2019-06-04: Familiar Emotions

Log: Familiar Emotions
Cast: Riesenlied, Kaguya Alathfar, Noeline
Where: Kilika
Date: 4th June 2019
Summary: The Guard makes their move to Kilika Temple, catching Riesenlied and a child in their wake. But saving them is Noeline and Kaguya, who they haven't seen in over a year.

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

What started as a fair day for Riesenlied quickly became... surprising.

It started with the marching sound of armored footsteps through Kilika's square, closer to the jungle -- shouts of "Move!" "Out of the way!" accompany a large cadre of Guards, some of which she'd gotten to know through their days of assisting with Kilika's reparation.

"Mommy, what's going on--" "Shh-- don't step in--"

Several villagers are nudged out of the way, with varying levels of force; it's clear from their march that they're going towards the Temple, through the commonly trodden Jungle pathways.

"Aah!"

Riesenlied's eyes widen further as a small child gets bumped and trips, and begins wailing; with a yelp, the Hyadean pushes herself out of her wheelchair and holds onto her, before faltering as her degenerated legs give way. It's not a walking day for her.

Several guards stop.

"Wait, isn't she the Deceiver? Shouldn't we--" "We're not to bother the Outreach today," answers his comrade. "The White Knight's orders are clear!" "But..." he doesn't sound convinced, gripping his spear a little tighter.

The wheelchair toppled to one side, Riesenlied scoops the child a bit closer to her as she starts wailing. "It--it'll be all right..." she says, looking up with concern at the Guard.

<Pose Tracker> Kaguya Alathfar has posed.

It's not hard at all to hear some of what's going on, really. It's a well-oiled machine of an operation, and in point of fact, a certain Duchess only has one main concern here that might actually require her intervention. Or, well... In theory, anyway. There's a few more things that might come up, that merit a look. And so...

Flanked by two green-tabarded warriors, Kaguya Alathfar walks along the planks of Kilika's platforms. They are not the same as all of the other Guard, naturally--it's not /just/ the Hyland insignias, or the particular color of their tunics, but also the ARMs slung on their persons, not at all out of place in Filgaia even with the armor. One is a woman with brown hair and sharp eyes, the other a lean man who walks rather like a cat might if a cat were human-shaped.

But they aren't obvious at first because Kaguya motions for them to hang on and walks up to the commotion. In point of fact, /this/ is what Riesenlied actually hears and sees:

"Hey," says a familiar voice from behind a soldier, invisible against his wider silhouette. He blinks, and then stiffens as small, gauntleted hands take hold of his waist. "Time for a swim, buddy."

He is unceremoniously yeeted into the water, as the other soldier whirls in shock and then--"Y-your Grace--"

"Go fish him out before he drowns, and remind him that the White Knight's orders are for following. If you have questions or concerns about your orders, report them to your superior officer and we'll be sure to consider them."

She smiles. It's a fangy, toothy smile, and now Kaguya can be seen--short, in light armor and a little strategic plate, with a white tunic and green accents, with gold. She has a pair of butterfly swords in one sheath at her hip, and a lot of... pouches, on her person.

Her soldiers start to walk up after and Kaguya puts a palm to her forehead, sighing. "I heard you were sick, but apparently you /still/ can't stop with the self-sacrificing..."

She walks over and kneels down. "Hey, kiddo. My mom here," she tilts her head to Riesenlied, "Is pretty nice. You don't have to worry about much with her."

Kaguya lifts a hand and makes a gesture, a shift of her fingers that is... pretty arcane in /meaning/, but clear to an observer as a hand signal. Her soldiers look at each other and nod. "Yes, Your Grace," the woman answers, and takes a step to the side, adopting a watchful position. "Guess that means it's my turn," the man answers, and bows. "I'll let them know." He turns, and walks away.

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

Noeline watches from the deck of the Fereshte as the soldiers make their procession through the village, thankful for its relative safety. It's not hard to guess what their intentions are, and why they're marching straight towards the temple - but that doesn't make it any easier to accept, and her mouth is set in a thin, tight line as she rests her hands on the ship's railing.

"... I think we should prepare to depart sooner rather than later," she mutters to the other Tainted next to her, given that several of them have stopped to see what the commotion is about. "We seem to be spared for the moment, but I'd rather not have Leo flush with success and deciding to go for an encore. Are we fully loaded?"

