2019-05-29: A Promuise to Remember
- Log: A Promuise to Remember
- Cast: Kamui, Seraph Clarine, Acacia Saitani
- Where: Macalania
- Date: May 29, 2019
- Summary: Acacia, Kamui, and Clarine head to Macalania Woods to have a pleasant picnic in a scenic location...and to discuss the latter's recent membership into ARMS.
===============================<* Macalania *>================================ The Macalania region is home to two ancient, crystalline formations of unsurpassed mystery and beauty. The first is the Macalania Woods - a shining maze-like forest overseen by strange, ancient, birdlike Beastmen who speak in bizarre riddles and weave light like silk. The second is Lake Macalania - an eternally frozen lake surrounded by snowy crevasses, which one can just see the frozen Temple beneath. Macalania is a distant, remote region -- and full of its own dangers.
<Pose Tracker> Kamui has posed.
At some point, Kamui, Acacia and Clarine made it through the Thunder Plains. This possibly involved a lot of Kamui acting as some kind of lightning rod and going 'bii-- bii--' and having her head start sizzling with fire a couple more times. We might cover that, sooner or later.
But now... but now...
They're in Macalania Woods, a beautiful crystalline forest of luminous sunlight above its canopy -- and following the gossamer paths that head up to crest past the mountains that divide Bevelle and the Calm Lands...
Kamui has invited Clarine and Acacia for a picnic. A big basket is beside the Reploid as she curls up on a picnic blanket facing the sun, unabetted by any foliage or trees in its way.
"This is... the pinnacle of relaxation, mui..."
But at the same time, it seems like something is bothering the Reploid girl. Does it have something to do with Clarine and ARMS?
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Clarine has posed.
Of all the places of Spira, the Macalania Woods were perhaps Clarine's favorite. The way the light played on the Moonflow's surface was thought provoking, and the various cities had interesting sights, but she did not feel quite as home in any of those places as she did here, in the Macalania Woods.
This place felt as one with the light - the way it played off of the crystalline formations, and the way it gave off its own strange light. For someone like Clarine, she felt natural here - at peace.
She would never say no to a picnic with Kamui, but the fact that they were going here specifically was even more reason to agree. And so, Clarine can be found sprawled out on that blanket, a look of contentment on her face. Sunbathing - particularly with friends - was her favorite hobby, beyond crafting various trinkets, and leaving said trinkets in decorated boxes for travelers to find.
This is the life.
"Indeed..." Clarine replies.
That was not to say that everything was perfect, though. She had noticed there was something bothering Kamui...or, at least, she thought there was. She had been hesitant to bring it up at first, but, now that she was here, in this comfortable place...
Clarine sits up, looking in Kamui's direction.
"...Um, Kamui... Is everything alright...?" She asks. She had an idea what it might be about, but it might be better to hear it from Kamui directly.
<Pose Tracker> Acacia Saitani has posed.
Acacia considers herself okay with the Thunder Plains, as a general rule. Sure, it's kind of weirdly dangerous, and sure, she'd had to squint really hard at the lightning towers and remind herself that publishing a report on the hypocrisy inherent in the Yevonite beliefs around machina would probably jeapordize their way home significantly, but the general noise and furore of the place was actually kind of comforting, in some odd nostalgic way.
The sound of rolling thunder isn't exactly the same sort of sound as the bustle and noise of Guild Galad, but maybe it's close enough to count, especially relative to the rest of Spira.
As far as she's concerned, though, Macalania is on a completely different level. She's not sure she'd ever going to be able to hinge her jaw shut again, not after walking her way up winding, shimmering paths with the vibrant blues and greens completely surrounding them. She's not even sure that photographs would do the place justice, or at least wouldn't convey the right mix of motion and colour.
She's still a bit awe-struck when they reach the clearing, but she can at least break into an amused grin as she flops herself down next to Kamui, arms spreadeagle as she shares the bright sunspot. "You say that, but that was a heck of a walk to get up here," she grouses back, but her eyes are closed and she can't seem to muster any further gripes, even given the apprehension with which she first approached the light path.
