2017-11-14: Sharing the Story

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<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

Wayside's seen a particularly pleasant windfall of their crops, thanks to Mariel's enhanced saplings and a particularly healthy stream of purified water from their ARM device -- and as such, Val -- the owner of the inn V4L-H4LLA -- has called for an impromptu, annual (despite this being the first) Wayside Tuber Festival.

This chronologically takes place a few hours before what history will remember as the Oopsies Incident. Dun dun dun.

Riesenlied's helped to prepare a particularly nice feast with the knowledge that she, Kaguya and several others -- possibly including Lunata and Catenna! -- have contributed to turn potatoes, parsnips, kumara and yams into delectable treats... and with the generosity of CaraKin to provide some additional sides to make it a more rounded celebration. Everything's laid out on a clothed table in the centre, and a...

A Hyadean whose body is mostly a tuba is playing music next to several other musicians, which provides some nice background music for people to chat to.

She's invited the CaraKin out for a meet and greet as well -- in particular, she's enthused in introducing the Tainted and talking about their culture to the interested, extending the invites to the Baskar shaman as well after the kindness they'd shown her in the past, in the Stone Forest and prior.

She's dressed nicely, in a purple gown with a translucent capelet as she carries Mikaia in her arms as she's pretty much often done. Several other Hyadeans, including the Tainted and the Ebony Wings, are lingering around as well -- they're a rowdy bunch at times, possessed of very curious sizes and shapes. Val herself is, after all, a woman with a refrigerator for a torso and a pair of binoculars for eyes.

<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.

Her feelings about Riesenlied and the Tainted being as deep a cleavage in her faith as she can recall having, Catenna has tended to stay indoors on the CaraKin's visits to Wayside Village. Reconciling her deep belief in Celesdue and her faith's anathemization of Metal Demons with her care for Riesenlied and her friends and her sympathy for their people is one of those problems she has typically confronted by not confronting it, as though hiding from the contradiction would make it go away.

But there is only so long that lying to herself will truly work. And whatever her faith might tell her, Riesenlied is her friend - and she and her friends are not the enemy.

It's why the feast includes a pair of large black cauldrons, one full of a spicy chicken curry, the other bubbling away with a meatless variety, rich and green and spicy, with chunks of soft cheese floating in it. A heaping bowl of rice sits waiting between them. Serve yourself; Catenna's prepared.

And indeed, she has served herself, gathering the chicken curry and rice up onto her plate and adding a few vegetables on the side, mostly potatoes and yams. Balancing her plate neatly, she begins to move towardsthe place where Riesenlied has held court.

For her part, Catenna has dressed in the garb she tends to wear when not in battle - her long Zortroan dress, modest but clearly Ellurian, with her culture's trademark pattern of sashes and rings crisscrossing her hips with slashes of deep maroon against her gown's moonlit grey colour.

As the children chatter around her Hyadean friend, Catenna can't help but smile a soft smile, lowering her head and moving towards Riesenlied. A touch of colour lingers at her cheeks. "You have a wonderful home here, Riesenlied," she says, her accented voice quiet, but not unkind.

She hesitates a second, before managing a little clear of her throat. "...I appreciate your asking me to be with you."

<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.

Ethius is among the number. That he's around and kind of an outlier among the crowd is, by Ethius standards, among the usual expected of him. He shares none of the exuberance and friendliness that seems to be going about this progressively successful colony for the less-advantaged Metal Demons. As tends to be the case anywhere, Ethius is... just there. 

He's holding a coffee cup. The coffee cup is not full. Based on its appearance, not only does it appear to have lacked any liquid matter for some time... it doesn't look like it's been cleaned since the last person to use it had it. Why does he even have it? (A question that has long since existed before today.)
Rather than partaking in the food - having already satiated himself with the latest overcooked lump of near-carbon to have the 'honor' of becoming something Ethius would even eat - he seems to be mostly standing around watching the various gathering visitors go about choosing whatever delicious food they're going to.
Out here in the Badlands, food this good, this plentiful, this varied... one would think the food itself would be more interesting to a tired, weary traveler than the people who are moving to collect some to try.
All while holding an empty not-clean coffee cup.
...So, he really does seem to be just... there.

<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.

Fei Fong Wong has come along too. He feels a kind of affinity with the Tainted not because of how ridiculous they look, but, well, that's neither here nor there. He figures he'll just come along, have a drink, say hey to folks, and then go back to the Yggdrasil. To get doll back. That's the plan anyway.

Not the part about doll. That's just a joke. Fei doesn't have any doll.

He glances over to Ethius, throwing him a small wave. but is otherwise pretty chill. It is a little ridiculous, he thinks, that this is actually happening. Might as well have a seminar on Althena in the middle of Dazil while at it.

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

The dreaded 'Oopsies Incident' has yet to draw Jacqueline into its bizarre clutches, and so, as she paces about town its with a cheery smile on her face. It was good to see Wayside looking so...lively. She was glad to have been invited, and to have been able to contribute to their Festival.

Jacqueline's dressed for the occasion, as well. She's wearing the outfit she had worn during the Caravan Kinship's Grand Opening Celebration, featuring a green coat with silver lining that matches her shawl.

"Yes, thank you." Jacqueline says with a nod, agreeing with a Catenna. "It's wonderful to see everyone here looking so...lively. It's refreshing, really, after everything that's happened..." [OOC] Jacqueline Barber says, "Whoops, I got called away while writing and missed writing an entire section..."

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

The dreaded 'Oopsies Incident' has yet to draw Jacqueline into its bizarre clutches, and so, as she paces about town its with a cheery smile on her face. It was good to see Wayside looking so...lively. She was glad to have been invited, and to have been able to contribute to their Festival.

Jacqueline's dressed for the occasion, as well. She's wearing the outfit she had worn during the Caravan Kinship's Grand Opening Celebration, featuring a green coat with silver lining that matches her shawl.

She joins the others at the table and takes a quick look around the room. Mikaia gets a kindly wave of greeting, and she takes notice of all the others. Some of the faces here were familiar to her, but there were others she hadn't seen yet before...

Well, this was as good an opportunity to meet them as any, she decided.

"Yes, thank you." Jacqueline says with a nod, agreeing with a Catenna. "It's wonderful to see everyone here looking so...lively. It's refreshing, really, after everything that's happened..."

<Pose Tracker> Shalune Amira has posed.

