2017-05-29: Tears for Fears

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  • Log: Tears for Fears
  • Cast: Riesenlied, Noeline, Cetiri
  • Where: Old Petra
  • Date: 29th May 2017
  • Summary: Noeline and Cetiri watch over Riesenlied and ruminate on the aftermath of the attack...


<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

Old Petra could not have become more of an active hub in the wake of the Demons' attack.

The old town now lurks with undercover Hyadeans freshly nursing the injuries they've encountered from the attack; there are those that have experienced their first taste of combat with humans. Some are enthralled and filled with a sense of glory; others are cowering at the bizarre sights that befell them. Others yet are experiencing their first brush with loss, incapable of expressing their emotions at losing a brother or sister in the attack.

Riesenlied, in the wake of all this, is seated in a personal room she's selected within the mining base. It's a little spartan room that is decorated similarly to her own in the Photosphere; decorated in the elements of certain Ellurian tribes long forgotten. Cetiri is watching the commander rest, shaking her head.

"How foolish..." she muses.

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

The room might be spartan, but Noeline did have at least one trick up her sleeve; prior to the attack, she did at least manage to stash some of Riesenlied's favorite trinkets and furs from her dwellings within the Photosphere. It isn't much - just what she should ferry over immediately prior to the attack - but it's still enough to offer a little measure of comfort for the commander as she rests.

"... foolish, I would not disagree with," Noeline - ~Ebon Zero~ - grins ruefully as she detaches the gauntlet that didn't get lost in the attack, somehow looking rather smaller than normal in the black bodysuit with her hair down. The rest of her gear is in a careful pile in the corner, the particularly damaged and battered parts separated out from those still servicable, the helmet sat next to her on the table. "But-- it was Riesenlied to the core. Do you really think, even in the most direst circumstances, that she could willingly give up her memories? They are what make her the Commander."

"... we did as well as we could," she sighs as she looks to the Robot Dog Buddy, for once lacking a grin or even a smile. "We faced much tougher odds than I ever expected. Drifters are one thing, an entire Gebler detachment is /quite/ another. And then that Gear - not to mention that ridiculous, insufferable man..." she finishes sourly, letting out a heaving sigh.

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

Cetiri's lazy tail leans over where it strokes some of Riesenlied's hair; the commander is draped in a blanket and lying down, instead of seated, on a bed, her left arm and chest both thoroughly and extensively bandaged. "... the more memories she builds, the harder it will be for her to fight properly. This should come as no surprise to anyone. One who cannot settle her memories, and properly bury the hatchet ..."

Her tail stiffens, and draws back for a moment. "But at the same time, her resolve was commendable. ... to think that she listened to that idle conjecture of mine earnestly ... that was beyond reckless."

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

"Of course, I know that much," Noeline huffs softly; as Cetiri's tail leaves the commander's hair she gently sits down next to the blonde, replacing its touch with her own as she brushes back the other demon's bangs. "... really, when it comes down to it, she's more attached to them than I am," she adds, her voice quiet and without its usual dramatic affectation. "As much as she might talk big about it, she can't just leave the bonds she's made, not if there's even a chance otherwise."

She leans back a little, and lets out another sigh as she looks back to the canine demon. Even she looks tired - though many of her scrapes and cuts have since healed, there's a significant wound in her side that needed bandaging, and another long wind of dressing around one thigh. "... is that really a surprise?" she practically asks again with a smirk. "She trusts you all implicitly. Honestly, I might not say it much, but I do as well. ... thank you, for your help. For allowing me to be there," she adds, lowering her head in a quiet bow.

The moment doesn't last long, though, as she lets out a breath and straightens up. "How's it looking with the others? That must have been a shock."

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

"I did not expect her to delocalise her entire being for the sake of escaping an attack... but it was necessary, at the time," Cetiri grumbles, her opaque LED eyes blinking rapidly for a moment. It's something resembling anger and annoyance, perhaps. "Hmm. I would not have expected that comment from you. Were you not the one that espoused such love for humans?"

