2019-02-01: Hard Reset

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===============================<* Dazil City *>===============================

Located a few miles from the southern edge of the Great Aveh Desert, Dazil serves as the staging point for expeditions and travels deeper into the heart of the continent. Wells dug deep intot he earth with the assistance of the Ethos still produce water, and so the small city remains viable despite the ongoing desertification.

With its proximity to the excavation sites dotting the Great AVeh Desert, Dazil attracts a great deal of attention from Etones, Drifters, and anyone else interested in uncovering ARMs. Aveh's military keeps a close eye on the goings-on in Dazil, and stands ready to confiscate ancient weapons or Gears uncovered by fortune-seekers...although with the battle lines ever shifting, those forces are occasionally called away for a few precious hours.

BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-u3RUAeYWM
<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.

The fateful battle in Dazil may have left its scars on those directly involved with it, but since Xantia was hyper-focused on said people, at least collateral damage was kept to a minimum. This made it easier to declare this a Black Wolves matter and keep Xantia from getting in further immediate trouble... though certainly one of the many questions that would be on anyone's mind right now would be 'where will things go from here?'

That's not a question that could be directly asked of Xantia, though, as the incident rendered her unconscious. When she still hadn't come to after a full day, Rosaline suggested a move to the local Ethos facility for proper care, which is where she's remained until this day. Not much in the way of actual healing magic was needed - her wounds healed up fine, at the expected accelerated rate. Yet even though there doesn't appear to be anything physically wrong with her, she hasn't so much as stirred in her sleep. One can only theorize as to the exact cause.

She's still wearing that collar. The metal choker that displayed a close match for the patterns on Lily's skin during the fight has gone back to its usual black opaque, showing no outward signs of damage. Taking it off would have made sense, but there's no obvious way to do so. And trying to force it off... well, there's no way to know what that would do to Xantia. If it could even be done. After all, this is something that even Xantia herself hasn't been able to take off, so it would have to be quite sturdy indeed.

The Baskar cloak she tossed off so callously before was retrieved, and is suspended from a hook on the wall next to her. One item that used to be in its pockets is there no longer: the black notebook Lily gave her, the only thing that even begins to explain what happened back there, was left with the Black Wolves.

And so the days have passed. So far, it seemed like this would be another day like those before it. Until, entirely out of nowhere, Xantia suddenly lurches up with a gasp. She breathes heavily for a few moments, before starting to look about in a clear panic, asking no one in particular, "What happened? Where am I?"

<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.

WELL, ACTUALLY it's about games journalism.

No no, not about games journalism, but Fei is actually less scarred by Xantia's sudden and strange 'betrayal' than one might think. It might help that Xantia gave plenty of forewarning by worrying about what she might be if she regained her memories and Fei already had reassured her what he would do for her. And then he did it. And Xantia held up her end of the bargain.

Nobody was murdered either, or even accidentally murdered, so that's good too.

And strangely, it felt nice to actually work WITH Id instead of against him. He knows it's not likely to happen again anytime soon, but knowing that sometimes the demon curse can be a demon blessing is a relief. Even if it's only for a few individuals and easily waxes and wans depending on whatever madness pushes Id to do what he does.

Fei was worried about Xantia though and when she hadn't woken up and Rosaline made a suggestion they take her to an Ethos facility, Fei was hesitant but ultimately settled it was the best option available.

Is there a connection to Lily? Choker seems to suggest yes.

Fei has spent a fair amount of time checking in on Lily and Xantia both and he just so happens to be sitting nearby, passed out with a dime novel on his lap, drooling out of the side of his mouth.

At least until Xantia starts gabbing and he startles awake and the book flops onto the floor.

"Xantia!" He says, eyes wide. "You're in an Ethos facility. We were worried when you didn't wake up that quickly." Judging from how Xantia USUALLY rebounds.

<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.

Lily, too, is more at peace with what happned with Xantia than some might expect... But that doesn't mean it doesn't concern her. She thought something like this could happen, but the time, the severity, the details--even if it clicked in her mind immediately, it doesn't make it comfortable or really expected.

She let someone else handle the negotiations with Dazil, naturally--she was unconscious in the short term, and in the slightly longer term she would not have been above breaking Xantia out of whatever cell they tried to hold her in. Once awake, though, Lily was able to share some of her findings, some of her thoughts; that it has to do with Xantia's past, but doesn't necessarily mean that this other figure is the 'true' Xantia.