Shalune moves through Wayside with the ease and surety of someone who already knows the village well, and who already equates machines and people into the same blob of 'living things'. While she's made kind of a name for herself as something of a meddler around Wayside, most of the Tainted present at least recognize that her fervour for machinery isn't meant as an insult - and after a couple of brief talking-tos with some of the more lucid inhabitants of Wayside, Shalune has climbed down from asking everyone she meets if they'd like to be fixed.

(She does still freely offer oil and spare parts, since that seems more like general courtesy than anything else.)

Having left Big Shal to wander Wayside and go give some of the Metal Dragons a thumbs up, Shalune has instead made her way over towards the Inn, automatically drawn towards the comfortable din. Her main goal was simply to pick up some food to take back to Lunata, the waitress having volunteered to look over the Caravan, but along the way--

"Aaar! Have at you, Drifter Pink!" "You'll never dampen my spirits! Guwaaaa--!!"

--the mechanic has mysteriously gained one (1) Janey perched on her shoulders, maneuvering carefully through the doorway to avoid either of them getting bonked on the head.

"Woaaah, look at all this! You guys did this in the desert?" she asks the girl above her, peering up as she makes sure not to jostle the girl off. "I mean, I'm gonna need to do some serious exercise to work all this off the day after, but that's super cool!"

She hasn't dressed for the occasion because she's Shalune Amira, but at least there's some evidence that she's washed her coat recently, because for once it's not dusted with sand and oil spots.

<Pose Tracker> Matilda Whitehead has posed.

It's hard for Matilda to feel too excited about a trip to Wayside; something about the place still just makes her nervous in a big, big way. It's also hard for her to say no, though... especially to food.

She pokes her head around a corner a little nervously, glancing to Mikaia, then to Riesenlied. "Ah --" she starts, before stopping herself; she takes a second, then tries again. "It is -- very generous of you to do such a thing as this," she says, choosing each word very carefully.

She takes a potato and glances at it. "This... is actually quite impressive," she notes, softly. "It's very difficult to cultivate tubers of this quality... I would be terribly comfortable eating this raw, in truth, and that's a rare thing to say of a potato..."

She looks to the excited Shalune and gives a small smile. "Perhaps we should go on an expedition soon to work it off?" she asks, wryly.

<Pose Tracker> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.

This whole thing is kind of... Weird. Do the Metal Demons even really have a culture? From what the stories have said, they're mostly all about blowing things up. Especially planets. Sure, Riese might be an exception, but typically a 'culture' implies that there are way more people around who share the same outlook.

Cyre is uncertain whether he's alright with knowing that, considering how it'll /probably/ make his job harder in the long run.

Regardless, the Shaman from Wehaca is seated not far from Catenna's enormous cauldrons full of delicious curry. He has a bowl. It has no rice. It just has curry.

So much curry.

He's... he's eating it like it's soup.

How much spice tolerance does this guy even have!?

He's actually not wearing his robes today. Largely because spilling curry means having to spend hours upon hours cleaning up big, greasy stains. Instead, he's dressed in what is... /approximately/ the combination of military uniform that looks like it went out of date years and years ago and a dark, grey coat that's more like a duster than a jacket. Dark colors don't stain as bad, after all.

"Mmn, I won't ever turn down an opportunity to eat well," Cyre says of the whole celebratory atmosphere. "I have to admit that I'm kind of... suspicious of a few things. But, as long as the curry flows, I won't complain."

Mmmm. Curry.

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

Riesenlied has a very gentle nod to Catenna as she moves a bit closer, the little adorable beastgirl waving towards the Zortroan priestess of Celesdue. "Hi, Miss Catenna...!" she exclaims, waving both her tiny arms. "I couldn't have missed inviting everyone, and in turn, I'm very grateful you've all accepted..."

Her own garment has hints of Ellurian design, though much like everything else she wears, it seems all so very ancient. The patterns at her hems are wings and feathers, the same as the mark that indicates Wayside's presence on the mountain trail.

"I'm glad you could come as well, Fei," Riese greets the artist when she spots him. "Please, feel free to eat as much as you'd like..."

... says Riese to the one who can put away in excess of 20 pounds of food in a sitting, if game accuracy is to be believed.

She waves at Jacqueline as well, as she spots her. "Indeed, and it wouldn't have been possible without you as well. After all..." and then Shalune crashes in with Janey on her shoulders. "Shalune has helped us so very much."

Riese watches Matilda inspect the potatoes, and says, "Oh, thank you. We can't claim all the credit -- it was thanks to Miss Mariel that we could grow such a crop; her seedlings were simply amazing. And as we work the soil, I hope that we can strengthen it in turn..."

She watches Cyre eat curry, she smiles warmly in turn, expressing, "I understand that, Mister Cyre. It would be premature to say that my brethren feel the same way. But... I'd like to make tonight about -- dispelling those fears. Correcting misunderstandings. About sharing, and learning."

...

Val passes by and stares at Ethius. Stares stares stares. Looks down at his coffee mug. "You runnin' dry, handsome? I might have a bottle in my belly with your name written on it..." She would sound sultry, if her voice wasn't the perfect combination between an alto singer and a cement mixer. [OOC] Riesenlied says, "i wanna draw val"

<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.

It's alright, Ethius. Catenna doesn't fit well into an exuberant crowd, either. She's a quiet sort.

Riesenlied's armload of little Beastgirl waves to her, and Catenna can't help blushing a touch, her smile softening perceptibly. "Hello, dear one," she murmurs, before lifting her eyes to Riesenlied again. "I could not refuse you. Whatever has happened over the past few months, you are still my friend, and I will hear you out any time you wish to be heard."

As Jacqueline moves up near her, Catenna turns slightly to welcome her mercantile friend into the little circle of conversation. Her smile remains, small, but with a gentle warmth beyond her usual cloak of reserved peace. "Yes... there is a feeling of life here. It reminds me very much of home," she admits.

Turning back, she gives Cyre a look of mild bemusement, a touch stunned at just how much curry he's able to wolf down without setting his mouth ablaze.

"Please try and save some for the other visitors, Cyre," she suggests delicately, touching a hand to her cheek.

Catenna turns back to Riesenlied, clasping her hands behind her back and nodding gently back to the Hyadean woman. "I look forward to hearing what you have to say. Understanding, I think, is important... very much so."

<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.

"Ah---thank you." Fei tells Riesenlied, rubbing the back of his neck. "I mean, there's only one way to really learn, right? And that's by listening." He owers his arm, having done his sprite animation right there before collecting some potatoes and yams and such onto a plate to chow down on. He remains standing since he's not sure how long he's going to be able to stick around. He's feeling a little awkward today.

