first battle, which took place within the Land of Water. On stage men and women fought and died on both sides, the battle hitting a fever pitch quickly-
And then the acted leader of the Rebellion moved to the center of the stage, waving a flag with the continent of Aatroia itself on it-
"FOR THE REBELLION! FOR AATROIA! FOR ALL FREE PEOPLE!"
Even as he brought the flag down to the ground, everyone around him turned on him. Suddenly, something strange happened; a piece of the stage dropped suddenly in a flash of purple and black, revealing the actor who played Kuraihi, standing there with a spear in hand-
And in a flash he had lunged forwards, and with a few quickly blows stabbed down those who attacked Iaim.
Quickly, Calypso leaned over to Dalious. "What was that~? What happened~?"
The pirate's enjoyment escalated as the battles raged on, from the fire god to the rebellion battle. He found himself deeply interested now, so much so that he even waved away the next servant with drinks just to continue his focus on the play. It was a staged reenactment of their past, and Dalious found himself wishing he were actually there fighting with them.
"I'm not entirely sure," he spoke quietly to Calypso. "The spearman is Kuraihi, the gifted one who set fire to the God King's crib. He is protecting the leader of the Rebellion. It was not so much luck that has kept him alive, but great skill as well. He reminds me of...me." He took a second to look around at the audience, trying to see if Cyril was enjoying the play from where he was, though he could not get a good view of the king. "Perhaps one day, our story too, will be in a play. Here's to hoping they get our good looks right!"
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