2022-11-09: Mariel's History Lesson

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<Pose Tracker> Mariel has posed.

Mariel doesn't talk about her past much.

Oh, she talks about some things related to history; not often, but enough that there's no question that she was there, even if perhaps not as involved as the movers and shakers of the era, of which she was not one. But she doesn't talk about *her* past much, except to say she was a gardener, a florist, a botanist, an herbalist. Things like that. Things she was, but not things she'd done.

But the talk about the Elw Blade left in the journal of Werner Maxwell startled her enough that people asked about it. Mariel knew something, certainly. And so, she said that maybe it was time she explained some things - when they weren't under attack by the Prophets.

Well, they're not under attack now. Mariel has a camp not very far from Yggdrasil but not in it; in the too-verdant forest. It's still too verdant; such things don't vanish in a day even if work on the Ley has begun, and she's more comfortable outside than in. It's a safe camp, though, nowhere near the more territorial animals in the wilds.

Specifically, it is in a large clearing with a lush span of grass. She sits on a rock that's high and flat enough to serve as a seat, her satchel next to her arm.

Mariel looks nervous. (More so than usual.) 

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

    Riesenlied does find it more comfortable outside as well; after she'd been dragged into the whole mess by virtue of the Ley calling her, she'd encountered the Prophets and thrown into a battle when battle is something that she has to weigh carefully if she can afford to do so...

    And now she's here, after doing what she can with the shutdown of Yggdrasil -- sensing the Ley and confirming that it flows as it should, and correcting that which isn't -- which, along with the combat, has left her body somewhat erratic and unstable, hence her being here with Mariel among other things. Like, you know, spending time with a wonderful friend too.

    "I made some tea for everyone," Riesenlied offers gently as her wheelchair slides forward, a mere inch above the ground. The telltale chirps of Noeline's pod, Strife, can be heard underneath the chair, then it pops out to hover beside her. What a good round boy...!

    There is, indeed, tea, in a large pitcher with some camping-friendly mugs that Riesenlied brought with her. Ever prepared! 

<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.

Eleanor Klein, for one, is glad not to be under attack. While she's still hoping to do more with the unbalanced environment, she can at lest enjoy the lush environment in the meantime, since it's altogether less ominous now that they're working on spreading some of this greenery around as it's meant to be.

Also there's still a lot of traps inside, so there's that.

"Thank you," Eleanor says to Riesenlied as she accepts a bit of tea, and looks to Mariel with a mall smile. She can tell that she's nervous, but she doesn't comment on it.

Instead se waits patiently, finding a seat for herself. 

<Pose Tracker> Venetia Vuong has posed.

 
Venetia was glad to be out of THAT PLACE.

What a creep show.

And yet here they are, with Mariel, one of their finest and oldest allies, hnf hnf, if you will excuse Venetia a little bit of interior humor. There is some dark secret - the Elw sword - something to do with what is afflicting Filgaia - which Venetia can only vaguely guess at.

Venetia has forcibly stopped herself from speculating.

"I would adore some tea right now," Venetia tells Riesenlied, having been milling about in the hopes of not having to sit on the grass.

She is going to have to sit on the grass. 

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Lanval has posed.

    Seraph Lanval is present, after having helped to make sure the camp will be safe with judicious amounts of Holy Bottle-quality water and any other miscellaneous feats of doing needed to help shut down Yggdrasil safely. The whole ordeal has been tiring enough that he's currently resting in the tall grass, supported upright only by another rock, and keeping his drinking gourd held on his lap in both hands as he contemplates whether he feels too lazy for Riesenlied's tea. He's had some before in times past, he's sure it's good.
 
     ...
 
     "Mmm." He looks up to the nervous Elw, wondering what he could say or do to reassure her when what's being spoken of is something from across a span of many years. 

<Pose Tracker> Ashley Winchester has posed.

Ashley Winchester was not at That Place.

He was kind of busy with... a different conversation with someone he had to talk to. But now he's here, because whatever details will be revealed here today are probably pretty impotant to... Everything? It's not every day that an Elw reveals mysterious truths of their history.

Besides, ARMS is in showing, so it only makes sense that their gallant musketeer would make an appearance, right? 

<Pose Tracker> Marivel Armitage has posed.

Marivel Armitage has something she feels the need to talk about too upon hearing that news but she doesn't want to interrupt Mariel sharing more about her past with her Drifter friends since she feels that is an important part of life as an immortal being--making friends with the mortal instants around you. Also Mariel is her friend and she wants her to get through this as comfortably as possible so in many ways she's hear for emotional support first, and sharing a little bit of her own knowledge second.

She has made a plate of rice cakes which seh has set on Hob's head and the drone/friend is hovering in front of Mariel helpfully so she can get all the rice cakes she wants.

Nob is also present, though she has a cup of tea. Marivel herself is holding a kettle of it with one hand and her own cup of tea with a second. She sets the kettle on a stump while she sits in midair like a proper monster queen.

"Ah, it seems we've had the same idea, Riesenlied." Marivel says. "Though I suppose this means we have plenty."

With one hand freeded up, she rests it on Mariel's shoulder, squeezing lightly. 

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

That journal entry hangs in the back of Jacqueline's mind. It's not the sort of thing one just forgets immediately. With the battle with the Prophets finished for the time being, her mind was able to go to other matters - so of course, if Mariel has things she wants to say, Jacqueline will be there to listen.

She joins the others at her camp. She has produced a chair for herself, and can do so for others. For now, she sits quietly and polite, and offers Riesenlied a smile when she mentions that she made tea.

"Thank you. I'd love some tea right now, I think." She says with a grateful nod. "...And thank you to you as well, Marivel, of course."

With that said, she looks up to Mariel. She looks nervous... she supposes she can't blame her.

"It's alright. Take all the time you need. We'll be here to listen, when you're ready." Jacqueline assures.

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

    This is not remotely over. The Prophets are unaccounted-for, and so are Janus and Asgard. Then there's the matter of the 'him' that Asgard mentioned; the more Ida thinks on that, the more horrified she gets. At least by responding to Mariel's polite invitation, she can support her, and have support.

    Ida came in with the rest of ARMS, and wastes no time in greeting the hosts. "Thank you for having us, Mariel," she says, as she pauses to take stock of the Elw. (Definitely nervous, Ida doesn't blame her.) "And thank you, Riesenlied, for the refreshments." She pours herself some tea, and then sits down.

    On the grass, near Eleanor. It's very plush, comfortable grass.

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

    Noeline likes to think of herself as a historian, though that largely amounts to being a voracious reader and having tread through many of the places she's read about. For a being as long-lived and social as she is, memories are particularly important to her - so the thought that they might have been tampered with is still hanging on her mind, even if the scope of that meddling is of little actual consequence when it comes to the people and places she's seen along the way.

