2019-11-11: Family-Like: Difference between revisions

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----'''<* The Cape of Breath *>'''
----<* The Cape of Breath *>----


Stretching from the edge of the slowly-spreading northern desert, the Cape of Breath is the lush southern region of Meria Boule. Farmland and livestock take up much of the hilly region, dotted with the estates and castles of Merian nobles, often at the height of elevation, but across temperate land to the west great forests begin, still part of the great resources of the Merian nation. In places the badlands of the north find mirrors here, hotter regions with accordingly sparser populations... where people could move.
Stretching from the edge of the slowly-spreading northern desert, the Cape of Breath is the lush southern region of Meria Boule. Farmland and livestock take up much of the hilly region, dotted with the estates and castles of Merian nobles, often at the height of elevation, but across temperate land to the west great forests begin, still part of the great resources of the Merian nation. In places the badlands of the north find mirrors here, hotter regions with accordingly sparser populations... where people could move.
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<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.
 
'''<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.'''


Although Ivan went on an entire adventure with Ragnell, everyone was pretty focused on staying alive and investigating and so forth the whole time, so there wasn't much chance to check in or anything. He is sort of wondering if Ragnell is... ... okay... on Filgaia, considering she tried to destroy it last time she was here. Maybe she is super miserable here for secret reasons of her own. He doesn't anticipate being told what the reasons are, but he can at least see how she's doing.
Although Ivan went on an entire adventure with Ragnell, everyone was pretty focused on staying alive and investigating and so forth the whole time, so there wasn't much chance to check in or anything. He is sort of wondering if Ragnell is... ... okay... on Filgaia, considering she tried to destroy it last time she was here. Maybe she is super miserable here for secret reasons of her own. He doesn't anticipate being told what the reasons are, but he can at least see how she's doing.
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<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.
'''<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.'''


If Ragnell is super miserable, she's doing a good job of hiding it. Ivan's first impression upon meeting up with her at a sunny, grassy cliff at the south end of the Cape of Breath is that she's actually somewhat more cheerful than usual.
If Ragnell is super miserable, she's doing a good job of hiding it. Ivan's first impression upon meeting up with her at a sunny, grassy cliff at the south end of the Cape of Breath is that she's actually somewhat more cheerful than usual.
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<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.
'''<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.'''


Hmm. She looks... happy. He had a feeling it wouldn't be obvious! But he's no stranger to unhappiness covered up with smiles -- that's his sister's signature move. The only problem is that it can be pretty indistinguishable from... smiles covered up with smiles, particularly when it comes to anyone he knows less well than his twin (which is everyone).
Hmm. She looks... happy. He had a feeling it wouldn't be obvious! But he's no stranger to unhappiness covered up with smiles -- that's his sister's signature move. The only problem is that it can be pretty indistinguishable from... smiles covered up with smiles, particularly when it comes to anyone he knows less well than his twin (which is everyone).
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<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.
'''<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.'''


Ragnell ticks the clicky button down several notches. The shots she fires are measurably weaker, for a given value considering this is a beam weapon on par with the Sword of Light. With a thoughtful hum, she ticks it up a few more notches and fires again...
Ragnell ticks the clicky button down several notches. The shots she fires are measurably weaker, for a given value considering this is a beam weapon on par with the Sword of Light. With a thoughtful hum, she ticks it up a few more notches and fires again...
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<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.
'''<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.'''


/But that isn't why you asked me out here, is it? Did you have somethin' you wanted to ask?/
/But that isn't why you asked me out here, is it? Did you have somethin' you wanted to ask?/
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<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.
'''<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.'''


Two can play at secrets, but that doesn't mean they're equally good at hiding their hands.
Two can play at secrets, but that doesn't mean they're equally good at hiding their hands.
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<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.
'''<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.'''


Ragnell's laugh about Ivan's new 'unpredictable' streak gets a defiant glower from Ivan. Hey, he meant that!! Even if he was also covering something else up with it. You'll see, Ragnell! How unpredictable he is...!
Ragnell's laugh about Ivan's new 'unpredictable' streak gets a defiant glower from Ivan. Hey, he meant that!! Even if he was also covering something else up with it. You'll see, Ragnell! How unpredictable he is...!
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<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.
'''<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.'''


