2017-07-04: The Toll of Malevolence
- Log: The Toll of Malevolence
- Cast: Riesenlied, Noeline, Seraph Ragnell
- Where: Lacour
- Date: 4th June 2017
- Summary: Ragnell drops in on Riesenlied during her period of convalescence, and shares with her and Noeline a little more of her struggle with humanity...
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
In the last few days, all hell has broken loose for the Metal Demons and the Ebony Wings.
What was intended to be an expected defense of the village from a collection of Drifters, guardsmen and mercenaries instead became a total slaughter when the Crimson Gear awoke and rampaged through the village, helmed by its mysterious red-haired pilot -- a man who Riesenlied, at great cost, was able to identify as 'Id'.
Since then, the demons have been on the run -- Noeline has spirited Riesenlied to Gounon at first, to settle down and recuperate... but fate was cruel, and had them embroiled in a struggle in the Temple of Rejection where they met Avril. Perhaps to better ends, and more knowledge, in the end, but... it's certainly been trying.
Riesenlied doesn't look all that well -- she hasn't left her room since they arrived at Lacour, and she's trembling a little, having jitters here and there as she seats facing the balcony, gazing towards the open air from afar. Now and again, she'll whisper something unrelated--
"... reject me...?"
But she seems to be lapsing in and out of lucidity, having episode-like moments where she seems gripped by something that horrifies her, through a sight unseen. All channels have been gagged.
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
Their room at the Lacour Grande is well-appointed and comfortable, and despite the significant crowds brought by the tournament, Noeline holds a quiet hope that the hustle and bustle might help take Riesenlied's mind off her worries. Not the most concrete of thoughts, perhaps, but she's been running low herself, pained and worried by whatever spiritual scards Riesenlied is carrying with her.
At the very least, she's been able to bounce back faster than the other demon has - and some quiet moments at Riesenlied's side have certainly gone a very long way towards helping that.
At the moment, she is sitting with her partner, letting her shoulder take some of Riese's weight and clasping one of Riese's hands in hers. Every so often she squeezes it gently, an Ebony Wings communications device open on the table next to her - together with a newspaper, allowing the Crimson Noble to catch up on both sources of news at once.
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.
Ragnell isn't explicitly aware of what happened at Old Petra. A certain someone gave their assessment of the likely outcome, and Ragnell's heard certain rumors about the sky turning red and Gears and dragons, but beyond that... She's also heard about that abandoned mine, but frankly Ragnell has no reason to check it out. The only reason she'd go is to see what someone *else* finds out, and most people she's interested in are already busy with the Lacour Tournament of Arms. She *does* wonder what became of Riesenlied and Noeline, but... Well. She's heard rumor that the two of them are at the same inn that Lucia and the others are holed up at, which is a pretty funny coincidence. So that means, after watching Alisha and Claude's match, she has the time and opportunity to swing by and see if the rumors are true.
'How?' one might ask, if Ragnell doesn't actually know which room is theirs. Simple: knock on each door, one by one, until the people she wants answers. It doubles as a harmless prank for anyone who lacks the Resonance to actually see her, so it's not like it's any skin off her nose if it takes a while.
And so, presently, a knock comes at Riese and Noeline's inn room door...
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied lets out a little shaky breath-- before sucking in a noise as she looks towards the door. She lowers her head and closes her eyes. "... it's... her?" she murmurs for a moment, shuddering. She lapses into quietness, as she lets Noeline stand to answer the door -- assuming she does so.
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
Noeline's glance back over her shoulder is sharp and alert; she might have recuperated somewhat over the last couple of days, but as the Metal Demon spy she actually is, she's still very aware that they are strangers in a strange land, and she's the only one with a dual identity still intact. For all that humans have shown them kindness and compassion in the midst of Id's attack, and for all that Lacour is currently a neutral locale, she's still not sure how far that will actually count.
But Riesenlied seems to recognize the knock, and after a moment's uncertain frown, Noeline seems to deem it best to trust in that, carefully getting up to cross to the door and crack it open. "--Ragnell," she greets, her eyes a little wide. "... come in. I'm glad to see you're alright," she adds, with a soft huff that's combined with a serious and thankful note.
She certainly still appears to be her Crimson Noble self, if a little ruffled; her hair is unbound, perhaps a little similar to a certain Metal Demon, and her eyes look just a little tired. There's a light in them, but Riese isn't the only one who needs to recharge.