He nods a greeting over to Jaqueline, and spends the time stuffing his face. Fei is a man with a large appetite.

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

Jacqueline can't help but chuckle as Shalune barges in with Janey on her shoulders. The two of them seemed to get along quite well...which wasn't a surprise to Jacqueline. They were similar in a lot of ways, after all.

"It's a difficult goal, but...I think it's an important one to reach. There is still much we don't know about all of you...but I'd like to know more." Jacqueline says. Catenna was right. Understanding was important.

They might have their differences...but she had seen it - they were people too, with their own dreams and wants and fears.

Fei nods to her, so Jacqueline sends a nod and a smile back to him. He certainly seemed to be enjoying himself.

<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.

Ethius turns his head in brief when he sees Fei throw him a friendly wave. A few fingers extend from the cup he's holding, which is about as close to a wave as he manages in pursuit of... whatever it is he's here for. If he's just here to stand around and look like a static prop holding an empty, unclean coffee cup, then that would answer a whole lot right there, wouldn't it. 

Val happens along. Stares meet. Two people of different worlds, of different people. This is probably how a romanc--
"I am fine. Thank you." The words are spoken reflexively, as if automatic. His eyes try to follow another Wayside resident's approach towards Catenna's foodstuff offerings, but everywhere he looks, there is Val.
"Pay me no mind."

<Pose Tracker> Shalune Amira has posed.

"Hmm--" Shalune sounds out. She's peering at the same potato Matilda is in no time, her eyebrows lightly raised before a thought strikes her. "--wait, aren't potatoes s'posed to be bad for you raw? I thought I heard Lunie say somethin' like that..." she muses, before letting the thought go again with a grin. "But y'know, you're not wrong. Kinda feels like I've been doin' nothing but fixing Gears, so it's about time I grab Lunie's arm and drag her underground somewhere," she adds blithely, and with a growing grin. "Besides-- too much potato and I'm gonna turn into a potato," she grins, patting her midsection.

(She's actually a true-blue anime beneath her coat, but does love her formless clothing.)

She does pause, at least, and then frown lightly in the direction of the two Shamans. "Don't be grumpy," she chides Cyre gently with a wag of her finger, which would work better if she didn't have a Janey. "I mean, we've gotta start somewhere, right? The Guardians aren't exactly great when it comes to explaining their side of things, either. Besides, Miss Riese gave us a place to rest up when we needed it, and helped us recover everyone after the whole Temple stuff."

Her moment of common sense behind her, Shalune diverts to assemble some food on a plate. If it seems like a lot, it's probably because she's got Janey whispering dangerously in her ear about how she wants some of this or ten of that. "Ja~ay, you reckon we need anything more from the Caravan? I was gonna ferry some stuff over, but-- uh, it really feels like it's gonna be too much already, y'know?"

<Pose Tracker> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.

It's really quite simple. You must put pain out of your mind. You must replace the suffering of spice with the pure delight of consuming that which was placed in this world to prove the existence of a benevolent divinity. In other words, eat through the pain...!

"Yes, yes, don't worry. I won't eat it /all./" Cyre shoves another spoonful of steaming, eye-watering stew into his face. "But I can't be blamed if they're too slow and miss out on the best food around!" Yes. Clearly the way to any chef's heart... Is through sincerely complimenting their cooking...!

"Hmn, well anyway," he flickers a glance over at Shalune's waggling finger and quietly harrumphs through the stinging agony on the inside of his mouth. It hurts good. "The Guardians have been trying to tell us their side of the story for years. I'd be upset too if all of a sudden people finally wanted to listen because stuff actually started exploding."

The slow death of the planet was, evidently, too gradual of a transition for most people to pay attention to.

"Anyway," he turns his attention back toward Riese. "Go ahead. I'm all ears."

His ears twitch to emphasize the point.

Or maybe because he's just happy about the curry he just spooned into his mouth.

<Pose Tracker> Matilda Whitehead has posed.

Being part of the CaraKin means seeing and knowing all kinds of other cultures! That's something Matilda has picked up quickly -- she's seen more of West Ignas in her time with the CaraKin than she ever did beforehand. She gets a little of everything, as far as food goes.

Matilda wobbles a hand at Shalune, explaining, "There are certain types of potatoes you shouldn't eat raw, and green potatoes in particular contain rather a lot of toxins... it /is/ a nightshade-family plant, of course. But there are some potatoes you /can/ eat raw. ... if you want to be safe, you really shouldn't, though, yes."

She glances briefly to Catenna and Cyre... but finds she doesn't have anything smart to say, and so, does not.

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

"Yes, absolutely," Riesenlied nods both to Catenna and Fei as she holds up a little spoon of mashed potatoes for Mikaia to nibble on. She pretty much alternates being precociously responsible and also being terribly spoiled, doesn't she? "Without communication, and the will to communicate, the bridge cannot be crossed... but, it is not a one-way street either. That's why... to see everyone here like this -- makes me very happy."

She smiles as she walks up gently towards a stage -- seating Mikaia down on a nearby chair as she says, "Hello everyone, and good evening. I'm happy to see you all here tonight, both from the Caravan Kinship, and the Yggdrasil, and from the Wings as well."

She pauses, and then glances around.

"I should begin... with our story."

"As you know, Wayside is mostly composed of the Tainted -- the name our brethren has slung upon us centuries ago. When I was born, shortly following the Day of Collapse, there was a shortage of the materials that are used to quicken us -- construct us: the Living Metal that you've seen at the Adlehyde Cultural Festival."

A sleek black dog-shaped Hyadean is curled up on a basket, her tail lazily flecking about -- but she speaks up, largely sounding like electronic signals. Cetiri, the scientist of the group.

"You may think of it as a rampant series of birth defects, if you were to compare it to humans. Suddenly, there were no Hyadeans born of 'adequate' quality; all that were born on that year were of inferior strength and dexterity, possessing no resilience and healing capacity."

Riesenlied nods as she looks to the rest of the audience.

"As you may have been able to imagine, the rest of our brethren did not take kindly to this. They branded us as 'defective', and were quick to cast the lot of us to the deepest recesses of our society -- a place we have since called the 'Gutter'... it is a difficult place to live, with very little in the way of support, full of trash, scrap, and other kinds of experiments they deem 'failures'."

She closes her eyes, lacing her hands for a moment -- a little difficult, given the state of her misshapen, scale-bound left hand.

