Still recovering from his injuries and recent surgery Kon sat down at the bar front to the inn he was staying at. Wanting a drink to dampen his pain, he called to the Innkeeper who he was on a first name bases with. “Tim, I’ll take a whiskey on the rocks.” Wincing at the pain as his left eye moved around, he swiftly clutched the wound with his left hand thinking to himself as he did so. “Was this the smartest thing to do?, Will I regret replacing my eye for this unknown artefact?” His questions derived from the secondary surgery that he had opted for which he had done to him while he was under aesthetic.

The surgery itself involved the removal of his blinded eye with an artificial one taking its place. A large bandage covered both his eye as well as the rest of the left portion of his face. He had received the replacement from a Holy Knight observer who was watching both him as well as Alice to determine whether his recommendation for her recruit was sound. His appearance was brief recognising the priority of getting Kon to the hospital rather than talking about business.

It was an odd sensation however, viewing the world in two ways, one the traditional and the other providing him with great insight into the abilities of any around him. The new sense was clear the moment he awoke after the surgery with him seeing Alice glow like the sun while others were far dimmer. His eye was not the only thing he was recovering from he was also recovering from a life threatening injury that lead to him losing his eye in the first place.

Worried about his wellbeing as the innkeep poured his drink in front of him he enquired about his health. “You sure managed to do a number on yourself, I knew you were stabbed but what happened to your face?” Wanting to alleviate the worried man of his worries about him, he merely replied. “There were some complications, my fiance’s twin sister came and well burnt half of my face scarring it hence the bandages.” Not wanting probe him any further, Time merely nodded before turning away shaking his head in the process to tend to another customer.

Wanting to find a more comfortable spot to sit, he left his stool and made his way to the lounge chairs in the far corner clutching his stomach with his left hand and his drink in the other. Crashing onto one of the brown leather lounge chairs he looked outward into the street with the windows having been opened by other patrons to the inn. Swiftly growing bored only seeing common folk in both magical and physical ability he turned his attention to his drink before opening up a newspaper which lacked the crazy news he had come to expect such as attacks on guilds or the Rune Knights directly perhaps the newspaper company had poor reporters or perhaps things were stable in Fiore only time would tell.

It had become almost a pastime of Odin's: visiting the bars and taverns in every town he found himself in and comparing them to his own. For the most part, none of them did, but that was likely because the service Odin received was probably different from the average customer. Some of the barkeeps gave him his drink almost instantly, as if out of fear, while some made him wake, thinking themselves fearless. Often, the ones that tried that discovered that they were, in fact, afraid of something. The best part was that Odin didn't even have to do anything to instill fear into the populace of Baska. he had only been there a few days, and already whispers of his presence were known to most. He had a false reputation that was preceding every action he took, with people claiming that he was a monster bent on destroying the town, while others claimed he was here to punish the wicked. They all spoke highly of the dark mage, either out of fear or reverence, so Odin didn't really care. After all, he knew he was the first of his kind that anyone had seen, why not let the simple folk tell a few stories, make him seem as fearsome as he already knew he was.

Today he was visiting the final stop on his pub crawl, having completed it in a few days, visiting one per day. Baska wasn't a large town, so naturally it didn't have that many pubs, allowing Odin to finish his pastime with relative ease, despite the treatment he often received. And, as if on cue, the place turned silent upon his entrance, with all eyes looking at the Lich as it glided through the doors and up to the bar, requesting a simple glass of red wine, his soft and friendly tone somewhat hidden by the echoed voice of his new form, which bounced around the room. The barkeep instantly stopped what he was doing and poured Odin his requested drink, his hands shaking as he passed it to the Lich, who thanked him and paid. Who said he had to be a bad guy all the time?

Turning around to have his back to the bar and face the rest of the patrons, Odin noticed that, as usual, none of them were that interesting, except for one. Recognising the face instantly, mostly from the hair as the left side was covered in bandages, Odin put a larger sum of jewels on the bar table, glancing back for merely a second, "I might need a bottle." After receiving his wine bottle, again in a few moments, Odin walked over to the bandaged man, who by this point would have definitely noticed the Lich's presence, even if he didn't know who he was yet. Standing at the table, the wine bottle and glass in each hand, the hollow voice of the Lich echoed once more as he asked:

"Kon? Is that you? What the hell happened to you?"