"My impression of Solaris is that it's way bigger than any one person could handle, but who knows? It's a literal castle on a cloud. If you could get there, figure out how it floats, an' destroy the floatin' mechanism, gravity'll take care of the rest for ya," Ragnell remarks, her assessment cool as a shades-wearing cucumber. In the shade.
"My impression of Solaris is that it's way bigger than any one person could handle, but who knows? It's a literal castle on a cloud. If you could get there, figure out how it floats, an' destroy the floatin' mechanism, gravity'll take care of the rest for ya," Ragnell remarks, her assessment cool as a shades-wearing cucumber. In the shade.
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<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.
'''<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.'''


Ivan nods at Ragnell's floatation generator idea like he wasn't totally planning on showing up and fighting people consecutively, one by one, like an arcade game.
Ivan nods at Ragnell's floatation generator idea like he wasn't totally planning on showing up and fighting people consecutively, one by one, like an arcade game.
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<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.
'''<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.'''


"I mean, you're the one who brought it up," Ragnell points out. "If you don't have a plan, an' you can't just pop up an' start murderin' folks left and right, then all you're doin' is... nothing." She shrugs. "If that's what you're content with, then that's fine. Nothin' wrong with bidin' your time. But it doesn't sound like that's what you've got in mind. It sounds more like you don't know what the hell to do an' it's eatin' you up inside."
"I mean, you're the one who brought it up," Ragnell points out. "If you don't have a plan, an' you can't just pop up an' start murderin' folks left and right, then all you're doin' is... nothing." She shrugs. "If that's what you're content with, then that's fine. Nothin' wrong with bidin' your time. But it doesn't sound like that's what you've got in mind. It sounds more like you don't know what the hell to do an' it's eatin' you up inside."
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<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.
'''<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.'''


Ivan listens to Ragnell calling him out bit by bit, simmering. There's some /literal/ simmering going on, and a few flames leap off of his shoulders before quickly dying down.
Ivan listens to Ragnell calling him out bit by bit, simmering. There's some /literal/ simmering going on, and a few flames leap off of his shoulders before quickly dying down.
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<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.
'''<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.'''


"I've always got a lot of opinions. Guess it's not in my nature to sit on 'em," Ragnell muses, scratching her cheek. "Anyways, I wasn't accusin' you of anything in particular. But I'd think you'd know me at /least/ well enough by now that I'm not the type to coddle folks. Human folks, anyway." She quirks a half-smile at him. "I mean, you at least know me well enough to know I'd be callin' you out on actin' like a big baby, so kudos t'you there."
"I've always got a lot of opinions. Guess it's not in my nature to sit on 'em," Ragnell muses, scratching her cheek. "Anyways, I wasn't accusin' you of anything in particular. But I'd think you'd know me at /least/ well enough by now that I'm not the type to coddle folks. Human folks, anyway." She quirks a half-smile at him. "I mean, you at least know me well enough to know I'd be callin' you out on actin' like a big baby, so kudos t'you there."
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<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.
'''<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.'''


"If your opinion is that I got it wrong and need a lecture either way, then your opinion is just rigged," Ivan grumbles.
"If your opinion is that I got it wrong and need a lecture either way, then your opinion is just rigged," Ivan grumbles.
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<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.
'''<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.'''


"Lots o' things in life are rigged, Ivan!" Ragnell replies. "But you probably don't need me to tell you that."
"Lots o' things in life are rigged, Ivan!" Ragnell replies. "But you probably don't need me to tell you that."
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<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.
'''<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.'''


Ivan makes a few faces as she laughs at his reactions, but at least it seems like she's leaving it be.
Ivan makes a few faces as she laughs at his reactions, but at least it seems like she's leaving it be.
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<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.
'''<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.'''


'You're sort of family-like,' Ivan says. Ragnell's mouth half-twists up, like it might be a grimace or it might be a smile. "Family-like, huh. Yeah, that's about where you're standin', too. That's irritatin'," she says, not sounding irritated at all.
'You're sort of family-like,' Ivan says. Ragnell's mouth half-twists up, like it might be a grimace or it might be a smile. "Family-like, huh. Yeah, that's about where you're standin', too. That's irritatin'," she says, not sounding irritated at all.
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<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.
'''<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.'''


