2021-08-06: Sister's Keeper

From Dream Chasers
Revision as of 01:44, 31 August 2021 by Azoth (talk | contribs) (Created page with "*'''Log: Sister's Keeper''' *'''Cast:''' Character :: Azoth, Character :: Xenia *'''Where:''' Celesti Wastelands *'''Date:''' August 06, 2021 *'''Summary''': ''After t...")
(diff) ← Older revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)
Jump to navigation Jump to search
  • Log: Sister's Keeper
  • Cast: Azoth, Xenia
  • Where: Celesti Wastelands
  • Date: August 06, 2021
  • Summary: After the harrowing battle that revealed his identity to some of his friends, Azoth expects he'll have to answer for himself. But instead of Xantia, he's surprised by a very different visitor.

===========================<* Celesti Wastelands *>===========================

Decades ago, the nation of Celesti ripped itself apart in a vicious civil war. Outside of a handful of settlements, its former territories are lifeless. The remains of trenches, bunkers, and barbed wire lines serve as lingering reminders of the conflict--scars that have yet to heal. The earth is dry and barren, and much of the groundwater has been contaminated by biological or chemical weapons.

Travel through the Wastelands is treacherous. The roads are pockmarked with shell craters, and Reapers have been known to haunt its blasted plains. A handful of functional rail lines cross the wastes, but these travel directly to their final destinations. The shattered remains of ghost towns dot the landscape. Some may yet hold things of value, but experienced travelers know better than to go treasure-hunting on a whim. The war-dead of Celesti do not rest.

Ghosts aren't even the strangest things one can find here. As the war dragged on, both the Congressional Knights and Aquvy Union dug up ancient weapons to aid their efforts--including, it's rumored, ARMs from Zeboim. These rumors draw both the daring and desperate into the wastes, and more often than not, to their end.

BGM: Shin Megami Tensei IV - Blasted Ichigaya
<Pose Tracker> Azoth has posed.

It's a lot of data to process.

Not only the Void Drive, all the data surrounding its use, and chunks of missing data that came with it. It was the data that the secret of Azoth's situation had slipped. That was always inevitable. And it was Solaris that demanded its secrecy, not Azoth himself. But even now, the overrides calculate all the ways to use their reactions to his advantage. To keep them, if not trusting him, close in their worry and their pity.

How intolerable.

Azoth needed time to sort through the data deluge and make his new calculations on his next move. It's easiest to lean back on those primary objectives they've given him: keep searching. He found his old weapon in the Wastelands before, and he scours it again for clues, running it against the new data he has.

Despite the harsh environment, the mask stays on, Azoth humming to himself and looking for all the world to be a human youth all too cheerfully putting a broken Reaper back together. He can't reactivate it, but he can at least drag its legs from the other end of the wastes and click it back into place.

Azoth gives it a pat once he's done with that.

"Well, at least one of us is back in one piece."

<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.

The Celesti Wastelands do make a fine location for treasure hunting, if one can handle the many risks involved with the area. But making a new friend, such as it is, is an accomplishment that may be even greater than finding treasure. After all, this is not exactly the sort of place one would commonly go if one is looking for company. Quite the opposite, in fact. Any meeting around here is far more likely to be either an arranged one, or an unpleasant one. Sometimes both.

As such, it may be cause for some concern to detect movement in one's direction, and upon looking, seeing a silhouette in the distance. Its exact nature is initially obscured by a steady stream of sand floating in the wind, but it does appear humanoid, moving briskly and steadily, meaning it's probably not some kind of monster. Also, there's only one, which wouldn't be common for bandits. It is, however, heading directly in the direction Azoth is in.

Unfortunately, even when this individual does become more clearly visible, it doesn't do much to give away their features. A featureless black cloak is kept tightly wrapped around them, most likely for some meager protection against the harsh environment, obscuring everything except the lower half of their face. It may not be an immediate reason to assume a threat, though a singular traveler braving this place is rather unusual. For most, anyway. Azoth may be fine, and may know several others who would likely also be fine, and would be prone to turning up in unusual places.

