2018-10-31: Relying on You
- Log: Relying on You
- Cast: Riesenlied, Noeline, Lily Keil
- Where: New Petra
- Date: 31st October 2018
- Summary: Riesenlied feels insecure and anxious following the battle with Grahf. Noeline and Lily offer their viewpoints.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
New Petra is bustling with energy and vigour; with the date for Elru set, as well as Lydia conducting flotation tests for the Fereshte, the entire little settlement is out and about with verve and excitement. Those that are staying are doing their best with the Azadians, who've to their credit have adapted quite well to their new environs as well.
In the distance, the airship is hovering with propellers active as it prepares to fly towards the coast. There's a rigorous amount of testing that must be done, first for its ability to float in the air before its potentially-dangerous test for buoyancy.
Riesenlied is standing atop an outlook for the town, hair and robes fluttering in the wind displaced by the airship; she looks pensive and concerned...
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
In contrast, Noeline is grinning at the sight of the Fereshe hovering in place. Given how often their airship has crashed or else been shot down, it's one of the first times she's been able to appreciate the craft flying under its own power without something chasing them at the time. She can't help the spike of pride and the sheer anticipation of actually getting to travel in the airship.
Still, she can sense how Riesenlied is feeling, and lets her hand steal across the space to meet hers and intertwine them together. "We have done everything we can; we will get through this," she adds with a quiet certainty, dipping her head to peek across at Riesenlied and offer her a quiet smile.
It might be more romantic and supportive were it not for the wind; she has rather more hair than her partner, after all, and it's kind of going everywhere around her face.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
For her part, Lily Keil steps up from behind, cresting the rise to look out at the airship beyond Riesenlied and Noeline for a moment. Only then does she step the rest of the way forward, looking between the two. ...She has two eyes again, though the color on the iris of one is a little off, a dark, muddy blue instead of the gold one would expect.
"...You will," Lily answers Noeline. "I'm sorry to interrupt," a beat after that, and she steps up the rest of the way, looking out again.
"It's going to be a long journey. It may be some time before we can return here... If we can return here." [WATCH] K.K. has disconnected. [OOC] Lily Keil says, "(I chceked the map, it's entirely reasonable for Lily to pop down to Wayside while she waits for the Wolves' boat to get sorted)"
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied feels Noeline's hand as she approaches to her side, and places her hands together. The shimmer of two rings, not unlike the Dragon's Tear, can be seen for a moment as she raises her ring finger to sight. She bites her lip, then smiles bashfully as she brushes Noeline's hair to keep it in check.
She hesitates, looking at Lily. She bites her lip. "I heard... from the comms. About the Kislevi boat." She tilts her head and smiles very quietly, saying, "It rather fits you more, I think. More than the Fereshte. I hope it suits."
Why does she sound so resigned? Anxiety is in her air...
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
Squinting a little as Riesenlied tries to marshal her hair, Noeline huffs softly in amusement. She makes no secret of leaning into her partner's side to draw an arm around her, even when Lily announces her presence. "For someone who just said 'we will' get through this, saying we might not be back is a little rich, isn't it?" she challenges with a vivid grin. "Unless you're suggesting we punch straight through and circumnavigate to Aquvy. Not that I would be against that, in the end."
Pausing, the Hyadean spy does her best to feel for the glimmer of their rings, trying to feel them out as she might the presence of the Dragon's Tear. She isn't quite there yet, she knows, but if she's learnt one thing it's to keep trying.
"... it does make a lot of sense, in the end. The open sea is a dangerous place - nowhere to run or hide. Staying in groups might make it easier to fend off attackers, but... well, everyone is very good at collateral damage, I suppose." The serious evaluation betrays her joking a little - but she draws in a quiet breath, reaffirming her smile.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
"Heh," Lily answers Noeline, grinning back to the Crimson Noble sidelong. "Being dour is a habit that's hard to break. ...But it's true that I'm thinking more that events might keep us away a long time. Not /just/ being morbid." Pause. "Though there is some of that."
But she looks to Riesenlied then, watching her. "...Suits me more?" Lily asks, lifting an eyebrow. She can feel the anxiety in the air, but her demeanor is calm. She looks to Riesenlied's hands, the rings--and then back up to her face again. "...It's not a matter of suiting me more, or less. The Fereshte..." She trails off. Actually expressing her feelings is... difficult. So she shakes her head.
