2017-08-05: Mysteries of Lolithia
- Log: Mysteries of Lolithia
- Cast: Dean Stark, Avril Vent Fleur, Emma Hetfield
- Where: Lacour - Castle
- Date: August 5th 2017
- Summary: Sometimes it's best to go to the expert. Avril and Dean meet with Emma to ask about the golem Lolithia.
<Pose Tracker> Dean Stark has posed.
Dean was told there was someone who knows a lot about Lolithia. 'What's Lolithia?' he asked; the answer got to approximately 'It's a golem that--' before he added 'I'M SO THERE.' Dean and Avril thus have agreed to meet up with Emma at a local shop, not so much to buy anything (much to the future annoyance of the shop owner) but to have a conversation about golems. It is at least an armor shop, so while they wait for Emma to arrive, Dean and Avril can take a look at garments for potential upgrade.
Dean is barely looking, though. He is in fact practically vibrating with excitement. Lolithia, an ancient golem! Wow!! He's still kind of shaky on what exactly they're going to be talking about but who cares, it's about golems! Part of not knowing is what makes it so good!
(Dean has never read ahead on any assignment or done any homework more than an hour before class in his life. It's dubious whether he's even taken any classes in his life at all.)
"So when's Emma supposed to get here?" he asks Avril for perhaps the fifteenth time in half as many minutes. This had driven Rebecca so nuts she had to step outside. Probably. She's likely around here somewhere, anyway!
<Pose Tracker> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.
The name Lolithia had turned up in several odd places. The plaque in the depths of the Temple of Rejection for one. As the name of a golem, elsewhere. Since this was technically a name that Avril's quest had brought her to -- and since she had no other leads save to perhaps attempt to delve into the person who the wine was named for (and who couldn't be met anymore since, well, he was probably already dead) -- this seemed as likely a place as any.
And besides, even if it's not the first thing Avril's encountered that sounds familiar, it still does sound familiar to her.
So on Cyre's suggestion, they had gotten in touch with Emma.
"I'm certain it will not be much longer," Avril comments idly, as if she hasn't been saying roughly the same thing for the last 15-odd minutes. Casually, she investigates an armored shirt of some sort. "This does look heavy, however..."
<Pose Tracker> Emma Hetfield has posed.
Emma Hetfield had an appointment to meet people in an armor shop, which is certainly diverting from the little sweet cafes she holds more business meetings in. The door jangles and she approaches the counter, not looking around.
"Excuse me," she tells the clerk. "Are there any people here waiting for the genius of the age, the master of electromagnetism, Emma Hetfield? I think I have an appointment but I might be early. I'd be glad to sign in, or buy something, if you have a penny candy assortment or something. Though actually, I think I could use some discreet arm guards - no, not armenguards -"
Emma is not very quiet.
<Pose Tracker> Dean Stark has posed.
"You think so? It doesn't look that heavy to me!" Dean says, turning around and peering at the armored shirt. He may be underestimating its weight. "Here, let me give it a shot--hnnngh!" He lifts it up, first with one hand, then hastily with two hands. He's not about to buckle at the knees, but wow-- "That *is* heavy," he admits. He sets it back down. "I guess you've got a better eye for armor than I do, huh, Avril?"
The name Emma Hetfield enters his ear. It can't help but do so, considering how LOUDLY it was said. He turns around to see a woman talking to the shop clerk. "OH HEY EMMA!" he says cheerfully, and very casually considering he's never met her before. He waves a hand over his head. "Over here, over here!"
<Pose Tracker> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.
"I wonder how strong one might need to be to wear such a thing," Avril wonders, one hand resting against her chin as she watches Dean lift the shirt with considerable effort. "Though, I suppose if you were to put it on and were then unable to walk into danger... That would be protective, would it not?"
avril that's not even remotely how this is supposed to work
A woman enters, sight unseen--
Well, at first.
Avril turns towards the counter, gaze tracking up and down Emma. "Oh, you must be Emma Hetfield," she says, taking a step towards the older woman -- as she meanwhile is likely approaching them. "We're the ones who wanted to speak with you about golems," Avril explains, gesturing towards Dean. "I understand you know quite a lot about the golem named 'Lolithia'," she says, cutting right to the chase.