    She looks like she's in need of some rest and some decent sleep, and there's a rare pause where she stifles a yawn and curls into herself a little where she's sitting down. The moment they reached Mariel's camp she'd staked out a little spot for herself and Riesenlied, and for all that she's still quite the picture of an honorary Crimson Noble she has also become extremely domesticated - so somewhere along the way sheer routine had made her bring out a thick and comfortable blanket to lay on the ground and a heating device gently radiating warmth around her spot.

    Her eyes follow her partner as she offers tea around; she's patient in waiting for Riesenlied and Hob to reach her, and once either of them do she makes a point of gathering a little collection of tea and snacks for the pair of them. It has been a long day, and she is not shy about using the secret technique of picking up two rice cakes at the same time. They were just stuck together, she's sure. 

<Pose Tracker> Mariel has posed.

"Thank you...!" Mariel is pleased to be offered tea, at least. People who know her know she really does like her tea, though she hasn't had much time to grow and dry her own lately beyond a few batches.

They make good gifts.

She wraps her hands around her tea mug before accepting a rice cake too from Marivel (well, Hob), though she doesn't immediately eat it. It's rude to talk with your mouth full, after all.

"So, ah..." She isn't quite sure how to start. Public speaking is absolutely not Mariel's specialty. "I suppose most of you heard the message from Werner Maxwell, about the Prohpets, in their laboratory." She is glossing over what *else* is in the laboratory, because frankly Mariel does not have an answer as to why there were so many identical bodies in there and she's not sure that she wants to have one either.

"I had hoped that this would remain in the past, but, if it isn't..." Mariel trails off for a moment. It gives her a moment to sip at her tea, which is just the way she likes it. She gives a nod of thanks. "So, before I begin, everybody - except Marivel, who I have already told - how much do you know about the Day of Collapse itself? I know there are legends and stories, but I honestly don't know how much any of you know about facts..."

She is assuming 'not a lot', though. Especially the Lunarians, because, well. Obviously.

<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.

Eleanor is happy to sit near her friends. They're friends! It's very nice. As is the tea. And the snacks. For her part Eleanor just tries to be a nice, soohing presence, and trie to relax as well. Ashley gets a smile, too. It's good to see him!

...True, it's not over, but they have a brief reprieve, and have done tangible good for the planet.

"Not much," Eleanor admits of the Day of Collapse. "Only what's in the history books, that is. Legends and stories, and I'm aware that a number of noble families in Aquvy claim to date back from deeds in that timeframe."

Eleanor does know a lot of history about it--it's quite relevant! But she assumes Mariel knows more than was recorded in what survived of the histories. 

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Lanval has posed.

    "Mmmm." Lanval muses aloud, as Mariel asks about the 'Day of Collapse.' "That'sh... how ya count time on the calendar here on Filgaia, ain't it? PC, Post Collapse..." The Water Seraph muses aloud. A part of him wonders if maybe he should've been staring at the Blue Star more from where he once held his role as Lord of the Land over in Meribus, since he is several decades older than five-hundred and four.
 
     He picks at his beard and starts whirling a finger around it in thought. It's been tough to familiarize himself with how it's '504 PC' here and not '4071 GY.'
 
     "Other 'n that... wouldn't know much... but it had ta be big if ya were gonna reshtart countin' yer yaersh~" 

<Pose Tracker> Marivel Armitage has posed.

Marivel smiles at Mariel but she doesn't say anything just yet. She has little to say that wouldn't be preempting Mariel telling her own story. What she does have to say has to wait.

She leans forward, considering Noeline--she hasn't seen her in a while. At first her expression is thoughtful, and then it gets warmer as her lips twist up in a bit of a smile. She eases back and has some more tea. She doesn't feel any reason to warn these people to be kind to Mariel with what she's about to share because everyone she sees here isn't the type to give Mariel the harshness over it.

"A little over five hundred years ago." Marivel asides to Lanval. "Around the same time as the Valmar and Granas War." 

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

    Along with Marivel providing snacks, Riesenlied is only too happy to pour tea to Eleanor and Venetia, and nodding appreciatively at Lanval at ensuring that they stay protected. She smiles quietly as she pats Hob on the side -- not enough to knock the plate over -- and rather than take her own, steals from Noeline's double-dip instead. Justice!

    Jacqueline encourages Mariel, and there's a gentle nod from the Hyadean, as she watches Ida sit with Eleanor. She thinks a little of her transformation, but... now's not quite the time to ask. The heating device Noeline brings out is appreciated indeed, even out here; she's often cold, after lal.

    Mariel speaks -- how much do they know about the Day of Collapse?

    Riesenlied thinks deep, and advises gently:

    "I... have the Hyadean perspective, as spoken to me from Father. He spoke of how the Elw decreed Filgaia would not suffer our presence, and they invoked the Guardians, at the time of the Day of Collapse."

    She hesitates, knowing this is hard to speak. "What legends describe as the 'Guardian Blade', he says, was a weapon that left a large wound upon the planet we can see even now. He... spoke of how Elw created weapons and creatures to fight the Hyadeans and Mother, at that time, but that was the greatest and most fearsome of all."

    She shakes her head gently. "I... understood that these actions were the catalyst of what had them leave Filgaia. But I would listen to it from your perspective too, Mariel." 

<Pose Tracker> Ashley Winchester has posed.

"I know basically what the Church of Granas had passed down," Ashley admits sheepishly, "That is to say, not really very much at all. Especially with all that's happened with the Church over the past while, it's not like I can really trust any information they might have handed out completely, anymore."

That's what happens when you're a pious person in a JRPG, babyyyy.

"I know that it's when things really started going bad for Filgaia," he adds, shaking his head, "And that's about it. But that's what I'm here to learn, so... I'm all ears!"

Beat.

"Um. Sorry, that kind of deep history was never really my forte, heheh." 

<Pose Tracker> Venetia Vuong has posed.

Venetia receives her mug.

"There's a story in Void 41," Venetia says, "about how the Day of Collapse came about because someone wrote a book which told everyone how to see what other people were thinking just by looking at their faces, and how it was a very popular book, but it didn't take long before everyone went mad with resentment. Every single thought," Venetia says, "transparent and easily seen. Every stray inkling and annoyance even on your loved ones. Every base and vile figment of the imagination."

She sips her tea.

"And you couldn't forget the skill, either. The survivors started wearing masks, like I do, and the ones who'd read the book never took them off, and so the secret died with them."

"I imagine it's at best slightly true," Venetia concludes, and yet she's always been wearing one of those lacy masks, hasn't she. 

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

True to her word, Jacqueline is perfectly alright with waiting until Mariel is ready - or at least as ready as she'll ever be. She sips at her tea, making sure to give an appreciative nod as an indication of its quality to the brewer. And then, Mariel speaks.

