2018-06-04: Care for your Wounded
- Log: Caring for your Wounded
- Cast: Riesenlied, Fei Fong Wong
- Where: Taben's Peak
- Date: 4th June 2018
- Summary: Riesenlied spends time caring for the wounded in the Feresthe, when Fei catches up with her.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied has been spending some time taking care of the more disadvantaged Hyadeans, knowing that her presence can be a boon to some of them; it looks like Lunar's been a bit of an experience for some of them, though they've been hanging in there, nestled in the secrecy of the mountain and away from prying eyes.
She's currently kneeling next to a Hyadean who's lost all her limbs in favour of various spare parts, draped in a simple dress. "I see... so it's been better here, because of the lack of dust?"
"Yes, Miss Riesenlied..." answers the Hyadean. "And the children were frightening at first, but they have good hearts. Bless them."
"I'm glad to hear... I'll see what I can do about supporting your back further, okay?" Riesenlied expresses, as she helps her rest on the cot she's seated on.
The Fereshte's kind of deployed in an open-market sort of way; there's a panel that's just been outright detached to allow access from the side of the ship hull to the rest of Nall's base, and several stalls have popped up to allow the community to have a more cohesive feeling all around.
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
Fei has never been to the Fereshte before. He wasn't around when it took off for the first time either. It's like one day, there was Wayside, and then later there was no Wayside just a big weird airship. And he hadn't even really seen it before seeing it crashing. It was pretty surreal what can happen when you take your eyes off something for a minute, right? Fei has been hesitant to go inside, not for any real reason, he just had some internal resistance he can't readily explain.
But eventually he does press himself to go in, largely becuase he wants to see how they're doing, but also because he wants to check in with Riesenlied without her being taken care of infinite orphan works.
He looks at the limbless Hyadean, but even though there's spare parts, he can't help but feel like he's seeing a slew of wounded veterans. Well that's because that's what a lot of them are genius! He exhales out a breath and makes his way towards Riesenlied.
"You really can adapt just about anywhere, huh Riese?" Fei asks, smiling.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
In many ways, Hyadeans are Filgaians -- their hardiness is part of what lets them survive, whether or not they're mechanical. Even if the body can be replaced, if the soul gives up... well, there's a lot of downhill to go from there.
The Fereshte has that kind of small-village communal feel -- there's always chatter going on somewhere, people holler over the hallways, everyone knows each other. It's not something that could've surfaced in just a day.
"Ah? Fei... it's nice to see you," Riesenlied speaks as she lifts herself up, putting the blanket over the wounded Hyadean. "Did Elly leave already? I wanted to thank her before she did, but... I understand if she's busy with the Wolves' business too, or her own."
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
Fei says, "Good to see you too, Riese." Fei says, bringing up a smile. "I feel kind of bad about getting sick at the last minute...I said I'd help you out more but circumstance keeps me away." He shakes his head. "I'll have to try better." He looks over to the wounded Hyadean and adds, "Are those new? What happened?"
When he gets close, he reddens a bit, maybe realizing that as a guy who keeps missing these fights it's a little awkward to ask such things. "....Though I am glad that I haven't been needed either."
On the matter of Elly he hesitates and he adds, "We popped out a few days ago--but she'll be back soon. As nice as this place is, we have to protect these kids--and the Fereshte--from the Shadow Dragon."
The way she cares for the wounded, Fei thinks, it feels familiar.
"Is there anything I can do to help out here?"
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
"It's all right," Riesenlied expresses. "I'd be the last one to chide anyone on being sick, given I fall ill for all kinds of reasons all the time. Less so in Lunar, like everyone here..."
She looks towards the Hyadean, and shakes her head as she lowers her voice. "No, she's borne those wounds for a very long time. Berserk sicced a Metal Beast on her for... 'fun', decades ago, before putting her in the Gutter."