Specifically: Emma was involved in the excavation.
"My name is Avril, and this is Dean."
<Pose Tracker> Emma Hetfield has posed.
Emma pivots on a heel to look towards - a guy, but he knows her! "Oh, never mind, I see him," she tells the clerk loudly, raising her hand to wave cheerfully as if the space between them is much greater than it is. "Hello! I'll be right there!"
Emma walks forwards about twelve feet. "Do I," she tells Avril with a nod of the head. "That was an emphatic statement, not an interrogative, just so that's clear." Adjusting her glasses, she says, "Pleased to meet you, Avril, Dean -"
"You could say that Lolithia and I are intimate friends, but I don't want to make it sound like something more than it was. I can't help but feel a certain degree of responsibility for the recent affray that's turned Adelhyde into a conflict between zealots and horrors. What is it that you're wondering about Lolithia?"
<Pose Tracker> Dean Stark has posed.
Dean thinks seriously about what Avril says. "I guess so... but wouldn't it be hard to travel that way?" he says. "Maybe it's for people who don't want to travel, but're worried about monsters getting into their village. Capo Bronco's got strong walls, but I've heard not every village is like that. Ooh! Or maybe it's a challenge? Go out on the battlefield real slow so you can get stronger 'cuz you're hefting all this weight around!"
It made sense before he said it out loud. Either way, Emma arrives. Dean beams at her, this lady who knows so much about golems. He's practically vibrating on the spot, more than ready to hear everything she has to say about the subject. "Wow! Intimate friends? That's so cool!" he says, and never mind Emma's added statement. His smile fades when the talk turns to conflict though. "What's that got to do with Lolithia?" he wonders, eyebrows furrowed. "What happened to her?"
That wasn't actually what they came here to ask, but it's a relevant question all the same. If Emma happens to know Lolithia's current whereabouts...
<Pose Tracker> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.
"Hmm." Avril is... considering both of these situations seriously, it seems, her delicate brow well-creased in concentration. "I wonder which it could be? Both appear to be plausible. Or, perhaps if one was strong enough to wear armor such as this..."
There are times when Rebecca's sanity is a strongly-needed commodity.
Of course, Rebecca isn't here right now, likely still waiting outside for one of them to tell her that Emma's here.
Countdown to Dean getting yelled at: initiated.
Avril ducks her head in a short polite bow, as if in greeting. Intimate friends is a statement that also goes sailing over Avril's head -- there's a good deal of difference between 'phrasing' and the blatantly... something content of the book she'd found, and the first is something that the amnesiac young woman tends to miss in her current state. "I see, so you feel some sense of guilt over what has happened," she says, a little... too bluntly, the comment punctuated with a short nod. "However, you could not have known what was to happen."
"The golem was taken away by the Metal Demons, or so it appears from what I have heard about the subject," Avril explains, glancing towards Dean.
"What I am wondering about Lolithia is... how was she found? I traveled with a group to the site, but we found no information about the golem there," she asks of Emma.
<Pose Tracker> Emma Hetfield has posed.
"I remember when I found her there, alone in her entombment chair," Emma muses. "I told her dirty jokes until she smiled. Metaphorically, of course. The dirty jokes were my 'Emma Motors,' and the smile was when we towed her - it, really - to the surface."
"After a brief turn with the Exhibition," Emma explains to Dean, "it was seized, I believe, by Metal Demons. That's the last I saw of her, and I'll swear it to any officer. It. I'm sorry, the name just sounds feminine."
She looks to Avril then, folding her arms in front of her and nodding along. "Exactly," she says. "I remember there were some people speculating that it was possible that someone would use the ancient Elw commands to take control of the Golems and wreak havoc. Ha!"
Emma looks towards Avril, nodding along. "Hmmm. Well," she says, "we had to enter the site much as you did - is the elevator repaired, by the way? - and find where, exactly, Lolithia was being stored. Entombed, you might say. I suppose it was thought that Lolithia had done so well that it deserved a final resting place, and it also was possible there'd be remainders or some other threat..."
