[There's all sorts of things that happen away from Jarilo-VI. Aeons and Stellarons and conspiracies aplenty, overzealous directors in the IPC who step on the wrong toes, Emanators of various kinds getting mixed up in everybody's business. It's a wild galaxy out there, Gepard, and Sampo was up to his elbows in that mess.]
[But it's all lead back to him being in this snowy little alley in Belobog. What does that tell you about Sampo Koski?]
[Gepard's annoyed posture makes everything feel a little more normal, even though he's in civilian clothes and doesn't have that massive guitar case strapped to him anymore. A little hint of the man that he used to be, underneath the veneer of simple domesticity.]
Call you? I didn't say a word! I was just minding my own business, you're the one that decided to follow me.
[See, Gepard? This whole interaction was all your idea.]
But I had heard a few little rumors that you weren't in the guard anymore! I wouldn't have believed it, but I guess it must be true.
[A lie, because he obviously already knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Gepard had left the Silvermanes behind-- but he also isn't about to come out and tell Gepard that he'd been stalking him for the past few days. Gepard doesn't need to be a captain to get Sampo arrested, all he's got to do is send a text message or two and he'd have guardsmen up his ass in a heartbeat. Gepard's men had loved him and he has friends in high places, and that kind of loyalty doesn't just go away.]
[His hands clench, and if Sampo was on the same level as him and he could get his hands on him, Gepard doesn't know what he'd do, he just knows he'd do something he'd regret later, but not in the moment, no, not in the moment. And that-
He exhales, forces that wild, angry impulse out of him. That's one thing that remained true, between being a guard and being a civilian: he's not allowed to be angry in anything less than a physical fight. He's a Landau.]
You heard correctly. [He snaps out the words, precise, sharp, throwing them out like they're some sort of accusation. (Of what? He wouldn't know.)] There was an accident, I realized I didn't have what it took anymore, and I quit.
[He could say more. He wants to, because as much as he loves his daughter (and he does, he does) he also hates so much- and Sampo Koski is probably the one person he could be bitter to, and Gepard nearly opens his mouth to say as much, but he reminds himself that he owes Sampo absolutely nothing and Sampo deserves nothing.]
So if you want to play with a guardsman, you'll have to find someone else. Is that all, or do you have some other jokes you want to make at my expense, Koski?
[Gepard keeps excellent control over himself, but hasn't he always? Even at his most obnoxious, Sampo had only ever managed to break little cracks in his ironclad willpower. So it's hardly surprising that he's keeping his cool now, when Sampo's barely said anything to rile him up.]
An accident?
[A reference to his daughter? To the death of the woman who bore her? It's impossible to be sure; Sampo had gone through newspaper archives to try to find a birth announcement or obituary that might clarify things about Gepard's maybe-wife, but he'd come up empty-handed. A few possibilities, but he couldn't be certain without knowing how old the kid is to narrow down his search window. But the reason that he quit the guard is definitely tied to his daughter-- either suddenly having her thrust into his life, or having her in his life without a wife to take care of all the child-rearing things.]
[Sampo sighs, and flops one hand back and forth dismissively.]
I don't think this is a joking matter, Gepard. Another guardsman? It wouldn't be half as fun to be chased around by any of them. Why even bother?
[He'd just be disappointed, and Sampo really isn't in the habit of disappointing himself. What was he supposed to do, let Captain Dunn has him around? The very thought's absurd.]
Besides, I only just got back, and the statute of limitations is up on all my old warrants. Nobody has a legal reason to chase me around.
[Y'know, because no one knows about the whole stalking thing yet, and hopefully never would.]
You're making it sound as if I was the first person you went looking for after you got back.
[He's slipping back into old patterns, and older habits, and he hates that Sampo still has this strange hold over him. After all this time. Gepard tried to smother that part of him, and here it is, springing back up in response to Sampo's stupid smile and his stupid laugh and his obnoxious voice.]
Please be serious. I'm sorry to disappoint you, but as a civilian I haven't been keeping up with my training, so I doubt you'll have as much fun outrunning me as you used to.
[...even if he's decided to start morning jogs to get that part of him back in shape- Sampo doesn't need to know about that.]
The only thing I can do is offer you a book- I run a bookstore, Koski. [He says this flatly, like it's a fact the two of them should know and is obvious. After all, the two of them had been right there. But also, he'll probably play dumb.] And I have a family, so I won't be able to stay up as late as I used to. I'm so sorry to disappoint you.
[Ah, that stern Landau expression. Seeing it again really makes Sampo feel like he's come home! It had felt like a piece was missing, not having this particular blond man give him the stink eye.]
[Sampo bounces one heel against the brick wall, a steady little thump-thump-thump that gives him something to do with his legs. Normally, he'd be running by now, and he'd have to yell whatever he wanted to say over his shoulder at Gepard. It's much easier to have a conversation with him when he's not at a sprint.]
Maybe it's serendipity! I came back here to retire, after all. Ol' Sampo Koski's out of the adventuring business, it's about time for me to leave that kind of thing to younger folks.
[He's sure not getting any younger. And even if he's still in quite good shape, he gets these twinges in his back sometimes, and his knees really don't take a hard landing like they used to, and it takes more than three hours of sleep and a few strong cups of coffee to bounce back from a long night. Really, he'd been looking to go into semi-retirement even before the Nameless came along, but now, some five-ish years even after that? He's probably overdue.]
[So. He's back in Belobog, his Winterland, to figure out what he's going to do with the rest of his life now that he played his part in galaxy-saving.]
[...and this conversation should be over by now - Sampo running off and him, furious, trying to climb up the wall after him. It's not. Sampo continues talking, his leg thumping against the wall - thump-thump-thump - and it's easier to stare at that than Sampo's face. Gepard does.
He doesn't know what he wants, and he can't figure it out. What he does know is that Sampo doesn't care about anything besides what's interesting, what's fun, what's exciting - all things that he's not. What he does know is that he's under no obligation to pretend with Sampo, like he is with most every other adult in his life.
Gepard makes a rude noise as Sampo says that he's looking to retire, a disbelieving snort. Because it's bullshit, and he knows it, and Sampo know it.]
