2017-07-11: Just a Hint

• Log: Just a Hint
• Cast: Riesenlied, Noeline, Siegfried
• Where: Photosphere
• Date: 11th June 2017
• Summary: Riesenlied and Noeline come to meet Siegfried to check on his recovery.

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<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

The last two weeks have been especially trying for everyone -- Riesenlied and Noeline have both had the run around of first evacuating to Gounon following the devastation of Old Petra... and, when that also got a bit too hot for their liking thanks to the Temple of Rejection and a meeting with Miss Avril, they headed to Lacour. Riesenlied has been in and out of it, attacked by persistent anxious bursts and hallucination-like episodes that take her out of reality...

She has since regained some footing for herself -- enough to quietly request of Noeline that they return to the Photosphere, just for a moment. To see those that have returned there, to the Gutter... and also -- in deep concern for someone who possibly doesn't return that concern (outwardsly), Lord Siegfried.

The winged woman is draped in her cloaks as she quietly walks towards the medical facilities, still aided by Noeline. The slightly more oppressive and dark nature of the Photosphere seems to be a bit trying to her, but she's not here for herself.

<Pose Tracker> Siegfried has posed.

Siegfried hasn't been leading the war effort. That has fallen upon Alhazred. For over a week, Siegfried was in the nutrient-providing nanomachine baths that were used to keep many Demons in stasis during the trip from Hyades. It helped to prepare to regenerate his arm and cure the worst of his wounds. Now, the stump where his arm ends has a large steel chrysalis upon it, which is rebuilding his arm piece by piece.

The Quarter Knight isn't in bed, the way he was when Zed came. Instead, he sits at a desk prepared in his room. Hovering holographic screens surround him.

He isn't wearing his armor -- and Glumzambor rests in the floor, piercing through it. Its gold eye looks at its master, unblinking. Siegfried wears a dark blue tunic, and his skin has bits of steel visible underneath the tunic. His blue hair, combed back, has a glint of metal too.

He frowns at some of the screens. Many show Old Petra; others show larger views of all of Ignas.

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

For Noeline, the return to Photosphere is a little bittersweet. Having a couple of weeks to convalesce and think has been welcome - but on the other hand, hasn't exactly done her any favours when it comes to pinning down where she stands on the whole question of Mother, herself, and the shards of Medium within her - not to mention she's visibly still smarting over Gylfi's rash actions and the destruction of Old Petra.

Above all else, as a rule, she prefers not to go anywhere near any place Alhazred is in control of it.

But... she knows how much this a visit like this would mean to Riesenlied - that for the Tainted commander, seeing something with her own eyes, verifying it herself, means much more than any number of written reports. Besides, she's reasonably certain that going and checking the state of the Gutters would also do much to ease Riesenlied's worries, or at least allow her to provide some recognition to those that were lost to Id's wrath.

She's supporting the Tainted commander when she enters, an arm lightly at her waist even here in the Photosphere as if worried that the transfer might have taken something out of her; there is not much of her usual flamboyance, because even she knows when to shut up and be respectful. ... the sight of Siegfried without his armor is something of a mild surprise, however, and she can't help the way her eyebrows hitch upwards slightly.

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

Riesenlied has no doubt seen Siegfried out of his armor before, but even the sight is a bit worrisome to her -- she's slipped in gently with a bow of her head and an expression that she can't hide the worry from. "Lord Siegfried...?" A pause. "I-- came to check on you." A hesitant pause. It lacks the usual confidence and resoluteness from her usual tone. "How are your wounds faring...?"

She bites at her lip.

There have been reports of how the battle and recovery went -- it's... chaotic, to say the least. The reports of how the Demons and Tainted teamed with the Drifters to barely repel the threat. The reports of how Riesenlied used the light of Laevateinn to halt Id back for a good thirty seconds, apparently at great cost to herself. The reports of how demons and humans both worked with each other to evacuate in the wake of the Crimson threat. It would be disgraceful by any standard. Consorting with the enemy. But the red flash was a known threat in the past... a known danger.

Their forces were scattered, but not defeated. Losing Old Petra was undoubtedly a blow, but it wasn't fatal -- the base had already done its job as a staging ground, and while it will make efforts to head further west harder, it still wasn't impossible.

"I-- I was convalescing myself, for the first few days... that was why I could not come sooner--" she trembles again, holding a little closer to Noeline.

<Pose Tracker> Siegfried has posed.

Chaotic is a good word for it. The Metal Demons have a collective nervousness about Siegfried being hurt -- be it because their leader isn't in action or because, in their culture, it means another could rise on strength if he didn't return. Siegfried made a point to demonstrate that he was on his feet, after the recovery.

