2017-06-04: Discussion Amongst Seraphim

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  • Log: Discussion Amongst Seraphim
  • Cast: Seraph Ragnell, Seraph Lailah, Seraph Edna
  • Where: Aldehyde - Refugee Camp
  • Date: June 4th, 2017
  • Summary: Ragnell, Lailah, and Edna chance across each other while taking care of--or simply watching--the refugees of Aldehyde in the wake of the Metal Demon attacks.

<* Adlehyde - Refugee Camp *>

Located in the northeast quadrant of Adlehyde, the refugee camp fills what used to be the fairgrounds -- and, before that, a military training site. The paths that make up the fairground remain, but many of the buildings here were severely damaged when the Quarter Knight Berserk smashed his way into the city. The paths are sometimes cut across and scarred, when some Metal Beast smashed their way through. The buildings often have broken walls and roofs, in varying states of repair.

The plaza remains, but it has become the headquarters for the relief efforts. Althena's Guard has placed a statue of the Goddess here, where their priests and soldiers hand out food, medical supplies, and more throughout the day. The workers of the Adventurer's Guild are also helping -- with a large tent on the other side of the plaza, where they serve out food.

Despite what could be a dire look, it's hard to miss that the refugee camp here is very well supplied. Tents are often new and in good repair; families may have lost their homes, but they aren't hungry; repairs to buildings go quicker than they could, thanks to stockpiled tools. If someone asks why, inevitably, one name comes whispered back to them: "Hawthorne."

BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MQRL7xws7w


<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.

Adlehyde has seen better days, but--as Ragnell reflects when she surveys the refugee camp and how inordinately well-supplied and in good repair it is--it could be a lot worse, too. She's heard whisperings about someone named Hawthorne being the one to thank for how smoothly reconstruction is going so far, and she's curious as to who this person is and if they're helping out of the goodness of their heart or if they've got some kind of agenda, but for now she opts to people-watch from the base of the statue of Althena. It's only appropriate that a Seraph overlook charity from the seat of the Goddess, right? Not that Ragnell is much of one to care for what's /appropriate/. Still, even she wouldn't decide to prank someone here. That's just in poor taste.

Still, it's not like the damage has been inconsiderable. Her red eyes flick towards the smashed buildings from when the Metal Demons stormed through. Some are repaired, some are getting there, and some... well, there's only so many people to help out, no matter how well-supplied the camp otherwise is. She reflects on what the King and Cecilia said to one another about the Teardrop, and how Cecilia had wanted to save the people suffering rather than keep an artifact safe. Was that really the right decision? She doesn't know. She'd thought it a dumb decision at first, but then, an artifact to protect the future of Adlehyde wouldn't be much use if Adlehyde's been razed to the ground.


<Pose Tracker> Seraph Lailah has posed.

The longer that one lives, the greater chance of one facing tragedy and injustice. In a world where Malevolence exists, this is in inevitability. But despite this grim truth, there is never a reason to give up hope. And hope is something that beats on in the midst of this refugee camp, largely in thanks to all of those whom have volunteered aid, time, and materials to taking care of the refugees and their ills. It would be a group effort to rebuild to start the healing process after everything that transpired, and Lailah is more than willing to do her part, however small and insignificant in the long term. She may have missed the fighting, but she hasn't missed the recovery.

And so, Seraph Lailah walks among the refugees towards the statue of Althena. It -did- serve as a beacon to the faithful in need, and it would be as good as a place as any to start today. The long haired Seraph appears to be rather solemn as she quietly works her way through the crowd until she spies a grey-haired figure that causes her eyes to shine brightly with the light of recollection. "Ragnell?" She jogs on over now, her pony-tail swishing busily behind before she comes up upon the observing Seraph. "Seraph Ragnell, is that you? Oh, it must be!" That is the last warning Ragnell gets before Lailah goes on the offensive. She dips forward and strikes with the secret technique that is known as the friendly hug of greeting.


<Pose Tracker> Seraph Edna has posed.