Great. [But...he shouldn't, but.] I'm not going to have this conversation with you, here. [A cold alley.] My shop has heaters and couches, Koski. And if my company is that important to you, I can keep the doors locked.
[Only half bullshit! Sampo will probably never be able to retire from his little scams and cons and games, those are the small things that keep life interesting, but the big stuff? The galaxy-saving, the grand clashes of Emanators, fighting off Antimatter Legion and Swarm hordes-- he's kind of done with that. Did his part, played his role, the curtain's fallen and everyone's given their encore! Time to go home.]
[All roles, even good ones, have to end eventually. And it's really in your own best interest to know when it's time to get off the stage.]
[But Gepard, a man who by all rights could just tell Sampo to take a hike and never think of him again, seems very reluctant to do just that.]
Are you inviting me in? [He puts a hand over his heart in mock surprise.] All these years we've known each other, and this is the first time you've invited me anywhere but a jail cell!
[He looks away as Sampo places his hand over his heart, and makes a non-committal noise. Something neutral. Neither positive (yes, he's inviting him in) nor negative (he wants Sampo to leave, to stop wasting their time and leave, because he will when he's bored) - it's just a sound. He heard what Sampo said, and Sampo can draw his own conclusions.
He half-turns away...]
Believe whatever you want, Koski.
[And Gepard starts heading back down the alleyway again, and Sampo can decide if he wants to follow, or live up to his expectations and leave, or indecisively sit on the wall like he's some gargoyle longing for rain that will never come. It's cold. It's cold in a way Gepard seldom let himself feel, but- it's cold.]
[Hey now, Sampo only hangs around like a gargoyle in the eaves when he's stalking Gepard's house at night, watching him in his evening routine. You know, like a normal person would do.]
[The thumping heel stops as Gepard half turns away, Sampo's ridiculous blue head tipping in a sort of curious gesture.]
It's not belief! Either you invited me or you didn't.
[He's going with did, personally. And since Gepard's leading the way, well, it would be rude not to follow, wouldn't it? Besides, annoyed or not, Gepard's attention is back on him again, and for the first time in years, it feels like things are... maybe not quite normal again, but close. On their way there.]
[Sampo hops down from the wall. The jolt as he lands is a little irritating to his knees and ankles-- Aeons, another ten years and he'll be so creaky-- but then he follows along after Gepard with the usual pep in his step.]
Books, hm? [He moseys along next to Gepard, a step or two's berth between them.] I didn't think you were much of a reader! Or that you'd really need a job after you've retired, all things considered.
[Those things being both his pension-- because the Silvermane guard paid their honorably discharged forces pretty well-- and the fact that he's the eldest male Landau. Hell, now he's the eldest male Landau with a child, and even if his parents don't like the way he made her, he's the only one of his siblings to actually produce a biological heir. There's no way that they aren't invested in the future of their legacy, at least financially, even if Gepard limits their physical contact.]
[He slows as he hears the thump of Sampo's feet against the ground, just enough to make it a little bit easier (only a little, barely a little) for Sampo to catch up with him until there's only a step or two between them. Close enough to have a conversation, far enough away that Gepard can relax. A little. Maybe.
Someone looking at them from a distance would wonder if Gepard even knew that he was being followed. He focuses on the way ahead like he's walking alone, and Sampo's just some stranger who just decided to go the same way he did and now here they are.]
I'm not much of a reader. [So, mystery solved.] But, I'm a father now, Koski. [And for a moment, he glances at Sampo, asking without asking did you know?] And I have to set a good example for her. The last thing she needs is a father who just spends all day sitting at home.
As it turns out, selling books is a job that doesn't pay all that much money, and requires someone strong enough to lift heavy boxes of books day in and day out. My pension takes care of the first part, and I'm strong enough to manage the second. It's a good fit for me. [He...thinks? He's not sure, really. He's still suspicious as to the circumstances Pela managed to get this job lined up for him. He has questions, questions that aren't Sampo's problem. Things Sampo doesn't need to think about.]
[Sampo keeps his face neutral when Gepard mentions being a father-- it's not that strange to think that he might have heard about Gepard Landau's daughter if he'd been hearing rumors around town. It's not as though she's a secret, she's clearly going to public school hand-in-hand with her doting father.]
[So! No reason for that side-eye, Gepard. Sampo's just being a Normal Guy here.]
I'm sure there are plenty of guys who are stay-at-home dads. It's a modern galaxy, after all.
[Sure, that would imply that there's a not stay-at-home mom in the house, the one that's going out and being the breadwinner. But Sampo would have no reason to think that there isn't a mom hanging around, right? Because he's been a totally normal person who hasn't been weirdly invasive about anybody's privacy.]
Well, I guess what really matters is that it works for you, right? Your work doesn't have to be something you love.
[And it's true. His work doesn't have to be something he loves. It can be something that he vaguely tolerates at best, day after day after day of unending tedium. Boredom. Uselessness. It's fine. He has the best daughter in the world, and isn't that enough? Unlike many other Belobogians, he doesn't have to worry about money. His needs are met.
Sampo's still following him.]
I suppose so. [Then:] As I'm sure you're curious, my daughter - Lily's - mother was an offworlder. She stayed for a while, grew bored of Belobog as well as me, and left. [Sometimes, driving someone off doesn't come in the form of fists and punches, and Gepard knows better than to believe he could drive Sampo off that way. It never worked before, and now, well. Well. He's much less than he used to be.
So, instead, why not this? Sampo would inevitably treat him with the same vague pity as everyone else did, the conversation would falter, and he'd find an excuse to go. (Which he? Does it matter?)]
[As far as Sampo can tell, this woman had the Prize-- she had the galaxy's most loyal partner. That's what everyone wants, right? A guy who's a hundred percent husband material. Considering she stuck around long enough to have a kid with him, marriage must have been on the table at some point. And assuming that Gepard is a reliable narrator here, she got bored enough to ditch not only a presumably loving partner, but also her own child.]
[Lots of people have called Sampo a snake before, for many different reasons, but boy. Even he'd call that pretty cold-blooded.]
