View source for 2018-09-10: Home Is Where The Cookies Are

*'''Log: Home Is Where The Cookies Are'''
*'''Cast:''' [[Character :: Xantia]], [[Character :: Lydia Seren]], Jolen Crann (NPC)
*'''Where:''' Baskar Colony
*'''Date:''' September 9th, 2018
*'''Summary''': ''Xantia and Lydia discover they have a hometown in common, and discuss their unusual abilities and circumstances.''

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 =============================<* Baskar Colony *>==============================
 
 Baskar Colony is the closest thing to a capital for the Baskar Tribe on Ignas. Nestled high in the northwestern mountains, this small village is where many of the Baskar elders dwell. The homes here are simple but imposing structures, often carved into the walls of the mountains themselves. The scant wood here he goes to providing fire and warmth for cold nights. Provisions are limited to what is given by families who live here, as there aren't any dedicated stores; similarly, no inns or hotels provide respite. However, the elders' knowledge will sometimes lure the determined and desperate to this place.
 
 BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKKhBT0A1pE

 <Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.
<poem>
It's been a long time since Xantia's last visit to the Baskar Colony. Of course there was the whole unexpected trip to Lunar thing, but even before that, going back to say hi every once in a while just didn't end up happening. It's a bad habit of hers that she's starting to catch onto - things that she means to do but aren't time-sensitive often end up getting postponed indefinitely.

Being able to do a thing any time she wants is fine, but she should actually do them sometime, or she might one day discover she missed her chance. Things such as 'visiting Azado' rubbed that in all the more. That's why she made visiting her grandparents-in-name a priority once she returned to Filgaia, suddenly worried about how long that would still remain possible. Even without the looming threat of Mother, who probably has a grudge against people involved with the Guardians, the Cranns are getting on in age.

Thankfully, when she finally did get around to visiting, she found the elderly pair in good health, and spent a number of hours catching them up on all her adventures. Even if she can't stay with them, Xantia does value what she has back at the Colony, and reaffirmed this to Jolen and Martha, promising to not take so long before the next time she visits.

The reunion left Xantia in high spirits, even for her, clearly visible by the bright smile when she exits the house of the Cranns, followed by Jolen, who continues to look imposing and quite fit for his advanced age. "Do be careful out there, Xantia. I know I've warned you many times--" "So you don't need to it again!" Xantia cheerfully interrupts her 'grandpa'. "I'll be fine, really I will. I've got to come back for more of grandma's cookies, right?"

After a short laugh over that, Xantia starts to leave, waving back towards Jolen as he stands in the door opening. Although she got some cookies to go, before leaving the Colony she'll still have to pick up a few more provisions, though. Obviously. Xantia always needs more food, it's a universal constant.
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.
<poem>Lydia actually intended to go to Baskar Colony since her return to check up on Granny Halle and well the rest of the Baskar. She is frankly relieved to see that they aren't all DEAD or something worse, but it's clear that the mood of the colony isn't exactly great. Mother woke up, after all, and whether they can defeat this new/old threat is rather up in the air.

But Granny Halle is hardly the only person in the village she knows--Lydia knows EVERYONE pretty much--and one particular couple--The Cranns--are a couple she's particularly interested in because ONE of those people who isn't actually from the village and thus a source of stories of the outside world.

Lydia approaches, looking tired but still very cheery with a big wave towards Jolen. Lydia was not known for being a particularly cheer person when she lived here, but she seems almost transcendentally happy now. "Yoooo!" Lydia says. "Joooolen! Is your HOT FOREIGN WIFE home???" She then nods to Xantia. "Hey Xantia."

Pause.
Blink.
Pause.

"uh Xantia." Lydia says. "What're you doin' here?" She sniffs faintly. "What are you doing with those cookies??" Her eyes widen.
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.
<poem>
Jolen tends to have a stoic bearing, one of those people who seems fased by very little, but those who know him well can probably tell he's feeling a little tired right now. Understandable - the whole situation with Mother probably has him on edge, and he's also just spent hours talking to Xantia, well known to be capable of making people feel tired in much less time than that. It's thus nothing personal that he grimaces a little and lets out a sigh upon seeing yet another visitor approaching.

