2017-05-05: Bonding Over Delicious Cake
- Log: Bonding over Delicious Cake
- Cast: Gwen Whitlock, Hiro
- Where: Adlehyde - Town Center
- Date: 5/5/2017
- Summary: Hiro and Ruby, coming across a very exhausted Gwen, decide the best way to celebrate surviving the onslaught of Malevolence is by delicious, delicious cake.
==========================<* Adlehyde - Town Center *>========================== The centre of Adlehyde marks the intersection between the east-west and north-south roads that carve the city into near-quarters. Large shops are packed along both roads, offering goods and services of a variety rivaled only by the merchant republics of Aquvy. The intersection between the two roads is actually a large circle nearly a quarter-mile across, allowing wagons and other traffic to move with a minimum of collisions and profanity both. The area in the centre of the circle plays host to an informal gathering of food and drink vendors and other barkers, who ply their wares to merchants and wagoneers too busy to stop and rest. As a result of the considerable merchant traffic, the Circle and the major avenues are absolutely lousy with wagons from mid-morning into the early evening. The buildings throughout the rest of Adlehyde are built of stone and tile roofs, and are generally well kept; as one moves away from the major routes toward the walls, however, poorer and seedier enclaves have developed over time. Still, even the poorest resident of Adlehyde has an easier time of it than all but the nobility of Nortune or Bledavik, though only Drifters and other travelers would be able to make the comparison. BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MQRL7xws7w
<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.
"Hey, who parked dis cart 'ere?"
It's noon in Adlehyde, and that means there's already drunks wandering the street, Drifters and native townspeople alike, ready to start the day with a weaving, sloshy bang.
They're also in the alleyways, where they shall proceed to eject the contents of their stomach in a free-spirited manner, as well as other activities that are park of a drunken person's daily schedule. Some carts are parked there already, either empty and/or somehow secured so they won't be stolen. One isn't, and has a horse attached to it, a brightly patterned blanket covering the length of the contents underneath. One of which twitches as the drunken resident just sort of leans in and takes a look, squinty swollen eyes trying to decipher what's underneath. "Who's the idiot who parked this 'ere?" the drunk wonders loudly to himself. "Must've been hidin' something reeeelly 'mportant. Lemme take a lookseeee...."
Before he can do so, the blanket stands up- or, rather, the person underneath rises, the blanket coming with her. The drunk is suitably startled. "S'ghost!! A really, really spicy ghost!!" the man exclaims, then belatedly scratches his stubbled neck. "How can a ghost be spicy...? Must be the blanket it's usin' or... EUGH, IT'LL HAUNT ME FOREVER!!" He then runs out of the alleyway, getting a few steps before tripping into a sloshed lump. ".... 'ow..."
Gulliver, the familiar silver and black horse, snorts and shakes his neck, black mane flopping as he leans over to nuzzle the lump under the blanket. The blanket comes off, revealing the tousled red hair of a very tired Gwen. "... can't even get a good nap in here..."
<Pose Tracker> Hiro has posed.
After all the effort of selling off a statue to the Ethos. A palm full of gella had just the right jingle to it, whenever he shook his hand up and down in the right motion. The young man shaking it though was less enamored with wealth and what a large amount of it could buy in the long term if one had a grand amount of it, compared to happiness in the moment. The short term.
"I know what that sound means." There's a pink pawsie nudging the side of his neck, "Hirooooo, Hirooooo, does that mean we're hitting up the fish market? Or maybe-" A tiny adorable gasp of the possibilities, "-the bakery!?"
"Can't slip anything by you Rub-" And that's when the soused man, smelling of cheap whiskey ran out of the alley, status post picking himself up from tripping, "BE A'FEARING THE SPICY CURSE!" The two just stopped in their tracks, their heads slowly turning to follow the man as he tripped a solid two more times, then changed direction back to the saloon. Apparently to drink away the specters.
"Wonder what that's all about?" Ruby a waved a paw in front of her nose to wave away the lingering stench of ethanol in the air, "Some idiot probably tried that Saucery globe challenge. From the smell of it that's not all they tried though."
It's only then that he took a few paces forward, then looked down the alleyway to see the familiar face. Well two familiar faces actually. The first one he sees is Gulliver, but it leads down to a familiar set of red hair, and soon enough he's coming down the alleyway, "Hey Gwen ah- huh." He waves from a distance, but then gets a better look at her. He's the type of guy who isn't going to call it out but- "You look like hell girl."
Ruby is exactly that type.
He cringes at Ruby's characteristic bluntness but keeps approaching, the sight of her not warding him off, nor the alley stank from the garbage. He gets a better sight of her bleary eyes and redbedhead, and gets a pretty good idea something's up.
Once close enough the hand that was palming gella shoots up to give Gulliver a pat on the snout with a few fingers and another to offer her a hand up. It's tempting to just ask what happened that Gwen is sleeping in an alley, but is that what a girl really wants to get hit with after waking up?
Explaining something like that? So instead- "So you know it's lunch time... and as I recall, I owe you for the soup, and the save." The hand that was patting Gulliver thumbs in the direction vaguely over his shoulder. He flashes this grin, "Want to go stuff your face at the local bakery? On me."
<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.
It's a good day to sit down to a fine meal, be it fish, or sweets. The sun's warmth is pleasant, but not oppressive, there's a nice breeze that's just strong enough to blow the smells of delicious foodstuffs from passing carts and taverns. Some of it spicy.
Maybe that's what the drunk had.
Maybe it's what Gwen had, too. Squinting her eyes at Hiro and Ruby, Gwen yawns. "Ahum. Hey, Hiro. Ruby." Ruby states the obvious, and Gwen looks at the pink catdragon blearily, then, in spite of herself, begins to laugh. "I look like that?" She shuffles underneath the blanket, bringing out a compact case with a mirror. "Grk!" Looking at it, she flinches back, nearly dropping the glass mirror in the process.
