2021-03-18: Hearts Too Strong

From Dream Chasers
Jump to navigation Jump to search
  • Log: Hearts Too Strong
  • Cast: Yulie Ahtreide, Ruth Pauling
  • Where: Celesti Wastelands
  • Date: March 18, 2021
  • Summary: Yulie, in the process of helping those who suffer beyond death begin their journey towards the Garden of Toldoka, is once more approached by someone who wanders the wastes of northern Zoara a bit too readily. Perhaps both of them are doing some things a bit too readily.

============================<* Celesti Wastelands *>============================

Decades ago, the nation of Celesti ripped itself apart in a vicious civil war. Outside of a handful of settlements, its former territories are lifeless. The remains of trenches, bunkers, and barbed wire lines serve as lingering reminders of the conflict--scars that have yet to heal. The earth is dry and barren, and much of the groundwater has been contaminated by biological or chemical weapons.

Travel through the Wastelands is treacherous. The roads are pockmarked with shell craters, and Reapers have been known to haunt its blasted plains. A handful of functional rail lines cross the wastes, but these travel directly to their final destinations. The shattered remains of ghost towns dot the landscape. Some may yet hold things of value, but experienced travelers know better than to go treasure-hunting on a whim. The war-dead of Celesti do not rest.

Ghosts aren't even the strangest things one can find here. As the war dragged on, both the Congressional Knights and Aquvy Union dug up ancient weapons to aid their efforts--including, it's rumored, ARMs from Zeboim. These rumors draw both the daring and desperate into the wastes, and more often than not, to their end.


<Pose Tracker> Yulie Ahtreide has posed.

Very few people travel the wastelands of what was once the nation of Celesti without reason. It is dangerous, and inhospitable, made all the worse by by attacks from a mysterious. Altogether, to the average traveler, there is only one conclusion to be made - there is nothing for you here. Nothing remains here of Celesti but the earthbound spirits of the dead.

Today, however, the dead of a certain settlement - it would be much too charitable to call it a town, moreso a group of houses gathered around a central well whose waters have long since been blackened and contaminated by the weapons that ravaged much of Celesti - display a strange behavior. Rather than roaming in a blind frenzy, today they gather passively around a platform in the middle of the settlement, on which a certain young lady stands, her eyes shut and her hands clasped together in prayer.

"Let us recite holy verses, and release these whispers of lament. I pray you will find peaceful rest... focus on the warm feelings in your heart. Someday, you shall find the path to the garden of Toldoka..." Yulie murmurs. The prayers of a Paladienne have a certain strength, and one by one the spirits begin to fade, giving off a thankful light as the settlement finally falls silent.

And as the last one fades... Yulie falls to her knees as their collective emotions wash over her, briefly shedding tears that aren't her own. It is never easy, helping the dead move on, but it is a task that she accepts gratefully.

This settlement is only a drop, a miniscule drop in the bucket that is Celesti... but to Yulie, it and every single one like it matters.

Taking a moment to wipe her eyes, Yulie eases herself into a sitting position as she releases a breath she didn't realise she was holding. It always takes a lot out of her, so she needs to take a moment to rest... and she doesn't have much else to do but sit here and wait until the others get back anyway, having sent her other friends away for the time being so they wouldn't attract the anger of the spirits.

<Pose Tracker> Ruth Pauling has posed.

    All is quiet, aside from the winds of a gentle breeze turned gristly by the sand and soot that would hitch a ride upon it and befoul the air of peace with the reality of ruin. The dead are laid to rest, but this is land that may never be fully reclaimed. Land that may never again prosper - and all it takes is a look into the well of befouled water to know that the land itself has been poisoned by the fires of war. There are many other metaphors available, but no single one can ever fully replace the simple truth.
     This is No One's Land, now.
     There are footsteps that follow. Soft ones, scuffed and worn leather gliding along the lifeless dust of the settlement's grounds, belonging to an elven woman who appeared in similar circumstances. Another fallen settlement alongside the expansive ruins of Celesti... another visit by her, dressed over-much as she tends to be.
     The shadow she casts against the sun's current position in the sky is long, indeed, further shadowing her features. By the outline of her form, her own hands are clasped together but held low, small splotches of color seen in the Granasian rosary wrapped around her right forearm. Her eyes are closed.
     "...It is all right if you wish to shed more tears," she speaks up unsolicited. "Granas knows... there never seems to be enough of those to go around."

<Pose Tracker> Yulie Ahtreide has posed.

