2018-04-08: Objets d'Art

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========================<* Pendrago - Business District *>========================

The business district in Pendrago begins right at its gates. This city is the largest on the continent of Glenwood and that size stands out when one enters. The streets are paved with cobblestones and the plazas of carved stone are ornate. A large fountain is in the plaza just beyond the gates, gushing high into the air. Here, the foot traffic is heavy, with both lone travelers and caravans setting up before departure or resting just after arrival. Beyond them, the inn and many of the stores do a steady business serving the travelers funneling into the city.

The business district continues up the northwestern part of the city, along a very busy street. The shops here are more for locals: food stalls, carts selling local wares, and the more opulent storefronts owned by nobles. Travel is heavy here, as individuals go to and from the city's castle district and entrance. A gate in the northeast leads to the richest part of this city, which is always guarded by a squad of knights.

The nobles' manors are located in this little walled off section. Rolance's nobility are often merchant princes, who own large companies and make larger profits. Their manors tower against the walls, tending towards height instead of being the expansive manors of Ladylake.

BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmeIVrUY4X0

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.

%TRagnell is also here! She isn't always; she trusts Riesenlied to fulfill her and Nimue's request with grace and respect, so there's no need for her to keep a close eye on things... but for her own reasons, she does want to see how things are going from time to time.
    
    So, on this particular day, she's here--draped on the chair of a nearby table, leaning far back with her hat over her face as if she were just another person hanging around having a nap, but she's here. Underneath her hat, through a crack, she keeps a sharp eye on "al-Rashid" and anyone who approaches her. 

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

Not that Talise has spent much time in Glenwood - but talk of art pieces of an ancient Shepherd has brought her here, flush with cash from selling a bunch of elemental weapons to Benedict Greygust.

She didn't come looking for a fight - she's got Rastaban on her and a larger claymore slung over her shoulder, but both are peacebonded and she's without armour. As she nears the coffee shop, she squints into the shop in search of the so called Miss al-Rashid.

Who... happens to be Riese. Talise's eyebrows come up shallowly.

"Oh, hello, miss, uh, al-Rashid," she calls out lightly, with a quick wave. She may recognize the reformed Metal Demon on sight, but Talise isn't the kind of person to willfully blow her hornèd acquaintance's cover in public.

Talise glances at the other person she vaguely recognizes - she saw Ragnell in passing a couple of times but never spoke to her and can't even think of a name. She simply nods and mentally compartmentalizes her as 'Hat guy/girl, pretty cute'. 

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

    Yesterday was a complete fiasco. Two blundering idiots blundered in on Kalve and Ida having some quiet time together, and reacted in trademark blundering idiot fashion. Zed said some rather insensitive (if characteristically Zed-like things, and Claude finally identified her as a Hellion, and told her that she 'needed help'. Kalve tried to comfort her afterwards, but there was only so much he could do.

    It's yet another reminder to her that all good things disappear, eventually. She's going to have to do something about that.

    But Ida has one last appointment to keep before she tries to figure out what's next on her plate. Al-Rashid needs a visit, and has made her calling hours decently well-known.

    The doorchime jingles cheerily as a tallish, scholarly-looking individual walks into the coffeehouse. Ida is wearing a dull green tunic, tan leggings, and leather riding boots, and she seems as poorly-nourished as she was before Malevolence took her. She carries a leather book case under an arm. She strides up to what was possibly a bar before the alcohol ban, acquires tea with sugar, and approaches Ms. Al-Rashid's table.

    Talise is there. Ida's expression does not waver. "Hello, Ms. al-Rashid," Ida says. "I wished to speak with you, and your... associate?" She's not sure what Ragnell is in this partnership, or how she's involved.

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

    Despite her willingness to do all of this, Riesenlied is, rather obviously, umm... not a merchant. Advertising, outreach and onselling isn't exactly skills that her profile has managed to acquire, so perhaps it's for the best that Ragnell is there to watch over her. Then again, things turn comical very quickly when her first customers happen to be--

    "O-oh, Miss Talise," Riesenlied looks a bit surprised, then Ida walks in. "... y-yes, of course! Are you here about the paintings and artwork of Shepherd Bradamante?"

