View source for 2018-07-01: To Catch a Pirate

*'''Log: To Catch a Pirate'''
*'''Cast:''' [[Character :: Layna Manydays]], [[Character :: Talise Gianfair]], [[Character :: Tethelle Cirdian]], [[Character :: Sephilia Lampbright]], [[Character :: Seraph Lanval]]
*'''Where:''' A beach
*'''Date:''' July 1, 2018
*'''Summary''': ''After the encounter with Captain Bladewall, Layna and her friends concoct a mad plan to catch the sadistic pirate.''

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 <Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.
<poem>It was rare for Layna to be in a poor mood. No matter the situation she was usually the boisterous sort, trying to keep everyone's mood and morale up and in control. It was, then, perhaps a bit of a surprise to see Layna brooding.

She'd gone off on her own, but it usually wasn't hard to find her if one was looking for her...it was, in fact, easy to just stumble across her in the course of one's own travels.

At the moment, Layna can be found sitting at a bench with her arms draped over the back, overlooking the sea. One can get a good view of the incoming and outgoing ships there. Usually Layna liked to watch them, but at the moment her thoughts were on something else.

She stares instead into the sea, thinking and recollecting with a frown and a pensive look on her face.

This was, indeed, a very rare look for Layna.
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.
<poem>Talise has been spending some time trying to find a ship captain who will take her to some isolated place near Nota that she won't give too many details about.

By the time she returns, she's smiling, broadly enough that she probably had some success. But it's dampened by the fact that Layna Manydays of all people is down.

''I thought I was the depressed one,'' Talise reflects momentarily.

''Nice job, idiot girl,'' an inner voice whispers at her. ''You've successfully dragged Layna down with you. Pretty soon they'll all be Hellions and it'll be your fault, just like Rosaline and Ida.''

''Fuck off, purple inner voice.'' Talise sighs and makes her way towards the water. She dressed light for the day; her top shows off her arms, one of which she moves to drape around Layna's shoulders to give her a brisk pat on the far one.

"'Ey you," Talise says with a crooked smile for the older pirate. "You look like something's dragging you down. That's no good. So Ol' Auntie Tal's gonna try and help. What's eatin' you and who do we need to punch to fix it?"
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Tethelle Cirdian has posed.
<poem>For her part, Tethelle has taken advantage of being in Meribia to go off on her own, too. Part of it was obtaining some supplies she needed (she's got a new gauntlet after her last one got lost, for instance); part of it was...

Okay, part of it was carousing. Someone has to do it. She may have tried to get people to come with her at various times.

She has actually been in a bar today, but since she has also been in a restaurant her steps are steady enough as she strides toward the others, having seen Talise at some distance - she's tall enough that she stands out at a distance. Tethelle is carrying a pack that presumably has some of her gear in it, along with her sword carrier in its accustomed place on her back.

"What's the occasion?" she asks, as she gets closer, before her gaze passes to the thoughtful-looking Layna. "Or should I, perhaps, not ask?"
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.
<poem>Sephy had taken some time off to visit her parents. She has returned to her friends...with some meat pies! From her mom! She can tell folks are in a down mood though, so for now she just quietly passes those out for now.
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Seraph Lanval has posed.
<poem>    Lanval is about, in the way he tends to be about. As a Seraph of the element of water, he tends to be drawn to bodies of water - especially where they pool. The sea is vast, filled to the brim with water that both supports the lives of those both above and below... and sometimes, snuffs said life out from swallowing away those who fall into it, cutting them off from their breath.
     All this artistic prose about water being both a thing of life and a thing of death, and Lanval decides to instead ruin the aesthetics of it all by lying down in a mere puddle just off the docks. The puddle consists of clean, sparkling, pure water the likes of which the sea would be envious of, but come on... where's the dignity in it?
     Somewhere else, that's for sure, as the portly phantom lies on his back and just lets the world pass around him the way it tends to. Invisible to most, he just lets it all go by with a peaceful (and dumb) smile on his face.
     He tilts his head as he hears Talise talking... oh, huh, he didn't know Layna was there too. He scratches at his beard contemplatively at the sympathetic talk. Is something wrong?
     He wobbles back and forth to get himself up, stretching out his arms and legs with a flexibility that would inspire both envy and disgust as he staggers back along over to the bench where Tethelle is also gathering to check up on them.
     He flops over it onto his back, like a fisherman's recent catch before being put away in a bucket or something of that sort.
     "Heeeeeey," he greets as his voice trails off. "Didn't shee ya here at firsht... what'sh got ya down?" His gourd dangles off the rope in his hand as the other takes up a slice of delicious feast-worthy meat pie to just cram down his maw greedily. The 'thanks' is muffled.
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.
<poem>Layna glances to the side as Talise sits down next to her and drapes an arm around her shoulders, offering a slight smile.

