2017-06-12: Pirates and Lions

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===============================<* Silver Coast *>===============================

The Silver Coast is the name given to the northeastern coastline of Ignas. The origins of the name are lost to history, but residents of the area tend to assume it reflects either the famous white-sand beaches northeast of Lacour, or the region's distance from the desertification slowly spreading out from the continent's heart.

The Coast and its surrounding territories are claimed by the Kingdom of Lacour, and contain a wide assortment of biomes, from plains to rocky hills and mountains to rolling beaches. Major roads between Lacour and its next two largest settlements - the Port City of Hilton and the Academy City of Linga - are heavily patrolled by the kingdom's soldiers, and are generally safe. The hinterlands, however, are plagued by monsters of all types; researchers in Linga can find a variety of uses for the body parts of monsters, and do a brisk trade with Adventurers seeking to protect the population and make a little coin to boot.

BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYbFnoRSW6M

<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.

For those that have visited the Ruby Empress before, there is a new sight to be seen: the beginnings of a wooden framework built up around the sides of the boat. Those with any knowledge of architecture would likely be able to identify the likely meaning behind the structure - to provide the ship with some balance. While it was kept steady enough by the hill it was currently partially lodged into, they would need something to keep it steady once they managed to deal with the hill in some manner.

The workers were at rest now, however, and could be seen lounging around outside.

...For the most part.

Captain Layna Manydays herself could be seen standing on the deck of the ship, perched rather precariously on one of the railings with her arms folded in front of her, and her hair and coat fluttering in the breeze as she overlooked the work so far.

She...she does this a lot, just go with it.

By her side was the Quartermaster, Dahlia, who was busy reading through what could presumably be a list of construction supplies.

Layna might look intimidating, standing up there like that, but those who knew her knew she tended to be pretty approachable. 

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

Talise knows a little bit about architecture. Even from a long way off, she recognizes a scaffolding when she sees it.

Pulling off the scarf she wore to keep any blowing sand from getting up her nose, she smiles and rises in her saddle, hands resting on Dragon's saddlebough as she looks towards the ship up ahead. "There she is," she says as she urges the horse closer, reins in hand again. "Looks like Layna's been doing some work on her. Maybe they've found a way to dig her out after all."

Her horse's hooves leave little furrows in the sand as she lets the beast carry her forward. Soon enough, though, she's sliding down from the saddle with a thump of boots in sand. Tethering Dragon to something, she strides forward, bringing her arms up in a broad wave towards the figure she can recognize up on the deck. By now she's been here enough that she can recognize the ship's captain by her hair colour and general bearing.

"Layna! Captain Layna!" she calls up in that loud voice of hers, bright and cheery. A look down would likely reveal that she isn't alone, either! 

<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.

Sephilia is looking around herself with eyes wide as dinner plates as she shrinks Chauncey - who is capable of a pretty quick loping gait, surprisingly - and approaches the ship behind Talise. "WOW! Is this a REAL pirate ship? Can I sketch it? Are these REAL pirates? Can I sketch some? Is that okay? Is -- is that Captain Layna? THE Captain Layna?"

The starstruck girl has already reached into her satchel, after replacing Chauncey into it carefully, and withdrawn her journal and a pencil, and is poised to begin her sketch immediately upon being told it's allowed. 

<Pose Tracker> Rosaline Calice has posed.

Pirates!!!

This is Rosaline's first time encountering Layna and her crew. As a nun, one might expect her not to be so enthused with flag-waving criminals, but one would be wrong. She's still nervous and melancholy, as she almost literally always is, but why, it's almost like she's excited to be here! She's likely been told that these are good pirates, which would help.

She rode through the desert on a horse with no name, following the leader. It's good that her habit has been designed with desert environments in mind, because otherwise she might have cooked in there!

"Hello!" she adds to Talise's shout, albeit at a lower volume. Then, more specifically to Talise and Sephy: "So her whole ship was transported from your world, was it? That's incredible..."

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

        Grey Lady trots up behind Dragon, and stops. Her rider looks up at the ship's deck, a wide-brimmed hat hiding her face from the people above--Ida tilts it out of the way with her thumb, and smiles. "Good afternoon, Captain!" Ida says, doffing her cap in a cheerful, polite bow. She feels right at ease riding, and equally at ease hitching her horse up to the same piece of scaffolding as Dragon. Once that's dealt with: "May we prevail upon you for some water, for the horses? It's quite hot, and the trail was drier than usual." Depressingly.

