isleofavalon | [open] cut and run

Entry tags:

[open] cut and run

Who: Irhya Pendhula & you!
What: Reunions and other getting-situated type things.
Where: Here and there.
When: All through arrival month
Warnings: None right now!

1) Rent-a-Ride

[After removing her wet cloak and quite literally bagging up the critter that came out of the depths with her upon his refusal to move from sunning himself dry, Irhya finally settles into the caravan with a disgruntled but relatively calm fat cat parked immovably next to her. She's been given a pair of earbuds for the tomestone, but, well...

An artist's rendition of how well that works.]

Uhh... How am I supposed to...?

[One might notice she's having a fair bit of trouble with this, trying different configurations like only using one ear and letting the rest hang loose, or trying to loop the wire around the back of her head instead. Eventually, she yanks the things out and sighs, glancing at another passenger.]

Do you happen to have a knife, by any chance? I'm thinking maybe if I slice this open...

2) Breakfast

[Inns in Eorzea generally don't provide free meals, even if they happen to be in an establishment that serves food. You have to pay for what you want across the board, and the options are far more limited. But... as Irhya comes downstairs and scans the scene in front of her, she finds it nostalgic. It's been a while since she's been in an adventurer's guild.

She loads up a tray with food and sits at a table, back-to-back with someone else. Her fat cat is at her feet, gnawing on a piece of fish.]

This is kind of nice... I haven't had something like this in a while. [She looks behind her, more clearly addressing someone else.] Do you think an adventurer's guild might go over well here?

3) Outside the Hotel

[It's not until later, after having settled in a bit, that she realizes she's going to have a problem.

The fat cat is hunkered down on a warm rock outside, and all attempts to move him are met with blissful feline indifference. Sure, she could pick him up, but with his excessive flab, she's sure she'd get tired of carrying him around in a right hurry. She heaves an aggrieved sigh.]

I don't suppose you have anything left over from breakfast, do you? Even a piece of bread? I'm afraid I'm having some familiar troubles...

[Time to take a cue from the fat chocobos.]

4) Wildcard

Plot with me at

crystalzero / qu-ko#6810! Custom starters will be in the comments.

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If you figure it out, let me know.

[Dust hasn't even bothered trying. Although he's entirely furry, or what's visible of him beneath his hat is, his ears not only give him the same problems, but his hat itself makes the whole contraption even more ridiculous.]

You think cutting it won't break it?

[There's a gasp from behind Irhya, and a tall masked man steps over to crouch by the cat.]

What a delightfully rotund specimen!

[He almost claps his hands, as though to underline his words.]

May I pet it?

[The small firebird on the man's shoulder seems a lot less excited about the prospect, as well as all these cats in general. It squeaks threateningly and hops onto the top of Hythlodaeus's hood, puffing out its feathers in an aggressive stance.]

Who knows? You could certainly try to set one up.

[ Just don't count Emet having any part of it. He's grumpy from his dip in the sea, and grumpy again from discovering that his old magic is null and void. At least in Duplicity he still had a measure of his abilities there. ]

So long as you don't send hapless fools on another 'holy grail' quest.

[Ah, now that’s a familiar back-of-the-head. Whether or not she remembers Duplicity, G’raha’s at least quite certain she knows him. Sadly, his efforts at sneaking up behind her are ruined by her turning to speak with him... not that it really matters, and he offers her a warm smile.]

If we are fortunate, we may yet find one already exists.

[Totally understandable. She makes a face.]

Maybe if I slice it very carefully, right between where the two wires are... I mean, it's not like I'll be able to use it either way if I don't at least try. I'd use my sword if not for the impracticality of it.

[And, to be fair, her sword is massive, and probably taller than she is. Irhya leans forward, as if trying to peek at his eyes under the hat.]

Guess you would have the same problem too, huh, if your ears are atop your head like mine. Are you familiar with this kind of stuff?

[It's not so much his looks, but his voice that catches her. It's so similar... it couldn't be a coincidence, could it?]