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.
"Yo," Ragnell greets Noeline, tone as casual as the two fingers she touches to her forehead in greeting. Her smile widens slightly at the little huff. That's so Noeline. "Likewise." She walks in when invited, letting Noeline shut the door behind her once she's inside, giving the 'Crimson Noble' a sidelong glance as she enters. Perhaps it's because of her somewhat disheveled appearance. Then she turns her gaze towards Riese, and she frowns slightly.
"You look like you've seen better days," she observes, perhaps a bit Captain-Obviously. "Huh... So you two really were hidin' out here in Lacour. A good time an' place for it." She crosses the room to approach Riesenlied, though she gives her ample space, and isn't too quick about it either. When she stops, she regards Riese for a moment.
"So," Ragnell says, "what happened at Old Petra?"
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied has been through... an ordeal and a half, certainly.
Her weapon exposed her to an empathic space she never thought herself possible or capable, and it linked her directly with Id. She spoke to him -- mentally, emotionally, and he shared his pain with her. All of it.
It hasn't... gone well, to say the least.
Riesenlied pauses... and she seems to be-- staring at Ragnell. Directly. Her lips are thin as she dithers, looking just a little bit uncertain -- it's not certain what exactly she's seeing, whether she's seeing the seraph for the first time or... something else.
"... we were attacked..." she starts to speak, before her eyes flutter again and she holds her head. "... a Crimson Gear..." her shoulders start to tremble once more, as she sucks in a faint breath that's rather sharp and agitated. "... don't reject me..." She might not be... in a state to explain, right now, in the midst of a rather damaging lapse of werewithal as she's been seen to lull into now and again.
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
Noeline seats herself back down next to Riesenlied, an arm immediately going around the commander to let her take Riesenlied's weight once more; she leans up immediately afterwards, briefly placing a kiss at the blonde demon's temple before she turns back to their visitor.
"Old Petra was attacked by human forces, of course," she mutters, flicking back some of her hair with a sigh. "The retaliation was about as quick as we expected, and we took the prearranged steps to allow as many to begin evacuation as possible. But, right as we did so... the Demon of Elru appeared. A man in red, with a Gear to match, who began to carve through human and demon alike with an immediate and encompassing anger. Old Petra is, frankly, levelled to the ground," the vampire sums up, glancing down at the table for a long moment.
When she lifts her head her gaze picks out Riesenlied to study her face, then furrows her brow as the vampire shakes her head. "Many have perished - and our forces are now scattered and lick their wounds. At the very least, many of the human forces threw their lot in with ours to attempt to beat the demon back, to give us time to evacuate human and demon alike. Still, many have lost a home, however temporary it was meant to be."
There's a very telling pause, and then a soft and uncertain swallow. "As part of that effort, Riesenlied attempted to contact the figure, to forge a link with it--... and it left her in this state."
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.
Staring at Ragnell directly is good. The look in Riese's eyes, the paleness of her face... less so. In fact, when she finally does speak in that broken, only somewhat coherent way, Ragnell's eyebrows knit in concern. "Riese?"
Noeline to the rescue, as it were. Ragnell smiles briefly to see the kiss, but it fades soon at the explanation. "Of course," she echoes. After all, she was there during the assault led by Gylfi. She hasn't heard of the Demon of Elru before, let alone his Gear, but to hear of what he accomplished... Ever-dismissive Ragnell actually looks somewhat disturbed. "Holy hell."
It also... sounds like it was a lot more personal of a loss than she'd figured. She rubs her chin, recalling her discussion on the matter with a certain someone--as well as her role in the battle that lead to the discovery of Old Petra. Ragnell maintains the humans would have found it with or without her help, but the Metal Demons might not feel the same way. But more importantly--
"Oh, goddess, she *talked* to it?" Ragnell grimaces, looking back to Riesenlied. "No wonder you look like a wreck." She glances around the room, then grabs a chair and pulls it over, sitting on it sideways to let her prop an arm on the back as she folds her legs. "Sounds like it went worse than expected on several levels."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied leans against Noeline as she -- holds onto her hand, clutching at it like it were her only lifeline in the world. At times, when her mind darkens, it may very well be. The pallor that's taken over her is definitely unnatural, as is the kind of fits that seem to strike her at sporadic times.
