2017-11-25: Be Kind to Yourself
- Log: Be Kind to Yourself
- Cast: Riesenlied, Shalune Amira, Jacqueline Barber
- Where: Wayside
- Date: 25th November, 2017
- Summary: Riesenlied invites Jay to tea to apologise to her; they have a heart to heart talk, and make plans to save Wayside.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied is making some preparations to invite Jacqueline the next time the CaraKin stopped by; she'd been feeling awful and guilty from what she'd seen of Jay's memories in the inadvertent incident the Malevolence needle had drawn them all into, so...
It's with a comfortable-looking clothed table with a high tea rack full of macarons, scones and other pleasant pastries and a flower arrangement that Riese is putting together by the time Jay arrives. "Ah, good afternoon, Jay," she smiles. She's wearing white today, very motherly and classic, still with a capelet and a long gown. "Please, take a rest and feel free to have tea and snacks..."
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
That incident was still fresh in Jacqueline's mind. It was something she tried to forget, of course, but every so often it creeped back in... It hadn't been a very pleasant situation for her, but then again, it was the same for everyone who had been caught up in that.
She didn't blame Riesenlied at all for what happened, however, so it was a bit of a surprise, though a welcome one, when she received a sudden invitation from Riesenlied the next time they stopped by Wayside.
"Oh, thank you..." Jacqueline says with a nod, moving to take a seat.
"This set-up is quite lovely." She compliments, looking around at the table.
She tried to be modest about it, but...Jacqueline has quite the fondness for pastries of all kinds, so she reaches for one politely before looking back up at Riesenlied.
"How is everyone doing?" She asks.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
"Oh, it's been good..." Riesenlied answers, smiling softly. "I managed to visit a music store in November City, and Mikaia had quite the interest in it." Indeed, she might be able to hear the faint toots of a recorder-like instrument from the staircase. "I don't think it was something she ever realised was possible before... hehe, I hope it inspires a passion in her."
There's a pause, as her expression softens. "How have... you been, Jacqueline?"
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Jacqueline pauses, listening in with a slight chuckle.
"I agree. I'm sure she'll be great, if she puts her mind to it." She replies with a nod. "Music is something I've never really...had the knack for, but it's a wonderful talent to have."
Jacqueline leans back a bit as Riesenlied pauses, taking a moment to think.
"...I've been alright. Business has been going well... I went camping with Lunata and Shalune in Blackmoon Forest, as well, which helped take my mind off things." She replies, taking a sip of tea.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied lowers her head with a gentle nod, as she lets her sip her tea and take some of the pastries with a smile. "They're very good friends. Shalune has done so much for us, and Lunata has started to make friends with some of the villagers too, I think..."
A pause, as she... lowers her head. "I'm sorry. ... we have... had this conversation before, but... I find myself incapable of letting go of what happened in Adlehyde... and I know it wears upon you as well."
She places a hand to her chest. "... if only there were some comfort I could give you, I would."
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
"They are." Jacqueline agrees with a nod and a small smile. "...I hope so. I was...a little worried."
It looked to Jacqueline that Lunata had held a mistrust for them for a while...but perhaps that was starting to fade, if only a little.
Riesenlied pauses again before apologizing, causing Jacqueline to lower her head with a slight frown.
"I...I appreciate it, but...you don't need to apologize to me, Riesenlied." She replies, shaking her head.
"I...I know that, in reality, it would likely have mattered very little if I had been able to warn everyone...but I can't help but think sometimes, what might be different if I did..." She admits.
She's quiet for a moment, staring down into her cup.
Jacqueline felt that Riesenlied must be feeling the same way. Wondering what might have changed, if only she had done things differently...
"You've...given me plenty, honestly. You were there for me and my friends when we were at our lowest, and you've been a good friend to us. That's all I need."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Lunata was definitely having a tougher time, perhaps in part because she hadn't really been able to connect in the same way... and there's the way in which her own circumstances had made getting her own thoughts more difficult as well. But she's getting there, slowly.
There's just a hint of a sorrowful smile as she says, "I do think that, of what might be different. I do judge myself harshly... that I was--" she swallows, her eyes averting to the side for a moment. "That I was clinging to my faith in Mother, that I was making... so many excuses... of outcomes perhaps too naive for reality..."