“Hmm interesting, very interesting, troubling though just as much.” He thought to himself as he viewed an entity approaching from outside having roughly the same if not greater glow than the most mana potent mage he had encountered to date with his new eye. Wanting to remain civil and keep an eye on the individual, he continued to have his focus lie upon the newspaper while he had his new eye follow it. He had taken a great interest into the mana rich individual as he appeared to be solely storing darkness energy. Aside from the large pool the person didn’t seem to have much else in the way of physical talents lacking surprisingly the intelligence to use the potential effectively. The ability to view the world in two ways was still disjointing with him reading using the right and seeing almost complete nothingness save for the pin pricks of mana that normal citizens glew and the other member glowing far brighter.

Rather than him being the first person to make contact it was instead the man revealed through his unusual voice though oddly familiar. Being called Kon directly by the man did help minimize the group of people it could be, wanting to get a grasp on who it was with his other eye proving unable to provide him traditional vision he promptly lowered his newspaper onto his lap and shifted slightly turning to the newcomer while rising from his chair, ready to either provide a strong handshake or a push through a sudden cast of magic should the person prove hostile. Wanting to keep the tone friendly being both inside and having a large crowd at least for now, he opted for the first of his choices.

He struggled to retain a friendly face both with him now recognising the newcomer as none other than a lich. Despite his distrust towards any and all races considered evil by the Holy Knights especially liches, he was willing to grant the “man?” audience with him for the time being. He had only truly given him the time of day to him knowing his name while also showing a clear concern about his welfare especially the condition of his face. Trusting his gloves would be sufficient enough of a barrier to separate the two of them he extended out his hand further just enough for a handshake. “Your concern is touching, I’m sorry I don’t recall who you are exactly, I know we’ve met before in Hargeon town?”

Not wanting to be ignored the wound on his eye flared up once more causing him to wince but also allow him to return to initial questions he was addressed with. “This happened only a few days ago to be perfectly honest with you, now tell me are you here with good or ill intentions?, I’d hate to have to level this entire block, it’s a nice inn afterall...”

As expected, despite Odin not thinking about it at the time, Kon had no idea who the Lich was that approached. But there was something more than that in his tone. Of course, Kon wanted to know who the dark being was that had approached him and called him out by name, a natural request considering the situation, but there was an underlying threat to it. As he considered how best to approach, Odin realised that there was little he actually knew about Kon's life. Kon knew Odin as a pub owner named Lucifer, and Odin knew him as a vagabond with a house and a girlfriend: one who had aided the light in the battle of Hargeon, an event that felt like an age ago now.

Pouring himself a glass of wine, before sitting the bottle down at the table, Odin received and returned Kon's welcome gesture, grasping the hand firmly but friendly as he smiled, his skeletal head morphing the friendly smile into something far more sinister as his voice boomed once more: "Ah right, forgot for a second that you won't recognise me. I promise you I'm not here for any ill intentions, friend. It's me, Lucifer. I know I introduced myself as a pub owner when we met, which wasn't a lie, but I'm also a mage on the side." The comment about levelling the entire inn stuck with Odin, as he was realising that perhaps he hadn't been the only one to hide some of the truth from the other. Regardless, he would have to wait and see what would transpire during this second meeting. Odin did like Kon, he was a good man, and one of the few people the Lich would regard as a friend. But he stayed standing, not wishing to sit down if he wasn't welcome. This could get awkward.

The lich not just answered his queries but elaborated extensively which he didn’t mind in the slightest. He revealed that he was none other than Lucifer, a man that he had formed a friendship with during his time in Hargeon. His new state of being was still troubling for him as it would likely influence his role within his organisation now being associated with a Lich. Disregarding his duties as a Holy Knight and fight him throwing away all ties between him, he would extend his trust towards him and offer him a seat by his side. “Lucifer, good to see you, it’s an incredible change I have to say, not something I would have chosen for myself in the slightest, but I haven’t really had the luxury of choosing a lot of things that have been happening to myself either.”

Releasing his grip he showed him a seat to his left offering it to him. “Please take a seat, so we can discuss things and so I can continue recovering so to speak.” Wanting to reassure him that his health would not get the way of their conversation he continued. “Don’t worry, I’m a fast healer both personally and to others, yeah I’m a healing mage....” Finishing with a downtrodden tone underplaying the other aspects of his magic. Pain struck Kon as he tried to slide backing to his chair a bit too hastily causing him to grimace slightly. Taking up his drink once more he finished off the remainder dulling the pain before returning to Lucifer. “So tell me about the life of Lucifer the lich since we last saw each-other.”

