2019-08-29: Never Let You Down
- Log: Never Let You Down
- Cast: Riesenlied, Hiro
- Where: Djose
- Date: 29th August 2019
- Summary: Hiro and Ruby check in on Riesenlied, after a long time...
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied hasn't left Djose in weeks -- there just has been so much to do between the Outreach and the Carakin in organising and caring for the refugees. Standing up tents and making sure they have shelter, food, warmth, comfort, medicine... her work has been without end, and she's gone on for long hours and has had to be coaxed by various people. Noeline, her daughters, the Azadians...
Which, speaking of, the Azadians have been a forefront presence here amongst the Outreach members. Seemingly wracked with guilt over what the Althenan Guard have done, they've put their heart and soul to taking care of those who've been displaced.
The Fereshte is parked along a beach not terribly far from Djose Temple -- and Riesenlied is, right now, looking over the ocean in her wheelchair, bundled up warm in her capelet. She looks a little mournful, perhaps...
<Pose Tracker> Hiro has posed.
It is a peaceful reverie. Until it is not.
"Oddddjjjnnnn! Oddjjjnnnn! Hey have you seen a little dragon? Oh wait I forget you poor Spirans don't have those. She's sort of like me but shinier and metallic looking - and she sings these incredible songs a lot - I AM NOT A CAT TAKE THAT BACK!"
In the distance that is what is heard. A sign that a familiar pair are present.
It's not long before /one/ of them at least is making his way onto the beach. Feet softly crunching in the sand on his way to the Fereshte.
He's still bandaged up from the last battle, but not too worse for wear.
And then his footsteps stop. Perhaps he's considering what to say. Or perhaps not. Maybe he just doesn't want to interrupt her in a moment like this.
He's seen Lucia in countless moments like this. Looking at the sky. The ocean. Wondering what she sees that he doesn't.
All he knows is that he hates to interrupt her in moments like that. It feels like he's treading on something sacred.
Finally he approaches, and Riese has something else enter her field of vision.
It's... it's...
A cucco carved out of wood. Dangling on twine. Held out her way by a hand.
"Been a while hasn't it?" A beat, "I made this for you a while back. Just never had the chance to give it to you. It's... that rooster. At the top of Mimameith. Or at least it's supposed to be."
He imparts as he steps to her side.
"My way of thanking you for that story, a long time back."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Unfortunately... Odjn isn't here -- though with how everything panned out, it isn't exactly Ruby's fault for not knowing the Metal Dragon hadn't followed onboard the Fereshte during its latest stint to Spira.
"Ah..." Riesenlied immediately knows who it is -- Ruby is rather unmistakable... she doesn't quite turn immediately, perhaps still grappling a little in her thoughts. But then--
Cucco!
Cucco enters her vision.
She cutely yelps and gasps, holding her human hand up to her mouth as she looks to Hiro.
"Hiro...!" Riesenlied expresses. "Goodness, I--" She can't help but smile tiredly, fondly. Her voice is a bit wheezing. A bit hoarse. But still with that kind, soft inflection underneath.
"It has been a while. This is... for me? Goodness," she repeats herself instinctually. "So, this is Vidopnir..."
Her smile is a bit warmer. "Thank you, Hiro."
She blinks a few times as she more quietly asks, "You've been wounded... would you like me to take care of any of them?"
<Pose Tracker> Hiro has posed.
"Yeah. At least how I imagine him to be." He scratches his chin thoughtfully, "When I told you the tale. And I guess that kind of thing is important too. Not just the reality of what he looked like - but how he's seen by those who view the story."
He allows this smile. "You're welcome. It's something I've been trying my hand at when I have some spare time. Wood-carving."
However then she asks that and- Hiro rolls his shoulder and he shakes his head as he wiggles his fingers, "It's not too bad. Just a mild sprain from that... Knight Protector, Hilde. Few cuts and scrapes. I hardly notice them."
A beat.
"It's just when I do. I think about what's happening with the Guard again. Their invasion - their conquest."
His eyes slide back in the direction of the camp behind him.
"How it's hurting the people who can't fight back. And that's useful I think. A reminder for when I'm not in places like this. Just on the road - focused on Lucia's mission."
