RE: [IC] Swords Beneath the Starlight
05-18-2020, 09:05 PM
Sunny and Lain:
Your metaphor seems to cause lain no small degree of distress. She thinks on it, frowning deep, before shaking her head.
![[Image: zMjNchQ.png]](https://i.imgur.com/zMjNchQ.png)
"Perhaps that is simply the difference between our gods. My goddess thinks of people as individuals, individually worthy of redemption and condemnation. Your g..." She seems to hesitate to say the word. "...Progress - even your version of him - seems to think in purely civilizational terms. I hope you'll understand when I say I prefer the way She operates over how he does. It's why I'm willing to trust you in spite of our differences. I think there's still reason to trust you, even if I hate where you came from."
Sunny and Roland:
The prince of Renault seems... disturbed by this revelation.
![[Image: eYfT8AB.png]](https://i.imgur.com/eYfT8AB.png)
"...I... I appreciate your honesty. But I have to ask: You say you're a defector; that you don't believe in Revotria's fight. Yet you stand here declaring yourself an ally of the twisted ideal they fight for. Progress is not just a god like any other - he is a symbol of your people's supposed supremacy - of the supremacy of their way of life. How can you hold him in your heart and still declare yourself our ally?"
Milo and Lain:
Lain chuckles.
"Mine did not meet him. I mean... perhaps, through some distant relation...? But no, nothing so fortuitous as that. She delivered it to humanity. It ended up in my family's hands by means of political convenience more than anything. We are not some blessed bloodline, touched by the Goddess herself; just a family belonging to a city that was obscure enough to be trusted with power."
Her face goes straight as she contemplates the rest of the sentence. "...But. I know what you mean - about the challenges of faith in times of trial. The devastation I've seen is unlike anything I would have dared to imagine. The idea that the Goddess would allow the world to simply shatter into pieces is just-"
She's quiet for a moment. She twiddles her thumbs, lets her mind wander.
"...but here we are - in a world that is broken all the same. And we are left with a choice: accept that this is part of a grander scheme, that justice will prevail, and that our wrongs will be righted, or give in to despair. I want to hope: to hope for peace, for a better world, and for a brighter tomorrow. If believing in the Goddess lets me do that, then I'll believe with all my heart."
Milo and Roland and Abner:
![[Image: 6pxYp3c.png]](https://i.imgur.com/6pxYp3c.png)
"If you want tips, then it's me you'll want to talk to! Get it? Tips? Because spears have tips? And I use lances? And advice is cal--"
![[Image: SCCQxLo.png]](https://i.imgur.com/SCCQxLo.png)
"I certainly wouldn't mind lending my assistance. I am not the greatest tactician of our time, but I know enough about battle to make suggestions. Where do you find you're lacking?"
Casey and Lain:
![[Image: TiA3SsN.png]](https://i.imgur.com/TiA3SsN.png)
"...I had hardly left the manor before now. A few trips to other cities, but... never the wilds. This is the most nature I've ever seen - at least without a carriage wall separating me from it. The next closest thing was our garden. It ill compares. And you...?"
Her eyes remain closed, her back remains turned to you as she speaks. It's as if facing you would be some kind of dreadful punishment - one she'd like to put off for just a bit longer.
Airitech and Taras:
Taras chuckles.
![[Image: icXHVq2.png]](https://i.imgur.com/icXHVq2.png)
"Think you misunderstood me, big guy. Disguising ourselves was my idea. You didn't steal anything. I was just saying that it wasn't a lot for me to take in - that I knew all along." He sighs. "Unfortunately, some people can't leave well enough alone. Old man and the girl... ugh." He shakes his head. "I don't know how I got caught up with them. Imagine you're in a similar boat though, yeah? Following a bunch of bastards you have little interest in because it's all the times allow?"
Barnabas and Lys:
![[Image: wlddtaz.png]](https://i.imgur.com/wlddtaz.png)
"O-Oh! Nothing's wrong, I'm just fine, I..." She sighs.
"Oh fooey. That isn't believable at all, is it...? And Sister Marjory would have a fit right now if she found out I had told a lie to a friend... It's just."
Her dimpled cheeks turn down into a deep frown. "She's... She's a woman of the church. And... my prayers-- they aren't. They aren't normal. They aren't the ones the sisters taught me. I... I pray. Differently. When I can, I mean. Words spring up from my heart, and I find myself praying, but I'm praying... wrong. And... and Mazelina, she's so smart, and so pretty, and so nice-- and I wouldn't want to embarrass myself in front of her, or disappoint her because I'm... I'm supposed to be special, but I'm doing things wrong. It would be like when the convent Mother found I was stealing apples that fell from the neighbor's tree into the garden. I hate disappointing people..."
Saya and Roland
The prince meets your bright-eyed gaze with a smile.
"You made an excellent impression, though it wasn't the first. Encounters with Laguz were rare - I wasn't exactly on the front lines when the Wolves crossed the border to loot and burn our villages, though I often wished I was - but my father had a few Laguz friends. Particularly, there was a woman of the hawk tribe - your tribe, I believe. She had fought alongside him when they were youths, and their friendship was the sort which extended across time and distance. I only ever caught a few glimpses of her, only ever heard a few words from her, but she was a magnificent sight to behold. I only hope she's doing well still, given the circumstances..."
Baylee and Dermid
The great big bearded man puts his arms on his hips as you approach, a grin spread across his beard. He seems excited to meet with one so young and full of fight -- but then your question hits, and he withers.