"Evenin', Talise." Layna greets, then looks up. "...It's Bladewall. Someone's sighted his ship again recently - caught word of it just recently."

That explanation would've sufficed, but Tethelle is there, too. Layna waves a hand dismissively.

"Nah, it's fine. Remember when we looked into the other Ruby Empress? Well...we found it, aye? Turns out, the blaggard responsible was Captain Bladewall. ...My old captain." She explains. They probably filled Tethelle in about that at some point, but Layna figured it didn't hurt to reiterate it again, just in case.

She accepts a meat pie from Sephilia, but doesn't dig in just yet. She instead looks toward the sea once more.

"...He didn't do anything this time around, but, well...things were a lot easier when I thought he was dead, aye?" She says, with a dry laugh.
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.
<poem>Layna glances to the side as Talise sits down next to her and drapes an arm around her shoulders, offering a slight smile.

"Evenin', Talise." Layna greets, then looks up. "...It's Bladewall. Someone's sighted his ship again recently - caught word of it just recently."

That explanation would've sufficed, but Tethelle is there, too. Layna waves a hand dismissively.

"Nah, it's fine. Remember when we looked into the other Ruby Empress? Well...we found it, aye? Turns out, the blaggard responsible was Captain Bladewall. ...My old captain." She explains. They probably filled Tethelle in about that at some point, but Layna figured it didn't hurt to reiterate it again, just in case.

She accepts a meat pie from Sephilia, but doesn't dig in just yet. She instead looks toward the sea once more, before sending Lanval a brief glance.

What got her down? Well...it was pretty easy to figure out, when it came down to it.

"...He didn't do anything this time around, but, well...things were a lot easier when I thought he was dead, aye?" She says, with a dry laugh.
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.
<poem>Talise almost forgot Lunar ''had'' bars. Aside from the underground ones, anyway.

The big swordswoman smiles easily as Tethelle and the others inevitably find their way here. Scooting over, she makes room for Tethelle should she wish to take it, but drops her arm from Layna's shoulders soon enough to knit her hands in her lap.

"Yeah, I remember our finding it," Talise says with a small grimace. "And fighting that guy. Can't say I was very fond of him...."

Talise does take a meat pie, taking a small piece of it and nibbling quietly as she watches Layna react. As the older woman looks out towards the water, Talise bites down to the inside of her cheek in sympathy.

"I understand," she admits. "It's like a part of your past is suddenly just roaring back, and it's not even doing nice things. What a mess...." Talise sighs and scuffs a heel against the harbour-stones beneath her.

"So we're probably going to go kick his ass again, I assume."
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Tethelle Cirdian has posed.
<poem>Tethelle cannot confirm that the place she went to was legal. Well, the restaurant was, at a minimum. She might have already had a dinner but this does not stop her from accepting a meat pie from Sephilia with a grateful smile.

"I remember him," Tethelle says, when Layna explains; they hadn't met, of course, but she'd had the rough outline filled in even if she isn't party to quite all the details. She doesn't take the seat even when it's offered, but moves behind the bench and leans forward - it leaves room for Sephilia to sit if she likes it and doesn't mind Tethelle towering over her, inasmuch as Tethelle is capable of towering over anything.