"I heard it, as well." Jacqueline confirms. And then Mariel continues, asking about the Day of Collapse. Jacqueline 'hm's to herself for a moment, thinking back.

"I know the basics. I've heard about it from a few different sources, but there's been some conflicting perspective and opinions." Jacqueline comments.

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

    Ida sips her tea. It's good tea.

    "Another Granasite, here," she says, giving Ashley a sympathetic look. She knows things now. She can't forget them. "But beyond that, a catastrophic war driven by something called 'Diabolos', and the near-total collapse of Filgaian civilization."

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

    "And from the point of view of the Hyadean rank and file perspective," Noeline chips in after Riesenlied, and lets out a huff of air. "There is... very little else to mention, unfortunately. Any kind of information was kept as vague as possible - another of Mother's attempts to keep the wool pulled over everyone's eyes for as long as possible, no doubt. Unfortunately, any specifics are at the bottom of the sea by now."

    She pauses, and cradles her mug gratefully in both hands, closing her eyes as she inhales the steam coming off of it. "Still, I can make an educated guess. The Hyadean story considers it a major loss as a grand confederacy of races forced them back. Meanwhile, everyone else describes Filgaia deciding to rip itself apart. It's not hard to imagine that so much power in one place would invite opportunists, ready to stake their claim on others once the danger was passed. This was before we had a collection of nobly-minded individuals to do the work of armies, after all," she adds with a deadpan tone and a grin that doesn't match it.

    Noeline uncurls from her bundle a little, because she has technically joined the conversation proper at this point. Her head tilts slightly towards Marivel's glance, and she raises her cup as her smile softens; it's sort of a salute, sort of a greeting, sort of a recognition all at once. Trouble, the pod not currently propelling Riesenlied's chair around and still steadfast in its identity as a cucco, bonks gently into Hob as a greeting of its own.

    "... and I could certainly believe that outcome might leave the Elw disillusioned, or with regrets they could not easily resolve," she adds after taking a sip of tea, her tone gentler as she turns the cup idly around in her hands.
  

<Pose Tracker> Mariel has posed.

"Some of them may even be true," is Mariel's slightly amused response to Eleanor - well, at least it breaks the tension, a bit. "The truth is, many families lost their history then... it isn't a surprise that they found the best ways to re-establish themselves."

Well, that got rid of the amusement right quick.

She nods when Lanval mentions the dating - she doesn't expect the Lunarians to have much knowledge, given they weren't here then and didn't grow up with any stories, but: "That's right. Humans started a new calendar afterwards, or at least a new series of dates. The Elw use a different year-count, but - well, it doesn't really matter. It was a major event; much of humanity was forced to find new places to live, found new countries..."

She does look a little askance at Venetia's story. "I can safely say I don't remember anything like that." Have you ever seen Mariel in a mask? No. "But I can't say it didn't happen, somewhere."

Mariel, being older than the Church of Granas, is not that kind of pious in the least. "The Church did hold some books from before that time period. I've heard their library has a collection, though I have never seen it."

It's Riese and Noeline that gets the biggest reaction from Mariel - and she looks away from them, embarrassed. "Yes. That's true. What really happened on the Day of Collapse, and the time before... Metal Demons, thought gone, returned. The weapons from the first Metal Demon War were used against them, and they were defeated, but afterwards the people of Filgaia turned them on each other... it's the first time I personally experienced Filgaian army fighting Filgaian army, though it's said to have happened long before, with Zeboim. And with Golems, and Gears, and... Well."

"But one man declared war on the entire world. Grahf, master of the Diabolos Corps. He fought the armies - all of them, one after another - and he won. And then he fought people who didn't fight at all, couldn't possibly stand up to him. The remaining active Metal Demons, the living Hyadeans, even after their defeat, or because of it, joined with him to fight human and Elw, and it seemed nobody could stand up to them."

Mariel trails off for a moment. She has more, but she's letting everybody absorb that - and ask questions. Or maybe she just wants a sip of tea. 

<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.

Eleanor smiles at getting a little amusement. But it must be true, with how much was lost back then, that histories were lost too. She doesn't follow up much on that thread for now. Instead, she listens to everyone.

She is not super pious when it comes to Granas herself, though she would count herself a member if asked, if only because of her family. She does recall those legends...

Eleanor is curious at the Hyadean perspective, but somber as Mariel discusses that the people of Filgaia kept using those weapons. The first time she experienced it...

Eleanor, of course, has grown up in a world where man has fought man for a long time. To think, a time before that was so commonplace...

"Grahf..." And the Diabolos Corps.

She doesn't have a question, but she does absorb it, thoughtfully.

"...None of what I was gifted seems to know anything about all of this," she admits. "It is... troubling, to think of one man able to fight all the armies of the world. I assume this 'Diabolos Corps' was very powerful." 

<Pose Tracker> Marivel Armitage has posed.

Hob bonks into Trouble and chirps merrily at its counterpart. Marivel considers Trouble for a moment, thinking... "Mm. Perhaps." She says of it being a Mother plot but the Day of Collapse, well, a lot went wrong. She doesn't go into Grahf in detail for mysterious alt-related reasons.

Marivel does say, however, "As Mariel suggests, the second Metal Demon War... It did not go like the one we just had, or the first one. The underdogs that time, by my perspective, were actually the Metal Demons themselves. Certainly there was a lot of fear, but... It was a different kind of war against the Hyadeans than we had. No doubt that is why the human nations were so ready to turn on each other. They hadn't had gotten their fill of fighting."

She crosses one leg over the other. 

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Lanval has posed.

    Lanval's relationship with Granas is that he knows they command a lot of respect and interest despite so many of the teachings blatantly contradicting his existence... but he wants to put in a good word for a few people when he finds him. He has not found him in the water, and that's about as far as he can search.
 
     Mariel confirms the bit about starting a new calendar over it, and he listens along as he has a sip from his drinking gourd... and then.
 
     "War, war on everyone, huh..." He perks up a bit with one half-open eye at the mention about... "Fightin' people who ain't fightin' at all? Why would they do that..."
 
     Marivel mentions how the 'underdogs' that time were the Metal Demons. "Heyyy, by the way...
 
     "I remember bein' in their... Photosphere? Munchin' on the wrapper of a weird bar thing," he kept Ida up when she was trying to rest by experimenting with this non-food item. "That wash the heart of Mother 'n their plan fer Filgaia, ain't it? But... don't think I ever heard nothin' 'bout a Grahf in there..."
 
     Beat. "Ain't there a Golem named Diablo...?" 

<Pose Tracker> Venetia Vuong has posed.

Venetia dips her head at Mariel's confirmation. Perhaps it's a relief to her.

If it's a relief.

She holds her mug in her hands as Mariel speaks of the true face of history as related from her own experience, complicating and deepening the views of others. A man's name is spoken: Grahf.

