2018-06-16: An Ethereal Connection
- Log: An Ethereal Connection
- Cast: Xantia, Lily Keil
- Where: Pearloats Pasture
- Date: June 16th, 2018
- Summary: Now knowing the nature of her powers, Xantia seeks out Lily, another confirmed Ether user, to learn more about them. Lily makes a generous offer. Xantia's hopes reach dangerous heights.
===========================<* Pearloats Pasture *>============================ Pearloats Pasture is the agricultural heartland of the Rolance Empire. It stretches through the center of the empire, from Lastonbell in the east to Pendrago in the west. The eastern half is a rolling, hilly meadow. Shepherds tend their flocks here, and must keep a careful eye because of the danger of roaming monsters that have only grown worse in recent days. The western stretches of Pearloats are where the countless grain fields and farms of the Empire are. In the last year, nearly constant rainfall has dampened the fields and the capital of Pendrago, and made the roads muddy and dangerous. This state has drawn out more bandits and monsters than before. BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQK2PufIbzI
<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.
Being part of the Black Wolves hasn't really changed Xantia's nature a whole lot. Though sticking around Vane for some time, just happy to be around people she knows again, eventually she took to wandering off again. Sometimes for only a short time, usually when working on Hero Training either by herself or with Metal Digger slash Crimson Knight Locus. Sometimes for longer periods of time, usually to explore a little or follow up on interesting things she heard about. The Big Picture, where it comes to Black Wolves business... well, she listens, but as usual it's hard to say how much of it she really understands.
It's probably just as well that she hasn't sought to venture into Glenwood much. A greater amount of discretion in the operations on that side of Lunar is wise, and discretion is not something anybody would accuse Xantia of having much of. But that's changed not too long ago, with Xantia following up on a few rumors of interest... and looking to search out the other Black Wolves she knows are in the area.
It's the latter reason that finds her travelling the roads currently. Not because she has positively identified Lily's location or anything, that would be giving her too much credit. All she had to go on is a general area. It's mostly good fortune that led her in the right direction. Good fortune, and - once in close enough proximity to detect it - the smell of food. This too is nothing unusual - Xantia has wandered into the camps of fellow travellers several times along the way, shamelessly reducing their food supplies more than they were likely expecting.
And thus, the red-haired fist fighter, still having failed to change clothes or do anything else to blend in better, comes down to the road humming a happy tune, already looking forward to bumming another meal of whoever's camp this happens to be. No malice intended, of course. Even if this is probably going to get her put on some kind of a 'Do Not Aid Under Any Circumstances' warning list.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
As camps go, this one is fairly small; kept at the side of a larger hill for isolation's sake, with a fire and some bedrolls, and, perhaps more importantly, good sightlines awaywhen someone approaches, Lily Keil looks up from the fire and sees--
"...Huh."
Back this up a moment--what actually happens is that Xantia steps right past a tripwire that triggers a loud, sharp alarm, and Lily looks up to the figure with a dagger of void in her hand. "...Huh," she does and did say, and gets rid of her magical weapon. "Wasn't expecting you. Feel free to have a seat."
Lily's armor is piled nearby; she's in black and gray, as usual. ...there's a mostly-full bottle of wine beside her... but no signs of any food! It's terrible.
<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.
Xantia doesn't bother explaining if she noticed anything was amiss back there. Chances are, from her perspective, it wasn't anything unusual, even if others might find it so.
She doesn't make it obvious if she noticed Lily was prepared for stabbings when she approached, either. Or maybe she doesn't find that to be anything unusual either. She merely greets Lily with a cheerful smile and a wave of her hand. That much certainly isn't anything unusual. "Hi, Lily! I wasn't expecting to find you here either!" Even if she doesn't exactly seem surprised about this. She was really just expecting it to take a bit longer than it did.
Xantia can't help herself - the way she's looking around, as if searching for something, that can only be her looking for something to eat. After all, she's always hungry, as she frequently replies to people who question whether or not she is. How shocking it must be to not locate any. She smelled the campfire... campfires are supposed to mean a place where food is nearby. This has to be breaking some kind of rule!
She manages to not look too disappointed when she flops down right where she stands, and turns her attention to Lily. "How've things been going over here? I heard things exploded." One can guess what she might be talking about, given that she rarely speaks in a figurative way.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
That is pretty usual. Lily is regularly prepared for stabbings.
