2021-03-16: History Via Engineering
- Log: History Via Engineering
- Cast: Citan Uzuki, Riesenlied, Noeline
- Where: Harmonde - The Red Shell
- Date: March 16, 2021
- Summary: After helping collect Riesenlied and Noeline from Guild Galad, Citan ends up divulging a bit of his own past to them. There's also some workshop shenanigans. It's Fine.
<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.
Finding Citan is not hard. He's where he usually is aboard the Karlsefni, in the space that he's set aside as a 'workshop'.
...Not that he ever seems to make anything useful. Indeed, it's hard to tell what he's aiming to do today.
It's hard, in fact, to tell what the pieces of scrap that Doctor Uzuki is tinkering with right now used to be. It's entirely possible they never were an entire something to begin with -- perhaps they themselves were merely a component of some greater whole.
One of the advantages of the Karlsefni is that he has more space to do this sort of thing in. This is also one of the disadvantages: without having as much of a constraint on the amount of space he has available (compared to a cramped rented space aboard the Thames that is) it has begun to... get a little messy.
Not as bad as the backyard in his old home had gotten, mind (at least the parts that Yui had not specifically set aside for the garden, a boundary which the doctor dared not overstep) but it's starting to get a little bit alarming in here.
Citan, it seems tends towards the 'chaotic' in his 'own sense of order'...
But he seems to be enjoying himself.
"Oh! You blasted thing--"
At least, that's probably the case right until the moment that the thing he's working on undergoes some sort of minor detonation. He ducks, just in time to avoid getting hit by a piece of shrapnel as it zings across the room.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied has probably contacted whoever was available after the incident with Ming through the Memory Cube; Guild Galad isn't an amazing place for her to be after she snaps from her trance, given the enormous amount of fossil-voices that threaten to tug and pull away at the corners of her mind.
Fortunately, Dr. Uzuki happened to be available, so the Karlsefni was not far and was able to pick both her and Noeline up...
"Oh, thank you, Doctor, I was not sure what we would do--"
*ZING*
"W-wah!"
The errant piece of shrapnel flies straight into Riesenlied's face! It's going to hurt her--
*clamp*
--it would have hurt her, if her horns hadn't just succeeded in their Shirahadori roll!
What an amazing Reaction ability.
"T-t-that was too close..."
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
Noeline has often gone on record as saying she isn't really the scientific or mechanical type. She knows how to power a Gear and has a decent amount of education when it comes to Photosphere-level engineering, but she's always preferred to study people rather than technology - and a life lived on board the Fereshte has given her a rather, um, practical outlook when it comes to maintenance and repair that usually involves whacking something with a hammer until it looks 'more or less okayish'.
What she does have is an affinity towards the chaotic, along with some excellent reflexes - though admittedly not quite fast enough in this instance. The moment the door opens and there's a drawn-out sound of tortured metal, she's already on her guard, but she's a little too slow to catch the piece of shrapnel as it wings towards Riesenlied's face. There's a moment's lurch and she makes a vaguely stranged noise that she'll absolutely deny later, but then sags in relief as it becomes obvious Riesenlied is alright.
"... I will absolutely tell Janey you managed to blow something up by accident," she comments after a long pause to gather herself, her voice a little dry as she lets her heart slow down. "She will be in awe, I think. A first time for everything."
<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.
He has... had some abysmally bad luck with machinery parts lately. Hasn't he.
Rising to his feet, Citan turns just in time to see Riesenlied with...
"My-- my apologies, Riesenlied! If I had anticipated this would have happened, I would not have attempted to..." He trails off, looking her over. "You are not harmed, are you?"
He glances over at Noeline and grimaces, chagrined. "I am very sorry about this. This device has been quite devilish. And here I thought I had just about 'cracked it'..."
He glances back at the workbench. There is some discoloration and a few fragmented pieces of metal. He at least has the good sense to grimace.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
"... ... n-no ..."
Riesenlied looks up to where her horns sizzle lightly at the brief shower of sparks from the friction of the object. Whew...
The horns unclasp and the shrapnel drops gently towards the floor. Wow, she truly is a bonafide, honorary stag beetle, is she not?
"I--it is fine. I just wished to thank you for picking us up from Guild Galad. It was a, um, a very unexpected turn of events..." Riesenlied furrows her brow. "Did I truly go all the way from Spira to here, Noeline? I do not remember anything in the trance, just the voice beckoning to me..."
