2019-04-28: Blessing in a Downpour

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<Pose Tracker> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.

The water on the moon is different than the water of Filgaia. That, Avril had noted the last time they had been transported to Lunar. Filgaia, after all, is a dying world. But even the water of Spira is different again from the water found elsewhere on Lunar. For one thing, it's free of the Malevolence that clung to the larger cities. And...

Something else is different here. What it is, she hasn't been able to name.

Right now, it's begun to rain. A light warm rain, bouncing off awnings and puddling in the streets, but still enough rain that Avril has taken shelter as the heavens shed their tears. It hardly ever rains on Filgaia, she has found. Had it rained more in the past? She can't remember.

Reaching out a hand, she catches a bare handful of rain, drawing it back towards her where she stands still beneath the awning.

"..."

It takes but a moment of focus. Water is rendered into ice, glittering impossibly in her grasp. It gets easier, every time that she tries it.

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

There's a soft cough as a familiar young woman hurries -- on wheels, the creaking of her poor wheelchair starting to show again its age and limitations of its design -- towards a nearby awning as the rain begins to shower on the streets of Luca.

The Fereshte has been in town, and it's not a terribly secret sight what with the way it's moored on one of the docks nearby; it's not hard to hear that the Outreach has been helping with Kilika's restoration as well.

But right now, she has to take shelter somewhere near, sneezing a little as she wipes a hand off her capelet and sniffles. "Goodness..." she murmurs.

She blinks a few times, as she spots Avril nearby with a gasp. "Oh, Avril...!!" she hasn't seen her since Filgaia!

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Lanval has posed.

Lanval is laying about on the streets. This tends to be an arrangement that is temporary at best, because virtually everyone on Spira can see him, trip over him, yell at him, and direct him to kindly not lay about on the streets like he used to - but he's water. It's kind of his nature to want to lay down where water rests, and the pooling puddles from the rain are especially inviting indicators of being a place where water does just that. The Oracle of Schturdark is far, far, far away from the very water of Filgaia he has pledged his services to. It's not the water of 'his' world, but it is water, and it is the closest likeness he can get to a comfortable, familiar environ. The warm rain will have to do, until such someone moves him and he has to find some other part of the street to lay down on. He's sprawled out on his back as Avril focuses on turning water into ice. The way it glints and glimmers is enough to move the Seraph to open one eye half-lidded and take a look at the way what light there is glitters and refracts off of it. It's eye-catching, even from where he can see from outside. "Get off the road!!" A snarling Ronso boots Lanval across the length of the street, and the watery wastrel - albeit one that has cleaned up significantly more nicely outside of his lack of shoes and lengthy beard - rolls down the slight incline up against where Avril has taken shelter - and he later hears the sound of Riesenlied hanging about in there. "Mmmmph." He doesn't have it in him to get up and raise a stink. He really should be more mindful of physical space than he has been, in these parts. It's a tough habit to break, after over five centuries of existence.

<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.

What's different about Spira? Gwen could probably name a few things. Gwen Whitlock says, "Augh!" Loose light red curls darken and tighten as they get wet, peeking from the scarf she's wrapped to shield the top of her sensitive head from the sun. The sun's no more, so the scarf is untied and unwound, serving as a a poor excuse for an umbrella as the courier searches for cover."

<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.

What's different about Spira? Gwen could probably name a few things.

The clothing, for one. The heat and humidity had made a certain style of fashion more popular than the clothing Gwen had brought over. For one, fur-lined parkas are completely out of the question, and her usual clothing was left with Gulliver, his sitter, and her wagon in Ignas. So instead she's adapted to the lighter cloth, adapting it for her own needs as much as she can manage. Her scars, both new and old, aren't as much of an embarrassment to her as they used to, but her vanity still disallows her from openly exposing them to public view. Her ARM, in all its increasing complexity, adds another layer of difficulty.

"Augh!" Loose light red curls darken and tighten as they get wet, peeking from the scarf she's wrapped to shield the top of her sensitive head from the sun. The sun's no more, so the scarf is untied and unwound, serving as a a poor excuse for an umbrella as the courier searches for cover.