But mostly, when they arrived at the Ethos facility, the caretakers took one look at Lily and somewhat firmly requested that she allow herself to be cared for; with some reluctance tempered by the obvious wisdom of going with it, Lily did, and thus she's had her own room. Her markings are strange to them, naturally, but whatever malady afflicts her--fever, weakness, fatigue, among other symptoms--they can at least conclude it isn't contagious... and it has been improving. 'Rest' is most of what she needs.

So naturally she's up, sitting near Fei awake and watching Xantia thoughtfully. She wakes up--

"I can give you the details," Lily says, "But we should take it slow. You had another episode, like those I saw in the Photosphere--but... moreso. How do you feel right now?"

<Pose Tracker> Rosaline Calice has posed.

Staying at people's bedsides is about twenty percent of Rosaline's job these days. She isn't sure how she feels about it, but in some ways it's an improvement over fighting for her own life or interacting with people who are awake. No offense to them. At least Xantia's physical condition stabilized quickly enough, though it's rare that these situations have the added complication of the patient possibly flipping out and murdering them.

The Ethos is, among several things, a charity organization. Therefore, it didn't take too much convincing to let Rosaline take care of Xantia (and soon, Lily), with the help of their facilities. As a precaution, she went to one of the smaller ones, the sort that doesn't operate right next to a Gear hangar, what with Xantia's insistence that she needed one. Call Rosaline paranoid, but she knows a potential Gundam-jack situation when she sees one.

She's been knitting socks for a little while now. There's been a lot on her mind, but this seems to keep her relaxed. She's also been silent, as she often is. She doesn't know Lily so well, and while she considers Fei a friend, and the Photosphere incident behind them, there's still a bit of lingering awkwardness there.

"Yes, everything is fine now," Rosaline says, once the others have given Xantia a quick situation update. This is a bit of a bold declaration, but she doesn't want Xantia to think she did anything she might regret, or that she's in trouble with them.

<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.

Everything is fine, or so Rosaline claims. Xantia doesn't appear to be so sure, looking around at the people gathered around her, appearing to be a little frightened, and not knowing what to say. That much probably makes sense. A lot's happened, after all. After what she tried to do to her friends... that kind of thing probably would make anyone unsure about what they should say. What they possibly could say. Certainly, the way she averts her eyes, raising a hand to her chin, that seems to suggest that she needs a moment to gather her thoughts.

...unfortunately, what she ends up saying is likely not what any of those gathered were expecting, and certainly not something they wanted to hear.

"...Xantia. That... is my name?"

Oh no.

"Sorry, I don't... I don't remember. I don't remember anything..."

Xantia, unable to read the effect those words might have on the others present, presses a hand to her stomach, voicing what to her is the more pressing issue.

"I'm so hungry... do you have any food, um...?" She looks at Fei, Lily and Rosaline in turn with a hard to read expression. It's not hard to guess that she would be wondering 'who are these people?' But, instead, her following words at least offers a glimmer of hope.

"You, all of you are... important to me, aren't you? Your names are... Rosaline. Lily. And..." She squints and cants her head at Fei. By all accounts, that name should have been the easiest for her. But the issue here is something different. "...Do you have two names? Fei, and Id? That's weird."

<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.

Fei looks shocked when Lily mentions that Xantia has had 'another episode'. As far as Fei knew, she's had one, but in the Photosphere? He had no idea. And to be fair, there wasn't exactly an opportunity to tell him but it's not as if Xantia had mentioned it since either.

Fei looks down quietly for a moment. He has been plenty awkward around Rosaline as well--honestly, feeling guilty is partly why he succumbed so easily to Rosaline's suggestion. Compared to his other friends, it was probably a larger surprise for her than to those he had confided his fears to, particularly Lily who flat out knew the situation more or less.

Everything is fine now, Rosaline says, and Fei is inclined to agree but before he can get such words out--Xantia reveals that everything is not fine at all.

Not even close.

At first Fei just thinks Xantia is disoriented. She had some major episode where she was trying to hurt all the people who cared for her, after all, and he's obviously got some similar experiences so he knows what that is like. But then it becomes clear that this isn't just a momentary befuddlement.

Xantia has lost her memories. Again.