Emma takes a deep breath through her nose. "What kind of information are you looking for, exactly? Height? Weight? Three sizes? Power source? Unfortunately much of what I have to say is conjecture, although I do have some candid photographs - not with me, unfortunately."
<Pose Tracker> Dean Stark has posed.
No one told Dean he ought to tell Rebecca when Emma arrives! Granted that it should be a no-brainer, but that's what Dean is: a no-brainer!! Can you really blame a child this dense for not understanding implicit messages?? (Rebecca can, and no doubt will.)
"Woah, really? Aren't those the bad guys who attacked Adlehyde?" Dean says, frowning mightily at Avril. "That's no good! We can't just leave poor Lolithia with them! Who knows what they're doing to her!"
Still, they need to learn things before they can *do* things. Even Dean can't run off half-cocked if he doesn't actually know *where* the Metal Demons are situated. His frown deepens as Avril asks her own question, and then he looks expectantly, and rather fiercely, at Emma.She talks about dirty jokes, which Dean doesn't really get until she talks about Emma Motors (then he's all "ohhh, they're dirty because of the oil, that makes sense") and bringing her to the surface. "Oh, man, I heard about the Exhibition," he says, and this time his excitement is cut with wistfulness. A lot of people were hurt, and even died, during that attack... It's hard for him to get hype knowing actual lives were lost. Plus, she was taken by the Metal Demons after all...!
"What do they want with her, anyway?" he asks, and he doesn't bother to correct himself to 'it.' A blank, puzzled stare follows: "Elw commands?" And then: "You have pictures?!" But not with her. 'Awww,' his fallen look of disappointment practically screams.
As for the information desired--he'll leave that to Avril. She was looking specifically, and he bets he'd want to hear anything she asks about as much as she does!
<Pose Tracker> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.
"Yes, Dean," she answers her friend. "From what I have heard, they stole away the golem Lolithia from the exhibit. What happened to it after that, I cannot say." And neither can most people, honestly, at this point. "The other golems were taken away as well, as I understand, but I am not certain where they might have gone. I have only asked people about Lolithia," Avril adds, as if by way of explanation.
Avril pauses.
"Elw?" She draws up, her forehead creased in consternation. "Something about that word... It feels like it might have been vital, something I knew once that was..." One hand rises, slowly, to her mouth, her gaze dipping downwards as she searches her thoughts for even the slightest glimmer. "...No, it was very important, I..."
She lapses into silence, dragging out for several long seconds.
And Avril shakes her head. "...I'm sorry. I don't remember. I just have a feeling that it was something that meant a lot to me," she says, glancing Dean's way. Her hand lowers, joining the other as she clasps them before her. "I have lost my memories," she explains to Emma, her expression quite sober. "We're on a journey together to see if we can find them, and the meaning behind the name 'Johnny Appleseed'. Along the way, I encountered the name 'Lolithia' and found that it is the name of a golem."
She pauses. "The name is... also familiar to me, somehow. I was hoping to learn more about it in the event I might recall something more." But so far, it's nothing, beyond a stronger-than-usual sense of deja vu surrounding 'Elw'.
She entwines her fingers with one another. "...To answer your other question, though... no, the elevator was still broken. Should we have repaired it?"
<Pose Tracker> Emma Hetfield has posed.
Emma nods along with Dean and says to him, "I'll tell you."
A beat. "I don't know. However, by merely holding the Golems, even if they do nothing but put them up on cinderblocks or bury them in cement - They're taking the hated weapons of the past off the board, so to speak."
Back to Avril. She nods along. "Others took the others, though I know almost nothing about these other shadowy paramilitaries," Emma explains. Then she smiles, a little wryly. "Oh...? Are you - aha!"
Emma's eyes widen as she says to Avril, with excitement, "Amnesia! This is really quite widespread lately. I wonder what's causing it! You're not alone, you know. Don't feel bad. I'll put you in touch with other sufferers if you want. Maybe you can support each other's struggles."