There's a stern, forlorn expression for a moment... before she remarks, "But she survived, and she's helped younger soldiers find their way since then." She scratches her cheek as she picks at a scale at it for a moment. "Your help's always a boon, of course, when you are here... if it were not for the Dragonmaster and the Guard, things may have ended much differently."
She nods slowly as she glances around further to say, "Yes... I've informed the people of the treat the Shadow Dragon Cult poses. They say they'll be on guard for anything amiss..."
On the topic of helping out... "Hmm... I've heard some people say they're extremely curious about some of the sights around Lunar. If it isn't too much trouble, maybe you could show them some of the sketches? A lot of Waysiders have a natural wanderlust, so it's been tough for them to have to sit still..."
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
"Fair enough," Fei says agreeable to Riesenlied. Seems like he won't be crying to himself over this one! At least until he realizes why he wasn't showing up to these situations for real, then he'll probably cry a lot. But for right now he's pretty cool with life all told. Sure, the war is intensifying, but it's a war of people who don't give a shit about him or, honestly, most of his friends. Not even his Lunar friends! It's the best kind of war ever! The one happening 'not here'!
Not that Fei is really happy with it but he can at least put it out of mind a bit. Even if he got robbed trying to leave the city.
Siccing their beasts on their soldiers? You notice this shit, Siegfried?
Oh shutup, Fei tells himself, rubbing briefly at his forehead before letting his hand drop. "...Yeah, if it weren't for them." 'You notice that?' A smaller part of Fei thinks to himself.
"Hm... Can your people see the Malevolence? I tried to paint it but I kind of end up making it beautiful. It's not really what I'm aiming for but I think I'm having trouble getting out the feelings from the colors." He considers thoughtfully. "Though maybe the sketches will do."
He starts reaching into his bag. "I wish we knew more about them..." He pauses for a moment before adding, "...Wait, I just realized. This is the Fereshte. You made this fly, yeah? Man, I wish I could have been on THAT voyage."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied's heart does go out to the war between Hyland and Rolance, but if she's learnt something about war, it's that... it's possible to do great harm even with the best of intentions. And a war that's been going on for decades with no clear end is wraught with complex political and cultural grievances, one that an outsider like her won't be able to understand in a short amount of time.
"Most of us cannot, no," Riesenlied expresses. "Noeline and I are ahead of the norm in that regard -- though it seems that our kin are conversely fairly resilient to its effects. I've wanted to organise a relief and rescue squad into Malevolence-contaminated zones if our efforts should ever call for it, because of that unique advantage..."
She smiles just for a moment to nod, and says, "Sketches and stories. They're dreamers, that lot... even just a few seeds is enough to get their imaginations really running. They took to the Badlands for its unique flora and fauna, no matter how tattered..."
A pause, as she nods bashfully. "... it was rather a-- panicked maiden voyage. I think Lydie kept conceding that we didn't need this or that to fly... I'm glad it held together long /enough/, at least."
She looks up to the Dragonshead mast and expresses, "It's... patchwork, but it's got spirit. In many ways, it embodies Wayside's way."
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
Fei draws out his sketchpad as he flips through it. He hasn't done a lot of new artwork since he last brought it out, but there's still plenty he hasn't shown the waysiders. He pauses partway through however and assumes a thoughtful expression. The expression only fades when Riesenlied says 'it embodies Wayside's way' and he looks up, smiling a bit. "Sorry, I was just--thinking."
He thinks for another moment and then adds, "Well, it makes sense. If you're very heavy, it'll be hard to fly. The bigger it is the more power it takes." He wasn't into aeronautics in a past life particularly he just figures the less you weigh the easier it is to 'move up'.
But he does add, "But yeah, I was thinking, is there anything you want memorialized? Like, in a painting? Maybe I can even get a frame for it, go all out. What do you think? It might not matter too much now, but a long time from now--maybe it'll mean something to people."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied nods at Fei as she expresses, even if she herself doesn't know about aeronautics... "It will take a lot of effort for it to truly fly -- and Solaris has already taken exception to our doing so. Right now, what we need isn't flight -- it's the ability to hover and cross the ocean and desert terrains, so we can return to Elru and aid those that are suffering."
