2019-10-28: The Final Squoze
- Log: The Final Squoze
- Cast: Lydia Seren, Riesenlied, Noeline
- Where: Thames
- Date: 28th October 2019
- Summary: Lydia bumps into her moms, and a heartfelt reunion is overseen by Mama Shibe.
<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.
Lydia Seren arrived at Thames earlier to find ruins to check out on Solaris's behalf though one of the real reasons she dropped by was to check on her friends, some of whom she knew were in the area at least at some point. She hasn't changed much from her last transformation, though her her hair and eyes have returned to normal, but she has folded those wings back into her body to be less conspicuous. She's wearing a shirt and slacks as well as a longcoat that covers enough of her body that she doesn't cause a scene. Even though this is the Thames where, lets face it, there are a lot of scene-causing folks here.
She has been making her way through the market first but now is making her way back towards the 'Mess Hall' to maybe grab a bite to eat.
Even if it's kind of a phantom hunger, she still feels the need to eat even if it isn't strictly neccessary. A psycholoogical trick, perhaps, but that's how it is.
- munch munch munch munch*
Speaking to her HEAD is her new handler, Rachiel Medry, who has already started on her lunch.
"Couldn't you at least wait until I got something?" Lydia mutters under her breath, because only she can really hear Miss Medry at the moment.
"Oh! Sorry! Okay I'll wait.... *stomach grumbling noises*"
Lydia sighs.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Being in the Thames has been both overwhelming and yet soothing at the same time for Riesenlied; while the similarities to Wayside are undeniable, there definitely is a way in which the familiar faces of Wayside help her in a way that... the less familiar faces of the Thames do not -- and there's a sheer size difference regardless.
Still, it's not like she's giving up, and spending time with Mama Shibe and reconnecting with her -- and Noeline's past -- has inspired her too.
Mama Shibe has invited them to the mess hall for a meal, and Riesenlied has found a new wheelchair that's got significantly more nuts and bolts on it. She's staring at a Thames special, a Big Beer (tm) and a deliciously greasy pile of meats and veggies which...
"Um..."
Riesenlied blinks, though, when she whips her head and spots Lydia. She blinks a few times more. "Wait, I--"
She stumbles out of her chair and
BOOF
tumbles over a stool and whines out in pain. "Lydia??"
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
Noeline has thrived on the Thames, of course. She's yet to go visit the Captain, recognizing that Riesenlied probably needs some time to acclimatize first, but there's no end of opportunities for her to show her partner around, make a general nuisance of herself, and coach 'Noelyn' in proper vampire behaviour...
... well, sort of. Her acting as a Crimson Noble is undeniably a little more goofy and over the top than it usually is here on the Thames, but that's just because she's that much more aware of what it means to be a parent now. So rather than trying to regale the girl with stories she might not understand, Noeline devotes some time and training to getting a 'proper cape-fwip' going, or how to lead a collection of (stuffed) bats.
"Aah," she grins at the sight of the food that's been laid out for them, chuckling quietly to herself as she realizes she maybe should have expected this and offered Riesenlied some warning. "I suppose some things never change - the kitchens here definitely being one of them," she drawls a little as she sits down next to her partner--
--only for her partner to jolt and lunge to one side, falling over her chair. It's so sudden that even Noeline has a moment of being purely taken aback, half-reaching for the Hyadean to help her up - but freezing a mere instant before that question as her attention is caught and dragged to one side by an overpowering thought across their link.
"Lydia," she blurts, and confusion wars across her face as her body tenses. The last time she caught up with a controlled family member, things didn't exactly go well.
<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.
Lydia freezes! ANXIETY. She really should have thought that her Moms would also be chilling on the Thames. The Thames is their kind of place! But she didn't think about that! And Ivan hadn't seen them! AHHHHHH.
Wait she can act cool about it! Like nothing happened! Good thinking, Lydia!
She leans against a post, makes finger guns and says, "Heeeeeeey... Moms."