"...Martha is rarely not home, Lydia, you know this." Not being able to walk without assistance tends to do that. And as ready as Jolen and frankly anyone in the colony is to help her get around, Martha is fine staying at the house most of the time. Jolen didn't know Lydia and Xantia were acquainted however, which you can tell by his surprised expression. Which is to say, the same expression as usual, but with a raised eyebrow.

Xantia, for her part, just gives Lydia a cheerful wave. "Hi, Lydia! I didn't know you were here too!" She cants her head when questioned further, not really seeing why any of this is strange. "I'm visiting grandpa and grandma," she states matter-of-factly. "I'm not doing anything with the cookies yet, but I'll eat them soon!" At least they're easy questions to answer.
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.
<poem>Lydia says, "Well," to Jolen. "I know enough about motor systems I could make her a cool wheelchair! I could even steal an engine somewhere so she wouldn't even have to strain her arms out. Add some spikes to it somewhere so she can crush her enemies..." She pauses a moment. "Y'wouldn't believe the nonsense I've been up to." She grins widely. "Now I can tell ''Martha'' about the outside world and... THE MOON too!" Lydia has threatened to go to the moon since she was a kid but honestly nobody expected her to ever make that happen. Even if she didn't exactly make that happen.

"This is my home town, Xanxan." Lydia says, her own eyebrows shooting up when Xantia reveals why she is here. "Grandpa...and grandma...?"

She grins widely again. "Jolen!! I didn't know you had a grandkid! Well well, I guess I missed a lot while I was gone. I had no idea Xanxan was a fellow townie!" She tilts her head. "Oohhhh, you know, Xantia saved my life. You should give her extra cookies."

She nods firmly. "Because she saved my life. Like woaahh--"

She approaches Xantia intending to flat out give her a one armed hug. "Oh no here comes the friendship...!"
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.
<poem>
Jolen is, as always, patient and calm in dealing with everyone in most any situation. "The gesture is appreciated, but it's not I you'd need to convince." Martha's always rejected offers to make her more mobile. 'There's no place I'd rather be than my home,' is what she'd commonly say. "It has been a long day, however, with many a story," Jolen continues, with a nod to Xantia. Need he say more? "Perhaps these can wait until after a moment's rest?"

Xantia hms, and nods a bit. "I thought you were just here to visit like the rest of us, but it was your home... that makes sense." She doesn't go into detail, but she's referring to the meeting that happened here, shortly after the happenings in the Guardian Temple. Lydia was there then too, still as Asteroid the Kid, and there were signs that this wasn't an unfamiliar place for her - signs which Xantia took notice of. It's hard to believe she's an amnesiac sometimes, with how well she seems to remember things like that.

With Lydia getting excited over this, Jolen begins, "That's not..." But before he can even think of how to phrase the way things are, Lydia has her arm wrapped around Xantia, which causes the old man to rumble a bit, a rare moment of being unsure of the best course of action.

It's Xantia herself who volunteers that information, smiling at the hug and returning the favor with one arm, imitating Lydia. "Oh, I'm not actually their grandkid. But grandpa Jolen saved my life, so now I call him grandpa!" That... probably makes sense? After a moment, she clarifies further, "He's the one who found me in the desert, I stayed here for a while to recover. He and grandma are the first people I remember seeing, so... they're ''like'' a real grandpa and grandma, right?"

Jolen doesn't argue any of this. He's tired enough as it is to get in between all that concentrated energy.
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.
<poem>"Heeh, yeah I mean, there's no rush. Just the end of the world." Lydia exhales faintly and adds, "I guess I'll never really get her, but if she's happy then I'm happy." She looks over to Xantia and adds, "Nope! Born and raised here. I must've been out when you showed up here." She pauses for a moment and adds, "But finding you in a desert. That's gotta be like finding a needle in the haystack. Pretty impressive if you ask me."

It might be a little baffling just to see Lydia so chipper. Even if that dark humor hasn't left at all, her smile is like looking into the sun. A very sharp sun.