[(Unless she noticed something about the man she was with that would make her want to go. Still pretty cold to leave your kid, even so.)]
[But that explains the empty bedroom, the lack of Lily's mother in the house. She's gone, out of the picture, gave up her claim. One person's failure is another's opportunity.]
Lily's a cute name, though. [He smiles and looks at Gepard side-long.] Did you name her?
[Mister Can't-Keep-A-Plant-Alive, naming his daughter after flowers. This is one lily that he's taking care of pretty well, right? Blossoming like anything.]
[There's a way this conversation goes, and it's usually as follows:
Gepard mentions what happened, and people make sympathetic noises. They ask him questions about what she was like, and he describes her in detail. Increasingly, excruciating detail, going over every last moment of the relationship, forced to figure out where their flaws where, how utterly incompatible the two of them were. In fact, Gepard suspected that if he hadn't once been Belobog's indestructible shield, people would have blamed him more often than they had, even if it had been his fault. Always his fault.
And this usually segues to The Accident, what drove him to retire, and he gets more sympathy, and he comforts the people upset on his behalf (and he's gotten so tired of it) and they go back and forth a bit more, they commend him for selling fucking books, and then they go, feeling better for having cheered him up, and Gepard feels just a little bit more drained for enduring it.
That's how it usually goes.
But then, of all the fucking people. Here's Sampo, unexpectedly taking the script and flipping it and throwing it aside. A throwaway comment about her lack of taste, no questions about who she had been, and then immediately focusing on his daughter, and Gepard finds himself...smiling back? Is he smiling?
Yes he is.]
Why...yes. [Yes he had.] I wanted to give her a hopeful name.
[They've reached his bookshop. He's reaching for his keys.] I went to Eversummer Florist for inspiration, but decided an offworld flower suited her better. After all, imagine me naming my daughter something like 'Summershade Bamboo Landau.'
[Sampo leans against the doorframe while Gepard fishes his keys out to unlock it. He could have asked about the Mystery Almost-Wife, and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't interested in the details, but he also can recognize a conversational landmine before he steps on it. Who's he to ask about that kind of thing like he has the right to know about the details of Gepard's wreck of a relationship?]
[Asking about his daughter is a better topic. He adores her, clearly, so he'll be more open to talking about her. And Sampo's starting off with pretty easy questions, easing Gepard into the idea of having a normal chat with him. Judging by that smile, Sampo's right on the money with his judgment.]
Sure, but you could've called her Summer for short.
[That would've been kind of cute-- Summer, on a planet of eternal winter. Talk about hopeful names, right?]
I'm sure I have a photo in here if you're curious. [And then he laughs: a small, soft thing.]
Look at me, letting in notorious criminal Sampo Koski and offering to show him pictures of my family. That's how I know I'm not fit to be a Silvermane Guard anymore.
[And the key goes into the lock, the door swings open, and Gepard flicks on the light.
It's a bookstore. The insides are a warm brown, which might be surprising given how much of the Overworld's sense of aesthetics seem to revolve around cool colors: white and blue, splashes of stark black, the warmest brown seen a tan. But, no. Warm brown bookshelves, a warm brown floor of a slightly different color, a old rug that's red and orange and yellow. Sure, there's white walls, so it's not like the place is entirely alien, but one of the owners - Gepard, whomever owned it before him, whomever came before them - had made an effort to defy Overworld aesthetic sensibilities.
There's books, obviously. A desk. Some pictures, here and there. Couches, plush and inviting.]
Make yourself at home. I'll make some- [What does he have in here...? It's in his backroom.] Tea, probably. I hope that will be alright with you.
[And he's going to do just that, giving Sampo time to...follow, or lock the front door and wait, or to just leave. Whatever he could want.]
That was all so long ago, you wouldn't hold it against your old pal, would you?
[The inside of the bookstore is warm and welcoming, rejecting Belobog's usual obsession with snowy whites and blues and instead decorating it in yellows and oranges and reds. There's a coziness here that isn't found in a lot of Belobog buildings, softness and warmth in defiance of the eternal winter outside.]
[Sampo likes it. It's nice, it feels like a place that you could curl up on the couch in front of one of the geomarrow heaters and read a book all afternoon. And Gepard looks nice inside a place like this, hanging up his coat and going to the back to make tea.]
Tea's fine! Whatever you've got.
[He's more interested in looking around the shop, anyway. Having a bit of a poke around the shelves, to see what kind of books they sell. Maybe look around the front counter to see if there's something interesting there, like a ledger or two or just whatever book Gepard reads when it's slow between customers. What's he into? Fantasy, historical, informational books on gardening? Romance? Parenting books about how to be a single father?]
[He snorts, not deigning that question with a response besides that.
...friends, huh. Well. Sampo had always been like that. He roots through the cupboards, trying to find something suitable for Sampo Koski and torn between something aggressively Belobogian and something very much not. Snowberries or something different...
Well, anyway.
The bookstore is a mix of new and used. The shelves contain a mix of books. There's a few books which are truly foreign. There's one or two books Sampo might realize were written by some of his old coworkers. Unbeknownst to Gepard, there's one slim volume of a history written by someone who was inspired by a follower of the Enigmata.
There's some new things. There's a shelf which contains works written by new and upcoming Belobogians - for Belobog, by Belobog. It's set at a prominent place of honor.
Behind the front counter, there's a slim leather notebook with notes written in Gepard's precise hand, just detailing the books he's read and what he thought of them, with a to-read list. While there's some overlap, it seems like the genres of books Gepard takes home (adventures, romances, big, sweeping plots, grandiose stakes) are slightly different than the books he reads at the shop (historical fiction, tales from foreign lands, a snapshot of a different world).
There's some overlap, but still.
If Sampo goes far enough in the notebook, he'll find that there was, indeed, books about parenting. There was a shift, over time, from something purely pragmatic to something a bit more wistful.
...well, anyway. There's a picture of Gepard, his sisters, and Lily, in a place of honor. It's a bright day, and the family is smiling.
Ledgers indicate that sales aren't all that great, just barely enough to keep the shop running. But Gepard's not doing this because of the money, is he? He's doing it to have something to do.
