2018-01-20: The Hand of Friendship

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This scene takes place after 2018-01-19: The Sunken City. 

=============================<* Baskar Colony *>==============================

Baskar Colony is the closest thing to a capital for the Baskar Tribe on Ignas. Nestled high in the northwestern mountains, this small village is where many of the Baskar elders dwell. The homes here are simple but imposing structures, often carved into the walls of the mountains themselves. The scant wood here he goes to providing fire and warmth for cold nights. Provisions are limited to what is given by families who live here, as there aren't any dedicated stores; similarly, no inns or hotels provide respite. However, the elders' knowledge will sometimes lure the determined and desperate to this place.


<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

        The battle at the Sunken City had been a battle of great cost for many people. Physically, mentally, emotionally. The Veruni had finally made good on their threat, bringing to light a new angle on the dangers that plague Filgaia... and with it, the Statue of Lucadia had been destroyed in a cataclysmic explosion that had nearly claimed the lives of several Drifters assembled to attempt to defend it.

        Drifters that, under the auspices of the Caravan Kinship, now limp towards the nearby Baskar Colony in an attempt to lick their wounds and recuperate...

        It would be at the crack of dawn that the Kinship arrives at the Colony, and those that had been with the caravan had scarce time to recuperate; hours, perhaps, and the rest is not likely to be pleasant save for the curatives and restoratives that Jacqueline had to offer them.

        Amongst the Drifters is a very curious individual to bring to any Baskar village, save the Colony, centre of the Baskar's place of worship. A Metal Demon by any other reckoning, a Hyadean by her own; she rests on a cot and hangs on a balance on a combination of a gunshot wound inflicted by a Veruni she considered friend, and from the collateral chunk of a statue destroyed by another Veruni she considers... daughter.

        Riesenlied is stubborn, however, seated by a window as she watches the Colony pull up before them. She should be resting, but... that she's sent word out to Wayside -- to Noeline -- was the least she could do. Her face is pale and her eyes unfocused, and she's in no shape to really do anything strenuous.

        But there was no time. The Tainted had to extend a hand out. Let the Baskar know of their desire for cooperation and collaboration. They must, for it is the only way to save Filgaia.

        By working together, not standing apart. 

<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.

Catenna is in no condition to be up and walking today - not after throwing herself onto a bomb to try and save one of the Statues from an angry Stranger whom she thought was a friend. Less than 24 hours ago, she was just seconds from dying a useless death in the arms of Jacqueline Barber and Maya Schrodinger. But it was important for her to get up and support Riesenlied - her other friend who turned out to be born an enemy of Filgaia, but who comes to Elder Halle with a heart full of love.

"Riesenlied," her voice comes from the doorway to Riesenlied's cot.

The priestess stands in the doorway, sharing a faint smile with the still-pale Hyadean - a strange one to come here, perhaps, but worthy.

Catenna's cheeks are a little more pale than usual; dark lines arc beneath her eyes to betray her weariness and pain, as though the slowness of her steps were not evidence enough. But her bandages have been hidden beneath her formal priestess robes. They're not quite the same as those of the Baskar, since the Zortroa are in fact not Baskar.

Some kinship exists. Those who walk with the Guardians have a bond.

She steps forward, and holds a hand out to Riesenlied, wordlessly inviting her to descend to the village with her. Or perhaps, with them. 

<Pose Tracker> Maya Schrodinger has posed.

The closer you grow to the Schrodinger girl, the more hats you realize she can wear; gunslinger, sorcerer, historian, engineer, and now... nurse?

A cup of tea on a saucer is delivered to the gravely-injured Riesenlied by her recently-returned blonde offsider, looking chic in her freshly-laundered cream silks and not the bloodstained, singed garments from yesterday's failure. "My, but you know... Noeline'll have my head for letting you get so roughed up, won't she?" Maya teases lightly, trying to keep the mood buoyed somewhere above the waterline of misery.

Someone's looking fairly spry, all things considered. Maybe all the close shaves give her energy to spare. Maybe she's just keeping her mind on happier things. "Hmm, hmm. That'll have to do for now, don't lose the blanket, I think keeping warm will be good for you." she tut-tuts her, luckily, before anyone can arrive to see it.

With that done, Maya buttons up her cute wool cardigan and tiptoes to the side of Riese's cot. Visitors are quickly turning up. That Catenna is on her feet so soon after nearly being blown to peices... there's unspoken relief in the blonde's gaze.

"Ah, hello! I'll be helping Miss Riese get along today, but don't worry! I won't be intruding on things." 

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

        Still technically a 'full' Metal Demon, Noeline's powers of healing are considerable - but at the same time, taxed by the Medium within her. Having a Primarch punch a hole straight through her shoulder probably wouldn't have slowed her down terribly much - a couple of days at most, especially with Riese lending a part of herself - were it not for the way in which she reacted by trying to cauterize the wound with the flames of Duras Drum, sealing the wound off in the hopes the creature couldn't corrupt her as it did the Astrid.

        As such, she still looks ragged, mentally and physically; bandages cover one shoulder and one arm, milky white with the stain of whatever counts as blood for her, and the rest of her is still nicked and scratched as her recuperative powers work on the bigger problems. Rather than her desert clothes, she's leading a few of the Tainted in their approach, dressed in the familiar reds and blacks of her too-fine dress; the way she wears it almost makes it seem like it's armour to her, and perhaps mentally it is.

        At least her legs still work, because it's word of Riesenlied's injury that's brought her out here at significant speed. She's trying to look in control, but it's easy to catch the slightly frenetic, haunted look in her eyes as she scans across the line of familiar and not so familiar faces, glancing at windows. She might nod an curt hello to those she recognizes - but she's obviously in a hurry, tight-lipped as she searches for Maya or Riese's face amongst the crowd.

        Unable to help herself, her mind still works as well, evaluating the fallout from whatever the hell just happened. The reports were spotty, certainly, but it was enough to give her the key points outside of 'Riesenlied is severely injured', and neither it nor the scene at the Colony are doing much to lift her spirits at present. "... idiot," she mutters quietly to herself, though at whose expense it's hard to say. 

<Pose Tracker> Dean Stark has posed.

        Dean took a hell of a beating yesterday, but between Gwen's healing and Riese's healing, he ended up better off than he could have been. He's still sore and woozy and he honestly probably had a concussion for a while there before healing helped patch it up, but he's not in danger of keeling over.
        
        So naturally, he's taking advantage of this by taking a nap. Dean had done his utmost to help everyone collect themselves, gather the wounded, and get the heck out of that Sunken City before monsters could come clawing and screaming back, and the ride to the Baskar Colony was honestly too bumpy and stressful, and his head too full of thoughts, until towards the end. Then of course there was washing up all the blood... Right now, he's lying on a cot near Riesenlied's, eyes shut, breathing shallow. Technically, he's in that thin place between sleep and wakefulness, so when the others show up, he blinks groggily and lifts his head.
        
        "Oh, 's'it time for breakfast already?" he mumbles, rubbing his eyes. "Hi, guys. Everyone doin' okay...?" Yawwwwwn. At least he covers his mouth with one hand. 

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

Jacqueline has not had an opportunity to sleep since that fateful event. It kept playing back in her mind, over and over, tormenting her, making her wonder if there was anything she could've done differently to make it not end like it had...

...But life moves on, and she cannot focus solely on her despair. There were people who needed treatment...and additionally, she had a promise to keep. It would help get her mind off of everything that happened.

And so, her time had primarily been spent driving the Carakin in the direction of Baskar Colony, where a meeting that could potentially alter the course of several fates would be taking case.

Jacqueline parks fairly close to the Colony. Ordinarily she'd give them some distance, but this was a special case.

She does not step out of the vehicle just yet, however. Her first stop is the guest room Riesenlied had been placed in. In the doorway she spots Catenna, a friend who she had worried would die in her arms.

"Oh, Catenna..." Jacqueline murmurs. "How...how are you feeling?"

With that said, she glances into the room, taking stock of those present. She was glad Maya was around. If she hadn't been...who knew how things would've gone.

"Thank you, Maya." She says. Her smile is weak, but genuine, and soon it turns toward Riesenlied.

"We're here. I'm going to go speak with someone and explain the situation..." With that, Jacqueline leave the room, soon emerging from the vehicle.

Luckily, the damage she had been taken was largely superficial. Nothing her potions couldn't handle.

She emerges from the vehicle, looking for the first person she can see.

"Excuse me...is Elder Halle awake? I'm Jacqueline Barber, of the Caravan Kinship. I'm...on a mission of peace. There is a friend of mine who would like to speak with her. It is...important. Additionally...there are wounded, within my vehicle. I've done what I can to take care of them, but it is possible that they may require further healing and medical aid, if there is any you can spare." 

<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.

        Ethius clings to life, thanks to swift intervention by those who show concern for him. For a time, it's uncertain how much he can cling to his consciousness. A terminally ill Veruni girl nearly suplexed his life short that day. He's among one of the very last off the CaraKin. He's not even expected to get off of it, what with how little awareness he seems to have of his surroundings. Everyone else is left to pass by the mysterious white-haired man.
        He only knows bits and pieces from what may have been spoken between one another along the way, but one specific memory - his last, before unconsciousness - is fresh. Kaguya's decisive takedown against himself.
        Once the coast is clear, he springs to his f-- no he doesn't. He grunts loudly as he lazily rolls off the bed, accidentally putting weight on the arm that damned near got pulled clean out of its socket. With an aggravated hiss, Ethius brings the other hand up against that shoulder. He shouldn't get up. His neck screams in pain no matter how he lets it settle.
        But he must.
        He limps over to some other part of the CaraKin. The place where he likes to put items of interest. He staress at that pile intently...
        ...No one has been in there. Today. Stumbling over, he wastes little time retrieving something of interest. Only the lightest crinkling of paper would give away that he's where he is at all.
        Some vague though small measure of time later, after once again gathering his gumption even with a gargantuan headache, he folds that paper somewhere into his person.
        When he joins the group, he does so as discreetly as possible. Light steps. He locates Riesenlied's body shape among the crowd heading into the Baskar Colony. Ironically, for her resolve to ensure they save Filgaia by working together, not standing apart...
        He seems intent to do just that - stand as far off as he can. He takes in another deep breath as he prepares his mind, his thoughts.
        This situation has become dire. Everything is about to ride on this.
        ...
        Those thoughts will do. 