Sure. He's pretty amenable to pets as long as you don't try to pick him up.

[Her eyes wander up to the bird, though it rings no bells in her memory. Its owner, however...

She blinks, and stares at him for an uncomfortably long moment.]

We've met before, haven't we?

[Not that he'd remember her specifically, however. She pauses and tries again.]

I mean-- do you know Azem?

Why, Hades, what ever makes you think I would do such a thing?

[A smirk.]

Listen, I've been on one of those before. I got exactly one gil and a "sense of accomplishment" for my trouble. You better believe I wanted to throttle the arsehole who set the whole thing up for some hapless person to stumble upon.

Adventurer's guilds are supposed to be to help people in need, though. I guess if there are other people around looking to do good, it might take off...

[She pauses, turning around finally to look at the back of his head.]

Are you still mad about all this? I think it's kinda neat.

Really? I suppose a place like this might have such a thing... or at least something similar enough. People posting requests on a board, or something. If not, perhaps I could set something up.

[She tips her chair back in thought. Should she, or shouldn't she...? Looking as if she knows something he doesn't, she turns to him, grinning, apparently deciding to go for it.]

...Aren't you gonna ask me who I am?

I don’t believe I need to.

Though I likely should warn you, I know you not from Eorzea, but from somewhere more otherworldly.

[Dust isn't even going to ask about the sword. It's a thing, he assumes she can use it somehow, and he'll stick with Ahrah, thanks. (Who is not a small sword, mind, but is far more sensibly proportioned.) Also, don't mind him shying away just a bit. Eye contact isn't his thing.]

The closest I've ever seen was a remote blacksmithing device. Which was larger and I have no idea how it worked.

[Hythlodaeus reaches out to pet the cat happily, and gets maybe twenty seconds of the utter bliss of smushing its cheeks before Irhya's question sandbags him. He looks up abruptly, stunned.]

I...

[How does she know about the traveller? Hythlodaeus searches the woman's face, nonplussed, but it's a futile endeavour without his aethersight. He does not even know if his friend yet lives or not, with the Convocation having torn down the seat.]

I should. T-That is to say, I do.

[He stands up hurriedly.]

May I ask how you know?

Well...

[She pauses, her chair's front legs hitting the floor again. It's not a hesitation, but a brief time for her to smile slowly and drive the point in.]

There's only one me, after all. You have no idea how glad I am to hear that. It would seem you're not the only one, either, but one can never be too careful.

A-- A what now?

[A look of utter bafflement while her ears flick. She knows those words; she does not know those words together in the same sentence like that. But if it's smithy-related, it might be relevant to her interests anyway.]

Not that we have this technology back home, either, but I've had some time prior to get used to it and learn how to use it. Though this is admittedly a bit more sophisticated than what I've become accustomed to...

[Of course he wouldn't know; that much she expected. What she didn't expect was the tinge of upset that her question was met with. Would it be crueler, then, to withhold the information to protect him, or to let him hear the truth of it all at once?

Perhaps for now, she can settle for a middle ground without feeling the guilt of either option, at least until she consults with Hades. She hesitates, then lays a hand on the cat's back for idle stroking while she speaks.]

I... I guess you could say I'm Azem's successor, of a sort. It is a long story...

What do you mean you "should", though? I thought you were close...?

[It might indeed be better for them to speak about it all together, to save time and misunderstandings. Hythlodaeus looks aside, still looking a little lost, brings up a hand to his heart.]

We were... Nay, we are. Forgive me, it... has been some time since I have seen him. You... are the new Azem?

[Irhya doesn't look like she could be of his world, but who knows? Her reluctance to name herself a direct successor further tells him that it must be a lot less simple than it looks.]

Well...

[She glances down at the cat to gather her words. Fat Cat is just basking in the attention for the moment, clueless about (or perhaps just unconcerned with) the conversation going on above.]

I am not Azem, technically. But I would like to think I might be worthy of succeeding them, perhaps, whether or not they have a place in the Convocation.

