(no subject)

[fearlessly]

🧙 WHO: alisaie leveilleur & YOU fine folks
⚔️️ WHAT: arriving, getting used to her new magic, quests etc!
🕒 WHEN: february catchall
🗺️ WHERE: everywhere, more than likely
⚠️ WARNINGS: probably some violence, will update as needed!


i; arrival: the red spring

[ you know, it would be really nice if she could go like.. five minutes without encountering some life-altering fiasco. she only just returned home.

but the fates are cruel. but what else is she to do but roll with the punches? she's here, hydaelyn is in great danger yet again, and apparently, plenty of other worlds besides. it's a lot to swallow - or it would be, had she not been through such similar songs and dances before. you can only face the threat of your home and countries and worlds so many times before you begin to grow a thick skin. by no means does that mean she is not taking this gravely seriously, but it at least does not come as a disarming, mind-shattering shock.

she'll get through this. she'll manage. she always does.

not that it means that any of this is at all easy. by the time they reach the red springs alisaie is beginning to decompress, to breathe for a moment, and think. with her boots off, alisaie sits at the edge of the springs with her bare feet in the water up to the knee, leaning back on her hands. her familiar hovers near her shoulder, and alisaie sighs, tossing the phoenix a sidelong stare. ]

What have we gotten ourselves into, hm?

ii; training - new magic is new

[ at the very least, alisaie is quite thankful for a good place to train. she can find ways to keep busy and exercise, but it feels much better to use a real, proper training ground that is built for this purpose. most especially considering she's got to learn a whole new method of channeling magic..

thankfully, this is not so new to her. in fact, alisaie has been weaving aether and flinging spells practically since the moment she was born, so while the fabric of this world's magic might feel a little different - satin rather than silk - she has all the building blocks for spellweaving under her belt already. and, not to toot her own horn, but she thinks she's always been rather good at it, most especially when crafting more destructive magicks, like the elemental school seems to afford. fire, lightning, earth, wind - these elements come to her call and swim beneath her fingertips with all the ease of breathing in and out.

of course, that does not make it entirely easy. like a crafter picking up a new tool, there is a definite learning curve. she does not yet grasp all the properties of this magic, she is not familiar with its versatility, its volatility, its personality. several fire spells nearly go off in her face, much to her clear chagrin (and singed cuffs), but after a solid few tireless hours she has it. pulling the essence of fire from within herself, alisaie channels it through her crystal focus, and - ]

Oh, I've got you now -

[ fierce and destructive, the fire springs from her hands in a tight ball, careening for her target training dummy and catching its target with a nice, satisfying little blast. with a hoot of triumph, she hops and thrusts both fists into the air, one still grasping her rapier and focus. ]

iii; quest: the libryrinth

[ alisaie hardly needs to think twice before accepting a quest like this.

it seems a small, minor task in the face of the great threat that they face, their worlds hanging still in peril, yet for as anxious as she is to move forward, alisaie quite understands that.. these things take time, and importantly, she must needs carve out a place for herself here, if she is to succeed in her goal. this, of course, means fetch quests of all kinds, and so she will oblige, especially when it means sneaking into a mysterious library.

she wouldn't say that stealth is her number one skill, but alisaie is small and light on her feet, and she has sneaked up on plenty an enemy in her time, so she's confident in her ability to see this through - though that, too, relies also on her partner. she is new enough to this city that it seemed appropriate not to work alone. and so she crouches beside a window leading into the library, and glances toward her partner, her voice low. ]

Are you ready?

iv; quest: save a beast, kill a man

[ alisaie has a chivalrous enough heart to be happy enough to pick up this particular task. killing without absolute need is not exactly ideal, but she thinks, perhaps, all she needs do is return to the selkie her skin. that's the deal. if he does not cooperate, well, that is a different matter, but..

here's hoping that her rapier will be persuasive enough to see it done.

as before, she has linked up with a partner to see this thing through, for when both a man and a kraken are involved, one never can be too careful, especially considering she's yet to encounter a kraken here. it could be entirely different from what you can find on hydaelyn, and even the ones from home are certainly forces to be reckoned with. still, she's making quick time, jogging toward the south beach with one hand hovering over her rapier, though there's still a bit of ground left to cover. ]

Do we have a plan?

v; wildcard

[ wildcard edition! feel free to toss me something entirely different, alisaie can easily be found in most any location, reasonably, or you can tweak one of the above prompts to your liking instead. i'm also happy to plot out something entirely different with you, as well! ]

Comments

wildcard

[emet_sulk]

[ The last thing Emet-Selch expects to see as he meanders his way back to the inn is a flash of white hair and a very unwanted, very familiar face outside a bakery. He stopped in his tracks, eyes widening first in surprise then narrowing into a heavy scowl. He strode over, bags clutched one in each hand, and says without any preamble whatsoever: ]

Is it too much to hope that your idiotic brother is not inside?