"But it's as Noeline says. The open sea is a dangerous place, and we know that our enemy is willing to attack us in the harbor--nothing says they won't try on the ocean. But part of why I came back just now is I wanted to coordinate our departure--I'd prefer to stick close together, so that we can use the Kraken's weapons to help protect the Fereshte in the event of an incident."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied is a little off her game, and both Noeline and Lily know her well enough that she's not quite herself today; more reticient, more anxious. She bites her lip, nodding towards Noeline to hesitate and say, "No, you're right. A group of ships... also helps our optics. Not just a lone vessel, but rather a small fleet -- helps to deter attackers."
That's a logical argument, but...
"... I guess-- I was reflecting. On what Grahf said and did... and--" Riesenlied pauses. Her cheeks are a bit rosy as she admits concernedly, "I wonder... if... I am becoming less able to help the Wolves, than when I first met you all a year ago. It feels harder, as my body continues to decline in fitness, to catch up..."
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
Noeline's smile is rather wry in return. "... I suppose you're right. Once we get through this," she starts to say, and the use of 'once' is distinctly deliberate given the way she stresses it with a squeeze of Riesenlied's hand, "The question of 'what exactly do we do with Elru' will still hang in the air. I would like to think we would be due at least one decent holiday, mind you," she grumbles good-naturedly.
Her gaze flicks towards Riesenlied as her partner hesitates; she squeezs Riesenlied's hand again, leaning in to offer her presence. "It isn't just optics. It's safety," Noeline gently reminds, obviously somewhat affected by the other Hyadean's mood but wanting to salvage what she can.
"Not everyone has to be a fighter. The ways in which you help the Wolves - and the ways in which you help the Outreach - are many and wide. It isn't your sword-arm that's most important to those in this village. It is your consideration and care, instead." She lets that hang in the air, and puffs up. "And I would be willing to suggest Grahf is rather a special case."
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
"...Besides that, we may need to make an assault by sea on some military site in Elru; the Fereshte, on a mission of mercy, isn't suited to such an operation." She nods, though--Riesenlied sees the benefit, clearly, the wisdom in bringing more than the one ship. But...
Lily /does/ know Riesenlied well, by this point. It's hard for her /not/ to see the difference.
"...That's a good point," Lily admits to Noeline in the meantime. "You two really should take some time, if you can."
She pauses, then; she waits for Noeline to say her piece, watching Riesenlied thoughtfully. No, not only thoughtfully; she does it without judgement, taking something of a measure.
"...We have fighters," Lily says. "More can help, but that's not the value you have to us, tactically or as a person. You provide... something to address what happens when the fighting /stops/. A plan for how people will live when this war is ended. That's something I can't offer, for all the power I have."
"...And in the midst of danger, your power acts as a force multiplier; even without moving to the front lines, your abilities can help us fight more effectively. But ultimately, there is no... catching up. You don't need to; whether you can help us more, or less, doesn't change your place with us."
Lily pauses, and looks down; Riesenlied, if she can feel it over her worries, may note the conflict in the other woman for a moment, as she debates whether to say what she does--how she feels about the same. Within moments, though, "...My mother was injured in combat before I came to the Keil household. For as long as I've known her, she's used a wheelchair to get around; without her legs, she can't walk." Lily speaks distantly, remembering. "That didn't stop her from teaching me much of what I know. Where my father taught me tactics, hand to hand combat... She taught me marksmanship. She helped me adapt to my new home...." She pauses, shakes her head, can't quite remember, "She taught how to control my magic. So many things."
"It wasn't her combat ability that made her important to our family. And it isn't your combat ability that makes you important to yours."
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
"...Besides that, we may need to make an assault by sea on some military site in Elru; the Fereshte, on a mission of mercy, isn't suited to such an operation." She nods, though--Riesenlied sees the benefit, clearly, the wisdom in bringing more than the one ship. But...
Lily /does/ know Riesenlied well, by this point. It's hard for her /not/ to see the difference.
"...That's a good point," Lily admits to Noeline in the meantime. "You two really should take some time, if you can."
She pauses, then; she waits for Noeline to say her piece, watching Riesenlied thoughtfully. No, not only thoughtfully; she does it without judgement, taking something of a measure.