She passes the meat pie hand to hand to make sure it is cool enough to actually eat. "I understand - well, Talise put that better than I would. Do you intend to do anything about it?" she asks. "Because I'm sure you would have support if you did."
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Seraph Lanval has posed.
<poem>    Lanval flops back off the bench and onto the ground, rolling once to face up, and then sit back up. This bizarre set of actions done when the idea of 'get up, walk somewhere else, then sit back down' would suffice for the overwhelming majority of people who are capable of walking aside, it does neatly allow for everyone else to sit on the bench.
     "Mmmmph... wonder what shtopped him from makin' another schene," Lanval muses aloud. That guy sure loved making a big 'schene,' as Lanval puts it, from that village they hit a while back.
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.
<poem>"Maybe it was because we weren't there...or maybe he's as worried about Layna as we are about him!" Sephy pipes up hopefully.
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.
<poem>"...Aye. Fighting him...'s just as rough as I remember it. He was always a beast, even before..." Layna starts, but cuts herself off with a slight frown. She looks at Talise again, who seems to understand perfectly what she's going through.

"...Aye." She agrees. She looks between the four of them, considering.

"If only, Sephy..." She comments, then shrugs. "If I had to guess...I'd say he's just trying to taunt me, now that he knows...well, that I know he's still around, aye? 'Here I am, what're you gonna do about it'? ...Somethin' like that."

So the question remained - what was she going to do about it? No - what were ''they'' going to do about it? It was clear that whatever she did, they were going to go with her.

That was reassuring, but complicated things in its own way. She's quiet, and then, finally...

"...I don't know." She admits with a shrug. "Maybe I'll just make 'im wait, aye? We'd need a ship, anyway, and a crew who'd be willin' to go after someone like him."

She then laughs derisively.

"...But maybe I'm just makin' excuses for myself." She shakes her head.
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.
<poem>Slouching forward in her seat a little, Talise knits her hands together, squeezing them between her knees. In a way, she does get it. It would be like if Goldhand and the Lunabelle sailed over the horizon again one day - except rather than a nice guy like Goldhand and her parents with him, Layna got a bloodthirsty ravager of shores.

Really, she got a pirate, not a 'pirate.'

"I don't know, would he do it just to taunt you? If he's out there in any meaningful way, him and his crew will need to keep themselves alive," she points out. "They'll have to knock over ships or sack ports so their guys can eat, much less have a pile of gold on hand. I would think that grudging at you is on his ledger, yeah, but he's going to have to live within the constraints of a guy with a ship...." Trailing off, she presses her lips together in thought.

Talise smiles crookedly, then. "Wish I had a ship for you. What I wouldn't give to have Captain Goldhand and the bunch here. My mother would've given Bladewall what for. You would've liked her...."

She trails off, looking out over the water for a moment. The silence hangs there.

"...Anyway," she says, finally. "You've got us. We'll get him."
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Tethelle Cirdian has posed.
<poem>Tethelle Cirdian keeps leaning over the back of the bench.

"I can't speak for his motivations," Tethelle says. "Maybe he does want to taunt you. But it's as Talise says - he won't be able to spend all his time looking for you. There's no profit in it, and he needs money to operate the ship."

Tethelle finally takes a bite from the meat pie. It's good, not that she expected anything else. "Though there is a way to get to him without a ship, of course, especially if he's as much a beast as you remember. It's a little riskier than the other option, but it means you don't need to find a crew... and while I can help with a ''small'' boat I don't think I'd be of much use on one like they use here." That with a bit of a wry smile.
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.
<poem>"So...um. Maybe I am a little bit just a kid--or rather, a newcomer-- to this whole pirating thing and stuff buuuuuut...I believe in you, and in us!" Sephy says, thoughtuflly munching a meat pie.
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Seraph Lanval has posed.
<poem>    Lanval keeps sitting up, rather than give in to the feeling that he'd just want to lie down, dangle an arm off the edge off the port, and stir his hand in the water. He takes his gourd in hand as he has himself a swig from it. He kinda does that as easy as it does breathing, as he opens an eye half-lidded to look back out to sea.
     "Feedin' himshelf offa shpite, huhhhhhh." Lanval muses aloud. The eye closes again as he turns his head back towards the rest. "What'sh got ya all indecishive 'bout it, Laynaaaa~?" He hiccups, and then gets into a bit of good-natured chortling. "Shoundsh ta me there'sh only one way ta keep yer mind at eashe..."
     This being said from the perspective of a being who will very likely outlive them all by several centuries.
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.
<poem>"He would. Least, I think he would. This guy...he doesn't care about gold. Back when I was working under him he'd just destroy ships outright, without even tryin' to loot 'em, aye? We had to get what we could before he decided he was done. That's one of the reasons I confronted 'im." Layna replies, shaking her head. Just one of them, apparently - there were probably more. She returns that smile, though, taking a moment to look up into the sky.

