Rayen didn't mind that he trailed a bit close. He was such a serious kid, so seeing him get a little shy was kind of cute. She almost wanted to hug him to see if he'd fluster a bit. She wouldn't, but it was tempting! "Well, welcome to 'Sweet Springs'!" Rayen smiled at him. "Like I said, it's not much, but there are far worse places to end up on No man's Land. We get a lot of caravans coming through here going to and from the bigger cities, so a lot of gossip comes through here as well. It's a good place to be if you want to hear about what's going on without necessarily being part of it all." Conversely, that should make it easier to get the word out about a lost little boy and his missing family. "Lets see... should we start at the saloon or with the sheriff?" Rayen mused out loud. "Maybe the sheriff? Then we can get some missing person's posters made up so we can pass them along with any out of towners."

"I suppose so... if having a normal conversation is out of the question." Daniel hummed a bit as he stirred the pot. A smile tugged at his lips as his attention was briefly grabbed by the skag pup in Jay's arms giving a soft noise and wiggling her little feet in her sleep. "...looks like she's having a good dream. I wonder what she's doing?" Charlie made a face at both of them, but softened... just a little looking at the little skag's wiggles. "Maybe... she's playing chase with her ball." The child suggested. "She likes chasing after toys."

"You want access to better food and water on this planet, but you DON'T want cash? My guy, I have some BAD news about how things work out in the greater galaxy." Jay shook his head wryly. "What I CAN do bypass Hyperion's network to get an outside corp to take the order and make the drop. You pay enough, they'll even insulate it properly." Off world food was really the only way to insure that there was some kind of quality to it. Livestock didn't last long on Pandora, and there was something about the soil here that made the cultivation of non-native flora basically impossible. (Though what DID grow here grew damn well with a good source of water. Those months after flood years? The planet could almost be pretty.) "I mean, you give me a good solid no and I'll leave you be. Might even put you somewhere generally out of reach of random shit snuffling around ground level for a snack. Just cuz I'm a nice guy like that."

The child priestess paused from her place describing the castle of 'Truth' to peer over the top of her book owl-ishly at the gigantic god. There was a pout tugging at the little girl's lips at being interrupted at an interesting part, and she gave a sigh. They had gone this long without needing her name. Surely it could have waited till the story was over? "Zinnia. Like the Flower." She replied. "My Mother enjoyed flowers with bright colors. At least that's what my Grandmother says." It wasn't a bad name, but Zinnia did wish sometimes that she'd been named after something a little longer lasting then a plant that bloomed for a single season.

((I'm actually really REALLY excited to write for Venti, so if anyone else would maybe like a starter for them, please give a like!))

Dying was not quite the word... Consolidating would be, perhaps, the more apt turn of phrase. The winds of this place, while not outright hostile to his presence, were strange and indifferent to Barbatos. The Anemo energy that normally rose to his beck and call felt far away and distant, leaving him only that which his body produced naturally... and that on its own was hardly enough to maintain the form the Archon held so tightly to his heart. It wavered and shifted like the winds in this harsh and lonely place. Would his lose his body? It had been so long since Barbatos had gazed into the eyes of that lost friend. Would he ever be able to recreate that form again if it fell apart? He didn't know, and that thought was frightening... So he gave it everything he had. Every precious drop of energy that was left to the Archon. ...And when he opened his eyes again? It was to the sound of a voice. "Hello? Is someone out there?" Here. He was here. Yet he had not the strength to rise. Barbatos' eyes began to drift closed once more. What form would that stranger find him in? He mused to himself. An Archon fallen, wings feather'd and white? Or the greens of a Bard in a terrible plight? Tis a rotten predicament, not to know... and yet here on the winds doth mine own fate flow. "Here... I... am here."

Which, terrorizing generally worked? A lot the kids in the area were pretty convinced the guy would probably eat them if he got too peckish... but some of them payed attention. No one was safe, but you learned pretty fast who threw kicks and curses your way and who opted for buzzaxes and bullets. Jay the younger let out a huff. "Oh ye of little faith. C'mon...There has to be SOMETHING you want. Just give me a chance. Might be I surprise you. Besides, what do you REALLY have to lose by humoring me? A Few hours NOT getting stepped on or eaten?"

"Probably." Daniel offered a tired smile. "Charlie's always been wary of new people. If one of us is going to make it on this planet, it'll probably be them." Daniel ruffled the child's hair, but they swatted his hand away, continuing to glare at Jay. "...If you mean that, you better be ready to kill me too, because I won't forgive you." Charlie informed him. "Not ever." The look on their face was cold for such a young child... as if already contemplating how to take their revenge. It was just a little unsettling.

"You mean, being the strongest isn't reason enough? I mean. Damn. Why settle when the best is right there. am I right? Plus, we have the same name, and I dunno about you? But that's kinda hilarious." The cheek in the younger Jay's faded a bit and the child looked away, scratching the back of his head. "...Plus, I've looked into you a bit. You don't go out of your way to kill kids, right? So I figured if YOU end up screwing me over, I might actually survive it. I can deal with being robbed or stranded, but I've been working pretty damn hard to NOT die on this rock." The child shook his head. "Fuck it if you're not basically impossible to get for a team up, I mean. I really can't think of anything else to offer you, besides an extra opportunity to kill and/or piss off some Hyperion goons. I could probably hack you some free cable? I dunno. I don't know what you would WANT if weapons and cash isn't your cup of tea."