2019-08-03: The Nature Of War

• Log: The Nature Of War
• Cast: Gwen Whitlock, Avril Vent Fleur, Kaguya Alathfar
• Where: Great Spiran Sea
• Date: August 3, 2019
• Summary: Gwen arranges a meeting with Kaguya, and asks Avril to also attend. Many an difficult subject is raised. Kaguya explains her plans.

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<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.

    'I want to talk to you, and uphold that promise I made.'

    That message had been sent, along with various details. There was simply a matter of collaborating the time, date, and location, with care taken to ensure Avril's safety. Gwen is sure she could at least protect herself from Kaguya, but Avril as well? That might be close to impossible.

    Maybe, if Avril agrees, her identity might not be mentioned at all, just that of a 'third party'.

    Flashfoward to now, in as about as neutral a location as Gwen could possibly locate, among some ruins. A small fire is going to offset the slowly dimming light. Gwen hops one leg nervously as she sits on a stone, looking towards the churning brightness of the fire. "Avril, if you still want to leave, you can. I'm... a little nervous that things'll go bad."

    The Veruni are a strange ally for the Guard to have. While their culture and ways are largely unknown to Gwen, they didn't seem to be that much of a fit for Althena's Guard.

    But then again, the Yevonites weren't really a great fit either.

    "I don't know how Kaguya will do things. So if things get dicey, get out. Kaguya gave me her word that she wouldn't hurt me."

<Pose Tracker> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.

    It's a risky proposition. True, there is no means here for her to be 'returned' to Volsung. But at the same time, neither does Avril precisely know how many other Veruni are here... or for that matter, that Kaguya will cleave to the terms of the meeting and come alone.

    The Guard have, as far as she knows, no plan for her. But that doesn't mean she is out of harm's way, either.

    "We shall see," she answers Gwen, her hands clasped before herself as she remains as if a sentinel. "I will retreat if the situation becomes strained, but not until then. I... there is much that I want to know," she says, her gaze shifting off towards the horizon, where the sun -- and the Blue Star -- linger.

    It should not be long now, she thinks.
    And involuntarily, she shivers.

<Pose Tracker> Kaguya Alathfar has posed.

Ruins, on the roadway; contested territory, but not being actively fought over this moment. It's about as neutral as they're likely to find in the area, considering. It's true though--there are reasons for a Veruni to engage in very underhanded tactics when it comes to Avril. But...

That's not what happens this time. No, in this uncomfortable, warm night, tense as the darkness moves onward--

The sound of footsteps is obvious first, before the sight of a girl turning a corner, walking amidst the ruins with a glance back, and forth each way. It's not really Spiran garb she's wearing--a nice collared shirt, under a wider layer like a poncho; sturdy trousers, boots. The glint of metal at her side, the two weapons in the same sheath at her side. There is nothing on her immediately visible that calls out 'Veruni.'

But Kaguya's strangely pale eyes do. The slightly distinct shape of her skull; the sharper teeth, the pointed ears. The subtle things that all add up to the same.

"Pretty distinct voice," she answers. "I'm not sure if it's extremely clever or extremely stupid, but considering that I'm still just planning to talk, I have to lean to clever."

Kaguya then smiles at Avril, does a little nod and gesture that is suggestive of tipping a hat she isn't wearing, and then settles her eyes on Gwen for a moment. "So sure, whatever, I didn't say you couldn't bring a friend. I've got a maid and a guard hanging out playing cards down the roadway, myself. They won't be interrupting us unless I radio, and that's... not likely."

"Since we're not really strangers at all, are we?"

<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.

    "Alright. I'd imagine a few friends'd be pretty disappointed if I just blindly let you get captured." A pause, and Gwen chuckles, rubbing the back of her neck. "Not that you're defenseless, or anythin'. You'd probably do better in a fight than I would if they started bringin' out the big guns."

    The soft fall of footsteps, and the courier hushes, standing up and turning her head in the direction of the sound. "Well well, howdy stranger," she says, with a cordial nod. "She wanted t'come, so who was I t'say 'no, let me go into this potentially dangerous situation'?" She shrugs and laughs, rubbing a hand through her curly hair. "N' I'd be surprised if y'didn't have some friends. Just... not the sort that would make this chat become somethin' a lot more complicated." She gestures towards the fire. "Have a seat. As you may know, I have some questions I wanted t'ask. Clarifications, maybe. Since I don't know exactly how long it'll be before we all come t'blows again."

    Because this is a war they're talking about. One with high stakes, regardless of whether they get teleported back soon or not.

    Sitting down at her seat, Gwen crosses her legs and prepares herself, pressing the the palm of each hand on her knees. ".... So I'll get straight to th'point. Why are the Veruni sidin' with the Guard? I admit, the Yevonites don't really seem that great either in terms of acceptance, but the more help the Guard has, the longer and harder this campaign's gonna be for both sides. I can guess at a motive or two, but I wanted to see if you might be willin' to part with some reasons yourself."

<Pose Tracker> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.

    Avril lowers her gaze. "Yes..." she murmurs.

    She hadn't told them. They would have stopped her, or insisted on coming along, and if that happened, it would complicate things further. It would have been better not to be here at all, to let her questions go unanswered.

    She hates... lying like this...

    But it can't be helped. One way or the other. There is no clear way to unite both paths.

    She lifts her head then, at the sound of footfalls, and in silence, waits.

    "It was my decision, Kaguya," she says at last, once the woman has said her piece. "If it is disagreeable to you, then I shall take my leave. However, there are things that I wish to know." She glances down, then slowly draws Absolute Zero's hilt from where it is left hanging at her hip, from a rather ordinary belt of a rather ordinary dress favored by the people of this land.

    This, she hands to Gwen.
    There is no way that anyone but Avril herself can get that ARM to work. Only one person in the world has the right biometrics for it.

    "...I am only here to ask of you questions." Her gaze flits sidelong to Gwen, and in silence, Avril nods.

    'And to hear the questions and answers for Gwen's own as well', it seems, is her other purpose here now.

<Pose Tracker> Kaguya Alathfar has posed.

"It's fine," Kaguya answers Avril and Gwen both. "Unexpected, but not a problem. I'll include you same as her--no fighting, whatever. Today."