One of those names is bound to immediately come to mind once the figure gets close enough to be heard from a distance, because that's when they call out to him.

"Heeey, Azoth! Fancy meeting you here!"

That was unmistakably Xantia's voice. Given how their last encounter went, this may be cause for some concern. And yet, she sounds no different from usual, seeming happy and cheerful all the same. Well... if one person would be able to somehow take needing to fight a friend a stride, it probably would be Xantia, wouldn't it? She breaks into a run for the last part of her approach, a smile visible underneath the cloak's hood.

"I'm so glad I found you... we need to talk."

Okay, maybe not entirely in stride... one can venture a guess as to what she might want to talk about.

<Pose Tracker> Azoth has posed.

Azoth goes still with the first sense of movement. Organic, he thinks -- not a still operating machine, programmed to push on in the wrong place, the wrong time, for a purpose that may well no longer hold relevance. Or perhaps they're as corrupted as he is, their behavior all wrong for what they mean to accomplish.

But there are more pressing calculations to make. Azoth scans the area, memorizing the immediate landscape for battle, if need be, but more likely retreat. But then he hears that voice.

"Xantia."

He still says it with surprise in his tone. Sometimes, once they know, he drops the pretense, like he does with Lan. Azoth might, still, but the calculations haven't determined that the best way to go just yet. He doesn't know what assumptions everyone is working on. Would that he could simply tell them the truth.

Azoth gives her a weak smile. Xantia had been the first person he thought of when he found the Void Drive and experienced the fragmented memories that came with it. He wanted to speak to her, and then... the battle at Zanarkand happened.

"Yes, I imagine you have questions."

<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.

The cloaked figure chuckles in apparent amusement upon hearing the name, 'Xantia'. The first sign that something's wrong. The second is that the inflection of her voice subtly changes to one that Azoth has never heard from Xantia before.

"Oh yes... I have just one, single, burning question for you, Azoth."

In a literal instant, she is suddenly directly in front of Azoth, close enough to touch, which she immediately does, placing a hand on his chest. Her voice drops to a low whisper.

"Are you single?"

She leaves enough of an opening to answer that question, should Azoth wish to. But whether he does or not, a few seconds after, she forcefully pushes him back, laughing out loud. "Sorry, sorry! I couldn't resist, I just wanted to see your reaction!" By now, it must be very clear something weird is going on. So the figure's next move to clear up the confusion.

"Oh, but I really am sorry... you see, you seem to have me mistaken for someone else."

In one swift motion, which one could describe as a flourish, the figure flips back her hood and tosses her cloak back over her shoulders a bit, fully revealing herself. The face may be Xantia's, but... certain other features are not. Her hair, notably, is a different color, and much shorter. She wears an unusual pair of blue-tinted shades, of a make not commonly seen in Filgaia. And her outfit... well, it's not impossible for Xantia to own other outfits, but Azoth's only ever seen her wear one thing, and it's not this. It may in fact be a little alarming, for the reason that it may call to mind the suits worn by Solarian special forces. Far from a direct match for anything commonly seen, but a relation is not out of the question.

"Hello, Azoth," she greets him as she takes a short bow. "My name is Xenia. I'm ever so pleased to meet you."

<Pose Tracker> Azoth has posed.

The reaction gives Azoth pause, an emote he deliberately, perhaps mistakenly, gives as he tries to determine what Xantia's mood is right now. It could be so many things -- betrayal, anger, fear... Then she's right on him, faster than even his sensors could pick up, hand to his chest as he leans back just enough to keep focused on her with shock clear on his expression.

"Yes?!"

An honest, immediate answer given to the tone of 'what the heck?!'

If the goal was to perform the behavior Azoth would not be able to compute, congratulations! She found it.

The laughter and apology does nothing to dispel Azoth's baffled stare. Did he -- did he hit her in the head that hard?! No. No he did not. Azoth straightens, as he observes the figure before him. She looks and sounds so much like Xantia. But this isn't Xantia. The uniform is alarming -- but not necessarily for him. Solaris already has him. Who is this, and what's her relation to Xantia? Yet for all Azoth's concern, he gives her a broad, sheepish smile, playing into his unassuming persona for now. The odds of her proving it unnecessary are fairly high, given the evidence.

