2018-06-28: The Distance Between Stars
- Log: The Distance Between Stars
- Cast: Ethius Hesiod, Lydia Seren
- Where: Volgran Forest
- Date: July 28 2018
- Summary: Ethius Hesiod, after kidnapping one of Lydia's minions, is confronted. A truth is shared. The distance between two stars...revealed.
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.
Volgran Forest is noisy today. It has no choice but to be, what with the amount of displaced refugees and soldiers after a calamitous encounter with a great creature of fell legend. Night has fallen, deeper into the woods. Well away from the beaten path, two individuals are bound, blindfolded, and gagged behind a rocky outcropping. Even if the sun were to rise, it would not shine on their location. The nearby vegetation has been scorched as to better dissuade foragers from coming to search for food and regeants.
...Two individuals? No, there's only one. The other - a wounded Hyland soldier - has expired from internal wounds inflicted in the recent chaos. That they held on this long was an act of heroism unto itself. The dead body has been left in the company of the other - a certain falconer who had the displeasure of catching someone's interest.
This certain 'someone' returns again from another patrol of the area. A hooded man of white hair, an intense stare, and a demeanor that seems so cold as to chill the unbearably humid air just by being there. (That is purely a trick of one's imagination.) He has not seen it fit to allow them food or water. He never removes the blindfold. One has to go by footsteps to gauge when he's returning.
And by his words, obviously.
"I will ask once more." The man speaks, standing before them. He leaves out the implicit threats and conditions about what he will do if she says or does something he does not approve of.
Such begins the fifth round of questions. His statement of 'I will ask once more' has not changed in tone, volume, inflection, or tempo every time he's said this. One cannot gauge whether he's at the end of his patience or not - or how many rounds he is willing to tolerate.
<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.
Amber the Falconeer was warned about Ethius. Not in great detail or anything, Lydia trusts Amber but not enough to explain how Ethius thinks, but even Lydia wouldn't have imagined Ethius would kidnap someone who was offering their services to Jaqueline Barber herself. She isn't sure whether to blame the Domain or Ethius, but Lydia knows she has to rescue Amber lest whatever happens to her be on her head.
Unfortunately, Lydia has only been able to rest up a little bit before assisting with repairs at the refugee wagon. She still isn't all that healed up when Bones lets out a shriek and flies off.
Lydia decided to follow the falcon as best she could and has eventually found her way to Volgran Forest. It may be night, but Lydia seems able to see well enough. Cameras, she remembers(?), not eyes.
"The soldier is dead aren't they. I don't feel their breathing." Amber the Falconeer says. "They might have been treatable." This isn't an answer to the question at all! It's not even neccessarily related.
Lydia crouches down by a tree instinctively. It's only when Bones lands back onto Amber's shoulder and caws at Ethius that Lydia realizes she doesn't have time to just sit around.
Lydia steps out into the open. "Hey. Ethius. What are you doin'?"
Lydia definitely does not pass as a native right now. She has been subsumed by fire and the burns haven't entirely healed but more to the point, while her face and hair seems to have been reformed (and her horns weren't damaged in the first place significantly), her other arm has been burned down to the 'bone' but the 'bone' in this case is actually a metallic skeletal limb. There's some flesh around the shoulder that's partially regenerated. Her legs, too, remain largely bone-like for the moment though they are more healed than the arm. The other arm, that was always metallic? That's still just fine don't you worry.
Her eyes widen as she sees the dead soldier.
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.
Ethius does not respond to the question about the soldier. He is unmoved about the potential that they could have been saved. It could be the unspoken implication that Amber might meet the same fate in time.
A bird appears. A loud bird. An exposure risk. Ethius extends his right palm. He'll have to deal with--
Lydia's voice.
...Lydia's injuries.
Ethius is aware that Lydia regenerates, thanks to her altered physiology. Just about everyone close to her knows of this, that it's not a big life-altering deal when a limb gets torn off or something.
He takes off the top layer of his hooded tunic with an expediency that seems much less a practiced set of motions and more the urgency of someone's dad. His white hair sticks out in the cover of darkness, Symbological runes visible where his skin is exposed. There are many of them.
