2019-03-17: Just Doing What You Wanted
- Log: Just Doing What You Wanted
- Cast: Xantia, Seraph Ragnell
- Where: Port Timney
- Date: March 17, 2019
- Summary: Shortly before setting out to Elru in order to put to stop to K.K.'s plans, Xantia is approached by the one who turned out to be the Trial Knight's long-time ally, Seraph Ragnell. What one might have expected to be a hostile altercation turns out entirely different.
==============================<* Port Timney *>=============================== Port Timney is the Kingdom of Adlehyde's premier port town. The city hugs the southern coast of the ranchlands and several trains terminate in Ardyne Grand Station at the northern part of the town. Cattle brought from the ranchlands tend to end up in the northern part of town, before their meat and hides are shipped as far as Krosse and Nortune. Timney has the look of an industrial city, without much of the simple style that Adlehyde's other cities are popular for. While it has few factories, it has many workshops and tanneries in the northern parts of town. Most of the people live in between the northern factories and southern docks, in apartment homes of varying quality. The markets are functional, meant to serve locals rather than sell the imports and exports making their way through the port. The docks, however, are something to behold: numerous large piers, fit for both wooden sailing ships and the newer ironclads, extend out onto the blue waters of the South Ignas Sea. BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9KZlk_t4Ww
<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.
Tracking Xantia's movements is a lot easier these days than it used to be. While she still regularly goes off on her own, at the end of the day, she's bound to return to wherever the Black Wolves are gathering. Especially now, feeling a stronger bond than ever before when they still accepted her after the incident she caused in Dazil. In hindsight it makes more sense than it did at the time - it's easier to forgive others for trying to kill you than it is to forgive yourself for trying to kill others, even if you weren't yourself at the time.
So naturally, with the Wolves planning to ship out to Elru, Xantia would be present at the point of departure. A bit early, even, feeling restless and not really knowing what to do with herself until they set sail. A potentially world-ending event just has a way of making most other things not feel like they matter very much.
This doesn't include food, of course. Nothing has changed in that respect: it stands to reason that Xantia would get distracted by the local fish market, and be completely unable to decide what to have. So she just had one of everything.
If she has been watched for long enough, she would have been seen speaking to Hiro and a Mysterious Cloaked Stranger, seeming upbeat as always. After clearing some rowdy sailors from a table after they spontaneously all fell asleep, the trio sat there for a few minutes eating and conversing until going their separate ways, the cloaked figure leaving with Hiro while Xantia remained by herself.
She wandered off afterwards, quickly losing her smile after parting from company, feeling simultaneously worried and bored. Still a bunch of time to kill. What is she supposed to do now?
Bending down, she picks up a loose cobblestone, tosses it up and catches it a few times, turns her head to a nearly pier... then tosses it in the direction of the water as hard as she can. Which means it'll fly far enough to make it hard to see if it eventually skips on the water, if that's what she was trying to do. It wasn't - she isn't trying to do anything in particular. The way she keeps standing there purposelessly, curling her hands into fists and uncurling them again, makes that much obvious. It's frustrating when you just have to wait, and can't immediately go punch something to make all the problems go away.
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.
You know what's even more frustrating than having to wait because you don't have a target you can punch immediately in front of you?
Having a target in front of you, and being unable to punch them because they've situated themself square in the middle of a bunch of civilians.
"Nice throw," a familiar voice drawls. If Xantia turns around, she'll see Ragnell seated in the second-floor windowsill of a nearby pub, one hand over her eyes as she watches that rock Xantia just threw sail out towards the sea. The rock wasn't flat enough, and the water not undisturbed enough, for it to skip... but it remains a nice throw.
Then Ragnell smiles down at her. It's not a terribly nice smile, but this is fairly normal for her when dealing with humans. "Feelin' a bit pent up, Xan?" she wonders. As if she didn't already know the answer.
<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.
Xantia's never experienced that kind of frustration before. Jury's still out on whether that would stop her, really. Might need to be an intervention if she's feeling particularly motivated.
