2018-03-19: Raising the Bar
- Log: Raising the Bar
- Cast: Riesenlied, Leon Albus, Noeline
- Where: Vane
- Date: 19th March 2018
- Summary: Leon comes across the Wayside family as they're reading in Vane's library.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied has been spending some time to study the mysteries of what she'd discovered in the Mystic Ruins with Lemina. She's related it to Noeline in small part: the imagery of a large, mechanical tower of cannons that blasted Vane out of the sky... a woman that Lemina thinks is Althena, and the muddled timeline that doesn't quite line up with what history says.
Mikaia looks much more eager as she sits ontop of a library table and copies down notes about Lunarian soup recipes to make for the Vane residents -- she's become somewhat of a de facto soup kitchen head where they're staying in Vane out near the Premiere's house.
The Hyadean looks better than she did before -- her head is still bandaged, but the memory lapses and anxious shakes have receded since the first few days, the effects of the Goddess Statue showing that it isn't just all talk.
<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.
Leon has been about another mission entirely, ever since the Black Wolves made their successful escape -- through anonymity, a strange new freidn -- from Meribia. The captain of the Black Wolves has to consider how to meet the group's needs on an alien world, which entails finding a base of operations. To that end, he has been investigating Meribia and Vane for just such a place.
He hasn't found one. Yet.
He steps into the library, wearing the outfit that he has chosen for his stay on Lunar: a snug-fitting tunic, dyed a dark blue, with armor over the right shoulder. A sheath over that shoulder holds Argent Divider, folded up into its sword form. It helps the weapon blend in better.
He looks around for a moment, sniffing the air -- the scent of old books in such volume is a new one to him -- before he spots the Hyadean contingent, plus Mikaia. Leon pauses a moment, before he approaches, and raises a hand.
"Riesenlied," he says. "You seem like you're doing better."
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
While Riese has dived into ruins, Noeline's spent some time diving into nearby cities instead; never far from Vane, she has at least taken some time to keep an ear low to the ground in Meribia as she listens out for the latest news - particularly where large airborne ships crashing to the ground might have been concerned. The fact that she hasn't had any news yet is-- sort of comforting, in a way. When it comes to the Guard, no news appears to be good news.
But it doesn't help them find the Fereshte either. The rest of her time has been split between shoring up their new makeshift home as best she can and reading up on the geography of Lunar - she's got a head for maps, and has managed to commit a lot of it to memory. It isn't just to pick out places in which the Fereshte might have landed safely - though that's certainly part of it - but also to locate and map a path to the Earthspine Mountains. Being on Lunar isn't a chance she can afford to pass up.
The question of what exactly is sealed away within Lunar's past is an ongoing one, and helps to capture her curiosity when it comes to Riesenlied's tales of ruins... and so today the two metal demons are rather the picture of domesticity as they read together. Noeline's frown is quiet but not upset when she looks up, eyebrows raised.
"Mr. Albus. You too, if I may say so. We've all had a bit of time to recover, I suppose," she chuckles quietly; she's dropped most of her armor given she's relaxing in Vane for the time being, left in a light black dress that still looks a little severe for her surroundings. But then, Noeline is as Noeline does.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
There's a lovely smile from Riesenlied and Mikaia both, the latter waving as she expresses, "Mister Leon!" and cupping her mouth as she realises she has to hush up a bit! It's a library, after all.
"Yes... neither Miss Miria nor Lemina was not exaggerating one bit -- the Goddess Statues do have a strong healing effect," Riesenlied explains. "We'd best take their properties into account when we consider our base of operations, Mister Leon."
She tilts her head with a quiet finger to her cheek. "Have you had any luck finding a place? Some of the abandoned buildings here might suffice, but I wasn't sure what you had in mind..."
<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.
It is, Leon thinks, a little cute to see them reading together like that. The thought manifests as a small smile upon the Captain's face, as he approaches. He slides his hands down -- and then they stop, as he realizes there isn't a duster and its pockets for his hands. Instead, they fumble awkwardly, before he rests them on his waist.
"Yes," he says. "It's... relaxing, as well. That could be dangerous, to tell you the truth. I might think it worthwhile to rest on my laurels for a few months."