He's willing to continue to treat her grievous injuries as a big damn deal, even if she might be over the absolute worst of it from being roasted to death and a bit beyond in hellish Malevolent flame, as he hands her the somewhat oversized hooded tunic in which to obscure the wounds of her upper body.
It's such a big deal, it seems, that the bird and their handler are mentally cast aside.
He doesn't answer what he's doing.
"You're injured," he remarks.
<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.
But she doesn't regenerate perfectly.
But even so, Lydia's eyes turn to the hunter. Responsibility is a pretty awful thing if you think about it, rather than fretting over Ethius like she wants to, or going ahead and feeling bad about her injuries, she has to worry about the safety of this person who has been working for her. It's kind of a drag and it makes her glad that her current plan ultimately puts 'the responsibility' in someone else's hands. Whatever her plan is which she has largely told Jaqueline and also Talia.
"Lydia? Is that you?" Amber the Falconeer asks.
"It's me." Lydia agrees before turning back to Ethius.
She blinks a couple times at the tunic. Maybe this time her body won't eat it, she thinks, so she does take it and pulls it on, wincing as she does so. It doesn't seem whatever happened has done away with the pain altogether. "Didn't know the dragon could make fire appear under my feet." Lydia tells Ethius. "...We've missed you. Why didn't you say anything?"
Ugh that's not what she should be saying. She should be saying 'why the hell did you kidnap this lady? Instead she exhales and says, "That woman's working for me. I asked her to help the Carakin evacuate the city. Is that what you were wondering?"
She looks down, feeling plenty guilty already. She should be the mad one for him leaving without saying anything! She could have told him this ages ago! Ugh!!
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.
She knows her - that much is made clear in that simple exchange and reaffirmation. That is Lydia, and this person knows her. A tone suggestive of a working relationship, familiarity. Friendship. These thoughts go through his head as he keeps his eyes upon Lydia as she puts on the hooded tunic under significant physical duress. She must be in a lot of pain and anguish.
...All this concern for her physically, and he may well have been missing the obvious, greatest pain all along.
Why didn't he say anything?! Why did he make no effort to re-establish contact, after Lastonbell?
"Miss Lydia. This matter is severe." He starts to pick up the gunsmoke ARM that he confiscated off of Amber's person, as if to begin to illustrate what he means exactly - the act of him picking it up is clear.
Lydia immediately clarifies Amber's relationship to her. She's working for Lydia. For Amber, this may be the moment that the worst can be avoided. A great miscommunication with deadly consequences for someone who was part of an invading force - an invading force greatly rumored to be attempting to massacre people fleeing towards Pendrago.
"I was wondering, Miss Lydia," Ethius says as he lifts the gunsmoke ARM up. With the flick of a wrist, its chamber is loosened, allowing one a clearer look into the inner mechanisms of the advanced weapon (...by Lunar standards). A thumb presses against the loosened piece, keeping what's visible of its insides exposed.
"Why does she have this?"
...
"Unless I am mistaken in matters of how the nation of Hyland clads its operatives, she is not under their banner. She carried this item with dutiful attention paid to its maintenance and its handling with comfort and assurance."
...
...
...
...
...
He's expecting one of them to answer.
<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.
Lydia isn't sure why that was happening but she suspects it involves malevolence or shenanigans. The Hyland invasion she saw was not out to cause an atrocity. They just wanted to take over the town. In the grand scheme of things, to Lydia's eyes, that's just a difference bunch of assholes running the place.
Amber does seem a bit more relieved, figuring the 'boss' will sort this out, but not entirely so. It is entirely possible that this crazy person will just murder Lydia and then murder her. The falcon, sensing Amber's distress, caws with some frequency.
"She's not a soldier. She's an adventurer." Lydia explains. "I don't know who is selling guns to the army, though I've got my guess." This is true enough. She has a suspicion as to who is selling weapons to the army but it's not like she confirmed it.
