2018-04-09: Story and Song

From Dream Chasers
Jump to navigation Jump to search
  • Log: Talise 134 18-04-09
  • Cast: Talise Gianfair, Riesenlied
  • Where: Pendrago
  • Date: April 9, 2018
  • Summary: Riesenlied and Talise trade lore over lunch before Talise heads back to Meribus.


<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

Talise really didn't give herself a lot of time in Glenwood; it's far outside her normal stamping grounds in Meribus, and most of her friends are back there. Her ship was set to sail sometime in the mid-afternoon.

But she'd promised someone lunch.

The address of a cozy little portside cafe found its way to the rogue Tainted One. It's open to the ocean, allowing guests to sit down in a comfortable chair in front of an elegantly carved table - one of several, really - and enjoy a drink, a bite to eat, and some quiet conversation.

Honestly, it probably used to be a bar. It's probably how Talise knows it. In any case, she pulls out a chair at a table with a fantastic view of the ocean, hanging her cloak over the back of it to reveal her simple tunic and slacks beneath. She's got her swords with her, but they've been peacebonded; Rastaban is set to lean against the table, along with a larger, heavier weapon with a much more simplistic hilt design.

With a light wave and a smile to a server, she orders up a glass of some manner of sweet juice for herself - and another cup for 'al-Rashid,' should she indeed get the message. (Talise kind of took a wild guess that Riesenlied would like sweet things. She just... seems like the type.)

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

    Riesenlied is in nicer clothes today, her white and blue sleeveless Baskar dress. The detached sleeves flare and billow out in the form of great feathers around her, and she waves gently to Talise as she approaches, glancing around and pulling her hood down when she approaches.

    She's got a curious instrument with her today -- a gnarled piece of flat wood upon which rests a bridge of several strings. She places it on her lap as she expresses, "Good afternoon, Miss Talise. Thank you for inviting me out to lunch."

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

Talise thought about trying to pull off Baskar once. Then she went to Kislev and got shit for looking like an elf, and she figured doubling up her persecuted-minority status wouldn't be all that tasteful.

Blinking a couple of times, Talise lets her eyes dip towards the gnarled wood chunk Riese is holding - or is it more than just a piece of wood? Interesting, she muses inwardly, but it passes to a smile as Riese seats herself. "Any time. It's been awhile since we've honestly talked, huh? I kind of miss it." She gestures to the drink sitting on the tabletop. "It's pear juice. Pretty simple, but good."

What Talise wouldn't give for a bottle of perry right about now.

"You been adjusting okay to things here?" she asks.

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

    There's a faint sigh as Riesenlied picks up her cup of juice with a bow, sipping and looking appreciative of it. "Ah... you don't have such beverages in Filgaia. There just aren't enough fruit to spare..." She tilts her head with a wider smile.

    She sets the instrument aside and expresses, "Largely so. I was deeply ill for a few days while I adjusted to the ambient Malevolence around the entire place... and, there is the matter of the Guard, but I appear to have been able to hide from them thus far."

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

"Yeah. That shocked me about Filgaia," Talise admits with a little grimace. "I'm so used to Lunar being full of life. Filgaia was so much more dead on so much greater a scale than anything I've ever seen. Not even the Salyan waste is like that."

The mention of ambient Malevolence draws a faint sigh from the big swordswoman. She takes a sip of her drink, eyes lowering a moment, then coming up again.

"I'm sorry about the Guard. If you ever need protection, you're welcome with me and the others," she invites.

"The Malevolence surprised me, honestly. I could never see it before I got to Filgaia. Now I can't go ten minutes without seeing a Hellion of some kind. It's disconcerting." She sighs. "As if Ida and Ros' weren't disconcerting enough."

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

    Riesenlied nods at the mention of protection. "Noeline is here to protect me, though she's busy investigating where our skyship has gone to..." She lets out a soft sigh as she presses her hands to her chest for a moment. "That is what we've been focused on -- finding the rest of Wayside. We'd crashed in the Pleasing Gardens following our strife with Gebler, but... we have not been able to find hide nor hair of the ship."

    A bob of her head to one side. "Miss Ida... I feel partly responsible for how things have unfolded." She furrows her brow softly. "She thinks it has set her free, but..."