[Or at the Ascian's table, such as they might have been. But if Emet had possession of Azem's stone the whole time, perhaps he'd once considered the possibility, himself... Though it's likely the other paragons would have shot down the idea quickly.]

The details are not mine to disclose, I'm afraid. But we will speak of it eventually... I'm sure of it. Don't worry too much until then, okay?

[She offers him a thin smile, hoping he picks up on her cue. He'd been so generous to her both times they met despite his being a shade, and her not being the person he remembered... it'a time to return the favor.]

[Despite his usual outward playfulness, Hytlodaeus is perceptive, and can easily guess that the matter they would have to discuss would not be an easy one. He appreciates her discretion in the matter, as well, and gives her a grateful nod.]

My thanks. I admit I am still somewhat thrown by arriving here... and the circumstances of my departure were none too pleasing. I would indeed like some time before we speak of more serious matters pertaining to our worlds...

[He returns his attention to the Rotund Feline, scritching him behind the ears.]

And... Though 'tis not my place to judge, seeing as I've no standing in the Convocation myself, I cannot help but find myself relieved to know someone would follow in my friend's footsteps.

I suppose not.

[He has heard tell of people disappearing and returning with no memory, after all, even if he has never experienced it himself. He leans back a little in his seat, adjusting his position so that he can see Irhya a little better.]

...though I myself have changed between here and there, so ‘tis a fair question whether or not I know you.

We could send items to Haley, the blacksmith at the top of Archers' Pass, and she could send back her completed works. But that's nothing like...

[All of this, he indicates with a rather lost shrug.]

I don't know a thing about it.

[ He frowns at his plate, picking at the food. There is a sense he is only reluctantly eating, like he knows the sustenance is important but finds no enjoyment from it. ]

I thought that city would be the end of it, [ he mutters. ] That when I disappeared, I would finally be granted my rest. Now I am here, stripped of my magic, stripped of my sight, told that I yet have a chance to save my world.

[ He viciously jabs his fork into a cut of meat. ]

Ought I to be happy about any of this?

[She changes positions to kneel on the seat of her chair after a moment, tipping it back slightly and draping her arms over his shoulders.]

I guess you have a point. But... at least you have a few people here with you that you can turn to. The silver lining must be that we get to spend more time with you. Right?

I know. You came back after we thought we might've lost you.

[That's all she needs to say to make herself understood, really. She turns in kind to meet him, swinging her legs over the side of her chair.]

It's strange how I still have these flashes of returning home for a while. I remember everything that happened, though it is reassuring to think I may still get to have a little time at home, too... if not of my own choosing.

So... I guess that we remember each other is a good sign, right?

I understand. And I appreciate the thought.

[Though she desperately wants to ask what the circumstances were, admittedly. Maybe he already has an inkling of what's going to happen... though surely no one could've predicted the Sundering.]

So... what type of magic did you end up with? Though I'm sure it's nothing compared to what you had originally, I can't help but be curious anyway.

...Huh. We always just used moogle couriers for that sort of thing, though having instant teleportation for objects would make things quite a bit easier.

Er... Which is to say, people can teleport where I'm from, though not all know or are capable of performing the spell. But our magic is quite a bit different than this. It's so much more... more... I don't know, complex? Complex in some ways, simpler in others.

[Gods, now she's going to have to compare and contrast things for herself... She sighs.]

Do you think the powers that be would get mad if I took it apart? I just wanna look.

[Hythlodaeus smiles, a measure of the cheery behaviour Irhya would know from him returning.]

In fact, 'tis not quite so different! It is the cognitive magic, I am informed. A lot of rather curious applications, but all I am capable of so far is the post-cognition. Touching an object allows me to peer into its recent past... and, shall we say, some interesting things go on in this city at times.

[He gives her a cheeky wink. It's anyone's guess what kind of "interesting" he means.]

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[open] cut and run

1 this is one of my favorite gags

prompt........... 3!!!!

2, gonna assume...they got all the shock of meeting again out of the way by now lol

Prompt 2

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fair enough!

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assuming this happens b4 he meets up with emet, probably....

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