"More or less, ma'am," answers one of them, his damaged and telescoped eyes clicking and whirring as the Hyadean unsuccessfully tries to focus on something closer to himself. "But Miss Riesenlied hasn't made it back to the ship yet. She left to see the children a while ago, right?" he asks the one next to him, setting off a chorus of nods.

About halfway through the sentence, Noeline's grip tightens until the wood creaks - and then she's flung herself forwards over the side, down to the docks below.

* *

It isn't hard to follow the soldier's path, especially not when her heart is stuck in her throat. At the sight of Riesenlied tumbled to the ground, her stomach lurches with fear and anger - and then the source of those feelings is unceremoniously told to get into the sea. Such is her tunnel vision that she doesn't even register Kaguya's presence until she's flown to Riesenlied's side, --

--and when she looks up, the fire in her eyes meets Kaguya's for an instant before recognition wins out. Her eyebrows immediately rocket. "Kaguya," she mutters, stunned, and then shakes it away to look to the pair she's now covering, trusting that their daughter will have their back as she helps Riese sit up. "... are the both of you alright?"

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

Hey. Time for a swim, buddy.

Riesenlied's eyes jut wide open as she cups her mouth with her (draconic) hand, given her good one is around the child as a protective measure; it isn't long before the guard goes flying, and his comrade (who's sweating bullets) stammers, "Y-yes, Lady Alathfar!!" and hurries along.

There's a daze of energy that she can't quite keep up with, but all of that is forgotten as she looks up and--

And sees that it's--

"K-Kaguya..."

It's been a long time. Far too long. They scarce met when last they were on Lunar, and from what Riesenlied heard she didn't come back with them. A lot has happened. As she surmised...

She's diminished even further. The wheelchair paints an easy picture -- she can't even walk under her own power anymore. And from where she's lower than her, it's easy to see the Medium horribly grafted onto the base of her neck, shimmering softly with the faint echo of the Ley... diminished, so far away from Filgaia.

The child looks up with wide eyes. "Woow... you're her mommy? Your daughter's super strong!"

Riesenlied looks up towards Kaguya again as she makes some gestures. She's tearing up. "I guess I can't help myself," she stammers out a joke. "It's-- I'm so glad to see you again, Kaguya," she breathes through deeply emotional tears.

Fortunately, the Ring at her finger shimmers as Noeline immediately approaches following the altercation; she lets out a gasp as she reaches up to her partner in life's arms and gets pulled back up towards her wheelchair, now that it's tipped over correctly again.

It's rather clear how much closer they've gotten too, as she clings to Noeline's fingers tightly for support. Then she breathes out, "J-just a bit of a spill. That was a bit frightening. But we're both okay."

<Pose Tracker> Kaguya Alathfar has posed.

It's been a /very/ long time. Kaguya looks over the Medium, as she can look over Riesenlied now, and the main clue that she's seen it is a little hardening in her jaw, a little pressing inward of a muscle there by her cheek. But it disappears completely when she looks to the child again. "Yup! It's 'cause I ate all my vegetables when I was super little," Kaguya says, "...Though I didn't do everything Mom told me, so I still grew up short." She nods, firmly.

Then, "Guess not. ...It really has been a while, huh? I've been looking around for you, but... No luck, 'til now."

As for Noeline's arrival--Kaguya looks right back into Noeline's eyes in that same instant. She isn't angry--she isn't on edge. She's utterly calm... but there's a /confidence/ there that just wasn't, when she was last on Filgaia, a certainty.

...Also, she's healthier-looking than she was; she's got some color in her cheeks, she's gained some weight, clear just from her face--

Kaguya does in fact have her back. She rises only after Riesenlied does, and then turns for a moment to her subordinate. "Guardsoman," she reports. "...I'm in no danger with these two. I'd like you to escort this girl to her home, and ensure that she makes it to her parents. Then, make your way to the rendezvous point."

The knight bows, hand over the /right/ side of her chest, not the left, and moves towards the girl. But she doesn't make sudden moves--

"She can find you your family--are you willing to go with her? She's one of my good friends."

But for Noeline...