Despite Odin's new appearance, Kon seemed somewhat happy to see a friendly face, despite it being a skull, offering him a seat at the table and remarking on the new look. He stated that, while the change itself was extensive and very different from previously, it was not something Kon would have asked for himself, but he also mentioned that he hadn't quite had the ability to choose what had happened to him recently, a fact made evident by the bandages. After all, who would choose to be subject to vast amount of pain? Taking a seat at the table, sitting across from Kon, Odin poured some of the bottle of red wine into his glass, picking it up and swirling it around before taking a sip, enjoying the quick twang of flavour, before it died away and the liquid fell through the cracks in Odin's body, disappearing altogether as it was 'consumed'.

As he sat, Kon reassured him that he was a quick healer, as well as stating that he was, in fact, a mage, as Odin had expected. Very few people outwith mages would be able to function as effectively as Kon was with bandages covering half their face. Now, thanks to this revelation and Odin's new form, both knew the other was a mage, which would potentially change how the conversation would go. Hopefully it would stay as friendly as it had the last time in Hargeon, but one could never be sure.

Kon finished by asking Odin's story between the last time they had seen each other and right now, but there was something else: Something that caused the Lich to truly sit back in his chair, still relaxed but with one skeletal hand stroking his jaw as he answered the questions put to him. "You're not just an average mage, are you Kon? You are the first person to recognise this form, mage or otherwise, a Lich is not common knowledge to these people. Anyway, ignoring that, I wandered around Fiore for a little bit after we met in Hargeon, helping out the spirits that started popping up out of nowhere, as well as trying out that carnival thing that appeared in the Woodsea."

The more he spoke, and recounted his tale, the more Odin felt a sense of relief that he had someone he could talk to about this. Of course, there was much he couldn't let slip, but everything he was saying now: his own story, it was nice to pass it on to a friend. "Throughout my travels, I started to understand that I was weaker, and relying too much on others to fight my battles. Around about that time I heard myths concerning Liches, and it seemed to coincide with what I was looking for. Don't get me wrong, dying was not what I had originally planned, but I had to make sacrifices for the power I sought. Other than that, I'm still me, but I wanted to head to Oak town. You remember that I owned a pub, right? Well I haven't been back in months now, and I need to make sure it hasn't burned down in my absence. I stopped by Baska for personal reasons beforehand though, which brought me to you."

His voice still echoed, and chances are all of the patrons in the pub knew the story, but that mattered little to Odin, as they were all insignificant in his eyes, but now it was his turn to ask something, as he gestured towards Kon's bandages, "Your turn, what have you been up to, and who's head do I have to pound in for doing that to you?"

This was the first time he had met a lich and would likely be one of the only encounters that a member of the Holy Knights which would be friendly terms, had it been Alice or Midas for instance their responses would likely be far more hostile than his own. His ability to recognise Lucifer as a Lich drew the man’s attention forcing him to simply wave away his comment by giving a valid though half true response. “I’m a fairly knowledgeable person, I read quite a bit and just one of the many things that seem to hold my interests are unique individuals like yourself with incredible power, I strongly suspect that you would likely win against myself if we ever fought.” Wanting to ensure that the threat he had made now was no-longer relevant to the conversation he continued. “Fortunately there will be no need to test out my claim as I don’t see any need for either of us to fight one another, do you?” He questioned the lich with his glass lingering on his lips.

Fortunately though, Lucifer spoke onward about his own journey during the time that they were seperated for, indirectly revealing that they were likely in the same places as one another from time to time, such as the Carnival in Worth Woodsea, but Kon made no comment as to it instead nodding and listening. Onward the newly created lich revealed the drive behind him becoming the walking dead, power or a lack of it. He could respect that decision but not the methods behind it having heard sacrifices being needed for his transformation. Wanting to know exactly what he meant he questioned him thoroughly. “Sacrifices?, your own or…...that of others?” He said pausing for a moment at the end to get his point across.

The rest of his story was reasonable enough though there were some clear holes with missing information just as he would like give in return, he couldn’t expect Lucifer to reveal himself completely. “Well, shortly after leaving Hargeon I returned to my manor to clean it up and get it ready for the future afterwards I went to Worth Woodsea just as you did to explore the carnival though I stayed there for awhile exploring the various areas there with my fiance, then walked from place to place stopping at Nanuq town, bitterly cold place wouldn’t recommend staying there, and so for the past couple of weeks I’ve been here with my fiance getting organised for the big day.”