Ivan tolerates the face smushing, seeming thoughtful, like he's working his way through some stuff he's trying to figure out and can't be bothered to intervene in the teasing this time.
Ivan tolerates the face smushing, seeming thoughtful, like he's working his way through some stuff he's trying to figure out and can't be bothered to intervene in the teasing this time.
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<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.
'''<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.'''


Ivan actually gives a serious, non-defensive answer. Ragnell blinks. She actually *hadn't* expected that. She especially doesn't expect him to admit he respects her and wants her respect in turn. All joviality startled off her face, she lets him go and leans back a step. Is that a streak of red along her cheeks? Actually, yes it is. She doesn't know how to handle this... this /emotional sincerity/.
Ivan actually gives a serious, non-defensive answer. Ragnell blinks. She actually *hadn't* expected that. She especially doesn't expect him to admit he respects her and wants her respect in turn. All joviality startled off her face, she lets him go and leans back a step. Is that a streak of red along her cheeks? Actually, yes it is. She doesn't know how to handle this... this /emotional sincerity/.
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<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.
'''<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.'''


A little spark of pride is visible on Ivan's face, when his comments not only hit the target but Ragnell actually answers him sincerely. But he tempers his expression since the prize for seeing through Ragnell a little is to be trusted with a little more information about the things in her life that aren't great.
A little spark of pride is visible on Ivan's face, when his comments not only hit the target but Ragnell actually answers him sincerely. But he tempers his expression since the prize for seeing through Ragnell a little is to be trusted with a little more information about the things in her life that aren't great.
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<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.
'''<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.'''


Ragnell, in turn, pretends not to see that little spark of pride. They're having a moment or whatever here. Best not to let her contrariness flare up.
Ragnell, in turn, pretends not to see that little spark of pride. They're having a moment or whatever here. Best not to let her contrariness flare up.
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<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.
'''<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.'''


"I don't think I've heard of anyone like that, but people have been trying to teach me about a lot of stuff over the past few months, it might have gotten lost in the jumble..."
"I don't think I've heard of anyone like that, but people have been trying to teach me about a lot of stuff over the past few months, it might have gotten lost in the jumble..."
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<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.
'''<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.'''


Ragnell laughs again, this time full and boisterous, and spreads her arms in a broad shrug. "If I were a Fell Dragon, I wouldn't be enjoyin' or not enjoyin' anything anymore, on account of every bit of who I used to be would be wiped out! But..." She tilts the brim of her hat down, hiding her eyes and shadowing her face just above her smirk. "That's fine by me. The risk is worth it."
Ragnell laughs again, this time full and boisterous, and spreads her arms in a broad shrug. "If I were a Fell Dragon, I wouldn't be enjoyin' or not enjoyin' anything anymore, on account of every bit of who I used to be would be wiped out! But..." She tilts the brim of her hat down, hiding her eyes and shadowing her face just above her smirk. "That's fine by me. The risk is worth it."
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<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.
'''<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.'''


"Well, would it be that you become not-you and then have to go through eternal dragon agony as whoever you are, or do you become /so/ not you that you don't even have to worry about the dragon agony part? And if it's the second one, where do /you/ even go, then?"
"Well, would it be that you become not-you and then have to go through eternal dragon agony as whoever you are, or do you become /so/ not you that you don't even have to worry about the dragon agony part? And if it's the second one, where do /you/ even go, then?"
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<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.
'''<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.'''


Ragnell shrugs again. "Good question! Anybody who's ended up in that state is no longer in a position to talk about it, so who knows?" She pauses, though, at Ivan's final analysis of her responses. He gets a long, lingering look as a reward... then a warm smile, and a tousle of his hair.
Ragnell shrugs again. "Good question! Anybody who's ended up in that state is no longer in a position to talk about it, so who knows?" She pauses, though, at Ivan's final analysis of her responses. He gets a long, lingering look as a reward... then a warm smile, and a tousle of his hair.
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<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.
'''<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.'''


