2017-03-26: ARMology 101
- Log: ARMology 101
- Cast: Ida Everstead-Rey, Alisha Diphda
- Where: An ARMsmith in Adlehyde
- Date: March 26, 2017
- Summary: Alisha encounters Ida. She asks her a few questions about ARMs. She couldn't ask for a better teacher.
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
Even in comparatively ARM-shy Adlehyde, there are shops that cater to ARMs-wielders. One such shop exists just south of the main intersection, marked by a tasteful wooden sign that reads "Anderson Advanced Suppliers". It is doing everything in its power to present itself as respectable and law-abiding, from the clean, well-lit interior to the knowledgable sales staff. They've been doing brisk business since the setup for the festival began.
Ida is not here to buy ammunition, per se, but she does need a few components for it. She's figuring something the size of a large-caliber shell would do the trick, and she can easily purchase flash powder or magnesium ribbon from one of the handful of local photographers.
The end result of this is that she is that she's presently peering through boxes of loose ammunition in various calibers, trying her best to ignore the giant poster next to the case with actual gunsmoke weapons in it. They are expensive, because they are high-quality, because Everstead-Rey is a name you can depend on when your life is in danger. That is, in fact, the slogan on the poster, right beneath her family's crest.
Ida is hoping the clerk will not ask her name because then things will get even more awkward.
<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.
Alisha Diphda, Princess of Hyland, has been curious about ARMs ever since she was shot by one. She doesn't know the first thing, really. Nor does she ever expect to be able to build an ARM. Such technologies were all but unheard of on Lunar, and those that were found were said to be things of the Seraphim and the Goddess, like the Dragonship Destiny. Now that she is here...
She is curious. She walks into the shop, and she looks around -- eyes briefly on the poster, then the case with the weapons. Her leaf green eyes light up, and then she spots Ida.
She blinks; it takes a moment, since she only met her once.
"Ah--Miss?" she says, then she smiles. "Pardon me."
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
Here it comes, Ida thinks, as someone addresses her. She puts on her best, cheeriest smile, looks up, and--
She recognizes that voice, and even if she didn't, she would recognize that face. It's that woman who was with Sorey, the one who almost picked a fight with Zed about that Lord of Calamity business, the person she's been looking for. Ida looks relieved for no discernable reason, sets down the shotgun shell she was examining, and walks over. "Ida," she says. "Alisha, correct?" She lowers her voice. "I'm so glad I found you at last! I'm so sorry--but may I impose upon you for a moment of your time? Something horrible might be happening..."
<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.
Alisha, for better or worse, doesn't remember Ida's name. They didn't speak for very long in the crowded saloon. She doesn't recognize it from the poster, either. She nods her head, once, in a light bob. "Yes," she says. "That is my name. Princess Alisha Diphda of Hyland. I--" She was looking for her? She blinks, taking a step backward. She lifts her hand up to her chest, and then she smiles. It is a little nervous. "You were? Ah--what is happeing? May I be of assistance, somehow?"
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
Princess, right, Ida thinks. She sketches a bow, though it's a little hasty. "You're a knight, yes?" Ida realizes that's probably a dumb question, but it's as much of a segueway as she can muster. Talise already described the threat in song, so she figures that she's dealing with some sort of legendary evil come to life. Therefore, a simple namedrop should do the trick, right? "The Pyre Witch," Ida whispers. "She's here."
<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.
Alisha smiles -- and is patient, at the request -- before nodding. "Yes," she says. "I am a knight. I..." And then she hears the request, trails off, and blinks. It shows on her face before she speaks the words. "...Pyre Witch? I am afraid that I am unfamiliar."
She is a princess, after all. She deals less in local legend and rumor, and more in the rumors that swirl through halls of power. She shakes her head. "Is she a danger? Some Filgaian legend, come to life?"