She thinks on that offer for a moment, then says... "Can you... capture a sketch of this scene, perhaps?"
She looks out to where several Waysiders are mingling with the children. Cetiri is still playing soccer coach to several kids that're playing ball; Muni-Muni's off in the corner getting rolled by several others. Val and some of the older kids are busy trying to make some kind of sausage from materials they've found up in the mountains.
"Wayside was a milestone for us... but here, in Taben's Peak, I feel that our people's gotten the real chance to interact with another community like them."
A pause.
"It's heartwarming to see... and I want to capture this moment in its light."
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
Fei considers how dangerous Elru must be. "I thought if maybe you just didn't want to stay here but... being cooped up in a mountain all day isn't a life and I'm not sure this place is all that safe either." He smiles faintly. "But come on... I've gotten a lot better since I started out, I can definitely do more than just a sketch. That's why I'm offerin' a painting. I could have it be in a style that evokes a sketch, though. It's a bit impressionistic but that's totally fine."
Fei turns his head and holds up his fingers as if he was taking a photograph as he guidesi t around and watches the Waysiders playing with the Dragon Kids. Muni's being rolled about like a blob and--
"They're making sausage?? Sweet!" Fei says. "Oh, right, sorry."
Fei coughs, embarrrassed but he does say, "I think I can do that for ya. Maybe I'll put in a nice surprise there. I think I have an idea for that."
He looks back to Riesenlied and adds, "No charge neither. Far as I'm concerned, you're all paid up as is."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
There's a bashful expression from Riesenlied as she says, "I think if you wanted to do a painting, everyone would be really eager for it. You might need to keep some of the children off you if they wanted to mug for it, though, hehe... they're a very spirited bunch."
She doesn't really know too much of painting, other than the basic 'oh, that's pretty', but she can appreciate art when she sees it!
"Ah--" she looks back to where Val's torso is currently open and a bunch of her fridge wiring is getting rigged into what looks like a mechanical torque for a meat grinder. Val's blinkers light up and she waves to Fei and Riese, going, "Riese-- my guts... are getting spilled out... gwaa..." as some of the kids cackle and go, "Icky!"
They might be enjoying this a bit too much.
"Really? I don't mind it if you wanted a commission fee, but... all right. Thank you so much, Fei," Riesenlied nods.
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
Fei says, "Of course I want to do a painting." chidingly. "Wouldn't be offering otherwise. Honestly painting something kind and sweet...would be a welcome change of pace if I say so myself." In fact he turns to an open page and starts a scribblin' the basics. "Now I should warn, it may be dramaticized for the spirit of it, I'm all about artistic integrity." That is artists getting to do the shit they want. "Though--"
ARE YOU CHECKING OUT MY CANS
Fei waves a hand towards Val, smiling at her. He's used to it now. Val ///PRODUCES/// a lot for the community. ... ... It's a joke about how she's a fridge.
"If I get real hard up, I'll charge for the materials, I'm not too proud..." Fei assures Riese. "But I'm not anticipating that. Lots of work on Lunar."
He eventully snaps the pad closed. "Back in Lahan, I worked with kids a lot. Taught them the martial arts..." Fei closes his eyes. "...I wonder what they'd think if they could see me now."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
"Dramaticised..." Riesenlied can't help but imagine what it's like, but she's looking forward to it. And then Eight Munis will wind up playing Poker, with Odjn adjudicating. And indeed, Val waves back in turn as she whirrs a little more, cackling as she says, "Dear me dear me, I thought we'd never get around to using this grinder!"
"..." Riesenlied places a hand gently to her chest as she thinks of Lahan as well. She's never been there before it was destroyed, but...
"I want to say they'd be proud. You've inspired a lot of children and people here too, Mister Fei. They love having you here..."