After a moment there's this light sigh, "I dunno what I'm going to do when it really is time to move on. This doesn't seem like a thing we should move on /from/. Yet... it's gotta happen eventually. I just got a tip on something... sinister... going on in one of the places the Guard is occupying."
He closes his eyes for a moment. "Ah. I didn't come out here to talk about that though. Not really. I needed a break I guess. Catching up with a friend seemed like a good way to spend it."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied looks momentarily embarrassed to think that Vidopnir might not be real-real, or at least she doesn't think that... (at least until some Wandering Minstrel gets distracted by her tales and creates a trial of Extremity out of it ...)
But that doesn't quite matter. The inspiration of the tale was what drove her, and in turn, it drove inspiration for someone else too.
"Wood carving is a pleasant hobby," Riesenlied agrees. "If you like, you can use the workshop. It's not the same, but Avril has been in the hobby of jewelcrafting and other metallic crafts, so some of the same chisels and workbenches and tools are available..."
She blinks a few times as Hiro talks about his wounds. The Knight Protector, Hilde... she didn't know who that was. "I'm glad... ah--"
Hiro mentions the Guard, and he can see the gaze aversion in her. No doubt her reverie is related to what's been happening too.
"... Spira has not been the healthiest thing for me, admittedly," she gestures very softly to herself. "We have been on the run from the Guard, bringing as many refugees as we can. From Kilika, then from Luca, and... I do not even know if they will leave this place be in their warpath."
There's a wounded, anxious tone to it. She wants to stay strong -- she knows she has to for the refugees, but right now, their morale is being pushed near the brink.
But Hiro says he's also catching a break, to catch up with a friend...
"I have... something in turn -- for both you and Ruby," she expresses. A pause, as she admits, "Not quite as lovely as this gift, but..."
She hands a little letter to him, that she takes out of a pouch. It's suspiciously tiny Metal Dragon-sized, and has a paw-print where there would be a wax seal on it.
<Pose Tracker> Hiro has posed.
"Appreciate the offer. But I like working on it when I'm all by myself. When even Ruby isn't around." He has this almost furtive smile, as he winks a single eye down as if by gift giving he's letting her in on this secret conspiracy, "So don't tell her."
He has another secret hobby too which right now he only does in private...
However she then relays what Spira has been like for her.
"You know when I first came here I thought it would be a pleasant break. Even Lucia was having an easier time..." He shakes his head, "I wouldn't count on it... I... don't like thinking this of them. I'd prefer to think the best of them... but you can't take that chance with all these people's lives."
Perhaps sensing that tone a little, he throws in a comment "It's too much pressure isn't it? Doing the right thing? Too much for you to bear all that responsibility alone - or even divided by how many people you have helping you out in the Outreach." He says quietly, "I know I couldn't manage it... I feel it too hard just trying to keep a half-dozen friends alive and well."
However he quirks an eyebrow as Riese says that she has something for him. "Oh yeah?"
And then taking the letter, he examines the wax seal, and manages a cheerful smile. "Ruby will be ecstatic."
He turns it over in his hands, "Though I shouldn't read it until she's here right? Evennnnn though I learned real young how to pry the seal off to read my Grandpa's mail without damaging it... and put it back on."
His smile gains this impish quality, like that of a little kid.
"Nah - nah I wouldn't do that to her. She's been looking forward to hearing from Odjn for so long."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied nods, as she chuckles and says, "My lips are sealed, don't worry..." on the topic of secret hobbies, looking towards the ring on her finger. She wouldn't call herself a jewelcrafter, but between the Dragon's Tear and the Ring she gave Noeline...
Well, love finds a way, perhaps.
"I've been wracking my mind thinking of where to move next... the number of people in need are growing, and the further we move away from the mainland, the more food becomes an issue... we can't simply bring them all to an island like Besaid and expect a small community to be able to cope."
A pause, as Hiro says that it's too much pressure. Doing the right thing...
"... sometimes. But I've been trying harder to be more honest with myself. Letting Noeline, Lydia, Janey, Mikaia know when a day's gotten to be too much. Before I collapse from stress."
One gets the feeling this is something Riesenlied's been called out on a lot, of course...
She looks up to him with a tender smile. "It's not something I can or should bottle up in me, alone..."
Then she smiles wider and tilts her head...
"The letter's actually addressed to both of you, so... I'll leave it to your judgement." She glances down. "Odjn opted to stay behind... she said she needed a break from what we're doing, after the Photosphere."