There's a pause, as Cetiri pulls her head to the equipment. "I will work overtime to see a second version established, based on the results of the combat. Though..." There is a longer pause, as she narrows her eyes -- which mostly involves partially shutting her camera shutters.

"I did notice that little stint you pulled with your power..."

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

Visibly, Noeline pauses for a moment, taking in the other demon's words - and then lets out a rather more haggard sigh as she leans back on her arms, letting her head loll back. "... agggh, come /on/!" she grouses all of a sudden, rolling her shoulders forward until she's resting with her arms on her knees. "It isn't as if liking humans makes me immediately dislike demons. It's not like it's one or the other! Haven't you been watching /Riese/, after all?" she points out, throwing a hand aside to motion towards the commander.

The next moment she's folded her arms and her legs both, huffing - and here it really does look a lot more like the Noeline of norm, the huffy Crimson Noble except in the form of a demon bodyguard. "Just because I enjoy human company doesn't mean I think any less of you, or the rest of the Ebony Wings. ... the opposite, in fact. You aren't the sort to maraud through the streets, slaughtering anyone they come across, combatant or not." There's a note in her voice - an actual anger buried behind her words, hidden somewhere.

It dies along with her flame, though, a moment later. "... it was a risk. Frankly," she admits with a soft chuckle, "I didn't have a clue what I was doing. I simply wanted to protect her. Haah, and here I thought the melee would be confusing enough that no-one would spot it..."

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

Cetiri's 'eyebrows' raise, which doesn't amount to much, honestly. "I did not say that. But I would not have expected you to acquiesce that to Riesenlied. ... it is pedantic." There is a moment to herself, as she admits, "Watching the troops and many of the rookies work their first battle out... does remind me many things about how humans experience their first forays of emotions as well. Ours is a truly stinted lot, the way we conduct business at the moment. I truly worry about the emotional maturity of our soldiers."

A pause. "But you do realise that Riesenlied would chide you for that difference, yes? She does not simply love the Tainted -- she loves all Hyadeans, no matter what. She is not willing to create embrace that gap in turn."

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

With something of a sigh, Noeline runs a hand back through her hair. "... I know she would. I don't have an answer as to how to address that just yet - but at the same time, I think I'm a little beyond trying to lie to you, hm?" she adds, straightening up with something of an amused if rueful grin. "You know enough about me that I might as well admit it's how I feel right at this moment - no more, no less."

Her second sigh is shorter, glancing towards the door. "... I'll talk to some of them. If nothing else, I've explored enough in the way of emotions that-- well, perhaps I can actually be of some help out there. Help them come to terms with things a little." She pauses, and shakes her head. "At least with the Teardrop recovered, they'll have a while to rest. Make this place something like a home. --I was hoping she could take credit for that much," she mutters, just a little sour.

"... still... I know better than to push my luck with that kind of power," she admits, glancing over to Cetiri. "You have my word, I'll be more careful in the future."

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

"There is no quick solution," Cetiri advises. "Riesenlied would advise you such. It is gradual, and slow, but a good opportunity. The myopia of being cooped in the Photosphere has created a warped culture that does not align with how one normally lives life, demon or human. Now that we are further out in the open... we will slowly see a shift. It is, then, mostly about ensuring that that shift happens in the right direction."

There is an uneasy pause.

"Riesenlied fears the Guardians," Cetiri advises, as she hears the auburn-haired woman start to stir. "Being struck with that Zoa priestess' channeling of Celesdue... it must reopen old wounds for her. Be mindful. She fears she will lose you to them as well. That much of her psyche, I am sure." As well?

Riesenlied's eyes begin to flutter open as she mumbles, "I... um--" she gasps painfully, shivering. "Noeline...? Noeline..." She sounds a bit feverish.

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

"... I know-- on both counts," Noeline replies softly as she reaches a gloved hand for Riese's. She's never pried that far, but Riesenlied's terror when presented with the power of the Guardians makes her worries and fears obvious enough - and Noeline knows better than to push for more details right at this moment. "I'll help that shift along all I can. There's a place we'll be welcomed - even if we have to make it ourselves," she adds, her conviction building.