"... we have been seeking an opportunity to journey away from the Gutter for centuries. To seek a better home, a better life; this is something that many of us hold in our hearts, a hope that we have kindled in the shadow of oppression from our brethren. And for us to be here... to enjoy the results of our labour... it is a remarkable milestone in what we have dreamt of."

<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.

Nipping down a bite of spicy curry and rice, Catenna watches Ethius out of the corner of her eye. What's his game, anyway? She can never read the guy.

Gaze darting to Jay, Catenna nods along with the alchemist. Coming around to that viewpoint is harder for the priestess; her faith gets in the way.

Her fondness for Riesenlied will have to be her bridge.

Reaching out, she smiles faintly and lays a delicate hand on Cyre's shoulder. "You may need some milk, dear heart," she murmurs, gesturing to the jud sitting discreetly near the curry pots. It is full of cooling milk.

Riesenlied's tale, though, is what draws her the most, and she quiets respectfully as her friend begins to speak. Her eyebrows arch a little as the story begins to unfold.

Even through her normal reserve, the subtle shift in Catenna's view on things is evident to those who have learned to read her eyes. They soften perceptibly around the outer corners, the cool grey colour seeming to lighten just a shade as Riese tells the story of the casting away of the Tainted. Her mind puts a few thoughts together:

/She is treated as much like a defective misfit among her people as I am among mine./

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

Jacqueline glances toward Shalune and considers her question for a moment.

"Hm...I think we might be fine for now. We can go and collect more later if we need to, but right now it's fine to sit back and enjoy it." She replies with a smile. ...There really was a lot on offer here, but that wasn't a bad thing.

She focuses on Riesenlied as she greets everyone, and explains her people and their situation along with Cetiri. Some of this had already been told to her, but it was important to hear it again.

"That's awful...no people should be treated like that." Jacqueline murmurs, shaking her head. "I'm glad you've managed to find a place for yourselves."

<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.

Ethius finds himself an adequate seat somewhere as Riesenlied begins to address her audience with the story of the culture of her people - the people everyone mingles alongside now. 

For Ethius' part, he remembers that rendezvous some time back over one of the things he unceremoniously filched from Old Petra. What he was told about in turn for its safe return... he imagines much of it will be corroborated tonight, as he sits with one hand up against his forehead.
He did not imagine he would be in the unique situation of being flirted with by Val, but... nonetheless, he sits and listens respectfully.

<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.

Fei considers. It's strange to think of 'birth defects' suddenly coming into being out of nowhere. It sounds like they didn't have them until they made it to Filgaia. He consumes more food. Is he having fun? He's certainly managing his appetite. He's not like Xantia or Goku, though, he just has an above average appetite.

He lowers the plate. "Why?" Fei asks thoughtfully. "Why do you have birth defects? It doesn't sound like it's normal for your people, and I don't think genetically speaking it...makes sense? You don't suffer mutations, do you?"

He puts another piece of potato into his mouth before adding, "Or uh, I guess, whatever you'd call it. You're made out of living metal, so ... presuming the quality of the metal stays the same, defects shouldn't be happening, right?"

<Pose Tracker> Shalune Amira has posed.

"Hmm... okay," the pink-haired girl nods towards Jacqueline's statement, scratching at her cheek, obviously still kind of worried about Lunata. "I'll get a little bowl of stuff together to sneak away for Lunie, too, I bet she'd love to know she can get some fresh veggies here."

Shalune puffs for a moment towards Cyre as she plants her hands on her hips. "Hey, all I'm sayin' is, the only thing the Guardians ever told me was 'eh, you'll do I /guess/' out of the blue, and it didn't help their case any," she adds. True enough, she's yet to recover her Medium from the bottom of her backpack pocket - though at least she's lost some of the anger she's displayed whenever the topic came up previously. "A spoonful of sugar - or potato, I guess - never hurt anyone, y'know?"

Fortunately, she's easy to divert, and her eyebrows go up at Matilda's explanation. "Oooh. ... I mean, I get it, but I'm not sure I'd ever want to. I mean, I know it's dumb to think it might grow inside your stomach or somethin', but even then the only times I've snuck a cube of potato before dinner's done, it generally hasn't gone all that great," she adds almost solemnly. The luxury of licking the bowl, gone wrong...!

As if trapped by the traumatic memories, she and Janey share a fervent nod of understanding - which would be more respectable were that not the moment that Riesenlied directs everyone's attention, giving the mechanic a sudden opportunity to innocently steal way more of the cheesy upper layer of the gratin than is in any way appropriate.

Even then, Shalune does bend a serious ear to the speech, chewing quietly as she absentmindedly passes a smaller plate up to Janey. She was a slum kid once, after all, before Meredin Croze and the rest of the family took her in. While Adlehyde is surely a far cry from the Photosphere, she'd like to think she can still relate.

She does tilt her head when Fei speaks, though. "Umn... I mean, stuff like that can be hard to detect until it goes wrong. Like you might not ever notice a little crack until you've stepped on that joint a few thousand times and suddenly it gives way, y'know?"

<Pose Tracker> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.

"Pfah! I'll cool down when it's time for the kheer. Until then, I'll be celebrating Moor Gault. With my mouth." That's totally a legit thing that shamans are allowed to do, right?

Right.

Also kheer is delicious.

The cat-man's ears twitch and pivot towards Riese as she speaks her piece. He seems contemplative, in spite of the fact that his face is presently several shades more red than it aught to be. "I expect," he says to Fei, "That when they started running out of metal, they had to use... alternative materials. Or maybe just less of it than usual. That might be why they're 'defective' by comparison."

Another shrug. Cyre shifts slightly in his seat. "So, while you have my sympathies for the oppression you and yours faced, my question is, then... Do you still follow the path trodden by the Azure Knight and his companions? Or by coming here, have you left that behind?"

<Pose Tracker> Matilda Whitehead has posed.

Riesenlied tells the story of the Tainted, and Matilda slowly but surely takes it in. "I see -- so..." She pauses, thinking this through. "... That is -- surprising," Matilda says, as she squints. Wasn't there more cheese here before?

Her gaze tracks to Shalune's plate, and she makes a face... but takes some food anyway -- before turning her mind back toward Riesenlied's story. "Cyre's explanation is sound... though there's part of me that would wonder at sch a thing, especially if it has not significantly recurred since."

She looks up into the air for a few seconds, adding, "Did any political reforms come around the time that this happened, or in response thereto? Besides your -- banishment."

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

"Theoretically? No," Cetiri answers Fei. "But as with any process, mishaps can and do happen. Especially as Hyadeans are still biological creatures in the end. That, and..."