    She scratches her cheek with a bashful expression to say, "I'm sorry for the deception--" There's hardly any, Riese "--but the Althenan Guard are very quick to spread their bounties..." 

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.

    All good things disappear, eventually. Quite a lesson to take away from life. Ragnell would be hard-pressed to say Ida's wrong, though.
    
    Still pretending to be asleep, Ragnell doesn't react outwardly when Talise glances her way and nods in greeting. She does, however, recognize her; it's hard not to when Talise has been known for things like "hurling herself headfirst into battle with the Trial Knight" and "nearly getting consumed with Malevolence." It's a funny coincidence to see her here... Is she here for the art, or is she just here by chance?
    
    Then, at Talise's heels comes... huh. Ida. Ragnell hasn't seen *her* in an age (or at least as far as she knows). Once again, she doesn't react at the approach, or weigh in when Riese apologizes for "deceptions" and gets down to business, as it were.
    
    Her hat shifts slightly on her face as Talise and Ida seat themselves with "al-Rashid" the next table over. She snores a bit, largely for effect. 

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

Just when Talise thinks she's about to have a nice chat with Riesenlied and her pal in the hat, in comes the last person she was expecting. The swordswoman turns to look at the sound of the doorchime.

For a moment, she locks eyes with Ida. The naturalist-pugilist-Hellion would know Talise well enough to easily read the lines around her eyes and the flicker of emotion behind them - not just surprise, but a touch of hurt. Absent, though, is self-reproof. And Talise buries the flicker of emotion quicker than expected. Whatever else has happened to her over the past couple of months, she seems tangibly less sad than she did before the trip back to Lunar. If nothing else, she doesn't seem to be a Hellion.

"Nice to see you again," she says politely, nodding. "Did Ros' pass on my package?"

But there's a flistered Riesenlied to deal with, and Talise turns back to her with a wry smile and a shake of her head. "I understand," she assures. "Your secret's safe with me. Honestly, I'm surprised my face isn't still on a poster, too. Probably they assumed I died."

She eases over to Riese's table, pulling a chair out with a scootch of metal leg tips over the tile. "But yeah! I was really curious about those paintings. I love old stories and relics, but a lot of my knowledge comes from Meribus."

Assuming Ragnell's taking a nap, Talise glances her way, then back to Riese as she flops down into the chair. 

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

    Ida meets Talise's gaze, and wonders where she hid the self-loathing this time. "I don't believe so," Ida says, "but it's been a while since we've seen each other." She sips her tea, and glances over at the Seraph snoozing in the corner. (Or pretending to snooze, because Ida knows Ragnell is a lot cannier than she lets on.)

    "Shepherd Bramanate," Ida says, as though the title is noteworthy in its own right. "I hadn't seen the name and title associated with one another until I saw your advertisements."

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

    Riesenlied does look on a bit nervously as Talise shares glances with Ida... but it doesn't look like any of them is going to start anything, so she presses on with what they were inquiring about. The mention of Rosaline handing over a package is curious, but it's not her business to pry.

    "... I suppose I can't blame them," Riesenlied muses to Talise. But she nods and expresses, "I went on an expedition to Biroclef Ridge weeks ago, with Miss Ragnell and several others. There, we discovered artifacts that had been hoarded by a Hellion of the distant past who bore a grudge against this woman, Shepherd Bradamante."

    A quiet frown as she glances aside. "It is a piece of history that dates back roughly eight hundred years ago..." She draws one of the paintings to reveal it -- the work is quite gorgeous, but the portrait around her face has been clearly, intentionally vandalised.

    "But this same Hellion drew a grudge and wished to shatter her identity from history. Hence why we are attempting to clarify the past..."

    It's rather an unusual thing for Riesenlied, perhaps, but... she feels very strongly of those whose identity has been maliciously suppressed by others. 

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.

    A braided brunette in armor, with a longsword... All that's missing is her face, which has been scraped away maliciously. The metal label on the painting has been marred, too, with deep scratches gouging out whatever had been engraved there before. It's not the work of rats or the like either, because the frame itself is just fine.
    
    "...." says Ragnell from the next table. So Ida had heard the *name* Bradamante before, hmm...? Has she, too, been through the Nameless Spire? Talise's interest seems more innocent, at least... Though maybe "innocent" isn't the right word. 