He cracks a smile. It's a joke.
"Mikaia," he says. "I hope you've been keeping an eye on Janey." Then, he looks to Riesenlied, and shakes his head. "I haven't yet. I might be too particular. I think an abandoned building... it /could/ draw attention. If the locals see a group of mercenaries, misfits, riff raff, and undesirables take over an abandoned building, they could get curious. The wrong sort, perhaps."
He rubs his chin. "I have a mind to find us a bar. Some place that we can seem to be regulars at. Of course, with their strange religious prohibitions..."
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
For a moment, Noeline snorts at the sight of Leon pawing down his clothes - but it gives her time to carefully place a bookmark amongst the pages of the rather slim volume she's decided to devour, turning the cover closed to reveal-- a farmer's almanac? It's not the only odd book on the table that she's apparently been going through during their recovery, because there's a suspicious little stack of fiction to one side, and what appears to be a penny book of myths and ghost stories.
Best not to ask, perhaps.
"Rest assured that mandated relaxation has not stopped her from vanishing overseas at one point," she reports with a very wry smile and an amused look. "Honestly, I wake up once morning to find that she's already managed to book a ferry ticket and catch the first boat. What, exactly, am I supposed to do with her?" she huffs pleasantly, with a lopsided grin that shows no sign of going down any time soon.
She does tap at the table, though, and the atlas that lay underneath her latest acquisition. "Thus far, we have not had a great deal to do. It's a little difficult to know where to go when we have an entire moon open to us, and a rather small and wrecked ship to find. I was hoping at least someone might have reported a shooting star or something similar, but no such luck yet. The Ebony Wings will be safe, I have no doubt, but until we get some kind of a signal, we are at a loose end."
She pauses, and frowns in thought. "... there are no end of abandoned buildings in Vane. To be quite honest, fixing one up would probably be doing them a favour, from personal experience." A beat. "... you should absolutely take Miss Lily to meet the matriach of this place," she adds, because she'd probably pay good money to see that.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Maybe it's best not to ask, because it seems like the bad habit has spread and Mikaia seems to have a couple loitering around her as well. She's going to grow up with the juiciest tabloids and hottest gossip in both Filgaia -and- Lunar! The brain can only rot...
Riesenlied does-- look awkward as she says, "... the voices are strong here, when they appear. I did discover a ruin with Dragon markings..." She sighs softly. "And a worrying claim of creating their own goddess, if Althena were to abandon them. This world has no less its share of woes than our own."
Mikaia laughs tiredly at Leon and says, "You should see her bouncing around the place, I think carpentry's something she's really getting into, thanks to Mister Am..." A pause, as she hesitates and looks to Riese, who nods softly.
Weird.
"A bar..." Riesenlied thinks for a moment. "Somehow, that really does fit the image of the Wolves. Maybe less myself, but... maybe I can try playing music there?"
<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.
"There's territory we can't get to, too--a whole area to the southeast. I've asked about some reports, and no one saw anything that way." To say nothing, Leon thinks, of the other country in that war to the south. He walks over, giving Noeline a look at the way she smiles at his fumble. He slides his chair out, and looks over the stack of books. "Interesting reading," he adds to Noeline.
Then, he takes a seat, and peers down at the atlas for a moment. It still feels strange to see a map so different than that of Filgaia's. He looks up, then, and peers at Riesenlied for a moment.
"Carpentry? It could be uyseful. Especially with the aforementioned buildings. But--be careful about those weekend jaunts," he adds. "I've heard a little about the war to the south. Of course... there's some ruins of interest down there, too."
He leans back, then, and grins at them all. "That's the point!" he says. "It does seem to fit us better. Even if you might be right, Noeline. It--hm." He looks at Riesenlied. "You play? Or sing?"
He looks at Noeline, too polite to ask if Riesenlied is any good, but still curious.
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
"Never underestimate what you can learn from old wives' tales and hearsay," the 'Crimson Noble' hums with a triumphant sort of grin, her old identity perhaps reinforcing itself again as they have the chance to relax on a planet where 'metal demon' doesn't mean a great deal. "It's remarkably useful for picking up on old superstitions and themes - those tend to translate into actual historical basis with surprising regularity."