"... Id."
It takes her a great effort to say that name, like she were about to speak something forbidden. She looks up at Ragnell again. "... I connected to him... he taunted me. Called me a coward... hiding behind excuses..." She frowns deeply, and then she lowers her head. It didn't seem like that was what's bothering her, however. "But he showed me his pain... the pain of... milennia upon milennia of death... being torn apart... being shot, stabbed, electrocuted, poisoned... how could one person..."
She's out of breath before she knows it, gasping further.
"... I had to. He was too strong to fight. He..." A pause. "Defeated Lord Siegfried." Another hesitant pause. "Is he all right?" she asks Noeline, as she has now and again, like she keeps forgetting she's asked it before. The care that she has for -- someone so wreathed in hatred, that has scorned humanity as a plague... it's hard for Riesenlied to truly give up on anyone.
"... he ran away. I..." She looks at Ragnell, seemingly her visage recalling her of another time. "I won't... give up..."
But there's more to the journey of recovery than just willpower. The mind, the soul, and her emotions -- they need time to recoup the damage that's been done.
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
Noeline lurches slightly at the touch, as if it were almost a surprise - but then she grips onto it as well, her brow furrowing as the words almost catch briefly in her throat. For all that Ragnell knows her as an over-the-top Crimson Noble, right now the girl's touches are tender and gentle, and she's clearly having to hold herself back from a lot of emotion.
"... you are anything but a coward," she mutters again, as she no doubt has before - but then she couldn't imagine /not/ saying it as a rebuke to that thought every time it surfaces. "And-- yes, Siegfried is alright. I would not say he is 'well', but he /is/ alive and recuperating, much as we are," nods the vampire gently.
"It is not quite just 'talking'. It is more-- as far as I understand it, it is opening an empathic link to another. That is Riesenlied's greatest strength, after all," she allows a brief joke, huffing softly - but her expression soon fades back to concern.
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.
Id. Ragnell's never heard the name before--but she *has* heard the word. "Id?" she echoes, confused. "The base instincts part of a consciousness?" ...How does she know something like that? Ragnell sure has some eclectic knowledge. But... no, apparently that's this guy's *name*. She frowns back at Riese when she goes on to describe the encounter, until finally she says that Id beat Siegfried.
That, by itself, is chilling. Ragnell's seen for herself how strong Siegfried is. To think this Id beat him... And yet he ran away? In the end, Ragnell can only nod slowly at Riesenlied's determination. She's not sure she follows about this millennia of being killed, or so it sounds by the way Riese described it, but if he were immortal... She glances over at Noeline then, noting her gentle and caring touches. "Well, yeah," she says of Noeline's explanation, noting also that Siegfried was only defeated, not killed. "But I don't got a word for 'communicated through an empathic link.' If you got one, feel free to share it." A pause. Then, with an unusual amount of concern for her, she says, "If this is a bad time to visit, I can come back later. Looks like neither of us are gonna be leavin' town too soon."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
"The base... instinct of a consciousness...?" Riesenlied tries to express after herself. A base instinct. "It... wouldn't seem amiss, the way he acted ... it was definitely someone who very much revelled on instinct... less on thought... compassion and logic."
"... it... it was good to see you..." Riesenlied murmurs in addition very gently, lowering her head with some trouble evident on her face. "Noeline has... taken care of me, all this time... so it has been good to see others. ... a small comfort, to see who is well and alive..."
There is a bit of hesitation and a pause again, before she looks to Ragnell. Her visage seems clearer than ever, some semblance of Resonance within her possibly just spread wide open at this chance encounter of the mind, but she can't express it. It seems so natural to her now. "Please... be careful, as well. And... please let K.K. know to be cautious in turn..."
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
The Crimson Noble's response to Ragnell is a light shake of her head, and a rather amused huff of air. "A fair point, I suppose-- and no, don't worry about it. I happened to have a couple of favours owed to be by the manager of this place, and managed to exchange them for a good room and a slight jumping of the tournament queue. I dare say it would do Riesenlied well to have more people to talk to, rather than traipse Filgaia's surface on our own."
The way she says it is a bit overblown, perhaps, as she tries to rebuild her Crimson Noble person - but the glance at Riesenlied is certainly genuine in its worry, as she touches lightly at the other woman's arm. "We have already met an old friend since coming here, which was-- rather welcome. And after surveying the state of our forces, we find ourselves with little to do but to relax."
