2019-01-15: Where We're Going
- Log: Where We're Going
- Cast: Catenna, Lily Keil
- Where: Old Petra
- Date: January 15, 2019
- Summary: Catenna drops off a load of supplies at New Petra, where she meets Lily.
=================================<* Old Petra *>================================== Old Petra -- as it is now known to Adelyn locals -- was once a bustling colliery village back in the heyday of the iron rush. But as the veins dried up, rumors of unsavory business and thuggery began to drive people away from the village. Bandits and monsters became a more and more common sight around this desolate village, and eventually, there was no one left to care for it. It simply became one of the many ghost towns that dot the wild frontier. Most recently, Old Petra has been outed as a Metal Demon base and a climactic battle took place there. Now, the village lies as mostly a smouldering wreck, a reminder of how horrible war truly can be -- on both sides. However, a nearby mine appears to hang in the distance, rumoured to be a base for the Metal Demons... BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRzlHGmr_EE
<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.
The battle against Mother found Catenna preoccupied with pursuing the perfidious matron of the Hyadean people. She'd contributed to winning that battle, but in so doing had passed up an opportunity she regrets she couldn't take: The chance to help the Hyadeans and tend to the needs of Riesenlied. It had been a simple but grim calculus. Mother's death was more important than anything else.
Now she has the opportunity to rectify things. She rectifies them with help from a simple peasant wagon and a draft horse. The cart's wheels creak a little as it slows. It's laden down with crates and barrels and bushels of wood wrapped up in cords and twine, each one labeled.
Catenna, in a long grey dress with black and white patterning and crossing sashes in a niche Zortroan style, drops down from the wagon. She bows politely to those who come to greet her, and a few exchanges make clear why she's here: She's brought food and basic supplies. Perishables, blankets, lumber for building, medicines. Most of the crates are labeled; they must've come from merchants in Adlehyde.
That's where Catenna can be found: She's helping the Tainted unload supplies from the cart, all the happier to work alongside them on at least this simple thing. From the saddlebow, the small white Owlet regards the work with quiet yellow eyes, her head canted a little to the left as if curious about all of this effort. But then, can a bird understand why Celesdue's chosen would help Metal Demons?
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
Lily Keil had her own methods of contributing to the end of Mother, to the resolution of the problem, and her own grim choices for the same. She was not at the battle--her plans had to change when Riesenlied was taken. As it turns out, that was for the best, considering.
...But the Golem that operated under her command has not been seen since; Sado has disappeared once again. And the sorceress has been... busy.
Just now, though, she remains in the Petra area, for reasons of her own, and happens to look down from a hillside towards the coming caravan. ...After a moment, she starts down.
The black-haired woman is dressed in more casual clothing that has been true for a while--in favor of modified military fatigues, she has long pants, sturdy boots, a shirt under a jacket, and the visible strange gimballed necklace she recovered once from a Zeboim ruin.
The staff she carries is white and gold and green, with a strange basket in the top, as if for slinging something... and she walks down. A glance to those working, and she doesn't join them for the moment.
"Catenna," Lily greets in silence, and nods to the Tainted who look her way, too. "Excuse me," she says to them. "I'd like to borrow her." Lily tilts her head towards a space a little ways' away, comfortable enough for conversation.
<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.
All Catenna could bring to the quest for Riesenlied was faith. Faith that her friends could do something to help the Hyadean who changed her mind about Hyadeans. Faith that Riesenlied's simple, kind determination could win out against the abominable science of the most diabolically intelligent of the Quarter Knights.
But she can help in this small way. Perhaps it will begin to make up for it.
That aid runs into an unexpected but welcome diversion. With a blink, Catenna looks up, and her eyebrows rise as she recognizes just who it is. The outfit is different, and time has passed since the last time she really talked face-to-face with Lily Keil rather than simply glancing at her across a field or in a broader gathering.
It's far from unwelcome. She doesn't protest at the ask, moving along with Lily on quiet steps and leaving the porters to handle the offloading. "Hello, Lily," she greets politely once they've gained a bit of distance, folding her hands neatly at her waist and inclining her head. "I did not realize you were staying here. I had heard you and Leon were there during the attack on the Photosphere; I am glad that you are here to tell of it."