Ivan weathers the hair tousle doubtfully.
Ivan weathers the hair tousle doubtfully.

Latest revision as of 18:44, 17 November 2019

  • Log: Family-Like
  • Cast: Ivan, Seraph Ragnell
  • Where: The Cape of Breath
  • Date: November 11, 2019
  • Summary: Ivan and Ragnell hang out and talk about a variety of things. Emotional sincerity follows.


<* The Cape of Breath *>

Stretching from the edge of the slowly-spreading northern desert, the Cape of Breath is the lush southern region of Meria Boule. Farmland and livestock take up much of the hilly region, dotted with the estates and castles of Merian nobles, often at the height of elevation, but across temperate land to the west great forests begin, still part of the great resources of the Merian nation. In places the badlands of the north find mirrors here, hotter regions with accordingly sparser populations... where people could move.

To the farthest south and east are the wide coastlines, each marked with large cities. Only the fortress nature of many estates at the hearts of settlements recalls much of Meria's more warlike history, after the great efforts of the late Queen to ensure peace for all Meria Boule, and the spread of knowledge. Nevertheless, the increasing spread of monsters can make travel without caravan or guards a perilous undertaking indeed.

BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_gmgvAz8Ks



<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.

Although Ivan went on an entire adventure with Ragnell, everyone was pretty focused on staying alive and investigating and so forth the whole time, so there wasn't much chance to check in or anything. He is sort of wondering if Ragnell is... ... okay... on Filgaia, considering she tried to destroy it last time she was here. Maybe she is super miserable here for secret reasons of her own. He doesn't anticipate being told what the reasons are, but he can at least see how she's doing.

And so, he called (cubed?) her to meet up and find out what she's been up to and see if he can gauge whether she's brimming with subtle, apocalyptic angst.

"Hey Ragnell," he says as he approaches. "How is... life on Filgaia? How are you liking your gun?"


<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.

If Ragnell is super miserable, she's doing a good job of hiding it. Ivan's first impression upon meeting up with her at a sunny, grassy cliff at the south end of the Cape of Breath is that she's actually somewhat more cheerful than usual.

The enormous blasts from the gun-thing she claimed in Fila del Fia probably have something to do with that.

"Woah! Hahaha, that's some kick!" she chirps after the last blast, fired out over the ocean, knocks her over and into a backwards roll. "It's good! This thing is ridiculously overpowered. Try'n'a figure out the power settings on it." She rolls her legs up, then nimbly flips up onto her feet. "How's you? I forget, is this your first time on Filgaia? Must be pretty new to you if so!"

She holds up the gun-thing as if aiming to fire; however, she doesn't pull the trigger again, instead futzing with some kind of clicky round thing around where the hammer would be if it were a real gun.


<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.

Hmm. She looks... happy. He had a feeling it wouldn't be obvious! But he's no stranger to unhappiness covered up with smiles -- that's his sister's signature move. The only problem is that it can be pretty indistinguishable from... smiles covered up with smiles, particularly when it comes to anyone he knows less well than his twin (which is everyone).

Ivan watches as Ragnell fires a shot out over the ocean with such force that she knocks herself over, exclaiming about the kick.

"Whoa, it really is!" he says.

Apparently she's no worse for wear, because she's back up on her feet a moment later, and turning questions around to him.

"Yes, it is absolutely my first time on Filgaia, but I am fine and adapting to it very easily," Ivan says. "I'm already an expert in weirdness after everything that happened in Spira, so this is no problem. Have you found Katherine yet? Talia said she was here but I haven't run into her so far."


<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.

Ragnell ticks the clicky button down several notches. The shots she fires are measurably weaker, for a given value considering this is a beam weapon on par with the Sword of Light. With a thoughtful hum, she ticks it up a few more notches and fires again...

"That so? Good t' hear. Adaptability is how you survive even when life tosses your shit upside-down." She very much doubts he's an /expert/ in weirdness, but she also sees no reason to call him out. Her cheerful manner dims some when he brings up Katherine, though. "No, not yet," she replies. "But she's a big girl. She can take care o' herself. An' if Talia could say definitively that she's here, they're probably together, so she's got her girlfriend to watch her back, too."