Then comes the name Johnny Appleseed. And Lolithia. "Hm," Emma says. "Can you tell me the context where the term came up in more detail? Lolithia's been entombed for quite a long time - we had to search just to find the facility, it wasn't like the Berry Caverns or anything like that."
After a beat, Emma tilts her head. "If you didn't fix the elevator, how did you make it across the gorge?"
Back to Dean. "Are you having memory challenges too?"
<Pose Tracker> Dean Stark has posed.
"Rrrgh... They can't just steal Lolithia like that! That's not right!" Dean protests hotly. Still, he knows that there's nothing Avril or Emma can do about it, so he doesn't lose his head about it--though when Avril tells him there were other golems that were kidnapped (??), his frown only gets more severe. "We've gotta save them...! I hope they're not making them do anything bad right now! Those poor golems..."
Emma says she doesn't know what's going on the with golems. However-- "Hated weapons??" he repeats, baffled. "But--they're golems! They're precious relics of the past that can teach us so much about the history we've forgotten!" He's probably repeating something he heard Rebecca say once. "And more importantly, they're so cool!! You can't just put golems on cinderblocks! That's just... *wrong*!"
Still, the topic of Avril's amnesia comes up, and Dean calms down enough to nod back her way. "Yeah. It's kind of a long story, but it's a really interesting one, if you wanna hear it!" Dean no, that's not what you're here for. He smiles at Emma's offer to put her in touch with other amnesiacs. "Wow, you're really nice!" he declares, instantly deciding that Emma is a Good Person. He will probably never be budged from this opinion. As for the elevator and gorge and all, he doesn't know anything about that, so he defers to Avril. As for his own memory? "No, it's fine!" he reassures her. "Why?"
Why indeed.
<Pose Tracker> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.
'Others took the others' is a good summation of events, as far as Avril has gleaned. She nods, silent for now, as if in agreement of this assessment of the situation. "Given what I have learned, Emma may be correct. If they have not used them yet, it might be that they cannot use them. Perhaps the terror of these golems is driving them to seal them away where we cannot reach..."
Do Riesenlied and Noeline know anything of this? Avril maintains her silence.
"The golems were used to fight the Metal Demons, or so the stories say, Dean," Avril explains gently, entwining her fingers before her. It was easy enough to learn that much. "Perhaps, they still fear their might, even if they are inactive...?"
She's not alone in her experience. "So I have come to understand," Avril says, as if discussing a phenomenon of mild note rather than her own situation. "I have met other people in a similar predicament. That is what encouraged me to seek out other ruins. They appear to have been doing likewise." Avril doesn't name names for now.
When Emma asks after 'where the term came up', Avril cocks her head to one side. "Lolithia, you mean? It was in the depths of the Temple of Rejection," -- or so the temple has come to be called -- "on a plaque on the wall. We had come to Gounon searching for Johnny Appleseed, only to find that it was the name of an apple wine. At request from the mayor, we transported a cask of the wine to the temple for their yearly offering, however..."
However, things had gotten a little out of hand after that.
And Avril blinks, caught off-guard by Emma's question. "The... gorge?" She frowns slightly. "There was an... out of order lift when we entered. Is that not the one?"
Which is followed by a glance at Dean. "Dean? No, his memory is fine," Avril affirms.
Which might, might, be as close as she gets to something that could be construed by someone else as a slight... diss.
Avril, naturally, would never ever think that way about Dean. He's such a kind young man.
<Pose Tracker> Emma Hetfield has posed.
"I agree, but you have to look at this from their perspective," Emma tells Dean. "Imagine if you were a dragon, and you found a magical dragon-slaying sword... you'd probably try to drop it in the sea, right?"
She then beams. Little sparkling flowers appear - at least in spirit - as she tells Dean, "Why thank you! I'm told I'm charmingly eccentric, but that's like nice, isn't it?" She then puts a hand on her hip and looks towards Avril again, nodding along with her explanation.
