2019-08-24: Time's Up
- Log: 2019-08-24: Time's Up
- Cast: Ivan, Talia
- Where: The Moonflow
- Date: August 24, 2019
- Summary: Ivan and Talia enjoy a moment of peace after her recent kidnapping. But then, the past catches up.
===============================<* The Moonflow *>=============================== The Moonflow is a large river that bisects Spira's largest island into southern and northern halves. Strange flowers called Moonlilies grow on the Moonflow's banks, attracting pyreflies that gather on its surface at night, making the water sparkle. Although a beautiful area, the weather tends to be overcast more often than not, the souls of the dead providing the most reliable source of illumination. The primary method of crossing the Moonflow is aboard a shoopuf - an elephantine creature that can swim across the expansive river. The crossing service is funded by the Temple of Yevon and is free of charge. BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wcVnJQ-FN4
<Pose Tracker> Talia has posed.
The sphere messages have been nearly constant. Not actually constant, yet so common that Talia has veered into annoyance. However, with the Festina Lente being repaired and now able to live in, Talia has been busy getting her hands dirty and doing the repairs on the place. This has entailed a lot of furniture moving.
So, finally, she sent Ivan a message:
> Vanya stop pestering me and just come visit!!
This leads us to now.
Talia opens the door when he knocks, wearing her white-and-blue shirt, her black pants, and no short jacket or shoes. When she does, she holds both hands out and beams at him.
"Vanya!" she says. "You have to come look! Our house is all fixed up now, no? Ah, it is going to be glorious! There are surprises, but these things are for later, no?"
She winks at him.
<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.
"Taliaaaa you're still alive!" Talia is glomped into a hug by her brother as soon as she gets all of her initial greeting out. He releases her after some squooshing or if he hears a yelp, whatever comes first. "Um. I hope I didn't hurt you."
A few beats pass, and he catches up with what she said to him. He looks around to take in how the place has changed since he last saw it. "It does look a lot better in here. Do you... ... have to do carpentry to it or just think really nice thoughts at it or how does fixing a place like this work?"
<Pose Tracker> Talia has posed.
A lot of the decor has been restored. There are comfortable sofas and chairs; the bare-bones look that resulted from Ammy's magic fading in the wake of the attack of the Bomb is gone. In its place, this looks like more of a home. But, there are little Talia-like touches. Some of the vases and flowers have light and dark blues, the way she likes.
There is also a gigantic framed painting of Queen Anastasia.
Talia hugs him back, without a yelp -- though she does make a squeak of surprise. She takes a step back, tilts her head, and then a smile shots across her face. "Ah, no! Well... it does need a little bit of a framework, and then we make illusions. Ammy does those, but I picked some of it! And I did buy that."
She motions with her thumb to the painting of her Royal Majesty.
<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.
"Wow," Ivan says, as Talia directs his attention to the celebratory portrait of the queen. So very glorious. "Look at that. It really captures her, her... you know, her majesty. It brings the place together, I think."
It looks more like Talia lives here, too, now that she's helping to decorate. The thought doesn't bother him, on this occasion. He's enjoying the warm glow of gladness that Talia is still around to put her personal touches on anything.
"And you added more of your favorite color!" he says. He adds, jokingly: "Yellow!!"
<Pose Tracker> Talia has posed.
"Doesn't it? Her royal bearing is so clear, no?" Talia says, with a wink. Indeed, it does capture that Queen Anastasia is a large blue, vaguely metallic orb with green leaves and a crown placed atop her. The painting is rather dramatic, though.
Then, she glances back at Ivan -- and her nose wrinkles, before she shakes her head. "Vanya!" she complains. "It is not yellow. Yellow is not bad, but blue is wonderful, no?"
She may be biased, given her magic.
<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.
It has always heartened Ivan that Talia shares the same Power Ranger-esque affinity and dedication to her elemental color palette, though the colors themselves may differ. Nonetheless, he continues: "What? I could have sworn it was yellow. I'll have to send your next birthday gift back. Oh well."
