2018-01-04: Hope Springs Eternal
- Log: Hope Springs Eternal
- Cast: Avril Vent Fleur, Dean Stark, Ida Everstead-Rey
- Where: November City - Market Street
- Date: January 4th 2018
- Summary: Concerned about a remark regarding the Guardian Lucadia, Avril -- after speaking to her friends on the matter -- asks Ida for her assistance in finding information and planning next steps.
<Pose Tracker> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.
The attempt to protect the scepter on the train had... not gone well, to summarize the end of that business. Not only had Avril been seriously injured, but the scepter had been lost. With few firm resources left to them, and statues still unprotected, it feels a substantial loss.
"Perhaps someone here may know where it has gone," she had suggested to Dean and Rebecca, once she had recovered -- with the help of the Sea Medium (and possibly a copy thereof) -- and it hadn't taken much for the three of them to fold Ida in on their plan.
While Avril is troubled, after all, Ida seems...
Something is wrong, or about to go wrong.
Or has already gone wrong?
At times, Avril almost feels like a fish out of water.
"Hey, I've come to know the lady who sells baked goods down that way pretty well," Rebecca voices, hands clasped behind her back. "She's kind of familiar with, well... people." She winces, perhaps at her turn of phrase. "--So let me go and check if she's heard of anything! Okay? I'll be back soon."
She lingers for a moment, gaze traveling between Ida, Dean, and Avril, before turning abruptly and hurrying off.
Avril watches her go, entwining her fingers. "Mmm... I wonder, though... Considering what they were saying on the train, it's possible some of the thieves weren't stealing it because of its monetary value, is it not?"
She looks back at Dean and Ida. "What do you two think?"
<Pose Tracker> Dean Stark has posed.
"Sounds good," Dean says to Rebecca, nodding when she suggests she talk to the baker lady. If there's something worth wincing about in her words, he doesn't catch it, and in fact he blinks at her, buzzled, when she winces, stares at the three of them, and then hurries off. Huh. What was that about?
Well, it's probably not a big deal. Maybe she's just worried about... stuff in general. Dean understands that, for sure. He looks back at Avril and Ida, lips pursed in a thoughtful frown. "It could be possible," he says. "To be honest, I'm still not totally sure what that Ark Scepter thing *is*. As in, why's it so important and valuable?"
It was valuable enough for three or four different groups to fight over it. For someone to try to *kill* over it. Dean gets that it was a big deal, he just is fuzzy on the hows and whys. After all, he's never needed that stuff to offer to help. For follow-up, though... it might be useful to know it, or else he's going to continue to spend the conversation lost.
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
Ida has been traveling back and forth across Ignas for the past week. First, she headed up to the Baskar Colonies to help seal one Statue--while successful, it was a harrowing experience, to say the least. Next, she hooked up with Claude and Tethelle and a handful of companions to go seal another Statue, and while that was less stressful, it was exhausting. Then, Ida and Rosaline accompanied Elena to Krosse for a very important ritual. That particular incident ended... badly. Ida got back on the train, headed back to November, and marked in a day to recover.
Now she's sitting with Dean and Avril, drinking a mug of tea. She's been trying not to move much, nor has she talked about what actually happened.
"The woman who tried to murder us not only knew of its intended purpose, but intended to use it herself," Ida says. "It's a sacred object with tremendous cultural significence," she adds, for Dean's benefit. "And many seem to genuinely think it allows the wielder to communicate directly with the Guardians. Given... recent events, I see no reason to view this as superstition."
<Pose Tracker> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.
Whatever the reason for her embarrassment, Rebecca is not saying it.
Avril's gaze falls on Dean for a moment or two, shifting as if she were about to speak. Ida explains the matter of it first. "...Yes. I cannot say I know the specifics of the Ark Scepter, but it is an object of importance to the Baskar, and if the stories are true, it is as Ida says. It may allow some line of communication or similar to the Guardians." Her gaze skims away. "...It is unfortunately easy to see how such a thing might be misused. That woman..."
Kaguya.
She looks away.
"I believe she knows me from somewhere. As far as I can determine, the first we met was here in November. There is also something strangely familiar about some of the clothing she was wearing." She pauses, then lifts her head and glances back at Dean, at Ida. "There's more than that."
She pauses, then speaks. "She has a vendetta against the Guardians. That much is plain. Based on her comments before she struck me down, I have reason to believe she may know or perhaps suspect the location of one of the Statues."
Lucadia's.
<Pose Tracker> Dean Stark has posed.
Dean was even there for some of Ida's adventures this past week! He definitely hasn't been keeping himself *quite* as busy as she's been, though. Anyway, he nods at Ida and her explanation. "Huh... Talk to the Guardians, huh... Yeah, that seems pretty possible to me," he says. He looks back at Avril, nodding when she continues.