Spotting the familiar faces of Avril and Riesenlied, Gwen rushes over, nearly tripping over Lanval. Actually, scratch that. She does trip over Lanval, so utterly entranced by Avril's sparkling display of ice. She flails, trying to balance herself so that she doesn't just land on the lying Seraph, collapsing in an awkward heap next to him. "... o-ow... e-ey, Lanval, sorry, didn't see ya..." She looks up, tousled wet hair and all, right up at the familiar faces of Riesenlied and Avril. "... hey, strangers, hehe."

<Pose Tracker> Tabitha deVriese has posed.

"Well goodness," chimes a voice like crystal from up above. The rain is pitter-pattering all around, but the source itself seems nice and dry; a woman sitting on the edge of a roof in roughly local attire, with a worker's trousers and a woman's armless blouse - though on second look, it's asymmetrical, only missing one arm. The other, the left, is actually too long, tied off a little short of the hand, which...isn't there. Long blonde hair drapes behind her, kept off by some unseen effect. Magic, perhaps. She pushes off and glides to the street, boots clacking on the paved road. "What an unexpected gathering," she chimes, shifting her chest to highlight the icon of Granas clasping her top shut. She holds up her good right hand, wiggling the fingers. "And hello, Miss Whitlock. It's been a while, hasn't it?"

<Pose Tracker> Tabitha deVriese has posed.

"Well goodness," chimes a voice like crystal from up above. The rain is pitter-pattering all around, but the source itself seems nice and dry; a woman sitting on the edge of a roof in roughly local attire, with a worker's trousers and a woman's armless blouse - though on second look, it's asymmetrical, only missing one arm. The other, the left, is actually too long, tied off a little short of the hand, which...isn't there. Long blonde hair drapes behind her, kept off by some unseen effect. Magic, perhaps.

She pushes off and glides to the street, boots clacking on the paved road. "What an unexpected gathering," she chimes, shifting her chest to highlight the icon of Granas clasping her top shut. She holds up her good right hand, wiggling the fingers. "And hello, Miss Whitlock. It's been a while, hasn't it?"

<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.

Fei is enjoying a walk through the city. He doesn't tend to use a lot of tech and in fact he may be one of the few Filgaians who doesn't mind the lower general tech level of Spira--even if it is clearly not quite so low tech as it pretends to be--but the Fiends do not reach into his mind and claw at it and the Pyreflies are far more condensed into one area.

He arrives, not tripping over Lanval probably purely because Gwen tripped over Lanval for him. He winces visibly and steps forward with intent to offer a hand but then stalls when there's a 'Well goodness' and a crystal-like voice appearing.

Fei grimaces faintly and he pulls his hand back from how he was offering it, looking sheepish and embarrassed.

When he thinks Tabitha is not looking, he looks towards where her hand /should/ have been.

He doesn't say anything, instead forcing his gazeupon Avril. He remembers, faintly, that she robbed alien invaders for her.

<Pose Tracker> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.

The single glittering shard of ice, as Avril's attention shifts from it, evaporates into a glittering rain of dust -- diamond dust, if you would. "...Riesenlied?"

She hasn't seen the woman in some time. She had heard through Dean that she -- and the others in the Outreach -- were well, but with so much that needed to be done in terms of understanding where they were and what the stakes would be... That, and communication has proven a more difficult thing to undertake here in Spira. "Are you well? I hope you have not fallen ill. I--"

This is the moment where Lanval rolls into the small space under the awning where Avril and Riesenlied too have taken shelter. "Lanval? Are you--" She cuts herself off midway as Gwen makes her own... entrance, immediately shifting into what someone might term 'disaster control mode'. She crouches, lending Gwen and Lanval a hand up if they need it, her hands strangely cool in spite of the heat that even the rain can't tame. "Here... are either of you hurt? It seems the road is dangerous when wet," she states, quite earnestly sober and without the slightest hint of sarcasm.

Her gaze lifts one she stands to the one who joins them here that she doesn't know or recognize.

"Have we met?" she asks of Tabitha, pausing only to sweep a stray lock from her silver bangs away.

Once, this would not have been a simple question to have asked. Her recent discoveries have made it so. Even with the burden she now bears this is a small mercy.

Her gaze skims sidelong. "...Fei?" She turns. "It's good to see you again, as well. ...It seems that there is a blessing in a even a downpour," she comments, going so far as to even smile.