There's also a locked box. The lock isn't complicated. Small, wooden, with a lily carved on it. Special ordered, probably. Something involving his daughter, probably. Large enough to hold some papers, some photos, some mementos - if Sampo shakes it, he'll be able to hear the sounds of paper.
Speaking of sounds, it sounds like water's still being boiled in the back room.]
[There's an interesting mix of books in this place-- the Belobogian stuff is to be expected, because of course Belobogian literature would be popular on its homeworld. Since the planet was opened up to the rest of the galaxy, they've clearly been getting in at least a little bit of commerce from the rest of the known universe, judging from the off-world authors. A few names that he's very familiar with, some that he knows by reputation only. That slim little book of 'history' is particularly noteworthy-- it's got all the fingerprints of a history fictionologist.]
[Gepard's little notes are also a fun read, if only for the insight that it gives on what he's been doing these past few years. The good former Captain has always been a meticulous kind of man, so it's amusing but not surprising that he's taken such careful notes about his own reading habits. His daily work reading isn't quite so fantastical as what he takes home. His bedtime reading is all grand romances and dramatic plots, but what he reads in the shop is much more tame. Embarrassed, maybe, at potentially being seen in public with something too fanciful?]
[When he gets to the picture, he picks it up to get a better look. Gepard with his sisters and his daughter, all of them looking happy. Lily, in particular, held in her father's arms and beaming at the camera. It's very cute, and he puts the picture carefully back where it was, in its little place of honor.]
[He kills the next few minutes by reading through the bookstore's ledger, listening to the sound of water being boiled in the other room. Sales are mediocre at best, the place really only limping along because Gepard doesn't get paid much and doesn't seem to mind. It's almost second-nature at this point to just... run through the mental calculations of what it would take to get a business like this really up and running. The potential's there-- the only other major competition would be the book merchant in the Administrative district. Sure, the newsstand model saves you a lot of costs because of its low footprint, but all your customers have to stand outside in the freezing Belobog temperatures, and this store has actual indoor space to work with. A little market research, some importing of new, popular media, better advertising so people actually know this place exists-- give him six months and he could get this place bustling. Less if he can secure funding up-front.]
[But he's getting ahead of himself. And there's that little lily box on the counter, too, the one that's got a simple little lock and sounds like it's holding papers... it wouldn't take much to open, but it's also locked and thus intended to be private, and Gepard could come back with tea at any moment.]
[Sampo also knows exactly where the box will be, and when Gepard won't. The door lock won't keep him out after hours. Why risk Gepard's wrath now when he can come back later and open it at his leisure?]
[He brings out a tray which has a pot of snowberry tea (sweet, but a little bit tangy), two cups, and a handful of something-or-another baked. Scones. His daughter got him hooked on them. And then Gepard takes in the fact that Sampo's right there and stops in his tracks for a moment, blinking, because...]
You're still here.
[Why? But Gepard tries to cover for his...it's not quite discomfort? Confusion? Maybe that. He tries to cover for that feeling by placing the tray on a table and setting out the cups, because if he looks at the cups (serviceable ceramic, sturdy) that means he's not looking at Sampo, who Gepard's increasingly aware is here for some reason that's not just the obvious - not thievery, not to knock him on his ass and laugh at him, not to mock him, not money, there's nothing here to be stolen. And he's no longer a captain, so he's not as useful as he might have once been to Sampo.
He's here for something, and Gepard doesn't know what that could be. But. They've known each other for quite some time, so-]
I suppose there's not that much to be stolen here, is there? [He can be a little (fondly) rude, why not.] Even someone like yourself would have to take a while to find something of value in here.
[Gepard emerges with tea and scones, and then acts like he's surprised that his guest is still hanging around. Sampo laughs and leans against the counter, bending over so that he can prop his elbow on its surface and his chin on the heel of his hand.]
You said you were bringing tea. [Is a guy just supposed to dip at the prospect of a hot drink on a cold day?] And you brought two cups.
[So either he really did expect that Sampo would stay, or he hoped he would. Either way, he's still got one blue-haired troublemaker in his bookshop, so that's your problem now. Though, really, hasn't Sampo been so well-behaved? He hasn't even stolen anything yet! Kept his little fingers to himself like a fine, upstanding member of society.]
[If Sampo wanted to be a not so fine, upstanding member of society, he might have replied to Gepard that there's something very valuable here, and it's standing right in front of him-- but Gepard's never reacted well when he's been obvious about his flirting. Always thought it was a distraction so that he could escape or toss a smoke bomb, and... well, yeah, it had been that, but it was also sincere! He was just always strategic about when he was being sincere.]
Your delightful company is enough reason for me! I'm curious about what you've been doing for the past few years, anyway. [Mysterious deadbeat mothers, charming children, resigning from his post-- Gepard's been a busy boy!] Aren't you a little bit curious about what your old pal has been getting up to?
[Delightful company is a lie, but a funny, harmless enough one. It's a joke which gets the tension from...whatever that feeling was...to melt away from Gepard's shoulders, and he sits and watches Sampo with big blue eyes. He should be opening up shop. He should be hoping for a distraction.
Instead, he then gets up and heads over to check the doorknob, and then check the sign to make sure there's no indication that they're open. He can give Sampo some time. He can pay attention to his so-called old pal, and actually, now Sampo mentions it-]
Actually? Now you mention it, I am.
[Back to his couch, and Gepard settles down in it a bit more decisively. He's made his choice. It's a terrible choice. Everyone would agree. He's going to bring it up to Serval, later, but he already knows his sister will agree. Doesn't even have to question it. He'll say, "Koski's back and I don't know why." And she'll make a face and go to get a drink - he can picture it in his head.]
I thought you were gone for good. I never imagined you'd return.
[Sampo takes the other mug of tea, and the ceramic is warm against his palms. The door is locked and Gepard is settled on the couch like he's in this conversation for the long haul, which is a much longer audience than Sampo normally would ever get with him.]
[He moseys his way on over to the couch and perches himself on the armrest, because who would ever expect him to sit normally?]
Ol' Sampo's like a bad penny, I'll always keep turning up! Besides, how could I stay away from a place as charming as Belobog?