"--if we only knew how to do /that/ properly," she adds, grinning without a great deal of humour.
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.
"Sounds like he was named well, then," Ragnell says wryly, leaning her cheek on one hand. She smiles slightly at Riese and Noeline both talking about how it's good to see her in specific, and people they know in general, so while Riese takes her offer at seeming face value, Ragnell listens to Noeline, who assures her there's no need for her to leave immediately.
"I'm in no rush, Riese. I just offered 'cuz I thought you might need the space," she tells her. "If that's not the case..." She shrugs. She frowns, then. "But I'll keep an eye out, an' I'll let K.K. know, too. Assuming you don't see 'em before I do." A snort at Noeline's remark on relaxing. "Well, I do like to entertain." She winks, smiling, at the two Metal Demons. "If you want, I can play you a tune, tell ya a story. Just let me know. That kinda thing's fun for me, so I don't mind."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied looks towards Ragnell again, letting out a little 'mm' of concern. "A story... we were speaking a little about your past... about the Prime Lord and the Sub-Lords... about the Seraphs of Lunar. I'd like to hear more about them... and your role in it...?" She holds onto her head for a moment. "... let me -- focus on something a bit distant from the Crimson Gear and its master... and worry for our fallen friends... for a moment."
She draws her legs up just a little, slipping that blanket a little tighter around herself. It's like she perceives some coldness that isn't there, at times.
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
Noeline's chuckle is soft, and just a little rueful; on one level she's kind of aware that Riesenlied could have done with more in the way of distractions - but on the other, she's been significantly reluctant to leave Riesenlied's side to go and /find/ any, and attempts to take her out into the crowds around Lacour have thus far not ended particularly well. It's about all she could bring herself to do to grab the newspaper and check in with the other cells of demons to ensure they're alright.
"Before that-- I also owe you an apology for having deceived you at one point. ... it seems a very silly thing to bring up right at this moment, but you've shown us trust, and given me advice, so it is only fair. --it hardly even seems much of a surprise," she grouses softly to herself afterwards as she folds her arms, grimacing a little before admitting: "But I am not a Crimson Noble. I am a Metal Demon."
There's a pause, and perhaps the dot-dot-dot of a lack of surprise. "--as a spy, such things are necessary," she adds as if defensively.
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.
Ragnell pauses at Riese's request. Ah, right... That'd been a while ago. She hadn't expected her to remember that, but she really should have, huh. Before she says anything, Noeline gives her an apology, and Ragnell glances her way. A confession follows.
"Oh, so it *was* a cover," she says, in a tone of total lack-of-surprise. "Well, I don't mind you lyin' to me about it. To deceive your enemies, first you must deceive your friends, or so the sayin' goes." She half-smiles. "Besides, I had a feelin' after I sensed you around Tindus Town. Zed mentioned you in the same breath as a bunch of other Metal Demons, too." She shrugs. "I was willin' to believe you two, since I figured Riese had no reason to lie, but I'm not shocked t' hear the truth. Actually, I appreciate you tellin' me of your own accord." She was going to ask Noeline about it sooner or later; Noeline just beat her to the punch. Trust and advice, huh... She chuckles to herself.
"In any case... it's not like there's just one Prime Lord. Potentially any Seraph could become one if they were willin' to take the Shepherd's Pact with a human. But that rarely happens anymore," she continues. "Lailah's the only one I know who's still doin' it, which is just as well 'cuz she's got some special abilities most Seraphim don't. Lailah bein' Sorey's Prime Lord, that is," she adds.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
"I... do not like lying... but I would do it for Noeline's sake..." Riesenlied finds the sentence a little bit difficult to express, but it isn't long before she quiets down to listen to Ragnell's tale. She's aware of how the Seraph is an information gatherer, but she reasons -- in the end, things inevitably are found anyway, and she prefers to operate with as little that needs to be hidden as possible. It complicates matters overmuch when your web of operations relies on things not being found out... as is the case with Old Petra.
"Why did they... stop doing it? Was it more common before...?" Riesenlied finds herself asking. "The way you described it, I believe... there were more bonds... before, when Althena created the Seraphim to protect ... Glenwood, was it? There was a boundary, past where it was not protected..." A hesitation, then, "I have spoken to someone of... the 'Vile Tribe', who say they were cast out... much like us."