He looks up when Riesenlied enters, and then he nods once. He is not surprised to see her here (but is a little surprised to see Noeline). He is, however, surprised by the tone.

"I am recovering. I am told by the end of the week that my arm will be regrown," he says. The Quarter Knight frowns a moment later. "Then... you were injured, too. By /that/ man."

He almost spits the word out. He looks sideways, then, to Noeline. "And you? And the rest of our forces? I have heard that he took a toll on us."

Again, Siegfried thinks.

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

While she might still be in her Crimson Noble garb, Noeline's behaviour is anything but right at this moment. She's well aware that this isn't the time to play games or skip around, not with Siegfried's own tone of voice that sharp.

"I suffered a number of injuries in the assault and subsequent escape, but-- nothing so major as either yourself or Riesenlied," she reports instead, her voice held as steady as her gaze. "The rest of our forces--... I have been doing what I can to organize them, to track how many made it out safely and direct them towards safehouses to recuperate." There's a slight hesitancy at that last statement, because she's well aware that she's no Riese, more used to plans and plots than a charismatic lead.

After a moment, though, she does animate a little to put her hand to her forehead. "In all honesty, it was a rout. Many of the younger demons have had their confidence shaken--" again, she amends in her head, "--and we were not fully able to clear and secure the remnants of Old Petra given the speed of the attack. Already, I suspect some Drifters will have been picking the place over for that which we left behind."

She glances just a little towards Riesenlied, accepting the commander against her side as she lets out a faint breath. "... and I have also been assisting in Riesenlied's recovery, as well."

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

Riesenlied couldn't help it. She wasn't concerned because he would be taken over by someone else, or because he wasn't there to lead them to glory -- it's because she was personally concerned for his physical, but also his mental and emotional well-being. "... I am sorry," she murmurs to him. "I connected to his mind using Laevateinn..." she bites at her lip, because she knows that others mock her for it. A weapon of empathy, one that tries to still the throes of combat in others... it's a poor jest in the Photosphere.

"... and I spoke to him, within a shared mindscape. He shared with me a bit of what he thought of us, of humans..." she frowns. "And a name. Id." She places her hands to her chest, trembling again. "And the memories of hundreds of deaths that he has experienced in the past... that was what struck me down then."

But why? she thinks. How could someone have memories like this... is it regeneration? Reincarnation? Was it magic?

"Lord Siegfried... you-- seemed to know that man. Briefly I heard... 'twice', you said. Twice before you encountered him...?"

She lets Noeline take charge of explaining their efforts post-battle, in part because as she says, she has been charge of that, and because she doesn't quite have the werewithal for it at present... and it shows.

<Pose Tracker> Siegfried has posed.

"Nnh. I see," Siegfried says. "Then... we have been dealt a blow. Your honesty is appreciated, Noeline. We should not deny what occurred. It is all the more reason for us to redouble our efforts and consider how to best grasp victory."

He looks at Riesenlied, then he hesitates. "You... connected your mind to that thing?" A part of him does not approve -- immediately and fiercely, for how dangerous such a thing would be and how valuable Riesenlied is to their efforts. "It was a dangerous risk. And yet... I may be alive for it."

But, what she describes is concerning. Siegfried looks down, and his eyes narrow for a moment. "...I see. I had wondered. I swore--/swore/!--that he was dead. That he paid for crushing Mother with his death. But..." But, he stood before them. He looks up, then.

He quiets. "I cannot be sure. I thought so... and yet, there are grave differences between the man we fought there, and the only human I once called a friend. And yet, I saw that human wield the same power that he did, right before the end."

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

Noeline bows her head slightly, then lets out another breath. "... at the very least... I do not believe our general plans need to change in light of this attack - neither the Ebony Wings nor the search for Guardian shrines. Certainly, we will need to arrange a new forward base - but beyond that, it is more a matter of recuperation than realignment," she adds, glancing once at Riesenlied before she remembers that this is hardly the time for business.

Instead, as Riesenlied trembles and speaks, she places her hand lightly on the winged woman's arm. It's a silent show of support; perhaps a little too close for a commander and her second, but Noeline's not exactly worrying terribly much about that right now.

Just in time, as well, because after she listens and digests Siegfried's words, her eyebrows hitch upwards once more. "You're saying that was a human?" she echoes softly, voice tinged with surprise and her mind already working; she furrows her brow a moment later, a hand at her mouth. "The timing of Id's attack was certainly suspicious - I'd already made the assumption that he was drawn by the information Gylfi left behind - but... I of all people should be aware of human strength and its limitations. That thing was far beyond anything I've ever seen."