She shakes her head. "...Partly because that, yeah. You'd be a little reckless to come alone. But don't worry about those two--they just get antsy if I disappear too often without some escort. Something about 'hostile territory' and 'horrible monsters' whatever."

Kaguya moves, and does take a seat at the fire, casually. Up in the firelight, though--her gaunt feathers are a little clearer. She looks better than she did before, but...

"Hmmm." When she sees Avril's gesture, Kaguya reaches behind--and pulls an ARM of Veruni make, strange plastics in place of wood, the TK-38K. She tosses it lightly, gently, to sit beside Gwen at her seat. A gesture's a gesture.

"Disagree about the effects on the war--help actually is likely to end it faster, not slower. But--that's not your question."

"It makes sense to wonder. If I'd picked after I'd gotten here, why bother? What do the Veruni care about some human religious conflict? The truth is not a lot, not inherently. But that's not really how it was, so it's the wrong question."

"It's partly convenience and coincidence, honestly. I had some plans that required backing humans--not shaping everything directly, but giving support to a group. The ones I backed did well enough that we got set up in Hyland... and then the local goddess called a crusade. I was obligated either to go or to abandon my work there."

"But Yevon is hard to work with anyway; they preach against machines, and machines are, frankly, my main advantage here. And now that we've started the fight, Sin does need taking down. For all our power and all our tech--the Veruni just don't have the personnel to repel an attack by Sin, definitely not a surprise attack. We might well be able to kill it with, but we'd take heavy losses, particularly of ordinary people and infrastructure, and we can't afford to lose more people than the VR Factor is already taking."

"So that's why, in a nutshell. My plan is to wrap up the war as quickly as possible, so we can focus on Sin, because it's a matter of time until Sin interrupts our battles."

"...The war wasn't actually my call. Not surprising, but not my call."

<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.

    Seeing Avril unequip her ARM, and Kaguya in turn, the courier looks down to the weapons beside her with a wide-eyed look. "Y'know, you two are settin' a mighty high example for me t'follow," Gwen quips with an uneasy laugh. "I could tie my right ARM behind my back, but I don't think that'd do much beyond a symbolic gesture, y'know?"

    Going quiet as Avril has her say, Gwen nods to Kaguya's promise. "Right. Today." Even Gwen can't avoid the fact that them coming to blows is more a matter of 'when', than 'if'.

    Well, unless she was meaning the whole deal with symbolically avenging Janus's death.

    As Kaguya goes on to explain, Gwen is quiet, gritting her teeth at Kaguya's confidence, but nodding along as she listens, all the same. "That's... understandable. The last part, I mean." Gwen's tone is a touch surprised at this. It's so mundane, but it makes sense. Kaguya is a member of high society, and with that came costs that a Drifter wouldn't deal with. "N' I am... well aware of the Yevon religion not playin' well with ARMs, n' the like." To that she grimaces, offering up a small shrug. "I myself don't count on bein' in their good graces for very long, once my usefulness is outmatched by everyone's fear."

    She clears her throat, quickly moving on. "I say our best bet in defeatin' Sin was when everyone was workin' together. Do you think the Veruni could better with even smaller numbers? The time and materials you need to make whatever tech you feel is needed may not be there. And, well." She sighs. "In regards to the Guard, here's what I'm thinkin', Kaguya, n' you probably have figured it out yourself, so this may be no surprise for you." Gwen leans forward onto one palm, using a stick to nudge some wood in the fire. "I think there's somethin' goin' on with the higher-ups of the Althenian religion. Someone, or *something*, is pushin' them t'do this. I ain't entirely sure of the who's and hows, but the more I see, the more I fear the Guard takin' over this area. White Knight Leo was one thing, and a few of the others ain't so bad either. But that priestess Mauri? She's an example of someone that'd likely turn on you guys the very second she thinks you ain't fully committed to Althena. N' her followers are scary too. Just... I get the creeps."

<Pose Tracker> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.

    Avril's first thought had been: Kaguya looks healthier.

    Avril's second thought had been: ...ah.

    She entwines her fingers with one another once again, her gaze off and towards the fire for the moment. "There is no need," she says, without looking at Gwen, "for you to follow in our footsteps, Gwen." In truth, handing over their weapons is largely symbolic. She and Kaguya have other means of fighting available to them, ones that cannot be taken from them by any means she knows of. "After all..."

    She shakes her head, her hair fluttering behind her briefly in the sea breeze that wafts in the air.

    After all, Gwen is Gwen.

    "...I see."

    This, to Kaguya. "So the involvement of the Veruni with the Guard is also convenience. So it is as it was with the Metal Demons, then?" She has raised her gaze from the fire, has diverted it towards Kaguya.

    Her people are pragmatic.
    They do their queen proud, she thinks, ignoring the counterpulse from within.

    "So this is primarily a push from the Guard, and their Goddess." She pauses, her expression a mask of pensive consternation. "I did not think it was entirely about Sin. If it were only a matter of destroying Sin, then it would be simple to join forces. I imagine even Yevon would welcome a device such as the Golems you crafted." She shakes her head. "No. This is about religion. About claiming territory... and the need to have an enemy."

    ('As ever', murmurs the voice in the dark. 'This is what drives nations in war.')

    "But, Kaguya." Her attention is fixed on Kaguya now. "You still have not answered that question. Why are the Veruni involving themselves in this war? Is it... 'obligation' alone? The need to repay what aid and prestige was granted to you? Or..."

<Pose Tracker> Kaguya Alathfar has posed.

Symbolic, sure--after all, Kaguya knows just as well as Avril that that much is true. ...But the symbolism does matter; it communicates intent. And...

"Heh," Kaguya answers Gwen. "Yeah I'm not gonna ask you to rip your arm off. That's a little hardcore even for me most days. Two out of three isn't bad anyway."

...Most days??

"More or less," Kaguya says, about the Metal Demons and the Guard. "But... kinda different, too. I was doing this on my own; the others are doing it to help me and my plans, rather than on higher orders, since they're stuck out here anyway. When I finish up here, I'm planning to visit Lailah Belle. Assuming we find a way back to Filgaia, anyway. Worst case I might be able to get the one in Azado working, but..." She shakes her head. "Ugh. Not relishing another long sea voyage."

"But yeah that's basically just it--I got extra power and influence, but it brought responsibilities. And I'd rather not burn that bridge, frankly. Allies on Lunar that we didn't have to conquer could be really handy."

