2017-06-26: Opening Her Eyes
- Log: 2017-06-26 Opening Her Eyes
- Cast: Rose, Alisha Diphda, Sorey, Seraph Lailah
- Where: Adelyn Ranchlands
- Date: 2017-06-26
- Summary: Sorey, Alisha, Rose and Lailah talk! About stuff. Spooky ghost stuff.
=============================<* Adelyn Ranchlands *>============================== The area around Adlehyde Castle is occupied by rolling fields of grass that are the envy of nations more seriously affected by the desertification that plagues Ignas. Most of the continent's cattle and horses are bred and raised in these ranchlands, which are owned by a scattered assortment of families, each with lands and borders carefully marked out by poles and fences. While Adlehyde's soldiers patrol the main trade routes throughout the country, the ranchers are for the most part left to their own devices except during tax season; this has tended to produce an independent and stubborn streak in the people who call this territory home. Folks around these parts are used to looking after themselves, and do so with a brutal effectiveness. The four-footed wealth that covers the ranchlands attracts its fair share of rustlers, bandits, and other ne'er-do-wells; when local posses prove insufficient to the task, a single rider sent to the Adventurer's Guild will generally bring help quick enough. BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfRBmqBlzzQ
<Pose Tracker> Rose has posed.
Not too long ago: Rose and Alisha make cake. The sun is still visible in the sky, though heading towards its sleep.
A hour or two later: with all of the goods put away, the fire drowned, and the cakes packaged, Alisha and Rose return to the tents that Sorey has been calling a home in preparation of his trip to Lacour. Rose had not been staying with them up until this point, finishing up business with the Sparrowfeathers, but now the merchant's guild is actually on its way Lacour as well, having wrapped up all of its business in Adlehyde and preparing to profit off of the tournament. Not far from Sorey's camp, the Sparrowfeathers have set up a few accomodations between their caravans.
It's not company Sorey should be worried about though, it's the princess and the assassin showing up together and bearing gifts. It smells like cake, at least. Alisha's is more chocolatey.
"Soreeeeey! We made cake!" A pause, as Rose glances at her backpack, slung over one shoulder. "Oh, also I have ancient books for you. You probably care more about that part!"
<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.
"We did!" Alisha says, stepping after Rose. She is holding something in her arms, wrapped in wax paper. It is misshappen and lumpy, which are words one should not apply to cake. But, here we are.
She beams, as Rose speaks, and then she nods once. She is curious about the books, but she hasn't seen them. Because of that, the princess decides to focus on what she did do: make cake. "I've never made it before."
Uh oh.
"But Rose showed me how?"
Message Box: Press L and R at once to run away!
<Pose Tracker> Sorey has posed.
Sorey looks up from where he has been contemplaing the fire at the sound of Rose and Alsiha returning from their trip. He smiles broadly, and waves rather enthusiastically at the pair as they make their way into the camp.
"Rose, Alisha!" he calls out. "I'm glad that you both made it back!" In one piece. That's an unspoken commentary, of course - things are dangerous enough out here, and while Sorey is sure that both Alisha and Rose can handle themselves... well, he does worry. Just a little bit.
Of course, he then gets to hear that there is cake. ...cake is good. And then Alisha points out that she and Rose cooperated on making cake!
That raises... a few small concerns. "That's... great to hear!" Sorey laughs and it only sounds a little forced. "I'm looking forward to it! Lailah was around here recently, but Edna and Mikleo were out scouting again."
His casual request that Mikleo look around may have saved him from a terrible fate, at least.
Message Box: Escape failed!
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Lailah has posed.
Sayeth thy word 'cake' and she shall appear.
"Oh! How delightful!" exclaims Lailah as she approaches from whichever direction that she had previously wandered off. She sniffs and nods approvingly when it does very much at least smell like cake which draws the Seraph closer. The fact that they each made a cake themselves causes the fire Seraph to clasp her hands together before offering a bright smile. "Cakes make the most wondrous gifts and especially when they are homemade." Lailah pivots like a turret towards the target of such confectionary affection. "Sorey! Come over and try some cake! It's the least that you could do after to thank them!" She chirps with a bright smile on her face.