Amber is meanwhile probably wondering what the fuck is going on and is considering going back to bows and arrows from now on if it draws this kind of attention.
"She..." Lydia hesitates at this point, looking down again. "...I know you're not gonna like it but I gave it to her." She looks up to Ethius. "I know you don't want to spoil their sense of discovery...but they were already spoiled. If my guys aren't armed properly, they'll get killed and you saw what's going on. The longer this war continues...I don't know, there might not be much of a Lunar civilization anymore, least on this continent. We didn't take out that dragon. That dragon chose to leave."
She looks down again. "But I'm tryin' to follow the spirit, you know? Of what you wanted? I think? If we build a strong guild core then the countries won't have enough mercs to fight their wars and it won't be as bad and 'guns' won't matter so much anymore."
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.
It is a realistic fear that Ethius might just flip out and go for the kill. There's a marked lack of hesitation when he acts. No excitement, no dramatics. The sort of man - or monster - that will simply do the deed as whim or need strikes. He was willing to let the Hyland soldier die. He may well have been willing to starve and dehydrate out Amber.
The crowing bird is given some side-eye. He decides against disposing of it. They're loud. It does help obscure their conversation from would-be eavesdroppers. When Lydia explains, the gaze focuses right back on her. He moves no other muscles. The ARM is still held in plain view.
He's about to ask the same question again when Lydia starts to hesitate and look down.
'I gave it to her.'
Did he just blink? There's an eye movement. Maybe he's about to have an anumerysm.
'If my guys aren't armed properly...'
Ethius brings a hand to his forehead.
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.
A bowl - an aquarium? - rests flanked between strange people clad in robes of shimmering colors that do not transition smoothly through the visible spectrum of light. This doesn't disturb him much. The open air was frigid. On all sides, a distant, sweeping view of mountains surrounded them - and other pyramid-like structures. They were spoiled only by pillars holding up the triangular pyramid-like architecture above them, carved of a glassy rock that tinte all a bright green.
Something within the bowl beckoned others forward. These 'others' are carrying overly long horns that appear to require six of their number to carry them. They move forward.
This 'something' within the bowl speaks. The character of their voice had their attention. Something about the rasp? The feedback? He knew what it was. The words were spoken. He did not know the words. He clutched something on his person. He understood their meaning.
The robed attendants parted with the horn. There was an urgency, but some circumstances limited him. Others parted and leave. Two were holding spear-like weapons with crystalline tips. Voices spoke in a chorus. Beneath them, down a winding set of steps, other robed figures of different but equally bizarre chromatic aberrations knelt in... prayer? Worship?
He extended his hand. Lights shone from him. The bowl's contents bubbled. The water, a milky white, grew cloudier.
Then it was a thick lavender, as smoke rose from within. He ran forward as glass burst forth. Those armed with spear-like weapons turned back.
Both were quickly disposed of, thrown down the open air to their demise--
Voices boomed. A complex set of instructions, carried through the winds. These voices, born of the great horn, could have been heard for miles.
The voices repeated.
The matter required--
No. He refused.
...What did he refuse?
He had to refuse it. What was it?
It was unacceptable.
He stood before the many who continued their displays of worship and fealty.
He extended his hand once again.
He would not allow the alternative.
Never.
Never.
Never.
Never.
... ... ...
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.
...Is he even listening to her? He's been qui--
"Take everyone out of Glenwood." Ethius speaks up. His hands go behind his back. He might even be interrupting her mid-explanation as to why she has to do this to help protect the people of Glenwood, no, Lunar as a whole! This is the only way to stop Hyland, isn't it? To give Rolance and the rest the ability to fight back against it--
"You are to secure a way back to Filgaia. You are taking Miss Amber with you." Oh, hey, he's not going to murder her, that's great!! "You are taking every last one of your 'guys' with you." Yay she gets to keep her guys!! ...Is that a yay?
"Miss Jay and the rest are of the mind to help others in their time of need. This is laudable. She has always been kind. Your motives and desires are... understandable." He always sounds like he's reading off a script. Somewhere in this, it seems like he's falling off of it. His posture is as tense, rigid, and unyielding as always, but for all the time Lydia has known him, she can see through him just enough to know this for certain -
This is maybe the most emotional she's ever seen him, outside of instances where he's been under duress by great supernatural mega-evil.