Some things have changed. Catenna's a little more toned and carries herself with a greater straightness of shoulders and more of a lift to her chin, and her accent isn't nearly as heavy as it used to be. And as she speaks, there's a little flutter - the Owlet alighting on her shoulder to give Lily a long, curious look.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
Lily of course is not exactly the most talkative person to begin with in the experience of most. Regardless of then, however, now:
"Hello," Lily replies in turn. "I'm here for a little while, at least; I'm going to get moving again soon enough." Pause. "...We were both there, yes."
Lily notes the differences; it is her way to pay attention to the little things... such as the little Owlet in turn, who Lily looks at for a moment, before she looks back to Catenna.
"Filgaia made it through, at least for now. ...So supplies, is it? It's a good time for them." She pauses, turns her head briefly to regard the Tainted. "...Has there been any change in the Guardians, since that battle? That you've noticed."
<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.
That's something Catenna appreciates in Lily, though. Catenna herself has had to become more chatty to keep up with the likes of Cyre, Carina and the Lunies, but her natural state is quieter and more sober, and her last conversation with Lily ended up with those tendencies meeting a relatively good match. Ideologies differ - and they do - but natures at least find commonality with one another.
"I hope Leon is safe and well also," she says quietly. To the supplies, she glances back briefly. "I thought they would help, at least."
The question of faith draws a small purse of her lips, and she looks to the Owlet on her shoulder. "They can be heard more clearly now. Until the Silver Mediums were found, they were nearly silent to me. I think their urgency has faded. But they tend to be..." The Moon Shaman searches for a word. "...inscrutable."
<Mother was not the only enemy of Filgaia. But she was an important one,> comes a low, feminine voice, more felt in the thoughts than heard - and it coincides with the Owlet bobbing her head once and giving Lily a look.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
It's true that Lily doesn't demand a ton of outgoing behavior from the people around her--if it's silent, it's silent.
"He came through well," Lily says, because there is some complication in the details that isn't relevant for the moment. "All in all, the mission was a success... If not an unqualified one." Lily shakes her head. "The supplies will be useful. There's always the need for more of most everything with the situation as it stands."
Lily listens to Catenna, but before she speaks back to her, there is that low voice in the sorceress's mind. Lily pauses, giving the Owlet one in turn.
"That's good," she answers. "...And so I gather from their followers generally," she admits. "But the less they have to focus on communicating us, the more likely they might be able to help the planet as a whole." Pause. "Not that I know if they're capable of doing it, but I don't exactly have anywehre else to start right now."
From Catenna, to owlet again, and a nod. "So I believe. I've met others--their former allies, the Veruni. ...That's a mess." Pause. "As for other enemies... My debt to the Guardians is paid, with the prevention of Mother's grasp on the ley energies of the planet. But if you had some in particular in mind, I can keep an eye out for them."
<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.
Catenna can be silent for a long, long time. That'd shorten the scene considerably, though.
If there is a pause in the way Lily characterizes Leon's condition, Catenna either doesn't notice it, or she does notice it and is too polite to pursue it. All she does is nod soberly. "Hopefully things will return to normal with time."
Catenna makes a mental note to check up on Riesenlied. Now might not be the best time, but at some point, the best time will come.
"I do not know if defeating Mother will save Filgaia. It may be that it will be up to humans. Ultimately the Guardians just do not like to intervene," Catenna says with a dip of her head. "If they could do so more directly, they might, but even asking others beyond Shamans to act for them was... unusual for them."
The Owlet tilts her head a little to one side. <The Guardians appreciate that you acted. But, yes. The Veruni would be another of them.>
Catenna purses her lips in thought, then looks towards the Owlet, and finally back to Lily. "I suppose I have been rude. The Owlet's name is Saarda-Shanta. She is a Totem Bird of Celesdue I have been traveling with for some time. Saarda-Shanta, this is Lily Keil."
<Hello,> the Owlet says with a bob of her head.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
"It's nothing to worry about," Lily answers, and leaves that matter there. Neither does she mention Riesenlied's condition for the moment--there is something to be said for confidentiality.