        She turns to Rosaline, nods in confirmation, and advances towards the gangplank. It's perfectly safe, Ida says, without saying a word.

<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.

The sight of the group arriving gets the attention of Layna's crew who are hanging out around outside the ship, but at this point they've likely already been informed of at least Talise and Ida as friendly faces and therefore soon return to what they were doing before. There might be a few friendly waves toward them, but for the most part they keep to themselves.

The familiar voice reaches Layna's ears, causing a grin to spread across her face.

"Ahoy there, me hearties!" She calls back, unfolding her arms and extending them in a friendly gesture of greeting.

She reaches down to her waist, undoing the telescope from her belt and using it to get a better look at the new faces.

"Looks like we've got some new friends, Dahlia." Layna says, collapsing the telescope and looking towards her Quartermaster with a grin.

"...Very well. I suppose I'll go prepare the meeting room, then." Dahlia replies. She turns away to head inside the ship, while Layna steps down off the railing to head down the gangplank to meet them personally.

"Good afternoon, good afternoon!" She says with a friendly grin, doffing her own hat in response to Ida. She then turn towards a tall, lanky fellow that she and Talise would recognize.

"Roche! Can I trust you see to it that our friends' horses are properly taken care of?" She asks.

"Aye, Captain!" Roche replies with a salute and goes off, presumably to arrange for some water.

She looks from Talise, to Ida, then to Rosaline and Sephilia, the new faces.

"Pleasure to make your acquaintances! I'm Captain Layna Manydays, of the Ruby Empress. Now, if your mounts are thirsty, I'd wager you all are as well, aye? Come on in, then!" She invites, gesturing to the gangplank. "Talise and Ida already know the way, so you can follow them."

With that said, she glances towards Sephilia, and notes with pride how she's making a sketch of the ship.

"She's a beauty on the inside as well as the out, lass. I'm sure you'll find something worth sketching inside, too." 

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

"It's definitely a real pirate ship," Talise confirms for Sephilia with a broad grin, her eyes bright. "I never knew Captain Manydays until now, but the Ruby Empress used to sail out of some of the same ports the Lunabelle did."

Strolling forward, she nods to Rosaline crisply. "Yeah... they ended up here, for some reason. I didn't think an entire ship could come over, but...."

Layla calls down. Talise beams up to the woman on the ship's deck, waving again. With a gesture, she ushers the rest of her group towards the gangplank.

As the captain emerges, Talise holds out a hand for a brisk shake, should Layna share it. "Good afternoon! I see you've been hard at work out here! I hope we're not interrupting too much," she greets, her eyes bright and warm. "But I had some folks I wanted to introduce to you - most of the group I travel with."

Talise tried to usher up Lynnai for the occasion as well, but she'll have to be content with her Lynnai of the Week consisting of showing her something green and shiny.

"She really is a nice ship," she assures Sephilia and Rosaline with a nod, gesturing up the gangplank and beginning to move after Layna. "It might surprise you at first, Ros' - Lunarian ships of this type are a lot different than Filgaian ones. No steam or anything, but they're much faster because of how they're designed to go through the water, even under sail." 

<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.

Sephilia grins happily, pleased that she's not being prohibited from sketching the ship. "I'll be sure to sketch all the details, Captain Layna!" she says merrily. "I'm Sephilia Lampbright. My dad's George Lampbright--he's famous back home too! Have you heard of him? Oh, and this is my bodyguard, Lord Chauncey of Foxington!" She indicates Chauncey, head and arms poking out of her satchel. "He doesn't talk much." 

<Pose Tracker> Rosaline Calice has posed.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Rosaline says when Layna comes down to meet the group personally. She doesn't offer a handshake, instead remaining in one of her default poses, with her hands clasped together. It's not an extravagant greeting, but she's smiling. As an official member of this team now, Rosaline fills a slot in the "subdued party members" half of the equation!

Her horse is taken care of. Just because it lacks a name doesn't mean Rosaline doesn't care, so this is good.

