2019-07-22: Not Just a Food Review

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<Pose Tracker> Yue Rohay has posed.

Our scene today takes place in one of Luca's many docks where Yue's arranged for a meet and greet with Kaguya; she got her name, indirectly, from Amaterasu and figured that it'd be worth chatting with one of the architects of the whole plan regarding the Guard Golems and the invasions and... well, it's also further out from town and they'd be accosted less by the understandably angry Lucans whose town has been occupied.

Yue has brought Acacia here.

Into an occupied city under what should be enemy territory for the poor reporter.

How did this happen??

A SHORT WHILE AGO

Yue improbably lands on a high windowsill looking into Acacia's open inn room where she is, no doubt, doing a combination of reporting, writing, looking after The Mui, and other such cute things.

"I recall, Lady Acacia," Yue speaks abruptly, with that mild little smirk on her face, "You said you reported the truth. How about I bring you closer to that goal today?"

And without even waiting to be prompted, Yue reaches forward and just *yoinks* Acacia out through her window and into the air!

"Let us away! You will enjoy this exclusive interview I have set up. We may not even die from it, if the world wills it."

NOW

"See?" Yue muses pleasantly. "We have not been shot at so far. I count this as a wonderful success. Lady Alathfar and others in her entourage will be about shortly. It will be a fun learning experience."

Of course, it isn't as if the Guard's been told to vacate the docks so it wouldn't be terribly uncommon to see other folks about like the Black Pearl herself...

<Pose Tracker> Acacia Saitani has posed.

A SHORT WHILE AGO

"Wh-- whaaaaat...??" dopplers off into the distance as our intrepid reporter is Yuebucted. The nerve of the Veruni striking immediately after dinner goes a long way to explaining the round-faced Reploid dozing off in the corner.

NOW

"Yeah, but it's the 'so far' that I'm worried about," Acacia mutters under her breath in return. "Does your Minder even know you're taking a trip like this?" It's kind of a pointless question as she sees it, because she can just imagine the girl's idea of stealth being about as subtle as a brick.

For all the grousing she's done on the way, though, Acacia is... actually holding up pretty well. This clearly isn't her first attempt at sidling her way to somewhere she's not supposed to be; rather than hunched over and suspicious, she's walking at Yue's side as if it's perfectly natural for her to be here. Her hands are nonchalantly in her pockets, but close enough to her stashed pistol should she need it - and while she's cautious enough to watch alleyways and shadows, she does so only by flicking her eyes towards them without turning her head.

"Anyway, if this is an exclusive interview with one of the leaders of this army, why all the sneaking in?" she adds, her mind already working. The idea of a Althenan noble wanting to come clean on events... ... probably doesn't exist, she admits to herself, which leaves her rather curious as to why she's here. And if there's one thing she's beholden to...

"Well," she adds as she fishes in her pocket for her notepad. "Only one way to find out, I suppose." Kaguya Alathfar looked at you.

<Pose Tracker> Kaguya Alathfar has posed.

Clean is relative! Metaphorically, but also physically. This is sometimes important. Right /now/?

The bright side is that the average Guard member has no way to tell apart Yevonites and Althenans and other, unrelated Otherworlders by sight. Even clothing style isn't exactly a guarantee. As long as she's not too suspicious...

"Here's the one, Your Grace," comes a voice at the top of a bridge that moves towards one of the Guard's ships; it belongs to a woman in a green tabard and light armor--/unusual/ looking armor compared to much of the Guard, actually. She might be in her thirties, with the scars of a military career and the confidence of someone well-paid. Beside her, and visible as they walk down is--

A very short young woman with blonde hair, pointed ears, and a sheath that if one looks closely they will note contains not one but /two/ butterfly swords, broad-bladed weapons often carried together in this manner. They nearly look like the one weapon.

Also she has a towel in her hands that she's using to wipe off some dark substance and hand to the maid at her side, who with a smile hands it to one of the sailors working on the ship.

He sort of blinks at it but she's gone before he can /do/ anything about it.