<Pose Tracker> Asteroid the Kid has posed.

Asteroid the Kid has one advantage(?) when it comes to negotiations with the Baskar Colony. Namely, she's actually from here! And one of the few adventuring Baskars who ARE from this particular colony.

Of course that comes with a negative aspect of negotiating with the Baskar Colony with her in the party. She IS from here. People know who she is and this time, by now, the town more or less knows what she looks like now with her strange head and stranger personality that's only become stranger since moving out into the wilderness.

There's another negative aspect of having her in your party while you're negotiating with the Colony too. She looks even worse than normal. Her top eye is bruised, she is covered in bandages soaking up blood and other strangely colored fluids. Her lower eyes are swollen from vast amounts of crying and she doesn't seem like she's bothering to pretend like she isn't miserable and she had no appetite and had to be forced to chuck down some soup or SOMETHING lest she aggravate her own injuries through lack of self care. She has trouble moving.

Jaqueline Barber tries talking to a member of the colony to ask if Elder Halle is awake and Asteroid rolls out from the cart she's been resting on and she makes her way towards this individual, glancing briefly to Ethius as she looks at the individual Jay's acosting.

"Hey man. It's me Lydia. We lost another statue. Life sucks and I don't want to see my parents thank you." 

<Pose Tracker> Siegfried has posed.

"The Caravan Kinship has returned, grandmother," Shane says.

Halle opens her eyes, slowly, and lets out a rumbling, shaky sigh. Slowly, the old woman rises. Her bones feel tired -- and the sense of something wrong has hit her. It sticks there, the way it does whenever a Guardian Statue is lost. She looks to Shane. "Thank you, Shane," she says. "Go on. I'll be out to meet them shortly."

Which is why the young tribeswoman talking to Jay seems, well, nervous. "Ah, the Elder is--" She looks over her shoulder, and then back to Jay. "--I understand. I'll... I'll get some of our Zoa Priests over, to help. I--Lydia?" She pauses, staring up at her.

The girl nods, before she looks down. "...All right, Lydia. I won't mention. I think--"

"Run along, Tasha." Halle speaks from behind her. The old woman stumbles up, slowly, with her cane in hand. She looks them over for a moment -- from Lydia's ghastly state, to Jacqueline, and then to the Caravan itself. She closes her eyes and exhales. "...Lucadia's statue, lost to us too. I'm glad that you've come."

<Pose Tracker> Matilda Whitehead has posed.

Matilda has not once been comfortable in a Baskar colony, and today is no different. However, with someone in active need of medical care, well -- Matilda kind of has to be here, doesn't she?

At least, that's what she tells herself. She's arrived with the Carakin, providing periodic pharmaceutical assistance in treating Catenna; she's been... quiet. Moreso than usual, honestly. And even moreso as people head out of the Carakin and into the Baskar Colony.

Her shoulders slump, and she crosses her arms over her stomach, hugging herself gently. She stays behind Jay, for the most part, shifting on the balls of her feet when allowed to stand idle. 

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

        Riesenlied's gait is rather faint and flinching, her attention drawn and warped such that she almost doesn't notice Catenna trying to help her down from the steps of the CaraKin. She does, though, and stumbles unsteadily as she accepts the priestess' hand and lowers herself down. "Thank you..."

        It's rather clear that Kaguya is still weighing heavily on her mind. She doubts herself at the moment, unsure if she has the words to reach her in her moment of despair...

        She's actually genuinely surprised Maya is in a strange cardigan and clean silk outfit, but given that she's seen her in stranger before (like a sorceress' outfit) she... chooses to not comment, nodding as she opts to accept the blonde Drifter's help instead. And she-- she sees Dean, on her way out... the way he kind of just blinks, yawnnnnns and rubs his eyes... gives her some comfort. It's nice to see him up and about again...

        Jay says she'll come and find someone for her, and it's all she can do to nod and struggle for a moment-- especially as Noeline's visage crosses her eyes. She gasps for a moment--

        --hurries towards her side and clings at her hands. Her eyes water, even as the wounds scream at her through the painkillers that are numbing and helping sustain her. "... Noeline ... I--I am an idiot, yes, please... berate me--" she stammers, stumbling on her words, grimacing.

        She looks rattled, like she's returning and bringing a great shame with her... but as Halle speaks... she turns, hit with the kind of gravitas that the Elder Baskar brings with her. She cups her mouth for a moment, glancing back to her partner... realising this isn't the time.

        She wipes at her eyes, gasping at herself. And then, just like that... the mask of the head of Wayside is there, as she breathes a calming air in and steps beside Jacqueline.

        "My name is... Riesenlied." She bows her head. "... I am a Hyadean -- a Metal Demon by any other name. I represent Wayside village -- a village of Hyadeans who wish to seek collaboration and cooperation... with you, with humans, with the Guardians... to protect Filgaia, together, from the dangers that threaten it."

        She... trembles, bowing her head as she murmurs, "I beseech a moment of your time, and hear our plea. It is not vengeance and violence that we desire, unlike our brethren." 

<Pose Tracker> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.

Where there is one Cat, you will often find two. The destruction of Lucadia's statue has been the subject of some weighty consideration in Cyre's mind. Betrayal, too, has left something of a bitter taste in his mouth. But today, he's here for one reason above all the others, even moreso than dragging an exhausted Metal Demon or two into the heart of his people's dwindling and increasingly marginalized civilization.

Catenna got mangled in a very bad way.

And so Cyre has taken it upon himself to be somebody for her to (quite literally) lean on.

"Easy now," he murmurs, carefully shifting to better help support her weight. Honestly, she shouldn't even be up walking right now, let alone... Coming all the way here. But it's not as if he can just... say no.

Well no, he could, but he'd feel terrible about it.

"Elder Halle," Cyre says as The Legendary Grandma herself appears in their presence. "I wish we had come bringing more... Pleasant news." 

<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.

She's on her feet, but it's probably obvious that pushing Catenna much more than that won't end well. She does at least have enough life in her to walk, and to smile gently back at Maya as the woman in the cardigan comes slinking in. "Thank you," she says, voice low.

As Jacqueline emerges, Catenna bows her head, her eyes slipping closed for a moment. "...I am alright, Jay," she murmurs.

Catenna normally calls her Jacqueline. Some last layer of privacy has come down.

Her hand slides into Riesenlied's. Fingers sliding into the spaces between her friend's, she squeezes her hand simply, as if to try and convey her assurances through touch. It will be okay, Riesenlied. We are here with you.

They descend, most of them in horrific shape, most of them devastated emotionally and struggling to bear it.

As Cyre helps her to bear her weight, she leans into him a little, but lowers her head respectfully as Elder Halle emerges to meet them. She keeps it lowered for several seconds. Bowing is simply not going to be possible for her, in the shape she is in.

"Forgive us for bringing bad news to you, Elder," she murmurs. "The failure to protect the statue was mine."

If only, she reflects bitterly, my body were stronger. Or if I had seen Kaguya's deception sooner. Or if I had known she was a Stranger before then.

If only I had not thought them to be a paper tiger here.

"Riesenlied has helped to preserve several of the Statues, Elder," she says, her weariness coming through in her voice. "And... she has shown that she wishes to aid Filgaia and the Guardians. I have seen the sincerity of her wish." 

<Pose Tracker> Asteroid the Kid has posed.

Asteroid glances to Jay. "It's a little harder getting out of the habit I guess."

She tells herself to apologize to Tasha later. She isn't a bad person or anything. She starts sniffling almost as soon as Halle appears. She doesn't rush over for HUGS or anything even if she'd probably like to. Instead she pulls back her sleeve, showing the artificial arm Cetiri installed when Alexander Castle ripped the old one off. It's already looking gross and decrepit and stained with that strange silver fluid and even some blood.

"Shutup Catenna." She says. "It's not your fault. It's obviously my fault." She grimaces and says, "Sorry. I mean. Say what you want or whatever, but it's not your fault."

She looks up to Halle and adds, "They saved my life. I was hurt and they stopped the bleeding and they're even trying to save my arm through some weird nonsense I don't get, but they did that for me."

She snaps her sleeve back down. "For whatever that's worth. Stop cowering, Riese, Granny's a good scary person."

She grimaces again. "Sorry, I mean, you don't have to tremble or anything. Ugh." 

<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.

        For that brief time in which Lydia looks back to Ethius, he just nods his head once. Approving of something, or... maybe he's just doing it to get her mind off of him. He does not participate in the greetings or niceties that soon follow with the Elder's appearance. It is good that she is there.
        Ethius closes his eyes again. The situation has become dire. Everything is about to ride on this. He makes sure these non-specific but true thoughts are what dominate his mind and thoughts - but it becomes certain that his mind is also on other potentials.
        He breaks his gaze away from the rest, risking more pain through his neck, to look back out to the fields behind him, and the skies above - as though expecting to see anything that might yet be following them.
        One of his hands goes under his poncho, clutching something unseen. 

<Pose Tracker> Maya Schrodinger has posed.