He's...
...
...Speechless? His eyes shut closed.
<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.
Lydia can't see the weird flashback, but to be honest even if she could she'd probably have little idea of what was going on. Honestly, even as she is right now on Lunar, she feels out of her depth. To be fair to Lydia, she is presently a walking mostly skeleton with a head attached. That is probably not how she was expecting her life to go here.
Amber, of course, is only getting more confused by everything but has already decided that if this lunatic asks her to not talk about this to anybody she will say yes and probably even stick to it.
In spite of all her explanations, Lydia surely knows deep down that she messed up. Or at least--she messed up with regards to Ethius. Ethius isn't her dad, she knows, but she wishes he was and whereas some people would tell Ethius to stick it where the sun don't shine, Lydia might actually be inclined to listen to him. Or try to listen to him. She trails off when Ethius starts speaking.
"Wait what?" Amber says as Ethius tells Lydia to become an alien abductor.
Lydia looks at Amber for a moment before saying, "Hold on--Ethius, hold on a second."
She rubs at her own forehead with her metal fingers. "...Ethius, we don't know how to get back. I can't take Amber to Filgaia. I can't even go to Filgaia myself. I would very much like to! But I don't know how. I can't. I can't even build a prototype ship with what's here."
Wait, Lydia thinks, looking over to that white hair. Her hands twitch. Could he be...a 'Gebler' agent too? White isn't exactly blonde, but it's not that far off--if Elly can have red hair, then--
--Lydia shakes her head. Don't think like that. It's Ethius. If he was one of them he wouldn't have tried to murder the guy. No--but Ethius wouldn't even be the first alien...
If he is one. Maybe it was a slip of a tongue, the way he said that.
But no. Not even where Ethius is really from is what Lydia is really worried about right now. Those thoughts melt away to the key point.
"Ethius..." Lydia says, reaching towards one of Ethius's hands.
"Are you saying...you don't want anything to do with me anymore? You want us to be planets apart?"
Lydia looks away, unable to look Ethius straight in the eye. "...I tried my best to make you proud but...I don't know. I'm not that good, I guess. You wouldn't be the first 'dad' I lost but...well," she laughs a bit, hoarsely. "At least it'll be cause of something I did, I guess."
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.
That always is the question, isn't it. Who, or what, is an Ethius? Visually, back on Filgaia, he could've passed for one of the Baskar from the Badlands region... aside from the Symbological tattoos, his manner of speaking, and virtually anything and everything else. Without knowing who he is, or where he's from, who knows what the man even stands for?
"A way exists." He says, as though a definitive answer. Does he know? Is he going to share? "For the circumstances we have witnessed, one must." ...Wishful thinking, then, if that's the best he can come up with.
...
He recalls Emma Hetfield, a leading scholar of her field and probably a few other fields she has been blatantly trespassing into without the awareness of said leading scholars otherwise attributed to them, speaking to him with such severe terms. The resignation to the idea that maybe they won't be able to go back - from someone who dared to push their fields of research so very far. A sentiment he disagreed with, but never voiced with her for the circumstances. There was someone else whose presence demanded his undivided attention.
One of his hands leaves from behind his back, in transit to some other specific action or will of his. He never moves unless he has a specific purpose for moving. Whatever it is, it is stopped as Lydia takes hold of one of his hands. His eyes open - taken by surprise? Is he so numb to the feelings of a scared young woman, stuck trying to figure out the best way forward, that her even taking this initimiate and vulnerable emotional gesture in hand is surprising?
"I am not your father." These words are simply stated as fact. The only point he seems intent to address, as she spills out her anxieties about this most stressful of situations - he must be upset that she has gone and taken matters into her own hands by arming everyone else. Yet, there he maintains that distant tranquility.
She's holding his hand. He hasn't retracted it. Even so, somehow, he may well come off as standing off in a completely different continent.