He actually has a birthday gift at home he didn't get to give her since he thought she died and all, but that's a somber topic. So is whether anything suspicious has been happening around the Festina Lente, which he should probably ask eventually but maybe not RIGHT THIS SECOND.
"Did I miss anything else since everything happened?" he tries instead. "I..."
GOT CONFESSED TO. But no way he's bringing that up!!
"I've been reading novels! Did you know there's all kinds of great books about stuff that never happened?"
This isn't exactly breaking news, though, he probably mentioned it at dinner before she was Talianapped, it's just that his memory of that day is kind of a blur of AAAAAA.
<Pose Tracker> Talia has posed.
Talia thinks of how much to tell Ivan. In a way, this is still a strange and untried territory for her; they shared nearly ever facet of their lives by default for the longest time. But, she didn't tell him certain details -- and that they turned two bedrooms into a single one...
...well, he can notice that on his own. And the other, larger remodeling?
She can wait until Ammy is here.
"I slept a lot, before I got all of this up. It takes a lot out of you, no? Being stabbed, then kidnapped, then rescued!" She sighs a little; then, Talia glances at her feet for a second.
Then she blinks.
"I've read some books!" she says. "It was such a surprise, no? I started reading them on Filgaia. Ah, they have very trashy ones there!"
She grins at him.
<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.
"It does seem like it would take a lot out of you," Ivan says, the brightness in his voice growing a little more somber for a moment. It really must have taken a lot out of her, too, because she got the order wrong...the stabbing was in the middle, unless she was stabbed twice. How is he going to find the cult again so he can actually destroy them? And for that matter... how is he going to destroy them?
Talia interrupts these thoughts by expanding his knowledge of the universe of books. "They have trashy ones, too?!" Ivan responds, in such a voice that it seems like he thinks the universe might reconsider this fact if he asks it incredulously enough. What... what even happens in a trashy book? How much detail does it go into?!? He covers his face a little, before shaking it off.
"I think it's best if I stick to the adventure books," he says.
<Pose Tracker> Talia has posed.
"Mm-hm," Talia murmurs in response. There is more to say, she thinks, and yet it is much nicer -- and much easier -- to talk about nothing at all. Or, maybe, talk about books is not 'nothing.'
"They are very trashy," Talia says with a playful grin, as she slides closer to him, and then elbows him in the side. "It is true. You are not meant for reading trashy novels, by which I mean, please don't tell me if you are reading trashy novels."
She makes a face. "And, besides. You are pure and innocent." She winks. "What kinds of adventure books are you reading, Vanya? Are they exciting?"
<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.
"I'm not pure and innocent, I'm evil and mean," Ivan says, although that's pulling in a completely different sin scale to give himself grownup points by technicality. Ivan frowns thoughtfully.
"Although lately I'm wondering if I even am an assassin anymore, I haven't heard from Lubov much at all since I wriggled out of the Caravan Kinship job, it's a little spooky almost. Maybe the old man finally forgot how many kids he had."
What kinds of adventure books are you reading?
"Ah, I was reading one about this guy named Luke fon Fabre who was kidnapped and had amnesia and then got pulled into a war and tricked into like almost dooming the world and like everybody in the story turned out to be a secret clone... it had all kinds of exciting stuff."
Having never read a fiction book before that one, Ivan had absolutely no basis by which to judge storytelling and now perhaps considers 'oh my god he was a clone!' to be the pinnacle of literary plot twists.
<Pose Tracker> Talia has posed.
"You cannot fool me!" Talia says, playfully. Though her expression becomes more serious, as he admits that Lubov hasn't given him any tasks. Part of Talia feels relieved; another part of her worries, as if that means she needs to wait for the other shoe to drop. "I hope he has. Or maybe fallen into some problem, back in Pendrago."
She is quiet for a moment, and listens as Ivan explains the plot of this book. Slowly, she raises an eyebrow and looks rather confused. "It sounds... interesting? A little hard to follow. Can I borrow it from you?"
She isn't really sure that this will be her thing. But, the chance to share something with Ivan that doesn't consist of all of their problems sounds too nice to pass up on.
<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.