"...Aye. I woulda liked to meet her, lass." Layna replies with a nod.

Lanval makes an observation and a pointed question, and Sephilia offers encouragement. Layna doesn't respond right away...instead folding her arms in front of herself and thinking, before glancing over to Tethelle.

"...Riskier, aye? Well, you've got my attention. What were you thinkin' about?" She asks.
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.
<poem>Rubbing at her wrist, Talise frowns and looks out over the water again. "Yeah. I'd heard that about him," she admits. "There are always people like that... I mean, not that any pirate is ever a saint, even you or my parents or even a young me." Talise smiles ruefully, but it passes. "But there's always a few who go into it and turn out to just be in it for the sadism. I can't respect a guy like that."

She flashes Layna a quiet smile, then. "You'd have liked her... you remind me of her. Just not as tall or buff. She made ''me now'' look short!"

As Tethelle presents an option, Talise blinks curiously, eyebrows coming up a little. "What'cha thinking of, Tethelle?" she asks. "We'd have to find some way to present him an offer he couldn't refuse, I bet... or a target he couldn't pass up."
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Tethelle Cirdian has posed.
<poem>It's a little harder if he doesn't go for gold. Tethelle frowns momentarily, but covers by taking another large bite of meat pie. It gives her a few moments to think while she's chewing.

Once she swallows, she smiles again, just a bit. "That's it," she says. "Rather than go to him, have him come to us. Spreading rumours might work - he doesn't know what I look like at all, so I could probably do it. Hints toward something he wants - and then be right there. I'd assumed treasure might do it, but if he's looking for something else..."

She looks at Layna again, craning her neck. "You might have to advise me, here."
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.
<poem>"You could just call him out," Sephilia offers. "Declare him a coward. That's what they do in...in some of the books I read on Filgaia," she says, her cheeks reddening a little bit.
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Tethelle Cirdian has posed.
<poem>"Only do that if you think you can handle him in a duel," Tethelle advises. 

She has pretty firm opinions about how duels should be done.
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Seraph Lanval has posed.
<poem>    Lanval's low-key laughter trails off as Layna confers with Tethelle about the idea of how to best draw him out. His eyes open half-way when Talise mentions about how her mother made her 'look short.' That's mind-blowing. If he even has a mind. Do Seraphim have minds? If they don't, that would explain a few things. If he has one, it's probably exploded by now.
     Or melted into an alcohol-infused slush, either or, as Sephilia brings up the idea about calling him names. Names and reputations do travel a lot further, a lot quicker than one would think... it's a sobering thought unto itself. (Nothing another swig of the gourd can't fix, though there are possible issues with grammar for engaging in that sort of thing.)
     "Mmm... what if it'sh all 'bout Cap'n Layna hershelf?" Lanval asks. Wasn't he just listening about how it'd be nigh-on impossible to stay afloat on that boat without a regular intake of money and stuff, that they can't possibly subsist out of hatred and spite?!
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.
<poem>"...Aye." Layna agrees with a nod. Once more, she finds herself looking toward the sea. She hasn't even touched the meat pie Sephilia brought for her! "...He didn't always used to be like this. There used to be a time I looked up to 'im, but..."

She shakes her head and looks off to the side, toward Tethelle.

"...That might work, but...I don't know what he wants, except just...violence." She replies, shaking her head with a frown, then glances toward Sephilia. Calling him out, huh? That wasn't a bad idea, but...Tethelle has a point.

"...It's a good idea, lass, but...when I fought him the first time, I needed the entire crew at my back, and a turn o' the ship at just the right time. Don't think I could take him alone...at least, not as I am now." She replies.

And then, of course, Lanval makes an observation. ...Maybe it was about her. Layna frowns, and considers it.