A pause. Ragnell lowers the gun-thing long enough to look over at Ivan. "But that isn't why you asked me out here, is it? Did you have somethin' you wanted to ask?" She raises an eyebrow. "Somethin' you wanted to say?"


<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.

/But that isn't why you asked me out here, is it? Did you have somethin' you wanted to ask?/

Ah right, Ragnell can practically mindread him. But there's no reason he should have to confess to apocalyptic angst check-ins! Two can play at secrets!

He folds his arms.

"Nope," he says "Asking people to hang out is something I do now. I'm a whole new person. Unpredictable."

He doesn't hold this pose long before his shoulders droop.

"I don't know if you've heard about Lydia, though. She was captured and is being controlled by this evil space empire called Solaris. They let her out a bit but there's someone spying on her all the time."


<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.

Two can play at secrets, but that doesn't mean they're equally good at hiding their hands.

Ivan's claim to unpredictability thus gets a snort of laughter and a rolling grin out of Ragnell. "Okay, Ivan," she says with what might just be amused affection. That mien fades into something more grave when he brings her the news about Lydia.

"That so," she says. "That must be rough for you. It doesn't sound like the kinda situation where you could do much to help. I'll keep that in mind if I run into her again." A beat. "Controlled and spied on how, though?"


<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.

Ragnell's laugh about Ivan's new 'unpredictable' streak gets a defiant glower from Ivan. Hey, he meant that!! Even if he was also covering something else up with it. You'll see, Ragnell! How unpredictable he is...!

But the conversation turns to Lydia. He shrugs as she suggests it is rough for him. "I just need to kill everbody on Solaris, except I don't know how to get there," he grumbles.

/Controlled and spied on how, though?/

"Well, there's someone who can see whatever she sees and listen in on her conversations, and... chime in. And there's someone else who is... the personality of all of Lydia's tiny robots, and it seems like she can take Lydia's body over sometimes." And this guy Krelian who started the whole thing and seemed to be able to give her commands.


<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.

"My impression of Solaris is that it's way bigger than any one person could handle, but who knows? It's a literal castle on a cloud. If you could get there, figure out how it floats, an' destroy the floatin' mechanism, gravity'll take care of the rest for ya," Ragnell remarks, her assessment cool as a shades-wearing cucumber. In the shade.

"Hmm. Interestin'." Ragnell raises her head, hand on her chin. "Guess I'd have to run into Lydie to find out anythin' more detailed. Wonder if they'd be able to see me..." A moment of pensive silence; then she shakes her head and returns her attention to Ivan. "So, Mr. Unpredictable. Since you *don't* know how to get to Solaris, what's your next move as of right now?"


<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.

Ivan nods at Ragnell's floatation generator idea like he wasn't totally planning on showing up and fighting people consecutively, one by one, like an arcade game.

Has anyone actually /objected/ to Ivan's plan to kill everyone on Solaris yet? Maybe he's been subconsciously sharing it with the more amoral among those he knows...

/Since you *don't* know how to get to Solaris, what's your next move as of right now?/

Ivan stares back at her, his expression turning cresftallen.

"...Am I supposed to have a plan anyway?!" he asks.

"The city that might have wanted to eat us was my only lead! But I didn't learn anything about whether it really fell out of the sky or if the same people made it..."

Agh! He's failing Lydia!

"I wish she had just let me follow her there! I could have set everything on fire by now!"


<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.

"I mean, you're the one who brought it up," Ragnell points out. "If you don't have a plan, an' you can't just pop up an' start murderin' folks left and right, then all you're doin' is... nothing." She shrugs. "If that's what you're content with, then that's fine. Nothin' wrong with bidin' your time. But it doesn't sound like that's what you've got in mind. It sounds more like you don't know what the hell to do an' it's eatin' you up inside."

A pause. "An' I'm gonna be real with you, Ivan--this is nothin' against your skill an' abilities. But if you tried to take on an entire city of people so super-advanced that they live in a literal invisible floatin' city? You'd probably be dead in minutes." She clucks her tongue. "You really oughtta do somethin' about those suicidal tendencies o' yours. It'd make Lydie sad if you got yourself killed savin' her."