Oh, Gulliver does certainly remember Hiro. His memory may not be the best, but when it comes to Persons Who Give Him Food, his recollection is top notch. He's already ignoring Gwen now, attempting to move from his parked position to curiously sniff at Hiro and Ruby when they get close enough. "I just fed you," Gwen says, rubbing her face. "You're shameless." Gulliver seems to take this comment as a compliment, bumping his nose gently against Hiro's hand as he pats his snout.
Using Hiro's hand to get out of the cart, Gwen pauses to try to smooth out her hair. "Kinda embarrasin' you had to see me like this, but it's just been a weird few days since-" Hiro mentions 'stuffing your face'. Gwen immediately lights up. "R-really?" Suddenly the grumpy courier is as starry-eyed as a child, clenching her fists excitedly. "Oh god, Hiro, you really couldn't have come at a better time. I should be thanking *you*, even if you just, like, pay for a few things."
Oh yeah. SHe straightens, suddenly looking serious. "... Could I ask you a few questions too? Like, about this whole dark mist stuff? You can cut me off at any time, though, promise. Believe me, I got a pretttty good idea that it ain't a bundle of fun to chat about when eating cake. Or cupcakes. Or..." Her stomach growls. "You and Ruby get to pick. I'm pretty much able to eat anything as long as it ain't poisonous."
The 'perks' of having a Veruni for a guardian: a growing tolerance to weird food preferences!!! ....
<Pose Tracker> Hiro has posed.
"I'd offer you a brush if I could, but mine is back at camp." Ruby's instinct to groom is of course to lick herself, which is why she insists on not doing that. Can't have anyone thinking she acts like a cat, ever ever ever everrrrrr. Hiro just chuckles as Gulliver sniffs him, "No food on me Gull, unless you want to eat the silver." Ruby glowers, "He probably would too." But a pink pawsie does rub his nose too eventually.
"Hey- no need to be embarrassed. Seeing something like this isn't so unusual for me. Trust me, it won't change my opinion of you at all." "If you'd ever witnessed the spectacle Lemina trying to get up in the morning... you'd know why this is pretty tame for him."
Hiro winces at Ruby's comment the hand shifts to kind of wave at Gwen with a chuckle, "Hey if you want to pay for some that's fine, but you look like you deserve to be treated. So don't worry about it unless you want to." But then Gwen puts on a serious face, and slowly the smile fades away to match it. "It's a deal. I'll tell you everything I know, though actually Ruby is the one who ought to explain that." "Yeah Hiro's spiritual resonance is slightly above that of a rock."
The bakery here is used to all sorts of things. People dropping by for a humble lunch of bread, maybe even a slice of cake but...
"Mister the two of you aren't getting hitched right?"
They aren't used to this. The proprietress just bought out a multi-tiered white cake decorated with actual edible flower petals and buttercream frosting to the table, surrounded by stools. Within is a delicate balance of chocolate and raspberries. It does in fact look like a wedding cake, minus the tiny representation of the figures at the top. "As if! He's promised to me!" "It talks!" "Why do you have to say things like that Ruby?" He chuckles awkwardly, "Ah yeah noone's getting married. We're just in a cake kind of mood."
"That's a lot of cake for a cake kind of mood." She retorts, He grins and waves a hand, "It's okay, we'll manage!" He says, after standing and cutting off a hearty 'slice' for Ruby that's equivalent of half the top layer, oozing some raspberry filling down, as he places it on his plate.
Ruby immediately starts digging in, taking a few bites before lifting her head, "Mmf-mmph-" She finishes swallowing then rubs a paw across her mouth, "-so basically- malevolence is something from our world. It's like, super negative feelings concentrated in some miasma. And when people or animals are exposed to enough of it- they're corrupted and change into what we call Hellions. Like the monsters we saw attacking Port Timney."
Ruby then stuffs her face back into the cake for a while, eating more rapidly than she "They say it comes from the negative feelings of humanity but... since Ruby says there was none really around... here..." There's a tiny pause, as he somberly takes a piece of cake and slices off a hunk for him to start eating, "... maybe it all originally does come from the Lord of Calamity? Or something else?"
He looks somewhat sullen there. Maybe the topic is hitting closer to home than he thought it would.
<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.
"A courier's gotta look professional, 24/7!" Gwen states, as if that was the most natural answer to just about any question of that sort, ever. "... Even if they're too cheap to afford to a room at a inn because they were having a bad day. Or, uh... not exactly wanting to be outside city limits right now...?" Yes, it does sound as silly to her as it may sound to anyone else within hearing distance, right now.
She squints her eyes at Ruby then, scratching the back of her head. "... Sounds like he and I may have another thing in common, since that phrase flew right over my head." She may or may not be right, there.
The question about hitching almost flew over Gwen's dazzled head as she stares at the beautiful cake. The soft icing. The ratio of chocolate to vanilla. The meticulously placed flower petals. Gooey, oozing raspberries, dark red against the delicate white of the frosting. Her hands are already making grabby motions. It's then and only then that Gwen stops mid-grab and looks up, a red blush starting to settle on her cheeks. Oh yeah. It kinda... does look like that, doesn't it? "Nope," she states. "I'm a woman married to her job and he's-" 'He's promised to me!' "-already taken, m'am. We're just two buddies who like cake." Which may sound like even more of an excuse, but there's a flying talking pink cat here, so anything is possible today.
Gwen finds herself an appropriately nicely sized piece for her own plate, and picks up a fork, digging in with gusto. "Oh -man-, it's really moist! In the Badlands it's hard to get cake like this, I think the sand makes everything really dry or somethin'." That or she needs to make more friends who appreciate cake. She's silent, however, as she listens to Ruby's explanation, looking as accepting as anyone could be of a vital piece of information about another world being delivered by a pink fuzzy cat with cute wings. While both she and that cat are stuffing their mouths full of cake.