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

Talise shakes her head briskly, beginning to reach out, but stopping herself. "No, don't blame yourself. You couldn't have known. I travelled with her all the time and I couldn't have known. Ida's... even without Malevolence, she's stubborn and difficult." She smiles sadly. "And getting through to a depressed person is hard, even with the best of intentions. As I discovered."

The tall swordswoman breathes out slowly, closing her eyes and ruminating for a couple seconds on the thought. "...We'll find a way to help her," she says quietly. "I know we will."

When she opens her eyes again, Talise blinks a couple of times. "What, your ship's gone missing? That's terrible. If there's anything I can do to help you find it, I will. The orphans are alright, though, I hope...?"

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

    Riesenlied bites her lip for a moment, thinking that she shouldn't... but she can't help but sustain some of that guilt. Not just for Ida... but for Garrett as well, where her guilt is much more plain and clear. "Yes... I won't fail her again. I'll help you find a way to help her."

    She places her hand to her cheek and says, "I've several people out looking for it... but if it crashed somewhere, it must be in an obscure place, as we haven't heard rumours. On the other hand -- here in Glenwood, I've been told that Gebler crashlanded here. If you plan to be around Rolance or Hyland... do be careful."

    On the topic of the orphans... "Ah-- yes, they're fine. They've actually really taken to Vane, back in Meribus. They're helping Miss Miria out."

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

In truth, Talise feels more guilty about Rosaline. She doesn't even know Garrett. Nevertheless, she smiles gratefully back at the horned woman. "Thank you. You're a good person."

With a sip of her drink, Talise sinks back on her chair and crosses a leg over the opposite. She moues her lips a moment. "Mmmn. I don't travel Glenwood much... it could've ended up in Meribus, too. If I see it, or if anyone in my group sees it, I'll pass the word on." The fate of the orphans is more welcome, though; she smiles more broadly. "That's great. Glad they're alright."

The swordswoman reaches out to adjust the lean of her pair of blades against the table. "So you were curious about Dragonmasters, weren't you?" she asks.

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

    "Yes... I'm still trying to parse all the information I've been reading from Miss Miria's tomes," Riesenlied expresses. "The Last Dragonmaster... the transition to the story of the Shepherds... and the unspoken truths not recorded in history."

    She bobs her head to one side and picks out at her scales for a moment. "It is still strange, but endearing, to read of how Lunarian Dragons are treated. Revered, in the form of the seasons, unlike our kin..."

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

"A lot of those old stories are ones I grew up with," Talise admits, shifting in her seat so that she can pull another chair closer. She drapes one leg across it, almost lounging. Part of her wishes she could pull out her lute, but a) K.K.'s goons torched it, and b) music is banned.

"It was weird to me the opposite way. I couldn't believe Dragons were something that only existed among the Metal Demons," Talise admits with a rueful smile.

"Actually, we found some interesting things awhile back about the Last Dragonmaster. How much do you know about Alex, if you don't mind me asking? And about Dragonmasters in general."

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

    "It is strange... but it is how Filgaia's myths have unfolded," Riesenlied speaks quietly. "I myself was meant to be one, if I were more fit. But it was not meant to be."

    A pause, as she raises her eyebrows. "I'd... read on the battle against the Magic Emperor, since I saw a record of his device, the Grindery, at the Mystic Ruins. Miss Lemina's ancestor joined him in battle against the Emperor..."

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

"Oh, you saw that too," Talise says with a blink, in a tone of half-surprise.

"The story doesn't really end there," Talise notes, leaning forward and cupping her chin in her palm. Her voice quiets a little. "Did you see the woman with the blue hair? We found out later that she might've been Alex's wife, Luna. And the fact that she sang was something no one knew. The story went that the only song happened when Althena came down and distracted the Magic Emperor." She shrugs. "Either way, Alex apparently couldn't wait to stop being the Dragonmaster. After the battle with the Magic Emperor, he apparently quit and lived out a normal life. Ever since, there's been no other Dragonmaster, and Althena wasn't seen again until recently."

Her eyebrows come up a bit, then. "...Would you take it as an insult if I said I'm glad you came out as you are? You're one of the good ones, y'know."

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

    Riesenlied nods very slowly, placing her hands at her lap as she says, "I read from reference of Alex's wife, Luna. They passed away together... and it was not a Dragonmaster that beseeched the call when disaster next struck, but a Shepherd. A song that no one knew..."