<Pose Tracker> Rose has posed.
Rose cannot see Lailah, which is probably good so that cake doesn't end up flying absolutely everywhere. But at the mention that she might be around, Rose quirks a brow, grows a shade paler than usual, and almost hesitates to get her cake close to Sorey.
On the other hand it might well be time to stop avoiding the truth. And so she manages, with only a bit of stutter in her tone: "A-Ah... Lailah is... the smart one, right? The one you mentioned I should... meet?" She doesn't seem all that into the idea. "Not that I'm afraid! Or anything like that!" She is.
Rose sighs. "I guess I couldn't avoid doing this forever. Hey, Sorey, that thing you did by holding my hand last time, do you think you can do it again or is there some... special condition? I... promise... I won't hit you this time." She seemed uncertain about saying that last part.
"As long as your friends don't do anything weird again."
It is worth noting that under Rose's packaging is a citrus-flavored tree cake. Some layers are more badly burnt than others but on the whole it's edible. Definitely not something you'd pay to eat but edible.
<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.
"Oh--" Alisha turns to look at Lailah. This is new. She has only been able to do this since the invasion of Adlehyde, and Lailah and her were separated for so much of that. But, thanks to Sorey's words, she can piece this all together. She would clap her hands excitedly, but instead she has to just nod her head quickly. "Lady Lailah! I--I can see you now! I was told my resonance has improved, and..."
She smiles, brightly. Lailah, somehow, looks -- well, not how she imagined her, but it fits. Alisha nods, gratefully, and then she looks sideways to the merchant-slash-assassin.
"Lady Lailah is the Prime Lord of Sorey's Seraphim," she explains. "And she is a good friend, Rose!"
She walks towards Sorey, then, but doesn't hand him the cake. "I put some chocolate on mine," she explains. She sets the cake down on the bedroll that she has been using. She stands up, then, and looks back at Rose. Then, at Lailah.
She thinks Rose may be a little afraid.
<Pose Tracker> Sorey has posed.
Well, edible is certainly an improvement. Sorey has... seen some of Alisha's earlier attempts at cooking.
Which were not bad.
Considering.
...considering...
But Sorey walks over, and smiles as Lailah comments that cake is certainly something they should enjoy together. "Well, I can hardly refuse since they brought one," he states to her, although he's still just a little leery about this. Hopefully this won't be anything too crazy...
And then... well, Rose asks that he help her get in contact with Lailah. He smiles once, and holds out one hand. "Sure, Rose. And it's just Lailah - she's very nice, and I don't think you're going to have any trouble with her. She's at least three times nicer than Edna." Which... isn't saying too much? Edna is rather abrasive.
But Sorey closes his eyes and concentrates- thankfully he doesn't need to go to anywhere near the same lengths he once did to help connect people with Seraphim. "Just focus, Rose - and we'll see what we can do. Your own resonance has grown quite a bit during the last few weeks - you may not need my help much longer."
And then you can experience the wonderful world of Seraphim without his help! ...Sorey's not sure if that is a good thing. "Lailah, if you would?" he asks, holding out his other hand. Might make it easier for Rose to see her.
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Lailah has posed.
Lailah approaches Rose first and smiles at her even though she is but a sonorous ghost to her. The compliment causes the Seraph to raise her hands and touch the sides of her own cheeks as she has the good grace to blush at such at compliment. "Alisha, Sorey! I like her already." Her hands then promptly drop to her skirts of her dress and she flourishes the loveliest curtsey that Rose has never seen. "That's right! She cannot hear nor see me." Lailah remembers before taking a moment to examine her cake a little more from the distance that she was standing out. Sorey and Alisha might note the Seraph's relative silence.
The fact that Alisha can see her now without assistance causes Lailah's eyes to grow big. "That is great news! You've already grown so much since we've first started travelling together." The Fire seraph intones with more than a hint of nostalgia in her voice. She then turns and nods approvingly to Sorey when he accepts her suggestion. Lailah then straightens out her dress a little as she waits to see if Rose will be brave enough to take Sorey's offered hand.