Her gaze shiftts towards the Mama Shibe and briefly wonders what the plural of Moms is because she just knows 'Moms' as Noeline and Riesenlied but if there's a third mom... Is that Momses?
(It's still just moms lydia)
"Looking uh. Looking..." She is trying to say looking cool but Riesenlied just tripped over a stool but Lydia redoubles herself because if Riesenlied is tripping over a stool then tripping over stools is the new cool!
"Looking cool! Hey. Buddies. Cool people."
She has a feeling this might not be entirely working.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied has had a rough time of it, it seems -- her hair's turned white overnight, though it was like that during the battle with OS in Macalania too. Some of her hairtips look coarse too -- like even her individual hairs are starting to scalify, in a microscopic kind of way.
Mama Shibe, though, has been delighted at Noeline's nuisance around 'Noelyn' and dazzling her with all kinds of 'Crimson Noble' tutorials. So she gets up and looks curiously to the girl and her fingergunning.
"'Mom'? Is this your daughter? She's cute!" Mama Shibe cackles brightly. She nudges Noeline. "I didn't know you two already... you know, doing the waka-waka, shaka-laka..." She's belting out further with laughter.
Riesenlied is tearing up, though, which kind of undercuts Mama Shibe's attempts to lift the situation as she drapes herself over Lydia and gives her a very tight hug. Sobbing all the while.
"Lydia, oh, Lydia...!"
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
"Adoptive, thank you," Noeline finds herself answering Mama Shibe before she can stop herself, grumbling a little as she tries to suppress a smile of her own and fails. "And one of many-- but no less loved for it," she adds strongly and solemnly, her expression turned down in a frown. It takes a little while to digest Lydia's backpedalling - but when she manages it, she finally lets out the breath she's had held for the last few seconds.
"Of course she's cute. She takes after the both of us, after all," she adds with a prideful puff of air, completely contradicting what she just said as she flicks her hair out. Well, she's got to keep up appearances somewhat...
She can't help but be more pragmatic than Riesenlied, and a series of niggling questions skim through her thoughts. The speech pattern is unmistakably Lydia and not OS, but that doesn't mean that other half of Lydia is gone or holds less control. Besides, given what both halves of her told them on Spira, it wouldn't exactly be fair or kind to celebrate OS being gone. Are they working together towards a goal? Is OS dormant, and this is 'free time'?
But she's getting better at ignoring that voice in the back of her head, or at least knowing when she should and shouldn't indulge it. Rather than be consumed by them, she steps forwards to similarly catch Lydia in a hug of her own, chuckling gently to herself as she does so. "... did you think we'd be upset, or angry?" she wonders of Lydia's panic. "Really, however could we be?"
<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.
"I think Wakka-Wakka was a blitzballer," Lydia says with determination, cheeks silvering at Shibe's words but Riesenlied rushes in and gives Riesenlied a tight hug. She can feel the nubs along the back where Lydia is hiding the wings. Lydia freezes up again with that similar tension.
Noeline reads her like a dime novel.
"Ah..." Lydia isn't crying. She vowed she wouldn't again until she was free but she does tighten up and release the tension with a soft breath.
Odds are OS isn't gone but OS isn't like Id who is always trying to seize control. They seem happy to hang back and observe. They're no doubt watching but they don't say anything or take over. Lydia probably would grumble at hearing 'OS' is some half of herself. She'd rather avoid comparisions with 'the guy who blew up Wayside'.
But she does say, "No. I didn't think you'd be upset or angry." Of course she didn't. How could she? But Noeline is still pretty correct that she is worried about their reaction all the same.
"I couldn't be like you guys. I tried and I couldn't do it. I'm sorry."
She returns Riesenlied and Noeline's hugs tightly. It took a moment but she does it now.
