2018-03-11: About That...
- Log: About That...
- Cast: Noeline, Riesenlied
- Where: Meribia Outskirts
- Date: 11th March 2018
- Summary: Noeline stops to let Riesenlied convalesce, while Janey and Mikaia set up camp.
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
The members and friends of the Black Wolves don't exactly scatter upon leaving Meribia's walls for the plains beyond - but they do spread out somewhat, ranging a little wider as the group does their best to collectively chart out where they are, come to terms with what's happened, figure out what to do next, and take a much needed breather.
Noeline's particularly thankful for that last part; she knows full well that Riesenlied's probably still disoriented and potentially lacking memories of the last 24 hours, given the trance she was in throughout the whole ordeal. Truth be told, she needs a moment herself - she can feel her muscles aching for a break, but sheer instinct pushes her onwards, Riesenlied in her arms, until the gates of Meribia are long past them.
Even then, she waits until they've found a copse, sagging ever so slightly before she sinks to her knees. The ragged breath is the first sign of fatigue she's allowed herself in a while, but she still has the strength to simply drag Riesenlied to her, her arms around the other demon in an embrace as she lets out a shuddering breath, her feelings more open and naked then they have been in a very long time.
"--come here," she mutters, heaving out another breath; one hand is buried in Riesenlied's hair, her partner's head tucked into her chin. Regardless of protest, she's caught the kids with her other arm, tugging them to their side. "Honestly... I don't know what to even say..."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied cups her moment as she steps towards the copse, walking towards a little clearing where she can seat herself against a nearby tree stump. It-- it isn't long before Noeline urges her forward, however. The blitz of the events following their arrival in Meribia almost feel like... a dream, something she can't quite wrap her head around yet. The only thing she's rather cognitively clung to is:
Please, find the Fereshte...
Janey pulls up with a big bag and a grin as she says, "Whew... don't worry about a thing, mama, why don't we set up camp here? It's gorgeous!" The cackle is evident in her laugh as Mikaia huffs and sits next to her.
"... Noeline..." she whispers, holding her hand in turn, leaning against her as they hug.
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
Noeline's clung Riesenlied to her; she grumps over the top of the demon's head at Janey, her face momentarily glum before she lets out a very theatrical sigh. "Honestly... where do you get all that energy from? I am worn out," she mutters, never mind that the equivalency here is a little false. Janey didn't fight off Berserk, for instance, as much as she probably wanted to given half the chance.
"... take a moment," she adds to Riese as she strokes at her partner's hair, letting out another of those sighs as she slumps back against the tree stump herself. "Let your mind catch up. When I left the Fereshte it was intact - no fires, no further damage. Whether it has followed us to Lunar or not, I am sure the crew are alright, and waiting for us to find them," she adds. It may not be the greatest of encouragement, but it seems worth repeating in the moment.
Even Noeline looks like she'd rather fall asleep for a while, and stifles a tiny yawn - but then looks up, towards the distant sight of the moon hanging in the sky. "What do you remember last?" she nudges gently.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Janey rubs at her nose and-- pauses for a moment, saying, "We're kinda used to just trekking until our feet give out? Lots of nosey sheriffs and such." Mikaia bobbles off with a smile, letting the other two have a moment while Janey goes 'ow!' and wonders why she's insistent on taking her off to the side.
Riesenlied hesitates for a moment, nodding slowly... and biting her lip again as she holds Noeline's hand a little tighter. Her form might look a little different in the new clothes, and she's careful to not rest against Noeline's armor too hard either.
"... I'd... I heard Odoryuk's voice..." she lowers her head and-- looks rather rattled, and suddenly she lets out a startled noise of pain as her head begins to bleed again. "Where's our... where's our medicinal supplies?"
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
Noeline watches the orphans slide off to one side, letting out a soft breath of relief as she squeezes Riesenlied's hand in hers. She isn't wearing that much armor, at least, limbs aside - and she's apparently made sure to include fingerless gloves, the better to offer the other demon a sensation of touch to focus on.
"--I don't know," Noeline admits, and sighs as she looks to the bag she'd brought with her, slung over one shoulder and now set down to one side. "I have some - leftovers, more or less, but it should hopefully help a little." She reaches for it; true enough, it's pretty much just 'what she had on her', but that does at least include one of Jacqueline's potions and a small rejuvenative spray.
Carefully, she touches at the blonde's wounds, wincing. "You /must/ rest. No exceptions," she mutters, her voice tight with worry as she studies Riesenlied's face, and works with some bandages. "At the very least, for a few days. We need to determine where /we/ are before we can hope to figure out where the Fereshte is."
Her voice is a little sharp out of sheer stress, but she hesitates - and softens immediately as she lets out a heavy sigh. "... we-- I followed you into the ruins. There, we found Odoryuk's statue, and sealed it - but Berserk, thanks to Alhazred's nonsense, managed to break it anyway." A beat, and her voice tinges with awe instead. "... he is dead. And you... summoned Odoryuk with the Guardian's blessing."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
"I--I know," Riesenlied isn't even trying to brook disagreement as she stirs, looking just a little more light. "Something feels-- feels-- fragmented, my head is spinning." She doesn't look like she's suffered cuts more than she's suffered... well, blunt force trauma to her head, courtesy of a crushing palm of Berserk's. If it weren't for Noeline's last minute intervention, she literally would've had her head crushed.