She does at least pause and peek over at what the good Doctor is working on, curious.
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
"Honestly, it is fine," Noeline chuckles to herself with a hand at her forehead; she's trying to look stern, but cannot help the tug of a grin at her mouth as she shakes her head. "I would say you cracked it very well, indeed," she deadpans. "The problem is probably putting it back together at this point."
"My thanks as well," she follows up Riesenlied's gratitude with her own, bowing her head for a moment as she puffs out a breath and looks over at her partner with another of those quiet smiles. "And, yes, you really did. I was honestly astounded when you somehow managed to negotiate with a ship's captain via nothing but slow, unfocused nods, but manage it you did."
"I've sent word back so that everyone knows you're alright, at least. And I have to admit that, right up until you reawoke... you did seem to be looking after yourself, in a way. Still, perhaps a tracking bracelet or something..." she suggests tongue-in-cheek.
<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.
Citan can't help it. When Noeline says that he did, indeed, 'crack it', he laughs, shaking his head.
"Some of these old mechanisms are not, shall we say, built very well..." he does say, nonetheless.
A poor craftsman blames his tools, Doctor Uzuki...
"You are quite welcome. I must admit, I did little other than to ah... make the request of Lily. The systems are quite fascinating. It appears she has some intuitive understanding of them." He rests a hand against his chin, as if to think things over a moment.
"Still, I am glad you are unharmed, Riesenlied," he says, stooping for a moment.
"...Aha, and even this is mostly intact...?" he says, holding the piece of metal up to the light and squinting at it.
But he glances back at the two of them. "Am I to take it that you had covered quite some distance, then, Riesenlied?" As if catching where she looks, he gestures towards the workbench with the machine part. "Unless I was incorrect, this had been a part of a Gear. Of course, it is a little less than a part of one, now..." He sighs, shaking his head again.
<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.
Citan can't help it. When Noeline says that he did, indeed, 'crack it', he laughs, shaking his head.
"Some of these old mechanisms are not, shall we say, built very well..." he does say, nonetheless.
A poor craftsman blames his tools, Doctor Uzuki...
"You are quite welcome. I must admit, I did little other than to ah... make the request of Lily. The systems are quite fascinating. It appears she has some intuitive understanding of them." He rests a hand against his chin, as if to think things over a moment.
"Still, I am glad you are unharmed, Riesenlied," he says, stooping for a moment.
"...Aha, and even this is mostly intact...?" he says, holding the piece of metal up to the light and squinting at it.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied looks bashfully contrite to Noeline, holding her hand up and the ring gleaming gently to ask, "Was this of no help...? I was hoping you would be able to trace me down with it."
She gives her hand a squeeze again, before looking to Citan.
"Ah... is this a machine belonging to Lily? Mm... hmm," Riesenlied does not seem to understand very well, but she does share, "I once had to enter the Hellerune systems as an emergency, but I admit I do not know that much about the technology she uses."
She tilts her head. "Guild Galad was a surprise. It reminded me of the Gutter in many ways..."
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
"Well," puffs Noeline to the doctor's rationale. "That would rather undermine the point of the whole exercise, would it not? It is a bit self-fulfilling - these components are here because they need fixing. It would be a very strange physician who looks only at the healthy," she puffs out, evidently thinking she sounds oh so wise.
She watches Citan study the piece of metal for a long moment, musing over Lily's link to the Hellerune. It wouldn't surprise her at all to know that Lily has something of an instinctual link to the machine, given the rest of the way she works - but she tilts her head in a nod, letting out a breath.
"It was of help, certainly," she adds as she takes Riesenlied's hand in hers and lets their rings lightly resonate. "But as your senses dull, so does the feel of you. I can still tell roughly where you are, but it isn't as precise as I might always like. ... I am not about to start tracking you, though, never fear," she adds with a rich little chuckle. "I will just stick to you even closer."
This couple...
Her expression dulls a little as she thinks about Guild Galad, letting out a breath. "It is like the Photosphere in a number of ways. From the Gutter, to the higher echelons... a mass of people, some of whom have only known that city and its life. ... I'm glad you weren't overwhelmed," she adds solemnly.
<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.