She's never needed such dark information to be delivered by such a being as Ruby, but now, she's certain it was a process as cleansing as a Sorey's magic. "That makes sense," she says, soberly. "There's a cavern nearby the port town. I caught some pals of mine about to go in, and I went with them, since they weren't there when the attack happened. And they'd be the sort, all save for one, to not really get the whole Malevolence thing. And the one who did didn't exactly... appreciate the other two, let's just say. And at the end, no one really did. It was a mess. Me and Ambrosius, going up against that hydra... and the mushrooms..." Her fork hovers between plate and her mouth long enough for the piece to fall off back onto the plate. "It was... really... bad... And those two couldn't see the black stuff either. But neither did a friend of mine who was there at the attack, and she's a nun, too, so... I dunno..." She shudders. "So it infects you. I guess I was right about my original theory, all along..."
"H-hey." Gwen looks at Hiro, angling her head a little to look at his face, her brow wrinkling. "This Lord of Calamity person doesn't sound like a person who'd have friends." Or allow for a guy to have an innocent crush on her, for that matter, but she's not going to tease him over that right now. "Especially two friends like you. We'll figure something out, okay?"
<Pose Tracker> Hiro has posed.
"I'm not taken." Hiro insists when Gwen says he's already taken, but Ruby puts a paw on his bicep and pats it, face all covered in chocolate and raspberry, "He's just being shy." At this point he's got this face like a man who is resigned to the fate of a tiny flying cat saying he's hers for the rest of his life. It's a very specific, and unique face. "But yeah we're just friends. That's all."
Slicing off a large hunk which he inserts into his mouth, he cheers up quick, chewing happily before swallowing, "This is... heavenly! I think that's the best cake I've ever eaten... Lunar cakes just don't compare!"
He gives the proprietress a thumbs up from a distance, and then he takes another bite, and another. "It has to be the raspberries, it has to be! Could you imagine them trying to get those out to a city in the desert? Because I can't! Even a super courier like yourself would have trouble!"
He's in the middle of stuffing his face with another bite, when Gwen talks about the cavern, and his cheeks are kinda puffed out, frozen in that position, before they deflate inwards and he swallows with a gulp, "Only the Shepherd can purify malevolence." He says slowly, as if carefully parsing his words, before he brightens, "But, I'm glad you found the place, tried to deal with it. Just because we don't have powers like him doesn't mean folks like you and me ought to leave the situation alone, right?" He just nods slowly, "Just, yeah be careful. It infects you. I don't know how much someone like you or me can take before- bad things happen."
He puts down his fork briefly, to rub his face, "Yeah." When his lips reappear past his hand, they're smiling again. It's only slightly forced, "You see the thing is. I'm sure she's not the Lord of Calamity. But the Shepherd is going to think she's responsible for these things anyhow."
Tapping the fork lightly against the edge of the plate, in this tinny rhythm before, "You see, there's a curse that was put on her." He takes a breath, "A really bad one, it-" "Surrounds her in enough malevolence that it's no wonder he thinks she's the Lord of Calamity." He winces, "Yeah, but she doesn't change. The people around her, and the animals... they don't change like those ones in Port Timney. I've never seen anyone or anything become a Hellion around her."
He gives Gwen the most serious look before he says, "Which means they have to be coming from something else."
<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.
"Sure, sure," Gwen says. loosely nodding her head, though it's unclear who it's in agreement with. "We're hungry friends who appreciate a delicious cake. I feel there should be more of us, so that cakes like this can be make much more often, as so their bakers and cake decorators are able to push things to their limits." She's nodding again, now with a finger pointed upwards, as if to make her point even more important. That finger, of course, then takes a dive into the frosting of her slice. This little discretion she allows herself, before returning to the rule of the knife, fork, and napkin.
"You're kiddin'." Even if Ragnell's ribbing about her seeming to believe Hiro's story about Lunar has made Gwen feel self-conscious, when Hiro and Ruby are around, it feels all too easy to believe it all over again, even if Gwen's brain can only place it as 'just a continent' in order to have it all make sense. There's no life on the moon. There can't be. Yet there is. So it's a continent. It is both on the moon, and not. "I suppose Althena's Blessing can't cover baking, But I guess that means you guys came here so you can all find out what a real cake's like! Then you'll all go back and bring the good word with you." She does another one of those nods, again, even if it's clear, with the barely stifled snort, that she's mostly kidding. Mostly.
"Yeah, haven't gotten my brain around that one," Gwen says, idly waving a fork in her hand. "I bet, if you have someone freeze em' really good, and if I traveled at night, since it gets really cold at night? But no one'd pay for that. Though, man. Hiro, you should see one of the Seed Cities. They'd blow you away with the sorts of stuff there. It'd make Adlehyde look like a population of people who'd just stolen the secret to fire and not much else. Tall buildings, machines powered by steam, things lit by these weird power sources that provide energy to support a nice-sized city! And, well, there's desert all around, but you know about that." Though maybe, if they're lucky... they'll all be back.
Gwen finds herself growing a little sad at that thought. So many neat people, just disappearing forever? She takes that thought and shuts it in a mental box, shoving it to the side. "This cake, though... This was one of the perks of setting off on my own- if I had the money, I could eat and cook sweet things! My auntie couldn't stand sweet stuff, but she wasn't the best cook, either."
"Ah..." Gwen's face falls. "Just... one guy? ... That... really sucks. Not just for us, but for him, too..." Gwen frowns. "Probably doesn't really have time to do much beyond purifying people. He can't stop and think about things, or study about things he wants to study." The book fort, Sorey sharing icey treats with people, enthusiastically pointing out the various similarities and contrasts between their world and hers. That, in contrast to the young man who hit a fist against the side of the cart, feeling helpless against the way the Malevolence has tainted even this area. "It... sucks..."
It really does suck. Especially when something flashes on her face, as Hiro explains his own situation. It's a wonder he's able to keep going, day after day, happy-go-lucky as he watches his friend deal with a curse. It's tough to feel helpless. Didn't he say that, to Lunata? He knew it. It wasn't a wonder at all, how he kept going. If she was in his shoes, she'd be trying to keep a smile on her face too. "There's someone out there, ruining you and Ruby's life. Lucia's too. N' Sorey's. N' Selphilia's. With this Malevolence junk. And it'd be awfully convenient for that lord person to have everyone chasing a scapegoat. Especially if they make it seem the only way to purify them isn't the way that'd actually work. Or if they manage to convince the one guy who can purify anyone to be so busy runnin' about that he can't stop to think about what the best way to do things is. They wouldn't even need to show their face. But."
