2018-06-05: A Plan for Plants

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  • Log: A Plan for Plants
  • Cast: Jacqueline Barber, Arleph Ardan
  • Where: Plains of the Goddess
  • Date: June 5th, 2018
  • Summary: With some time on their hands, Jacqueline and Arleph discuss a missing friend, as well as plans to grow some of the seeds the Caravan Kinship found on one of their previous adventures.

=========================<* Plains of the Goddess *>==========================

The Plains of the Goddess consist of an enormous prairie that occupies the heart of the Meribus continent. It is the breadbasket of the world of Lunar; Althena's blessing lives strong in the soil, and the crops grown here are healthy, hearty, and free of disease. As a result of this bounty, the vast majority of the Plains are uncultivated; farmers have little reason to expand into the untamed wildlands when their larders and storehouses are filled to bursting.

Only a few roads cross the Plains of the Goddess, linking the major cities to each other, with the ruins of Vane at the hub of a wagon wheel. Althena's Guard patrols the highways regularly, making travel (relatively) safe. Anyone heading deeper into the fields does so at their own risk, however.

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

Things had been pretty hectic lately, to say the least! But with things starting to calm down, Jacqueline was able to turn her mind to other matters. The disappearance of Ethius was still on her mind, but...well, there was little she could do about that right now. So for now, she turns her attention toward something else.

At the moment, she sits on one of the couches in the Carakin's living area, staring intently down at a series of seed packets laid before her on the table. They're marked in a strange language, but what appears to be recent addition is a set of labels on each of them - notably, they appear to be tomatoes, grapes, and other fruits and vegetables...

...In addition to 'Heal Berry' and 'Lunarian Medicinal Herbs'. Anyone who might have been through the usual areas where the group grows things might have even spotted some Heal Berry bushes already growing, though recently harvested.

She appears to be deep in thought...but it's certainly the sort of thing that might draw curiousity from other members of the Kinship!

<Pose Tracker> Arleph Ardan has posed.

         Arleph have had something of a quieter time on Lunar. He's been spending a lot of time making things, studying and not coming out on the digs. In other words, he's been playing support for a while since they came back. Something bothers him, or at least kept his attention for most of that time. Still, he performs work around the Caravan and experiments... and maintenance. Ethius is, also, a source of concern... if not for reasons the others have.
 
         The Symbologist comes to the main living area, carrying a book in his arms as he steps in, holding a bottle in the other hand. By the smell of it, it smells like some sort of tangy juice or some kind. Jay, of course, catches his attention immediatedly, as well does the various packets.
 
         "Hey." Arleph says, stepping over, taking a seat, peering over at the seeds. "Where did you find all that?"

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

Jacqueline looks up from her thoughts as Arleph enters the room. The book and the bottle catch her attention right away, and though she's curious she doesn't say anything...besides, he has a question.

"Ah, there's a ruin referred to as the 'Flooded Cavern'...we went there a while back, and we found what appeared to be a sort of ancient warehouse, with a container full of seed packets like this. These are the only ones we found that were still in usable condition, however." She explains, gesturing to the packets.

"I was thinking about growing them, but..." Jacqueline gestures to the seeds for the herbs. "It seems a waste to planet these here on Lunar, where they grow all around...but I'm not sure how well they'd grow on Filgaia, either."

<Pose Tracker> Arleph Ardan has posed.

 Arleph takes a drink out of his juice, peering over at the satchets, taking the time to look over at the stranger writings before peering at the labels. Familiar, basica earth culture fruits and vegetables. Old stuff, too, if he know his botany well right enough. Earth stuff is old, by now and jiggered with over thousands of years.
 
 He picks one of the packets, giving it a look with a frowned gaze, tilting his head at them. "They do seem to be .... pretty usuable." He says, without opening them up and placing it back on the table carefully.
 
 "You could grow a few and then use the seed when we are back on Filgaia." He says, looking at her. "We could make some safe batches inside of the Caravan, then spread them out when they are matured and if it does not work... well, we still have the living ones inside, won't we? It'll give some wiggling room for experimentation instead of a all-in sort of prospect."
 
 He taps his chins, looking at them again. "I'd have to look at that writing, it feels familiar."

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

Jacqueline was as Arleph studies the seeds. It seemed like she was right about sharing her misgivings with him, since he seems to have ideas on how it would work.

"Oh, that's a fair point..." Jacqueline nods in agreement. "I think it would be wonderful if we could make them work. We could always use more of this, and we wouldn't have to buy and hunt for more as often..."

She notices him looking toward the writing.