If not even further away.
He allows her to hold on for as long as she wants.
<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.
Lydia doesn't say what comes to her mind there, namely that 'moons are large' and she may never find a way even if it DOES exist.
She doesn't need to. Ethius says five words and Lydia stares at him.
Then why was he so kind to her? Isn't that the kind of relationship they had? Does he just see her as a friend? It never felt that way. Ethius never treated his other friends that way. He never treated Kourin that way. "Is that...Is that how you feel about Kourn too?"
Lydia's cheeks tint silver as steps backwards.
"...You..." Lydia begins, covering her face with her metal arm. "You said--"
rShe takes in a deep breath and then just turns and walks towards Amber. Lydia flicks out a knife and slices her free from the rope and rips off her blindfold.
Amber has never seen Lydia like this and she lets out a gasp, stumbling back. "You..." Amber says. "What are you? Are you some kind of..."
"I'll tell you later." Lydia says, barely bothered by the look as she turns back to Ethius.
"You told him, you told him that I would spend the rest of the days with my friends and family. My biological family tried to get me to MUTILATE myself."
Lydia presses her hands to her face, trying to stay calm throughout what is probably some manner of panic attack. It isn't working judging by the tears. She
"So what are you to us, then, huh? What are you to me? What is our relationship?"
<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.
Lydia doesn't say what comes to her mind there, namely that 'moons are large' and she may never find a way even if it DOES exist.
She doesn't need to. Ethius says five words and Lydia stares at him.
Then why was he so kind to her? Isn't that the kind of relationship they had? Does he just see her as a friend? It never felt that way. Ethius never treated his other friends that way. He never treated Kourin that way. "Is that...Is that how you feel about Kourn too?"
Lydia's cheeks tint silver as steps backwards.
"...You..." Lydia begins, covering her face with her metal arm. "You said--"
rShe takes in a deep breath and then just turns and walks towards Amber. Lydia flicks out a knife and slices her free from the rope and rips off her blindfold.
Amber has never seen Lydia like this and she lets out a gasp, stumbling back. "You..." Amber says. "What are you? Are you some kind of..."
"I'll tell you later." Lydia says, barely bothered by the look as she turns back to Ethius.
"You told him, you told him that I would spend the rest of the days with my friends and family. My biological family tried to get me to MUTILATE myself."
Lydia presses her hands to her face, trying to stay calm throughout what is probably some manner of panic attack. It isn't working judging by the tears. She's so tired of crying.
"So what are you to us, then, huh? What are you to me? What is our relationship?"
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.
What the hell is this man's stake? What does he want out of anyone?
"I am not her father either." He doesn't skip a beat, as though addressing this specific ambiguity were somehow the most important thing and that still fails to answer the question (other than reiterating a lack of paternity). Lydia breaks away to cover her face, and soon go to free Amber. He doesn't move to stop her. His expectations were already stated. By one's admission, Lydia has already inducted Amber to things Lunar shouldn't know, or have. The damage is done - it seems the only way that Rolance will be able to stand, by anyone's perspective.
Anyone's except this twisted man's, apparently. Does he just want them all to die while he does whatever he believes he's going to accomplish, going up against the empowered army of Hyland? What does he even care, or understand, the depths of what it's like for one's life - on the course it was going - to only look forward to misery, discrimination, and loneliness?! He's just standing there... what moonlight there is seems to cast something of a sinister shadow, accenting the hue of his hair. It makes that stare of his just look less... human.
"I understand these times are difficult." He's not answering her. As always, these words sound all too recited. "I will handle the rest from here. I can assure," assure that this is a boilerplate precursor to a carefully-worded and yet still overly verbose statement that lacks much beyond the words themselves, "this matter will be resolved." Resolved how? By most of Rolance's people being dead by the time anyone figures something out?
What is a star? Someone asks. Asked? Will ask? Ethius is suddenly aware of this question being present on his psyche, but he can't put a finger as to when it gets there. He doesn't have an answer for it.