She at least manages to lever herself up a little, resting on her elbows as she glances towards the Seraph's uncertain tone with a frown on her face.
<Pose Tracker> Kamui has posed.
Kamui kept getting memory headaches regarding the Thunder Plains. Something about incredibly precise cloud jumps and not being able to defeat an "air man". Perhaps the clouds, wind and thunder are just a vulnerability of hers, being a Robot in a Final Fantasy-themed land...
But that is then, and this is now. "The exercise... is good, though, Master. And look on the other side... it's all downhill when we're ready to leave," she points out. She reaches out for a slice of triangle sandwich and hands one to her, then Clarine--
But pauses as Clarine probes her about if things are all right.
"Umm. Umm...." she tilts her head. "I heard... you joined ARMS... I saw your message..."
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Clarine has posed.
Clarine doesn't comment on the walk. That's because it would be kind of hypocritical, considering that she had a tendency to glide just above the ground rather than outright walking.
There is one thing she can comment on here, though.
"And, the light here is...so relaxing. Peaceful..." She murmurs. She could almost get lost in it. But...she can't allow herself to at the moment.
Instead, she nods in response to Kamui and draws out a ring bearing the insignia of a wolf - the sign of her membership into ARMS.
"...Yes. I, um...I thought about it for a while, after Marivel invited me. And...it was difficult, but...I decided to accept." She replies. They might have noticed her spending more time within her vessel, during the few days following their communication with Filgaia on the Thunder Plains. "Is...is that okay...?"
<Pose Tracker> Acacia Saitani has posed.
Acacia had the bright idea of trying to keep a small lightning rod near to Kamui at all times in hopes of drawing off some of the lightning strikes from hitting her, but that doesn't really work unless you're trying to protect someone more resistant to lightning, not someone more susceptible to it. It's the thought that counts, perhaps - at least when it comes to the way Acacia sees Kamui, unwilling to leave her alone at times like those.
Accepting the sandwich, she hums around it as she a bite. "'s true," she says, muffled before she swallows. "Spira's doing wonders for my steps-a-day." She hasn't even thought about the way back yet, and perhaps that's for the best; there's every chance she's going to falter in exactly the opposite way as the question of 'what happens if we slip and slide' comes up instead of 'how can this hold our weight'.
Her gaze tracks across to Clarine as Kamui asks the question, and she studies the Seraph out of habit as she answers, chewing over the tuna as much as the words. "... I think that's what we should be asking you," she mutters eventually. "Are you really okay with this? I get that it'll make it easier to look out for you, but... it's not like it's necessary. Right?" she encourages Kamui to speak up with a light nudge of her foot.
<Pose Tracker> Kamui has posed.
Kamui puffs up a little more proudly at Acacia to say, "I have been keeping a step counter for Master, and Master has burnt more calories on average in Spira than back home! It also is because there is less temptation of bakery treats from Marina Irington's bakery..."
A pause, as she tilts her head as Clarine admits it, and she kind of curls up and looks... just a little upset for a moment. It doesn't look like she's upset at Clarine, though.
But then Acacia nudges her.
"I wanted to... ask you to join for a while. Not because I wanted you to fight, but because I wanted to go on more adventures together, Clarine..." she admits. "But..."
She closes her eyes.
"I remember... that you're scared of humans, that you don't necessarily like fighting or getting into a lot of trouble," she answers, opening them again as she puffs up her hands. "So, so, I didn't ask... but..."
She frowns a bit deeper, though her expression is full of concern.
"Mari or anyone else didn't coerce or bully you into it, right...? You're really okay with it, yourself, that it's your own choice?"
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Clarine has posed.
"Oh, impressive...! I am proud of you!" Clarine says cheerily, as Kamui mentions that Acacia has been burning more calories on average. ...At least, she assumes it is impressive - as a Seraph, that was one of those human matters that she didn't know much about.
She listens, though, as Kamui explains that she had wanted to ask her to join for a while, her expression full of concern, and they both ask her a very important question.
