2017-10-20: Misery Loves Company
- Log: 2017-10-20: Misery Loves Company
- Cast: Alisha Diphda, Rose
- Where: November City - Hotel Renais
- Date: 2017-10-20
- Summary: Rose and Alisha bond following the toll that is Armatization.
========================<* November City - Hotel Renais *>======================== Hotel Renais is one of the largest hotels in November City. It is not the most posh, though. It is dedicated to moving a lot of business, and welcomes Drifters as a rule. The inside of the lobby looks nice enough, with wood paneling and gilded decor. The chairs and couches are plentiful. However, a dozen armed men patrol and keep a close watch to discourage barfights. The rooms are spacious and welcoming, and enjoy luxuries only dreamed of in other parts of Ignas. Hot water and baths can give someone everything they need to have a little time to themselves, and some rooms even have small refrigerators. BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzRqtW1C0Zo
<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.
It winds up that a failed Armatization is exhausting. Alisha has spent time in the hotel rooms used by the Shepherd's retinue, sleeping for hours at a time. She hasn't been out the entire time, but she has been quite groggy. The green-eyed young lady hasn't come to until just recently.
She staggers out of her room, wearing a long, light blue tunic lined in white. Her hair is down, and she yawns. She still wobbles, a little, on her feet. She isn't weak -- but she is unsteady. She hasn't spent a lot of time out of bed.
A little time to think has, of course, led Alisha to dwell on it. She always tends towards that--of the two Squires, there is one who tries to see the bright side and one who frets a lot. She knows she has to get better. It leaves her feeling a little empty, inside. Something else leaves her feeling a lot empty, though.
She hasn't eaten a real meal in nearly two days. Alisha stumbles as she rights herself, and then she ends up slamming into Rose's closed door. "Ow!"
<Pose Tracker> Rose has posed.
That's one way to knock. Rose answers from the other side, though she sounds in no better a shape than Alisha from how unwilling she seems to be to answer the door. "Ugh, I'm awake, I'm awake, you don't have to knock my door down, sheesh."
There's some shuffling sound, and when Rose opens the door she's basically wearing her blanket instead of clothes. Over her head too, like she's very cold or sick.
"Oh. Alisha! You're awake too! ... did you already eat? Room service left me some kind of feast over here if you want to dig in." She wasn't much hungry, in contrast to the princess, but seeing her has gotten her spirits back up and now she is.
Dezel wouldn't admit it but he made all that food.
It's a lot. Chicken, omelettes made with fine spices, fresh fruits, soup, hot tea, hash browns and more. You can thank his knowledge of herbs and plants for the different and exotic tastes.
"You should probably come on in before you fall over," Rose adds.
Not looking much better herself.
<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.
"S-Sorry!" Alisha calls out when Rose answers through the door. She can at least manage some volume. Her arms cross, though. She may not be wearing a blanket the way that Rose is, but she feels chilly. She rubs at her arms while she waits -- because she hadn't exactly meant to go to Rose's door... but there really isn't anywhere else she would rather be. A little voice tells her to stay by herself. She silences it.
She looks up at Rose, then she smiles a little -- peeking past her, and the blanket, before she looks at the food. Her mouth hangs open for a moment. "Oh, well, I--" Rose's addition is wise. She nods, slowly. "...I think that would be a wise idea. I am rather hungry."
That isn't the half of it.
She walks in, and then she looks across from her, to the girl draped in blankets. "It... took a lot out of you, too?" she asks. "You look like you might be sick." Alisha does, too, of course; her face is pale, and her hair isn't remotely ordered today. It hangs loose around her shoulders.
Some tries to get in her eyes.
<Pose Tracker> Rose has posed.
"Heatstroke. Stupid, dumb desert weather," Rose clarifies, grumpy. The Armatus had knocked her about pretty good and in that state catching a bit too much heat for her tastes was unfortunately easy. "I feel a bit better after drinking my weight in water twice over in a couple of days. I didn't think it'd be that exhausting."
