Waking the Dead 2.0 || August 9, 2063 || Tuesday

[kalikat]

[Dinner is served late in the mess hall because it's a grand banquet in honor of the Magistrate of Kibo. It's a pretty modest celebration, all things considered: the people at Kibo are invited, along with her family, any Searing Wind members who feel like dropping in from wherever they've been as of late, and a few friends among the other Keepers of the Vigil. That's about it.

Still, Kalika looks like she's having fun. Her husband and her children are, of course, all in attendance, together with her husband's familiars and the entire division of the Strays from Seigi. The food, mind you, is excellent, and there is more than enough booze.

You're welcome to come and go as you please. Kalika's easy like that.]


OOC Notes:
+ Will have some threads for NPCs of note, but just to give you a general idea: many members of the three blades are in attendance, along with pretty much anyone whom Kalika views as family. If you want to request for somebody, lemme know!
+ Debby and Noey: feel free to put your NPCs in here. =w=
+ Feel free to start your own threads too. Just specify if it's open to all, or if you're going to thread something out with a particular PC.

Comments

[larue]

He's offering that readily, and then leading Aria out one of the doorways. He only really wants some distance between himself and anyone who might hear. He has no doubt that most of those in attendance know about the thing he's about to bring up, but he has always been careful with secrets that aren't his. ]

I wanted to say thank you.

[ He says that when you two are finally alone, voice soft and sincere. ] You were speaking about... bans on a general overview. But... I uh, I figured it out.

[redemancy]

[That, of course, makes her pause. It takes a bit before her smile returns, and she nods. The look in her eyes, though, is quiet.]

You don't need to thank me, really. I'm an instructor at Balamb: it's what I'm supposed to do.

[Squaring up to look at you now.]

It's just good that you got to apply that knowledge so quickly to something important.

[larue]

[ A small smile at that. ]

It was immediately after South Korea.

I just... it didn't make sense to me at the time. And he and I weren't... friends, not the way... [ he trails off. ]

I just wanted to understand.

[redemancy]

Because it didn't add up.

[Smiling at that point, although it's clearly forced. Defense mechanisms, right? Ways to put one's self back together, take the edge off the hurt.]

He does that often. It's how he makes sure that people don't get too close.

[Confuse them and frustrate them until they run out of patience and leave.]

[larue]

[ His reply comes in the form of a silent nod, hands tucking themselves away in his pockets.

It's only when one hand comes out with his cigarettes that his guard slips a bit, but he takes a breath and slides out a stick to light as he looks off to one side.

He is going to switch topics now, because this is getting too close to territory he can't maneuver now. ]

Inquisitor Tagabigay looks to be in good spirits tonight. [ He squints a little, remembering the mage's animal companion. ] Was that a bird with him inside?

[redemancy]

[She's watching him throughout all of that, trying to figure out why she's getting the sense that Something is Up. It would align with the way Hikaru's been acting tonight, and Alistair's presence, and something Kalika said...

Hmm.]

Yeah. Her name's Didi, and she's a dodo bird. It's amazing what magience can do for you.

[But first, deflections.]

[larue]

[ And that's enough to make him blink because holy shit weren't those extinct?!

Smiling a little now over his cigarette. ]

Is she-- [ yes, she, she's named Didi, after all, right? ] --is she the only one so far?

[redemancy]

No, but she's the only one that's been released from the Dragon's Pool so far. You can go and visit the rest sometime in Falner.

[Hee.]

Tala managed to sweet-talk some of the scientists into letting her and her husband watch over Didi. We'll all be monitoring her progress and sending them reports as compensation.

[larue]

[ He's going to grin over that. It's also surprisingly telling: Tala, sweet-talking the scientists on behalf of The Wiseman Tagabigay.

His smile falters a little, and then he's throwing Aria a questioning look. ]

Ma'am... when we were in South Africa... Inquisitor Tagabigay said something.

[ "It is good to meet you all for the first time. And feel it."

He can't help but remember how much younger Eli had looked then. ]

[redemancy]

[Blinking at the Sin-Eater now, and looking curious.]

What did he say?

[She's yet to read the entire report on that engagement, from all divisions.]

