come back home [thoth]

@"Thoth"

Ulrich had been on land more than once before, and he knew how humans liked being covered with clothes. Most of the 'events' he went to were long-forgotten conferences in history, and a whole lot of beach parties. Those required very minimal clothing. In any case, not too many people watched him as he got dressed.

He contemplated is answer for a brief few moments, pulling on his underwear as he did so. "Not very much, I can assure you. I was once here, about a hundred years ago. Do you think anybody remembers me from then?" It was a serious question. He knew human lives were short, but surely they couldn't be as short as a hundred years!

"There are few who know of the Panthalassian existence in general. I suppose you yourself never knew of me until I accidentally capsized your boat." Correction: destroyed his boat. He reached over to grab a pair of pants, staring at them as if he wasn't sure if he even wanted to put them on.

@"Thoth"

Ulrich made a sound in the back of his throat, almost like a grunt and was meant to be a displeased noise if he was in the right form. In his human form, without the proper mechanisms, he just sounded like he was holding in a cough. He was even more displeased when he caught a glance of himself in the mirror attached to the far wall; humans were so damn small and thin looking. Too few limbs, how did they get anything done?

"I see humans don't live very long at all." Usually it was a tragedy if a Panthalassian died younger than a hundred or two, but it had become more and more common the longer their civil wars went on. The older ones were being killed off and their birth rate was notoriously low. "A pity. I knew of a few that I would have liked to keep around."

Ulrich shook his head, finally pulling the pants on and turning to look at himself in the mirror. Not so bad with clothes on, he supposed. He tilted his head just a little as if wanting to see how, exactly, his hair fell. "I somehow doubt it. Again, a select few are aware that I am here."

He paused for a second, glancing at Nicolas' reflection in the mirror but not turning to look at him. "I think I will have to sit you down and give you a brief rundown of Panthalassian history. It would be part of the reason for my being here. And, I suppose it's important for you to know, we are at war."

@"Thoth"

Whelp, time for a sit down and a brief introduction to the stories history of his kind. It would have been quite long, but it was mainly an oral history. He could possibly bring some of the texts they had to land for him, but Ulrich highly doubted Nicolas could read the language, let alone understand the complicated rules.

"Yes, at war. It's a storied history, but we've been at it for quite a while." He grabbed the end of his ponytail and gave it a little tug as if curious to what it would do. It felt so dry and stringy in his hands. "Have a seat."

He nodded over to his bed, but there was a comfortable chair or two sitting tastefully around the room. "There are two factions, those from the south, as I am, and those from the north. It could be considered a civil war, considering we are different branches of the same family." A sore point to admit, but it was the truth. He really wanted very little to do with his northern cousins, but they were both fighting for the Indian ocean and now he had Luca to deal with.

"There is some business I need to tend to on land for a while before I may return, which is why you are here." That was, a small peace treaty had been put together for Luca's sake. The king and queen may not have fought (too much), but the rest of them could still tear each other apart. The wars were still happening whether they were present immediately or not. "Trust me, I would very much rather be on the front lines."

He took a seat himself, one leg crossed over the other in one of the comfortable, elaborate looking chairs. "Where should I begin? I have to assume you know absolutely nothing."

@"Thoth"

The chair felt rather soft, but strange at the same time. Solid but with some give to it. He was used to the fluidness of water or the solid barriers of rock with very little in between. Once something got as big as he did in his true form, there was very little in the ways of softness.

He had to think about that one for a second; the distinction wasn't so easy to make at times. "Technically speaking, they are a different sort. They are still considered Panthalassian in the same way darker and lighter skinned people are considered all humans." They were the remnants of the great wars when their species began to emerge into existence. The royal families literally ate the losers, leaving behind those who were willing to converge with them.

"Those 'other things' are my guard, but unfortunately are not allowed to set fin on land with me. Not like many of them could anyways; they don't have the same shapeshifting powers as the royal families do."

@"Thoth"

No, Ulrich was not aware of racism in the same way humans were. It was just how it was in Panthalassian society; there were lessers and there were greaters, himself being one of the latter. He grew to a much larger size, he had much more strength and his powers were beyond those of his guard and most of the citizens. He was fit to rule, and that was how the mentality had gone for generations.

Ulrich cocked his head to the side just a bit. "How strange." He supposed it was in their every right that humans valued intelligence over strength; they were, indeed, rather flimsy creatures. "I will take note of it." Probably meant he couldn't challenge people to fights over discrepancies no matter how big or small.

"Otherwise, the fact that I am at war... doesn't change much on land. Our politics do not mingle with yours." At least, not a whole lot. "I simply need someone familiar with human customs to guide me when necessary, and to assist in defending me." So far, he found himself capable but a little clumsier on land.