2021-06-30: A Message For A Friend
- Log: 2021-06-30: A Message For A Friend
- Cast: Pearl, Ivan
- Where: Calm Lands
- Date: June 30, 2021
- Summary: While trying to find people to help her up Gagazet, Pearl encounters someone else who needs to know the Shadow Dragon Master is dead.
<Pose Tracker> Pearl has posed.
The base of Mount Gagazet has been busy, with drifters seeking to climb the mountain and see what lies beyond. Far more drifters than summoners on the pilgrimage, in any case.
The Base of Mount Gagazet is also extremely freaking cold, which is why Summoner Pearl is sitting a ways away, outside the Calm Lands Travel Center. Watching, analyzing the people who stop to resupply. Seeing the amount of groups who have turned back, she imagines it would be a hard time for her and Jean alone. So she's looking for drifters to bolster her group.
So far, most have been found wanting.
She sighs, hearing another group complain as they resupply for the next attempt. Maybe her time would be better spent watching people trying to best that Chocobo nightmare race. She takes a sip of the drink in front of her, and leans back in their chair. Maybe this was a flawed effort- the ones who could make it through probably ARE through by now.
<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.
Ivan recently attempted the climb up Mount Gagazet with Talia and a few others from the Caravan Kinship. It went... poorly. So poorly in fact that everyone is going to need some recovery time before there's another attempt.
That would put Ivan in the category of people Pearl sees turning back from the mountain -- and what makes him particularly eye-catching in the crowd is that he's holding a small flame in his hands as he walks toward the travel center. Will he ever feel warm again? He isn't sure...
<Pose Tracker> Pearl has posed.
The flame in Ivan's hands stands out, but so does Ivan, in general. Well, he stands out to Pearl, in that way 'someone you tried to kill but also sort of befriended' does? Is that normal? It doesn't seem normal. This is complicated. And a mess. Should she even talk to him after everything?
Despite that, Pearl is standing up. "Ivan?" She asks, a little loudly, and waves at him to invite him to her table. Pearl seems... a bit different. For one thing, her hair is down and she's dressed as a Spiran. She's also got a staff leaning on the table next to her. And that aura of unapproachability seems to have diminished significantly.
She seems like a very different person from the last time she saw Ivan.
<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.
Ivan looks up at the sound of his name, and the familiar voice.
"Pearl?" He asks. There are a number of unanswered questions from the battle where he saw her last, but there was a lot happening, and and the end of it is kind of a haze... he had almost forgotten about it until now.
He comes to her table and looks at it twice before convincing himself she actually meant for him to sit down with her.
"Are you... a summoner now, or was that a weird dream I had?" he asks. Some of her accessorizing would fit with that...
<Pose Tracker> Pearl has posed.
Pearl nods in response to her name, and as Ivan looks confused about the invitation, she indicates with a hand for him to sit. She... smiles faintly, when Ivan asks his question. She even looks a little... embarrassed? Pearl, embarrassed?
"...Yes. I am. It has been a complicated few months, but... for the best, I think." She looks down at her drink for a few moments, then back at Ivan. Her grey eyes look tired.
"I am glad to see you're alright. The strike you took from Heldalf could have easily killed a man. I was concerned." So were others, she was pretty sure, but she wasn't going to speak for them. "Have you recovered well?"
<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.
Have you recovered well?
"Yes, thank you. Well enough to give the mountain a chance to try to kill me, too," Ivan says ruefully. "It is cold up there." She knows! He should know she knows! It was already plenty cold where they did their fighting! But there's cold and then there's cold, and so he feels it is worth saying.
A complicated few months, she said... "So, uh... what has been going on with you?" He isn't sure if she might have become a summoner for some tactical reason, but he remembers people being surprised...? And her reaction makes it seem like it's something personal to her, as well...
"Oh," he adds, "I guess I should check. Are you Belize? I thought I remembered something about you being Belize." Marivel should perhaps not be trusted to unravel mysteries of identity.