"They can still see through me, they can still make me do things, I'm actually working for them now. So...it might be better if I stay away. I don't know."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied hears Noeline's words, nodding kind of numbly through them as she burbles, "We wouldn't be upset... w-waah..." but she didn't say anything about not crying, because she knows how she handles her own stress and that's being much more emotional. She can't vow to not cry because she did once a long time ago and it broke her apart.
I couldn't be like you guys. I tried and I couldn't do it. I'm sorry.
Riesenlied blinks again, still teary-eyed as she asks, "What do you mean...?" A breath inwards, and she says, "I--"
Lydia explains. They can still see through her. Make her do things. Working for them now. It might be better if she stays away--
"No!"
Riesenlied stammers as her chest tightens up and she holds it for a moment. "No. Lydia... I don't care about that. Wayside never has. We worked with Veruni and Seraphs and all kinds of other people knowing we have nothing to hide..."
She sobs louder, then hesitates.
"W-well, the Fereshte isn't here. It might still be in Spira. But..." Riesenlied kind of tips why she's so sensitive about Lydia staying away, because... well, Janey and Mikaia and all the kids are away too. "Y-you'll always be welcome. No matter what. You'll always have a home..."
Mama Shibe gives Noeline an encouraging pat on the back, then both of them. Then all three. "Oh dears...!"
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
"... that's not your fault. That's not even anything to apologize for," Noeline comments gently as she accepts the hug in return, closing her eyes as she rests her chin on top of Lydia's hair for a moment before opening them to stare into the distance. "It would be ridiculous for us to ask you to just be a copy of us. You are your own person - and nothing can invalidate what you yourself have brought to Wayside and the Fereshte, or to our family."
She lets out another breath, and nods to herself. "It doesn't make you any less our daughter, either. You'll always have a home to come back to," she promises quietly.
Her hand goes to Riesenlied, this time, and nudges her partner closer to her as the tears begins to come. For her part, Noeline swallows roughly - there is feeling there, evident over their link, but at the same time she's doing her best to stand tall for Lydia's sake. "Riese is right. We'll trust your judgement and your feelings - but there's no need to stay away from us." A pause, and she huffs. "Besides, they probably know where Wayside is anyway. We were not exactly subtle," she grumbles.
She does hesitate, though, and for a moment her gaze bores into Lydia. "... are you alright? Have they treated you well enough?" she mutters protectively before folding into a wry smile. "I imagine you can't say too much, but whatever you can. We can't help but worry."
"Ah--" she adds as the Shibe suddenly crowds around them, and breaks into a quiet laugh. "This is Mama Shibe. She's the matron of the market, and-- a very old friend to the both of us."
<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.
"Aside from the torture it was alright. They have me in a room that has l ike a bed and there's another room with a shower and they let me read books. But yeah, they're pretty insidious. They left a device in my room called 'a television' and--well, no, I can't tell you about the horrors of the television. But I'll be strong. I'll eat another television if I have to." Lydia promises.
Riesenlied insists that she can stay. Loudly! Noeline is backing that up too. Noeline even says she shouldn't try to be a copy of them in the first place.
It kind of makes her feel like all those insecurities and worries she was carrying for so long were all really very silly and she could've maybe gotten over them way earlier if she had just talked to them about it in the first place. Daaahhh how are they always so perfect!
Be strong Lydia. Don't cry now. Just give them the biggest smile you can.
Lydia smiles and leans into the hug, tightening it powerfully with one last squoze before letting go.
"I'm really lucky to have you two. Filgaia is."
Well it's ok to not cry, Lydia reasons, when you're actually feeling really happy anyway so it's not like she's holding anything back, she's just...letting herself be happy when she's happy.
"Mama Shibe, huh? Nice." Lydia offers Mama Shibe a fistbump.
"Old friend huh? So you know embarrassing stories and stuff?"
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied grimace-wobbles at the mention of torture, but continues on with a quiet... quiet nod, perhaps quietly glad (even if not happy) that they at least gave Lydia some creature comforts. She mentions television, and she thinks about some of the screens she's seen before, but...