[Sampo's been all over the galaxy, to places both beautiful and interesting and fun, and at the end of the day, he still wants to go back home to Belobog. That's what happens when a man goes native, nothing that can be done about it! They might as well make him an official citizen, y'know, with documents that he didn't forge himself.]
But I did have to go for a while. Duty called! You remember the Nameless, right? Our little friends on the Astral Express? [Gepard must remember them, he chased them around Belobog trying to arrest them, and Gepard has always been good at remembering the people he tries to arrest.] Well, they got up to a lot more than just dealing with the Stellaron around here, and they needed a little more help from yours truly! So I had to pack up shop for a while and go traipsing around the galaxy to get everything ready for when they'd need me. I'm a reliable kind of guy like that, you know.
[He probably didn't, but Sampo could be reliable when he needed to be! It just depended on who was asking him for what. And with the kind of things that the Trailblazer was getting up to... well, they really needed a reliable guy in their corner.]
[There's something a little wistful in learning your former foe had lived a wilder and more fun life than one you could ever imagine for yourself, not quite bittersweet - Gepard knew his path would only take him in so many places, allow him to do only so many things, that he had never been meant for the greater universe even before Belobog had rejoined the rest of the worlds. But wistful, yes, because for a moment he almost wished he was that slightly different man who could just leave, even for a short while.
It's likely a mix of truths, half-truths, and outright lies Sampo's telling him, but, sure, he'll buy it. There's something a little bit romantic about it.]
It sounds like you kept busy. [No, more like-] It sounds like you had fun. Where did you go? Who did you meet? I'm sure you have stories about all the people you've seen and the things you've done, and...some of them might even be true, knowing you.
[Living a more fun life than Gepard Landau isn't exactly a high bar to pass-- while the former Captain certainly had a lot of excitement in his life, it was pretty much all the bad kind. The life-or-death kind, the hopeless kind of facing a seemingly eternal and relentless foe. And while Sampo certainly ended up in peril many times over his adventures with the Nameless, his was never a hopeless journey.]
I went to a lot of places. It's a big galaxy out there! It would take too long to tell you everything, but I can give you some highlights.
[Besides, if he told Gepard everything right now, what incentive would he have to talk with him again? Like Scheherazade did with her thousand tales, the way to get a man to keep coming back is to keep him wanting.]
I could start with the Xianzhou Luofu. Did you read anything about the Xianzhou Alliance? I don't know how much information has gotten back here over the years.
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[There's all sorts of things that happen away from Jarilo-VI. Aeons and Stellarons and conspiracies aplenty, overzealous directors in the IPC who step on the wrong toes, Emanators of various kinds getting mixed up in everybody's business. It's a wild galaxy out there, Gepard, and Sampo was up to his elbows in that mess.]
[But it's all lead back to him being in this snowy little alley in Belobog. What does that tell you about Sampo Koski?]
[Gepard's annoyed posture makes everything feel a little more normal, even though he's in civilian clothes and doesn't have that massive guitar case strapped to him anymore. A little hint of the man that he used to be, underneath the veneer of simple domesticity.]
Call you? I didn't say a word! I was just minding my own business, you're the one that decided to follow me.
[See, Gepard? This whole interaction was all your idea.]
But I had heard a few little rumors that you weren't in the guard anymore! I wouldn't have believed it, but I guess it must be true.
[A lie, because he obviously already knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Gepard had left the Silvermanes behind-- but he also isn't about to come out and tell Gepard that he'd been stalking him for the past few days. Gepard doesn't need to be a captain to get Sampo arrested, all he's got to do is send a text message or two and he'd have guardsmen up his ass in a heartbeat. Gepard's men had loved him and he has friends in high places, and that kind of loyalty doesn't just go away.]
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He exhales, forces that wild, angry impulse out of him. That's one thing that remained true, between being a guard and being a civilian: he's not allowed to be angry in anything less than a physical fight. He's a Landau.]
You heard correctly. [He snaps out the words, precise, sharp, throwing them out like they're some sort of accusation. (Of what? He wouldn't know.)] There was an accident, I realized I didn't have what it took anymore, and I quit.
[He could say more. He wants to, because as much as he loves his daughter (and he does, he does) he also hates so much- and Sampo Koski is probably the one person he could be bitter to, and Gepard nearly opens his mouth to say as much, but he reminds himself that he owes Sampo absolutely nothing and Sampo deserves nothing.]
So if you want to play with a guardsman, you'll have to find someone else. Is that all, or do you have some other jokes you want to make at my expense, Koski?
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An accident?
[A reference to his daughter? To the death of the woman who bore her? It's impossible to be sure; Sampo had gone through newspaper archives to try to find a birth announcement or obituary that might clarify things about Gepard's maybe-wife, but he'd come up empty-handed. A few possibilities, but he couldn't be certain without knowing how old the kid is to narrow down his search window. But the reason that he quit the guard is definitely tied to his daughter-- either suddenly having her thrust into his life, or having her in his life without a wife to take care of all the child-rearing things.]
[Sampo sighs, and flops one hand back and forth dismissively.]
I don't think this is a joking matter, Gepard. Another guardsman? It wouldn't be half as fun to be chased around by any of them. Why even bother?
[He'd just be disappointed, and Sampo really isn't in the habit of disappointing himself. What was he supposed to do, let Captain Dunn has him around? The very thought's absurd.]
Besides, I only just got back, and the statute of limitations is up on all my old warrants. Nobody has a legal reason to chase me around.
[Y'know, because no one knows about the whole stalking thing yet, and hopefully never would.]
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[He's slipping back into old patterns, and older habits, and he hates that Sampo still has this strange hold over him. After all this time. Gepard tried to smother that part of him, and here it is, springing back up in response to Sampo's stupid smile and his stupid laugh and his obnoxious voice.]
Please be serious. I'm sorry to disappoint you, but as a civilian I haven't been keeping up with my training, so I doubt you'll have as much fun outrunning me as you used to.
[...even if he's decided to start morning jogs to get that part of him back in shape- Sampo doesn't need to know about that.]