"That is a little strange, on the face of it, isn't it? Maybe all of you once knew each other - or grew up in an orphanage together! - and in a ruin, you encountered some event or entity who harmed your memories," Emma muses. She adds, "That's entirely speculative, though. But it might be worthwhile to see if you all do have shared common elements. I know there's the two martial artists, Xantia and Fei Fongwong."
Then Avril raises a question. Emma taps her teeth with a fingernail while frowning a little. "No - that sounds correct - but really, nobody's replaced it? How did you manage to get across? Oh! I imagine you used the cable as a zipline." She looks to Dean here, perhaps because this seems, in Emma's read of Dean, to be 'something Dean would be hype for.'
<Pose Tracker> Emma Hetfield has posed.
On the topic of the Temple of Rejection, Emma frowns in thought. "That's interesting. Did it speak of Lolithia in the future tense or the past tense? I suppose that's not super duper important, but these things can help us date more seriously. And there's nothing more serious than a date."
<Pose Tracker> Dean Stark has posed.
"Terror?! That's just mean! They wouldn't hurt anybody!" Dean protests, in flagrant defiance of history. He pauses, hesitating, at Emma's point about dragons and dragon-slaying swords. "Well, that's... I--uh..." He really, honestly doesn't know how to answer that. When she puts it like that, and when Avril adds that the golems were used to fight Metal Demons once upon a time, it sounds very reasonable, but... but golems! And besides, weren't the Metal Demons the one who attacked Adlehyde in the first place? But if they were scared of the golems, maybe that's why... It all of a sudden strikes him as very sad. "...I hope at least they didn't destroy them," he decides on. "It's better that they seal them away then break them outright."
Charmingly eccentric? "That sounds like nice to me!" he replies, smiling as he nods. Sadly, he doesn't react too much about the zipline, though whether it's because it's not a golem zipline or because he doesn't actually know what a zipline is remains unclear. All the same, he does listen to Avril as she talks about the Temple of Rejection and the plaque therein, nodding every so often. "It was real tough going," he adds. "We never expected the door to just close behind us like it did!"
Dean, of course, doesn't even conceive of being dissed for not having memory issues. Why would it be?
<Pose Tracker> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.
"Actually, we have met," Avril tells Emma. "I met Fei first, and he introduced me to the others." The... others? "We attempted to explore the Ruins of Memory in the event that something within it might be familiar to us, but we were unsuccessful."
All they got out of that expedition were some social commentaries and some more... questionable materials from the Metal Demon era.
And Emma asks a question that just causes Avril to draw a considerable blank. "A... zipline?" She blinks, again. And looks over at Dean. "The path that you and Rebecca explored... did you see anything like that?" ...Probably not. "We explored different parts of the Tomb, in order to cover more ground," she explains, this time to Emma. "We descended a lift and found a cache of ARMs. Perhaps we ended up in a different area than the one you are describing, Emma?"
As far as the Temple goes, at least Avril can be a little more helpful there. "It said," and here the young lady closes her eyes briefly, as if in recollection. "'If the rumors are true, The Lolithia has remained on Filgaia'," she quotes. "That was the part that seemed most relevant. The rest of it spoke of someone attempting to shut down 'the facility'." Her gaze glides towards Dean. "Perhaps we should revisit the temple at some point. You never were able to see beyond the entrance."
Since she had been the only one of the three of them who had failed to flee intially.
"...I would also like to see if the temple still rejects my presence." Avril crosses her arms loosely, then glances away as if uncomfortable.
<Pose Tracker> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.
"I agree, but you have to look at this from their perspective," Emma tells Dean. "Imagine if you were a dragon, and you found a magical dragon-slaying sword... you'd probably try to drop it in the sea, right?"
She then beams. Little sparkling flowers appear - at least in spirit - as she tells Dean, "Why thank you! I'm told I'm charmingly eccentric, but that's like nice, isn't it?" She then puts a hand on her hip and looks towards Avril again, nodding along with her explanation.