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

Little do you know that Talise keeps all her bitter feelings in an old coffee can in the closet, half-hidden behind the lemon Pledge and the sock tube full of small change.

Talise leans back in her seat, shrugging back at Ida. "Fair enough. She seemed alright, last I saw her," she answers the human personification of bitterness and self-denigration. "Glad you're still kicking, too."

But then, there's Riese. Draping an arm over the back of her seat, Talise listens with her head canted at the so-called al-Rashid tells her story. The mention of a Hellion hoard leads to the woman arching her eyebrows. "Huh, no kidding. So that's where the vandalism comes from. Wonder if it's possible to restore it," she muses, scratching one cheek.

She leans in to squint at the painting. A pointed incisor dimples her lower lip as she bites gently, pensively down.

"That's a pretty noble thing to do for the sake of Shepherd Bradamante's legacy," she murmurs with an appreciative nod at Riese. "Especially for someone who's only started to learn about our history. As it happens, I might be able to help you." She smiles. "Our group's been working with a benefactor who buys artifacts like this. They might be able to make sure one of the paintings gets into the hands of someone who can display it properly. And if they can't, I'll find a home for it in Meribus." 

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

    "You found the cache as well," Ida says. It's an observation, not a question. She takes a sip of her tea, and listens to Riesenlied's explanation with a studiously neutral expression. Talise even offers to help. "I'd suspected the vandal was a Hellion," Ida says, lowering her voice a bit. "Because if they weren't, they'd certainly end up one, living in that horrid place. How did you find out? Did a little bird tell you?" She seems less concerned about matters of history and suppression and more concerned about not knowing something very important.

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

    Riesenlied looks towards Ragnell for a moment, but she seemed to be particularly content to let her lead the discussion for now. Still, in many ways, it was more her story, as far as how much she was willing to provide. "Perhaps..." Riesenlied squints to the painting, though she's no artist. Maybe Fei would know a little more about restoring art.

    Talise calls what she's donig noble, but she expresses modestly, "... I... still believe that knowing Lunar's history will let me help Filgaia. Our two worlds are inextricably linked, and it is not wise to aid one and ignore the other." There's a more wan smile as she says, "Besides... to be censured such out of history... that is a fate I would not wish on anyone."

    She blinks a few times at Ida, and then tilts her head. "Yes, I was told of the story." That's... as far as she goes, though. She doesn't seem particularly keen to tip her hand, perhaps willing to defer this one to... 

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.

    "...." So Ida had also found the art cache. Meaning she could have just taken any piece she wanted if she'd been so inclined, meaning this isn't about the art pieces, it's about Riesenlied--or rather, about what she knows. Given that emphasis on 'Shepherd' Bradamante, it sounds like that's likely her angle...
    
    Talise meanwhile seems genuinely interested in the art for its own sake, along with perhaps the history behind it for its own sake. Then again, she *is* a bard; taking an interest in history is arguably part of who she is.
    
    Being censured from history, though... Ha. Yeah, it figures the "Metal Demon" would find that a repugnant fate. Riesenlied really is kind. ...For now, though, Ragnell continues to let her handle this. Ida will have to press a little harder if she wants to get someone to admit where knowledge of 'Shepherd Bradamante' came from. 

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

It's Talise. She doesn't do neutral. She's got a little smile on her face as he chats with Riese, more concerned about spreading a great story from history than anything else - but then, old stories are her bread and butter, even if they're not sung stories.

The tall swordswoman folds her arms on the tabletop, nodding crisply back at Riese. "You're right - I wouldn't want her to be forgotten, either. And Lunar and Filgaia are linked. I want to learn as much about the link as I can - we've discovered a couple interesting things already. In this case... if I can help you keep Shepherd Bradamante's story out there, then I'm obligated to, and not just because I'm a storyteller by nature."

Talise shrugs one shoulder slowly, glancing between Ida and Riese as something seems to pass between the two that she doesn't quite parse.

"Did you find out much more about her?" she asks Riese, then, mostly curious how much Riese did learn. 

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

    Ida rolls her eyes as Riesenlied denies that what she is doing is noble. That's all she does, until Riesenlied mentions someone told her the story, whereupon she leans in a little closer. "Who told you? Was it Ragnell, or did you come across someone who was being oddly generous with history?"

