Black Sands, Bright Sun [Xcavius]

[Paladienne]

Dekval couldn’t be sure why he had accepted the offer of meeting this kid Xalk for a day at the beach. Sure, it wasn’t like he had anything else planned for the day. He’d gotten in his required simulation training yesterday and had gotten done what he’d needed to get done, and there was certainly time enough during the rest of the week to do whatever else might need to be done. Besides, he knew what he would’ve done had he not been invited out, and it didn’t hurt to make new friends. That being said, he didn’t know Xalk at all, personally. All he knew about him was what his file described and what the kid looked like. But one didn’t make friends if you didn’t reach out and try, and you didn’t get to know people if you didn’t meet them for yourself. So while he couldn’t be sure exactly why he’d accepted the beach day with the unknown quantity, Dekval could be sure that he was going to go through with it and see how things went.

He’d actually managed to get a decent amount of sleep the night before, which pleased him, and had gotten things ready for a lazy day upon the black sands. It would take a total of eight hours for Xalk to arrive in Ryun, which meant he would’ve had to leave gods-awful early in the morning to get in and have enough time to do what he wanted to do without immediately turning around and getting back on the rail to head off to wherever he was going to next.

There’d be no point to the excursion then, if that were the case.

So Dekval arrived at the rail station a little early, wanting to study this new face before he actually introduced himself. Outwardly, Dekval seemed confident, but in actuality, he was rather shy. He was a Pilot who didn’t relish the attention his position as a Raven garnered him, and was still getting used to it, and it made him quite the odd duck, considering his squad’s reputation. Not that he didn’t get involved in the shenanigans when invited, of course. But he had a small circle of friends that he did things with, and he could count them on one hand and not run out of fingers. He did need more friends. Acquaintances. People to hang out with and do things with.

As the rail pulled into the station, Dekval stood against a pillar with his hands shoved into his pockets. His eyes were riveted on to the cars, watching as the rail finally came to a stop and the doors slid open. People began filing out, heading to their own vacations in Ryun, or their own jobs, or homes, or wherever they intended to be in the hurry that they were in. Few noticed him standing there, or if they did, a quick smile was enough to disarm them and send them on their way without bothering him. He stood there, watching, waiting, until finally he saw the person he was waiting for.

Xalk was a pleasant surprise, to say the least. And his coat really was shimmering.

Dekval pulled his hands form his pockets and went to intercept his potential new friend. He made sure there was a smile on his face and in his eyes, and he made sure he didn’t look too threatening.

“Xalk, right?” Dekval called, already knowing the answer, but asking it anyway. “I’m Dekval. It’s nice to meet you. Well. Meet you face to face. How was your ride in?”

[Xcavius]

You're apartment is almost finished up! Just a couple more days and you should be all good to return! Thank you again for choosing Noble's Construction for your repair and renovation needs!

Great, gonna be at least another week until its finished. Xalk thoguht as he scrolled his phone. He had gotten used to these long train rides at this point. City and hotel hopping had given the chance to sprout his wings and enjoy the world, and at one point even the toxic wasteland outside of the domes.

The rail will be arriving in Ryun within 10 minutes.

Ah right, Im supposed to meetup with Dek soon. Hope an 8am wakeup call wasn't too hard to manage. Xalk scrolled through the music on his phone. Ey, this one brings back memories.

*THUD*

The drops echoed in Xalk's ears just before Trosko spoke. Laying against the boulder now splattered with an abnormal amount of blood. Xalk know Trosko's tail was strong but never imagined he would actually use it on him. 

"Get up weakling! I chose you from the program because you showed promise, now all you've done is wreak havoc on your reputation. You have aspiring potential to be a great pilot, but your lack of confidence sickens me to my core! You can barely communicate effectively with the others and its a damn shame to me."

The struggling coughs, and gasps for air, Xalk managed to speak "I-Im sorry, I just d-don't- BLEGH," Xalk keeled over "whelp t-there goes m-my l-lunch *cough*."

"Now I hope I don't have to warn you again, get your act straight or the others will decide your fate. The hospital will admit your wounds, tell them it was me that caused it."

With the giant flap of his wings Trosko was soon out of sight. Xalk looked over to see his belongings sprawled out all over the place. Once he reached his phone...

A single tear trickled down his face before he wiped it with the sleeve of his jacket.

We have arrived at Ryun. The speaker blared. Time does fly by.

Xalk stepped out looking for Dekval, until a light tap on his shoulder caught his attention. It was Dek, his smile seemed to be a little forced a bi-product of possible nervousness. It didn't matter to Xalk, but he noticed it ever so slightly.

"Nice to meet ya my man, the ride was fun, I actually realized a little too late that I never planned a meetup time, but I guessed it worked out." Xalk chuckled. "Alright you gotta help me out here though, I've never been here, so lead the way to them beaches." Xalk coudln't be happier and his smile showed it.