"Though, I suppose this is not precisely a downpour yet..." she appends.

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Lanval has posed.

When Gwen trips over the rotund water elemental, Lanval actually cartoonishly flails as Gwen trips over him, in a way that is not at all graceful of his present station! "Ah, ah, ah ah~" He verbally stammers as Gwen comes down to a heap next to him. "...Ah... Gwen... ha ha ha!" Is he laughing at her getting hurt?! That's mean! "...'m shorry~" His voice trails off as he rolls back and forth to sit up, taking his drinking gourd in both hands. "Did ya get hurt? Mmm... 'd better fix that fer ya." If Gwen needs it, or wants it, while it may be tricky to 'feel' in the warm rain, there'll be a kind splash of healing water for whatever nicks or bruises she might have suffered. Wouldn't do to have accidentally brought harm to one of Filgaia's most stalwart defenders, after all. To the 'well goodness,' the one half-lidded gaze looks up. It catches to the sight of an icon of Granas... oh, hey, this must be one of the ones of Rosaline's and her 'sister's' order. He offers a dumb but genuine smile, vaguely cat-like smile. Plenty enough to share with Fei and the rest with another turn of his head. "Hiii... how'sh it all goin'?" It's in his nature to be happy, joyful, pleasant, enjoying little things like 'company,' as he takes shelter from the rain. Beat. He gets back up and goes to sit back down /in/ the rain. "...'m all right... thanksh~" He says as he flops on his back, apparently not learning his lesson of roughly a minute or so ago. This is prime puddle real estate and he is compelled to /have it/.

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

Riesenlied hears the snarling Ronso, blinking as she looks around and finally sees Lanval, wincing as she expresses, "A-ah, hold on!" though the Seraph -- now Oracle -- winds up rolling close to them anyway. "Goodness, Lanval, are you all right?" She instinctively pushes herself up, but falters a little and sits back down.

It's not the first time she's seen him like this, and the way he soaks against the waters does make her think it's a state that he enjoys... though being bullied isn't something that makes her happy nonetheless. Still, he looks very happy -- especially as he gets up and back towards the puddle.

Gwen appears as well with a yelp of her own, and she starts as she looks to her clothes and then to the Super Courier herself. "Gwen...!" she expresses, before doubling over with another cough.

Riesenlied doesn't look particularly well, more diminished and pale than she was before -- the events at the Lost Sanctuary have done much against her, physically, emotionally, one could probably guess if they were present... even if she herself wasn't able to make it to the battle. Fei knows a little, since she's been trying to do PT with Elly... but it's kind of a long struggle for her.

Tabitha appears as well, and the icon of Granas does draw her attention for a moment as she smiles towards her. She knows Gwen? Well, Gwen is known for being a terribly social sort. "H-hello..."

Avril asks if she's fallen ill. "I hope I didn't catch cold, but--" she coughs again. "I'll be okay, promise." She looks to Avril's smile and nods as she mentions how there's a blessing in a downpour. "There is, isn't there?"

<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.

There's a laugh as Gwen lands down besides the Seraph. But Gwen knows a Lanval's laugh, and a Lanval's laugh has never, in her experience, been one placed at the expense of others. She soon is laughing alongside him, even as she feels the prickle of Lanval's healing waters sprinkle amongst the wet air. "Bah, s'okay! Like a little fall is gonna..." She trails off, clear worry crossing her gaze as sharply as a knife as she sees, from her upsidedown vantage point, the coughing form of Riesenlied.

Distracted, grey-blue eyes glance up at the gracefully landing Tabitha. "Yeah, it has been a while. I think the last time was in... Guardians, I think it was on the other end of Lunar." Accepting Avril's offer of help with a soft thanks, she glances over Tabitha, noting any changes. "I never got a chance t'properly thank you, for helpin' me."

Hey, didn't Tabitha...?

It's out of her mouth before Gwen can even think better of it, with that odd, casual tone, as if pointing out the sky was raining, or that the red fruit sold in the stall by the inn was incredibly delicious. "What happened t'your hand?"

Guardians, to find herself being on the other end of this situation, after so many times having to deal with people asking her about her right arm (with a lower case a) and why she was missing it, over and over until the very notion of her 'missing' something was enough to make her kid self put all defensive shields up and mean words at the ready.