"Familiar? Ah, have you studied the Zeboim culture?" Jacqueline asks, curious. "According to the man who translated this for me, this is the language of the Zeboim..."

And yet it was found here, on Lunar, rather than on Filgaia, where Zeboim once was...

"Apparently they call it the 'Ancient Tongue' here...and on Lunar, the only folks who know it are older Seraphim." She explains.

<Pose Tracker> Arleph Ardan has posed.

 "Only smatterings of it from my examinations of the Pleasing Gardens." Arleph says, leaning back to take another swig out of his bottle of juice, frown at it, then tap at the side of it. A faint glowing symbological circle hovers above his index, with ice foaming a bit more visibly on the side of the glass before taking another drink out of his juice.
 
 "The fact that you see this culture both on Filgaia and on Lunar might say a lot about the status of Lunar and why it is like it is." Arleph says, looking upward at the ceiling. "This place's environment is clearly tailored to be... well, quite robust, actually and easy to for life to, well, live in."

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

"Ah, I see..." Jacqueline replies, nodding in understanding. He had looked into it a lot more than she did - not due to a lack of interest, but there were other things occupying her mind at that time.

His trick with the glass catches her attention for a moment, but before long she looks back to him.

"Yes, compared to Filgaia, Lunar does seem like something of a...paradise. Life thrives here much more easily...the flora is so much more full of...well, life, than any comparable specimen back home." She replies. "It's enough to make one wonder why...and how."

<Pose Tracker> Arleph Ardan has posed.

"It does have it a lot easier." Arleph admits, scratching his chin. "Perhaps due to it's spiritual systems not going so well." He scratches his chin, leaning back against his seat, frowning. "Or that there is something actively 'draining' it's ressources and energy. I feel it's more than a simple ecological problem, too: something else is actively making things hard to live and grow on Filgaia."
 
 He waves a hand at the seed. It'll be hard to explain.
 
 "Where on Lunar, they do not. Something is actively urging the growth of life here. Not that this place don't have it's share of spiritual or ecological problems, as we've seen."

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

"There was that 'Rahab' creature, draining power from the Leylines..." Jacqueline comments. "And it mentioned others, as well...though that likely isn't the only reason of course."

"Hmm...that's a possibility, too...I wonder if there's anything that can be done...?" She murmurs, then shakes her head.

"But yes, that's true...but I suppose that's just human nature." She says. There was always going to be some kind of trouble. Where people were free to make their own decisions, there would inevitably be times when those decisions would come into conflict.

...But that wasn't a bad thing in and of itself.

<Pose Tracker> Arleph Ardan has posed.

"There is something to be done." Arleph replies, taking another swig out of his bottle with his thoughtfull frown still on. "The whole puzzle have many layers, I'm afraid. There is a spiritual one. I'm certain this 'Mother' the Metal Demons talk about is partly to blame as well. "Then there is the actual environment. It's almost like the planet is like a machine, an ARM, with some of it's systems shutting down slowly and failing."
 
 He looks at her. "And that Lunar is a machine that is working 'correctly', or at least is being concurrently being maintained by something or another."
 
 He waves a gloved hand. "Like I said, nothing of this is more than speculations. There's a lot of strange things here: the hereditary magic they have, that 'blessing', is another puzzle."
 
 He lifts a finger. "And I wont settle for that as a 'blessing of Althena'. There's clearly more."

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

"Yes, even if she does not truly have an effect on the environment, Mother is certainly a problem...if she were dealt with, perhaps it would become easier for the Guardians to act once more." Jacqueline agrees with a nod.

And then he compares planets to machines. Jacqueline stares at him for a moment, trying to process this for a moment, before nodding.

"Yes, I...suppose this makes sense." She agrees with a nod, after giving it some thought. But it was true - it was just speculation. He brings up the 'blessing of Althena' next.

"It's true, I have been curious about that..." She admits. "The Guardians speak of her as if she was once a being on their level...so I've been wandering if there's a part of people from Lunar that essentially acts as a Medium for her power that allows them to enact their sorcery..."

She thinks for a moment, and then shrugs.

"...But, I'm afraid I don't have any concrete information. If you wanted to know more, I'd suggest looking into the Magic Academy of Vane. They lost some of their material due to a break-in recently, but...if you want to know more about their sorcery, it would probably be your best bet." She suggests. "I could introduce you to Lemina sometime...you'll need to pay for membership, but she accepts gella or silver."

<Pose Tracker> Arleph Ardan has posed.

 Arleph listens to her. It's quite complicated to actually talk about Terraforming to people here. It's the best that he could explain it as, as a 'machine', even if it is far more complicated than that. A world is not something so easily manipulated or created to bear life, after all. But it's a sufficient lie to explain a concept for now.
 