"That is a little strange, on the face of it, isn't it? Maybe all of you once knew each other - or grew up in an orphanage together! - and in a ruin, you encountered some event or entity who harmed your memories," Emma muses. She adds, "That's entirely speculative, though. But it might be worthwhile to see if you all do have shared common elements. I know there's the two martial artists, Xantia and Fei Fongwong."
Then Avril raises a question. Emma taps her teeth with a fingernail while frowning a little. "No - that sounds correct - but really, nobody's replaced it? How did you manage to get across? Oh! I imagine you used the cable as a zipline." She looks to Dean here, perhaps because this seems, in Emma's read of Dean, to be 'something Dean would be hype for.'
On the topic of the Temple of Rejection, Emma frowns in thought. "That's interesting. Did it speak of Lolithia in the future tense or the past tense? I suppose that's not super duper important, but these things can help us date more seriously. And there's nothing more serious than a date."
<Pose Tracker> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.
"Terror?! That's just mean! They wouldn't hurt anybody!" Dean protests, in flagrant defiance of history. He pauses, hesitating, at Emma's point about dragons and dragon-slaying swords. "Well, that's... I--uh..." He really, honestly doesn't know how to answer that. When she puts it like that, and when Avril adds that the golems were used to fight Metal Demons once upon a time, it sounds very reasonable, but... but golems! And besides, weren't the Metal Demons the one who attacked Adlehyde in the first place? But if they were scared of the golems, maybe that's why... It all of a sudden strikes him as very sad. "...I hope at least they didn't destroy them," he decides on. "It's better that they seal them away then break them outright."
Charmingly eccentric? "That sounds like nice to me!" he replies, smiling as he nods. Sadly, he doesn't react too much about the zipline, though whether it's because it's not a golem zipline or because he doesn't actually know what a zipline is remains unclear. All the same, he does listen to Avril as she talks about the Temple of Rejection and the plaque therein, nodding every so often. "It was real tough going," he adds. "We never expected the door to just close behind us like it did!"
Dean, of course, doesn't even conceive of being dissed for not having memory issues. Why would it be?
<Pose Tracker> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.
"Actually, we have met," Avril tells Emma. "I met Fei first, and he introduced me to the others." The... others? "We attempted to explore the Ruins of Memory in the event that something within it might be familiar to us, but we were unsuccessful."
All they got out of that expedition were some social commentaries and some more... questionable materials from the Metal Demon era.
And Emma asks a question that just causes Avril to draw a considerable blank. "A... zipline?" She blinks, again. And looks over at Dean. "The path that you and Rebecca explored... did you see anything like that?" ...Probably not. "We explored different parts of the Tomb, in order to cover more ground," she explains, this time to Emma. "We descended a lift and found a cache of ARMs. Perhaps we ended up in a different area than the one you are describing, Emma?"
As far as the Temple goes, at least Avril can be a little more helpful there. "It said," and here the young lady closes her eyes briefly, as if in recollection. "'If the rumors are true, The Lolithia has remained on Filgaia'," she quotes. "That was the part that seemed most relevant. The rest of it spoke of someone attempting to shut down 'the facility'." Her gaze glides towards Dean. "Perhaps we should revisit the temple at some point. You never were able to see beyond the entrance."
Since she had been the only one of the three of them who had failed to flee intially.
"...I would also like to see if the temple still rejects my presence." Avril crosses her arms loosely, then glances away as if uncomfortable.
<Pose Tracker> Emma Hetfield has posed.
"That's the thing," Emma explains to Dean: "They CAN hurt people, the Golems I mean to say. I had thought there was no way they could activate, because they were operated by the Elw, and I haven't see any Elw hanging around lately, that's for certain."
After adjusting her glasses, she says, "The door closed behind you? The one into Lolithia's tomb proper - oh, you must not have taken that route. Hmmmm... I still wonder where it's drawing power from."
"They made a plaque about rumors... they referred to it as The Lolithia, like some sort of icon or professional fighter," Emma muses, then, at Avril's report. "Perhaps we SHOULD visit wherever-that-was. How were the pickings?"
Then she blinks a couple of times, audibly. "Rejects your presence?" she asks Avril.