Lucifer’s new appearance did pose as a bit of a dilemma for the golden eyed Holy Knight as he intended to make him his best man despite their interaction being nothing more then brief. Others were out of the question now as well with LeeAnn no-longer wanting to talk to him and his other friends drifting further and further away from him. After much thought however he continued. “This is a strange request considering we’ve only known each-other for a brief time but would you be my best man?, of course you’d have to uhh conceal your appearance so you don’t scare the rest of the people there.”

It seemed that beings such as Odin were things of interest to Kon, who had read about things such as Liches in the past. It was likely that Odin had read the same texts during his time researching how to become one. Kon also admitted that Odin was one possessing great power, even going so far as to hypothesize that the latter would easily overpower the former if they were both to come to combat, but he shortly removed any threat from the statement by saying that he saw no reason why they had to fight, something that Odin greatly agreed with, giving a nod as he sipped his wine, keeping his eyes locked on Kon's as he regaled his story to the man of how he became the being that he now was. Part of it seemed to worry his friend, as Kon asked who exactly had to be sacrificed for Odin to gain the power he now had at his command, whether it was simply Odin himself or whether others had to die for the power. Without hesitation, the dark mage replied, hoping to remove any concern the bandaged man across from him may have had.

"No, no, it was only personal sacrifices that had to be made. No one other than myself died, and let me tell you that is was a gamble I am not willing to make again. Damn that was scary."

It was moments after this that Kon then began to tell his own story since their last encounter, which involved him travelling around Fiore as well, occasionally being in the same places that Odin himself had been: such as the Woodsea, but then Kon had wound his way to the cold wastes of Nanuq town, a place Odin had not visited, and one he probably wouldn't going by the review he was getting from his friend. But one thing he said did caused Odin to almost choke on the wine that he had been drinking. Kon finished a second later, allowing Odin a brief moment to interject.

*cough cough* "Hold up a second. Last time we spoke she was your girlfriend, and you were planning on proposing." Standing up for a moment, and outstretching his hand for a congratulatory handshake as he cleared his throat, the skeleton's voice continued to boom around the room, "That's fantastic news, Kon. Congratulations friend." It was clear that Kon wasn't finished, so Odin cut his congratulations short and let the man continue, which led to a very interesting proposal.

Best man at a wedding of a man he had only recently met, yet was now probably one of his closest friends, was indeed an interesting honour, one that Odin had not expected, having only known about the wedding for about three seconds before he was asked. Naturally, he was asked to find some way to change his appearance so as not to freak anyone out, something that Odin was also looking to gain insight into. Naturally, there was only one answer to give to such a request.

"Kon, it would be my privilege to be your best man, and I promise I'll see what I can do about the whole skeleton look, and I'll look out a nice tuxedo for the event. When you planning on having the big day?"

His concerns were for naught as Lucifer revealed that they were his own sacrifices to make, he couldn’t help but become furthering interested in his transformation and began to question further him. “I hope I’m not prying too much into your personal life but could you tell me what sort of sacrifices have you made?, you mentioned you’re now technically dead but how does that work exactly?, The books I’ve read about beings such as yourself only covered very specific parts.” His drive to learn more about him stemmed from a variety of things, a simple thirst for information, wanting to know more about his friend and his condition and well as wanting to serve his organization with him being out of service for other duties.

The change of his relationship status from being just a couple to agreeing to tie the knot together shocked the lich greatly though he swiftly composed himself and wished him the best of luck, he in turn thanked him. “Your praise is welcomed but yes there are more pressing matters such as my request to you.” Fortunately for the Blonde haired mage, his request was not only accepted but also understanding of the circumstances that he would be under having a lich as a best man. But if only Lucifer knew the position he would be in if others found out with Alice now being a Holy Knight just as he was and Midas likely coming as well there would be little he could do to prevent chaos within the halls of his manor.

A date for the big event was mentioned something that had slipped his mind entirely. “It will take place mid march with other circumstances causing the wedding to be pushed forward, the event will take place at my manor as it is large enough to fit a vast number of people I believe the hall alone can fit about a hundred people.” Scratching his head, he pondered for a moment. “Do I even know a hundred people?, well a hundred people I’d like to invite to the wedding….” A question would need to be asked however with him lacking the funds to organise the entire affair. “Now I’m going to have to ask a big favour from you, would you be able to organise uhh some liquor and even food for the big day, if you can’t do the food I can probably get someone else but seeing as you own a pub I thought you might be able to help.”