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
Noeline seems almost ruffled at the matter-of-fact way in which Ragnell takes it, shifting a little as she grumbles under her breath. A-awww, was she waiting for the big shock of the reveal? "Yes, well-- I do not have a particularly good track record as far as letting people know is concerned. By rights, I should be at least a little more trusting at times like this - so I am going to take some steps to try to ensure that, I suppose, and this is one of them."
"Being a Crimson Noble has-- become a force of habit, you could say. After centuries, it has become more me than my old self, that much is certain, and I have to admit I'm reasonably comfortable with it." Her eyes flick towards Riesenlied - and isn't that a telling moment, as her brow furrows as Riesenlied admits she'd lie for Noeline's sake? Someone's feeling a little regretful about all those times she's forced it.
She quiets as Ragnell begins to speak, her eyebrows going up; she's curious, but is still very new to all the Seraph side of things, and as such doesn't have a great deal to add just yet. "Hmm. Really, getting cast out is something of a habit, it seems."
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.
Ragnell, in turn, outright laughs at Noeline grumbling at her lack of shock. "Were ya lookin' for a more dramatic reaction? I could do another take for ya if you really want," she suggests, winking at her. "The only thing I woulda wondered about is you seein' an' hearin' me in the first place, and--" She shrugs. "You're not the only Metal Demon who can. So it's not like it's a total question mark." She pauses. "Though I *am* kinda curious about how you manage." Riese, after all, has her light particles, but that's unique to her, and Zed... apparently vibrates really fast...? and who even knows about Siegfried.
Hmmm, though... So she's put on the act for centuries, huh. "It's a pretty good act!" she reassures her. "I believed ya. It was all a matter of who you kept your company with. You spend a LOT a' time with Metal Demons, so it's like, well, yeah, duh she's really a Metal Demon, ya know?" She nods to Riese, in regards to lying on Noeline's behalf. That's fine, too.
But then it's Seraphim Storytime. "Yup," she replies. "'Bout a thousand years ago, it was a lot more commonplace. But... it was a nastier practice back then, too." She narrows her eyes. "I'm only a little over eight hundred m'self, so I missed most of this, but... back then, Seraphim--who were referred to as Malakim back then--were forcibly subjected to the wills of the Shepherds they were bound to. We HAD to serve those humans. We literally had no choice. My parents warned me about it; they lived through it, so they're awful, awful human-shy."
Glenwood, though--and the boundary, and... the Vile Tribe. Ragnell nods. "Yup. You heard right. The Goddess Althena made us to watch over humans while She wasn't around. Same with the Dragons. I guess that's why Seraphim turn into Fell Dragons if we get corrupted enough by Malevolence--it's like we ascend to dragonhood, but in the worst way possible." She shakes her head. "But that's another story entirely. I've never talked to anyone from the Vile Tribe, so I can't say much about them. It's true Lady Althena cast them out. Supposedly they were violent an' destructive, so She had to, but--" Another shrug. "Well, I never spoke to the Goddess either, not directly, so it's not like I could ask Her about why She did it."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied looks towards Noeline and says -- "It's-- okay... it's more than a lie. As you said... it is a deception that has become part of who you are..."
She places her hands to her chest as Ragnell asks the question of 'how', though, and she leaves that squarely at Noeline's discretion to share. The information of a Guardian within her is highly tetchy, after all, and prone to having them be hunted down further... but at the same time, they've been a bit more forthcoming about it too.
"You are even older than I am... I was born just over four hundred years ago... shortly after the calamity that befell our Filgaia," Riesenlied explains gently. She-- frowns and jitters a little further at that news, however, looking quite shocked. It's quite awful, that news. Forced slavery? It ... in a way, is not altogether too different from how the indoctrination of Mother forced so many of them to live a life of warfare, but... there was no mind control to be had there, no divine pact that forced their hand.
"I'm sorry to hear that your parents were exposed to such horrors," she murmurs. Dominion of the will, the subject of slavery.... that is something she would not hesitate to fight and oppose. "... if I--" she hesitates. "Is that part of why you stand with K.K., even though they have markedly said they oppose humanity? Does this touch back to when the Shepherds treated Malakhim as they would puppets...?"
