2019-01-31: A Giant Bacon
- Log: A Giant Bacon
- Cast: Riesenlied, Noeline
- Where: The Fereshte
- Date: 31st January 2019
- Summary: In which I totally didn't typo or anything. Promise...
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
One thing that the Outreach does well is that it largely knows when to give people space to recuperate, and when to ask people for help; in the first few days and weeks of the arrival back from Elru, the members of the Wayside Outreach have wisely took things into their own hands to let Noeline and Riese recuperate and take their time.
But it's also with the knowledge that it's rather helpful to acclimatise them back to the role of leadership, in particular a nosy metal dog-shaped mother who's decided to flit about on deck after several workers just get done asking Noeline for advice about what way they should improve accessibility on the various entrances to New Petra for the less able.
Cetiri bobs on down with a quiet, amused noise. "... that went well," she comments, voice still as electronic as ever. "You're really growing into the role. ... do you feel good?"
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
As much as Noeline might have downplayed her ability to lead in the past, the simple fact of the matter is that she's got a head for logistics - and that sort of expertise is exactly the thing that New Petra needs to answer some of the questions thrown up as it grows and settles into place. She also has a good deal of practical experience in helping and carrying Riesenlied around the small town, of course, which has let her watch paths and roads naturally form.
It also turns out that being the sort of person to plan for everything comes in handy sometimes. "People have suggested a lift or a pulley in the past, but it's going to be too slow or too power-hungry for any route that's particularly well-travelled. Better to stick to ramps," she frowns to herself, working down a list she's been idly adding to. "Rails for those who need to pull themselves along. Some kind of grip on the surface would be best-- but nothing too strong, or else it'll be too hard to push up it."
At this point she's more muttering to herself, but blinks up. "At some point we're going to have to figure out a better solution for roads, as well. Those boards won't keep forever... perhaps we can airlift in some stone or some better wood, I suppose. Haah, always more to do--"
At least she says the last part with a light smile and an unspoken tone of thanks as she nods the workers away. She's just about to puff out her cheeks and flip to the next page of notes when Cetiri hops down to greet her - leaving Noeline to chuckle quietly to herself. "It's hard to say, I suppose. Or-- perhaps I should say I'm not sure that I should claim credit when I can see a dozen more things that need work," she adds as her smile turns more wry, but no less genuine. "But, I certainly think so."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
And it's something Cetiri has noted; for all she likes to say that, information and logistics has always been something Noeline has been great at providing, and the better to play to her strengths and build up that confidence. There's a quiet rumble from the dog-shaped mother as she looks up towards the Crimson Noble.
"It is important to acknowledge milestones, one step at a time," Cetiri remarks to that. "As our younger workers acquire more experience and confidence, these things that are on our boilerplate will continue to trickle down and become better and better."
A pause, as she flecks her tail lazily. "Riesenlied was like that too, once upon a time. She would have a brave face and acknowledge everything, then quietly sneak to her room and worry about everything that still needed doing..."
Oh no, mom is in a baby-photos mood.
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
Noeline huffs softly to herself a second time; as much as her expression says she understands Cetiri's reasoning, she still can't deal terribly well with praise unless it happens to come from Riesenlied herself, doing her best to be privately bashful and just ending up at quietly bashful instead. Turning, she leans on the railing of the ship, watching out over the budding town below them.
"That is true-- though I suppose I should also say that is the part that's needed the biggest adjustment," she corrects herself immediately afterwards, with rather a thoughtful look on her face. "I had seen the Gutter before, of course, but I am starting to feel like I never /looked/ at it properly. I hadn't realized quite how forgotten some of its inhabitants had been. 'Confidence' is probably the best way to put it."
Even if she sounds momentarily hard on herself, she's quick to shake the thought away and stand up straighter, well aware that part of their history is quite literally buried. Instead, she snorts softly at Cetiri's comments. "... 'once upon a time' being 'a bare few months ago'," she can't resist shooting back.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
"You had a chance to leave, and you took it," Cetiri remarks as she paces to kind of pull up by the railing to laze on a nearby barrel, tail still swishing all the while. It's like an idle animation that doesn't ever go away. "And you grew as a person for it. Don't be ashamed about that."
She snort-giggles as she remarks, "No, I am truly talking 'once upon a time'. Of an even younger Riesenlied, so very much looking up to a shining star who she was far, far too shy to talk and introduce herself to, and just snuck around and left healing gels for..."
Oh, she's really enjoying this, isn't she?
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
"I am not ashamed, I promise - I have enough in the way of peace of mind to say that much. It is just /a/ shame. And not even one we can lay at anyone's feet in specific, which really just makes it all the more irritating," she snorts as she picks up into a toothy sort of grin. "The lessons are going well, at least. I am getting less in the way of shocked stares, and more in the way of questions as people connect the dots themselves."