She lets out a relieved little sigh at the potion and the spray, looking rather drifting and out of it. "Odoryuk..."
She looks to be in a bit of a lull as she murmurs, "We failed to... protect the statue. Then he came out of its remains... his essence... it was his presence that pulled me back, and..."
Berserk is dead. Odoryuk was... summoned?
"... I can't recall. Odoryuk's energy held me up. He urged me to help Lucia and the others."
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
Noeline works in a quiet silence, but not a stony one so much as one of concentration. She's not a doctor by trade, and her physiology is sufficiently different that she doesn't honestly know what else can be done to let Riesenlied heal right now, a pained wince of sympathy coming to her face as her eyes flash with anger.
"... if we were brought over, I'm sure others were too. If we're lucky, the Carakin might come rolling around the corner any moment," she murmurs, a rather halfhearted attempt to keep Riesenlied's spirits up. "For the time being, keep your head as steady as possible. If I had a brace, that would be better, but-- we just have to make do."
The spy hesitates - and then just gives in, using the rest of their supplies out of sheer worry and for the sake of safety. It isn't much, but she can at least hope it might help a little against the pain.
"... he did more than hold you up. He spoke with you, I think, and you to him. ... he seemed pleased with what you've done, and how far you'd come," she reports with a quiet smile.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied opens her mouth and-- lets out a strained little cry, again, but it subsides before long. The Hyadean slumps to one side as her horns softly deflate and rest against her head and Noeline's, one arm coming to pull her closer for comfort and warmth.
"... he showed me... memories. Memories I've built others... Leon, Lily, Fei, Elly..." A pause, "The Fiends, the Carakin... and..."
She clings her hands tighter against Noeline. "You."
She shifts uncomfortably as she murmurs, "... boundaries... can eventually be overcome."
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
"... with Odoryuk's blessing, you are truly proof of that statement," Noeline mumbles back gently as she risks a tiny, feather-light kiss on the other woman's head, the blonde's hands clasped in hers. The demon's eyes still look haunted at that cry, her fingers jumping in nervous worry, but she holds steady, offering herself as a source of support. "And I am, as well. ... as is the entirety of Wayside," she adds with a soft chuckle. "Really, everything you've done has been in service of that hope."
A pause, and then she continues: "... and then... the Lord of Calamity attacked. You worked with many of the others to activate an Elw contraption, to try to send the Lord of Calamity back to Lunar - unfortunately, it seems to have had rather the opposite effect. A ring of light shot out across those assembled there, and when it faded-- here we were."
She lifts her head for a moment to scan the horizon; honestly, Noeline is not terribly sure of where to even begin searching Lunar for a place to rest, and it shows on her face. "We-- we will find you a safe place to rest. There must be an inn or a town somewhere around where I can barter away a few things. Once you are more well, we can begin looking for any sign of the Fereshte."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied's eyes go in and out of focus as Noeline explains, feeling that kiss to her forehead as she still continues to try to settle and rest. "... the Lord of Calamity ..." She sucks in a quiet breath and says, "I vague remember. His wreath of fire... his Malevolent Domain, which was extremely choking and unsettling. It nearly brought me to my knees." A pause...
"I wonder... I wonder where Hiro and the others went. I truly hope that they're all right..." She sighs.
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
"... given their role on this world, I rather expect we'll hear from them before long," Noeline admits with a soft huff of breath. "In fact, I am reasonably sure I saw fresh posters in our escape from that town, and the numbers bumped up accordingly. The Guard evidently works rather fast," she sighs to herself with a shake of her head. "At least we can hope our names are not exactly well-known here."
Noeline pauses after a long moment, swallowing tightly at the sight of the stricken demon in her arms. "... I was not proud of what I did to Berserk," she adds softly, and her hand traces Riesenlied's cheek. "... but I would do it again in an instant. A few seconds later, and-- I might have lost you entirely. For a while, I thought I had."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
"... ... I--" Riesenlied stirs just for a moment longer, as she holds her forehead and softly guides Noeline so she can be lowered to the grass or her lap, in something resembling a resting position. It doesn't seem like it helps much, though, given her head's the one suffering trauma right now.
"... I don't blame you. It is not my place to admonish you of that." She exhales very lightly. "We must eventually accomodate to handle actors of bad faith, no matter powerful or not, after all. But..."
She leans forward and gives her a much more powerful kiss, on the lips. The need and relief are both markedly evident upon her as she, too, conveys how much she's glad to not have lost her...
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
Noeline at least has the presence of mind to pause as Riesenlied draws her down; she automatically draws Riesenlied down with her, but realizes halfway that it might not be for the best given Riesenlied's injuries. In response, she grabs for the bag of clothing and other belongings all of a sudden, figuring that at least will serve to help as something of a softer pillow, not to mention a bit of support for her neck.