She twiddles at the ends of some of her locks for a moment.
"And I don't blame her for that. But the least I can do is relay her message, right?"
<Pose Tracker> Hiro has posed.
"Maybe Bevelle? I hear there's a path through Macalania... but moving this group through those Thunder Plains and a forest..."
He scratches the back of his head. "You'd hope a big city like that would be generous about accepting a large group of refugees but... I dunno. I don't know enough about Spira to really evaluate whether that'd be the right course."
However then Riese divulges... and he simply listens for a bit. Before he crosses his arms and smiles at her, "I'm glad. This whole journey has taken a toll on you. I wouldn't want you to have to sacrifice more than you have to by keeping that all bottled up inside."
A beat.
"And also knowing you still probably only tell them half as often as you should~"
He's not accusing her of being dishonest per se. Just... the type of person who thinks they have to bear more than they ought to.
"Huh. I'd ask for more details- but I'd bet it's all in the letter."
There's this light shake of his head.
"I don't think I'd be able to blame anyone for wanting a break from all this... and you know, after everything Odjn found out about herself... well... everyone should take some time finding themselves. That's what I think."
He looks out at the ocean.
"If I had it my way... we'd all take that kind of a break. I'd want one. It's just... can't afford to. Every moment I'd be soul-searching would be a moment that Lucia is suffering... that Zophar is out there plotting the end of this world."
Or that the people in Riese's camp are suffering, he thinks...
"If it wasn't like that... do you think you'd want to do that? Appoint a successor and... just run off with Noeline and the kids for a while?"
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
"Yes... we considered it, but the Thunder Plains poses an extreme challenge," Riesenlied admits with a furrowed brow. "And... well, to be quite honest -- I think we are the wrong people to entreat aid from Bevelle, given..."
She kind of gestures at herself, then the Fereshte.
It's kind of an assumption -- a pessimistic one, and Riesenlied knows that, but... she can't bank on that hope for so many people.
She does shy up as she stammers, "I said I'm trying, okay...?" as Hiro teases her about only telling them half as often.
... it's a far cry from when they first met, she thinks, when she still had functioning wings, and could walk under her own power.
"Of course, I told Odjn to take all the time she needs... and... I think she's courageous to have identified that need, you know? The need for a bit of distance, reflection... but I know that decision didn't come easy for her."
A pause.
"It's been something we've... talked about..." Riesenlied admits. "I'm really blessed to have people like them. So even if it's not a long break--"
She lightly smiles as she says, rummaging through the pouch and holding up a potion. It looks familiar as a Carakin bottle.
"I've been taking Walking Days on my days off too, for family time. Jacqueline's potions give me enough of a boost for me to do physical therapy exercises... well, around. Mushroom Rock is a bit too challenging, though, I admit," she chuckles. "But it's precious family time. We manage to make them, even with our perilous commitments."
<Pose Tracker> Hiro has posed.
"Well... maybe you are... but Bevelle doesn't need to know that."
Hiro's smile increasingly looks like he ate something bad. That there's indigestion.
"If you can get them there... they're Spirans. They're followers of Yevon right? They can entreat Bevelle on their own and... if that doesn't work, then you can be waiting in the wings just in case."
Hiro though gets this big ol' grin as she stammers. "I believe it. Half the time /is/ trying for you." And then he adds, "You've heard it from me enough times - but I'll say it again right now. I'm proud of you Riese."
Who'd know the two of them once fought, looking at them like this?
"I can imagine not... she's been inseperable from you ever since you found her... alone in the dark."
Hiro looks vaguely distant for a moment at that. Like the idea of someone inseperable with him becoming separated from him makes him uncomfortable in a way yet it's not one he wants to parse either.
"... well, we'll all be ready to welcome her back... once she's taken that time."
Quirking an eyebrow at Riese producing a potion and... "... I'm glad you're getting to take that time." He clears his throat, "And- Ah. How's your progress going there? Think you'll be able to manage without the potions anytime soon?" He asks, trying to hold back his concern. Though it can't help but creep in a little. "I admit... if our positions were reversed, I'd probably be going a little stir crazy."