<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.

Ivan listens to Ragnell calling him out bit by bit, simmering. There's some /literal/ simmering going on, and a few flames leap off of his shoulders before quickly dying down.

"Well, you've got a lot of opinions today!" he snaps, at the end.

"What are you even accusing me of? Was I /supposed/ to put on a big scene about how useless I feel? If I'd done that, you'd be lecturing me about acting like a child."

Speaking of acting like a child, when she calls his plan suicidal, he makes a petulant scowl at her.

"I'm allowed to WANT to kill everybody! I can't even get there!"


<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.

"I've always got a lot of opinions. Guess it's not in my nature to sit on 'em," Ragnell muses, scratching her cheek. "Anyways, I wasn't accusin' you of anything in particular. But I'd think you'd know me at /least/ well enough by now that I'm not the type to coddle folks. Human folks, anyway." She quirks a half-smile at him. "I mean, you at least know me well enough to know I'd be callin' you out on actin' like a big baby, so kudos t'you there."

He gives her a petulant scowl. In return, she looks him dead in the eye. "Everybody, includin' yourself?"


<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.

"If your opinion is that I got it wrong and need a lecture either way, then your opinion is just rigged," Ivan grumbles.

/Everybody, includin' yourself?/

Why is this turning into some kind of intervention!

Ivan stares back at her for a moment and then claws his hands through his hair, making a frustrated sound.

"No, not really! It's just a thing I'm saying because I'm mad! I know it would just be stupid and useless to fight everyone on Solaris." Probably.

"I know I did the whole thing with fighting Lubov alone and it might have looked like I have a... tendency, or whatever, but that was a really specific situation, and there was a reason, and it all made perfect sense."


<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.

"Lots o' things in life are rigged, Ivan!" Ragnell replies. "But you probably don't need me to tell you that."

She waits as he stares at her; when he claws at the air in frustration, she can't (and doesn't try to) hold back a snort of laughter. "Oh, /well/, okay then."

But then he addresses the reason why she would think that in the first place. Her good humor fades momentarily. A really specific situation, with a reason, that all made sense, huh. "Well, okay."

Another pause as she considers him for a moment, her frown thoughtful. "Can I ask you somethin' serious? An' by serious I don't mean it's a big deal, just that I'm not messin' around." She tilts her head. "Why'd you ask me to hang out?

"Me, specifically, that is. You clearly don't like me that much. Not that that bothers me--lots o' people hate me, an' that's their prerogative. You got a right to your own opinions. But why are you inflictin' the company of someone who irritates you on yourself?"


<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.

Ivan makes a few faces as she laughs at his reactions, but at least it seems like she's leaving it be.

/Why'd you ask me to hang out?/

He wonders for a moment if the needling was all a ploy to overwhelm him so that the next time she tried to figure out what he was up to, the topic would come as a relief.

But as much as the conversation bugged him, he has to admit to himself that her trying to make sure he wasn't going to stand on Solaris and then try to crash it out of the sky probably came from a place of looking out for him.

"You're sort of family-like," he says. He sighs reluctantly. "And I thought you might be... unhappy? On Filgaia?"

Because /speaking of people trying to destroy places they happen to be standing on/...


<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.

'You're sort of family-like,' Ivan says. Ragnell's mouth half-twists up, like it might be a grimace or it might be a smile. "Family-like, huh. Yeah, that's about where you're standin', too. That's irritatin'," she says, not sounding irritated at all.

His suggestion that she might be /unhappy/ on Filgaia, though, makes her break into an outright grin. "Awww! Were you *worried* about me? Were you worried about li'l ol' *me*? That's so preeeeeciiooooouuuussss!" she coos. If he lets her, she'll start smushing his face between both hands. "Don't you worry 'bout me! I'm not any unhappier on this planet than I am any other." She grins, then--again if he lets her--tousles his hair. "Does that make ya feel better, Ivan?" She winks. "Or were ya just worried I'd try t' blow the place up again while you were standin' on it?"

'Blow it up' being entirely figurative and hyperbolic. Filgaia wouldn't have /blown up/ if Raftina had become a Hellion.


<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.