Rose stares down at the floor, for a moment. "Wonder if that's how bad Sorey has it and he's hiding it from us." Lailah had mentioned forming a pact with Squires would be a drain, too. Maybe Sorey was a better liar than they all thought.
"I think this might be the first time I see you so... not princess-y," Rose then says, lifting her gaze back to Alisha. "Then again I bet I'm not-so-Rose-y right now huh?" Her mood is returning at the friendly face, at least, and having someone to share that absurd platter of food with. She dislikes waste.
"You ready to try again?"
Jacqueline Barber (Jay) pages Rose and Iskandra Grendorre: Hey there, Rose! I've got an alchemist friend who'd be interested in meeting you sometime! ...Who totally isn't a Hellion!
<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.
"Oh, no," Alisha says, softly. She looks sympathetic and reaches a hand out, to Rose's shoulder. She pats it through the blanket -- at least, she thinks she does. She can maybe feel a shoulder under there. It isn't easy to do. She smiles, though, and the princess reaches a hand up to her hair. A lock of pale blonde hair is wrapped around one of her fingers.
"Well... I usually dress up more," she admits. "And put on make-up. And do my hair. I don't leave it long like this very often." It is long, too; it falls down to the middle of her back, once left unbound and unstyled.
Then, she tilts her head to the side, her eyes blinking. "Well--you may not look one hundred percent, but even this is a side of you," she says. She smiles, then she walks over to the huge mountain of food. She sits down in front of it, a little too heavily. Her legs don't have the strength they should.
But her brow furrows and she looks down, at the question. "No," she admits. "Mot... only because I am nervous. I must overcome that. But I feel that if I simply keep trying, blindly, without preparing myself, then... it will happen again."
Her voice grows quieter. "...And I do not wish it to. I will not be a burden on you and Sorey."
<Pose Tracker> Rose has posed.
"How long does that take you, one, two hours? What a hassle, that's like a sixth of the day gone to look slightly better!" Rose says, making a clear implication here that hopefully won't go over the princess' head. Even if it wasn't entirely intended. "Can't be cheap either. Perfume's always one of those premium items." But hey, if nobles want to pay her absurd prices for tiny bottles of liquid...
Alisha sits down, and Rose remains standing in front of her, tightening the blanket around herself a bit. That is, until the princess starts worrying. Rose points accusingly at Alisha. "Hey now, don't you dare call yourself a burden!"
The blanket falls. Rose IS lightly dressed under there, luckily, but she quickly picks it back up and skittishly sits down, having learned her lesson. "I mean... so what, you didn't succeed first try. I only succeeded because..." Because of something Dezel said, which she hopes was missed in the chaos. And then the sight of Alisha falling! That didn't help. "You know. Circumstances. I think I'd have failed too if I went first. And besides, you heard Edna. You didn't die. That means you have the potential."
She reaches over, grabbing the teapot and serving two cups, claiming one for herself so she can hide her face behind a sip.
<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.
"Slightly better? But--ah, my hair looks best put up, and..." Then, it clicks: Rose said she looks good. Her cheeks flush, which stands out more when she looks pale. She looks to the side, then nods. She knows all about the cost of perfume. It isn't something she can pass up on. After all, she is expected to wear perfume at those more formal functions.
She looks up, though, in time to see a finger pointing at her -- and the blanket fall away. Alisha blinks, before she looks to the side, and nods. "I... yes. I know. It is different for us. I never had exposure to Seraphim, and--it may take longer. I will practice harder. After all, it..."
Her eyes drift downward. She remembers what finally prompted Rose to Armatize. She remembers, too, how Rose was unsure--uncomfortable, for good reason, but also for deeper ones than she said, perhaps. Merging with another living being is an act of immense trust. Alisha swallows, then looks up.
