2017-09-06: One in a Million
- Log: One in a Million
- Cast: Riesenlied, Avril Vent Fleur
- Where: Wayside
- Date: 6th September 2017
- Summary: Avril visits the village of Wayside, and speaks to Riesenlied of the events at the Temple...
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
The village of Wayside is something of a poorly kept secret amongst Drifters -- in the wake of the fierce battle outside of the Guardian Temple's sands, the rumor of a village that will take people who've been cast aside and harmed by war or harsh conditions persists; this village was apparently abandoned some decades ago, but recently, a new group of folk have undertaken the responsibility of taking the flag and creating a new one.
Nestled inbetween two high, crested hills in a valley, the village of Wayside is... humble -- several prefab buildings surround a larger ring of caravans around which a great campfire sits in the midst of the evening. Several guards stand at the entrance, though they don't look aggressive -- and one of them appears to have what looks like a Gear piston as a peg leg, and the other has an ammo box instead of a shoulder.
Avril would find that, hilariously enough, the guard apparently has seen /enough/ Drifters that one of them asks: "Are... you a friend of Riesenlied's?" A pause. "Did you bring a Gear?"
But all hiccups aside, it's easy enough to gain access into the village where Riesenlied is currently stirring a pot of soup by the campfire, and several children have bundled up to hear her read them a bedtime story.
<Pose Tracker> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.
Rumors have their way of getting around -- maybe it's like they say, three men can keep a secret if two of them are dead. Or something along those lines...
In any regard, Avril /has/ heard of a village where the rejected ones now dwell, and for her own reasons, she has traveled here alone, temporarily parting ways with her friends. Some things she must do on her own, and thus...
Her gaze rests on the guard before her, lingering on the one with an unusual shoulder.
"Yes, I am a friend of hers," she answers them thus, pairing it with: "Why do you have an ammunitions box as a shoulder?"
...That's a little blunt, Avril.
Nevertheless, faux pas aside, she eventually makes her way to the campfire tucked within the village, where she there watches in silence as Riesenlied stirs a pot of soup. Blue eyes drift across the gathered children.
At some length, Avril finally speaks: "...Riesenlied."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
"... I was injured in battle," the fellow admits, tapping towards the box. "It was the only thing rigid enough to replace it at the time." Indeed, going into the village, the theme of the villagers around here are... injuries. Whether mental, emotional or physical -- a woman wanders off towards a nearby saloon called 'V4L-H4LLA' with... what appears to be a refrigerator for a body, and a pair of binoculars jammed into her eyes where they once were.
She might stop to go, 'What, you never saw a girl with a sixpack in her before?' if Avril stares too long. Then opens her fridge hinge and shows off the six pack of beer cans inside.
Riesenlied looks up towards Avril to say, "Oh-- Miss Avril... I'm glad to see that you're all right," she hadn't really seen her since Lacour... "Please, there's some soup, if you'd like to sit down for a spell? Welcome to Wayside... we're a humble village, but... all are welcome here."
<Pose Tracker> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.
Avril considers this response for a moment. And then, as if this were a sensible answer (well technically, yes, given Metal Demon physiology) she nods as if satisfied. "Ah, I see.
Well, maybe she's picked up on a few of the differences between Metal Demons and humans at this point.
Indeed, there certainly are a number of hastily-repaired injured here and there. Avril's gaze lingers on a few, here and there -- more curious than stunned.
She's definitely going to be on the receiving end of the sixpack line. Which receives as its response: "...I do not understand."
Well, Avril probably isn't that familiar with 'a can of beer' at present.
At any rate, she eventually makes her way to the fireside, and there greets Riesenlied.
"I am glad you appear to be alright as well, Riesenlied," she states, coupling the comment with a short shake of her head. "I am not hungry, but it has been a long trip to reach this place. I thought that I might find Noeline or you if I came here..."
Those who are rejected suggested one thing to her.
For a few moments or so, Avril watches the flames of the bonfire.
"...I am glad that you seem to have found a place to make home."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
The fridge-bartender appears to be just a little grumpy, as if to go, 'Man, that joke usually kills', as she ambles back into her saloon.
Riesenlied nods gently towards Avril as she says, "You've come to the right place, certainly..." One of the kids gawks up at her, before she says, "Your friend is really pretty, Miss Riese!" "Mm, mm!" On closer inspection, they're... human children, actually, scuffly in the kind of way that might indicate orphans to some people.