"...We have fighters," Lily says. "More can help, but that's not the value you have to us, tactically or as a person. You provide... something to address what happens when the fighting /stops/. A plan for how people will live when this war is ended. That's something I can't offer, for all the power I have."
"...And in the midst of danger, your power acts as a force multiplier; even without moving to the front lines, your abilities can help us fight more effectively. But ultimately, there is no... catching up. You don't need to; whether you can help us more, or less, doesn't change your place with us."
Lily pauses, and looks down; Riesenlied, if she can feel it over her worries, may note the conflict in the other woman for a moment, as she debates whether to say what she does--how she feels about the same. Within moments, though, "...My mother was injured in combat before I came to the Keil household. For as long as I've known her, she's used a wheelchair to get around; without her legs, she can't walk." Lily speaks distantly, remembering. "That didn't stop her from teaching me much of what I know. Where my father taught me tactics, hand to hand combat... She taught me marksmanship. She helped me adapt to my new home...." She pauses, shakes her head, can't quite remember, "She taught how to control my magic. So many things."
"It wasn't her combat ability that made her important to our family. And it isn't your combat ability that makes you important to yours. As for Grahf..." Lily looks into the distance, and her first curls; even remembering, there's a slow hum of anger. "What he says doesn't matter. It's not his place to decide who you are."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied thinks on it for a bit longer -- she's probably given the thought of what to do with Elru and afterwards more, given how long the plans to move the Tainted out of the Photosphere has been on her mind. Recent developments with the political landscape have made it a question, but at the same time...
"I would like that, but... at the same time, I will do all I can for those that we are able to rescue," Riesenlied softly speaks.
Not everyone has to be a fighter. The ways in which she can help... of course, she knows that she's not about to outmatch the Seeker of Power in a fist duel. But at the same time...
She closes her eyes as Lily speaks about what she offers when the fighting stops. "I know. It's-- it's not... rational, what I'm feeling. I'm feeling butterflies in my stomach, that much I realise. Maybe it's wanting to offer just a little more..."
She listens to Lily's story about her mother. "I remember... but-- it is nice to hear again. Your mother is such a strong, aspiring woman," she smiles warmer to Lily.
She lowers her head. "... I felt... belittled. There was anger and wounding there, yes, but... even then, to hear him gloss over... father's feelings such."
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
"Considering that with any luck we'll have refugees on board, I'd be more inclined to get them off the continent as soon as possible. On the other hand, considering the Fereshte's track record, we might have to go to ground for a bit first," Noeline snorts quietly, rubbing at her hair a little.
She drops the subject when Lily continues, however, and instead listens attentively along. As much as she might be able to say the right things about Riesenlied's abilities, she doesn't necessarily have the same raw experience that Lily does when it comes to people in similar situations; she finds herself nodding in quiet agreement.
"More than what you can teach, you have given people hope. It is thanks to that hope that the rest of the Outreach has come about - that the Tainted have chosen of their own will to follow you, that the people of Azado have placed their trust in you, that the Guardians have given you and others here a chance," she reiterates, then chuckles as she catches Riese in a hug from one side.
"Really... you have already offered the world for some of them. I certainly think that is something to be proud of, whatever a bitter old man might say," she tries to make lighter of it. "You have reached your father, I am quite sure - even if only a little. Otherwise, I would not have found you with Trask standing over you protectively that day." A pause. "... it damn near gave me a heart attack at the time," she adds glumly.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
"...Believe it or not, I think I understand the feeling." Lily lets that hang there for a moment, before she looks out to the airship again. "I know you'll do what you can, of course. ...But the feeling of wanting to have more to offer--that I'm not able to do /enough/. I know it well."
Pausing, Lily looks down at one of her hands before she continues. "...We'll see when it comes," she mentions about the refugees. "But that's true. You bring people hope--and you bring more and more of it wherever you go. But..."
"It's not strange to feel belittled. Grahf didn't really care about anything but Fei; the rest of us were accessories, at best. Even when he started to notice us, all he was concerned with was how likely we are to be ready to achieve his goals. It was for his own reasons--nothing to do with our value to anyone but him. ...But I suspect..."
"He considers his attempts with your father, what they tried back then--I suspect Grahf considers it a failure. And failure means a weakness--a weakness he curses in himself and those he sees with it. He hates your father for their failure. ...That's what I'd guess, anyway. It's the only thing that can explain the sheer /rage/ I felt that I can think of."