She seems lost on where to even start as far as the history lesson is concerned, so she doesn't even try, yet, simply waiting to see what information shakes out of their discussion.

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

"... I apologise, again," Riesenlied shies her head down, as Siegfried expresses how reckless it was to connect to Id. "When I saw that you had been struck, it was all I could think of to -- to try to protect you." It's spoken with a tone that few demons manage. "To buy us time... Lady Harken had managed to spirit you away, and with the Drifters also providing a line of defense..."

She sighs very quietly. "... he-- crushed Mother?" her eyes widen rather much. "How is it that he lived that long... or..." She frowns. "No human could live as long as we do. That, and what I experienced of his death... is it possible that he has some kind of immortality? Nothing is certain to me at present..."

She nods at Noeline to say, "I--I will assist as soon as I am capable once more. We will arrange for new bases, and redouble our efforts, learning from these lessons..."

<Pose Tracker> Siegfried has posed.

"No," Siegfried says. "Perhaps... it once was. But that... that holds a power far greater than humanity."

He looks at Riesenlied, then nods. "He did not. I... could swear he died, though I was in no state to clearly see what happened. He... I suspect he is a spirit, infesting the bodies of humans. It seems most logical--and it would fit with the stranger phenomena that we have encountered."

And yet, he has few answers that suggest it. His brow furrows for a moment, and then he looks at them both. "We will need new bases. But.. for now, we should tend to our wounds. We may have an idea of where the statues may be. We've heard from one--one we haven't spoken to in a long time. Boomerang. He may know of a place."

Then, Siegfried frowns. "...And, until then, there is the matter of the Sorcery Globe. Many of the strange things on Filgaia of late began with its descent. It is high time we investigate."

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

"... that would certainly fit," Noeline mutters to herself, her hand still in front of her mouth as she considers that - and forgets herself as she heaves out an irritated breath. "Or at least, it makes about as much sense as anything else I can bring to the table. If that's the case, then it may become a question of who exactly might be harbouring it - and perhaps makes it easier to focus a search on that red Gear, rather than the spirit itself."

Here at least she seems more comfortable, or at least better suited to assist. Finding things is kind of what she does, after all, even if she's not even vaguely aware of the difficulties involved here.

She nods, quietly thankful that Siegfried at least has a great deal more tactical sense than the other Quarter Knights. "... rest, first," she asks of Riesenlied, her voice hiding the pleading glance she gives Riesenlied; she's smiling quietly, though, wanting to calm Riesenlied's worries even as she huffs out a slight noise. "After all, assisting you is a duty I willingly chose."

Again, she pauses with surprise at Boomerang's name, as if only just recognizing it - and perhaps having to revise her 'most flighty demon' award to take his existence into account. "We-- can certainly take it under advisement, yes."

"... will that be safe?" she adds afterwards, not wanting to gainsay Siegfried per se, but-- "... I would suggest only taking a small, mobile group if possible. A fullscale strike would not be wise, split as we are."

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

There is a quiet silence in Riesenlied, nodding. Siegfried looks to be all right, and for that she's quite grateful. There's still a part of her that thinks she couldn't forgive herself if she couldn't be there for a friend, after all. "A spirit..." she quietly murmurs. Was that the reason why she could connect with him? Recently, her spiritual sense seemed to have burgeoned from nothing, with encounters with K.K. and Ragnell both... was that why Laevateinn drew her -- trapped her into his mindscape?

The questions mount, and the answers are not here.

"Boomerang... I see..." she frowns quietly. "I'd like to speak to him of that, then."

On the topic of the Sorcery Globe... she nods as well, frowning gently. "We have been distracted with our Ignasian assault long enough, and we must contend to matters in our own quarter." There is a pause, as she suggests, "It may be beneficial to contact Lord Volsung and see if the Veruni have interest in cooperating -- it landed rather close to their Control Zone too, after all, and they must similarly see it as a threat."

<Pose Tracker> Siegfried has posed.

"Yes," Siegfried says, with a look at Noeline. "Perhaps so. That Gear... it would be harder to hide. We must watch, carefully, for all of its appearances. For now, though, as much as it runs against every fiber of my being..."

He grits his teeth. "...None of you are to engage this Id, if he should appear."

And yet, Siegfried doesn't except himself from that.

"Boomerang... is unlikely to speak with you. He sent word," Siegfried says. "But he left little way to contact him." He frowns at that. He did not, particularly, enjoy finding a note nailed to his door with a knife. But, he and Boomerang had disagreements that went back years -- to where Boomerang chose to place himself in the midst of the battle in which Mother fell.