    Ida's eyes narrow to little slits. Anger suddenly rises in her voice like furnace-flames. "Because I am sick of finding out ancient secrets when, and only when, they try and collect their pound of flesh." She glances at Ragnell in the corner, the anger tamping down a little as she looks away from Riesenlied.

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

    Riesenlied blinks a bit at Ida's somewhat more incensed expression. Ragnell hasn't piped up further, and perhaps, indeed, it isn't her impetus to intervene here. She nods towards Talise's expression first, nodding slowly as she says truthfully, "I unfortunately do not know much more about the details of her life... though she never called herself Shepherd when she lived."

    A pause, as she tilts her head and expresses, "It was a title that was granted to her, not one she claimed for herself. Perhaps not unlike the title of Dragonmaster, from what I know of Meribus' history?"

    She does look towards Ida, though, with a quiet sigh. "... I am choosing to be respectful of who told me this, as it is an important and personal piece of history to them." And given Nimue's part of the story... she believes in that as well. 

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.

    *Snort*, goes something deep in Ragnell's throat, as if she were arising from a deep sleep. She stirs for a moment when the anger rises in Ida's voice, but when Riese makes her explanation, she settles down again.
    
    Under the hat, she frowns in thought. Talise is a storyteller with a genuine interest in this piece of the past... It might be worth it to share some of the details with her so she can spread them on in turn. After all these centuries, the time feels right... But until she finds out exactly what has Ida so nettled about this... perhaps it's better to keep up the pretense.
    
    Unless someone jabs her for having stirred, anyway, but hey, that'll be for if someone actually does that. 

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

When Ida flares up, Talise lets out a slow rush of breath through her nose, shifting in her eat and cupping her chin in her palm. "Admittedly they wouldn't be secrets if they were widely known," she points out with a faint, rueful smile. "But yeah, it's never fun when that happens."

Riese, at least, doesn't seem angry! Talise nods to the Tainted one, letting her hand fall back to the tabletop to rest atop her opposite forearm. "Eight hundred years ago would make her the first one to do what a Shepherd does," she points out. "At least, if I remember Uncle Piet's stories right."

A brief pang of sadness hits her. Uncle Piet. She pauses for a couple of seconds.

When Talise opens her eyes, gives Riese a curious look before asking, "Do you know much about the Shepherds? Or why Lunar needed a Shepherd in the first place?" 

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

    "How noble of her," Ida says. As Riesenlied and Talise keep talking, she takes a breath, and lets it out. She takes another breath, and another, but all this does is make her more incensed. Do you even realize what you sound like right now? You sound like a lunatic. You sound like a lunatic, after you went to all this trouble to tell Riesenlied this wasn't about her. The thought hurts, but it also fans the flames of anger. She shouldn't even have to be here. She shouldn't have to negotiate.

    Are you going to let the world deny you again? Are you going to let it make a toy of you again, just as it did when the tower cast you out

    "I don't care if it's personal," Ida says. "If this is anything more than you stroking your ego by aiding in the restoration of some poor, maligned saint's legacy, then it must be important. If it's important, then I will know. I am getting very tired of you holding things over my head, Riesenlied. Just like you did before Adlehyde."

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

    Riesenlied makes a little face as she furrows her brow, horns wilting very gently. She still doesn't understand that horns don't work that way, but perhaps Metal Demons can cheat.

    "... I do not have accurate dates, only rough milestones," Riesenlied admits to Talise. "And I only know what I've read from Miss Miria's history books. A dark being first called himself Lord of Calamity, and with the lack of a Dragonmaster... the Seraphim granted their blessings to a lone human, who then became known as the first Shepherd. And the tradition has carried since."

    Ida continues to insist, and she lets out a little sigh. "... I don't owe you answers, Ida. You may doubt me as much as you'd like, but I shall not break my promise on those I've given my word to." 

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.

    "....." Riesenlied tells Ida she doesn't owe her answers, and that's a good response on her end, but... boy howdy. Ragnell can't let this one slide.
    
    "Althena Almighty, can't a woman get some shut-eye 'round here?" she grumbles, finally deigning to lift her hat just enough to give Ida the hairy eyeball from under the brim. She glances at Talise and gives her a curt nod of greeting, but otherwise leaves the bard's questions to Riesenlied. That hairy eyeball returns to Ida and then some.
    