Was she really okay with this?
Clarine goes quiet for a moment, her gaze drifting up to the sun above.
"...I wanted...I wanted to be able to look after all of you, too. When Odessa ambushed everyone...I was afraid. Afraid I would lose you all, and be alone again." She murmurs, placing a hand over where her heart would be. She goes quiet for a moment.
"I met someone...not far from here, in fact, who told me something, that stuck out in my mind." She explains. "She said..."
Clarine pauses, as if trying to remember the exact wording.
"'There are many ways to fight, but very few ways to avoid the fight forever. It falls to each of us to decide which way is right for us.'" She shakes her head. "I decided that...if I must fight, then I would do it alongside you. It has always been my duty as a Seraph to protect others..."
She closes her eyes for a moment, sitting there quietly, before looking back toward the both of them with a small smile.
"...So...thank you. For worrying about me. But...it is alright. I may be afraid, but...there are things I fear even more..."
<Pose Tracker> Acacia Saitani has posed.
"Ehh?" Acacia gives Kamui the universal look of 'oh god you're tracking my exercise?' as she scrunches her face up, but lets out a puff of air as she grumbles. "Okay, sure, I'm walking more, but I'm hurrying around less. I'm sure I burn just as many calories back home, just-- the graph's bigger both ways, that's all." Which also neatly sums up her eating habits in a single stroke as well, regardless of which planet it happens to be on.
She can't help the tiny, proud expression that flits across her face as Kamui manages to put her fears and worries into words; she scratches at her mop of messy red hair as she listens along, not wanting to interrupt as Kamui feels her way through her concerns. "... and it's not just a matter of coercion or bullying, either, but also if you're just letting yourself get swept along. Marivel's got a habit of speaking her mind, and that kind of bluntness can be hard to say 'no' to."
The frown she wears when Clarine starts to talk is a rather complicated one, and somewhere along the way she bites her lip and glances off to one side, stuck somewhere between bashful and irritated at herself as she thinks back to Vinsfeld's speech. "... I'd prefer not to think that way. I'm not saying you're wrong, but... there are people who can't or don't want to fight, and I think that's fine. That's up to them."
"To me, saying 'I've got to fight eventually' just feels like another kind of coercion. Don't get me wrong!" she adds hurriedly, after she huffs, furrowing her brow as she looks back to Clarine and wags her hands. "If you've got a reason, if you think it's something you want to do, that's okay. Just-- yeah," she adds, kind of deflating as she runs out of whatever it was she was trying to say.
As if to cover any embarrassment, she positively gnaws another chunk of sandwich off the whole.
<Pose Tracker> Kamui has posed.
Kamui interjects quickly to answer: "Of course I do. I'm your Mui Fit, Master."
<Pose Tracker> Kamui has posed.
Kamui does regard Clarine's statement with a lot more care and pauses for a long moment as the Seraph explains. She holds onto that small amulet with the star design closely, and carefully as well, biting her lip. "Clarine..." she whispers.
There is a quiet bob of her head as she says, "I understand too... being afraid of... being alone again." She furrows her brow. "It's one of the reasons I told Odessa... I can't die here. Because Gami is waiting for me back home, where she's still resting. Where we were resting."
She also listens to what Marivel said to her, looking relieved. "That sounds like what Mari would say..." A pause. "... okay." Acacia doesn't quite agree, but perhaps the Reploid sees it differently. In many ways, she is intended to be a machine for battle, even if she doesn't want to always think about it.
Then that tension relaxes from her face as she chirps up, "As best as I can, mui... I won't leave you alone. That's a promise, but not just any promise."
She pumps up, excited again.
"That's a promuise! From Kamui to you!"
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Clarine has posed.
"I, um... I considered at first...whether or not it would be better to take on a noncombatant role - to focus on healing, rather than join the battlefield proper. But...I wanted to be there beside you all." Clarine explains. "...But thank you. I know you are looking out for me, and I appreciate that..."
