The capital city of the south, Hargeon. A place that he knew of and about but had never been to. It had been a central part of one of the strongest light guilds in the entire region of fiore and a staple for trade on the oceanfront for decades, if not a hundred or more years. The idea that generations of people had lived and died here making the world revolve in their own little way was something that made him happy that the rune knights sent him here. There was undoubtedly more history to learn here; being in central was good and all but it didn’t encompass the whole world. Only a very small portion of it.

He had picked his arrival time to be around mid morning, not quite breakfast but not quite lunch either. An easy arrival time he found; less bustle and more people trying to get where they want to go to start their day. So people might be a little hurried if they were up. The gate guards were a little surprised at seeing him, the towering demon’s never faltering smile presented itself warmly as he showed them his rune knight badge. A powerless trinket but none the less important.

They let him in without much of a fuss and saturn took a bite out of one of the last travel sandwiches he had prepared ahead of time. It looked tiny in his hand and it was more for taste than sustenance honestly. He was in his usual outfit, the baggy blue trousers held up by a sash with a dangling tasset down the middle that had four diamond symbols and the rune knight emblem in the middle of them. He wore no shirt but instead had a sort of shawl that went around his shoulders; though it lacked a hood. What would you call that sort of thing anyway?

Hargeon was a city he had never been to before; so the first step was to get acquainted with the vast city. Learning the locations of the shops, inns and other landmarks was important. But also getting to know where the guild hall for bp would be important as he had to visit it at one point or another.

”A proper meal wouldn’t go wrong now would it…”

He found himself humming as he walked along, it was one of the few songs he knew. A sad and somber tale filled with hope. Something he had shared with someone he cared for deeply and ever since it was something that was constantly on his lips as though simply sharing it once was enough to wanting to share it more and more. Though given that it came from deep down it was infused with mana; making it a far more powerful song than it had any right to be.

A stroll was a sonata for your body's cadence -- every step a new line in a song, a new beat to sway to and a new breath to leave your darling lips with the most unburdened of sighs. Briar oft found himself in his own head through every quiet moment he took; after all, the lack of an outside force or concern left a boy to dally among his own thoughts. He was a sweet boy, really. People said so. Conscientious. His heart was rarely in question, but his mind ... There were many qualities of the half-elf alike to a cloud, and his head was no further under them.

He was a thrall to the rhythm of his walk, to put it simply. He could watch where he was going, he could, but:

He'd had far too much fun with that old oak staff since his acquisition. It made him feel real - official. Proud, of his very first steps into magehood. He had gotten the grasp of its use in quick measure and spent the rest of his time toying with the tactile feedback in little movements and taps. A good ol' ra-ta-ta-ta took him at his whimsy, oh, and at the most inopportune of times. We have established so; Briar is a bit of an air-head, if means well, and his attention was at the mercy of playing with his mage's staff. A disastrous brew. He stumbled, fell, rolled and smacked into things on the best of days, and this one was no different.

It was a melody he heard first, and a squeak to come second as the hand that rapped his stick on the earth stalled under his momentum. He tripped over it. Went spiraling with a pitched "uwehhh" and spun with dizzied stars smack into the source of the hum. Womp! He fell back on his bum on impact, hair freed from the ribbon at his nape with a burst and a waterfall of wintry blue. He was framed by his excessive locks like a smaller sky at his back, strewn with his wobbling head through the street before he could blink - mumble confusedly - and focus his eyes again.

Only to ... well, golly. "H-hello!" He started - manners first, yes? In that case, "oh geez. Oh geez. Oh gosh! I'm so sorry, sir, I am. Oh geez ...", came the frantic tone of the boy's bell-pealing, stuttering out his lips at odd frequencies akin to the fall he had just taken. He struggled back to his feet, waving his arms and leaving his staff abandoned at his side for the moment, only to face -- mostly the other's stomach, really. Oh, geez, indeed. Briar looked up, and up, and met the face of a creature (?) at best double his size. In this case, maybe he was the critter. He had never seen anything like the figure he had bumbled his way into, and the amazement - stars, sparking and flaring and shining as if looking on an idol - had to be simmered so he could find the words to speak.