Venetia purses her lips.

Her head tilts forwards slightly.

"But why?" Venetia asks. "Did he demand their submission? Some kind of an ideological thing?" 

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

    Eleanor and Ashley speak of what the Church of Granas, of what the history book speak of; Lanval mentions 'PC', the calendar system, and Riesenlied thinks back to the Treaty of Iscariot, created just after the start of that new date, banning the weapons of war that were used then...

    It's Venetia's story that strikes her, though. Because Riesenlied is an empath, and the struggles that Venetia describes are very real struggles for her, day to day. "I can... understand the need, perhaps," she says to her.

    Jacqueline mentions there's conflicting sources and opinions, and that certainly is true. And 'Diabolos'... Noeline's mention of how the rank and file received almost nothing is certain, and information was carefully curated.

    She hears of Marivel speaking of them as underdogs, but... somehow, she doesn't quite know how to feel about that. Mariel speaks of how Filgaian armies turne don each other with those weapons... and she thinks of how the hopes Father might've had were dashed, too.

    "The Photosphere was the spherical headquarters we had, yes, when Mother was reawakened a few years ago..." Riesenlied confirms for Lanval.

    But she worries about Mariel looking away from them, embarrassed. She hesitates herself, feeling guilt. But hadn't they come so far from their first meeting? Mariel rescued her at her darkest hour, offered her hand to her.

    "I... have been privy to Father's time at the Day of Collapse -- how he... he gave humanity a chance, had befriended and fought alongside humans. Fought alongside the man who would become Grahf, and... in the end..." she whispers.

    She lowers her head. "I do not even begin to claim to know how Father felt at the time, but it is fact that he joined with him against the Elw and humans."

    She breathes a little light, fearing tears might well up in her.

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

Jacqueline listens as Mariel speaks. Filgaian armies fighting Filgaian armies... well, that doesn't come as too much of a surprise, unfortunately. She doesn't speak again until Mariel trails off.

"Grahf... There's a man who goes by that name in this age, as well. I've seen him before. ...He's dangerous." She comments. She's curious about the why - but Venetia asks the question, so she doesn't ask it again. Instead, she sends Riesenlied a sympathetic glance. She can imagine how the current conversation topic would be difficult for her...

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

    A second War. That... makes entirely too much sense, all things considered. Ida's face tightens, and her hands clutch the teacup. Deep-seated anger wells up in her as she thinks back to Mother, and...

    It's hers. It's all hers. Fafnir remains quiescent, as he's been since the battle at the tower--there's just the faintest presence.

    That might not matter, of course. But as Riesenlied speaks of Siegfried...

    "Fei knew him," Ida says, turning to her. "He knew Fei. But I don't remember how or when."

<Pose Tracker> Ashley Winchester has posed.

Ashley is silent for a long time as Mariel recounts her story. It dawns on him then for the first time that this... is an ancient. Like a proper ancient. A Marivel Tier ancient, or perhaps one who even outstrips the Crimson Noble.

It lends gravitas to... everything. That the ancients of days are crawling out of the woodwork. The world has reached a tipping point, it seems to say. All accounts will be made to balance.

For better or for worse.

"...Another war, huh...? Why did he do it? What made the Diabolos Corps... do that? Did they just want to burn the world down...?"

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

    Noeline's response to the way in which Mariel looks away from them is at least one of understanding. She's never been the most patriotic of Hyadeans, and even if she's starting to find some pride in her lineage following the destruction of Mother and Riesenlied's reconciliation with her father, it's still more around specific people than the race as a whole. She's certainly a realist when it comes to their past, at the very least.

    "... looking back at the corpus of Filgaian history, it is certainly something of a constant no matter what race you are, and it's difficult for me to imagine a time in which it wasn't," she agrees with the Elw, sighing a little. "Not to mention that as Filgaia's desertification continued, it was likely that people were forced to fight over ever-scarcer resource--"

    It takes her longer than she'd like to catch herself and wonder how much of that part of her knowledge is true anymore. Her brow furrows, and there's a long drawn-out harrumph that she silences with a gulp of tea.

    She nods to Jacqueline. "If this is the same Grahf as the one we have encountered, it is not hard to imagine him stoking the flames. It would not be the first time he has found a useful scapegoat, offered them some entirely over-the-top 'Power'," she meticulously pronounces the capital letter, "And then acting surprised when it turns out to be too much for them. I could almost draw parallels to the Trial Knight, but as to why he's doing it, I could not say."

    Noeline hesitates as Riesenlied continues her story - and some of the grump she's just been building up falls away a little as she offers over her hand in silence.

<Pose Tracker> Mariel has posed.

"Diabolos and Diablo are not the same thing," Mariel is hasty to assure Lanval. "Diablo was created by Elw and human during the first war, along with the other Golems. Diabolos... is not. I honestly don't know who built it... I didn't see it back then. I wasn't part of the war myself."

Why did Grahf do it? "I don't know," Mariel admits to Venetia, quietly. "I don't know why he did it. I'm sorry. He might have told the leaders, or the armies, but he didn't tell me. All I knew is that he would fight. But it's the same Grahf, as best I can tell. I didn't know him then." But she knows who did.

"But he threatened everybody. And, eventually, one person stood up to him, with a sword. I know if you read some of the myths and stories, they say he had a sword. Argetlahm, or the Sword of Light, or a few other things. I've even heard it called Granas' sword. It was none of those."

Mariel looks up again instead of investigating her feet, or perhaps the grass near them. "It was a weapon made by the hands of Elw to channel the power of Filgaia itself, and the Guardians' power. It was called the Guardian Blade, in fact. This is the sword the journal was speaking of. I know they cannot have the entire thing to study, but the Prophets know something."

"...it was a mistake. It - " Mariel's voice catches. "It worked. It defeated the Diabolos Corps and Grahf. and if Siegfried was there, perhaps him too. But it hurt Filgaia. Every Elw on Filgaia felt it strike the web of the planet itself; I wouldn't be surprised if even humans felt it. The Elw blamed the wielder, the forger, even though he hadn't made it alone, or in secret; he'd been studying for hundreds of years with other Elw, and humans, and I know not what else to learn how to make a weapon to defend Filgaia when nothing else worked."

"Filgaia was - it pained Elw, afterwards. We could feel Filgaia dying. And so the Elw decided to finish withdrawing, under the closest thing we had to a leader: Fulcanelli, the oldest of us all. They wanted to banish the man who had wielded the blade and make him suffer alone, while the rest went to Elw Borea, an artificial world - a memory of the Filgaia that was."

"His name is Vassim," Mariel says, her voice firming, "and he was my brother. And though he'd hurt the planet, maybe mortally, all he'd wanted to do was help people. I couldn't let them treat him like that. So I said - I swore - I would stay instead, until Filgaia was green again. They would take Vassim with them, to Elw Borea. I would stay, and grow my flowers, and make sure nobody ever found how to remake the Guardian Blade - for it broke, in the battle."