She looks over Xantia, checking for obvious injuries--for her part, Lily looks a little tired, mostly. ...The strange markings on her hands gleam violet, for now, and she's not wearing gloves so they're visible. ...Lily watches her search around and then shakes her head. "...I don't have food out."
Yes, she can guess. And yet...!
"I haven't been keeping the closest eye," she admits, "But yeah, things exploded." She says it distantly, a little quietly. "The siege broke in Lastonbell. They were invaded. I'm still looking into a lot of things in the area, but..."
A shake of her head. "Regardless. What brings you over here? Have you found any leads?"
<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.
Xantia seems to be in the pinnacle of health. Nothing unusual there either, given how quickly she tends to recover from anything but the most grievous injuries. She's full of her usual energy too, though she loses some of it when her suspicions about the food situation are confirmed. "Aw..." So sad. For about two seconds, before she gets over it. She can get serious when the situation calls for it.
Hearing of the invasion, she nods quietly. "It sounds like a real mess. I'd say sorry I wasn't there, but I dunno how much of a difference it would've made..." She briefly looks away. She doesn't like the idea of being unable to affect a situation for the better. Problems that require more than punching to make them go away are her least favorite problems.
As far what she's doing here... she lets out a sheepish chuckle before admitting, "I wouldn't really know where to look for leads about that stuff. I was looking into some other things I heard about. Like... it turns out the Nekomata of Biroclef Ridge was actually Rosaline. She's a Hellion now... but don't worry, she's still the same even though she's completely different!"
...want to try explaining to Xantia how little sense that makes? And still sounding so cheerful while she said it, too. It can be astounding how optimistic she manages to view situations that many might consider hopeless.
Not even about to linger on that notable topic, she's actually quite ready to jump into what was foremost on her mind upon finding Lily. "Actually, there's something I wanted to talk to you about..." She gestures to Lily's ungloved hands. "About your power. About Ether." Somebody's learned a thing or two.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
Lily is sure Xantia will live through her disappointment. She certainly doesn't seem all that troubled by it. ...The talk of the invasion, though... The sorceress shakes her head. "None of us would've made that much of a difference," she says. "At scales like that... There's too much to change things. To do it all at once."
But of course--Lily shakes her head a moment later. "That's fine. I'll keep looking. We won't be stuck up here forever." A pause, and then Lily looks down, face falling slightly, but noticeably. "...A Hellion... so it's her, too." She closes her eyes. "So many."
Lily doesn't bother trying to explain; it's fine that Xantia is optimistic. ....Lily doesn't have the patience or the desire to try to crush that.
But actually, Xantia brings up something that interests her more--Lily looks up in surprise, studying Xantia's expression again. "You..." Yes, someone learned. "What is it?" she asks. "What did you want to say?"
<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.
With how Xantia seems to be just sort of jumping from topic to topic, arguably giving them less attention than they warrant, it's easy to think she might not even pay much attention to the way she brings up a topic. That time, it was deliberate. She wanted to see Lily's reaction to dropping the word 'Ether'. She cants her head slightly, noting the surprise, but seeing no evidence of being unfamiliar with that word. "So you knew that's what it's called. But people aren't supposed to know, are they? That's why I was hoping to talk to you alone."
She raises up her right hand, and looks down at it, briefly closing it into a fist, then wriggling her fingers around. "Did you know that my power is the same? Maybe not entirely the same, but... it's Ether, too."
Her gaze raises again to look at Lily, containing a certain urgency that is commonly seen when Xantia's latched onto something that might give more insight into her unknown past. "What do you think this means? I don't know why I can do this, do you? Is it something you learned somewhere, or...?"
She has so many questions. And as usual, she's failing to give much room for answers before asking another. It may be best to interrupt her here, if only to slow things down a little.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
Lily has known Xantia long enough by now to realize that she isn't stupid--just... sort of scattered. She picks up more than one might imagine. So it is that Lily didn't even think about how the word itself could be something of a test--and she nods, at the question. "...Yes. I've heard it a few places, now. Bart, Gebler. But few people know it's called that, or what it is." She pauses. "...We're alone for now. There's someone with me, but she... went off to chase squirrels, I don't know. She's gone for now."
She pauses, watches Xantia's fist, and then looks at Xantia. "...I wasn't sure," she admits. "I can... feel it, but--It's still surprising."