    "...You don't care if it's personal. Well, *I* don't care about the bug up your ass, Ida," she says bluntly. "You wanna know why it's important? Tell *me* why you give a fuck first--an' if it's anythin' more than you stroking *your* poor bruised ego by throwin' a fit over no one making you feel as prestigious an' knowledgeable as you think you oughtta be." 

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

Talise nods along as Riese gives her explanation, smiling lightly with pleasure that the woman did that much homework. She is about to say something else when Ida starts tearing a strip off of Riesenlied.

The swordswoman cuts off before her sentence can leave her lips. Closing her mouth, she very slowly turns her head until she can look at Ida.

"Ida," she says, "I love you like a sister. But that's uncalled for."

Talise sighs shortly. She plants her cheek in her palm and throws a look of apology back to Riese. But there's history to discuss, and she won't let her Hellion friend spoil it. "Anyway," she says. "That's about right. The story goes that the first Shepherd emerged a couple hundred years after Alex the Last defeated the Magic Emperor. That means if Shepherd Bradamante isn't the first, then she's probably the second, or similarly early--"

Ragnell wakes up and starts picking a fight with Ida, and Talise sighs and plants a hand against her forehead. Again she throws an apologetic look Riesenlied's way.

"...I actually wonder why we have a Shepherd and a Dragonmaster at the same time," she murmurs to Riese under the bitter exchange, leaning in to better be heard by the rogue Hyadean. "You'd think with Ghaleon around, Althena wouldn't need a Shepherd anymore." 

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

    Ida stops talking. For a few moments, she's not sure if she wants to punch Talise in the face, then Riesenlied, or just sink into the floor and die. The Malevolence howls. It wants to be let out. "Don't lie to me," Ida manages, her voice even and level. "You know nothing of sisterhood." Then Ragnell intervenes, sort of. Ida turns to look at the Seraph. She seems to shrink back into herself, even as the anger bubbles up--like a child staring down a feared, hated bully.

    Trash bin baby, says the mocking voice of the tower, in the back of her mind. Are you going to run to your mama now? Your mama from the gutter?

    "I will find this Hellion, and I will kill them for what they inflicted on me and mine. If Shepherd Bradamante has anything to do with any of the horrors I have sworn to kill, I will know."

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

    Riesenlied glances aside with a sorrowful little glance, before looking towards Ragnell as she confronts Ida. She looks towards Talise, shooting her that same look, even if it's more out of sadness than anything. "... I'm not sure," she admits to the bard. "I'd read that the first Shepherd arose out of a need, for there was no Dragonmaster..."

    There's a quiet furrow of her brow, as she looks back to Ida. She doesn't have anything else to say, so she looks to Ragnell instead. 

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.

    Ragnell pauses at Talise's murmured comment to Riesenlied, but doesn't remark. She instead tilts her head at Ida when she shrinks back, but finally answers with voice even and simmering with rage and hatred. "Hmmmmm," she murmurs reflectively. "So you hate the Hellion in that Spire too."
    
    She stares her down for a second longer; then she pushes her hat on top of her head properly, leans forward to let her chair CLOMP on the floor, then turns it around and seats herself at Riesenlied's table.
    
    "All right," she says briskly. "I'll tell you, then. It really is personal, an' I doubt you're gonna care about it at all; I don't think even Mr. Boo Hoo Brad Was So Mean To Me For No Reason At All cares, much less remembers. Rich noblemen rarely care about those they think're 'beneath' them." She snorts in contempt. "But here goes. You asked, so you better listen, an' listen good.
    
    "So, I have this one Seraph friend. He used t' live in a village o' humans. They couldn't see 'im, o' course, but he loved 'em and the land around it anyway. Did whatever he could to care for 'em, protect 'em, even if it wasn't always savory." She glances over at Talise and Riesenlied. "Back then, there was a lot o' war goin' down. People fightin' for land, for prestige, for power, for whatever. The Holy Midgand Empire had fallen recently--" 'recently' for a Seraph, anyway, "--so a lot o' villages were havin' a tough time of it. His was no different.
    