Her fingers wrap around the teacup, a little tighter. "...Thank you, Rose," she says. "You were able to do that because I was in danger, weren't you?"
<Pose Tracker> Rose has posed.
Curse the princess' perceptiveness, Rose thinks.
"Well, I... you know, still kind of owe you for the whole..." Rose moves a finger to her throat and makes a slicing motion. "Misunderstanding. It wouldn't do to let you bite it before I feel that's been paid off."
Rose empties her cup of tea, since it provides decent camouflage. Alas, it's a teacup, not a pitcher. It's quickly empty.
And so she changes the topic swiftly.
"Besides! You've been exposed to Seraphim months longer than I have! No, I don't count Dezel's stalking as... exposure." Really, really doesn't. Nor does she want to talk about it. "I'm sure you'll be rocking the unusually long hair before we know it!" Wait, back up. Rose seems to be thinking for a moment.
"Did Lailah or Sorey ever explain why that happens? The long blonde hair thing. It was weird when I saw Sorey with it, but I figured maybe it was a him-thing, you know?"
<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.
Alisha blinks. She hasn't forgotten that misunderstanding, but she also hasn't really considered it such an awkward thing between them -- they had talked it over, after all. Things had gone much more smoothly since then. She sips from her tea, then she fishes out an omelette, and takes a bite of that.
"You know I hold no grudge, though," she says. She smiles -- and it, maybe, is a little playfull -- and then shakes her head. "And I should hope you would want me alive longer than that."
She lowers her teacup, then, and shakes her head.
"I do not. I have given it thought, however. Since... ah, I style mine as-is, but if I could do that..." Those eyes light up. Before, she was almost teasing. Now, she has that sheer earnestness that Alisha is known for. "...imagine how much I would have to work with!"
She is serious.
<Pose Tracker> Rose has posed.
"It's a pride thing! That kind of mistake for an assassin, it's not something you just wash off with some forgiveness. I've got to pay it off, feel like I've done something to make it right!" Rose argues, although she quickly seems to stutter at Alisha's following tease. "W-What, of course not! I mean yes! I'd rather you... you know, didn't die at all and... I mean it was just a figure of speech and... and..."
Rose has taught Alisha well. Perhaps too well.
So let's talk about hair instead.
"You could ask Lailah, she was asking me about coming up with some new clothes for her to wear around. I think she wants to blend in a bit better, she was worried her clothes stand out a bit too much. You could do her hair and I'll handle the fashion part." It may not have happened yet, but that HAT, Alisha, could easily bend the fabric of space and time to pre-emptively make your sense of fashion awful.
"Not that a whole lot of people can even see her, but she really seemed to want some change of pace."
<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.
Teasing back doesn't come naturally to Alisha, but damn if it isn't fun sometimes. SHe looks sideways at Rose, a bright smile on her face. It manages to be guileless, because the princess hasn't quite mastered the art of teasing and running with it. "I understand, Rose," she says.
Maybe not too well.
Her eyebrows raise, though, and she tilts her head to the side. She does, for a moment, consider a hat she owns, back in Hyland. She shakes her head. "I could see what I could do," she admits. "I know court fashion, but... my uniform stands out like a sore thumb here. Your outfit is far more suited for Filgaia. I can understand what Lailah means."
She pauses. "If she had short hair, I would ask you," she says. "You wear yours in a nice style. But hair that long... oh, it would be a shame to suggest she cut it! We could do so much with it."
<Pose Tracker> Rose has posed.
"Hey, rule number one of Drifter fashion, the more layers you have on the cooler you are!" Rose says, although by that metric she isn't very cool right now. "It's kind of a drag to wear that much in the desert though. I need to rethink the outfit while we're out here. Can't we go somewhere nice and cool next? With a perpetual breeze and just enough heat to make beach trips a great idea but not enough to sweat bullets?"
Wishful thinking, Rose.
The next stop will probably be ice cold just to spite her.