"...and that is why I am the only Elw on Filgaia. Now you know."

Mariel looks away again. One of her hands comes up, briefly, to wipe at her eyes. "I'm sorry for hiding it. What the Elw had done. I just want Filgaia to be safe and healthy again... this is my responsibility. I swore. I thought I could do it alone, but, after everything, I don't think I can... I needed to tell someone. And if this is what the Prophets are studying, at least in part..." 

<Pose Tracker> Marivel Armitage has posed.

"Nobody wages a war against everything for no reason, least of all draw allies to the cause." Marivel says, her eyes widen faintly at hearing that Grahf is still AROUND. She's heard rumors but...Mysteriously she doesn't comment on Fei either.

But she does say, "Yes, it couldn't have been Airgetlahm." It's spelled differently but there's nothing more Wild Arms 2 than inconsistent spelling.

But she lets Mariel finish first. She isn't going to clarify until she is done.

"Mariel, you are innocent. And I suspect it is, at least, possible for Vassim to be as well." Marivel says.

She looks around a bit and adds, "I know how Airgetlahm works, more or less. It was a weapon the Guardians gave to Anastasia, hench the name 'Guardian Blade'. Yes, it to was called a Guardian Blade."

She holds up an index finger. "However, Airgetlahm does not work the same way. It does not draw power from the land, it draws power from the soul of its wielder--and the souls of those that connect to Airgetlahm. Through that connection, it unleashes the power called Arc Impulse that we were supposed to use to defeat the Blaze of Disaster."

She looks to Mariel for a long moment and adds, "And the Elw, they should have known about the purpose of a Guardian Blade, and how it functions."

She shakes her head. "Tis possible it worked too well. Tis possible it was made incorrectly. But I cannot believe the purpose of the Guardian Blade was to draw power from the land itself. That surely was unintentional."

She exhales, quieting down for a moment. "Drawing from the land itself... That is not how Airgetlahm works. The purpose of that Guardian Blade is to save the world, not destroy it."

She turns to Mariel. "And it is not your fault either, Mariel. No, you've gone above and beyond your duty. You stayed here,"

She reacehs to squeeze her hand. "You stayed, when they all left us to deal with the consequences. They broke their bond. You maintained it. You alone."

<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.

"Wait..." Eleanor pauses, looking between Mariel and Marivel. "Didn't she say that Vassim made this weapon? So it couldn't be the same as hers," the Guardian Blade of the same name. But 'why'... and everyone.

"But I..."

Eleanor feels it; she does not have a 'voice' in her mind, does not have the ghost of Rauru haunting her, but the knowledge she learns calls out one conclusion: this was a mistake. A dire, dire mistake, and yet...

"But what else could they have done?" Eleanor wonders, half-arguing with herself. "It sounds as if this weapon was the only thing that worked. A slow decline, or a quick death... Were these the only options?"

She is troubled. Very troubled. Thre is something here that she should know, something she should understand... But she can't quite reach it.

"...That's quite the sacrifice," Eleanor says to Mariel instead. "Your hope... I feel it. I do not blame you for hiding it. I do not blame them, for doing what they had to do, or even for leaving."

They failed, Eleanor thinks, and she does not refer to the Elw. What could have gone so wrong...?

"...But though it is a responsibility you took up," Eleanor says, "I can at least tell you it is not yours alone. I..." She hesitates. "You remember seeing Rauru. He was one of your people."

"And his duties are now my duties. I'll help you, as best I can." 

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

    Ida speaks of Fei, and it is true -- the mystery of Fei-as-he-was and how he related to Siegfried... of the grief and pain that lasts over generations. There is a common thread here, to be honest...

    "I can only speak secondhand," Riesenlied speaks to Ashley, "But there is a recurring sentiment of hopelessness then, of the way people kept turning upon each other... but that is no reason to give up, as we have seen just today with the Prophets."

    Noeline offers her hand, and she leans in support for a moment, even as her partner snarks and she ends up smiling a little bit at her sass. Then Mariel offers more to her story, of how the Guardian Blade was... actually a sword, when Riesenlied had imagined it metaphorical -- a weapon of mass destruction, perhaps. Of how the weapon struck Filgaia, at the very web of the planet itself...

    She speaks of the leader of the Elw, a Fulcanelli, and Vassim... her brother. And how Mariel promised to stay and grow her flowers, until Filgaia was green once again.

    As she wipes her eyes, Riesenlied feels it too, but as she apologises, she... nods quietly.

    She closes her eyes, and speaks empathically. "I am a child of the post-Day of Collapse Hyades, born of Filgaia, born of the ruin of our species, born of the hatred and pain that our elders pass onto us. For a time, I, too, was dragged along by that hatred, and did unconscionable things that I still atone for to this day. And yet..."

    "... thank you," she quietly says, "For sharing your story, though painful it may be. And..." she lowers her head, reminiscing for a moment. "Thank you, for giving us a chance, difficult as it may be. Thank you, for saving my life, at the depths of the Photosphere when I threatened to tear at that same web of the world under Mother's control."

    She breathes in deep, and looks to everyone gathered here. "These old stories of how people gave up hope in the face of despair, of such overwhelming atrocity... I am taken by how... as Grahf once set his sights upon the world to burn, today, the Prophets also do -- as did the Council of Seven before them."

    She places her hand to her chest. "But we resisted them together today, where our ancestors likely would have wished for us to fight. And that gives me more hope, more than ever, that we may turn a corner together. Not just as those with a duty to the planet, but... simply as friends as well." 

<Pose Tracker> Venetia Vuong has posed.

 
Venetia raises her eyebrows at what Ida says. Fei? The nice guy with the six pack who she's hired as Dig assistance several times? The one with the simpering redhead and child? Knowing the slaughterer of nations? Venetia is skeptical, but polite enough to keep these doubts silent.

There is a greater story, regardless.

Venetia's expression is hard to read from this. Mariel makes a confession of the world's slow murder. The degeneration they all feel, even if it's the sort of thing you might be able to put out of your mind in the day to day.

Her eyes turn to the ground.

"Accident or not," Venetia answers Marivel, "it happened, didn't it."

Another pause.

"It must have been difficult, to carry that knowledge for so long," Venetia says. "Alone."

A thoughtful pause. "Perhaps they let you set yourself an impossible task. I don't know."

She raises her head, now.

"And yet," Venetia says, "now we know, don't we?" She takes a deep breath. Then she laughs, just a little, under her breath, and folds her arms before her.