Someone who knows her, who seems familiar to Avril. He frowns. "But... she attacked you, right? She hurt you real bad..." Not to mention, this mystery person's grudge against the Guardians. Dean may not have pieced together that they're talking about his friend Kaguya, but he does think that this is serious. "If she doesn't like the Guardians, that means she's gonna try to smash it for sure, right? Is there any way we can stop her? Cut ahead of her and seal it first?"
Probably not--he doesn't even know which Guardian Avril means--but hope springs eternal.
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
Ida's eyes darken. She takes a sip of her tea, and tries not to remember how easily the woman threw her around. "She is far more dangerous than she appears. And that ARM of hers... there was something very strange about it, but I couldn't get a good look at it. It didn't look much like the ones the Demons use, at any rate."
A Statue, Avril says. Of course it involves a Statue. "That would be prudent," Ida says, to Dean. "The last two came much closer than I would have liked."
<Pose Tracker> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.
Perhaps Avril couldn't precisely call Kaguya a friend, but it still caught her by surprise. She was someone she knew, had had a few conversations with.
...Poor Dean. Caught once again by the tradition of vague pronouning.
"If it's possible, that would be ideal," Avril replies, dipping her head in a faint nod. "Based on what she said to me, I believe she is in pursuit of the Statue of Lucadia."
Silence ensues, as Avril gazes down at the table. "...Yes. There was nothing at all I could do for the Water Statue. How many now is that destroyed?"
How many are needed to awaken Mother? Surely not all of them.
<Pose Tracker> Dean Stark has posed.
"Hrrrm..." Dean murmurs, face scrunching up in hard thought. It doesn't really get him much of anywhere. He brightens when IDa and Avril both are behind his idea, but... "Where *is* the Statue of Lucadia, anyway?" he asks along, directed at both of them, even though neither ought to know any better than he would. "That's the Sea Guardia, right? You have their Medium, Avril."
Avril goes on to say that she couldn't stop the girl from breaking the statue. "That's okay, I'm sure you gave it your best," Dean reassured her. "We've gotten more Sealed since then! Ida was there for the last one the other day, remember, Ida? We sealed the Guardian of the Sword Statue!" He calms down somewhat, though. "How may have been sliced... I don't really know, but the longer we sit back, the worse it'll get." How many Statue destroyed, though? Dean's not entirely sure, but he thinks back to all the battles he's seen before now. "Uhhh... I think maybe just the one so far? That got broken, I mean."
<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.
"As far as I know, that has been the only Statue casualty." Ida looks at Dean when he brings up the other day--something approaching pride appears in her eyes, but only for a moment. "I will note that the Quarter Knights themselves have not been heavily-involved. When they do become involved--and they surely will--we can expect... difficulties." Ida has been waching out for someone else, too. Kalve hasn't made any moves against the Statues--at least, as far as Ida knows--but he has no love for the Guardians.
Ida's expression just sort of falls, thinking about that.
<Pose Tracker> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.
"Just the one... It is the only one I am aware of as well, but I was not certain if those were equivalent. It's a relief to hear that, Ida," and as if to underscore this, Avril exhales a short breath.
"...I have only heard of the Quarter Knights, not faced one of theirs in combat. To judge by the stories, however..." She shakes her head. "It would be a difficult task if we were to face them. I can only surmise that they have not sent them out against the statues because they are not yet that desperate." Her expression grows troubled, her gaze slipping off sidelong again. "...This may change, if we have truly been more victorious."
The Metal Demons are desperate to have a place to call their own. Those of Filgaia are desperate to protect what is theirs. Eventually...
Is there another way?
...This is her home. She will do what she must.
"The Original Artificial Medium, yes," Avril replies, intertwining her fingers once again in her lap. "It... does not behave similarly to the Baskar Mediums, I'm afraid, so there's little I can do to assist, if that is truly the next target. Moreover, I cannot speak with the Guardians..."
Neither is she certain what they would have to say to her, if she should have words with one again. Are the Guardians pleased that she bears their Mediums? Displeased? ...Resigned, perhaps?
Dinoginos had not been happy to see her, that much she's certain of.
"...You're right, Dean. If we remain still and dwell on what's happened, we are certain to not see any progress in the future, either. We must press on. Perhaps there will be a hint we can find if we keep looking. The Sea," she muses, once again glancing down at the table.
"Hmm..."
Which is the moment when Rebecca makes her return, racing up to the table.
"Hey--"
She sighs upon seeing the three of them. "Oh, good, I was worried I was gone too long. ...A-anyway, she said no one she knows has heard about anything like a scepter on the market. So, I guess that's a good and a bad thing..."
Pulling back a seat, Rebecca joins them at the table.
"But, I also heard this weird rumor about a cave to the south..."