[attr="class","cromscroll"]

Persistence and determination were the most important qualities he had at the moment. His skill at arms, his ability to survive in the wilderness, those would be pointless if he didn't have the will to use them. So far he had hit nothing but dead ends and walls in regards to his current objective. None of his family had returned, no one from the entire commune as far as he could tell. He had left marks that would identify him but he'd checked them recently and no one had added a response. There were still no gates to his home and recently his current idea had been to get as close as possible and try walking.
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So it was that he was sitting in the corner of a somewhat busy bar, taking up an entire table by laying out a map on it, at least as best a map as he could draw. He had noted landmarks that he had found and his paths to try moving towards his home but none of it had worked. He either became horribly confused and returned to where he was or the 'system' would simply not allow him to continue onwards. He hadn't found any other gates either so he would need to try and discover some new methods. He reached out and unstoppered his canteen before taking a slug of water and putting it back.
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He had been so focused on his map and his own thoughts that he hadn't noticed any of the behaviour happening around him, nor did he notice the man moving next to him until he was suddenly far too close. He instantly reached out to grasp one of his weapons but recognised they were in a safe zone and even if he did summon one of his armaments he wouldn't actually be able to use them. Instead he grit his teeth and turned his icy blue eyes onto the man as though he was getting him a target lock rather than just assessing him. Dantalion then gave a soft grunt and went back to looking at his map before he spoke.
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"The same series of events that lead all of us here. I was born, I lived my life well and then the Light came heralding the..." He paused and shook his head slightly, no need to give anything away "...An oncoming change. Sure enough, that change came and we were brought to this world. Now I'm searching for the rest of the Bastion, my commune, so that we can work together to achieve true peace in a world full of monsters and evil." He gave a shrug, no more details were needed than that. "What about you, are you happy just partying in this new world? Or has it already proven too much for you?" He raised an eyebrow but there was no accusation in his voice, he was genuinely curious why someone would impair themselves so heavily in a situation where death lurked around most corners.

[attr="class","cromtag"]
Henry Reese

[attr="class","cromscroll"]

Dantalion pursed his lips as the other man spoke, it seemed like he was dealing with a nihilist here. He decided to let the words hang in the air for a few moments as he made another note on his map before giving a soft, mirthless laugh. "All the demons of hell's creation couldn't kill the Bastion, no matter how hard they tried. If they are out there, they are alive and fighting, I have no doubt about that, my friend." He took another drink of water and leaned back from his map, crossing his arms over his chest as he surveyed it for a few moments and mulled over what else was said before responding.
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"The Voice of the World certainly seems to think it's the apocalypse, or at the very least it has decided that I am the true Herald of it. I can't exactly argue with the uh... 'Class' that it gave me, it certainly fits." Ever since he had chosen it and practiced with the weapons, Apocalypse Knight definitely seemed like a fine choice for him and a poor choice for anyone standing against him, just as he wanted. There was no point letting any more info go about the Bastion however, drunkards tended to be loudmouths and the last thing he wanted was secrets getting tossed around.
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With a shrug he turned to look at the man beside him, his expression neutral and his eyes somewhat cold. "I'm perfectly content where I am right now. Am I somewhat frustrated at my lack of leads? Perhaps. Am I going to try and drown all my sorrows and pretend that I can just ignore everything happening outside? No. The world has changed and if we're here it means we have some kind of purpose, even if that purpose is just to fight and die. Wallowing in your self-loathing and pity won't help, it won't bring the old world back, it won't bring a new, better world any closer either." He gave a soft sigh and a shake of his head, why was he even bothering with this? Perhaps he was airing out his own grievances with this new world of theirs.
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"In the end, it's a conscious choice is it not? Whether to continue or whether to just give up. Perhaps you could find something out there actually worth finding..." He let that hang for a moment before taking another sip of water, "...Or who knows, perhaps you'll find your peace at the bottom of a bottle finally. I don't know how the new laws will work with alcohol poisoning." With that done it was probably good to ask some useful questions. "Take it you haven't seen any new or inactive Gates around here? I've been hunting for a new travel route but I just haven't been able to find it." His inflection hadn't changed at all and he turned his eyes back to the map to study it once more.