She's looking around with curiosity, but Talise should be able to tell, just looking at her ear positioning, that the nun is listening intently. "What an engineering feat..." Then, a moment later: "A real pirate ship..." she says, mostly to herself.

"O-Oh, that's right, I should introduce myself... I'm Rosaline Calice, Etone-in-Training." A pause as something occurs to her. "Though it might not mean much to you, ha ha..." She scratches the back of her head as she looks away, ears twitching.

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

        Ida looks much better, for the record, than the last time Layna saw her. Granted, that last time was after Lady Harken removed most of the blood from her body with a series of expert strikes, so most things would look much better. She walks up the ramp after Talise, inspecting the carpentry. "I'm glad you and your people are well, Captain," Ida says, turning her attention to Layna. "All things considered. May I ask where you got the wood?"

<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.

"Nay, nay. You actually caught me at a good time." Layna replies with a grin and shakes her head. She glances to 'Ros' as Talise explains the difference between Filgaian and Lunarian ships, and nods.

The two unfamiliar members of the group introduce themselves, and Layna sends a nod and a smile at each of them in turn. She spares a glance towards Lord Chauncey.

For a short moment, she wonders exactly how to respond to this...but, she nods to him as well. Perhaps she'd seen him walking up in the distance in giant form?

"Etone, aye? I've heard of the term before, but can't say I've got any context, lass." Layna admits, as she follows the others up the gangplank. As for Sephilia's question, though...

"Now, him I've heard of. Haven't had the pleasure of meeting the man, but I've heard his name spoken in ports back home." She replies with a smile.

She looks toward Ida with a nod.

"Aye, glad to see you're alright, too. You had me worried." She says. "As for the wood...we had some onboard already, and we bartered for the rest." She explains.

"We considered using metal frames instead, but..." Layna shrugs. "Seemed easier this way, aye?"

Having already been through the ship before, they get to the meeting room fairly quickly with the promise of a proper tour later, if requested.

There is a long table in the center of the room, with a pair of tables on either side of it bearing a variety of drinks and glasses.

"Help yourselves to the drinks, me hearties. We've got a good assortment here on the Empress. Filgaian, Lunarian! Alcoholic or non! Whatever your tastes, we've got something that suits 'em." She says. She swings by one of the tables and grabs herself a bottle and a glass and fills one up before taking a seat. 

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

Talise fills a slot on the 'not-subdued party members' side of the diptychs.

"The Lunabelle looked a little like this, but she wasn't red," she explains as she falls in beside Rosaline, voice a little lower and more conversational. "That's the ship I was born on, that is - she was a pirate ship a lot like this one. Quite a few ships like this used to come and go from ports like Dalton and Saith. Even some of the merchant ships were built like this, though they're bigger and heavier."

As Layna leads the way into the ship, Talise flops into a seat and shifts the pack over her shoulder into her lap. The first thing she does is reach for a bottle of some sort of incredibly strong whiskey, pouring some into a glass. "Goddess, you're always prepared, aren't you," she says with a little grin for Layla.

The grin begins to fade soon enough, though. Talise knocks back a long swig of her drink. Setting the glass down, she exhales and leans forward, against the table. "Y'know," she says, "since we're all here, there was something I wanted to bring up with the bunch of you - since I trust you all to be a bit discreet about it. Layna," and here she looks to the pirate, "you weren't at the big fight at Lahan, were you - the one where K.K. the Trial Knight showed up with a huge Hellion?"

Yes, that K.K. - the old ghost story. 

<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.

Sephilia taps her nose in thought for a moment at the offer of a drink. "Do you have apple juice?" she asks hopefully. She listens with great interest to Talise's mention of the Lunabelle. "I'd never seen the sea before I came here to the Blue Star," she admits, a little embarrassed--the daughter of a famous explorer who'd never been to the seaside?! "But I was gonna get there one day! Chauncey and I were just busy explorin' closer to home still."

Then K.K. is mentioned, and her expression turns serious. "That was scary," she admits, "but we won the fight. It just means that K.K. an' Agatha can be beat!"

She pauses. Then, matter-of-factly, she adds, "Agatha's the Pyre Witch. She's after me." 

<Pose Tracker> Rosaline Calice has posed.

