2017-05-30: Under the Moon
- Log: Under the Moon
- Cast: Riesenlied, Catenna
- Where: Adelyn Ranches
- Date: 30th May 2017
- Summary: Following the destruction of Adlehyde, Riesenlied approaches Catenna, concerned for the Zoa priestess.
<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.
The attack on Adlehyde has gone by. The town still smoulders in the distance, but it's hard to see at night.
Catenna's tent had been set up by a stream. Now, in the low light of the deep evening, with only the moon for company, she's left the tent behind.
Water sloshes around dark limbs as the woman rises from the stream, letting the moonlight glint in the droplets that bead from her hair and down her frame. She reaches for a soft white sheet, wrapping herself up in it, drying her hair and skin. She folds it about herself like a cloak or a shawl, only her face, hands and feet visible from beneath it. The warm breeze plays across her cheeks, holding only the slightest evening chill.
Bare feet mingling among tall grass and pale lilies, she lifts her eyes towards the sky above, towards the shape of the moon, bright but partially obscured by whispy clouds. The light of it only illuminates the quiet sadness in her expression.
Try as she might to purify herself, she can't wash away the feeling. It has only gotten stronger since the battle in the town square. That she should feel this way because of someone whom her beliefs tell her is anathema....
"Riesenlied," she murmurs to the open air, her voice very faint but with a low ache to it. "I wish... that it did not have to be you."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied is... well, she does not make a habit of spying on people while they wash in the stream. That's just rude.
But she is concerned, and as much as she'd like to go and visit the tent directly, it'd cause more problems than it would solve them. The blonde-haired woman's presence can be sensed amongst the trees, not far from the bank of the stream. She is draped in her now-familiar cloak, which ironically evokes so many Ellurian patterns from so long ago. Why does she still wear it now? Now that the masquerade has been exposed for what it is?
She is anathema. The world tells her she is anathema. Yet, despite all of that, she presses on.
"... I am sorry, but it is I," Riesenlied speaks very faintly.
<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.
It is entirely possible to stumble upon Catenna while she's decent. The sheetcloak does make her look a little like a Marian statue.
Curling one hand at her collar, she blinks a couple of times - and then she recognizes what she's feeling. A presence she recognizes.
Sucking in a breath, Catenna feels her eyes go wide, her lips parting slightly. The look of surprise isn't hidden away - it shows on her face in a way most emotions do not. Quickly she turns towards the trees -
And she spots that familiar cloak, and the blonde hair flowing atop it. The little horns. Her eyes dip towards the ground.
"I did not expect you here," she says, her voice very quiet.
That hangs in the air for a few seconds before she begins to move forward, bare feet silent in the moonlit grass. A few locks of damp hair slip from her hood, brushing her cheek. Even in the moon's glow, those pale-grey eyes of her are as clear as ever - they catch the light, like twin moons, in their way, holding on Riesenlied now and taking the sight of her in.
"...But I am glad you are still alive."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
"I am as well..."
Riesenlied quietly pulls up from the tree, her wings spreading just a little bit underneath her cloak. Her remiges are pale and amber, translucent towards their tips, a rather beautiful contrast amidst the bleached-white moonlight.
"Even now, the city is still not entirely soothed from its flames. ... no matter how much I tried, I could not stem the tide of hatred."
There's a faint laugh, sorrowful and regretful.
"... perhaps Celesdue is not wrong after all. I could feel her, in that moment, as she is manifest."
<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.
Parting her lips, Catenna tries to find the right words. She can't find them right away, just lowering her head and closing her eyes for a moment. Long fingers curl into the neck of her cloak, clutching it loosely for lack of much else to clutch. Her gaze drifts a little to the right, and down, once her eyes open again.
"I trust her in all things," she says, voice quiet.
Then she swallows a lump in her throat. "...I had wondered why you would lie to me again. But... I think I understand. That none of us would have spoken to you were you to tell the truth about what you are. That you would be judged as a Metal Demon first."
Turning, she looks away again, off towards the distant horizon. The edge of her sheet disturbs a lily near her right ankle. A few petals flicker loose, onto a gentle breeze, blowing away on that breath of nature. "...And I probably would have done so, had I known," she admits bitterly.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied lowers her head with a sad little smile, nodding her head. "... it would not be the first time," she admits. "And who could blame you, or anyone else? History is so much larger and storied than the two of us. ... and faced against that ... are the efforts of an individual insignificant, after all?"