    "An' his was havin' an especially tough time of it, 'cuz of this one dipshit noble who'd placed an embargo on food an' medicine, an' didn't care that people who had nothin' to do with the fightin' were starvin' to death as a result. My friend, since he was invisible, decided he'd protect his village by stealin' the food an' water an' other things the villagers needed. If they couldn't see a culprit, they couldn't pin the crime on anyone, right?" Ragnell smiles tightly, sardonically, and completely without humor. "But he underestimated human malice. That nobleman figured out that goods were goin' missin', and did enough investigatin' to find out that goods were showin' up in my friend's village. He didn't wait for 'evidence' or bother to figure out who specifically was the culprit." She shakes her head, expression darkening. "No, he just had his men burn the fucking thing down. As an 'example.' Because ~nobody~ steals from the rich, not even if it's to feed cryin' babies or care for sick children."
    
    There's a long, oppressive silence that follows that statement. After the moment draws out for far too long, Ragnell breathes out an irritable sigh.
    
    "...It was Bradamante who brought that scumbag to justice. Defeated his troops, exposed his crimes, dragged him to the court o' House Dragonia, and made him answer for what he'd done. They sentenced him to exile--to that very tower we call the Nameless Spire these days--an' struck his name an' lineage from the history books." She smirks; the expression is nothing short of ugly. "So now he's just a *wee* bit bitter about it."
    
    A beat. "...So, in short, as it turns out, it looks like we've both got a hate-on for that man," she concludes, nodding to Ida. "I asked Riesenlied to spread the word about Brad to spite his ass since he's fuckin' terrified o' her, an' serves him right, too. But if you're out to *kill* 'im..." Her red eyes narrow. "I think me an' another friend o' mine wouldn't mind lendin' you a couple hands." 

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

Talise glances sidelong at Ida as the woman starts grinding out more and more anger.

All she can think of is Uncle Piet's kind words in her mind. Don't let your anger rule you, kid.

The swordswoman cups her chin in her palm and lowers her eyelids a little. "There's a couple things I know. But I get the idea you're not in much of a listening mood. Whatever you think in your heart, though, you do mean a lot to me. That's a fact."

She catches Riesenlied's sad look, sending a tight smile back her way. In all honesty, a part of Talise wants to grab Riese and hug her until the fighting stops. But then, there's something about Riese....

"We learned a lot about the last Dragonmaster too," Talise begins to explain, again trying to talk under the argument, before Ragnell starts speaking and she cuts off again.

Mostly because Ragnell is saying something very interesting. Talise shifts against the table, folding her hands and straightening just a little, intent eyes falling to the Seraph in the hat.

"That is one hell of a thing," she murmurs with a touch of awed respect once Ragnell finishes. "Not that I'm in Glenwood often, but if you need another sword along to kill that guy, count me and Rastaban the hell in." 

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

    "You're right," Ida says, to Talise. "I'm not even in the mood to deal with you." She falls silent, though, as Ragnell speaks. Of course, Ida thinks. Slowly, the anger fades, sucked back beneath the studiously-neutral public face. It feels like it's still there, though, like they can see it, like they're thinking horrible things about her and she deserves every last one.

    It occurs to her, at some point, that to outside observers she is paying careful attention to an empty chair. So be it. She might as well cement her reputation as part-time complete madwoman, anyway. She's never going to be able to escape it.

    She listens. The Malevolence in her heart thickens and curdles until Ida becomes afraid that she will look down and see it dripping down her shirt like blood. It doesn't, of course. "What a piece of shit," she says, answering Ragnell's vindictive smile with one of her own. "A parasite. A leech who drinks from the veins of society." She pauses, puts a hand to her chin, settling back into something approaching discussion mode. "Did he collect art, by any chance?"

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

    It should probably come as no surprise to anyone in the cafe that Riesenlied doesn't quite share the enthusiasm for taking the Hellion on with violence, delivering a quiet look of reticience as she sighs and shuffles the capelet a little closer around her shoulder.

    It's not a terribly foreign or unknown story to Riesenlied. The rich against the poor. Those who have, as opposed to those who do not have. Those who fear the grasp of their power slipping...

    It's no different out here, than it is back home.

