2018-05-31: Wrinkle in the Brain
- Log: Wrinkle in the Brain
- Cast: Lydia Seren, Riesenlied
- Where: Taben's Peak
- Date: 31st May 2018
- Summary: Lydia visits Taben's Peak on Hammer's call after the fall of Lastonbell, to meet her mom...
<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.
Lydia Seren returned to Meribia some time after the INVASION of Lastonbell. She was just about to return to Vane when some furry rat dude showed up and started harassing her! She bit him. Then the furry rat dude yelped and said he was with Riesenlied. Lydia unbit him.
"Whassa want?" Lydia asks.
"owwww! We found the Fereshte! I could use a hand with repairs from one of the engineers."
Lydia stared at him. And then is like, "Oh right! Right--" She crosses her arms. "Lead the way, fellow beastdude!"
A SHORT TIME LATER!
Hammer is walking out of the 'shortcut' elevator with Lydia where they're engaged in TECHNICAL DISCUSSION specifically the TECHNICAL DISCUSSION on what's wrong with the Fereshte.
"So basically," Hammer says. "Because the work was done for speed, it'll take even longer to get it going. Maybe longer than it took to get it going in the first place."
"Well that's assuming we want to get it flying again first." Lydia is saying. "It might be better to just keep it at a low hover. Flying seems to draw the attention of dickholes--"
She looks around a bit.
"There's...a lot of kids." Lydia says.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
A low hover was definitely the plan for the Fereshte. It's a precarious vessel that's half-sailing vessel and half-black box technology (as far as Hyadean technology can be called black box), and getting it to a low hover would probably make Solaris less mad and be useful enough for their purposes...
And yes, indeed, there's a lot of kids -- including a very momly-looking Riesenlied, who has an apron and a casserole dish as she sweetly says, "Can you put the table together, Mindy?" Some of the Taben's Peak kids have been summarily charmed, as is unsurprising.
She pauses to go, "O-oh-- Lydie!"
<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.
Lydia stares at all the new little rascals. How could you Riesenlied, adopting all these new rascals like this! Will nothing satisfy your appetite for momliness?! Okay maybe Lydia doesn't think that way but she is still pretty stunned.
"They're multiplyin'." She whispers to Hammer.
Hammer groans like Bojack Horseman in response.
Lydia makes her way towards Riesenlied. Lydia says, "Hey." to Riesenlied. "Uh."
She pauses for a moment, looking towards the casserole dish. "Hey Mm..mmmm...."
She presses her hands against the side of her head in despair. Why is this so hard??? She coughs awkwardly and then says, "So uh. Riese. I just uh. I just got back from Lastonbell and ran into this dude. Heard you need help?"
She looks around a bit and adds, "Well it ain't pretty but at least I won't be staying in Vane all day." She looks back to Riese. "What'd I miss?"
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
There's a warm smile from Riesenlied as she puts the casserole dish down on the table and steps over towards Lydie, first hugging her gently as she expresses, "I heard about what happened... are you all right? I was worried the moment I heard you were there. Is Kaguya and the others around as well?" There's a quiet frown, as she murmurs, "I don't want you to get dragged into another war..."
A pause, as she expresses, "Ah, the Fereshte could use your expertise, but... mm, we encountered the Demon of Elru again..." A pause. "That was another close scrape, but he didn't consume the Peak this time. We met the Dragonmaster, and reuniting has been a joy..."
<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.
"Ugh that asshole," Lydia says about The Demon of Elru and--really--that seems to be enough for her on several levels. "Wait you met THE Dragonmaster? What's he like?" Lydia pats Hammer on the arm twice. "I'll catch up to you in a bit."
Hammer, honestly a little relieved, heads back to The Fereshte in order to work. He glances back one last time, towards Riesenlied, before moving on.
"Well, uh, it's a little awkward, ahah...because--" Lydia is hugged up and she quites down, hugging Riesenlied back with her arms. Both of them. It was a gentle hug at first but Lydia squeezes pretty tightly after.
"I'm glad you're safe." Lydia says. "Yeah uh. I ran into Kaguya. I guess I should...tell you about that, actually."
She tries saying it again but doesn't even get the first letter out this time.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied stammers out a, "Thank you, Hammer! I really appreciate it, like always..." and has a wave to the beastman as he leaves, looking down towards Lydie to sit her down gently near a balcony railing.
"The Dragonmaster...? He was very powerful... if it weren't for him, it would've been much worse for us and the Fiends. I was-- unconscious for some of it, but thanks to Noeline, Muni-Muni, Cetiri and Dva... we pulled through."
She looks a bit more concerned as she says, "Take your time... I'm here to listen."
<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.