"I'm from the Ethos, a sect of the Church of Granas. I'd be happy to discuss it in more detail later." She may be a firm believer, but she knows better than to do a hard sell upfront, even if it's the One True Religion and everybody should follow it. "My job is a combination of charity works and... monster hunting. It involves a lot of travel, so teaming up with them seemed like a good idea."

"Wow, I see," she tells Talise, filing away the information. Who knows, it might just be relevant someday. "I didn't know you'd grown up on a ship..." She seems interested in a later tour, but she's the patient kind. Talk first!

"I'll have something non-alcoholic from Lunar, please," she says, surveying the bottles and taking the first of which seems to fit the description.

She takes herself a seat and listens as Talise brings up an unpleasant but important topic. She doesn't speak up but merely looks troubled. She was there, after all. "The Pure Witch?" she then asks, quietly, possibly opening another can of worms entirely.

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

        The drinks come out, as they generally do when Layna is involved in something. Ida selects a bottle of gin from some place called Pendrago, wherever that is, and pours herself a shot like a decent lady would. She takes a sip as Talise starts laying things out, and moments later, finds herself wishing for tonic water. Do they have that back on Lunar?

        "We defeated the Hellion," Ida says, correcting Sephilia ever-so-gently. "I believe that K.K. wasn't so much driven off as gently persuaded to leave." Talk of the Pyre Witch makes her reach for her shotglass again. She takes another swig, but the liquid tastes somehow off through no fault of its own. Perhaps it's psychosomatic. "Are you acquainted with those old stories of agents of Valmar who offer power at the cost of corrupting you? I believe she's something very similar, from Lunar."

<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.

"Well, you can thank Dahlia for the drinks. She arranges 'em, I just drink 'em." Layna says with a chuckle. "Honestly, this ship wouldn't run half-as-well without her around. She took care of the bartering, too. Don't really got a good head for economics myself, you know?"

She takes a drink, then glances toward Sephilia.

"Apple juice?" She repeats. That was...a new one. She scans the tables and, eventually, manages to point one out.

She listens as Rosaline explains where she comes from, and nods.

"Aye, wouldn't mind hearing of that sometime." She replies. Not out of any real interest in joining the Church, mind you - she just wanted to learn more so she could avoid making any major missteps.

The conversation then towards the fight at Lahan, and those responsible for what happened. Layna frowns slightly.

"Nay, I wasn't. I've a feeling that was before my time here." She replies, shaking her head. And then Sephilia just states that the Pyre Witch was after her. Layna stares at her for a moment with a frown.

"The Pyre Witch herself? I don't envy you, lass." She says with a sympathetic frown. "Seems to me these 'ghost stories' of ours are more trouble than they're worth."

With a frown, she idly swishes her glass around in a circle. 

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

"If we ever get back there, I'll have to get my hands on a ship again," Talise says with a lopsided smile back to Sephilia and Rosaline. "At least, part of me wants to. I miss feeling the ocean spray on my face and feeling the deck rolling under me." She nods to the cat-eared priestess and explains, "My mom was a pirate and my dad was a, uh."

Pausing, Talise knits her brows as she gropes mentally for a polite word for 'a dirty swindler.'

"...He was a merchant," she finally finishes the sentence with a neat smile. "But they both lived on the Lunabelle, along with a lot of other people like themselves. And Captain Goldhand, of course."

Passing her tongue over her lips, Talise turns her eyes pensively to Ida, then over to Sephilia, as if measuring the youngest girl in the room somehow. She exhales.

Then she reaches into her pack and pulls out something wrapped up tightly in a sack. "Yeah. Speaking of which," she begins.

"Lynnai asked me to keep this relatively quiet, but I trust you all. During the fight, I was really close to K.K., and when he left, he dropped something. It's some kind of orb of memory." Cupping the contents of the sack in both hands, she pulls the opening of the bag back.

The folds of the sack slip down around Talise's hands to reveal an orb within. It glows with a steady green light. 

<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.

Sephy nods somberly. "The Pyre Witch, yeah. Pyre, not pure--like, a funeral pyre. An' Talise definitely beat K.K., she did!" She sets her jaw stubbornly. "He wouldn't have just left something like that if she hadn't! We...we should also talk about what Agatha said the last time she...came after me..." 

<Pose Tracker> Rosaline Calice has posed.