"Maybe he achieved all his stupid dreams and doesn't need assassins anymore? Or got married to someone important or whatever and was like, 'bah, it's less embarrassing if I just never call Ivan back, he's in the Guard, it's fine...?' " Ivan wonders a bit why all of his mental explanations for the silence have been so optimistic -- the second possibility does bother him a bit, it isn't particularly threatening. He's usually more of a worrier than this. Maybe he's only got space in his head for one continent's worth of concerns at a time.
Talia asks if she can borrow the book, and Ivan nods and fishes it out of his satchel to offer her.
"Sure, it was borrowed from Katherine to begin with, so it lives here anyway. I just finished it, so go ahead! It actually was pretty confusing to follow, but it was still fun and interesting! The author says the things the characters are thinking!" Ivan genuinely didn't know that was a thing until recently.
<Pose Tracker> Talia has posed.
Talia, perhaps, has a more vindictive side. She has wished ill on Lubov before and she doesn't doubt he might again. She rubs at the back of her head -- and then blinks at the book. She takes it, looking it over for a moment, before she looks back up at him.
"I can do this thing!" she says. "And ask Ammy where it goes, no? She has quite the library. She, ah--she actually uses a book as her Vessel. Seraphim use an object as a vessel, you see. I am not clear on the details."
She tilts her head, then she smiles. "You and her... you do get along, no? You both came together, to help me. With Clarine, Ragnell, and Jean too."
<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.
"Oh, so she... ... lives in a book sometimes? Or how does it work?"
He'd better be careful about poking around in the study if she lives in one of the books sometimes.
"We... do get along," Ivan says, hesitant but truthful. "We've talked a few times when I came by while you weren't here. She, uh, offered me a room here, I don't know if it's still in the layout..." He glances around as subtly as he can manage; it was on the ground floor. He never did take advantage of that, and now maybe he simply never should; he still feels guilty about the moment where he considered selling her out to the Shadow Dragon Cult to get Talia back -- even without having done with anything to act on the feeling, he feels like it must have been broadcast from his heart to the universe and be common knowledge by now.
"And of course we all worked together to help you. We would have done that even if we didn't get along."
<Pose Tracker> Talia has posed.
"I think her spirit does. I'm not--entirely sure how this thing works, no? But, she is sort of a spirit, who can make a body, but has to tie herself to something," Talia explains. "But it is not an illusion body she makes, either."
Talia realizes she should probably ask.
She glances to the ground for a moment -- then she looks up. She blinks at him, before she motions down the hall. "Of course you have a room here, no?" she says. "I'm glad you do. I, um--" Talia actually looks, for a second, shy. She almost never looks shy. "I-I really like her, no? And--and, if you didn't get along with her, it would be hard. I love you both, no?"
She smiles, a little -- not quite meeting his eyes when he says that they would have both come for her.
<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.
"That sounds really complicated but as long as it works for her...!" Ivan says, of being a spirit that is mysteriously tied to a book and makes a human form that isn't an illusion but maybe kind of is.
I love you both, no?
Ivan is silent for a few moments. "I know you do. And I want to get along with her. I have been, but...." He looks guilty. "But even though we all ended up working together and it was okay in the end, I got a little, um, weird at first when everything happened so I might need to check with her if she wants to rescind the room or anything."
He considers this further, making increasingly troubled faces as he does so. "Or maybe I shouldn't make it a thing? I don't know. It was mostly in my head and I don't know how heavily mind crimes should be weighed or if you should confess to them or if that just makes them worse."
<Pose Tracker> Talia has posed.
"I think it is a thing most Seraphim do," Talia says with a shake of her head. She never asked Ragnell or Clarine what their Vessels were. It seemed rude to ask, somehow.
Talia blinks, her expression momentarily uncertain -- and then she smiles and shakes her head. "Vanya... if you want to talk to her about it, it is okay, no? But... you thought about it, then didn't do it. That is good, no? But I think..."
She walks a little closer to him, then slings her arm around his shoulders. "...You heard the things she said, in that fight. They didn't sound like something said by someone who doesn't care about you, too, no?"
<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.
The vessel seems like a ghostly sort of a rule, but Ivan knows he must choose his moments when it comes to reminding Talia she is dating A GHOST, and now is not one of them.