For Noeline's sake, Maya is easily found amidst the crowd of growing souls, with her radiant mode of dress and advantageous height. She beckons the leader of the convoy of tainted towards her, likely an easier landmark than Riesenlied for the time being. How very handy!

To Jacqueline, the for-once-quiet blonde smiles knowingly and curtseys briefly, which is in itself a hell of a rare sight. Someone's swapped their gusto and bravado out for some measure of decorum and bedside manner, it seems. "Miss Barber, why, you're welcome. Wasn't nothing yesterday, I swear." there's strength aplenty in her voice, though. Which might be comforting.

There's a moment--a twigging of suspicion. Maya glances to the crowd askance, positively sure she saw Ethius being suplexed through the cobblestones yesterday, and barely moved from his bed the whole time she was in there trying to help patch people up. He doesn't seem too dire now, at least. . .?

However, her attention is demanded elsewhere. It wouldn't do to be peering around this way and that, in a situation of such gravitas. Thus, Maya accompanies poor Riesenlied all the way to the Elder, or at least, until Noeline likely steps in to take over for her. She folds her hands pleasantly in her lap, standing at ease at the forefront.

The many shaman speak up in Riesenlied's defence. Sapphire eyes dart briefly from one, to the next, to the next. It's reassuring, but all the same, for once...

... Maya Schrodinger feels like she should be quiet. Even despite the urge to move in and comfort some of these hurt souls. What is this!? 

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

It certainly is comforting. There's something about Maya's confidence that's...infectious, almost. It helps Jacqueline. Helps her try to portray the same confidence she usually tried to carry for her friends. She doesn't know if she'd be able to be up and moving around without it.

As for Matilda, who was standing behind Jacqueline... It was no wonder why Matilda was feeling the way she was. She was closest to Kaguya out of any of them, so it was perfectly understandable. She wished there was more she could do for her...but for now, Jacqueline figures that helping her keep busy is probably the best thing. She resolved to speak with her later.

It is not long long before Elder Halle herself arrives. Jacqueline bows respectfully before straightening up and glancing toward Riesenlied and Catenna as they speak.

"N-no, it...it wasn't your fault, Catenna. Or even yours, Asteroid... Please don't think like that. We did everything we could..." Jacqueline urges, before returning her attention to Elder Halle.

"Miss Riesenlied is a friend of mine. I can vouch for her words, and for Catenna's. I have accompanied her before, on her journey to speak with the Guardians...and they have spoken to her." Jacqueline says. 

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

        From afar, the Carakin's vehicle is easy to spot; rather than waste her time checking those Drifters on the outskirts of the Colony, Noeline simply makes for the caravan itself, certain that if Riesenlied is anywhere, it'll be there. The decision is made all the easier when she sights Maya signalling for her attention, and when Jacqueline Barber steps down out of it, looking worn and tired as she begins to speak to the nearest member of the colony.

        Privately, in a dull part at the back of her mind, Noeline wonders if the alchemist realizes how much she's been influenced by Riesenlied - and makes a note to herself to perhaps express on the Carakin leader that everyone needs to rest sometimes. On the other hand, the last time she tried that it didn't exactly go terribly well.

        But then Riesenlied steps down, and everything and everyone else is temporarily forgotten. She hisses softly when her partner nearly impacts with her, and again when her bad hand is taken - but then she's lunged forward regardless, not heeding the pain as she envelops the other woman in an embrace. "No," she mutters privately under her breath, quiet enough for only Riese to hear as she completely foregoes diplomacy in favour of kissing the other woman in the hair. Her voice is terribly fond, and not a little relieved. "You might be an idiot, but I won't berate you for being your own kind of idiot."

        It's only when the matron speaks that she lifts her head, greeting Maya with a quiet huff and a nod of respect; she certainly doesn't seem angry at the Drifter - after all, she'd be the most aware out of anyone here that protecting Riesenlied can be a hard job. She lets Riesenlied turn, though only so long as it's 'in her arms', offering a shoulder for the other woman to rest against as she speaks.

        "... and if you need a Guardian's say-so on the side, ask Equites about our geas, perhaps, or talk to Duras Drum about blowing up a Medium in my face. --I suppose in that last instance you'd be better off talking to a wall, however," she adds, even if her grumble is quietly amused. 

<Pose Tracker> Dean Stark has posed.

        Dean smiles back at Riesenlied, relieved to see that she's recovered. He's still half-asleep at this point, but he can at least get to his feet. He sobers when he sees Elder Halle, then looks around. There's Ethius, there's Jay, there's Catenna...
        
        Oh! And there's Matilda, huddling behind Jay... There's a lot of people here right now, but Matilda in particular sticks out to him. When he thinks on it, Dean hasn't heard from her ever since... they went to her old home. He frowns in concern; then he heads on over to her, squatting down next to her once he's close enough.
        
        "Hi, Matilda," he says quietly, folding his arms over his knees and looking over at her. "I, uh... I heard about your mom. I'm really sorry. Uh... Are you holding up okay...?" He rubs his eyes. Maybe he's still got a lingering concussion; he's still really woozy, even after a nap. Or maybe it's the general mood of the camp. Everyone's really down, and for obvious reason. 

<Pose Tracker> Asteroid the Kid has posed.

Asteroid the Kid snickers a little at hearing that Duras Drum did that despite herself. She covers her mouth midchortle. 

<Pose Tracker> Siegfried has posed.

"You attempted to stop it, Cyre. As did you, Catenna," Halle says. She fixes Catenna with a look -- a long look, and not unkindly. "While your deeds weren't enough, and I can't pretend that all is well... remember the teachings of our people. Action and intent. Both matter, and the intent behind every action is what gives tomorrow its meaning. And I'm sure your people share that belief, Catenna."

The old woman turns, looking to Riesenlied. Something hardens in her eyes -- some old hatred, born of legend after legend about the Metal Demons. It isn't a kind look that she affixes Riesenlied with, and yet, the demand that she leave does not come. Instead, she stays quiet, and listens to her. Her eyes shift towards Asteroid, and she stares at her -- at the state she found herself in, and then her arm.

She bows her head for a moment, and lets out a shaky breath. She looks old, in that moment. Finally, she looks up and bobs her head once.

"To think a Metal Demon would come calling here..." She looks at Noeline. "...Much less two. That these folk speak for you tells me much. And that you've cared for Lydia tells me more, still. Action and intent."

Her eyes narrow, a little, at Noeline. It isn't suspicion or anger, but it is confusion. She doesn't know what she might mean. She nods, then lifts her chin. "Well, then. Out with it. What would you have of me?"

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

        "... I--I am not trembling--" Riesenlied answers Asteroid in turn, while she trembles. She pauses and stares down at herself, and tries to calm her arm from shaking, though it's more because of her wounds rather than some kind of innate fear that encompasses her...

        ... is it?

        She could very well be rejected here... yet--

        As Halle bows her head and considers...

        That these folk speak for you tells me much.

        Riesenlied finds herself squeezing Noeline's hand further in that moment, some pang of fear in her passing gently. "... we have travelled a very long way through Filgaia..." she lowers her head, as she breathes in and nods at Catenna. "From Elru, where I hail... where I first met the Baskar that became part of my life. The Fereshte, who worshipped Odoryuk so long ago. That was... my first encounter with such a Guardian."

        The garments that she dons is reminiscent of such ancient clans, long lost more than a hundred years ago...

        "I have made... many mistakes. Lives have been lost... yet Equites has shown me mercy, that I may be able to remand my ways and find a path forward, collectively."

        She looks at Noeline and back again. "We will continue to grant our assistance in the defence of the statues, however we can. ... we would also like to have our villages be able to communicate and collaborate. That we may prevent a misunderstanding between our people. And..."

        Her lips thin. "I also wish to proceed with my own pilgrimage. To bring news to the Guardians, that there are those who do not seek to repeat history. To be their eyes and ears where they do not have it. And maybe one day... seek forgiveness..." 

<Pose Tracker> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.

        Though injured herself, Avril had done what she could to assist the injured and help them retreat before tide and monster alike.

        The manifestation had left her -- paradoxically? -- feeling both rejuvenated and drained, all at the same time.

        It had been enough to pin their retreat upon.

        And then, after that -- she had to explain to Rebecca what had happened.

        Both girls have become a shadow of sorts to Dean in the time since they arrived here in the Baskar Colony, an uneasy (and guilty) silent rapport of sorts stretching between them.

        Through her Medium, Avril had done what she could, but...

        "Don't you think you should lie down?" This is Rebecca, standing above Dean with her hands on her hips. "I'm serious, Dean."

        Avril, seated further away, lifts her head, but says nothing. 

<Pose Tracker> Matilda Whitehead has posed.

Dean talking to her snaps Matilda out of her nervous little huddle; she doesn't entirely look well, but she does turn her attention to Dean completely and, after a couple of deep breaths, begin to show something focus-like.

"... yes," Matilda lies. "I -- don't know if you're terribly familiar with Zopt Syndrome," she starts. She pauses a moment, then says, "Ah -- let me... start over. I told the CaraKin it was likely to occur, but I've been a little -- withdrawn, lately... erm. Yes. My mother passed of circumstances... mmmostly unrelated to what transpired at home, a little before the new year."

She assesses Dean briefly, before saying, "... You don't look terribly well. Is it -- dizziness, nausea? I think I have something..." When doesn't she have something, really.

She keeps an ear out, as it were, for the conversation between Riesenlied and Elder Halle, but in the moment Dean has her focus. "And -- yes, she's right... you really ought to lie down, or at least sit..." 

<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.

As Asteroid tells her to shut up, Catenna just closes her eyes and lowers her head. She doesn't have enough in her to snap back, and Lydia's chastising herself now anyway.

It feels bad. For everyone involved.