Just as Odin expected, Kon was indeed intrigued by the new transformation that the dark mage had undergone, as he began to ask more questions about how it had come to be, wondering about the specifics of the self sacrifice that Odin had mentioned, and how the whole 'undeath' thing worked, which was an understandable thing to be curious about. There was much that Odin was able to tell Kon, but there was also loads of things he couldn't talk about. He would tell his friend about the death, about some of the things that had happened to him, but he would not go into the specifics of fighting Lucifer. The demon, Lucifer, had been something that had been a part of Odin, and only Odin knew of his actual existence. The rest of the world had no idea that he had once commanded the powers of a demon, and it was going to stay that way. The demon was gone, no longer part of his life, a memory to be forgotten, nothing more. "Very few know this, but it was a literal sacrifice. To gain this power, I had to literally plunge a knife into my heart and die. After that, I fought and defeated my weakness, and came back to life, or whatever this qualifies as. As for how it works", Odin paused for a moment, opening the front of the black shirt that he wore to reveal his rib-cage showing below. With the green, low glow that they possessed, Odin took another drink of his wine, and the liquid poured down his throat, and trickled into the abyss, clearly visible, the red on the green. "I don't quite understand it all myself. I have lost some parts of me, but the power gained makes it almost worth it."

The conversation shifted from the melancholy topic of Odin's suicide to the happier topic of the wedding, as Kon seemed delighted that Odin had accepted the offer. They began talking about the location, that being the man's manor itself, which apparently was much larger than just your standard house, being able to hold around one hundred people. There was then the interesting proposition asked of Odin to provide the catering for the event, something the mage had never actually done, but it was definitely something he'd be interested in. Once again, there was only one response the man could give to his friend, "I'll see what I can do. Drinks I can definitely do, as well as food depending on what you want. How many do you think you'll be inviting, and what kind of people am I to expect?"

Lucifer refrained from revealing too much which was more than understandable and something he was comfortable with accepting as the very fact of being needing to kill himself for the power was more than sufficient and would hopefully alleviate the outcries of any Holy Knight that might question him about their meeting. It was a risk for him to be interacting with Lucifer, but it would be one he was willing to make at least for now. Things would likely prove more challenging for him however when Lucifer spoke to Alice for the first time as they would meet regardless of the situation and hopefully things would have settled down by the time he wanted them to finally meet, during the wedding. Lucifers ending commented did give him some pause wanting to return to the conversation briefly. “So you have regrets?, Changing to a lich I mean?, Makes since, I mean it does paint a giant target on your head and you can’t exactly blend in with the crowd as easily….”

He didn’t want to be too negative on his friend’s new condition but all that he had said was true. Returning to the wedding plans, Lucifer revealed he was more then willing to accommodate for not just alcohol but too for food of course questions about the guests did force him to think for a bit. “Well, I’m not really sure about the number of people it will likely be maybe fifty?, at the most as for the people, well they are more refined so I’m thinking stick to the wines, ciders, spirits from my homeland and the more expensive beers from around the area.” While he could pay him, he was running on a shoestring budget, curious about the cost he continued. “How much are we looking at in terms of cost?”

His glass emptied once more, Odin filled up the container with more red wine, emptying the bottle as he poured the glass, before taking another swig as he listened on to what Kon wished to say to him, and it was an interesting question that was posed to the dark mage, and one he hadn't actually considered, having been too busy accepting and coming to terms with what he had become, and not stopping to think about what could have been. There was a brief pause before Odin spoke once more, his voice an echo as it filled the room with his thoughts, "I never considered that possibility. I guess everyone has regrets, about a great many things, but I never thought about it. The best way to put it would be that I do not regret the power I now command, as it was indeed what I was searching for, but there are things I can no longer do that I wished I could. Like you said, I don't really blend in these days, and my presence is always noticed and noted. Everyone assumes the worst of me, and there are things I will never experience." Odin's mind drifted for a moment, as he pondered the life that Kon led, and the one he never would. In this new form, it was unlikely that Odin would ever find someone in the way his friend had. He would be without love, without a family, without anything that brought happiness. His existence was to be a lonely one, filled only with friends such as Kon and Nastasya. Beyond that, there was nothing for him in life. He wouldn't age, and may never die. He would be an immortal being, and would wander the world until the world turned to ash.

Blinking for a second, forcing back the single tear that tried to force its way through, there was a moment where the Lich forgot that crying was a foreign feeling that he could not experience in his skeletal form. His skull face betrayed no emotion, and he could not cry, even if he wished to. To Kon, it would seem simply as though he was lost in thought for a moment, as he regained himself and continued, now speaking about the wedding day, and the things Odin would be providing. "We can worry about costs after the event, since you never know how much everyone will drink and eat. I'll bring the most I can, and trust me it'll be enough for them. As for the clientele, I thought you were simply a vagabond mage with a fancy house, what's this about refinery? Regardless, I can provide what you're looking for, just give me a list of any specifics and I'll fill it out with what I have in the shop."

