Baron woke up sharp this morning as he waited for something to take his attention from his recent past excursions around the region. The women of his life had all dimmed away so far, the only ones remaining the woman of his dreams, silver haired and innocent gaze, the one of exotic hair, and another. He hadn't gone to the point of obsession about any of them, but they crossed his mind from time to time as it donned on him that he had only been meeting women as of late and had yet to meet any men. Not that he was complaining.

A general lack of male companionship probably was't going to do him much good though, at least knowing one other male would have served some purpose rather it was of use or not would be seen. Baron had stopped by the local pub for supplies mostly, while it was indeed a pub there had to be some basic provisions he could use whilst he marched about the region to do jobs, and enjoy the time he spent here.

Rather or not the pub had what he was looking for he would also probably stick around for maybe one drink, but that would be all. He was trying to put down the bottle after all and it'd do him so good to just say no for once.

Standing outside of the bar he'd wait for the bartender to bring him what he has asked, as they had agreed on a price for a pair of boots, a few bottles of alcohol (more for cleaning wounds than drinking) and a few blankets as well as a tent.. This would have been quite a haul if they hurried up.

"Where are you headed then?"

Despite lying outside the entrance to the main pub in Baska, Odin's voice was still loud and booming, and definitely within earshot of the man who stood maybe ten meters away from him. The Lich wasn't obvious where he currently was, as he was lying down on the ground, covered by the shade of the building, as the sun lay on the other side. The man was also covered by the rising sun, which was probably part of the reason why he couldn't see the Lich, who laid down on the ground, wearing a simple green shirt and trousers. With his green skull, he was blending into the grass surprisingly well, but as he spoke he sat up, and looked at the man he spoke to. The barman had come out with a great load of things, and the dark mage was in the mood to scare someone. He was lying there, enjoying the darkness and shade, because he did not to sleep. Lying in the dark was much more enjoyable for the Lich, as he felt more at home when surrounded by his own element. The two, surrounded by shadows, were a strange pair. One man, collecting a great many things for what looked like a long journey ahead, while the other laid on the grass, a skull for a head and a skeleton for a body. Odin had to admit, he was curious as to how the man would react in his presence. Most people were the same: fear, but this one seemed a traveler, perhaps he had seen more.

Baron looked over his belongings with a smile, he leaned over his bag and tied his blanket to the top, his tent to the side and his spare tent on the other side. His extra blanket was tucked away and now he was all set to travel again and if he met a lovely lady well... Those blankets would come in handy. His hands clasped together over his lap as he squatted in front of his things. Just as he finished packing and began concocting his path he was asked a question by someone near by. He didn't look up from his things he'd only answer with a nod, "Well stranger, I'm heading for the hills not too far from here, gonna do some camping out." he admitted, there was no reason to lie and if the owner of the question had decided to be hostile he could probably handle himself in a fight lord willing. His gun was tucked away in his bag, so he'd settle disputes with his hands if need be, but there was innocence in conversation, and purity in inquisitiveness wasn't there? There should have been...

Baron looked up from his bag in search of the voice, he didn't see anyone in fact it was still mostly dark out. "Though I would appreciate it if my talkative friend let me see them in some light." he laughed.

A strange sense of excitement grew within Odin as the man replied without taking his eyes off of his belongings. His destination was to head to the hills on the outskirts of Baska and camp out, evidently not being one for the village life. His simple reply was because he didn't know who he was talking to, or what he was talking to to be more specific, and it seemed he could only hear Odin, and not actually see him. He looked around, trying to work out where the voice that had spoken to him had come from. With the all green outfit, matched with Odin's skull that was surrounded by an evanescent green fire, there was no way that the man could see him. And Odin really wanted to show him.

The ma was laughing as he asked where Odin was, a laugh that probably was not going to survive what happened next. Sitting up from his current position, Odin stretched, more out of habit as he couldn't actually stretch any muscles, now lacking in them. Standing up, and being in clear view of the man, the Lich would just stare, his eyes glowing with green fire as he spoke, a hollow voice piercing the man's ears as he spoke just one word, hoping to give him a little fright.

"Boo."

After addressing the mysterious stranger he'd get back to work setting his things up. He took a knee and tried his best to settle what he had going on right now, there was nothing major left to obtain outside of what he wanted from the bar's owner. There was something creeping on the back of his mind, someone or something was watching him and he couldn't pin them down to a single standing. Out of curiosity he nonchalantly went back to work on his things waiting to see if his new friend came out to play or continued to hide, either way his bag would get packed either now or later.