"You said it yourself, right? Filgaia people are tough. But so are you guys! You've dealt with this and kept goin', and there's gotta be a way we can help you. And even if I can't, someone else can."
<Pose Tracker> Hiro has posed.
Hiro gives this little shrug, and a sheepish look, "It's not like Lunar's food isn't good or anything!" He says, defending his home world here, but he then nods, "Yeah, it's just like- cooking is more advanced here or something? You know like, how I told you we don't have ARMs? We haven't quite caught up." He rubs the back of his neck, "I'm guessing that's because everyone had to start over when Althena took them. Had to leave all that knowledge behind." He's an amateur archaeologist, so of course he thinks about those kind of things.
Hiro then leans forward, as if on the edge of his seat as Gwen describes the badlands a little better. He's always eager to gobble up more knowledge of this world, "Whoa seriously? I hope I get the chance to visit some day!" "Hiro they're in the desert. THE- DESERT! Do you have any idea how miserable it'd be to get around there?" "Aha come on Ruby, it sounds like it'd be a real adventure. And power sources? Is that like the- whatsit, generator we found in that mineshaft?"
When Gwen talks about her Auntie, at first he sounds like he's teasing, "Now we know the real reason you set out. So you wouldn't have to hold back when it comes to things like this!" He jabs his fork at the cake in demonstration, but then the teasing falls away and he looks a little sad himself, as if he were thinking of his own Grandpa Gwyn. "I'm sure your Auntie is really proud of you Gwen. Setting out on your own, trying to find your own way in the world. Real proud."
Bobbing his head again at one guy, he puts a bite of cake in his mouth to fill the moments as Gwen discusses it. Hiro remembers Sorey and him going through those sacred ruins, that one time, before Sorey knew his name wasn't Alex- and he found out Sorey was the Shepherd. "Yeah. Being the Shepherd is hard you know? Having to set aside all those things you want to do for the sake of what needs to be done. When I was a kid I used to play games, wave a stick around, pretend I was the Shepherd out on a big adventure to save the world."
"Usually the Dragonmaster though." Ruby gives Gwen this look, "For obvious reasons of course!"
"Yeah..." He chuckles weakly, "...now that I'm grown up, I know I was just, such a kid. Being the Shepherd isn't all fun and games. I bet Sorey would prefer to be exploring Filgaia, just like I would. But he has his mission, and I have mine." He looks distant for a while, until Ruby puts her paw reassuringly on his hand, and he gives her a small smile.
His serious look returns as he Gwen starts discussing something ruining their lives, "Yeah. If we were on Lunar I'd be pretty sure I know what's doing it- but we're not on Lunar. Tal mentioned something about the Pyre Witch being here. Something about an old legend on our world? Not one I'd ever heard but- she's messing with the lives of a lot of people from Lunar. Sephy included."
He straightens up in his seat, "It's a good as lead as any. I think I need to find her, meet with her." But then Gwen gives him that pep talk and he really looks happier, "Hey yeah, that's true, I mean it's not all bad? There's a lot of things I'm grateful for every day. And I'd appreciate the help of Filgaia's very own super courier!"
After a moment, he surreptitiously leans down, cupping a hand over his mouth and whispering, "With her super incredible secret lightning vambrace!" At least he's keeping real quiet about it. Maybe it's because Gwen asked him not to tell anyone, and he respects people's privacy.
<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.
Gwen giggles at Hiro's valiant defense of his homeland, then nods. "I bet the fruits and veggies there are *huge*. Maybe even ones none of us even know about." She holds her hands up, as if clasping a large round form. "Giant watermelons! Big tomatoes!" Yeah, she's probably going to be unhappy if she sees Lunar and realize that it *isn't* a giant candy mountain or somesuch. Then again, she admitted that if she was on Lunar, she'd be scared out of her mind. "I dunno, Hiro. There's things I've found that suggest there's a lot we forgot too. Or stuff that suggests we learned from something else that happened." She shakes her head. "I look at you and your friends and many times, I forget you guys came from another place. You just pick up on things real quick, like- yeah, especially stuff like that! You saw that generator in the mineshaft and you picked up on it right away." Nodding to Ruby, Gwen gets a smug smile on her face. "_Well_. If you guys get stuck in the desert, I'd be a great person to call on for help. I'll show you two all the ways of a Badlands Drifter. But yeah. In many places, technology was the only way to get by. Magic you needed an aptitude for, seems like, and people can't all be carryin' crests. It's just not a good way for a city to survive in the desert."
She thinks back to the tiny town of Little Twister, and the grinning face of Janus Cascade, as he rose his gun. "In some ways, Ruby's right, though. It's a harsh place. Can twist a person rotten, if they forget themselves." Did Janus really forget himself? It's not like she had a good handle on the person he was before, back when they were kids. And now...
Sweets. Sweets are good. She'll think on those instead. "Yeah!" She raises her fork in celebration and places a bite in her mouth, swaying in her seat at the delicious taste. "Mm!" The expression trails off as she focuses in on Hiro. Ah. That's right. "Maybe Althena's keeping an eye on him while you're here." Gwyn. "If he raised you n' Ruby by himself, though, I bet he's just happy to know you're livin' your life. And you'll have lots of stories to tell him, when you get back. Like how you met someone with the same name! Though it's a girl." She laughs, though there's a sadness to it, the more she thinks on it.
She needs to treasure these moments, as well as all the new friends she's made.