 "Hmmmmm... That would make sense... They do feel like some sort of systems. Mind you, a world, by theory, as we both well know, is far more complicated than that." The Symbologist, scratchin his chin further, shaking his head for a few moments. "It's too much conjecture at this point.
 
 He looks at her, setting down the bottle next to him, hmmming loudly. "I was thinking about that, actually. I've heard of how Symbologists are seen here, that might be... interesting to prove a few points and share some knowledge." Arleph smirks briefly at that, steppling his fingers. "If you could introduce me, I'll certainly take that invitation. I have some amount of money."
 
 He's pretty loaded, actually. Buying a Gear is not cheap.

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

"Yes, that's true." Jacqueline agrees with a nod. There was a lot more to consider after, like people, and their impact on the world around them. At this point, though, he was right - they didn't have enough information.

She nods, then, as he explains that he has been considering it.

"Yes, it would be nice to share our knowledge while we can. ...Unfortunately, mine isn't much help, since Crest Sorcery isn't something they do here..." Jacqueline replies. It was something that would continuously be a problem for her.

"...But yes! I could do that for you. Vane does need all the help it can get..." She says.

<Pose Tracker> Arleph Ardan has posed.

 "That didn't escape my notice." Arleph says, drumming his fingers on the sides of the chair, shaking his head. "They might think it is pretty strange to see in use here. I am not sure how they'd react to see it."
 
 He pauses, looking back at his own gloves, before back up at her. "I would like to give it a look, yes. Until then, maybe we can do something about your own 'problem' here. Maybe some symbological items might be able to help with glamoring your own sorcery."

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

"Fortunately, no one has questioned me on it so far...I think they just assume that my sorcery comes from Althena, as well." Jacqueline explains. She smiles, then, and shakes her head.

"I appreciate it, but...I've been able to get by fairly well so far with a little sleight of hand and some incantations to mask what I'm doing. I...don't really like fooling them, but...it's for the best." She admits. She raises a hand then and reaches into her sleeves, sliding one of her Crest Graphs out just enough for him to see it. "The bigger problem is that I am unable to recombine my Crests here...but there's nothing to be done about that."

<Pose Tracker> Arleph Ardan has posed.

"Ahhhhh. Regular, ol' sleight of hand. Even Symbology or special effects can beat practical effects like that." Arleph grins a bit wider at her, nodding understandingly. "Best that you keep it like that, then. I am not too familiar with Crest Sorcery and the recombining, so I'm afraid I can't really help about that at the moment."
 
 He peers into his bottle again, as if checking if it was completly empty. "Some deception wont hurt, even if it remains deception. Sometimes, it is better to ... nudge the truth in, little bit by little bit, in order to teach something. That's how education is done, after all."
 
 He set the bottle back down again. "After all, we don't start teaching five years old about why the sky is blue by explaining the full optical science. No, you begin with something smaller, something they can understand: because it is a color that refract through the air. It is the truth, but not the whole truth. A small, white lie that leads to questions."
 
 He shakes his head. "You may have to do something similar with the Lunarians that you wish to share this secret with. It can be complicated to explain concepts that are unfamiliar to people raw."

<Pose Tracker> Arleph Ardan has posed.

"Ahhhhh. Regular, ol' sleight of hand. Even Symbology or special effects cannot beat practical effects like that." Arleph grins a bit wider at her, nodding understandingly. "Best that you keep it like that, then. I am not too familiar with Crest Sorcery and the recombining, so I'm afraid I can't really help about that at the moment."
 
 He peers into his bottle again, as if checking if it was completly empty. "Some deception wont hurt, even if it remains deception. Sometimes, it is better to ... nudge the truth in, little bit by little bit, in order to teach something. That's how education is done, after all."
 
 He set the bottle back down again. "After all, we don't start teaching five years old about why the sky is blue by explaining the full optical science. No, you begin with something smaller, something they can understand: because it is a color that refract through the air. It is the truth, but not the whole truth. A small, white lie that leads to questions."
 
 He shakes his head. "You may have to do something similar with the Lunarians that you wish to share this secret with. It can be complicated to explain concepts that are unfamiliar to people raw."

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

Jacqueline nods. Yes, it was a lot more easier to keep up - she could never be entirely sure there there wouldn't be someone who could see through any sorcerous methods of concealing what she was doing.

"...I...suppose that is true, in a manner of speaking, though it still leaves a bad taste in my mouth..." She admits, then looks at him for a moment.

There was something about his particular example that seemed a little off, though she couldn't quite put a finger on it yet...

