2018-03-14: A Willingness to Aid
- Log: A Willingness to Aid
- Cast: Riesenlied, Fei Fong Wong, Jacqueline Barber, Shalune Amira
- Where: Vane - Residential District
- Date: March 14th, 2018
- Summary: In the city of Vanes, worried friends reunite, and discuss the circumstances that lead them to this point, as well as providing aid to those in need...
======================<* Vane - Residential District *>======================= According to the histories, the Magic City of Vane once floated above the surface of Lunar, providing magicians with a vantage point like none other to study the mysteries of their art and world. Those days are gone. The Vane of today is a battered, ramshackle ruin, with all but a few houses crumbled into rubble and disrepair. The outskirts of the city would be a looter's paradise if there was anything left to loot; most residents are either scraping out a bare existence with the Magic Guild or simply taking advantage of free real estate to squat in the less-toppled buildings.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
The Magic City of Vane, according to ancient history, once floated above the surface of Lunar. Those days... are gone. Today's Vane is a battered, ramshackle ruin of several sturdy houses surrounded by more fragile and battered makeshift homes, along with tents and various ghetto settlements under the kind grace of Miria Ausa, who's providing as much as she can to everyone with the limited resources that she has.
Riesenlied is staying here to recuperate under the watch of the Goddess Statue, having made camp with Noeline, Mikaia and Janey -- the kids who've taken to cooking and helping repair buildings where they can!
Mikaia smiles and stirs at a large pot of soup as she says, "A pinch of parsley..." as Riesenlied sits and watches over her, nodding gently. Her head is... rather profusely covered in bandages, and she's been put on strict rest for the time being. Berserk did a number on her.
Janey is overhead, banging sheets of plywood to patch a rooftop hole. "That should just about do it..." she murmurs from having several nails bit at her teeth.
Odjn peers and goes, "If only we had better materials... this is gonna get blown off by a storm any day." Janey grumps in turn, "I'm doin' the best with what we got!"
It does... kind of feel like Wayside, doesn't it?
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
Fei isn't sure if anything can really be like Wayside. There was something special about it even if there are many similar elements are in this town. He's been seperated from the party since, well, Wayside actually and some time before in fact. He did not arrive at the statue with Lily, Leon, or even Elly. He seems to have made it there on his own and he did his usual strange bullshit. Not that Riesenlied saw that.
Fei has his sketchpad with him. He has some information he would like to give to the Magic Guild of Vane (as opposed to the Magic Guild of Neo-Vane). Somehow, Fei thinks when he sees Riesenlied, Noeline, and adorable children helping with repairs and the like, he is not surprised but not in the usual cynical way.
(Elly's player knows me)
"Man," Fei says. "This is where Lemina's from? Explains a lot." He exhales. He doesn't see her.
He walks towards Riese and friends. "Hey guys." Fei says. "Why am I not surprised to see you here?" He smiles. "I'm glad you made it to Lunar safely. I saw your ship as I was headed to the statue but..."
He pauses, rubbing at his forehead. "...Anything I can do to help? I have to go visit the guild at some point but until then..."
There's soup, Fei thinks. His stomach grumbles.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Jacqueline has only heard of Vane from Lemina. What she sees is...about what she expected to see, from their conversation at the Sluice Forest. A part of her can understand why, now, Lemina was always so insistent on gathering members for her Magic Guild.
Her heart aches for the town somewhat. It does make her feel better about her decision to go scouting here, however - she feels she may be on the right track. That was her initial purpose, but little did she expect to find some familiar faces here...
"...Oh, is that...Riesenlied? And...Janey and Mikaia! And Odjn, too!" Jacqueline says, clasping her hands together cheerily. She quickly adjusts her course, veering to head straight toward them. She's dressed in a fairly non-descript fashion - a thick coat and pants to ward off the elements, as well as to avoid attention. She has a new outfit on the way, at least, but it'll be a while before it's ready...
"It's so good to see you all! ...And oh, I see Fei's here, as well! How've you been?" She asks with a smile. She was only able to spot him once she drew closer.
It seemed that they were all brought to Lunar as well, in one way or the other...she still wasn't entirely sure on how it happened.
<Pose Tracker> Shalune Amira has posed.
Noeline has mostly been at Riesenlied's side, and to be quite honest it doesn't seem like she's really been anywhere else in a few days, mostly travelling back and forth to Meribia to pick up the latest news, bounties, and rumours. After all, she's well aware that trying to cover an entire planet to find out where the Fereshte might be is something of a hopeless task, especially when Riesenlied needs the rest to try to shake off her injuries - for the time being, this seems the best way to pick up any news. Besides, you kind of expect someone with a fridge for a torso to make the papers.