He turns his back. Lighting aside, even when facing Lydia, it's... kind of like he's always facing away from everyone else, emotionally, aside from those seemingly initimate moments in which he appeared to care. Did he?
"Please see them back to the CaraKin. I will discuss the matter in further detail as necessary." But... isn't this the matter, right now? What possible matter could be more important to put off this sort of heart-to-heart with someone who looked up to - and maybe even loved, in a familial way - this man?
Does this man understand the concept of 'caring'?
<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.
Lydia's question isn't answered. That in of itself is a kind of answer. What is an Ethius Hesiod? What is a star?
Lydia would say that a star is a light in the sky that inspires those below it, a light that tells you that you're not alone, a light that says that even if this world is unfair and cruel that maybe there will be a world out there that isn't, and maybe one day you or your people will get to see that world. A star is so far away that you might never reach it, but you can always try and hope for it.
It's also a ball of flaming gas, of course, and that's something too.
Lydia hefts Amber up, a little less gently than she'd like, but she just hefts her up in one arm. She shouldn't be able to do that. You can say these stares of Ethius are not human, you can say that he has no humanity, you can say that he is a twisted man but Lydia doesn't see anything inhuman in what Ethius says and does. Humans beat her. Humans wanted her to harm herself. Humans have called her people beasts. Humans have experimented on her. Humans have tortued her. Humans have made her experience death after death. Humans have turned her into this. Humans would have her be second class to them.
No, to Lydia, Ethius is being very human indeed. Maybe that was her mistake, thinking humans could be anything but human.
You could ask Lydia what a star was, and she'd give you that answer, but sometimes Lydia has her own answer for what a star is. Sometimes when she sees a star out there all by itself, only ever to see the star hanging in the evening sky so far from its family, seperated by lightyears upon lightyears, she thinks that there is a far more succinct an answer to what a star is.
Lonely.
Such stars can see their brothers and sisters in the cosmos but they are so far apart, so far.
Lydia says, "If you were my dad, you could tell me what to do." She looks back over to Ethius, eyes puffy and swollen. "But you're not. And you won't tell me what we are. So...so you can't tell me what to do."
She is quiet for a moment before adding, "Granny Halle told me to not act out of hate or anger, so I won't do what I really really want to do right now but..." She exhales. "...I know this is just how you are so whatever. But I'm not like Jay or Cyre. I won't be cute about it if you hurt my friends again. I won't shrug and say 'That's just how Ethius is'. Because it's one thing for you to hurt me, Ethius, by being yourself." She rubs at her eyes with her arm. "But hurting my friends, I won't tolerate that. I hope you figure out what we are to each other because I..."
She swallows again. "...Nevermind. I already stopped thinking of a dad as a dad once."
And then suddenly she screams, "I DID IT ONCE ALREADY!! I'LL BE FUCKING OKAY!! I GOT RIESENLIED AND I DON'T NEED ANOTHER ONE! SO FUCK IT!"
And then she quiets down again, "...I just thought it would be nice."
She then starts dragging Amber off.
Amber looks up towards Bones and says wryly, "You know, I thought guild life would be less depressing than the military."
Lydia doesn't bite her. That's how you know it's serious.
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.
Threats are given. It is usually Ethius who makes the demands, and the threats. Amber, over there, may potentially find some relief in watching and/or hearing someone stand up to him with such impassioned words about what will happen to him if he hurts any of Lydia's friends. (He didn't really 'hurt' Amber in the conventional senses but one may be compelled to make it retroactive down the line for how he seemed ready to abandon her to be eaten by the wildlife if she didn't answer his questions to his liking. It was a not-nice thing to do!!)
He weathers her emotion with his usual motionlessness. The primary, unvoiced thought that stands above all:
...
...
...
...
He'd rather she keep her voice down.
He lets her leave on her own terms. She even gets to keep that tunic of his and he's going to have to go grab another one and that tiny spiteful advantage she has does not yet register to him. What... even does? He doesn't interject with any answer or apology. He cannot possibly create any further distance no matter how far any of them walk. What was it even all for? Does he know? Does he care?
A part of him feels relieved. (He does not recognize why.)