The trio step off the plank and turn towards the others to see--

"Oh, man," Kaguya Alathfar starts, "/Is/ it you? Ha--"

Pause. She glances to the other sailors, to Acacia. "I mean. You know. Horrible criminal. Very bad. Super terrible." She doesn't sound... even slightly convincing.

Her initial smile at Yue--she definitely thinks she's cool--disappears as if it were never there, and Kaguya steps up towards her and Acacia both. She is... well, she's dressed in the /style/ of nobility, but without most of the fancy accoutrements at the moment. She had been busy.

The Duchess Alathfar stops a conversational distance away, offering a light (and shallow; rank and all) bow of greeting in a style that one wouldn't /expect/ from... a teenage girl? Maybe a little older?

"I take it you're my visitors. Protocol suggests I'd have them introduce me," her soldier and her maid both nod in greeting here, "But you know who I am already or you wouldn't be here." She considers, eyeing Yue. "What /have/ you told this..."

She considers. "Man, you look /rough/. Have you even slept like, this /month/?"

<Pose Tracker> Yue Rohay has posed.

Yue looks towards the nearby ship, as a woman in a green tabard and armour announces 'Your Grace'. Hmm. Well, to the untrained eye the armour is a giveaway to her, but Yue's someone with a bit of an unusual perspective to be sure. There's a wider smile as the blonde woman with the two butterfly swords arrive, along with her attendant.

"Indeed. Such scurriliousness. What has the world come to...?" Yue whispers.

She smirks just a bit wider as she looks towards Acacia and looks towards the soldier and maid, and then as if taking the part of a maid herself:

"Presenting the Esteemed Lady Acacia Saitani, Head Reporter of the Meria Bouletin, of whose respectable publication has been spherematically present within Rin's Travel Agency network."

There is a bow as she steps aside.

It looks kind of awkward because she has her enormous shackles around her elbow and arms. Just like on TV.

Kaguya asks her what she's told her. There's just as big a smirk as before.

"Why, I told her nothing save that if she wished to report the truth beyond her passion piece, this would be a worthwhile venture. It would not be anywhere near as exciting if I addressed her ahead of time."

<Pose Tracker> Acacia Saitani has posed.

"--yeah, funny thing," Acacia shoots back immediately in an utter deadpan, all of her caution washed away in the moment by the sheer force of her grump. "Some kind of army dropped in on things, and ever since then it's been kind of hard to sleep." A pause, and she collects herself... if only slightly, because now she's indicating Yue. "Besides, shouldn't you be saying that to her?"

Still, she doesn't miss the way that Kaguya reacts to Yue - at least, that's her assumption, given she's pretty damn sure she'd never met the noble lady headed towards them. It'd make sense; Yue had to have some kind of leverage to set this meeting up, right? But that does leave the question of how they met, when one of them's a prisoner. A line of thought starts to trickle together...

... and then is lost utterly as the redhead stares in disbelief at Yue's introduction for her, her cheeks briefly the same colour as her hair. "What're you /doing/?!" she hisses, before realizing she's kind of left staring down the headlights, and pulls herself together in record time - so long as you don't count the pen she's using to scratch at her hair as she winces and tries to get her bearings.

"You're-- Duchess Alathfar, ma'am. Sorry, I didn't exactly have a lot of time to prepare," she adds with a glum look towards Yue that includes some rather puffed-out cheeks, before she takes a deep breath and does her best to tamp down her worries. "For the record, I should probably say I'm Filgaia-born. So as far as Althena versus Yevon, I'm something of a neutral party."

... ... ... a neutral party who put out a rather critical article on Mauri's actions, though. As white lies go, it's a rather flimsy one.

<Pose Tracker> Kaguya Alathfar has posed.

Kaguya laughs at Acacia's answer. It's hard to tell if it's mocking laughter or if it's genuine appreciation or both, but she grins a moment later. "Her I expect to look terrible. But you know, I like you! A lot of people would think twice before saying something like that to me."

Kaguya nods thoughtfully to the introduction, looking between Yue and Acacia for the moment. "Well! It's lovely to make your acquaintance."