Yevon, and the ARMs...

"No. Initially all sides were willing to work together--and like you say, Gwen, I think that's best. Resources we spend against each other are resources wasted when it comes to Sin. The extra battle data I'm getting out of these skirmishes doesn't really outweigh the time, lives, and energy lost in this conflict. But... Hrm."

Kaguya looks thoughtful, glancing between Gwen and Avril. "...You're not the first person to suggest that to me. Not even the first person to suggest it this week. It's true that they might take it farther than they already have, way past reasonability--that they might keep fighting even after they beat back resistance, to convert everybody, or wipe out the heresy, or whatever. That..."

She looks into the distance. "Not ideal."

Back to the others. "Heh. It's nice of you to worry about us, though. It's true--even with Ghaleon gone, the Four Heroes are real powerful. If that happens, it's a risk. But, I mean--their leader, Ghaleon, the Dragonmaster--he knew full well I'm not human and not from Lunar, either."

"...But, i think you're right," Kaguya admits to Avril. "They want someone to fight, they want someone to blame, they want a reason to get rid of the thing that makes them mad, this other belief system that works totally differently. I mean, one thing I can say for the Althenans--Althena's real. I've seen her. But..." She gestures, again. "Yeah. I'd rather not have to blow the resources on the fight. But after all those proclamations, it's personal for a lot of people. Most of them didn't come up through the ranks as a mercenary like me and my core forces."

She settles her strange, pale green eyes on Avril, then. Avril's attention is fixed on her, and Kaguya seems to be trying it on, considering it for some reason--maybe looking at her Queen knowingly, this time.

fter a moment, she answers. "I need backing and resources to prosecute this battle. My Golems are powerful--I don't have the resources to build and keep them up on my own, up here, not when I have to hand-make the circuitboards and carve silicon. And they on their own aren't enough--there were Gears fielded in Azado, too. I need allies, and they're a big group who find me valuable."

"So mostly, we're involving ourselves so that it can end sooner than later. Luca, for instance--Yeah. I straight up obliterated a bunch of their soldiers, and more, probably caught some noncombatants in the interior fighting during the main battle. But it would've been a lot worse, and taken a lot longer, as a conventional siege--even if the Dragonship had just blown a hole in the wall with its own cannon. I can also to a degree direct forces away from where I want them to miss."

"But the thing is, with Yevon and the Guard in conflict--it's going to disrupt beating Sin... and it hasn't gone so far that I'm willing to abandon my work in the Guard yet. It's..." Kaguya sets her jaw, shakes her head.

"You're not going to understand, but I need to. It's for you humans as much as anything--if this experiment fails... It's not going to be pretty. And I don't have a plan nearly as good that goes another way, especially not with limited time."

"I mean, I'm still dying. Just, not quite as fast. I don't know if they all realize that, but..." Kaguys sort of just lets it trail off.

"So yeah, that's why. I still need the Guard, and I'm not... running shit, I can't force them to ignore Yevon. Not as things stand. I might be able to help negotiations if Yevon's willing to come to the table. But I don't have an 'in' with them, and none of my machines include 'mind control kit.'"

<Pose Tracker> Kaguya Alathfar has posed.

Symbolic, sure--after all, Kaguya knows just as well as Avril that that much is true. ...But the symbolism does matter; it communicates intent. And...

"Heh," Kaguya answers Gwen. "Yeah I'm not gonna ask you to rip your arm off. That's a little hardcore even for me most days. Two out of three isn't bad anyway."

...Most days??

"More or less," Kaguya says, about the Metal Demons and the Guard. "But... kinda different, too. I was doing this on my own; the others are doing it to help me and my plans, rather than on higher orders, since they're stuck out here anyway. When I finish up here, I'm planning to visit Lailah Belle. Assuming we find a way back to Filgaia, anyway. Worst case I might be able to get the one in Azado working, but..." She shakes her head. "Ugh. Not relishing another long sea voyage."

"But yeah that's basically just it--I got extra power and influence, but it brought responsibilities. And I'd rather not burn that bridge, frankly. Allies on Lunar that we didn't have to conquer could be really handy."

Yevon, and the ARMs...

"No. Initially all sides were willing to work together--and like you say, Gwen, I think that's best. Resources we spend against each other are resources wasted when it comes to Sin. The extra battle data I'm getting out of these skirmishes doesn't really outweigh the time, lives, and energy lost in this conflict. But... Hrm."

Kaguya looks thoughtful, glancing between Gwen and Avril. "...You're not the first person to suggest that to me. Not even the first person to suggest it this week. It's true that they might take it farther than they already have, way past reasonability--that they might keep fighting even after they beat back resistance, to convert everybody, or wipe out the heresy, or whatever. That..."

She looks into the distance. "Not ideal."

Back to the others. "Heh. It's nice of you to worry about us, though. It's true--even with Ghaleon gone, the Four Heroes are real powerful. If that happens, it's a risk. But, I mean--their leader, Ghaleon, the Dragonmaster--he knew full well I'm not human and not from Lunar, either."

"...But, i think you're right," Kaguya admits to Avril. "They want someone to fight, they want someone to blame, they want a reason to get rid of the thing that makes them mad, this other belief system that works totally differently. I mean, one thing I can say for the Althenans--Althena's real. I've seen her. But..." She gestures, again. "Yeah. I'd rather not have to blow the resources on the fight. But after all those proclamations, it's personal for a lot of people. Most of them didn't come up through the ranks as a mercenary like me and my core forces."

She settles her strange, pale green eyes on Avril, then. Avril's attention is fixed on her, and Kaguya seems to be trying it on, considering it for some reason--maybe looking at her Queen knowingly, this time.

fter a moment, she answers. "I need backing and resources to prosecute this battle. My Golems are powerful--I don't have the resources to build and keep them up on my own, up here, not when I have to hand-make the circuitboards and carve silicon. And they on their own aren't enough--there were Gears fielded in Azado, too. I need allies, and they're a big group who find me valuable."

"So mostly, we're involving ourselves so that it can end sooner than later. Luca, for instance--Yeah. I straight up obliterated a bunch of their soldiers, and more, probably caught some noncombatants in the interior fighting during the main battle. But it would've been a lot worse, and taken a lot longer, as a conventional siege--even if the Dragonship had just blown a hole in the wall with its own cannon. I can also to a degree direct forces away from where I want them to miss."