There's one virtue to be invisible to most people on this miserabe dustbowl. You can sit wherever you feel like and no one will care. Which is why Edna is seated on one side of the Althena statue, closed umbrella in her lap. She's got something in her hands... some sort of meat bun. But not a mabo curry bun.

Much to her annoyance.

How far will she have to travel to the ends of Filgaia to find it? How many enemies will she have to defeat in order to taste the greatness that is mabo curry? Edna's eyes narrow. She takes another bite. She spies Lailah approaching Ragnell. She chews quietly and doesn't budge an inch.

This is just fine.


<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.

Sometimes, the small and insignificant in the long term is exactly what's needed. After all, humans live such /short/ lives compared to Seraphim, and their hearts are so easily frazzled and worn. In the same way a pebble can be the tipping point for a rockslide, perhaps the succor Lailah can provide, even though most people around can't see her, can make the difference towards keeping hope and falling into despair for those who suffered through the attack.

Ragnell might not /like/ humans, but she can at least appreciate actions taken to keep their spirits strong and resistant to Malevolence. And given how much she noses into human business despite not caring for them, she likes her fellow nosy Seraphim just fine.

Which is why, when she hears a familiar voice call her name, Ragnell blinks and looks up towards the approaching Fire Seraph. She breaks into a grin and pushes up the brim of her hat. "Lailah! Figured I'd see you 'round sooner or later!" she declares, getting up from her perch. This is just in time for Lailah to pounce with all the ferocity of an adoring housecat and wrap Ragnell up in a hug.

Ragnell, for her part, bursts into a rich, deep laughter, and returns the gesture. "Well, dang, it's good seein' you again too!" She glances to one side, where Edna's seated on the other side of the Althena statue, winks, and lowers her voice: "'Specially since a certain someone's in an *especially* sour mood t'day."

When, oh when, will Edna ever get to taste the fabled mabo curry again? Ragnell both can and can't sympathize, and for the same reason: it's been about three hundred years since *her* last plate. Still, she gets bad moods, and there's something to be said for companionable silence, which is why she hadn't otherwise bothered Edna since each of them took up a perch on the Althena statue beyond an initial nod of greeting.


<Pose Tracker> Seraph Lailah has posed.

In the years that Seraph Lailah took over being a 'lady of the lake', she learned to be a good listener. And with that, she was able to listen to many of the plights of the refugees and push others in the right direction, sometimes literally. That was the benefit and the curse of being invisible to most is that it was hard to render aid to those that didn't believe in miraculous higher powers. They would easily become frightened when things they cannot explain happen to them. But there were still small things that could be done and Seraph Lailah was something of a connoisseur of small things. And especially of small things that could curl up into balls and roll around like this 'Armored Dylo' that was a native inhabitant of this planet.

Lailah, by virtue of temperament, could really have greeted a figure of her past in one way. The Fire Seraph offers a warm hug before retreating to polite speaking distance, hands folding in front of her. Her more stoic expressions transforms into a smile "I am quite happy to see you again as well. It must has been...." The Seraph's expression clouds as she ponders just how long -HAS- it been. Months? No. Years, decades, centuries?! ".....quite a long time! You look just as...robust as ever! How has the passage of time been treating you?"

Lailah follows the glance to the side and its Edna. She was there all along?! "Ah, Edna! I did not see you there." She opens her arms, but thinks better of this form of greeting and merely stands there instead. "My apologies for not arriving sooner." She stares, looking pensive for a moment as her voice falters from its usual gleeful sonnet.


<Pose Tracker> Seraph Edna has posed.

Edna doesn't even bother looking for long. She goes right back to eating as the two hug it out for a moment or two. Then it's back to polite speaking distance for them. Once Lailah addresses her, the Earth Seraph responds by taking a bite out of her bun and chewing slowly. Once she swallows a hand is raised and waved dismissively.

"Forget it." She says ever so plainly. "Not like it would have changed the outcome much at all." A bit harsh maybe, but she's just saying it as it is. There were a lot of those things rampaging through the city, and having heard tell of those 'Knights', that only exacerbated her point.