Fei is quiet for a moment. He thinks about how many times Xantia had mentioned to him that she was afraid of losing her memories again, more than just about anything. Fei had reassured her that wasn't likely but...it's happened.

And it's his fault, Fei realizes grimly. It's his fault. It's his fault. They destroyed their own friend.

Fei can't speak. He can't say anything. He trembles because this is not something he can blame others on. Certainly, Elly provided power. Certainly, Lily opened the path but he hit her too hard, he overestimated Xantia's durability. He must have shorted out her BRAIN or something. He ruined everything.

HE RUINS EVERYTHING.

Fei stands himself up. Hold it together, he tells himself, just a little bit longer. Just a little bit. Hang in there. You'll frighten her if you lose it now. You can lose it later. You can beat your hands against steel until they are pulp. But right now, right now Fei Fong Wong, you need to be kind to Xantia if you dare.

"Yeah," Fei says. "I'm Fei. The other me is Id. And you're Xantia. I'm sorry. It's my fault you don't remember. If you want me to go, I can."

It would be so much easier if she let him go so he can scream at the universe until he loses his voice. It's honestly a wonder he hasn't succumbed to that urge yet.

<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.

Bold, maybe, but Lily knows the firm voice of a medical professional when she hears it; she is perhaps not the best patient herself--true of most medics--but she's at least relatively comfortable in the environs. However--

Another thing not expected, that nevertheless begins to make sense for Lily. She frowns in thought when Xantia asks after her own name--mentions that she doesn't remember. Luckily, her concern, muted as its expression is, is easily ignored in the face of--well. Food.

"Hunger's a good sign," Lily acknowledges, glancing to Rosaline for her thoughts. She has not yet answered Fei's question. ...The fact that she knew about Fei's situation--knows some about this one, it seems--may yet be a point of contention. But...

As if sensing Fei's conflict, Lily glances to him--but when he introduces himself, she nods, and reaches out a hand to touch his upper arm, gently. "It's all right," she says to him, shaking her head, and looks again to Xantia.

"That's a good sign--you remember our names. First, to answer your question--I'm sure we can get you something to eat. Don't worry about that, all right?" Rosaline's the one in charge, naturally. But what she can focus on--

"You appear to have amnesia--to have lost your memory, maybe because of trauma. We've known you for a while now--and we have some of your things, including a diary you'd been keeping for me noting your experiences. You have lost your memory at least once before, but you know our names, which is a start--I... will have to gather what data I can before I'm willing to speculate on the nature of your problem. But you're somewhere receiving care now, and indeed, we're... your friends. You're a member of a mercenary company--the Black Wolves--and a valued one, at that."

"To tell you what must have happened--now and then, you appear to enter a fugue state, during which you engage in combat with any threat nearby." This, for Fei. "I'll confer with your doctors and get you some more information when we can study this new development. For now, you're safe... and we don't know that Fei--or Id--are the reason that you don't remember. In fact I'm fairly certain that that isn't the case. Just relax, for now; we can answer any questions you have."

<Pose Tracker> Rosaline Calice has posed.

'Xantia... That... is my name?'

Tears bead at the corners of Rosaline's eyes. Oh no. Oh no! Wasn't it enough that Xantia had lost her memories of two years ago? Perhaps in time she could have been happy with the memories she had amassed since! But those had to be taken away too, hadn't they? The needles in Rosaline's hands clatter against one another in her trembling hands. A part of her wants to scream at the injustice life has been putting her friends through, again and again.

Forgetting to answer the question of Xantia's name, she puts the needles down, and next comes a familiar request. It would be heartwarming were it not for the circumstances.

"Oh yes, we can, um..." Rosaline nods to Lily, distractedly. She had made sure a few rations would be on hand for just such a situation. She starts unwrapping one before handing it to Xantia. Hopefully, the girl still knows her way around these.

Rosaline's eyes widen and her ears perk, however, at the sound of her own name. "That's right!" she says, her voice higher-pitched than usual. "We're friends, and... there was a battle, and I think you may still be in shock." Please let her only still be in shock. Please please please. At the very least the fact that she knows them is a start. "Just relax," she says, nodding along with Lily, though her voice is almost monotone. She has trouble looking at Xantia directly. "Things should come back to you in time."

And if not... Well, memories they've all been witnesses to should be easier to piece together than ones they haven't.