"Yes, maybe...I suppose I'm just...not used to deception." She replies with a shrug.

<Pose Tracker> Arleph Ardan has posed.

 "It should, but I'm afraid sometimes 'deception' is needed. Especially since you and I deal with secrets like sorcery and Symbology. It just require control of the information it gives. In the end... it all lies in perception, Jacqueline."
 
 Arleph leans back more comfortable, running a gloved hand through his red brown hair. He's been letting his hair run longer than he usually does, since he got stuck here.
 
 "We form opinions, ideas from what we see around us and make judgement from what we already know and experienced. It can be very hard to remain unbiased in face of the unknown. So... it is fine to try to temper expectations. In the end, you cannot change what is in the mind of others, only what they see and perceive. Well. You can't change it normally," He adds, with a sort of distaste in his tone. "I suspect the Lunarians would not look at Crest Sorcery much differently than us Symbologists, if I understand correctly, perhaps a bit more curious as it is literally unknown here."

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

Jacqueline nods in understanding. She still wasn't entirely sure about that...but not that he'd explained it a bit more, she could see where he was coming from.

"It sounds like you've thought about this a lot..." She murmurs. Up to this point, she hadn't really needed to use any real deception - she could be who she was and do whatever it was she needed to do without worry about who or what saw.

But this, hiding the Carakin, hiding her Sorcery...it was something different, even though she'd been doing it for a little while now.

"They do have something...similar here, from my understanding, but it's something that requires the Blessing of Althena to use. But yes, I imagine you're not incorrect there..." She says.
Game> Chocobo Guest just +fingered you!

<Pose Tracker> Arleph Ardan has posed.

 It's almost like Arleph had some experience and practical use in the whole matter.
 
 "A little." Arleph admits, smiling a bit wider at her. "I still do want to look into this 'Blessing of Althena'. I've seen it in action with some Lunarians that came to Filgaia, but, well, if they have a center of learning about the whole matter... Hopefully I'll find more than religious texts about it's origins."
 
 He tilts his head. "However, something else is bothering you, is there?"

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

"It seems like a lot of their texts were stolen by those that fled to form Neo-Vane...and by a recent unrelated break-in...but they still have a lot of practical texts that I think will help point you in the right direction. ...And I'm sure Lemina would be glad to talk your ear off about it if you just asked her." Jacqueline replies with a nod...and then chuckles a bit sheepishly.

"There's a lot bothering me, honestly...Ethius's recent disappearance and the Lastonbell situation, other things...but I'd rather not burden you with every little worry going through my head." She says, shaking her head.

<Pose Tracker> Arleph Ardan has posed.

 Arleph frowns. Stolen texts? Of course there would be. "Tch. Nothing more tragic than stealing of texts..." The Symbologist shakes his head, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'll talk to her when I see her, then. I'm eager to get my eyes on this. Assuming I can read Lunarian." He grins.
 
 His grin falters fast. "Ah, yes. Ethius. I did wonder where he went. The war is also a tragic affair... It'll be hard to remain neutral when tempers are going to rise like this. I suppose Paradise is still subject to the folly of men." His frown deepens. "Or at least, the manipulation of others upon the folly of men."
 
 He unfolds his arms. "I have my... observations about Ethius. A part of me believes that he is not fully aware of what he looks for. He also have some very unusual symbology. Custom stuff."

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

"Indeed..." Jacqueline murmurs in agreement. She still had her misgivings with the culprits. "Hm...you should be able to? I didn't have any difficulty..."

She nods, then.

"Yes...it is a shame. When you mention the war, well...I suppose that is one area in which I can understand 'deception'. Filgaian technology should never have entered into it..." She replies, shaking her head. As for Ethius...

"Yes, he's mentioned as much." She confirms with a nod. "That's why he wanted to travel with us in the first place...the possibility that we may come across it in our travels."

As for his Symbology...

"Is it? It's powerful, and it's true that I've never seen anything quite like it...but I wasn't aware it was considered unusual to other practictioners..." She remarks, surprised.

<Pose Tracker> Arleph Ardan has posed.

 Don't Arleph know the danger of diffussing technology to under developed planets. Hooobooy.
 
 "Yes. It's... well, it'll likely cause a whole set of problems." Arleph comments, shaking his head. "I'm surprised technology didn't progress in that direction. I suppose with a world as bountiful as this, it might stifle the drive to progress. I can't really judge that as I don't know the history of this place."
 
