Artair Croft | Male | 28 Years Old | Water Kelpie

Artair was complaisant in heeding to Sariel's commands, trotting along at an unhurried pace as they neared the aging castle. He paused only momentarily as his dark blue gaze scanned the fragmented walls, head lowering slightly as weariness fatigued his limbs. Reaching the location his master had so eagerly sought hopefully meant a well deserved rest was soon to follow. He started forward again at her urging, one of his large hooves nearly slipping on a slab of loose stone before managing to right himself as he came to a halt.

Sariel's impatient tone as she commanded him to change forms had an amused nicker escaping the stallion before he let flow the magic that naturally ran through his veins. After so many days of traveling in the body of a lumbering horse it felt almost blissful as his frame re-arranged itself, bones snapping out and then back into place and buckskin coat being replaced with lightly tanned skin and cloth. There used to be a time when his horse form was his preferred appearance, but he found it more cumbersome on land than it had been in the lake and had also learned to appreciate the advantages of being a man. Thumbs were nice for example.

The transformation was over as quickly as it began, barely noticeable as more than a blur to the human eye. "How does that saying go master?" He asked smoothly. "Patience is a virtue?" He finished with a teasing lilt. Artair was quick to follow behind her as she made her way to the castle entrance, eyes narrowing slightly as he gazed down the dark hallway. "Looks inviting," he commented wryly as he awaited her next move.

Lin Xun Yang - Male - Looks 26 - Qilin

Small, cloven hooves clicked gently against the stone-ridden ground surrounding a huge building sunken halfway into the earth, a scaly body slipping quickly past the few strangers that appeared to also be making their way into the worn castle. He had no time or patience to pause and greet them, however, too focused on his own affairs to even pay attention to them. As far as he could tell as he raced past them, it had been a woman harboring a small flame in her hand, followed by a large horse - no, a man. How curious.

Considering he would inevitably be meeting them at their shared destination anyway, he didn't think any further about the peculiar pair, his dragon-like eyes "lighting" his way deep into the palace. It was shocking, how much more there was underground than above. Almost like the icebergs he'd seen north of his homeland. How the emperor would love to see such a place. Not that he expected the man to travel so far from his dynasty, just to see a crumbling building. Well, you could never tell these days.

As he arrived at the very bottom - at least, he assumed it was the bottom - of the winding stair case, Lin gazed about the purple-floored room. There was a throne tucked at the far end of it, pillars scaling high above his head, reaching a cracked stone ceiling. And at the foot of some of the pillars, a large furry mountain... What?

((sucky post, but I just woke up c':))

Lin Xun Yang - Male - Looks 26 - Qilin

When the huge figure slowly, clumsily began to move, Lin stood his ground, his proud demeanor never ceasing as he watched the stranger stand itself up. He couldn't tell what it was, the flickers of flame annoyingly messing with his ability to see in the dark. Well, either way, the large being didn't seem at all hostile. It actually looked sort of like a big baby, honestly. Scared and curled up alone in a giant castle... It was almost sad.

Of course, when the creature spoke in a booming voice, Lin had to look up at the ceiling, worried it might fall. When he had affirmed that he was most likely safe, a stream of lime green fog began to tug at his body, surrounding him entirely until all that was left in his place was a pale-haired man in slate-green clothing, appearing in his mid-20's. He pressed his palm to a closed fist, bowing politely. "Ni hao," he greeted the stranger, before adding, "Hello." Being so far from his homeland, he didn't expect the people here to be able to speak his native language. He would have to break the habit of talking in it.

Artair Croft | Male | 28 Years Old | Water Kelpie

Lin's scaly form slipping passed them at a swift pace had Artair doing a double take as the Qilin seemed to melt into the darkness ahead and out of sight without a word. His head tilted slightly and he had no further wise comments to add as he and Sariel finally ventured onto the shadowy path inside and down a winding flight of stairs. As they grew closer to the castle's center make-shift torches lit their path and it wasn't long before two more shapes became visible ahead, another man with pale hair and a giant of a beast with mighty talons and a beak, the likes of which he had never witnessed before. Curious... His body language remained relaxed and unthreatening as they approached the pair, clearly not worried about any immediate threat from either creature in comparison to his formally tense companion. He allowed Sariel to do all the talking as usual, gracing Coalesce and Lin with a polite nod and friendly smile as he was introduced.

((Ahh, I'm sorry for the short response. Not feeling well today, but don't wanna leave ya'll hanging.))

Lin Xun Yang - Male - 26 - Qilin

Suppressing the faintest chuckle with the assumption that it would be rude and likely embarrass the poor beast, Lin gave an affirming nod, only to have his silent answer interrupted by one that, well, wasn't silent. He turned on his heels, surprised by the sudden voice and staring with almond-shaped, pale yellow eyes at the pair that had just arrived. Needless to say, he was a bit put off by the woman's rudeness, but one could consider it karma. After all, he had passed them without so much as a greeting when he arrived. It was only fair. Sort of.

He looked the woman, "Sariel" apparently, and the man-horse-person (he wasn't sure which) who had been introduced as "Artair" over, wondering faintly how he might manage to pronounce their names. Western names were somewhat foreign to him. And had too many vowels. "Shi, I am here to join the guild as well," he said, turning back to face the large being. "And what shall we call you, qin?"

----

I'll just put translations here c':

Shi - Yes
Qin - Dear

Artair Croft | Male | 28 Years Old | Water Kelpie

Though the offer of a warm bed was very tempting after how far he and Sariel had traveled to reach the abandoned castle Coalesce was an intriguing creature and his mention of a quest already awaiting their attention piqued his interest. "It's a pleasure to meet you Coalesce," he spoke up for the first time since entering the building, his voice thick with the accent of his homeland. "You as well," he added with a polite nod to Lin before his attention fell back to the feathered giant. "If I may ask, what does this quest entail? I'm sure we are all eager to know,"

A timid greeting echoing throughout the room had Artair turning in time to see a snake-woman slithering to join them. Yet another creature he had never seen before. Perhaps leaving the lake had been a good thing if only because he was now given the opportunity to meet people whom he would have never met otherwise. "Hello," he responded in kind, making way so the newcomer had more room to stand before Coalesce.

Lin Xun Yang - Male - 26 - Qilin

Smiling as the giant introduced himself, the thought that he hadn't done so himself not yet crossing his mind, Lin was surprised to learn that they had already gotten a job, despite the fact that they had only just come together. He was about to ask just what the 'scary' quest was when Artair did so for him, only to be interrupted by a small, lisped voice.

He turned along with the rest of the beings in the room, gazing into the darkness and making out the faint silhouette of what appeared to be a human girl. However, as she walked -- no, slithered forward, he realized that the assumption was entirely wrong. What would have been a pair of legs were she a normal human being were intead replaced with the long, bulky power half of a snake. Interesting.

He gave her the same polite bow as he had Coalesce, followed by a curt smile. "Ni hao," he greeted her, not bothering to translate. Hopefully by his tone it was obvious what the words meant.

Ni Hao - Hello