"I'd hardly call my hair a style! I just cut it whenever it gets too long and don't think about it. Lailah's more of a long-hair kind of person, isn't she?" It's kind of obvious. "Though couldn't she just... will it back to length if it got cut? I still don't get how Seraphim style themselves but I keep thinking it comes down to magic." Lailah likes being mysterious, and that's one mystery she never seems to explain in full.
"Personally if I had Lailah's hair I'd be worried about stepping on it mid-stride and crashing face-first on the ground."
<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.
"More layers...?" Alisha asks, trailing off for a moment. "I suppose that I do all right, but... it would get so hot to add more." She sighs, then nods. She has to agree. The heat here is oppressive -- so utterly different than anything that she has seen on Lunar.
She looks sideways, then smiles. She lowers the bun she had moved on to eating. "Still," she says, "I think it works. And--hm, yes. I imagine they must be able to shape their hair with magic. How incredible! Maybe that keeps it from getting in her way?"
After all, even Alisha wears her hair up in a fight for a reason. Even if she has debated changing her hairstyle.
And certainly not because this is the second time that a certain someone has commented on liking when she wears her hair down and long. Certainly not.
<Pose Tracker> Rose has posed.
"You've got your layers of clothes and your armor, I'm pretty sure that makes you pretty cool! Sorey's got us both beat with that... cape thing." Ceremonial wear. That's just cheating. "Where'd he get that, anyway? That's not something you just see people wear for fun. Actually, outside of churches and nobility you almost never see capes around. Cloaks and coats, sure, but capes proper?" It didn't seem like something Sorey would pick to wear, either. "Is that some kind of Shepherd fashion thing?"
Which makes her circle back to Lailah. "Maybe it does! We should ask her. And then kidnap her and take her shopping for clothes. I'll bring the rope but you'll have to carry her, you're the strong one." It's hard to tell if Rose is joking or not.
<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.
"Oh," Alisha says, "I actually commissioned that for him. When I first--well, when he first came to Ladylake, and became the Shepherd, he only had the blue shirt that he often wears. The cloak is a garment based on those that Shepherds of the past often wore. It is striking, isn't it?"
She smiles, looking a little proud. She was happy to contribute that to the legend of the Shepherd -- even if she had no idea, at the time, that she would become much more involved.
But then, Rose says something else.
Alisha's expression screws up. "I--Rose! I may be strong, but I am not carrying Lailah for you! W-We should just ask her!"
<Pose Tracker> Rose has posed.
"It is! It really screams "I'm the Shepherd" or at the very least "I'm not just some guy". I think that has downsides, like making him a target, but... it sounds like people need an icon or rally behind, and if he can bring them that then he's probably fine with sticking out. He's probably also confident he can beat any would-be assassin back. If not him, the ghosts around him. So I guess it's really nothing to worry about. White, though? You know washing blood out of white clothes is the worst thing in the world, right?"
She is teasing. Kind of.
"It's why I wear red and black!"
It's not entirely true but it's not wrong either.
"And yeeeeeah, I guess we could ASK her. That's pretty boring though! Can't we get some stealth fun in sometimes? Put a bag over her head from behind so she can't see who's coming for her, tie her up, then when we stop it's like, SURPRISE!, we're at a clothes boutique!" This is a terrible idea for fire-related reasons.
"Excitement is a great way to keep healthy you know."
<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.
"I--er--I can't say that... I quite considered the blood," Alisha admits, with a shake of her head. And a tilt of her head, too. Sometimes, Rose has a different perspective on things. "It does make him stand out. But... in truth, I think that Sorey would always stand out."
She means it in a good way.
She smiles, though, clearly amused -- until she frowns, giving Rose a look. "What--that is a little more than excitement! Lailah might very well barbecue us for trying such a thing!" she says. "We--we could tell her we are going somewhere else, to buy something boring, and surprise her that way."
She folds her arms. "That would surprise her but entail far less fire."
