2018-09-03: A Bit Brighter

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  • Log: A Bit Brighter
  • Cast: Riesenlied, Lydia Seren, Noeline, Jack van Burace
  • Where: The grounds of Old Petra
  • Date: 3rd September 2018
  • Summary: Riesenlied struggles after returning to Adlehyde, but Noeline, Lydia and a surprise come to make things a bit brighter...


<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

An intense battle consumed the landscape of Adelyn, not even 24 hours ago.

Metal Beasts and Demon footsoldiers poured on in through the Demons' Gate Generator, a hearkening back to the Ancient Cultural Exhibition from one year ago. This time, Siegfried and Alhazred's target was the Castle Guardian's statue, Zeldukes...

... and though repelled in the end, they succeeded in their mission.

She has awoken, speaks the Knight in Blue, as Riesenlied pleads towards a side of him that he says is a long-dead fool...

...

The Fereshte is in a dire state -- a normal state, in other words -- seated upon a rather familiar rocky outcropping where several of the Waysiders have set up prefab tents and buildings in order to sustain themselves for the next couple of extremely tense and time-critical days.

The site of their landing couldn't be more ironic: Old Petra.

Or at least -- what remains of Old Petra, which is little more than a crater after the Demon of Elru's crimson Gear eradicated the topside village. But craters make for flat ground upon which new life can be rebuilt...

... and as such, it is here where the Azadians and Wayside villagers are working together to return to some sense of... life. Temporary in all respects, yet with an undeniable hardiness that best represents the spirit of the Outreach.

Riesenlied, however...

Riesenlied has been tucked into a quieter place on the deck of the airship herself, where she can vaguely oversee what's going on. The blonde Hyadean had a rather dire battle with Siegfried -- the man she desperately wishes she could call father, and... the outcomes were...

Not positive.

Couple that with her empathic senses running her through all the voices of the Azadians that /didn't/ make it through Sin's Giga-Graviton, and the voices of hatred and despair from the Adlehydians upon her when she arrived--

"Deceiver!!" "It's the Deceiver! She's here to attack us again!" "Don't listen to her lies!!"

--the blonde Hyadean snaps out of her latest reverie, trembling still. Her breath is shallow and erratic; she's sweating as she holds her hands to herself, seated and in a fain attempt to recuperate.

<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.

Fei Fong Wong couldn't come with Riesenlied to mope (even though, let's face it, he was in the mood for it) because he had to get Elly medical attention. You know who didn't really need medical attention?? LYDIA SEREN!

Well she might've needed medical attention for that burn a conveniently random Adelhyde citizen had ready for her but other than that she is pretty much fine all considered and honestly while it was fairly stunning to be called a metal demon...Lydia Seren.... Is mostly over it!

Some of the nicest people Lydia knows are 'metal demons' so she's not about to hate them. Of course, those nicest people are largely the sort that hang around Waysiders a lot. And Zed. It's nothing that should cause HER grief.

But she does wonder. Is she holding back from what she is? Or what she could be? Not a 'metal demon', of course, but she has long since treated her situation as something to deal with rather than embrace as it pertains to the nanotechnological control over her body. What should she do about this?

She puts aside such thoughts for the moment so she can visit Riesenlied. You can throw sticks and stones and Riesenlied will keep moving, but words can definitely incapacitate her. Siegfried's continued refusal to listen probably isn't helping either and what's more, Mother is awake. Lydia can't hear the Guardians even half as clearly as she uesd to.

Well Kalve, she thinks, guess we're about to see if you were right, or if I were right.

Lydia has made some beef brisket soup and is carting along a large pot full of the stuff into Riesenlied's room.

"That's right...!" She declares to Riesenlied. "The mighty Lydia Seren can cook as well! Is there anything she can't do? Noooo nooooo, she is completely overpowered! Be wary, be wary!"

She looks over to the Hyadean and says, "Is some special lady hungry today?" She grins widely, putting on a show of optimism in spite of the situation for Riesenlied's sake.

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

Noeline is more or less running on fumes at this point - it's hard to say if she's ever felt this fatigued mentally or physically, her body aching with every movement and her mind worn down by the terrified yells of the Guardians as Azado burned and then flooded. Every muscle in her body aches after her faceoff with Siegfried and the Negative Rainbow ripping through her; she'd like nothing more than to sleep for a week.