Perhaps it's for the best that she's off on one of those trips, trusting Janey and Mikaia to ensure that Riesenlied doesn't try to stand up and immediately reopen her head wound by trying to help everyone else in Vane. It makes for less confusing poses given the presence of a pink blob riding an improbable flying scooter just behind Jacqueline. "--ah-- Miss Riese!" the mechanic blurts, just as much of a pile of comfortable sweaters and shirts as she ever is; she might have something new in there somewhere, but the overriding presence of her battered and lovingly repaired red coat and bobble hat kind of shine through.
Immediately, she's jumped off the back of the Little Dipper, scurrying forwards full of nervous energy. The beeline is unmistakable - she's going to aim for a flying tackle on the Tainted leader - but the way in which she catches sight of the bandages shortly before impact makes her realize that would be a terrible idea. Stuck with a pile of momentum and nowhere good to direct it, she scoops Mikaia up out of the blue instead and squeezes the girl into a hug. "Aah, je~ez, I'm glad you guys are safe..."
She's lacking a bit of her usual energy; what would normally be a gleeful cry is more of a quiet, thankful one instead, and she even manages to sniff a little as she gloms onto the poor orphan she's captured, needing a moment.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Mikaia is the first to perk upwards, exclaiming, "Mister Fei, Mister Fei! Miss Jay!!" she bounces up and down, wings wiggling up and down cutely as she hurries and hugs at his side, then the alchemist's. Riesenlied gets up a moment after, her expression just about melting into one of relief as she says:
"O-oh, I'm so glad you're both..."
She twitches and her mouth hangs open for a moment, and she falters onto her knees. "Oh-- oh--"
Odjn's eyes widen as she sweeps down to go, "No sudden moves, buster! C'monnn..." as she eases her back down. Maybe it's really a good idea that Shalune didn't just tackle Riesenlied, and Mikaia diverts Shalune aggro instead to go, "Shaluune!"
"I'm glad to see you..." Riesenlied settles down from her faltering moment, her eyes moist with tears. She's changed garments as well, like Jay: she's in a white and blue gown that evokes more Baskar traditions, with long, flowing detached sleeves that evoke the presence of a blue bird's feathers.
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
Fei laughs a little into his hand as he sees Shalune ambush an orphan. It's all very cute. He was worried Riesenlied would be in poor spirits after everything.
Hammer is also setting up shop in Vane. He is not present right now because he's doing some legwork regarding what Riesenlied asked him to do--to try and find the Fereshte--but Riesenlied is likely going to need to pay him since this involves sneaking silver into people's hands more than it does charisma or power. Hammer doesn't have those things. Regardless, Fei has already met Lily and is still hanging around Meribia so word may have gotten around if the Black Wolves kept in touch.
He gives a small nod to Jay. Respectful. "Hey Jay. Shalune and Lunata were a big help in the Mystic Ruins. Thanks."
He then looks back to Riesenlied. "I'm glad you're alright too." He has some distance to him when it comes to Riesenlied but he does worry a great deal and think highly of her.
"Nice dress too." He adds. "It suits you." He tilts his head. "How's the rest of your crew? You think Wayside will be alright without you there?"
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Jacqueline readily returns Mikaia's hug with a bright smile...but her expression falters somewhat at the sight of Riesenlied's injuries.
"O-oh no, what happened...? Do you need any medicine?" She asks, without waiting for an answer, she begins rummaging around inside her coat.
"But, yes, it's good to see you all again! I was...well, I was more than a little worried, after everything that happened, so I'm glad to see you all again. How is everyone?" She asks. She didn't see Noeline anywhere here...considering Riesenlied's condition she would've expected to see her here, fussing over her.
She looks toward Fei and nods.
"Oh, were they! I'm glad to hear that. Did you find anything exciting?" She asks. His comment then draws her attention back to Riesenlied.
"Oh, that's beautiful, Riese...who made it?" She asks, amazed.
<Pose Tracker> Shalune Amira has posed.
It's not Noeline's fault that she can't be around at the same time as Shalune! She's already courting eel-based disaster just by referring to the 'pink blob'.