Rosaline smiles when Talise tells of her youth and parents. "Oh, I see! I have to confess, I..." She looks away, holding up large gloved hands to her cheeks. "I really, really liked pirate stories as a kid." Her tail sways.

"I'm sorry, I misheard," the nun tells Sephilia, with a look far too apologetic for such a tiny mistake.

Rosaline's widening eyes and mouth in answer to Ida is all the answer she needs regarding the Pyre Witch. Of course she's well acquainted with the stories, and it's a good enough shorthand to make it clear to her immediately. She then looks back to Sephilia, clearly worried.

She ends up with a glass of some sort of Lunarian iced tea. This works. She cradles it without drinking immediately, listening instead. "What is this?" she asks, softly, leaning in to see the orb better. It's probably magic, but certainly not a kind she's acquainted with.

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

        Ida finishes the rest of the gin. Truth be told, she does feel like kind of a buzzkill, but she's seen exactly where assumptions get you these days. The subject change is welcome, even if the ominous revelation Sephilia hints at is not. "An orb of memory," Ida says. Her eyes widen ever-so-slightly as Talise unveils the orb, and she stares at it. "...Is it magical?" she murmurs. "It doesn't look like anything I've ever seen."

<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.

"I'll drink to that, lass." Layna says, raising her glass at Talise's desire to be on the sea once more. She could definitely understand that. She often found herself longing for the seas, as well.

Rosaline gets a smirk when she admits to liking pirate stories. She could probably share a few stories of her own...though admittedly, they...probably wouldn't be the kind of stories she'd like.

At this point, Talise brings out a bag. It gets Layna's attention and she sets her glass down with a frown. Normally things like this didn't affect her, but, considering its origins...it makes her feel a little uneasy.

"This...it came from the Trial Knight?" She asks, looking for confirmation.

"I can't imagine anything good'll come of this, lass...but at the same time, I don't know if just tossing it'd be wise, either..." She murmurs, a litle conflicted. 

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

"Then I'll have to tell you a few pirate stories soon," Talise offers Rosaline with a cheery smile. "What I remember, anyway. Last time I saw the Lunabelle, I was ten or eleven."

The smile fades away, though, as she lowers her eyes to the orb once again. Curling her fingers, she cradles it in her palms, careful to keep the sack between the sphere and her skin. "Ohhhh yeah. It's magical," she confirms, nodding to Ida with eyes a little wide. "At first it didn't seem to be. Then I pulled it out of my pack and realized it was glowing. Then I took off my gauntlet and touched it."

Her shoulders tense and then relax as she explains, "Touching it with your bare hand... triggers something. Just a cascade of memory that pours right into you. It's like you're in someone's shoes. I know it's memories from Lunar. They're... unnerving, in some ways."

As she shifts her grip around the glowing orb, she looks towards Sephilia. "It's pretty overwhelming to experience, so you don't have to do it if you don't want to," she offers. "But if you do, I won't stop you."

As Layla asks her question, Talise grimaces, nodding up to the pirate captain grimly. "Yep... it's the Trial Knight's. And from what Lynnai and I figure, it's something important to him. He wouldn't keep it with him if it wasn't important." 

<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.

Sephilia swallows the mouthful of apple juice she'd just taken, looking worried. "I...I'm not scared," she says, "but...m-maybe i won't." She sets down the glass, trembling, so she doesn't spill. 

<Pose Tracker> Rosaline Calice has posed.

Rosaline grins at the prospect of pirate stories in the future, but she contains her excitement. Layna's may or may not be the kind she enjoyed-- The ones she got to read had several pages ripped out for content reasons. It was fine, though, sometimes you could even still follow the plot!

She hears the explanation. A cascade of memories.

"If this can help us find out more about who they are and how to stop them, I'll do it," she says resolutely, even as she looks apprehensive.

She pulls at her glove, quietly, while people talk. A moment later, she extends her hand. Her companions have seen it before, but not Layna, and she doesn't like to show her hands off besides. This one is... Well, it's humanoid, oversized but thin if not for the layer of white fur on them. They're tipped with large, unsettlingly sharp-looking claws, which at least are curled inwards right now.

Please make this quick, her expression says.