Listening to Hiro's childhood, Gwen quietly places forkloads of cake into her mouth, holding her chin in the upturned palm of one hand. "So you thought about being a Dragonmaster or a Shepherd instead of a Drifter. I suppose it's a lot of the same things, though, when you come down to it. We all want to be someone else that can have the power to do what they wanna do, especially if it's for good." She chuckles. "I grew up on stories of famous Drifters. One of them's called Nightburn Acklund. Though, I managed to meet him, once. He's a swell guy! Charismatic, too." Looking to Ruby. Gwen smiles widely. "He'd be a pretty cool Dragonmaster, wouldn't he? I mean, he's already got one as a best buddy and all. And he can control wind, too! I sure can't do that." She places her fork down. "I mean, like, in battle, that was really cool! You two really know how to fight!"
Agatha. That name again. "That client wanted me to find out about her, sometime." Gwen's lips thin. "I figure it'd be good to at least see her in person, but I don't think it'd be a good idea to do it alone. Either way, be careful. She managed to use me to trick a couple of people by having me deliver something. It made this implication that made one friend look like they doublecrossed another. I had no idea. I mean, I wasn't hurt or anything, but."
Fire. The new burn on the inside of her left wrist begins to itch.
Hiro's praise manages to make Gwen smile again, rather smugly, even when he leans in and whispers about her 'vambrace'. Gwen looks both ways, then leans down to whisper. "It's a-" She hesitates, looking at Hiro, then Ruby. "It's..." Her mouth feels dry.
They won't care. Her heart says so. Just do it. "It's an ARM. It's my ARM." There's a timid look on her face just then. Even if her words may have well just been 'it's a glove', the courier's face shows the gravity of what she just admitted, at least to her.
<Pose Tracker> Hiro has posed.
"Oh yeah, you oughta see the market back on Lunar-" But he points at Gwen as she starts talking about it, giant watermelons and tomatoes, "Right, right! Rows of big, plump fruits and vegetables as far as the eye I can see! Filgaia's got us beat on confectionery treats and meat dishes but- there's sometimes that I miss the food back home. A good vegetable stew or even one of those salads Ginny likes. I bet she'd like it more with Lunar vegetables."
He looks sheepish when she talks about how quickly they pick up on stuff, "You wouldn't know it by the way people look at him when he asks: 'Hey Mister what's a gear?'" "H-Hey in my defense, we don't have giant metal suits like that back on Lunar- unless you count Lemina's magic test-" "I definitely don't."
But at Gwen's smug smile, Ruby stares at her for a second, "Geez girl, what are you made of? I literally breathe fire and I wouldn't want to go there! There's such a thing as overcompensating when it comes to being tough you know!" Hiro just laughs lightly, "That'd be swell Gwen. Way things stand we may need to head West soon, we're running out of leads 'round Adelhyde to pursue."
But she talks about how it can twist a person rotten and, "Sounds like it can be a hard place on folks, even people who are just passing through but- I'm with good company, if I stepped out of line, I'm sure they'd knock some sense into me until I remembered." "I would definitely set you on fire if you did anything funny." "I didn't say burn sense into me!" The two snicker, then share this brief laugh which might cut through the serious mood for a moment.
"If she is, I sure wish she'd let us know. Like- since we're trying really hard to go speak with her." He takes another bite, "But maybe she just let's us know in mysterious ways that she's there, like bringing us to together in this bakery." But Gwen's mood here is infectious and a smile creeps back on his face, "I hope he'd be proud. I bet he didn't think when he sent me off with Lucia that we'd end up on the Blue Star. We ever find a way there and back- and you ever find your way down there on a job."
That's pretty optimistic of him, but maybe he has that much faith in her super courier skills to go across worlds too, "I'll be sure to introduce you to him. There's no way he'd want to miss out meeting a great girl like you!" "Yeah! He'd want to sit and talk with you for hours- writing down everything you know about Filgaia!"
For a while he just listens to Gwen speaking, nodding with this sheepish sort of smile. "Oh wow! You got to meet your hero? That must have been an incredible experience for you! Hrm! He sounds like he would pass the muster, what do you think Ruby?" "I dunno! He does sound like he's pretty amazing, having a dragon as a friend- WAIT DRAGON?"
She bounds across the table, face all slathered in cream, but it doesn't matter as she puts her paws up on Gwen's arm, shaking it, "TELL ME EVERYTHING!" "Aha, maybe hold your horses a second Ruby..." He blinks his eyes and says, "They say that here on Filgaia too right? Hold your horses?" Ruby sinks down to the table expectantly, though she may be vibrating a bit with anticipation of the news.
The story of Gwen having been tricked by Agatha sobers him quick, "Well I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed... so I'll try to be smart about it. Go with Jean maybe, or Lemina, and I'll try to beware of any deals." There's a brief pause but, "Sorry she used you to trick those people Gwen, that's awful, even if you weren't hurt."
But, Gwen tells the truth about her ARM arm and Hiro's about to say something like: 'That's so cool! You're incredible!' Gwen can see it in his face, in his eyes, as he lurches forward fractionally as if to look at it, but then, he sees the look in her eyes, the timid one. Gwen can see him restraining himself, as he sits back and thinks for once, "People here are scared of it, aren't they? They're scared of what you are if you have something like that."
He says it so quietly, as if the truth of human nature was hitting him again and again. He remembers what the people of Surf village thought of ARMs. Slowly his brows furrow, and he huffs out a sigh, "I won't ask more unless you want to talk about it. I'll respect your privacy there Gwen. But the only thing that matters to me is that when people were in trouble, you were willing to risk your secret and use it to save people."
His smile brightens as he gives her the longest look, "And that to me makes you the greatest, no matter what anyone else might think. Here I am going on and on about my troubles, when you're having to go through worrying about something like that every day." There's a note of quiet awe that enters into his voice as he says, "You're so strong Gwen."
<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.
"Hehe, I bet!" Gwen laughs. "How is Ginny, by the way? Last I saw, she had a bounty on her head, so I was kinda concerned for her. Tell 'er I said hi the next time you see her, okay?" Virginia Maxwell. That last name sounded familiar. Wasn't there a Maxwell family in Boot Hill? She'll need to ask her auntie about it.
