<span style="font-family: 'Georgia'">If Vas took nothing else from their first exchange, the friendly grab of hand to forearm, it was that Faden didn't believe in the concept of strangers. He made friends everywhere he went. He felt to Vas not unlike an open book, one who would tell his life story if asked and would even listen to yours if prompted. He felt... warm. Inviting. He exuded the kind of aura that Vas could only describe as <i>good</i>. The kind of good one would want to be around whenever possible, even when one's own goodness paled in comparison, perhaps in the naive hope that some might brush off in passing. In most cases, that notion was only a vague comparison, but with the excess energy practically radiating from the man's body, he suspected the notion to have more literal truth than overreaching metaphor.<br/>
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Upon leaning back, he ushered Faden to greet the two working on packing the equipment. Beau, a shaggy-haired 20-something with beads and feathers in his hair, was the first to say hello. "This here is Beau and his brother Jake." He nodded toward a similar-looking young man, who paused in adjusting his vivid red bandanna to shake with Faden as well, uttering a cheery <i>nicetameecha</i> as he did. "Over there is Pixie."<br/>
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No sooner after hearing her name did the petite blonde bounce over to Vas's side, winding her arms around his rail-thin middle, to which he responded by wrapping an arm around her hip. "And he's Vas. It's nice knowing you, Faden." Of all the members of their group, Pixie was by far the most physically affectionate, although Beau <i>was </i>prone to seeking out Vas for the occasional weed-induced need for cuddling. The naga had never used to be the most affectionate of creatures, but centuries of the same old same old had a way of changing a man. Now he tended to take such things in stride and even enjoyed them. He had found that constant physical contact with a person made him immensely protective - for this group especially.<br/>
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"It'll be even nicer when we get into some shade," Beau mentioned, his voice tinged with the faintest hint of an Alabama drawl, one tempered by years spent in the Midwest. He closed up the van soon after, reaching to wipe a bit of sweat from his brow. "God, I miss A/C."<br/>
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"You can have A/C when we get home," Vas told him good-naturedly, reaching over with a free hand to ruffle the man's short hair. "Shade will do until then." Though Vas thrived in brutal heat, he knew that his companions did not, and so it was that he led their group away from the van, bound for the sea of bicycles that would take them to the other side of Black Rock City. As she was wont to do, Pixie clung to him some of the way, but when the brothers began debating the pros and cons of joints versus blunts, she drifted out from under his arm to weigh in. Vas was never in a terrible rush to leave her company, but now that he had something new to explore, he was loath to pass up on the opportunity. <br/>
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"Not to alarm you," he murmured, his tone assuming a teasing lilt, "but you stand out a little." The asy smile on his lips served to assure that he meant no harm, however. "That aura of yours is... hard to miss. Felt you coming a mile away."</span>