You heard the things she said, in that fight.
"I... do remember," he says. Ivan had a lot going on with him during the fight, but when he thinks about it, he can remember Katherine's encouragement. In fact, when he looks back on it, he can remember that she specifically promised that she would always welcome him in her home, no matter what. But....! How does he know she has even thought of all the potential 'what's!
"But when she said those things she didn't know yet that I was thinking evil, treacherous things, probably," he frets.
<Pose Tracker> Talia has posed.
It might be best, even if Talia knows she is dating a ghost. After all, she knows that Amaranth was once a human. She had been an assassin then.
She tightens her arm around his shoulders, pulling her brother closer to her in the hug, and then Talia smile a little brighter at him. "It is very Ammy, to say those sorts of things, no?" She winks. "But..."
She glances down. "...It is also very Ammy to know we're not perfect, that we stumble and get tripped up, and that shouldn't take away all the kindness others show us. Maybe Ammy doesn't know," she says. "But I don't think Ammy would think less of you because you thought something terrible."
<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.
Well Ivan thinks less of Ivan because of it, and he didn't think much of himself to begin with. His shoulders slump within the hug.
"It was -- I mean -- they sent us a note that sounded like they wanted to trade her life for yours..."
He hopes he doesn't need to say more to communicate what his treacherous thought was. Talia seemed fine with assuming it was fine, but he feels like he has to confess it at this point, because he is getting hugged about it, when maybe actually Talia ALSO would want to kick him out if she knew.
<Pose Tracker> Talia has posed.
Talia frowns a little -- not at what Ivan considered, but what the Shadow Dragon tried to do. "It sounds like the sort of terrible trade they would try to force," she says, her voice quiet.
"But... Vanya," she says, her voice a little firmer. She stops hugging him around the shoulder to step around in front of him, and look him in the eyes. "It doesn't make you a monster, no? To hear that, and then consider it. You didn't do it. You..."
She trails off. "...I know it is hard, no? But we aren't looking at you, judging you for the thoughts going through your mind. It isn't that we think you'd never consider it... it's just that we have a chance, now, to choose at all, no?"
<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.
Growing up as an assassin, Ivan had to accept that there were circumstances under which he would kill just about anyone he met. If he was ordered to, of if they learned his secrets, tried to bring him to justice, or otherwise threatened him. Talia was the only exception.
Ever since he's been on his own, in Spira, other people started to feel like maybe they might be exceptions. Like he didn't want to hurt them, and maybe they were so removed from Lubov's world that there's no reason he would ever have to. People who could be friends, or something like it. Like they could genuinely trust him, and he could trust them in return.
That moment -- that thought... it was like he threw all of the trust and understanding Katherine had offered him away.
It helps that Talia doesn't see it that way -- that she doesn't react with disgust, herself. He releases some of his tension with a breath. "...Thanks, Talia. I hope she feels the same way," he says.
<Pose Tracker> Talia has posed.
Talia looks at Ivan, trying to guess what might be going through her head. There are ways in which it is easy; ways that she has felt much of the same things he has. She remembers, over a year ago, when suddenly people besides Ivanfelt like they were an important part of her life.
But she handled it differently. She lied to them, smiled at them, and then found out she couldn't be the hardened person she thought she was. It still feels like a betrayal, because Talia had done trrible things.
But, being here is better than what she tried to do.
"It'll be okay," she says. "Talk to her, no? It will go fine. Besides... you both care about me. You both know how that is, no? It will not be a mystery to her. You said it yourself."
<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.
Ivan nods, still troubled, but hopeful. It would be good to put it behind him, but that does mean actually confessing to it, which might... hurt Katherine's feelings kind of a lot? Like as if she weren't important enough not to be weighed as some kind of sacrifice? He doesn't want that to be the takeaway, that is the whole point of why he feels horrible about it!
Or maybe she does already know, because he wasn't good enough at hiding it...?
"Yes, I can talk to her, I guess," he says. "And... ... ... and if I do get kicked out, at least I can still send you messages on the messaging sphere."
