2017-11-01: Trust
- Log: Trust
- Cast: Jacqueline Barber, Catenna
- Where: Great Aveh Desert
- Date: November 1st, 2017
- Summary: Catenna and Jacqueline sit down to have a quiet chat, after everything that has happened.
===========================<* Great Aveh Desert *>============================ The heart of the Republic of Aveh is its great desert. The rolling dones and blistering heat here are infamous, and all but the most foolhardy would ever dare to cross it on foot. Most do so via the great rail lines running north to south, east to west, leading as far as Krosse and Adlehyde. The ones who do cross it on foot will find the heat isn't the only danger. Mirages can lead men astray, oases are few, and great and terrible beasts sink beneath the sands until they find their prey.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
After their infiltration and subsequent escape from Bledavik, the Caravan Kinship had elected to lay low for a little while, at least until the heat died down a little and it was safe to start moving again. For the most part, the crew wasn't in any condition to go back to business as usual just yet anyway. The wounds of battle ran deep, and not necessarily just the physical ones.
Jacqueline herself had been weathering them well, or about as well as could be expected, considering the news that had reached her. She hadn't been identified, but they had connected her image to the incident and had put a bounty out for her.
She sits in the Carakin's lounge room just inside the door, reclining in the sofa and scanning the article with a frown. Eventually she sighs, sets it aside, and leans her head back.
"I know I did the right thing...but it feels weird to be considered a criminal..." Jacqueline murmurs aloud, though mostly to herself.
<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.
"Sometimes that is the way things work," a voice says from the back of the room.
With the sound, low and accented, comes a scent - spicy and savoury, and probably familiar. With a light click of heels across the lounge room floor, Catenna emerges from the kitchen area. In her hands she's cradling a tray, centred by a bowl of rich orange curry of some mannr or another. It looks like one of her more luxurious ones, and it's accompanied by a bowl of rice and a sweet, creamy drink, along with a few celery sticks.
Circling towards Jay's sofa, Catenna lowers the tray to rest in Jacqueline's lap, giving her a quiet nod. She doesn't leave it at that: With the food delivered, she settles to the floor, resting on her knees with her hands on her thighs to look up at the young potion-weaver.
"There are times when the laws of men are not just," she explains. "And times when those who uphold them do not act in good faith. In those cases, it is hard to do the right thing. But you did it."
Honestly, Catenna was surprised nobody put a bounty on her too. She did jump onto the stage with Jacqueline hanging off her arm, after all.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Jacqueline lowers her head toward the voice, a small smile crosses her face. Both because of the voice and the scent accompnying it.
"Ah, is this for me? Thank you, Catenna, I appreciate it." She replies with a nod, steadying the tray as it is set on her lap.
She listens quietly, and nods as Catenna explains.
"Yes, that's certainly true. Aveh...no, Gebler...they're dangerous. I don't know what they're after, but they're not acting in the peoples' best interest." She replies, shaking her head slightly.
"...I couldn't have done it alone, though. Lunata, Shalune, the Princess and her entourage...and you. We did it together." She says, then chuckles to herself.
"Not that I'm saying we all should have gotten a price on our heads...no, I'm glad it was me, if any of us had to. I wouldn't wanted to have brought that upon you all."
<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.
Catenna is going to get quite a shock when she looks at the wanted posters tomorrow.
"It is for you," the priestess assures, bowing her head politely and offering up one of those light, poised smiles she tends to share most of the times a smile does grace her features. "Sometimes it helps to eat."
Seemingly content to stay on her knees, Catenna nods soberly, her lips coming together. "I know little of Gebler," she confesses. "The magic they use is strange - the young woman I fought was neither a Symbologist nor a Shaman, nor a wielder of Crests. That sort of power warrants caution, saying nothing of their ruthlessness...."
As Jacqueline makes a suggestion, Catenna shakes her head, a hint of colour at her cheeks. "I was happy to help you," she says, voice low. "If it leads to Aveh putting a price on my head, I do not care; what is right is right, and I will deal with the consequences.
"All of us followed you willingly, Jacqueline. You should take this as a sign that you have won the trust of those around you."
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
"It certainly does." Jacqueline agrees. She digs in, taking a moment to savor the delicious meal that Catenna had prepared for her. It definitely helps push some of her concerns away.
"I think they prefer it that way. I don't know much about them, myself." Jacqueline says.
"Their sorcery...it feels more like the Blessing of Althena to me, but I don't believe it comes from any Goddess. I'm not quite sure what to make of it..." She comments, shaking her head slightly. "It isn't unique to them, though. I have a friend whose sorcery is along the same lines."