She sighs. "... it hurts me, Catenna. It hurts me to know that nothing of their sentiments have changed."
There is a pause. "But I mean what I said. ... I still love Filgaia, no matter what its Guardians think of me. I am but one person, demon or not. I can't change the world overnight... but it won't stop me from trying."
<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.
Slowly, Catenna lowers her hand from her collar. It falls to her side. Her silence is a dreadful, sad thing, hovering about her like a pair of wings as she looks off into the distance.
"There are many people from the town of Adlehyde who will never see what the world is like tomorrow," she murmurs. "Nor see it today. And some are women and children - innocent people."
When she turns to look back at Riese, tears stand in her eyes, and her breath catches in her throat. "I do not doubt that your heart is full of kindness," she says, and there's something in her voice that aches. A plea, but not in so many words. "Your kindness... I have seen it. The way you left your shield for me... and yet...." She holds her hand out towards the distant horizon.
Towards the village, still smouldering, far off, but so close.
"...and yet those you hold court with... where was their kindness for Adlehyde?"
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied lowers her head, closing her eyes. "... I try, my hardest. Each and every day."
There's a shiver from her lips, as her knee lifts gently, and she reclines against the tree and holds her one good hand onto her chest. Her left arm, somewhat visible under the cloak, is still dangling as it has been when she appeared.
"But it is not simple. It is not simple to change the opinion of thousands of people, and it won't happen overnight. Not when they have been taught of hatred, of glory, behind our walls, with no real world experience to guide them. They have not had the opportunity to see the world for what it is, make decisions for themselves."
There's a faint, shallow breath. "I have seen the first signs of change tonight. But I am afraid I can only do so much, prevent so many people from being harmed or killed... ...and that is cold comfort to you."
<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.
Pale grey eyes, clear like a mountain lake, fall to that left arm with quiet worry. Then Catenna looks up again, and bites gently down to the pout of her lower lip.
Slowly, she steps forward. She knows that Celesdue is watching her, but simple mercy is at issue here, even if Riesenlied is what she is. Slender hands rising, she reaches out to the reclining woman.
Her fingertips hover near that left shoulder. She lifts those eyes to Riese, chin held slightly dipped. "You are badly hurt, aren't you," she murmurs, her voice very, very low, barely above a whisper.
"I am sorry... that I was one of those who had to hurt you. I did not wish to.
"I did not want it to be you." Tears stand in her eyes, unshed just yet, but gleaming like little sparks of light.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied looks to herself, as Catenna moves her hand slowly towards that shoulder, then down. She lowers her own chin as well, slightly. "I am not like other demons, I am afraid. Injury comes easy to me, and heals slowly... and to use that weapon of the heart... I must wound myself."
She shakes her head, and then says, "... I am sorry too, but I am ... glad you did what you did. I am glad you all did. Because you showed me your conviction... and it is that brightness within your soul that will help lift us towards a future where everyone can flourish."
She takes a deep, gasping breath. "... I hope that does not make me sound like I take pleasure in pain."
<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.
"I wondered about that," Catenna murmurs, her hand hovering there, proceeding no further. "You seemed different, in some way... not monstrous. And... you did not kill me, when you could easily have."
As the other woman gasps like that, Catenna blinks once, then twice. "I do not think you do. You gave your shield to me... when you could have simply dealt me a blow that would have killed me. I will not forget that you did, even if our paths must... move in such different directions. But I wish...."
For a long moment, the priestess quiets. Her throat works, tightening as she swallows a lump of emotion.
Those slender fingers close the last bit of distance... and settle on Riese's shoulder, curling loosely.
"It would be easy if you were like the one who was with you," she admits, her voice much smaller and more vulnerable. "If you screamed about how we were all meatbags to be slaughtered. But... I cannot believe that you are such a person... and I cannot believe that your kindness was a lie."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
"We often desire a simple and convenient state of affairs..." Riesenlied murmurs in turn, placing a hand to Catenna's on her shoulder. Gently, tenderly. "But I am not alone either. Even amongst our kind, I lead the Tainted, a minority who are judged for their defects, their deficiencies. And if nothing else... I would like you to remember that. We may be anathema on some measure I cannot perceive, to the Guardians... but there are those of us who do not desire wanton, careless destruction."