"It won't, on its own," Lily answers with more certainty. "Of that I'm sure. But what role they can take... who knows."
"I don't expect much intervention from them; they have a duty, and it isn't to meddle in human affairs generally, from my understanding. But then... I'm not a Guardianist."
She merely acknowledges their reality and seems on good terms with them. Right?
"...You have your work cut out for you. Volsung, their regent, is..." Lily shakes her head. "The matter of the Veruni is more complicated than I realized once. However.."
Lily nods to the Owlet. "It's good to meet you, Saarda-Shanta. I don't share Catenna's devotion, but I consider the Guardians worth respecting."
<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.
Catenna lets it lie. If Lily doesn't want to talk about it, prying at the issue would be akin to trying to break into her desk drawer: Jerky and not something she'd want to do to someone respectable.
"The Guardians are fairly elemental," Catenna explains, brushing a lock of dark hair back into place with the edge of her thumb. "I am not sure they understand even humans all that well, much less the Hyadeans or even the Veruni."
The mention of Volsung brings a small frown to Catenna's face. Eyes dipping, she folds her arms once more, shifting her position. Details of what happened with Avril haven't fully reached her; she only knows something went down that ought to be important. "...In their way, they are not unlike the Hyadeans," she admits. "Volsung's name has come up, along with another leader of theirs, one named Kartikeya. But I would suspect that there are those among them who are more akin to, for example, Zed or Malfi are among the Hyadeans, as opposed to Alhazred or Berserk."
From atop Catenna's shoulder, Saarda-Shanta blinks slowly and curiously. <That is fair enough. Most people who helped defeat Mother share that mindset. But the desire to not give up on this world is probably more to the point.>
Catenna smiles faintly, a hint of colour at her cheeks. "...There are menaces other than the Veruni out there. The creature we encountered in Azado terrified even the Guardians."
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
"That's what Cecilia tells me," Lily answers, thoughtfully looking out over to the horizon. "...I've met one who I think understood humans well. But the evidence leads me to believe you're right--Moor Gault was willing enough to help Id, for instance."
Pause. "...That one is Dan Dairam."
Lily does not share all of the details because they are not hers to share, but she inclines her head at Catenna's assessment nevertheless. "That much I know; there are Veruni who are willing to help the Guardians, even. ...But individuals we can work with don't address the broader problem; Volsung views humans as..." She trails off. "Nevermind. Our goals are at odds, that's all."
"I'm used to the idea of distant gods," Lily admits. "I follow the Nisan faith--we don't claim to understand the mind of God, only to pursue it. It's on people to help one another, because it is together that we can go father than we could alone."
She frowns at the memory of Sin, though. "Yes," Lily answers. "Sin. ...Its power is... extraordinary. I don't know if even the Golems could stand against it. I was only able to scratch it, with all the power I could bring forth in the moment. ...Which tells me that, theoretically, it can be beaten, but..."
"Well, even its castoffs were enough to disable me before I could bring my power to bear. It's out of my league. Out of all of ours. Nevertheless..."
"I plan to go back, eventually. To seek out where it comes from, and help them destroy it if I can. But there's a lot to learn before I can. And I have other promises to keep first."
<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.
<That one is always Dan Dairam. He has a mindset,> Saarda-Shanta sighs, puffing her feathers out a little bit before settling again.
Unable to keep a tiny smile off her face, Catenna touches a slender hand to her cheek. But it falls to her side soon enough as she folds it once more with its opposite. "Aid from the Guardians is not limited solely to people we might consider 'good.' When you call them, you are in a very real way compelling them to take shape for a moment. They have little understanding of our feuding. It is just...." She crinkles her nose and looks for a way to describe it.
<It exists outside their paradigm. Except for Dan Dairam.> The Owlet clicks her bill briefly.
Catenna emphasizes that point with a small nod, then inclines her head. "It is always on us to help each other. That matters to me more than specific doctrines."
But Sin looms over the conversation again, and the Owlet ducks her head a little even as Catenna ruminates on Lily's explanations. "I was unable to do much to it, either. But worse...." Her cheeks drain of a touch of colour as she looks down to her hip, at the Medium buckled securely there. "...Even Celesdue screamed when Sin appeared. More than that, I could hear her whimpering. It is more than just an ordinary monster. Even the Guardians are horrified by it... something they thought was dead."