[larue]

[ This one's quiet a moment, as if weighing the words and recalling the context they were said in. ]

He said that... it was good to meet us all for the first time.

[ Eyes turning back to the mage. ] And to feel it.

[redemancy]

[...Ah.

Now some things make sense.]

Do you remember the discussion we had on Mage Legacies?

[larue]

[ A nod at that. ]

I remember you mentioning um, Pure Sovereign?

[ He says that with a hint of uncertainty. Out of everything he's read, he's only dented the surface for everything concerning mages and hugely because... well, they have Stan. For you know, that. ]

[redemancy]

Yeah. That is the Legacy that Elias chose for himself. It extends your lifespan to an astronomical degree, and it also gives you the ability to perfectly regulate your thoughts, your body, and your emotions.

[It sounds ideal, at any rate, but things always sound better on paper than they are in actual practice.

She'll stop there, and wait to see if you have any thoughts on the matter for yourself. She's pretty sure that you do.]

[larue]

[ Pressing his lips together now -- a tic, with this one. Usually when he's lost in thought or following something similar.

Quietly now, though: ] That's hard.

[ It does sound ideal. Emotions are difficult, thoughts have the terrible tendency to never leave you alone. They weigh you down, make staying in bed far more appealing than it should. ]

I'd usually ask 'what's the catch?' but it's a catch in itself, isn't it?

[redemancy]

It is, because at the end of the day emotions need to be processed. Feelings need to be understood, insofar as they can be.

[Then, softly:]

Imagine facing a lot of trauma, a lot of heartache, and doing things that you regret. Now imagine that you had the ability to just... turn all of that off, at your leisure.

[What does that make you?

That seems to be the question in her eyes, as she's looking back at you.]

[larue]

[ He's going quiet at that. The ability to turn emotions off at will seems like an incredibly appealing thing, but he knows, logically, that it's also a terrible thing to have.

Feelings make you, after all, who you are. Even if they hurt. Even if you turn away from them, even for a little while.

He's looking down at the bottle in his hands at that, unsure of what to say, or even how to say it.

He's not exactly in a position to talk about feelings tonight. Nor does it feel right for him to speak of things like this when he's never lives through a war, or anything like it. ]

[redemancy]

[She's fine with the silence, of course. It's a lot to take it, and she's aware that Josh really isn't at his best right now. She is pretty sure she knows why.

Before that, though:]

Elias is a wonderful person, and I think he's keenly interested in helping all of you. It would be nice, I think, if you were to try to extend the same courtesy to him.

[larue]

[ A quiet smile at that. A nod.

And then an equally quiet: ] We'll do whatever we can, ma'am.

[redemancy]

[Well, that takes a load off of her chest. Elias is family to her, and has always reminded her of the little brothers that she had to give up.

Still, there are other things that must be said.]

There's something I want to tell you, since we talked about Hikaru's ban.

[larue]

[ And in that moment, Josh might actually resemble a deer caught in headlights.

Recovering slowly, even though he knows that you probably caught that. ]

Uh, sure. What is it?

[redemancy]

[Now you'll need to give her a moment. She's pursing her lips, looking down at the ground. When she speaks, her voice is soft and sad.]

He called me the first time he discovered the ban. He was on duty, and found himself taking the soul of an old comrade - a Warden. Someone he was close to. He had not wanted to, but...

[But there were rules. There were always rules.]

[larue]

But he had to comply.

[ He says that softly. He still remembers the exchange he had with Hikaru in the Great Hall. April was months ago, but he remembers it with stark clarity. ]

When did it... kick in? [ What he's really asking is: how young had he been? ]

[redemancy]

Since he was fifteen years old, but he only discovered it for himself back in 2060. Rilea checked.

[This isn't a happy memory on her part, because she can still feel how much it had hurt him.]

I stayed on the line with him until sunrise.

[He wouldn't stop asking why. Crying.]

[larue]

[ Fifteen. He's pressing his lips together at that, a twist in his heart over this new information. There's a moment when his gaze drifts towards where the party is still ongoing before he bows his head and reaches to squeeze Aria's hand in his.

After what feels like a long stretch of silence on his part, he asks: ] Why... are you sharing this with me?

[ His voice is young, uncertain. ]