"Indeed," Citan agrees, perhaps to her surprise. "However, a machine is not entirely like a body, as much as many like to compare the two. The way that a machine and a body break... it is not the same," he says, glancing up towards the ceiling for a moment.
"This? Er, well, no, this is not precisely the same as a component in her own Gear. ...Though, I suppose you could call the two close enough to be 'ancestor and descendent'...? This one is more poorly built. Or was, I should say," he says, continuing along that track for a moment. "Perhaps I might still learn something from the pieces."
She speaks of Guild Galad then, comparing it to the Photosphere's Gutter. "You have spoken to me of the 'Gutter' before, Riesenlied." The doctor glances a moment at Noeline. "From your description... it sounded..." He pauses a moment, shaking his head. "It seems there are places like that wherever one might go. Indeed, whether one is human or Hyadean."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
"It is true. Even though we are metallic beings... we still hurt more like bodies than machines," Riesenlied finds herself musing, joining in on the conversation. "I have had many physicians comment we have more similarities to humans than differences..."
Ancestor and descendant... that is interesting. She does puff towards Noeline, though. "I do not mind. If you think it would be useful, let us make something for it. But, ah--" She flushes just a bit, as Noeline resolves to stay ever closer.
She looks to Citan. "... yes. I had perhaps naively hoped that there would not be so many 'Gutters' amongst human places, but..."
There's a sorrowful look on her face. "It seems... common, more common than I would like, to 'other' people, for any number of reasons."
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
Noeline's grin is a little toothy when Citan talks about machines and bodies being subtly different - after all, for her and for Riese, the distinction might be somewhat more blurred than that. She does recognize that neither of them 'feel' like machines, and it's certainly not a topic she ever wants to split hairs on, but she can still find a little quiet humour in it.
She blinks slowly for a moment, staring at the piece of the Hellerune. "Still--... is this just for your own interest? Is there anything amiss with the Gear itself?" she wonders with a frown, prepared to believe that Citan's just rooting around through the wreckage for fun.
Returning Citan's look, she nods - and with it, the smile she's got on doesn't really meet her eyes as Riesenlied sums things up. "It is rather a stifling place. You'd think I might like a gigantic city, given the way I am - but I think it's a bit much for me in the end. Give me something a little more pastoral, just not too much."
<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.
"Indeed... it does make one wonder," is his response, on the similarities of human and Hyadean.
At Noeline's question, it's his turn to look a little bit surprised. "Not that I believe, no. I have not had the opportunity to take a closer look at her machine of late. However, the design of this piece," and he glances down at the fragment for a moment, "was rather similar and... I was intrigued. Machinery is a hobby of mine, back in Lahan," he says, as if by way of explanation. "I find it a helpful way to pass the time here, too." There is enough down time for it, and it isn't as if he could -- or should, frankly -- watch Fei every waking hour.
"Indeed..." is his response to Riesenlied, on the subject of places like the Gutter. Slightly, he shakes his head. "I wonder, at times, what that might say about us. Wherever we go, we create dark places such as that... whether in heaven or on earth. Well, Guild Galad without question has its intrigues," Citan continues, looking at Noeline, "but I would rather my garden path on a sunny day!"
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied hums at the revelation that the piece is a bit similar, and that intrigued Citan. "Perhaps a design of yours may have made it into her machine. There is a way that ingenuity and wisdom passes over the ages, does it not?" she suggests brightly, perhaps not too seriously, but...
A pause, as she smiles and nods towards the two. "I never saw your home, but it sounds lovely. I would like to see it someday. Did you not mention a daughter as well? Perhaps the children from the Fereshte can play with her too..."
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
"Ah. History via engineering," muses Noeline, who seems to understand the impulse - or at least something very much like it. She's a Drifter after all, so being interested in the past kind of comes with the territory, as does reaching for that past with every scrap of information that can be gathered.
She does pause for a moment as Citan calls it a 'hobby', though, and looks around her for a moment at the Karlsfeni's gun-metal walls and rather rigid structure. "I cannot help but feel there might be nicer places to conduct a hobby," she says after a moment with a lopsided frown. "Not that I would ever begrudge you the safety of this place, but even so. As you say, a garden would be nice. Or more in the way of fresh air."
They can't all be magical airship travelers, Noeline!