Seeing Lydia smile and not cry like that... she knows how heavy her internal battle is. "... I was so angry at that man. Krelian," she whispers. "I had not felt like that since... since the Photosphere and..." she kind of droops, horns falling and everything. She doesn't want to bring them down there again.
She feels Noeline's hand on her back, feeling her own tears, feeling Noeline there too. It's what lets her keep going.
"W-we're trying to... think of what to do. We sent a missive to Wayside... but other than that... yes, we've been--" Riesenlied looks as Mama Shibe cackles again and fistbumps Lydia in turn.
"Mama Shibe at your service! I first met this one," she pats Noeline, "When I was a wee pupper. I'm pushin' seventy now! That's pretty good for a shiba, inu?" She cackles loudly at her own pun.
Then a glint. "Oh, embarrassing stories... did you know I was your mom Riesenlied's penpal for several decades? She first wrote to me as--"
Riesenlied's face is plum red as a tomato as she starts wailing and flailing her hands. Paw, paw, paw.
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
Noeline's expression instantly sharpens at the mention of torture. Where Riesenlied grimaces, something flashes in her crimson eyes - a defiance that's centuries old, part of her core identity. She does at least let her daughter finish before she risks saying anything, and she has to take a moment to centre herself afterwards. It helps to focus on her pride, on the way Lydia promises to be strong. "... good," she nods quietly.
"We can only assume the Fereshte might have been thrown elsewhere on Filgaia. I sent a message to Meria Boule and Guild Galad to see if there's been any sightings, as well," she reports for both Lydia and Riesenlied's benefit, focusing away from Krelian and nudging Riese a little towards her to try to soothe the draconic Hyadean. "But I'm sure that wherever they are, they're safe. They're all strong, too, and probably smarter than we are," she chuckles softly.
She returns the Final Squoze, and heaves out a sigh. "I did promise I'd show you the Thames someday, after all. It seems like it'd be your sort of place," she suggests with a light grin. She can absolutely imagine the people of the Thames trying to build the most rickety rocket the world has ever seen, after all, cheering and yelling amongst each other as they did so.
But that thought leaves her mind as Lydia asks a question. "No," Noeline says, more bluntly and stonily than ever before. "She absolutely does not." Of course, she's immediately gainsayed, and glances across with a glum sigh. "... I was still getting used to being a 'Crimson Noble' back then. I'm sure I made quite enough mistakes."
Is she throwing herself on the fire to try to save Riesenlied? Will it work? (No.)
<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.
Television is getting a pretty bad rap here, but to be fair to Lydia it's strange and alien to her and she came in expecting the worst. Part of her is frankly grateful that Janey and Mikaia weren't around to see what happened to her or hear this conversation or have to deal with any of the immediate reprecussions here!
Lydia quiets down at the mention of the photosphere since, uh, she's pretty much working for Mom's Dad's murderers now. And uh. Well. It's kind of hard for her to see Siegfried as family for weird mysterious reasons that aren't really weird or mysterious but she can certainly understand Riesenlied's feelings on the matter. Lydia would be upset if her biological parents weere murdered too, probably! At least if it seemed like they might be about to turn themselves around a little bit!
"I don't know his deal," Lydia admits. "I think OS gets him better than I do but they're not really talkative."
She thinks about what Riesenlied could do. "Well," She says. "I heard of a place called...Dragon Roost Cavern? That's like dragons and roosting. It sounds like your kind of place. Maybe you can check it out."
She smiles. "Wow 70? That's really great." Beastmen usually don't beat 60. The face that Mama Shibe made it to /70/? Lydia feels her respect for this lady grow. Especially since she seems pretty friggin' happy.
Course maybe she made it to 70 because she's not living next door to Kislev.
"Oh yeah teen mom stories, I definitely need to hear all of thosee."
Riesenlied red as a tomato in the background.
"Thames is pretty much my jam too. Wish I could enjoy it more."