"I'm fine," Kaguya answers. "Well, better than fine by the standards you last saw me. How about I walk you two back to your ship? I don't want anyone else getting the wrong idea about you while things are tense. We can walk and talk."

A beat, "I could take you to /my/ ship instead, but I kinda want to see yours. Are any of the others here?"

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

Noeline is blessed with much better health than many of the Hyadeans, so it's not like she's improved or worsened here on Spira - but past that, some of her own changes are very similar to Kaguya's. She doesn't wear the ridiculously overblown dresses anymore, and instead prefers something lighter and simpler - today it's a dress-like robe that borrows from the style of the Fereshte robes that Riesenlied wears, chic but not over the top. Her hair is no longer in its large twintails, instead left free to fall around her shoulders.

The whole aura around her suggests that she's a lot more at ease with herself, no longer trying to show off or embellish every second of every day - and more filled with concern and care for Riesenlied than ever before, the sensation practically flowing off her in waves as he helps her partner back into the wheelchair.

She studies Riesenlied for a moment before all but sagging in relief, leaning in for a precious few seconds to place her forehead against her beloved's, letting the frenetic feeling in her chest slowly dissipate in relief. "... I'm glad," she says simply, eyes closed.

Some things don't change so easily, though. When she straightens up it's in the manner of a cat who's just been caught doing something embarrassing; she puffs out a breath, then moves to the handles of the wheelchair as she watches Kaguya marshal her forces. (The fact that Kaguya is marshalling the /Guard/ as they begin to occupy Kilika is something she needs to process in her own time, and later.)

"... 'the others' and then some," she chuckles softly as she gently turns Riesenlied in the direction of the Fereshte. "We have a large number of the Azadians on board, for a start, and most of the Outreach with us as well. Coming to Spira was about the only time that the Fereshte /didn't/ choose to tear itself apart," she grouses good-naturedly.

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

The little girl's eyes grow wider as she says, "W-wow... I'll eat all my vegetables when I grow up! So I can throw people into a nearby lake!" She might have her dreams a little dashed by the realisation when she grows older.

Then again, Kilika is a village where a child wants to be a Blitzball when he grows up. The children of Kilika dare to dream big, clearly.

She nods at the guardswoman and holds her hand up gently, saying, "O-okay. See you later, Miss Riesey. Thanks for today...!"

'Riesey'?

Kaguya's health is the first thing that Riesenlied notices about her; where the black machinations of Alhazred (and, without her knowing, Krelian, indirectly) and her own overexertion have drained her... Kaguya looks healthier than ever, and it makes her happy to see her daughter thriving.

Riesenlied gets time to breathe easier with Noeline around her, and it's not until after she's securely back in her seat and having waved the girl goodbye that she pauses...

"Are you with Althena's Guard now, Kaguya?" Riesenlied asks. Last she heard of, Kaguya'd become a noble in Glenwood. "But-- yes, I think it might be wise for us to return until..."

A pause, as she tilts her head. "Until tempers cease. I assume this has something to do with Maester Mika's declaration over the Sphere...?"

She nods and smiles a bit warmer to Noeline, as she starts moving her in the direction of the Fereshte. The big Dragon-headed ship that's been seen a lot around the area. "The Azadians have been an inspiration. They've been pushing forward a lot of the repairs... they feel really strongly about another settlement coming to the same kind of harm their town did."

<Pose Tracker> Kaguya Alathfar has posed.

"Mm-hm!" Kaguya agrees with the girl's goal, smiling at her. It doesn't even seem scary or unpleasant, somehow. And hey--there are plenty of non-Veruni who become strong and powerful, so maybe...

The woman in the green tunic extends her left hand--keeping her weapon hand free--to the girl, and takes the girl's in hers gently. "As you will," she says to her leader, and starts off. If anything she looks a little fond, despite the circumstances.

'Riesey', Kaguya mouths, at the same time the guard looks a little amused before she goes.

Managing to catch /Noeline/ in that look is a little reversal for the younger warrior, though. She grins. "That so?" Kaguya answers. "Nice that you got them out. That place was /boned/," she declares, with her characteristic delicary. "But hmmm good to know. Careful with it--None of the /official/ brass are likely to try to take it from you, but some ambitious upstart might get other ideas about an airship."

