2019-08-07: The Difference Between Trying and Doing
- Log: The Difference Between Trying and Doing
- Cast: Riesenlied, Seraph Ragnell
- Where: Djose
- Date: 7th August 2019
- Summary: Ragnell pops in on Riesenlied, marking their first meeting since the Photosphere...
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
The outbreak of war in Luca has generated a whole new influx of refugees -- refugees that the Outreach and Carakin have both been tending on the Highroad... and as of recently, when the fighting itself sprawled onto Mi'ihen, news of how the groups have relocated to the Djose region have spread too.
Not far from the temple, a familiar old sight can be seen -- the Fereshte, that same old Dragon-headed airship that's seen better days. And around it, of course, the people of the Outreach, looking after the refugees and setting up tents and other kinds of accomodation and trying to reunite and otherwise make their hardship a little less so...
Different land. Same job.
Riesenlied is in the middle of this as she often is, and she's waving away several children as they hop up to the sound of a meal bell. "Don't forget to wash your hands, okay? A-and brush your teeth afterwards...!"
She watches them go, exhaling somewhat exhaustedly. The pallor hasn't really gone from her face, but the resolve and fragile cheer hasn't either as she folds her pop-up book away...
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.
There's some things that Ragnell's busy with. Knowing the predicament her sister's in, she doesn't want to stray too far from the Moonflow, so as to keep an eye over the Festina Lente--but it's also not a bad idea to cast a wide net, see if there isn't any suspicious activity in the greater area. The Shadow Dragons aren't probably going to be so obvious that they can be spotted over any rock or tree.
To the further south, there's a lot of refugees from the war that drove Luca's residents from their home, not to mention survivors of Operation Mi'ihen. As such, there's a place where refugees can have at least a semblance of shelter... and naturally, where there's a need to take care of the needy, there's the Fereshte.
Ragnell rubs her head, coming to a stop as she sees the ship. Then she continues on, strolling her way in and through the busy crowds until she comes up towards and to the side of Riesenlied. As usual, she's looking beat up; as usual, she's taking care of the children anyway.
"Yo," she says, thumbs hooked on her belts. "Looks like you're doin' the same as ever, Riese."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied lets out a wheeze as she responds with a, "Ah... Ragnell, it's so nice to see you again," before she pauses.
Pause, pause, pause... let her mind catch up...
Her horns droop.
"W-wait, Ragnell...!" she lets out a surprised cough as she nearly tumbles out of her chair, staring agog towards the Seraph. "I--"
You could just see her head stir right now...
"I... I'm glad you're--" Riesenlied finds herself tonguetied, going at a mile a moment. "I heard from Lydia and Elly that you're all right. ... I was... I feared the worst, after the Sanctuary..."
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.
Ragnell quirks part of a smile as Riese greets her normally, then takes a quick step forward to stabilize her wheelchair as needed when she nearly falls out of it. "Woah, hey now! No need to make your double-take so dramatic, eh?" she chides her. Once that danger has passed, Ragnell straightens, then leans an elbow on one of the wheelchair's handles, because... well, because Ragnell.
"Fine? Yeah, I'm doin' all right," she replies, crooked smile widening. "From Lydie an' Elly, huh? Word gets around. 'Course, I was kinda relyin' on that... I'm not exactly the type who goes outta her way to come an' say hi, y'know? I just happened to be here, and you happened to be here, so I swung by."
After the Sanctuary. Yeah, she would fear the worst. Ragnell nods once, then tilts her head to one side. "Have you heard anythin' about K.K. so far?"
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied lets out a sigh of relief after her wheelchair stabilises, no longer at risk of tipping over and flopping on the ground. "S-sorry, I was just so surprised," she admits with a faint flush from exertion. She looks up to where she's leaning.
She places her hands on her chest as she nods quietly, smiling faintly. "... you always are the type to come and go as you please, free as the wind, it's true..." Though it would've been nice to hear, still, but--
Ragnell mentions K.K..
There's a visible anxiety as she lowers her head and... quietly shakes her head.
"... are they... are they...?" She can't even bear to finish the sentence right now.
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.
Ragnell grins and laughs. "I've been gettin' that reaction a lot lately! Y'all'd think you saw a ghost." A cheeky wink follows. Yeah, she knows what she did there.
Looks like Riesenlied understands how Ragnell functions. Granted, she's not /always/ like that--not that Ragnell is about to burden Riesenlied with Amaranth's problems; Riese has enough going on, and also if she tried there would be a sudden storm of eels, very strange, very dangerous and disruptive and distracting--but she's fine with that being the primary impression people have of her. It's not wrong, after all.
