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Holegn	The sun has long disappeared behind the horizon, and the "daylife" has been replaced by the nightlife and all the things that come with it. Tea houses and restaurants are brightly lit, beckoning the wealthy through their doors, while other businesses of the night prefer to remain... welcoming only to those who know what they're looking for. Walking past it all is a gangly-looking young woman, whose sandals make familiar clack-flip, clack-flop sound as she moves. Her attention is on the fancy clothing the wealthy wear, and the scenes inside the teahouses and restaurants. She tried looking into the window of a brothel... once... and wouldn't recommend it to anyone. The collision is filled with indignation, and Holly looks down at the short gentleman she's just knocked over. "Sorry..." The red-head managed to duck her head aside to avoid the man's ivory-engraved cane, and her long legs carried her safely away from his ire. "Watch where you're going, woman!", he shouts, before allowing the woman at his side to pull him up, and towards a rose-petal pink teahouse. Holegn gestured rudely at his retreating back, from the safety of the darkness given by a building that was unlit.
Lucky Raven	There's a curious confluence of a woman running through the alley and stopping short as she nearly becomes Holegn's second collision of the night, and a rather abnormal rush of wind from the side as she whirls herself around to help arrest her momentum and step off to the side, out of Holegn's space. "Whoa, hey, hope that gesture wasn't for me coming in so quickly, I'm just keep up on my practice," says the darker-skinned woman, cloak settling back around her and her arms gesticulating in a wild, but friendly fashion as she speaks. Which makes it hard not to notice the gold-and-jade gauntlet on her left hand, despite it usually resting under her cloak. As she finishes speaking she places her hands on her hips, looking over Holegn closely for a moment as she 'hmm's softly to herself.
Holegn	Holly turns at the sound of someone being 'right there', and despite the collision being already avoided, she does a little hop backwards, landing on her feet with a clack of wooden sandals. Her eyes narrow suspiciously for a moment, the red-head tensing up, as if for a fight. She lets out a breath a moment after, and shakes her head. "No, that was reserved for a rude gentleman.", she says quietly to the newcomer, her accent placing her somewhere on the eastern shore of the Inland Sea. Holegn eyes Raven up and down briefly, before she grins. "New to the place, was just getting the lay of the land, as they say. Name's Holly." Her well calloused hand is offered to the raven-haired woman.
Lucky Raven	To say Raven's accent comes from any specific place would be a misnomer- it's one of those ridiculous mutts of a vocal style one might associate with the eternally travelling. "Well, you could call me new or old kind of at your preference, I think? Lucky Raven is my name, and I was born here, and then travelled for basically all my life, and now I'm back as of... just the other day." A hapless sort of shrug with that, palms upturning with a glint of that gauntlet. "There's a lot of land to lay, honestly! And a lot of places in Great Forks you won't... really see unless you can get up above it or make friends with someone in one of those tenements with the internal courtyards- a lot of the interconnect, even."
Holegn	The red-head laughs, covering her mouth momentarily with her hand. "I learned from my grandmother to never call a lady old, so new you shall be, too." Holly offers a slight bow. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lucky Raven. So..." She glances behind the raven-haired woman, eyeing the direction from which she came. "What was it you were practicing? It seems as though a great wind was carrying you along, or aloft. Or was my imagination playing a joke on me?"
Lucky Raven	A moment's confusion, then surprise, and then understanding in about the span of a second from Raven, and she laughs and shakes her head. "No trick, today! Just out for a run, keep my speed up and all that. Just, sometimes you break into an old library to steal an old book then trade that book to a storm god in a volcano to learn to do magic, and sometimes doing that has side effects like you kicking up the wind when you do something really suddenly," she explains in... remarkably casual tones. Probably intentionally so. "Though I mean, I guess I -could- have a wind carry me... but that tends to be a little impolite in a crowded city like this, you know?"
Holegn	Holly smiles at Raven's laugh and explanation, and she can't help snorting. "Pfff. Girl, tell me about it...", she says, with a dismissive gesture of her hand. Her expression grows serious. "So uhm... does this mean some very old librarians are chasing you?" Another furtive glance back whence Raven came. "They're mad you can run like the wind, annnd want their old book back?" She can't keep a straight face for long, before giggling lightly. "So wait, you're serious about trading a mouldy old book you stole, to a storm god? And pff, I am sure anyone you knock over has probably deserved it at one time or another."