The issues that Kon raised about Lucifer’s decision to become a lich did seem to carry a lot of weight for him, but the fact that he was willing to give it all up for power was concerning at least to him. Everyone was different however after all he had done his own fair share of sacrificing whether it was at his own hand or indirectly through the actions of his family. The way that people perceived Lucifer seemed to upset him the most with him recognising that the community would never see him the same light as any other, even Kon had the luxury of concealing his injuries whereas Lucifer would forever being a walking monster consider to be evil by almost everyone. He honestly couldn’t pull much of a positive spin on the issue instead looking at the lich and nodding understandingly. Casually he slid his right hand into his jacket pocket and removed a silver box, flicking it open revealed 10 neatly stacked thin cigars, offering one to Lucifer, before taking one of them himself. “Want one?” Closing it shut he returned the box inside his inner pocket before taking hold a box of matches and lighting his own and handing over the box to Lucifer if he choose to accept his previous offer.

Lucifer meanwhile showed that he was more then willing to accommodate for the people he suggested remarking to measure the costs after the event which made him a bit nervous, he didn’t want to be swindled out of his money. He was beginning to pick up on a few things however with him swiftly realizing that he wasn’t a vagabond who merely acquired a property. Wanting to be honest with his friend, he would correct him. “When I said I was a vagabond it was technically true until I got the property and before I became a vagabond i was fairly well off at least at the start…, anyway back to the wedding stuff, A list of specifics?, mmm I think I can come up with that, what do you mean though?, specific food?, drinks stuff like that or...?”

As Odin spoke about his concerns regarding the new form, Kon silently listened, occasionally nodding in understanding, which didn't do much to help but felt nice. It was fair enough, as there wasn't really anything to be done. Odin's current form would cause all to think of him as a monster, there was no getting around or hiding that fact, so he respected Kon's choice not to try and make him feel better but to accept what he was saying, it made the whole process go a lot easier. After all, by all accounts, Odin was indeed a monster, who took great pleasure in sowing chaos and had no issues with murdering those who got in his way, be they men, women or children. He was truly a force of evil, he just didn't want everyone assuming he was right off the bat, it would make everything extremely annoying from here on, as the world would be more suspicious of every choice he made, and every action he took. But the dark mage smiled as he was offered a cigar from Kon, who took one himself.

Accepting the offer with a nod, Odin took the cigar and held it for a moment, feeling the material as he spoke, "I've never done this before, terrible for the health and all that. But now, well it's not like I have lungs left to ruin, it's a terrible habit for a living man though, especially a soon-to-be-married one." A low chuckle escaped Odin's mouth to show he was joking around, as he took the matchbox, put the cigar in his mouth, lit it, and took a large inhale, feeling the chemicals enter his body before dissipating. Blowing out, with only a slight cough accompanying it, Odin listened as Kon spoke about his 'vagabond' life, admitting that he was actually from wealth, and had only classed himself as a vagabond because of his situation before acquiring the house. As they got back on topic of the wedding, Kon inquired about what specifics Odin was wanting to know. A simple reply would hopefully suffice, "Will there be any non-meat eaters at the event, or can I simply provide large animals for the main courses. Any preferences for yourself or your fiance? Perhaps a favourite meal to treat yourselves. You only do this once, usually anyway, so any way I can make it special you let me know." Odin was aware of how he was talking, and even acting, as he wasn't Odin Morningstar the Inquisitor of Grimoire Heart at this moment. He wasn't the dark mage that had banished a demon to hell. No, right now Kon was talking to Lucifer of Oak town, a friendly barman looking to help a friend in need. Both were real people, but only one was present now.