Ivan tolerates the face smushing, seeming thoughtful, like he's working his way through some stuff he's trying to figure out and can't be bothered to intervene in the teasing this time.

"You do make yourself /very/ difficult to be around sometimes," he says, in a my-face-is-being-smushed voice, "but you've really tried to help me a lot, too, so I don't hate you. ...Actually, it's more like I look up to you kind of and I want you to respect me, but I think maybe I've forfeited my chances by admitting that."

He's quiet for a beat. "But I mean, that seemed like kind of a lonely question to ask, especially when you mentioned that lots of people hate you. And maybe it's also a little specific to say that you're not any unhappier instead of that you're happy." Ivan, who is guilty of telling people he's 'normal,' knows his own tricks in that regard.

/Or were ya just worried I'd try t' blow the place up again while you were standin' on it?/

"I don't see why it can't be a little of both," he says.


<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.

Ivan actually gives a serious, non-defensive answer. Ragnell blinks. She actually *hadn't* expected that. She especially doesn't expect him to admit he respects her and wants her respect in turn. All joviality startled off her face, she lets him go and leans back a step. Is that a streak of red along her cheeks? Actually, yes it is. She doesn't know how to handle this... this /emotional sincerity/.

He then proceeds to see through *her* for once, before concluding with whynotboth.gif. For a moment, she's still. Then she chuckles and half-turns, tucking away the gun-thing so she can hook her thumbs in her jean pockets. "Well, well," she says. Her usual drawl is gone. "You *have* gotten a little more unpredictable. Kudos to you."

The ocean roars beyond the cliff on which they stand. Ragnell watches the waves go in and out. "You didn't forfeit your chances," she remarks. "But my respect isn't worth that much. I would've figured you'd noticed that by now, but--" She shrugs one-armed. "You wouldn't be the first human who insisted on believing in me. I just didn't expect it from you, of all people."

She rubs the back of her neck. A lonely question. Not any unhappier. She shrugs. "I mean, I knew from the start this path would make me a lot of enemies. And a lot of Filgaians thought I was, if not exactly an ally, then at least not an enemy. And then it turns out I'm working for the Adversary of Mankind, so, there's a lot of hurt feelings there. Rightfully so, too. Nobody likes to find out that someone they trusted wasn't actually trustworthy."

Ragnell crooks a wry half-smile at Ivan. "Anyway, I probably won't be try'n'a wreck the world on that kinda scale again anytime soon," she adds, drawl returned. "That was a plan a couple o' years in the makin'. A blink of an eye for someone like me, but a pretty decent while for someone like you."


<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.

A little spark of pride is visible on Ivan's face, when his comments not only hit the target but Ragnell actually answers him sincerely. But he tempers his expression since the prize for seeing through Ragnell a little is to be trusted with a little more information about the things in her life that aren't great.

The path she's on...? The Adversary of Humanity...? She has introduced a lot of new concepts that he's not sure if she's willing to field any follow-up questions about.

"You were helping a friend?" He remembers her answer about love earlier. "Or a... more than a friend? Are you dissappointed your plan didn't work?"

He waits for an answer to that one before following with, "Would you have died if you succeeded?"

As long as everyone's accusing everyone else of suicidal behavior...


<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.

Ragnell, in turn, pretends not to see that little spark of pride. They're having a moment or whatever here. Best not to let her contrariness flare up.

A friend? A more than a friend? Ragnell chuckles at the question. "Someone dear to me, yes," she replies. "You might've heard of 'em as K.K. or the Trial Knight. As you might guess, they're good at makin' enemies. But I believe in them an' what they're tryin' to do." Her eyes narrow as a breeze rustles her hair and poncho. "Together, we *will* make it succeed."

Is she disappointed, though? "Mm? Nah. I know our goal isn't easy. 'Sides, I'm older than most; I can be patient." But would she have died...? Ragnell considers that for a moment. "I hadn't been plannin' on dyin'," she replies. "But you know perfectly well that there's always a chance of dyin' when you engage in combat with a serious enemy. An' the stuff we were doin' dealt with some heavy power... an' a lot o' Malevolence.