    She thinks for a moment, and-- blinks a few times. "... I--I do not. It is something I've long accepted. I still will not give up on my desire to show my brethren that there is another way to live. A great number of our young are not... malicious by nature, just-- they've never been taught what could be possible. They live in confined walls of iron, taught that conquest is all there is to embrace in life..."

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

With a brush of fingers across her temple, Talise pushes a lock of hair back behind a pointed ear. "Yeah. But nobody really remembered who Luna was... or that she was on the Magic Emperor's side, at some point. If she was part of the Vile Tribe, then she must've changed sides somehow." She smiles faintly. "I'm glad she did. I saw a picture of her in an old book... she seemed really sweet."

And gorgeous, a little envious part of Talise reflects bitterly. If only she could be that femme.

She pushes the thought away. "Anyhow. After Alex, there was a break of a solid two hundred years. Then over on this continent, a lord named Ghaios named himself the Lord of Calamity and rose up with horrifying powers and an army. But Althena wouldn't leave her tower, and there was no Dragonmaster. So the Seraphim gave their powers to a human. That person was the first Shepherd."

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

    "The Vile Tribe..." Riesenlied quietly expresses, thinking back on what the huntress said of her own tribe and how Wayside's struggles reminded her of their own. But that was not a task she could take on right now. She nods at Talise's description of Luna, however.

    "Yes... that was the account I read. This place... Glenwood seems much more afflicted by strife, closer to the edge of the Goddess' boundary," Riesenlied muses.

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

Talise presses her lips together. "Glenwood's always been like that. It was outside the Boundary - even with the Seraphim, things've always been more divided here. Meribus is more peaceful. I think a lot of that is politics, too... the Church has more direct control in Meribus because Pentagulia is there. Here, the kingdoms are so much more powerful."

Talise wets her lips with a quick pass of her tongue. "I'm trying to trace how Filgaia and Lunar are connected... we found out recently that there was a piece of the puzzle much closer than I thought."

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

    "I still... cannot forget what Equites said to me, at the Guardian Temple," Riesenlied admits, while she thinks of the story of strife-ridden kingdoms. Meribus was more peaceful... it didn't seem that there were pockets of local control that had the power to resist the Church, in its own way.

    "The traitor Althena... I've been attempting to understand why the Guardians feel that way about the Goddess," Riesenlied explains. "But I've found nothing so far."

    She raises her eyebrows and asks, "What did you find?"

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

"I'm not sure," Talise admits with a frown. "Our old stories say that we came from the Blue Star originally, probably four or five thousand years ago... probably closer to four and a half? There must've been some huge calamity that caused Althena to abandon Filgaia and bring our ancestors with her."

Talise reaches for one of her weapons, then. Laying Rastaban across the table, she draws it the few inches the peacebond will allow, flashing a bit of blade. "It was weird," she says. "We found a really old ruin that must've been from almost the dawn of time, 'cause there was a mural on the wall of the first Dragonmaster. And there was another guy with him. And for some reason, that guy on the mural was holding my sword."

She gestures wit her free hand at the weapon. One of the green gems set into it glints subtly.

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

    Riesenlied blinks a few times as she peers towards Rastaban, tilting her head as she places her hand to her cheek. "I see..." A longer pause for a moment, a she expresses, "Do you think that this may have been a weapon from the distant past?"

    She furrows her brow. "The first Dragonmaster... I've not read that far back. But I should, as you said... if Lunarians first came from Filgaia, then perhaps the grudge that the Guardians have is that old as well."

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

"It must've been," Talise says with a thoughtful frown. "There's always been something about it. For one thing, it rarely ever seems to dull. For another, it seems to be able to cut air sometimes. I found it a couple years before I got to Filgaia, actually... nowhere near that old ruin. I remember I had to fight a ghost knight for it who kept spewing a bunch of gibberish at me." She winces. "Hardest fight I've ever fought, with the possible exception of Siegfried."