"But the thing is, with Yevon and the Guard in conflict--it's going to disrupt beating Sin... and it hasn't gone so far that I'm willing to abandon my work in the Guar

<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.

"But the thing is, with Yevon and the Guard in conflict--it's going to disrupt beating Sin... and it hasn't gone so far that I'm willing to abandon my work in the Guard yet. It's..." Kaguya sets her jaw, shakes her head.

"You're not going to understand, but I need to. It's for you humans as much as anything--if this experiment fails... It's not going to be pretty. And I don't have a plan nearly as good that goes another way, especially not with limited time."

"I mean, I'm still dying. Just, not quite as fast. I don't know if they all realize that, but..." Kaguys sort of just lets it trail off.

"So yeah, that's why. I still need the Guard, and I'm not... running shit, I can't force them to ignore Yevon. Not as things stand. I might be able to help negotiations if Yevon's willing to come to the table. But I don't have an 'in' with them, and none of my machines include 'mind control kit.'"

<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.

    "So I was right in regards t'that." Gwen nods. "N' I can't say I came to the idea of the Guard bein' manipulated by somethin' by myself. I'm biased, of course, seein' as how they're targetin' some friends of mine. Just... when they were on Filgaia, they were devout and really stubborn in stickin' with whatever solutions they came to for whatever problems they came up against, but this campaign seems a step in a direction I didn't think was possible for them." Gwen itches the side of her curly head. "I mean, maaaaybe it was because White Knight Leo was more or less at the helm back in Filgaia? But I can't say for sure."

    Speaking of the four Heroes (plus their dearly departed leader)... "Really? Ghaleon did? Huh." Gwen blinks. "I 'spose he wasn't called Dragonmaster for nothin', but..." It could still be a case of a man who had enough knowledge to understand and see something many would have overlooked.

    Still, a tiny shred of doubt manages to gather in her chest. Gwen had inherited Hiro's reverence for the title, so even if they had to go against him, Gwen never could see Ghaleon as anything other than a wonderfully handsome elven man who could have been the protagonist of a number of the more fantasy-type novels she read as a child. Could he have been a part of all this?

    Could he still be?

    The realization causes Gwen's eyes to widen slightly. "... Hey. You think... Ghaleon's still alive? Like, not in a 'he'll be back to save the day' way, but in a 'now he can be behind the scenes' way? Like, if this was that kind of novel, that'd be a thing. But for good or bad? I mean, if he was the hero, he'd be doin' it to root out corruption under the guise of someone anonymous." The latter possibility, Gwen doesn't detail. "I 'spose that's the least of our problems, really. If he is, he is. If he ain't, he ain't, so- wait, you saw Althena?" Gwen leans forward, the light of the fire showing the spark of curiosity in her blue-grey eyes. "What did she look like? Was she pretty? Old? Young? Middle-aged? Tall? How'd you know she was a goddess? Did she float all mystic-like in front of you? Did- er."

    Gwen coughs. "-wait, you're still dyin', even here?'"

<Pose Tracker> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.

    So even Kaguya does not know of a way back home. "I see..." Avril murmurs, entwining her fingers with one another, her gaze downcast for the moment. "I had thought that it could be possible. That we might have to return to Meribus to then return to Filgaia, that is. However," she says, lifting her gaze, "That would mean that we must do away with Sin. ...I understand from the local residents that crossing the sea is impossible as long as it is present. I do not think we would be able to attempt a sea crossing otherwise."

    Her brow creases, though. "I wonder, if there was something about the Guard's timing or the ship that they used." Her attention shifts to the blonde Veruni. "Kaguya, did all of your ships make it to Spira?"

    Something isn't adding up here. Is it possible that something as mighty as Sin could be waylaid or distracted? But it's possible it would only be at a great cost of lives...

    But the discussion turns towards the goal of the Guard, to what extend they would go.
    And what, it is, that is truly desired in this war.

    "...Eventually, the war will end," she says, giving voice to a few of those darker words that bubble up from the depths. "But I do not know what condition Spira may be in, then."

    They probably won't fight until everyone is dead. But they will fight until Spira is bowed before them in surrender. And for any who rebel after...

    The war will end, but the terror will not.

    Avril's gaze is distant, one hand half-raised to her chest.

    I... have...

    ...gone as far. No, further. I...

    She stirs from that revelation, as if from a reverie. "Ah...? Althena?" She blinks, once, returning to the here and now. "...Oh. You mean, the Goddess. As real as the Guardians, then, but stronger for being so manifest."

    Althena. There's something anciently familiar about the name, or something very much like it.

    So, that is why Kaguya has allied herself with the Guard...

    "I see. Then, until you reach that point, where their actions and aims continue to fall into line with the Guard... that is where you and the other Veruni will ally yourselves." She glances away if briefly, her mouth twisted downwards in resigned sorrow.

    "'For you humans'," she quotes next, her gaze up towards the sky for a moment or three, before returning to Kaguya. "Kaguya, I am not a human."

    Then, silence.

    Then: "What is it that you are attempting, Kaguya?"

    She does not react when Kaguya says that she's still dying. Her expression is the same serious mask that it had been before.

    "...I know," she says at length, in counterpoint to Gwen's own shock. "The force that rejects you extends even to Lunar, does it not?" She draws out the Sea Medium, which begins to glow faintly.

    "If it did not, it would be impossible to hear the Guardian's voices, to feel their touch. The moon would be cut off from the Ley entirely."

<Pose Tracker> Kaguya Alathfar has posed.

"I mean, the simplest explanation is yeah--Leo was in charge, so things were more on the up and up. Not that I'm saying the other Heroes are bad, or anything, just.. You know. He's the 'White Knight' for a reason, and it's not just because snowy fabrics really set off his eyes or match the horn, you know?"

She pauses. "I'll keep it in mind. If there is something going on it might get in my way, too." After that though she inclines her head. "Yeah, pretty much. Besides--people who know enough know full well that I didn't just invent all the stuff I use out of whole cloth, even if they are original designs. Most of Lunar's clueless about the Veruni, but some people make it their business to know."