Riesenlied speaks. Venetia's eyes turn towards her. Then back towards Mariel, slowly. Her lips curl up, finally, settling on an emotion: something like a smile. "I've seen too many miracles to give up. I've seen what's beyond the sky. And besides," this with a faint sniff, "I have a message to deliver, eventually; there's no way to do that if we give up on the case, now is there?" 

<Pose Tracker> Marivel Armitage has posed.

"Yes, it is not the same." Marivel says. "But they are both called 'Guardian Blades'. Weapons of Salvation. I suspect that Vassim's 'Guardian Blade' was an attempt to recreate Airgetlahm--because the Guardian Blade's present wielder..."

She nods to Ashley. "Is Ashley Winchester. That is who the blade was entrusted to." 

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

"I see..." Jacqueline murmurs, as Mariel clarifies some things. The sword wielded by the one who finally stood up to face Grahf and those aligned with him, the Guardian Blade... She listens, too, to the result. It explains a lot.

"...Yes. It must have been difficult." Jacqueline murmurs, nodding as Eleanor speaks. A choice between a quick death, or a slow, gradual one...

Vassim, though - she's heard the name before, from an Elw security automaton in Capel Coffa. Mariel told her he was her brother... but she had never heard the story about why they were separated.

"...Oh. I'm... so sorry, Mariel." Jacqueline remarks, shocked. She stares for a moment, then shakes her head.

"...It wasn't right. It wasn't right of them to lay the blame on a single set of shoulders, and then... leave." Jacqueline says. "I don't blame you for hiding it. I can only imagine how... indescribably painful, that must have been."

She's quiet for a moment, before resting a hand over her heart.

"We still share the same dream - of seeing Filgaia healthy again. You still have my help, whatever I can offer." Jacqueline says. "Thank you for sharing, Mariel."

She pauses, listening to Riesenlied speak.

"Well said." She says, with a nod. 

<Pose Tracker> Ashley Winchester has posed.

So. That's why. That's why the world is in this slow, sliding decline. It was a mistake. It was people putting their best forward to try and survive certain annihilation, only for everything to go terribly wrong at the very last. And because of that...

...

"I can't believe it," Ashley says, after a long moment. "I can't believe that after all that Filgaia has been through, after everything that it's survived, that the use of a single weapon could push it so inexorably towards decay." He frowns, a gloved hand rubbing across his chin, "I believe what you're telling us. Don't get me wrong, I do. But... But something there just doesn't make sense to me for some reason. It's like there's something missing in the mix. Maybe it's because that's how a lot of stuff has gone recently, but..."

"The power of the Guardians, unleashed, could it really deal a fatal blow to the planet itself...? But... Theirs is the power to protect the world, isn't it? Even if it was channeled like that, could the power of life result in the world's death...?"

His hand has wandered over his chest, for... a reason that Marivel quickly elucidates. Ashley startles at the revelation (not that he didn't know-- he's known for a while, but some people might not have!!) "Oh! Uh, y-yeah! Kind of I guess? I grabbed the sword out of the stone while I was caught up in the Sword Magess Cathedral incident. If it was an attempt to recreate Airgetlahm..."

His hand clenches tight over his heart, as if clinging to a faint ember of warmth there. "...I haven't really wielded the sword, but it doesn't feel like a power that could kill the world, even if it was misused. If anything, that's... that's closer to what The Blazer would be capable of doing. If Vassim and the others made an attempt to recreate Airgetlahm, then I can't believe it could be responsible for the decay of the world on its own." 

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Lanval has posed.

    The disambiguation is unambiguous, and Lanval settles back and starts to sink, a bit, in the grass. (It's not out of disinterest, he just likes being horizontal. It's a water spirit thing. Other Water Seraphim may deny it. But it totally is a water spirit thing.)
 
     He listens, even through the slouching. He sits up a bit more as Mariel's voice starts to catch in recalling the mistake. A strike that cut so deep, it did harm to Filgaia itself - and just how close the one blamed for it is to Mariel herself.
 
     Why she's the only one here... and how Marivel immediately speaks to her defense and her own input on how Airgetlahm works.
 
     Still... it's clear this was shared at great emotional cost, and with that, Seraph Lanval rolls back and forth to sit up a bit more, then stand up.
 
     He smiles. A lot of what said, could be said in the moment, though it gets a bit somber.
 
     "Well, even if ya ain't among the Elw now... yer among friendsh," he keeps it at that as to not overwhelm her with everyone saying what they are.

<Pose Tracker> Ida Everstead-Rey has posed.

    Ida sets her teacup on the ground, and clasps her hands. She breathes deeply, listening first to Mariel's confession--and it's telling that the shock doesn't show until she hears how the Elw reacted. "They left," Ida says, "Left us on a world they knew would die. And you--Mariel, God, I--" How can she express how sorry she is? What would it be like to spend centuries trying to drag a world back from the brink, only to lose it all overnight, and not even realize it?

    "He deserved better. So did you."

    Ida breathes, and listens to Riesenlied. To Venetia. When it's finally her time to speak, her voice is soft. "They tried to get me to become a botanist," she says. "I loved it. But I couldn't bring myself to do it. Everyone knew the world was dying, and all we could do was bear witness to its end. To pretend it wasn't happening. And then," A glance back at Riesenlied. "I met all of you. So yes, I--" Here, her voice hitches. "I think we have hope, and that is far more than the Prophets have, despite their stolen science."

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

    "Yours would not be the first race to abandon Filgaia in hopes of finding a home. ... nor would your race be the first to leave some behind to face the music later," Noeline adds. There is no venom in her voice, though she can't resist the brief comparison to the Veruni. Still, she can understand running from your problems when they seem impossible, even if there's no pride to be had there. "I cannot find fault with you or your brother. You had the best plan you could think of at the time. It is better than doing nothing - or leaving in a huff when it does not work, stranding one of your own in the process."

    Privately, she wonders: will they come back, like the Veruni? Will they stake their claim? What then? ... they're questions for a later time, because there's been quite enough to worry about today.

    Her hand is still in Riesenlied's, and she squeezes it slightly as the other Hyadean speaks her words of hope and thanks. It's clear on her face that she's letting her partner speak for the both of them in this respect, because this is the sort of area where Riese is much more eloquent than she could ever hope to be.

    Besides, she is ultimately a shaman, and in that respect she huffs a little towards Ashley's question. "Of course it could. The Guardians represent the forces of this planet - the wind, the flame, the life of it. If they are the power that can protect the world, then that power is inextricably linked to the world itself. Turning it back upon the world would not be working a blade through a chink in some armor - it would be striking from within, already behind any sort of protections. Remember that the Elw were considered custodians of that sort of power. To reverse it would have been unprecedented."

    Shaman aside, it's still an answer grounded in realism and pragmatism, and she delivers it solemnly - at least until Ida speaks, and she can't help but break into a smirk. "We'll leave it to you to explain to the other botanists how deeply confused their entire frame of reference must be now." 