When she opens her eyes again, she lets out a slow breath through her nose, struggling to meet Elder Halle's eyes through the quiet weight of her shame. She manages, though, and the wiser woman says her piece. Some hidden tension seems to abate, the subtle crow's feet around the corners of her eyes easing as she leans against Cyre just a bit more heavily. "It is one we share, Elder," she murmurs. "Thank you."

As Riesenlied explains a few things, Catenna nods to her slowly, but otherwise lets her speak her piece. It is not Catenna's story to intrude upon.

She simply leans on Cyre, her arm encircling his waist. Her weight bears into his shoulder a little more. It's all she can do to keep standing; she hurts, quite a lot. 

<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.

        Standing on his own as a lingering curiosity that just will not completely excuse himself from others' lives like he probably should - for the damage he often seems to be at least partially responsible for at minimum - it says much still that a wounded Ethius chooses to stand on his own, about as far away from the closest he may have to friends, as they all share a moment of togetherness to discuss the potential for a new bond between people once long considered mortal enemies.
        The situation is dire. Everything is about to ride on this.
        ...
        A small, colorful bird rests atop a totem of a Guardian not far off. Ethius stares at it intensely as it does things that are entirely within the purview and expectations of a small, colorful bird.
        He does not seem to agree with the above assessment. 

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

Elder Halle's response is...not entirely unexpected, admittedly. Jacqueline knew it would be difficult. It had been for her, when she first found out. But that was why she was here - to vouch for Riesenlied and the Hyadeans of Wayside, and to show that there were already humans who approved of and welcomed them, and had witnessed their deeds.

She doesn't speak as Riesenlied explains her past, her desires and hopes for what this meeting might accomplish.

She does not speak, though. She has already said her piece. From here, it was up to Noeline and Riesenlied. For her part, Jacqueline scans the area around them. How were the others reacting to this...? 

<Pose Tracker> Asteroid the Kid has posed.

That seems to be what Asteroid the Kid came to say, for the most part, but she sees it, she sees Halle in a state she never wished to see her in. Namely, she didn't wish to see Halle 'old'. She reddens faintly and looks down. She's not exactly happy about it either, but... Whatever else she has to say to Halle can wait.

Instead she thinks about what her intents and actions were. This isn't the first time she heard that lecture, of course, but it may be the first time she's thinking about it so much. Action and Intent. What's one without the other?

Instead she looks back towards Ethius for a long moment as Noeline and Riesenlied for a long moment. Maybe someday, sometime, she may have Halle's wisdom but right now...

Right now...She just wants to reassure Halle that everything's okay. It'll be okay. She doesn't do that. Instead she shifts her gaze back to Dean. Something about the way he talks to others, it's hard to hate.

She lowers her head and rubs at her eyes with her wrist. 

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

Noelineoeline offers a bow to the Elder's look of confusion. "... we have spoken with both of those Guardians. Equites set upon us the task to prove we were more than murderers, which I should hope we have upheld thus far. Duras Drum apparently chose me for my resourcefulness, if you count 'blew up his Medium on me so I would be forced to carry it' a matter of choice," she adds to Riesenlied's explanation, letting out a slightly irritated puff of air in Asteroid's direction... not that she can really blame the girl. She'd laugh too.

        "I think I am supposed to be unsealing him, eventually. Certainly, Filgaia could use the help right about now," she adds as she draws an arm a little tighter around Riesenlied, careful to avoid her injuries but wishing to be a little more protective in the moment. "... I should also point out that Riesenlied is undergoing this pilgrimage at cost to herself," she mutters afterwards. "We are anathema, after all, and yet you couldn't begin to hope to stop her when she's got her mind set on something."

        She glances aside to where Avril reigns over a number of people worried over Dean, regally sitting amidst them; she lets out a soft breath as she looks back towards Maya, and offers a rather concilatory smile. "... good work... or, something like that," she chuckles, knowing it might sound a little bittersweet right now. "If I hadn't been quite so injured I would have joined you, but-- well, at least everyone seems to have walked out of there, more or less. Little silver linings, hm?" Her comment is somewhat directed towards Jacqueline, as well, purposefully tilting her head in the alchemist's direction as she makes the reminder. 

<Pose Tracker> Siegfried has posed.

"The Fereshte... it's been some time, since I've spoken with their elder." Halle is quiet, when she speaks. "So you've earned the acknowledgment of Equites." She doesn't dare call it approval. The Sword Guardian is unlikely to grant approval. She straightens herself out, eyes narrowing -- and then she nods. "We can arrange communication between here and Wayside. I've heard of it..."

She closes her eyes. "...and, before this meeting, assumed it some manner of Metal Demon trickery. The legends said that some were tricksters and tempters. Perhaps I was mistaken."

She glances at Catenna. There is a nod to her, then. Halle looks back at Noeline and Riesenlied. "And Duras Drum, too. If... after his own fashion," she says. "The Hades Guardian was ever one with a sense of humor. You seek to aid us, then. I won't decline your aid. But, as you say... you are anathema to Filgaia."

She closes her eyes and exhales. "You may need to unseal Duras Drum. You will need the Guardians to have a prayer--and you will need to offer them prayers. Remember that the Guardians are not like us. They are a force, as much as they are a being. A force rarely discriminates. It thinks in absolutes, for it is an absolute. It falls onto humans to give them the nuance they need to protect Filgaia fully."

She frowns. "...Which is to say, your road is a long one, and your words alone won't prove your intent. But your deeds... that, they will understand."

<Pose Tracker> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.

It's fine, Cyre whispers. It's alright. He hasn't taken a serious injury in a while. He can help shoulder Catenna's weight.

"As if there was more that needed to be said to prove their sincerity," Cyre says as he again shifts slightly to better support the woman leaning against him. "The people of Wehaca owe the Ebon Wings a debt of gratitude. If it wasn't for their assistance, I'm afraid there wouldn't still be a people of Wehaca, even if our village is..."

...

"Not..." Cyre glances aside awkwardly, "In the best of situations at the moment."

There's a pause. He looks to Catenna, then, and frowns. "You're sure you don't need to lay down...? I could always carry you, if you like." 

<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.

It strikes Catenna, as she listens to Elder Halle speak, how closely the wiser woman's words cleaved to ones Catenna herself has spoken before. Bits of a lecture given in a tavern somewhere. What the Guardians like is often beyond our ability to understand... but they are elemental. They often behave as their domains do, because in many ways they are their domains.

Remember that they do not think of things in the personal terms, nor do they immediately understand individuals. They see things in a very elemental way.

Words that echo the words of the elder - and that she shared with Kaguya. Kaguya, who turned out to be a Stranger after all.

A flicker of sadness crosses Catenna's face as she looks up to Cyre. "No... I will be alright," she whispers to him, her arm tightening about his waist for a moment as if to assure him.

"But there is something I must tell Elder Halle... when Riesenlied has said her piece." 

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

        A force rarely discriminates.

        It sends an ache through Riesenlied's heart, for she was there when she heard Lucadia say it, so plainly... that the Veruni were her enemy. Why... did she say such a thing? Is this what Elder Halle was talking about? That the Veruni were so opposed to them that it was like water and oil, like shadow and light? She knows of how she is anathema to Filgaia... yet...

        "... they are no more," Riesenlied regretfully says of the Fereshte. "Now their memory only lives through me..." She nods, appreciatively, as Halle arranges for communication, biting her lip. Tricksters and tempters... she is reminded of the story of Enkidu. No doubt, the title of 'Deceiver' that has been granted upon her rests through similar veins...

        "I would learn, then. Their prayers, their rites... it is not a pithy offering that I want to offer, but a true devotion to seeing something be created anew."

        She glances back towards the group assembled for a moment... then looks towards Cyre with an awkward smile. "... we will continue to grant Wehaca aid. We don't intend to be there one night, and gone the next. Water, construction, supplies... you will have them. As long as you need."

        She thinks deeply for a moment...

        "There was something I wanted to relay -- here, to you, to the Baskar. What I heard from the Guardians, when I was at my lowest, at the base of the Guardian Temple in Milama."

        She tilts her head and turns, glancing... and then says, "I heard Equites speak to our companion, who I now presume must hail from... Lunar. The Silver Star, whose true nature Duras Drum disguises with his magics of illusion -- and in turn, Filgaia's. We have met people who have been transported there... and though we do not know a way to bring them back, I heard of Equites' wrath upon our leaving."

        She breathes deep and says... "He called their Goddess Althena... a 'traitor'. Do you... perchance know of any ancient lore of the Guardians that may speak to such an incidence?" 

<Pose Tracker> Dean Stark has posed.

        "Oh! Sorry if I startled you," Dean says when Matilda snaps to attention. He doesn't know Zopt Syndrome, and the blank look on his face will tell her so, but he listens to the rest of what she has to say. "She was sick, right? She said at the time, and Kaguya..." He trails off. Then he shakes his head a little. "Kaguya said... she passed away. I don't blame you for being withdrawn or anything. I'm sure it must've been hard on you."
        
        But then Matilda asks him how *he's* doing, and a shadow falls over him. Dean blinks and peers up at Rebecca when she appears, elbows akimbo. Matilda chimes in with her, suggesting he at least sit. "I *am* sitting!" he protests--but he moves from squatting to actually properly sitting down, anyway. "I'm just a little sleepy, that's all. I just got up from a nap. It's okay, really. I'll be all--" yawwwwwwn "--right." That may not make it very convincing.
        
        When Asteroid looks over at Dean, she catches his eye, and he blinks up over at her. His smile is tired but sincere as he waves back to her, though there's concern in his gaze. She got really injured, too... A lot of them did, but Asteroid said she loved Kaguya. Dean's sure her hurting goes beyond just what happened to her body... And there's of course Avril, who's been quiet all night. Dean looks over at her in concern, perhaps catching her eye; if he does, he smiles and waves to her too. He's glad she's calmed down, at that.
        