![[Image: 5wuzLcZ.png]](https://i.imgur.com/5wuzLcZ.png)
"...Aye, lassie, I cannae say it's a surprise. I have nae an idea how th'bastards managed to wrangle a bunch of college lads n' lasses intae the mess, but I've sniffed out that they're much of th' oogum-spoogum dark-magic blighters we've been seein' 'round. All I can hope tae do fer 'em is deliver 'em up tae the Goddess quick an' painless, an' hope she'll have more mercy on them than they did on other little fools who happened tae be on the other side of the book."
He looks again at her, his eyes somber. "...Somethin' in yer voice tells me ye know tha' all too well though, aye?"
Your metaphor seems to cause lain no small degree of distress. She thinks on it, frowning deep, before shaking her head.
"Perhaps that is simply the difference between our gods. My goddess thinks of people as individuals, individually worthy of redemption and condemnation. Your g..." She seems to hesitate to say the word. "...Progress - even your version of him - seems to think in purely civilizational terms. I hope you'll understand when I say I prefer the way She operates over how he does. It's why I'm willing to trust you in spite of our differences. I think there's still reason to trust you, even if I hate where you came from."
Sunny and Roland:
The prince of Renault seems... disturbed by this revelation.
"...I... I appreciate your honesty. But I have to ask: You say you're a defector; that you don't believe in Revotria's fight. Yet you stand here declaring yourself an ally of the twisted ideal they fight for. Progress is not just a god like any other - he is a symbol of your people's supposed supremacy - of the supremacy of their way of life. How can you hold him in your heart and still declare yourself our ally?"
Milo and Lain:
Lain chuckles.
"Mine did not meet him. I mean... perhaps, through some distant relation...? But no, nothing so fortuitous as that. She delivered it to humanity. It ended up in my family's hands by means of political convenience more than anything. We are not some blessed bloodline, touched by the Goddess herself; just a family belonging to a city that was obscure enough to be trusted with power."
Her face goes straight as she contemplates the rest of the sentence. "...But. I know what you mean - about the challenges of faith in times of trial. The devastation I've seen is unlike anything I would have dared to imagine. The idea that the Goddess would allow the world to simply shatter into pieces is just-"
She's quiet for a moment. She twiddles her thumbs, lets her mind wander.
"...but here we are - in a world that is broken all the same. And we are left with a choice: accept that this is part of a grander scheme, that justice will prevail, and that our wrongs will be righted, or give in to despair. I want to hope: to hope for peace, for a better world, and for a brighter tomorrow. If believing in the Goddess lets me do that, then I'll believe with all my heart."
Milo and Roland and Abner:
"If you want tips, then it's me you'll want to talk to! Get it? Tips? Because spears have tips? And I use lances? And advice is cal--"
"I certainly wouldn't mind lending my assistance. I am not the greatest tactician of our time, but I know enough about battle to make suggestions. Where do you find you're lacking?"
Casey and Lain:
"...I had hardly left the manor before now. A few trips to other cities, but... never the wilds. This is the most nature I've ever seen - at least without a carriage wall separating me from it. The next closest thing was our garden. It ill compares. And you...?"
Her eyes remain closed, her back remains turned to you as she speaks. It's as if facing you would be some kind of dreadful punishment - one she'd like to put off for just a bit longer.
Airitech and Taras:
Taras chuckles.
"Think you misunderstood me, big guy. Disguising ourselves was my idea. You didn't steal anything. I was just saying that it wasn't a lot for me to take in - that I knew all along." He sighs. "Unfortunately, some people can't leave well enough alone. Old man and the girl... ugh." He shakes his head. "I don't know how I got caught up with them. Imagine you're in a similar boat though, yeah? Following a bunch of bastards you have little interest in because it's all the times allow?"
Barnabas and Lys:
"O-Oh! Nothing's wrong, I'm just fine, I..." She sighs.
"Oh fooey. That isn't believable at all, is it...? And Sister Marjory would have a fit right now if she found out I had told a lie to a friend... It's just."
Her dimpled cheeks turn down into a deep frown. "She's... She's a woman of the church. And... my prayers-- they aren't. They aren't normal. They aren't the ones the sisters taught me. I... I pray. Differently. When I can, I mean. Words spring up from my heart, and I find myself praying, but I'm praying... wrong. And... and Mazelina, she's so smart, and so pretty, and so nice-- and I wouldn't want to embarrass myself in front of her, or disappoint her because I'm... I'm supposed to be special, but I'm doing things wrong. It would be like when the convent Mother found I was stealing apples that fell from the neighbor's tree into the garden. I hate disappointing people..."
Saya and Roland
The prince meets your bright-eyed gaze with a smile.
"You made an excellent impression, though it wasn't the first. Encounters with Laguz were rare - I wasn't exactly on the front lines when the Wolves crossed the border to loot and burn our villages, though I often wished I was - but my father had a few Laguz friends. Particularly, there was a woman of the hawk tribe - your tribe, I believe. She had fought alongside him when they were youths, and their friendship was the sort which extended across time and distance. I only ever caught a few glimpses of her, only ever heard a few words from her, but she was a magnificent sight to behold. I only hope she's doing well still, given the circumstances..."
Baylee and Dermid
The great big bearded man puts his arms on his hips as you approach, a grin spread across his beard. He seems excited to meet with one so young and full of fight -- but then your question hits, and he withers.
"...Aye, lassie, I cannae say it's a surprise. I have nae an idea how th'bastards managed to wrangle a bunch of college lads n' lasses intae the mess, but I've sniffed out that they're much of th' oogum-spoogum dark-magic blighters we've been seein' 'round. All I can hope tae do fer 'em is deliver 'em up tae the Goddess quick an' painless, an' hope she'll have more mercy on them than they did on other little fools who happened tae be on the other side of the book."
He looks again at her, his eyes somber. "...Somethin' in yer voice tells me ye know tha' all too well though, aye?"