"And...thank you, Catenna. That helps." She looks up at the ceiling again for a moment, in thought.
"I'd never really seen myself as a leader, admittedly...I always thought I'd just be running my store. But...I suppose there are worse things than having good, trustworthy friends who will follow me into danger if it means doing the right thing." She comments. "Sometimes I don't know if I'm really worth it, but...I guess I have to trust your judgment on that."
<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.
The curry isn't too overpowering. It's got a spice to it, but it's mild yet intriguingly complex. It's the kind of thing that tempts the tongue.
Catenna furrows her brows a little. "It does... remind me of things I have seen Lily do. Though I have not seen her for a long time," she admits. "But then, she and I have little in common." She can't help but remember trying to convince her and Leon not to pawn a statuette.
Some people have no appreciation for matters of the spirit.
At the thanks, Catenna blushes ever so slightly and looks away with a faint, lopsided smile. She doesn't say anything right away.
She simply listens. As Jay lets that last sentiment take voice, the priestess eases off of her knees, standing just long enough to transfer to a seat beside her friend. Delicately, she lays a hand on the young woman's shoulder. "It is natural to have doubts like this. I hope that you will trust us... but you will find a way, at some time, to believe it yourself. Of that I am sure."
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
It's definitely tempting. Catenna knows just how Jacqueline likes her curries, and it shows.
"You two have more in common than you might think. I'm sure you could find something to talk about." Jacqueline comments. They were both her friends, after all...though that wasn't exactly a subject that could carry a conversation.
She watches as Catenna moves from the floor to sit beside her. She nods quietly as Catenna speaks, to try and reassure her, and nods.
"Maybe...but I don't want to get too full of myself, either..." She replies. She's quiet a bit before continuing, changing the subject.
"We managed to protect one of the Statues, at least. And...while we were defending it...I called upon Grudiev for the first time." It was something she felt Catenna might be pleased to hear.
<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.
It helps that Catenna has had more than a few occasions to cook for Jay at this point.
Closing her eyes for a moment, Catenna smiles a faint, rueful smile at the talk of Lily, but she lets it pass. In her mind, the Yggdrasill Pirates have little use for someone like her - and in truth, she has had few reasons to seek them out. Perhaps that's an oversight.
When she opens her pale grey eyes once again, the priestess weaves long fingers together in her lap. "Life is a walk along a tightly-stretched rope, in that respect. We always find ourselves balancing humility and modesty. Too much of either and you will fall. A little of both, and you are all right." Here, Catenna offers a little smile.
But the subject soon turns, and the priestess sits up straighter, eyebrows arching. "One of the Statues was in Bledavik? Really now? I am glad to hear it. And--" The latter revelation brightens her eyes just a shade. "When you called him forth," she asks, "how did it feel, to you? What was in your mind at the time?"
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
"I suppose so..." Jacqueline agrees. It was something she found to be fairly difficult to do, though, but she could try and work on that.
"Yes, it was...but it wasn't alone. One of the Quarter Knights was there, and the leader of the Black Ties had chased us down, too. We had to defend ourselves against both of them... It wasn't easy, but we were able to seal it." Jacqueline replies, shaking her head slightly. She feels like it may be best not to mention at the moment that said leader of the Black Ties also had a Medium, and was using it for his own purposes.
"It was...wonderful. I felt safe, protected..." Jacqueline replies, with a bit more cheer as she recalls the moment.
"Ah, well...I thought of you and Cyre, first, trying to recall everything you'd told me. Then I thought of everyone...everything I wanted to protect..." She replies.
"...He protected me. I don't know if I would have made it out of there without his aid."
The earthen shell her Material and generated had diverted a raging river of lava, before succumbing to Berserk's mace...but without it, she wasn't sure what would've happened to her.
<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.
A lot of things succumb to Berserk's mace. Catenna's ribs feel Jacqueline's pain.
"The Black Ties," Catenna echoes with evident distaste, curling her lips and shaking her head. "And one of the Metal Demons. I can imagine it was a challenge for you to confront such enemies. I am glad that you succeeded, and that Grudiev saw you through."
Shifting in her seat, Catenna touches her fingertips together, straightening her back. Clear grey eyes turn downwards, towards those fingertips. "He saw the sincerity of your wish," she explains, voice quiet. "And the earth heard your soul's cry, and answered, if only for a moment. That is how it works. The Medium is only a messenger, like a passenger pigeon that you carry with you. The Guardian can but hear your plea, and answer if you believe in it enough."
She looks up to her friend. "You have taken a step," she says. "As you take more, you may grow to have greater understanding. But though Grudiev helped you here, do not forget that he is more than an ally in battle.