Lily mentions a fugue state. Rosaline had seen that in the Photosphere, hadn't she? But there were so many things on her mind at the time, she had nearly forgotten it. She looks to Fei, who sometimes lost time to his other self. Lily, who... Rosaline isn't sure her situation is quite the same, but there's clearly something terrifying going on there. And Rosaline herself... would sometimes lose herself to rage, once upon a time. After Lunar, she thought she had it under control, but the incident in her Gear cockpit indicates otherwise.

What's wrong with us? Rosaline wonders. Do I attract these sorts of people? Then another question, one she doesn't immediately dismiss for the absurdity it obviously is: Am I making them that way?

"Don't feel the need to push yourself remembering," she says, gently, as she forces herself back out of her own head. "But if you have any questions, we can likely answer them." Lily is off to a good start filling her in, at least.

<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.

Xantia has no idea what this is doing to her friends. It's easy to tell just by looking at her, expression often slightly puzzled, curious to learn, a bit intimidated... like a child, looking up to the grownups who know so much more than she does. She always had trouble understanding emotions, but now... now she doesn't even have that two years worth of memories to fall back on. She may be back to understanding people as little as she did back when she first met them.

She has very little chance at all of understanding what Fei is saying. How upset he is. She just blinks, confirming it out loud: "I don't understand what you're saying..."

Then Lily speaks. The first thing of which is easy enough to understand, and prompts the retort, "I don't think it's good at all." She's already certain being hungry is her least favorite thing in the world. She's told not to worry about it, but can she really do that?

Rosaline solves that problem, for the moment. Xantia fumbles with the rations for a moment, but she's quick to figure things out and devour them like they were nothing. From her normal perspective, it would already be barely anything, let alone after not eating anything for this long.

Lily's following words at least serve as a distraction. Though... "I didn't understand a lot of those words." Of course. Complicated words still sometimes baffled her before this happened, there's little chance of her getting anything beyond the simplest wordings now. Rosaline makes for a good tempering influence, reassuring her, letting her mull what was said over a little, and picking out what is most important right now.

"So... this happened before. That makes sense." How does it make sense? She doesn't clarify. Instead, she looks down at her hands, flexing them a little. "I... can fight. I should fight. I want to fight. ...But why?" The sense of familiarity is there, confidence that what she's saying is right... but it also feels foreign. Once again, she's completely unsure about who she is.

However, there's at least one notable difference. She looks back to Fei, compelled to say something to somehow cheer him up. Which is when she recalls...

"You did... what I wanted."

She lets that claim hang there for a moment before shaking her head. "I'm sorry, I can't remember what happened, all I'm sure of is that... I wanted this to happen. So it's fine, you did me a favor, right?"

Xantia smiles innocently, unaware that this claim would make absolutely no sense to anyone who knows her. She, the one who wanted her memories back more than anything else... wanted to lose her memory? There's no way that could be true. Unless, perhaps, she thought it was the only way...

Then, her eyes land on the cloak beside her, and she suddenly asks, "Where's grandpa?" Ah, someone else she remembers. And not only that. "Grandpa will know what to do," she claims.

<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.

Fei's fists tighten at Xantia's words, at first. Lily's reassurances aren't enough to punch through that thick head of his right now, not when he's suffered a blow that, to him, feels utterly crippling... but then it seems Xantia is starting to remember a little more, suggesting the amnesia might not be THAT bad even if she doesn't seem to recall specific actions.

That calms Fei down just enough, but it's clear that even if things aren't as dreadfully awful as they first appeared, he's still pretty gosh darn unhappy about it.

You did...what I wanted...

Fei's heart seizes in his chest. It's metaphorical, but it feels literal. He looks down for a long moment.

"You didn't want to hurt us." Fei says. "But some part of you felt it had to. Rosaline, Lily, me... we all have sides of ourselves like that."

Wait DOES Lily? Has fei even met Lily's own 'other self', if that's even what it is? Well, Fei's a high level empath with low level control and he sometimes interprets things subjectively.

He approaches Xantia, crouching down by her. "We made a promise, and you kept your side of the bargain. I will not rest until you are satisfied. We'll figure this out, sis."

He gives Xantia a tight hug.

"And all the burgers you want." He promises. "We'll take you to 'Grandpa' too." After burgers probably.

<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.