She grins, faintly--it's not really... funny, it's a little wry. "Honestly? I'll eat a hamburger if you can give me proof Ghaleon's really dead. Everybody in the Guard seems to believe it, but he's way too powerful for me to think he went down like that. I mean, sure, Sin's basically a god, but..." She gestures vaguely. "I had an escape plan. Why wouldn't he?"

A look to Avril, then, and a nod. "It's possible. I mean, you all got here in the first place--that suggests that if we can find that door, we can open it again. But the average person on the ground in Odessa doesn't know how Vinsfeld did it, as far as I know. If you manage to put him in a sack, cool, but..." She kinda doubts it. A frown, though.

"...Yeah. We made it through. It'd be really nice to think it was some kind of divine providence, right? It's true that we travelled a whole lot faster than most ships could, thanks to a whole bunch of mages making good weather irrelevant, and that it's only an assumption that Sin has prevented naval travel in the past. But, you know--I'm not an optimist, and I didn't see some divine sparkling barrier. So the truth is I don't have evidence either way; it just didn't happen that we were attacked."

The Guard, though--Kaguya nods. "Eventually, the war will end. Do we have the forces to leave a garrison here to hold things? I also don't know. There's too much I don't know to answer that, and I mean--I'm actual genius, so if I don't know..."

Althena, though. Kaguya saw her, Gwen said--and Avril seems to be away, a minute, lost in her thoughts. "Yeah. She's like--I mean, gorgeous, obviously. Is it blasphemy to think your god's hot? Ehh, whatever. Pretty young. I mean, they say she's a goddess, and she did a huge thing where she projected a giant vision of herself all over the continents, and supposedly returned Ghaleon to life from like a thousand years ago, so..."

"...No," Kaguya says to Avril, after a quiet moment. Her expression is about as serious as Avril's in the moment--though her lips press together, at the glow of the Medium. "So you know, then. Who you are. Does that mean you remember? Or did you just find out from one of us?"

She wasn't there, when Volsung came to talk. She wasn't there, at the battle against Mother. "...Regardless," she continues before waiting for an answer--though she'll take it, if she gets it further in the conversation--"Yeah. We're still in Filgaian orbit, I guess. The Guardians' power can reach here. So, I'm not away from it. Is it the Guardians? Does their will apply, here? I don't know; I don't have enough evidence. But, either because of distance, or because Lunar's ecosystem is less dogshit, I'm not dying as quickly, I'm healthier. But I'm not cured."

"...It could buy us time, though," she says, mostly to the 'Queen' in the moment, "If I happened to invite a bunch of people to my lands. With my ties to the Guard, we could work with Lunar without having to fire a single shot to conquer anything; just guests of a high noblewoman."

"You asked what I'm attempting," she says, looking between the two. "I guess that's fair--since, you know, you at least are one of us. But keep it under your hat."

"...if I can prove that it's more to our advantage to work with humans--employ them, instead of enslave them, that they have potential, that they're more useful alive and relatively free--then it might change Lord Volsung's calculus of what's necessary. It might change the relationship between our peoples," she says. "...Ours and Gwen's, that is."

"That's why. If I take over openly, if I'm ruling, then it doesn't prove a thing. But if they can do it otherwise--with a little help, a little guidance, but not direct instruction and control..." Kaguya lifts her hand, lets it fall. "Obviously if you tell a bunch of people this folks back home might think I've lost the cause, and it could cause me a lot of trouble. So if that happens I might have to do something unpleasant to prove otherwise, or I might just have trouble for my family. Nobody involved wants all that."

"I'm not going to bother threatening you. I know who you are, and supposedly, so do you. But don't go public about my aims, here. As far as anyone needs to know, I'm doing it because with an alliance with the powers of most of Lunar, the Veruni can use that to buy time to settle VR Factor without a costly, time-consuming war."

<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.

    "... Avril?" Gwen's head tilts, an edge of pale red curls catching the light of the campfire.

    Did she mean back when she was queen? It seems such a far cry from the woman she is now.

    If this is so, perhaps, this point was what she was touching on, back when they met before, as well as why Volsung was so aghast at her behavior when they had met. He wanted a queen that would go that far, and perhaps, even further.

    Gwen's mouth sets. "Then we'll learn from that and see what we can do to avoid it." As for what is the cause for Avril remembering, Gwen lets Avril be the judge of what to reveal, if anything at all.

    When Avril reveals the evidence for her theory, Gwen sighs. "... I 'spose I never thought of it that way. But it makes sense." Looking upon the sea medium Avril pulls out, Gwen's eyes lid halfway. "The medium I had was destroyed before I got here, so I didn't realize it." Her head lowers. "... I mean, you still looked a little sick, Kaguya, but I was... kinda hopin' you guys would catch a break, even here."

    'Employ them instead of enslave them'. Gwen can't help it; at Kaguya's choice of words, something in Gwen's face goes grey. Kaguya's heart is in the right place, at least, as the redhead's willing to suspend that initial reaction of complete horror. "I dunno. I mean, there's some city in the sky apparently that's the source for Gebler, n' I'm beginning to wonder if they ain't just some super strict secret sky city with mercenary leanings, but somethin' that's far more in the Veruni line of things. Just, uh, human. I think. There's just... I dunno. I'm too tied with the life of a Drifter. The very idea of being tied down to anything anymore makes me feel..." She pauses, searching for the term. "... Like my wings are clipped, if I was gonna be fancy about it. And, beyond that..."

    There's Volsung.

    Gwen's mouth falls dry, briefly remembering the brief look of acknowledgment on Volsung's face over a year ago. "I don't think they'd necessarily want to employ an entire race. People like me, er. We ain't employed. We get studied. Dissected. I mean, I knew that was possibly gonna be a thing when I got my ARM, so, uh, I can't say 'oh woe is me', but even still... even I have t'admit that anything that may mean my fate being in the hands of someone else is pretty risky. To be short, no matter whether you succeed or not, I'm toast."

    Not that it would be the first time Gwen has found herself at death's door. Maybe, that's why she's able to hold back that thread of prideful anger.

    Despite her earlier words, when Kaguya asks for her silence, the courier nods. "I ain't gonna say a word of this unless I *have* to. I mean, if you succeed, it'd be better than nothing. Besides. You have a right to decide your path. It's probably a question each and every Veruni finds themselves saddled with, especially ones like Elvis n' Ambrosius." Grabbing a stick, she adjusts the fire again. "When we meet again, I'll fight for what I think is the right way, so we may come to blows. But no one is to know we met, or that we might even meet again, especially if it means there's a way to end this war." A pause. "Without Yevon just giving in to the Guard, because that ain't happenin'."