"I could certainly wander through Guild Galad's archives for a few years or longer, but I don't know that I could stomach staying there for so long. I remember avoiding the place entirely when I first travelled Aquvy - it seemed simply too risky to a wary Hyadean spy. Of course, I may have gone a little too far in the other direction, trying to integrate into the local Baskar clans," she muses. "And ending up with a Medium lodging itself in my body as long-term planning. Also known as 'shrapnel'."
She blinks at Riesenlied's comments, her eyebrows raising. "Ah-- did your house survive, then?" she wonders, picking up on the way in which Riese and Citan both talk about it. "That is a silver lining, certainly. It must be quite a unique place."
<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.
A design of his, is it? Citan actually hesitates visibly for a moment, gazing at Riesenlied, but shakes his head. "Hmm... that is... an interesting thought," he says at length. "I have tinkered with my own Gear, of course, but..."
He doesn't proceed further with that line of thought, naturally.
"Indeed, I agree," he tells Noeline. "That is where I would have preferred to work... but whether here or on the Thames, my options seem to be set on cramped, dark places." He gestures about himself then stops a moment, considering. "Ah, though, this is not so cramped as the Thames, now, is it?"
Guild Galad, perhaps, knowing what he does about machines and knowing what he does about Hyadeans and Dragon Fossils... no, he can't begrudge Noeline for keeping her distance. He half-smiles, half-grimaces, as if to silently indicate as such.
"Midori? She might like that. She did not have many friends in Lahan. She is a... shy girl, you might say, and considering where our house was located-- Yes," he says, turning towards Noeline, as if to answer that very subhect "As it happens, we lived in the mountains outside Lahan. What... became of the town did not touch our home. I left not long after Fei did," he continues, explaining further. "I have not seen them since." He frowns, then glances away, as if troubled. "...She would have taken the villagers from there to a safer place. My wife -- Yui -- and I had already planned in the event Solaris might come... what we would do. That is why I went with Fei."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied has a warm smile as she says, "If you prefer something sunnier, then you would be more than welcome to conduct experiments on the Fereshte too. Janey has acquired a penchant for tinkering from Ambrosius, and there are no shortage of precarious experiments from the others too..."
A pause, as she pouts just a little to Noeline. "Hmm... I still feel afraid when I think it exploded upon you, so far away! I wish I were there, still..." Riesenlied you maintained a literal globe spanning penpal chain to try to keep in touch, that kinda counts.
Another pause, her smile growing a bit fainter when she regards Citan's explanation. "Ah-- wait, Doctor, Solaris is after you and your family? I had not known that..."
Though at this point, they're all sought after by Solaris, but... back then?
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
Oh no, Noeline's started to sulk! "The Thames is perfectly sunny. All you have to do is work up on the decks," she insists as she folds her arms, as the honour of her beloved Thames starts to get besmirched. "True, there are a lot of other people also up on the decks, and you'd probably have to contend with merchants yelling and children clambering over whatever you're working on, but that is entirely part of the charm."
She lets it go only after a while, as Citan recounts the events around Lahan. "Ah... I see," she notes with a light frown, in an attempt to be diplomatic; she lets out a breath and folds her arms, her brow somewhat furrowed. "Are you sure it is quite alright to leave them alone for so long? I don't think anyone on this ship would begrudge you a chance to go and see them. I suppose it is a matter of making sure Solaris aren't tracking you, but... I could hardly imagine you having that much difficulty there."
She touches Riesenlied's arm lightly, because aside from what her partner is saying, she's also struck with a quiet relief that she has been able to stay at Riese's side through thick and thin, and that maybe she should count her blessings there a little. "I know. But it is rather ancient history, and a history that we've moved past. It's alright," she promises with a quiet smile.
<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.
"Ah, and now we see the problem," Citan says, unable to quite keep that slight smile off his face.
"The Fereshte, hmm?" Citan seemingly mulls this over for a moment. "Perhaps I may have to accept your offer sometime, Riesenlied. Certain things are not, ah, ideal to do in an enclosed environment. And I am rather uncertain of the ventilation in here!" Or at least, he's not sure of where it might be directed, or how well it's ventilated...
Noeline suggests he should go back to his family and here... Citan pauses again. "I cannot," he tells Noeline, looking away from the both of them. "I am not certain to where they have gone." This at least is true -- though he admittedly has a good idea of where they're at. "If... I were able, then of course..."