The Moon Shaman looks up again, her expression hardening ever so slightly with a spark of conviction. "I also wish to go back. Even if I can do only a little against that thing... there are other mysteries on Lunar. I would know how Althena and Celesdue relate."
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
"I'm not surprised," Lily admits. But the matter of good, and evil--"And Id if nothing else is a man highly attuned to fire. ...So many stories of the Demon of Elru end in flames. I wonder if, from Moor Gault's perspective, that isn't a good thing."
"...I don't hold it against them. The world is separate from us, goes on regardless... except when it doesn't. Except when we deal wounds to it, as we have. As I have."
Lily looks back to Catenna again. "...It also means that we can choose our actions, regardless of those we have chosen before."
She is calm, about Sin; she speaks of it without apparent fear, or nerves. But then, she did not go against it with the power of the Guardians. "I don't know what relation it holds to the Guardians. But I do know... That the people where it comes from have a method of fighting it."
"But that kind of power..." Lily trails off. "I have no words for it. I don't know that there will be much of Lunar left when we return to it, if it continued its rampage."
"...There are mysteries there. At the time, I wasn't prepared to think much of them, but there are many unanswered questions. ...I wish you luck, finding it."
She considers, again, looks into space. Then shakes her head. "Mm. Regardless, that's for the future."
<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.
"Id...." Catenna presses her lips together with a small frown.
Catenna's relationship with Fei is somewhat more distant than she'd really like in a situation like this. She knows him as a good man, but she's had almost no occasions to cross the path of the Demon of Elru - and yet, how could she not know that demon? An entire continent knows the name.
"I think you have, at least, done something good for Filgaia by helping to remove the danger of Mother," Catenna assures. Lily may have hurt Filgaia, but she's not wrong about her choices. "The Guardians ask of us. But we are all people. For what it is worth, I am sure you have made choices based on what seems right, as anyone would."
The talk of Sin surfaces once more, leaving Catenna to nod and look back to the wagon. "Yes. That is a question for another time," she agrees. "For now, what matters is helping the people of this village, and determining where our travels will take us next."
It's a tough question. Catenna has always been an odd fit with the Caravan Kinship, largely because her only saleable skill is her ability to cool. Her training on the side helps, but she's not a natural merchant and she doesn't care about money.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
Lily has... a different experience.
"...Sometimes, to save the patient, you have to do something that hurts them. Opening their flesh to remove the bullet is a wound--but without it, they would die."
So is Lily's perspective, at least. "The Guardians aided me, once--Dan Dairam, especially. ...So I owed them that debt. As for what I've done... What I've done, I've felt was necessary. I can say that much."
Travels...
"Maybe we'll see each other again. But where I'm going isn't very merchant-friendly, I imagine. I have hunting to do." A pause, "...I should let you to your work. The people here will appreciate your supplies."
<Pose Tracker> Catenna has posed.
Catenna and Lily are, in some ways, very different people operating on very different understandings of life. Catenna likes her anyway. Lily doesn't make her feel like she has to act like a goof all the time.
"Yes," Catenna acknowledges the necessities of medical care, inclining her head quietly.
There are still crates to unload. Glancing back to them, Catenna nods once. "That may be best," she concedes. But she returns her gaze to Lily - and when she does, it's with a simple, muted smile.
"I do not think the Guardians will hold you to anything. Ultimately your life is your own," she concedes. "But if we do not meet again, then I hope that, wherever you end up, you find your way there in good health."
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
Lily Keil is a lot of things--but she is not someone who feels the need to impose on others ideas of who they should be without reason. Least of all a priestess.
Lily watches Ctenna as she starts to move, and perhaps surprisingly, she returns that expression--a small smile back, small but nevertheless real, and a nod.
"I intend to. ...It's not my health I'm most concerned with, frankly. But I accepted that when I chose to become a healer."
"Maybe it's time I remember it. ...Take care, Catenna." Lily nods, and then walks back further into town, towards whatever task she has ahead of her.