She pauses, and then shrugs as she's forced to admit: "It isn't as if I've found anything distinctly useful, mind you, but I suppose you could call it the groundwork," she huffs as she flicks out a long tail of hair. "More than ruins, this is the sort of history I've always enjoyed reading about the most, from Arctica to Adlehyde and beyond."
She... still hasn't mentioned the fiction, per se, but she does share a pleased glance with Mikaia and a proud huff. ... are both of them coaching the kids in their own ways?
She pats Riesenlied's arm gently, at least - a silent indicator of support and understanding when it comes to the other demon's jaunts. The affectionate and gentle motion is almost too good to be true, so of course she adds, eyes alight: "I did consider tying her up, but I doubt it would help given she'd just teleport through the ropes."
And then she hesitates-- and glances back at Leon with her eyebrows raised, answering the man's unspoken question with a rather nonplussed look. "I-- wasn't aware either. I suppose it would make sense, given the nomadic life, but..." Spike of jealousy in five, four...
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
"No, you're right..." Riesenlied does agree with Noeline. "We've gathered several points of interest from our search, I think. The 'Vile Tribe' often appear in their nursery rhymes, which kind of remind me of how we used to be sung in Filgaians' myths... the Magic Emperor is as a kind of Quarter Knight, to use a neighboring term."
She listens to Leon's report with a quiet nod, saying, "I was drawn to the south continent by the voices, but... I think it is quite a dangerous place for me. Several of the mercenary companies have already picked up my wanted posters, and..."
She thinks of Ambrosius again.
"Gebler landed there, in Glenwood. An associate of mine confirmed it," Riesenlied warns. "Given our relationship with them... Meribus would be a safer base of operations right now, until we can even understand how to return..."
Mikaia pouts quietly to say, "H-hey, we don't go out to spelunk every weekend or anything..." She tilts her head. "Though, Lemina said something about testing us in her Trial Cave. Maybe that'll be fun...!"
Future Drifters... undoubtedly.
Riesenlied blinks when Leon asks about her performances, though, and she bashfully says, face turning red, "W-well, there is the flute... but I also have taken lessons in the harp before. I am not a virtuoso, but... I have long wanted to play again. They do not particularly care for it in the Photosphere, as you may imagine. I can't sing, though..."
<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.
"Does it? I'm... hm. I've never really looked at it much before," Leon admits. "Literary pursuits were never my specialty. I suppose it makes sense. Myths and legends have a way of becoming local lore, don't they?"
He rubs his chin. What do Kislevi legends say about the nation? He wonders. A nation built on war. It makes him frown for a moment, and then he cracks a smile at Noeline's answer. "Hm," he says, "It would, wouldn't it."
He looks back to Riesenlied -- and his eyebrows knit. "Gebler," he repeats. "We'd have been too lucky if their members weren't brought here, too. I agree with you. We shouldn't risk crossing them--they probably have better resources than we do."
A moment pauses, and then he nods. "If you want to play, I don't have a problem with it. I think you should," he says. "I'd be happy to hear it."
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
With a light chuckle, Noeline tilts her head. "More than that, it allows me to get the sense of a place. Meribia is-- rather staid, I fear, or at least there are some rather large gaps in what I would consider to be its culture," she comments after a moment with an amused sigh. "It's quite difficult to find things there that aren't Guard-mandated. At the very least, Vane has a significantly more wide-reaching selection of things here in its library."
Her face shadows for a moment at the talk of Gebler; she huffs softly under her breath, her brow furrowed. "A shame - on the other hand, I imagine that must be quite a sight. Groups like that don't tend to deal terribly well with being cut off from their chain of command. I imagine they're quite worried at the moment about being exposed, or the possibility of overextending themselves. With luck, that might translate into their staying still." She pauses, and frowns. "Not enough to bet on, unfortunately."
Another pause, but this time she lightly taps Mikaia on the head. "I don't mind, but at least make sure one of us comes with you. Or a member of the Carakin or two, perhaps. ... I'm still reeling from the heart attack you gave us when you popped up at the Pleasing Gardens. Honestly," she grumbles, her grump only exacerbated by the way in which she learns something new about Riese and feels a rather possessive aura flare up.