When they start to turn, and the girl is gone, Kaguya walks along, keeping pace with the chair easily. "Ish," she answers about the Guard. "I mean I am literally /with/ them, but I'm not officially a member. When Althena called the crusade on Sin, though, all able-bodied warriors of Hyland and Rolance both were obligated to join in, so I'm here commanding troops under Leo for Goddess and country and so on." Beat, "After my role in the war they made me a Duchess, see. I have a castle and everything, you guys should visit when you get a chance. Assuming you don't get Double Heresied I can even let you set up a local HQ to manage affairs in the Glenwood region if you want to expand your operation."

"...Yeah though that's pretty much it. I mean, frankly, most of the Chosen--that's what the non-military wing likes to call themselves anyway--have been looking for an excuse to fight the 'creepy heathens', but they're real pissed about Ghaleon. I mean, I dunno why, it's well-known that he was dead in the first place, so Althena could just bring him back again even if he /did/ really die, but you know, humans," she says, then--"Oh, yeah. I don't make loud that I'm what I am. For the record."

Kaguya looks up at the Fereshte and smiles, then. "...That's really inspiring," Kaguya agrees. "It's part of what I want in Hyland, you know? To show, under observable conditions, what humans are capable of. Don't go spreading it around... But that's part of my plan. I think we can arrive at a better solution than war if we think about what works to our advantage instead of just what gets on our nerves."

"...Speaking of things that get on my nerves," Kaguya says, "I heard a little about what happened to you. Tell me--I heard the Quarter Knight you ganked. That's fine. ...Did the Guardian who owns that Medium bother asking if you wanted to be stuck with it? Does it hurt, do you want me to try to get it out, can I do... something?"

She puts on a softer look. "I know it's hard to tell because I'm so cool, and awesome now, and obviously too good at everything to have soft fuzzy feelings, but I'm worried about you, you know? You wanted me to be family even when all you know of me was that I was some sick brat from another world, when I wasn't ready to deal with my other family at all. ...That still matters."

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

"... Leo's response to the declaration, I gather," mutters Noeline in answer to Riesenlied's question, her voice a little sour as she glances back towards Kilika for an instant. It doesn't take much in the way of guile to read the disapproval on her face, nor the quiet relief that flickers across her features when Kaguya couches her own knowledge of the incident in fairly disapproving terms.

"Honestly, that man chooses the worst of times to be a hothead. Is this kind of action even sustainable?" she mutters under her breath. "All you need is one visit from Sin and your entire supply line is quite literally underwater." Still, her brow furrows - there's something faintly personal in her annoyance, as someone who traipsed across the world to live amongst it rather than occupy it at the drop of a hat.

"They are welcome to /try/ to take it," she puffs up at Kaguya, setting her worries aside to offer a light grin. "But so far as anyone knows, it is just an average seaship that happens to be staffed by otherworlders. Keeping it afloat has given us a way to provide assistance to Kilika and Luca without much fuss."

She pauses, maneuvering Riese's chair carefully around a clump of stones. "It had better be a very good castle. I have a very strict marking scheme," she puffs - but she looks quietly proud as well, and lets out another, softer breath. "... you look well. Lunar has obviously been good to you. ... it's a relief to see you," she admits.

Her hand steals to Riesenlied's shoulder as the matter of the Medium comes up. Alhazred's fate, as much as she might happily accept it, is still a point of guilt for Riesenlied - and the rest of their experiences in the Photosphere are not easily forgotten.

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

"... it was a devastating outcome for Azado," Riesenlied agrees in a -- more gentle way. (Inwardsly she's wondering what something being boned means but she has enough empathic sense she's going to get set up for a major tease if she asks.) "A lot of Drifters were present to help save the townsfolk by going underground, but even Solaris couldn't muster enough force against Sin."

But her eyes widen further as she listens to Kaguya's path to power -- being a Duchess, getting a castle... "Wow..." Riesenlied looks pretty pleased. "A Duchess, with her own castle! I knew a lot has happened since we went away, but you've really made a name for yourself..."

She's not even sure how she'd fare in a castle like Kaguya's. Being Siegfried's daughter may well have been the closest brush she's had to being "royalty", but their relationship wasn't exactly like a runaway rebellious princess stereotype...