<Pose Tracker> Mariel has posed.

Mariel is not a blacksmith, or an alchemist. She knows very little about how the Guardian Blade was created beyond extremely broad strokes; she certainly can't speak for the precise mechanism by which it works, or was intended to.

"No, of course it isn't Argetlahm. I don't know if he was trying to copy it, precisely, or... if it only shares a name, and some vague ideas. I didn't ask him, because I'm no warrior, or an expert in that sort of creation. I only know what happened. Some stories say it was the fallen pieces of Diabolos that poisoned the land. Perhaps there was a - a reaction, a resonance nobody could expect. I don't know if anyone knows. But Noeline is right. What sustains the planet can be turned against it."

There's a glimpse of hope there, in what Marivel and Ashley say. Not a lot, or at least not anything Mariel can reach for right now. But it exists, and it's more than she's had before. It doesn't make her smile but it does help steady her.

"I do remember Rauru. Thank you. It does help... it means a lot. Honestly, I thought some of you would be upset..." Some of them are, for other reasons. The Elw did leave the humans on the dying world. They said it was because this was no longer a planet for Elw, and that humans - not tied so closely to it - would survive better than they ever did. But is that anything more than an excuse?

She hesitates. "Who is the message to?" she asks of Venetia, because she thinks she lost that bit of it. She does smile, however faintly, at Jay and Lanval...

But honestly it's Riese who touches her the most, a reaction she never expected from a person she never expected to like when they first met. That does get a smile - a real, honest smile, even though her eyes are still a little moist. "Thank you. You're right, of course. All of us, together... it just seems so big, sometimes. But I still don't want to give up." 

<Pose Tracker> Venetia Vuong has posed.

 
"The old Dean," Venetia tells Mariel: "a man from the stars who helped to build my school. He left us a great treasure, and I had the good fortune to be the one who found it." She pats her Crest Pouch.

"His tomb bid us to remember him to his home world. I intend to; if I can't do it, I'll get someone to do it for me."

"But it begs the question, doesn't it," Venetia adds, raising her tea mug and then draining it before it gets any cooler.

"*He* was old and dying; what is the Prophets' excuse?" Venetia asks. ("That's a rhetorical question," she clarifies, parenthetically.) 

<Pose Tracker> Marivel Armitage has posed.

"I just thought of another possibility," Marivel says. "Namely, that Grahf simply was stronger than the forces empowering the blade. But at this point we could formulate guesses all day. We might never know the full truth. Maybe Grahf knows, or Vassim, or maybe neither. Either way, they're a bit out of our reach to make an inquiry."

Marivel seems subtly more at ease when Mariel is mostly getting support from those around her. Of course, that's what she expected, but she's glad to see it.

"You've made good friends here, Mariel." Marivel says softly, almost only for her but it isn't quite that soft.

She does nod to Venetia however and adds, "Regardless, I am grateful for all your understanding. Mariel is a dear friend of mine and, perhaps more than that..."

She doesn't complete that sentence. Something worth more than friendship to Marivel.

"Mariel, the other matter--do you want to?"

She keeps it vague but Mariel knows what she's talking about. She is just making the offer to her. Marivel could go either way.

"The Prophets perhaps at one time they had noble goals and merely made mistakes. That would be forgiveable. But as it stands right now, they are going to extinguish all life on Filgaia in the short term in the hopes to gamble for a future for Filgaia ages past. It is not their past that they must be stopped, but their future intent."

<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.

A botanist, Ida says. Eleanor looks to her for a moment, quietly. She thinks of her family, of her younger brothers. Of what they want to do, in the world. Of ow it changed, those years ago...

She looks up again, to Mariel, and she can't quite smile much given the situation, but she is glad that it helps, very glad.

But Venetia and the message--Eleanor nods. "Well, I won't be able to," she admits. "I don't think I'm supposed to leave the planet even when you do find a way," she says, because she just gathers that that's the case. "...But the Prophets..."

It's a rhetorical question, but, "Honestly, the most charitable intepretation of their actions is that the changes they underwen as part of their plans have driven them mad. But Marivel's right; their past is not what concerns us. We simply cannot allow them to do as they intend."



"But what's this other thing...?""

"But I'm glad, Miss Riesenlied, that you feel that way. About all of us coming together in this..." She smles back at Mariel, then. "It is big. But our hands are many." 

<Pose Tracker> Ashley Winchester has posed.

"I mean, sure, but..." Ashley shakes his head again, something about this is still not quite settling right with him, it seems. "...Just weird that swinging a weapon like that, without even aiming it at the world, would kill the world, you know...? Filgaia... Filgaia seems stronger than that."

He goes quiet, then. Contemplative even, perhaps. It seems he has quite a bit to think about. 

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

    Riesenlied is no expert on the topic of Argetlahm, though it is curious to hear Marivel work through her theories, to see what her perspective on the whole situation is. But as Ida echoes that sentiment, of meeting each other, she nods in turn. Hope, which is more than they have...

    Riesenlied knows Noeline implies the Veruni, though even there, she ponders about the difficulties they have relating with the Guardians... once more, it is a situation where they, as the Drifters, working together, have the greatest hope. Of course, there is Kaguya, who she puts a lot of faith in too!

    She nods in return to Mariel, as the Elw herself offers thanks. Venetia's story of sending a message to the stars -- to remember him to his home world has her reminiscing in turn.

    "I did make a promise to my daughters that we would one day see the stars together," Riesenlied chuckles softly. "Maybe we can go together."

    To Jacqueline, she chuckles a bit bashfully to say, "I would not be here, having done all that I have without your inspiration and aid either too, you know, Jacqueline."

    The topic of Rauru being an Elw isn't lost on her, though she marks in her mind that she is curious about Eleanor's perspective as a Sage, on the Ley, and... of the Temple of the Keqili as well.

    What is this other thing that Marivel brings up, though...? 

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

    "You are one person against a world. Of course it seems big," Noeline grumbles as she folds her arms, leaning back against Riesenlied. "To have faced that on your own for so long is incredibly impressive. A little bit self-defeating, perhaps," she adds with a half-lidded gaze - and then she pokes her partner in the side as she continues: "And just a little bit familiar as well. Still, no-one can say you haven't done your part and more besides."

    Venetia and Marivel's comments make her draw silent for a few moments, then shake her head. "... I tried to reach Malik when we were fighting, to prod him gently about his motivations. Just a couple of times. The anger I drew in response was that of someone who knows full well they have fallen down a very deep, dark hole, and someone who cannot find it in themselves to dig back up. ... he might be the best of them, if I am honest. He is at least not entirely blind to the lies he's telling himself even as he continues to recite them."