Shalune very nearly scoops Fei up into the hug out of sheer proximity; her Hug Presence is large enough that it definitely feels like she wouldn't have had any issue doing so, despite the martial artist having about a foot or so of height on her. Her hugs are just that fearsome at times, especially backed by a relief that borders just on the edge of panic.
So she cuddles the beastgirl to her with a relieved sigh for a long moment. "Aah... jeez, I was worried! I was so worried! I mean, it's all been so crazy I barely even had time to think about the Fereshte, but I was still really worried!" she motormouths, glancing around as if to try to spot the stricken flying craft; after a moment she realizes that it's not actually visible, and after another moment she recognizes just how ramshackle the town is, and how much it reminds her of Wayside.
"Ah-- huh--..." she trails off, letting the girl down with a pat on her head and a reinforced smile as she focuses back on Riesenlied - it's one of sympathy and support, and she nods as Jacqueline offers medicine. "Take it easy, okay?" she adds her voice to the alchemist's. "Hehe, I'll help Janey get your stuff fixed up asap," she offers as she pats one coat pocket, the motion met with the telltale clink of nails in a small bag as the Little Dipper bonks to a halt at her back.
"Oh, and, the ship's okay, right? I mean, just say the word and I'll get to fixin' as much of it as I can! My supplies of decent metal are pretty low here, but I can still work with anything you need help with, and I can refresh scrap like you wouldn't believe. My energy reserves are all topped up," she exults, which probably just means she's got a pocket full of nut bars to chew on when she starts to get tired.
Her sudden and determined good cheer takes a bit of a hit when Jacqueline asks what they found in the Mystic Ruins - but she powers straight through it, hopping up onto the Little Dipper to focus on meeting up with Janey instead.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied would definitely be funneling silver into the search for the Feresthe. Merchants don't work for free, and she's used to that! They're a little scant on gella, after everything, but they'll be finding a lot of work to do around here with what needs to be done...
"We didn't see you when we had to run out of Meribia, so I was deeply worried..." Riesenlied says of Fei, but-- pauses as she shakes her head and struggles with her head wound for a moment. It seems to lightly stilt her speech when the pain flares up.
She doesn't refuse the medicine, saying, "Berserk... nearly-- nearly... ah--"
Odjn huffs and says, "Berserk nearly crushed her skull with his fist. If it weren't for the Drifters... but it's been bleeding off and on again. It's kinda bad some days..."
"I don't know where the Fereshte has wound up. I've asked Hammer to help me locate it... I hope-- I hope everyone will be all right." She cups her mouth for a moment, rather bad at hiding her anxiety. "Noeline is also taking trips to Meribia to investigate in my stead..."
Mikaia puts her hands around her mom after she gives Shalune a hug. "It's all right. Everyone's on the ship... so I'm sure they'll stick together and help each other up! That's the Wayside way, no matter where we go!"
Riesenlied does smile at Jay and say, "Lydie... Lydie made me this garment. She was very excited about it... and I am too."
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
Fei reads between the lines. "...Ah..." He looks down. "...I'm sorry. It was Siegfried wasn't it? I can't believe he'd go so far. I should have been there." He exhales briefly. "...I must have missed it while I was recovering from fighting Ida."
He is cheered up by Mikaia's words. "Heh, well, if you all got out that's good enough. I feel bad that you keep losing wherever you end up settling."
He looks at Vane. But this place isn't likely to be destroyed again is it?
Still, he will accept hugs. He's not made out of stone.
"If Hammer can find it, then he'll let you know I'm sure. I actually had a job for him too." He glances to Jay. "We uh. We did find something but I want to go over it with the Guild Master. It was a film projector."
He looks back to shalune, feeling guilty about his unease wiht regards to Lunata in this moment. She'll be fine. She has people. A lot of people don't.
"Berserk huh..." Fei frowns. "He turned out scarier than I thought. I was in the other tower so I don't know what happened. I know Yarobeleedt is probably somewhere on this planet."
He doesn't comment on Lydia but...the metal demon excels at reminding him of Elly, who is nowhere to be found.
"...I wonder if Elly's still on Filgaia."
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
"Oh no...I'm so sorry, that sounds awful. Yes, you must take it easy after something like that. Head injuries are very serious." Jacqueline says, offering up some potions that she hopes will help with the matter. "I plan to be in Vane for a while yet, so if you need any more, don't hesitate to ask me, alright?"
She's surprised, though, and a little terrified, to hear that the Fereshte is missing.