"W-wow. I'm real, real sorry, uhm ... mister? Gosh, pally," he couldn't fathom being rude, but his curiosity and dazed expression lent itself poorly to hiding how interested he was in what the other was. "I didn't mean to run into you. I think I just lost my head a bit ... eheh. Real, real sorry - uhm - really!" Perhaps he had gotten the point across? A hand moved into his long hair to ruffle it shyly at the back of his head, still staring far up at the other's muzzle. "I promise to pay more attention to where I'm going, it's just - uhm - it's just -- uwaa. I'm Briar! It's nice to meet you!!"

A tactical change of subject to hide his embarrassment, thrusting out his hand with a sheepish grin and a faint flush to his cheeks. "Briar Càidh, pally."

The rapping of the stick was the first indication of someone approaching, it wasn’t something that was too uncommon given that mages or at least starting mages seemed to use them over any other sort of object. So he paid it very little heed, figuring that there was someone that was using it to guide themselves or perhaps getting use to the sensation of touch that came with it. Some items had a almost soul like feel to well off mages when it came to their music and mana too. His humming didn’t stop, though it grew inquisitive as that tapping grew closer to him and inevitably something bumped into him. The huge demon paused and the hum trailed off a bit. Not out of anger or frustration but of concern, his head turned a little bit and he’d look down.

What he was greeted with was not what he expected, a youth of some kind he reckoned. A human youth? The ribbon that they were wearing had burst and now their hair was going every which way. He hadn’t seen a human with this color of hair before and he had to wonder if there were other colors that he hadn’t seen before. Before he could reach down to offer a helping hand the human had gotten to their feet with an apology, earning a forgiving smile and slight dismissive handwave as though he wasn’t bothered at all.

”Hello there. Nothing to worry about, are you okay?”

The stumbling apology was definitely endearing; the overly polite youth was definitely concerned about him or at least trying to stumble through the fact that they weren’t paying attention and just ran into someone. Saturn could relate, when he was still a fledgling he had his head in a book all the time and never was looking where he was going. At nearly half a ton in terms of weight his bumps were a little more worrisome and he had gotten an earful from the elder knights. His gaze took in the other’s appearance and he had to wonder where they may be from due to never seeing an outfit like this too; or maybe they had been a part of some fashionable take on the world? Tilting his head to one side as they continued to apologize; his smile grew a little warmer and he’d reach down.

Most humans that were young appreciated this sort of gesture right? He hoped they didn’t mind but it was easy for him to do so. If they didn’t shy away he’d gently give the top of their head a soft but reassuring pat. Though if they did shy away he’d simply return his hand back to where it was, not everyone liked physical contact and he understood that too well.

”When I was still a fledgling I often got distracted by books and bumped into things myself. It’s nothing you need to worry about; though I don’t think you’d take out walls or knock people over like I did. Might be a good idea for the future, wouldn’t want you to hurt yourself. Ah?”

Saturn’s following chuckle was practically musical; ever since his adjustment to being a demon he seemed more lively and seemed as though he didn’t fall deeper into the usual paths of darkness that they may take. Though the introduction that came after caused saturns ears to perk up a bit. Briar, Briar Caidh. Then there was that thrust of their hand outwards. Earning a slight cock of the head as he realized that, yes this was still a human thing. They shook hands. He’d look at his hand for a moment before reaching out and giving it a gentle shake. For someone so large he had good control of his body.

”Saturn. I don’t have a last name. Never thought I needed one.”

It had to make him wonder what sort of last name he would have if he did. Maybe in the event of him finding someone he’d intertwine lives with he’d simply take theirs or they’d come up with something together for him. He liked either idea as it crossed his mind. He’d note that the human was still a little out of sorts; curiosity, dazedness and a sense of energy he hadn’t really experienced before seemed to be there in oodles. Figuring he’d ask…

”What are you doing down here in Hargeon Briar?”