<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.

    "... Avril?" Gwen's head tilts as Avril's attention drifts off, an edge of the courier's pale red curls catching the light of the campfire. When Avril seems to return to the conversation, Gwen relaxes, giving Avril an easy smile. As for what is the cause for Avril remembering, Gwen lets Avril be the judge of what to reveal, if anything at all.

    When Avril reveals the evidence for her theory, Gwen sighs. "... I 'spose I never thought of it that way. But it makes sense." Looking upon the sea medium Avril pulls out, Gwen's eyes lid halfway. "The medium I had was destroyed before I got here, so I didn't realize it." Her head lowers. "... I mean, you still looked a little sick, Kaguya, but I was... kinda hopin' you guys would catch a break, even here."

    'Employ them instead of enslave them'. Gwen can't help it; at Kaguya's choice of words, something in Gwen's face goes grey. Kaguya's heart is in the right place, at least, as the redhead's willing to suspend that initial reaction of complete horror. "I dunno. I mean, there's some city in the sky apparently that's the source for Gebler, n' I'm beginning to wonder if they ain't just some super strict secret sky city with mercenary leanings, but somethin' that's far more in the Veruni line of things. Just, uh, human. I think. There's just... I dunno. I'm too tied with the life of a Drifter. The very idea of being tied down to anything anymore makes me feel..." She pauses, searching for the term. "... Like my wings are clipped, if I was gonna be fancy about it. And, beyond that..."

    There's Volsung.

    Gwen's mouth falls dry, briefly remembering the brief look of acknowledgment on Volsung's face over a year ago. "I don't think they'd necessarily want to employ an entire race. People like me, er. We ain't employed. We get studied. Dissected. I mean, I knew that was possibly gonna be a thing when I got my ARM, so, uh, I can't say 'oh woe is me', but even still... even I have t'admit that anything that may mean my fate being in the hands of someone else is pretty risky. To be short, no matter whether you succeed or not, I'm toast."

    Not that it would be the first time Gwen has found herself at death's door. Maybe, that's why she's able to hold back that thread of prideful anger.

    Despite her earlier words, when Kaguya asks for her silence, the courier nods. "I ain't gonna say a word of this unless I *have* to. I mean, if you succeed, it'd be better than nothing. Besides. You have a right to decide your path. It's probably a question each and every Veruni finds themselves saddled with, especially ones like Elvis n' Ambrosius." Grabbing a stick, she adjusts the fire again. "When we meet again, I'll fight for what I think is the right way, so we may come to blows. But no one is to know we met, or that we might even meet again, especially if it means there's a way to end this war." A pause. "Without Yevon just giving in to the Guard, because that ain't happenin'."

<Pose Tracker> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.

    
    "So you think he may still live." This, at last, is when Avril finally speaks on the matter of the Dragonmaster. "I see. Then, I hope for his sake that is true." The pragmatic side of her says that she should not wish so -- this man will be her enemy if he lives.
    And yet.

    And yet, it's precisely because of that thought that she hopes he lives.

    Even if it means that she will continue to be one that is torn apart, if the Trial Knight's words are any statement to be heeded.

    "That is true," she says, on the topic of the device that sent them here. "But whether it resonated with something here in Spira or not, I cannot say. I was unable to see what was within the Globe -- whatever the thing was that he activated. It may be that it was random in nature and that we could have materialized anywhere. Or perhaps he always did have this place in mind..."

    Which raises, actually, even more questions, but unless they're able to ask him about it -- the sack comment actually prompts a fleeting smile from Avril even as she shakes her head -- there's not likely to be any answers.

    "So you do not know... I see. Perhaps it may have been a form of fate." She ducks her head, if for a moment. "In that case, we should continue to search, before we resort to greater extremes. ...I know we are at odds, Kaguya, but if it is possible for us to be in alliance, we must return to Filgaia. I do not wish to abandon Spira," her gaze narrows, thoughts of Luca in her mind's eye, "but that man's words concern me still. If... there were but a means to travel between both worlds, or at least to receive a message..."

    It would put her at ease, at least, and allow her to concentrate on one task rather than worry over a war and the unknown unknowns of Filgaia's situation.

    As if in recollection of the Blue Star, light shines softly from the Medium.

    "Your Medium was destroyed... I am sorry, Gwen. If it were possible, I would grant you the one I received in the Temple, but I do not think the Guardian's gift is transferrable."

    And this one... this one feels precious. Important. A treasure that cannot be stolen.

    "I do. I had already begun to suspect..." she says, staring at the Medium in her arms, "...but it was that man who left me without any doubt. 'Volsung'," she says, lifting her head, turning her attention on Kaguya.
    To watch for her reaction.
    "If you are asking after my memories... they are lost to me still. That is why I have not returned." Her gaze hoods. "I feel a responsibility, you understand. Even if I do not remember anything, I know what it means to have a vow more important than any. But I cannot return." Blue eyes lift from the shining Medium. "It must be your duty to restore me to the throne. I am sorry. I will not go with you, either. Not until I remember everything."

    As the Medium's continuous light demonstrates, Filgaia's power has a wide-ranging reach...

    "Perhaps it is the Guardians. But I suspect it may be some residual power of the Ley. Even at this distance, Lunar is not free from Filgaia's influence." She shakes her head slightly, gazing now at the streamers of light that dance from the Medium. "Or, perhaps, it is something deeper still. A connection born when planet and moon first met...? An eternal embrace of two worlds, spinning in the void."

    Slowly, the light from the Medium fades. Avril gazes at it as if it could answer the question she seeks the answer to most of all, and slips it away.

    Then turns, to hear the answer from Kaguya.
    About the experiment.

    Her lips part in some small shock. She had heard the stories -- from Rebecca among others -- but, it's another thing to hear it so clearly from a Veruni themself. "Is that... what they think now?"
    The Veruni, that is.
    "They are slaves..."
    Just like Lydia had said.
    Her hands curl, loosely, at her sides.
    I can still do nothing, as I am.

    No. That isn't true.