Hammer waves back to Riesenlied, a little embarrassed--but grateful.
Lydia admits, "Yeah the Fiends are pretty cool." She looks away for a moment, grinding her teeth together in a kind of nervousness. Eventually she says, "R-right," to Riesenlied. She breathes out and then looks back to Riesenlied.
"Kaguya. She's the one who blew up the wall. I found out about it because I ran into one of the mercs she hired for the job. You uh--you met her. Talia. I ended up, uh, going along. I helped out a little 'cause she's..."
She trails off. "...Anyway, um, that happened. I also uh, lost control for a bit and the metal part of me totally um."
She looks around at all the kids before lowering her voice to tell Riesenlied.
"The dude uh. He kind of...exploded. I didn't mean to."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied's eyes water a little as she moves to hug Lydia again, in a slower and more warm manner. It's kinda weird to see Riesenlied with oven mitts on, but someone made a Dragon Arm-shaped oven mitt and it looks kinda cute in a weird knitted way. "Oh Lydie..." she strokes at the back of the beastgirl's hair.
"I know you don't mean it. ... if you need to let anything out or tell me anything else..." Riesenlied speaks gently. "You know I'm here for you."
<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.
Lydia looks at that Dragon Arm-shaped over mitt for maybe a moment longer than is natural. She is pulled in again and her eyes start watering. It's not like a full on cry, but it could get there if we're not careful. It could be full on Antarctica tears. This turned out to be both easier and more painful than Lydia really expected.
"I..I know." Lydia says, easing into the hug a bit and closing her eyes. "You always have been. Even when I first metcha. Cause that's the kind of person you are."
And why, Lydia wonders to herself, is it so hard for her to be that person too?
But instead she says, "I'm--I'm sorry, I know you don't like war or--or hurting people. And I got into both and..."
She exhales. "Sorry. I thought it would be the right thing t'do. I didn't want it to just be a stalemate forever." She must have been worried about the malevolence, though she doesn't outright say that.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
"I can't-- I'm not going to order you around or tell you what to do... that's not the kind of person I want to be," Riesenlied speaks gently. "I know Kaguya has her own grievances. Her own circumstances. You do too..." as she brushes a hand over that metal arm gently, but to remind her of it, just to... take it into her mind.
She slacks a little, and then expresses, "We all sometimes do things we later regret because we think it's the right thing, at the time..." in a soft and slow pace.
"How do you feel about it... now?" she asks, to try to get her to speak at her own pace.
<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.
"I don't know how I feel." Lydia admits. "Guilty, I guess, but I don't know. I probably would've felt like that no matter what I did."
Like Rocket, she does kind of flinch at being touched there, but eases into it anyway. She trusts Riesenlied, there's just moments of instinct she hasn't quite worked through. She is quiet for a few moments, not immediately reacting to Riesenlied saying she doesn't want to 'order' people. Lydia isn't in any organization of Riese's, of course, but--
"I didn't think you would," Lydia says eventually. "But I like the kind of person you are, and I want to be more liek that someday. Not like all the way or anything obviously but, ahahahah..."
She breathes out a sigh, closing her eyes.
"...I talked to Kaguya after. I asked her if she really saw you as 'Mom'." Lydia says. "She said she did. She uh. I guess her mom mom kinda blew too."
"Um," Lydia adds, red in the face. "Maybe I'm just still shellshocked but uh. I feel the same way as she does. I realized it, there, you know? Thinking about it? It's kind of awkward--haha--for me to say it. I'm not sure why but uh--"
Lydia smiles a bit. "You're a better mom than mom." Pause. "Mom."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied has a quiet nod as she reassures, "It's okay to not know how you feel right now. But... it's important that you don't push it away, since I know that it can fester if you do."
Nasrin leans against her wrecked throne as she remarks, "It sure does."
On the topic of Lydie wanting to be a little like Riese, though, she smiles very bashfully as she admits, "Lydie... that's really inspiring to me... I'm glad I can at least be someone you-- look up to, even a little."
A pause... as she expresses, "I'm... I'm glad she said that. I know I can't soothe her pain, but I want to work my hardest to try to resolve the unfair things that she feels she's been wronged by... the things you feel like you've been wronged by too."
She swallows gently, glancing towards the kids scattered about. "Because I... think this is the kind of battle I'm best suited to fight. To nip the things that make us feel that things are unfair... to grow a society where we don't have to take on more children who've been scarred..."
She blushes just a bit brighter as she says, "... and, of course, I'll continue to be you and Kaguya's mother. That much, you can be assured of."
<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.