She listens quietly as Kamui explains that she understands the feeling - that she can't die yet, because there is someone she needs to meet again.
"Ah...it was not Marivel who said that to me, though she did assuage my concerns when I asked her what ARMS purpose was. It was...another Seraph of Light, in fact. I do not believe she even knew the choice I was faced with at the time, but her words resonated with me all the same..." Clarine explains.
But, even so, Kamui makes a promise - no, a promuise! - that she won't leave her alone.
Clarine's small smile widens and she begins to emit a soft, warm, happy light.
"Thank you...! And...I, too - I will not leave you alone, either...and I will do what I can to help you reunite with the one who is waiting for you." Clarine declares.
<Pose Tracker> Acacia Saitani has posed.
It's not that Acacia feels separate to this conversation - more that she's not sure what she can exactly add outside of the comment that she doesn't feel that everyone needs to be a combatant. She's pretty aware of her own limitations - and while she can hold her own against some things, she wouldn't exactly race to take on Sin. Even the Crimson Noble weirdo, she didn't so much fight him as retreat while firing.
Besides, this is much more Kamui's moment, and she's finding herself surprisingly pleased to watch the Reploid manage to articulate her thoughts more fully. It also reminds her of what they left behind; the 'Gami' that Kamui mentions makes Acacia puff out a breath and furrow her brow. Would she help Kamui's memory recover, perhaps?
She can't help the smile as Kamui chimes her last line, and grumbles something under her breath past the quiet and lopsided grin.
"Well, I didn't mean Marivel in particular. It's just-- it's that kind of punchy talking style, you know? It can make it hard to get a word in edgeways sometimes. I should know - I've used it enough myself sometimes, when I really need to try to back someone into a corner."
... that admission aside, she hums to herself as she sneaks another triangle of sandwich before Kamui can stop her. "Still, if you're okay-- then that's okay. I mean, it'd been on my mind too, kind of. Everything was a bit of a rush."
<Pose Tracker> Kamui has posed.
Kamui nods, but then says...
"If it ever gets tough... if you want to change your mind or anything, or do a noncombatant roll, I'll support you, okay? That's not to say I doubt your resolve... but... that you don't ever have to feel trapped with us," Kamui is being surprisingly lucid and compassionate today. Maybe the sun shining down on her at the top of Macalania is causing her circuits to actually rev up at full power??
Sunbathing... makes you smart?? Mui...
"Hmm. Master is very good at pursuit, and cornering people," Kamui agrees. "Just when it seems like the culprit is going to get away... 'Stop the Press!'"
...
That didn't... happen, did it?
Maybe in another episode of Ace(cia) Journalist...
"But... another Seraph of Light, mui? I see. I don't know of any other Seraphs but you. I wonder if I would be able to see them, too?" she doesn't particularly know if she knows how Seraphs and Resonance work.
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Clarine has posed.
"Thank you...that means much to me." Clarine replies. Kamui and Acacia undoubtedly knew all too well how much Clarine was afraid of that feeling of being trapped. That they were willing to support her, whatever she decided...it was very reassuring.
Acacia mentions the punchy talking style, and how it was something she used sometimes, herself...and Kamui agrees with it.
"Oh...!" Clarine gasps, her eyes shining as she looks upon Acacia with admiration. Whether or not it actually happened, Clarine sure seems to believe it...
She calms down a bit, though, and nods.
"Yes, I am okay. This is what I want, I think. It may help me find the direction I am looking for. And...yes, it was..." She agrees with a nod. So much had happened in so short of a time... She pauses, though, as Kamui wonders if she can see other Seraphs.
"...Normally I would say you could, but..." Clarine pauses, considering. It was possible that Kamui was a special case. "Hmm...perhaps I should introduce you to another Seraph sometime..."
She pauses, though, as something occurs to her - and causes her to frown, slightly.
"Though... I do not know if you saw it, but...the person I was fighting, during that ambush...she, too, was a Seraph. If you could see her as well, then..." She considers.
<Pose Tracker> Acacia Saitani has posed.