    In fact, she could do everything. She could change everything. If she tore that hollow open in her mind, she could walk in and raze the Veruni lands to the ground. Free every single person they had enslaved.
    Her... own people...

    She shakes her head, sending such inky thoughts away and back into the abyss.

    "Is this a better way?" she asks, at length. Maybe it is.
    Maybe she's only balking because she's afraid of staining her hands the way her instincts want her to.
    Maybe she's only hesitating because she wants to act as if she can be 'pure' this time.

    Gwen has a more coherent response as Avril continues to grapple with matters internal. But in the end the woman nods. "...Yes. I, until such a time as it cannot be avoided, will speak of this to none. I will not make a promise that I may need to break," she cautious, her expression grim. "But I will not speak of this idly, least of all to another of our people."

<Pose Tracker> Kaguya Alathfar has posed.

"Yeah," Kaguya answers Avril. "...Honestly it'd probably be more convenient for me if he didn't. He knows too much, and he's too strong to go around if i have to change my plans. But I like him. And I think he's got some kind of plan. ...And even if he didn't..." Kaguya gestures. "If Althena brought him back from the dead once, why couldn't she do it again?"

Sometimes, the difficult path is the better one for its own reasons, morality aside.

"I don't think it was random. I mean, it could've been, sure, I can't rule it out. But I don't think so." She grins back at Avril's smile, amused. But... Well.

"On that, we agree," Kaguya says of a way back. "Life's more complicated than this side and that side anyway. I have a few of my subordinates out looking for a way back. We just have to make sure that whatever that route is, we don't accidentally take Sin with us. Best case scenario is somebody pulls out something like in Slayheim."

Slayheim, and the salt fields that were once a nation.

For Mediums... "Obviously, I didn't get one," Kaguya answers, and there's perhaps a surprising lack of bitterness in the statement. In fact, it is surprising--Kaguya frowns, after a moment, shakes her head. "Anyway no I don't think it's transferrable." She pauses, though. Once more. Avril doesn't remember, but she knows. So the reaction Avril looks for--it's Kaguya frowning. There's something in the explanation she doesn't like much, something that doesn't add up for her. "You probably heard--but he's the one currently in charge. The head of the ruling faction, in command of the Sentinels and... everybody else, more or less, who actually goes out and does shit. It's more complicated than that but that's good enough for now."

This reaction though--when Avril mentions her responsibility, and that she cannot return, Kaguya hardly seems to react at all. It seems... Normal. Or maybe like somehow it had to be that way.

"Don't worry about it," Kaguya says. "My duty, that is. Yeah, sure, i should probably tie you up and drag you back to Volsung or whatever, but I'm interested in those memories, too. In the 'truth.' ...I need to know, for myself, some of the things that happened, all that time ago. So keep looking. Because I want to know, too."

"I mean it's not like he needs an amnesiac figurehead to secure his power or something. You were right on our doorstep fighting Mother, he could've grabbed you himself since he apparently showed up."

Kaguya glances at the light, and shakes her head. It had to be the Sea, of all Guardians. "...Yeah. Honestly, I don't think the Guardians have the strength to be doing this on their own. From what I've heard from a few of their shamans, from what I've seen... They're just not powerful enough for that. But they could absolutely impact it, influence the planet, whatever. And..." Kaguya considers. "It's pretty poetic, when you put it that way. But it makes sense, too. I mean, when you get down to it--this world's sun, its moons, its neighbors--all of thm are linked together, if nothing else by their own orbits, by the shell of solar wind that insulates it all from the interstellar medium."

Kaguya sees Gwen's reaction. "Ugh, don't even get me started on Gebler," Kaguya says with a shake of her head. "...Yeah. Class is complex, I know. That's true among the Veruni, too. I know it's a headache on its own, that none of it's going to fit together smoothly, but a step at a time, right? There's no chance of any kind of arrangement if both sides assume the other has to die for them to survive."

Tied down... "Mm. Yeah..." Kaguya looks into the distance. "I don't like it," she says, and doesn't explain what at first. She just frowns, and then finally, "I can't say you're wrong. That's probably why I don't like it. But even if it went down that way--wouldn't you rather your friends, your family survive, get a chance at continuing to live a fairly free life? I mean I'm not talking mass use or anything, just, treat it as an expanded population and labor pool, instead of competition. Sure, we're smarter and stronger," she allows, "But..."

Kaguya looks to Avril--and nods. "That's how it is, right now. With the planet turned against us, the Guardians and their precious humans... It's them or us, that's the current prevailing theory. Some disagree--but they aren't the ones strong enough to do anything about it. And you know, maybe that is how it is. But having been powerless.... I'm not eager to make a lot of other people feel that way, you know?"

"But it's that, and--they're weak, they're dumb, they're short-lived, compared to us. Some of us think that gives us a responsibility to 'guide' them properly. some of us think it makes humans just especially advanced animals. ...I see, if nothing else, they can put out some exceptional individuals. Maybe those few alone are justification enough for keeping the rest around. ...Of course, if we can't stop the planet dying, tehre won't be enough food for both peoples, and..." She doesn't have great answers for it.

She doesn't suggest Avril come and rule. Maybe she doesn't think she could change it.

"...Doesn't it sound like it?" Kaguya asks Avril, of a better way. "It's a form of cooperation. Our advanced technology and intelligence, humanity's geniuses and exceptional people and, even for the normals, sheer ability to just, do shit in groups. You know?"

"Anyway yeah shit happens and if it has to, it has to. We'll all do what we think we have to do--and in the end, it's not words that'll change anything, but power. ...We'll have to see who's the one who really has that 'power.' Surrenders, whatever..."

Kaguya starts to turn, looking up to the sky. "...I just..."

She stares up, at the Blue Star, and looks quieter, younger in the moment. There's the ghost of someone from over a hundred years ago, a young girl waiting for her new home.

"If you come up with a better idea, let me know. I don't have time to sit around waiting to find a 'best way', though."

<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.

    At Avril's offer, Gwen gives a nervous laugh. "It's. Uh. I shouldn't. I think the Guardians have donated enough juice," she replies with a vague smile.

    Besides, what would happen the next time her ARM tried to save her life? ... Yes, she'd be alive. And she'd be one more medium's worth of power in the Guardian's debt, as well.

    And that much less physically human.

    At Kaguya's brief burst of bitterness, Gwen nods. "... Yeah. I remember that."