While Lucifer opted to take the offered cigar, he did remark on the health effects of using such a substance before commenting how he wouldn’t be affected in such a way Kon should be. Little did the lich realise there was something underneath his own exterior constantly swifting affecting his entire being, wanting to reassure him regardless of his own special condition, he wove his hand wielding the cigar causing the smoke to trail after it. “This is merely a luxury that I have from time to time typically away from my fiance normally outside, but with you I’ll make an exception.” Despite the following revelation of his true upbringing Lucifer left that topic alone merely allowing it to slide into irrelevance instead choosing to explain what he meant in as to specifitics for meals. Kon would in turn answer all of his inquiries to the best of his ability. “I doubt there will be anyone that won’t be partaking in eating meat but it would be advisable to have a medium amount of other foods, a few large animals cooked and served on sight might be suitable if they are the right ones of course, As for particular food, I’m fond of a nice dish from my homeland, it’s called Barszcz Zurek in my mother tongue, literally sour bread soup You’ll have to find the recipe somewhere, I don’t have one unfortunately…”

Odin had to admit, it felt weird smoking a cigar indoors with Kon. It was one of those things that you heard gentlemen doing in various high class establishments, not something a man and a Lich did inside a random pub in Baska. He did admit that he wouldn't be doing it that often in front of his fiance, and later wife, but he would make the exception doing it indoors with his friend. Taking another puff, and starting to get into the habit of enjoying the monotony and rhythm of the entire situation as he continued listening to Kon, who had a couple of suggestions as to what to provide on the evening of the wedding.

All his ideas were encouraging and sensible, wanting some meat cooked and prepared at the event as well as other bits and bobs. And then, of course, there was the custom meal, something from Kon's homeland that Odin would have to prepare. Barszcz Zurek was what it was called, sour bread with a very interesting name, and something that was going to need a custom recipe. Odin was going to have to find out how to create it, but he knew it was possible, as he had to do it for his friend.

"Don't think I've ever come across it, but I will find the recipe somewhere, and you will have that meal. You have my word."

The conversation between the two appeared to quickly gone stale with little else for them to add at least for the time being. Wanting to brighten up the mood, he motioned to Lucifer with his right hand still clutching his cigar over to a nearby table, a pool table to be specific. “Care to go around against me on that pool table over there?” Scratching at his bandages lightly with his opposite, he spoke onwards about the sport, at least he saw it as a sport. “I used to be quite good at it, I would play with my brothers during my youth.” Had Lucifer taken up his offer, He would leave his chair using the armrests on both sides as leverage shaking a bit as he rose to his feet before rising up his right hand once more. “Not to worry I’m fine, Well, shall we?” Before leaving the sitting area and moving the pool room, Kon would butt out his cigar having smoked about half of it on a nearby ashtray and then taking his glass with him to the other room. “So what about yourself, I’m sure you would have played given you have a pub after all.”

Their conversation was slowly dying out, but Kon, resourceful as ever, had a reason to stop that from occurring, by having the two do what they did best when put together: compete against one another. Nearby to their table was a pool table, a game Odin had supplied in his pub since its opening, but never actually played. He never got a chance to relax when working to play a game, but he had seen many come and go on the table, and knew the rules rather well, well enough to play anyway. Smiling at the offer, Odin rose from his seat, taking one large inhalation from his cigar and finishing it then and there, having smoked about half of it in one sitting, something that would probably destroy the lungs of any living man. Odin watched as Kon did the same, rising from his seat but weakly, not needing assistance but still looking rather frail. It seemed the head injury wasn't all he had sustained, as his body in general was weaker than it had been during their last encounter. Leaving the cigar on the ashtray on the table, Odin wandered over to the pool table, before jokingly looking over to the Kon, "I hope you won't use those injuries as your excuse once I beat you?"

Putting a coin in the machine and setting up the table was easy enough, as Odin had seen it happen hundreds of times in his own establishment. The triangle was set first, and then filled with the balls, half striped, half coloured, with one black ball in the centre. With two pool cues, one each, Odin took one and stepped back, gesturing for Kon to begin as he removed the triangle to allow the balls to be hit. "You break, don't say I'm not good to you."

Even with his wounds both known and unknown to Lucifer, he would still try his hardest having been given the knowledge that the lich would likely do the same and use every trick he knew about the sport. While he had stated he hadn’t had much experience with the game, he would treat Lucifer all the same as a more experienced player. As the lich took the opportunity to ready the table, Kon made his way over to the pool cues finding one of a moderate weight and length deciding it would be better for him that the others, such as the lighter and longest cues or the much short and heavier cues. Adding a bit of humor to the match, Lucifer honoured him with the luxury of breaking adding a remark towards the end he too responded with similar sarcasm. “The honour is all mine, hmm this should be fun anyway.”

Placing down the white ball off of center slight to the left, he focused his cue to project the white ball into the group to hit the balls not at the closest tip of the triangle but to reflect twice and strike the flat section. He put a moderate amount of force into the hit sending it in the direction he had focused towards. As the white ball moved around the table and later struck the balls from behind sending all of them off throughout the felted top. “You’re up.” he remarked to his friend.