Lucky Raven	A laugh again from Raven, and she shakes her head. "Oh, no no no. That library was down in the south of the world. And the book is, uh. Incinerated. In magma. Was one of the last ones detailing some secrets the god didn't want out, stuff like that. Made a deal with a priestess my parents knew." She waves it off for the moment. "But no, today I was just out for a run- environments like this are a decent approximation of the kinds of things I aim to do, once you find the right spots. See my parents were scavenger lord types, and I mean to continue that habit, just... well, a bit short on resources for it right now. So have to do a lot of the very literal legwork myself! Not that I wouldn't anyways."
Holegn	"That's one way to get rid of a bunch of dirty secrets. Who knew volcanoes could be so useful? Learn something new every day." She pauses for a moment. "Are they a good place to dump bodies? Uhh. Asking for a friend." Holly snorts and laughs. "So where does your run take you?", she wonders, rocking back and forth on her feet. "And did you want some company? I don't know if I can run as fast as you can, but maybe you could slow down a touch?" Holegn begins to do a quick stretching routine, complete with the sounds of joints popping and cracking. "So uh are you intending on building a collection of things or are you intending on being the person who has anything, for the right price?"
Lucky Raven	"It's not so much about peak speed as making sure I mind the obstacles, y'know? You go digging around underground and then have to run from hungry ghosts and... well, can't be tripping over loose rubble and roots," explains Raven, shrugging once again. "You're certainly welcome to, how good are you at climbing? Sometimes I take to rooftops and the like. Those sandals don't look... incredible for running around at top speed though? You fine in those? And, well. I'm most interested in finding the most interesting things, whether I keep them or not."
Holegn	Holegn steps out of the sandals, picking them up with a hand. "I usually go barefoot. No need to ruin a good pair of shoes. As for climbing? I'll manage." She puts a hand on her hip. "Hopefully we can avoid the hungry ghosts this evening. Or outrun them." The red-head laughs lightly. "Are you hunting for interesting things this evening, or do you take a break from that from time to time?"
Lucky Raven	A shake of the head. "Just keeping myself refreshed, tonight, like I said. The hunting for things... well, there's research to be done to find places where the things might be, but it's a little late in the day for reading, sunlight being what it is. Plus it's annoying trying to charm my way into those libraries. looking as destitute as I do." She leans back, stretching out slightly, and tosses her cloak back off her left shoulder absently. "Staying anywhere in the city in particular, or anywhere you mean to go? Can change directions for that, if you like."
Holegn	"Know of any particularly comfortable rooftops?", Holly asks with a laugh. "No place to be, probably some cheap inn, such as they are." She cants her head slightly. "What of you? Surely you have a crew or something that helps you? Or are you able to charm your way into places, and do all the research, on your own?"
Lucky Raven	"Able? Sometimes. Required to? More or less. I am just about out of contacts and favours to call in, so I am... one might say rebuilding from scratch, after the cave and ruin collapsed in on the last one I was on some time ago," Raven explains, shrugging slightly. "Hence why a supposed explorer of some talent looks like I do. So, in due time, I'll build up the crew, but need a find first to start getting the funds together. So, keep myself ready, then go from there. Same as my mother did in her day."
Holegn	Holegn nods a few times, "Got any scores to settle? People you need to see gone before you can claw your way to the top?" She rubs at her cheek. "So, lead on, and I will try to keep up." The woman smiles and jogs in place, psyching herself up for what is to come. "Let me see if I'm worthy, hmm?"
Lucky Raven	"Well, one guy, but he might be... more of an Exalt matter? My mother was a dragonblood, you see, and so am I. And he had some form of exigence, though I never found out what. But those are problems for... long from now." She shakes her head, and nods- and begins leading the way with a dash across the street into an alley on the other side.
Holegn	"An exalt? Anathema? And I have heard of exigence, that it is a thing that exists, but I've no idea what it is. But you're going to take your time, and do your research. Hmm." A few moments pass before Holly catches up, following closely on Raven's heels. "Were you one of the lucky ones who got to live on the Blessed Isle? Or did your mother have an estate out here in the East?" The red-head is silent for a few moments, before continuing. "Have you gone on a Hunt, before? Killed a Solar-exalted?"