Acacia has almost drifted off into quiet sunbathing bliss when Kamui's red text makes her crack one eye back open. She's been listening, really, it's just easy to let her mind wander in the sun. "... I don't haveta do that that often, especially not in Meria Boule. You haven't seen me at my best," she puffs up in self-made pride as she folds her arms, awkwardly given she's lying down. "Should've seen me in my Guild Galad days. They called me-- well, they didn't call me anything except 'oh god it's her, run'."
She sobers the next moment, raising her eyebrows. "I heard a little about them from looking through ARMS' library," she adds as she sits up a little. "Elementally-focused, right? So you can get Seraphs of Fire, or Water, or-- I guess probably more esoteric one, maybe? I wasn't quite sure how that related to the Guardians. Kinda feels like there's some overlap there, but also-- definitely not, as far as I can tell," she muses to herself, her voice back in that quiet tone of the reporter trying to figure out a puzzle.
"Still-- you were fighting one?" she adds, a little sheepish that she doesn't really remember anything from that battle except her opponent and the sheer irritation she projected in Vinsfeld's direction. "I mean, uh, I wasn't exactly paying attention, but I was kind of hoping you wouldn't have to go up against your own or anything. At least, not right off the bat," she adds as she makes a face.
To distract herself, she puffs up and reaches to one side, for a covered bag of sweeter treats she picked up from the market that morning for this trip; little sweet-bean pastries in the shape of shoopufs. This is very definitely a case of having dessert before you've eaten all your vegetables, but she's quick to offer one to Kamui and then to Clarine as well. A culinary pact...
<Pose Tracker> Kamui has posed.
"Okay," Kamui doesn't belabour the point further, because she trusts Clarine. "I'm still also trying to remember... or find... what I want, from my waking up. So we'll work on it together."
And with that, it's case closed as she noms on one of the sweet bean buns in deference to Acacia, blinking as Clarine points out the person she was fighting.
"... Kamui was so distracted fighting that lady with the gun ... it was hard to keep an eye on everyone."
She looks a bit sad at that, but... then Acacia speaks up.
Kamui looks so impressed, with the way her eyes dazzle. It must all be true, right? She's just imagining Acacia as an 18-foot turtle monster now, causing the Guild Galad citizens to run in concern. W-wait, when did her imagination shift from an ace reporter to a kaiju monster?
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Clarine has posed.
"Yes...together." Clarine agrees with a nod toward Kamui. Together - that was the important thing.
Important too, for different reasons, is Acacia's comments about her Guild Galad days.
"Amazing...!" Clarine murmurs. It seems like Acacia has found herself a fan...though Clarine already was fond of her.
The topic turns toward the Seraphim, then, and Clarine nods.
"Yes, that is correct. Our elemental affinity is typically determined by the Earthpulse from which we were born - fire, water, earth, wind, lightning, ice, darkness...and light!" She explains. "I am...afraid I do not know much about the Guardians, however. I have heard of them, but..."
But she hadn't really had much time to look into them. Still...Clarine's expression falls a little as Acacia comments on her fight.
"Yes...I had hoped that...I wouldn't have to fight her again so soon. But...she chose her path, and I chose mine..." She murmurs.
Fortunately, Acacia has the perfect distraction. Clarine's eyes sparkle as the reporter passes out sweet-bean pastries in the shape of shoopufs. Clarine might not have much interest in human foods, but human foods in adorable shapes?
That was something she could do.
"Ah, such a pleasing shape...!" She murmurs, nibbling at the pastry out of respect for the baker - and, of course, for the noble shoopuf.
It would seem the pact has been sealed.
<Pose Tracker> Acacia Saitani has posed.
A frown flickers across the reporter's face. "We should probably assume that's how they're going to come after us from now on. The bigger a group they bring, the more they can split us apart," she considers, not quite savvy enough to realize that less opponents means less HP in this universe. "I guess we get around it by buddying up wherever we can. Old fashioned ways work best, I suppose."