Oh no! Riese is going to eat human orphans!! ... is what some people might say.
"Yes... we've-- decided to try to make a new start, after Old Petra," she expresses. "My brethren who've endured the hardships of the desert to come west... are here with me, to try to make a living here. We haven't got much... but-- it's better than the alternative."
She smiles weakly, tilting her head. "Were you... at the Temple as well, Miss Avril?"
<Pose Tracker> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.
They're human children, a fact which apparently earns some mild surprise from Avril. At a distance, she had wondered if they were Metal Demon children...
And it only now occurs to her that, actually, Metal Demons -- given other traits on display -- might not mirror human lifecycles at all.
"Ah. Then, you are taking care of them?" It's an honest question rather than an accusation, judging from the tone.
Humans and Metal Demons together. Almost, she can think that it might be possible. But... she had been present at that meeting in the Baskar Colony, had heard the words from the elder. The other Drifters gathered there. Both sides would need to be willing to make an honest effort towards it... and both sides have very good reasons not to make the effort at all.
Perhaps the only reason she can even consider the matter at such cool review is because she has no strong attachments save to her friends, no memories to bind her.
"I see... Then, I am happy for all of you," she comments, punctuating the statement with a short nod, a slight smile. "I hope things are more peaceful from here on..."
But even so, as someone who dwells on this planet, there is only one choice she can make.
"...Yes. I did. Have the Guardians also spoken to you?"
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
"They're... orphans," Riesenlied admits as much. "I had found them while canvassing the desert -- one of the caravans headed to November City had been assaulted by bandits," she whispers. A pause. "They were the only ones to survive."
The children start pulling at each other's cheeks and wrestling, apparently not very aware of their situation.
"... I did," Riesenlied admits that too. "In the wake of the battle at the Temple... I fled into its sanctum, but I fell a very long way due to my injuries. Noeline protected me from the worst, but when we awoke... it was in the sight of a Guardian sent to kill us."
<Pose Tracker> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.
Avril's lips press thinly, her gaze tilts downwards. "...I see," she murmurs, casting one sidelong glance at the orphans as they tussle. How would Dean and Rebecca feel about this, she wonders, and realizes what the answer is before the thought is even through.
"..."
She knows well what the Guardians think of the Metal Demons. If someone like Riesenlied or Noeline stumbled directly into the inner sanctums, even if they lack the strength they once had, they would...
"...And then?" she asks, glancing over at Riesenlied.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied laces her hands together as she says, "... I pleaded for our lives. I pleaded -- for understanding... I showed him -- using the empathic power, of my brethren, who had marched across the desert in search of a new home."
There's a faint and uncomfortable sigh. "... he bid me to try. In this measure... it was extraordinary. I was certain that our end had come... but that they were at least willing to listen..." She looks up towarsd the skies. "That we can achieve something other than murder..."
She bites her lip. "The scars of the past run deep to those that are long-lived. The Guardians and Lord Siegfried bear similar wounds, from a similar war. ... I... can only hope I can try to raise awareness of it, that we may avert the same mistake of a thousand years ago... or, even, of five hundred years ago."
"I don't think Filgaia can sustain another wound like that..."
<Pose Tracker> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.
Silence lingers on Avril's side. Her gaze lowers, and she clasps her hands, entwining both gloved hands with one another. At a respectful remove, she finally nods, lifting her gaze to look over at the Metal Demon.
"To try, then. Even if it seems impossible... Perhaps it is possible to find such a path, even with the challenges and obstructions that surely there lie."
Softly, Avril sighs. "I'm certain that he would agree. She would, as well. This world still has such kind people in it, on either side of the struggle. I..."
She hesitates, her gaze averting. Filgaia can't. Can't survive it. The Guardians had said as much. She can see it, feel it.
But there's something else, something that faintly nags.
"...Riesenlied. What can you tell me of 'Mother'?"
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
There's silence, as she holds onto that pot ladle for a moment and stirs it for a moment longer. There's a quiet... sighing notion from Riesenlied, for just a moment. She wonders who the 'he' Avril mentions is. Is it Dean... or someone else? She doesn't quite know.
"... a thousand years ago... our people arrived here, on the back of Mother. Our homeworld... 'Hyades'... was at an end. We were rescued from the brink of annihilation by Mother."