In the first move already, Kon had done something unexpected. he hadn't potted any balls yet, and if he had that would have been more luck than skill in this early stage, but he had made quite possibly the most unorthodox break that Odin had ever seen, and he had seen many a game of pool played in his own pub. The ball sailed perfectly to its intended destination, hitting the flat bottom of the triangle and sending all the balls towards Kon's original location. That then made it rather interesting for Odin, who now had the entire board of scattered balls to aim at. With none of them having potted anything yet, it didn't matter which ball Odin hit, so long as he hit one of them and it wasn't the black ball. Hitting the black or not managing to hit any of them would result in Kon getting two free shots of his own. Luckily, at this early stage in the game, it was almost impossible to miss every ball on the table.

The ball had ended in the middle of the table, towards the bottom end (if Kon had made his shot from the top end), maybe two thirds of the way down. Most of the balls were in one direction from Odin, that being up the table, so hitting one would be rather straightforward. But instead of actively going for potting one ball, as that took the fun out of this early stage, Odin readied his pool cue, and smashed it into the nearest ball to the cue, sending both it and many other balls flying around the table. Unfortunately, and rather surprisingly, not a single one of them went in, but hell it had been fun to do. With that, Odin got moved to the bar, grabbed another glass of wine, and waited to see what made Kon would make.

The match so far with only a single round having taken place had been relatively dull in terms of both the playing of the match as well as just the absence of any form of conversation. Considering neither of the two seemed to be taking the match to seriously, he hoped to bring some life into their re-encounter. “Say, Lucifer do you remember the last time we saw each-other, of course you would have, well if you’re interested there’s a nice fishing spot that we could visit some time, given your situation now i don’t know?” Looking at him top to bottom at least all that was visible, not waiting to insult him by blurting it out instead skirting around it. “Well the thing is, I know we spoke about organising food, but do you eat?, if you do how does it work?”

Having said his piece, Kon drew up his que resting it onto the table making sure not to stretch out too far with his stomach wounds still healing and made another shot this time to number 7 primed and ready to land in the far left corner pocket, lining it up, he pulled back the que and unleashed the white ball towards his target sending it swirling off in the opposite direction. “Odd, very odd.” He was sure that his aim was true but evidently it was not the case. Now Lucifers turn once more he waved his free hand to his friend. “You’re up.”

It had been a close round of pool with each player looking like they would win at any moment but at the last moment just as things were getting to the climax, a sudden jolt of pain radiated up Kon’s body stemming from his stomach spiking towards his face before spreading out as if he had been burned and sharped all over again. It took all he had to not double over in pain. His right hand clung onto his pool cue in a hard fist whiting his fist and causing blood to be split from his palms, his left hand was fixed to the side of pool table grabbing with the same fierce response. Kon’s face was scrunched up into a ball of agony as he tried to hold back howls of pain and the tears that now only stemmed from his right eye.
His behaviour would likely garner the attention of his friend, who while lacking a physical body could still appreciate what pain is afterall he had only just recently become a lich. Wanting to quell his concerns, Kon after collecting himself with a few deep breathes, he spoke to his lich friend. “As you can see I’m a bit worse for wear then I had initially expected at this point perhaps one of my stitches has been twanged when I was stretch for that ball.” pointing with his left hand, still using the cue for support. “But for now this is where I will have to bid my farewell, I’ll catch up with you in the near future.”

[Exit]

While the two men played their game of pool, Kon decided to ask a question that had likely been bugging him for some time. With Odin having become a Lich, there were many things that he had discovered were no longer the case for his new form, one of which obviously being eating. And since they had just been on the topic of the wedding, and providing food for it, it was natural for Kon to want to ask what Odin's new stance on it was. After all, this was no doubt the first Lich anyone had seen in centuries, it was only natural to want to know as much about it as possible.

"Technically no I don't need to eat, I also don't need to drink. Every organ in my body has been replaced by magic, almost like a void, constantly empty. While I know longer have a requirement to eat, drink, or do most normal human things, I can still taste food and wine. It doesn't satisfy me like it used to, but it means I can still at least enjoy the simple things."

After giving his answer, the game progressed in quiet concentration. It wasn't that either had run out of things to say, but rather they were both focused on winning the game that it no longer mattered. That was, however, until Kon overextended himself and caused one of his stitches to come undone. Intense pain seemed to hit Kon then, and he almost collapsed. He caught himself, and stated that they would have to cancel the game and continue it another time, as he left the bar, no doubt to find the nearest hospital.

Such a shame too, as Odin had just been about to win.

-Exit-