She pauses, and folds her arms in a kind of bashful fashion. "It's not that impressive, really. You can only romanticize it so far before you have to admit you're basically hounding people. Which is fine, if it's a bad guy--" and she totally used that terminology for Kamui's sake, "--but sometimes, figuring out whether they are or not is pretty hard."
She hesitates, and her eyes narrow towards the degree to which Kamui is dazzling. Some kind of sixth sense is telling her that the Reploid's thought patterns have shifted across towars Acacizilla. ... oh well. She can reward that with Shoopuf Number Two. "... you did good anyways. We all got out of there safely, didn't we?" she reminds the Reploid with a wry smile.
When Clarine admits the Seraphs have nothing to do with the Guardians, the reporter doesn't exactly look surprised. "Yeah... I kinda figured as much. Jeez, I always thought we had enough religions and spiritual beings on Filgaia, let alone a whole new religious or two on Spira," she gripes, but there's not exactly any teeth to the comment, especially not when she watches Clarine as she deflates.
"... well, sometimes that happens," she says carefully after a moment. "One friend goes one way, one friend goes another. Still, I've heard enough tales of people reconnecting eventually." A wrinkle of her nose, and she quietly wishes she were better at this. "Okay, 'eventually' might be a bit different in your case, I guess, but..."
<Pose Tracker> Kamui has posed.
Kamui actually looks a little nonplussed and confused as Clarine starts explaining the eight elements to her. "T-this is hard... Fire, Water..." She fishes her notepad out and starts jotting them down. "So Lunar uses a different notation of elements... I guess the days of Heat, Aqua, Elec and Wood are gone..."
Let's hope she doesn't cause an element revolution and bring back the Cursor and Sword elements...
But...
"Light brings sunbathing, and Clarine is a Light element, so that's my favorite one," Kamui says, totally biased.
She flops back gently as she tilts her head. "I'm still not sure... about all of the fighting... ...but I'll do my best, like Clarine is, Master."
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Clarine has posed.
"I am alright with that. I am at my best when I am supporting another - that is where my specialty lies..." Clarine replies, and then considers Acacia's words, nodding quietly.
"...I believe in you." She says, leaving it at that.
But then, there's the matter of religions on Filgaia. Clarine looks a little surprised when it's brought up.
"Y-you mean there are more...? Filgaia is certainly a diverse place..." She comments. Maybe she'd have to look into it later...
...But right now, though, Kamui says that Light is her favorite and Clarine beams(literally), pleased by this. She is, of course, also biased.
"Mm...yes. That is correct. I believe - no, I know - it to be true..." She replies with a nod to Acacia's comment about people reconnecting, even after parting ways. There's a nostalgic smile on her face, of the sort that gives a glimpse into just how old she was.
<Pose Tracker> Acacia Saitani has posed.
"... yeah," Acacia admits after a long pause, sucking in a breath as she does so and running a hand through her hair with a wince. "... to be honest, I'm not really sure either. We're a photographer and a reporter, first and foremost. If we possibly can, we'll fight with words rather than anything else, okay?"
A pause, then in an attempt to keep things light, she adds: "Or really fancy photos, I guess. Point is, you only have to fight-fight if you really feel it's important, okay? Don't let me or anyone else tell you when to. It's your decision," she adds, a firmer note of conviction in her voice as she sums her position up.
Then she hesitates - and puffs out a bashful noise as she gives in to offer a ruffle of the Reploid's hair. "Until then, I reckon lazing in the sun is a-okay."
She glances between the pair; as much as her own mind is ticking over on the matter of Odessa, she can at least recognize it's a pleasant picnic in the sun, and clears her throat as she reaches for her bag. "--anyways," she cuts in, turning her voice brighter as she pulls a Memory Sphere from a side pocket. "Take a look at this. I asked Rin about the Calm Lands, and he had this on hand as an introduction to them. Compared to lightning strikes and underground cities, it looks like you're gonna have a lot of big, wide views and more chances to sunbathe," she encourages, right behind a Chocobo pecks at the 'screen' of the recording curiously.