<Pose Tracker> Rose has posed.
"Is it?" Rose pouts. When you're raised by friendly assassins, your idea of casual excitement might be a bit different than most people's. "You know, this one time, Brad and the others made me a birthday cake, and they really, really didn't want me to find out so whenever I'd go near the kitchen one of them would ambush me from the ceiling and drag me out to go train some more. Then when I was resting after so many times doing that, they all snuck into my room, put the lights out and..."
She doesn't finish the story so much as she starts laughing. "Oh I was absolutely terrified for half of a second there, I screamed so loud Brad almost dropped the cake. It might have been a bit awful on the spot but now it's nothing but a great memory."
She does consider the fire though. It's a very, very important variable, and crossing her arms, she admits defeat. "Buuuuuuut I see your point, princess. We'll go with your plan, burn scars wouldn't do either of us any good. They're more for gritty soldiers, not merchants and princesses."
It's actually a wonder Rose ISN'T covered in scars, considering her job and what happened. If she has them, she keeps them nice and hidden underneath clothes.
<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.
"Th-that..."
Alisha considers the life of a young assassin, trained since adoption in the ways of murdering her foes by a band of hardened mercenaries. She decides that, perhaps, one cannot apply normal logic to such an upbringing. And, besides, it is rather funny. She starts to giggle, though a hand covers her mouth, and she shakes her head.
"Yes," she says. "We should avoid burn scars. Even if that does sound like it was very funny." She looks sideways at Rose -- and doesn't really wonder about the scars. (Nevermind that she has a few.)
"We should do that," she says. She taps a finger against her chin. "I think Lailah would have fun with it. And maybe I can get myself some new clothing, besides." The uniform -- at times -- gets tiring. Though... "But something that goes with armor. That could be hard."
<Pose Tracker> Rose has posed.
"A new outfit doesn't have to be for fighting! You can have nice clothes for wandering town and then your more knightly outfit for knightly things or occasions you're worried for your safety. I'm sure even the Trial Knight takes his armor off when he's relaxing."
Rose ponders. Does he relax? Does he... actually do that? Maybe he's just a living suit of armor. It's a mystery. But for now, the merchant chooses to believe he must have downtime. Of some form. Maybe he cooks. He seemed to want those berries, that one time.
"We'll have to look around and figure it out. I think for now, though..." Rose lets herself fall sideways, back onto her bed, still tightly wrapped in her blankets. "I so don't feel like going outside. Can we take another day or three off? This is nice for a change." She never really does vacation. Her two jobs take up her whole time! Now it's three jobs. Eguille and the others can manage things for now anyway.
<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.
"I wonder... the Trial Knight seems so..." Alisha trails off. She doesn't know. She has trouble imagining the Trial Knight out of armor -- knowing nothing of their appearance or who they are, beyond K.K. Her eyes drift down at the floorboards under their feet, and then she nods once, before she looks back up.
A moment's pause, and then she smiles as she watches Rose fall backward on her bed. She tilts her head, then she nods. "I think we can," she says. "I need to--well, I need to have my strength back, before I try again."
She stands up, less shaky, and then she sits down on Rose's bed next to her. Eating made her steadier, but she still looks pale. Alisha looks down at Rose, and her lips form a line. She hesitates, debating if she should ask what is on her mind.
"You think that I can learn to Armatize, too?" she asks. "Truly?"
<Pose Tracker> Rose has posed.
"So mysterious? So quirky? So weird?" Rose attempts to complete Alisha's statement. "Oh, how about so serious! So grave! So... soooooo... mean." They really need to figure out what his angle is. But so far they've not found any more of those Earthen Historia or whatever they're called. Shame that.
"Yeah it'd be nice if I could stop feeling cold despite being nestled in blankets." She probably still has a light fever. Alisha's next question is a bit more serious, and while Rose doesn't rise from her position she does glance up at the princess.