This seems good. She seems more lucid as she hears and engages with Ragnell's story. It gives her a centre, like when she worried over Noeline -- her strength is in her compassion, and this allows her to rally instead of succumb to what remains of Id's scars upon her mental domain.
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
"--I--" Noeline visibly hesitates; not so much out of whether to tell the Seraph or not, so much as Riesenlied's current state and a desire not to interrupt the rather serious story that nonetheless appears to be doing Riesenlied some good. In the end, she chuckles in a reasonably good-natured fashion. "... ask me later on, when things have settled a little and we have caught our breath, and I will provide a demonstration. All I will say at the moment is that I do have a rather significant reason for keeping /that/ part of things hidden," is all she allows, before her face falls quietly at the rest of the story.
"... and here I was thinking that Lunar sounded rather nice, all things told, when compared to Filgaia," she sighs quietly. "Between you and Hiro, I dare say that should we ever get the chance to see it, we will still have our work rather cut out for us."
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.
A deception that's become part of who she is... When Riese puts it like that, it makes Ragnell feel philosophical. She notes Noeline's hesitation, as well as Riese's deferral, and nods at the response. "That's fair. Things are pretty hectic right now," she says. And they might be hectic for a good long while still--but they're both long-lived creatures. It's not like either of them is in a hurry.
Ragnell nods to Riese. She recalls her mentioning that a while ago--both her age and the calamity. "Thanks. Me too. There's a lot o' personal specifics they never went into, but, well, obviously they managed to make it out, or I wouldn't be here right now." Ragnell shrugs. "It'd been almost two hundred years since then, anyway, by the time I was born. For us Seraphim, that's nothin', but for humans, it's long enough for everyone who was even tangentially involved to die out. While I was a snot-nosed brat, those atrocities were barely real. Just a bedtime horror story the elders told to warn me away from the humans."
Is this part of why she stands with K.K.? Ragnell's red eyes narrow.
"I don't remember ever sayin' I was on humanity's side."
Leaving that chill response right where it is, Ragnell snorts at Noeline's observation. "Would you believe, when I came here from Lunar, I thought this place was great in comparison? I mean, obviously." She lifts her arms to show off her style of dress; the hat, the poncho, the trousers? Yeah, she's definitely gone local. "No matter where you go, humans are always fuckin' it up *somehow*. Lunar *is* a lot greener, though--it's definitely got that goin' for it." She smiles, a touch fondly. "Lots of green, lots of water. S'a beautiful place. I think Filgaia's beautiful too in its own way, but..." She chuckles. "It's a much harsher kind'a beauty. But yeah, you're right. Don't think you'd get a warm welcome there, either, all told." Her smile fades. "...The Goddess has been actin' weird lately, anyway."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
"... it is the same for our kind as well," Riesenlied speaks gently, trembling. "To humans, the battle that our ancestors fought are a milennia ago. That is an amount of time humans can't grasp -- it's beyond them. Even a war that happened only years ago, such as the annihilation of Slayheim, feels distant. But for the long-lived... their past may well be their present..." She lowers her head. "And we have a habit of teaching hatred and vengeance to generations forward. Lord Siegfried may be close to me, but I cannot deny that he has perpetuated that."
She looks towards Ragnell. "I know you do not... but I am curious what it is that disturbs you so, about humans. ... to me..." She lowers her head. "It often more feels like humans are constantly being manipulated. By the Elw, by the Guardians, by the Goddess. I am not about to say humanity is innocent, but... the burden lies upon all of us..."
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
"I must admit-- I do not know if I would say that I'm on humanity's /side/, per se - but there is something about them that is compelling, I suppose. I am drawn to them, drawn to the comfortable sort of chaos of the world that they inhabit. Many of them are brash, violent, repulsive - but that is true for our kind, as well, and as much as some of our number pretend to eschew the concept of emotions they are still just as often ruled by it," Noeline sums up, quietly thoughtful as she considers it.
"At the very least... both of our races are ruled by the past, without fully understanding it. I cannot say that is the fault of humans alone - especially not after everything that has happened in the last few months."
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.
It's true. Or at least, Ragnell's heard this before, with regards to the cycle of hatred and Siegfried perpetuating it. When both Riesenlied and Noeline--not so much jump to humanity's defense but at least stick up for them, Ragnell sighs a long-suffering sigh. Even so, she half-smiles as she does it for some reason. "I know, I know," she says, as if she's had a similar argument in the past. "It's not really *all* humans' faults, an' if they weren't around, life would be a lot more dull. Hell, I'll admit it: there are even some humans I half-way like."