"We Seraphim are--mmm, how to put it--we're allergic to it, so to speak. Except instead o' breakin' out into hives, it turns us into mindless slavering monsters. Put another way, if a human were to get overcome by Malevolence an' become a Hellion, their personality might get warped, but they'd still be more or less themselves. But if a Seraph were overcome by Malevolence an' became a Hellion, their personality would be gone. No hint of who we used to be. A Seraph purified from Hellionhood wouldn't have any memory of their time as a Hellion either. An' while the early stages can be purified... if we get too infested with the stuff, we transform into Fell Dragons. An' Fell Dragons can't be restored to who they used to be. It is, basically, a state of eternal agony."

Ragnell shrugs. "So basically, I was in /way/ more danger of turnin' into a Fell Dragon than I was dyin'."

Because that's way better!!


<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.

"I don't think I've heard of anyone like that, but people have been trying to teach me about a lot of stuff over the past few months, it might have gotten lost in the jumble..."

He considers this unknown figure.

"The Trial Knight sounds like somebody who fights you when you're trying to get into a magical secret society or something."

Ivan watches her thoughtfully as she vows to succeed... ... eventually. Maybe with the time scales she's talking about, he won't personally have to worry about being enemies.

"But if winning wouldn't have killed you outright, then you've got some... vision for the future, you're not just trying to get rid of everything."

It seems pretty implicit that the vision might not have a place for humans, but that's not really what he's asking about.

"But it... does sound like it would be hard to enjoy the results of whatever you accomplished if you were a Fell Dragon."

Eternal agony...


<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.

Ragnell laughs again, this time full and boisterous, and spreads her arms in a broad shrug. "If I were a Fell Dragon, I wouldn't be enjoyin' or not enjoyin' anything anymore, on account of every bit of who I used to be would be wiped out! But..." She tilts the brim of her hat down, hiding her eyes and shadowing her face just above her smirk. "That's fine by me. The risk is worth it."

She doesn't yay or nay Ivan's musing that she has a vision for the future, that she's not just trying to get rid of everything. She does grin and wink at him, though. "Don't recall sayin' that precisely, but hey. You can just keep on wonderin'." As for the Trial Knight's title, she laughs at his observation. "Nothin' like that, I'm afraid! That's the name people came up for them, an' after a while, it stuck.

"Anyway, you've got some information to snoop around on, if that's what you wanna do," she concludes. She snerks, then murmurs, "'I kind of look up to you'... kids say the darndest things."


<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.

"Well, would it be that you become not-you and then have to go through eternal dragon agony as whoever you are, or do you become /so/ not you that you don't even have to worry about the dragon agony part? And if it's the second one, where do /you/ even go, then?"

Ivan contemplates this for a few moments. It seems like maybe the kind of thing no one knows until they experience it. Or don't experience it, as the case may be.

"Anyway, I don't think risking dragon doom is the kind of thing people usually do for something selfish or pointlessly cruel, so I've got no option except to assume you're doing something that's heroic from some angle. Probably not my angle, or you'd give me more details about it. But some angle. So I'm sorry so many people hate you when you're making a sacrifice for somebody or something that matters more than your life."

It /does/ sound lonely.


<Pose Tracker> Seraph Ragnell has posed.

Ragnell shrugs again. "Good question! Anybody who's ended up in that state is no longer in a position to talk about it, so who knows?" She pauses, though, at Ivan's final analysis of her responses. He gets a long, lingering look as a reward... then a warm smile, and a tousle of his hair.

"You're a good kid, Ivan," she says. Then she stresses, "You *are* a good kid. Bad kids... don't assume the best o' people like that."

She retracts her hand, then gazes out at the sea for another long moment. Then she stretches, hands interlocked high over her head. "All right! That's enough o' that. You gettin' hungry? I've been wantin' to try out some o' th' local cuisine."


<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.

Ivan weathers the hair tousle doubtfully.

He doesn't think it works quite like that; an attempt at openmindedness isn't going to cancel out a decade of complacency and murder. But instead of dragging her into an argument about it, he just complains: "Hey! You can't use my own stuff against me!"

Ragnell then decides they've had about enough serious talk, which is probably for the best.

"Okay, yeah, I could eat..."