Kaguya basically /lives/ on awkwardness, so the bow doesn't bug her. Instead, she grins a little harder at Yue's explanation. There's some secrets involved, sure, but--Kaguya can /appreciate/ a good gamble. And besides--

"Ahahah, that's a /great/ shade of red," Kaguya declares. Then, when Acacia composes herself, Kaguya inclines her head, listens for a moment. For the record...

"Captain" Kaguya says. "Secure the area for me. We're in no danger from these two, but I don't want to be interrupted." A beat, "Mavia, would you bring our guest a crate?"

"The style is 'Your Grace', for those who like to suck up to nobility. If you're looking for 'truth', then you can call me Kaguya. And..."

She grins again, turning back to fully face Acacia and Yue as her soldier and servant both scurry about. Acacia will soon have a seat available to her. But first--

"Presumably you're from Meria Boule, unless there's a really awkward coincidence in the wings. I dunno that I'd call you /neutral/ necessarily, though. Saw the report."

"Buuut, I'm sure you'd be reporting just as much if it were Yevon doing the attacking, right? I can spare some time for you anyway. But don't be too loud about the 'neutral' thing. There are some who'd say that in matters of the Goddess, there /is/ no neutrality. Obviously I'm not going to argue with them."

Kaguya stretches a little--and Yue may recognize, as might Acacia, that there's a small object at her ear that /isn't/ an earring that she happens to tap. Easy to miss, for most, and not /quite/ in the usual style of Veruni communication equipment.

<Pose Tracker> Yue Rohay has posed.

Yue has a quiet smirk of approval at Acacia's response, perhaps knowing that Kaguya's demeanor is one she'll eventually get on with like a fire. And like a fire, it'll have its own share of things consumed in its path, but nonetheless it roars onward for better or worse.

"Milady has a very wonderful blush," Yue responds with all too confident an assessment. "'Tis one of the wonders I strive for."

She arcs an eyebrow at Acacia's fuller introduction, chuckling for a moment at her statement as a neutral party. And as Kaguya mentions that's not quite how she read it.

Yue doesn't quite take a seat, because that's /Acacia's/ crate. It would be crass of a maidservant to sit upon their mistress' crate.

It's not terribly a bother for her either that Kaguya has a comm earpiece; she expects it, and it's not like she wants to walk away from this with a gag order.

"The Goddess, hmm....? You must mean the Lunarian mainland's Goddess, Althena? I had only scarce begun to read up on the faith."

<Pose Tracker> Acacia Saitani has posed.

"I'm good at thinking twice," Acacia admits, her brow slightly furrowed. But bravado's all she's really got in this situation, and she's prepared to lean on it if need be. "But I'm pretty good at shooting my mouth off and complaining without thinking about it, too."

When she's teased from both directions, she furrows her brow - and can't meet anyone's eyes for a moment as she glowers towards Yue. "Uh-huh. Since when did I become responsible for you, anyways? Last I heard, that position's already filled," she grumbles, softer this time around. It's a certain relief to have the Veruni at her side, even as mysterious and cattish as she tends to be.

She's already had plenty of time to get used to the idea of someone seemingly her age actually turning out to be older, wiser, and more carefree and annoying than she ever would have expected. Kamui's rare moments of clarity, Marivel, Yue-- and now the short girl in front of her, cementing the impression she's getting as to Kaguya's identity.

She knows better than to voice it outright straight away; besides, it feels kind of crass to do something like that when she's being taken in confidence..

Instead, she leans against the side of the crate, frowning as she folds her arms - and visibly stiffening a little when the topic of her prior reporting is brought up, a little taut as if ready to bolt. "Guild Galad originally," she admits, trying to pick out Kaguya's reaction. "I think I like Meria Boule better, though. Less smoke and soot, fresher food."

She draws a breath in, then lets it out, as much to calm herself as to stall slightly for time. "Same here," the reporter admits towards Yue. "I heard a collection of Drifters got taken to Lunar at some point in the past, but only after we were taken here. And Yevon doesn't exactly have a whole lot of information on her, for obvious reasons."