Lucky Raven	"Never hunted, never part of the Realm or Prasad or Lookshy," Raven explains, vaulting over the odd crate or such left behind for one purpose or another. "My mother was outcaste, as am I, as they say- just a loose dragonblood out in the world. Never really touched much with the immaculates. Don't know a whole lot about the anathema thing either. My own priorities. Not much of a fighter besides- well. Not as much as some of them. I do alright."
Holegn	Holegn's jump over the crates aren't the masterclass of gracefulness, but they get the job done of avoiding a collision. Her voice has a note of relief as she speaks. "An outcaste? So no big feelings either way over anathema? That seems to me to be a blessing and a curse. But having your own priorities..." She gestures with a hand. "That seems worth it, I think. Can't say that I am in the best of places in my life, but like you, I get to make my own choices out here. If I do something, it's by my own will, with no dagger, or expectation, or tradition, to force my hand." "As for fighting, I think I can hold my own. You don't have to be the best, just have to be better than the other guy, am I right?"
Lucky Raven	Raven rounds a corner, and around that corner is... ostensibly a dead end. But apparently some of that windy business has practical use indeed- as a sudden updraft accompanies a vertical leap, buoying the woman up as she spins in the air, coming to a seat on the edge of the rooftop above, looking down as she speaks. "Or lucky- I'd argue luck was the thing in his case, when the collapse happened. Some people didn't make it, he did. I did, too, obviously. Pretty sure I'm not a ghost."
Holegn	Holly skids around the corner on bare feet and races towards the end. And then with an unladylike grunt, she leaps into the air. Gracefully slamming into the side of the building, and scrabbling to haul herself up beside Lucky Raven. She does her best to look nonchalant as she leans back on her hands. "Neat trick. And luck's always good. Never discount luck. But I guess you know that already. Luck is great when it's... on the right side of the river, even if the other guy got all the horses."
Lucky Raven	"Well that... was pretty impressive yourself. I was half expecting you'd hop up on that box, climb onto that windowsill, and hop across to that one then scramble up," Raven explains, pointing to each thing in turn. "Turns out, for me and that guy, both sides were the right side, even if it wasn't a river. It was more being in the middle that was an issue." She shrugs it off. "You keep up pretty well, all told. Don't much look like a farmin' type. Some kind of house athlete or martial artist or something?"
Holegn	The red-head isn't panting, nope. Maybe breathing /heavy/, but not gasping for breath. Her eyes follow the path that Raven outlines, and Holly shrugs her shoulders. "Well, that would be what anyone would expect. Have to keep people on their toes sometimes." She glances sideways, and then laughs. "Making me look like a clutz... okay, no, I am making me look like a clutz, but you pointing it out isn't helping." She nods to the black-haired one, "Yeah, a momentary truce? Til it wasn't?" Holegn glances around, as if checking for eavesdroppers. "I'm a practitioner of the Snake Style... with a few extras." Her expression looks momentarily pained. "Learned a little from my father before he died."
Lucky Raven	"Well, more that... when a cave collapses on you, you're either on this side, that side, or..." she holds her hands up horizontally, clapping the one down onto the other. She shakes her head, going silent a moment as she listens and stares off elsewhere. "Sorry to hear about the dad. Makes sense you'd be quick though. And well, don't sell yourself short- I just cheat a lot," says Raven, smirking with that last part. "When the first spell you figure out is riding wind, turns out you figure out some other perks along the way."
Holegn	"There's more to it than that, but I don't know what would happen if I spoke it aloud. He died to bandits, and then they killed my mother, even after we gave them what money we had." Holly lets out a breath. "It feels like a lifetime ago, and I'm still running from it." The red-head rubs at her chin, at a small, almost invisible, scar. "I cheated that day too, I think." Her expression brightens. "Run like the wind, then? And jumping high up? Carry a few lightning bolts in the back pocket too?" HOlegn winks. "You Dragons are impressive." Her expression darkens once more. "Your friends. Co-conspirators, perhaps? They perished in the collapse?"