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

        "It's valuable," Ida says. "And Talise discovered how to avoid unwanted contact with it. If it becomes a problem, we can dispose of it, but right now, we need everything we can get." She nods as her friend finishes explaining. What could possibly be more overwhelming than fighting for a day and a half as a city burns around you? What could be worse than throwing yourself against an iron wall until every bone in your body is broken?

        Ida takes off her own riding glove in what may be a gesture of solidarity with Rosaline. She raises her hand as well, and waits for Talise to present the orb for both of them.

<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.

Layna listens to Talise's explanation. She frowns for a moment, eyes shut as she thinks, before standing up. Since she fought using gauntlets she didn't usually wear gloves, or else she would have removed one of them dramatically at the same time.

Perhaps in the future she would lament this, but for now, she thinks nothing of it.

She walks closer to Talise and sends her a smile.

"We're all in this together, lass." She says.

Rosaline's hand gets the briefest of glances from Layna, but she doesn't comment on it. Instead, she extends her hand toward the orb along with her and Ida.

Sure, the memories were supposedly unnerving...but she'd seen some unnerving things in her time. It wasn't something she was unused to. 

<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.

Sephilia lets out a moan and holds her hand out, trembling, frowning, but her jaw set in stubborn determination. 

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

"If you're not comfortable doing it, don't," Talise answers Sephilia, nodding seriously. "You've got a lot to deal with with Agatha as it is... and we'll deal with her when the time's right. I don't want to force K.K. on you."

Because the Trial Knight is my problem, her mind finishes the sentence.

Cradling the orb in one hand, she holds it out to the approaching trio. It's got enough surface area for all of them to touch it at will. Talise keeps the orb held in her left hand; her right moves away from it, hovering over it, fingers held out. For a moment she stops herself, reluctant to do this again.

Layna's encouragement drives her on. "...Yeah. We're all in it together," she finally agrees with a smile as she lowers her hand in time with the others, offering the sphere up for them to touch.

The orb is warm, the green glow steady and unblinking. And when touched, images flood into the mind, like a sudden coastal surge, as though the sea of someone else's memories were coming in....

He walks the country side. Alone. Forgotten. Discarded like so many others. But he is not like the others. No -- he is different.

He is forgotten, but not lost. He finds purpose in hunting others. Creatures. Monsters. Hellions. He scours the countryside, his clawed footfalls thundering across the earth as he follows the whispering trails of purple impurity that sing their sad, forgotten songs to him. He finds them in the form of twisted predators and even more twisted livestock. He finds them in the form of men turned into a state between human and wolf, in men warped towards ravenous trolls and greedy goblins. Even in the dead, their spirits twining with familiar loneliness along his sharp, violet claws.

And each and every one of them, he introduces to the pit.

Werewolves, orcs, slavering apes, gelatinous monstrosities and so many more all struggle and slaughter each other within a massive, stone pit, bedecked by towering statues of dragons lording above them like kings. They kill and eat each other without relent, all while he watches above. Hints of features can be seen within the haze of memories: a face more lion then man curled into an ugly sneer, golden, leonine mane wreathing his scornful contempt, there is nothing within his terrible features but a tired, weary disdain. Emptiness.

But he continues to watch the carnage unfold beneath him. And when the last of those twisted beasts are devoured, when the lone survivor emerges, looking larger and more monstrous and empowered by the impurity of a pitfull of Hellions slain to nourish it, those empty, sinister lips twist towards an uglier smile.

Because he knows he has truly found purpose.

...The visions melt away. Talise inhales, her eyes opening and her cheeks a little pale. It never gets easier. Never.

"...Lynnai and I both saw it," she says, voice holding a mystified note. 

<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.

Sephilia pulls her hand back, sharply, and falls back, trembling, into her seat. "Th-that was...that was almost as bad as what the Hellion thing did to me," she says, picking up the cup of applejuice in both hands and slowly--to avoid her trembling causing the drink to spill--brings it to her mouth for a long drink.

You'd think she'd been parched with how greedily she drinks the juice down.

"I...don't ever want to do that again." 

<Pose Tracker> Rosaline Calice has posed.

Rosaline glances to the others as they also reach out. All in this together. And even Sephilia will do it? All right, then.

Rosaline steels herself. She touches the sphere. And then comes... a memory.

Some of it scares and saddens her. Some of it hits close to home. For a moment, she forgets who she is.