She looks back to Kaguya, weighing her options. "I get your point," she decides eventually, her lips thin. "And I know that war is war, and it's not like there's 'good' or bad'. But the behaviour of the Four Heroes..." she trails off. Mauri's hatred is going to stick in her mind for a while.

Hopefully that doesn't get her beat up, she whispers to herself, and then huffs. "About that, though-- what's the goal here? Are Althenan forces aiming for outright dominion, or an apology, or what?" Wait, that begs another question. "What kind of logistics do you even /have/?"

<Pose Tracker> Kaguya Alathfar has posed.

"I'd rather get your real thoughts anyway--not the ones you're pretty sure aren't going to get on my nerves. People who walk too much on eggshells bore me, as a rule. That's not a /crime/, obviously--but boredom doesn't make me want to talk."

The interactions between Acacia and Yue are clearly rich with /some/ kind of relationship, whatever it is. But there's good reason to be glad of Yue's presence; she functions here as something of an endorsement /herself/. "Definitely noted."

Rather than directly voice more mystery for the /moment/, though, Kaguya listens along to both. Leaning on the crate is apparently good enough. Kaguya starts with Yue's question, "Right. Althena--the teachings say that she turned Lunar into the paradise that it is today, saving many from devastation. She's currently residing in Pentagulia, where she awaits results from her faithful, this being one of the periods she has returned to Her people."

Kaguya at least says it seriously, though she may be paraphrasing from a book or a lecture. "If you're interested some of the Guard brought along various holy texts, or the priests can fill you in."

Acacia's look for a reaction is fruitful-ish--the Duchess looks thoughtful, but it's a 'thinking about that one' kind of thoughtful rather than an initial emotional reaction. "Guild Galad... Hmm, OK. I've never been, but some of my Filgaian soldiers have a lot to say about the weapons they put out."

"As you say--there's been some travel between Lunar and Filgaia both, at this point. Lunar lacks the same printing facilities as you'd use for your paper back home, so the texts aren't as widespread as your home faith's might be. I'm not surprised Yevon doesn't have a lot of information on us."

War is war...

"The Red Priestess is pretty intense. But she wasn't striking out against the Summoner just out of malice, or out of religious rage, either, I'm sure. You should be aware that I haven't worked with most of the Four Heroes much personally; the White Knight and the Black Wizard most often overlap with my duties."

Despite the sudden questions--the ones that absolutely /would/ get violence from some--Kaguya is pretty calm about it. "So, /that/," Kaguya says, after a moment, "Is a complicated question. You said the same about war itself--it's complicated. So let me go over some of the layers in play here for you and your readers."

"Originally," the Duchess begins, "Althena's forces came here to defeat Sin. When Sin left Spira's waters and made its presence known to those /within/ Althena's Boundary, it laid waste to the town of Azado--which was the posting of the Red Priestess Mauri herself, a fact that I'm sure has much to do with the ferver with which she pursues this new conflict. With Yevon willing to cooperate with us, we were willing to set aside the questions of faith--some with more or less reluctance than others."

"...When Yevon chose to give up after the first sortie, and declared their own people who had sought to defeat Sin from another angle heretics--well. The White Knight Leo is an honorable man, and he hates dishonor and cowardice, which is what he sees in the Grand Maester's proclamation. Our losses in this battle were considerable. Yevon committed /none/ of its highest-ranking officials; even the Maesters present were meant to observe, and were only involved in the battle by accident. The Guard, however, brought our greatest champion, the Dragonmaster, as well as our Heroes, to do battle directly. We lost Dragonmaster Ghaleon in the battle. Yevon, it would appear, lost people it was willing to declare heretics."

"...But they aren't looking for an apology, though it couldn't hurt. No; Yevon has made clear that they will no longer cooperate with us, and we are willing neither to sit back and wait nor to let them strike at our backs as we continue our mission against Sin."

"Personal priorities vary, naturally. But in a word--yes. The forces of Althena now seek to take control of this land and end the danger to us /all/."