The only thing I can do is offer you a book- I run a bookstore, Koski. [He says this flatly, like it's a fact the two of them should know and is obvious. After all, the two of them had been right there. But also, he'll probably play dumb.] And I have a family, so I won't be able to stay up as late as I used to. I'm so sorry to disappoint you.
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[Ah, that stern Landau expression. Seeing it again really makes Sampo feel like he's come home! It had felt like a piece was missing, not having this particular blond man give him the stink eye.]
[Sampo bounces one heel against the brick wall, a steady little thump-thump-thump that gives him something to do with his legs. Normally, he'd be running by now, and he'd have to yell whatever he wanted to say over his shoulder at Gepard. It's much easier to have a conversation with him when he's not at a sprint.]
Maybe it's serendipity! I came back here to retire, after all. Ol' Sampo Koski's out of the adventuring business, it's about time for me to leave that kind of thing to younger folks.
[He's sure not getting any younger. And even if he's still in quite good shape, he gets these twinges in his back sometimes, and his knees really don't take a hard landing like they used to, and it takes more than three hours of sleep and a few strong cups of coffee to bounce back from a long night. Really, he'd been looking to go into semi-retirement even before the Nameless came along, but now, some five-ish years even after that? He's probably overdue.]
[So. He's back in Belobog, his Winterland, to figure out what he's going to do with the rest of his life now that he played his part in galaxy-saving.]
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He doesn't know what he wants, and he can't figure it out. What he does know is that Sampo doesn't care about anything besides what's interesting, what's fun, what's exciting - all things that he's not. What he does know is that he's under no obligation to pretend with Sampo, like he is with most every other adult in his life.
Gepard makes a rude noise as Sampo says that he's looking to retire, a disbelieving snort. Because it's bullshit, and he knows it, and Sampo know it.]
Great. [But...he shouldn't, but.] I'm not going to have this conversation with you, here. [A cold alley.] My shop has heaters and couches, Koski. And if my company is that important to you, I can keep the doors locked.
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[All roles, even good ones, have to end eventually. And it's really in your own best interest to know when it's time to get off the stage.]
[But Gepard, a man who by all rights could just tell Sampo to take a hike and never think of him again, seems very reluctant to do just that.]
Are you inviting me in? [He puts a hand over his heart in mock surprise.] All these years we've known each other, and this is the first time you've invited me anywhere but a jail cell!
I have to accept, of course.
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He half-turns away...]
Believe whatever you want, Koski.
[And Gepard starts heading back down the alleyway again, and Sampo can decide if he wants to follow, or live up to his expectations and leave, or indecisively sit on the wall like he's some gargoyle longing for rain that will never come. It's cold. It's cold in a way Gepard seldom let himself feel, but- it's cold.]
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[The thumping heel stops as Gepard half turns away, Sampo's ridiculous blue head tipping in a sort of curious gesture.]
It's not belief! Either you invited me or you didn't.
[He's going with did, personally. And since Gepard's leading the way, well, it would be rude not to follow, wouldn't it? Besides, annoyed or not, Gepard's attention is back on him again, and for the first time in years, it feels like things are... maybe not quite normal again, but close. On their way there.]
[Sampo hops down from the wall. The jolt as he lands is a little irritating to his knees and ankles-- Aeons, another ten years and he'll be so creaky-- but then he follows along after Gepard with the usual pep in his step.]
Books, hm? [He moseys along next to Gepard, a step or two's berth between them.] I didn't think you were much of a reader! Or that you'd really need a job after you've retired, all things considered.
[Those things being both his pension-- because the Silvermane guard paid their honorably discharged forces pretty well-- and the fact that he's the eldest male Landau. Hell, now he's the eldest male Landau with a child, and even if his parents don't like the way he made her, he's the only one of his siblings to actually produce a biological heir. There's no way that they aren't invested in the future of their legacy, at least financially, even if Gepard limits their physical contact.]
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Someone looking at them from a distance would wonder if Gepard even knew that he was being followed. He focuses on the way ahead like he's walking alone, and Sampo's just some stranger who just decided to go the same way he did and now here they are.]
I'm not much of a reader. [So, mystery solved.] But, I'm a father now, Koski. [And for a moment, he glances at Sampo, asking without asking did you know?] And I have to set a good example for her. The last thing she needs is a father who just spends all day sitting at home.
As it turns out, selling books is a job that doesn't pay all that much money, and requires someone strong enough to lift heavy boxes of books day in and day out. My pension takes care of the first part, and I'm strong enough to manage the second. It's a good fit for me. [He...thinks? He's not sure, really. He's still suspicious as to the circumstances Pela managed to get this job lined up for him. He has questions, questions that aren't Sampo's problem. Things Sampo doesn't need to think about.]
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[So! No reason for that side-eye, Gepard. Sampo's just being a Normal Guy here.]
I'm sure there are plenty of guys who are stay-at-home dads. It's a modern galaxy, after all.
[Sure, that would imply that there's a not stay-at-home mom in the house, the one that's going out and being the breadwinner. But Sampo would have no reason to think that there isn't a mom hanging around, right? Because he's been a totally normal person who hasn't been weirdly invasive about anybody's privacy.]
Well, I guess what really matters is that it works for you, right? Your work doesn't have to be something you love.
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Sampo's still following him.]
I suppose so. [Then:] As I'm sure you're curious, my daughter - Lily's - mother was an offworlder. She stayed for a while, grew bored of Belobog as well as me, and left. [Sometimes, driving someone off doesn't come in the form of fists and punches, and Gepard knows better than to believe he could drive Sampo off that way. It never worked before, and now, well. Well. He's much less than he used to be.
So, instead, why not this? Sampo would inevitably treat him with the same vague pity as everyone else did, the conversation would falter, and he'd find an excuse to go. (Which he? Does it matter?)]
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[As far as Sampo can tell, this woman had the Prize-- she had the galaxy's most loyal partner. That's what everyone wants, right? A guy who's a hundred percent husband material. Considering she stuck around long enough to have a kid with him, marriage must have been on the table at some point. And assuming that Gepard is a reliable narrator here, she got bored enough to ditch not only a presumably loving partner, but also her own child.]