<Pose Tracker> Rose has posed.
Rose immediatly locks on to Alisha. She uses where she's looking and talking to try and gauge where Lailah is, and, predictably, kind of... averts herself from that particular spot. Which is hard when she's made to step forward and grab Sorey's hand. Rose is not quite shaking, and she's a bit more comfortable about this now than she was the first time, but this is still really unnatural for her.
Three times nicer than Edna, though? Edna was... the small one? The one from the cave, once, and from... the expo! She was eating cake! Right, she's the... earth pillars one. Rose's memory isn't too shabby!
Rose closes her eyes, even as she holds Sorey's hand.
"Okay, I'm... focused, I guess."
She doesn't HAVE to close her eyes but she feels safer that way. Like a child hiding under their bedsheets. Everyone knows bedsheets are an impenetrable defense.
<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.
"I-I suppose I have," Alisha says, with a sheepish smile. She ordinarily takes pride in her achivements -- in getting stronger and more skilled with a spear, for example -- but resonance is something else. It is something deeper than simply learning to be better with a spear. The princess looks up at Lailah and nods, but she stays quiet, then.
She waits for Rose to take Sorey's hand, before she speaks. "Just focus, Rose," she says. "It becomes easier every time you do it, I promise."
<Pose Tracker> Sorey has posed.
"It's okay, Rose - you don't need to be so worried about this," Sorey comments politely. He understands her worry, of course. Her fear of spirits and ghosts and spooky skeletons is something that will probably give her trouble for quite a long time, but he sincerely hopes that one day she'll learn to accept Seraphim as people.
"I wouldn't be too sure about her not hearing you on her own, Lailah," Sorey admits. "We've all gotten stronger lately, and that includes our resonance as well. We've all had our trials and tribulations, but we've come out the better for it."
But the Shepherd takes Rose's hand, and concentrates as well. Focusing his ability to allow the Seraphim to use his own resonance to speak through him. "Alright, I think... that should do it Rose. Lailah, would you say hello so we can see if she can hear you?" He grins, and adds, "We'll see if we can work our way up to seeing in a minute, if you are feeling up to it Rose."
Another small grin, and he adds, "You can have Alisha take your other hand, if that helps some. If you're going to travel with us... well, Seraphim aren't bad, or scary. Are they, Lailah?"
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Lailah has posed.
Lailah clears her throat and folds her hands together in front of her as she waits for the séance to begin. Any thoughts of mischief is quickly put out of the Seraph's mind upon hearing more about Rose's initial encounters with the other Seraphs. It seems they have largely already done such things, and so she decides to spare Rose of that. HOWEVER, a sparkle appears in Lailah's eyes when Alisha comes to assist the merchant in concentrating and offers some timely advice. An unsaid joke causes Lailah to titter a only half-suppressed giggle.
Sorey mentioning that she might be able to hear her on her own causes Lailah to blink her eyes in contemplation. "Rose, you 'knead' to concentrate or else this won't 'pan' out." She implores with a hand coming up to partially cover her face. Smiling brightly even though Rose's eyes remain closed, the Seraph waits a moment before adding more seriously, "This is Lailah speaking now, can you hear me now?"
<Pose Tracker> Rose has posed.
Sorey might say they aren't all bad but Rose has met Ragnell. Well, met. Saying Rose has met any Seraphim is a bit wrong, but she did BITE Ragnell so that might count for something.
Rose does in fact grab Alisha's hand, by the way.
Rose concentrates very hard, and finally she hears... a terrible joke! Unprepared for this, she actually takes it completely seriously. "E-Eh?! I-I'm concentrating, I swear!" She only notices after the fact that that wasn't Alisha's voice.
Suddenly she seems quite a bit more nervous. "H-Hi there, miss Lailah! L-Lailah! Seraph Lailah? Prime Lord? What's... what's the correct way to say hi to a Seraph, Sorey?!" That was an important question she might have skipped over. You don't greet a king like you greet a peasant, certainly ghosts must have terms they fancy better?