And yet, somehow, she manages to keep moving. The Wayside Outreach are able to manage themselves at this point, but for the sake of the people of Azado she at least makes sure she's visible as she helps direct the other Tainted into getting some temporary shelters up and sending some of the more able-bodied to go hunt up some provisions.

She makes sure she's visible for Riesenlied's sake, as well - she's doing her best not to be too obvious about it, but in the immediate aftermath of the Fereshte's landing she makes sure to stay in direct sight of her partner at all times and do as much as she can from right at Riesenlied's side, letting her voice act as a reminder that the Outreach's spirit is still going strong despite everything.

And, once she's done giving the initial set of orders, slowly reaches out to place her arms around the other Hyadean, tugging Riesenlied gently into her lap and against her shoulder as she lets out a deep and heavy-set sigh. She's not sure what to say - where to even begin in processing everything that just happened - but she can at least ensure that her presence is there for Riese to try to take comfort in.

And then Lydia barges in, almsot banging a pot, and there's a familiar sort of comfort in that. "--if you've just boiled a bunch of rocks again I'm going to get really upset," she blusters - not that something like that ever happened, but it's something for her to latch to and make a show of huffing at, a little bit of normalcy compared to everything else. "I bet you just asked Mikaia."

<Pose Tracker> Jack van Burace has posed.

There is a murmur from the camp beyond the airship. A soft waft of supprize stirred up by something on the empathatic winds have stirred up. A surstle if you will caused by a single figure that strolls into the Waysider's camp.

Tall. Lanky. Long hair tied back in a ponytail. Curved sword at his side. His hair though is different, snow white instead of its more traditional color.

...and technically. It is two figures. The pale blue fur of a wind mouse is rather obvious from where one sits on his shoulder.

Jack's appearance causes worry, surprise, wonder, fear. His views on metal demons is well enough known, and even at the battle not 24 hours ago he extracted a heavy price from the rank and file of their kind. Even though he never managed to cut his way though to the center of the combat, it was not for lack of trying.

His attempts are obvious, damage to his coat. One arm in a cling. Soot, blood and other fluids soak the garment that he hasn't managed to quite get cleaned. At least he doesn't actively smell like a charnel house anymore.

Still he doesn't /look/ ready to murder. Instead he simplay nods once to those who look askance towards him and heads towards the airship. On his back is a battered pack, hooked lazily over one shoulder as he goes.

Which is why as Lydia bursts in, and Noeline blusters back there is a sharp knock on the side of the doorway. "We aren't interrupting are we?" Comes a slightly amused drawl from the tall swordsman.

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

Mother is awake.

Riesenlied... can sense her, very distantly, more than she can sense the lack of the Guardians' voices -- she wonders how Noeline is coping with this, in truth. She can only hope that her connection to Duras Drum is still alive and well, but it may not be with the presence that looms over her...

... it's mildly oppressive, like a claw gripping at her mind even at idle. The awakening threat of a millennia... and the one she once fervently, earnestly believed was a saviour to her and to others.

Riesenlied is in Noeline's lap as she sags her head to one side, her breath still erratic as she tries to try being in any state that wasn't 'hyperventilating'. It's difficult. The pressure is constantly on her, inescapable...

Then Lydia enters the room. She tries to put on her best smile, as she always does -- she looks towards the pot of broccoli soup that she's brought on with her. "L-Lydia... thank you. I haven't... I have not eaten in--" she swallows as she tries to remember the number, but she cannot.

Then there's a knock--

Her eyes widen softly. "Yes... please, do come in...?" she tries to call, but her voice isn't all there. It feels hoarse. She's still wounded. She places a hand on her throat, coughing gently.

A wound from a Sword Dancer's blade that's still wrapped tightly with gauze around her stomach...

<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.

"Hmph!" Lydia says to Noeline, knowing full well she's teasing but going along with it anyway. "I'll have you know, that gastronomy is all about testing the limits of fine dining and experimenting with that which has been deemed incomprehensible. You should be glad to have your boiled rocks and besides, Muni likes them."

She pauses before adding, more seriously. "Of course Mikaia helped. She's worried about you." She looks to Noeline for a moment, smiling at her. "Both of you."

She works on pouring soup into bowls for Riesenlied and Noeline and will even hand them out before pouring a bowl for Jack and offering it to him. Lydia Seren is presently wearing Baskar leathers and is clearly a beastman thanks to her many sharp teeth and her curved horns. Beads of silver lay under her eyes that indicate she's not entirely flesh and blood.