    "House Dragonia..." Riesenlied quietly whispers. "We were not able to completely vanquish him that time, were we...?" she asks of Ragnell, as if to just-- check. She wasn't really certain. "The stain of Malevolence was true and thick within the realm of the Spire."

    A furrowed brow. "It would be best if it were cleansed, like Lahan." 

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.

    Ragnell puffs out a breath, one eyebrow raised, at Ida and Talise's back-and-forth, but once again doesn't remark. She does, however, smirk when Talise offers to lend her sword to the cause of killing that Hellion. "Fine by me," she says, "though it's soundin' like Ida's got dibs here." Her eyes slide over to Ida. "I sure as hell want that bastard dead too, but I'm willin' to let old grudges step back in favor of *fresh* bad blood." She shakes her head, though her hands curl into fists anyway. "...It's not like you can un-burn a human bein'."
    
    Riesenlied's reticence and reluctance about the violence is no surprise. That's a point on which she and Ragnell are probably never going to agree. To Ragnell... there really is no forgiveness or olive branch-extending for the likes of the Nameless Lord. She glances at her, though, when she remarks on him. "Oh yeah, not in the slightest," she replies. "He just ran away cryin' is all. We didn't even see him." A beat. "...You're right, though. Given how strong the Malevolence is in there... an' given his terror o' Shepherds... I think it'd probably be best to bring Sorey there." She sighs. "But I haven't seen hide or hair o' him since we got here, an' I've been lookin' for him. Don't know where he is or what happened to 'im." 'I hope he's okay,' she doesn't add, but that sentiment is in the air.
    
    Then she snorts at Ida's question. "*Oh* yeah. He was fuckin' *mad* about art. Search me why. Aside from music, 's'never really been my thing. But--" She tilts her head at Ida, gaze searching. "Since you were in there, I'm sure you already noticed all the paintin's an' shit floatin' around that damn place." 

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

Talise gives Ida a brief, pitying look but otherwise doesn't rise to the obvious attempt to hurt her feelings.

"You'd need someone strong enough to do it, and I think there's only one person who comes to mind," Talise notes with a nod for Riese.

As Ragnell chips in, Talise shrugs at her and leans back in her chair. "Then go nuts," she invites with a wave of her hand.

From here she goes quiet, more or less getting the idea nobody gives a shit what she has to say anymore. 

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

    "And here I thought we could throw him into his own collapsing passageway for a lark," Ida says. "Or make him try and stand upright when the room can't tell which part of it is the floor." There's more than that, but Ida is not willing to talk about it. The others to not need to know the Tower saw into the hearts of her and her companions, and showed them all the things they obsessed over. They do not need to know that Ida is terrified that its obsessive Malevolence might have leaked into her, influencing her. That fear is probably why she's desperately trying to self-monitor, now, as well as a Hellion can.

    You want him dead because he hurt your feelings. He might not even have intended to do so. You walked into that tower, and you deserved everything you got for doing so.

    "Regardless," Ida says. "Thank you." Hypocrite. Coward. Brute. Bully. "I have those translations you requested, as well."

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

    There's a quiet, shallow breath from Riesenlied as she slowly stands up. She looks to Talise and expresses, "I -- should be heading back. I'm staying at the local inn in town near the fountainplace. I'd be interested in hearing more about the Dragonmaster too... thank you, Miss Talise."

    It's almost a nonsequitur, but it's rather clear that Riese wants to have clearer air, as she lifts the painting up gently and pulls it underneath the tarp she's been covering it -- and hands it over to Talise, since she'd expressed interest in it.

    "... I would be happy to help, of course, but you know how debilitating Malevolence can be to me. I'm not sure I wouldn't hinder another expedition there," Riesenlied expresses honestly to Ragnell. 

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.

    Ragnell chuckles wryly, leaning her head on one hand. "I feel ya, but I doubt we'd be able to turn his powers against 'im so easily," she says to Ida. Talise's remark makes her pause, though, and she rubs her chin thoughtfully. "...Maybe not. If we can't find the Shepherd, there's *other* people with the power t' purify Malevolence... I'd near forgotten 'bout that." She gives Talise a crooked smile. "Guess I'd better thank ya for that one. Well, you got a story 'bout the ancient past out of it, so I'll consider it a favor returned."
    