 He lifts a hand, wobbling it. "Somewhat. It's not stuff I've seen often. It's certainly an... array that is very unusual, very specific. Dust is a very unusual element to focus your Symbology on." He smiles at her. "You know how most of my heavy spells are Ice and Water-related, correct? His seems to be 'Dust'... and interrogation, of sorts."
 
 He rubs his forhead with his thumb. "I doubt he knows what he fully is either, is the thing. You've seen him, sometimes. He act almost instinctually when ARMs are involved. He's looking for something and I doubt he even, conciously, knows what."

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

"It is a little unusual...most places seem to be pretty standard, but then you have things like the Dragonship Destiny and Neo-Vane, which floats." Jacqueline comments. She had seen neither of them in person, but had heard about them through hearsay. The latter seemed like it could be possible through Sorcery...but from the sounds of it, the person said to be responsible probably shouldn't be capable of it.

"I don't know...I would have to read up on this world's history a bit more. I'm sure there must be something to it..." Jacqueline replies, and she thinks for a moment.

"...It's true, I haven't seen anyone else use that." Jacqueline replies. She nods when he mentions ice and water, and raises an eyebrow at the mention of interrogation.

"...What do you mean by...'what' he is?" Jacqueline asks. She'd noticed his tendencies when ARMs were involved...but, well, she didn't actually have an excuse for that. "It's true...I've noticed that...."

<Pose Tracker> Arleph Ardan has posed.

 "Artifice is progress, yes. It is technology. Technology is applying effects and known applications together, after all."
 
 Arleph shakes his head, lifting a palm to calm. "I didn't mean to make it sound as dramatic as that. I believe it may be possible he has conditioning, pretty deep in, that drives him forward into certain actions, or picking up clues about something he's looking for. Many of the spells he uses are... well, it's hard to say 'banned', but 'discouraged'. Things that inflict a lot of pain."
 
 He waves vaguely. "Throwing fireballs and ice is one thing. Some of this stuff is particualrly... thorough. Or at least, the modification of some of his Symbology and the way he uses them. Some spells are very utilitarian. Others... well, I have seen applied in very pragmatic, discouraged manners."
 
 He looks at her, frowning. "It's the difference between tossing a fireball at someone, and making every bit of hair on your body hot like white hot nails."
 
 He leans forward. "And the human body have a lot of small hairs everywhere."

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

"...Conditioning? That would explain a lot of things...the way he doesn't even flinch at things some people would, but certain actions cause him to...well, fly off the handle, so to speak." Jacqueline comments, folding her arms in front of her.

His description of Ethius's Sorcery causes her to flinch...especially when he elaborates on it. She shivers, and shrinks back a bit.

"Y-yes, I'm aware of that..." She mutters, and shakes her head.

"Have you...talked to him about this?" She asks.

<Pose Tracker> Arleph Ardan has posed.

 "The conditioning is what I suspect, nothing more... but there is some behavior that might suggest it. I can't really look into his mind, sadly." Arleph leans back against the seat, sighing once. "It fits some patterns, to be certain. Who, why, what caused it, I don't know."
 
 He have an idea of where, but that's another matter he keeps to himself.
 
 "No. It's rather tricky to bring up and, honestly, I'd rather see how things play rather than risking triggering something in him. He has some control and, clearly, some morals and willingness to fight for causes." Arleph scratches his chin, thoughtfully and no small amount of nerves. "I doubt he knows where he got the Symbology from. But I could be mistaken."

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

"I suppose we won't learn anything without the man himself around. I hope we find him soon. I'm worried about him...and, admittedly, the idea of him out there on his own, doing who knows what, concerns me a little..." Jacqueline replies with a shrug...and then nods.

"True...I do want to help him find himself, but it's probably better if it comes naturally to him." She agrees...and with that, she stands up, gathering up the seed packets.

"...Well, you've given me a lot to think about. I think I'm going to get to work on planting these, let me clear my head and think for a bit." She says, and then starts to head off. She pauses in the hallway and looks back, though, offering him a smile.

"I do appreciate it, however. I'll be sure to ask your help with these again the future...I think I'll need it."

<Pose Tracker> Arleph Ardan has posed.

"Of course, Jacqueline." Arleph says, smiling as she stands up. He stays seated. "Don't be afraid to come to me if you need to discuss similar subject, or if things troubles you. Having a second view on things can help sort and figure things out."
 
 He pauses, then adds, looking over at the packets. "I'm certain we'll find him."

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

"I agree...and, of course, if there's anything troubling you, you can talk to me, as well. That's what I'm here for, after all!" Jacqueline replies with a smile, and then nods.

A hint of sadness seeps into it the moment after, and she nods again.

"...I'm sure we will." She agrees, with a hint of uncertainty, and then she's gone.