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
Fei looks back over to Riesenlied. "..." Then he looks back to the children. "...They blamed me at the time." Fei tells Riesenlied. "They weren't wrong to do it either. Even to this day I don't know what compelled me to get in that gear. It hasn't gone out of control like that since then but..." He shakes his head. "I'm trying to make peace with Weltall. Or I guess I should say I 'was' trying to make peace with Weltall, but he's--it's all the way back on Filgaia. They loved having me in Lahan too." He grips the edge of the railing tightly. "---Maybe in a decade, Dan will finally track me down and be strong enough to end me. I couldn't blame him if he still hated me."
But then he turns back around and adds, "...But maybe...maybe I'm figuring if I can paint this similar tableau I can reconcile my own feelings. I must be sounding a little broken record but it's hard to just step back from for me." He slides a hand in a pocket. "...We should go on some more ruin hunts soon. I feel like we've just started to really plumb these places out."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied opens her mouth for a moment, then closes it again as she thinks back for a moment, doesn't feel the words quite gelling together. "... it takes patience, and time. Hindsight, they say, has perfect vision, but... in times of duress, in times of great stress, we sometimes have to operate on instinct... and do what we think is best, even when it turns out to be a mistake sometimes."
Her eyes narrow a little as she furrows her brow. "... there will still be people who cannot forgive me for what I've done. And the fortitude I must muster to endure that is part of my penance."
She sucks in a breath, and then-- nods slowly. "It's good to have an outlet. I've been lectured much that one cannot simply keep it all inside..."
Nasrin is about to lift her head to make some kind of biting, sarcastic comment. Then she hears a faint, "Just give me... a bit more time... Nasrin."
The corpse-girl pauses, before snorting and folding her arms.
"Ruins? Yes, I agree... we still have not yet begun to discover a means back, for one, and the history behind some of these places are... concerning," Riesenlied expresses.
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
Fei has struggled with whether or not he SHOULD go back to Filgaia but honestly he's pretty settled on it by now. He has to get back before the situation here worsens. Every instant he's here, it feels like a moment for Mother to grow stronger. SIegfried might have been badly hurt, but is he badly hurt enough that they can lollygag here? Maybe he understands why being on Filgaia was so tough for Lucia in this moment.
"There has to be another way back." Fei says. "I mean.. a single evacuation point doesn't make too much sense. It was Elw tech that got us here but I haven't seen anything like the Elw here?" He frowns. "...Maybe I should've pressed the Elw girl I met harder."
He puts his sketchpad back for now. "I guess you know what it's like...If you ever need to talk about it, I can't say I'll have advice, but I can listen at least." He looks around. "Anything else on this ship you think I should see? It's kind of wild just thinking this flew once."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
"An... Elw girl?" Riesenlied speaks quietly, after a moment, looking very surprised. "You know of one? I thought the Elw were all diminished, faded away from Filgaia to where they fled...?"
She frowns very quietly and says, "... I think working with Blue Master Lunn as we are now, along with Leon's job to investigate the Cardinal, is probably our best course of action. The closer we can get to those who hear a lot of rumours and hearsay and sift truth from them, the faster we can determine where there will be Ruins with something that can help us."
She hums quietly as she rises and walks towards the main chamber. "If the mechanisms of the ship interests you, it's certainly available... it's the top half of a Hyadean craft. But I'd say the most interesting part is how everyone made a miniature Wayside Village in the cargo hull..."
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
Fei blinks. "Huh? Oh. Uh. I mean. I think so? She looked like one, I mean. I didn't really...tell anybody because I didn't want to draw any unwarranted attention towards her. I didn't think she knew anything. She sells flowers--not exactly a job in engineering or anything." He shakes his head. "Though maybe she would've known more about the place that brought us here. Or might've known of a place to bring us back." She hmms. "Unless she's just a beastman who happens to look like one..."
He blows wind through his lips and glances back to Riesenlied. "I'm not sure how those jobs'll lead to a way outta here, but...at least it's work. And good work, too. Well, least with Jean. Not sure how that stuff with the Cardinal's gonna go. Gotta point though that they probably know of sites we haven't even heard of though."