    What would Gwen prefer? She thinks on it, tapping her fingers on one knee. "Would I even be the person they'd want, if I served them in that context? Would I be a 'super courier'?" Someone who would even feel the amount of hubris and humor to continue with that title. "I guess I'd do it, yeah, but I'd probably not be the best I could be."

    "I don't think Volsung will allow any other choice but his own. He's... I dunno." She shakes her head. "I only met him once, but none of the Veruni gave me the same sort of feeling he did. Something toxic, infectious. Like a virus, wearin' him like a mink coat. Something's driving him in a way that didn't drive Siegfried, or the Trial Knight." She pauses. "Well, okay, that knight's in a class their own, but at least I was able t'deliver a letter to them. They even complimented Gulliver!" .... it wasn't exactly a compliment, but it was an oddly relatable moment, for them.

     "As a courier, I can tell you this: humanity's value is in their freedom to dictate their fate. We don't have the same lifespan; heck, I wouldn't even be here if people didn't chose to save me. Sometimes our choices are limited, n' sometimes, they may not even be much of choices at all, but the moment we think we can't, despair sets in. That's..."

    Gwen grimaces, on the cusp of stopping whatever point she was going to make. With an intake of breath, she instead pushes ahead. "You get people like Janus, that way. That is, the way he was at the very end. The choice he made was to end everything, and leave his name as its only mark. All that you saw, lost. I suppose he still had the ability to chose, but sometimes, all it takes for us is to feel like there is no choice."

    .... Maybe, that's where the Veruni are. Maybe, that's what drives Volsung. What drove Kaguya.

    "It amazes me, sometimes, how alike we all are. I'd always assumed you guys were all equals. Maybe, like, there might've been a military system, but not classes. And there's..." She trails off, looking up at Lunar. "Just how different are we, when it comes down to it? Are you the Lunar to our Filgaia, or vice versa?" Or is it the other moon that may serve as a better comparison?

<Pose Tracker> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.

    Avril shakes her head. "No... I do not think it was random, either. Everything they had done seemed far too well-planned. They have been watching us, somehow." Matilda comes to mind, provoking a faint wince. "They must know by which means we returned to Filgaia. If they wished us gone and far from their plans, they would want to, no, need to send us somewhere where we could not easily return. However, if that is the case..."

    Then how much do they know about Spira? How far in advance were they able to plan this?

    Her gaze narrows as she settles into a more pensive frame. There isn't much she can do but turn the facts over in her mind, though -- without an answer from Odessa, from Vinsfeld, without new information at that, there's little she can even do with what they know.

    "I think... we should attempt to learn more of what they are doing here. I have heard that their number are also in Spira."

    She has, in fact, heard rumors about the highroad. Though, is that scheme still active with the situation with the war moving north?
    Perhaps it may be time to find out.

    Though she outright blanches at the thought of taking Sin with them. It... is possible, though, a fact that she acknowledges with a shallow nod. Yes. Care will be needed, however it is they return. In Spira, it seems, Sin can be dealt with. Back on Filgaia...

    ...She does not wish to test the hypothesis.

    "Enough... juice?" For Gwen, there is a puzzled look, as Avril apparently attempts to nail that particular metaphor and fails.

    Pale eyebrows lift, if faintly. Kaguya is not the only one who has noted the change. The girl who had destroyed Lucadia's statue in fury has transformed into someone else. "You have... changed," she murmurs, her expression softening. Is it possible there can be a better way?

    She remembers what Elvis had said of the man. How he'd reacted. "Yes, so I understand. Anyone who has spoken of him has spoken of him in fear." She glances away, her expression distant.

    Those... eyes. She's never seen eyes like that. Not even Janus had eyes like those.

    She shivers, involuntarily. Cold. For an instant, she feels as if she's wrapped in ice, stirring from frost.
    He had... been the first thing she'd seen.

    "He is... consumed in hatred," she murmurs, following Gwen's description of the man's persona.

    She's silent, when Kaguya speaks of what she ought to do. But she doesn't start, or turn away, or anything else of the sort. She just watches Kaguya, in a cold careful quiet. "I suppose," she voices at last, "you would not have a way to return easily, either, would you? Nevertheless... I am glad of it, Kaguya. I know our goals will likely bring us into conflict again at some date, but I would rather us not be enemies. You..." she pauses, as if reaching for the words. "I have an obligation to you."

    She needs to know.

    She needs to know, even if it's painful. Even if she doesn't want to. Even if the thought of it drags with it a pulse of emotion that almost makes her want to fall to her knees and cry.
    She can't be selfish. That emotion comes with it, too. She can't be selfish, because...

    But the rest of that feeling is a strange blur. The rest of that feeling's context is missing.

    "He did try," Avril comments, glancing down and away. "Perhaps if the Photosphere were not under attack, he may have succeeded."

    And the part where she seriously jeopardized what is holding a great deal of the power available to her in check, but, details.

    "So you don't think it is solely their will." She shakes her head. "No. The Guardians may possess some sense of self, but their ability to choose their own course is lacking. I suppose... you might say it is similar to the cells in the body," she says, stretching out a hand. "The blood running through my fingers is alive, but it moves through my veins only because my heart beats. And should I wish to, I can move my fingers, but they do not move on their own. A Guardian, I think, does not 'choose', either. They act because it is their nature to act -- for the wind to blow or fire to burn. They wish for a wonderful world, but they cannot make it manifest, themselves." She lowers her hand.

    "That is the difference between Althena and the Guardians. Althena, it seems, has choice. The Guardians do not."

    So, it must be something else.
    But what, precisely?

    And again, it's back to Veruni. Humans (and others). The Planet.

    Who wins.

    She had said it once to Riesenlied. If the choice comes between the two, she must choose Filgaia.
    But...

    Her people, since returned to their planet, dying from the planet's rejection of them.
    Or everyone else who had been here since then?
    Is there another way?

    She's silent, as if in thought.

    Dean would... surely consider another path. Or try to find it. But...

    All she can do now is gaze up at the Blue Star, heavy in the sky.

    "If there is another way..."

    "If there is a better way..."

    She shakes her head.

    "I am sorry. I do not know it."

    She can think all she wants. She can drag out all the terrible power that is her heritage. But she doesn't have an answer for this.