    With a chuckle, she tilts her head towards Ashley. "Perhaps we're simply more used to dealing with the metaphysical. I understand that it's a difficult thing to picture without firsthand experience of the Ley and how it moves, or the flow of a Guardians' power. I am not exactly an expert either, even with a Medium embedded inside of me." 

<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.

"I couldn't possibly be - not with you, at any rate." Jacqueline replies, shaking her head as Mariel says she thought some of them would be upset. Maybe she would have been, if she didn't know her - but she does.

She listens as the others speak, saying their piece. And to Riesenlied, she offers a smile.

"I know... and, the feeling is mutual. I owe a lot to you, as well. Your influence has been a good one." She replies. It was because of Riesenlied that she was able to begin her journey in the first place.

She nods, then, to Mariel - and smiles, at Eleanor's comment.

"I couldn't have said it better myself. It is big... but when we join together, we can work miracles." She says. 

<Pose Tracker> Seraph Lanval has posed.

    Lanval makes sure to hold his smile when Mariel shares her small one. It is his natural Seraphic Domain to amplify small joys, and it's been one he proudly bears in just keeping the ambience of a pleasant moment that much more, even through the difficult realities as to how all of this all began.
 
     "Mmmm. Well, if we ever go that far out," Lnaval muses as Venetia talks about her old Dean and the message of his tomb, "maybe Lunar... got a moon, that'sh got itsh own moon, 'n another moon atop that! Ha ha ha!"
 
     Lanval cannot be that bad at counting the number of celestial bodies in the sky!!!
 
     "Mmmmph. Ash it ish... I help shpeak fer the water of Filgaia," though mostly it's just he helps clean up a very certain sort of spiritual grime, but nonetheless, "while maybe we ain't got the besht answher in front of ush right now," even if finding and defeating the Prophets would be one very clear and understandable goal with tangible benefits which is something of a rarity right now, "long ash ya got an eye 'n heart fer the li'l joy of life, 'n are willin' ta keep at it, hey."
 
     He raises his gourd in one arm. Then two, because it's a bit heavier. Might be due to objectively being close to over-stuffed gathered Ley, but nonetheless. "Ya got me!"
@emit Mariel reddens, just a hair, at Marivel's comment. She probably doesn't even realize it, and it doesn't last long. She shakes her head at the question. "No - I think *that* might be too personal." %R%RAnd not to Mariel! But it's also not relevant, today - it has nothing to do with Vassim's Guardian Blade or the Prophets simply by virtue of its age. Sometimes being as old as Marivel is means things just have a certain distance to them.%R%R"Sending a message to the stars..." Mariel can't do that, certainly not herself, but there's no reason someone can't. "I don't think I could ever go there. But I'd wish you well on a journey, if that's what you wanted." She can't see herself leaving Filgaia - now, because she has an oath binding her, and eventually, because it is her home. Even with the damage to Filgaia, she's more comfortable there than even Lunar, in some ways - and that's right next door.%R%RIt isn't as if the Elw couldn't have gone to space if they had wanted to. They put up satellites. She's just too close to the planet to bear flying so far away from it.%R%R"I know little about the Prophets but what we saw here. It's Leehalt who I spoke with most, and I don't think he expected to see an Elw. But I think what we've seen from them is enough to know that they need to be stopped. Before they hurt Filgaia worse..." She trails off. "Though I don't like fighting." Even now, it's hard for her to hurt someone. "Thank you, everyone."%R%RMariel politely does not comment on Noeline's words of being more sensitive to the Ley, given who and what she is. "I will be staying on Yggdrasil for some time to see what we can do with the Ley. I don't think this can be repaired in a weekend but perhaps we can set something in motion..." 

<Pose Tracker> Mariel has posed.

Mariel reddens, just a hair, at Marivel's comment. She probably doesn't even realize it, and it doesn't last long. She shakes her head at the question. "No - I think *that* might be too personal."

And not to Mariel! But it's also not relevant, today - it has nothing to do with Vassim's Guardian Blade or the Prophets simply by virtue of its age. Sometimes being as old as Marivel is means things just have a certain distance to them.

"Sending a message to the stars..." Mariel can't do that, certainly not herself, but there's no reason someone can't. "I don't think I could ever go there. But I'd wish you well on a journey, if that's what you wanted." She can't see herself leaving Filgaia - now, because she has an oath binding her, and eventually, because it is her home. Even with the damage to Filgaia, she's more comfortable there than even Lunar, in some ways - and that's right next door.

It isn't as if the Elw couldn't have gone to space if they had wanted to. They put up satellites. She's just too close to the planet to bear flying so far away from it.

"I know little about the Prophets but what we saw here. It's Leehalt who I spoke with most, and I don't think he expected to see an Elw. But I think what we've seen from them is enough to know that they need to be stopped. Before they hurt Filgaia worse..." She trails off. "Though I don't like fighting." Even now, it's hard for her to hurt someone. "Thank you, everyone."

Mariel politely does not comment on Noeline's words of being more sensitive to the Ley, given who and what she is. "I will be staying on Yggdrasil for some time to see what we can do with the Ley. I don't think this can be repaired in a weekend but perhaps we can set something in motion..."
WHO 

<Pose Tracker> Marivel Armitage has posed.

Marivel nods once, leaving it at that. "Sorry, Eleanor." She cracks a smile. "We still have some secrets."

She winks. "But so do you, mm?" One with Marivel in particular too. 

<Pose Tracker> Eleanor Klein has posed.

Eleanor looks very curiously between Mariel and Marivel--but ah! Denied!

She is prepared to leave it at that, if reluctantly, because she's nosy. But Marivel leaves it there too, and--

"Ahahah," Eleanor says. "That's true," she admits. "Then that's fair enough."

She smiles at Lanval, then. "I for one am glad to have you." And then to Mariel, she does not talk of fighting. Instead....

"I'll assist you. I've been working on matters of the Ley recently in the greater Aquvy area, thanks to what happened in Meria. I think I may be able to add something to our efforts, thanks to the lore Rauru gave me and what i've found in the Book of Mudora." 

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

    Riesenlied's cheeks are puffed out as Noeline pokes a finger to her. Teased again, over two different scenes!!

    She is proud, though, of Noeline's own attempts to understand her opponent -- even if it's impossible, the important nature of understanding one's own opponent, even so that one doesn't fall into the very same mistake, is one they can never forget about...

    "And what heights you have aspired to," Riesenlied smiles to Jacqueline. She can feel proud of her!

    Lanval speaks of the little joys. "Indeed, it is important to never forget the small, day to day joys. Like Mariel said before, it is not any one thing that makes Filgaia beautiful, but all the forms of life it takes together."

    Mariel speaks of staying on Yggdrasil for a bit longer, and Riesenlied nods. "I can be on hand to help, but... unfortunately, I must return to Shevat at some point." She quietly frowns. "They still have more medical tests to run... but rest assured we will be there when we are needed."

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