(Right, I can work with that, and leave the ending of this intro open enough that getting Xhai to wherever he needs to be when you guys return to the planet should be relatively easy.
S'been a while since I've done anything like this, so I might be a little rusty. Oh well, here goes...)
The Dry Dry Desert was an area that still held many secrets, and it should come as no surprise that where there are secrets, there are men looking to uncover those secrets. To that end, many towns had sprung up around the borders of this sun-bleached wasteland, all home to bands of archeologists and explorers striving to be the ones to make the discoveries that would change history. It's in the largest of these towns that one man's story begins...
The hotel itself was nothing special. Not particularly large, and rather plain to look at, its' only notable feature was that it was built right on the edge of town, and as such the back faced directly out into the scorching sands of the Dry Dry Desert. The sun beat down mercilessly on the town as it did every day, even when the streets started to fill with people going about their daily business, be it shopping, running one of the many stalls lining the streets or simply relaxing in the peaceful atmosphere.
It was around noon when Xhai awoke, the sunlight streaming onto him through the window bringing a smile to his face even as he sat up and rubbed the sleep from his one good eye with a yawn. Flexing his fingers experimentally, he was pleased to note that the solar-intake system threaded into his new skin was working just as the techs at the research facility had told him it would. Rising from the bed, he grabbed the currently portable sized and inactive beam scythe from the table next to him and slung his jacket over his shoulders in one fluid motion, fastening it around his neck and leaving the rest to hang loosely over his frame, leaving most of his bare torso exposed. He'd had a few funny looks from people when he'd appeared in town dressed like he was, but he'd learned to dismiss them fairly quickly. It wasn't like he could spend time explaining his....circumstances ...to every person he met.
He was just approaching the front-desk to check out when he heard a scream and a clatter behind him. One of the hotel maids was trying to back away from a large, thick-set man who, from the redness present on his cheeks, was already drunk. The man had a perverse grin on his face, and seemed completely oblivious to both the fresh drink stains on his shirt from the tray the maid had just dropped and the fact that his speech was barely coherent.
"C'mon....*hic*, luv, just give me....five minutesh. Sh'not right that a body like yours....should be....*hic*...should be covered up....It what you're here for, right? To give people like me a good...*hic*...time, right?"
Xhai huffed a sigh and turned away from the desk, moving with purpose towards the drunk. He really hated people like this, and it wasn't the kind of thing he could just leave.
"Hey buddy, leave the pretty lady alone? I think it's pretty clear she's got more class than you seem to think."
The next moment, the drunk had clamped both hands around Xhai's collar and was shouting directly into his face.
"WHATCHU SHAY....*hic*...YOU PUNK? YOU GOT A PROBLEM?"
It was all Xhai could do not to wrinkle his nose in disgust at the pungent aroma of stale beer and bad breath washing over him.
"Me? Nah, I got no problem. You seem to, though. Can I recommend a breathmint?"
The drunk let go of Xhai's collar at that, and started fumbling around in his pockets for something.
"That'sh it....*hic*...punk. Im'ma.....Im'ma kick your a** for that!"
Xhai's gaze flickered around the room. Starting a brawl in a hotel lobby wasn't something he particularly wanted to do, and he really couldn't afford to pay for the damage a street-fight would invariably cause, either. He grinned when he spotted the vast expanse of desert visible through the window behind the desk.
"Fine. Let's take this outside, shall we?"
Fighting to keep the spring out his step (the sunlight here was doing wonders for his energy levels), Xhai eventually stopped about a half-mile out from the hotel. From the unsteady footsteps and slurred curse-words coming from behind him, the drunk had followed. Chuckling madly, the drunk finally stopped groping around in his pockets and withdrew a pair of brass-knuckles.
"So...*hic*...thish is where ya want me ta bury ya? I'll be happy...*hic*...to. Any lasht wordsh?"
Xhai grinned as he removed his scythe from its' holster and thumbed the activation switch. Within seconds Xhaiden was fully extended, and the blade flared into life a half-second afterwards, glowing as it drank deep from the intense light beating down on its wielder. Twirling the scythe into a defensive position, and noting with satisfaction the distortion in the air around the blade, Xhai made eye contact with his would-be opponent.
"Yeah. Hope you remembered your sunblock."
Wandering idly through the marketplace in the center of town, Xhai couldn't help but laugh at his good fortune. The "fight" had ended as soon as the drunk had thrown his first punch. The look on his face when his brass knuckles melted before they hit was priceless. The manager of the hotel had been grateful for Xhai's help in protecting his staff, and had refunded the money he'd spent hiring his room the day before.
So, with his wallet refilled and his body recharging in the sun, Xhai headed towards the train station. Living the kind of life he did meant that he could go where he wanted, when he wanted (within reason). All he had to do now was decide where he wanted to go....
(How was that? Like I said, I think I'm a little rusty...)