"... but the desire to be able to do better by everyone ... is something we both share," Riesenlied finds it in herself to speak quietly, after a moment. "And I think... you and I both share the tendency to be especially hard on ourselves, in times of struggle..."
She breathes in deeper, to centre herself. "Let's make sure we try to be kinder to ourselves, and let the fond and close friends around us bolster us."
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Jacqueline listens to Riesenlied's own admittance quietly. It was an easy trap to fall into, really...blaming oneself harshly. Riesenlied was right, that was something they both shares. Jacqueline gives a faint, self-deprecating chuckle.
"That's a difficult lesson to learn..." She comments, and then smiles slightly.
"...But...I'll try." She says with a nod. They had so many people around them, supporting them...
...The hard part, sometimes, was letting them.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied sips her tea again, with a gentle nod. "It is difficult... but I have all the faith we can both do it." Trying to bear too much by themselves... it's something she's definitely fallen into time and time again, at the risk of burning out. They just had to remind themselves...
Speaking of letting someone support her, though...
"There is, however, a bit of a... situation here I wanted to share with you," Riesenlied segues gently, frowning softly. "I think Shalune may have told you that we explored past the qanat into the water table."
She sighs. "We found a... Guardian statue down there. The Guardian of Water, Schturdark. ... worse yet, I feel that there was something... bothersome -- dangerous underneath it; I think the Guardian may be sealing something deep below this soil."
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
"I wouldn't want to betray your faith...I'll have to do my best." Jacqueline says, offering Riesenlied a small smile. Riesenlied segues into something different, and Jacqueline listens quietly.
"I think I heard something like that..." She replies, thinking back.
"...A Guardian Statue? Schturdark..." Jacqueline frowns. ...This was serious.
"Do you know what it might be sealing? Are there any writings down there that might give us a clue?" She asks.
"And...do you know anything about the seal itself?"
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
"No, to be honest... I did not have the chance to investigate--" Riesenlied places a hand to her forehead, looking a bit stressed. "... not... everyone in this village is of one mind that it should be left alone, or reinforced. And indeed, there are still those that desire to see Mother be returned to this world..."
Riesenlied has to pause to consider. ... even if she still holds faith to her, it's Mother's anger that truly disturbs her... she believes that Filgaia would not be able to sustain her wrath.
"... if I had to describe it, it felt like a... an old presence. Something that predates even myself... it is-- threatening and foreboding."
She sighs.
"I am considering the ramifications of both the statue and the seal breaking... I fear that they may erupt violently into the village itself."
<Pose Tracker> Shalune Amira has posed.
"... it was... kinda scary to be honest. An' I don't just mean whatever the Guardian Statue was hiding, y'know? Just-- the whole place, all at once," Shalune adds with an almost guilty expression as she suddenly peeks her way around a nearby doorway. More nimble than the rest of the Caravan Kinship, she's been coming around a lot to make sure the purifier is running well - and, of course, join in on a certain expedition down into the qanat. "I mean-- I dunno if I like any of the godly figures, just yet. Kinda all feels like bad news."
She does at least break into a wan smile, though, and give Jacqueline a little wave. The mechanic is almost a little bashful as she bobs her way up to the table, and it suddenly becomes clear why; with her coat and clothes soaked from their expedition, she's borrowed some rather tribal-styled clothes and a poncho, rather lighter than her usual wear. ... which probably means that she's been getting mothered a little by Riesenlied, never mind that the metal demon has a lot more to worry about than Shalune does.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Jacqueline frowns slightly. True, she could see how that could make things difficult, especially if the crew she had gone with was...divided on the matter.
"...An old presence. I see..." Jacqueline considers with a frown, then thinks it over. Yes, that did seem potentially dangerous. It is at this point that Jacqueline that Jacqueline hears a familiar voice, and she glances to the side to see Shalune.
Jacqueline offers her a smile and returns the wave before turning her attention back to Riesenlied.
If Riesenlied herself wasn't able to investigate it, then...
"...Would you object if I brought a team into the waterway to investigate it? I won't do anything to the statue itself without your permission." She asks.