...But the vision is over quickly enough. She slowly retracts a shaking hand, in silence, scraping her glove back to herself-- and maybe scratching Layna's table in the process. The catwoman doesn't seem to have noticed that her claws are extended.

She shrinks back as she puts her glove back on, silently processing it. Tears bead at the corner of her eyes, without actually coming out.

After a moment: "W-What does it mean?"

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

        Ida smiles. "Together," she says, echoing Layna's statement. Her fingers brush against the surface of the orb--

        And she is there. Emotions that are not hers flood into her mind; she tries to still herself, but there is only so much she can do when faced with... with this. She doesn't recognize the creatures. This does not make the events any less horrific, nor does it conceal the nagging sense that she feels she should recognize them.

        The vision fades. Ida does what a sensible Galadian would do when presented with such horrible visions: she pours herself more gin. She's breathing a little heavily, and she takes a long swig of her drink before she answers. "They were eating each other," Ida whispers, her voice wavering. "Until only one survives, the most powerful specimen of all." It's a disgusting parody of what she's seen in the natural world. "Soldiers, perhaps...? Did any of you recognize the lion-thing?"

<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.

When the memories finally subside Layna takes a step back.

"Wh-whew. Well, that was certainly something, aye?" She says. She manages a smirk, but it's not really genuine. She's a little shaken, and she has to glance down - subtly, in hopes that none of the others notice - at her own hands to ensure that they're still human. She was afraid she'd see claws...like the claws in the memories.

She resumes her seat and takes a long, deep drink from her glass. She doesn't notice the scratching on her table...and even if she did, considering the situation she probably wouldn't hold it against Rosaline.

She listens to Ida's explanation. It was about what she had figured out, too. But...

"Nay. Another of the beasts, perhaps?" She suggests. 

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

"That's why I said you didn't have to do it," says Talise, reaching out to squeeze Sephilia's shoulder. "It's enough to make you want to curl up in a corner in some ways... and that's before you see what the memory is. Like living someone else's life...."

Talise doesn't cry, but there's a drawn look to her face, her eyes pinched around the outer corners to draw out little wrinkles she doesn't normally show. Gravely, she draws the sack closed again, cinching it tightly and folding it over before bundling it around the orb. "I'm not sure what it means." She's speaking much more quietly than she normally does, eyes moving between Ida and Rosaline as she reaches for her whisky. "I... I saw the lion too. I saw it as a Beastman. A lot of Beastmen from Lunar have features like that... my mother was the same way. I didn't... recognize who it was... but I'm sure it was a Beastman."

Talise takes a long draw from her glass. She needs it. When she sets her glass down, her hand remains clenched around it. "I wondered at first if the person was K.K.," she admits. "If the Trial Knight is actually that horrible lion Beastman. Maybe that's who he is under the armor. Or maybe he's one of the Hellions... maybe he survived the pit. Maybe he's the most powerful specimen. I... I don't know." 

<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.

"I know it is, Talise," Sephy says, smiling and sniffling at the same time. "You never treated me like I was just a kid, so I know it was because it was bad and you were worried about me. It was a TERRIFYING life. Why would anyone want to put that memory into something like that? To share that? Or maybe to get rid of it? Or...or maybe it's to keep the memory safe and fresh, maybe K.K. is losing their memories over time and things like this help them remember who they are...but...but it's horrible!"

She pours more of the apple juice for herself and takes another sip. The trembling seems to be subsiding a little. 

<Pose Tracker> Rosaline Calice has posed.

Rosaline nods along with Talise's beastman diagnosis. That was her guess at well. "Or it could be a Hellion." Or both!

"There's a lot we don't know, but it's a piece of the puzzle, at least." It's certainly more effective than she figures asking K.K. themselves might be. Sephilia's theories are food for thought.

She remains silent and contemplative for the next little while.

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

        Ida looks at the glowing orb for a long moment, considering it thoughtfully. She does not expect it to explain itself, but part of her wishes it would. It gives her more time to breathe, to reassure herself that she's still in Layna's ship, and still herself. She clenches her right fist, then relaxes it. "Perhaps, Talise," Ida says. "It would explain why they were carrying it. But until we manage to break through that armor, we won't know for sure." She glances at Sephy, looking a bit more like herself--a bit more thoughtful. "Why does anyone ever remember painful decisions, and missteps? You felt what that Beastman felt..." The loneliness, the emptiness, the feeling of being lost and alone and discarded. Ida will not easily forget it.