<Pose Tracker> Dean Stark has posed.
Dean is actually left at a loss for words at Emma's remark that golems can, in fact, hurt people. Judging by his hurt and appalled expression, it looks like he doesn't know how to process this information. Once he does, he sputters, "B-but that's not the golems' fault! If people didn't make them do that...!" But even that is an acknowledgement that golems can be used destructively and harmfully. It'll take Dean a while to come to terms with this idea.
"Huh?" Avril's question is a welcome distraction, and this time, Dean's frown is a thoughtful one. "No, I don't think so! Unless a zipline's totally different from what I'm imagining." Which is... a zippy sort of line. Possibly one used to travel hand-over-over over a gorge or something. Possibly it's fired from an ARM and then secured to something steady before one attempts such climbing. "Me and Rebecca had to turn back--there was this big turtle monster thing and it was REAL strong! I'm sure we could've beaten it if we tried hard enough, but Rebecca said we shouldn't risk it since we were low on Heal Berries and neither of us had any healing magic, so we made a run for it. At least Avril got through, though!"
He nods to Avril then. "Yeah. I'm real sorry you had to go through all that, Avril. This time, I'll stick by your side to the end!" Firm nod!! As for the Temple rejecting her presence... he doesn't get it, but he *did* already hear about it, at least. He'll let Avril explain it to Emma, as well as the pickings.
<Pose Tracker> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.
"Within Lolithia's Tomb, we hadn't encountered any considerable obstacles," she explains. "However, the Temple of Rejection was a different experience. In there, there were several examples of advanced machinery deep within its walls and no obvious way to escape." She exhales a slow sigh at the memory.
"We didn't encounter anything of the sort on our end," Avril comments, her smile rueful. "I am sorry that you and Rebecca experienced that much trouble. We only encountered some toadlike creatures before happening upon a cache."
Which had been followed by the sensation of absolute isolation that had left her reeling. A memory? Or something else?
"Yes," Avril answers, her nod here somewhat more restrained. "It's... difficult to explain. It was as if the temple itself was rejecting my very existence. A weighty pressure, threatening to crush me... or separate me from the world entirely." Her blue-eyed gaze turns aside. "It was... I would rather not return. However... it may be essential to understand the meaning of that message. I will go there, with my friends." She smiles slightly, looking over at the blue-haired teenager. "It's alright, Dean. You could not have forseen what would have happened. ...I was able to escape, and I shall do so once again, should the temple once more refuse me."
As if steeling herself, her shoulders tense. She lifts her head to stare ahead at Emma. "Will you assist us, Emma? Any insight you would be able to provide into the temple and its contents would be appreciated."
Pickings? Avril blinks, as if not sure what answer to provide. She glances at Dean. "Dean? What does she mean by 'pickings'?"
<Pose Tracker> Emma Hetfield has posed.
"Of course it isn't!" Emma agrees with Dean, as if to try and whiplash his mood and bully him into submission with Science. "I think they're precious treasures and a trove of information that can be used to help remake Filgaia's struggling surface. But it wouldn't surprise me if they're trying to figure out how to do just that. One or the other of these grups, anyway..."
She frowns even more at the news of some kind of evil turtle. "Turtles..." Emma murmurs to herself. She seems to disapprove, but this disapproval transcends mere distaste for THIS turtle. Is she going to be on the outs with Cecilia over this? Maybe later.
Looking back to Avril, she folds her arms and nods slightly. This Rebecca is looming large in their statements, Emma thinks, as she says, "Sort of a spiritual sort of thing. That's fascinating... I wonder what causes it! We could attach you to electrodes and study your reactions, but I'm afraid that's not going to be easy. It's probably best if we explore carefully."
After a moment, she says, "Certainly! I mean, not this very moment; I want to at least pack a lunch first." ... seriously? Does she have a job? (Not really.)
Then she explains as Avril asks, "I don't want to interfere, but I meant examples of the ARM that can be recovered and examined. Plus other useful things. Like boxes full of gella or a Heal Berry vine, that sort of thing."