Her eyes widen. There might be embarrassing Teen NOE stories too? Be strong, Lydia.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
There's a powerful and chaotic cocktail of emotions in Riesenlied and Noeline can sense in regards that when it comes to Krelian and Alhazred, it may have been the closest she has come to hatred. It makes her fear, feeling such a way... even if they've talked a little about how it's healthier to be honest about how you feel.
And there is the matter of Siegfried too, yes.
"I know!" Mama Shibe cackles. "And mama's got at least another ten. I'm not kickin' the bucket until I see these two get proper-married. Betrothed, they say! They're just as bad as these two girls downstairs who hold hands and whisper sweet encouragements into each other's ears and tell each other it'll be okay and then wonder 'are we more than just friends??'"
Ah, she decided they were just as bad, did she?
"Dragon ... Roost ..."
Riesenlied immediately imagines herself roosting in dragon form next to a bundle of cuccos. She wipes a bit of drool off her face. How unladylike!
"Heh heh. Well, it all started when Noeline here came to Aquvy. I got a sweet letter from my pen pal club of a sweet girl calling herself Olivia who was pleading for anyone to tell her how a 'wonderful, resplendent woman called Noeline is doing'... not to mention, 'how wonderful it might be to step in someone else's shoes and be part of that world'!"
Mama Shibe ducks before Noeline throws something at her, knowing Riesenlied just got distracted by Dragon Roosts to scream.
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
Noeline remains silent on the matter of Krelian. She doesn't know him - or OS, or even Solaris as a whole - well enough to say for sure what they might want. And though she did promise Loren Voss that she'd tear Solaris from the skies someday, it was kind of said in anger. She has a hard time imagining that the entirety of a civilization could think the same way - and has the Photosphere to compare it against.
Is there a Tainted of Solaris, she wonders for a scattered moment? The thought makes her hunker over Riesenlied a little, brushing at her hair as she whispers something briefly soothing.
"That's honestly a fair point," Noeline admits to Lydia's suggestion. "If nothing else, we could see if we can help out a little at some of the salvaging spots. Or perhaps see if we can recover some things from them, for that matter." It helps that she can feel Riesenlied melt a little, as her mind drifts to warmer and lighter things. A little escapism never hurt, not when all they can do right now is wait.
When her expression swivels towards Mama Shibe, there's a glum frown on her face and colour already building in her cheeks. "We surely weren't /that/ bad," she grumbles, but then shuts herself up before she can dig her hole any deeper. Ultimately, she and Riesenlied have had a couple of centuries of slow burn, a hell of a lot longer than anyone else on the Thames.
But rather than throw anything, her eyebrow twitches, and she lifts a hand to her forehead as she starts to gather gloomy vertical lines of grey. "... ... ... please tell me you left out the part where I started out challenging the workers to lift more than I could..." mumbles the voice of long-held regret.
<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.
"Wow ten more at least! Though if you're not kicking the bucket until they're married, you might have to wait until 100 knowing their speed heh heh heh...!" Lydia cackles.
It feels nice to be able to laugh and have these dumb conversations again. It's felt like months but it's really only been weeks.
There is a Tainted of Solaris. They're called 'Lambs'. Or if you want to narrow the field down a little bit, 'Third Class Citizens'. Well maybe these things aren't the exact same thing or precisely what Noeline is hoping to compare to. Lydia herself is less bloodthirsty to Solaris than some are despite being in this position but she is still pretty grumbly about it.
"sniff..."
Rachiel Medry is so touched! But Lydia ignores this and smiles at Riesenlied's expression quietly. "Olivia huh. Hey Mom, looks like someone was trying to steal your girlfriend."
She knows dang well who Olivia is but she just can't help herself.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied snaps out of her dragon roost-induced stupor and looks around. "W-who's trying to steal her?" she pouts, eyes round white discs with thick black outlines. "Who's Olivia--" A pause.
Mama Shibe just about bowls over, cackling with laughter.