"Heehee." Gwen tries to hide her chuckle for once, not wanting to seem too much like she's laughing at Hiro's expense. "Well, you saw me goin' all 'what's this black mist' and 'Ruby, what're dragons like', and 'hey, you do wind magic, how do you do that', so maybe that ain't as different as you think?" She stops herself, and continues on her cake. "I dunno, when we're fightin' I guess we just sorta gloss over the details. You two were really cool though."
Pausing her fork by a piece of cake, Gwen rubs her hair with her free hand. "It's, er. Where I'm from. I call Boot Hill my hometown f'now, but I was actually born in another town you'd probably never hear about. But there's some really pretty parts too. Like, the sky at dusk sometimes'll turn shades of red, blue, and purple, and if you camp by some types of cactus during a full moon, you'll get to see blossoms at night. Huge, beautiful blooms, and they smell like fancy perfume. During the day the sky can be so bright blue that you feel like it's gonna bowl you over. And you can sing all you want when yer travelin', because no one's gonna pop out and tell you yer off-ke- er." She grins sheepishly. "That last part's just me. Gulliver likes my singin' though." Gwen looks to Ruby. "But yeah, Ruby, you'd be right to be cautious. It's important to keep covered and keep hydrated when you're out there. The sun can bake your skin before you even know it, and if you're like me, that's a bad thing." She taps the hat by her shoulders. "But that's enough babblin'. Either way, you'll have to wait until tension dies down, unfortunately. And I dunno when that's gonna happen. But there's been one good thing that happened due to all of us being stuck on this side of the continent."
Looking out of the window at the people walking past the shop Gwen sticks her fork in a cluster of raspberries. "It's weird, but I was always movin' so fast that I never really got a chance to meet people until now. The freedom of bein' a Drifter's great, but not stoppin' to actually see that I could actually trust people. If Althena's the one who made this part happen..." She looks back at Ruby and Hiro. "Whenever you do find her, tell 'er thanks. That's the best blessing she could give anyone." She blinks as Hiro mentions introducing Gwyn to her if she was ever by there. It'd be easy to correct him, but instead, she half-smiles. "If I ever do, I'll be sure to try to stop by. And I can talk all day! I'm used to people wantin' information on stuff. My auntie's the same way." Just not as friendly, it sounds like.
Seeing Ruby's enthusiasm, Gwen looks at the catdragon, dumbfounded, before she realizes her mistake. "OH. Uh, uh, no. I meant Hiro! Hiro'd make for a good Dragonmaster." Now it's Gwen who deflates. "That went bad... Naw, sorry, Ruby, but. Like, if I hear anything about any ol' dragon? I'll try to tell you through the Memory Cube. You two know how to use those, right? I'll drop you a message so you'll get it lickety split. As it stands, though, the only dragons I hear about are metal dragon bones. Some ARMs are made from em'."
Hiro's enthusiasm surprises her. It's almost akin to Zed's, minus the scary mentions of it being a sign that she could be turning into a monster. It's nice to see, and she even smiles at it, her timidness beginning to float away from her expression. "... Thank you." There's a small smile at that, its bashful nature almost weird to see on a person so used to grinning at the drop of a hat. It's one that reaches her eyes, though. She thinks about people like Rudy, and the strange way Mr. Balderdash (who is in no way Vash) looked at Vash(who may not have been Vash too?) last she saw her. "... Yeah. I'm more afraid of what other people'd do to me than of my ARM itself." Even if she's had a few... scares, lately. "Can't take it off. It's connected to me. But I chose to have it. I wouldn't be here otherwise. But yeah. I trust you two." She sticks a piece of cake in her mouth. "Aaaaand I'd be a hypocrite if I didn't admit to usin' that fear to my advantage." She gives a playful wink at that. "That'll probably catch up to me one day, but maybe, I'll be strong enough to take it on then."
The greatest? Gwen looks at Hiro, as if what he'd just said was something she'd never consider before. Then, suddenly embarrassed, she looks away, rubbing the back of her neck. "I guess I can't walk away from people in trouble, even if they're strangers, any more than you can." He was the young man, after all, who looked at a young woman with a mission and decided to fight for her. "Y'know... I was just reminded. Maybe I could seek out Sorey n' chat with him? I'd be a third party, and he might get annoyed by that, but maybe, I can see what his side o' things are. Maybe it's as simple as gettin' your friend purified, right? And if it's a really powerful curse, maybe he needs to get to the point where he can handle that without hurtin' her."
<Pose Tracker> Hiro has posed.
"Ginny is-" That begs an interesting question. Ginny is- "-trying really hard to prove herself. Maybe too hard sometimes." Hiro comments perhaps with more information than Gwen is looking for, "She's a nice girl though, with a good head on her shoulders, she just gets wound up trying to make Maya acknowledge her." He does flash a grin, "And as for that well- she's a real dog lover. Guess she went a bit overboard on a job. But we'll look after her, best she can, and she's looking after us."
"Well that's true- but I still bet you'd get used to Lunar a whole lot faster than we do here on the Blue Star." But then she straightens up, puffing up her chest, a tiny dab of chocolate raspberry falling to stain the white fur, "I'm glad you were impressed by our skills though! Someone ought to acknowledge Lunar's future Dragon/Dragonmaster combination!" Hiro just looks a bit sheepish, "I've got a long ways to go though to keep up with you Ruby." He says, humoring her, "Darn right you do! But you'll get there quicker than you know!" "You were the real star though Gwen."
But as Gwen talks about the badlands as if they were her home, they're both pretty attentive, though Ruby goes back to gobbling some more cake with her fierce dragon's maw. He's not going to interrupt her while she's talking about her home, and it sounds- "You know I went through a desert once. It was just a small dustbowl. Don't think I got to appreciate it with all the scorpions and sand sharks. Don't think I really got to appreciate it at all, other than thinking about what the sand hid."