--but Riese's coughing tugs her attention away, her hand squeezing Riesenlied's for a moment. "I'm here," she says, too softly to be a Crimson Noble, dressed as Ebon Zero... and perhaps an unusual enough sight to confuse the poor injured woman for a moment. "You're safe. So are the Tainted."

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

Cetiri lets out a low, rumbling chuckle as she hops off and pads off, as Riesenlied's eyes go out of focus and-- she stammers, "Oh... oh..." she silently sighs, deep in relief, trembling. "Is..." The next question, on the other hand, might be a bit of a sweep kick rather than a relief. "Is Odjn safe?"

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

Noeline blinks once-- and then her eyebrows rocket upwards in amazement and not a little spike of hurt. ... that said, she's not about to bicker, not with the blonde seeking comfort and relief. "... she is with someone I trust to keep her safe," is the comment she chooses - and an entirely truthful one, given what she knows of Sorey and his nature.

"And I have left a message for her so that she knows to make her way here in time. ... so, worry not," she adds with a quiet smile. "Look to yourself, right at this moment. You fought hard, and kept the Tainted safe."

Her gloved hand reaches up again, this time brushing at the blonde's head between the horns in a-- a-- headpat?

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

Riesenlied is quiet, perhaps some of that tension from her first point of worry bleeding out of her... but there's a-- there's a sniffle, as she breathes out a difficult breath. She gasps aloud as she starts to tear up, shaking her head. "... it is cold comfort," she mumbles. "I could only do so little. After all of this time, after all of my efforts, I could not prevent more destruction..." She trembles, drawing her one good hand up to place towards her face. "Why... why did this all have to happen..."

There it is. As Noeline surmised, for all her bluster, for all the layers of logic and reason she wants to apply to it... it still hurt her deeply, and in this moment, in this room adorned with reminders of the past, between the two of them, she is at her most vulnerable.

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

Very slowly, Noeline sucks in a breath; she tenses up for a moment, treacherously wondering if Cetiri is still listening in before she discards the thought. Audience or not, it isn't about to change who she is, or what she wants to do right at this moment - so she catches Riesenlied's other hand gingerly, letting her touch wander against the woman's palm as she shifts further onto the bed to more properly embrace her superior officer.

"... you did everything you could," she reminds Riesenlied quietly, approaching close enough to practically be resting her forehead against the hand covering the other woman's face. "You saved many lives - and at the end, your words reached some of them. Anger and fear may rule Adlehyde right at this moment, and it may take a long time for wounds to heal - but your feelings /still reached them/," she stresses, gentle but insistent.

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

Riesenlied chokes for a moment, pulling herself softly against Noeline and drawing her head and cheek down towards that bodysuited shoulder of hers. She's sniffling, wailing just a bit wider, clutching at her heart. The pain of her non-functioning left arm is forgotten at this moment, not at all significant compared to the emotional duress this entire ordeal has ultimately brought upon herself.

"Is it possible...?" she finds herself questioning herself. "Sometimes, it feels as if the doors to the new world may forever close..."

She chokes a little. "... I saw their faces... their expressions... their words... I felt them, Noeline... no matter what else, I had no right to..."

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

Closing her eyes, Noeline shuffles in close enough to let her legs tangle with Riesenlied's, to let her body support that of her commander; the hand stroking down the blonde's hair rests for a moment, then cradles Riese gently against her shoulder. "... I have faith in you. I have faith in them, as well. It will surely take time... but we will get there, all of us together."

Hesitating, she leans down to press a kiss amidst the blonde hair, between the other girl's horns. "I will do all that I can to keep that flame alive as well, and to rebuild those bridges between us," she whispers. "Not just your own, but mine and that of the Tainted as well."

"... you kept their memories alive, and you avoided needless death. You did everything you could," she adds as she lifts her head back up, and settles for simply holding the other woman against her.

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

It is rather clear. She'll need time to recover. Not just her body, but... her mind, her soul. If she can even be said to have a soul. Refocus herself. Recentre her thoughts. Enkindle that flame upon the torch of their hopes.