"O-oh no...well, yes I...I'm certain everyone will be alright! the people of Wayside are nothing if not hardy, after all! I'm sure they'll be just as ardently looking for you all, as well." Jacqueline says with a nod toward Mikaia, trying to reassure Riesenlied.
She can't help but notice Shalune's sudden dampened cheer, and it gets a frown out of Jacqueline. Whatever it was...it must not have been anything good. Fei said it was a film projector...they had those on Lunar? She could only imagine what it was...
"S-sorry, I suppose I shouldn't have asked..." She murmurs, then glances toward Riesenlied with a weak smile.
"I knew she was talented, but I didn't realize she was an excellent tailor, as well..." She comments, then glances toward Fei.
Elly...Jacqueline couldn't comment on that.
<Pose Tracker> Shalune Amira has posed.
It doesn't take long for Shalune to be hovering over Janey - literally, given the Little Dipper, which she offers some space on to the girl. "Ooh, you did pretty great - oh, you should put some fabric around the edges!" she comments out of the blue, peering at the work that's already been done and plonking her backpack on one edge of the roof in a way that would be precarious if it didn't deform to the available space. "It'll help insulate it against drafts of wind, y'know? Hold on, I've got some felt around somewhere we can cut up..."
She's obviously listening to the talk below her, at least, because her pink hair peeks over the edge of the ceiling to stare worriedly down towards Riesenlied's moment of stutter. "... mm... the Carakin can watch out for any news of them too," she volunteers with a pump of her fist. "Me too, for that matter. I really like flyin' around on this planet, so maybe I'll have a chance to look far and wide for it."
She hesitates briefly, worrying at her lip, then moves her gaze towards Jacqueline. "As for Glenwood, we've-- I mean, we've got friends we could ask to keep an eye out there too, right? The more we can cover, the better," she wonders, obviously thinking of Matilda and her mercenary crew, but a little reluctant to actually refer to it as such.
"It was everythin'," she grumbles at Fei after a moment, folding her arms. "Metal Demons, sure, but a bunch of humans who were real mad that we were flying, an' then some Veruni, then-- then Lunata got real angry, and that only made everything crazier," she trails off with a sigh as she scratches at her hair. It takes her a moment to decide how to sum it up: "For a bunch of 'pleasing gardens' that really sucked."
... her actually referring to the Veruni by name is a bit new, but... well, you spend enough time around Wayside or Kaguya, I guess...?
She gives Jacqueline a warmer smile, at least, and scratches at her hair a second time. "No, um-- I guess I just don't know how to explain what we found, I s'pose. It was some kinda record of the past, but-- um, compared to Hiro, most of it went straight over my head. Sorry." Slowly, she pokes her fingers together in front of her, and admits: "... I was too busy lookin' close at the projector rather than the film."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Janey beams at Shalune to go, "I know, I know! But we're dealing with just scraps here, the moment we get better stuff... well, I'll plug it right up!"
"... yes... Siegfried, Berserk and Harken came with their forces to Wayside. The... the Demon of Elru, Id, was also there. We escaped by the skin of our teeth, on the skyship we'd been preparing all of this time -- the Fereshte," Riesenlied explains gently to Fei as Mikaia helps her down to a more comfortable, seated position.
She listens on the topic of the film projector, rather curious. Was there something in the Ruins beneath Vane...? She wasn't certain if Miria or Lemina wanted them to investigate it.
"As for Berserk..." She pauses, and holds onto that Dragon's Tear of hers. It shimmers with a rather neutral, ebbing orange colour, laced with some anxiety.
"Princess Cecilia and the other Drifters sealed the statue of Odoryuk. But Berserk and Harken came... and... with a corrupted sealing rod, he was able to... to... smash the statue and break it."
She lowers her head. "I fell into a deep, dark place when Berserk attacked me... it was Odoryuk's voice that guided me back. ... the memory is still unclear to me, but... Noeline said I..."
A pause. "I materialised... Odoryuk to help push him back. And with our combined efforts, we..." she hesitates. "Berserk is... no more, now."
She sounds guilty that she can't be more happy about it. She looks up towards the other two. "And the rest... was with the battle against the Lord of Calamity that appeared after... I helped Lucia enact a plan to activate an Elw teleporter. I think it went -- awry, because it teleported... well, virtually all of Lost July, it feels..."
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
Fei doesn't seem particularly enthused by Berserk's death or saddened by it. He could have fled if he wanted to, it was his own pride that secured his demise. Still, he knows that may be sticking point if they make it back to Filgaia. Will Siegfried be able to forgive his death? He's not sure.