"We're just invisible to these people. Let them work through their pain." Another bite is taken, silence filling the gap as she chews. Once she swallows again, she adds, "-They're good at that, at least."


<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.

It *has* been a long time, hasn't it? Had they seen each other again since /that/ incident? ...It's hard for Ragnell to tell. It's been such a long time. But despite that, she's pleased as pie to see Lailah again. She always did like the Fire Seraph, even if her elegant politeness is the polar opposite of Ragnell's rough-and-tumble directness. Puns do a world of good in bringing people--and Seraphim--together. You could say they just had a certain *spark*.

"Quite a long time, yeah!" Ragnell agrees, laughing again. She lets Lailah step back, but gives her a friendly clap on the shoulder before she goes too far. "I've been doin' all right! Travelin' around, seein' the sights, learnin' interestin' stories... It's been good times an' bad, but I'm glad I made it this far--both in a general sense and," she gestures around at them, "to this planet."

Even if the war isn't great. But, frankly, there's war back on Lunar too. There's probably war happening *right now*, given the tensions the Shepherd and the Princess of Roland left behind when they were spirited away to Filgaia. But one can still hope.

Ragnell turns, resting a hand on her hip, to watch Edna as she responds to Lailah. She shrugs at Edna's plain, harsh words, then adds, "Nothin' we can do about the past. 'Least you're here now an' able to lend a helpin' hand, right?" Though Ragnell herself was fine to sit back and watch the humans take care of their own--much like the Earth Seraph, too. She chuckles at that. "Lailah wouldn't be Lailah if she didn't insist on helpin' people out. Not that I disagree with ya, Edna."


<Pose Tracker> Seraph Lailah has posed.

Seraph Lailah visibly recoils at Edna's comment, her eyes closing for a moment. Time is indeed relative and while it was truly not all that long ago since they travelled together, the Earth Seraph's words were still harsh to her ears. And this is especially so after travelling by herself for the past month or so. The usually more bubbly Seraph reopens her eyes and nods faintly. "Ah, I see. Then let this serve as a reminder of the larger task at hand. Everywhere will become like this as this unfortunately is just the beginning." She inflects in a grave and serious tone.

Ragnell's voice causes Lailah to snap out of her melancholic mood, and turn to face her. She forces a smile onto her face as she regains a touch of her usual demeanor. "We all the know that the Shepherd would not move on until everything he could do has been done." The Fire Seraph says neutrally before adding, "And if anything, helping out a little more would help move him too. There's reason for all of us to pitch in and help where we can."


<Pose Tracker> Seraph Edna has posed.

Ragnell gets a look from Edna, who shrugs her shoulders. "Yeah, that's Lailah alright." She closes her eyes and sighs faintly. "Lend a helping hand, hm?" Those blue eyes open again, and she shoves the last bite of meatbun into her mouth, chewing slowly and thoughtfully for a time. "Maybe." Is her final response to the subject once she swallows.

What a generous soul she is.

Finished with her food(paid for out of Sorey's pocket no doubt), Edna stands to her feet and opens up her umbrella, setting it against a shoulder. She looks to the Fire Seraph then and tilts her head slightly. "This is just the beginning, if what I've heard is true anyway." Her eyes close once again as she recounts.

"A stolen artifact, Malevolence all around, a one thought dead race of legendary monsters come back to end the humans..." Her eyes open, and a subtly amused smirk forms on her face. "Humans just have the worst luck, don't they?"

That said, Edna turns her gaze away from Lailah and off to the sky idly. "True. Sorey won't move on until he thinks he's done all he can." A sigh follows. "Annoying." She looks between Ragnell and Lailah. "Well, we're stuck with him, so I guess we'll have to help out." Beat. "A little." There we go. "Well, not you, Ragnell. You can do whatever you want to do." There's no envy in that statement. Just a simple fact.


<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.