    Riese bows out, taking the painting with her and handing it to Talise. Ragnell nods. "That's fine. This ain't exactly your scene, anyway," she says. "I'll leave spreadin' the word t' you an' Talise here." She tilts her head at Talise. "...Assumin' you don't mind doin' something like that."
    
    Then Ida thanks her, and says she has the requested translations. Ragnell blinks, pausing a tick as she stares at her in dawning realization; then she shows her teeth in a broad smile. "Well, well," she says. "Thankee kindly, Ida. I'll be happy to take those while Riese an' Tali here take off." At least, she assumes that Talise will be taking off with Riese, all considered; they've got a lot to discuss with each other, too, as well as an art transaction to complete. 

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

Riesenlied throws Talise a rope that promises to end somewhere that's not soaked in Malevolence or hurt feelings. Talise shoots her a quick but profoundly grateful look.

"It's too late now for me to catch a ship tonight," she admits. "If you want to get lunch or something tomorrow, I'd love to tell you some more Dragonmaster stories. We've actually found some other interesting stuff that ties Lunar and Filgaia together."

When Riese hands the painting over, Talise smiles with a genuine appreciation, letting her eyes explore it - even the vandalized parts. Part of her doesn't want to give Benedict the chance to find a good home for it. The rest of her realizes that she, Talise, does not have a wall to hang it on - and that Benedict is a good man who could be trusted to ensure the piece winds up somewhere nice.

"Yeah," she finally says with a nod for Riese. "Thanks. And you be safe. Malevolence ain't nothing to mess around with."

She flicks a couple of fingers towards Ragnell, clicking her tongue and shooting her a wink. "'Ey. I likes me a good story. I'll add it to my book of tales. Maybe even put it into song, if you don't mind me doing my thing a bit."

Talise smirks briefly. "I mean, the Guard'll mind. But, y'know. Don't care." 

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

    Ida is not having a terribly good time of it. The Malevolence feels like it wants to wash up her throat, to force her to cough it up in bilious plumes. Usually when it does this Ida doesn't try to choke it back down. This time, she can. It's getting more powerful, but controlling it at moments like this is less of an issue.

    It probably means she's only going to have to vent it somewhere else, somewhere that's not civilization. But that's... something?

    "Here," Ida says. She reaches into the leather bag at her side, and produces a copy of a translation--the penmanship is neat and tidy. She wrote it herself, which is probably why there's faint residual Malevolence clinging to it. Not much, though--and if Ragnell dealt with the Spire, she can surely deal with this. "Notes for notes."

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.

    Ragnell laughs and winks back at Talise, grin broadening even further. "I don't mind at all. Make Brad sound good. That'll *really* piss Lord Asshat off," she says, then cackles again. "An' hey, can't say as I care either!"
    
    Then Ida hands her the copy of a translation, and Ragnell accepts it. "Nice handwriting," she observes as she reads. Her eyes narrow, both at the faint Malevolence and the content on the pages--but as Ida figured, with this little, it's not a problem for her. Then she nods up at Ida and stands up as she puts the papers away.
    
    "Fair deal," she says. "I'll see you 'round then, I'm sure. But I better get goin' myself." Then she offers Ida a two-fingered salute, and heads out of the coffee shop and off on her own. This is probably a good opportunity for Ida to dash off and vent her Malevolence as needed... 

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

Talise, for her part, does look back Ida's way, pressing her lips together with a touch of worry. There's a large part of her that wishes she could do something to help her friend.

She reminds herself, not for the first time, that nothing she has in her arsenal can put a dent into the Purple Badfeels. Sighing faintly, she takes a hand off the painting and reaches into her tunic, coming out with a box of something that's half-hidden by the artwork. There's a soft crinkle as she reaches into it.

She sets a couple of familiar chocolate biscuits on a napkin near Ida, before tucking the box away.

She smiles back at Ragnell, then, and pushes her chair back. "She'll sound great. Bet on it," she assures, the smile just broad enough to flash pointed incisors.

"You and Ida take care of yourselves, alright?" she says as she eases to her feet again, then sends a smile Riese's way. "And you I'll see soon." 

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

    Ida glances over at the biscuits a moment, but doesn't say anything. She glances up at Talise, takes a biscuit between thumb and forefinger, and takes a bite. She nods, once.

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