"Id?" Fei asks (this may not be the first time either). "Who's that? I think Ramses mentioned something called the Demon of Elru before."
He looks to Shalune. He was more asking about the town than the ship but he nods once. "Can't imagine many folks with the ability to chase after an airship. You're lucky you were able to escape, even after having to face all those other problems beforehand."
He frowns thoughtfully as Riese mentions what Lucia did 'on accident'. "I don't know." Fei admits. "...She seemed to know what she was doing."
He brightens. "But hey, I was able to seal the Statue of Death and I don't think it got smashed. I'm not sure, but Gebler might've taken it. It was kind of hazy about that point." He frowns. "...If you've run into Neriah... be careful, she's getting pretty wild. I'm worried about her." He looks to Janey and adds, "Yeah. I saw the Lord of Calamity there." He winks at her.
Oh god why is he encouraging it?
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
"Yes, certainly. I can't make any promises, but we'll keep an ear out for rumors of the Fereshte anyway...and I'll put a word in with our friends, as well." Jacqueline agrees with a nod. She catches Shalune's eye, and understands well what that means.
She...isn't particularly eager to bring it up, either. She offers a slight smile to Shalune when she apologizes.
"...Ahh, I see. It's alright, Shalune. I don't blame you." She says with a slight, good-natured chuckle. That was about what she expected from Shalune, honestly. She wouldn't have her any other way.
Her attention turns toward Riesenlied, then.
"...Yes, Catenna told me what happened..." Jacqueline replies with a faint murmur. She's...still a little conflicted about that, as well. She isn't sad about it, but she isn't happy about it, either.
She's simply...resigned.
"But...oh my. It sounds like I missed a lot while I was unconscious..." She comments, folding her arms in front of her as Riesenlied explains about the battle with the Lord of Calamity. Fei brings up Neriah, and Jacqueline's expression falters, and she shrinks back a bit.
"...Neriah..." She murmurs. Almost instinctively, without even realizing it, one of Jacqueline's hands goes to her heart.
"Yes, I...I'm concerned for her, as well..." She says. ...Even though she almost killed her. And might've, if it weren't for Lunata and Shalune.
<Pose Tracker> Shalune Amira has posed.
Shalune puffs up in pleased response to Janey. "Well, at least let me go jet over to Meribia and grab some! I don't want Miss Riese to get sick or anything when she's recovering. It kinda feels like she'd be the sort to get a lot of colds, y'know?" she adds in the most fake-surreptitious voice ever, rather suggesting that she thinks Riese is somehow more at risk than say Janey or Mikaia.
She listens to everyone catch up on the events in the Pleasing Gardens, falling a little quiet as she works on the rooftop alongside the orphan. It's not that she's avoiding the events that took place there, not really, they're just-- kind of raw, and she's going to need a good long while to sort through them properly and figure out what to do next. But one thing is kind of nagging on her mind, at least...
"U-uh-- it's okay that we have the Statue of Death but not the Statue of Life, right? I mean, sure, Filgaia didn't suddenly lose all its water when the one under Wayside got bopped, so I assume it's okay, but it's not like I know a whole lot about this stuff," she admits sheepishly, picking at some of her hair as she trades the hammer off to Janey.
Fei gets a bobble-hatted nod, though. "Y-yeah-- they were the same guys we fought when we were helping to rescue the Princess. I dunno what to make of them, but their technology's pretty out there. They-- seemed really invested in making sure no-one else flew ever, which makes them kind of an ass if you ask me," she grumbles. Well, of course Shalune would say that, given the Dipper...
"A-anyway-- it's not like we've a whole lot to do on Lunar bar get our bearings, so it looks like you could definitely use a hand here, huh? --but you're pretty lucky that you found a big ol' ruin out here so close to Meribia. Why not move into that big place over there?" she wonders. ... she... possibly hasn't twigged this is an active town yet...
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Janey leans over and goes, "She totally is, mom's super sensitive to the cold!" It's too bad she's not actually speaking low enough, which prompts a little pout from Riesenlied. "Yeah, let's go shopping sometime..."
Riesenlied looks askance, a little disturbed and a bit anxious. The Dragon's Tear swirls with the headiness of her emotions. "Id is... the man I chased from Elru, some seven years ago when he annihilated Garlyle in the span of one night. He is the reason I went to Ignas, personally, and met you all..."