She keeps her eyes tightly shut.
<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.
Alisha blinks at Sorey, but she doesn't argue. She holds a hand out -- and then takes Rose's, when she offers. She bites her lip, though, at the joke. She actually caught that one! (It helps that she just made cake.)
But she quiets, when Rose speaks and Alisha realizes she heard. Alisha's expression lights up. She is proud of her friend, and it shows on her face.
"Ah, well... it depends on the Seraph, I believe," Alisha says. She tends to use 'lord' and 'lady,' but the princess is nothing not formal.
<Pose Tracker> Sorey has posed.
"I recommend starting with 'Hello Lailah'," Sorey comments rather blandly, although deep down he has to admit it is a bit fun seeing the hard as nails assassin who was willing to do whatever it took flailing somewhat cutely when confronted by someone she couldn't actually see. Even moreso when you considered that she had a Seraphim living with her all of her life up until this point.
"We've all been through this together, and as far as I know we're going to keep working together - so there's no reason to be too formal." He pauses as Lailah delivers... baking advice on how to concentrate Rose's resonance properly. "...as for the puns, I'm afraid you're just going to have to roll with it, Rose. Lailah never fails to rise to the occasion, so you'll get used to it."
See? Puns are far less scary than ghosts!
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Lailah has posed.
Lailah knows that Ragnell can be a hard Seraph to get along with if you're a Seraphim yourself....or if you're Edna. But that still is a story that Rose will have to Lailah should it ever come up. Her half-baked puns delivered, the Prime Lord herself takes a moment to collect herself. It is during this brief respite that she notices that Rose was holding hands with Sorey and Alisha both. It was an adorable sight even if it was only a part of the ritual. "Sorey and Alisha are both quite right, but you may simply call me 'Lailah'." She begins with a smile on her face.
Sorey getting in on the pun game causes Lailah to bounce up and down on the soles of her feet. Once more. she has to suppress a giggle with only middling results before nodding politely to him. "Thank you, Sorey. I do try to ensure that none of my puns fall flat." She then turns back to Rose. "But, it is ever so nice to finally meet you, Rose."
<Pose Tracker> Rose has posed.
Rose is burried under a mountain of baking puns. It's agony, but actually gets her to shake a bit less and crack a smile or two instead of looking uncomfortable once the mood has been established.
"I-I see. I guess that's true, Sorey," Rose says, not sure how she feels about the idea of working together with Seraphim on a consistent basis. At least she has her answer on how to address the ghosts. 'It depends' Alisha said, and that's kinda like it is with people.
Eye sstill closed, Rose attempts conversation. "It's... n-nice to meet you too, Lailah. You're, uh... the... Lady of the Lake, right? Sorey mentioned the Sacred Blade belonged to you, or something like that. Does that mean you're a swordsman?" Swordswoman. Whatever! The point gets across all the same. "Are you the one teaching Sorey how to fight? ... b-because I've got to admit for a guy swinging a wooden sword around he's pining for new heights."
Oh no, she's gotten into the pun mood too.
It's better than panic?
<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.
Alisha blinks at Sorey -- then cracks a smile, because she did not expect the Shepherd to do a pun. Of course, Lailah proves the master -- and, as it happens, the pun flies over Alisha's head. As it often does. "Fall flat? Oh, I don't think they ever do, Lailah!"
She smiles, all innocence.
She doesn't say too much about Lailah being the Lady of the Lake. After all, that's for Lailah to answer. But, it is a comforting thought; it means Lailah was in the cathedral, all those years that Alisha went to pray there.
But then she pauses.
"He is?" she asks Rose, clueless as ever.
<Pose Tracker> Sorey has posed.
While Sorey hasn't really talked with Lailah about this, he has found himself less enamored of the strange lighting Seraphim of late. Then again, people who seem to have this idea that they have a right to 'test' people have been getting on his bad side quite a bit as well.