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
Ida was about to explain further--how she's been looking for Alisha and Sorey for days, now, in the hopes of finding people who know more about the threat suddenly facing her friend. Talise has legends to go on, but more practical experience is essential, and wouldn't a holy warrior be better-equipped to deal with an unholy menace? Talise's sword skill is excellent, but Agatha seemed to shrug her strike right off. Maybe the knights know some special technique? Whether she's realized it or not, Ida's been building up a mythology in her head, mostly to reassure herself that the problem is handled once she gets this thing done.
Then Alisha goes and harpoons it.
Ida blinks once. No, she realizes, she's probably not being lied to. Her face reddens, just a little. "No," she murmurs. "She's from where you are, and--" How silly! This whole situation is very, very silly, isn't it? Ida forces a smile. "Forgive me for my assumption, Princess." She bows again, mostly so she doesn't have to look at Alisha while her heart is sinking into a cold, dark place. "You wanted to speak with me about something?"
<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.
"Ah--no, it is quite all right," Alisha says, with a shake of her head. She smiles, then, but it's a little awkward. She will have to make a note to keep watch for a 'Pyre Witch.' But, she can do little else. Instead, she looks around the shop for a moment, and then she nods once to Ida. "I was saying hello, since I recognized you from the saloon. I had come in here to have a look at the ARMs."
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
"I may be able to assist," Ida says, which is something of an understatement. Even if it weren't, it's a relatively easy way to get her sense of dignity back, and she settles into the old, familiar rhythm she picked up from the clerks when she was hanging out in the main emporium while her mother was working there. "Are you looking for any particular model? Something for personal defense, hunting, or both?" It has not yet occurred to her that Alisha might just be window-shopping, because why else would you go into the store if you didn't intend to buy something? That's not how it works.
The clerk looks a little amused to see someone else doing her job, but hasn't done anything else yet.
<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.
"Oh--no, I don't intend to purhcase one. Perhaps some day, but for now, I want an idea of what they can do." Alisha is a master of several kinds of weapons -- and because of that, she knows how hard it can be to learn a new one. She looks back at the ARMs in the case, and folds her arms across her chest. Her eyes drift to the clerk for a moment, and then back to Ida. "They are... very uncommon, where I come from. I wanted an idea of the kinds."
So she can develop counter measures, of course.
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
Ida lets out a breath, careful not to let it show on her face. That's one weight off her shoulders, sort of--and now that she's sure she doesn't have to play saleswoman, she can better focus on the part of this that she actually likes, more or less. "I can give you an introductory course," Ida says, with a smile. She is not so crass as to draw one of her own weapons in the store, so she walks back to the counter, and gestures to one of the more expensive revolvers in the case. "May I see that model, please?" In accordance with tradition back home, she puts her gella pouch on the table as collateral, to ensure she doesn't run off with someone's wares.
Huh, that gella pouch has the same crest on it as the big ad poster, and it's turned so Alisha can see it but the clerk can't. Huh.
After a moment, the clerk takes out the gun. "The most common kinds of ARM you'll see are called gunsmoke weapons. You're surely familiar with arrows, of course? The principle is the same, except it eliminates the need to draw back a bow. All the force behind the bullet comes from gunsmoke powder."
<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.
Alisha spots the common crest. Her eyes widen a moment, and then narrow. She doesn't doubt that was intentional. After all, Ida hid the crest from the clerk. She decides to keep her quiet for the moment, and then she looks up at Ida. She nods, once, to her. "Yes," she says. "I know of arrows. Most of the ARMs in here are that sort, then?"
Her nose wrinkles. Kalve's looked different than these. She can't say how -- she lacks the expertise. But, with a glance around, she doesn't recognize one like his in here.
"Are there other types of ARMs, then?" she asks.