She lowers her head. "Since then, he has come to attack our settlements. He destroyed Old Petra in an annihilating blast, and... Wayside as well, but..." She hesitates, trembling.
Riesenlied's head stirs just a little more, and she looks to Jacqueline as she says, "It sounds... it sounds like the CaraKin is fine? I'm so glad..." She bites her lip softly as she thinks of Neriah, shaking her head a little. She doesn't have the right words right now, even if concern is deep in her heart.
She glances towards Shalune and admits: "I'm more concerned if my brethren will be able to manufacture more corrupt rods and break more statues during our absence... oh..."
She holds onto her heart and winces at that thought. "... uhm...?" She tilts her head. "That's where the Premier, Miss Ausa, lives..."
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
Fei says, "I feel..." He lowers his head. "...Maybe that I failed Neriah. I don't know. I don't like thinking that it was inevitable because of what was done to her." He shakes his head. "But I had no idea she could summon something like the Lord of Calamity." He doesn't know Heldalf is...Heldalf so he has to use that name, even if he thinks it suits Janey better. That lion man feels more like the lord of tragedy if anything.
"Well we'll see her again." Fei mulls before turning his attention to Shalune, frowning in deep thought. "Gebler..." He shakes his head. "Elly's a member, so sometimes she has to go along with them on missions like that." She probably told them about the Fereshte. Fei doesn't vocalize that, but Riese might be able to read between the lines there.
"Be careful. They're not like those...characters like the Lord of Calamity. They are far sneakier and from the sounds of it, have had their fingers in a lot of pies, okay?"
But he might as well talk to air there. Riese will live her life as she lives it. He imagines she's not underestimating them judging from what he saw of the Fereshte.
"Thanks." Fei tells Riese. "I'll visit her soon. I imagine Hiro will want to too. And...Lemina, if she's around." Normally he prefers to avoid talking about this Id character even though he has trouble remembering he exists. But Riese says something that draws pause from him. It's not just that she mentions Old Petra where he was at that day but--
"--Why is he doing that?" Fei asks. "...Why...did you chase a man like that?"
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
...Neriah.
"...I feel like there may be more I could have done, as well..." Jacqueline murmurs, shaking her head. Despite everything, she still ended up having to fight her...
She lets that sink in a bit."Well...I think it should be fine, Shalune. From my understanding, the Statues only serve two primary purposes - reinforcing the Guardian's seal on Mother, and acting as a point of manifestation for the Guardian. And in the latter case, it is not the only such point..." Jacqueline replies. "The destruction of the Statue does not harm the Guardian. I'm not sure that they can be harmed, as such...physically, at least. And of course, the former purpose is still rather important."
She frowns slightly, folding her arms in front of her contemplatively.
"...Elly is? I'm surprised. I didn't know her very well, but she seemed nice, from what I saw..." She says, then glances toward Riesenlied.
"Yes, fortunately.... We...had a few scares, but for the most part everyone made it through alright." She replies...then hesitates for a moment. "...Matilda, though. She's...doing her own thing for now..."
She was a bit hesitant to bring it up, but figured she ought to. She shakes her head, then, and glances in the direction Shalune indicates.
"Miss Ausa? I was hoping to speak with her, actually...I have a proposal for her that I think will benefit both the Caravan Kinship and the city of Vane." She says.
<Pose Tracker> Shalune Amira has posed.
At least the talk with Janey seems to be lifting Shalune's spirits up something fierce; the two of them peer over the edge of the rooftop to answer Riesenlied's pout with a bright grin. "Aww, it's okay Miss Riese!" Shalune chimes, bobbing in place for a moment. "Look, if anyone understands the appeal of a big ol' pile of blankets, it's me for sure."
She sobers, at least. "... I mean... I could see wanting to know why someone would act like that. I didn't hear much over the radio when we were tryin' to keep the Fereshte in the air and let it get away, but what I did hear-- I mean, they seemed pained more than anything, right? Like that really white-hot-hurt kinda angry. I bet that's the sorta person Miss Riese just can't leave alone," she adds with a nod of surety, as if putting on 'gosh I'm so wise' airs.
She scratches at her cheek afterwards, offering a smile. "Ah, well-- yeah, the Caravan more or less is doin' okay. I mean, we're a bit full of people, and I'm kind of worried if we're gonna run into trouble on Lunar the minute one of the shamans decides to shaman around, but-- well, um, structurally at least we're holding up pretty great. The thing's running, so Jay's providing it power, so it's all good."