        He glances back over at Halle and Riesenlied, though. The Guardians are elemental forces, and tend to think in absolutes, and it's up to humans to give nuance to their thinking... That actually gives him a *huge* insight into why the Guardians are jerks sometimes. If they think in black and white, then no wonder they'd be grumpy at literally everyone. Everyone messes up from time to time! ...this is going to be a tough battle. Still, action and intent matter. That heartens Dean more than anything else he's heard tonight.
        
        Which is good because Riese then starts talking about Silver Stars and illusions and disguises and traitors and whaaaaa??? Dean blinks wide, already thoroughly confused... but he doesn't try to interrupt. That'd be rude. (But it's not rude to listen in...?) 

<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.

        Every joint in Ethius' body aches. He stifles a grunt only through the grace of the bandanna wrapped around the lower half of his face proving a most useful protection against having his quieter voices heard out loud. The situation is dire. Everything is about to ride on this.
        He maintains these thoughts as he keeps the butt end of his quarterstaff against a small, harmless lizard attempting to pass on by. He himself is at a kneel, taking two fingers from his free hand to press against its upper back as it wriggles. Evidently, something is so incredibly important in his mind in the company of the Elder that he is presently tormenting a tiny creature over it.
        'The Silver Star, whose true nature Duras Drum disguises with his magics of illusion -- and in turn, Filgaia's.'
        The butt of the quarterstaff lifts up, allowing the lizard to frightfully skitter out into obscurity as Ethius turns his head back towards the front, as Riesenlied continues the path of conversation down towards the matter of Lunar at all as he rises laboriously back to a standing position.
        A hand goes to his forehead. 

<Pose Tracker> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.

"You're sure?" Cyre's frown deepens somewhat. He sighs and... Gently sweeps Catenna up into his arms.

"There," he says as he so carefully bridal-carries the tremendously injured woman. "Now you won't need to put any pressure on those wounds. This is fine, you can still talk like this."

He frowns, then, at Riese's... Revelation? Or maybe at something that her words helped connect in his mind. "Traitor...? If Duras Drum is concealing the Silver Star, then perhaps that is why he was locked away. But... If she is a traitor, then what relationship does she have with the Guardians? And what of Celesdue...?"

Mmn.

Well. Thankfully they have a repository of Guardian Lore right here...! 

<Pose Tracker> Asteroid the Kid has posed.

Asteroid the Kid says, "Huh. I guess that makes sense." She considers the Goddess Althena and how it's a traitor and she suggests, "Maybe because she banned singing apparently? And formed an organized religion? If she was a Guardian herself, I guess, acting like she's the end all be all of everything is pretty treacherous yeah?"

She supposes she could see Althena as a Guardian. That makes a lot of sense, actually. "Maybe she's the Guardian of Not Singing."

She pauses. "Or...The Guardian of Singing, and maybe because she hates singing now, she's a traitor. I dunno."

she shoves her hands into her pockets and looks back to Ethius again and then over to Matilda.

She frowns, worriedly. 

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

"...More or less..." Jacqueline repearts, when Noeline comments on it. It was hard for her to believe that, honestly. She had seen the condition they were all in...but perhaps it was just that she didn't feel that way.

Elder Halle speaks of the Guardians, and Jacqueline nods in understanding. Yes, she had heard them spoken of in that manner before. She had, in fact, said something along the same lines just the other day, as well.

Riesenlied speaks of Lunar, then. Would Elder Halle know anything...? Jacqueline wasn't sure, but...if there was anything she knew, then she would be interested to hear. 

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

        With a soft chuckle, Noeline nods her head. "... with respect, you are not telling us anything we haven't already heard," she notes, even as she bows her head to the Elder. "We are well aware that we have an uphill climb. That has always been the way of the Tainted - and of Filgaia as a whole, if you ask me," she adds in a rather more sedate fashion as she looks over the assembled Drifters, ailing and tired. "It does rather seem to be a theme."

        She's not terrifically sure what she expected when she came here - an injured, dying Riesenlied, a crater perhaps, certainly a great deal of pain and fear from those present - but in retrospect she isn't terribly surprised that her partner finds the strength to continue on regardless, letting out a roughly amused chuckle and shaking her head as Riese peppers the Elder with questions.

        It isn't that Noeline doesn't care about the answers; she's lending one ear to the discussion and supporting Riesenlied with her shoulder still, but her attention is drifting elsewhere in her relief, and she raises her eyebrows ever so lightly at Maya's new look. "... it seems I owe you for the time I was gone, certainly," she chuckles quietly to the noble(?)woman as she picks at some of her hair. The regular teasing seems to be too much for her right now, and she lets it go into a soft huff instead. "I should probably try to get impaled less often, not that I make it a habit."

        "'More or less', nothing," she adds towards Jacqueline, and puts on an amused sort of grin for a moment. "The virtue of humans is that they are doggedly, doggedly hard to stop for good. I am not saying you should work yourself to the bone and past it - for the Guardian's sake, take a couple of days - but for every shattered statue there are a couple intact, and you are all still on your feet. That may be difficult to remember in the moment, but they're rather solid odds, hm?" 

<Pose Tracker> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.

        This earns Dean one (1) aggravated sigh from Rebecca. "I mean it, Dean. You were really hurt. I was worried..." Irritation melts into a quite genuine concern.

        Avril briefly meets Noeline's gaze, there where she sits at a remove from her friends. Then Dean's.
        Then she rises, taking those few steps to arrive by Rebecca's side.

        "Yes. I was worried too..."

        Rebecca glances over at her, then away, as if something were troubling her.

        But too-soon Avril's attention is stolen away by the message that Riesenlied now delivers. It is, quite frankly, a bombshell.

        "An illusion...? Concealing two worlds from one another..." 

<Pose Tracker> Siegfried has posed.

"Wehaca... we will send what aid we can, Cyre," Halle promises. "Your village will not be alone. Even if our resources are meager for the task."

She looks to Riesenlied, then, and her eyes widen for a moment. There is a meaningful glance to Noeline and a nod of understanding. But, she directs her attention back to Riesenlied. "The people of northern Elru... I had hoped," she says. "But when Garlyle fell, too, I had no illusions. So much death and devastation happened there. I didn't think it likely the Fereshte survived. Well..."

She frowns, then. Riesenlied makes her request. She shakes her head. "I know a little. I have a couple of books written. For the rest... I suggest you speak with Cyre and with Catenna. They may be able to share more of our culture. The tribes have some commonalities. The books... those were written by an elder, who traveled the world a hundred years ago. They speak, some, of the traditions and rites specific to the Fereshte."

A lost tribe, after all, is hard to capture the specifics of.

Halle blinks, though. She follows Duras Drum; she follows about the moon. A lot of this, however, leaves her looking stunned. She puts a hand to her chin, eyes closing. She appears like she might have some wisdom to impart, and then--

"Beats the hell out of me, kiddos," she says. "Those people are really from the moon? I just thought they were more Seed City hucksters trying to pull some shit on us. Again."

A beat. Halle's expression darkens. "Oh, Justine preserve, uh--Shane, I need you to write several extensive apologies."

"On it, grandma."

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

        Riesenlied's world shatters for a moment as she crashes and has to reboot when Elder Halle, representative of what seems like all the Baskar, says the word 'shit' in front of her.

        Please wait warmly... 

<Pose Tracker> Asteroid the Kid has posed.

"Granny Halle's basically the best." Asteroid adds. "When I grow up I want to have to make other people write as many apologies as she does."

She nods firmly as she expresses her dream goals. 

<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.

With a little squeak, Catenna finds herself swept up in Cyre's arms. She blushes intensely as she brings her arms up, one sliding around his shoulders. "Cyre," she begins to say, wanting to mutter something about how this is awfully inappropriate in front of Elder Halle.

The protest hangs at her lips and falls away without being spoken. Besides... she, too, wants to know more about Althena, and why Celesdue isn't on the literal actual moon.

"I will gladly share anything with you that you wish, Riesenlied," Catenna says, her voice weary but with a kindness to it. "The rituals I take part in are essentially those of the Ellurian Baskar... while the Zortroa are not Baskar, those of us who follow the Guardians maintain Baskar traditions."

Elder Halle says a swear. Catenna blinks, momentarily surprised.

Then she frowns. "...Elder," she ventures, then. "Speaking of visitors from other worlds... how much do you know of the Veruni?"

Perhaps Elder Halle has kept up with affairs of Elru. Catenna wouldn't presume to give the 'Veruni 101' lecture to someone who knows it already. 

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

        "... I first came here to Ignas on the trail of he who destroyed Garlyle... and the loss of the Fereshte has long weighed heavy on my mind as well," Riesenlied quietly murmurs, ever embracing the lost tribe in her memories and in her thoughts.

        I'm sure it would, snorts Nasrin.

        "Yes... I will work with Mister Cyre, Miss Catenna and others," Riesenlied nods enthusiastically. "And... if it is all right with you, I would be happy to help inscribe and preserve what I know of the Fereshte, for future generations..."

        She looks towards Catenna, frowning very quietly.

        "... the Veruni... are the ones who overran the Fereshte tribe, so long ago... I tried to protect what tribesfolk I could, but... my powers were not enough..." 

<Pose Tracker> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.

'Inappropriate in front of Elder Halle.'

Catenna you have not been around Elder Halle enough.

"It's true," Cyre says with a firm nod. "Elder Halle is pretty much the best in the world. I'm more interested in the first set of letters she sent out though. Can you imagine the juicy burns? Man, it's like if Moa-Gault put pen to paper--"

Beat.