Her smile fades, though, when Riesenlied bows her head. She'd been checking, but-- "They're fine," she says gently. "They survived too. They've mostly been observin', though. Seein' how this war shakes out. I was jus' curious if you'd heard any rumors from anyone who might've spotted 'em, but looks like I didn't have to worry."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied is helpless at the behest of a barrier of eels, probably because she'd find them adorable and want to foster a nice little aquarium of them...
"... a little. I've been beside myself with worry lately, it seems," Riesenlied admits. Not that that's... that different from how she is, usually being a bit of a big ball of stress.
But there's a pause as she looks up to Ragnell, and...
When she says K.K. is fine...
There's a long moment where she starts silently crying again. Letting the tears flow through her cheeks.
"... ... I'm glad," is what she chooses to go with. Being emotionally honest, no matter what baggage came with the territory.
"... I never thanked you. The last time we talked, I was..." A pause and a shiver. "Well -- controlled, by Alhazred. By Mother. But your words helped reach me. And K.K. themselves came and helped in the rescue..."
In the Drifting world, that might be a lifetime ago now. But the wounds are obviously still fresh for Riesenlied.
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.
Meanwhile Ragnell would EAT THEM ALL. +_+ They're good grilled over rice with sauce! And hey--good eatin' for all those refugees.
But that's not important now. What's important is when Ragnell informs Riesenlied, very generically, of K.K.'s status, and she's overwhelmed with emotion. Ragnell watches in silence as she watches, waiting for whatever reaction she decides to go with. Her gladness gets a simple nod. Ragnell had a feeling that's what it would be. Riese knew all along their paths would diverge eventually, and that became especially so after she chose to break away from the Metal Demons as an institution.
"You don't need t' go out o' your way to thank me or anything," Ragnell replies, glancing away as she rubs the back of her head. "Though I guess it's fine, since we're both here an' all." She looks back, listens, and gives a little smile. "That so? Glad t' hear it." She reaches out and, if Riese lets her, tousles her hair. "K.K. *is* fond o' you, after all. They wouldn't leave you in the lurch. Not in a situation like that." She leans back. "But I'm sure you already knew that."
She pauses, then looks Riese over. "How've you been since then, on that note? Noeline been takin' care o' ya?" A beat. "You haven't been causin' her too much trouble by overworkin' yourself, have ya?" It barely needs to be asked, but...
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
(t-this author really likes eel too...)
Riesenlied squints as Ragnell tousles her hair; she doesn't shy away or avert it. If anything, it feels... familiar, in a heart-relieving kind of way. Where K.K. was such a pivotal parent figure to them... Ragnell was like a sister figure to her.
Ragnell mentions that K.K. wouldn't leave her alone, not in a situation like that. "I would still like to thank them myself, and see them again... but if I cannot, for some reason -- if you do see them... please let them know. ... I'd-- been grieving for them as well."
"... And I--I've been trying my hardest to not worry Noeline," Riesenlied pouts quietly. She lowers her head. "We've been trying to take it at our own pace.
She rummages into her sack and takes out what looks like one of Jay's potions. "We've been having Walking Days, twice a week, to try to get exercise in. It's slow and painful, but..."
A pause. "It's a way to try to fight what feels very difficult right now, with how many people around us are displaced... we're constantly on the run."
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.
"...I'll let them know you'd like to see 'em," Ragnell says, removing her hand to fold them behind her neck. "You know they got their own ways of comin' an' goin'." A refugee camp might not be the best place for them to show up, though, Ragnell muses as she turns a slow glance around at all the people. Either for them *or* for Riesenlied.
Ah well. K.K. is discreet. It's not going to harm anyone to tell them Riese wants to see them. She looks back at Riese. "Sorry to've let you grieve," she replies. "But neither of us is the type to die so easily." She winks, smiling warmly. "Try an' have a little faith, yeah? You've got enough to worry about."
Her smile fades, and she folds her arms, as Riese goes on. So Noeline's still helping her--well, of course. That part was never in doubt. She leans down to take a look at that potion. "Huhhh... Yeah, I imagine it might be. Hang in there, Riese." She stands back up, but pauses. "On the run? From who? The Guard?"
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.
Seraph Ragnell "Guess Yevon wouldn't be too crazy 'bout y'all either..." A slow, pointed look over at the Fereshte.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied nods at Ragnell on the mention of K.K. coming and going. Their meetings always had a gravitas to them that seemed more decided by fate than anything more mundane, after all.
"... I should have," Riesenlied admits apologetically. "To be honest, I was a bit surprised I made it out too, given I fell into the Leyline like that trying to reach you..."
The moment where she wound up at a lost altar, praying as a Dragon... she could only hope her words, her feelings reached everyone a bit.
"From the war, mostly... officially, neither Yevon nor the Guard want to harm the refugees, of course. But individual soldiers don't always have a choice if things escalate..."