"...Maybe. Maybe if we spread a rumor sayin'...I dunno, that the Guard had me cornered somewhere? Might bring him running." She considers, glancing to Tethelle.
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.
<poem>"We could all call him a coward in a joint statement?" Sephy says, less sure on the ettiquette of that. "I forgot about that part in the books though," she admits.
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.
<poem>Truthfully, Talise looks towards the sea a lot anyway.

The meat pie is too good not to touch. The tall woman takes a bite. She smiles gently as Sephilia makes a suggestion, blushing slightly. Once she swallows, she murmurs, "That's a pretty noble sentiment, but sometimes guys like that won't come if it's not an unfair fight on their side."

When Lanval weighs in, Talise lets out a soft breath through her nose. "I'm not sure the Guard would be quite right," she admits. "He'd expect us to be there with you and he'd come after you."

The tall swordswoman wets her lips in thought. "...I've got an idea," she suggests. "Why don't we instead try this. We plant a rumour that the Guard in Nota or something has arrested the infamous Captain Layna Manydays and will be taking her to Pentagulia to stand trial. There's an easy sea route between there and Meribia, and a seaside highway stretch if we want to do land."

Talise tilts her head and snaps her fingers. "Except the Guard turns out to be us and Benedict, and when Bladewall comes to ambush us, ''we'' ambush ''him.''"
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Tethelle Cirdian has posed.
<poem>Tethelle Cirdian actually gives a slight grin at Sephilia's suggestion. "Insult by committee lacks the personal touch," she says, "otherwise I'd say it might be worth a try."

She looks more serious afterwards, though there's still a hint of amusement around the corner of her lips and her eyes. Lanval has a point. "Maybe. If it is you that he's after, it might draw him. But it might also draw the actual Guard since they think you are a criminal. Is that a risk you're willing to take?"

Tethelle glances at Talise. "That may draw the Guard too, of course. Since they would ''know'' they have not caught you. So it's the same risk, but perhaps less of one - they're not likely to bring many guards at first, just someone to investigate, I'd assume. You know them better than I do."
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Seraph Lanval has posed.
<poem>    While all this goes on, Lanval lets his back flop on the ground and gets to dangling his arm off the side. He strokes the surface of the water with his fingers. Four-to-one odds he's just going to slip into the water out of habit.
     "Mmmmmm... there'sh alwaysh that," he comments aloud to Tethelle's discussion of the risks.
     Lanval snaps his hand up out of the water as he cringes suddenly. He sticks two of his fingers from that hand in his mouth.
     There's a sparkling of light blue energy - the same kind of energy color the others see when Lanval dissipates his manifestation - at the surface of the water. A dog clad in blue clothes, similar to hue in Lanval's ratty own, looks up with an unfriendly look.
     The dog disappears back under the waves with a similar sparkling, and Lanval sits right back up. Whatever that was about.
     "'m in favor of what givesh ya better shleep at night, Layna," says the one who - when not being compelled to help wash dishes or otherwise not sleep in the middle of the floor - sleeps entire days away out of a drunken stupor or just being that lazy.
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.
<poem>Sephy takes out another meat pie and starts nibbling on it. "What was &#42;that&#42; about?" she asks.
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.
<poem>Layna listens as Talise floats an idea, then nods in understanding. Hmm...as Tethelle said, the idea was pretty risky.

"We're gonna be puttin' a lot on the line just by bringin' him to us, aye? What's a little more risk?" She concludes with a shrug. "Hm...if they do show up, and things go sour...maybe we can get him and the Guard to fight each other, while we slip away. Whaddaya think?"

Layna shrugs. ...She didn't think it would be this easy, though. No...it wouldn't be, but she would at least feel more comfortable facing him again than sitting around and doing nothing.

"I think the land route might be easier...might be easier for us to get away, too." She considers.

She glances toward Lanval for a moment, as he says he's in favor, as long as it helps her. She sends him a grateful nod.

"...Thanks. All o' you, too. It's a lotta trouble to go through just for ol' Captain Manydays, so...I'm grateful, aye?" She says.
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.
<poem>Talise crinkles her nose. "Yeah, that is a problem. Too bad we can't get the Guard in on it somehow, as annoying as they can be...."