It's been that long, to forget all that, but not enough to be at least a smidge more sympathetic sounding for seeing someone dealing with a lost body part as a young adult.

"I mean, uh! Sorry." Gwen lets out an awkward bark of a laugh, rubbing her face as if she could rub the very blush of shame right off. "Man, it's, uh, raining! Avril's right, ground gets slippery."

<Pose Tracker> Tabitha deVriese has posed.

Tabitha gives Fei a side-on look. It lingers.

There may or may not be a brief, tremendous flash of malicious intent.

Then she's all smiles, setting herself up, leaning comfortably against the wall to make room for others beneath the awning. "I'm not sure!" she chimes to Avril. "But it's always grand to meet new faces, don't you think?" Her eyes linger on that silver-haired woman, flashing briefly down to where her hand turned water to ice. "Practicing, were we? It's a good time for it, I'd say."

She ignores Lanval. She.........might not be able to see him? Might. Or she's just giving the obvious drunk a wide berth. Either one's pretty possible.

She doesn't have much to say to Riesenlied, though her eyes rake across her with obvious interest. Such a unique one. "The weather treating you poorly, dear? My condolences. I'm afraid I've nothing on me."

And then Gwen asks the magic question, and Tabitha hums a breath. "It went somewhere without me," she says, with a breathy sigh, and a single subtle glance at Fei. "While I was fighting off something terrible," she says, and returns her smile to Gwen. "The life of an Etone, you know. These things do happen."

<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.

Fei's face turns bright red and turns away even more when Gwen asks Tabitha that question, sweating bullets. When Tabitha gives him that look he kind of turns away, avoiding looking away from her.

He could say 'Tabitha is a Solarian agent who helped murder my friend'.

He could say 'It's kind of her own fault she tried to punch a singularity.'

But he says neither of those things. Instead he says, "I...I'm sorry for your hand. That it happened."

He considers further. "I had a friend in Guild Galad who used a lot of prosthetics. As an Etone, you could probably easily get one if you want." He adds, never looking directly at Tabitha.

His mood is dead now so he can't even smile at Riesenlied, but he does give her a concerned frown. "Don't push yourself, Riese. You're doing good in your therapy but if you push yourself too much, you could backslide."

Not even Lanval gets a smile but he does seem a bit more at ease when looking on the Serpah.

"Avril," Fei continues. "Good to see you too. How's Dean and Rebecca doing? This place has gotta be rough on poor Dean, huh?" His cheeks somehow redden further at being called a blessing. "Oh uh--you had a rough travel over here, huh?"

<Pose Tracker> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.

"Here," Avril says, helping Gwen to her feet. She gazes into Gwen's eyes and pauses, her expression briefly some relative of concern. Something seems... different? But no grounds for her intuition easily presents itself and, as always, Avril is forced to release it into the wilds of her mind.

"I'm glad," Avril says to Lanval... ...before he gets up to go over out into the rain and flop over in the puddles once again. She tilts her head to one side, somewhat akin to a curious dog. "...Perhaps that's what he prefers?" she wonders aloud. Once, she might have openly wondered after such an action, but now no longer. Besides, he seems happy about this.

It's another matter that prompts her to speak: "...They can see Seraphs," she says, watching as passersby skirt Lanval, puzzlement etched on their expressions. "There is much about this place that is unusual."

Riesenlied doubles over when she coughs. Drawing away from Gwen, she returns to the Hyadean's side. "Are you certain? You do not look particularly well, Riesenlied." Avril has always been blunt. "If need be, I would be happy to accompany you to a nearby doctor. I..."

She trails out, then turns, pointing down the street. "...Over there. There is a doctor over there." She blinks, then tilts her head to one side. "...Perhaps I saw the sign when I was passing by earlier? I don't recall having noticed, but..." Her brow creases and remains so. "...The mind can be quite strange."

She glances, then, at Tabitha. "Did you see?" Her gaze flickers down at her own hand. "...Yes. I suppose you might call it that." Leah's warning rings still in her mind. Among Spirans her magic may fit in more, but...