<Pose Tracker> Pearl has posed.
Pearl nods. "...So I have seen, and felt. It is concerning that it might get worse." Boudicca's blanket may not be enough, by the sounds of it. "You're not ill, are you? It would be unfortunate to catch a cold."
Ivan asks, and Pearl pauses for a moment. "...A series of fortunate accidents, it appears. I suspect I am the first Meribian to be born with the potential to become a summoner and to have that potential realized. And due to being giving a chance to do that... I have choice. And I am working out what to do with it." Another pause. "...Even if I don't know where I stand or who I stand with. The White Knight is a good man, but I don't think even he can forgive open heresy by a guardswoman."
And then Ivan asks his second question, and Pearl just stares at him for a moment. "I. What?" She shakes her head. "I am not Belize, though they gave me the chance to become a Summoner." She pauses. "Also they were there when we both attempted to kill Seymour Guado." That should be proof enough, right?
And then she falls silent for a moment. "...There's something you should know. Or, at least, that you should tell your friend." She seems cautious to speak up, looking around at the people nearby.
<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.
You're not ill, are you?
"So far, so good..." Although it's not uncommon for Ivan to come down with ailments of varying levels of concern after catching a chill. He should probably be more wary of that, but it irritates him to treat it as a limitation.
Pearl explains her situation--or at least part of it. When she uses the word heresy, his expression darkens a bit, as it becomes clear that this was not something sanctioned by the Guard, and could instead could be quite dangerous for her. "Complicated sounds like the right word for it..."
Also they were there when we both attempted to kill Seymour Guado.
Ivan blinks, reddening a bit. "...That is a good point. Sorry, it sounded convincing in the moment." He shakes his head.
...There's something you should know.
He frowns at the caution in her tone. "What's that...?"
<Pose Tracker> Pearl has posed.
"That's good." Pearl gives a nod. "Gagazet is not to be underestimated." He confirms her thoughts. "I did not expect this to be my path... but I do not regret it. At least not yet."
Pearl's voice quietens, and she leans forward a bit, to minimize being overheard. "...The master of the Shadow Dragon is dead. The cult still lives, but the head is gone." She pauses. "...You should be careful with this information, but... your friend should know."
And he should know, after what the Master- and Pearl- did to his sister and friends. After what they did to him.
<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.
I did not expect this to be my path... but I do not regret it.
Ivan pauses. "I hope it's a fulfilling one. It sounds like it has been costly to explore." He has some familiarity with that kind of a tradeoff, having lost his connection to the Guard when he pursued his own freedom.
"I... have various acquaintances who have been accused of heresy or run afoul of the Guard in some way. If you find yourself without many people to turn to..."
...The master of the Shadow Dragon is dead.
Ivan's eyes widen. "The... what? When? How?" He keeps his tone quiet as well. "...were you involved?" She had said she wanted revenge... he isn't sure if this news means she achieved it or was robbed of it.
<Pose Tracker> Pearl has posed.
"...It has been so far." She could honestly say she'd done things worthwhile... Helped protect the ronso, and sent their souls to the farplane. She had slain a true monster. "...Thank you, Ivan. If I need help, I will let you know." She had Hiro, and Jean but... more allies the better. Especially if the guard find out the truth of the matter.
As Ivan asks questions, Pearl nods. "...About two and a half weeks ago-" She stops, as though she misspoke but things had not been loud on that front. Maybe Ivan won't put it together. "...And at my hand." Something rumbles in her soul. "Mine and Leviathan's. I stumbled across some information on where they were hiding. I would have sought your help, but I had to act immediately."
She stops for a moment. "Which was foolhardy, I know. But it worked."
<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.
I would have sought your help, but I had to act immediately.
Ivan shakes his head, still processing the news. "It's fine, I... congratulations?" A grimace at himself. "That seems too cheery. I'm not sure what you're meant to say when someone gets their revenge. But I'm glad you were able to... take back your fate. I guess that's what I think revenge is for, I'm not sure if you agree."