The tall woman scratches at one of her cheekstripes with a soft rush of breath, considering. "Yeah, it's possible... it's not like I wish much goodwill on the Guard in general. And I'm sure if it's Leo, he's always raring for a fight...."

At Layna's thanks, Talise reaches out and claps her on the shoulder. "Layna," she says with a genuine smile, "you've been there for me even though I've been a self-doubting wreck for months, especially after what happened to Ros' and Ida. You're exactly the kind of cool pirate I wanted to be when I grow up. I'd be proud to help you no matter what you did."

With a sweep of her arm, Talise gestures to Tethelle, Sephilia and Lanval. "Besides, we're all friends here, and friends help each other."

"And share the cooking," Benedict Greygust says from where he's been leaning against a stack of crates for the last five minutes. "Lanval."
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.
<poem>"You know I'll always help! And--oh, heya, Benedict, right?" Sephy says, greeting their informant.
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.
<poem>"That is me," says Benedict with a slow nod. "Hello."

Benedict's horse, tethered nearby, snorts a greeting too.
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Tethelle Cirdian has posed.
<poem>"For my part," Tethelle says, "you've done a lot to help Filgaia, a world that isn't your own, after being stuck on it. It's the least I can do to help here. I do want to get home and defeat the Metal Demons, but until then, I'm with you."

Her smile broadens. "I'd like to think all of you were friends, at least."

That includes Benedict... but probably not the horse. Tethelle prefers to walk.
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.
<poem>"Chauncey says hi too," Sephy informs Benedict's horse.
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Seraph Lanval has posed.
<poem>    "What wash what 'bout?" Lanval asks, innocently enough, as he lowers the hand from his mouth to let it rest on the roped gourd. His placid smile returns in the company of those reassuring Layna in her time of need. Talise's praise for her support in tough times in her life as it involves others not presently with them, Tethelle talks about that weird place, Sephy's beaming young optimism and spunk, and Benedict's scolding.
     "Huhhhh? Meee?" He seems taken aback. "What do ya mean share the cooking?" He laughs. "You're all sho generoush lettin' me have sho much! That'sh a lotta shariiiiiin~... already..."
     Maybe someone can coax him to start making snacks on his own time later...
     As reassurances are made about everyone's friendship with one another seeing them all through, Lanval has himself another sip from the gourd. It's good that they're all in good spirits, keeping one another afloat through tough times... company like that doesn't come too often, he reckons.
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.
<poem>"He is at that, aye." Layna chuckles with a grin as Talise comments on Leo's propensity toward fighting.

And then, everyone confirms that they'd stick with her. ...It's all a little overwhelming, admittedly, but it's very heartwarming. Layna laughs good-naturedly. ...Is it possible she's actually a little embarrassed?

"...Aye. Aye, that'd be true. The winds o' fortune musta been blowin' my way, to get me involved with a rowdy lot o' youngsters like you, aye?" Layna remarks with a laugh.

Layna, you're only thirty-three. You don't need to act old.

"...But, I really am grateful. I don't know what'll happen, but...I'm glad you lot'll be there with me." She says.

She even grins lightly as Lanval tries to get out of sharing the cooking duties. ...At least, that's what she assumes is going on there. She's onto you, Lanval.
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.
<poem>"Hey, I'm not that young," Talise huffs. "I'm pretty sure I'm 20 now. Or 19. Or something." She waggles one hand.

Talise has no idea what month it is.

"And hey, it can't go that bad," she assures Layna with a quiet smile. "I mean, it can't have gone worse than my run-in with Ghaleon."

Talise hasn't told anyone but Tethelle that she had a run-in with Ghaleon.

She clap Layna on the shoulder. "So long as we stick together, it'll work out. At least, that's what I believe."
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.
<poem>"your WHAT?!" Sephy exclaims in shock.
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Tethelle Cirdian has posed.
<poem>"I thought she told you," Tethelle says, apologetically. Well, ''she'' got told.