"Oh, gosh," came the tenor of his voice, rising and dissipating to a breath by the time it reached Saturn's ears. His voice was quiet on his best of days; it came with the gentle way it pealed, pitched and soft in the throes of puberty. Even on the roll of his excitement his words had a habit of stumbling off his tongue, an awkward tone whenever the trappings of energy rose his volume. It made something of a squeaky creature out of him. "I'm super duper okay, promise. I just feel silly, I do," his laughter comes in short breaths, the dust of red across his cheeks pointing the way to his arm ruffling at the back of his hair. A bashful tic. "Golly, I know 'm clumsy - mum says so - but I don't wanna make trouble for nobody. I'll do better!"

He served the end of this brief monologue with his hands pulling into fists, pumping in the air at his chest, his little face sharpening in determination. Ah, he really did work himself up. "Uweh?", came the chirp of a rabbit, snapping from his little world - again - to blink once, twice, then look all the way up the arm on his head to meet the other's face again. "O-oh," and he mumbled, shyly, his weight shifting between his feet with a dazzled serenity taking over the little turn of his lips.

Briar had never been obsessed with his appearance, but he had always been proper. It was important - he knew from a young age, with such a dashing human father and ethereal elven mother - and especially in a city such as Hargeon with the famed Blue Pegasus. More-so once he counted himself amongst their numbers. Aesthetic sense was important in expressing yourself, and learning about someone from the way they presented themselves was a joy. You don't have to judge a book by its cover - but you can admire it for what it says. This meant he found himself often in fancy laces and sleek outfits, color complimenting color and his appearance always so very tidy to make up for his more spacey nature.

Briar was cute. He was told this often, and it became easy to believe it. It wasn't vain - it was descriptive. Tidy. And if Briar was cute ... looking at Saturn, Briar had to wonder ... what was the word for someone like this? The large creature was expressing himself just as well. What did it tell him? Briar let this train of thought run from that little peek he gave up under the massive paw, sighing out another little laugh. "Warm," he spoke the word as it came to his head, failing to filter his mind from his mouth. "You look warm, mister Saturn."

Ehh. Ehhh??? He caught his bearings once the spell of the other's kindness made way, salvaging himself from this overall embarrassing display he had made thus far. The slight tremble to his arm was from something untethered between nerves and excitement, no inch of his pale free from that shy burn. "Er - I - I mean -- you're real nice, mister Saturn." The handshake was seceded with a bow: what else could he do? This is what caught him up on the unbound nature of his hair and sent him scampering left and right to pick his various items back up from his scattered scene. He'd fan his hair back, bring the bow in at his nape, and work it back to its place with his staff stabilized in the crook of his arm. His tongue stuck from his lips in concentration, bit down gentle. "Thank you, pally. That's good advice! Eheh ... you had a bit more trouble, then?"

The starry light to his eyes as he maintained his gaze on Saturn melted sympathetic, his little smile just so. "'s nice to know I'm not the only goofball in the world, then, mister. Does that mean you were always so - uhm --," he didn't want to be rude, and he had indirectly just called the other silly already, but he was drawn in so simply by the warmth he was shown. The actuality of the matter was that he wasn't even thrown off by Saturn's completely non-human appearance. It was only -- "big, Mr. Saturn?" Ah, yeah, that was it. His eyes stayed wide - starstruck, surely - but he didn't want to make that Saturn's problem. He was just ... it was so unique!

"Oh, well, I live here! Hargeon's always been my home, mhm! Mum met dad and they both fell in love with the sea. Oh, she's a wood elf. I'm half, m'self." He'd show his pointed little nubs with a cress. "'n we never had a reason to leave again. Actch'ly, I'm a member of the Mage's Guild Blue Pegasus, sir! It's my duty - a-and my passion, if'n I'm bein' honest - to look after my home. Oh! That means - uhm! That means: please let me know if you ever need anythin' while you're here, sir!"

He seemed beyond pleased for the opportunity to offer his services, hopping up between both feet and skipping on alternating ones in place while he finished tying his hair back. His staff went tap-tap-tap on each bound. "Briar of Blue Pegasus is at your service! What brings you abouts, if I can ask m'self, sirree?"