"...Did you get all that?" Kaguya says. "I want to be sure, before I keep going. I've got something else to say about why we hit Luca as hard as we did, and my /own/ priorities, but, well. It wouldn't do to give my personal views before the declarations of the Goddess and her chosen champion. And as the designer of the Golems that were a part of this assault, I /do/ have something to say about their use--I'm not at all planning to brush off the brutality of our attack."

<Pose Tracker> Yue Rohay has posed.

"My, my, Lady Acacia. Are you saying the minder has a monopoly? An uncouth business, that one," Yue muses in turn, still wearing that extremely mild smirk on her face.

She's taken to reclining against one of the lamp posts not terribly far from Acacia, legs crossed and tapping along that gleaming metal heel of hers. She doesn't look terribly tense at all, perhaps wrapped around the point that whatever comes out of this meeting, it can only serve to grow her senses.

"Guild Galad. A terribly faraway place for us, is it not?" Yue admits. "Part of the Union... or rather, it /was/, I believe."

If she has any more thoughts about that, she doesn't tip her hand. It doesn't matter right now. Hum hum. An eye cracks open from where she's reclining as Kaguya relates about the story of Althena. There's a curious musing, entirely just to herself as that cucco father lilts upwards in her mouth.

"... the printing press largely stymies the wide spread of texts, but in Spira, Spheres are surprisingly common even for the masses. Families record their weekend outings together and courier them to their friends."

Such things are seemingly fascinating to her.

But on the topic of the Four Heroes...

Yue's expression is that ever-present one of enigma as she listens to Kaguya's devulged reasons for coming to Spira; to defeat Sin, and with the story of Azado itself... and the losses the Guard have received compared to Yevon. Hmmm.

"... those Golems were quite something," Yue does comment as Kaguya straight-up admits she's their designer. "Not unlike that of a Gear in our world. But there has been a great number of mysterious machines appearing lately, with our other lovely band of intruders. It is sure to strike even more tension with Yevon..."

A pause.

"But, my heart still lies with Big Shal in the end."

T-that's the take you're going to go with in the end??!

<Pose Tracker> Acacia Saitani has posed.

Kaguya's serious tone drags Acacia back towards seriousness, and she flips the top of her notepad as she starts to scribble in a series of interlaced words and shorthand symbols. Her hand definitely stops for a moment when the Duchess says 'residing' - but she cuts off the reporter's question the next moment, and Acacia's left with just a frown on her face as she considers the idea of a living God.

"It's not exactly a tourist-y kinda place, honestly. Or at least, I don't think it is. Maybe it's just from growing up there," she comments, but she already sounds a little far-off, running her eyes up and down the page before licking her finger and flicking the pad over to the next.

When Kaguya goes deeper into the background of the war, Acacia falls silent, the only noise from her the scratching of her pen. It's not to say she isn't listening - every so often she glances up, her attention laser-forced on Kaguya with Yue temporarily forgotten.

Eventually, she comes to a stop - and when the Veruni girl asks, she flicks back over the last couple of pages to confirm, her mouth drawn back into a line of concentration as she skims the text she's written. "... I got it. And I'm interested in your next answer," she admits openly as she looks up. "Because from where I'm standing right now, I don't believe Yevon would have tried to stab you in the back - probably, they'd just yell that your efforts were doomed to fail, and left you to it. I'm sure it'd be annoying as hell, but open conflict? I don't know."

"If your goal is Sin, you could have just headed off into the ocean or found an island to build an encampment on. Instead, you've got two fronts, and one of them's a big fish who isn't getting any smaller any time soon."

She opens her mouth to continue-- but looks secretly grateful for Yue's joking around as she gets interrupted, her shoulders sagging with released tension as she looks glumly across at her companion. (Though of course, Yue would never 'joke around' about Big Shal.)

<Pose Tracker> Kaguya Alathfar has posed.

"Awww, friendship is so nice." This is Kaguya's answer to the matter of teasing, but she doesn't stick with it long, because... there's a lot of serious stuff to say, actually, and she's sort of on the clock here if this is an interview.

"Fair enough," she says about Guild Galad. Yue gets a curious look about the Union though--and an answer, "Heh. /That's/ true."