She doesn't feel comfortable saying more in Talise's behalf, so instead she eats what's left of the meat pie.
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Seraph Lanval has posed.
<poem>    Sharing food and drink you want to consume all for yourself is hard work! Looking at Lanval that might be the most difficult labor he'd have ever had to perform, that silly slob that he is!! He joins in on Layna's laughter as she reinforces feeling a whole lot better knowing everyone here's got her back--
     "...Huhhhhhh?" Lanval looks taken aback. "Dragonmaster... Ghaleon...?"
     He doesn't slur the 's' on that title.
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.
<poem>"Nay, I didn't hear about this." Layna replies, glancing toward Talise. She seems more curious than anything. "A run-in with the Dragonmaster, aye?"

Talise implies that it didn't go well...which just makes her even ''more'' curious. She won't press her on the matter, though - it was Talise's story to tell, and only if she wanted to.
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.
<poem>Talise makes a little face and shakes her head before giving Tethelle a slightly helpless look. "...Could've sworn I said something," she murmurs, eyes soon lowering back to her lap.

She lets out a soft rush of breath through her nose and looks out towards the water again. "So I went back a couple weeks ago to that mural cave. I wanted to see if I'd missed any clues, 'cause this bugs me."

Making a face, Talise clenches her fist for the moment. "...Ghaleon must've been waiting for he. He sneered at me for awhile and asked what I fight for. I tried to fight him." Her jaw tightens a little. "It ended... poorly."
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Sephilia Lampbright has posed.
<poem>Sephy wordlessly hugs Talise tight.
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Seraph Lanval has posed.
<poem>    The Dragonmaster taking interest in Talise proper... that's really something. Almost anyone among the world of mortals would laugh and say 'it couldn't have been him!' Lanval starts scratching away at his beard contemplatively, that stupid smile on his face. He's not about to make fun of her over that, is he?
     "Mmmm... wowwwww..." He sounds impressed. Almost entranced, even. "Uhhh... wow, that'sh a huge honor... that'sh jusht shy of an audience with the Goddessh hershelf..."
     Almost jealous?
     "I-I-I mean, uhh, ashide from the... the whole shneerin' part... shtill, that'sh... really shomethin', Talishe...!" Lanval's voice trails off as he enters a few other thoughts - none of which he seems keen to voice aloud. But it seems to be on his face...
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.
<poem>Layna listens intently as Talise recounts her revisit to the mural cave. She remembers that one intently. And Ghaleon was there waiting for her? Layna frowns slightly, but says nothing.

"Don't let 'im get you down, lass. You don't need to prove yourself to 'im, aye?" She replies, shaking her head. "And hey, you're still here. Just means all's ya gotta do is train up enough so you can wipe that sneer right off his face next time."

As she says this she punches a fist into an open hand for emphasis.
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.
<poem>Talise loops an arm around Sephilia's shoulders and pulls her into a firm side hug. The earnest girl always seems to be able to make her feel better.

"Yeah. I don't know why he was interested in me," she admits with a shrug back at Lanval. "I thought it was because of the sword, but he didn't talk about it that much. It was all about me. I don't know what's in his mind, though."

When she looks up again, she nods crisply, clenching her right hand almost at the same time Layna does. "...Yeah. Besides, someone's gotta make things right. Here ''and'' on Filgaia. And that starts with whatever it starts with. Including your buddy Bladewall."
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 <Pose Tracker> Seraph Lanval has posed.
<poem>    The magnitude of this discovery - that Dragonmaster Ghaleon himself went to see Talise, her specifically - is not lost. Whatever the weight of it all means, Talise appears to find the strength to carry said weight in the company of her best of friends as Lanval watches her embrace Sephilia and match Layna's fist clenching. They're inseperable - even from someone who seems so otherworldly, like Tethelle over there.
     Lanval sits there placidly, having himself another drink while they focus upon dealing with the Bladewall problem first and foremost.
     There's something else, he thinks to himself... but now's not the time for it. The time for it might have been before now, no, definitely before now, and the time for it is absolutely after now.
     For now, though... he seems content to stay content having them be content about the content of their lives in the face of contentious characters.
 
     As it is, you all might be the only ones I can... ahh, I'd better not waste the moment. You only get so many of these... hm, hm, hm. For now, time to drink away their worries...
</poem>

[[Category:Logs]]
[[Category:Chapter 1]]
[[Category:Chapter 1, Act 3]]