He says quietly, "You make it sound really beautiful Gwen. Like every day out there is the good kind of adventure so long as you've got the right attitude." "I dunno about that. But I don't have to worry about sunburn at least." But then she falls awkwardly silent, like complaining at this moment just feels out of place given the compliment Gwen just paid them by what she says next.
"I'll tell her. Though I think she's maybe only a little responsible for it." Fingers awkwardly creep to run through the hair on the back of his head, and scratch, as if he's a bit embarrassed, "I mean if you were moving through life like that you had to have had your reasons right? And maybe she just gave you a little nudge. But I think you were the one who was strong enough to say that it's just- time for change. Even if that change is just giving yourself a chance to breathe, and to let other people back in your life."
His hand shifts down, back on the table, "Won't forget to tell her too about the plight of people here. How they could still sure use some help." He grins, "Maybe all it'll take is telling her about the people we met, like you."
"Grandpa would get a real kick out of someone being patient with his crotchety old keister!"
"Ha! Yeah, he sure would."
But as Ruby had bounded forward, expectantly seeking an answer, she's like, "Oh! Oh I thought you-" The little catdragon chuckles awkwardly as she realizes her mistake, "Well of course he'd make a Good Dragonmaster! He's already acknowledged by the Red Dragon of Lunar! Taking my trial will be a cinch for him!"
Hiro looks somewhat sheepish himself, "Ah yeah actually, it's a lot like the statues of Althena on our world. In fact... pretty much exactly like them, they just don't look the same, one's a statue and one's a floating... thingamajig?" He leans in, whispering to Gwen, "I have no idea who decided to name them cubes. They don't look like cubes at all!"
Gwen's bashfulness causes him to draw back some though, as he figures if she was worried, she must be self-conscious about it. He nods slowly in sympathy, "Is it keeping you alive or something?" When she says she wouldn't be here otherwise, "Way I see it, it's just another tool. Just matters how you use it. I figure you've got every right to use it to your advantage, to defend yourself or- well whatever you want. It's sorta like our magic in a way except- we can hide that."
Seeing Gwen in that moment of embarrassment, he offers a smile as if trying to reassure her, "Guess we're two of a kind, in that sense. Means someone raised us right." He winks, as a nod to Auntie Frea and Grandpa Gwyn, "I still think you should be smarter about it Hiro. We're just going to keep making more enemies this way." "Eh. It's worth it I think to be a little foolhardy about these things. What do you think Gwen?"
But when she brings up Sorey, there's this sigh that comes out of his lips, "If you'd do that for us... I'd really appreciate it Gwen. We messed up recently-" "I said I was sorry!" He rubs Ruby's head like it's no big thing even if it is, "-and well I don't think he'll be happy to see us again. But here's the thing. We don't really know what purification will... do to her. If it'll just lift the curse or if it'll hurt her in ways that can't be taken back."
He looks at Gwen, suddenly looking a bit vulnerable himself, embarrassed, "We can't really take that chance. The curse already almost killed her once, stripped her of most of her powers. If she's really and truly hurting a lot of people, then that's one thing, but I'm sure she's not hurting anyone."
He heaves a sigh, "I think something real bad out there is using her as a scapegoat to distract him. To make Sorey keep chasing her around so they can do whatever they want." He straightens up in his seat sounding more serious, "I think if Sorey keeps focusing on us then before long it's going to mean real bad things for your world."
<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.
"Yeah, dependin' on where you are, it can be a real wasteland, that's for sure." Gwen casually waves her left hand as she talks. "I think it all depends on where the land in that area's really dyin' or not. My auntie told me deserts can be part of a planet's natural, er... 'ekko'-system? And there's different types." She squints her eyes in the space in front of her, as if trying to decipher that very word in front of her. "It was one of those weird words she gets from research papers. But these sorts of deserts ain't a part of that cycle."
Maybe, it isn't Althena. "Haha, yeah. I guess there's some things she's pretty confident about when it could to people." A smile snakes back on Gwen's face as Hiro looks embarrassed. "The power of friendship! Or something cheesy like that." It's almost too easy to let down her guard. Is Rudy right? She's too quick to forgive, and too quick to trust in something she didn't understand. Someone could take advantage of that. Could the same sort of fate happen to Ruby and Hiro? They accepted her. "Thanks, Hiro." Even if this Althena may simply be a force as vague as a sandstorm or a spring breeze, Hiro's interest in the plight of people he's only known for a short while is heartening.
"Welll, if Hiro fails your trail I'll give it go," Gwen says, with a wide smile. "Hehe, I'll be the first Dragonmaster from Filgaia. Think of all the good business that'd bring!" Wait, UH, back up. "Also I'd do stuff, like... Dragonmasters... do." She looks at Hiro blankly and leans in. "..... what does a Dragonmaster do, exactly...? Is it, like, when you have more than one horse, but they're really, really smart? And can breathe fire?" She assumes they all breathe fire. Though Ruby doesn't exactly look like a giant dragon.
Hiro picks up on Gwen's vague statement. The redhead bobs her head quietly. "Just keeps my heart working the way it should. While I could've taken my chances without it, those chances were pretty grim. And I got a workin' arm along with it!" She trails off, remembering Kalve's words. The ARM was still syncing. Just... what else could it be doing? Listening to Hiro's words of praise, Gwen feels a pang of fear. With the Malevolence inside her, she was about ready to hurt other people. If this ARM keeps making her stronger, just what would that entail?
"Weeelllll." Gwen scoops more food into her mouth and chews. "I'd go with the path that means I get out on the other side in one piece. But sometimes it's really great to be the hero." Gwen takes a drink from her cup, then solemnly places it down. "People shouldn't be left behind just because they're not on the same level as you. No life's a waste."