"Spheres are definitely something. I'm still used to other forms of recording equipment. If I weren't here to fight a war I'd be pretty interested in studying them at least a little. The plantlife is more my speed, though."

The answers to Yue are casual; the answers to Acacia, while Kaguya delivers them freely enough, don't have the same lightness. Indeed, the fact that she speaks conversationally might make them heavier still. "Hmmm," Kaguya answers in turn, from where Acacia is sitting. "I think that's optimistic. You don't get to be the government of a region by being /nice/ to threats to your power or your doctrines. As long as we continued to openly use machinery, it's just a matter of time until we were a problem for Yevon. After all--their beliefs are that machinery are what caused Sin in the first place, right? That their ancestors used too many of them, and bam, punishment."

She breaks long enough to shake her head. "Somehow, I'm not surprised you've met Big Shal. But hey, Big Shal has a lot of character, I can respect that. If you were going to compare my units to Kislev trash, though..."

Gesture.

"Staying ocean-based makes supply lines a lot more difficult to manage. But tell you what--if Yevon would like to negotiate a peace, get me a message. I'll personally see to the safety of their negotiator if they come to me first so long as they're in our company."

"...I mean that, but I don't expect it to happen. So, the matter of the invasion. Here's the thing. You mentioned two fronts? You're right. Which means we need to close one of those fronts as soon as possible."

"Put simply, my part of the strategy on Luca was to bring as much force to bear as was feasible as quickly as possible. A swift, decisive victory minimizes the risk of Sin's interruptions and preserves lives that would be lost in long running battles or sieges."

"Similarly, the more who escape the initial assault, the more who are present to plan and support counterattacks. And morale is /very much/ a factor in this battle--if we can show Yevon that there's no point in fighting us, then less of Spira needs to feel the ravages of war."

"...As for extinguishing hope, well. /Personally/, I would prefer to take prisoners of well-meaning Yevonites. But, if the Red Priestess Mauri was feeling some holy rage in her grief over what happened to the people of Azado, and those who seem content to let that tragedy be repeated, well... I can't entirely blame her for feeling that way."

"If your reporting /should/ happen to uncover mistreatment of prisoners then by /all means/, please bring it to my attention so that I can have examples made of such dishonorable behavior, as I'm sure Ghaleon himself would have wished."

Kaguya manages to say this without snickering even once.

"But basically, that's why. Personally my priority here is Sin; I have people to protect far from here, and have no intention of letting Sin reach them. Meanwhile every conflict against that monster gets me more information that I can use to recalibrate my weapons. That's the thing about machines--you can improve them over time, when you learn more about your target."

Kaguya shrugs again. "But then, I know that some among our number are... /disturbed/, by the reports that the Summoners' ways involve trapping living spirits inside stone for ages. There are many who would say that such monstrous crimes /themselves/ call out to be stopped."

<Pose Tracker> Yue Rohay has posed.

Acacia has some fascinating questions, and there's a rather... proud look in the glint of Yue's eyes that rather suggests this is what she's looking for. The playful, cattish motivations she wraps around in might be one thing, but earnestly putting someone who she sees potential in to the task is really what she's after here.

"Or curry favour with the fallen. The Crusaders are a raw lot, and I hear a number of them fell in with Odessa's ranks, seduced by a certain Slayheim veteran's call," Yue muses. "Or the Al Bhed at that. They do not break bread with Yevon, that is for certain, and the one time they came to the table... the wine was spoilt."

She taps at her chin with a quieter smile to Acacia. Why not just go off on your own, if Yevon isn't useful? Build an island encampment...

But Kaguya's answer is decisive.

One part of it is practical. No army of humans exist on the water for long. And to end it swiftly and decisively... well, one could say that was the hope of Operation Mi'ihen too. And it remains to be seen whether this invasion of Luca will truly remain swift once retaliatory forces muster.

"... ... you have become quite the world-traveler, Lady Kaguya," Yue instead opts to comment rather than directly responding, since it's /Acacia's/ response that she's more interested in. "The lands beyond Spira may as well be a faerietale to me at present."