Stir. "Mother crossed the sea of stars in search of a new home for us... and she chose Filgaia. A thousand years ago, my ancestors descended... and..." She hesitates, with a pause. "The truth eludes me. I still don't know... what happened. I know that Mother was struck down, and dwells in torpor right now... and that is the stem of hatred that drives Lord Siegfried so."
There's an anxious, trembling sigh.
"The Guardians fear Mother. I sense -- hear -- their hatred, their fear. ... and in truth, maybe... maybe she..."
She swallows, a bit more difficult.
"... I always believed in Mother as a kind, gentle saviour... if she was not, why would she...deign to rescue my ancestors, and keep our people alive?" Her breathing is a bit more erratic now, her voice trembling a bit more. "Much of what I believe... has been rooted in that image, in that belief." She bobs her head one way. "Yet... in hearing her anger... perhaps I do think that may have just been my fantasy... I doubt that Mother would be willing to broker peace with the Guardians, or vice versa..."
There's a strained noise, and she dabs at her eyes. "I'm sorry. That's ... about all I can tell you. It's... still difficult for me to grasp, of what she may do when she awakes."
<Pose Tracker> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.
It's Dean, of course. Actually, the number of men (or boys) that Avril knows is rather low...
Silence maintains on her part as well, hands still carefully clasped before her. Though her gaze lifts, though she searches Riesenlied's face briefly as the quiet weights heavily upon this space of Filgaia, she remains, as always, patient.
A home that perished, somewhere across the span of space and even time. The passage of the leader of a race steadily, in search of another that might suffice for their kin. Elements of the story seem to almost resonate, as if she has heard them somewhere before. Her hands briefly twist.
"..."
Avril bows her head.
"...They were afraid, terrified for the sake of the planet. If she should reawaken, they seem certain that Filgaia will be lost. ...Neither can I say that their account is correct. However..."
However, she is still a child of Filgaia herself. She still bears a bond with the planet. Aren't the Mediums proof that's so?
Perhaps the way she holds herself -- even if she trails off before saying the words aloud -- might speak for her: shoulders rigid, her hands unclasped now to hang free at her sides, her gaze steady on a space that floats somewhere between herself and the Metal Demon before her. 'I'm sorry,' in other words, for the way she will have to choose.
If there can't be peace, there may have to be a war, even if it's one that can't be sustained. Even if kindness begs for another solution. If Dean were here, she's certain he would voice that there had to be another way. Rebecca might complain a little, but she wouldn't give up, either. Avril... finds herself hesitating here on the precipice. There must be another way to peace. But... where?
"...It's alright, Riesenlied," she says at last. "I believe... I can understand your feelings in this." It's not that dissimilar.
They'll both have decisions they'll have to make if they can't find a third way.
And in spite of those feelings, she manages a smile, if a thin one. "...We should continue to try. The Guardian you spoke to had it rightly, I believe. If there is anything that can be done..."
Just as long as they don't give up. Right?
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied places her hand closer to her eyes, before nodding and looking up towards Avril. The fragility of someone who's had her faith be resoundingly shaken... yet, even in the fragments of such a thing, there's still a glimmer of hope in her eyes.
"... I don't think they would lie to me," Riesenlied whispers. "I just... I just struggle in the face of it all."
There's an arduous, pained sigh as she nods and holds onto her shoulder for a moment. "I won't give up. ... I still believe in coexistence. I won't give up on the Guardian's challenge, either... starting from this village, I'll show that it is possible..."
She looks up towards Avril. "Because... no matter how slim the chance is, no matter how improbable... all I know is that if I give up, then that chance will truly become zero."
<Pose Tracker> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.
"To look back on something you have steadfastly believed your entire life and reconsider the foundations upon which it rests... I believe that would be difficult for anyone, Riesenlied," Avril replies solemnly. "...Many would not look even to begin with."
From where these words spring, she cannot say with any accuracy. She only knows they feel correct.
"Yes," she says, that slight if still sober smile of hers managing to warm a few degrees further. "I feel the same. ...Dean often says something similar. 'You can do anything, as long as you don't give up'. Perhaps even if there is only the smallest chance..."
One in a million.
"...Then we should try. You are a kind person, Riesenlied... and you cannot be the only one."
Kindness is not a trait possessed by humans alone. Humans and Metal Demons and Veruni, all have the capacity for kindness and cruelty. She's seen both sides by now.
The only question is, can that kindness reach? Or...