        "If we can find that pit, though... we may be able to learn more."

<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.

Layna glances toward Sephilia.

"There are...some things that shouldn't be forgotten, lass. No matter how terrifying they are. Maybe to the Knight, that's one of those things. A driving force, that keeps one going..." She suggests with a shrug, pouring herself another glass.

She's quiet for a moment, then nods toward Ida.

"Aye. Can't say I've seen anything like that in all my travels, though...but then, I mostly kept to the sea." She admits with a shrug. There was also the possibility that it was on Filgaia instead of Lunar, but...she didn't know enough to confirm or deny that. 

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

Talise shakes her head as Sephilia questions. "I have no idea why anyone would keep this... maybe this is something K.K. is proud of for some reason. I just... I just don't know." Sighing, she buries her cheek in one palm almost glumly, curling her lips into a deep grimace. "And speculation doesn't mean much without any real supporting evidence. All it does is make me convinced K.K. is a man under that armour."

She finally lifts her head again, leaning back in her seat and pushing a hand through her hair. Notably, she's bleached it. She explained it on the way in as a way to avoid being instantly recognized by the Guard, or in Aveh if it comes to that.

"I think wherever it is is on Lunar. Those dragon statues don't seem very Filgaian. And K.K. does come from Lunar. Which means we might never find the pit until we're able to get back there... and that'd make it my problem at that point." 

<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.

"Um...well, also I...I wanted to mention what Agatha said," Sephilia says, suddenly, into the quiet. "She...she said I'd been bad, and that now it was going to take more for me to go home." She swallows hard. "N-not that I still think she's going to do that, not with everything we've seen and learned, but...but she said Talise and Ida had to apologize to her in person and that Talise would hafta choose the offering to make to Agatha. I...I told her it wouldn't happen, but...she might come back looking for me...looking for us. I don't think she's going to just give up, you know?" 

<Pose Tracker> Rosaline Calice has posed.

This is what it takes to take Rosaline out of her temporary funk. She listens to Sephilia's story, now finding new and exciting ways to be disturbed and horrified. But when the younger girl finishes speaking, the nun forces a reassuring smile.

"We'll be ready. We're in this together, right? I won't let her hurt you, I swear it." She's serious!

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

        Ida's eyes narrow. "Is that so," she says, with the kind of dangerous understatement she only gets when someone has really and truly angered her. "We will have no part in her sick games. If she comes, we will defend you." She squeezes Sephy's shoulder with her left hand.

        The other hand, her right hand, is cramping a little. She touched the sphere with it.

<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.

Layna nods towards Talise.

"Aye, I was thinking the same thing." She says. That meant that, as horrible as it was, there was nothing they could do about it right now.

Her eyes are then draw towards Sephilia as she says her piece and she frowns, glass held in one hand.

Layna's quiet for a moment, before finally speaking.

"You only met me today, so it might not mean much...but I'll do what I can too, aye? If the Pyre Witch is going around harrassing innocent folk...someone's gotta stop her." She says, then looks toward the others.

"That goes for all of you too. You need the help of me or my crew, you just ask." 

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

"Yeah, sure, I'll definitely give her a nice offering," Talise says with a rough shrug. "I'll offer my sword right through her sassy face."

As Ida makes so definitive a statement, Talise just nods slowly along, folding her arms under the curve of her chest and closing her eyes. "Ida's right. We're not playing little manipulative games with Agatha. If she comes back, we'll protect you from her. We've learned a thing or two lately about fighting monsters like her."

Nevermind that she didn't actually beat K.K. and probably couldn't have without a lot of help. She doesn't bother saying as much, of course.

She can tell Sephilia needs her to be confident right now.

Lifting her eyes, she smiles back at Layna steadily. "I'm glad," she says. "I know I'd be happy to have your help. I have a feeling most of us would." 

<Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.

Sephilia sniffles slightly as everyone offers her reassurance, then her face scrunches up a bit and she bursts into tears--but happy ones. "I'm so glad to have all of you to help me!" she says. "I never had so many good friends as I've made here!"

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