She pauses, considering that a little. "... history is the hardest to teach by far. After all, it crosses damn near every other subject from geography to jingoism. I have had to explain that sometimes, every race on Filgaia has its idiots," she grouses goodnaturedly.
If she's nattering, it's only to try to slip past Cetiri's last paragraph - though the way in which the dog-mom waits for an answer pulls Noeline up short and makes her pout a little to herself, her cheeks pink. "... as you said, I hadn't exactly grown a great deal as a person back then. I wouldn't have known how to respond to those sorts of feelings back then, as much as I would have liked to in retrospect," she notes primly, doing her best not to mention the other couple of centuries in between then and now.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
"At the very least, it should be easier to teach them prudence than when we were training the neophytes," Cetiri sympathises. "The Tainted at the Gutter have already had their share of caution and self-sufficience, and need not be told twice that not everyone thinks the same way."
It is, after all, how they were cast down there in the first place.
There is another pause, though. "Ah, but even if not back then, I can recall the last time I spoke to you at length a year ago and see bountiful amounts of growth in you. I am proud."
That pause and... as she huffs as Noeline doesn't exactly take the bait. "I would have preferred you to take an interest as I betray Riesenlied and tell you more about her adorable child years. Or is my mother's edge slipping?"
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
Noeline immediately softens, running a hand back through her hair as she diverts back to a more bashful manner. She barely even seems to know what to say for a moment before she gently lets out a breath. "... thank you. Coming from you, that means a great deal. You're not exactly the type to mince your words," she can't help but add, grumbling it under her breath and past a quiet smile.
And then she blinks once, and breaks into a brief snicker of laughter. "Well! I didn't know if you were about to tease Riesenlied, or whether you were teasing me, or perhaps both. But rest assured, I will definitely soak up as much of that topic as I can," she points out brightly, her eyes glinting with amusement.
There is a pause, at least. "Now that I think about it, where did she even get that much in the way of medical supplies? At the time, I was wondering if I was going to get punished for stealing." She hesitates. "... so long as it wasn't Siegfried's stash, or something of the sort."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied has just arrived back at New Petra at this point, a little out of breath and still a bit shaken about her encounter; it's when she hears that Noeline was at the deck of the Fereshte that she pushes her way up to one of the cabin doors and peeks with a smile before--
"Well, she would save up all the meagre amounts of provisions that she would be allotted as part of her training. She would be very strict about what she gave herself, then set a number of exchange writs all for that special someone of hers..."
The 'aaaaaaaaaa' on Riesenlied's face is precious!! Nooo! What're they talking about this for?!?!
"And she used to have to ask me to tell her where you'd be, because it wasn't exactly a known quotient. Oh, she wanted to be one step ahead so she could conveniently drop things for you!"
meltdown imminent!!!
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
"... h-honestly..." sighs Noeline as she puts a hand to her forehead, more to cover her blush than anything else. "I'm thankful for it, of course, but I'd rather she not have taken out of her own allotment to do it. Surely she must have needed it just as badly at times. I can't imagine other neonates would have left her alone," she grouses - but it's impossible to miss the fond chuckle at the back of her voice, or the way she closes her eyes.
Of course, there's no way that Noeline doesn't know Riesenlied's right there peeking in on them. If she weren't already observant enough, there's the light tug of the Dragon's Tear on the edge of her senses, their shared link letting her get a rough idea as to Riesenlied's location - in this case, right outside. Her eyes flick briefly towards the door, then she huffs again at Cetiri's second comment.
"Really, outspying a spy... I didn't realize I was that cared for," she picks at her hair as she tries to avoid her own meltdown and gently nudge a Cute Riese one forwards, and huffs softly under her breath. "She could have left a note, perhaps."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied doesn't even realise that Noeline can sense her, in a classic case of the empath getting outempathed. She maybe forgets that they have their rings, and that the Dragon's Tear, made of the same stuff (herself), is basically a giant bacon.
Waku-waku, waku-waku... Riese keeps peeking forward as her heart thumps and she wonders what else they're going to talk about--
"I did point that out. But she said... 'she's suffering so much on her own, but she's sparkling harder than anyone else I know'..."
Riesenlied nearly tips over in her chair. A pause.
"Well, to your credit, you did catch her multiple times, even as she tried to scamper away," Cetiri rumbles rather chucklingly.
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
Is Cetiri owning Riesenlied or Noeline here? The answer is really both, given the way in which the Crimson Noble blinks in sheer surprise, and immediately dips her head as her cheeks begin to positively glow. "H-how-- how on Filgaia was I sparkling?!" she blurts in genuine astonishment, huffing as she plants a hand on her hip. "I'd thought I was just doing my best to stay out of everyone's way and do my own thing!"
