2017-05-10: Of Truth and Lies

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  • Log: Of Truth and Lies
  • Cast: Riesenlied, Ethius Hesiod
  • Where: Adelyn Ranches
  • Date: 10th May 2017
  • Summary: Riesenlied takes the time to staunch her wounds, but meets with the Mysterious Stranger... who cautions her.


<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

Riesenlied is... spending some time in transit, moving between the Ranchlands, Adlehyde and abroad. She has many plans, and many contingencies to sort out; that involves meeting up and checking various different things, and as such, she can always be found... somewhere.

Right now, she's taking a bit of a rest underneath the shade of a tree, grimacing just a moment with her cloak half-slacked to one side of her; she's re-tying a loop of gauze and bandages around her shoulder where the bleeding's renewed from where that remote-controlled ARM shredded her during the rescue of the King of Lacour.

(It's no use... the clotting mechanism can't keep up,) she thinks to herself. (Just another defect in my system, I suppose...)

<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.

People come and go across the trade routes of around Adlehyde. The green landscape is a sight that should be cherished now, while people are here to see it. Even the tree that casts a welcome shade over the head of the head of the Ebony Wings has its days numbered. It, too, stands to wither and turn to dust as the desertification of the continent spreads out further and further yet. Ethius, for his part, walks one of these routes with his quarterstaff out as use of a walking stick. The sun bears down upon his brow. It challenges him to make whatever journey he thinks he's going to make on foot today, wherever he's going. The burning star in the sky seems almost a mockery of the increasingly dire quality of life Filgaia's people have to suffer. Lessened harvests, depleting amounts of water, less game to hunt for food... The tree that Riesenlied sits under right now is a truly precious luxury... but what of Ethius? If Riesenlied's gaze follows out to him as he continues along his path well away from the tree, he stops where he walks to grab something from under his poncho. It is impossibly small a detail, for the distance between them... but it is not something that would be easy to miss. He appears to be regarding a small Dragon Fossil tooth, if only identifiable by the gleam of a very specific color a trained eye might pick up. (Also, it's kind of pretty, in a twisted and morbid way?) Is that the only one he has? Does he know where one might find more, knowing his penchant for hanging out around ruins until some other group passes by for him to include himself into? It may be worth investigating, even if the timing might be considerably awkward.

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

Being something of a failed Dragon experiment herself, Riesenlied can tell the presence of Dragon Fossils in a slightly more special way than some others would:

It pings her mind.

While small, size does not necessarily hold a correlation to the strength of the resonance an individual Fossil gives off -- and it's with an ebbing echo that Riesenlied holds onto her head with a slight wince, feeling the pressure and resonance from a nearby Fossil that reverberates on some higher wavelength than can be heard by the human ear.

"Ugh--" she cups her mouth, but then looks out and looks towards the road and hops off with a gentle ebb in her step. "Mister Ethius," she calls out. She tries to hide her injury with her cloak, but the way she moves and the scent of... something may give it away.

<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.

The strange white-haired man closes his fist around the tooth and lowers it out of view sharply and suddenly, as though a child with something to hide. His head cranes towards the origin of his name. Those eyes of his... they remain the same as always. He should /look/ more startled. He should /be/ more surprised. "Miss Riese." His return call is not as loud. It's that same tone of voice as always. Even, collected, not being identifiable as much of anything one way or the other beyond the words being spoken. Notably, he doesn't approach her. He seems content to allow her to approach him. Extraordinarily rude and inconsiderate, if he's aware of the state she's in. Is he? He doesn't say anything beyond her name. Not so much as a greeting, not so much as a suggestion as to how not-very-nice it is a day out here, as the sun bears down now upon both of them.

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

Riesenlied follows up and stands just a few paces away, bowing her head gently. She looks a little worse for the wear. "I am glad to be able to catch up with you here. I have not met you since the last time we... had our venture into the Sacred Grounds. I am glad to see that you are well." Pleasant and cordial as ever, even when hiding what must be waves of pain underneath that cloak and underneath her voice.

<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.