"To me," Lydia tells Xantia. "You pick your own family. So if they say they're grandpa and grandma, and you say they're grandpa and grandma, then they're grandpa and grandma in my opinion." Mr. and Mrs. Seren might have different viewpoints on that but Lydia doesn't seem to care about that.

"Man," Lydia adds. "I guess there's no reason for me to show you around since you've lived here already. I actually came by to see Granny but this is a nice surprise, a nice surprise."
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.
<poem>
"I know! Lucky me, huh?" Xantia agrees readily on how unlikely circumstances led her to be here, or possibly anywhere, if Jolen hadn't happened to come across her on one of the yearly pilgrimages he still undertakes to this day. Her smile fades a little, and she looks straight at the stoic Jolen as she states with a more appropriate seriousness, "I have a lot to be thankful for."

Rather than comment further on the matter of family, Xantia instead agrees, "It is a nice surprise," her usual chipperness actually more subdued than usual, after the initial moment's passing. She takes a step back, facing Lydia fully. "I've actually been meaning to talk to you, but..."

Jolen immediately notices when Xantia's eyes briefly move in his direction. "Well then, I'll leave you two to catch up. Lydia, you're welcome to drop by later to catch us up, as well." With that, he moves back into the house, closing the door behind him.

Xantia chuckles softly, shaking her head. "I don't know how he can always tell what I'm thinking. The truth is, what I want to ask you is kind of..." She pauses as she searches for the right word. "...I guess 'personal'? That doesn't seem completely right, but it's... maybe it's tough to talk about. Are you okay with that?"
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.
<poem>"Eh?" Lydia says. "Oh, well, I mean-- Haha, okay, fair enough." Lydia waves after Jolen. "Take care of your beautiful wife okay??"

Yeah maybe there's more than one reason Jolen's ready to close that door but Lydia sees this as being friendly so there's that at least. She didn't catch the subtle glances at one another at all.

"Personal?" Lydia says. "Well, sure, I can't promise I'd be up for talking about it but I figure most things I wouldn't mind." She reaches up with one hand, tugging on one of her curls with an index finger. "Hit me."

A pause.

"Not literally. With the question." She honestly suspects she wouldn't mind the question but it's Xantia so it's hard to really be sure.
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.
<poem>
If Lydia wasn't already wise to how important it is to specify when things aren't meant literally where it comes to Xantia, her confused expression when she's told 'hit me' probably would've been enough of a clue. She wouldn't have actually thrown out a punch just like that, but she certainly would've asked why Lydia wanted to fight all of a sudden.

With that out of the way, Xantia brings a hand to the back of her head, standing there for a moment just thinking about how to phrase what she actually wants to know. It's tough for her to talk about too. If she knew enough about the subject to comfortably talk about it, there wouldn't be any need for her to have the conversation in the first place.

"It's... about your power, and mine." That's about the most succinct way she could put it, to let Lydia know what she's in for. With that, she just lets her thoughts flow freely, looking slightly concerned all the while, of saying the wrong thing somewhere along the way.

"Not just anybody can put themselves back together like that. And what I know about it, I don't think that's something many people know either." She pauses, correcting herself, "Maybe I shouldn't say 'know'. Because I don't know. Not really." She sighs, scratching her head. "I don't think I'm explaining this very well. Anyway, the point is..."

Complicated. The point is complicated. But Xantia tries her best to put her feelings into words, with an appropriately serious expression. "I want to understand what I can do, how I do it, and why I can do it. And I think it'll help if I understand those things about what you can do. Is there anything more you can tell me?"
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.
<poem>"You want to know more about your power..." Lydia thinks about this and then adds, "Well, I'm afraid I don't think I could really tell you much. I genuinely don't know much about how it works or why. Honestly, the only reason I can control it all now is thanks to Kalve. He's a Hyadean, Ida's boyfriend, but he's not with Riesenlied or anything either so it might be hard to get ahold of him since, uh, the Metal Demons summoned Mother and he's still pretty loyal to her. Might be hard to get ahold of him that quick, but basically he said I had to think of the machine cells within me not as foreign agent and that my hands were not exactly different from those machines but rather a shape constructed by those machines." She exhales faintly. "It was a bit like learning how to use an arm again. Since you fixed me up, it's actually been a lot easier. I think you fixed something that wasn't working quite right before, or--changed it to work better with me. Maybe it was supposed to be a little clunky when they put it in me. They didn't exactly have my best interests at heart."