Rose was forgiven of course, but Ragnell... that was a bit tougher, especially since most of her antics had struck him as arbitrary and mean spirited.
But having lightned the mood seems to have helped to get Rose to relax some. And maybe now she can see that Seraphim are people too! ...people who make terrible, terrible puns. Just like regular people.
"No, I'm afraid Lailah and I have only met recently. I actually learned the sword from my Master, who also taught Mikleo his sorcery. I'm glad to know that you appreciate my technique though. It does give me an edge, despite my lack of one."
Yuck yuck.
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Lailah has posed.
Lailah's brightly colored eyes light up once more and she even takes a step closer to Rose when she recognizes the whole Lady of the Lake story. "That is correct! For many years, I awaited the return of the Shepherd within the hallowed halls of the cathedral in which the Sacred Blade was held." A pause. "But I am not -the- Lady of the Lake for the first stories about her predate even me being there. Or does that make be 'a' Lady of the Lake instead?" The Seraph muses before turning to towards Alisha. "Regardless, it was there that I first saw Alisha and later met Sorey and Mikleo. It's also how I know that Alisha has the loveliest singing voice."
The Seraph of Puns actually claps her hands together happily when Rose joins in too. But, she waits for Sorey to finish answering her first before she offers her addition. "That is all true. I do not fight with a sword but with sorcery. I am also known to be a Fire Seraph, and I must say that am glad to see that you are already warming up to me."
<Pose Tracker> Rose has posed.
"Well, you sound... pretty nice and normal, it helps. When Sorey tried this the first time... Ragnel started teasing me and... Mi...kleo?" She's unsure if that was his voice or not, "Was being all scary. This is still kind of scary, hearing you talk about how you've been watching over the princess like that!"
She's not sure how Alisha is just OK with that.
She nods at Sorey - eyes still closed, she's trying very hard to keep that status quo going - as he corrects the misconception and Lailah chimes in. So Lady of the Lake is more like a title? Huh, the things you learn talking to ancient ghosts.
... wait does that mean Sorey was right?
Please no, she'd like to keep her interactions with ghosts to a minimum.
"So... Lailah is a Fire Seraph... Edna must be an Earth Seraph, and Ragnell's a Thunder Seraph," close enough, "Alisha mentioned Mikleo likes to make ice cream so he must be an Ice Seraph... are there Seraphim for every possible element? For things other than elements? ... how many Seraphim ARE there? Are they really common?" Immediatly Rose worries that she's spent her entire life being watched by dozens and dozens of Seraphim.
If she only knew the truth.
<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.
"Ragnell is... ah... she is unique," Alisha says. There is a slight frown when she says that. She nods, once, and looks sideways at Rose. She shakes her head. "Mikleo is a Water Seraph, actually. But they are very similar elements!"
She hesitates, though, and wrinkles her nose.
"When I visited where Sorey was raised, it was a village. It looked empty to me," she says. "But... Elysia must have had many a Seraph there."
<Pose Tracker> Sorey has posed.
Well, Alisha has... had time to adjust? That's helpful, isn't it? But Sorey can at least understand Rose's trepidation regarding all of this - it can be strange and unusual, and he suspects that Alisha's faith is part of what buoys her through all of the craziness. That and she was probably trained to keep her cool and not show her emotions when the unexpected occurred.
"Mikleo is a water seraph, but he he also uses quite a bit of ice as well. Sometimes the whole 'elements' thing doesn't always line up the way we might expect, but it does make things interesting." Sorey chuckles quietly, and nods to Lailah. "Without Lailah I'd never have been able to become the Shepherd, or start making this journey."
And then, well...
"So we've established that Lailah isn't scary, nor is she wearing a bedsheet or trying to frighten you Rose. So... how about opening your eyes? I don't think you'll find anything upsetting here."
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Lailah has posed.