Fei is uninterested in the mechanics weirdly enough. "Sure, let's head to the cargo hull." Fei says.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
"Flowers..." Riesenlied frowns very quietly. "I admit, I don't know what an Elw is supposed to look like, but I wonder if you're talking about..."
A pause, and she shakes her head. "No, nevermind. I respect her for what she's done for Wayside enough to inquire. If she didn't want to tell me, it's because she wasn't comfortable."
She draws a little sigh, before expressing, "Sometimes, taking the lay of the land leads to circumstances that are unusual..."
She heads on, towards the cargo hull -- true to the word, it's become something of a compacted village, with many little huts and makeshift layers in a style something approaching a veritable junkyard jungle of a home. "I suggested that they could spread out a little more, but this was how they were comfortable..."
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
Fei raises both eyebrows, but Riesenlied doesn't press for details so Fei--because this is how he acts in Xenogears--doesn't clarify or provide the information. Honestly you're lucky he even mentioned the Elw in the first place (even if it's been several months since he first saw Mariel) due to how often he just doesn't say shit that would make everything a lot clearer. Or easier. It doesn't seem like he's holding it back as part of a test or to be careful either, he just doesn't think about it. It's that dumb.
But he does join Riese on the walk. He whistles at the village, smiling broadly. Not having to worry about a metal demon murdering half the village kind of lets him appreciate it all the more. "This is some style...!" Fei remarks, with a big smile before he glances back to Riesenlied. "Heh, well, you never know when you might need the space, but--this is actually pretty artistic in of itself. It's sort of...like they put a lot of thought into how to make it look like it didn't have a lot of thought put into it. Fascinating...!"
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
It's just dramatics, okay. Riese is basically doing that equivalent of saying 'That Girl...?!' and pretending that it's a big surprise when the viewer has known for the last eight hours.
"Isn't it...? In many ways, I think Wayside's got some of the most creative engineers... they managed to fit everyone in a space maybe half as large as Wayside," Riesenlied sounds really proud of them. "It really inspires me that they'd be able to stand up on their own..."
There's a longer pause, before she chuckles and expresses, "It does... have that kind of aesthetic, you're right. Maybe they've picked up a look all of their own -- I feel like people like Val have really learnt how to take a shine to what they have..."
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
I totally understand! It's something we have in common! In fact, vague mutterings like that is very canon and Fei's player approves 100 percent! Good going Riese! Much love!!
Fei says, "Well, I tihnk it's like--sometimes having too much of a budget is a constraint on its own. Sometimes figuring out how to make something work with less resources, or with less money...is what really makes the art happen. I mean, it's not like a rule that's true all the time or anything, but I think it has an impact."
"Val's cool." Fei adds. "...I uh ... I didn't mean to make a pun there but--" He shrugs both shoulders. "But I still feel pretty embarrassed when I stared at her that first time. It was pretty impolite of m but I guess I'm still a country kid most of the time."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
"I... think she'll forgive you. She has a very strong spirit," Riesenlied smiles warmly. She may not know a lot about art, but it doesn't take an artist to see that there's something very pleasing about the aesthetic of Wayside 2.0 within the ship. "And you know she likes making those jokes, so if you feel like a cold drink, do stop by -- she could use some company."
A pause, as a child starts to tug on her sleeve. "Hmm...?" she kneels down and tilts her head, as the child whines about not being able to find her doll. "Ah, I should go with her for now... I'm sure the others would be eager about the painting idea, Mister Fei."
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
"Don't let me keep you from your wards," Fei waves a hand. "...And thank you for..." He trails off. He's not sure hw to put it. "Well--I know Elly feels strongly for you too. Take care, okay?"
He watches after Riesenlied for a bit before heading out on his own. He has a lot of painting ideas and, for once, he feels like that dark cloud is adjacent to him rather than right above his head. Maybe it'll last.