Lucky Raven	"Rocks and razor leaves an vines, more like it," Raven notes with a smirk, wiggling the fingers of her gauntleted hand. "My parents, and their employees, to be specific. This was a few years ago, mind. Around when I took the second breath. Ancient history, now, really. The guy that survived was a rival, it came to blows... one thing leads to another and I'm suddenly Chosen and the palce is caving in. Sorry about your family, though."
Holegn	"And I am sorry for yours.", she replies softly. "Rocks and razor leaves? Wood Dragon, is it? Second breath? Is that what being chosen is? You're immortal, unless something can kill you?" Holegn's discomfort is growing evident in her expression. "How ancient a history is it? Is this where you say you're three hundred years old, or something?"
Lucky Raven	"No, I'm something like twenty summers or so," Raven says with a laugh, head shaking. "My mother was a fair bit older. Father not so much, he was mortal. Ancient in the sense that I've spent my time dealing with it, and now I'm back to do something in the wake of it," she explains, leaning back and propping herself up with her bare hand. "And, yes. My mother was water, guess I didn't take after her in all the ways. Or, many of them, I guess. Picked up a few earth tricks, a fiery one or two... we can learn a lot of different things, really."
Holegn	Holly laughs, relief obvious in it, and she reaches up to slap at Raven's shoulder. "As am I, if I recall correctly. I feel older than that, perhaps, but not wiser. How did you come to deal with it? What truth put your mind at ease?" Her head nods, "As I have heard. Perhaps, in time, maybe we could see if you could learn my tricks? And maybe? Maybe I could sprout a few razor leaves and rocks."
Lucky Raven	"You talk like you ahve less than mortal tricks yourself, which I guess might explain that jump," says Raven, smirking a little. She shakes her head a little at the question, however. "Wasn't really some truth that lit up my mind like dawn breaking. It was just time, and seeing more of the world, getting to see the sun and moon continue to travel the sky even if those people were gone."
Holegn	"Whaaat?" Holly looks down at the street below, and then back to Raven. "Are you saying normal people don't leap buildings in a single bound?" She winks and laughs. "Ah. You are still here, still alive. Live life as best you can, because those departed would want you to do that?" She lets out a lengthy sigh. "It seems a bit cruel, doesn't it? Life actually carries on after you're gone. Perhaps it is prideful to say that. But it feels.. Almost as if you didn't matter, in the end. But yet you did. You do. You will."
Lucky Raven	Raven rears back further, pulling her booted feet up onto the edge of the building to stand and stretch absent-mindedly. "Truth be told, all that mattering and stuff? Couldn't give a damn. I know the things I want to do, I'm going to do them. I've probably got longer than most to do so, so lucky me. Hard to be worried about eternity in the face of all that chance to have a good time in the here and now. But maybe that's just the aspect in me talking." She winks with the final part.
Holegn	The red-head rears her head back, and lets out a hearty laugh. "Once more, you make me look like a doofus. Not one to let one mope for long, are you?" Holly hops up, and cants her head left and right, vertebrae in her neck popping noisily. "OKay, so maybe we could be sisters, hmm? Lean on each other a little from time to time, offer a dependable shoulder to the grindstone, a helping hand in times of scrounging? But tonight? Let's run the town."
Lucky Raven	"Well aren't you quick to attach," says Raven with a lighthearted snort. "But well, if you insist, there's a person I know a few streets over that might have a spare bottle or two to while away the rest of the night. Truth be told? I'm just... how I am. No sense being jealous just 'cause your issues are more recent, or what have you. Don't be too hard on yourself."
Holegn	"I'm cheerful and upbeat to a fault, and as I am learning, I need all the help I can get." She chuckles and shakes her head. "The only thing I am jealous about is your seemingly boundless confidence. World fucking with ya? Eh, it'll sort out alright. I like it." Holly snorts and laughs. "A drink or twelve sounds good right about now." The red-head pauses a moment. "We're not going to have to wash a month's worth of dishes for this spare bottle or two?"
Lucky Raven	"I haven't washed a dish since I arrived in the city- and I just don't see the point worrying instead of doing. No, I just helped an exorcist pen in a hungry ghost the other day and the groundskeeper of the place said he owed us, so..." Raven shrugs at that, turning about to look over the view of the city from this perch.