He waited on before he would finally come out but what he saw shocked, scared, and allured him all at once. A green skeleton out of the frey and into Baron's view. First instinct would have been to retreat, but instead Baron fell back in surprise with a tilted head, "W-what the heck." he began with shakey voice before bursting out into laughter, "You're all bone!" he chuckled madly at what he saw. A skeleton in normal clothes, something that would scared most and admittedly Baron was scared out of his mind having never seen something like that but all he could do was left.

"look at the top of his head." he laughed, "You have no lips!" he continued to laugh, "Why you got clothes on? You're all bone man! Scared you're gonna show your.... Bone-er?" he cried with glee and fear.

The man, after asking who Odin was, strangely went back to what he was doing, not actually seeming to care about who was speaking to him. It mattered little to the Lich, who had now rested and was standing, his eyes piercing the man until he eventually turned around to look at the skeletal being in front of him. The next few seconds was both what Odin expected, and something that had never happened before. The man burst into hysterics, laughing at what he saw as he looked at the Lich, who had dressed himself in relatively ordinary clothes that many wouldn't expect him to wander around in. As much as he was a Lich, it was unbelievably tiring to keep up a facade every day and wear black, imposing clothing. Instead, today he had chosen to wear simple clothes without real care.

He then started speaking in a way that could only be described as mocking. Perhaps it was because Odin was wearing simple clothing, but this man started by calling him out on his lack of a smile, specifically for not having any lips, but then he went too far, making a joke about Odin's lack of any reproductive organs, having become simply bone. As much as he was all for a man having a joke, this one had gone too far, and now had to be taught the error of his ways. With his face stuck in that constant smile that everyone saw as they looked at him, Odin clenched his fist and snapped his fingers.

Being in the shadows as the man was, Odin could use his spells from any area within range of himself. As such, he would pull the man forward five meters towards the Lich with the first spell, which would originate five meters in front of Odin. The second spell, activated through the clenched fist, caused Odin to move forward five meters, the perfect distance to meet the stranger. But Odin was not stagnant as he moved, bringing out the two blades at his sides. Equipping the Asuma Blades, Odin would meet the man at both the apex of his dash, and that of the man being pulled. The man would stop just as Odin did, and one of the knives, the one on Odin's right hand, would be perfectly sitting just off of the man's throat, Odin's fist facing the man, with the blade sitting neatly in its position. The other blade, held by Odin's left hand, would be at the middle of Odin's body, poised ready for any kind of counter than may come from the man. Of course, if any kind of aggressive action was taken, Odin would simply push his right fist forward, slicing open the man's throat and incapacitating him, if not killing him outright.

1365/1405:

Would you believe this shit, Baron was a jester true but he wasn’t a fool. He always had a means to defend himself, always, rather it be by fist or weapon he wasn’t going to be anyone’s fool. Whilst he was digging through his bag he had found exactly what he was looking for in the instant the skeleton had come into view, though his laughing had him riddled with one hand in bag’s pocket the other at his side as he held his stomach with laughter. He was blissfully ignorant of this monster’s ill will and would need to teach it manners. Just as he held his gun in hand he was pulled five meters towards him, and then his dear friend moved five meters as well, without a second thought Baron didn’t give him the benefit of the doubt and wielded his white revolver with a grin. While Odin pulled him forward, Baron didn’t stop he aimed his gun at the Lich’s face at the five meter mark where he was pulled and pulled the trigger. “Swallow my bullets and don't you spit” he spat, revolver’s chamber exploding with white light as he fired a round into the beast, that would likely take them both out as he pulled no punches. The bullet would hit point blank given their ranger, and the fact that no one could doge a bullet and the impact would cause them both to likely go out cold as it would create a sphere of light 20 by 20 in diameter around them both on impact an explosion worthy of destruction.

His shot was aimed at the skeleton's head an easy shot given he was dragged towards him.

spell used:

It seemed that the man in front of Odin, despite his jokes and mocking humour, was a capable fighter, while the Lich had been overconfident and thought he was simply a traveler, which was to be his downfall. The man was pulled at a much quicker rate than Odin dashed, but he had kept one of his hands inside his bag throughout his entire laughing fit, which had simply make it look like he was searching for something. When the man was pulled, that item had been found, and was pointing directly in Odin's face. There was only an instant where the dark mage could see what it was in front of him, and there was a spark of familiarity before a flash of white light. A burning sensation, overwhelming and inescapable, filled Odin, hurting him to his very core as he was pushed back by a massive explosion.