Saturn was glad to hear that the other was okay, sometimes running into things you’d jar certain appendages or maybe even hurt something out of the realm of your body. Pride was something he knew some humans would have and further still a youngling might be able to bounce back from something like this but you never knew until you really talked to a person. They didn’t seem too bothered by it, they felt upbeat, happy and just so darn… full of energy? An ear flicked at the mention of a mother; right. Most people had those. Fathers too. A soft shift in his stance; he wasn’t bothered by the fact other people had parental figures but he was more frustrated he never got to experience the growth and nurturing effects of having parents.

”I understand it too well; but you’ll get better over time I reckon. Clumsy doesn’t stick forever I found.”

He believed the other when they said they’d promise to do better and tilting his head to ones ide as the other seemed very surprised at the headpat. Humans and others like them seemed to grow somewhat distant or meek at the action. In this case he seemed to cause the other to get fairly shy; making a few sounds that he hadn’t expected. Though eventually the other came to call him warm, saying he looked like that and the demon let out a soft chuckle.

”It’s the fur and color I’ve been told. Makes sunbathing easy and easier to fall asleep with.”

He didn’t seem to mind being called warm. In fact he seemed to encourage the notion. He had to admit to himself that interacting with the youths always led to a revelation in one way or another. The last time he did he found that he enjoyed cooking for others; or singing. This time he found that being called warm was something he liked. Maybe he could sing or cook for briar sometime.

”Haha. I appreciate it Briar. It’s something that just feels natural so I just keep going. I can tell you’re nice too.”

Polite, nice, probably had a good family and a loving relationship with all of them. Something that made his heart ache a little bit in the desire to maybe have the same or provide the same for someone someday. Another chuckle and he’d nod his head at the question.

”A little, when you weigh almost half a ton and are ten feet tall you tend to damage things a little easier than most.”

He didn’t seem bothered by the fact, it was something he had gotten used to fairly quick and the demon considered the training instances of him just bowling over other recruits. A slight twitch of his brow as the other struggled to ask him a question. Were they thinking that the question would be bothersome? Then it came out and he couldn’t help but laugh; it was a musical chime almost. Like an angel sighing.

”I haven’t changed much in six months admittedly. So yes I’ve been this big since I came into creation.”

He saw no reason to share this information, the knights were fully aware, people gabbed and folks would eventually learn that the demon [or demi-god as he had been known for so long] had simply cropped up one day out of nowhere. The further explanation of why Briar was here wasn’t lost on him. His parents met here, fell in love and the youth had come to grow up here. He was even a blue pegasus mage. Saturn knew of the guild master and had even met them once or twice. His grin widened a little bit.

”That’s a cute little story right there, I wouldn’t have guessed. Never met an elf before; met a dwarf once but he was a merchant and I didn’t have coin so we didn’t have much to talk about. Blue Pegasus huh? I’ve met your guildmaster once or twice; a good person with good tastes. You have a good passion Briar. And of course! Though I’m not sure what I could need right at this moment.”

He was happy that Briar was so full of energy and with a sigh he had to wonder what the age cut off for humans was in terms of joining guilds. He knew that there were some proper youngling orphans that were taken care of in the rune knight hold that would eventually join them but… A slight twitch of his ear and perk of the tail came when asked about why he was here. His grin grew a little more and he’d tug out a small badge, or rather a badge that was small for him.

A rune knight badge.

”Orders I’m afraid. They sent me down here to do check ups on the various knights around fiore and this is just the first place I’m going to. I’m told there’s an outpost in every major region but I prefer to wander about rather than take this sort of input. So it’s a little weird heh.”

The ornate badge was something a recruit wouldn’t have, something not even a captain would have. It was something that a Major would end up with. He wasn’t like Kon, he wasn’t the general of anywhere and likely would never see the rank but he was happy with the level he was at. Hell he was happy with the level he was at when he joined, he just liked helping others.

”Though I’ll admit I’ve wanted to come to Hargeon to try their Cuisine so maybe if you have any idea of good places to eat here? Or maybe somewhere that has nice acoustics? I like singing you see.”