"Yeah," Lydia says. "Maybe one day, Janey and Mikaia will get to think the time before was just a bad dream." Of course they were actually mutilated so she has to admit, "S'long as it's not thrown into their face at least. They're good kids. Th'best thing I ever did wa stand up t'Granny for you."
She rubs at her eyes and then laughs again. "I'm sorry I'm just--all over the place all the time. Even with the meds."
Can't soothe Kaguya's pain, Lydia thinks. If she were cured, would she feel better? It's sad to say, but Lydia's not sure. It might not be enough by now. Maybe if back then the Guardians had done something for her--
--or maybe it was too late even then. Lydiad oesn't like this train of thought so she purposefully derails it, killing thousands of tiny mindpeople.
"I do look up to you. You're not like, a pansy or anything." Pause. "Well usually." She's still Lydia. "But you always...always understand, I guess. That can't be easy. Or maybe it is, and--"
She shakes her head. "Yeah, I just wanted to say it. Was tired of--not saying it I guess. Um--is everybody who was on the Fereshte okay? I heard they were but..."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied isn't sure. Would the Guardians paying service to Kaguya have changed things to a point where she would be in a different place? She knows that there's the struggle of the individual... and the struggle of the masses, with the rest of the Veruni still to be concerned about.
"They're very brave children," Riesenlied expresses. "And I'm honoured I can nurture such bravery... and let them flourish, whether under my guidance, or in Wayside, or even with Argus in Vane here..."
She nods gently-- bashfully saying, "... speaking of meds-- I do... I did ask Jacqueline if she had any suggestions, but she said it was out of her field of expertise..." She smiles a bit warmer. "But you've all inspired me to try to take better care of myself, too."
She tilts her head as she expresses, "Understanding is... you have to be patient, right...? It's not always easy... it hurts, sometimes. But I fully believe it's worth it."
On the topic of the Fereshte, though--
Beep beep!
Riesenlied huffs to protest, "Muni, I told you that Muni-mobile is only allowed outside!" as a gold Rolls Royce-type antique car with a Muni face on the grill passes by them... with about twelve children stuffed into it, clown car-style.
"They're all right, yes. They've found a nice purpose staying here for the time being..."
<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.
Lydia could give two shits about the rest of the Veruni. She pretty much only cares about the one. She doesn't know the other Veruni except in the sense that they take Baskar like her and throw her in the SLAVE MINES where they MINE uh SHIT and...shit. That's her understanding. "Yeah you shouldn't put stuff in your body like that unless you have a professional, otherwise it can mess you up more. Wouldn't Cetiri know?" She looks back to Riese. "Or that Kalve guy?" No she's not going to suggest Alhazred that's crazy and there's just no way.
"Well, if we managed to convince you to take better care of yourself," Lydia admits. "We probably CAN do anything."
Hey wait a minute!!
Patient. Lydia is not ... patient. She says, "I'll uh. Try to be more patient." She admits in a kind of way that makes it obvious it's an uphill battle there.
BEEP BEEP.
Lydia jumps and kind of tries to lean against the air and look cool.
"Yo Muni." Wait how do these kids know about cars? Nevermind! "See you got blinged up, dude."
She glances back to Riese. "Uh yeah I heard y'all need help so I'll be here for a while probably. Helping out."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
"I don't... I admit I don't think any Hyadean has particularly advanced the idea of mental health and safety... and Kalve-- is probably rather displeased with me," Riesenlied expresses rather sadly. "I did ask mother, but she admits she has very limited understanding of what does and does not work with a pure living metal body... and with my impurities ontop--"
She makes a 'so-so' gesture with her mitted hand, like the effects might be... mixed, at best.
She smiles a bit sweetly and nods, saying, "Thank you, Lydie. Do catch up with the others -- a lot of people have been asking after you, you know?" she chuckles. "But... do you want to have lunch with us, first?"
That casserole dish -- potato au gratin, with some macaroni and cheese on the side, and...
<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.
"Pffh no they haven't shutup." Lydia says, embarrassed, but smiling a little. "Anyway, I can't speak for what's goin' on in your noggin, but it seems like you're managing. I'll keep my eye out for anyone who might have ideas, though, if you'd like." Granted, the odds of Lydia running into it before Riese herself are probably pretty meager. "I guess--"
Does she want lunch? She looks at the casserole. "Well--"
Lydia's stomach grumbles.
"--I guess I'm outvoted." Lydia quips, smiling again. "Sure, let's just... enjoy ourselves for a little bit. Even an impatient gal like me can do that."
She does seem more at peace, honestly, than even when she came in--but also more than she has in some time, like a weight has been lifted. Not really a weight. More like--a wrinkle in the brain that was tugging on other parts and had to be ironed out.
"Everybody's okay." Lydia says. "They're all okay."