"Hey stranger," Lydia says, looking Jack over for a long moment.

"You look like shit."

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

Noeline's eyebrows jump in surprise as Jack appears at the doorway; it's probably a good thing she's got her arms around Riesenlied, because she's a little too strung out right now to take the swordsman's appearance in stride - especially given the last time she saw him, they were trading blows. Her eyes are quick to take him in, to pick out the changes in his demeanour - the fact he seems a great deal more measured than before is a comfort, even if she's not fully aware of everything that has happened since.

And, truth be told, she doesn't even have the energy to fight right now. Mother's presence is a weight on her mind, and as much as she's doing her best to mentally skitter away from it wherever possible and focus on other things, it keeps making itself known as a pulse at the back of her head, blanketing Duras Drum's presence. For the first time in a very long time she can't feel her Medium, not fully, and it's almost like losing a limb.

"With all the respect in the world," she manages after a moment, folding into a lazy grin. "You do not even rate top five when it comes to interruptions today. We started the day off on a different planet, after all," she huffs pleasantly, and waves Jack inside as Riesenlied accepts his presence. "Forgive me if I don't get up to greet you."

After all, there's a solemn light in her eyes when Riesenlied next shivers and twitches in her arms; she slips a hand to her partner's back, trying to remain in as much contact with her as she can. It makes it a little awkward to accept Lydie's soup, but she manages to balance the cup in her hand, bringing it to her mouth with an appreciative noise. "... I know," she admits to talk of Mikaia, and huffs softly. "They should know by now they're welcome to pile on us anytime," she grumbles, but-- it's mixed with gratitude that they're helping take care of things outside.

<Pose Tracker> Jack van Burace has posed.

"You should see the other guys," It was too good an opening to pass up, the smirk from that swordsman harkening back to a happier time. A different time. A time before he picked up the Sword Dancer's blade.

Back before he knew painful truths.

It was easier to think he was the last of his Order.

Before his thoughts can take a darker turn though he gives a slight shake of his head to dislodge them. Which causes the pack on his back to shift slightly. Which causes something in said pack to shift and protest.

It doesn't seem to bother Jack though. There is a smirk though before he chuckles. "Yes, very true. I supppose I'm low on the list of suprises."

A pause again as he lets his gaze shift twoards Riesenlied as she lies there. Wounded and not just from the most recent fight of hers.

"Look I..." An awkward pause. "...I'm not great at this..." A pause again before Hanpan just sighs as thumps him on the side of the head.

"He came to say thank you, and to apologize...he is just terrible at it."

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

Riesenlied accepts that bowl of soup, but after a bit, she sets it to a tray instead. Her hands are still trembling lightly; tremors, it would seem. Her mouth hitches a little as she takes a spoonful and sips on it, difficult, but she eventually perseveres and nibbles on some broccoli.

After she wipes her mouth: "I'm eternally grateful... to them both. I-- I can only hope..." Riesenlied swallows again, with difficulty, as she fails to finish her sentence. Her eyes shrink a little with a sudden spike of fear as she places a hand on her throat. "Er..."

She can see -- she can sense Noeline's pain, of being pushed away further from her Medium... she wonders if it's like the sensations she feels, of having your mind be clad in wool and your ears with cotton. Like a blindfold had been placed over your mind's eye...

And she wonders how Lydia is handling it too. Losing a connection to Rigdobrite... she seemed all right, and she's fond of the beastwoman's optimism to be able to focus on other topics like cooking and boiling rocks and feeding them to Muni and everything else...

... it makes her wonder if she'll be able to reach for Odoryuk in the end. Will that one Medium, so left in that frozen village close to Mother... will that be of use in the end?

Noeline's contact with her does help; being in her embrace, having her support her like that... it's a calming presence, a guiding force amidst all of these post-traumatic sensations that are pulling her ever which way.

But back towards reality--

--she hitches out of her latest tic as she hears Jack talking about 'seeing the other guys'. She looks towards him... he certainly looks clearer. Cracking jokes... bearing different clothing. It was a little more like when she first met him -- though his hair is still white.

He stands over her... and then there's an awkward moment. His gaze shifts. Hanpan thumps him on the side of the head.

He came to say thank you, and to apologise...