"I agree, Noeline--and, yes, Riesenlied. It may be wise to extend that offer to the Veruni. This is in their sphere of influence, as well," the Quarter Knight says. "And I do not doubt they will desire answers. And, besides... their operatives have proven themselves to work well in such a team."

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

Noeline doesn't look terrific as talk turns towards the Sorcery Globe; she glances between Riesenlied and Siegfried for a moment, unable to stop herself from silently wondering if either of the two are really in a suitable state to take on an expedition into unknown territory - and mention of the Veruni, or rather Volsung, seems to also set her on edge further.

It's in her nature to be wary, after all, especially of the way that Volsung swept in at their time of greatest need and positioned himself as their helpful saviour. Much like Leo, she thinks quietly. Simple politics, but effective - all the moreso when you're dealing with a group like the metal demons, where their worship of Mother can edge towards fanaticism.

"... I will assist, as well," she finds herself offering - after all, if nothing else, the Sorcery Globe is new and interesting. "In the meantime, I will see what I can find in the way of information about it - unfortunately, that might involve some searching through old records, or just be entirely fruitless. I doubt very much that anyone on Filgara at present will have any kind of idea about it."

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

"... yes, Lord Siegfried," Riesenlied bows her head. ... yet, as Siegfried doesn't exempt himself, she feels that if it came down to it, she may yet try to restrain him again if it came to it... will it work? She knows she must strengthen herself. But it is not a matter of physical power or combat prowess. She needs to strengthen herself spiritually.

What an odd path, for a Metal Demon.

She doesn't necessarily trust Volsung either, but she trusts Ambrosius -- and Kaguya, in turn. "I see... Boomerang has been the kind to make himself scarce," she comments quietly. Perhaps for the best -- he'd be the most likely to look down on her as weak, moreso than what the other Quarter Knights already have.

"We will be ready when the time comes. Until then, we are accompanying Lady Harken in Lacour -- a large number of Drifters have gathered there for the Tournament of Arms, and it is a chance to also learn of their next steps as well while we recover..." she quietly advises. She bows her head gently.

"... please be well, and look after yourself, Lord Siegfried. ... I was -- still am concerned," she perhaps speaks a bit too far, but she can't help herself. She worries.

<Pose Tracker> Siegfried has posed.

Siegfried nods, once, to Noeline. "Well done, Noeline," he says. "You serve our cause well." That this may be a cold comfort to her is something Siegfried is unaware of -- but that is how he sees the world.

He looks at Riesenlied, then, and nods once. Boomerang is the sort to make himself scarce, to say the least. He raises an eyebrow -- and then nods at her. "I will do so. Do not fear," he says. "I intend to take to the field again. As soon as my arm is back. I..."

She is concerned. He blinks, once. Then, he nods once.

"There is nothing to be concerned about. I have..." He looks down at the missing arm. "...Been injured before. Such experiences only make us stronger. Strike hard and true, both of you, in my stead."

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

It's complicated, okay. Noeline isn't totally against the idea of Metal Demons and their continued existence, far from it, so much as some rather pertinent aspects of the whole situation - and the thought of an unknown threat doesn't really sit well with the spy, who would much rather all their threats be out in the open and understood. It's the healthy kind of paranoia you start to cultivate in her position.

At the very least, Siegfried is a lot more aligned to her general point of view than, say, Berserk or Alhazred - and she can bow her head in recognition of the compliment, as well, tilting her head as she accepts it.

A glance at Riesenlied, though, and she finds herself quietly chuckling, perhaps deciding that injecting a very tiny note of levity into the situation might help matters. "If I may, sir-- I do not think Riesenlied could ever carry out an order to not be concerned about you."

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

Riesenlied places her hands to her chest with a stammer of, "I--" she frowns just a little bit, looking rather embarrassed as she glances down. "It is not just the arm. Not just of physical injury. It is of matters that pertain to your past that have come up recently..." A pause, as she sounds just a bit more hesitant like Noeline just put her on the spot! "... but I have no doubt you will stand strong to them."

She picks at her hair for a moment, before doing a quiet, respectful half-turn and a bow of her head. "... w-would you escort me back to our quarters, Noeline? Lord Siegfried must surely need his rest too, as do we." Aww, someone's rather embarrassed now!

<Pose Tracker> Siegfried has posed.

Siegfried stares for a moment at Noeline, like he has no idea what to do with this particular piece of information -- and yet, he won't rebuke it either. Finally, he glances to the side. He might be embarrassed, too.

Maybe. It's hard to tell. This /is/ Lord Commander Siegfried.

But, he looks back to Noeline, then, and nods. "I intend to, Riesenlied. And I... shall keep that under advisement, Noeline. May you both stand victorious." There is, if they look closely, the hint of a smile on his face.

Just a hint.