2017-05-25: Turning your Convictions
- Log: Turning your Convictions
- Cast: Riesenlied, Matilda Whitehead
- Where: Adlehyde Adventurer's Guild
- Date: 25th May, 2017
- Summary: Riesenlied and Matilda meet after their trip to Lahan, and discuss the future.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied had been running around, despite the critical and slow-healing injury on her left shoulder, tying up loose ends in Adlehyde in her last few days. Those that are close to her say that she's going somewhere, pursuing after another lead, to stop a war from brewing further... ... it is ironic, perhaps, that the wake of the Demons' attack is all but hypocritical to her desires.
She's headed into the Adventurer's Guild with a few belongings tucked in her bag. The horned woman has a rather distinctive cloak with a far-east look to it, multi-layered with a kind of tribal pattern and tassled ends. She's kind of moving a bit stiffly as she drops a small basket of goods at the counter. "Yes, please forward these goods to..." If one looks, it looks like pottery and paintings brought out of a ruin.
<Pose Tracker> Matilda Whitehead has posed.
Matilda's own activities in Adlehyde the last few days have been terribly similar in any respects. She has a positively regular schedule when not chasing rumored Drifter haunts; she checks in at the Adventurer's Guildhall, spends a few hours at the market, then does a final check-in at the guildhall before retiring to the tavern.
This is her first check-in of the day, and she's not expecting much. She's in line just behind Riesenlied, and seems -- preoccupied. She's holding a notebook in hand; the cover would indicate it's new, but it's already aggressively dog-eared, clipped together, and crumpled at spots.
The /voice/ is familiar, though, even if the cloak doesn't ring a bell for Matilda, and gets her to look and see the /horns/, a moment later. "Ah -- it's been a while, hasn't it...?" she asks.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied pauses, and smiles very quietly as she turns after taking her receipt up. "Oh, Miss Matilda? Hello, it has been a while... how have you been?" She steps aside so she can conduct her business, wincing just a little bit as she heads towards a little table and chair setup on the side. She sighs as she lets go of the basket and rubs at her shoulder for a moment.
<Pose Tracker> Matilda Whitehead has posed.
"I -- ah... I've been doing well enough!" She's all smiles, despite her brief stammer. "It's very good to see you again... though, ah, I wasn't expecting to run into you /here/, precisely... -- Ah, give me a moment, and then we can talk!"
Matilda requests a few maps at the desk. They're obscure topographical ones, so she's told it'll be a while -- which gives her the opportunity to sit down with Riesenlied. "Is -- is everything, quite, all right? You seem..." She elects to trail off there.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied winces again and says, "Ah... good enough. I had a bad run-in with a remote ARM while rescuing the King, unfortunately," as she settles down on her chair. "It isn't something that can be helped, unfortunately. Sometimes, my wounds just don't heal properly for a long while...."
She tilts her head as she glances towards the alchemist. "I just came back from a Dig at the new Tomb where they unearthed that Golem, Lolithia... I did not find much more than pottery, but there were several fascinating pieces, I must say. Predating even the Collapse..."
<Pose Tracker> Matilda Whitehead has posed.
Oh boy -- a chance for Helping(tm)! "Oh, that sounds awful -- would you like me to take a look at it...?" she asks, trying to hide her enthusiasm and mostly failing. "I've been working on a few new blueberry derivatives that could help -- even if it won't heal, it might be able to make it a little less painful.."
She scoots in a little closer, adding, "That's quite the find! Cultural artifacts often go overlooked -- but if you can find the right interested party they're often high-paying... I've mostly just found notes and rubbish lately, myself -- other than something Miss Carver's agreed to help with..."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
"Ah-- yes, if you would not mind," Riesenlied nods, letting out a bit of a sigh. "In truth, I was about to depart back to the saloon to get my wounds replaced, but if you would..."
She taps at her chin for a moment, before smiling quietly to say, "Oh, that's right. Noeline told me that she followed up on what we found over at Lahan... and I had a gift for you as well, Miss Matilda."
<Pose Tracker> Matilda Whitehead has posed.
Matilda nods, reaching into her pack. "Ah -- would you prefer a topical formulation, or something you can eat?" she asks, conversationally, before looping to the other topic.
"Yes, that's right! We sat down to talk about this at... was it this -- no, it was two tables over," she notes, wryly. ... Then she pauses for a few moments. "Ah -- did she tell you about my... dream?" There's a hesitation that's just a /little/ past mere nerves as she asks. "And -- what gift is that? Not that I don't appreciate the sentiment already, of course..."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied blinks and says, "Ah, a topical formulation, perhaps..." and tilting her head with a very soft chuckle. "Ah-- your dream?" She reaches towards her pack and procures... a rather musty old tome, which looks... like a manual of some kind? "I had not caught up with Noeline that much about what you discussed about, but the topic of your resuscitating that machine did come up. I do not know if this will be useful to you, but..."