[attr="class","cromtag"]
Henry Reese

[attr="class","cromscroll"]

He let out a soft sigh and reached up to gently rub his own eyes as the other man spoke. Perhaps not a nihilist, simply depressed. He shook his head for a moment before pulling a drinking glass from his inventory and filling it with water. He then placed it in front of Henry. "You're a mess, tears and alcohol will make you dehydrated, drink some water before you give yourself a migraine." He said simply before leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest. He wasn't anyone's therapist but he had seen this form of anguish before, losing someone important was painful but unlike Henry, Tali knew that even in death there was something better waiting for them.
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He didn't really want to console this man but if he was going to be stuck talking to him, he didn't want to talk to a sobbing wreck. "If this person that you got killed was a good man, as he seems to be from your pain, then realistically you've got two things to think about. Would he want you to continue like this or if he truly is vindictive then you need to think about making amends. You will meet him eventually, death comes to us all and there is no escape from it. Do you want to meet him having been a shitfaced mess the entire time, doing nothing of value, simply taking away from the world each day that you breath? Do you think that will make him feel better when you meet him?" At the very least if he could convince this guy to be useful he might be able to kill some monsters before going out in a blaze of glory, Dantalion was never going to complain about some cannon fodder.
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He took a deep breath and shook his head slightly. "Or do you want to actually try your best? You said he predicted this would happen, isn't your place now then to take up that legacy and ensure that his legacy lives on in this new world? To prove to everyone that he was right? You're the only one left that knows that." Tali sighed again and shook his head once more. "Now I'll ask again, you haven't found any new or inactive Gates around these parts have you? I'm searching for new pathways..." He paused for a moment before adding, "...My name is Dantalion by the way. Only seems fair to know if you eventually decide I'm speaking the truth or decide to try and kill me."

[attr="class","cromtag"]
Henry Reese

[attr="class","cromscroll"]

So it would seem that there was something actually useful hidden under all of that self loathing. Tali made sure to sit there quietly, his eyes locked onto the map. He wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth though, every piece of information was useful and the source didn't matter. In the end they would either die or he would kill them to usher in a new era. There was a certain peace to knowing that, he didn't truly need to worry about tainting himself by collaborating with sinners and demons, he would be absolved of everything in the end.
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With that thought he nodded a few times as Henry spoke and marked out areas on the map. He gave a satisfied grunt and another nod before picking up the pencil and making a few additional notations of his own in shorthand to condense some of the information he had been given and add it on to things he had already learned. With all that done he took another drink of water and refilled Henry's own glass with the same. "I appreciate your assistance Henry. So that you know, this isn't the first map I've made and information from others is always valuable. As much as I might wish I could, I can't do everything on my own, so I take help where I can get it." He wasn't sure if he wanted to make a dig at Henry through that but it might be needed.
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"I'd say it's a pleasure to meet you but I wouldn't want to lie, I don't often have to deal with drunks. If it makes you feel better as well..." He turned and gave a level stare to the other man. "...I don't watch TV, never have. Had much better things to do with my time." He thought about that and realised that he actually spent most of his leisure time, limited though it was, playing video games rather than bothering with TV. At least games would help with his twitch reflexes. He gave a shrug and a soft sigh. It did bother him that he had found no signs of the Bastion so far but it was best to keep that to himself.
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"So, how did your tutorial go? From what you said earlier I imagine poorly but I haven't heard of many tutorials going well. The Voice is cruel indeed but we must endure, the flame of conviction cannot be extinguished so easily." It was amusing recalling the words of the Father from the religious sermons. The fire in his voice brought a warmth to him and only ever strengthened his resolve. He'd need to draw on those memories as best he could these days until he could make new, better ones.

[attr="class","cromtag"]
Henry Reese