Familiarity [Cyng/Steiner]

So now we are on a boat heading out to some islands out in the Pacific. As much as I do appreciate the fact that you are laying low and not making your presence felt out of respect for your father...you have the ability to make an actual contribution to this world right now. You could slaughter hundreds of demons and pledge your loyalty to a kingdom of some kind, you have that power, but instead you started a farm in the desert. Met a weird girl there that you had such a riveting conversation with. And now you are going to some islands out in the middle of nowhere because you have some kind of weird feeling. Sylvia shouted in his head rather clearly her lack of understanding as to why Steiner was doing what he was doing and it had been pretty much the same old conversation that she had tried to start up repeatedly ever since he had gained this new form and strength. Yet, Steiner was doing as he wanted to do, and to him it was quite liberating to just see the world for what it was as opposed to just seeing the world through the lives that he had saved. Not once had Steiner ever had a vacation or enjoyed his life. He had always acted as a hero should, fighting the corrupt, and saving the innocent, but now he had strength. Mind you that strength still was not manifesting in a way that Steiner understood or comprehended, but he could feel that strength. More importantly, however was that demons, and others who wished to see him dead could 'sense' that strength.

So as opposed to wielding something that he barely knew or understood, Steiner had taken a little bit of a break to explore the limits of his capabilities. The farm had been a success and was more than capable of self-sustaining itself now, so he had taken to the seas upon feeling something. This feeling was familiar, but it was so long since he had felt this feeling, a warmth that he just couldn't describe in words to the noisy and completely rational voice of the Sylvia. He wanted to find the source of this feeling, to see if it was who he thought it was, and to tell her just how much he missed her. The mere thought of the person this feeling used to belong to made him remember the first person he had ever cared for with a feeling of butterflies in his stomach. It brought a completely warranted smile to his face, but at the same time it made him wonder if she would even remember him. Would she even care if he came to find her or would she even care that he spent months after his recovery exploring any possible way of them meeting again, just so that he could tell her how he felt?

"I get that you don't understand, but this is important to me, and that should be more than enough information to warrant this trip to the Solomon islands.", he said as he put his hand on the pommel of his sword as the deck hands continued to make themselves busy. He had heard tales of the Solomon Islands and the current regime in power and of a king who would grant anything that they desired if the price was right. He wondered if that was why Yuel had traveled here? If maybe she had wanted something so badly that traveling to this island to retrieve that one thing had been completely warranted and that she now resided in the kingdom to pay off her debts. He knew she couldn't have had much to offer a monarch as she had been working at a ramen shop the last time that he had saw her, so he wondered just what sort of price she had paid. As such if she were in servitude to this king and his kingdom, Steiner would do anything, and everything in his power for the girl that he cared for to walk free.

Even if that meant he had to fight an entire kingdom, as stupid as that sounded, but at this point Steiner was without reason. He was merely a man remembering the one person who had ever actually cried FOR him. That had helped him when he was down when she didn't need to and had guided him earlier in his career path to becoming a hero. Though he doubted that she would remember him, he indefinitely remembered her, and he more than likely would never forget her. "We are nearing the capitol of the Solomon Sovereignty. A lot of powerful people go there to win the favor of the king at any price...are you sure that you want to go there, Mr. Franz? I would hate if anything bad happened to you after all that you have done for us.", said the ship's navigator as he came to join Steiner out on the deck as they began to draw nearer to their destination. Steiner smiled, placing his hand on the back of the weary sailor, and extending his hand for a shake which the navigator would not deny. "If she is there this trip is worth it and if she isn't...then maybe their king will have answers for me.", Steiner said to the wizened sailor who shook his head in disbelief.