Riesenlied's expression softens a little. "Garrett-- or... should I say Jack?" she isn't certain, looking towards Hanpan for a moment. "... I, ah--"

She's more than a little awkward herself right now. So many words, so many thoughts, emotions welling through her, what does she even say at a moment like this? She--

"You're-- you're welcome," Riesenlied expresses gently. "... it was... it was the least I could do. I clung so dearly onto that feeling... I didn't want to fail you again. Either of you."

<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.

Lydia seems to be alright. Maybe she still hears Rigdobrite, or maybe she is merely confident she will hear Rigdobrite again. Or she just doesn't need Rigdobrite to have confidence in herself. She has come a long way and while it's thanks to many people she has been able to, her family here may be the biggest reason for it.

"Well they're kindhearted girls," Lydia tells Noeline. "And sometimes being kindhearted means hesitation when it's not actually neccessary. I think that's not a bad thing. Too many folks are eager to rush into dumb situations these days. I think they know you'll fuss over 'em and they want you to rest and get better." She pauses. "And I bet they'll still rush in soon enough."

She walks over to Noeline's side for a moment and rests a hand on her shoulder. "Are you feeling alright? I know it must feel rough, finally meeting your Guardian only for it to be ever harder to hear him. He's still there, don't worry. Just...hidden, you know?"

She looks up to Jack. She laughs a little openly at Hanpan's antics. "Aw." She can guess at what he's apologizing for but she doesn't ACTUALLY know. "It's okay, I'm really bad at apologizing too but you don't need to be too good at it I've found so long as you try."

She lets Riesenlied otherwise gab to Jack with no interruption.

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

Noeline's eyebrows raise again as Jack manages to stumble over his words; as much as they have to worry about right now, she can at least find it in herself to let out a chuckle from behind the rim of her bowl of soup, lifting it to her lips for a second time as she lets the sort-of-apology roll around in her mind. "... no-- well, I don't know how much of it is directed towards me in particular," she even manages to tease with a quiet breath of air, "But I suppose I should be saying the same. Some of the things I said to you were not exactly fair. I apologise, as well."

The hand on Riesenlied's back isn't still; it drifts slightly in slow strokes, and more tellingly it pauses every so often, curling into a fist or stilling as her mind wanders slightly. It's about all she's willing to show of her own worries, right now, and only presented to Riesenlied in a very private sort of fashion. There's enough to worry about right now that she'd rather not add her own fears to the pile - at least not until she's had a chance to work through them a little, and organize them in her head a little better.

... at least, that's the plan. But when Lydia's hand rests on her shoulder, she finds herself furrowing her brow, and it's difficult to just pawn the whole thing off as tiredness. "... I know. I can still hear him, just very muffled. I suppose that's the advantage of having a Medium stuck inside of you," she chuckles ruefully, but her smile doesn't last as she flexes her fingers. "... it just feels like bits of me are dulled. I haven't felt like this in a long while."

<Pose Tracker> Jack van Burace has posed.

"Just Jack again," The swordsman says with a shake of his head. "Just plain ol' Jack. Garrett Stampede is well and truly dead. I should have left him so." He looks away for a moment, a twitch of a smile on his face. "Though he left me with this..." A hand reaches up to touch his hair. "...to remind me."

Some people might dye it, but Jack seems to decided to wear it as a badge. A proof he survived something that most likely he shouldn't have.

There is a smirk though angled towards Noeline as well now. "Yeah, well. I said some things that weren't very kind." A pause. "And tried to remove your limbs a time or two. So...the apology would be for the both of you."

He should be ashamed. He should be at least, but he has no time for that sort of thing. There are big events happening, and he will not be left on the sidelines for them again.

"So the Guardians are being...muffled?" He asks, frowning as he looks around the trio. He has no idea how this magic thing works, but it is better to ask that than continue to stand round looking awkward.

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

"That's true. Janey has rather the habit of trying to peep in through the door, and Mikaia is usually not far away..." Riesenlied has a very soft giggle at Lydia, even as she totally misses the pair of four eyes dogpiling just outside the door as her children fuss over her. That their mother is eating is, at the very least, a minor triumph for them.

She looks to Lydia walking to Noeline and asking how she feels about the Guardian, focusing her attention towards Jack and Hanpan instead... even as she feels-- that hand of Noeline's brush across her shoulder. The way it stops, curls a little... she can feel every little iota of that tension in herself.

And there is strength there, as she quietly places her hand to Noeline's own for a moment to squeeze it.