It's just that the additional problem he has is that the metaphorical door there is locked, he doesn't have the key... or even access to the door for that matter.
Citan looks... taken aback for a moment, gazing at Riesenlied. "Ah...? Did the others not... I see," he says, then nods. "I am from Solaris. However, I left some time ago. I am certain that you know from Elly's experience that they do not take kindly to 'defectors'..." Glancing up at the ceiling, he rubs at his chin for a moment. His gaze is distant for a moment, as if he were in thought.
"...Has Elly spoken to you of life in Solaris?" he asks the both of them, after a moment. "As a First Class citizen, her experience would have been a different one from my own. It is true that I did once work for Solaris' government... but I ask, simply because of what you were saying earlier. 'Whether in heaven or on earth, we create dark places'," he says, his attention lingering on Riesenlied for the moment. "Yes. Solaris is no different."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied looks just a bit sad as Citan admits he isn't sure where Yui and Midori have gone. If she weren't sure where Noeline, or Janey or Mikaia have gone... she'd feel like more than half of herself were missing! But it's not quite like that for Citan.
"Oh-- um... no, actually," Riesenlied sounds sheepish, her horns waggling at the revelatioin that Citan is from Solaris. But she doesn't look judgemental about it.
"Elly did speak a little about it... about there being a... First, Second, Third Class Citizen." A frown. "... they call us 'Lambs'. I can only scarce imagine how they treat those they consider 'lesser'."
A furrowed brow. "... may I... ask one thing? Do you know... a man named Krelian?"
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
"... to be clear, the Fereshte is just as prone to people clambering over your work," Noeline huffs protectively. "Or, for that matter, Janey will come and try and do it for you. Still, we can at least offer the finest pickup and delivery service you could muster." ... there is the slight problem of the Fereshte and the Karlsfeni being in different worlds, of course, but they've managed to work around that all so far.
"Mm," she says after Citan has explained about his wife and child's whereabouts, and she can't help but look a little sympathetic. "I apologize. From the point of view of someone wishing to hide from Solaris, part of me thinks that is an extremely prudent decision, but... it must be quite difficult, as well. I am sure she is out there thinking of you," she adds, with a good deal of conviction, her hand slipping into Riesenlied's.
"Given what we have seen of Solaris' leadership and military, I cannot say I am terribly surprised," she mutters afterwards, her brow furrowed. "Everything they do carries the mark of superiority about it, and that superiority is the sort that will bleed downwards and stain everything below it. Just calling a subset of your population 'First Class' is enough for me to glean the rest of the picture."
She certainly does not interrupt Riesenlied's question, but her touch at her partner's palm tightens just a little in support.
<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.
It has been about four years since he last saw either of them.
He shakes his head when Noeline apologizes. "It is alright. You were unaware, and the situation is a complicated one." He folds his arms over his chest, glancing away for a moment. "I am... it is more comforting to know that Midori is in her care. Considering everything that has happened, that is. Besides," and he can't help but halfway smile in a rather self-satisfied way, "I would not envy whoever tried to harm them. Yui has... a fierce temper."
Though even that smile doesn't linger. "...They are in my thoughts often," he says quietly. "I know we will meet again."
He has to have faith in something. If it has to be in anything, why not in the hope of their reunion?
He nods, as both of them say what they have learned. "Yes, that is correct. One of the First Class such as Elly... they are few in number, but their influence is great. Those of the Second are more numerous, but their influence is less still. The Third Class is the most numerous... and they stand at the bottom of Solaris society. Indeed, without their continuous labor, its society could not function." His expression is almost carefully neutral, but for the way his jaw just barely tenses for a moment.
"I am of the Third Class by birth," he continues, "though I was fortunate and able to elevate my station. Those who are able to meet the qualifications of Jugend, even if they hail from the Third Class, are so elevated. However, then we are also a part of Solaris' military..."
Is that a part of why he left?
"Very few of those who escape Solaris manage to stay so," Citan says, as if giving voice to that very subject. "I know only of a few others, Elly included."
And most of them are his school friends! Funny how that works.
Does he know of a man named Krelian?
He is silent for a moment. "It is... a name with which I am familar. Though I do not know him well..."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied does soften when she thinks of how long it's been, yet... well, at the very least Citan is comforted knowing that Midori is in Yui's care. "If we can help you see them in any way, know the Outreach will help in any capacity possible. That is, after all, our mission!" she expresses firmly, with a big smile on her face.