A quiet frown. "The Guard seems to have instructions to let us be, so they haven't come after us in force, which I'm grateful for. Leo did charge me with taking care of the Azadians, after all."
She scratches her cheek softly as Ragnell looks to the Fereshte. "We have gotten looks from Yevon before, but nothing aggressive..." A quiet sigh. "And on the other side, the Al Bhed seem to have taken a curious interest in me too. I was nearly kidnapped being mistaken for a summoner, in the Moonflow."
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.
Ragnell's eyebrows rise in surprise. "You did?" she utters. She clucks her tongue and sets her hands on her hips. "Of all the reckless things... You musta given Noeline a heart attack." A faint smile tickles her lips. "Well... I appreciate the thought, anyway. You really oughtta learn how to take better care o' yourself, though, Riese. What're Janey an' Mikaia gonna do if you push yourself too far an' the worst happens?"
Invoking the kids is a bit of dirty pool, perhaps. But it's also a legitimate question. Ragnell's never been one to shy away from asking difficult things.
So the war in general. That makes sense. Friendly fire *is* a thing, and if civilians are too close, they can get caught up in the fighting too. Ragnell nods, folding her arms--but then blinks at the mention of the Al Bhed. "A summoner? Why'd they think you were one o' those?" Her frown deepens. "What're they doin' kidnappin' summoners for anyway?" It's none of her business, but she can't help but be curious.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
"Yes... and the next thing I knew, I was here in Spira, with Noeline and my family," Riesenlied murmurs in concern. The spell had saved her in the end, but to what end it targetted them all was still a great unknown. "... but, I know. I'm trying, really..." She draws her breath. "I still remember K.K.'s words. That I don't leave people with nothing but memories to shield themselves with..."
She shakes her head in turn, though, as Ragnell brings up the summoners on what she said.
"Hmm.... I'm not quite certain what the end goal is," Riesenlied admits. "But of the Al Bhed that tried to kidnap me... they weren't actively malicious? They were more like-- um, misguided teens... is how I'd put it, I suppose. We let them go after it was clear I wasn't who they were looking for."
A furrowed brow. "I wonder if they're acting out because they felt deeply hurt by their parents' sacrifice at Operation Mi'ihen..."
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.
"Hmm... So you went through the Leyline an' ended up on Spira, huh," Ragnell murmurs. "Actually, it was like that for me an' K.K., too. I was wonderin' if the Leylines an' the Earthpulses were connected. With what you said, it sounds more an' more like that might be true. In which case..."
Ragnell leaves that thought unfinished, or at least unsaid, though. She instead nods at what Riese says, from how she says she's trying, to what she says of the Al Bhed. "Huh," she utters. "So you think they were tryin' to do good, in their own way? But what good comes of kidnappin' summoners?" Not that she expects Riesenlied to know; this is just her musing aloud. "Well, I guess it doesn't matter, long as you turned out okay."
Riesenlied offers another scenario: that they're acting out. "Hmm... Were they kidnappin' anyone else? Or just summoners? If they've got a grudge about what happened at Operation Mi'ihen, wouldn't it make more sense to team up with Althena's Guard, who's at war with Yevon for that same reason? Though maybe war's a bit too over their heads, if they're just kids."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
"I see..." Riesenlied furrows her brow. "I had heard sometime that our worlds were connected by the Ley -- but it is much fainter here. It is... hard, to channel." Which probably doesn't help with the feeling of powerlessness to take action against the war...
But of the Al Bhed... "I'm not sure if they were doing -good-, just... that I don't think they were bad people," Riesenlied speaks. "Some of them were really apologetic, so we let things be without any further grievances..."
Ragnell asks if they were kidnapping anything else. "I don't know if they are, honestly. And... I suppose I can't say if they were just a group of kids acting up without the advice of their elders. But I'm glad they're not getting themselves involved with the war."
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.
"Hmmm... Then it might be a one-way trip," Ragnell muses, resting a hand on her chin. "That would make sense, actually... Maybe that was how Althena originally came to Lunar." Though, would Lunar have had earthpulses before it started bearing life? That's impossible to know. She'd have to ask a Guardian, and, well, that's not really an option right now. Still, it's something to keep in mind for later. They'll return to Filgaia sooner or later. She's sure of /that/, at least.
"There's a difference between doin' good and doin' what you /believe/ is good," Ragnell points out. "Though if they were apologizin', it sounds like that isn't quite the case. Mm." Then she shrugs broadly. "Oh well! It's not my problem, an' it ain't yours either, now that you've been released. Though knowin' you, I'm sure you'll make it your problem anyway."