"You are looking for a woman? I never thought you the type to chase after a girl, but then again the most I know about you is that you were willing to help my crew when they were in need, and helped us repair our ship. Here is hoping you find what you are looking for...I just hope that when you find it, it is as you remember it to be.", he said as he patted Steiner on the back as he turned to return to the stern to help the captain and driver. Steiner nodded to himself, for he too was hoping that everything turned out alright, because if it didn't he had no idea of what he would do. To be honest, he was still quite a bit nervous about this whole thing, and why he was feeling her presence this far out. In fact, for all he knew this could be a trap, and he was on his way to meet his maker, but Steiner wasn't going to allow those thoughts to cloud his mind at this point. He had already set out on this voyage to find her and to bring her home. If this was a trap then he would deal with it, but for now he would just enjoy the scenic trip and focus on enjoying the possibility of being reunited with Yuel once again.

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He had disembarked from the boat and let the men go about their business as he waved them off and they said their goodbyes. He was sure he would meet those particular sailors again, but for now his mind was absorbed in thought at the nation around him, and the culture that seemed to spring out at him. While the docks were basic in nature, as most docks were, as Steiner marched his way through the market area that he had came to from the docks, he quickly saw the difference. It was vibrant, warm, and tropical, people danced about to and fro, making deals with locals or even tourists. There also seemed to be select delegations of dignitaries representing factions in multiple locations, all probably vying for favor with the king of the country. They too indulged in the vibrant culture around them, but still seemed to keep their distance from other delegations as to avoid causing a scene.

After all for all intents and purposes the Solomon Sovereignty was neutral and acted of their own wishes without abiding to one group or another. They were more than ready to mingle with the political elite,but kept to their own party lines, and would not pick a side to one hundred percent back. To Steiner, the sight of Shadowfall personnel was never a good thing to see, and he kept himself far away from them though he could tell they could 'feel' him from the odd way they turned their heads in multiple occasions from time to time. They looked like blood thirsty sharks sniffing out a wounded seal as they did so, but they didn't seem none the wiser to his presence which was a relief. I've kept quiet all this time out of respect, but I can't believe you are risking being outed by demons for a girl. Your dad would be ashamed. The voice of Sylvie scolded him as he ducked into a nearby shop to start inquiring about Yuel, though he doubted they would know anything.

"Its not just any girl...this one is special to me and I won't lose her again, I just won't. If she is here...I will find her.", Steiner whispered harshly as he received a mixture of no's and business offers from multiple people within the confines of the store that he visited. This jumping from store to store would occur for several hours and with each passing moment, Steiner began to lose hope in his prospects of finding the one person that he wanted to find the most in the world. After the fifth hour of this process and with night rapidly approaching, Steiner knew that he would have to find a way to gain audience with the king. Something that he knew would be extremely difficult due to the nature of him having no current affiliation with a faction or not having much to offer in the form of capital. In essence, he would have to find another means of gaining audience, and that just wasn't something that could easily be done. Still, he decided the best way to do so would be to find the King's palace in this land, and demand an audience. I mean, what could it hurt to just be demanding of the ruler of the land that you now resided in. What could go wrong?

So he brought himself to a nearby guard and did what any common man would do in the situation that he was in. "I am Steiner Franz...I have no political backing and not much to offer in the way of trade or commerce, but I request an audience with your king.", Steiner spoke with poise and the etiquette befitting a noble knight looking to meet a person of royalty. The guard glared at him and then without saying a word nodded his head before walking off without a word toward what looked like would be known as the center of the city. The early bustle of the early morning market had died down over the course of the day and as the night rapidly approached it was almost at a snails pace. Citizens began to put their wares away, all the while eyeing the guards with fear, and making sure to be as hasty as they possibly could be. Gone was the happiness, the joy, and the feeling of exuberance that had once consumed this marketplace. Now all that was left was dread and it was palpable to say the least, Steiner noted the fact that the common traders felt intimidated, and were trying their best to leave the area as rapidly as possible. Steiner began to wonder just what type of man this king was and why people were so afraid now that the majority of the tourists and dignitaries were no longer within in sight or hearing range.