"Jack, then," Riesenlied steadies herself through her tics. She breathes for a moment, then looks up towards his hair. She did remember him having golden hair, the colour of flaxseed.

She looks between Noeline and Jack, just a little more wan with a soft smile at the ribbing and subsequent apologies.

"I sense Mother, in the far east... in Elru. Ever since her awakening, it feels as if the tenuous connection we have with the Leyline and the Guardians are..."

She lowers her head.

"Muted, as Noeline and Lydia said." She quietly frowns. "I... will be headed there. ... to free the rest of my brethren still trapped in the squalor of the Gutter ... and--"

She looks to the other two for a moment. "To... face my own past. To hear the Guardian of Life Odoryuk's voice again..."

<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.

Lydia pretends to not see the pairs of eyes peeping in. They'll come in when they're ready. And if they're not ready soon, Lydia can always drag them in. It's win win. She thinks about what Kalve had said. They had such different visions for what Mother was, but she did make a promise to not judge without evidence. She's a scientist. It's how she works.

Of course, blocking the Guardians from speaking to her is pretty hefty evidence already. She wishes Kalve was right. It'd be nicer if he was, but she doesn't think that's the case.

"Cool," Lydia tells Riesenlied. "I've already had plans myself. I am going to be visiting Granny Halle again. My parents. You're welcome to come if you want, but it won't be pleasant, so I...get it if you don't want to. I don't want to pile more on to you, but..."

She trails off before shaking her head and looking to Jack. "Yeah that's fair." She says to him. "I'm glad you're not doing that anymore. You don't seem so bad."

She nods once to his question. "That's why I want to see Granny Halle one more time. Besides it's been months. I should tell her how I've been!" She grins widely, showing off all those teeth.

She is in a weirdly good mood despite the situation. Maybe she's just trying to 'be strong' here.

She nods to Noeline as well. "It'll be alright."

She doesn't say how she knows this though.

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

"Think of it as--" Noeline starts to say to Jack, and then squints, furrowing her brow. Thinking is still a little hard, her nerves jangled by everything. "Think of talking to the Guardians as trying to yell across a crowded room. Hard enough before, but now the band's started playing and all their instruments involve nails on a chalkboard." Not exactly the most elegant of responses, but she's willing to take what she can manage right now.

Riesenlied's hand is a relief; Noeline clutches at it tightly but not painfully, letting her fingers run across the other demon's palm as she takes some strength from it, uses the touch to centre herself and let out a slow breath that it feels like she's been holding all day.

"... I intend to go to Elru as well, of course," she admits after a long moment of silence, before looking up at Jack. "To stay at Riesenlied's side no matter what... but to face my own past as well. To walk the streets of Arctica one last time. To remember it, and to say farewell to it." Her tone is almost wistful... until it gains a faint edge. "... and perhaps to pick up a chunk of its wall to fling into Alhazred's face."

She too has noticed the pair at the door, and the advantage of being sat behind Riesenlied is that she doesn't give that fact away when she glances at them both with a smile, snorting under her breath. "... thank you," she notes genuinely to the shaman, before raising her eyebrows once more. "That-- may be wise. When that thing attacked Azado, the Guardians mentioned the Guardian Lords. It may be that they have enough power to cut through this dampening-- well, perhaps that's wishful thinking," she chuckles. "But it's a start."

<Pose Tracker> Jack van Burace has posed.

"Oh, I'm terrible."

Jack just tosses that out there towards Lydia with a smirk on his face as he gives a shrug of one shoulder. The smirk fades slowly though and he sighs slightly. "Elru? Long trip that. I think you both might need a bit of rest before you try it."

His gaze sweeps by the pair of Metal Demons and for a moment he thinks about them. There is a slight frown there. A thoughtful pause. There is no hate there as he looks at the pair and somewhere that surprises him. Somewhere else that pleases him. And somewhere else that frightens him.

If there isn't any hate, what is left? Nothing?

He shakes it off though. "I plan on giving that one," This to wards Noeline. "My own little piece of Arctica." There is a gentle pat of her hilt of his sword. "I know it might not make a difference, but I think it might make me feel better."

A slight pause.

"It was beautiful, the city. Wasn't it?"

A pause as he turns away a moment and then once more shakes himself. "Anyway, I didn't come here to be maudlin and mope about. I came to apologize and..." Hanpan pauses to look at Jack quizzically for a moment. What else did he have. There is a slight smile on Jack's face for a moment. "...speak of something happier, that I needed help with."