In the silence that follows, sound stands out. As much as she'd like a moment to just relax, Yulie has to be alert for those who are after her. She pauses and looks up at a sound nearby. Soft footsteps, but with the sound of heavy, layered clothing...

"Raquel?" Yulie guesses, turning her head toward the source of the sound... but it isn't - the sound does, however, belong to a familiar face.

"Oh... hello, Miss Ruth. It's good to see you again..." Yulie greets, her eyes drifting briefly toward the rosary, and pauses. It's alright to shed more tears... She goes quiet for a moment, looking away.

"I'm... okay now, I think. It can just be... a little overwhelming." She replies. It's the sort of thing someone says when they're trying to put on a brave front, to keep people from worrying. "...I suppose that's true..."

The world wasn't kind enough to give them time for it, these days.

<Pose Tracker> Ruth Pauling has posed.

    "You think?" There's an upturn in the woman's voice that has a bit of a bite after Yulie shares her thoughts on the matter. Closer, she draws - at no more hurried a pace, but there is that quiet air of something more purposeful in her approach. The older woman of the two ascends the center square, stopping in her approach to kneel down towards what remains after the earthbound dead have been shown the way towards their eternal rest. Her hands - clad in black gloves that appear to be slightly mismatched - sweep for a few expended bullet casings and preserved bullets themselves. One in particular, she lingers.
     "...It is one thing to 'think' you are okay. You bore your heart for those who met their end with thoughtless cruelty," the elf says as she scoops up one such round - a yellow-ish one that was commonly used in ARMs that fired higher-caliber bullets, "crimes from a generation before yours that saddled you with a world like this."
     A building anger, a frustration. An edge similar to when she was trapped in a building with Yue and Yulie by her side. Someone who seems all too happy to wear what emotion they do have relative to their sleeves. (On? Within one layer? Underneath all the layers? ...Hard to say. But there are emotions in relation to her sleeves.)
     "...I'm sorry," she finally opens her eyes to the young woman, a gentle if sad smile on her face, "I have... a lot on my mind. You need not bear the burdens of what's there."
     She still casts quite the shadow.
     "May I join you?"

<Pose Tracker> Yulie Ahtreide has posed.

Yulie flinches a little, at that upturn in Ruth's voice - that building frustration. It doesn't seem directed at her, but generally at those responsible for this situation in the first place... but even so, she can't help but be a little nervous.

And then... Ruth apologizes. Yulie looks back at her. She hesitates a moment before accepting the apology and that sad smile.

"...It's okay. I can't really blame you..." She replies. There's a lot to be angry about. Looking at this place - lives and familes destroyed, the land rendered uninhabitable... and effectively for nothing.

Ruth asks her if she can join her, though, so Yulie nods, moving over a little to give her a bit of room. She hesitates for a moment, unsure what to say, and then eventually settles on...

"Um... do you stay anywhere, Miss Ruth...?" She asks. This was her second time running into her in a ghost town... she had to wonder what she does otherwise.

<Pose Tracker> Ruth Pauling has posed.

    There's something in the left corner of Ruth's mouth when the Paladienne says she can't really blame her. A little twitch of something that might want to comment on that - but by her admission, she has a lot on her mind.
     As Yulie nods to give her permission to join her, Ruth goes to sit to Yulie's left and quietly exhales. There does seem to remain that sort of tension in the air about the whole scenario. Yulie may have a name, but this woman is still a stranger (and also... strange).
     "I'm a Drifter." The elf responds as she keeps hold of the retrieved bullet in her hand... turning it over, and over, and over habitually, as if wanting to keep her hands busy with something.
     "I travel about Celesti," what of it remains - it's more apt to call this region 'Guild Galad' now, but last time they met she was rather vocal about that place. (Vocal in a very unkind way.) "I don't... live among the cities so much, now. I visit them, but... I rather like the open sky above me. The same skies everyone shares."
     There's another sad smile again. She's not looking the young woman in the eyes. "Twice, now, I've seen you on your own in places like this. Places so full of... sorrow. They ill suit someone like you. You said you think you are okay..."
     She looks up towards the sky. "Do you feel you are okay?"

<Pose Tracker> Yulie Ahtreide has posed.

A Drifter, traveling about Celesti... Yulie nods, taking that in. It brings forth a certain question, though. Yulie hesitates a little.

"Um... I'm sorry if this is too personal, you don't have to answer if you don't want to, but... why do you stay...?" Yulie asks.

