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Proper story's supposed to start at the beginning, but I don't know the exact details of this one. Heck, you might even know more than me. You have a way of drawing folks' trust. But... I suppose if you're asking...
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Zulf's just sitting by himself, reading that book of his, silent as a pincushion in waiting. He doesn't even blink when the kid near falls onto the bench next to him, spirits in hand and a grin on his face. Zulf carefully places a dried leaf into the nook of the page he's on, and accepts the drink the kid is offering.
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The kid never really had many friends. He's nice enough, but brash sometimes. Always doing what he thinks is right, regardless of who says it's wrong. During his time on the walls he learned to be independent. Some might've thought it made him a little too independent.
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An hour passes, and the book is on the ground, forgotten, along with an empty bottle. He's smiling and laughing as if he maybe hadn't lost almost everything. He and the kid, well they're fairly drunk already. The kid has a few more bottles at his feet, though. With sorrows like his, he's learned to hold his liquor well.
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Never figured him for the sentimental kind. Been alone all his life, and it's only now he starts collecting. Trinkets, trash, toys, it don't matter, he picks it all up like it's precious as a shard. Makes the place real messy, but there's something... familiar about it. It's almost like being home again.
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Another hour passes by, and the empty bottles grow. Kid's started to make a little wall out of them. Habit, probably. Zulf watches him with hazy curiosity, but doesn't seem too bothered by it. They don't talk much, but they don't have to. Neither remember the few words they do exchange. Or maybe they just don't care to tell.
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Did you ever see that crystal barrette he always carried around? Delicate and beautiful like the girl who wore it, I'm told. First thing outta his mouth when we met, before even asking my name, was if I'd seen her. It was broken, in that attack. Shame, it was real pretty.
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Another thing they don't care to tell is when the kid leans over and whispers something in Zulf's ear. Zulf looks shocked, but the kid's eyes shine with sincerity... or maybe it's just the alcohol. He might've built that wall to keep prying eyes out, but there's only us here. And empty bottles don't reach high enough.
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Kid never did speak of what happened in Jawson Bog. Must've messed him up real bad, whatever he saw. Looked exhausted for days afterwards, and I don't think it was the Lung Blossom's fumes. Or maybe it was because... Well, it don't matter now. All water under the bridge. Everything's gonna be just fine.
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First I see of 'em in the morning is the kid snoring loudly, his head thrown back on the bench rest, Zulf leaning on his arm. Kid wakes up first, and somehow manages to pull himself off the bench without disturbing his friend's peaceful snoozing. How he manages to find the energy to go to back to building after a night like that is beyond me. Zulf sure as heck couldn't do anything the rest of the day.
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One of the kid's weirder quirks is how he's nosy but distant at the same time. Always asking questions, but never the ones you'd expect. Baffled me when he asked why the beasts of the wilds were attacking, though. Seems obvious, don't it? They're animals. They don't know any better.
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“Is there something on your mind?”
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The kid and Zulf... they ain't so different. Or maybe they're like night and day. Never thought they'd get along, being who they were, but they clicked tighter than a Lunkhead and his helmet. Guess I underestimated the both of them. Maybe it's just circumstance. Maybe, if things had gone a little different...
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“I'm really glad you didn't jump.”
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I wonder if Zulf kept that telescope. We sure could've used it for plotting more skyways, but who am I to deny a man his comfort? He was always looking up at the sky, staring at clouds and stars. Said it reminded him of someone important. With the Terminals so high in the sky now, I bet he can see them just fine without it.
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Zulf decided to make something special out of the blue one day. A traditional Ura dish, he says, to share a small part of his heritage. It wasn't possible to get everything he wanted, not with the land being like it is and all, but with the kid visiting every part of the City for cores it wasn't hard to find suitable replacements. The result wasn't too bad. After that, kid always grabbed any interesting ingredients he saw.
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I did wonder 'bout why the kid would build a distillery before a forge, or arsenal. Mind, I never questioned him about it. I do enjoy my bourbon. Maybe he knew better than me – better than anyone that a good spirit can mend even the worst of days. Now, the Shrine, that I'll never understand.
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They'd sit and drink while waiting for the food to cook. Well, the kid drank. Zulf learned his lesson good. He did once get the kid to try his pipe, though. Found it amusing when the kid went down after one light. That's when he asked me about the kid's story. He never asked again, and the kid kept his distance from the pipe.
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Proper story's supposed to start at the beginning, but I don't know the exact details to this one. Heck, you might even know more than me. You have a way of drawing folks' trust. But... haven't I already told this one...?