"I don't think, I know. Even if Edna hadn't said you clearly have the potential I wouldn't have doubted it one moment. So you had a misfire, big deal! Sorey only became the Shepherd because he was called to action and wanted to protect everyone in the room. He had something driving him. I think when you figure out what that is for you you'll be able to Armatize like it's nothing."
Alisha always seemed to have trouble reconciling what she wants to do with her various duties. Rose wonders if that's the blockage or not. It's her best guess though.
<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.
"So many things," Alisha concludes with a sigh.
She looks at Rose, nodding once to the statement about feeling cold. She doesn't remark on it, though. The topic changes to a more serious one. The princess looks down at her lap, and she stays quiet while she listens. The support feels nice -- for someone who didn't have much, besides her mother and Lady Maltran, for so many years... having Rose, Sorey, and the rest offer it, unconditionally, means a great deal to her.
But Rose also says something wise. She needs something she feels strongly enough about. Something she wants to protect. Maybe, for Rose, it was her. She saw how she flustered. But, she thinks, it runs deeper than that. It runs deeper than that for Alisha, too.
She has to think on this. "Thank you," she says, quietly. "I... I know, sometimes, I ask for your support a great deal. I know I have doubts. It helps to hear that someone else believes in me. I hope that it doesn't seem selfish."
She smiles down at her. Then, she flops down onto her back, too. Her eyes stare up at the ceiling, and Alisha considers. She can't make herself feel warm, even with the blankets. The princess feels her cheeks grow hot -- and she isn't nearly as smooth as she wishes. She scoots over towards Rose, haltingly and more than a little shyly. And she hesitates, more, before she slides an arm around her blanket-covered shoulders, and then tugs her over with a one-armed hug.
The princess's face is beet red. "H-How is that? Warmer?"
<Pose Tracker> Rose has posed.
"If that makes you selfish, princess, I'm afraid that means pretty much everyone on Filgaia, on Lunar, and probably beyond, is pretty selfish. You can choose to believe that if you want, but I don't," Rose answers, though she doesn't add that maybe she does feel everyone is at least a little bit selfish. It's hard to avoid. Individuals have individual desires and needs, and all that. Even her!
She shuffles to adjust her position, and like the princess flushes slightly red at her sudden decision to warm her up. But she doesn't move away, so...
"Quite daring, princess! Nice and warm though. I think I'd like to nap like this." The thought doesn't cross her mind this'll look awkward if someone walks in on them, but even if it did, she'd be pretty sure Sorey is more polite than that, as are the Sera... phim... yeah no okay they're really not, but luckily the thought does not cross her mind!!
She just wants to rest and this will do nicely.
<Pose Tracker> Alisha Diphda has posed.
Alisha smiles, a little, at that. "Mm... well, I am glad that you think so."
It is an enormous relief when Rose doesn't move away. She might have died from embarrassment otherwise. Her cheeks stay reddened, and she looks down -- she has to crane her neck, to do so -- and smiles. Even her cheeks flush more when she is told that she is being daring. She can't argue, even if that isn't how she thinks of it. Her eyes close and she sighs.
"Mm. I think I would, too." She leans her head to the side, against the top of Rose's. Her cheek presses into her red hair. "Though, Rose..." She opens one eye, the smile not flickering. "...really, if we are cuddling, can you call me Alisha?"
Try as she might, she still stammers on the word 'cuddling.'
<Pose Tracker> Rose has posed.
"Daring AND demanding! Sure, Alisha. I'm too tired to argue," Rose replies, having already closed her eyes and echoing a shred of truth in just wanting to rest. Truthfully it didn't bother her in the slightest, but she owed Alisha for that prodding earlier.
"Just wake me up when it's time to eat lunch."
Odds are they'll both sleep right through the day, but nobody could blame them. It's also easier to not turn red when you're sleeping. True facts and pro tips right there.
It wouldn't be so bad if Alisha didn't use the word cuddling.