[Lots of people have called Sampo a snake before, for many different reasons, but boy. Even he'd call that pretty cold-blooded.]
[(Unless she noticed something about the man she was with that would make her want to go. Still pretty cold to leave your kid, even so.)]
[But that explains the empty bedroom, the lack of Lily's mother in the house. She's gone, out of the picture, gave up her claim. One person's failure is another's opportunity.]
Lily's a cute name, though. [He smiles and looks at Gepard side-long.] Did you name her?
[Mister Can't-Keep-A-Plant-Alive, naming his daughter after flowers. This is one lily that he's taking care of pretty well, right? Blossoming like anything.]
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Gepard mentions what happened, and people make sympathetic noises. They ask him questions about what she was like, and he describes her in detail. Increasingly, excruciating detail, going over every last moment of the relationship, forced to figure out where their flaws where, how utterly incompatible the two of them were. In fact, Gepard suspected that if he hadn't once been Belobog's indestructible shield, people would have blamed him more often than they had, even if it had been his fault. Always his fault.
And this usually segues to The Accident, what drove him to retire, and he gets more sympathy, and he comforts the people upset on his behalf (and he's gotten so tired of it) and they go back and forth a bit more, they commend him for selling fucking books, and then they go, feeling better for having cheered him up, and Gepard feels just a little bit more drained for enduring it.
That's how it usually goes.
But then, of all the fucking people. Here's Sampo, unexpectedly taking the script and flipping it and throwing it aside. A throwaway comment about her lack of taste, no questions about who she had been, and then immediately focusing on his daughter, and Gepard finds himself...smiling back? Is he smiling?
Yes he is.]
Why...yes. [Yes he had.] I wanted to give her a hopeful name.
[They've reached his bookshop. He's reaching for his keys.] I went to Eversummer Florist for inspiration, but decided an offworld flower suited her better. After all, imagine me naming my daughter something like 'Summershade Bamboo Landau.'
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[Asking about his daughter is a better topic. He adores her, clearly, so he'll be more open to talking about her. And Sampo's starting off with pretty easy questions, easing Gepard into the idea of having a normal chat with him. Judging by that smile, Sampo's right on the money with his judgment.]
Sure, but you could've called her Summer for short.
[That would've been kind of cute-- Summer, on a planet of eternal winter. Talk about hopeful names, right?]
But Lily's a good name, I'm sure it suits her.
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Look at me, letting in notorious criminal Sampo Koski and offering to show him pictures of my family. That's how I know I'm not fit to be a Silvermane Guard anymore.
[And the key goes into the lock, the door swings open, and Gepard flicks on the light.
It's a bookstore. The insides are a warm brown, which might be surprising given how much of the Overworld's sense of aesthetics seem to revolve around cool colors: white and blue, splashes of stark black, the warmest brown seen a tan. But, no. Warm brown bookshelves, a warm brown floor of a slightly different color, a old rug that's red and orange and yellow. Sure, there's white walls, so it's not like the place is entirely alien, but one of the owners - Gepard, whomever owned it before him, whomever came before them - had made an effort to defy Overworld aesthetic sensibilities.
There's books, obviously. A desk. Some pictures, here and there. Couches, plush and inviting.]
Make yourself at home. I'll make some- [What does he have in here...? It's in his backroom.] Tea, probably. I hope that will be alright with you.
[And he's going to do just that, giving Sampo time to...follow, or lock the front door and wait, or to just leave. Whatever he could want.]
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[The inside of the bookstore is warm and welcoming, rejecting Belobog's usual obsession with snowy whites and blues and instead decorating it in yellows and oranges and reds. There's a coziness here that isn't found in a lot of Belobog buildings, softness and warmth in defiance of the eternal winter outside.]
[Sampo likes it. It's nice, it feels like a place that you could curl up on the couch in front of one of the geomarrow heaters and read a book all afternoon. And Gepard looks nice inside a place like this, hanging up his coat and going to the back to make tea.]
Tea's fine! Whatever you've got.
[He's more interested in looking around the shop, anyway. Having a bit of a poke around the shelves, to see what kind of books they sell. Maybe look around the front counter to see if there's something interesting there, like a ledger or two or just whatever book Gepard reads when it's slow between customers. What's he into? Fantasy, historical, informational books on gardening? Romance? Parenting books about how to be a single father?]
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...friends, huh. Well. Sampo had always been like that. He roots through the cupboards, trying to find something suitable for Sampo Koski and torn between something aggressively Belobogian and something very much not. Snowberries or something different...
Well, anyway.
The bookstore is a mix of new and used. The shelves contain a mix of books. There's a few books which are truly foreign. There's one or two books Sampo might realize were written by some of his old coworkers. Unbeknownst to Gepard, there's one slim volume of a history written by someone who was inspired by a follower of the Enigmata.
There's some new things. There's a shelf which contains works written by new and upcoming Belobogians - for Belobog, by Belobog. It's set at a prominent place of honor.
Behind the front counter, there's a slim leather notebook with notes written in Gepard's precise hand, just detailing the books he's read and what he thought of them, with a to-read list. While there's some overlap, it seems like the genres of books Gepard takes home (adventures, romances, big, sweeping plots, grandiose stakes) are slightly different than the books he reads at the shop (historical fiction, tales from foreign lands, a snapshot of a different world).
There's some overlap, but still.
If Sampo goes far enough in the notebook, he'll find that there was, indeed, books about parenting. There was a shift, over time, from something purely pragmatic to something a bit more wistful.
...well, anyway. There's a picture of Gepard, his sisters, and Lily, in a place of honor. It's a bright day, and the family is smiling.
Ledgers indicate that sales aren't all that great, just barely enough to keep the shop running. But Gepard's not doing this because of the money, is he? He's doing it to have something to do.
There's also a locked box. The lock isn't complicated. Small, wooden, with a lily carved on it. Special ordered, probably. Something involving his daughter, probably. Large enough to hold some papers, some photos, some mementos - if Sampo shakes it, he'll be able to hear the sounds of paper.
Speaking of sounds, it sounds like water's still being boiled in the back room.]