"Xenia then! Sorry, my mistake. You sound just like a friend of mine." He points to himself with a blink. "But ah... can't help but notice you already know my name. Have we met?"

<Pose Tracker> Xenia has posed.

The woman calling herself Xenia shrugs exaggeratedly at that very fair question. "Met, technically no, but I make a point of knowing who that 'friend of yours' interacts with. I suppose I'm just too curious for my own good. We've got that in common."

Smiling a lot is also something she has in common with Xantia. But her smile is different. Rather than the simple happiness Xantia commonly displays, Xenia's smile is more likely to leave the impression that she's terribly amused by something. She might be making fun of Azoth. If one goes by that assumption, the next thing she chooses to touch upon probably won't do anything to dispel it.

"Unfortunately, I've no room for romance in my schedule, but that was a cute reaction. Does that mean my big sis has a chance? Come on, you can tell me, your secrets are safe with me~" She gives Azoth a wink. Even if she is messing around, she does leave enough pause for an answer again.

However, she then raises a finger, and takes on a bit more serious a tone of voice. "Actually, you should be more careful about your secrets. I mean, that was just sloppy, don't you think?" She doesn't leave a pause to answer that one. "I suppose it couldn't be helped, given the circumstances. If it makes you feel any better, it's not like you were the only one keeping secrets."

Once again, it's as if she just instantly moved from where she was standing, invading Azoth's personal space once more by appearing directly in front of him. "I could immediately tell you were an artificial construct just by looking into your eyes. And if I could tell, Xantia could tell. Did she ever mention that? She didn't, did she? Hmmm... I wonder why?"

It feels like there should be some sort of sound accompanying this, but there is none as she once again appears elsewhere, now sitting atop a nearby rock, hands on her knees. "But never mind that. What matters right now is whether she'll forgive you, right? If that's what you're worried about, allow me to put your mind at ease. Xantia will not blame you for anything. She'll only want to help you. That's the kind of person she is. Take it from her little sis."

<Pose Tracker> Azoth has posed.

Azoth understands a thing or two about hiding behind smiles, and the list of concerns grows the longer Azoth spends in Xenia's presence. She calls herself Xantia's little sister, and she looks the part, but keeping tabs like this, the uniform she's wearing, Xantia's own missing memories...

Xantia had asked him to look out for Xenia. It's a promise Azoth hopes to keep, in spite of everything. Anything that happens here will get back to Xantia -- if Xantia is of the mind to trust him on any of that -- but if Xenia knows that, too, then all the information he's about to get is suspect, if he can't accurately read between the lines...

At her teasing, Azoth puts his palms up in surrender. "There are a number of problems with that line of thinking."

Two of which she seems to already be well aware of. His secrets. Azoth puff his cheeks, not dropping the mask just yet. "You know about that too? Ah, how embarrassing." The second time she invites herself to his personal space, Azoth flinches less, though the news that Xantia knew that from the beginning is new. "Uh... good question?"

Azoth watches Xenia as she flits about, using only his eyes when he can, and barely turning when he can't. No excessive movements. It's his own tell that he's taking this seriously. Too much play acting with spins and twirls and feigned shock could be deadly against someone moving faster than he can read.

"That does sound like her," Azoth says, smiling with eyes better suited to a frown. This might be easier if they didn't forgive him. "...You must care a lot about her, trying to learn so much. Are you worried?"

<Pose Tracker> Xenia has posed.

To the point that there are problems with her line of thinking, Xenia only lets out an innocent "Hmmm?" She has a way of making one feel like they're being studied, the way her eyes linger on Azoth after that. At least she doesn't persist in that brand of teasing.

She doesn't respond to him again until after she's said everything she had to say for the moment, once again giving Azoth that curious look. At least her interest in his every reaction appears to be genuine. Her eyebrows raise in slight surprise when she's asked whether she's worried, followed by a chuckle shortly thereafter.