[fearlessly]

[ ah. why tho. alisaie looks up from her perfectly delicious cream puff, and her expression immediately falls. ]

Is it too much to hope that I could enjoy a nice dessert in peace?

[ she says, sharply. alisaie might not've been so immediately aggressive had emet not gone and brought her brother into it, but no one talks shit about alphinaud on her watch, only alisaie can drag him!! ]

Keep mention of him out of your mouth. My brother is worth a thousand of you.

[emet_sulk]

[ He sneers at her, lips pressing into a thin line before he looks into the bakery proper and searches for a matching head of white hair. He finds none.

That isn't terribly reassuring, as one Scion here is one Scion too many for him. With the rogue and the girl, that makes two out of a merry band of six if one includes the Oracle. Or should that be seven with the presence of her counterpart...? ]

And yet I seem to recall both you and your brother falling quite swiftly to my might.

[ He should just shut up and walk away. He doesn't like them and he doubts he ever will. It's difficult to like the people responsible for holding you down while someone kills you. ]

Without your vaunted hero, you're not even worth one-thousandth of me.

[fearlessly]

There is far more value to a person than their propensity and skill for murder.

[ she seethes, through gritted teeth, standing now, with her hands slammed hard to the table. distantly, she realizes.. what an absolutely absurd picture they must make right now. he, with his arms full of groceries, and she, over a plate of sweets at a cafe table, both of them having it out. ]

Compassion, friendship, love of others, pride in your work - I could name a hundred things that make a life worth living, though I'm afraid they seem not to live up to your lofty standards for who deserves to live and who does not. Those traits are only of value if it is one of your kind, is that right?

[ emet might have wished for alphinaud in her stead, to be honest, he's the far more.. patient and diplomatic of the two. ]

[emet_sulk]

[ Anger flashes in his eyes. He takes a half-step forward, easily looming over her with their disparate heights, expression twisted in fury. ]

You ARE my people! [ he shouts back at her, nails digging painfully into his palms. ] All your compassion and friendship and love and pride: you inherited it from us! What else must I do to drill that fact into your thick skull?!

[ If Alisaie slamming her hands against the table hadn't drawn enough attention, the proprietor of the bakery stalks out as the shouting escalates. Emet-Selch is dimly aware of their laying down an ultimatum to either settle their argument or leave, but he can't hear the words past the roar of blood in his ears. ]

[fearlessly]

[ he towers over her, dark and imposing and powerful, and while she suspects that he had been stripped of his ability the same as she, alisaie does not, and cannot forget his power. he was not wrong in his assertion that, for all her tireless work and training, he could smite her like an insect.

but she did not fear him then, and she does not fear him now. there are a thousand things more terrifying to her than her own pain and blood and death. ]

Stop killing us.

[ her answer is sharp and succinct, and while there is fury still in her posture, and in the fire in her eyes, there is no hiding the crack in her voice, and how it wavers.

she has lost so much to their machinations, she has lost so many friends, so many loved ones, the spiral of blood and death has no end and she carries their memory in her aching heart every day. and so many others had lost even more than she, so many had lost everything, countless, unfathomable lives given to their cause. the sheer volume of it overwhelms. it has to end. exhaling a shuddering breath, alisaie breaks eye contact to begin to gather up her things, for it is clear enough that neither of them are particularly welcome here at the moment. ]

Let us live our lives how we choose to live them, and not how you would choose for us. Then, maybe, I will believe you.

[ though she knows full well how her pleas fall on deaf ears. it is too much to hope that drawing him to this world had undone his tempering, but it is always worth speaking the words. ga bu had heard her, even if he could not act, even if he could not change, he had heard her. ]

cw: allusions to suicide + general depression

[emet_sulk]

[ He flinches. The memory of all those bodies piled high in the cave, the prone, hooded silhouettes of his people wearing more recently familiar faces, rounds back to kick him in the gut. He still sees them in his dreams sometimes when he's not dreaming of a crumbling, burning city; he sees cowled heads and white masks, all asking, 'Why? Why are we dead? Why did you kill us?' His guilt is a weight he's slowly folding under with no-one else to share the burden.

Hythlodaeus is wrong. Nothing he does now can absolve or even begin to make up for what he's already done. Nothing he does here has any bearing on their world where it would matter. He would serve best in death and let these mortal things have run of the star.

He's silent as he steps back and away from the premises, watching her gather her belongings. When he next speaks, the words are low and harsh. ]

I didn't want to kill you.