She gives Riese a considering look. "Well. The story goes that there was once a golden age on the Blue Star. But humans grew proud, and Filgaia descended into a war so bad that it destroyed the foundation of the world. That's when Althena took her faithful away from the Blue Star and came to Lunar." She gestures around with one hand. "Nothing lived on Lunar back then, but the story goes that Althena created a paradise in a single moment. But the calamity followed her, so she created the Boundary to keep out all the horrors from Filgaia. Then she created the Four Dragons and gave them the power to help sustain the Boundary."

She runs her hand over Rastaban's hilt, smiling faintly. "That's how the Dragonmaster came to be... Althena knew the people needed a champion, so the Dragons tested all the humans who came with Althena to find the one most worthy of their blessing. Only one person passed all four Trials.

"His name was Louie," Talise explains. "He was the first Dragonmaster."

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

    She fondly smiles a little. "I see... it is a precious blade. I've myself been using my own artes as a means to stave off the atrophy of my body, but..." She furrows her brow. "It is hard to keep my form. I doubt I can use my blade effectively in battle anymore."

    She thinks for a moment longer. "I wonder if that would have been from the time of the Zeboim... or perhaps even before?"

    "... there's-- something very... accessible, I feel," Riesenlied admits. "These Dragonmaster are people with names that you could find anywhere. It is not the tale of some hero of royalty, born to noble blood... it is something even a farmhand could aspire to be."

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

Talise slides Rastaban back into place, resting a hand on it. She gives Riese a worried look, evidently not having realized the woman was in such a bad way. "Riese," she murmurs. "Is there anything we can do to help you...?" She hangs her head a bit as a niggling spark of doubt gnaws at her insides.

    And what could you possibly do to help her, you dumb idiot? Gonna help her like you helped Ida and Rosaline? Buy her some frigging muffins and give her a hug and pretend you accomplished something? Like you're some kind of big hero? Oh yeah, just a regular Lady Chloe. Dumbass. No wonder Ida hates you.

Talise lowers her eyelids a little.

    You know what, purple inner voice? Suck on a dragon diamond.

"A lot of them have names like that," Talise admits with a faint smile. "Louie... Leon... Alicia and Leticia... Lady Chloe." She waves a hand. "And then there are the other ones. Ignatius and Dyne and Gaull and Ghaleon."

She admits, "I don't know a lot about Zeboim... I wonder how long ago that was."

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

    Talise asks if there's anything she can do to help. But-- she quietly smiles as she says, "You-- already are. Being believed, being allowed to speak and listened to... that you would tell me stories and not rebuff me is already the greatest boon you could give me. Without communication, there truly is nothing, after all..."

    It's not quite what Talise asked, but it's kind of a way to soften up the implicit answer of 'I don't know what could help me either, right now'.

    "Ghaleon... that is the current Dragonmaster, is it not?" Riesenlied tilts her head. "One of the Four Heroes. The only one I've met was White Knight Leo."

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

Part of Talise wants to pick Riese up and hug her.

The rest of her just smiles an abashed little smile. "I've got no reason not to trust you. You've shown what kind of a person you are, and what you've shown me and others is that you have a great heart. That means something, and not just to me."

The big swordswoman's smile freezes as the name of Ghaleon comes up. Internally, her heart hardens a bit.

"Ghaleon is not one of the current Four," Talise explains. "Those are White Knight Leo, Black Wizard Borgan, Blue Master Lunn and Red Priestess Mauri. But," she continues, "Ghaleon was a Hero once.

"And then he died," she explains. "A thousand years ago."

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

    That buoys Riesenlied, with a nod as she expresses, "Thank you, Miss Talise."

    A pause, as she senses that slight shift in Talise at the mention of Ghaleon. "O-oh, I see..." she furrows her brow. "And Althena rose him from the dead, if I heard my stories correctly...? It is nothing short of a miracle, though... within the Goddess' power to do so...?" Though why is it that Talise seems to have some misgivings?

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

"Yeah," Talise explains, letting that bitter moment go with a soft, resigned sigh.

"Actually Ghaleon comes from a bit before Dragonmaster Alex's time," she explains. "He was one of the companions of Dyne.... At one time, he was premier of the Magic Guild, but he resigned to travel the world and he befriended Dyne along the way. When the Sons of Zophar rose up, the two of them took the four challenges together, and they passed them all. The Dragons couldn't decide who to choose. So they asked Althena, and she chose Dyne."