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
"Are there other birds?" Alisha might as well have said, after Ida showed her a pigeon. Ida's smile is knowing, and even a little sly. "People have been manufacturing ARMs for a very, very long time. In fact, the name itself implies a degree of antiquity--Ancient Relic Machine. I've heard some use Advanced Relic Machine, but a relic implies it's old and venerable. We're either repurposing old machinery, or reclaiming methods and materials that were lost to time. Gunsmoke weapons are the most common, though, so that's of course where we will start." Ida swings out the revolver's chamber, checks for brass, and then passes the gun handle-first to Alisha. She does not give any indication of how she's supposed to hold it. This is not so much intended to embarrass Alisha as to see just how much background she's got.
<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.
"Oh... so these come from ancient ruins! Oh, how fascinating--ah, Sorey will be so pleased to hear of this!" the princess knight declares, real excitement entering her expression for the first time. Before, it was a combination of obstinacy and professional necessity. But, the thought of finding ancient machines in ruins is exciting. She nods her head, quickly, and takes the pistol. Years of weapons training shows itself: while she fumbles at first, the princess is soon drawing a bead on the window, weapon pointed away from Ida and the clerk. Her grip is well done. "The handle is different than a crossbow's," she observes. "And the weight is new, too."
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
"I'm sure he will," Ida says. "Gunsmoke weapons are manufactured, so odds are, anything old enough to be in a ruin is more advanced. Unless, of course, it was lost there by an explorer, one way or another." Her inner Etone-trained gunslinger eyes Alisha as she takes aim, trying to tell if she's aiming at anything in specific, or if she's studying the backdrop as well as the target. At the very least, Ida can tell Alisha's used to the mechanics of combat, and how to balance so she's both steady and agile.
"I imagine a crossbow needs to be braced differently," Ida says, moving to stand so she's more or less behind Alisha's shoulder. "Much more weight on the front end. This is the advantage of the gunsmoke mechanism--it's much smaller, and it's tucked in back right here." Ida points to the proper spot. "The cylinder in front, of course, is where the weapon stores its ammunition. This is a six-shot, meaning it can fire six bullets before it needs to be reloaded." A thought strikes her.
"Do you have many Drifters back home?"
<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.
"Ah... I see," Alisha says, with a slight nod of her head. She lowers the pistol -- her aim was at the wooden frame of the window, but she wouldn't risk firing it. She turns back to Ida, and then she tilts her head to the side, as she looks down at the gun. Her mind works a few calculations, before she nods. "So it doesn't need to be reloaded after every shot. Convenient."
She looks up, then nods. "Typically, we call them adventurers. But yes, we do. Many live that life. I didn't, before I came here. I accompanied Sorey on his journey. But..."
She trails off, her expression filled with consternation -- and then she smiles. "...It was a thing of necessity, that I then found so enjoyable."
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
"I see you've already got the most important elements internalized," Ida says, with a knowing look. "Many people don't realize just how much work is involved if you want to learn to use an ARM without being a danger to yourself, and everyone around you. May I have the weapon, please?" Ida holds out a hand, and once the gun is returned, she exchanges it for her coin purse, all without the clerk ever seeing that logo. "And yes, it's convenient. You may run across models that do," Ida says, "but they make up for it with power. Best be on your guard, just in case."
Alisha explains. Ida nods, feeling something familiar there, but different. "It grows on you after a while, doesn't it...? I admit, I miss all the conveniences of home, but I've met such wonderful people. Great hardships, too, but... I'm not certain I would trade the experience for anything. Shame it's only temporary, but I'll never forget it."
<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.
"Mm, I think that is no different than any weapon," Alisha says. "I have beent training since I was eight years old. I prefer the spear, but I am skilled in swords, daggers, axes, and somewhat in archery." She smiles, slightly, and then she looks up. She nods her head once. "I will be careful, then."
She hesitates, then, before she nods. "It does grow on you. I can't say that it is the course I would pick, if I had no need to do it--ah... I am far from home, after all, and my obligations there have never changed."
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
"...Eight years old?" Ida says, arching a brow. "Impressive. Though--with real weapons? Mother didn't let me so much as touch a loaded ARM until I was thirteen." All this time training, and she still hasn't done much more with it than kill a bunch of monsters in dungeons. The real monsters--the ones her mother would've been called in to fight--are the ones that still terrify her.