"... the Guardians, as I think Miss Catenna and Mister Cyre well know, view us as anathema. But this is not just a disposition gained from conflict and encounter," Riesenlied gently explains. "We are not aware of the exact nature of it, but... Filgaia's lifeblood, and the power of the Guardians, does influence us in subtle, but distinctive ways."

"For the Tainted, it was the impurities in the metal itself that caused a lot of problems," Cetiri chimes in. "And since then, the term has encompassed those that have suffered injuries -- whether mental, emotional or physical."

Riesenlied pauses as she looks to her hand, and lets a few of those photons escape into the air in a little sparkle. It wasn't until she was struck by Celesdue that this phenomenon happened, and meeting Equites only exacerbated it...

There is silence, and... Cyre's question is valid. And scary, at the same time, because it isn't the view that truly everyone holds.

"... Wayside is a village of many opinions and viewpoints, and I cannot truly speak for everyone -- nor do I wish to. To have discourse and express oneself, after all, is an activity I wish to encourage in more of my brethren, after centuries of ironclad doctrine and obedience."

It is with that... disclaimer, perhaps, that she says:

"But for me, I have come to view myself as being unable to continue on the same path as Lord Siegfried and the other Quarter Knights."

She places a hand to her heart.

"For a thousand years now, our culture has suffered. The only conversation my brethren are ever exposed to is the conversation of revenge -- revenge for the loss in the Metal Demon Wars. Neonates are indoctrined into a harsh, warring mindset. They are taught to strive for victory and martial excellence -- to serve in a war effort that has never truly ended for our leadership."

She lowers her head.

"The old generation pollute our young with their ideas of vengeance, and stymie growth and change. This is what I wish to combat. I want to see Wayside grow as a platform, to show that it is possible for there to be life outside of fighting and hatred. That there is value in life, camaraderie, and bonding. And to that end--"

She gestures towards the room again.

"I would like to continue my journey to commune with the Guardians. They have told me as much that they do not see -- so it falls to us to undertake the news to them. To let them know that there are people out there who wish to heal from a thousand-year wound."

<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.

"She is right," Catenna murmurs, lowering her head a little. "If there is... a science to it, I do not understand it. But we are told that Filgaia and Metal Demons - the name we have given to Hyadeans - can never exist together. That is why our faith considers them so."

But then, there are those influenced by the power of the Guardians - and then there's Riesenlied. For a moment, Catenna reflects on what she saw in that vision quest. A shadowy version of herself, ruthlessly reducing a shadow of Riesenlied. /It's easy when they cackle and lust for blood, isn't it?/

From there, she quiets, pausing only to take a small bite of her curry. Her eyes follow the shimmer of photons from Riesenlied's palm. It's something she hasn't truly seen up close.

The more important answer follows - and Riesenlied reveals the path she has chosen. Catenna closes her eyes, draws in a breath, and momentarily experiences a surge of utter relief. She won't have to hurt Riesenlied anymore. She /won't./

"I do not claim to understand the true nature of Hyadeans," she admits as she opens her eyes again. "But if you have chosen to seek the Guardians... then please, allow me to assist you. Your heart is good, I believe... and I would wish to see that goodness respected."

<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.

"Biological?" Fei says. "Ah, so that's why 'living' metal."

He cups his chin. "Impurities in the metal could explain it..." Though if anything wouldn't that be the fault of the creator, not the creation? Still, this does seem to stall out his objections and inquiries on the topic. "How are you certain it's the Guardians that afflicted you?" Fei asks. "How do you know it's Filgaia's 'lifeblood'?"

He tilts his head, eyes widening as Riesenlied admits full out she's not following Siegfried's path anymore, but it's less of a surprise than one might think. They drop back down quickly.

"I doubt it's so simple for it to just be grudge over a single lost war, but..." Fei cups his chin again, staring down at his plate.

<Pose Tracker> Shalune Amira has posed.

Shalune has yet to really get to study living metal, as a concept and as a material - it isn't exactly polite to just ask about it, and even she can tell that much - but she does seem to be listening along to Cetiri's brief explanation with a nod of understanding, able to compare it to other more down-to-earth examples that she's come across in the past. "Especially over time, right? If you guys are that long-lived-- well, that'd just make any imperfections diverge even further."

She pauses at her own statement, and frowns curiously. A vague thought flits through her head, curious about the conditions inside the Metal Demon main base - how sterile it must be, whether they protect against constant wear and tear. There's no real meaning in it, so much as an array of idle questions she tucks away for later.

She continues to chew the food, and the food for thought, as Riesenlied continues in her speech. To be honest... there's the definite suggestion from her expression that the political talk, and the talk of revenge, is kind of allowed to fly over her head. Not because she doesn't understand it, but because she'd rather not consciously think about it, too used to treating everyone as friendly by default.

Instead, she looks to Fei, and kind of bites her lip as she considers that question. "Um. I mean. If we're talking about materials in general, I don't think I'd ever call Filgaia 'super great'. A whole lot of our stuff's scratchy, or impure, or just kinda cruddy, and you often have to look really far down in ruins to find anything worth using for really long-lasting stuff. Maybe that's part of it?"

<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.

"Well," Fei says. "I mean yeah, but--can we really blame the Guardians for that?" Fei counters. "I guess that's what I'm saying. The Guardians didn't wreck the planet in the first place."

<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.

"The nature of Filgaia is not necessarily impurity," Catenna murmurs in a lower voice, touching fingers to her temple and pushing back her hair. "Whatever is happening to the world, it is not the nature of the Guardians. I have seen places where life still thrives. Beyond that, I do not have the answers."

<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.

For a man that professes to be interested in lost or misplaced technology, one would imagine he might have more pointed questions about the understanding of what the impurities were, or why, or... much of anything at all, but no, Ethius sits there quietly as some have questions answered, help offered, and sympathies given. 

He casts a look over to Shalune, most noticeably, as she hypothesizes out loud about the matter, but doesn't say anything in support nor clarity. Quiet, and nearly motionless, the strange white-haired man sits guarded... save for that he only has one hand on the coffee cup, as the other remains on his forehead.
The coffee cup is now vulnerable to having Val pour a drink in there courtesy of a well-timed flirtatious sneak drink!!!
...Beyond this humorous anecdote, at present, Ethius remains another quiet witness to what could be the beginning of a new historical era of peace - if the optimism of some among the gathered is to be believed.

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

Revenge...to become so obsessed with revenge that you ignored the possibilities of change and the future...that wasn't healthy for anyone - individuals or groups of people in general.