"He is in the earth you walk upon, and the soil in which life grows," Catenna explains. "Just as in every ocean wave, there is Lucadia. In every western wind, there is Fengalon. When you begin to understand this, you will learn to feel Grudiev acting in the world in ways you could never conceive before, and you will grow closer to him."
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
It certainly was a challenge. Her scorched coat would attest to that. She'd probably need to pick herself up a new one...especially since it would be pretty recognisable now, after all of that.
She listens as Catenna explains the nature of Grudiev, nodding in understanding.
"Yes, I could feel his presence, if only for a moment. A strong and resilient force...yet at the same time, caring and nurturing." She agrees. "That's...the way I'd like to be, I'd think."
A pillar of support, for those she cared about...but a stone wall against those who threatened them.
<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.
"The Mediums were not chosen by chance," Catenna answers. "Or rather, the Guardians did not just randomly pick the humans they would lend their support to. Grudiev has chosen to aid you. That choice is often made because the Guardian sees something in you which they deem admirable, or at least worthy. I think it is safe to say that Grudiev may feel those qualities in you, or at least that aspiration."
Turning a little in her seat, Catenna folds one hand atop the other, giving Jacqueline a quick once-over. When her gaze returns, she offers her friend a gentle smile.
She's figuring it out, she realizes with a certain, private joy. I'll make good heretics of her and the other Granas people yet.
"Everyday arcana is much more difficult, of course," she opines with a shrug. "The Guardian will come if you ask with an earnest enough heart, but to draw upon their power takes much practice, and deep dedication."
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
"I'm...honored, that he would choose me, then. I'll do my best to live up to that." Jacqueline affirms with a nod. She returns Catenna's smile with one of her own before taking another bite to finish off the bowl of curry.
"Arcana...I wouldn't mind being able to use it someday, but it sounds like a lot of work. It may be some time before that's possible for me..." She considers. "I have my Crests for now, but perhaps someday..."
<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.
"It takes a lot of dedication and time, and it is hardly mandatory," Catenna assures the apothecary with a nod. "I pursued it because I was given little alternative - as a priestess of Celesdue, my childhood was spend training and preparing to hear her words, and respond accordingly. With Lucadia, it has taken... some adjustment, for I know her less well."
Catenna lowers her head and closes her eyes for a moment, letting her breath out through slightly parted lips. For a few seconds, she says nothing.
Then she clears her throat gently. "I should thank you," she says in a quieter voice, looking up to meet Jacqueline's gaze. Behind her eyes, there's a sober warmth, both gratitude and gravity mingling. "For entrusting me with all that you have built, when it appeared that the danger of Bledavik might claim you."
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
"Ah, I see..." Jacqueline says. That certainly made sense. Catenna had a lot of time to build up that closeness with Celesdue. Things go quiet, then. Jacqueline watches Catenna carefully, but she doesn't break then silence.
And then, Catenna thanks her.
Jacqueline's a bit taken aback.
"Oh, well...there's no need to thank me, really..." Jacqueline says, shaking her head.
"I just...I felt...rather, I knew...that if anything were to happen to me, that you would take care of everyone in my place." She replies. "It was...reassuring to me. And it helped me do what I needed to do without regrets, despite the risk."
<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.
"I suppose I am... glad that you felt you could place that much faith in me," Catenna concedes with a hint of a blush beginning to tinge the warm coffee-and-cream hue of her cheeks a little more darkly. Smiling almost shyly, she glances off to one side. She shifts in her seat, hands knitting together.
"I have... always thought of myself as an outsider. But none in this Kinship have treated me this way. I am... glad. It lifts my spirits, perhaps more than it truly has a right to - being a part of something where kindness and respect for one another are... what is expected, not what is unusual."
With a little breath, Catenna seems to collect herself, brushing a few locks of hair away from her cheek. Her smile returns, neat and poised. "But. We both made it through. I am glad. But there are more Statues out there - waiting for us."
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
"You're one of us, Catenna. You're a valued member of the Caravan Kinship. Please don't forget that." Jacqueline replies with a warm smile. In a way, the Caravan Kinship had become like another family to her. The name was fitting, really.
Catenna collects herself, though, and reminds her of the task that was currently at hand. Jacqueline nods in agreement.
"Yes, that's true...we can't relax just yet. The Guardians are counting on us."
<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.
"Yes... there are still many Statues out there. We cannot afford to let the Metal Demons find them first. Not all of them are like Riesenlied," Catenna says, nodding soberly and setting her jaw. She closes her right hand tightly, then lets it go, straightening her back.
"We will find them," she says. "Together."
She's more sure of that than ever before, now.