[Paladienne]

Dekval’s smile eased a little. The kid was earnest, at least. That settled him a little bit. Generally, he had a hard time warming up to people he really didn’t know, but Xalk made it easy to like him.

“Ah, well, I sorta did math in my head. If you wanted enough time to go to the beach and have fun...” Dekval shrugged. “You’d have to leave pretty early to get here.”

He started for the station’s exit then, gesturing for the other man to follow him. He was quiet for a moment, until they reached the outside and the bright light. Ryun rose tall around them, the buildings and glass shimmering in the daylight. Dekval squinted, then looked to the young man beside him.

“Yeah, don’t worry. I won’t let you wander around by yourself. Ryun’s pretty easy to navigate once you figure out all the little streets eventually connect with the main ones. And you can always tell you’re getting close to popular destinations in the city by the enormous crowds of people.”

Dekval started walking, leaving Xalk to catch up. “Did you want to get anything to eat first? You’ve been on the rail for a while. I mean, there are snack stands and things like that on the beach, plus a dozen restaurants on the boardwalk, but if you want anything specific, I could take you there. Or we could go straight to the sands and figure it out later.”

[Xcavius]

Xalk studied Dekval for a moment before answering. He noticed a white section of hair that Dekval was clearly attempting to hide. He made note of that.

Dekval seemed to be settling a bit, first impressions are the hardest of course.

"Fancy a coffee by any chance? Even though I've been sitting on the train for hours, rather stop by a cafe real quick. Sound good?"

[Paladienne]

Dekval caught Xalk’s glance toward the white spot on his head, and it took all of his willpower not to let his hand shoot up to the spot and try to cover it. He’d always been self-conscious of the bright white spot in his otherwise dark hair, but at the same time, the effort he’d made to hide it was half-hearted at best. He pretended to ignore the look rather than say anything, though, and grinned brightly.

“Yeah, sure. Coffee sounds great.” He began leading the other boy down a side street, one adjacent to the main thoroughfare and still just as crowded with tourists. “There’s tons of places, but there’s this corner one right in view of the beach. I’ll take you there.”

Dekval glanced over his shoulder to make sure Xalk was keeping up. He was walking slow on purpose, allowing the other Pilot to get a feel for the place. Ryun was huge and lively, loud and boisterous, at least where the tourists frequented. Bright signs and lights were unmistakably designed to catch the eye, and if Dekval had to be honest, that was how he had first started learning his way around Ryun when he’d first moved here. Now he knew the city almost like the back of his hand, but sometimes it could still be pretty overwhelming.

Especially since tourists - and residents - often stopped him for a small chat, a photo op, or an autograph.

Dekval did his best to accommodate them, of course, because celebrity came with being a Pilot and a member of a squad, especially the hometown squad, but he didn’t enjoy the attention as much as someone else in his position might. He’d always been that way. Tolerance was probably as close to acceptance as he could get.

Plus, he didn’t want to cause an incident and get yelled at by PR.

When they reached the cafe, Dekval paused to let Xalk take in the view. The wide street that offered a somewhat unobstructed view of the black sand beach and the water gently lapping at the shore, the numerous umbrellas, and even more numerous people. Finding space on the beach wouldn’t be hard, of course, but the sight was something to behold. This was one part - a big part - of Ryun, and his home. Dekval appreciated it, and he hoped that Xalk did, too. He turned to face his companion then, smiling.

“So,” Dekval started, “what would you like? My treat.”

[Xcavius]

Ryun was a sight to behold, tourists lined the streets, and Xalk was just in pure awe of his second time coming to the beach. He matched his pace with Dekval's, a little glance towards his feet and the two appeared to be almost twins at this point, well at least in terms of walking.

"My treat."

A phrase that Xalk hasn't heard for the longest time. Proceedingly, Dekval's smile warmed his heart. To the point where a little bit of his stutter came back. "Uh, any-any place that I can grab a good cappuccino sounds great! I'm down for the one on the beach. Lead the way cap'. "

 

[Paladienne]

Dekval blinked at the sudden nickname. His lips twitched in a small smile. “‘Cap’, huh? Can’t say I’ve ever been called that before. But I know a place, so, follow me. It’s not on the beach, but it’s close to it.”

Dekval led him then across the boardwalk to a café that seemed to be packed with people. Yet, at the sight of the Raven, the crowd parted and excited whispers exploded around them. Dekval tamped down his nervousness and grinned at the people, waving to some and giving autographs to others, all while threading his way toward the counter. Reaching it, he had his chip scanned and told the girl behind the counter, “Your best cappuccino for my friend here, to go.”

The girl beamed at him and quickly moved to take his order and fill it. Dekval looked toward Xalk, his head tilting. “You want anything else?”

[Xcavius]

"Nah, the cappuccino's fine. Like that fine little little lady behind the counter." Xalk winked.

After receiving his drink, Xalk grabbed a table while he waited for Dekval. I'll leave the hair thing for a later date. Seems something personal.