A pause. Speaking of problems... "There's one other thing I wanna ask you," she says, growing serious. A gesture out towards the refugees. "Among these folks that you've been lookin' after for the past, oh, month or two, have you or Noeline noticed anyone suspicious? Someone who maybe seems more skilled than they oughtta be? A little too quiet on the feet, a little too quick on the reflexes, anything like that? An' if there are... have they been makin' any shady moves towards the Moonflow?"
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied considers the origins of Althena for a moment, and how she came from Filgaia a long time ago... but that's not a story she's ready to consider trying to think the implications of. "Maybe. But the Elw did make a device that seemed to make use of it -- underneath Azado... or at least, that's what I assume."
She doesn't exactly know the truth of Elw ruins, after all.
Ragnell points out there's a difference between doing good and what one believes is good... and that's something she's taken to heart. "That's true. I can only hope it does not sour further... the tensions between the Al Bhed and Yevon are hurtful to see--"
Then Ragnell points out she'll make it her problem.
"C-come now! I'm trying, aren't I?" she pouts. "To not worry Noeline or Mikaia and Janey. It isn't like I'll willingly ignore it, but I'll try my hardest to not rush headlong either."
She sucks in a breath and-- raises her eyebrows at that description of Ragnell's. "Hmm.... like a-- thief or a spy?" she guesses. A frown.
"To be honest... many adventurer and monks come in, but people acting a bit more skilled than they should... I don't think so."
She tilts her head.
"I'm reminded of when Janey and Mikaia were kidnapped by that cult in Meribia, back in Taben's Peak..."
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.
"Mm. Yeah, there's the Elw ruins an' all too, but you figure a Goddess would use something more--primal, y'know?" Ragnell replies. Though that depends on when Althena gained her power... Either way, when Riesenlied pouts and protests, Ragnell chuckles. "An' tryin' ain't the same as doin', either," she points out. "But that's better than not tryin' at all, I'll grant you that. 'Sides, it's not like you need to ignore it, either. You can take action while still keepin' your own limitations in mind. But that's on you--you know what those are better'n I do, an' all."
Like a thief or spy? "More like... an assassin," she replies, folding her arms. "The Shadow Dragons, they call themselves." A cult in Meribia, though... "Hm! That does sound familiar. Unfortunately, I wasn't there for it myself, so I'm not sure the details would be useful..." She scratches her head. "In any case. If you or anyone sees anyone shady like that, would you mind sendin' me a line through those spheres? If you don't, it's fine, though." After all, an assassin wouldn't be very useful if you could easily see them coming.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied quietly nods as Ragnell gives her advice on the difference between trying, and doing... but that it's better than not trying at all. Even now, she's getting so much wise advice from her and K.K....
It was, once more, a relieving feeling.
"That was the one," Riesenlied frowns. "They kidnapped children from Taben's Peak -- ours amongst them -- and then retreated to the Meribia Sewers where we chased them, with Jean, Hiro and the others..."
A furrowed brow. "I can give you a description based on what we gathered back then, but... I didn't even know they were here, in Spira..."
A pause. "I'd also watch out for a tall masked man, though. That seemed to be their ringleader. He was very skilled in chi and martial arts, and was cruel enough to punish his own students... but we didn't get a name."
"But... thank you for warning me. If that same cult is active here, there's no telling they wouldn't try the same with the displaced children from Luca and Kilika. We'll be on the lookout."
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.
Ragnell knows well the difference between trying, doing, not doing, and not trying, after all--as well as the difference between doing good and doing what one believes is good. It's because of that awareness that she has the attitude she does towards those who would otherwise be her enemies.
Riese confirms the information. Ragnell nods slowly. Too bad the so-called Vile Fiends aren't likely to want anything to do with her anymore; they'd be good people to ask about this. "A description would be great. It's fine if there's no name--if it were me, I'd use a fake name, anyway, so they're not always as useful as you might think."
A tall, cruel, masked man skilled in chi and martial arts, huh. Ragnell nods thoughtfully. "It's no problem," she says. She pauses at what Riese points out--that hadn't occurred to her. "In that case, be extra cautious of anyone from the Guard," she says. "We--" she does not specify who 'we' means "--think they've probably infiltrated them. No tellin' just how far, though."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied looks just slightly concerned about that, but... it wasn't high on the list of things that would surprise her, in the end. "I see... if they were skilled enough to infiltrate, I imagine it would go under the nose of the Guard's more righteous types. It is a big organisation, after all."
A quiet sigh, but she nods as she starts gesturing to the cabin ontop of the Fereshte. "I think I can find the files for you before you go. Would you mind helping me up the ramp...? That's still a bit of a challenge for me..."
<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.
"Yeah, no kiddin'," Ragnell says dryly. "But it is what it is."
As Riesenlied requests, she moves to push the wheelchair up the ramp. It's a simple enough task, and hey, she's getting something from it. No reason to say no.