"It would be nice if the rest of your people would come to understand the value of piece as well, but...that may perhaps be simple wishful thinking..." Jacqueline comments with a slight frown.

She knew that they were not the monsters she had feared they might be. Seeing the progress the Tainted had made, was it possible that the rest of the Metal Demons...no, the Hyadeans, could come to feel the same way...?

And if not, how should she handle them? It was a difficult thought...

<Pose Tracker> Matilda Whitehead has posed.

... So that's what Riesenlied has chosen, Matilda thinks, as she finally starts eating in earnest. "... I wonder if this freedom to choose your own future, too, is something inherent to such an impurity," Matilda muses quietly, between bites. It would... make a certain sense to her, she thinks -- Metal Demons who come out 'right' being bound forever to vengeance, but Metal Demons who come out 'wrong' being able to break that shackle...

... it's kind of a fruitless line of thought, though, so Matilda doesn't think it out too far. "I -- agree with Shalune," she says, after some thought. "As long as my family cares to tell, finding purity in Filgaia has been... difficult."

It's the only thought she feels confident enough to render. ... or maybe she's just hungry.

<Pose Tracker> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.

Cyre is silent for a moment after Riesenlied gives her answer. This is as much because he is thinking as it is because he's still eating. Curry demands his attention as much as Riesenlied does-- and it's not like he can't multitask, after all.

"It's what's said in the stories," Cyre explains, "And what was told to us by our elders. The Demon Mother is anathema to the planet itself. So too are her children, so the story goes. I can't say for sure whether or not the latter is true, but from all that I've seen myself, your Mother /has/ ordered the destruction of certain Guardian artifacts. Maybe there's some truth to the tales of the Demon Mother. But we're not discussing her right now, are we?"

The shaman sets his curry bowl down. It's empty, except for a thin film of saffron-orange oil coating the porcelein. "If you're sincere, then I'll help you find what you seek. But what will you do if it really is impossible? Not only the matter of forgiveness, but if you learn that your people are truly incompatible with this world, what will you do then?"

There's a beat. On the subject of purity in Filgaia, Cyre just shrugs. "The world's not exactly made to be like that, is it? A clump of earth contains all kinds of things that you need to strip away if you want a lump of iron. I don't think Filgaia is impure by design, but I think that the mixing of things in this way is the natural course of things on the planet. One thing's for sure, though; the planet itself isn't healthy. The wasteland is sign enough of that."

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

"I cannot claim to have certainty for all our cases, of course," Riesenlied does admit to Fei, "But at the very least, in my case... both Kalve and Cetiri have noticed that the oddities in my body have been due to a result of exposure to the Guardians."

She bobs her head with a light measure of surprise, and says, "To be clear... I am not assigning blame, but just of-- what I have experienced. It is certainly possible that they emanate that power as a means of resistance due to what has happened. ... The Guardians have their wounds too... this, I have experienced personally."

"... and... it isn't simple, you are right," Riesenlied does nod in agreement to Fei. "But it is where it all began, and where everything is traced back towards. The loss of our Holy Mother." Or Demon Mother, depending on the perspective...

... she doesn't feel like elucidating on it a lot more. Siegfried's reasons... the depths of his wounds... the depths of his grudge that stem as a result... it isn't something she can possibly explain with words. She hopes she can show him a new world, instead, where he can heal... but it would require that he be able to accept that.

She looks towards Jacqueline, smiling at her again as she watches that pensive look of hers.

"Change is difficult, and everywhere you see, change is resisted. To many of my brethren, the possibility of doing something other than fighting has not ever come up as a possibility."

And Riesenlied knows the pain that everyone is not going to be onboard. Some people are too ingrained in their roots to accept it. ... the only thing she can do is highlight that possibility, provide that platform for healing.

"But... as scary as it is to admit this to all of you tonight, I feel it is a very important step in accepting that change. Because this is not the kind of change that can happen without honesty."

And she listens to Cyre too, as he brings up the possibilities of sheer impossibility. "... if it is truly impossible, if there is no measure of physical reconciliation between us and the planet... then we will have to deal with that then. Whether we must change in some way... or through further exodus -- to Lunar, perhaps. It would deeply sadden me, if there were no way, but..."

...

And then Val creeps, creeps... and then suddenly pours hot, fresh brewed coffee into that long-dried cup of Ethius'. And then -- well, she tries to wink, but winds up blinking, because binoculars aren't built like that.

"Want some hot coffee, dear?"

<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.

Questions fly; Catenna listens, and takes them in. Backing off by one step, she folds her arms loosely beneath the curve of her breasts. While Cyre has a good question, for her the answer is all but irrelevant; what matters is helping to guide a friend, no matter their sins or the circumstance of their birth.

"It is, perhaps... no use to think of what might not happen," Catenna finally muses, her shoulders coming up with a slow shrug. "Or if circumstances would be any different on Lunar... in truth we know little of how it relates to our Guardians, and the existence of its people is new to us."

Again she takes a little bite of her food. She's taken her time eating it, more focused on the information and the conversation than on her own cooking. It's delicious, of course, but she's eaten it a thousand times before.

With a look over to Jacqueline, she nods simply, taking a mental note. Then Catenna's gaze drifts back, finding Riesenlied again. "One wonders," she asks quietly, "if there are many others among the Metal Demons who feel as you and those in this village do...? Who wish to set aside their old conflict, and come to better understand the Guardians... perhaps even to seek to bridge whatever rift separates the nature of a Hyadean from the nature of Filgaia, to seek a life here of peace...?

"Are there more Riesenlieds, in other words, that we do not know about...?"

<Pose Tracker> Shalune Amira has posed.

Shalune shakes her head. "There's a difference between brushing earth off a lump of iron, and the lump of iron bein' shoddy quality in the first place. Like it or not, there's a lot of scrap around, and a lot of technology we don't know how to replicate, and a bunch of different problems like that. It's like-- if you talk about the 'wasteland', I don't think it just applies to the land itself. It's like everything about the planet got sparser, knowledge and civilizations included, and I dunno if I can just chalk it all up to a buncha Guardians."

But that's an unpleasant thought in general, and the mechanic naturally shies away from it, not really wanting to focus on it too heavily. Instead, she frowns lightly. "But I don't get why a planet itself would have a will. It's-- weird. Mebbe I'm just not used to dealing with it, I guess. Seems like we've got enough threats that you could just set aside someone who's sitting there with their hand out asking for peace," she grumbles lightly.