"In the meantime...it may be a good idea to start preparing some defenses. If knowledge of the statue spreads, it's only a matter of time before someone decides to do something about it, one way or another...we may not have as much time as we like to decide what to do."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied has a kind, if surprised smile as she beckons Shalune in. "Thank you for your hard work. Please, have some tea and scones...?" Yes, someone's definitely been mothering her. You're just wandering around when suddenly, bam! Fresh new clothes and nice food and headpats...
"I could lead you to it," Riesenlied offers Jacqueline, "But Shalune knows the way as well... but-- yes, I think... it would be best..."
She frowns just a little. "It hurts to think that... fighting may break out soon between us Tainted. There are definitely those that would struggle to see the statue broken..."
<Pose Tracker> Shalune Amira has posed.
Shalune does at least grin faintly - in sympathy and apology - as she sits herself down at Riesenlied's motion. If nothing else, she does look rather aware that she might be imposing - but at the same time, she's kind of naturally drawn to Miss Riese the Super Nomad and the fussing that she's capable of.
"... it's probably already bad enough that people know it's there, right? Even if they don't fight about it, you're gonna have some people complaining, and others having to sit on their hands, and--... I mean, I knew it was gonna be trouble the moment I saw it, even without a barrier attached," she grumbles softly to herself as she sneaks a little pastry and brings it up to her mouth in both hands, as if she were a hamster.
She pauses at the thought of leading Jay and the others down there, and gently chews at her lip as she looks towards Jay. "... would it be better if we snuck down there? Then just sorta quietly sealed it, maybe? I'm not sure how that works, but..."
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
"What do you think, Shalune?" Jacqueline asks, glancing toward Shalune. She would be glad to have either of them come with her, of course, if not both.
Riesenlied laments that the situation may cause fighting between the Tainted.
"I...can only hope they'll come to understand why it's necessary..." Jacqueline replies. She hoped it didn't come to that. It would be terrible, seeing them fighting amongst each other...
She glances to Shalune, then. Jacqueline couldn't help but agree...even the knowledge of it was problematic.
"Perhaps, but...without knowledge of how the seal works, I can't say for sure. Reinforcing the statue's protection might prevent it from imparting its power to the seal beneath Wayside...or it might be provide enough of a stimuli that whatever it's sealing would be able to break free. I'm...hesitant to make a call on that before studying it." She replies, shaking her head slightly.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
There's a genteel nod from Riesenlied as she agrees with Jacqueline. Just because it reinforced the Guardian statue... doesn't mean it was necessarily good for the balance of what was being sealed underneath. "Yes, I would urge that we have multiple viewpoints here... I do not have much expertise on this."
She glances back towards Jacqueline, as she gestures for Shalune to come sit down and eat. "... I hope so too, but -- I'm afraid Noeline and I must consider contingencies..."
<Pose Tracker> Shalune Amira has posed.
"... I donno," Shalune has to admit in answer to Jacqueline's question, her brow rather furrowed as she shakes her head. "I mean-- I'd be happy to show people the way down there, but people are gonna get really suspicious if they spot us sliding our way into the qanat, after the news gets out... but it's not like we can just leave it alone," she mumbles to herself.
"... I guess, um-- the best way would be if we could find another way in, y'know?" She pauses, and then visibly warms to the idea with a nod. "I mean, maybe we can hunt around the hills nearby. Find a waterway that connects up to it, somethin' like that."
Another pause, and she's swung back the other way as she makes a face. "Unless that means we'd be on the other side of the seal. Um, that doesn't sound like a great idea."
A pause, and she nibbles on the pastry in little typewriter lines, back and forth.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
"Contingencies are good...it's better to be prepared for the worst and not need it, than to be unprepared and not sure what to do." Jacqueline replies with a nod, then glances toward Shalune.
"We'll have to be careful about it, true...but I don't think we'll be able to completely avoid suspicion, no matter what we do." She replies. "Another waterway...that would probably be the safest way..."
Jacqueline considers this for a moment before looking toward Riesenlied.
"Do you know if there is such a thing?" She asks.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
There is a bit of hesitation as Riesenlied considers it... and then she rises up slowly to head towards a nearby cabinet, and unscrolls what looks like a copious set of her own notes. "If you enter through Dig Seven... and move up through here... yes, I think you can adjoin the Excavation Shaft," she assesses for a moment.