Her smile fades as she looks at the both of them. "...but to me, it doesn't really matter if other races are as bad as humans, or if humans are bein' manipulated by Guardians or Goddesses or what have you. It's..."
She trails off, glowering at the floor. Then she shakes her head, glaring out one of the windows. "Never mind." A beat. "In any case, somethin' happened a thousand years ago--not sure exactly what, my elders weren't too clear on it either, but after that humans stopped bein' able to see Seraphim. So, you know, that was a thing, too." She shrugs, motions tense. "Can't make a Shepherd's pact with someone you can't even see you. Havin' the Resonance to even see us is a base requirement, these days. There's still some humans who can, obviously, but the ability's a lot more rare these days. Worship of Seraphim went down as a result, too, an' that caused its own whole huge host a' problems. The short of it is, Malevolence is on the rise again thanks to all that. Though, I guess, not thanks to JUST all that." Seraph Ragnell has partially disconnected.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied isn't quite sure what to make of it. Why is it that Ragnell holds humans to a particular degree of guilt? All humanity... what is it that lies in them that stirs her wrongly? She doesn't know, and -- she doesn't quite have the courage or werewithal to press her onward.
It does, however, make her visibly sorrowful. She believes no one quite wakes up one day with a deep grudge for an entire race for no reason... there's always a tragedy behind it. She knows Siegfried wasn't always the same way, and it pains her that he is beyond her reach.
"What else has caused the rise of Malevolence in Lunar...? I heard K.K. say it -- that what one world lacks, the other has in abundance. Filgaia had none... until the Lord of Calamity returned. ... is that why you feel this planet is more comfortable to you -- because it is pure, in that way?" It's a guess, but she can probably tell that Ragnell -- as a Seraph, as one who risks falling into a Fell Dragon -- would probably not appreciate an abundance of it.
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
Noeline does at least have the good sense and taste to drop the topic of humanity and whether exactly they count as good or bad; you could call it close to her heart, perhaps, were it not for the way in which she carefully skirts around the question, preferring not to examine it all that closely but rather just accept humanity for the flawed mess that it can sometimes be.
She certainly does not suggest that Ragnell's trickster habit is something she's earmarked as very human; oddly enough, she's /pretty sure/ that would not go down terribly well.
So instead she shifts lightly, ensuring that her arm is secure around Riesenlied still. "It is definitely rather strange, still. The thought that Malevolence can be generated by pockets of deep resentful feelings and unhappiness and regret - and yet, also be tied to a person's presence as if they were the ones throwing seeds into the ground. I haven't particularly got a sense of why exactly that would happen, I suppose," she grumbles, because as much as she might be one of the more spiritual Metal Demons - whether she wanted it or not - she's still the sort who prefers that things make /sense/.
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.
Well, one never knows. Try asking and see! ...No? That, too, is for the best, probably. But one won't get answers if one doesn't have enough boldness to ask the necessary questions in the first place. Either way, it's clear it's a sore subject, whether it's Ragnell's trickster habit or exactly what her beef with humans is.
"It rises an' falls, like most things do," Ragnell says dryly. "They're right, though. When we came here--wasn't a trace to be sensed of Malevolence anywhere. Maybe it exists on other parts of the planet, who knows? But around this area..." She shrugs, then nods to Riese. "S'part of it, yeah. This world and its people feel more... honest. More pure, as you say. Humans are humans wherever you go, but they're at least forthright about it here. That's somethin' I can appreciate."
A nod to Noeline. "Lemina said the same thing," she says dryly. "I might not like humans, but I can at least talk to 'em, you know. I'm not sure why it's such a surprise that Malevolence follows people around--after all, humans are a great source of it. Not the *only* source, I'll grant you, but a big an' common on. An' just 'cuz it comes from people doesn't mean it can't cling to the environment, either. Think of it like, hm... Like sewage. Humans might *make* shit, but as long as they clean themselves up an' keep their sewers well-drained, they won't stink of it an' neither will their town. But if they just dump it in the streets, well, the reek'll get everywhere, regardless of who made it in the first place.