Trask, is it?
"...What he thinks isn't ultimately important. But you let me worry about the strength to stand against him, all right? As for my mother..."
"...Strength was never something my family had trouble finding. ...I haven't seen her since I left Kislev. She wasn't there, when I stopped in Nortune. ..." Lily looks back to Riesenlied. "No one expects you to be perfectly rational. It's not your style. ...You think with your heart too much for that. But the price of thinking with your heart is those sorts of feelings, I think."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
"I do too, of course, but... it may not be possible," Riesenlied expresses to Noeline. "We'll have to establish safe spaces for the refugees ahead of time, and then evacuate them across the ocean back to Ignas. To make the trip in one go may be too taxing for some of them, given the condition they're in..."
Riesenlied can't help but colour more than a little, as Noeline speaks about giving hope. She squeezes her hand again, gently as she says, "It isn't just because of me, but... thank you." She closes her eyes, then bashfully smiles as she gets hugged. Their rings glimmer again very softly for a moment, as she feels a welling surge of emotion link between the two.
"T-that was... not intended," Riesenlied stammers at Noeline's comment of Trask. Lily may have heard of a little incident of the 'Deceiver' being found next to a giant turtle monster who was fiercely protective in the Adelyn Ranchlands...
"But... you're right. It's very difficult to know what Grahf truly wants... to that end, I feel I understand K.K. more." A pause, as she scratches her cheek.
"Maybe you're right... but I wonder if it is from him that father shares similar sentiments. Pain and loss caused him to view his last attempts as 'weak'... anything to feel that way again..."
She turns just a little redder as Lily comments about her style. "I--I try to temper it, you know. As best I can."
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
"And aren't you a little on the utilitarian side in turn?" Noeline teases back towards Lily, her eyebrows raised as she shows off one fang and flicks out her hair. "To think, that I would ever be the one in the middle in any kind of summary like this." It's all theatrical, but Noeline will take any opportunity to play the Crimson Noble Clown if it will help ease some of the pressure and anxiety in the air.
"As far as Grahf is concerned, I suppose it is much like the Guardians in the end - time certainly does not heal all wounds," she ultimately decides with a light shake of her head. "Rather, it makes them fester, and his reaction is proof enough of that. He may claim to be aloof and above the world, but to be so easily baited is an important sign that it still affects him. That things might yet change."
She pauses, and softens her voice in response to the shine of their rings. "Most of all, I do not believe your style of doing things is in the wrong, nor that you nor that style are any less for a loss of physical strength. It may make it a little hard to protect you at times, when you insist on flinging yourself into danger," she remarks with a bright and amused grin, "But I suppose I have gotten used to that much."
She clears her throat in a rather deliberate way, and turns her gaze back to Lily with a smirk. "After all, current experience shows that those who are strong get beat up /just as much/, if not more so."
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
Lily doesn't weigh in on the matter of the refugees; she can trust the Outreach to make those plans, while she focuses on making it possible to get out of there in the first place. ...But Noeline's teasing response does get a reaction. And that reaction...
Is /entirely/ shameless, as Lily shrugs lightly, almost amused. "More than a little. But someone has to think with her head around here. ...Would it really be surprising for you to be in the middle of much of anything, though?"
Now that really /was/ a joke.
"Not just because of you, but you're an important part of it." Lily does recall that incident. But, "...K.K. seems more comprehensible to me too," Lily admits, "But I confess I don't share your relationship."
"That may be why Siegfried is as insistent as he is on it. I couldn't say. ...But trying to talk him down--trying to find a way to make peace with him--would go a long way towards our efforts to end the war."
"...But that's quite true too," she agrees with Noeline, with a half-scoff. "I've managed to find my share of trouble. And I'm planning to look for more. ...One way or another, I'll see us through on that front. We'll all do what we can."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
"It's hypocritical, but I don't want to see either of you hurt," Riesenlied whines very softly towards the two, even as Noeline teases her about her insistence to get into trouble. "It isn't always insistence! I'm trying to get better, so I don't fall into one of those trances or run headlong into danger heedlessly."
