[Indigo]

It had taken a while for anyone to notice the fire. The building was already halfway to collapse, and nobody paid it much attention anymore, although periodically another section of floor would be caved in by a couple of children messing around in places they shouldn't be. But today it was empty, and nobody had given it a second glance until the second-floor windows blew out.

With the condition it was in, the main concern was keeping the fire from spreading to other buildings, and that was surprisingly simple; it was almost supernaturally contained. The only exception was a single ball of fire that somehow managed to break only one window and disappeared around a corner almost instantaneously, but afterward no traces of it would be found, so it didn't really matter much.

That was the plan, anyway. Rayner tried to avoid dealing with the fire department, so wasn't really sure how they handled that kind of thing. But he was pretty sure only a couple of people had seen him, since everybody else was watching the fire, so he was probably safe.

He took a moment to put himself out, since walking around with little spurts of flame in his fur was hardly inconspicuous, and made it to the other side of the street just in time to watch the roof fall in. One of his better fires.

[Citanul]

There was one resident who noticed. This was his stomping ground, why did someone else decide to destroy his buildings? It wasn't a child, he knew. All of the children were home, he had watched the roving band of hooligans leave maybe an hour ago.

The Bruiser slunk around the corner of a building, catching sight of the fireball leaving the now-broken window. The firefighters hadn't been quick to get here - this area was rather uninhabited, they just stopped it before it got to other buildings, no use in saving the half-crumbled one. Skirting around them he followed the whisp of black he had seen escaping the building.

Walking over to the Barghest he sat beside him, curling his tail in close as a few people came in for a closer look. "If you had set fire to the building three over to the left, they would have let it burn." He said after a few moments, voice somewhat rough from disuse.

[Indigo]

Rayner's ears twitched. No one usually paid him much attention in these situations, which he figured was partly due to the allure of fire and also because he wasn't always completely visible, and even if someone did notice him they usually pretended they hadn't. He didn't look safe, or something. His own voice, he found, was more nasal than he remembered. "Really? Interesting. How do you know?"

He eyed the Bruiser sidelong. Presumably a local because otherwise he wouldn't be likely to know something like that, but what kind of strange person would approach a suspicious-looking Barghest and give him tips on arson? Curious. Not that he really knew enough to speculate. The ways people interacted seemed forever beyond his understanding, though he knew enough at least to know that people were pretty justified in avoiding him. Which only raised further questions, really, in relation to this situation.

[Sorry this is so short.]

[Citanul]

Hm. The Barghest seemed confused. Perhaps the best way to speak to him hadn't been a tip on how to watch his destruction fester? It had always seemed to get him far enough with the locals. They usually left him alone after that, either frightened or intrigued.

"Fire razed the battlegrounds in the War. I am quite acquainted with how to make it last." He gave a glance back to the smokey pelt at his side. "That is what decimated this place to begin with. Not that the Slums have ever been glamorous, but they used to be... Better."

This had to be the most he'd spoken in years. He silently thanked the damned Battleheart for teaching him to do so.

[S'okay. : ) ]

[Indigo]

"The War!" Fascinating. A number of circumstances had kept Rayner from being involved in the last war, however much he would have liked the opportunity to destroy things, and as a matter of fact he knew very little about it. He'd never spoken to anyone who'd been involved, either—not that he'd spoken to much of anyone at all, of course—and the whole thing intrigued him. Maybe he could ask? Mm, not for details just yet. See if this guy wanted to keep talking to him at all, first.

He frowned and looked around him. "Better? I can't imagine it. I don't mean to doubt you, that is, but it just doesn't seem...changeable?" Of course, you could change anything with enough fire. That he knew very well. More than once he'd considered burning down that old factory, actually; it might release its hold on him then, leaving him free to spend both days and nights in his favorite pastimes. But he was so closely tied to the place that it had a good chance of taking him with it, should it be destroyed, and it wasn't a risk he was willing to take.

[Citanul]

The veteran Bruiser gave a short nod. At least the Barghest was interested, he seemed like the sort to be thrilled by War tales, with the destruction he enjoyed wreaking here. He shifted slightly and raked his claws over his shoulder, unconsciously scratching an old patch of scales that hadn't healed properly.

There was a rueful smile as the Barghest doubted him. Who wouldn't? This place didn't look like it was ever in very good shape, with the garbage strewn about and the half-collapsed buildings. "Always been poverty-stricken, this place... But the before the War there weren't so many collapses, the maintenance on what they had was impeccable." He supposed it was just far too much to have kept up with, with too few supplies.

"Either way... Have you ever been to the Volcano? Lots of fire there. And hot."