Cyre turns his head and coughs, suddenly remembering he should Do A Thing. "Thank you, Elder," he bows his head deferentially and would be bowing much more if he weren't carrying a lady in his arms, "Our village will not soon forget this." He looks to Riese, then. "Yeah, I'm with Catenna. We'll do what we can. Just, uh. Be warned; Wehacan rituals are kind of... unique." 

<Pose Tracker> Matilda Whitehead has posed.

Matilda gets herself situated next to Dean, and nods -- but, like the others around him, her attention is ultimately garnered much more strongly by the conversation between Halle and Riese at this point. She blinks a few times, eyes wide, anxiety and fear all but forgotten in the face of the current discussion...

... and then it turns toward Veruni, and that unease returns again. She stays quiet, just siting, listening, and carefully watching Dean for any more specific concussion symptoms, because that boy has never once known how to take care of himself, like most boys. 

<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.

        'Visitors from other worlds... how much do you know of the Veruni?'
        Ethius thinks better of interrogating a small rock that rolls from a gentle breeze down the slight decline from where he stands, lifting up his foot just enough to let it roll under. It won't be going anywhere as he presses his foot down on it, to make it sink to the ground.
        His gaze, however, does back towards the rest of the crowd.
        '...are the ones who overran the Freshte tribe, so long ago...'
        His eyes narrow.
        'I tried to protect what tribesfolk I could, but... my powers were not enough...'
        This should be sobering for anyone here - especially among those who bore witness to what strength Riesenlied herself possesses, both within and without.
        The darkening of his expression, though fighting through a pounding headache and a sore body still decompressing from a near-fatal suplex into sea-worn cobblestone, resists all calls from the rest of his body to stop tensing those muscles as much as he is. 

<Pose Tracker> Asteroid the Kid has posed.

"Heh!" Asteroid tells Cyre. "You have a lot of apologies to make before you'll reach her level."

But her joking around stops when Riesenlied talks about the Veruni. She frowns a little her good mood instantly evaporating. The Veruni... she didn't even know their name until yesterday. She sighs, tears threatening to spill out from her eyes. She stubbornly rubs it away again with her wrist.

"...Granny, do you know their deal? The Veruni?" Her eyes narrow sharply as Riesenlied even confirms that the Veruni are responsible for wiping out some of the Baskar tribes.

Was Kaguya just... playing her for a fool all this time?

She thought, at least, she was honest about being friends but maybe...

She sniffs again. "I didn't know they were killing our people..." She looks down at the floor again. "But I guess I should've just assumed." She glances towards Ethius for a long moment, takes in a breath and sighs again.

"I mean, everybody wipes our tribes out." 

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

Jacqueline glances to the ground for a moment, blushing as she feels as if Noeline is scolding her. She...couldn't entirely deny that she had been driving herself to exhaustion. But...

"It just...feels like there's so much that needs to be done. People that need taken care of...Statues that need protected... There's just not enough time in the world to rest..." Jacqueline murmurs, shaking her head. Her attention soon returns to Elder Halle...and her face gets even more red at her response to Riesenlied's mention of Lunar. It's dimmed, somewhat, as Catenna brings up the Veruni.

...She was talking about Kaguya, then.

Jacqueline's eyes find the ground once more and she stands there, quietly. That was a choice she needed to make, too... 

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

        With a softer noise, Noeline relents a little; there's a momentarily guilty look towards Jacqueline as she picks at her hair. Well, hopefully she can trust that the alchemist in front of her won't go on a depressive tear. "... that isn't it. I understand the feeling of urgency, believe me, but everyone has to rest sometime. Besides, I can't imagine there are many more statues in this half of the world, if only because we're distinctly starting to run out of Guardians," she grumbles rather uncharitably.

        She pauses, and chuckles quietly to herself. There isn't a great deal of humour in the noise, but she does at least seem a little more upbeat now that she's got an arm around Riese, with the latter up and walking and talking. "Everyone has to stop for breath at some point, or they will break. Even Veruni. Even Hyadeans. Especially at times like these," she adds quietly. "Being hotheaded can only get you so far without a little thought to back it up."

        She turns back towards the conversation between the Elder and Riesenlied, and huffs out a breath. "... for what it is worth, the Guardians appear to be the ones that sealed the two worlds away from each other. That said, they don't begin to know why it might have started to wane. I suspect the only way to find out will be to go ourselves. ... also, I would not hold out a lot of hope that the rest of the Metal Demons will follow Wayside's example, of course. We are-- something of a rarity." 

<Pose Tracker> Siegfried has posed.

"Mm." Halle shakes her head. "I haven't the foggiest. But I would need to speak with someone who knew more of it, to begin to understand."

She focuses in on Catenna, next. "The Veruni..."

Halle trails off, then frowns. "...Some. Not as much as I would like. I know they are real--and I know that they are the enemy of the Guardians. It is said that they seek to impose their own order upon Filgaia." Though, she has her doubts about that; after all, her understanding of the Metal Demons was flawed.

"But some who've visited their Control Zones have told me of their cities," she says. "Of... places where Veruni enslave humans. Of places where our kind aren't free." She looks at Riesenlied, and then she frowns. "And... yes. That they will kill us, without hesitation."

She shakes her head. "They are our enemy. They stand against the Guardians, yes--but they also stand against us." She looks between Riesenlied and Noeline. "And while you prove that not all Metal Demons would be a danger to us... you also show that we cannot hope every single one of our foes is, somehow, an exception."

<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.

Catenna's from another continent and is a fake Baskar. Of course she hasn't been around Elder Halle enough.

As Riesenlied tells her story, Catenna closes her eyes and losers her head with a soft sigh, shifting in Cyre's arms. "They have overrun much of Elru now," she murmurs as she opens her pale grey eyes once more. "Nothing north of Elesius is free of them that I know of."

As Elder Halle reveals her knowledge, Catenna presses her lips together. Too much of that sounds familiar. "I adventured for a time in the Control Zones, when I left the Zortroa Kinship. My people refer to them as the Strangers. Their weapons are very potent, and much more advanced than anything I have seen before. They hold most of Elru now. People are not free in the places they control... and most of them consider us to be inferior to them. Perhaps not all of them are like this...."

She glances down for a moment, a brief surge of sadness taking her. ...Even Kaguya spoke of us all as though we were inferior...

"...Two of the statues," she says quietly, "were destroyed by Veruni agents. I had... thought that there was only one of them here."

Quietly, she looks over to Jacqueline, then up to Cyre. "...The one called Ambrosius is also a Stranger," she explains. 

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

        Riesenlied is much more quiet than humble compared to her more upbeat companion; things still weigh heavily on her heart, and Noeline's advice to Jacqueline is just as much applicable to her. The alchemist and the Hyadean are, in ways, two peas in a pod...

        "... yes, I have... no illusions that we would be able to convince everyone, as much as I desire that," Riesenlied admits in concession, sighing. "The Fereshte's land were... in what is now known as the 'Control Zone', yes." She nods towards Catenna. "When they first landed here in Filgaia, their forces emerged in overwhelming amounts -- such that everyone struggled to even survive against their power."

        There's a very faint flinch. "... I can attest to that too... this-- gunshot wound..." she places a hand to her side. "I received when I confronted him at El Pazzo, after chasing him from the Mountain Palace. I called him a close friend, once..."

        And perhaps she still does... it's hard to shake.

        She can't help but shake her head. "But... thank you, Elder Halle." She bows her head and-- winces as a wound nags at her.

        "I have long feared that we would not be accepted... but-- but I thank you for your patience and understanding. We hope to be of assistance in the race to protect the statues from Mother's awakening, as we have... as we shall be, and to our local community to. Though our ancestors once came from a star a far way away..."

        She places a hand to the Dragon's Tear.

        "... I was born here on Filgaia. It is the only world I have ever known, and I do not wish to see it suffer." 

<Pose Tracker> Asteroid the Kid has posed.

Asteroid the Kid scowls. Ambrosius too, she thinks. She never hid what she was. Hell, she wears Baskar leathers. They could have killed her. Maybe they wanted to kill her all along. Asteroid the Kid raises a hand to her head...it's frankly an admirable mimicry of what Ethius gets up to, even if the meaning behind it less obscure. Would she even feel better about this if she were some kind of special exception.

She exhales.

She walks away suddenly, heading back to her cart. She reaches into the cart and withdraws a metal baseball bat. She stares at the cart. It's a simple looking thing, suitable for carting around maybe a few individuals at most, some treasure. She clenches the bat tightly in her good arm, not the automail arm.

She keeps staring at the cart. Her people are being murdered. Day by day by day and even now people want shit from them, even Riese wants shit from them. She wants to be a good person but why does being good just require sacrifice and sacrifice and sacrifice and sacrifice.

Asteroid keeps thinking of that word. She swings the bat up and starts slamming it sharply against the cart, over and over again, screaming wordlessly with each strike. It's surprising how strong her swing is after all the damage her body accumulated.

But the cart is still tougher. She's worked hard on that thing. She breaks off small chunks and little else before she's panting for breath. She chucks the bat back inside.

It looks too similar, she thinks. It looks too similar to the cart she gave her a ride on. She gave her too many rides on that thing.

Tired out, she sits herself down on it and stews. 

<Pose Tracker> Maya Schrodinger has posed.

The blonde girl by Riesenlied's side has been dead silent for the entirety of the proceedings thus far, lacking the wisdom needed to pipe up meaningfully for most of the discussion. Drinking from the firehose, so to speak, takes a lot of concentration. At Catenna's comment regarding the number of statues destroyed by the strange people called the Veruni, however, Maya speaks up.