Lailah presses a finger against the bottom of her chin in thought. "That does sound like how both Ragnell and Mikleo would behave." She concedes before placing the backs of her hands on her hips as she stands there. "I'll have to have a talk with them both. Really I should, it's been far too long since I've spoken with either of them." The Fire Seraph concedes before raising a finger up. "How I could interact with those within the cathedral was sadly limited since most could neither see nor hear me. It was almost as if I was never there despite me actually being there that entire time." Like a Ghooooooost.
She ends up nodding towards Alisha when she mentions Ragnell again. However, the conversation soon drifts back to Seraphs thanks to Sorey once again answering Rose directly. The many pointed questions Rose has about Seraphim suddenly has Lailh looking elsewhere as if her attention has magically and safely drifted away towards other topics that she definitely does not know more about. "Rose, did you ever encounter a creature that can roll up into a cute little ball? Such creatures are the most noble and majestic creatures that one could ever hope to find."
Finally, Lailah adopts a more elegant pose upon Sorey insisting that Rose try opening her eyes instead of keeping her hands on her hips like she as a moment before. She instead folds her hands in front of her and stands up a little straighter before displaying a happy little smile as if she was posing for a drawn portrait.
<Pose Tracker> Rose has posed.
"O-Oh. That makes sense," Rose replies to the correction of ice to water. They're basically the same thing anyway, right? Sorey comments further about how relative elements are and Rose can only nod her head at his superior knowledge, not really knowing better herself.
"A cute ball? Like, an armadillo? Or a pill bug? ... there were giant pill bugs in that cave near Port Timney. They weren't cute but they could roll pretty well?" What kind of question was THAT?
Then Sorey prods at her fears.
"I... I guess I could... take a look, sure."
Rose takes her courage in her hands and opens one eye. Then the other. She stares at Lailah, manages to stop herself from taking a few steps back in a panic, and remains... mostly calm. "O-Oh... you're... you look just like a normal person..." It seems to be quite a shock!
"A-Ah! Your hair, it's... really pretty, though. Mustn't that be really hard to brush and clean?" Rose keeps her hair short because it's easy, that's no secret. Lailah basically has a mane. Several manes.
<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.
"They... can roll?" Alisha asks. She sounds confused. She hesitates, though, and then she smiles -- because Rose opens her eyes and it isn't bad. She doesn't panic. She hesitates, before she smiles.
"See, Rose?" she says. She starts back to her bedroll -- and starts to lay some of it out. After all, they do need to prepare camp, and Rose doesn't need to keep holding her hand to see.
"I told you that Seraphim aren't so different than us."
<Pose Tracker> Sorey has posed.
Sorey smiles as Rose finally comes out of her shell a bit, and he gives her hand a light squeeze in support. He doesn't say anything at this point, but instead silently urges her to see that everything is alright, and that there isn't anything to worry about.
...he doesn't quite get the obsession with creatures that roll into balls, but it sounds like the pillbugs would probably be quite a thing for Lailah to see, if they ever ventured into that dungeon.
But when Sorey at last speaks, he does offer more subltle encouragement for Rose not to be afraid. "Most Seraphim don't see things as important in the same way that we do - while they might be watching us unseen, they don't spy on us or anything - they generally just look after the well being of everyone under their protection. So you don't need to worry about if any of them are watching."
A grin, and then, "Besides, now that you've seen one, I don't think you'll be able to keep your eyes closed to them too much longer - and the more familiar something is, the less terrifying it can be."
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Lailah has posed.
Lailah is more than delighted to talk about rolling things or her hair, but she chooses not to try to dwell on either topic for long. "Oh, I would love to see them!" She affirms with her hands touching the sides of her face once more. The talk of her hair leads to Lailah reaching back and directing her long mane of hair around her shoulder. "Thank you! It only took several hundred years to get my hair the length and style I wanted it." She says it was probably is not the most reassuring piece of information to the new to Seraphim, Rose. "But, I am glad you were able to see me, Rose." The Fire Seraph much belatedly curtseys before turning to Sorey and nodding to him before returning her attention to the merchant/assassin. "And I look forward to us travelling together. Now that those pleasantries are over with, do we not have some cake to eat?"