A pause.

"But if you two need your rest, perhaps I should come back later."

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

Riesenlied lowers her head as the discussion makes her think about Arctica for a moment. She may not know the city intimately like Noeline does, but... she has been there, plenty of times, in the distant past. Seen it shift and change from the earliest days of the Treaty, after the Day of Collapse...

Scurrying through it, like the runt that she was.

She looks at Lydia and quietly... nods as she talk about Halle. "I remember when she accepted us, when we reached out for her... I still want to repay her for that."

She lets Noeline play with her hand for a little more, as she clutches on it and-- lets her own breath wander, shakily.

"It was... it was beautiful," she admits softly. "I wanted to... help save people, as much as I could... but..."

But it always felt so hollow, because her own efforts were a lone individual against a tide of hatred.

And Jack probably doesn't want to hear it anyway. To be reminded of things that are gone...

"Yes, you're right. ... from here on out... we'll be known as the Wayside Outreach. Every Hyadean here... it was their communal spirit that inspired me to represent them. We've chosen our side... and we're more than willing to help."

Jack points rest out, though, and... to be truthful, that probably would be a very good idea, after Lydia's meal. "Y-yes... I still feel rather unsteady after all of that..."

She reclines softly against Noeline, quietly closing her eyes. The four pair of eyes at the door giggle just a little as they scurry away. "... thank you, everyone... Noeline. Lydia. Jack..."

<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.

Lydia looks to Jack, "Whatcha need help with?" Of course, he odes have a point that this might not be the best time to talk about that, but Lydia would like to be helpful. She has some soup for herself. She looks towards Noeline for a moment and adds, "They did huh?" She was kinda under ground and didn't hear any of that. "Well I guess we'll just see all the Guardians by the time this is done." She snickers a little at that, still as determined as ever to be optimistic right now. She smiles at Noeline for a long moment before turning back to Jack. Arctica, she thinks, a place she'd never been and never will be, really. Not as it was.

"No problem!" She keeps on grinning. "Don't you worry, we'll get through this! After all, Siegfried might have his Mother now but..."

She throws out a big thumbsup. "We have each other, and that's a million times better in my not so humble opinion."

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

Noeline's face immediately drops - but not out of anger or worry, more a solemn determination. Jack is already talking about how he'd rather discuss lighter things, so she doesn't respond with words, but the look on her face is clear enough: she's entirely ready to do the same. Siegfried they might yet reach - she can only hope, for Riesenlied's sake - but Alhazred is a whole other matter.

Instead, she lets out a soft chuckle as she slips into her memory, whispering fondly: "... it truly was... though I suppose I was never much for nature," she chuckles, and suddenly has a playful grin on her face. "Now, the piping-hot apple pies they sold at that open market by the river, /those/ were beautiful. I'd get a bag and watch the knights practice with a book on my lap. Three for five pennies, you could eat for the whole day."

... it might be a little telling that she's using prices from a century or so ago.

The reminiscing seems to have perked her up, at least; she redoubles her hug on Riesenlied as the other Hyadean begins to flag, keeping her upright a few moments more at least. "We're still figuring out what to do next. Certainly, we're in no state to merch into Elru on our own... but we've yet to really have time to decide what happens next. You're right-- a little rest, first, but that doesn't mean we can't hear you out. What is it?" she nods along with Lydia.

<Pose Tracker> Jack van Burace has posed.

He pauses at the door, Jack looking back towards the trio. Somehow it seems he's intruding on a different world. One that he doesn't deserve any more, or possibly just doesn't understand. How can he still have friends after what he did...

...but no, again he forces past those thoughts. Cutting though them even as Hanpan rests one tiny paw against Jack's neck. A slight and quiet gesture of support.

"It isn't anything big," He says with a shake of his head. "But...see well...I figured that you all would be better at this than I am." And he reaches back to pull the pack off his shoulder, pulling off the flap.

Up almost imeadeatly pops the head of a white scaled baby wyvern, brilliant silver horns coming off his head, bright amber-gold eyes blinking inquisitively.

He chirriups curiously in the direction of the trio as Hanpan just shakes his head in amusement.

"See, I'm not very inspired when it comes to names. Bitey Junior was what I was calling him...I don't suppose you have any ideas?"

A sort of a lighter note, something else to think about for a moment. Levity in the middle of madness. Everyone needs a bit of that. Right?