... well, okay, that's exactly what it is. But noble life never factored into it!

"If we return to Meribia again, rebuilding Azado would be high on our priorities..." Riesenlied muses. "But it'd really help to have a place to help the logistics, and I wouldn't mind spending more time with you, so... thank you, Kaguya."

She listens to Kaguya's insight about the Chosen, and how this has been broiling for a bit -- as well as Ghaleon's death being the tipping point. Mika's announcement was salt on the wound, and as ill-advised as it is... though--

"Wait-- Ghaleon was... dead?" Riesenlied sounds like she genuinely didn't know about that part. "He was resurrected? I genuinely didn't know about that... but I suppose it's not surprising that is within Althena's means."

Listening to Kaguya admit that she wants to see what humans are capable of, arriving at a better solution than war... that warms her heart very much, as she looks to the Fereshte. But then she brings up the past--

Riesenlied quiets down and lowers her head a little. "Ah--"

She looks at Noeline, squeezing her hand tighter as she reaches back where she she's put her hand out forward to her shoulder. "We came back to Fereshte Village in Elru after I realised I'd-- suppressed memories of the Medium there, in my grief..."

There's a pause as she tries working through the whole story without getting her head swimming so much. "The Medium was curiously still rejecting me... but then Alhazred-- Alhazred found out. He... he kidnapped me, and..."

She lowers her head.

"He injected some kind of agent in me to manipulate me, to force the Medium into my body. But Noeline and everyone else saved me. Their voices and bonds reached me..."

There's a deeper breath, as she works through that memory of the battle.

"But as for Odoryuk and I... I'm not sure. I'm not sure where my relation to the Ley lies yet. It hurts, it burns... but I can't just shy away from that role. There's... a lot to work out, and it's complicated, I suppose."

<Pose Tracker> Kaguya Alathfar has posed.

"Unfortunately," Kaguya says, "I think it was inevitable anyway. Ghaleon was the one keeping the lid on the pot. Leo will strike out at Yevon and consider himself righteous for doing it. Though..." She waves a hand, vaguely. "Apparently they do trap the souls of the dead to summon forth for power, so, you know. Most religious types frown on that kind of thing." She pauses, shakes her head. "But, it's as you say. It's risky--it's like waging a war on an active volcano, except the volcano can fly and doesn't like you."

Riesenlied is indeed much gentler about it. "Honestly, I don't think there's a force on Filgaia /or/ Lunar that could repel Sin in a surprise attack without knowing anything up-front--definitely not without a significant cost. Even your people or mine aren't prepared for that out of the blue. You're all real lucky you found that ruin."

Kaguya of course seems to be pretty informed.

"Ha," Kaguya answers Noeline, "That's fair. Good thinking, hiding in plain sight. It'd be... inconvenient, to have to untangle that mess. Besides, the way I see it... You guys are gonna have a lot to do, and it's in all of our best interest to let you do it. But as far as I'm concerned, this whole holy war is a distraction."

"...Though," she says, looking to watch over the docks towards the island proper, "...For most of them I think it's the real reason they're here. Especially now."

She shakes her head. "But thanks," she says with a smile, and laughs. "Don't worry. The curtains are the nicest fabric I could find and the maids are outfitted in plenty of lace. By now the gardens are in another bloom, showing off flowers that have never been seen on this moon before. ...It's a different color each month, planned, based on the local soil conditions and the expected behavior of the flowers. Right now... Should be the karadas, violet with radiating round petals and a brilliant ring of yellow stalks in the center."

She's a little wistful, strangely, as she thinks of it. But, "...Lunar doesn't affect me as strongly as Filgaia. I've been able to recover a lot of my strength--no... I'm /stronger/ than I ever was. But the disease isn't gone. Not yet."

She nods to Riesenlied next. "You're welcome. I figure you'll still move around, but it could be the start of some permanent facilities places, the first in a set of them so that you can recruit, go farther than even what you can do now. Something to think about."

"Oh, yeah. He's some ancient hero from a thousand years ago. Super powerful, too. ...Funny guy. Great sense of humor. Little of an asshole but I mean that's kinda his charm point, you know?" Pause. "I mean, /other/ than being just, staggeringly pretty. It makes me wonder why the human men even bother sometimes."