There he stands, stoically... unmoving. Not so much as a gentlemanly question as to how she's doing - it should be obvious that Riesenlied is physically struggling! Where is his human decency? "Our reunion at Lahan was yet brief," he comments. Hardly any warmth in his voice. That same chilling 'normal' he operates upon. "Of course, we have you to thank for our lives." It was a sight that would be burned into their minds forever. Jay and Ethius saw something neither had the capacity to explain, and fewer answers yet about what it was, or what to do about any of it. The left hand bearing the quarterstaff reaches forward, as if to silently offer her this as support.

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

Riesenlied puts her hand to her forehead and says, "Ah... that is right, we did not speak at Lahan... my memory must be failing me," she admits. She lowers her head and shakes her head, with a quiet sigh to say, "And I have yours to thank as well. It would not have been without all your efforts that we were able to get through the Sacred Grounds as far as we did, even if it ended in a... well, it could have had a better outcome."

She shakes her head. "But that is then. How have you been since?"

<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.

"I've kept occupied." That's putting it mildly. This man hardly seems to rest much between expeditions. Hardly living within city limits, how does this man rest? How well does he eat? How can he possibly sustain himself? "If I may be forward, given the circumstances... I believe I have what you have been seeking, Miss Riese." Did he know, all along, then?! Where Riese expresses herself with plenty of body language and cues to her emotional state within her voice, this man before her... he continues to be unflappable, even before a friend. He puts his right hand inside the poncho for... something. When he takes it out, moments later, it's... ... ...A folded piece of paper. "I was part of a more successful expedition at a later date," he continues to explain, now holding the paper out towards the ailing woman. "I have been assured by the finest linguistics professor at Linga that we found some poetry that dates back to the era of the Metal Demon Wars... I requested a copy by one of his assistants." If Riese reads it, she will come to understand very quickly why Ethius did not. What thoughts I have of you tonight, Marcy Doodoo, for I walked down the defile under the trees with a headache self-conscious looking at the full moons.

In my dizzy vertigo, and sniffing for images, I went into the purple fruit market, dreaming of your enumerations!

What pears and penumbras! Whole pods shopping at night! Aisles full of soldiers! Knights in the avocados, babies in the tomatoes!and you, Marko Nanno, what were you doing down by the watermelons?

I saw you, Steve Jerbs, childless, lonely old grubber, poking among the meats in the refrigerator and eyeing the grocery boys.

I heard you asking questions of each: Who killed the baby back ribs? WHose babies were they? What price the cheeses? Will you lick my spoon?

Where are we going, Steve Jerbs? The doors close in a hour. Which way does your beard point tonight? And why are you licking the spoons?

snap snap snap snap snap snap

(A note by Professor Keith says that every seat poem ends with the word 'snap' repeatedly, and none know why.)

... Even reading that with a straight face would be beyond him.

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

Riesenlied stares at the paper and peers for a long, quizzical while. "I, um.... I was searching for this?" The earnest sound of surprise in her tone could not have sounded more baffled, and she has a warm, sad smile. "This is what you found beyond that door? How unusual..." she has a sigh. "Though, Drifters do not seek because they expect to find gold. But there is some curiousity behind the contents of this poem... erratic as they may be. I may... somewhat question the legitimacy of the localisation, though. Though I do not doubt Professor Keith, having met him myself."

She bobs her head to the other side. "The Metal Demon Wars... does that pique your interest, Mister Ethius?" She wraps her arms around herself. "Ours is a world that is plagued by catastrophes we poorly understand. Even the most trivial and jovial of insights... is valuable, in its own way. Or at least, I think so."

<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.

There is no amusement in the man's face. With half of it hidden from the nose down by that yellow bandanna, it would be impossible to see him smile even if he was. Those eyes of his... they seem intent to absorb every detail that they can yet grasp, and yet give little back in turn. Perhaps his eyes should be darker for it, for all it greedily absorbs as though a vacuum. A theory of his appears to be refuted, and yet... "I have interest in all lost technologies across the eras, Miss Riese," so speaks Ethius, "anything out of the ordinary. Anything out of reach of understanding." He closes his eyes for a time, a hand going up to his head as said head tilts downward. "My curiosity remains my own." Does he have a network of steady contacts? Does he work for anyone? So far as anyone knows, he is just one very strangely obsessive Drifter who appears to lack... nuance, depth, or much beyond that driving goal. "But... I digress." He opens his eyes anew, leveling his gaze upon Riesenlied, as his hands fold behind his back. "I am aware that your interests, whatever form they may take... you are not acting on your own." Is that an accusation? The tone of voice has not shifted any sharper, nor any louder. It is spoken the same way as he has anything else.