Such as right now. Had it been K.K. who showed up, someone would probably have needed to hold her back if they didn't want her to make a scene. But that's not the voice Xantia hears coming from behind her. It is, however, a voice that instantly reminds her of the Trial Knight. How could it not, given recent events?
Whirling about, Xantia has the look of surprise Ragnell was probably expecting, followed by the likely similarly expected frown. "...Of course. How could I not?" Even she thinks it's obvious enough to need no further explanation. "What are you doing here? I thought you'd be long gone."
Though the initial reaction wasn't the friendliest, Xantia's expression softens then, and she looks away briefly before turning her gaze back upwards. "No... that's not what I wanted to say. I wanted to say... sorry. For what happened in Dazil."
So that's what the earlier mention of needing to apologize was all about. That's been bothering her the whole time. It still had been, even after everything that happened in Krosse. She doesn't seem upset so much as she clearly feels awkward, averting her eyes once again. "You must have known you could have died. But you still stayed, and helped me. I won't forget that."
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.
"Someone's gotta keep an eye on things on this side," Ragnell drawls, shrugging broadly. "An' I've never been able t' keep still. S'why I do so much wanderin' around and eyein' places an' people on K.K.'s behalf, you know? Turn a thing I'd be doin' anyway into an asset, sorta thing. You could probably do the same thing with your monstrous eatin' habits. Most folks hafta eat, an' it's a good way to observe folks without seemin' suspicious yourself." Ragnell taps her temple, under her hat. "Somethin' to remember--if you survive, anyway."
But then Xantia softens and looks away, then looks back up... and apologizes. Ragnell blinks rapidly at that. She of course had remembered that Xantia had something she wanted to apologize for, but she figured that'd been thrown out the window as it were. She hadn't expected her to apologize anyway--or what's more, to indicate that that kindness still meant something to her even after Ragnell had revealed her true allegiances. "...huh," she utters. "Well. I did it 'cuz I wanted to. So you don't owe me nothin'." She pauses a beat; then she shakes her head. "Honestly, though, you're jus' like Gwen. Hadn't figured you'd be so softhearted towards an enemy just 'cuz they were nice to you once. What am I gonna do with ya?"
<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.
Xantia hadn't even looked at Ragnell's past actions in that light before, but now she can see how spying on people is easy if you're not doing anything out of the ordinary for you. She should keep that in mind. Should, but probably won't. She's far too open to be much of a spy herself, and far too trusting to think much about other people's possible secret agendas. All things considered, even an incident like this is probably not going to change that.
Either way, she doesn't reply to that piece of advice. Not beyond a nod, to indicate that she at least feels that what Ragnell is saying makes good enough sense. But in the end, she doesn't feel as strongly about it as she perhaps should. The matter she brought up herself is of far greater concern to her.
And Ragnell's reaction to that... prompts a chuckle, even a short laugh following that. She can't help it. If Ragnell knew of the parallel that existed here, she probably would have found it funny that anybody could be surprised about this, too. Not to worry, though. Xantia being who she is, she sees no reason not to clear that matter up right here and now.
"Well, first of all, even if you're an enemy, you're not my enemy. You haven't been nice to me just once, you've always been nice to me. I probably still wouldn't be able to see you so easily if you hadn't helped me with that. I don't care if it's just because you wanted to, it still helped me, a lot, and I'm not just going to stop being thankful for that."
Just like that, she's shifted right back towards the same demeanor she would have while casually talking to a friend. She doesn't even seem sad about what happened - she's acting as if nothing changed at all. And the reason for that...
Xantia scratches the back of her head. "...I get it. Being friends with someone who's done horrible things, and may do them again. I mean... I'm friends with the Demon of Elru." Thus, with a bright smile, she concludes, "So, what you're doing doesn't seem so strange to me."
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.