On closer inspection, it seems like a Gear engineering manual. Most interestingly, perhaps, that it comes from Garlyle, far to the east. While a lot of the topics are probably old hat for someone like Matilda, it would probably give a better reference for some of the techniques used in the east compared to Ignas. It is a few years dated, so it won't cover the latest and greatest, but...
<Pose Tracker> Matilda Whitehead has posed.
Despite her experience with ARMs outstripping a typical scholar's, Matilda's experience trends more toward /personal/ gear than Gear-scale weaponry; she accepts the manual with bright-eyed enthusiasm. "Ah -- this is a tremendously thoughtful gift! I'll be able to put this to excellent use, I'm sure," she says, as she flips through it.
She then puts it in her pack, and gets out a jar of awful-looking off-blue lotion. "Ah -- I'll need you to reveal the area where the pain is worst, if, erm. If modesty permits? If not I suppose I can leave the jar to apply on your own time, ahaha..."
Realizing that she probably won't be able to /totally/ escape the topic, she adds, "I was feeling, mm -- poetic, when I talked with Miss Carver. I shared a schoolgirl's fantasy of a safe Filgaia. Ahaha... it's a little embarrassing."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied slowly nods and slacks the cloak off, unclasping it at the centre where there's an old brooch that's seen a lot of wear and tear. She exposes her low-cut shirt that exposes her shoulder a little, where the bandage has... held, for a day, but the bleeding has definitely redoubled rather persistently. "... must it be a fantasy, Miss Matilda?" she asks gently. "Is it not everyone's desire to wish for a safe world?"
A pause, as she tilts her head. "I gift this to you in part because I believe I will be seeing less of Adlehyde in the near future... I seek to pursue a lead that has borne new fruit further. Because I, too, seek a new world where everyone can flourish..."
<Pose Tracker> Matilda Whitehead has posed.
"Oh this looks positively /horrid/," Matilda says, popping open the jar and scooping some goop out of it. It stings a little -- there's definitely some salt in the mixture -- but in the long run, well, it's blueberry-based, so it's better than nothing. "... That's a sentiment that suits you, Miss," she replies, as she works. "I'm glad you seem to understand, and even agree, though..."
She takes a small breath, and lets it out as a sigh. The fingers of her free hand drum on the table. "It is -- difficult, to share the truth of your dreams with someone else, isn't it...? To dream is to drift, and Drifting is very lonely work indeed."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
The magical setting where blueberries are just as potent as magickal healing potions. Does this mean that blueberry pie is medicine, instead of a tasty treat to be left out on the windowsill to waft? (the answer is probably both.)
"... dreams are very fragile things by their nature, Miss Matilda," Riesenlied speaks softly, wincing just a little as Matilda gets to work. "But at the same time, they can be very strong. Drifting is a certainly very lonely profession, but... even in the few months I have been here, I have walked along the crossroads of so many other people chasing after their dreams, and it is heartening to see. Even if you do not walk a path others follow... you know that you are not alone, no matter where you go, because there are likeminded people out there."
<Pose Tracker> Matilda Whitehead has posed.
The other option was, for the record, a blueberry tart. This is real life on Filgaia.
"... That's such an optimistic way of looking at it," Matilda says, quietly. "I'm almost envious... I wish I could share in whatever feeling sustains that." She laughs with a momentary, uncharacteristic bitterness.
"Can people chasing different dreams really be said to be like-minded for the chase alone...?" She finishes up with her gross blue goop, saying, "You should heal cleanly, quickly, and without too much risk of infection. The pain should subside in a few moments, as well... by the time it comes time to take another foolhardy risk, I'm sure you'll be more than ready."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
"Perhaps not everyone will be of the same mind, but... ... a long time ago... I suffered greatly," Riesenlied admits, shivering just a little. "I was cast off into a deep well of despair... I was alone, I thought I would always be alone..." She places her hand to her brooch, gasping just a little as she winces at the pain. She nods gently.
"But I realised that... cynicism is obedience, Miss Matilda," Riesenlied expresses, perhaps noting a bit of that bitterness. "There are, unfortunately, many who would wish for you to think that the conditions we must deal with are 'normal'. That things cannot be made better. I myself come from a group of people who experience that disenfranchisement, daily... but optimism, no matter how difficult it is, is our torch for the future. It is slow... it is difficult, it is painful, but it is worth fighting for."
<Pose Tracker> Matilda Whitehead has posed.
'Cynicism is obedience.' That one actually gets a wince from Matilda. Giving Riesenlied a small, weak nod, Matilda replies, "I -- I suppose that's very true. If we are to have the things we want in this world, we need to assume that the world can be changed. ... I lose sight of that, sometimes."