With a puff of air, she folds her arms. "I guess what I'm missin' is the 'why'. Like, okay, so the Guardians reckon are anathema. Why? So Mom wants to blow up Guardian Statues. Why? It feels like a lot of this stuff's just sorta taken for granted," she considers after a moment's silence, then glances towards Catenna. "I mean, you said it yourself: 'we are told they can never exist together'." To Cyre: "'It's what's said in the stories'. 'What's told by the elders'."

She frowns lightly. "Kinda feels like 'just believing what you're told' is gettin' both sides in trouble."

<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.

Sometimes, Ethius just... sits there, like he might not even be a part of the world that just unfolds around him (when he isn't trying to murder or melt certain parts of said world around him). Some stimulus, whether internal or external, just sees him retreat into the logical and emotional quiet as though every thought and idea being discussed might be of enough import in which to consider. 

The world around him finds its way to yank him back to attention. His head lifts up as Riese ruminates about alternatives in the instance the bridge cannot be gapped. Why? Was there something interesting that he'd like to sa--
'Want some hot coffee, dear?' The wrist of the hand holding the coffee cup tilts upwards, jerking the opposite way as he realizes too late that Val has gotten the jump on him and his peculiar habit of the evening.
"Mmm--!" That's not a 'mm, that sounds nice,' that's 'yelped interruption' as some of the hot, bitter human favorite beverage splashes up and out over his exposed forearm. Pain surges where coffee touches skin... to be met with an unnatural calm to quash the rest of this reasonable, human interaction to surprise pain and unwelcome innuendo.
The hand on his forehead lowers, its gloved quality allowing it to dab at and try to soak/brush the minor spill. Any glances shot his way are met with that same stare as always.
"I am fine. Pay me no mind." He says again as earlier. The same tone, the same rhythm, the same volume, as his posture... continues to not relax any.
...
Wasn't he about to say something, though? Whatever it was, he never says it.

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

"I see. It can't be easy, to try and change something when it's been such a big part of who you are..." Jacqueline murmurs. It seemed as if combat was something hammered into them from their very birth. She goes quiet, then glances toward Shalune and nods.

"Yes, it seems that way. I don't...want to take it as a given that people can be 'evil' or 'anathema' just because of what they are, or that it's impossible for us to exist together. I'd like to think, that even if it's not possible now, there's some way out there to make it possible." Jacqueline says, then looks around the table.

"I mean...look at us now. Here we are, all of us, together, eating at the same table. It might seem a simple thing now...but I'd like to think it could lead to something greater, in the future."

<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.

Fei's eyes widen again as mere contact with a Guardian seems to have given Riesenlied an affliction. That's news to him. How is that even possible? Maybe he should stop trying to make sense of the Guardians. They do their thing, but trying to think like them or anticipate their capabilities is beyond him. Hell, it seems beyond the Baskar. Their official policy seems to be 'hey Guardians be Guardians yo'. He closes his eyes, sighing.

It's not so simple. He's seen Siegfried trying, hasn't he? Or was it just another bout of spying? He thinks of that Elw girl he met. Is it irresponsible of him to just let her live her life? She might....no, she wouldn't. How could she? She's just lucky. That's all.

When he hears just how deep the wounds go, it's not just hard to hold out hope--it's hard to hold his fork. Method mercury, he thinks.

"Maybe there is no happy ending. But I guess we have to try." Good job Fei that will lift everybody's spirits. See, Jay? He's having fun.

<Pose Tracker> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.

Maybe the answer didn't matter. After all, in the heat of the moment, Riesenlied could always decide to throw up the deuces and try to burn the planet down. Emotion and heartbreak are terrible things that way. But Cyre, at least, looks like he's satisfied with the answer.

"The sad fact is that it's not just change," Cyre says, after a moment. "It's change that essentially means a thousand years of suffering, death and blame are utterly meaningless. That's not something that's easy for anyone to let go of. Hate is as strong of a pillar in one's life as anything else. As much as we like to tell ourselves that we're better than that, reality is rarely so convenient."

He looks to Shallune and shakes his head, then. "You might be right. You might be wrong, too. What's better? To err on the side of caution, or to jump boldly into danger without even bothering to find the nuggets of truth in a thousand years of history? You're a digger. You know how it is. Risks are always fine when it's just your neck on the line. What if it's a thousand lives? Tens of thousands? Those stories are told for a reason. Sometimes, it's to manipulate the next generation. Other times, it's to pass down meaningful warnings and knowledge. You're right, we don't know the why of those things. Does it matter in the short term? I live on this planet. If something is hurting it, it's in my interest to find a solution."

"Anyway, Mother wants to blow up the Guardian Statues because they're sealing her power. We know that. Elder Halle said as much. As for why the Metal Demons are considered Anathema, I'd guess it has something to do with Her. Or maybe there's just a genuinely irreconcilable difference in how their spirits get on with the world. I don't know."

"Our host's affliction is strange, though. Not sure why that'd happen, exactly. Maybe it has to do with that incompatibility. Maybe the energies of the Guardians exacerbated the impurities she's carrying around. I know when I hit that big green guy with Fengalon's power, he didn't seem very happy about it. Didn't burst into hives either though. So I don't know."

<Pose Tracker> Matilda Whitehead has posed.

Matilda nods to Shalune -- and when Cyre brings his counterargument, Matilda, with a mouth slightly full of food, is ready to counterargue. "Thh rrsnhn --" She pauses, here, and chews briefly, then swallows. "There are some -- ambiguities, in both sides' stories. The idea that the Guardians are sealing Mother would seem to track -- and, of course, this cannot be allowed to happen. But... again, Shalune is right..."

Matilda dithers for a few moments. She seems to be having a hard time figuring out how to word this. "... There is -- something unusual, in the way the Guardians react to threats. It is an all-encompassing approach, a sort of... scourging of the sand and soil of anything foreign. In this, they are not so far from the Hyadeans..."

She considers this for a moment. "Any comprehensive, rational set of rules of war," she muses, "must carve out reasonable, consistent, and coherent exceptions for the injured, civilians, and especially defectors. Our moral intuitions can serve as our guide in this."

~ * ~ oooo someone went to ***SCHOOL*** and wants to ***SHOW OFF*** ~ * ~

She adds, almost as an afterthought, "If they live here now, there must be mutual adaptation. Miss Riesenlied..." Here, Matilda's lips purse. "... has... made... efforts, to that... effect."

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

"... the truth of the past," Riesenlied starts in the midst of the silence.