She presses her lips together, then laughs, a small, self-reproving sound. "It's ridiculous of me to think it's weird for him to come back. He's one of the most deserving men in history. I guess I just... wonder why the Goddess didn't allow others to take the Trials. Are we all truly so sinful to her now...?"

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

    Riesenlied is quietly silent for a while longer, lips pressed.

    "It does seem peculiar. Althena does not strike me as someone who works in mysterious ways. She didn't seem heavy-handed to me, from the old scripture. But..." she furrows her brow. "I do not yet understand the full truth of what has happened. Or the tale of who that lion-maned man, the Lord of Calamity, is... is all of this-- necessary to suppress the sin that has spawned such a being?"

    She feels like she's grasping at straws, with the amount of information available to her right now.

    "I'll try to keep you informed if I hear of anything else unusual or interesting..." She picks up that instrument and draws it close to her chest. "And I hope those paintings find a good home."

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

"And that's the weird thing," Talise concedes with a rueful smile.

"I grew up hearing stories of Althena from my mom and my Uncle Piet. I grew up on her songs and litanies. Then she came back and was nothing like who we all believed. And the fact that the Lord of Calamity is out there... and what role Lucia plays in all this...." She makes a little face. "It's all confusing."

She blinks, then, leaning forward to give the instrument a curious look. "Say," she asks, "where'd you find that? You should be careful... Althena banned music a couple year ago."

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

    "O-oh--"

    Riesenlied looks to the instrument, then looks around and places it down on the table. "Do you know the forests near Vane, which have built up like a sluice? I brought the guqin from my tribe, but--"

    She furrows her brow, horns wilting. "I accidentally dropped it into the spring at the Althenan temple. And this... strange... turtle boy who kept talking in a strange 'z' accent tried to peddle this to me."

    A pause, like she still can't believe the story. "Lemina, um, outbargained him..." She still hasn't gotten used to the word 'hustled'.

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

"Yeah, though I haven't been through that forest much lately," Talise admits with a tilt of her head.

Talise has to think for a second about what a guqin is. She connects it pretty quick. Ohhh. She means a zither.

She laughs sharply, then, unable to keep from grinning. "That's Lemina, alright! She's a fun one. Well, hey - it's something, right?"

Her smile grows a bit lopsided as she admits, "I've been trying to find a new lute, but nobody makes them anymore. Not since the music ban. I'd have brought mine, but those Krosse soldiers the Trial Knight sent to torch Fortnight Cove destroyed it."

That's one more I owe you, K.K., she reflects bitterly.

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

    It certainly is related to the zither family, though it's slimmer and has less strings upon it -- an altogether unsurprising variant, probably descended from regional heritage. "I--I see... that's unfortunate. I'd share this with you, but I don't think it much plays the same as a lute..."

    She smiles a bit bashfully. "I know it is banned, but -- I thought I would play again, since I have not for quite a while. It is a traditional instrument of the Fereshte, and I wanted to keep that tradition alive."

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

"Not quite the same," Talise admits with a small, sad smile. "But it's alright. I've still got my voice."

Her thoughts drift, for a moment, back to the illuminated door in the depths of that most ancient ruin... and the song they sang. The song of the spirits.

"You should play," she encourages. "Just don't let the Guard catch you. And...." She smiles lopsidedly, blushing a bit. "...if you do play... I'd love to learn some of the songs. I don't know much about the Fereshte... but stories and traditions shouldn't be forgotten."

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

    Riesenlied smiles as she admits, "I... have no singing voice. It is rather horrible, and I cannot hold a note. But I at least do have this." Strange songs in Ruins... she's heard some of them, hasn't she? They teach so much of the past...

    "Yes, I'd be happy to teach you some of our songs. I usually play at the Wolfsbane Tavern in Vane, if you want to catch up there sometime. Mikaia is really enjoying waiting tables there, hehe..."

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

"Then it's a beautiful coincidence," Talise says with a warm smile. "I've got no instrument anymore, but I've got a pretty good voice. Next time we're in Vane, let's work something out."

There's something pleasantly familiar about planning for that. Talise's old day job was singing in bars for silver. To do it again - to do what Althena robbed from her - is almost more than she could hope for, and Riese can practically see the light of joy in her eyes at the mere thought of it.

"I'd love to meet Mikaia," she says.