The next hour was nothing, and Odin woke up with a blisteringly painful headache, and his sight currently a little blurry. He could only tell what time it was from the shadows, as there was less of it surrounding the dark mage, indicating a fair amount of time had passed while he had been lying on the grass. Moving to stand, stumbling and still dazed from whatever had happened, Odin looked over at the other man, who had also just woken up. On the floor, away from the dark mage were both of their weapons, which caused Odin to stop for a moment. He saw his blades, but he also saw the man's weapon: an ornately decorated white pistol, one of a kind, and one that Odin had once known the owner of.

"Where did you get that gun?"

There was a bright light and Baron suffered from staring into it. He remembered nothing but seeing the skeleton up close and watching him get consumed by blinding light. When he came to after a few minutes he was on his ass in a daze. This was strange, very strange, the skeleton was out of it and his gun must have flown out of his hand during the explosion, his fingers hurt like hell after pulling the trigger, likely he dropped it when he was caught up in the riffraff. If only he had worn shades today, for now he was sitting down and just trying to catch his bearings as he looked over at his attacker very peculiar, though the fright was gone, but returned when he saw what was on the ground not far from his gun...

Knives? Was that thing going to eat him or something? Probably kill him, but that wasn't very nice nor was it all that fair to their possible friendship! All Baron did was make a joke about his bone-er, which still made him snicker, though it was more painful to do so with every cackle. Instead of being rude he'd wait for the skull to come to and when it did happen a question raised.

"Well, I took it off of a dead man back in Oak during what must have been a nasty brawl."

"Well, I took it off of a dead man back in Oak during what must have been a nasty brawl."

For some reason, those words really stung Odin, and he couldn't quite understand why that was the case. He hadn't known the previous owner, the man that must've been the dead one this man had found. His name had been Vance, and he had been a powerful man from the looks of things, having possessed both the power of this gun and another equally ornate, and probably equally powerful one. There was much about him that Odin could not, and would now never know, pieces of information that even Vance himself had not known, that could have made the two close friends. But now he was dead, gone, and this man was in possession of one of the pistols he had wielded. Odin couldn't help but ask a little more, but he started with a laugh: a deep, hollow laugh that echoed around the silent area. He was too weak to use any more magic, and he wouldn't be able to fight now for a few hours at least, so the least he could do was apologise for losing his composure and attacking without warning.

"Sorry for attacking you, I used to have a bad temper. I'm working on it now but that was a bit out of line. Leftover pride you see. Anyway, the gun you got there used to belong to someone I met, likely the man you found. He did have two guns though, a black and a white one. If you've got that one, any idea what happened to the other one?"

Baron stood up and held his ribs, the blinding light had caused him to see spots and it hurt like hell when trying to stare at the spooky scary skeleton's gleaming body. He Nodded is head and waved off the words spoke with his gun, understanding why he was attacked. "My mistake sir, I didn't intend to get under your skin, no pun intended. I've just... Never seen anyone like you before, I suppose a coping mechanism for seeing something reminiscent of death for me is just trying to laugh it off." he shrugged, gun now secured in his grip as he rubbed his neck with his free hand.

"You say a man hm? Well the person I found it on was old, attacked my a few ruffians and left to die. But I hardly knew their story, as for the other gun from what I can remember I saw a woman with a gun similar to this one, I actually met her not too long before finding this one. It was in its holster when we spoke but I had caught a glimpse while I took her dancing." he nodded assure of what he remembered, it was a bit hazy but Gloria did have an interesting looking gun on her person, perhaps the twin?

"Forgive me though, I need to get to the road before long, more businesses to haggle with. If you're still around later I'd love to give you a drink to serve as an apology for blowing us both up." he nodded to the skeleton and picked up his bag as he departed.

-exit-

There was brief flash of relief on Odin's face, as he found out that the dead man in possession of the gun had been older, and so likely not Vance. It still begged the question of what had happened to the man who had been in possession of two guns that individually were extremely powerful. Together, Vance must've indeed been a force to be reckoned with when he had wielded them both. But at least this way there was no definitive proof that he had died. There was still a chance of course, but no confirmation that Odin's friend had passed away, murdered at the hands of ruffians.

It then got interesting, as the man noted that, while he didn't possess the sibling gun to the one he had, he had met someone that had wielded a gun that had looked similar to his own. There was no mistaking it, and it was likely that he had come into contact with the owner of the other gun, a female from the sounds of things, but there was no other information Odin could get before his new acquaintance had to leave. He did state that they would get drinks another time, to make up for the awkwardness that had transpired between them. That sounded good, as Odin headed back into Baska, hoping to get some rest before setting back out.

-Exit-