Lives, like this Lucia person. "Oh." Gwen's brow wrinkles visibly as she gives her plate a sober look. "I can see what you mean, there. If this person is using her to throw everyone on a wild goose chase, if the curse was just something that could be lifted just by Sorey waving a finger at them, it'd be a pretty silly plan." She steeples her fingers together. "Hm. Hm. Thinking... thinking..." It helps to eat. Sugar fuels the brain. "Okayokay, I got it! This is just my theory, but even if your friend was the one to carried Malevolence with her to Filgaia," Gwen says, carefully weighing each word, "that don't mean she's automatically the Lord of Whatever, anymore than I am when I give everyone in the saloon the flu. Like, flu's caused by bad smells or- wait, no, auntie told me it was... something about 'germs'?" She idly scratches her head. "Either way, people gonna be upset with me that I spread it, but it's not like I woke up and went 'I'm gonna give everyone the fluuuu'." She holds her hands in the air and wiggles her fingers for effect as she does the last sentence. "What I'd want is medicine. But not medicine that'd kill me, obviously. And maybe, some scientists need to try to study me or somethin' to learn how my flu works. Which, I guess, can't really work for Malevolence... ? But I'm just thinkin' aloud. I mean, the worst Sorey's gonna say is 'you're really annoying, go away strange lady!', and nothing'd be lost. I'd just be someone stickin' their nose in someplace where it doesn't belong. Also..." Her gaze drifts downwards, to her fork. "I think I wanna hear what he's thinkin', too. I'm in a position where I can do that, while you really can't. So maybe... that's what I can do."
<Pose Tracker> Hiro has posed.
"Echo-system?" Hiro repeats, thinking about it, "That like, when you're in a desert canyon and yelling your name and-" "Nah it's ecosystem Hiro! Check Grandpa's notebook later! You'll see something about it! Just means it's sort of a different, but necessary part of the planet." "Oh! Oh that makes sense." Honestly his studies were more about old stories than science.'"
"Hey!" Hiro starts laughing as Gwen mentions the power of friendship, "There's nothing cheesy about friendship!" Maybe Rudy is right. Maybe it will hurt Gwen some day in the same way that it might hurt Hiro for being too quick to trust, too ready to trust, too ready to pitch in and help while barely knowing what's wrong to begin with. "Think nothing of it Gwen. No wait what am I saying-" He scratches his chin looking up, as if rethinking that, "-think nothing of it doesn't sound right in this case. Maybe because I didn't do much. It's all you. You should think something of you and yourself right?"
"Oh no."
Hiro's eyes suddenly light up as Gwen asks about what Dragonmasters do.
"Hiro I'm begging you! Don't jump on the table, we have cake to think about!"
There's a pause, some hesitation, but that enthusiasm doesn't fade as if he were a little kid being told he can't play right now, "Aw- I suppose it'd be rude in here. So basically everything! The Dragonmaster is basically the greatest hero on Lunar! The actual champion of the Goddess. There are other heroes with lots of power bestowed upon them by the four Dragons, who are the goddess' greatest servants, after they pass a trial. A White, Blue, Red, and Black Knight. But the Dragonmaster, doesn't just pass one trial like each of those Knights did. They pass all the trials. And thus get the powers of all four of them put together. Them showing up is enough to stop wars- settle disputes- right wrongs- seal ancient evils!"
He's gesticulating with his hands as he explains all of this, "Anyhow, Lunar hasn't had a Dragonmaster since like- forever, the last Dragonmaster was Alex. Until recently, when the Goddess actually resurrected one of the ancient heroes, Ghaleon, to become the new Dragonmaster." He grins, then enthusiastically continues, "Alex is my favorite by the way. He really came through when Lunar was in some real trouble." He points at her, "You- seem like you'd be like Dragonmaster Chloe. She traveled everywhere, did everything, was known by everyone. And everyone loved her for her big heart. Sounds like the kind of Dragonmaster you'd be."
She was also a beastman, but Hiro doesn't even think to bring that up.
But his enthusiasm dims a bit as Gwen relates how her heart is indeed linked to it. That's a pretty weighty thing to think about. How she could have gone on without it- maybe, but her chances wouldn't have been great. "Well then, I'm mighty grateful to it, for making sure I got the chance to meet you. And Filgaia should be grateful, for keeping it's best courier hale and hearty."
Hiro shrugs at that, as if the fact that Gwen looks to keep herself in one piece isn't a bad thing, and has this goofy smile on his face, "Yeah. Nothing wrong with looking out for yourself, just as long as you're helping out who you can. Trying to make sure noone gets left behind."
He goes back to eating the cake, and wow he's really shoveling it in while Gwen is thinking, maybe he's trying to make her feel less awkward- as it'd be a lot of pressure staring at someone expectantly while they're trying to come up with an answer, however he looks up immediately when she says, "Germs? Like- Wheat Germ?" Lunar's idea of modern medicine might be pretty backwards given that they used healing spells.
But putting two and two together he at least gets the idea of what she's saying, "But it's flu- okay okay I see what you're saying so like- she's not trying to give malevolence to anyone. So even if she did- okay okay I get you..." She nods, "...we can't really blame her for what Zophar did to her. All of us just want to help her."
He rubs the back of his head, "I think what Sorey's going to say though is that it's his duty to purify malevolence- and he's just going say he's pretty sure nothing bad will happen."
He holds up his hand though after a moment, "But you know- I'm a normal guy, I don't have any malevolence, despite spending a lot of time around Lucia. And his flames, they still hurt. I know because he tried to force the issue and attack her anyhow- even though she hadn't attacked him."
He huffs out a breath, "I think he's gonna say it's his duty anyhow, and if it were me even six months ago, I'd be like, 'It's the Shepherd! It's his duty to purify malevolence! Of course he should!'"
He then leans back in his chair, "But real life is a little more complicated than the black and white views of a kid who grew up on the legends of Shepherds and Dragonmasters. I think he's going to say it's his duty, and he's gotta do it no matter what."
He gives Gwen this weak smile, "But I trust you Gwen. And I don't think Sorey's going to get annoyed and tell you to go away. So I say go for it. Even if it doesn't go anywhere, I'd really appreciate you just trying." Leaning forward again, he puts his hands back on the table, "And if you do happen to see Alisha while talking to him. Tell her I'm really sorry for what happened." Ruby puts a paw over his hand.