Lydia nods. "Anyway, it wasn't immediate that this happened to me. It took place over about a year. When I left I was still mostly flesh and blood, I think, but gradually those machines replaced pieces of me somehow. They were running a little wild too, but now they seem...more docile, I guess."

She looks back to Xantia. "Ahh, i'm not sure if that helps or not. Do you think it does?"
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.
<poem>
Xantia listens intently, though she crosses her arms partway through the explanation, starting to mull things over in her head at the same time. She files away the name 'Kalve' for later, but right now she's more interested in what he said about it. Body parts that are constructs made by those machines... that tracks, she finds herself thinking, not for the first time wondering why these things seem so obvious when she hears them.

She raises her head up when the difference is mentioned after what she did. Then she shakes her head. "I don't know... I just did what made the most sense. Not that I have any idea how I know what makes sense about this..."

After listening to the rest, Xantia takes a deep breath and closes her eyes, gathering her thoughts. Repeating again, "I feel like... all that makes sense. That it's the way things are supposed to work, that it isn't bad, just... different." She opens her eyes, and frowns. "So what does that mean? I didn't... help the people who did this to you, did I...?"

Realizing the futility of pondering things that she has no way of knowing, she shakes her head. "...It could help. The more I know about it, the better. You need all the pieces before you can solve a puzzle." That was directly quoted from the Guide to Dungeoneering, but it's true enough.

Since it's only fair, Xantia adds, "I don't know how exactly I know what to do, but I'm sure about one thing... I don't actually repair those machines, not directly. I break them down, then remake them in the way that makes sense to me." She looks skywards a moment, once again hearing Id's words in her head. Two sides of the same coin... both used in tandem, in this case. "...I guess that's just the best way to fix things sometimes. Sometimes, you need to break something before you can make it better."
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.
<poem>"Heh," Lydia manages. "I don't know if I could do what you did. Or maybe I can and I just don't know how yet. As much as I'd like to say otherwise, they're basically like a prosthetic. To use it to its upmost potential I have to work hard and get used to it and know how it works." She shrugs both shoulders, shaking her head from side to side. There is only so much Lydia can guess on regarding something so beyond her tech level it's hilarious. She can make educated guesses, sure, and apply the scientific method but this is essentially magic to her.

"I don't know," Lydia says. "I don't think it's worth worrying about right now. I mean, it's not as if I'm gonna spite myself just to ruin their plans. I don't even know their plans. But the fact is, you saved my life. Maybe they don't want me dead, in which case sure you helped 'em...but just because they're awful doesn't mean I wanna be dead!"

She laughs a little awkwardly. "Um. Hope that's okay. I get that it could inconvenience y'all a bit too but, well, what am I gonna do?"

She doesn't know this Id guy at all except knows he's a jerk who keeps blowing up Riesenlied's home town. "W...well thanks for remaking me, haha." She nods once. "And that's true. Bones can be a lot like that, sometimes if there's an injury they break the bone so it can heal properly."
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.
<poem>
Xantia has no idea how far beyond Lydia's tech level her questions are, but even if she did, it probably wouldn't stop her from asking them anyway. She has to at least try. She won't make any headway by ignoring possible leads. At the very least she may uncover better ways to think about this stuff. Case in point, "A prosthetic..." That analogy actually makes a lot of sense, and isn't something she considered before. She can't help but wonder aloud, "Maybe that's what it is for Lily, too..."

Lydia overall seems to be taking the serious topic in stride though, which helps makes Xantia feel somewhat more relaxed about it. But only a little. She hasn't quite gotten to the toughest part of it yet. For now, she chuckles at the phrasing, assuring Lydia, "Don't worry, I'm not just going to let you die. Especially not for a dumb reason like annoying someone else. Who'd let someone die over that?"

Well, there's probably people like that out there. Xantia just can't imagine there would be, let alone that she'd be someone like that.

The mention of breaking bones to make them heal, however, that visibly surprises Xantia. "Wow, now that doesn't make any sense to me at all." It took this long, but she's finally hit that point.