"There are Humans among those trying to crush the statues. Not just those Demons who razed Adelhyde, or these 'Veruni' people." she points out, patiently, but clearly thinking this is bad news needing to be underlined. "They either don't think the consequences outweigh the glitter of gold they're offered, or they don't care. Be careful who you approach about the remaining statues..."

A sharp series of reports from yonder cart-direction cease Maya's attempts at a cautionary tale, her head quickly turning to see what the fuss is about. It is, however, quickly obvious.

Her heart sinks a little further. 

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

Noeline was right, but...even so, it's hard for Jacqueline to shake. She's always been a hard worker. But in the past, her only focus had been making sure she could run her store properly. But now she had that, and the weight of the world itself on her shoulders, and the lives of her friends who were travelling with her... Noeline was right. She knew that. The hard part was getting Jacqueline to admit it to herself.

The Veruni...the picture that Elder Halle and Catenna paint with their words is not a pretty one. She had considered Kaguya a friend, and Riesenlied had considered this 'Ambrosius' fellow a friend, as well...

She doesn't really know what to think about it. She's quiet, though she does bow her head slightly toward Elder Halle.

"...Yes, thank you for meeting with us. And if there's anything the Caravan Kinship can help with while we're here, please, let us know." She said.

Jacqueline glances in Asteroid's direction as she departs. She...seemed to be hurting so much. Jacqueline flinches slightly, each time she hears that sharp sound of metal upon metal in the distance... 

<Pose Tracker> Siegfried has posed.

"Two of them... Guardians preserve," the Elder says. "Then, be careful--and try to stop them, too."

Halle looks after Asteroid -- concerned as she leaves, walking away suddenly. She can't see what Asteroid is doing. Still, her expression broadcasts concern.

"I'm too old to condemn someone who reaches their hand out in friendship," Halle says to Riesenlied, with a small smile. "That's for younger fools than I. I wish you well with your quest, truly."

And then she looks at Maya. She sighs, and shakes her head. "I am not surprised... but I am disappointed. We've failed the Guardians and ourselves many times, as a people," she says. "All we can do is try to do better. And the best we can, ourselves."

She stands up. "I'll need to collect those books. I'll have Tasha and the others see to your hurts." Her hands tighten on the cane, before she starts to move away. "I'll have them sent to you. For now, rest. You've earned that."

<Pose Tracker> Matilda Whitehead has posed.

Taking a deep breath as the conversation turns to Veruni, Matilda -- after giving Dean one last look to make sure he's okay -- stands up, a little shaky. She watches Asteroid go, her expression sympathetic.

Another breath. Matilda's chest rises and falls as she continues to listen. It's not until Elder Halle mentions not condemning someone who reaches out in friendship, though, that she speaks. "And why should they have to reach out first?! Don't -- don't talk about them like they're not people!" she shouts, with sudden intensity, rounding on Catenna a bit next. "Don't act like -- like -- like conquering and murdering is somehow a --" She pauses, a gloved hand opening and closing as if she's physically grasping for words. "-- a fucking Veruni-only affliction!"

Her eyes are wide open at this point, whatever had had her slouched in the corner... not forgotten, perhaps, but certainly to the side. Tension rules her body language. "In -- in case you hadn't noticed, right now we're seated less than fifty miles from a war zone -- a human war zone! Don't call them 'Strangers' as if the desire to subjugate, to take is somehow some -- some aberration in them alone! It's bullshit and you know it!"

Matilda is quaking. "If you were -- if you found yourself -- alone, and dying, and hurting, far from home, and I called you a 'stranger,' an 'enemy' for daring to come to my home in the first place... you'd be right to hate me!" Her gloved hands clench tightly. "Maybe if the Guardians weren't so insistent on some million-year grudge, things wouldn't be -- wouldn't be so -- it wouldn't -- I wouldn't feel so -- ..."

Stumbling over that one seems to substantially slow Matilda's roll. "I -- I'm sorry," she says, abruptly. "I should... I should -- go." She immediately retreats -- and at speed. 

<Pose Tracker> Siegfried has posed.

Halle stops. She turns, and looks after Matilda. Her eyes narrow.

"Watch your language with me, girl," she says. "When you're eighty, you can swear at whoever you please. I don't ask they extend their hand," she says. "I ask that they not enslave us. Go see a Veruni mine--and remember. If they could, you would die there. So would your mother. Your children. Your grandmother. And your grandchildren. I don't ask that the Veruni say they want peace."

She turns, and resumes walking. "Because I don't ask for what they will never give. They hate us for being humans. If you've been misled by one... then you'll die in those mines, too."

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

        Riesenlied flinches as she hears that sound of metal, upon metal... it just seems to beat down--

        Clang--

        Clang--

        It just seems to wear heavier on her. Each strike ringing upon her head ever so louder, like a noise of failure upon failure. The thoughts of Kaguya wear heavy on her. As much as she wants to call her 'daughter', she didn't really succeed at providing, caring for her, did she? Makes her feel kind of...

        She blinks in surprise as Matilda suddenly lets out an outburst-- her eyes widened-- "Matilda..."

        The tension, the misery just keeps washing over her, amplified by the Dragon's Tear. It's so much stress. She feels paralysed through the entire outburst, and-- takes a step after her... but she's just...

        So, so tired.

        "... we will be glad to receive them..." she bows wanly to Elder Halle, and turns to Noeline. "... we rest, now. And then we... look forward, to the next situation. As we always have. As we must." 

<Pose Tracker> Matilda Whitehead has posed.

Elder Halle's voice is commanding enough to get Matilda to stop; her spine straightens, and she turns to acknowledge Elder Halle... but she doesn't say anything. There are at once too many things to say and not enough things to say.

She settles for saying nothing at all... though she manages to look appropriately chastised. 

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

        The demon holds as rather respectful silence throughout Matilda's outburst - and Halle's response to it. Another time she might have added some comments to one side or another, but she does at least have some sense of when to keep her mouth shut, and if she's honest about it she's already out of patience for the moment, ready to simply tug Riesenlied away from everything for a while and try to get her to stop thinking. Instead, she glances towards Maya, dropping her head in something like a nod as she chuckles.

        "'Humans are scary'," she echoes Dva's words with something of a snort. "But-- I meant what I said to Miss Barber here. It is not time to rest on our laurels for good just yet, but a majority of statues have survived. Mother still sleeps. ... I can guarantee we'd be the first to know otherwise, I dare say. Those are accomplishments to bear in mind."

        She sucks in a breath, and lets it out with a faint wince, a line of pain cutting through her shoulder; for a moment she glances back at the poor shaman bashing her cart to pieces, then shakes her head as she focuses in on her partner. "... honestly... I am possibly just going to have to tie you up, and even then I'm sure you'd just teleport out of it," she grouses quietly. 

<Pose Tracker> Dean Stark has posed.

        After getting fussed over again by Rebecca, and still being dizzy, Dean opted to keep his butt planted and listen to everything being discussed. A lot of it he doesn't really understand, not quite, but... when the topic of the Veruni and their mistreatment of humans comes up... his expression pinches. He looks up and over at Asteroid when she stalks off and starts beating the crap out of her cart, wincing, but... yeah. He gets why she'd be upset. (He doesn't actually get why she's upset.)
        
        It's when Matilda gets up, though--and Dean blinks back at her, then up at her--that he gets truly startled. He didn't expect her to *go off* on Elder Halle like that, and he rises to his feet. "Matilda!" ...a little too fast, it appears, because he immediately swoons and falls back towards Rebecca, head spinning. It's not spinning enough for him to fail to hear Halle's response, though, or Matilda running off.
        
        Dean would like to chase after her, but the world won't seem to stop moving. "....." 

<Pose Tracker> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.

Wow.

Matilda, that was quite an explosion you just did right in Catenna's face. Catenna, who is currently being carried by Renowned Blunt As Fuck Asshole, Cyre Lorentz. "Yeah," he says flatly at Humans Being Dicks and continues right on talking even when Matilda stomps right the hell off. "There sure is. And I think they're douchebags too. I'm not racist, you know?" EXCEPT WHEN HE IS. LIKE WITH MOST METAL DEMONS. "Jerks are just jerks. If they want us to not hate them, then maybe they should try to enslave us less."

He shakes his head and sighs. "So uh," Cyre coughs, "Who's Ambrosius?" Well. That... Probably matters less. More important, is... Asty going through some serious hug-needing trauma? Riesenlied's heart continuing to bleed (metaphorically, possibly also literally)? His girlfriend still being horribly maimed???

Nah. He already covered that last one and he ONLY HAS SO MANY HANDS.

"Elder, speaking of strange bedfellows, I've got a Granasian Priestess who wants help figuring out if her religion's ultimate evil shoved itself into her soul. Mind if I bring her here to see if we can help?" 

<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.

"Opportunists," Catenna murmurs sadly as Maya speaks. "Or worse, nihilists who see no value in this world."

As Halle invites them to rest, Catenna, still dangling from Cyre's princess-carry, nods quietly back to the old elder. "Thank you, Elder," she murmurs, voice low and respectful. "We shall do our best to save the remaining--"

Catenna cuts off as Matilda starts screaming at her. Her lips come together for a second before she opens her mouth, though she's rather too hurt to actually mount a counter-argument.

It's not like she can, anyway. Matilda isn't giving her a breath.

Before she can say anything, Matilda goes stomping off. Catenna closes her eyes and exhales slowly, visibly deflating.

"...For the record, I will welcome anyone to my home, including Veruni," she murmurs. "But not so much those who wish to enslave or destroy me and everyone I love."

She straightens. "And for the record," she says more flatly, "I - who live in the forest because humans stole my people's ancestral land and slaughtered us - know that humans are also capable of great evil." 

<Pose Tracker> Asteroid the Kid has posed.

Asteroid the Kid looks over to Matilda. "What would you know?"