"Unless you mean 'why's there so much Malevolence on Lunar when there's none on Filgaia,' in which case, the long an' short of it is: we don't know why. It's one o' the many mysteries of the two worlds. I can't give you a simple, clean answer there, 'cuz I'm scratchin' my head over it, too."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
"Honesty is... an important foundation," Riesenlied nods very gently. "But at the same time... cross sheer honesty... and you may very well turn it into base impulse, like what Id is like..." She seems to be quite worn down, even as she focuses -- or perhaps it's because she needs to focus so much on the conversation. "... Malevolence and hatred... while the former has a very tangible set of... 'rules', perhaps you can call them... their spread is not so different. Hatred spreads when it is allowed to be spoken unchecked, eventually poisoning its way to the top and becoming institutional..."
She lowers her head. "It isn't any one person's duty to cleanse it. The Shepherd may be able to cleanse some Malevolence, but... in order to keep it in check... that's a social problem..."
Her head lulls to one side as she starts to shakily breathe once more. "... umn-- I--"
Her eyes widen as she whips to one side. "... no, please-- please, stay away... stay away... I'm sorry... Nasrin, why..." she's begging to someone who doesn't appear to be there, clinging to something that's just thin air to the both of them, gripped into a very real fear that her mind's conjured.
It doesn't look like she's going to be able to speak much more right now...
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
"I am used to them being a source of malevolence, certainly, but not so much Malevolence," she points out, easily pronouncing the capital letter as if she had a sheer understanding of dramatic tension and convenience. "It is the distinction between the two that makes me wonder, I suppose."
She pauses, and glances up towards the ceiling, letting out a sigh as she does so. "... I do rather hope we get to see the place, sometime. I dare say that would be a very pleasant thing, on the whole, to see another world and take a walk around it. ... in that respect, perhaps your predilection towards Filgaia is only to be expected."
She's about to say something else - but then Riesenlied seems almost to seize up, and the 'vampire's eyes widen as she startles, tugging Riesenlied towards her. "... Riese-- Riese..." she mumbles; the first appears to have been an attempt to shake her back to reality, but the second is just a noise of gentle concern. "I-- apologize. She has moments where she can speak more clearly - as I said before, others help. But--..."
Noeline trails off, honestly speechless.
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.
"...." Ragnell, for a moment, doesn't speak as she regards and listens to Riesenlied with a slight frown. But although she's not too keen on what she hears, she nods slowly. "You have a point there. The Shepherd can purify all the Malevolence he pleases... but unless somethin's done about the source, their job will never be done." She turns a slow, somber stare out the window. "...It's not fair to push all that burden onto one person. Humanity ought to take responsibility for itself, too."
She makes a low noise at Noeline's wish. "I hope you do too," she says, opting to leave the difference between malevolence and Malevolence alone. "It means we'll've found a way back. I don't really care if I do, personally, but... I got some friends who've got important things they left behind on Lunar. So for their sake..."
But then Riese starts trembling and uttering--if not quite nonsense, then things that don't follow logically from the current conversation. Ragnell sits up straight, blinking at her, as Noeline pulls Riese to her. "...S'nothin' to apologize for," she rumbles. She gets up then. "But I don't think I'm helpin' after all. I'll leave her to you, Noeline." And with that, unless stopped, she'll leave, shutting the hotel room door behind her.
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
Despite the situation, despite how tense she suddenly is as she gathers Riesenlied to her - Noeline still catches herself, still finds time to put an almost irritated frown on her face as she nestles the commander against her shoulder in an embrace. "... please, do not say that. If nothing else, I am quite sure that Riese would be very upset to hear you denigrate yourself so."
She pauses, and huffs out a quiet chuckle. "... it helped, believe me. She has not sounded that clear and lucid in quite some time," she points out in a very point-blank manner. "... at the very least, come along and see us again. I do not think we will be going anywhere for a week or two - some much-needed convalesence is on the cards for the both of us, and I will do my best to stop Riese flitting off elsewhere."
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.
Ragnell pauses when Noeline calls to her back. Then she chuckles, resting a hand on her hat. "I was just callin' it like I was seein' it. But if you see things I don't, well... I guess I just have to take your word for it." She lowers her hand. "I'll be back sometime later, then. With some better stories, yeah?" And now she leaves, her last words before she shuts the door behind her a simple, "See ya 'round."