"... I'll try to distract the guardsmen so that they don't see you," which... she's distinctly hurting, to have to say. "Discretion is definitely necessary at the moment..."
<Pose Tracker> Shalune Amira has posed.
For a rather long moment, Shalune bites at her lips; she's obviously kind of sensitive to the internal conflict that Riesenlied's presented with, and then fishes for her battered notebook - still present, and rescued from her coat - to start skimming the notes Riesenlied's presented them with. "... I-- I dunno if we'll be much good going down there right now, but... okay," she nods a little, even her hair looking slightly deflated.
She looks towards Jacqueline for guidance, worrying at her lip some more. "I guess the real question is who we bring down there, huh...? I mean, um. ... someone who knows about the Guardians, but can be a little... um... maybe ready not to immediately seal the statue no matter what?" she wonders uncertainly.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
"Thank you. And...I'm sorry." Jacqueline says with a nod. It couldn't be pleasant, for Riesenlied to have to do such a thing...but for now, this was something they had to do.
"That's...a good question..." She replies with a frown, and gives it a thought.
"Cyre...he's a good man, but...when it comes to the Guardians, he can be a little...intense. We might be able to convince him to hold back, but..." She hesitates a bit, frowning.
"Catenna would be a safer choice. I trust her. Not that I don't trust Cyre, but..." She replies, and gives it some more thought.
"And...hm. Your friend Avril knows quite a bit about Mediums, right? Do you think she would know anything that might help us?" She asks.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied closes her eyes for a moment, her hand near her necklet -- to the Dragon's Tear, where it always rests at her clavicle. It's become something like a meditative tic for her.
"Miss Catenna would understand, if you explained the situation to her. And... yes, Miss Avril would be a really good choice..." she whispers. "I'm sure Avril would be very interested to know about this development -- she may even know something about the threat underneath. ... she is prone to knowing that which others don't..."
<Pose Tracker> Shalune Amira has posed.
The mechanic pauses at Jacqueline's suggestions, and then her eyebrows kind of go through the roof as she considers that. "Um. ... I don't think she would know whether she knows anything that would help, but-- I bet she /would/ know something," she replies rather confusingly - at least until you unravel the sentence, and realize just how much stock Shalune puts in the ability to be an Amnesiac Savant, in line with Riesenlied's statement of support. "It's probably a real good idea. Maybe she'll tug somethin' out of her brain about the seal, right?"
She does sound a little relieved when Jacqueline agrees with her estimations; it's with a wince, admittedly, but she's smart enough to realize how delicate they might need to be.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
That explanation from Shalune does confuse Jacqueline for a moment, but Riesenlied's reassurance helps clarify things. If even Riesenlied thought she was a good choice, then asking her about it would be a good call.
"I see... I'll admit, I've been wanting a chance to meet her, anyway... We'll ask Catenna and Avril to come with us, then. And perhaps one or two others, just for added protection." Jacqueline decides. "What do you two think?"
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied nods slowly, and says, "Yes, I have all the utmost trust in you two." She laces her hands together, and then bows her head. "Thank you for doing this -- i-if not for me, then at least for Wayside, or for the Guardians..." she finds herself dithering for a moment, biting her lip. "... I'll get some preparations underway, but... please, feel free to rest a moment longer. It is important to be prepared..."
<Pose Tracker> Shalune Amira has posed.
If nothing else, having both Jacqueline and Riesenlied in front of her agreeing on a path of action seems to significantly bolster Shalune's spirits; she pumps her fists a little, bobbing in place, which might look a little more imposing if she didn't have a roll in one hand still, half-eaten through. "R-right-- yeah, that sounds like a plan. We'll get somethin' together, then we'll figure out a way to contact you and let you know the plan," she promises Riesenlied with a grin.
"And, um-- don't worry. I mean, we're kinda doing it for everyone. It-- um. I mean, I can't imagine what kinda position that must be like to be in," she adds softly and uncertainly.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
"I can only hope this ends well for everyone." Jacqueline replies with a nod. "Thank you. I'll rest a bit, and then I'll go try to get in contact with Avril."
There was no guarantee that she'd be able to, but she had to at least try...
Shalune pumps her fists and Jacqueline smiles, glad to see her with confidence.
"...Yeah." She adds, with a nod of agreement.