Then Gwen asks after Tabitha's hand. Avril's gaze sweeps Tabitha properly, comes to rest on the gap where her hand should be. Slightly, her blue eyes widen. "You are missing your hand," she says, echoing Gwen's own announcement, taking in the fact that this is apparently recent for the woman, who Gwen knows. Then she blinks. "It went somewhere... without you?" Someone else may have taken this as a euphemism. Avril takes this rather literally.

"...Have you seen a doctor?"

She really is a bit of a loss on this front, so to speak.

Her own staring silence lingers until Fei addresses her directly -- and the matter of her friends. "Ah? Oh-- they are well, thank you." Pause. "...Oh." Another pause. Has it just occured to her that this place could be trouble for Dean? (yes) "...Perhaps we ought to teach him how to swim."

She answers Fei's last question with a nod. "I suppose, though we found ourselves here quickly enough and reunited. It seems to have been more difficult for others." Her gaze, briefly, drifts Riesenlied's way.

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Lanval has posed.

He sure does look happy to be there, just sitting around where water gathers... but it serves another purpose for him to lay there, for when he looks up to the sky, sometimes he can see Filgaia. It's still a 'blue star,' it still turns... waxes, wanes... rises, descends... it's still there. He can't see it through the rainclouds, but the moment it breaks, a part of him wants to be sure he can see it. Schturdark's been quiet - he knows this is not a problem unique to him - and he sure doesn't want the very water of Filgaia to feel like it's been abandoned after it found someone to share its burdens and problems wit-- A passing Guado stands and casts a fell shadow over the water elemental, with a dispassionate stare from their bearded, veiny face, and promptly shoves him over before continuing on, leaving Lanval lying face-down. ... Guess that's a puddle spot he can't claim, then, he concedes as he rolls a bit back up to a seated position and goes to rest back under shelter. Just because water can't /reach/ that place naturally because of mortal-made structures... well, he's water, he'll just put himself there instead. So there. There he is, back in the company of friends and acquaintances. "Mmmm... ya shure yer okay, Rieshe?" Lanval asks. He thinks to give her some restorative help too, but then it strikes him that his power is very closely tied to the Guardians now, and he's seen how her body reacts to having Guardian power channel through her. It... might be beyond his ability to help alleviate her pains without it being even more painful. "...Yeah, they shure can shee ush," Lanval says in accordance to Avril's thoughts, "mmm, it'sh been harder ta get a drink.. 'caushe now I gotta pay~ ha ha ha!" An eye opens half-lidded to Tabitha's missing limb, as is being discussed. He doesn't think it's within his power to outright give back missing limbs... curative magics only go so far with wounds and diseases, after all.

He relaxes and slouches back down, taking it easy in both Gwen's company and Fei's wordlessly, even without the pitter-patter of rain pooling around him directly.

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

Gwen says it's been a while -- and that certainly is true; it was perhaps back in Krosse that she and Riesenlied last met, and they were in the midst of a dangerous battle with a venomised Hellion then. But Gwen asks about Tabitha's hand, quietly looking towards the Courier and hoping it doesn't come across poorly.

It doesn't, as Tabitha explain; she lowers her head for a moment to say, "I'm sorry to hear... and-- ah, yes, I tend to not do too well with bad weather or cold, I'm afraid." She clears her throat again, but redoubles her smile. She does wonder if a prosthetic could help her, as Fei suggests one. She thinks of Ida. Then:

"My name is Riesenlied, from the Wayside Outreach. It's nice to meet you."

Fei chides her about not pushing herself; there's a soft wheeze as she dabs with a small cloth at her hair and scales, nodding softly. Avril moves to her side too, and is a bit more cutting with her words. Lanval is asking too... she hesitates, but acquiesces to tell the truth.

"Um... I've been feeling a lot weaker ever since the Lost Sanctuary, to be honest. Transforming and channeling the Ley at that time to help purify it... having so much of the Ley run through me -- took a lot out of me. But I've been taking it easy. I've just been coordinating the work for Kilika and going back and forth with Noeline to help reconstruct the village after Sin. I'm not pushing myself, honest."

Avril suggests a doctor, and she bites her lip as she looks down the street. It's as if she's been here before... well, Avril and Dean and Rebecca certainly were much faster to arrive at the mainland, so that makes sense, but... Avril doesn't seem certain.