She pauses a moment, momentarily looking away. It's probably time to move on to the toughest part, now. She returns her gaze to Lydia, back to full Serious Mode. "There's one more thing I want to ask you about. But... if it's not something you want to talk about, that's okay too. I mean, I can't even imagine..."

She trails off. This is just beating about the bush, she should just go ahead and ask already, and hope it doesn't hurt Lydia to be reminded. She takes a breath, then gets to the point: "What was it like... when they made you attack your friends?" She quickly shakes her head, correcting herself, "I mean, like, I know you must have felt terrible, that's not what I mean, I mean, you were still... there, right? What they did, how did that... feel?"

Xantia purely wants to know all there is to know about those machines, how they work, what they can be used for... but in this instance especially, it's a bit hard to separate that from the whole emotional aspect. She'd rather not be dragging that up at all, but... her need to know everything about this that she possibly can is more overpowering at the moment.
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.
<poem>"Well I'm not a medic or anything, just what I heard." Lydia tells Xantia. "I do know when I uh 'removed' what Lily had for a while it caused her real problems. But you fixed that too so I'm guessing that you're a natural at it in a way maybe Lily and I aren't."

She shrugs both shoulders again however and adds, "I dunno. I don't think like that, I just feel bad because you seem really worried about healing me when honestly I'm super grateful and happy about it."

Lydia hesitates a while on that last question. She laughs again, considerably more awkwardly, but doesn't answer for a while. It's a hard question, because it was one of the worst moments of her life, but it's also largely hard because she's not sure how to explain it.

"I was still there." Lydia says. "But it was like watching my own body act on its own. I couldn't do anything about it. I really started freaking out, like...super triggered...but it was like I was so out of mind I wasn't acting like how I normally would act or being who I would normally be."

She frowns. "I was worried that if it kept going on like that, I would eventually no longer be me." She shakes her head. "Like, they wanted to be me. Not because they hated me or anything, they just thought they'd...be better at being me than me. More efficient."

She shakes her head. "I don't know, that might not make any sense."
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.
<poem>
"A natural..." Xantia repeats, not looking like she's sure what to think about that term. It just so rarely feels like she even knows what she's doing. If it works out well in spite of that, is that what a 'natural' is? If she had the choice, she'd rather have the confidence that comes from knowing exactly how she learned to do any of these things.

She looks down a moment when confronted about her worries, pretty much giving away that she's guilty as charged. She manages a faint smile. "...Sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel bad. I don't regret what I did at all, I'm really glad I could help. It's just... something about myself that I need to know more about." One of many things.

As for the explanation on Lydia's feelings in that moment... Xantia steps closer, to offer an abrupt hug. "No, that makes perfect sense," she is quick to assure. "I'm sorry for asking about that... it sounds really scary. I don't know if I'm anything like what I used to be, but to know for sure that you're not doing what you really want to do, but you can't stop it... that's terrible."

Only once she's stepped away again does she continue, "But... at least it sounds like they can't directly control you. Only the machines. And in that case... maybe I could do something to stop it, if it ever happens again." She doesn't know what, exactly. It's just a feeling she has. Just... something that makes sense to her. And another reason why she should hurry and remember everything about what she can do.
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.
<poem>Lydia continues to think Xantia can do no wrong. Maybe not like LITERALLY do no wrong, but metaphorically she can do no wrong. Like, Lydia is unlikely to blame Xantia for much. How could she? She would likely not even be standing here if not for Xantia. While she wouldn't ever say that she owes Xantia, she basically does owe Xantia. "Well, I don't think you secretly work for them or anything." Lydia says. "They probably would've said something right?"

She easily returns Xantia's hug. "It's fine. I just hope it helps you." She pulls back and adds, "I get that what you were is important to you, but who you are now... It's hard to beat! So when you do remember your past, I'm sure that the you who you are now will take that and still be a great person. If uh that makes any sense."

She nods slowly. "If you can stop it, feel free! I won't put any pressure on you, though!"
</poem>

[[Category:Logs]]
[[Category:Chapter 1]]
[[Category:Chapter 1, Act 4]]