Her lips press as well. "... I cannot linger long... and you've people to heal, people to look after. And tomorrow will yet be another battle, for there are so many others who seek to misuse the means of destruction that have brought this planet low..."
<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.
Turning her hand beneath Riesenlied's, Catenna slides her fingers into the spaces between the tainted woman's. It feels wrong, somehow - like touching sin.
But she can't help herself. The other woman's words are kind, and genuine for what they are. And this time, the lie was one she can understand.
"Even among your own people," she murmurs, her eyes downcast. A distant ache clutches at her heart. It's a familiar one this time. A trace of long ago, reaching back to her and brushing fingers across her cheek, as if to remind her. To tie her to this creature - this woman who should be absolutely anathema to all that she is.
"I cannot forget it," she murmurs. "You are outcast among your kind... as I am."
When the blonde makes her goodbyes, Catenna tightens her grip a little, giving her hand a squeeze. Her lips part slightly, then close again. "...If we meet across the field again, I will have to fight you," she murmurs. "But I will not do it because of hate. I could not... hate you, even now."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Unfortunately, Riesenlied cannot turn into a giant space whale concocted of an armor of dreams, or her task might be easier. Or harder, depending on whose perspective you scribe it from. She whimpers just a little as Catenna holds onto her hand, tighter.
"I know," Riesenlied answers. "... many mocked me for having a weapon that does not kill. But I could not be more relieved now. A single person cannot save Filgaia. It is only with the solidarity of many people -- Drifters, civilians, bystanders -- that we can slowly shift the sentiments of hate that have been planted around us. And for that reason, in my own way, I wish to see you all continue."
<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.
For the moment, she keeps her hand woven with Riesenlied's. If it is a sin, she is not about to stop doing it. Not if the woman's feelings are genuine.
Quiet grey eyes holding on Riese's, Catenna nods slowly, gravely to her. "I wish more of your people thought the way you did... though... I know it will be hard. I do not even know if the nature of Metal Demons is one the land itself can ever accept. But...."
Lowering her head, the priestess collects her thoughts for several pregnant seconds. And then she lifts her head, once more capturing the winged woman's gaze. "...Am I hurting you," she asks, then, her voice much softer, with a touch of worry to it. She heard that little whimper. Her fingers shift within their loose weave with Riesenlied's; there's a gentle warmth to her palm.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied shakes her head and says, "Just a little..." She lets go of her hand as well, and while there is less warmth in her gloved hand, it is not cold. "I do not enjoy the term 'Metal Demon'... it is a name that has been cast on us by history."
A pause. "I said that I was a child of both Filgaia and Hyades, and I mean it. I belong to both planets, both for who I am, and because this land is where I am born, well after the precipice of violence that stained the histories of both our ancestors."
"One day, I would like to see that we embrace the term 'Hyadean'. That we can cast aside the shackles of myth." +votes: You have received votes from Jacqueline Barber and Noeline.
<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.
"I do not... know where Hyades is," admits Catenna, blinking in mild confusion. "But I am sorry."
Sliding her hand away from Riese's, she takes a step back, arms wrapped loosely around herself. Her hood has slid back by now, dark hair still damp as it spills loosely about her shoulders and face. Bare feet shifting in the grass, she nods quietly back to the blonde woman, though the sadness in her eyes cannot be missed.
"I cannot make things different... but I can hope that they will be so. And... while I do not know how much difference it makes, I...." Eyes lowering once more, she clears her throat.
"...I valued the time we spent together."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
"... I do not know where it is either," Riesenlied admits. "It is a distant star, so far away, which no longer exists, for it is destroyed. There are few of us now who can still claim to hail from that place."
The sorrow in her eyes is familiar, but it is tinged with the strength of resolve that she typically carries. An unbroken will, seeking to progress, ever further. "... I valued the time we spent together as well. ... and I-- may come try your curry again one day."
She glances aside. "... though I may need a lot of milk ..."
<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.
That claim leaves Catenna's eyes growing very wide. "Another world...? How can... how can there be another world around a star? The stars are not...." She trails off, the answer leaving her with even more questions as she tries to reconcile astronomy with religion and fails to make much of either.
The sadness in Riese's eyes is there, though. It mirrors Catenna's own sadness - though she is doing her best to maintain a simple dignity even with her emotions allowed to show through. The last comment, though, draws the tiniest hint of a smile to her lips.
"Should that day come, I will make it mild for you," she assures.
"I hope that it comes soon."