Slowly, she nods at Jacqueline's explanation. Whether she takes it in completely is a little uncertain - religion has always been her blind spot, after all, but she has always been a good pupil, and nods along with the explanation about the statues and how exactly they work, fidgeting slightly at the talk of Matilda again.
And then... ... well, Jay mentions she has a plan, and Shalune and Janey are back to peeking over the edge of the roof again, two long clumped strands of pink hair marking where she is as she stage whispers again. "See, Janey, Jay's actually a secret mastermind! She's gonna wheel and deal and take over Lunar for herself, so you're gonna have to face her sometime, y'know?"
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied does look rather surprised. "Elly is... a part of Gebler?" She hesitates for a moment, perhaps berating her mentally for the thoughts that she's drawing together. No, paranoia doesn't suit her...
'Marcus Rider' also visited your village.
She pauses and-- visibly agitates for a moment, but that might just be the head wound talking.
...Why... did you chase a man like that?
Riesenlied is silent for a while longer. She scoops Mikaia up to her lap as she hugs her. "... I remember the feeling when I saw the ruins of Garlyle. That was before Arctica, so... it was the first real time I'd seen something obliterated overnight. I wanted..."
She lowers her head. "I wanted to ask why. Why someone would go to such lengths, and cause so much death and destruction..."
She bites her lip. "Then, at Old Petra... I asked him why. And it attracted him to me, it seems. He seems insistent, now, on showing the pain that the world has caused him. It's... not unlike Neriah, I suppose. When I see people who have been hurt, I just can't... leave them alone... I want to understand... I want to help them..."
She clutches her hands to the Tear a little tighter.
She doesn't really add to the discussion of the CaraKin and helping Vane, but she does seem attentive. Acting on things is a little beyond her at present, in her condition.
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
Fei supposes that if Jay feels similarly, maybe there's something to it. Sure, perhaps Neriah could have made it easier for them, but sometimes looking after someone you care about isn't so easy. Failure is bound to happen. He can think of many times he just let something go rather than trying to challenge or understand the girl. Still, there's not much he can do about it while she's nowhere to be found. And right now, it's probably for the best she's hard to find. If she's on Lunar, she can imagine how the Guard would treat her.
"She is nice." Fei says to Jay. "She just happens to be part of Gebler." He frowns faintly. "...I don't think she likes it, but it's hard, you know, to leave that kind of place behind." He looks to Riese. "You know how it's like, too. Even I kind of get it."
He shakes his head. "I just hope she's okay and...whatever she ends up doing, she can be happy with it. It might be a while before we see her again. Even if she wanted to, I think...her commander is going to keep a close eye on her."
He smiles to Jay. "Well hey, if you want to come along, that's fine with me. Heck, maybe you'll have an easier time getting ahold of her than some no-account artist."
He nods to Shalune. "Oh yeah, blankets are amazing! Like, I don't mind sleeping out on the road, but when I went to November City and stayed at their hotel, there's nothing like it! I was really impressed by their beds, and their sheets!"
Fei listens to Shalune describe this mysterious demon of elru who Fei has trouble keeping in his mind. "I guess sometimes when you're hurtin', you want to hurt others so you're not alone with your pain." He thinks of Ida, of course, whose name is pretty similar to Id's.
His thoughts dwell there for a moment but Riesenlied is answering him. He laughs a little bit before adding, "That is so like you," He smiles. "I hope you--" He falters when Riese explains that she did ask him why.
He blinks a few times.
"...Oh.." He says. "Shit. I'm sorry, Riese. It's not ... fair that you are put through so much just for trying to reach out to others."
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
"I...I'm sure they won't do anything foolish. It's like what Lydia said - I'm sure they remember how they felt when Althena's Guard came and started changing things. I'm sure they'll try to set a better example..." Jacqueline says. She's...not actually entirely sure about that, but...she has to believe in her friends!
She nods toward Fei, then.
"...I see. I don't know much about Gebler, admittedly - only what I've gleaned from my encounters with them. If you say she's alright, then I'll believe you. I'd...like to think that even they can have good qualities..." She replies. She remembered her frantic conversation with the pilot of the Gear she fought while trying to defend the Fereshte...she still couldn't understand their feelings.
And then she glances up, to where those familiar clumps of pink hair dangle over the side of the roof.
"S-secret mastermind..." Jacqueline murmurs, a bit embarrassed.