Not that she isn't also proud of Kaguya in her own way. The last time they might've met -- if they did -- Yue was still as she was; a death game participant and Drifter-by-Order, and Kaguya... definitely not a Duchess in charge of an army from mainland Lunar, that's for certain.

She raises her eyebrows, though, that the Summoners trap spirits within stone for ages.

"... ... heh. Heh heh heh," Yue can't help but chuckle. "Why does that sound a bit familiar?"

<Pose Tracker> Acacia Saitani has posed.

Acacia drops her head, getting back to writing; she's stiffer this time, especially as Kaguya continues, and more than once her hand catches or her eyebrows twitch towards a frown, glaring at her paper. If anything makes her hold her tongue, it's caution; it's easier to focus on writing until she tightly swallows, and sets her pen against her notebook with a sense of finality.

"... I'll see what I can do about Yevon," she mutters as she looks up. It isn't much, and her expression says that she knows it - but it's a tiny glimmer of hope and maybe, just maybe, it'll be something that Marivel can put to good use.

Despite all of Acacia's cagey caution, though, her expression darkens. "I can't help but think there are holes in what you're saying, though. You could have done just fine routing the military and letting the civilians flee. The more gossip about your golems going around, the scarier they'll seem. It's not like every Spiran can pick up a sword and fight or summon."

"Instead, your troops sought to kill," she adds as she tucks her pen away. "I still don't know a whole lot about Spira, but I'd be pretty willing to bet that a culture this traditional probably feels like they need to continue the war at all costs for the sake of those fallen. You said as much yourself, right? You don't expect them to let up."

Carefully and deliberately, Acacia tucks her notebook into her pocket, pushing off the crate to stand up. "Red Priestess Mauri doesn't seem to have actually gone to visit any of the Azadian survivors. You know, the people who've been travelling around, helping the refugees from Kilika and Luca? What do they think of this attack? Should I go and ask them what they think of her holy rage?"

"And how exactly does fighting a bunch of summoners and townspeople help you understand Sin's capabilities--" she starts to say, but pauses dead as she looks to where Yue has broken out into quiet laughter, setting her jaw. Well, you only live once, she decides, and changes tack, ready to-- well, maybe run like hell. "Is that why you're here? Because there are Guardians here to kill?"

<Pose Tracker> Kaguya Alathfar has posed.

Kaguya knows that look of pride. Oh, not because she knows /Yue/, not really, not more than someone can from such a distance. But the pride in someone expressing potential--it is reflected in a small sense in Kaguya's /interest/. How much of this is a game, on the older woman's part? How much is sincere?

"It's true that Yevon's grip on Spira has cracks, here and there. And that Odessa is more than willing to take advantage of them." She absolutely leaves it there on Odessa for the moment. For now, anyway. But--

"Heh," Kaguya says to Yue. "That's true. There's a lot of interesting things out here. I'd be happy to show you some, when we're done here."

"Cool," Kaguya mentions on Yevon. "The offer stands."

A darkened expression means a more interesting point, though. Acacia speaks, and she puts away her pen. Kaguya's expression isn't dark at all; it's pleasant, placid even. It's just as easygoing as it was before, despite the grim talk. ...Maybe, because of the grim talk.

But she doesn't speak up--not interrupting, anyway. Not as Mauri comes up... and the survivors come up. But the rest...

'Because there are Guardians here to kill?'

This is a moment that may strike in memory, later. The /instant/ where the words meet Kaguya's consciousness, and the light and cheer go out of her eyes completely, leaving something very much cold and alien indeed. The moment when Kaguya is not looking just at an interesting reporter--but /evaluating/.

"It is familiar, isn't it?" Kaguya asks, and the blonde's voice this time is quiet. She stretches slightly, rolling her shoulders, and she smiles in a way that shows off her sharp teeth. Her gaunt face is more obvious somehow now, as if underlit by some unseen current of gravity.

"Here," Kaguya says, reaching up to the device at her ear--and pressing on its side. "I'll put this off the record on my side, too."