Riesenlied's eyes are shimmering, reflected against the light of the room with how tearful they are. She gasps a little at that kiss, whispering, "We can't give up... if ever we let ourselves fall, we only let those that could not make it through today die in vain..."

She grasps at her chest. "... yet I cannot possibly have the right to say that. This was never about having the right... or being in the right, or wrong... yet..." She swallows deeply, as she shakes her head -- gently so, and trembles to pull her lips towards Noeline's cheek, seeking warmth and affection.

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

Tilting her cheek, Noeline is silent as she lets Riesenlied place a kiss there; she would never admit it to anyone else, but she finds herself needing to gasp softly with emotion, her own eyes screwing shut for a moment as she blinks back the start of tears. "... we are trapped between worlds," she mutters softly, her fingers moving through blonde strands. "But we can still find a place for ourselves, starting here. Even a place like this can be a home," she whispers quietly.

"... I will find them - as many as I can - and I will talk with them. I will help them understand your feelings and your hopes. If it will help, in even the slightest way..." she trails off, shaking her head as she simply buries back in against Riesenlied's hair. You paged Elhaym van Houten with 'anyway-guu'

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

Riesenlied lets out a trembling laugh, shaking her head. "... this is just the start," she whispers. "We'll find a better place. We'll find a suitable place." She... reaches, with that one good hand, lacing it against Noeline's fingers and clutching them. "And you won't talk to them alone. I'll come with you. We'll both teach them. I know... that this won't happen overnight. But patience and understanding... has carried me this far. Understanding has brought me the greatest pain."

She sucks in a breath, deeper than any other. "But it is a pain well worth enduring, for what comes at the end..." She sniffs quietly. "... and thank you, for protecting me. Thank you, for being my shield."

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

Noeline closes her eyes once more, finally letting out a breath of relief as she gently squeezes the other woman's hand. "... Cetiri is going to do what she can to provide me with some replacement armour - after all, I did promise that I would protect your dream. That includes protecting you, as well. --really, it took you long enough to notice! I had to do /something/, given I knew full well you would injure yourself in the attempt!" she adds, grumbling softly as she opens her eyes again to let out an amused huff.

It fades after a moment as she continues to study Riesenlied's expression, her free hand lifting to the other demon's cheek as she nudges in a little closer, finding herself wanting more in the way of affection. Pet me, pet me.

"... even now, Adlehyde licks its wounds, just as we do here. I have already told Cetiri that I would talk with those demons here in need of reassurance - but I will spend some time in Adlehyde, as well. ... it will probably be a very easy way to draw people to meet with you, and I would like to help them a little as well."

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

"It--I--" Riesenlied stammers in a somewhat cute manner, wilting just a little as her horns deflate. "I knew that it must have been you, but I could not be sure... but even if there was just a little doubt, it is not as if I thought you would not come, in my heart..."

She leans just a little closer to that hand of Noeline's, sighing. "It is not easy for me to exert sufficient power without injury... but to draw upon the Fallen Sword... to bring forth that weapon that allows me to express myself the way I wish to, in the battlefield... I feel that it is worth the pain."

Noeline might tease her mercilessly if she knew the sword was a non-lethal, hyper-powered flashlight that makes people see a tiny flower. It's... it's a metaphor, okay.

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

With an amused huff, Noeline can do little more than shake her head with an amused little smile, hoping that Riese doesn't immediately pick up on the colour that threatens to spread across her cheeks. Never mind that the two of them are basically glued together at this point. "... then at least let me protect you, when you do. After all, I have a great deal of lost time to make up for, and if I did not do that much I am sure Cetiri would not let me forget it. ... I am proud of you," she adds quietly.

"But-- /doubt/, huh?" she adds, and this time the pout is definitely put on. "Hmph, who knew I was considered so reliable. And after I went to all manner of preparation for you, you didn't even compliment me on the new look." It's an attempt at levity - perhaps it's not the time, but the chance to knock Riese a little out of her thoughts feels welcome.