"Well, of course. Who wouldn't worry about their family? Problem is, she doesn't trust me. So there's nothing I can do to help her directly." She locks eyes with Azoth. "Which brings me to why I'm here." Aaand she's gone again. Now she's behind Azoth, facing away from him, arms behind her back, which is likely to only be obvious once she speaks.

"Listen, Azoth. I don't know everything about you, but I know enough to be pretty sure when I say this." She slowly turns around before completing that thought. "I can't help her, and I can't help you. But you can help each other."

Contrary to what might be expected at this point, she remains where she is, briefly looking away with a difficult to read expression before she recenters on Azoth. "If nothing changes... you'll discover everything about yourself, and she'll discover everything about herself. No one will get what they want if that happens. Fighting will be all there is for you, until you can't fight anymore. You're the same, in that respect."

She actually moves at normal speed for once, walking a few steps away from Azoth, seeming to be considering something. When she addresses him again, it is with notably greater intensity than before. "You don't want that to happen, do you? Even if you don't have a choice where it comes to yourself, you have a choice where it comes to Xantia. You need to convince her of the danger you know memories to be. To value what she has now and not seek to change it. That way, she'll be able to remain the kind and cheerful girl you know. The kind of person who'd do anything to help a friend. If a person like that could only see that recovering memories won't solve any problems, she'd be able to stop focusing on that solution. Together, you can find another way. What do you think?"

<Pose Tracker> Azoth has posed.

Azoth only gives that innocent look an innocent, nervous one of his own. He usually plays dumber than this on the subject, but believable naivety only goes so far with someone so direct...! But he's certain she's looking for something other than his romantic compatibility with Xantia as she inspects him.

So Xenia and Xantia have met. And Xantia, filled will optimism and a too-trusting personality, eager for any clue to her past, does not trust Xenia. Concerning. But even with that distrust in mind, Azoth refrains from sudden movements. Xenia's behind him, and he only barely glances over his shoulder, at least until she steps toward him. Then he turns to face her without urgency.

"...I'd like to help her, if I could," Azoth admits, voice a touch softer. "And you may be right about the future waiting for us."

He smiles at Xenia, pained. "But what I think is I already know what Xantia will say to that. She'll say she that what she values now won't change, whatever it is she learns. She'll say she'll be able to keep her cheerful self, whatever it is she remembers. She'll say she'll never give up on those things, and she'll never give up on her memories, and that as long as she never gives up, nothing's impossible. And she'll tell me not to give up either, because it's as true for me as it is for her." His smile softens a little. "Does that sound right?"

<Pose Tracker> Xenia has posed.

Azoth gives his response, and for the first time, Xenia's smile turns upside down. She doesn't seem angry, rather more exasperated. She rubs at her forehead with a gloved hand. "Only way you could've sounded more like her is if you'd changed your voice to match."

She recovers quickly, shaking her head. "Look, I never said this would be an easy task. Right now, she feels a very strong need to recover her memories, and believes that she'll actually have a say in how much her past will guide her thoughts. But you should know what it's like to have no control, to have no choice. That's exactly where she's headed. If you just come out and say 'hey you should stop that', of course she won't listen to a word you say. Be too insistent, and she'll just get angry. She may even figure out I was involved."

Xenia slightly tilts her head, with a smile that doesn't feel particularly pleasant as she addresses Azoth's earlier, unspoken thought. "You were planning to tell her all about our little chat, weren't you? I really recommend against that. Back when she asked you to look for me, she hadn't met me yet. Now that she has... well." She sheepishly rubs the back of her head. "Sorry to say, but I didn't leave a very good impression, to put it mildly. Couldn't be helped. I, too, don't always have a choice in the way I do things."

All of a sudden, she's right there in front of Azoth again, putting her hands on his shoulders. Every bit of levity has drained out of her voice. "Listen. I messed up with Xantia. I really don't want you to mess things up with her too. It wouldn't help any of us." She backs away a little at that, keeping her hands in the air as if to show she means no harm. "Sorry. Got a little emotional there. Truthfully, I'd rather not get you involved at all. But the simple truth of the matter is... it's all up to you now. You and the rest of Xantia's friends. If you can't get her to see reason, at the rate things are going, pretty soon there's going to be no more Xantia. And if that happens, no amount of positive thinking is going to bring her back. So please. At the very least, think about what I said."