But... the explanation. Kaguya, of course, was not there--she couldn't know Riesenlied's feelings... but the way she watches her, gentle but intent, suggests it doesn't come out of left field, either. Her jaw sets again, as she thinks about it. "...They say they're here for you, but their Mediums say otherwise, huh? Some 'chance.'" In case someone forgot Kaguya doesn't like the Guardians, it's definitely still the case. But--

"I'm glad they reached you," Kaguya says, looking between the two, "But... Well, I don't like it. It looks raw, it looks like it /hurts/, and you're only getting sicker it seems like. You say it hurts and burns..."

"You /can/ shy away from it, you know," Kaguya says, pausing in place for the moment, speaking seriously. "If you choose not to, for your past, or whatever, that's one thing--but you /can/. You don't /owe/ them your pain and suffering. If anything, given how much you helped their planet, they should be paying /you/ back. So their 'Ley' can eat my a--" She pauses. She reconsiders the phrase.

"...Well," she says instead, "Point is--/I/ could probably take it out. So if you ever get tired of suffering for a bunch of old washouts that don't care about their humans any more than they care about you or me... Just let me know."

She starts off again, scowling for a moment as she breathes in, seeming to be attempting to calm down.

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

Noeline glances towards Riesenlied with her eyebrows up high, then back to Kaguya as she stifles an amused laugh. "... to be honest, and with all the respect and affection I can muster, I can't quite imagine you living the Duchess life in full," she rather drawls, grinning wide enough to show her fangs. "Not that you don't look like you've taken to it - but I can't quite picture you getting waited on when you could just do something yourself, and I'm willing to bet there's no way on this or any other planet that you left your flowers to a team of gardeners. Still, we will happily visit. It's been too long."

It's a much lighter topic than the soldiers currently encroaching on Kilika, and she's a little reticent to go back to the point - and ends up sighing quietly to herself as she looks in the direction of the temple. "... just do what you can to remind your own troops that 'staying alive' is a hell of a better goal than anything else," she puffs out a breath. "Look out for them. In a situation like this, that's the best you can do. Not that I think I need to tell you that, after everything," she adds with a quieter, slightly rueful chuckle.

She digests the information about Ghaleon quietly, filing it away at the back of her mind as she continues to wheel Riesenlied along - and it's only when Kaguya brings up the Ley that she allows herself an unguarded moment, closing her eyes as she lets out a shaky sigh. By now, her worry over Riesenlied's continued deterioration is no secret, and nor is the way it affects her in turn. Increasingly, she's been trying to take on the more physical aspects of looking after the Outreach, together with encouraging Riesenlied into the physical therapy needed to build up her strength. Still... she couldn't, wouldn't ever take that connection away from her partner, knowing what it means to her.

"I understand why you're angry. And I appreciate your support," she adds, her smile warm and wan. She could talk about what the Guardians have done for her - how they helped her reach Riesenlied when things were most critical - but she's aware how easily that could come off as boasting. Instead, she huffs out a quiet breath, and offers something gentler. "... you'd be the first we'd ask."

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

Riesenlied nods quietly on the topic of Azado; there isn't much to speak of there, only quiet gratefulness to the stroke of luck they found that the Elw Ruins were down there. But...

"I can't call myself a scholar of Spira. But I struggled a lot with the Pyreflies you see around us... they are like -- recepticles of souls, calling out to me with fervent emotion," Riesenlied admits. "... it is just a theory, but it feels so ingrained into the land that I think it predates Yevon."

Not that she'd care to bring that up to a Yevonite; she can't really operate on just a hunch, but the Farplane and the ecosystem of the dead feels far more ancient... much like so many mysteries on Filgaia.

Riesenlied's flushing a little at the descriptions of her castle, though she gets distracted by the gardens as she whispers, "Wow... I want to see that. And maybe--" Her cheeks get a bit redder. She looks to Noeline and her grin, smiling wider. "Spend a bit of time as a family there, maybe with a picnic?" She delicately chuckles a bit. "Lunar's been kind to you, and I am thankful to it." Riesenlied would be the type to say 'thank you' to planets, wouldn't she?