"Do you think you've been here before, in your lost memories?" Riesenlied gently asks, forgetting about the offer for a moment. Fei talks about how Spira is rough on Dean, and at least she smiles to say, "He seemed very healthy and happy last I saw him, though that was a while ago."

She looks back to Avril. "A doctor could help, but I wouldn't want to take you away from everyone else too quickly..."

<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.

Gwen's eyes meets Avril's gaze, the woman's brief moment of concern causing Gwen to exhale a short breath, her gaze moving to the side uneasily.

It's not that she doesn't trust Avril. It's just that- 

Fei and Tabitha's exchange, filled with an uncomfortable level of vague, contextless threat, still manages to clue Gwen in. Oh. OH, RIGHT. She's a Solarian agent, hence why she, Gwen, and Loren were running across a war-torn city. Fei is... Fei, and something may or may not have happened, but that's all the context Gwen will ever need, now that she's managed to make an uncomfortable mess of things.

"Fei, y'know, it's a real good thing I ran into ya, because I was just thinkin' to myself 'hey, I need t'talk to Fei'." She speaks, gesturing animatedly. "About that... whole... business, before we got transported here. But at a later time!"

Because Avril's choice of words, soft yet blunt at the same time, means Gwen better intervene before the mess she started only gets worse. "She's just making the best of an awkward question," she murmurs towards Avril's ear.

Fei's mention of Dean causes Gwen to pause. Wait, why would a place like this be rough on- oh. "Dean doesn't know how t'swim?" Blinkblink. Gwen lets out a sigh of relief. "Oh man, I thought I was th'only one! Can't really learn t'swim in a dried-up puddle n' all. There's no shame in not knowin' something!" do not listen to Gwen, she is wrong, Dean should learn how to swim

Seeing Riesenlied, Gwen's expression grows gentle, her words soft. "So, was it you who helped save us all, back then?" And she paid for it. Gwen's breath hitches, her right hand curling into a fist. Then, suddenly, she relaxes, her expression brightening, an attempt to radiate a cheeriness to knock away the dreariness of darker topics. "... Hey, Riese, have you tried any of the fruit here? I ain't sure if you're much for that, but there's some stuff that's delicious. We really really need t'grab some fruit and look at the sky some evening. Somethin' simple!" Riesenlied had wings then, she remembers. "And hey, Lanval, I think I owe ya a few drinks, speakin' of all that! We'll just have t'make sure none of the Guard sees us."

The rain seems to grow louder in response, causing Gwen to let out a startled yelp as a flash of thunder crashes overhead. She then laughs, shaking the remaining droplets of water from her hair. "... I guess I'm not used to all this bounty," she says, softly. "But it's really beautiful, when you get used to it." She nods to Avril. "I think I know where the doc you're talkin' about is. How 'bout we take make a trip there, if Riese is okay with it? I don't mind gettin' a little wet."

<Pose Tracker> Tabitha deVriese has posed.

"Oh, don't worry about me," Tabitha replies, turning to Fei with a sweet smile accompanied by half-lidded eyes. "I'm /quite/ accustomed, actually," she says. "But I do thank you for your concern!"

go go go go GO GO GO GO GO.....

She turns her eyes back to Avril. "Yes, yes, have no worries. I was..." Her hand rises up, rubs at the stump below where the sleeve ties off. Actually, with her hand drawing the eye to the contours, it's too thick in the forearm to be a normal arm, isn't it...? "....I was thoroughly seen to," she says, with something strange in her tone.

She perks up, though, to Riesenlied. "Ah! You know, I believe we've just missed each other before. I am Tabitha deVriese, an Etone ordinand out of Aquvy." She smiles, all straight teeth. "I was helping protect old Vane for a while. You moved in, during that second transport, didn't you? It's lovely to put a name to the face. It seems things haven't been the best for you, my dear, in the meanwhile, but I'm pleased to see you're in high spirits."

And then, Gwen...seems to realize something, and Tabitha finds herself just scoffing and rolling her eyes a little. So bad at keeping secrets, this young man is.

She will have to add this to his account. She forces her hands apart, kicking up a leg against the wall, looking out across the rain with something unknowable in her thoughts.

<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.

That's a lot of business, Fei thinks.

"Uh--sure." Fei tells Gwen. "Whatever you need."