<Pose Tracker> Dean Stark has posed.
Mood whiplash? Hardly. Emma basically just gives Dean to hold on to his natural state, i.e. thoughtlessly hopeful. He brightens when Emma goes on to say basically what he thinks and feels anyway, and he nods vigorously. "Yeah! That's the important part! It's the people who've lost sight of what golems *really* are--what they *should* be!" He clenches a fist in determination. "That's why we gotta save Lolithia and the others when we can!" It might not be for a while, and it might be ridiculously hard, but that won't stop him from trying!
He smiles and shakes his head at Avril. "Nah, it's okay! Adventures are full of bad times *and* good! You can't expect everything to go smoothly all the time." See: all the trouble they're having with finding clues about Johnny Appleseed. "But that just means you gotta try harder for that success next time!"
He frowns slowly as Avril explains the feeling of rejection. He knew it was bad, but... it was *that* bad? Still, it's true she escaped once, which means it should be okay to do it again. "Okay," he says. "But don't push yourself too hard, okay? We'll all be right there with you!" 'All' being any of their other friends who come along. Dean's already made several since the beginning of his travels. Case in point: Emma's invited along right there in the spot. Dean beams a smile at her.
"Basically like loot and treasure and stuff," he also explains to Avril. "Like golem parts!" Or ARM parts, as Emma explains. Dean nods to her. "Right, what she said!"
<Pose Tracker> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.
What can Avril do but smile as Dean pledges -- in the wake of Emma voicing what's more or less on his mind to begin with -- that they will absolutely set Lolithia free from the ones holding her now. Most people wouldn't think of rescuing a golem -- wouldn't think of a golem as something to be rescued -- but Dean isn't most people.
He's... really quite kind, she thinks to herself.
"Yes, it appears so. One other member of our group was also affected, but I do not think anyone else experienced the same sensation." Though she cants her head to the right as Emma suggests electrodes and other devices to measure the response. "Would that be helpful in this circumstance? I am also curious, I think. It would be useful to understand more about what might be occuring within the temple." She pauses, lifting a hand to her chin. "Of course, exploration would become hindered under those circumstances. Perhaps it would be best to proceed as normal."
There's even the chance that it might not happen to her again.
"Thank you, Emma. We will to determine the best time to venture into the temple. It would also be best to see who can assist us. It was rather dangerous within."
To say the least.
Her forehead creases, as if she considers something with care. "I had a thought. We should also ask someone to remain on standby outside the temple, in the event things do not go as planned. We may need to attempt an escape, and given its nature, that could prove difficult."
Which, is as Dean says. If things get too bad, they will have to back down. Slowly, Avril nods. "...Of course. Please, do not worry, Dean. With my friends by my side, I'm certain that even if I am rejected again..." There is still a shiver that rolls down her spine, though; the thought of experiencing absolute denial once again is... terrifying, for a reason she cannot begin to understand.
"Oh, I see..." Slowly, Avril nods. "Such as the items I have discovered in other expeditions. ...In this case, it appears there were reports and other materials within the central room, but I did not have time to read them. One member of our group was gravely injured and in need of attention."
Not from physical wounds, mind; Riesenlied had collapsed from the sheer psychic pressure of the temple, it affecting her even more strongly than Avril.
<Pose Tracker> Emma Hetfield has posed.
"Or entire intact examples of the ARM!" Emma enthuses. Dean seems like a good boy, she thinks, although she wonders where this Golem fandom came from. Did Cecilia's departed father advertise THAT hard? She hadn't noticed.
"That IS peculiar," she muses to Avril. "I don't know what it means, though. It might be worth experimenting to find the exact parameters of the effect, but I'm hesitant on the matter of using you as a lab animal."
Then she nods at the words. "It seems like a good plan in general. Someone has to watch the horses!"
Emma is quiet for a moment - possibly thinking about horses - but her head whirls like an owl that just heard a mouse poot in the woods.
"Reports? Then I'm definitely coming," she says. "You could bring along a Metal Demon commander and I'd still come, if there's real live documentation of the past in this temple of yours!"