Yeah, spying does not exactly seem like Xantia's bag. But perhaps that in and of itself was its own message--and Xantia's radical acceptance of it, its own message back. Ragnell watches her when she responds with a simple nod, and utters a simple, "Huh."
The rest of the response gets her a rueful smile. "You really are like Gwen. She didn't say the same thing in as many words, but she kept up insistin' on thinkin' of me as a friend. Someone for you t' talk to when you're feelin' the sting o' my betrayal extra-hard. Not that I really think o' myself as havin' betrayed you folks, though I won't say you're wrong if you do."
The Demon of Elru. Ragnell is not as involved in that side of things, but that does still get her a couple of blinks. "I see." Then she pulls up a leg and rests an arm on her knee. "You think so? Bein' friends with someone who does mean things, an' doin' them yourself, are two very different things," she points out. "Would you still be able t' say that if I end up hurtin' you or one o' your friends?"
Though technically she already has. Leon, just as an example, got his ass pretty thoroughly kicked when he tried to gun Ragnell down and K.K. reflected his Lily-empowered assault back at him. Ragnell doesn't ask if he's okay, either. In her mind, he got what was coming to him.
<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.
It's certainly easy to see why Xantia and Gwen get along well. Though really, Xantia rarely has trouble getting along with people in general. It just sort of happens naturally through her optimistic outlook. Even now, she's putting all the focus on the positives that she sees, apparently feeling that they weigh far more heavily than the negatives.
"Well yeah, Gwen's right," she responds with a shrug, finding this rather obvious. "You can't decide on your own that you're not friends anymore." One could ask Id just how hard it is to dissuade Xantia from trying to be friends if that's what she's decided she wants to be.
To the matter of betrayal, her response is even more simple: "I don't think so either." She doesn't explain that one any further. Chances are that she thinks that one's also obvious. She doesn't have much experience with betrayal, but the biggest instance of it that she experienced on a personal level was so major, it's hard to feel like this compares in any way.
That is, so far. When Ragnell brings up the possibility of hurting one of her friends, she doesn't seem so sure. She casts her eyes down and falls silent for a moment, having to think that one over before she responds. When she's gathered her thoughts, however, she looks back up resolutely.
"Part of being friends is stopping them when they're making a mistake. I'll fight anybody who does something I can't agree with. That doesn't have to make us enemies. As long as I understand why they're doing what they're doing."
And in Ragnell's case, she's already decided that she understands. Which is the difference between her and K.K. - she's never understood what it is the Trial Knight is trying to accomplish.
In that vein, she tilts her head, wondering aloud, "What about you? Do you agree with what K.K. is doing? Or are you just supporting your friend?"
It's pretty clear what she's getting at. If Ragnell feels that K.K. is making a mistake, then as a friend, she should stop them from doing it.
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.
"Even if you decided on your own that you were friends in the first place?" Ragnell wonders, one side of her mouth quirking up, as she leans her chin on one hand. "Well, I get what you're trying to say. I don't mind stubborn humans like you." She does glance up and around at the crowds. Some of them are giving Xantia odd looks for talking to no one up in the air, but she suspects Xantia doesn't care, if she even notices.
Xantia says she doesn't feel like this is a betrayal. Ragnell looks back down at her. "Oh? Why's that?" Looks like it's not so obvious after all--or maybe Ragnell just wants to make her say it. She's willing to wait for an answer, too, just as she waits for Xantia to gather her thoughts on the matter of hurting friends.
"Hmmm... Yeah, you got a point there," she says with a nod. "Yeah, I can see what you're gettin' at. But..."
'What about you? Do you agree with what K.K. is doing?'
"I do," Ragnell replies without hesitation, eyes lidding. "You remember what I said the other night, when Talise asked me 'Why'? I wasn't bullshittin' my answer. I do what I'm doing because I believe it's the right thing to do. I believe in K.K. and their goals 100%. So I'll do whatever I can to help them realize them--even give up my own life, if it comes to that." She smiles, expression softening briefly. "...though they'd be pretty cross with me if I went that far."