He looks down. "Yeah, and no golems either. I know he loves those." He does smile at Riesenlied's news on Dean though. Even with all that it sounds like Dean's a hard guy to keep down. It's a huge relief.

He continues to never look at Tabitha directly. It wasn't Id who did that, Fei reminds himself. He may have given a little small encouragement here or there but it was you.

He pauses and mentally rereads that thought.

It is not in red ink.

He looks down again. But she had it coming, didn't she? Perhaps she did. But he doesn't belong to a family that, when all is said and done, very frequently engages in 'they had it coming'. Especially now that he knows what she must be thinking. Dark thoughts, he imagines, thoughts of vengeance maybe.

"But yeah, swimming lesons. Good idea."

She sits herself down near Lanval and tries to pretend to be not here.

<Pose Tracker> Avril Vent Fleur has posed.

It's just that whatever has happened with Gwen is likely personal. It could be something as simple as a shattering experience. But she has the vague sense -- particularly when Gwen looks away -- that Gwen is not quite the courier she met by the spring years ago.

She addresses Riesenlied. "I have heard of what happened at the Sanctuary." Her eyes lower. "I am afraid I was not present myself, however... There was something else which I need to attend." Vinsfeld, Riesenlied may hazard -- and what had transpired between her and Matilda then. Difficult things for her to explain to her friends, once they had reunited. "...It seems that you have been keeping busy. I am glad you are not pushing yourself, but..."

She regards Riesenlied for a moment more, her expression troubled.

The only thing that serves to break the tension of that moment is Lanval himself. Avril's reaction to that, when Lanval says that it's a problem for him now because he has to pay for what he drinks is to... giggle. "Well, perhaps it is only right," she states, though there is no judgement or rancor in her words. "That said, if you do need a drink, I would be happy to pay for you, Lanval. Perhaps we might drink together?" With her friends, after all, there is not much opportunity to have a drink... not that she is complaining. She... thinks she is of drinking age, at least.

"...An awkward... oh, I see." Silence maintains still from Avril's corner of the space under the awning. "My apologies," she says to Tabitha. Though her gaze lingers on the stump for a moment more. Something... isn't right, but...

Avril, for all her skills, is Not A Doctor.

Gwen... also doesn't know how to swim?

She regards Gwen for a long moment.

"Perhaps we might try a swimming class? Lanval may be able to assist." particularly if anyone drowns

Her attention returns to Riesenlied. "I don't know." It's as honest an answer as she can commit to, when there is still a yawning gap in her mind. "But..." she hazards, nonetheless, "I don't think... I have." When would she have? But then, the gap in her mind is a veritable abyss. How long is the span between the she who must have once existed in the past and the she who woke in the Golem's arm?

"I'll go. It is no trouble, Riesenlied. It wouldn't do if you were to fall ill." She pauses, then smiles slightly, a crack of light in a dark room. "Besides, I would like to find out if I am right about that place being the doctor's. Then you will walk with me, Gwen? I, too, do not mind getting a little wet. This is a kinder rain, I suppose."

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

Warmth does cross Riesenlied's face as she bows her head and says, "I can only hope so. I fell far to an altar that I channeled as much energy as I possibly could, since I could not make it to where you were all struggling."

She closes her eyes, placing her hand to her heart for a moment. "I am glad for all your efforts at the time..." She looks to Lanval, as well, as she says that. Like perhaps she can sense what the Seraph did for the world, even if she can't express it in words.

Tabitha points out that she helped out old Vane -- and her horns actually perk up and waggle a little as she goes, "Oh...! Now that you mention it, I did hear a similar name! Yes, we helped Miss Miria with a number of things for a while... I do miss everyone in old Vane." She smiles just a bit wider. "Thank you for your help in Old Vane too then, Miss Tabitha."

Gwen suggests that they find fruit and look at the stars; she warmly nods at her again, saying, "I'd love that, sometime soon, Gwen. The fruits and vegetables from Spira are really healthy; they've been making me feel better."

All the silent animosity going on between Fei, Tabitha and Gwen just seems to fly over her head...!!

But in the end, Avril offers for her to go, and she nods as she quietly pulls her capelet over her head. It's not meant to be a hood, but it'll do in a pinch. Her horns being able to dogear downwards also helps too.

"Hehe... thank you, all of you... Let's go, then."

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