A pause, as she places one hand to her elbow. Lily points it out, though, that K.K. is more comprehensible, and she admits, "I met them a few days ago. They said to me... 'to sacrifice all of yourself does naught to deprive the world of the good you might yet do for it. For their sake... as much as yours. You may well leave those who depend upon you with naught but memories to protect hemselves with.'"
She pauses for a moment afterwards, as she closes her eyes. "... I know very well how that feels. ... I've experienced that myself... as have you, I imagine." She thinks about Gryndille and the loss of her comrades for a moment.
"I'm glad your eye is back, though... I was-- beside myself when Sin..." Riesenlied tilts her head, then she admits, "I do depend on you both. I would not trade that for anything else."
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
Noeline rocks back as if stung. "Uwah! Surely you aren't suggesting I used to be flighty and irresponsible?" she puffs up theatrically, a hand at her chest in wilting maiden pose before she dissolves into an amused grin. "... well, I can't say that statement is wrong, of course. I certainly was that way, once upon a time, but I do like to think I've gotten better as of late."
She does at least have the grace to soften again as Riesenlied speaks, and the only answer to her at first is a thankful squeeze of her hand and a rub at her arm. "I know," she says eventually, chuckling as she ducks her head. "I'm glad to see it. I may be terribly bad at showing it sometimes, but I do get worried as well. Rest assured, I will never fight as if I'm trying to throw my life away."
She even accepts the Trial Knight's words - though can't help but look a little uncertain, as if she didn't really expect K.K. to come out with something like that when they could instead offer something more fatalistic. Lily's unexpected eye growth is also something she keeps wisely silent about. The world is rather larger than she ever expected, after all.
"... of course," she says instead to Riesenlied, and bows her head. "And you know full well that I'm the same way."
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
"Hmm, did I say used to be?" Lily quips. "...But I should be kinder to my elders." A beat, "You do well for yourself, though. And..." To Riesenlied, "That doesn't sound hypocritical to me." Lily doesn't speak all that gently, here, but there is an obvious affection in her voice--obvious to these two, at least. "It's natural. ...All I can offer is that I plan to come back from being injured when it happens, and patch everyone up as best I'm able. But I can offer that much." She nods to Noeline, thinking the same way.A beat, "...That includes you, when you do. If you can't stop, then we'll just have to keep up the work to protect you. It's that simple."
The Trial Knight's words, though... "They're right about that, strange as it may sound. They taught us at the academy, in my training to be a medic--if you don't pace yourself, don't keep yourself safe..." She gestures. But the matter of her eye causes her to quiet.
"...I can't really be glad," she admits after a moment, "Because I don't know... how, or why. When I regained my senses after I left Hilton... It was there. It took a few days for it to start focusing properly, but even so. It's... strange."
"...You know I'm not given to over-sentimentality," Lily starts after that. "But... I am glad for the two of you, as well. I... rely on your presence."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
"I know you used to be," Riesenlied makes a rare game attempt at teasing in return to Noeline, though it's quickly tempered with: "... that vivaciousness is what drew my eye to you, first, back then..."
She stops herself before she gets too reminiscing, however, clinging that hand closer. "And you have been. I'm proud to see everything you've done, both for yourself, your identity..."
A pause.
"And I'll be there to help you as well. Especially if that Medium is still there, in the ruins of our village..." Riesenlied whispers, horns drooping for a moment. It will be painful, she knows that much, but...
She smiles a little more warmly. "I'm sorry I wasn't present at Hilton. It sounded like a difficult battle. But... yes, mine too," she speaks of relying on each other's presences.
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
"Ugh. It's all about how you feel inside," Noeline flicks her hair out again, and squints. "And besides, I'm the shortest and youngest-looking out of all of us. Unless you're intending to compare me to Halle, and I doubt very much that I'm /that/ wizened." Which doesn't really answer why she spends all her time lazing around reading books, but hey.
Even Riesenlied gets the pout, but she sighs a moment afterwards and rests against Riesenlied's shoulder with a hum. "... we will find it together - face the past together. I still have every confidence that we will manage to make it through together."
She could certainly say more to both at them - grump at Lily's unusual constitution, or fuss over Riesenlied some more, but instead she just lets out a peaceful sigh, and looks out into the middle distance.
It could almost be a heroic stare into the unknown. Instead, she snickers. "This might be a new record for the Fereshte not instantly crashing."