Then, "Field tests don't actually care about targets. Does the weapon fire? Does it perform according to tests? You realize--with the data I captured during Operation Mi'ihen, I was able to measure the energy Sin put forth. How much do my Golems use, in turn? I know exactly how much force it took for Sin to /obliterate/ human bodies all at once. I can calculate it for each. I can compare, and contrast; this much force, that much area. No, I can learn a /great deal/ with any testing."

She isn't smiling. Instead, there is... a pressure, in the air. It's not obviously threatening, exactly--it's just that all of a sudden the local breeze has stopped.

"But that's not what you're asking, not really. And honestly, it's not my priority. Believe it or not--I'd have /preferred/ to avoid this war. It's a waste of resources over which human is most certain of how things work, which human is right, or wrong."

Kaguya's green eyes remain only on Acacia, for the moment.

"We aren't going to be publishing /anything/ about the Azadian survivors, or the Outreach caring for them. Do you know how the Guard are likely to react to them being put in the news? The two helpful, philanthropic members of the Metal Demons' own forces, who helped sack Adelhyde? Do you think they'll /care/ that now they're spending time with refugees, that it's not that simple, that they helped against Mother? Or will they just call their leader 'The Deceiver' as they add her to the list of targets? Do you think it's an /accident/ that we happen not to have gone after them?"

"Humans can go a long way. I'm very /interested/ to see how far. But if things go in that direction then I'm afraid that I'll have to kill a /lot/ more people than you've seen me kill so far. We can be friendly, here. I assure you--I may be the /only/ one you're going to meet who has no ill will towards the people of Spira, among the Guard."

"It's in everyone's best interest that it stays that way. And reminding me of how the Guardians made me their enemy... is /not/."

Her eyes turn to Yue. "You brought a good one. She's welcome to snap a few photos before she goes. I'm sure I'm not going to have to read any ugly rumors implying baseless accusations about where I come from, yes?" Her eyes slide back to Acacia.

"Remember. /I'm/ the only thing standing between the faithful making this much, much worse than it has to be. It would be a /shame/ if Spira turned into another Elru... wouldn't it?"

With that, the Duchess turns to begin walking away.

<Pose Tracker> Yue Rohay has posed.

What is there in turn in Yue's face, as Acacia asks /the/ question of all -- the question that brings the interview and tips it sideways?

Naught more than that same enigmatic smile, with her eyes -- baggy and dark as they already are -- barely visible underneath the hem of her bangs.

As Kaguya goes off record with a teeth-lined smile that is positively charged with energy. As she talks about Sin, and energy, and how much it takes to kill a human being...

And she puts her hands in the pockets of that beaten ulster coat of hers that has probably seen the end of the world and back.

She doesn't mention a thing about the Azadian survivors. She'd have to see that one with her own eyes. And... heh.

And when Kaguya finally adds a comment to her, she chuckles richly as she says:

"Worry not. Dear Mat is my replacement minder, and hers is a much tighter leash, I assure you."

Then as she disappears...

She beams to Acacia with a clap of her shackled hands, looking every bit mirthful.

"Well! That went well, didn't it? Look, no bullet holes!"

A pause, as she looks down to the hem of the coat and adds: "Those ones are old. Doesn't count."

<Pose Tracker> Acacia Saitani has posed.

When all is said and done, Acacia is left watching Kaguya's back with a tight expression, and a lump stuck in her throat. Only once the Veruni is out of sight does she dare swallow it, nearly slumping right back against the crate as one hand closes over the breast pocket of her coat, and the notepad tucked away within it.

"... that tells me everything I need to know," she mutters in response, but it's much too late and much too impotent, a sulky bookend to the interview. For all that she seemed to have struck home with her questions, it's not like she can put the answers to print - threats and excellent rebuttals go hand in hand, and she grimaces to herself.

Looking over at Yue, she drags a hand back through her hair, wincing as she catches a knot and accidentally tugs upon it. "... I miss just doing food reviews," she huffs. "Let's-- let's go."

<Pose Tracker> Yue Rohay has posed.

Yue bows her head with that smile having crested to its full, mirthful expression. "Very good, Milady."

A pause, as she leans forward.

"Shall I carry you again?"

... Okay, /now/ it's at its full mirth.

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