A sheepish laugh, rubbing the back of his head with the carefree smile of a child overcoming his own hurdles. It'd be a process, like Saturn said, but that's all life was - especially when you were Briar's age, not to mention with his innocent and affable disposition. Just processes along until you wind up where you want to be, after however many trials you have to pass to get there. He'd keep stumbling, surely. But if his stumbles gave him a chance to meet people like Saturn and vow to do better the next time, what were they really but opportunities?

He'd swing a little in place, swaying on their shared path with little hands clasped together and a beam lightening his face. "You know, mister Saturn, I hope other people see how warm and kind you are, too, and not just how big." This was what they called colloquially a 'gentle giant.' Easily given praise and a wistful wish offered with care. Maybe he didn't have that problem! Maybe Saturn didn't need Briar to worry about him or his image, and maybe the tall, fuzzy man was beloved the way he deserved by his peers - but in Briar's line of work, and with the incredible people he's met, he'd come to find that a little bit of support could go a long way. Sometimes people just needed someone to remind them of things they already know. Appreciation went far. His eyes shone too bright to hide any motives.

"Golly, but'm - I can see all that. Uehehe." A nervous titter, not scared or shamed but conspiratory - perhaps - or empathetic. Briar'd give himself a quick once over, briefly entertaining his own size and what the future held for him. It came without much more thought, this; "d'ya think I'd ever get as big as you, mister Saturn?" He'd stretch his arms up and out, pulling himself up to his tippy toes, and he barely rose above the other's waist; craning, with soft giggles and a wobble to every limb until he had to give up and slump back down. "I know it's not everythin', but I imagine you can do lots more than your usual-type person!" How was he to escape this childlike wonder? "I could reach all the way to the top of the fridge if I grew like that, sirree! Then mum couldn't tease me with the cookies up there. Always wants them for herself, the rascal! Elves are a bit taller than me, too ...," he stuck out his tongue in his line of aimless thought, glaring playfully at the sky as if it'd hear his words and grant its boon. "Eheh ... just kidding. Hee."

He plopped back on his feet, tilting his head with a hug around his staff. "You're only six months old, mister?" He didn't seem surprised - worried, more like. "Maybe I should be accompanying you, pally! I know races all age different like 'n all that, but I wouldn't feel right leaving you unsupervised! Why, what if some goofball ran into you out here?" His tongue found its way between his teeth again, snickering at his own expense and for Saturn's. He'd agree, though, that his guildmaster was something amazing. The idolatry in his eyes as he gabbed about Alisa wasn't hidden nor lost. She was something of an inspiration, he'd share, and he wanted to be more like her - it was something of his goal in joining Blue Pegasus. She was pretty tall too - wowie!

Then Saturn continued with his full introduction and Briar stalled in his tracks, eyes widening to full lavender discs with his breath caught between a part of his lips. He gasped! Took a second to catch up, mentally, and then immediately moved into a salute - or what could constitute one from someone wholly untrained. His staff fell in the process, clattering atop a foot he caught it with, and his arms were busied by the respectful - if messy - demonstration. He transitioned smoothly into a bow, something he understood better and could equally convey his utmost regard. "Y-you're a Rune Knight, mister - sir - Saturn!?" He'd babble a little, appearing both struck and excited in equal measures. "I've never - I mean, uhm - all's -- Y-you're my first knight, sir, though I've heard lots of your exploits! Uhm, the Rune Knights, that is, and everything they do for Fiore! Thank you ... thank you for your service!!"

He'd warble in place from the intensity of his softly shouted praise, his voice seeming unable to reach too high a volume with little regard for the way his pitch made his voice crack. "There's ... i-it'd be my honor, Saturn, sir! Do you - u-uhm - is there a ... gee whiz, sir, I'm heckin' sorry 'n all, but is there a title I should be callin' you by? I don't mean no disrespect!" A little wave of his arms once his staff had returned to them, floundering despite his efforts. "Fish!" He'd speak in half-alarm. "Do you like fish!?"

He'd lead him when given leave in any case, but he'd be standing as straight as he could manage with serious determination in big, violet eyes.