Lily, as bedside manner goes, tends to be a little more brusque than civilians--she was trained to tend soldiers on the front line, after all. So it's for the best that someone a little gentler is around. Indeed, she seems to show very little emotion at all; not fei's self-blame, not Rosaline's tears, just calm and reason.

She does not chime in to agree that Xantia is probably in shock--it's not what she thinks is true, much as what would be kinder to Xantia.

"It's good because if you're hungry, it means your body is working right--after all, you've been unconscious. That's all." She realizes, though, after the rest... it's true that she is perhaps speaking a little too technically for it all to come through. She considers that, for the moment, looks between the others. Can fight, want to fight...

Lily has an idea--but she doesn't think it's one she wants to share without planning very, very carefully. "...Yes," Lily says, as Fei answers the matter of what happened--what was wanted. "You'd been trying to get out of range of people you could hurt, I think, before it came on. And..." She considers. It could be...

"And i think this may give us some of the data we need to understand what's happening."

We all have sides of ourselves--No, Lily doesn't appear to have exactly the same situation, but she certainly has violent tendencies--an urge towards violence, a lust for destruction and an ease at causing it that she has to sometimes hold back. So it's fine; it's totally reasonable.

"Your grandpa's at home, back in the Baskar Colony. We can go as soon as things are taken care of here. I think he and your grandmother will be happy to see you."

She pauses then, and then glances down, thinking, before she adds, "And Rosaline here is right; it's fine to take your time. She's also the one who brought you here, and saw to you while you were unconscious."

<Pose Tracker> Rosaline Calice has posed.

It really is like when they met Xantia for the first time, isn't it, Rosaline thinks, suddenly feeling exhausted. It's a bit like starting over from square one, except with a bit of a headstart. A plus, if you will. If this were a game, this would be like starting a 'new game plus'.

Rosa isn't sure why she just made that strange mental comparison. It's probably fatigue.

"There are many reasons to want to fight," Rosaline says, realizing this is probably a deeper question than it seems at first glance. "It's possible you just enjoy it."

But they go back to what happened the other day. Fei alludes to it, and Rosaline nods slowly. "You were... fighting us." It's an uncomfortable thing to learn, but better tell her than simply dance around it, she supposes. "I don't know what happened, precisely, but it seems you were trying to fight off the influence of... what made you do this." She thinks back to the black book. To the signal Xantia was apparently hearing. But Lily's theory momentarily distracts her. It's an interesting one. "In either case... no one was seriously hurt." Not physically, at least.

"That's right, I took care of you," she says, hesitantly. "Though I didn't have to do much. You heal quickly." This 'grandpa' sounds like someone it couldn't hurt to consult, though Rosaline isn't as hopeful there as Xantia starts to be. Still, it's better than doing nothing. She nods, seeming to relax a bit, even mustering a smile.

"Yes, we can take you to meet him soon. But I want to make sure you've recovered fully first. But we can certainly have burgers." She pauses, wondering again. "By the way, though, are you... hearing a strange sound? Like a voice? If you do, you should definitely tell us." Whatever it is, radio signal or malevolent spiritual influence, Rosaline would very much like to somehow track it down and shoot it.

<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.

The only crippling blow that Xantia would currently understand is the kind that she's quickly come to re-learn she's capable of - and may enjoy - dishing out with her fists. She'd only noticed that Fei looked sad, and she wanted to cheer him up, so she said what little she could remember that she thought might help, it's that simple.

What he says in return though, and what Lily adds to that... she nods, not because she remembers, but because it feels right. Her memories may be severely limited at best, but her feelings are intact. And it feels as if she'd never want to hurt the people before her right now, in any way. Even if she has no idea why she couldn't just... choose to not that, she can see herself taking steps to keep herself from hurting people, if need be.

In her current state, the notion of people having dark sides is brushed off as something normal, because Fei makes it sound like it's a normal thing for everybody to have. But what Lily and Rosaline are saying... all she can say in return is, "Then, I'm glad I didn't hurt anybody. I don't know why I did what I did, but I'm still sorry for doing it. I'm sure I didn't mean it."

Fei crouches next to her then, and while she doesn't know what promise he's talking about, she does respond to the following words, and the hug that goes with them. "...sis...ter? So, you're my brother...?"