Yes, that urgency is plain--what does it mean? Lily watches Xantia, but her expression doesn't offer much by way of explanations--or reassurance. "..."
"...I'm sorry," Lily says after a moment's thinking, her golden eyes moving to the side, looking into nothing. "But I don't have any answers for you. I didn't learn it anywhere that I know of, didn't pick it up any way I could explain. I've... always been able to do it. Since I was a little girl, it wasn't a matter of learning to do it--it was a matter of learning to control it. As long as I can remember, things just... happen, because I want them to."
Lily looks back to Xantia. "I don't know where I come from. Where I was born, who my birth parents are... if this runs in the family. The only people who seem to know anything are Gebler and Solaris, and even they couldn't tell me much."
<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.
Xantia deflates a little when it becomes clear that Lily doesn't have much in the way of concrete answers. She couldn't say she's very surprised - if it was that easy to trace things back she would know who she is by now. But it's still disappointing every time it happens. Still, she pays close attention to what Lily does say and remains silent all the whole, valuing knowledge of anything even remotely related.
Finally, at the end, Xantia slightly lowers her head. "...I see..." Disappointment is evident, but at the same time, she's thinking, considering the situation. And concluding, "That's a little bit like having amnesia." It's weird how that sort of thing actually makes her a little happy. While she wouldn't wish it on anyone, it does feel as if an unknown past creates a bond she couldn't otherwise have with people.
Abruptly, Xantia hops to her feet. For the sole purpose of pacing around, apparently, hand on her chin as she thinks out loud. "So this is something that you can just sort of... have, but it's not common. In that case, maybe that's the only way. That it's something you can't learn, you just have to have it." She stops just as abruptly as she started pacing, turning back to Lily, though remaining standing. "I guess you also wouldn't have any idea why the things I can do are so different from the things you can do. But, Gebler knows things, you say..."
She taps her cheek a few times in thought, then her eyes go wide in realization. "Then the other girl he mentioned must be Elly!" She looks to Lily for confirmation. "Is that right, is Elly also using Ether? Have you talked to her?"
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
Lily would love to have those answers--has wanted them for a long time. ...But she doesn't have them.
"I guess it is," Lily admits. "...I don't remember much at all from when I was very young." It doesn't seem very strange to her, at least. Most people can't, right? ....Nevermind that perhaps she's forgotten more than most, she'll accept the commonality for now.
Xantia hops up and Lily watches her. "It seems to be that way. I don't think I can teach someone else to do it who doesn't already." She shakes her head. "...Mm..."
She stops, a moment, looks to Xantia, "Gebler knows some things--but I don't know why what you can do is different from what I can do. ...Apparently, the things I do are different from the Ether-users they know of, and Bart uses it somehow, too. They have a lot to say about how it works, but I didn't get to hear all that much."
Only then does she acknowledge that realization. "...Who is he?" she asks. "That's correct, though. She uses Ether. So do a lot of Gebler types."
<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.
Don't ask Xantia how normal it is to not remember anything from very far back. She can't remember being a child at all. That already doesn't feel normal to her, how could she have possibly once been that tiny? That's supposed to be natural? No way, that sounds a lot more magical than most actual magic does.
What does make sense now that she thinks of it, is the fact that her power isn't something that you could teach anybody. How would you even describe how to do it? You just... do it. She muses, "I always thought amnesia was the only reason why somebody would not know how they do the things they do." She'll take what little relief she can get, regarding what may just be normal instead of a result of her condition.
Considering Gebler found Lily's usage of Ether unusual, and Xantia was told her usage of it was unusual also, she can only shrug, and conclude, "I guess Ether isn't something you can easily understand." She's oddly at peace with that, again feeling better knowing that it's not just her. Which isn't to say that she's about to give up on the Ether angle where it comes to the search for her past, of course. No angles are going to be abandoned, for any reason.
Xantia stares blankly at Lily when she's questioned on who 'he' is. She doesn't always fully think through what she says out loud. It takes a moment for it to dawn on her, and when it does, she's quick to cover her mouth. "Ah!" Obviously something she wasn't meaning to bring up.
Grumbling a bit, Xantia scratches her head, trying to figure out what she should do. "I promised I wouldn't say. But..." But, she reasons, Lily would probably figure it out sooner or later anyway. It's not like this name hasn't come up before in relation to her learning about things not many people know, such as Shevat. Ah well. It's probably fine. It's Lily, she can trust Lily.