An awkward, nervous laugh follows. "I hope the strength you've gained from that suffering carries you far, Miss Riesenlied. I think if the world were full of people with that kind of bright hope, Filgaia would be green again." She takes a moment to adjust her coat, which conveniently also averts her gaze for a few seconds. When she looks up, she's got a smile on, though.
"And I hope /both/ of us are able to turn our convictions into something beautiful. I think this Gear -- and this manual -- might be the next step in precisely that." That much, at least, it seems like she's willing to believe in.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied has a gentle nod as she watches Matila for a moment, and then says, "I ... am myself not certain how strong I truly am. Despite how much I want to feel, to understand, to speak and reach out... there are some barriers that seem impassable, cultural rifts and differences that have gone on for so long that they seem to be part of nature itself. Take the war between Aveh and Kislev, for instance... I have spoken to many people who simply shrug at me and say, 'That's just the way things have been'..."
She shakes her head with a genteel sigh. "That is part of why I seek the Ruins out, so much. Because if we are to change things, we need to shine a light on the sad and messy history of this world, instead of make faraway assumptions of why things went so wrong for our ancestors."
She tilts her head and regrows that smile, so soft and tender. Fragile. "I have all the faith that you can take that seeds of that conviction and make it blossom, Miss Matilda. And if you ever need counsel or help... I am available for you."
<Pose Tracker> Matilda Whitehead has posed.
"That... makes a lot of sense," Matilda says, with a nod. "I think that's a very mature outlook to have. I wish sometimes my own reasons were so high-minded..." She laughs a little, before admitting, "To tell you the truth -- I'd like to start my own settlement." She doesn't frame it in quite so grandiose a way as she did with Noeline, here -- but she's at least willing to say it, at this point.
"I would like to make the same offer to you," she adds, at Riesenlied's admission of faith. "I would like to help Filgaia flourish once again -- and would love to share a flourishing world with someone like you, Miss Riesenlied."
Worrying at her lower lip with her teeth, she adds, "I hope your new lead finds you well -- perhaps once you've discovered what it is you need to, we'll be able to talk more about the future..."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied lets out a soft sigh as she places her hands to her chest. "I wonder, if I am so high-minded, sometimes... ...sometimes I fear that there is darkness in the near future, and that however strong I hold onto my thoughts, that I threaten to be thrown into a storm of uncertainties and horrible, impossible decisions."
She listens to Matilda, before smiling quietly to say, "A new settlement? I, too, would someday like to lead my brethren to a place where they can all live without fear. Someday..." She nods and reaches her hand out for her. "Yes, let's work together to see that world be realised."
But how much bloodshed stands in the way of the new world? She can't steer away the dark, angry sentiments of her brethren...
<Pose Tracker> Matilda Whitehead has posed.
There's a certain awkwardness to the way in which Matilda takes that offered hand. Her own gloved hand moves slowly, gingerly -- as if she were reaching out not for a friend who'd just shared a tender moment with her, but for a snake to carefully milk for venom. She /does/ accept it, though, in the end.
"Ahaha... Miss Carver shared similar sentiments," Matilda notes, as she takes that hand. "I'm glad to see there's such faith in my hopes... and I think you should have some of that faith in your /own/, as well." The smile on her face doesn't quite reach her eyes, anymore. "Whatever storm comes, I'm certain that it can be weathered."
With one final, firm nod, Matilda affirms, "... maybe you're right -- maybe dreaming isn't so lonely as I'd feared." ... But on the other hand -- how bloody will this dream have to be, and what will be sacrificed in its name...?
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied gently lowers her head, shaking it gently, before letting go. Her hand feels soft, gloved as they also are. Perhaps, they are more innocent than Matilda's, in the end, no matter who Riesenlied is and what her position in life is.
She isn't so much of an ingenue to believe that everyone's dreams are clean, and free of bloodstains. But at the same time... is it so wrong to hope that?
"Indeed," Riese nods gently as she rises to her feet. "Please take care, Miss Matilda. I hope that manual comes in useful, and... thank you for your healing as well, the pain has truly subsided for the time being."
<Pose Tracker> Matilda Whitehead has posed.
"I'm glad I could help you, and I'm /very/ grateful for the help you've given me," Matilda replies, nodding to Riesenlied. "Please stay safe, hmm? There has been... much to fear, of late, and I would hate for such things to find you..." In the end, that's all she can do for now -- hope those she's met along the way can stay well.
She stands up as well, saying, "I hope to see you again soon, Miss Riesenlied!"
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied's smile is still on her lips, though it feels just a bit faded. The horned woman carries sorrow that can't help but come through at times. She clasps at that brooch gently, and says, "Yes, I do as well, Miss Matilda..." She bows her head, and picks up that empty basket as she turns towards the doorway of the Adventurer's Guild.
Parting is such a difficult thing... in the end, she is but another child of Filgaia, wishing for nurture and companions, no matter how estranged the world would like to make her...