She huffs again as she tries to rally, folding her arms in a very habitual way. "Well, of course I did. I did at least pride myself in being fast, and wouldn't you get curious who was leaving you all these gifts, and probably getting themselves into trouble on your behalf? I remember I tried to talk to her once and damn near scared her off for good," she grumbles...
... and glances off to one side, chewing at her lip. "... but of course, I felt like I couldn't simply leave her alone."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
"You were sparkling, because you had confidence," Cetiri answers, perhaps in that slightly self-amused way a mother gets when she's reclining on her proverbal couch. "More confidence than what Riesenlied had at the time. Confidence in an identity. Confidence in the self."
A pause. "Or rather, that is what Riesenlied confided in me. 'The way she carries herself... the way she seems certain of what she wants to be--'"
And that seems to be the breaking point as a loud, high-pitched squeal finally erupts and Riesenlied tumbles and nearly topples her wheelchair, face incredibly red and her cheeks incredibly round.
"Too much! Too much!!" Riesenlied whines. Adorable beads of tears are on her eyes, oh no!
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
"... perhaps, but... well, it didn't feel like I had a great deal of confidence back then." Noeline admits under her breath, sneaking a look at Cetiri as she starts to develop a distinct suspicion the scientist is enjoying both sides of this conversation a little too much. "But I suppose I didn't really know myself. If it looked like I did, and I acted as if I did, I suppose that must be that."
She hesitates again as Cetiri starts to reveal Riesenlied's words, feeling her cheeks heat all over again--
--and then she's suspiciously fast when she whirls on Riese's position, a desire to cling to her partner mixing with a burst of localized panic that the squealing noise might be one of pain or from her wheelchair tipping over. "Riese!--" she reaches to steady the chair despite not needing to, getting a close-up look at the blobbed-out Hyadean.
It's enough to take her breath away for a moment before she gives in to her first impulse, cradling the other woman to her as she pats at the hair between her horns. Clearing her throat gives her time to focus herself just a little, and she does her best to clear her throat and offer Cetiri an amused look.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
"I know you feel you didn't. But don't underestimate what others find inspiring about you, even if you may not have discovered it yourself," is Cetiri's last ounce of what she believes is cool wisdom, even if it kind of sounds like she sourced it from a book somewhere.
Riesenlied's wheelchair does look like it might be on its last leg, as the left wheel continues to whinny and nearly give with each rotation. The sands of Filgaia haven't been kind to it.
She yelps just a little as Noeline scoops her up, though, still seated as she clings to the Crimson Noble with a definite strong level of clinginess and cute grumpiness. "T-there's... there's a lot of things I should've said earlier..." she admits, perhaps to try to... make a concession? For what?
Her horns wiggle just for a moment as Cetiri amusedly says, "Welcome back, daughter."
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
Noeline's only response to Cetiri at first is a puff of air and an amused grin - but she tilts her head in a silent sort of understanding, letting out a quiet chuckle as she strokes at Riesenlied's hair and indulges herself by letting some of it curl around her fingers.
Only once she's sure that Riese has climbed down from her panic a little does she move, more careful this time as she lifts her partner easily up in her arms - not least so that she can nudge the failing wheel with a boot and give it an appraising frown, but mostly so that she can cuddle Riese close enough to give them both a private moment, even with Cetiri right there with them.
With a softer chuckle this time, she leans in to place a welcome-back kiss on Riese's forehead, huffing out a breath as she does so. "... the same goes for me," she admits back, then closes her eyes. "But we promised not to be too stuck in the past, and to look forwards. What ifs will only get us so far... I suppose," she grins quietly with that same confidence that has been the topic all along.
When she straightens up, she's back to frowning at the wheelchair, resolving to look into it but wanting to give Riese the chance to respond to Cetiri.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
"You're teasing us more than you need to," Riesenlied rather petulantly answers as she tugs ever closer, brushing her good hand against Noeline. She breathes in deeply as she feels the sensation of her partner's fingers through her hair, breathing a bit easier as she gets scooped up with a yelp--
--in time for the wheelchair to just go 'fwumph' with that final boot as the left wheel just gives up the cucco and pops free.
"We can be a little reminiscent, if only to be fond," Riesenlied insists as she leans up to give her a rather needy kiss.
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
"I dare say that's her right to at this point," Noeline counters with a soft chuckle, still holding Riesenlied rather close as she tries to put up something like a united front... never mind that she's capitulating. "Just as we have the chance to rest and rekindle ourselves, so I suppose she gets a chance to tease us terribly as well. Though, let's be fair, I don't think 'as much as she needs to' really enters into it," she chuckles.