And so, she shrugs, admitting, "It was Id, he told me about this. He didn't want people to know, because it's not his business to get involved. I'm not sure why, but... can you please keep it a secret? I don't want him to think badly of me."
Yes, heaven forbid the Demon of Elru thinks badly of you.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
Lily's got much more knowledge of normal! She studied it.
"Guess it isn't," Lily says, and if Xantia takes some comfort in it then that's not such a bad thing. ...Lily, of course, hasn't forgotten either. "...It seems that way. Power you can just.. use... It's not usual, for people. It doesn't surprise me that it's hard to understand, though it's... kind of discouraging."
But 'he'? Xantia promised, and Lily doesn't press after that, but she doesn't complain about hearing--instead--she lifts an eyebrow, and then looks... wholly unsurprised. "He sure does talk a lot," she mutters, shaking her head. "Whatever, your secret's safe with me. I talk to him enough myself to know better."
To think badly...
"I'm sure he thinks you're fine," she lies baldly. "Anyway that would make sense. So, you use Ether. ...Ether can account for most of your powers, that's true. Are you thinking of hunting dfown more info on it?"
<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.
Xantia looks a little embarassed to be 'found out' like this, even though she herself ultimately decided to spill the beans. Still, no harm done, it seems. With Lily talking to Id too, everything's sure to be perfectly understandable. Enough so that she can freely chuckle about it and confirm on Id's talkativeness, "Yeah, he's nice like that."
Yup. She really just said that. And it doesn't stop there.
"He even would've given me his Death Waitress cap! Do you know how hard it is to get one of those now?" She pauses. "...well, I guess completely impossible while we're up here, but you know what I mean. I told him to keep it though, it looks good on him."
Xantia's rapport with Id may just be a tiny little bit unusual, by the sounds of it. But she seems to consider it normal enough to continue right along, significantly more cheerful than before.
"But yeah, of course I'm going to keep looking for more information on Ether! So far, I know that it tends to be elemental in nature, and most Ether users can only use element. So I guess that's one thing that makes you unusual! Id thinks I should be able to do more elements than just lightning too... that's gonna be tough to figure out if nobody can teach me, but I'm sure I'll manage!"
Just raring to go, back to being the eternal optimist.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
"Nice," Lily repeats, and shakes her head. Perhaps strangely, she doesn't question it though, certainly doesn't tell Xantia she shouldn't be talking with him. ...Probably because she has a strange kind of rapport with him, herself. But the mention of the cap--Lily sighs. "That's for the best." That... fuckin'... hat. It looks 'good', sure.
regardless, when Xantia continues, Lily keeps watching her, thinking. "I'm looking for it, myself. I was trying to see if it has any connection up here... But I haven't found much yet. But elements..." She trails off.
"Yeah, I guess I am unusual. But you know... If you are using Ether, I might be able to teach you. I won't say it's going to be easy, and I can't guarantee anything, but I could give it a shot. I might learn a few things in the process."
<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.
It might have been a futile endeavor anyway, trying to get Xantia to understand that trying to be friends with somebody who blows up cities for fun might be a bad plan. Because she can't not know that he does that, she watched him do it. If that didn't deter her, what will?
But of course, all previous subjects are immediately forgotten when Lily offers a ray of hope in further her immediate goals. That prompts Xantia to clasp her hands together, her eyes positively sparkling. "Really??" Now you've done it. Gotten Xantia's hopes up, when she's already one of the most hopeful people alive.
In no time at all, Xantia has suddenly invaded Lily's personal space by getting right up in front of her, making an attempt to take Lily's hands in hers. "Thank you!! Anything you do, anything you can tell me, anything at all, I'd be really, really grateful! I don't care how hard it is, I promise I'll try the best I can! Oh-- but please no ice, I don't want to learn ice, it's cold."
No, she's still not over feeling cold that one time, after helping Lily before.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
Lily's hardly one to talk. She's friends with him, too.
Xantia's excitement almost makes Lily regret her offer--if only because of how... bright she is in that moment. Her hopes have gotten up all right, and the black-haied woman sighs. --Then, as her space is invaded, Lily freezes in plain discomfort, looking down at her hands as Xantia touches them before of course, the touching is necessary. And--
"...We don't have to do ice," she says, somewhat weakly. "I have others you might be better at. Regardless, give me some time to think of an approach... But sure, I'll try."