A slight frown over at Edna when she remarks on the rumors she's heard. She nods slowly, folding her arms. "The humans on this planet are pretty tough. I figure they have decent odds if they come together," she remarks, which is an unusually human-positive statement coming from her. "But it's gonna be hell. This isn't somethin' they'll be able to coast through. The Metal Demons are damn strong--an' I heard about that artifact, too. Sounded like it was the whole reason they attacked in the first place, so if they got it now..." A chilling thought indeed, as Ragnell lets herself trail off, expression grave.

Then Lailah brings up Sorey, and Ragnell nods to her. "There's that, too, o' course. No decent Shepherd would ignore somethin' like this." The side of her mouth pinches back, briefly. "Rose an' Alisha've been doin' what they can, too. Sorey has a good eye for companions, huh?" There's a wry streak in her voice at that--after all, Rose turned out to be an assassin, and Alisha and Ragnell met by having a pretty bad fight--but Ragnell actually means it. More or less.

And while Edna may only state facts, Ragnell laughs and replies, sounding quite pleased about her freedom, "Haha, I sure can!" She winks. "But I don't mind helpin' out here and there. When the mood takes me, that is."


<Pose Tracker> Seraph Lailah has posed.

For years, Lailah remained almost entirely an observer. She had a task to do and she followed it out dutifully even if that meant she could not help as much as she would have wanted to. There was always the bigger picture to consider and there were certain things that had to be done to prevent the past from repeating itself. And yet, in the face of all this suffering, Lailah was ill at ease with remaining purely on the sidelines...atleast not anymore.

She once again nods her head towards Edna, her lips curving upwards into a definitive smile when she mentions maybe helping out too. That -was- a generous thing for Edna to say for she was a Seraph of action more than words. "That may be. But they do have a Shepherd now and quite a few Seraph to aid them even its begrudgingly." She remarks before looking much more serious once more. "But Edna, I know that you did more than your fair share to protect and keep Sorey while I was gone." Hands folded in front of her, she bows gracefully. "Thank you."

Lailah then turns to face Ragnell and smiles towards her. "We all have jobs to do and so does everyone else. And yes, it won't be easy, but we are no strangers to trials and tribulations ourselves, right Ragnell?" She offers with a genuine, but weary smile blessing her features. "I simply cannot wait to be reunited with Alisha, Rose, and the others too. And yes, Sorey has found himself some stalwart and earnest companions." The long greenish-red haired Seraph then offers a more sincere smile towards Ragnell. "I appreciate you being here too, Ragnell. Every bit of help makes the difference."


<Pose Tracker> Seraph Edna has posed.

Edna glances at Ragnell and blinks slowly. "... Well, the humans around here are ... different." She looks off to watch a food handout line proceed in an orderly fashion. "... I wouldn't put that much faith in the majority of them, but there are a small few I could say would be able to make a difference." It's true that they'll have to totally band together though. No one lone hero is going to solve something like this. No way.

A careless shrug follows at the mention of Sorey and his companions. "Mmn. I guess. If you count a princess that keeps getting wrecked, and an assassin as 'good companion' material." A smirk faintly forms. "... I guess they get the job done though." High praise from the earth mistress.

"Where the mood takes you, huh. So basically the same as usual then."

Totally.

Lailah then interjects and thanks Edna for her hand in keeping Sorey safe. She pauses at that and blinks slowly. ".... ....." Plainly, and without a change in expression, she just looks off. "A dead shepherd is a useless shepherd. It was the obvious thing to do."


<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.

There is one thing one can say for Filgaia: although Malevolence has started to spread, it's *still* not as bad as Lunar, and until the Lunarites arrived, Malevolence was completely unknown. It doesn't seem like having no Malevolence has made it more vulnerable, either; Hellions are as powerful as they've always been, but the people fight back as best they're able, and while there will always be hearts weak and injured enough to succumb, it's not spreading as badly as it *could*, given that there was literally just a war, something that usually spreads Malevolence like fire on an oil spill.

It's not much of a bright side, but it's there all the same. And, of course, as Lailah says, there's a Shepherd here to protect the Filgaians from this incursion. Whatever the source may be...