He can't help but wonder, if their positions were reversed... if Lucia wouldn't just leave him behind. He tries not to think about that... but... fails from time to time.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
"... it may not come to a situation of choice," Riesenlied has a tender smile as they conspire a little to do something a bit cheeky. Just as long as they can conquer the Thunder Plains, and Macalania Forest at that...
A pause, as she flushes further. "... I'm--" A pause. "I'm glad to hear you say that," she smiles wider. "I mean it..."
Hiro comments that Odjn's been inseparable ever since she found her...
Her lips purse at that, as she glances away again.
It's rather clear that Odjn's decision was not easy for either of them. They were inseparable. Perhaps part of the reason Riesenlied told Hiro is because he'd be able to empathise with that feeling... knowing Ruby's been with him since he was small too.
"I'm trying to not blame myself, you know...? But those thoughts creep up a little. But she's been firm in telling me it isn't me, and I want to keep it about her..."
She nods.
"... so yes, we'll be ready to welcome her back."
On the topic of exercise and her health...
"Well... to be honest..." Riesenlied frowns quietly. "It kind of feels like being a raft at sea. Sometimes I make progress, sometimes the waves toss me about, sometimes water is catching up. ... it's hard to say I'm truly moving forward on my health, with--"
She holds her hand to her neckline for a moment. Where that Medium that's been horribly grafted into her is.
"With how... with what /he/ did."
She presses her lips together.
"But you know... you aren't the only one. You've taught me so much, helped me see my errors and change my ways... shatter that fear that was gripping me so long. And besides that-- also been a good friend."
She sucks in a breath and smiles wider, more tenderly.
"I'm proud of you too, Hiro."
<Pose Tracker> Hiro has posed.
"Yeah." Hiro's gaze trails a little down as he thinks of it, his arms crossed in this protective way, like he's vulnerable on the subject of the Guard's wrong-doings.
"It may not."
It's good to see her smile like that, to blush like that. "I'm glad to say it." He has the lightest tease back.
As the subject turns to Odjn, he notices her becoming a little more distant.
"Yeah. There's no way it's you." Hiro finally replies. "It's just... sometimes the world is bigger than you, for someone else... I guess."
As he tries to give voice to that anxiety of his own, by applying it to Odjn.
"It's how it should be I think."
Though he'd admit... that's not often how it's been for him.
"Yeah. We will. Ruby too - definitely."
Then he listens to what she says about her health. And then he reaches across to the hand pointed at her neckline - and places his fingertips around her hand, squeezing it. "Must be frustrating. Not knowing how it's going to end up. Where it's going to lead you. What your life is going to be like after." He murmurs to her. "Maybe you don't see forward progress... but there's always land somewhere. And you've got plenty of hands ready - and willing to keep that raft's course steady."
And then he adds, "You're more than - greater than what that maniac did to you."
Hiro though sucks in a breath when Riese talks about his own impact, that he's been a good friend, that she's proud of him.
Statements like that, they're the kind of things that feel like one's life has changed once you've heard it, forever. Like everything is better - easier to deal with... burdens easier to bear, all because someone out there is proud of you.
Something stings in his eye.
"Well then... that settles it."
He says after a moment of trying to regather himself.
"Now that you've said that... gotta live up to that. Make sure I never let you down." A beat, "And when you do say that - it makes me feel like I'm the kind of friend who never would."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied seems content to set the topic of the Guard aside, given how it sets Hiro on edge too. But blinks a few times as he takes her hand and gives her a reassuring gesture.
"... y-yeah," she whispers, eyes tearing up a little. "I worry about-- leaving everyone behind, giving them so much grief. But at the same time, it's their support that keeps me going. Your support too, Hiro."
She sucks in a deeper breath as he affirms that she's more than what Alhazred did to her. She has to remember that...
She has a kind of more tender, timid smile as she laughs to say, "Me as well. I know that your -- Lucia's journey is difficult... I mean-- I was there at Mount Zulan, but you-- we all overcame that, together. Not just physically, but... emotionally, as a group."
A pause. She holds the wooden cucco up near her face with her palms.
"So I mean it when I say the Fereshte, the Outreach is there for you when you need it. As a home, as shelter... we won't ever turn any of you away. If we can make your own difficult journey just a bit easier. Because Vidopnir would not, either."
This myth is going well off the course, but... perhaps that's the point?
She rubs her eyes. "Why don't we go find Ruby? I think the children must be eager to play with her again."