"Courtly obligations?" Ida says. In a low, hushed tone, she adds: "There isn't going to be a succession crisis with you gone, is there?" She seems genuinely concerned.
<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.
"I was trained as a knight," Alisha explains. "We often started that young." She smiles, for a moment, and then her expression shifts. No, she thinks, there would not be a succession crisis with her gone. If there was ever such a threat to the line of Hyland, it was likely the kingdom itself would be extinguished.
"Diplomatic duties and more," she says. "But... the journey of the Shepherd is of tantamount importance, too. I am happy to be able to help with it."
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
Ida's prior Princess experience is Cecilia, who is obviously next in line for the throne. Guild Galad uses a different system of governance, so the thought that there might be an extensive chain of heirs doesn't occur to her--how could someone be a Princess and not have a fair shot at being Queen someday? That doesn't seem right. And Ida can tell she struck a nerve, too, so she's eager to seize the change in subject. "I'm afraid I don't know much of this Shepherd and their journey," Ida says. "Would you care to enlighten me?"
<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.
In a way, it's a question that is hard to answer. Every child on Lunar knows of that. Alisha's brow furrows, and she thinks for a moment, before she launches into the explanation. "The Shepherd is responsible for Althena's flock in the stead of the Dragonmaster, when there isn't one--ah, hence the name. They are graced with the Seraphim's blessing, and they wander the world, curing it of its ills -- the Hellions and the Lord of Calamity. There had not been one in a very long time, until Sorey took it. He has sworn to purify the world of Malevolence, the foul power of the Hellions."
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
Ida blinks. It's rare that something like this catches her off-guard, but, well, that just happened. "Pardon me," she says, "but the same Sorey you were with in the tavern? The young man with the... friend?" She is not sure how to describe the 'imaginary friend' in terms that don't sound incredibly insulting when applied to a hero on a religious quest. "I had no idea. Forgive me, I thought he was... touched. Kind and intelligent, but touched."
<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.
"He--oh, yes, I know how it must seem," Alisha says. But she smiles, then, and shakes her head. "We had a Seraphim with us. Lord Mikleo. Yes, Sorey is the Shepherd. You would not find a kinder soul, meant for such a role. And our world... the Silver Star is in need of him."
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
"'Lord' Mikleo'," Ida says. A deep blush is creeping up into her cheeks. She offered him a drink while drunk, not thinking he was anything more than a figment of Sorey's imagination. "When you see him next, please tell him Ida Everstead-Rey offers her sincerest apologies, and will do so in person at the soonest opportunity." Her voice is low, and hushed.
The clerk is listening while trying to look like she's not listening. It's hard to tell what she makes of all this.
"At any rate," Ida says, "I take it you've had no better luck than the rest of the people from your home?"
<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.
"Ah, I will do so," Alisha says, with a small smile. Mikleo may get a kick out of that.
She shakes her head, then. She hasn't -- but if there is a way home, they have yet to find it. She frowns a moment, before she glances outside. The sun is growing lower in the sky. She watches a moment, then looks back at Ida. "Oh, but I should be on my way. Thank you for the explanation, Ida. I appreciate it greatly."
She does a short bow, at her waist.
She pauses a moment -- long enough for goodbyes to be said -- before she makes her way to the door.
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
Ida, meanwhile, is desperately hoping that this bizarre, foreign spirit-being has a sense of humor.
This is because she obviously hasn't interacted with Mikleo, at all.
"It was a pleasure to speak with you, Alisha," Ida says. A thought strikes her, and she reaches into her pocket, pulling out a little piece of cardstock. She hands it carefully to Alisha. It's a card--and it has Ida's name, alongside that crest. "My card." She returns the bow, and as Alisha leaves, she returns to her shopping.
"That Everstead-Rey?" the clerk says, after a moment. Ida makes this face: :|