<Pose Tracker> Azoth has posed.

"Oh, I can do that if you like!" Azoth chirps in perfect mimicry of Xantia's voice.

He softens back as quickly as she recovers, for the balance must be kept. "My lack of choice comes from my nature as a program. I'm a series of instructions. Xantia isn't. I don't know how comparable the situation really is..."

It'd be a lie to say he doesn't feel an ache when Xantia tells him there's a way to simply willpower past the problem. But when Xantia says it for herself... it's difficult not to believe it.

With Xenia's warning, Azoth smiles at her as pleasantly as she isn't smiling at him. "Hey, whoa. No wonder you messed up with her. You don't understand how poorly that would go? If she finds out we talked and I didn't tell her, then there's no trust at all."

He rests a hand on his hip, glancing aside. "But if I tell her, and explain why I'm afraid, and tell her what I think can go wrong... Then she'll tell me her answer. And between the two of you... I guess we'll all see whose argument was the most logical."

Azoth looks back at her, smiling still. "So if there's any critical data for my to plug into those calculations so I compute the proper conclusions, now would be a good time to let me know."

<Pose Tracker> Xenia has posed.

"Figured you could," Xenia grumbles as Azoth imitates Xantia's - and by extension her own - voice. "Wouldn't make a habit of that, that's gonna creep people out." She certainly appears to be one of those people.

Though in short order, she's being rather rude herself, actually laughing out loud at Azoth's description of himself, and how poorly it compares to Xantia. Not exactly to make light of it, but all she says about that is, "Oh, Azoth, Azoth, Azoth... you have no idea. One doesn't need to be a program to be in that exact sort of situation."

It may be getting more and more obvious why Xenia and Xantia couldn't get along. There's clearly a lot more that Xenia knows than she's willing to tell. It's not hard to guess how someone who wants answers as badly as Xantia would react to that.

There's no more laughter after that point, however. As pleasantly as Azoth responds to her, she isn't able to even keep up a mask of pleasantry in response. Her frown only grows deeper with every sentence, a barely concealed anger simmering below the surface. When it's all said and done, she crosses her arms with an exaggerated sigh.

"Well. I see I'm wasting my time here. Don't know why I even bothered trying to explain this to a machine. It's just all logic, logic, logic, ugh, I'm so sick of it. You're not gonna get anywhere with people if you think the logic of their responses is all that matters. Guess that's egg on my face, assuming you'd be any different. Never mind my sister having a chance with you, you're even more hopeless than she is." She uncrosses her arms to point a finger in Azoth's direction.

"Here's my 'critical data' for you: stop running calculations when dealing with people, and try actually listening to them instead. But you probably won't listen to that either."

As one might expect, those are her last words to Azoth. And she intends to keep the last word, by means of storming off in what one could logically assume to be a huff, though all that can be seen of her retreat is a streak of blue light rapidly heading towards the horizon.

<Pose Tracker> Azoth has posed.

"Sorry, sorry~" Azoth says in his own sing-song voice. But where Xenia's amusement may well be genuine, a good question is whether or not Azoth's is.

But the angrier and more upset Xenia becomes, the less his mask of pleasantry and smiles seems to waver. Not even feigning a fainter, sadder smile that communicates layers of emotion! Just obnoxiously, unendingly pleasant, like they were discussing a comfortable, rainy day while she criticizes him for his focus on a logical operation.

Everything he does is on purpose, whatever that purpose is. He can no more change that than a fish can will itself to fly.

With as quick as Xenia is, she gets it before he can manage a retort. And perhaps, Azoth decides, that's for the best. He lifts his arm giving her a wave with his fingers.

Only once Xenia's out of sight does Azoth let the facade fall, face empty. There's a new collection of calculations to run. What is Xantia? And why won't Xenia say it? People are at their most difficult to deal with when you don't know what their true objective is.

...But Xenia isn't wrong. The past is terrifying. Is there anything he can do to make sure Xantia will be all right from where he's standing...? All he can do is try.