Once again, in spite of not remembering it, it instantly feels right. She returns that hug with gusto. A little too much of it. She doesn't quite remember how strong she is, she should probably be holding back a little more than she's doing currently... Plus, there's one more thing she says that proves just how serious this is.

"I'll gladly take any burgers you give me, even if I don't know what they are."

Yikes. Though this does mean Xantia would get to experience them for the first time all over again. Would she truly consider that a bad thing?

Xantia looks back up to Lily, as she mentions the Baskar Colony, and her grandmother. That statement doesn't get a reaction from her - she might not remember where her grandpa's from, or her grandma at all. She only reacts when she speaks of Rosaline, which prompts her to direct a smile the Etone's way. "Oh, you did that for me? Thank you! I... feel like I can really count on you all, for everything. It's a really nice feeling..."

She blinks blankly to the inquiry regarding a sound, like a voice. "I'm not hearing anything weird, I don't think..." And immediately proceeds to gloss over that, in favor of reassuring, "You don't have to worry though. Grandpa will come for me, I know he will. He's going to make everything right again."

"I will do what I can to prove worthy of your faith in me."

That, obviously, wasn't Xantia. It comes from behind, as a massively tall and muscular man far older than his appearance would suggest now stands there, dressed in the traditional robes of a Baskar shaman, shouldering a travel bag. Jolen Crann, or, as Xantia calls him...

"Grandpa!!"

<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.

"Not by blood." Fei tells Xantia. "By choice."

He RRRKS as Xantia super hugs him but Fei is, at least, a bruiser class so he doesn't take significant damage or die (in the Nier version of this, Fei hugs a round early and Xantia does snap all his bones and you get a game over with super fast credits and have to reload a save).

But he eventually pulls back so as to not overwhelm the poor girl any more than he already has, taking a moment to wipe at his eyes.

Remembers what's important, Fei tells hismelf as he mentally pulls himself out of despair. But is there a way to truly help her? Can they do this by avoiding another Persona Dungeon? HOPEFULLY?

Fei exhales faintly. It's just another trip to the Baskar Colony. Easy Peasy and--

GRANDPA shows up and Fei blinks a few times in bewilderment. Did they just manage to sequence break another trip to Baskar Colony?? He's not going to complain about it. Sometimes it's nice to just sit back in a chair and let the cutscenes come to you.

But he does ask, "How did you find us?" Fei asks. He didn't exactly send word himself. He's not smart enough to do something like that gosh.

<Pose Tracker> Rosaline Calice has posed.

"I'm sure too," Rosaline agrees with Xantia, on not meaning it. She holds up a hand for Fei as Xantia gives a crushing hug, though it's... probably fine? If he had any ribs bruised, at least there are two healers in this room alone.

Xantia feels like she can count on Rosaline. She answers with a smile of her own, though it's accompanied with a deer-in-the-headlights stare and a nervous laugh, neither of which Xantia is likely to pick up on. Even to this day, she isn't sure how she feels about people counting on her. That's impostor syndrome for you.

Rosaline turns around at the sound of that unfamiliar voice. She has never met Jolen Crann herself, but it's rare for a Baskar shaman to waltz into an Ethos facility unless they have business there. And they rarely do, for very understandable reasons.

Of all the coincidences there could be, this one is downright miraculous. "Praise be," she mutters, managing a smile again. She isn't sure what precisely they can do, but it seems he has something in mind.

And besides, Xantia is happy to see him. That's a start.

<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.

As unusual as it may be for a Baskar shaman to appear here just at this moment, Jolen's presence is neither miraculous, nor a coincidence. Ever the picture of serenity, he proceeds to calmly and briefly explain this by responding to Fei's question, direct and to the point.

"I try to stay informed about current events. Many whom I met during pilgrimages aid me in this. One such man informed me of an incident in Dazil, involving someone matching Xantia's description. I feared something like this might happen one day, so I came as fast as I could."

Glossing over the reason for such fears, he urges, "We don't have a moment to spare. The sooner we finish the preparations, the greater the odds of success. The greater the odds of returning to us the Xantia that we all know."

What preparations? Success at what, exactly? The explanations for that one can wait as well, it seems. One thing is clear: Jolen is here with only a single interest in mind, an interest that should align with everyone else here. Perhaps more details will come to light once this is over and done with, but for now... there's a friend who needs help. More urgently than ever before.