<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.
Correct: Xantia doesn't care about any odd looks she might be getting, and thus hasn't even begun to pay attention to such things. Not like she wasn't getting plenty of odd looks for the huge stack of fish she was carrying around and then ate all at once. It's nothing new.
"Why does that matter?" Xantia answers a question with a question, genuinely not understanding how it makes things any less valid if she one-sidedly decides that someone is a friend. Whether or not the other person thinks so - well, if they don't, that's something to work on, isn't it? She's pretty confident she can convince people. After all, she can't fail if she never gives up. 'Stubborn' might not be strong enough of a word.
Asked to explain why she doesn't feel that this is a betrayal, Xantia doesn't hesitate to respond with Ragnell's own words: "You were just doing what you wanted to."
It's a simple answer, but she feels that's the only one that matters. It's still leaving a lot of things unsaid. But that tends to be what Xantia does - simplify things as much as possible. She's making herself hard to read this way - it's hard to draw a definite conclusion as to what degree she truly understands Ragnell's motivations. Which is entirely not her intention, of course. But at least she clearly believes that Ragnell was telling the truth when she spoke those words.
Xantia keeps looking Ragnell straight in the eyes when she receives the answer to her own questions. She's looking for something there, not even blinking until Ragnell finishing speaking, upon which she closes her eyes briefly. "...I see."
When she opens them again, she smiles faintly, admitting, "That's what I thought. You're already kind of risking your life, aren't you? K.K. keeps doing things with Malevolence, and that's really dangerous to you. You must care about them a lot." Whether she understands everything or not... Xantia does Notice Things.
She does feel confident enough in deducing, "You're probably not going to tell me what their goals actually are. And really, even if you did, I probably still wouldn't understand. But that's fine." She seems perfectly calm and accepting about that.
Aaaand then she strikes a heroic pose, because she was told that's what you do when you make a Justice Speech. "If Filgaia is in danger, then I'll fight to keep it safe, no matter what! Because nothing is worth ruining the planet over! That's what I believe!"
She relaxes her pose after that, continuing as if she did nothing out of the ordinary just now. "...That's how it is. So, you know, I'd really rather not fight you, but I will if I have to. That's fine, isn't it?" She seems fine with it.
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.
"'Why does that matter'?" Ragnell echoes, eyebrows going up. "So you're saying that I'm not allowed to consent either to the start of a friendship nor the end of it? That's pushy, Xantia." But the amusement in her tone and her faint smirk might betray that she doesn't mind that either. Honestly, if she did mind it, at least coming from her, she'd have gotten violent a long time ago. Not just stubborn but simple-minded and sincere... Yeah, she really doesn't mind humans like Xantia.
Although Xantia may or may not actually be human. But that's neither here nor there right now.
Surprise number two comes at Xantia's straightforward response. Ragnell stares at her for a second, then breaks out into boisterous guffaws. "Well, damn, that's true 'nough! Most folks would say that's a reason to never trust me in the first place, y'know!" After all, someone who does whatever they want without minding what those around them want is probably someone who's going to screw you over sooner or later. Either way, Xantia's ability to accept this, regardless of whether she understands Ragnell's motives in depth or not, do raise her in the Lightning Seraph's esteem. Probably also an unintended benefit as far as Xantia's concerned.
She watches Xantia as she mulls over these things, expressing herself freely and saying she'll stop them if Filgaia is in danger. Ragnell smiles. Xantia might not be very book-smart, but she has plenty of wisdom, and that might be even more important. "Yeah, that's fine," she replies, without bothering to acknowledge Xantia's other observations. No need to state the obvious. "You're a good kid, Xan. I'm lookin' forward to seein' what you can do."
She pulls her legs up, then hops inside. "In any case. I just spotted ya an' figured I'd say hi, but I got other things to do an' people to harass, so I'll let ya go now." She winks and flips the redhead a two-fingered salute. "See you in Elru, Xan."
Then she retreats into the building and is gone.