She's vaguely aware that something's up - that Riesenlied might need the support right now, even if she's not sure exactly why. But asking about it can come later. For now, she just chuckles softly and tilts down to meet that kiss, the rest of the world falling away for a while as she lets out a pleased sigh of her own. If she's bashful about offering Riesenlied a kiss in front of Cetiri, she only shows it when she pulls back, giving Riese a private and terribly warm smile.
Then the creak from behind Riese makes her blink up and over the dragon's shoulder, her eyebrows sky-high at the sight. "--and here I only nudged it," she grumbles with a sigh. "Really, we have to find a more permanent solution for you."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied clams up just a little as she fervently murmurs, "I don't-- need a permanent solution. The permanent solution is getting stronger, walking and being on my own two... feet again," though Noeline doesn't need the engagement ring to hear the fear laced underneath. Cetiri rumbles for a moment further as she pads off her barrel and steps closer.
"You have been making much gain," Cetiri helps point out. "You will be stronger for it. I know you to be the type to not give up. Especially surrounded with such support."
There's a pause, as she quietly sighs and lowers her head to Noeline and brushes herself against her, saying, "... I felt... I felt it again. The dragon. I always knew that it wasn't /gone/, but..."
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
Noeline's chuckle is quiet and patient. "Of course. Don't think for a moment that I'm going to stop encouraging you forwards," the Crimson Noble tilts her head with a wry grin. "I agree with Cetiri. The progress you've shown is remarkable... but I'd still like to make sure you have a temporary solution for the time being," she adds with a chuckle. "Just in case you need it. Just so that you don't have to burn your strength out if you don't need to."
She quiets a little as Riesenlied does, feeling the sensation of her emotions through the Dragon's Tear. It takes her a longer time to answer this time, and she can't hold back her own frisson of fear, even as she tries to push forwards through it. "... but you are still here. You are still you," she says plainly but firmly. "And no matter what happened, I would find you again and again and again."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Cetiri is a bit more quiet for the moment to allow Noeline space and time to speak her earnest, fervent reassurance. Riesenlied sucks in a deeper breath as she rests her head against Noeline's shoulder genteely. "I know there is nothing unhealthy about acknowledging that there is anger, frustration... but when it starts to race, it-- it really does race."
She breathes out as the Tear shimmers slowly, saying, "It was as if every part of my body was trying to be pulled in all directions, as if it were turning. The word was coming out again..."
A little pause, as she murmurs, "I wonder... if I can ever make that feeling mine. To not let it control me such."
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
Noeline does at least lift her head for a moment, regarding Cetiri with a quiet frown as she tucks Riesenlied's head against her shoulder, fingers back in her hair. "Of course it does. Some of the things we've seen - some of the things we've gone through - they aren't the sort of thing that affects you lightly. They're not the sort of thing that will go away lightly, or be forgotten so easily. That isn't a bad thing - but it can be easy to be spent up in them."
She concentrates for a moment, letting her ring match the shimmer of the Tear where it rests on her finger. The pause lets her gather herself, draw in a breath and consider Riesenlied's curiosity.
"... I would like to think you can, in time. I would like to think that the dragon is a part of you - and one that can be shaped by your kindness and care. ... but I think that everything is still a little too raw to try just yet. Neither of us can say we have recovered physically, let alone mentally. That is not your fault," she adds quickly, this time with a huff of amused air as she tries preempting Riesenlied. "It is just a matter of time."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Cetiri lets out a bashful little grumble for a moment as she finally says: "I have... very little room to say this after all that has happened between us, but if you do so choose to strive to master it... I would be proud."
A pause.
"As a mother, of your accomplishments, as a daughter of mine, as a person. Not as a creation, or all the other horrid things I've said to you before."
Riesenlied pauses further, a strained little noise as she bashfully tucks her head away from her dog-shaped mother. She feels the shimmer of that ring, smiling just a bit more bashfully and crookedly as she says, "You're... getting better at that..."
A bit more hazily, she says, "It feels... exhilirating to be able to feel you on that level." Maybe it's just her way of trying to hide the dampening eyes as she feels something emotional rush up at her. "Just a matter of time."
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
The smile that Noeline has for Cetiri is quiet. She isn't entirely sure of the sheer extent of Riesenlied's relationship with the dog-shaped scientist, nor absolutely everything in their shared history - but it doesn't matter, not when she can feel the strength of Cetiri's promise behind her words.
"... only because I have you to thank for showing me how," she teases back, letting a hand rest on Riese's back as she cuddles the dragon a little closer. It lets her hide her own blush, the natural defence mechanism of someone who has previously been so guarded for so long that it feels a little overwhelming to feel how far she's come.
"We will be with you all the way. I will be with you all the way," she adds as she stresses the pronoun gently - and then she pauses, not certain if Riesenlied is feeling hazy due to the outpouring of emotions or if it's simple exertion. "... let's get you somewhere comfortable."