That's why Ragnell says to Edna, "They sure are." She chuckles, following her gaze towards the line. "Well, we'll see how it turns out in the end. Only thing we can do for most of 'em is watch and wait." Another chuckle. High praise indeed. "Gettin' wrecked is how you get stronger. Long as she keeps gettin' up at the end. An' at least our assassin daylights as a merchant. Never run outta items that way."

The same as usual. Ragnell's grin widens. "You know it. An' we sure aren't," she adds to Lailah, returning her smile. "But we always made it out somehow." She sobers when Lailah thanks Edna sincerely for her help, then expresses her appreciation to Ragnell. She shrugs a bit, half-smiling. "Not that I'm part o' the team, but that's the long an' short of it for me, too." A nod towards Edna and her talk of dead Shepherds. "So don't worry 'bout it, Lailah. We all do what we feel is right."


<Pose Tracker> Seraph Lailah has posed.

Lailah studies Edna closely, gauging her reaction carefully. Yup, perhaps that is all that she can expect out of Edna in the way of reactions for now. But Lailah did feel better now that she said it, and she even breathes a sigh of relief. I guess this is as close as things will be when it comes to getting back to normal...or as normal as it gets around here.

As Ragnell continues to fill Lailah in on stuff, she nods her head graciously. "It may be an unorthodox arrangement, but a Shepherd's companions are usually an eclectic bunch." She says with a not so subtle head bob towards Edna, not that the Fire Seraph had much room to speak in that department. Her eyes then flicker between her fellow Seraph before looking out over the nearby surroundings, her smile fading slightly. "As pleasant as it was to be reunited, I want to make another round. It is the least that I could do." The guilty sounding Lailah intones before turning and offering a friendly wave to Edna and Ragnell both. "Ragnell, it was a pleasure to see you again. Let us not let so much time pass before we meet again. And Edna....." She turns towards her and takes a deep breath. ".....I hope we can move forward with a clean -slate-, ore things will be rocky in our future." Lailah offers before raising a hand to cover her mouth as she bows again to the pair before turning to depart.


<Pose Tracker> Seraph Edna has posed.

Edna is totally reacting appropriately for who she is! Not like she's going to suddenly show a ton of emotion. This was all... hm. Well. It was something. She cares at least. In her own, Edna-like manner.

Of course, Lailah's subtle jab is met with a sidelong glance. "You're not wrong. I mean, we have you." Har har. The Fire Seraph's spoken intention to depart is met with a small wave. "Seeya, Lailah."

At that, she turns to Ragnell and shrugs. "I'm gonna find Sorey. I've been outside long enough." There's a halfhearted salute, and then she turns and moves to depart herself. "Try not to get yourself killed around here either."

AKA see ya around old friend.


<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.

Ragnell glances from Lailah to Edna and back again, now noticing the way Lailah watches closely for Edna's reaction. Hmmm. Well, it's none of her business... for now, anyway, and she's pretty sure she knows what's up based on context anyway.

An eclectic bunch. That's one word for it, definitely. "True enough," she says, smirking briefly as Lailah and Edna exchange good-natured jabs. "Don't think Alisha'll take the plunge into Squirehood anytime soon, but Rose... She might be another story. Ask Sorey 'bout a Wind Seraph named Dezel, an' he'll tell you what I mean." After all, Lailah's excusing herself to take another round, and it's not really Ragnell's place to talk about that in detail anyway. She nods. "Sure thing, an' same to you. I'm sure the next time won't be nearly so long as the last." Another glance over at Edna as Lailah bids her...

Ragnell breaks out laughing in delight at the sudden puns. "Yeah, y'all shouldn't take each other for *granite*," she adds, winking at the Fire Seraph, "or y'might end up givin' each other the cold *boulder*!"

Case in point: Edna *totally* gives their puns the cold boulder. That's fine, too, though. Ragnell laughs again, then gives her a little salute. "Sure thing. See ya 'round, Edna. Don't you go gettin' killed, either, or I'll have to eat your share of Lunata's mabo curry." And wouldn't that be a disaster, old friend? Another wink, and she turns to leave the area too.

She doesn't bother explaining where she's going.