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[Gepard's little notes are also a fun read, if only for the insight that it gives on what he's been doing these past few years. The good former Captain has always been a meticulous kind of man, so it's amusing but not surprising that he's taken such careful notes about his own reading habits. His daily work reading isn't quite so fantastical as what he takes home. His bedtime reading is all grand romances and dramatic plots, but what he reads in the shop is much more tame. Embarrassed, maybe, at potentially being seen in public with something too fanciful?]
[When he gets to the picture, he picks it up to get a better look. Gepard with his sisters and his daughter, all of them looking happy. Lily, in particular, held in her father's arms and beaming at the camera. It's very cute, and he puts the picture carefully back where it was, in its little place of honor.]
[He kills the next few minutes by reading through the bookstore's ledger, listening to the sound of water being boiled in the other room. Sales are mediocre at best, the place really only limping along because Gepard doesn't get paid much and doesn't seem to mind. It's almost second-nature at this point to just... run through the mental calculations of what it would take to get a business like this really up and running. The potential's there-- the only other major competition would be the book merchant in the Administrative district. Sure, the newsstand model saves you a lot of costs because of its low footprint, but all your customers have to stand outside in the freezing Belobog temperatures, and this store has actual indoor space to work with. A little market research, some importing of new, popular media, better advertising so people actually know this place exists-- give him six months and he could get this place bustling. Less if he can secure funding up-front.]
[But he's getting ahead of himself. And there's that little lily box on the counter, too, the one that's got a simple little lock and sounds like it's holding papers... it wouldn't take much to open, but it's also locked and thus intended to be private, and Gepard could come back with tea at any moment.]
[Sampo also knows exactly where the box will be, and when Gepard won't. The door lock won't keep him out after hours. Why risk Gepard's wrath now when he can come back later and open it at his leisure?]
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You're still here.
[Why? But Gepard tries to cover for his...it's not quite discomfort? Confusion? Maybe that. He tries to cover for that feeling by placing the tray on a table and setting out the cups, because if he looks at the cups (serviceable ceramic, sturdy) that means he's not looking at Sampo, who Gepard's increasingly aware is here for some reason that's not just the obvious - not thievery, not to knock him on his ass and laugh at him, not to mock him, not money, there's nothing here to be stolen. And he's no longer a captain, so he's not as useful as he might have once been to Sampo.
He's here for something, and Gepard doesn't know what that could be. But. They've known each other for quite some time, so-]
I suppose there's not that much to be stolen here, is there? [He can be a little (fondly) rude, why not.] Even someone like yourself would have to take a while to find something of value in here.
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You said you were bringing tea. [Is a guy just supposed to dip at the prospect of a hot drink on a cold day?] And you brought two cups.
[So either he really did expect that Sampo would stay, or he hoped he would. Either way, he's still got one blue-haired troublemaker in his bookshop, so that's your problem now. Though, really, hasn't Sampo been so well-behaved? He hasn't even stolen anything yet! Kept his little fingers to himself like a fine, upstanding member of society.]
[If Sampo wanted to be a not so fine, upstanding member of society, he might have replied to Gepard that there's something very valuable here, and it's standing right in front of him-- but Gepard's never reacted well when he's been obvious about his flirting. Always thought it was a distraction so that he could escape or toss a smoke bomb, and... well, yeah, it had been that, but it was also sincere! He was just always strategic about when he was being sincere.]
Your delightful company is enough reason for me! I'm curious about what you've been doing for the past few years, anyway. [Mysterious deadbeat mothers, charming children, resigning from his post-- Gepard's been a busy boy!] Aren't you a little bit curious about what your old pal has been getting up to?
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Instead, he then gets up and heads over to check the doorknob, and then check the sign to make sure there's no indication that they're open. He can give Sampo some time. He can pay attention to his so-called old pal, and actually, now Sampo mentions it-]
Actually? Now you mention it, I am.
[Back to his couch, and Gepard settles down in it a bit more decisively. He's made his choice. It's a terrible choice. Everyone would agree. He's going to bring it up to Serval, later, but he already knows his sister will agree. Doesn't even have to question it. He'll say, "Koski's back and I don't know why." And she'll make a face and go to get a drink - he can picture it in his head.]
I thought you were gone for good. I never imagined you'd return.
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[He moseys his way on over to the couch and perches himself on the armrest, because who would ever expect him to sit normally?]
Ol' Sampo's like a bad penny, I'll always keep turning up! Besides, how could I stay away from a place as charming as Belobog?
[Sampo's been all over the galaxy, to places both beautiful and interesting and fun, and at the end of the day, he still wants to go back home to Belobog. That's what happens when a man goes native, nothing that can be done about it! They might as well make him an official citizen, y'know, with documents that he didn't forge himself.]
But I did have to go for a while. Duty called! You remember the Nameless, right? Our little friends on the Astral Express? [Gepard must remember them, he chased them around Belobog trying to arrest them, and Gepard has always been good at remembering the people he tries to arrest.] Well, they got up to a lot more than just dealing with the Stellaron around here, and they needed a little more help from yours truly! So I had to pack up shop for a while and go traipsing around the galaxy to get everything ready for when they'd need me. I'm a reliable kind of guy like that, you know.
[He probably didn't, but Sampo could be reliable when he needed to be! It just depended on who was asking him for what. And with the kind of things that the Trailblazer was getting up to... well, they really needed a reliable guy in their corner.]
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It's likely a mix of truths, half-truths, and outright lies Sampo's telling him, but, sure, he'll buy it. There's something a little bit romantic about it.]
It sounds like you kept busy. [No, more like-] It sounds like you had fun. Where did you go? Who did you meet? I'm sure you have stories about all the people you've seen and the things you've done, and...some of them might even be true, knowing you.
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I went to a lot of places. It's a big galaxy out there! It would take too long to tell you everything, but I can give you some highlights.
[Besides, if he told Gepard everything right now, what incentive would he have to talk with him again? Like Scheherazade did with her thousand tales, the way to get a man to keep coming back is to keep him wanting.]
I could start with the Xianzhou Luofu. Did you read anything about the Xianzhou Alliance? I don't know how much information has gotten back here over the years.
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