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

Riesenlied seems rather quietly pleasant still, like she didn't have a bone of suspicion in her body. "Well... no, you have seen me collaborate with a great many Drifters and other adventurers around the area, no? Yourself, Miss Jacqueline, I could name very many people who've helped me..."

Her left eye begins to twitch again as she momentarily hunches over just a moment-- she puts her finger up to say, "Just... a moment, Mister Ethius." She reaches into that coat of hers and adjusts at her gauze again, before reaching out for her pack and rather haphazardly trying to tie a fresh loop around it.

<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.

"You are not on trial, Miss Riese." Then what is the point of making these claims? The way he stands with his hands behind his back... on what grounds does he accuse? His eyes do not move, nor flinch, as he sizes up her gestures. Her pain. He can't be ignorant of her physical and emotional states at this point. "It is not you, I am concerned about." Will he not address her point? She has been in contact with many, in her travels - how could he narrow anything down, beyond a wild guess? Is this all a bluff? Therein lies the added frustration - especially now as he refuses to openly disclose where he bases these claims. It's very difficult to read him. He allows Riese the time she needs to address her injuries. Maybe even draw a weapon, depending on how much he truly knows. He... might need to be eliminated. Far as the eye can see, it's just him - there's nowhere to hide. No one who could come up to assist him, if Riese decided he must be silenced. "I believe both you, and Miss Odjn, acted in our best interests that day. There is little you could do in order to convince me otherwise." He remains unflinching. Unmoving. However many years this human has had of life, he is less than a /tenth/ of her age. Yet, here he dares stand, as though one who might believe himself in a position to speak so candidly...! "What you did saved our lives. How you did... I believe we were not meant to bear witness. My gratitude remains, Miss Riese..." He brings a hand to his head, looking off to the side. "But I am aware of the possibility that there are others who may not look kindly upon there having been witnesses." What could the tipping point have been? Which one is responsible for risking the masquerade as the time of action draws closer? Did he happen upon Kalve mumbling something related to her person? Is this man's knowledge of the Crimson Nobles superior to that of Noeline? Was Zed too careless in his exuberance and endless enthusiasm? Did he somehow happen to see her in the company of those who bear less... concealable forms? His lack of disclosure as to his suspicions - if it is not a bluff - may be yet a problem. "Neither of us have spoken to anyone else of it. Miss Jay is but a merchant, who only seeks to be able to continue her craft in peace. She is frightened." Whose fault is that, though, really? The hand is removed from his face. "I, too, know the value of secrets." The hand goes back behind the back. "I will not ask you for further clarification on what you seek. My question differs." He does not seem to let up in allowing Riese toget a word in - not until he at last pops that final question. Those eyes of his... They narrow imperceptibly. "Can you guarantee that no harm will befall Miss Jay. in exchange for her continued discretion about what she witnessed that day?"

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

Riesenlied closes her eyes as she ties the rest of her wound and staves off the bleeding, having lowered herself to a kneel. "I do not keep secrets because those who witness them must die, Mister Ethius. I keep them because there are those who would speak poorly of me... regardless of how I act, regardless of what kind of virtue I deign to show."

She doesn't seem to be ignoring Ethius, though, as he continues to speak. Riese rises, standing up to full height. "... Miss Jacqueline is not just a simple merchant," she first speaks. "She has a passionate soul that seeks truths within the depths of these Ruins. A simple merchant would not have acted the way she did, after what she has seen."