Her eyes narrow. "What would you know about having your people slaughtered?"

She looks to the side. "...I'm sure there's plenty of great Veruni out there who wouldn't hurt me for my beliefs. Even if I wanted to help 'em."

She stands herself back up. "But I haven't met one yet. Believe me... I know. Like I said."

"Everybody wants us dead."

She looks to Halle for a moment and then lowers her head. "...We don't hurt anybody. Us, the Baskar, not the Guardians. US, the Baskar, so maybe..maybe it'd be nice if their actions matched their intent and I could live without being in fear."

She looks towards Halle and adds, "Um. I guess this is bad timing but... I'm gonna be traveling with the Carakin for a while. I know I didn't say goodbye properly the first time so uh--I don't know."

She lowers her head. "But I love you. And I love everybody here, and... I'll do what I can to make people look on us proudly and I'll save Filgaia too while I'm at it. Or at least, I'll try really hard."

She's feeling teary-eyed again. "Oh um. I saw Gally too. He robbed a train with us. Uh. That's a long story." 

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

Jacqueline visibly flinches when Matilda starts shouting. Matilda was usually...quiet, so to see her like this...it's rather startling. She freezes in place through the entire outburst, but when Matilda runs off...Jacqueline takes off after her.

"M-Matilda! Please, wait...!" She says. She's not angry. If anything, she sounds concerned. It's only because of Elder Halle's chastisement that she's able to catch up to her, and when she does she pauses in front of her and glances back to the Carakin.

"L-Let's...let's get you back inside, okay...?" She murmurs, extending a hand. This was a difficult situation. She wasn't sure what she thought. But right now...right now she had to do what she could to keep her friends together.

The cracks in the Kinship had already started to form...she didn't want them to spread any further, if possible. 

<Pose Tracker> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.

        Rebecca, meanwhile, grows decidedly stonefaced the longer the talk grows on the subject of Veruni and human relations. Perhaps of the three of them, she is the best-versed in the Veruni, out of a matter of simple necessity.
        But, even this...

        Growing out outside of Elru, even this is outside her wheelhouse.

        Avril, for her part, is silent; from her expression, she appears to have something on her mind.

        But such silence is broken when Matilda speaks.

        "...Matilda? Are you alr--"
        It's as far as she gets before slipping into a stunned silence.

        Matilda turns and departs. "Ah... wait. Matilda--"

        Dean rises to chase after her
        and collapses.

        Rebecca catches him. "--Dean?! You-- I told you not to--" With noise that's born from Rebecca managing to be both upset and angry at the same time she's soon joined by Avril, who helps her lower Dean to the ground.

        "He may have stood up too fast," Avril murmurs, her head bowed. 

<Pose Tracker> Siegfried has posed.

"Nnh?" Halle asks, glancing over her shoulder at Cyre. "Well... you're welcome to bring her."

She nods, then. "I should be about my business. Lydia, I only ask you follow what you think is right--not what your anger, however justified it is, tells you do do. I have faith in you. Walk with your head held high, young lady."

She smiles, briefly. And then, she walks onward.

<Pose Tracker> Dean Stark has posed.

        "S-sorry," Dean stammers, looking chastened. "Maybe I oughtta lay down after all." And after that, much more subdued than usual under the weight of all he's heard tonight, he'll let Rebecca fuss him into a bed. Or cot. You know. 

<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.

        As Catenna discusses the presence of another Veruni agent - one he is familiar with - Ethius finds his thoughts racing. On the outside, the man is an almost unreadable loner who seems to express himself best in sporadic bursts of destruction and, as of late, cold and dire threats of a magnitude simply... inhumane.
        On the inside...
        Urgent that-- this would-- without direction-- then why-- uncertainties-- after cooperation-- any resemblances-- my answers-- violation--
        Enough. He brings his hand to his forehead. Muscle memory sees him bend his head the same way he always does when he defaults to that gesture. A hiss escapes him again. Having his neck compress from that suplex ensures it would rather not bend much this way right now - or maybe ever again, in a fit of hyperbole.
        From his vantage point, he watches Riesenlied bring a hand to her Dragon's Tear, and his hand lowers. His face hardens as though it were to be the face he would wear into eternity on his death, before slackening with the closing of his eyes.
        He doesn't look back as Lydia goes to work out her aggression and frustrations upon her own cart. Ethius doesn't move to check or console upon her as he stands there with those eyes of his closed. The situation is dire. Everything is about to ride on this.
        tMaya offers the truth that there are some, yet, who do not grasp the severity of the situation. Ethius shares no opinions about this sentiment. The situation is dire. Everything will be riding upon this.
        Jacqueline Barber, once just an ordinary merchant in Adlehyde who has found herself swept into something far greater than any of them had any right to be burdened by, maintains her composure best she's able. Ethius does not reassure her of his cooperation. The situation is dire. Everything will be riding upon this.
        Matilda strikes back at the words spoken about with a conviction and reason that dares defy the conventional traditions and understandings of the way the world of Filgaia works - among its myriad variety of visitors, with unrestrained emotion. Ethius does not speak against her as she leaves. The situation is dire. Everything will be riding upon this.
        Elder Halle reaffirms what the Veruni represent by what knowledge she has, of saddening and maddening realities of a superior enemy. The situation is dire. Everything will be riding upon this.
        Noeline reaffirms herself as a viable source of knowledge about some of the workings and present situation as regards Mother. The situation is dire. Everything will be riding upon this.
        Dean nearly wounds himself anew in his desire to chase after Matilda after that outburst. The situation is dire. Everything will be riding upon this.
        Cyre discusses the possibility of a matter of a completely different faith and their understanding of good and evil. The situation is dire. Everything will be riding upon this.
        Catenna ensures the understanding of a graddient, of shades of grey, in the conflicts that continue to burn even through humanity itself. The situation is dire. Everything will be riding upon this.
        Asteroid gives her heartfelt words to someone she has loved for years growing up, Jay struggles to keep her friends together emotionally in the wake of Matilda's dissenting declarations, Avril fishes for a moment deep in thought before being interrupte-- 

<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.

        That's enough.
        The situation is dire. Everything will be riding upon this.
        He lets those thoughts repeat like a practiced mantra, above and beyond all else, as though they were the only thoughts worth grasping. He does not let his mind drift into further detail than this. The ambience from Ethius that Riesenlied grabs with help of her Dragon's Tear is simply that of a man of resolution, however grim and desperate he might come off as. By necessity, one will pass the other. He lets these thoughts be all she could interpret from him until as such there is sufficient distance between the two.
        Not just between him and Riesenlied - but with everyone. He is reasonably wise to the majority of 'tricks' they might have to keep touch on him. He simply insists he is fine, is able to fake the part of being able to walk under his own power unassisted through sheer determination, and just lets out a partial truth: there is something personal he must ask of Halle.
        He only moves once he is absolutely confident there are no further eyes or ears upon him.
        "Elder." Ethius speaks. A hand goes inside his poncho. There is a crinkling of paper. "My apologies. You have given much of your time. This is the only moment I will have. There is a matter I must confirm with you, with utmost discretion."
        The paper unfolds before her. Six points marked in tally marks, one through six - though the markings for the numbers three and four seem a bit fuzzy and similar with one another for some reason. Tight cones are drawn from these six very points.
        ... 

<Pose Tracker> Siegfried has posed.

Halle takes the map. She looks down at it, eyes focused for a moment on the map. Her eyes widen slightly -- and then she looks up, finally. She nods to Ethius once. "...I see," she says. "Quite clever. I'll keep this safe."

A moment passes.

"But... this sort of work..." She smiles. "Any work is improved with the assistance of others, you may find. Consider it for the future."

<Pose Tracker> Matilda Whitehead has posed.

Once Jay catches up with her, Matilda stops again. "Jay..." She looks up, eyes a little misty; she's not crying but it's easy to tell that she would certainly like to. "Y -- yes," she eventually answers, still quaking a bit, her breathing labored.

She doesn't talk much as she lets Jay lead her. One gloved hand awkwardly digs at an elbow, her posture having returned to where it was at the beginning of the trip -- closed, slouchy. 

<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.

        "Of course, Elder." Ethius crosses his hands behind his back, as though he were some kind of agent under her employ. He does look the part of someone that might have come from here - the coloration of his hair and complexion do check out, but... no, let's dwell on that another time.
        He will have no problems reproducing this information as needed.
        'Any work is improved with the assistance of others, you may find.'
        He hears the words. He accepts those words without protest or commentary - but does he understand the depths of this wisdom being bestowed?
        He knows his work is not yet done.
        "Be in good health, Elder. I shall take my leave." He turns away from her company. Much has been accomplished, but yet, there are some matters that will have yet to be handled delicately.
        After all. The situation is dire. Everything will be riding upon this. 

<Pose Tracker> Asteroid the Kid has posed.

Asteroid the Kid gets advice from Elder Halle. She smiles again. Hearing that, kind of, it kind of makes her feel a better. It's okay to be angry, she tells herself. Be as pissed off as you'd like. Just don't let it impair your judgement. She gets it. Don't let it decide what you do. She gets that too. Of course, that didn't stop her from swinging her bat repeatedly against her cart but considering the alternatives, well, what she would have done if she hadn't done that would have probably been far worse. She's a little calmer after having done that.

"Okay." She says.

She watches after Ethius as he moves after Elder Halle. She wonders what he's up to. And she's not the only one.

ELSEWHERE

Professor Alexander Castle watches a handheld device, studying the screen. His eyes narrow in thought. Something's off about that man. He's up to something and he doesn't know what it is.

And he doesn't like not knowing what it is. He reaches towards where his left arm used to be. He remembers the feeling of his spell in his skin.

"Change of plans." He informs his team.

And that's that.

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