"Just what sort of man is your king, if you don't mind me asking? I have heard a few tales of the Sovereignty, but your king is a mystery to me.", Steiner said as he marched solemnly behind the guard. "Save all your questions for the king. I'm sure she will have all the answers you seek if you are willing to pay the price.", the guard said his voice gruff, and sounding like he had seen his fair share of people much like Steiner coming to see the king. Still, one little detail did not slip by the young Demi-Primal. "She?", Steiner asked in confusion as they neared what looked like a massive building with many different traders making their way by and depositing currency into the hands of waiting tax collectors. The guard ushered me past them and I watched as people handed over the majority of what they had earned that day to the collectors with concern in my eyes. Still after a little while longer we reached a tea house and the guard ushered me inside with a simple: "The king is inside, best of luck."

He scurried off without another word and I stepped inside, only to be surrounded by royal guards all brandishing weapons of different kinds. His immediate response was to put his hand on the pommel of his sword and glare at the many different people surrounding him, all of them were built like mountains, and more than likely could take him down in an instant if they wanted to, but Steiner wasn't going to go down without a fight if they did attempt it. "I mean no harm...I am here to see the king. My name is Steiner Franz, a hero from a far off land.", Steiner said courageously as he began to formulate some kind of plan.

Had he thought that he would be capable of formulating some kind of plan? Such an absurd notion seemed so far fetched as his eyes latched on to the one person he had been searching for up to this point. He would have laughed at how fate had a twisted sense of humor, but at that point, and time he was instead elated to see the Yuel once again even if she barely even remembered who he was. He wanted to say something, to spark some kind of conversation with the young lady, but words were not forming, and instead he found himself wondering just what she was doing here. Why had she chosen to come to this island? Who was her mysterious boss that she spoke of and what purpose did he have in meeting with the king of these lands? He supposed he could ask her, but her memory was fuzzy on the subject of who he was, and as such pursuing that avenue would only raise red flags as to who he was.

Steiner, she is waiting for you to shake her hand...please don't make this awkward. Sylvia's voice brought him out of his thoughts and his hand reached out to take her metallic one, he made sure that his gloved hand would not touch her metallic prosthetic as he was unsure what effect his ability would have on that hand if he touched it.

"Yuel..."

He felt a little wetness around his eyes and quickly used the sleeve of his white jacket to wipe away the tears and focus himself on the task of reminding her of who he was. She had mentioned her ability to hop through time before and he wondered just how old this Yuel was or just what sort of person she was now. Everyone changes over time after all. She did appear different, but the trademarks of who she was were still there and still evidently fresh on the young man's mind. After all, how wouldn't they be since he had came here with the intent to demand that the king help him find her.

"I'm so glad you're alright. To be honest I was beginning to think my trip over the sea was going to be wasted, but it seems I was fretting over nothing."

He let go of her hand and made a gesture for the chairs that she had gestured to only moments ago. To be honest he didn't need to meet the king anymore, but he definitely wanted to spend time catching up. After all, this was the first time he had seen her in a couple of years, and he found himself absolutely curious to no end as to what she was doing here and what she had been up to. He would also hopefully be able to help piece things together a bit easier for her if they weren't standing in the middle of a group of quick to anger guards.

"I don't think I could ever forget about you, Yuel. After all...you were a driving force for the sort of person I've become today. For better or worse, you helped me along my path, and I have nothing but admiration for the person you are...were...was? Time travel is so confusing."

Steiner said this with a momentary rubbing of his temples to get the migraine inducing thought of time travel to fade a bit. He gave her a warm smile as he removed the hand from his head and then began to make his way toward the chairs that he had gestured at only moments ago.

"I have so many questions for you and I'm sure you might have some for me as well...perhaps a cup of tea and some biscuits would be ideal? After all this is a reunion of friends, right?"

He walked over to a rather large table, eyeing the guards as he did so, and judging their level of hostility toward him before finally pulling out a chair for the young lady who he had been searching for. He waved her over to sit and get comfortable while he scanned around for a waitress or hostess to take his order.