Kaguya still has unresolved feelings for the Guardians (and that's putting it mildly), but... Riesenlied understands. Though as she speaks of how she gets sicker, and it looks raw and she knows herself that it's painful and burns...

"... I..."

Riesenlied hesitates as she points out she can step away from it.

She's heard -- and even thought -- of things like that before. Having Noeline scoop her away and spirit her into the night, to live somewhere peaceful, just the two of them. Away from all this. In her sickest, most feverish moments, she's entertained such romantic fancy--

"I... I'm grateful. And-- and impressed," Riesenlied stammers, tears forming to her eyes. "The knowledge and-- and accomplishments you've done, I couldn't be more proud of you. But... but--"

Riesenlied tears up into a choking sob for a moment, even if she maintains that smile on her face.

"I know that Odoryuk is in a lot of pain too. We both are. What happened that day in that village... it's something we're trying to bridge together, slowly. ... so..."

She swallows, smiling a bit wider towards Noeline, then back to Kaguya. "Forgive this bad habit of your mother's. ... but I've learnt too. A very dear person to me told me to look after myself, lest I leave people with nothing but memories to protect themselves with."

She swallows a bit harder. Noeline's own moment filtrates onto her, by the power of their rings. She knows it's difficult for her partner too. So...

"So you'll be the first person I -- /we/ -- will ask, Kaguya, if the danger posed becomes a crisis. I promise."

<Pose Tracker> Kaguya Alathfar has posed.

Kaguya laughs, and it's a pretty easygoing sound. "Hey, some of the waiting-on is nice. Nobody looks as stupid putting on armor when you've got somebody whose job it is to make it look nice. ...But you're sure right about the flowers. I mean, I'm /training/ the gardeners, so they should know enough to care for them while I'm away, and after--but c'mon, right?"

A beat, "I'll have you as official guests when you do. A picnic sounds nice, even. We've got some spaces on the grounds i think you'd like." She pauses, and inclines her head. "...Yeah. Lunar's a good place. I'm fond of it."

"Yeah," Kaguya agrees. "You don't. ...But, I'm cool with you saying it anyway. I think people /should/ be thinking of them. Yeah, I'm using them for my goals--that's the deal we've got going, and out of it, they get glory, riches, adventure, whatever. ...But you don't waste what's in your care, and in this case, that's their lives. ...And anybody who messes with them, well. They'll find I don't feel the need to leave everything to the rank and file. I plan to make sure as many of them make it home as I can manage."

"...Besides," she admits, "A lot of them are Filgaian. Filgaians are good at surviving."

Kaguya would be disturbed and suspicious if Noeline /weren't/ worrying. Maybe she makes the right call, either way--when she at least acknowledges her anger. Kaguya doesn't answer immediately. She needs... a moment. She needs to steady herself, breathe.

"...But," Kaguya says, "You can't stop caring," Kaguya answers, a little hollow, sad. "Someone else's pain, again." But... Look after herself. To make sure...

"Smart person," Kaguya says, and finally turns back, looking over Riesenlied and her tears, and after a moment, pulling a handkerchief, stepping forward and extending it to Riesenlied for her tears. "...What else can I do?" she asks. "My only other option is to force you to do what I think you should, and I don't think you'd let me without hurting you badly. So I'll have to trust that you understand, that you're not going to take yourself too far, more than you can handle."

"...But," Kaguya says. "I'm glad you say I'm the first. Since, I don't think anyone else is equipped to do it without killing you, looking at that, assuming what he must've done. /But/," she says.

"You have to balance, as a leader--who you care about, everyone's needs. Your family, those in your command, those you care about. I /get/ that. I do. So, all I'll say is... I have one fact, for your balance sheet."

Kaguya rises, looks up, finding the Blue Star with her eyes again.

"...Odoryuk had /better/ value you. Because if a Guardian's pain is what kills you? Then I'm going to invent new /levels/ of pain to show them." Her fingers curl, her jaw sets. And then she sighs, breathing out, calming. "...But if that /doesn't/ happen, says, not quite brightly but closer, "Then hey, great. I've been rethinking my position a little. There's more facts I need to gather. There's things that don't add up... And, things that might make it less their fault, all this."

"Just keep it in mind. Your word for mine. So we understand each other."