"... it is not even as an actor of bad faith. ... I just-- no matter which way I looked at it, your new world simply could not exist with him present," she mutters gently, obviously feeling a little conflicted even now - but her expression hardens. "Berserk and Alhazred are the only two I'm prepared to pull the Blade on. ... to be what I was originally intended to be."
She lets the thought go, though - and sighs against Riesenlied's lips, making a too-soft sound that might be a quiet relieved sob of pent-up feelings. Just for an instant, before she's sunk properly into the kiss.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Mikaia hurries after a while, beckoning to Noeline where they've set up their tent. There's a bedroll and some pillows just inside where the flap's been left open. "Janey went to go find some water... she said she heard a stream." Really, who taught them to be such amazing, laid-back campers?
The answer can be found within the nested cocoon of a pink-haired blob...
Riesenlied lets out a sinking little sigh, murmuring, "... like I said... I am not about to pass a judgement on you for feeling that way. But... there is a slippery slope inherent there." She shifts a little closer, clinging tighter as she says, "But I am not about to believe we can redeem Alhazred, no, or even a number of our brethren."
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
Once their kiss ends, Noeline glances up to where Mikaia's kind of fluttering behind a tree; she huffs out a soft breath, and ever so carefully lifts Riese up into her arms, taking care to support the demon's neck as she does so. One foot nudges the bag, wordlessly asking the girl to pick it up for them, and then she's headed over to carefully rest Riesenlied down within the tent, making sure she's propped up correctly.
Already, from their contact, some of the colour has come back to her complexion; she sighs softly, letting out a breath. "... you are right," she admits, still looking just a little uncomfortable before she huffs softly. "But-- even if I say that, I will still stay my hand. Until we are absolutely sure - until there is clearly no way back. That is my promise to you," she adds, leaning down to offer a kiss in return as if to seal it.
With the kids right there. Goodness!
Obviously Noeline knows it, because she's tinged red in the cheeks when she straightens back up, seated next to Riesenlied - but beckons Mikaia over regardless. "Thank you. If it weren't for you two-- I'm sure this situation would be that much worse. It's a good job someone's level-headed, I suppose," she snorts softly.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied has a quiet smile for Mikaia as she reaches to her, Mikaia hurrying as she packs and picks up the bag and bobbles down along with them to the tent. She also looks herself somewhat rejuvenated, if not physically then at the very least in spirit. There's not even that much more bashfulness from where they're kissing -- she rather feels contented about their relationship, and isn't hesitant to prove it.
Mikaia smiles, though, saying, "W-well, we did have to kind of make up for running right into danger..."
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
"--about that," Noeline starts, her eyebrows raised as she sits next to Riesenlied; she folds her arms across her chest and does her best to look imposing, but it can't last as she lets out a relieved sigh. "... well. I suppose I'm glad, in the end - it means we didn't lose track of you both in the shift. But-- honestly, we are going to have to teach you both some more in the way of self-defence if you're going to pull stunts like that."
This time she actually does sag, but theatrically down just enough to abruptly reach for the winged girl, tucking Mikaia into her lap within reach of Riesenlied's hand.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied does have the werewithal to huff very quietly at Mikaia, even as the winged girl flutters softly and cuddles onto her mommy. "... it's my fault. I was the one who felt something really horrible and ran out... I'm glad we managed to get that rope to you, though..." she burbles gently, as Riesenlied scoops her in and Noeline both with a contented hug.
"I must concur with Noeline... we're very proud of your bravery, but please, do not be reckless." She pauses, as if she knows she's about to get owned for that herself.
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
"--about that," Noeline repeats, in precisely the same tone of voice, and looking no less glum - except that this time there's a visible glint of amusement in her eyes as she chuckles. "... well. I suppose feeling otherworldly sensations and following them does run in the family."
She lets out a relieved sigh, more of her tension bleeding away. "I realize that this may simply be jinxing myself, but-- I hope it is safe to say that the worst, for the time being, is truly over. And we are both terribly relieved you've come through unscathed," she adds to the girl between them.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied is nothing if not optimistic, nodding as she expresses, "I have faith that everyone made it safely as well... it didn't seem the kind of teleporter to violently throw anyone abroad..." She hugs them even closer, expressing, "... no matter what world we are in, I am terribly contented and happy to have us together."
Janey peeks in from the flap to go, "No fair! You started hug time without me!" and just about piles ontop as well.
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
"--about that," Noeline adds again, this time with the long-suffering sigh of someone who's placing herself as the responsible one against all current odds. She does, at least, pluck Janey out of the air, preventing the other beastgirl from piling /straight/ into Riesenlied without at least some measure of caution.
Her smile is lopsided, but it's still bright enough as she rubs hard enough at Janey's hair to send bits of it askew. "Don't play too hard - Riesemama is still pretty banged up. No shocks to the head, alright? If you must leap on someone, I suppose I can suffer," she grumbles good-naturedly.