"I-It's nothing like that...I was just thinking that, perhaps we could work together. It was Ethius's suggestion, but...it may help to study under Lunarian craftsmen and see how they work. And in return, we can help them rebuild, as well as promote trade agreements with them..." She explains. "Oh, were you going to speak with her as well, Fei? And really, you shouldn't talk about yourself like that..."
She glances toward Riesenlied, then.
...She could kind of understand how she felt, really. She couldn't help but feel sorry for her. It seemed as if she was undertaking something difficult...
<Pose Tracker> Shalune Amira has posed.
"H-hmm... it's definitely hard to think of Miss Elly as bein' part of anything bad, y'know? She's given Wayside a ton of support. Like Mr. Fei says, it's probably just that she's sort of stuck in that position right now," she adds with what sounds a lot like complete certainty and faith, frowning as she pumps a fist. "I mean, they don't exactly sound like a very, uh, forgiving kinda bunch, from what I heard of them when they were attackin' us," she adds with a remarkable amount of tact. "She's probably gotta sneak around a ton, stuff like that."
"But--... that sounds almost petulant," she mumbles of Riesenlied's comments on Id, visibly deflating quickly, sighing gently to herself. "... eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, big toe for a big toe, then there's nothin' left of anyone."
She lingers on the thought for a moment, chewing unhappily on it - but perks back up when Fei waxes lyrical about the simple idea of owning a comfortable bed. "... there, there," she responds, putting on a timorous tone as she mimes headpatting the open air. "You've had it rough, haven't you, dear?" --is that a Granny voice, why is she doing a Granny voice--
It disappears quickly, if only because she's hiding behind the lip of the roof again, this time levelling a remarkably glum stare in the alchemist's direction. "... is he gonna blow up their tools if they look funny at him?" she openly grumps. "Not that I'm against the idea, but we could kinda do with establishin' a baseline for what he reckons is okay and what he reckons should be slagged down."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
"... n-no, I mean--" Riesenlied weakly tries to smile in return, holding her cup of tea with a slightly shaky hand. "... it's all right." Well, no, it's not all right, but it's something she's chosen to have to deal with... but her vocabulary and means to express herself is a bit light at present.
"I don't do it expecting it to be easy. If it were easy, the world would be a much better place already. But if we don't try, even if it's difficult... then we really won't be able to communicate with one another."
She does nod at Fei regarding Elly, as well as Shalune. "... yes, I do know what you mean. I just hope she--" She holds onto her chest a little closer. "If she does not like it... then I hope she can choose what she wants to do before she does anything she deeply regrets."
Arctica... and Adlehyde... it still will weigh heavily upon her.
She looks towards Jacqueline and says, "Once I'm better... I'll come help with Vane however I can. Without the Fereshte around, we're more limited, but..."
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
"Me too," Fei says.
She already has done something she regrets, he thinks, but that's between her and him and whomever else she feels like talking about it with. Shalune, further, vocalizes the truest terror deep in his gut of what these people might do. These people who do not radiate with malevolent forces nor infest kingdoms with hate plagues but do, very effectively, maintain a tight grip on high technology, secrets, and with reach out with many hands and fingers and quiet subtle movements. The fear of the Lord of Calamity may be primal, but his fear of Gebler has dug in deep. He hasn't even seen their form.
He smiles though and says, "If I see her, I'll have to let her know you think that Shalune."
Hearing her agree with him that Elly isn't a bad person really kind of puts him at ease, putting a small little terror to rest. She sees it too. It's not just him being bamboozled by his own heart.
"Thanks, Shalune." He says. He smiles at Riese but has talked enough about some asshole. "Heh, putting me to shame with that spirit. I'll try to keep it up."
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
"Ah...that's horrible. I...I feel kind of sorry for her, now..." Jacqueline murmurs, folding her arms in front of her. Unfortunately, she couldn't really think of any way to help, either.
Shalune gets a raised eyebrow when she puts on the Granny voice, and then a shrug as she mentions Ethius.
"...I certainly hope not. I had a talk with him and he agreed not to worry anyone more than necessary in the future, but...I'm not entirely sure we both agree on what's 'necessary'." She replies, trailing off slightly. "...Still, I agreed with him on this point. I don't want to give the Guard more reason to go after us than they already have. But rest assured, I will give him the talking to of his life if he tries anything!"
They couldn't avoid it completely, not with Kourin with them. But turning her away was never an option.
Jacqueline then glances toward Riesenlied with a smile.
"...It's alright. Knowing you, just being there and showing a willingness to aid them will do wonders." She replies.