She looks at Catenna. "I... believe that we are all creatures of how we are nurtured. I have no doubt that many more have harbored such thoughts, only to have them be burnt out by their surroundings. And part of what we are doing here... is to try to create an environment where such curiosities and thoughts can be nurtured."

"As Mister Cyre says -- much of the truth of the past has been lost to us. We know that the Guardians have sealed Mother, but to what end, I do not know. Mother is a figure that is undeniably Holy to us, but Demonic to the Baskar -- the tale of how Mother rescued our entire species from the brink of annihilation is a tale that is still vigorously told, a strange uplifting tale in the midst of all the iron doctrine."

She glances to the room around them. "And it is not just us. The history of humans is one that is unknown as well. What happened in the Zeboim era? What of Malevolence? There is no one singular threat that looms over Filgaia. I too wish to find a solution, that will allow for everyone to thrive."

She... understands the difficulties Matilda is having, and has a more quiet smile for her. "... I mentioned before that the Guardians ..."

A hesitation, and she looks to the priests in the room. "It is what I have heard Equites say -- that he has no eyes or ears into this world, on his own. They are limited, in what they can do... and-- that is why I do sincerely believe that communication is key to furthering the understanding between us. Not just between the Hyadeans and the Guardians -- but also that of humans and Guardians. We cannot heal Filgaia in silos -- it is only with the cooperation and understanding of many parties..."

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

Val watches as Ethius jolts back, but doesn't seem to react to his pain on having hot coffee splashed onto him due to his jerking back. "Aww, a shy fella, aren't you? It's okay, I got room in here for all sortsa types."

Another attempt at a wink. It still comes out as blinking. Don't give up, Val...

<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.

"Then... I should wish to walk among the villagers here more often. And perhaps to speak with you more of what might be," Catenna answers Riesenlied, her voice still holding a quiet volume. Yet there's a steady warmth and intent flickering behind the pale moon-grey of her eyes with utter, dedicated clarity.

There is a chance, perhaps, to change inevitability. To understand if a Hyadean truly is incompatible with Filgaia, even if their heart beats the right way. She cannot pass it up.

As Riese speaks on further. Catenna bows her head and closes her eyes for a moment. "Equites is correct... as were the Guardians, all of them. We are, perhaps, not those that they would have chosen. But they must work through those of us who are willing to dedicate ourselves to the goals they wish. They are obscure - I understand how it can be so. Even for those of us who have dedicated our lives, their ways are... difficult to grap. But that is simply their nature."

Shifting, she glances back towards Matilda and Shalune, her eyelids lowering ever so slightly.

"Expecting the Guardians to fully understand the laws and customs of man is... beyond them. They understand in an elemental way. If that is the change you seek, Matilda Whitehead, then you must show it to them, for they will need eyes in a world that may be changing. They will need you to help them understand."

<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.

Fei snrks faintly as Matilda suggests incorporating some sort of Filgaia Convention. "I'd love to see that," He says, though he doesn't sound too hopeful.

His plate is about done so he may be considering going to get doll back now as he sets it aside, giving Val an encouraging thumbsup.

Don't give up, Val! He believes in you too (plus Ethius set him on fire like 3 times).

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

Jacqueline listens quietly as everyone speaks, offering their own ideas and opinions on the subject at hand. It was a complex subject. It was possible there was no one real answer. But they were working on it, just the same.

She doesn't really have her own comments to add at this point, and at the moment is content to continue listening to the discussion...

...And also, enjoying this great food.

<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.

The pained arm steadies, as the half-masked Symbologist finds himself ensnared within an awkward moment. As discussion commences over matters of moving forward to a world that moves past the hatred of a thousand years, there is a snapshot of one of the minute - but pressing - challenges inherent with a world such as this. 

Exhibit A, Ethius Hesiod the Human, Val the Metal Demon.
Ethius is a man who tends to be so intensely private with his thoughts and (lack of?) reasons for doing much of anything that he seems to see it fit to close much of himself out from the world.
Val appears to be struggling to understand how one speaks and connects to others, perhaps herself challenged by a diversity - nay, an entire selction! - that simply did not exist within comprehension until Riesenlied and her friends started taking serious forays out of the Photosphere.
"The offer is appreciated," Ethius says flatly as he contemplates what exactly he's going to do with this coffee in question, "but I am fine."
He is not a great template in which to base studies of typical human social interaction upon, for lack of much body language or cues in which to work from. Something that Val seems to struggle with, in her attempts to simulate the fluttering winks.
Here, in the company of friends... or trusted... or at least the mostly inoffensive, a humorous anecdotal element in the background of Riese's discussions.
It may be a microcosm of even greater challenges ahead, where parties are either less stoic, or less willing to reach out at all.

<Pose Tracker> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.

"I keep telling people that the Guardians aren't perfect," Cyre says with a long sigh. "If they were, we wouldn't be in the situation we're in. They need help just like anyone else does. Whether that's taking care of the planet or just helping them figure out about how people work these days-- you know they used to walk alongside us? Like, actualy walked with us. They could see how mortals lived in those days, but even then it was hard for them to understand. Even moreso now."

"Well, anyway. If Equites wants some eyes on the world, then that's the way it goes. I do need to say that the Guardians themselves aren't as... monolithic as you might think," he looks to Matilda and shrugs. "One Guardian can disagree with the others. It happens; they're individuals, themselves. I do know that they mean the best for the world, though. But you're overlooking the fact that their approach /isn't/ all-encompassing; if it were, then Riese wouldn't be here talking to us."

"Sure, they gave her a weird hand, but that's not too strange. They give me weird hands all the time. Sometimes I even ask for it. It can be useful, when you really need to punch something hard."

It's a simplification, but that's fine! Cyre is full on curry. He's allowed to simplify.

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

There's a very gentle nod from Riesenlied as well. "We would welcome all of you kindly, of course. And I will encourage the townsfolk to speak more, in turn; I understand some of them are still afraid, and reticient..." she nods at Catenna.

She looks towards the group. "Ah, I've spoken long enough... I do not wish to dominate the conversation such. I've a medical checkup with Kalve soon, but please, do enjoy the food, drink and festivities..."

"But... thank you. For coming here -- as Jay says, even to have a dinner together like this... it already heartens me greatly. The conversation is not something that will be resolved in a mere day... and it is something I shall strive to endeavour to continue in the months to come."

Val deflates as Ethius turns her down, and she slinks over to the bar. "S'okay, Val. The tough ones always need some time to marinate in the fridge," she reassures herself. "Gives time for the flavours to mingle."

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