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

Riesenlied still is smiling at how optimistic Lydia is being. She's used to it herself, but here in the state that she is... it is rather pleasant to have that beacon of life and hope be radiated back upon her.

Siegfried having his Mother... will he really have the peace that Riese wants so much for him?

Noeline's memories of Arctica are so much more different than hers... she more remembers-- huddling on ragged cloaks and peeking through crowds, hiding her horns as she watches the knights march, watches the seamstresses peddle her wares...

"A-ah--"

Riesenlied's eyes widen as her own horns wiggle for a moment. She giggles very quietly and says, "Odjn would love to see this..."

Riese does have her own baby dragons in tow, even if Odjn would sass her head off for calling her 'baby'.

"Ah, he's very immaculate and silver, so... perhaps Argent would be a good name?"

<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.

Lydia clasps both sides of her face with her hands and she makes a high pitched squealing noise as she sees 'Bitey Junior' orrather 'baby wyvern'. She quickly evolves into pinching her OWN cheeks becuase of how cute it is. "Ohhh look at it's pretty horns..." She waddles on up, pauses, and then says, "Hold on no... they need to see this."

She then raises her hands to her mouth and says, "Janey! Mikaia! Come in! You gotta see this!"

She laughs heartily NO REGRETS FINAL DESTINATION. It's almost as if it's not the end of the world.

'When you need a lift, moms, I'll lift you up. Since I'm the eldest...!!'

"Plus Elru's pretty far away. We'll either have to get a boat or fix the Fereshte AGAIN."

She sighs. "But it shouldn't take as long this time at least."

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

--there's a snort, and Noeline raises her eyebrows as she tucks her chin down on Riesenlied's shoulder, slowly advancing from 'light hold' to 'hug' to 'full on embrace' - but it's also a chance to give Jack and his new protege an amused grin over Riese's shoulder. "Should I ask who 'Bitey Regular' is?" she wonders aloud, and then makes an obvious show of panning her gaze over towards the wind mouse sat on Jack's shoulder.

It takes her a moment longer, and then despite her hug, she's nudged Riesenlied forwards a little, encouraging the other Hyadean to - if she wants - stand up and take a closer look at the tiny draconic creature. "All I would suggest is that, if it's at all similar to any other wyvern, you're probably going to pay later on in life if you insist on the 'Junior'. Every time I tease Odjn that way, she gets terribly upset," she snickers quietly.

She snorts a second time when Lydia calls for the other girls to come in, one eyebrow raised as she tries to make light of it all. "--well, really. I like to think I do plenty of lifting myself, but-- well, it's appreciated," she puffs afterwards, mildly bashful out of nowhere just in time for Janey to see it.

<Pose Tracker> Jack van Burace has posed.

A smirk. "And there it is again, a smile though brought me back from the brink." Jack 's comment comes as Riese giggles, horns wagglinng. A genuine smile coming to all three of their faces for a moment.

Just for a moment. Sometimes that is all it takes to make things a bit brighter.

"Ah well...you met Bitey before..." He says with a slightly awkward cough. Even as he does hold the wyvern for pets, who seems to like pets.

"Big, made of bone, way more angry than this one?"

Yeah. That was Bitey.

A pause though.

"Argent though. Argent sounds right..."

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

"Geeeh--" "Uwaa--"

The door tumbles open, and Riese, literally the only one in the room who hadn't noticed the children peeking in before, yelps as Janey and Mikaia indeed both tumble in a pile. Janey's a brown-haired girl, about 13 years of age; Mikaia is clearly a beastgirl of about 8 years, with little feathery black wings on her back.

"It's too cute! Aah, Odjn's got competition now!" "Janey, I don't think Mister Jack's leaving it with us...."

Riesenlied's cheeks blush a little as Jack comments on the smile that brings him back through the brink. "Ah, I do remember... Bitey. Or rather, trying to sneak past him..."

A pause, as she smiles warmly. "I'm sure Argent will have a good home with you..."

<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.

"Is Argent going to eat Hanpan?" Lydia asks because Jack told her he was terrible and she just can't help herself.

She laughs happily as she sees Janey and Mikaia at work on the adorable wyvern. MISSION COMPLETE. Maybe after all this, everybody's spirits will raise just a little bit.

"Thanks for coming, man." She adds to Jack when she calms down. "You really perked things up here."