Once he got situated, he spotted a weird marking on his cup. He spun it a bit, turned out to be the girl's number. Xalk eyed her from the table, she held up her pinky and index finger to resemble a phone and mouthing "call me later." follow by a wink.

Whelp if plans go sour, least I'll can get some fun tonight.

[Paladienne]

Dekval smirked as he saw Xalk glance back at the girl at the shop. It was little wonder the other Pilot was already getting phone numbers. His was a new face in Ryun, after all, and many people would jump at the chance to get close to him. He joined him at the table a moment later, his own cup in hand, though his lacked any markings such as Xalk’s had.

“Wow,” Dekval teased. “Day one and you’re already collecting numbers. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say the rest of your stay was booked and you didn’t need me anymore.”

Not that he minded Xalk getting numbers. He’d already gotten his fair share when he first moved here and was thrust into the limelight as part of the Ravens. Thankfully, most people had stopped writing their numbers on his cups and other things, as he never called them and somehow “lost” the cups, napkins, and pieces of paper that had the numbers on them.

“Are you gonna take her up on that?” Dekval asked, casually gesturing to the number.

[Xcavius]

"Probably not, half of them windup not knowing what to say. Also don't ever say that, we all need each other at the end of the day. Plus I wouldn't go ditching a friend for a hookup that ain't gonna happen."

Xalk didn't appreciate when people put themselves down, it reminded himself of who he was, and a little bit of who he still is. Although it may not have been what Dek was implying, he still took it that way.

"Hows the Raven's lifestyle? Must be fun being on a squad and all that."

Squads. The one thing Xalk wanted more than anything else right now. An entire teams  worth of people who care and lookout for one another. Who tell jokes, laugh, do drills, love, and just have fun being as one unit with a common goal.

[Paladienne]

Dekval held up his hands in a surrendering gesture. “I was joking, Xalk. I wasn’t expecting you to jump at the chance and just leave me high and dry.” He dropped his hands and smiled, a bright expression. “Besides, sometimes it isn’t always as you’re expecting, or what you’re expecting. But, also, you won’t know if you don’t try. So sometimes you just have to go with your gut and your heart and not think so much.”

At Xalk’s second question, Dekval lifted his shoulders in a shrug. “I mean, it just is, right? It’s drills and sims and practice runs and missions. Even downtime fun stuff is training in its own way. Most of the time. We’ve all got to trust one another to do what needs to be done, and help each other at the end of the day, right? I mean, my Commander scares the shit out of me sometimes, but she’s not...” He paused, trying to figure out the best way to describe Keiko. She was an intensely private person, but for as strict as she could be, she also cared a great deal about those she considered hers. “She’s not awful. She’s strict, but she’s kind. She knows what she wants, and we know what she expects of us, and... I hate the idea of letting her down.”

Dekval scrubbed his hands through his hair, a lopsided smirk appearing on his face. “They’re my friends. Even family. I’m not sure what I’d be doing if I wasn’t part of the Ravens. It’s silly, but I can’t even imagine my life without them. I think I’m a different person because of them. Maybe even a better one. I mean, I still have room to grow, and it took me a little while to figure out how to fit in with everyone who wasn’t a “new” Raven, but... no one’s made me feel like I’m stupid because of my age and inexperience and no one’s made me feel as if I don’t belong. Quite the opposite, in fact.”

He looked at Xalk and took in the wistful expression on the other man’s face. That expression was one Dekval had seen plenty of times before in his young life, but not usually on the face of another Pilot. “I’m guessing you’re trying to get accepted to a squad?”

[Xcavius]

Xalk chuckled a bit "easy to tell huh?" Xalk looked into his drink. The swirls of milk and caffeine all coming together to make something delicious. "Not having a family for a bit kinda gets to ya. Had a hard team making friends even during candicacy. Graduation week was just kinda staying at my new place and playing Underwatch for hours upon end." Xalk paused for a moment, a flashback of his parents before... it had already faded.

"A little too much lone-time if you ask me. But to answer your question, yes I am."

[Paladienne]

Dekval’s smile was part pity and part understanding. He knew how much it sucked being alone and being lonely. To see the things you wanted being taken and held by other people, or on the flipside, being squandered by other people when you so desperately wanted it yourself. It was a strange world they lived in and everyone’s experience was different.

“Well, I never really got along with my birth family,” Dekval said, slowly turning his cup in his hands. “And I guess I had a few friends in the ATC, but no one I really cared to hang out with outside of classes and stuff. I was mostly on my own. Maybe it was of my own making, because I was so focused on figuring out how to control my powers most of the time. I really didn’t try to make friends. I can’t even remember my graduation.”

He had probably done something boring. That was probably why he’d forgotten it. Or it had been so unremarkable it wasn’t worth remembering.

“Have you been applying?” Dekval asked, lifting his gaze from his cup to Xalk. “I heard they just formed a new squad not too long ago, over in Sikuria. You could see if you fit their criteria.”