He has maybe sent Talia enough messages for a lifetime, already.
<Pose Tracker> Talia has posed.
"It sounds like you need to," Talia adds, quietly. "Because if you didn't, you wouldn't feel as guilty and uncertain."
She reaches out, then pats him on the arm. She smiles a little at that -- and then he laughs. "...okay, if you did get kicked out," she says, "I will not yell at you for excessive messages by those spheres, no? I suppose they are handy..."
She tilts her head, as she looks at him.
"But you should come by, too!" she says. "Since I don't think you will be kicked out. I'll read books, too, and we can talk about them. And I can tell you about the smut-filled nonsense novels from Filgaia!"
She winks at him.
<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.
"I guess! I don't want to make it worse, though... but I guess I need to..." he makes a frustrated sound. But Talia lightens the mood by assuring him he won't be kicked out and making threats to tell him about Filgaian smut. Ivan makes a disgruntled face.
"It... it sounds like there is a double standard where it's funny if you tell me about trashy books but I'm not supposed to tell you if I read any! I mean I'm not going to be reading any trashy books so it doesn't really matter, but--" he pauses there to decide whether he's lying, and apparently decides that he isn't. "I mean, I'm really not!" A few beats pass. "Wait, you're kidding, aren't you? I knew that."
<Pose Tracker> Talia has posed.
"Even if it makes it worse, it will make it better to have talked it out and not know, no?" Talia smiles.
Then, she smiles a little more as he starts to ramble -- and stops, when he realizes. She pats him on the shoulder. "Of course I am! And I believe you." She winks. "I will find other books, that are not trashy, to tell you about."
<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.
"Yeah, I guess it will be better..." Unless it's worst! But he's more or less settled on doing it, now.
Talia offers to tell him about non-trashy books. Ivan gives a relieved sigh even though he totally and absolutely knew she was kidding before.
"Yes, thank you, that would be better. Because I don't want to dig a hole in the floor to escape into and have to go confess to Katherine about putting a hole in the floor, too."
Architectural damage, however, is an upgrade from his prior habit of threatening to escape awkward conversations via a opening a fiery chasm or leaping into the ocean. Perhaps this is growth?
<Pose Tracker> Talia has posed.
"Please do not dig a hole in our floor," Talia says. "We just remodeled, no?" She winks at him, again, then she looks back at the house. "We should go to the kitchen, no? Speaking of remodeling--"
She beams, clasping both hands together. It's remarkable, how she can look so happy -- and she thinks it, too. When did it feel natural that she had a house with someone?
And when did she stop telling herself she didn't deserve these things?
She grabs her brother by the hand. "You should see what we've done so far! Come on, Vanya!"
<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.
Ivan is pulled along to see the rest of the remodeling, and more conversation follows, mostly silly banter, run through with threads that are sometimes a little more serious. But the afternoon passes pleasantly, and it's nice to confirm in real life that Talia has recovered, is doing well, and is maybe not about to be snatched away again at any moment (Ivan hopes).
He departs the Festina Lente and makes the journey to report back to the Guard, arriving in Luca by dusk, and once he does, he passes by the Goddess Statue that they imported into the city to quickly pass messages across the sea. It's mainly for strategic communications, but common soldiers are also permitted to use it to send and receive messages home.
He eyes it for a moment -- it's been so long since he's gotten a message that it seems almost seems a waste of time to check. But he nearly always does anyway.
For all that he hates his father -- or wants to hate him -- it can drive him a bit mad not knowing what Lubov wants from him or what he's even been doing, when Ivan's fate is in his hands.
And so Ivan approaches the statue, closing his eyes to connect with its power and learn if any messages have been stored in it that were meant for him.
There is a brief silence, and then Lubov's voice enters his mind, terse and impersonal: "Word has reached me that your sister is alive in Spira. I do not expect you to be much use in handling this, but fortunately I was en route to Spira for my own business and will be arriving before the week is out. If you still intend to demonstrate that you have some usefulness, see that you have taken care of the situation by the time I arrive. Otherwise I will plan to dispatch two instead of one."
Ivan recoils from the statue, eyes wide with shock.
Oh no.