But then, Ruth has a question for her, and Yulie goes quiet, considering it. ...She probably wouldn't believe her if she said 'yes', considering her reaction to her earlier statement.

"Maybe, but... places like this, they're where I'm needed most... I can't just leave them." Yulie replies. ...But, that's dodging Ruth's question, in a way. Yulie hesitates.

"...I don't know." She admits. "I have... a lot on my mind, too."

And not just from the spirits of the dead. She could sift their emotions from her own easily enough - though of course they would always leave their mark. In all likelihood, if that ever stopped it would mean she was no longer capable of helping them.

<Pose Tracker> Ruth Pauling has posed.

    Why does she stay? It is a fair and honest question to ask anyone, because there is no 'home' here in these lands any more. No home, beyond Guild Galad and the handful of settlements they've been able to prop up and support. Nothing to really eat, almost no potable water, barely any shelter. The most places like these ever manage to be, are just sad sights to look at from the relative safety of a Guild Galad train cabin.
     Ruth's eyes close as the question is asked. Her left hand squeezes around the bullet. (It does not bend or anything scary, but the clenching is tight enough that her glove audibly strains.) Her facial expression, such as it is, is not that of fury. It takes her some time to come up with an answer... as Yulie talks about places where she's needed most.
     "That's... my answer is close enough to that." Ruth exhales again, as if a tension were trying to leave her but doesn't quite fully escape. Her eyes still don't meet Yulie's - she said she didn't want Yulie to bear the burdens of what's there, and so far, she's honoring her own sentiments.
     "What happened here... it is tragic. I can only imagine what you were told before you set out to... save them." She's having a hard time putting the words together, as if there were some deeper stake for her to be here.
     "You have a strong heart. I don't know if... you were told to have one, or decided you had one, but..." Her right hand goes up to her own heart, gently, as if the layers of clothing between her own gloved hand and her chest might not have been enough to protect one from the other. "You have one. What I'd say to you is... don't let it become so strong you can't let your own feelings out."
     There's a glint of something in one of her eyes. (It's a tear.)
     "...If it becomes too much, don't keep going because you feel that's what someone 'strong' does. I don't... I don't believe the dead, the suffering, would blame you if you needed time to... be weak."

<Pose Tracker> Yulie Ahtreide has posed.

For a moment, Yulie worries that she might have overstepped her boundaries as Ruth tenses. She starts to say something, but... Ruth eventually gives an answer... that this is where she's needed most. Yulie nods, quietly. She could ask why, but... for now, it seems best not to pry too deeply.

But then, Ruth has some advice for her - warnings of becoming too strong... Yulie goes quiet, letting her finish. It's... good advice, really, and she's quiet for a moment longer.

"...I wasn't... told by anyone to come here. I haven't... spoken with the rest of the Order in some time, admittedly..." Yulie admits. "But... thank you. I'll... try take that to heart."

For someone who always bottles everything up to prevent it from burdening anyone else... well, the advice certainly resonates with her a bit.

She lets the silence hang in the air a bit before eventually...

"Um... have you had anything to eat recently, Miss Ruth? I was thinking I could whip something together..." She offers. After all, she's not certain how often she would find something to eat out here...

<Pose Tracker> Ruth Pauling has posed.

    "...Is that so." Comes Ruth's reply, low and... a little conflicted, at that idea. That someone of Yulie's age would take to the wastes and do as she does. Her hand stays over her heart for a bit longer before letting it slip back down to her other hand. Something like a smile should come to her face at Yulie's acceptance of her advice, but instead there's a bit more sadness creeping up on her face. Emotions... are complex, sometimes, even for grown-ups. (...especially grown-ups.)
     "I wouldn't turn down such a kind offer..." There's a smile. "Perhaps... we can make something together, then? I do have some ingredients on me." There is no such thing as 'good eats' on Filgaia. Only 'eats.'
     Any day you get 'eats' in these parts is precious - especially when you get to share!

<Pose Tracker> Yulie Ahtreide has posed.

That conflicted reply... Yulie fidgets a little. There's a lot she could say... but to delve into it too deeply would fall into the category of another burden, and possibly put her at risk. For now... this is enough.

Yulie smiles, though, as Ruth accepts her offer, and even offers to cook with her and share ingredients.

"Oh, that would be nice... I'm the only cook in my group, so I don't really get the chance to cook together with others as much as I'd like..." Yulie replies, pleased. Not that she minded handling the cooking duties... but it's nice, to do it with others.