Suddenly she's lightly clung to the other woman's arm - only lightly, thankfully. "... I didn't know," she maintains again, and pouts. "... why not try it? Vane could use the cheer."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied makes a quiet face, and remarks, "... the ship is rather larger than our own. I have no doubt it's much more capable of taking the brunt of a fall from the skies than the Fereshte is... and that is not to say about anything else inside that may have been spared, such as their Gears."
She tilts her head to one side. "I--I will consider it. It would be rather lovely to be able to play for an audience... and it has been too long since I really could just sit down and express myself that way..."
Riesenlied does quietly lean towards Noeline as she holds her arm. "... I can try playing for you first, to see if you approve." Mikaia giggles and says, "You've inspired me to learn how to play the recorder... I know you've got an aptitude for it, mama!"
"I'm unsure if the Guard has bothered to put your names up, on an aside, Mister Leon..." Riesenlied thinks again. "I know I am still wanted for the same price as the Deceiver, given where it originated... but I do not believe the Guard really picked up Aveh's bounties...?"
<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.
"I noticed many more Guardsmen in Meribia. It's made me inclined to set-up shop in Vane -- moreso, knowing you've talked to the Premier." Maybe he should introduce Lily, though Leon wonders if that is more for the potential humor of seeing the meeting occur.
"You're right, of course. Maybe they'll stay still--or at least not interfere too much. I'd rather not bring too many of Filgaia's troubles here, if we could help it." He sighs, a little, and then glances at Mikaia. "Let one of us know. I'm sure any of the Wolves--I'm sure most of the Wolves would go with you."
Then, his eyebrow raises. "We'll set it up, if you want. If not, don't worry about it. You almost certainly have more musical talent than me." Which is to say: any, whatsoever. He cracks a smile, then.
"Well. I'll enjoy the reprieve," he says. "And if the Guard thinks to bother you... too much vacation is a bad thing?"
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
"I can say at the very least that White Knight Leo and his cadre are back. The reward posters are proof enough of that," the spy points out. "I imagine that has bolstered their confidence - though who knows what they might want to do with the knowledge of Filgaia under their belts. Probably it's not something they can easily bring up, but I've long since given up on trying to predict that man's actions."
She grumbles a little - but touches slightly at Riesenlied's hair, as if accepting her offer via touch alone as she breaks into a quiet smile. "... just be a little careful of word getting around, I suppose. Vane's peace and quiet is its strength, right now. If you manage to attract people from all around it would hardly be out of type - and yet, might open us up to some rather unwarranted curiosity."
A pause, and she nods. "At the very least, allow me to point you towards Lady Miria," she offers as she stands up. After all, Lily would be the funniest, but it's not to say she can't extract some amusement from Leon getting Mega-Mommed as well.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied lowers her head to say, "I suppose I cannot fault them for putting the Hyadean bounties back up on Lunar. They have all the reason to think the Quarter Knights have gone with them, and it would be quite the threat to bring to their home world..." with sorrow in her voice. A pause, and-- she smiles quietly and gently.
"I'll prepare dinner. The least I can do is make you and Miss Lily a bowl of food..." Riese smiles.
<Pose Tracker> Leon Albus has posed.
"Mm... it would seem so." Leon sighs, then rubs between his eyebrows. He looks up at Riesenlied, then, and blinks at the offer -- before he smiles. He bobs his head, once, in a nod. "I'll take you up on that. I've had my fill of the rations we picked up for the road."
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
"... I could almost believe it would be fine," Noeline comments quietly to herself. "Or rather - for all that many in the Guard are inflexible and unwilling to listen, somehow I am not certain that Leo would be amongst them. I rather imagine they will have to spend some time putting their affairs in order. When it comes down to it, many of their order are now 'trapped' on Filgaia. That may be grounds for a truce..." she trails off; she doesn't look terrifically certain, after all.
But, she shakes it away with an amused huff. "We cannot guarantee the finest lodgings, but we have at least a couple of tents, a lack of breeze, and a slightly holey roof."