Which was foolhardy, I know. But it worked.
"I'm glad that you survived, too. That can't have been easy. ... ... you said the cult is still going. Do you think they're weakened?" He would like to think the danger is over for Talia and Katherine, but that may not be the case.
<Pose Tracker> Pearl has posed.
"...Taking back my fate is a good way to put it." Pearl smiles, slightly. "I like it." She looks down. "Revenge is important. Especially when there's no one to help you." The martial artist takes a second, and brushes her hair out of her eyes. "Sometimes it's the only way to escape something terrible."
"...It was not. But I was not alone. And he was not prepared for it." And then Ivan asks the pertinent question. "...I don't know. I doubt news has spread as far as Meribius or Glenwood yet. I suspect that once it does, there will be a grab for power. They are bloody and violent, so it might reduce their influence as the higher ranking members kill each other." She pauses. "Without further intervention, they might reform, but I think the Master's personal targets would no longer be of interest."
There's another pause, before Pearl speaks up again. "But II understand that there are others on the hunt for the cult. Maybe the master's death will
provide the opening the others need."
<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.
Ivan nods. It seems to him that revenge is most needed when something has been taken from you... and with it, your sense of control. So achieving vengeance is a means of seizing back that control.
Pearl speculates on a grab for power that might cause some of the more powerful cultists to destroy one another. And that maybe they would stop their pursuit of the Master's targets, besides.
"That would be something..." he says. "What will you do if you get an opening?"
<Pose Tracker> Pearl has posed.
"I hope so..." Pearl nods deeply, as if in thought. "And I am glad you will. I may not be able to do so myself, after all." It's a sad smile, now, as she looks to Ivan. "Odd isn't it. I finally have my freedom from a cult that only leads to death, and I choose a path that kills many."
She leans back in her seat, and picks up her drink to take a swig. "But I made a promise. And that promise is what granted me the freedom I have won. So I intend to fulfill it regardless." Pearl looks to Ivan. "...I understand my reason for pushing forward to Zanarkand, Ivan. What is yours?"
<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.
The religion of Spira isn't second nature to Ivan, and it takes Ivan a few moments to put together what Pearl is saying. A summoner's magic isn't like the gift of Althena to do with as you please, it's tied to a... particular mission. "...ah, you're... on a pilgrimage, then?" Her situation is more dangerous even than he realized.
...I understand my reason for pushing forward to Zanarkand, Ivan. What is yours?
Ivan's expression goes blank for a moment, and he reddens. "I'm afraid my reason isn't nearly as meaningful -- my employer was going there, mostly because it seems like... well..." He gestures at all the travelers. "...Something is brewing in that region. And I meant to help her, but I ended up half frozen and slowing everyone down instead."
<Pose Tracker> Pearl has posed.
Pearl nods. "Yes. Though I hardly expect to be welcomed with open arms. I am an invader, after all. And the woman who tore open the gates of Bevelle." She was a known quantity. "But even if it's just Leviathan, Jean and myself, I will undertake it."
She pauses. "...I hope your employer is worth such loyalty. Gagazet is not to be underestimated. Though I suppose you know that now." She... did Pearl make a joke? And then she pauses, and looks more serious.
"...There are precious few people who have shown me kindness, or worried about me, Ivan. I would not want to lose one of them to the snow." She looks away as she says it, casting her eyes anywhere but Ivan's face.
<Pose Tracker> Ivan has posed.
...I hope your employer is worth such loyalty.
Ivan gives a slightly embarrassed smile. "I think she is. It's a strange thing about my new life, being able to work for people and causes I believe in." Despite Leo's heroism, there were many times when Ivan found him difficult to follow.
...There are precious few people who have shown me kindness, or worried about me, Ivan.
It's not the first time someone has said such words to Ivan, but it never stops feeling like some kind of strange misunderstanding...
He reddens. "I'll be careful next time. I hope you do the same."