Citan continues, explaining of the difference between First, Second, Third... "Even some of the people that pursued us were only Second class... I had heard that they use their military as a way to tempt people into a better life." A pause, as she frowns quietly. "I suppose Jugend was... one of these paths?"
"But yes... that is a very familiar, and none too comforting story. The lowest class are responsible for the majority of the labour, yet not respected, recompensed, or protected for it..." Riesenlied pauses. "The entire incident with moving the Tainted out to Wayside was our own rebellious movement, and the response was extreme."
She is silent for a moment longer, wondering if she should ask why he left. There's probably private reasons. "Was... Yui also of Solarian birth? Did you escape together... perhaps because of your daughter?"
And on the topic of Krelian...
"Doctor... you should know. Those nanomachines I mentioned, in the last blood sample I requested you to inspect -- he was the one responsible for them, through Alhazred. I am still uncertain of what everything they can do..." A longer pause. "And he hurt Lydia too. We are not at... good terms, to say the least."
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
Noeline accepts Citan's consolation with a nod, though a curt one; an apology might not be necessary, but she still seems a little drawn at the thought of it. At least she gathers some grim sort of satisfaction, picking up on Citan's meaning as he describes what Yui would do to anyone who touches their daughter. Once upon a time, she would never have expected she'd get to know that feeling firsthand, but here she is.
Her eyebrows raise a little in surprise at the Doctor's story. Perhaps she hadn't been expecting him to be Third Class by birth? But her expression darkens at the way he enumerates the rankings in an all too familiar pattern. "... truly, birds of a feather flock together," she mutters, thinking of Alhazred and Krelian's partnership - using the platitude to cover the spike of anger she can feel in her gut for Riesenlied's sake.
Catching herself, she lets out a faint sigh - but frowns thoughtfully at the way that Citan words news of escapees. "Are there many who wish to leave? Who can recognize their situation?" she wonders. It's partially curiosity, and partially an old habit that she's not especially fond of, the act of capturing whatever information might be of use later. The idea of fomenting rebellion amongst Solaris is definitely one that she can relish, even if she'd probably have a lot more care around the situation the way she is now.
"... Riese understates it a little," she comments rather flatly, though she's recovering her humour a little in the mixture of pride and concern for her partner. "I would quite like to push a sword through him at some point. Hopefully, practice might make perfect."
<Pose Tracker> Citan Uzuki has posed.
He smiles, if slightly, when Riesenlied says that they -- the Outreach that is -- would be more than happy to help him reach the both of them again. "Thank you. I am grateful," he tells her.
On the subject of Solaris, however, he nods when Riesenlied makes that remark. "Yes... there are very few ways in which one born to the Third Class might elevate their station," he says. "If one has the ability, then entering the military is one way. But it is not an option open to everyone." In his case he was simply lucky. On his own, the thought hadn't even occured to him, but...
Someone had found him, instead.
"Indeed. It is hardly a comforting story. I had much the same thought, I am afraid, when I heard that such was the same among your people. For a time, I was able to tell myself 'this is how humans can be', but it seems that was not... correct," he says, unable to hold back a sigh.
"Yui? No," he answers, perhaps a little too quickly. "No," he says again, shaking his head.
Perhaps before he can get further with this, Noeline asks if others wish to leave.
"..." He is silent for a long moment.
"Of the Second and First, I believe some may. I have only chanced to speak to a few on the matter." Who are again, mostly his old friends from military academy. "There is... how shall I say... Most of the Third Class accept their lot. Indeed, they have little choice but to accept it. Perhaps that is also why I..." He trails off, frowning. "...Solaris has its own methods of ensuring compliance. That... may be the kindest way of phrasing it."
Sigurd would be far, far less kind, he knows.
"I remember what you had said, then, yes," he says, his expression pensive. It then turns into an outright frown. "From... him. I know little of Krelian, but it was said even back then," perhaps meaning when he was last in Solaris, "that he was the 'true power' in Solaris. He was... is? a reclusive man and does not show his face to the public." He hesitates for a long moment. "In Spira... when I heard that name... I had thought it a coincidence. I heard of what happened in the temple. To think that it had been him... forgive me, if I had said something sooner..."
Maybe Noeline might have even gotten her chance if he had.