The smile seems saddest at that point. "I do not consciously raise my blade to kill where I can. You have seen this." Before, in the Sacred Grounds, where she preferred to subdue the thieves rather than kill them. Again at Lahan, where her preferred way to deal with the soldiers were to go around them and distract. "But I cannot say the same of Filgaia. It is a dangerous world, and I espouse a philosophy of self-refinement to anyone who would walk this barren world. Miss Jay has taken this well, and has developed powerful Sorceries for herself. I see no reason to go behind her back to ensure she is protected."

She turns her head towards Ethius with a tender, if slightly sad smile. "I have myself spoken to her, and... perhaps take it from someone who tries her hardest to understand," she murmurs. She holds up a potion satchel -- one that's recognisably Miss Barber's. "... she entrusted me with this, even when she did not have to do such a thing."

<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.

Ethius remains as motionless as always, even as Riese rises to her full height to meet against his. The little positional power plays appear to mount between them. Externally, the two are standing around having themselves a conversation about delicate subject matter. Underneath that layer, the two may well be having an immaculate dance between bullets fired by guns, with narrow clearance between each. Ethius is not outing his reasons and proof for suspicion - he may indeed be firing blanks encased in wild, imaginative speculation born entirely of paranoia. Riesenlied does not give the direct guarantee, her ammunition constructed with whole-hearted faith about the ability of one she could call a friend and her own moral values, rather than the steel of anger. He brings that hand to his head again with that thought - to not go behind her back and ensure she is protected... there are then, indeed, others. Positionally, his eyes have turned away from the satchel that she offers as proof of their continued friendship. "My apologies, Miss Riese." Contrition? "I was inconsiderate throughout our discussion. Had I noticed sooner..." His right hand goes back under the poncho. Maybe now, it is time he will finally help address the thing that brought her notice back to himself... "You are injured." He withdraws a small roll of gauze. "Do you require assistance?"

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

Riese shakes her head politely, holding her hand up. "No, I've supplies, thank you. It is just a wound... from yesterday's rescue mission."

It seems difficult -- more difficult than it would be to speak to a shady person who's clearly hiding something, or a malicious person who didn't give a whit of it. If there was something Riesenlied possessed, it was earnestness, and it was earnestness that she was even willing to bleed for, as she does right now. Many a self-styled villain would sit in the shadows, thinking that risk that they place themselves in was unnecessary. So what was it, then? There were clearly things she was hiding. That she couldn't give a direct guarantee... while not damning, certainly cast her activities in a different light.

Also, Riese is comparatively tiny even at full height, heel and horns compared to the hulking man Ethius is.

"I have trust," she smiles faintly. "In you, in Miss Jay, in those that I have had the pleasure of meeting. It was not always this way. But if such a desire, such a curiosity to understand what has happened to our world continues to foster... I have faith that they will be all right, in the future."

She quietly turns to face the road again, in the opposite direction. "The path of the Drifter is myriad. Yet in the many ways they travel, crossroads are commonplace. They band together, exchanging information and power... and in the end, they will reach the destination they seek."

Where was she, then, in all of that?

<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.

Compare and contrast to one Ethius Hesiod. A strange, suspicious man who seems to lack many of the typical social pleasantries to go with his eloquent way of speaking. A man who rarely says hello, even more rarely gives out his identity, and never his reasons beyond a vague specification of desire. There is nothing welcoming about his appearance. His eyes do not smile, nor frown. His body language is suppressed... stiff, and very limited. His obsessive, odd behavior does not speak of one of friendliness, let alone trustworthiness. What is the well-being of Jacqueline Barber, to him? She is not deeply involved in any trade of ARMs, or Dragon Fossils, or much of anything he professes interest in. Just what is he, really, if not a young(?) man who seems to follow his whimsy, and little else? An earnest Beastwoman(?). A migrant hermit(?). What do these two withhold from one another, even sharing their gratitude and trust with one another? As Riesenlied walks away with her poetic parting words, Ethius' turn of his own back is... colder, in comparison. That's not hard for him to achieve. There's that lack of warmth to almost anything he does, beyond being a living body. "I assure you, Miss Riese," he says as he starts on his own path, "we will meet again." With how borderline monotone his voice is, the meaning of these concisely spoken words is left open for interpretation. The circumstances in which they would meet once more... that will be another story for later.