[ It feels like his nails have broken skin. His hands must be bleeding. Emet-Selch stares at a single, tiny rivulet of blood as it winds its way down the handles of his grocery bags. ]

I tried to teach. I tried to see good in you. Yet for every kind deed there was something darker lurking in your hearts. Altruism disguised as greed. Flattery disguised as hate. So many, many lies.

[ The last word comes out in a hiss. He drags his head up, fixes her with sullen, frustrated eyes. ]

You have never believed me. Not since the day you first met me in the Crystarium. Nor, I think, will you ever - for that is your nature, girl: to contain what you see in little boxes that you may easily digest them. Friend and foe, enemy or ally. Nothing I say or do will change how you view me. So I see no reason to try.

[fearlessly]

[ as they have lowered their voices and no longer seem ready to flip tables and tear into one another, the rush for them to get a move on is a little less dire, but the shop owner continues to glower suspiciously, and the patrons shoot furtive glances. but the tension of the moment has passed. alisaie closes the box over her cream puff and stuffs it into the paper bag and steps away, though to her surprise, he follows. ]

If that is what you think, then you do not know me at all.

[ not that that is to be unexpected. neither of them have made much of an effort to know one another personally, for they have no reason to - they are abjectly opposed. he may have made an effort to know other mortals, but he has never known her heart, her feelings, her thoughts, so he can hardly guess at what she is thinking any more than she can guess at what he is thinking. they can judge one another only by their actions alone. ]

Few are there in this or any world who are so black and white, we are capable of understanding nuance, you know. But even if we understand your pain, that does not mean we agree with your methods. And how could we, if your will is not your own?

[ they are far enough from the front of the cafe now at least that she can turn, and look to him again, and though the edge of her fury has cooled her gaze is nevertheless firm. ]

I moved through your mirage city, through your final days; do you truly think us so heartless that we did not understand? That I do not feel and see the pain of your people?

[emet_sulk]

[ He scoffs. He doesn't even bother trying to hide it. ]

No, you don't. [ His voice is tight. Quiet, controlled anger. ] If you did, you wouldn't see the need to kill those who disagreed with you - and I don't mean myself by that but your own selves. You can object all you like but your history speaks otherwise.

[ Here they go again with the same, tired arguments, the same, tired insistence that this time they'll do better. Oh, he's sure they will - for a few decades. Mayhap a few centuries if they get lucky. But he's washing his hands of them now. His faith that the world won't immediately crumble to dust in his absence lies not with her or her other lacklustre brethren but with the Warrior of Light.

His old friend always did seem to have a knack for making the impossible possible... ]

But enough, [ he says, forestalling any attempts by her to continue arguing with him. He's tired. He's done. ] I don't care what you plan to do here. I merely wish to live out the rest of my remaining time in this land without you or anyone else hounding me.

[fearlessly]

That you have no faith in us is your problem, not ours. Paint us all with the same brush all you like, it does not matter. They are our lives to govern, and no other's. It must feel so good to look down on us from your lofty, righteous tower.

[ what a terrible, dehumanizing feeling that is, to be looked down on with such disdain, by someone who knows nothing of her life, her heart, her personal struggles, and how hard she has tried, how hard she continues to try. and besides, is he not doing the same? killing those with whom he disagrees? killing billions with whom he disagrees? she cannot help her flare of anger at the hypocrisy, most especially when he attempts to curb the conversation at the end of his own argument. it's certainly easy to feel like you're in the right when you cut off the debate at the end of your own statement. ]

And I'll remind you, it was you who hounded me, you great, dramatic hypocrite.

[ she says, testily, yet her tone is somewhat lighter, despite her anger, almost like she's arguing with a friend, though of course, not quite. but for better or for worse, they hail from the same world, which merits a connection whether they like it or not. ]

Go on, then. Leave, and believe what you will, but I've no reason to lie to you, nor is it in my nature. My heart aches for your people, but I will always do everything in my power to protect those important to me.

[ the same as he had. the same as so many do. ]

[emet_sulk]

[ No, it doesn't feel good at all. It never has. He's almost jealous of them, that they carry on with their lives blissfully unaware of what they've collectively lost. He wishes he could join them in their ignorance. He wishes he could know what it's like to live and laugh and love again instead of this solitary, meaningless existence he has now - because every day is a reminder of the past, every broken soul a whisper affirming his failure to protect his people and their star.

He turns away before she can see his expression twist. What he says next sounds cold but he prefers that to any pity she may show. ]

Then you will die for it, as many have before you spouting that same nonsense.

[ As he had.

He walks away, palms aching from where they bleed. Hythlodaeus will surely have words to say about the stain but he suddenly finds he doesn't care. He doesn't care about what his friend has to say at all. ]

[fearlessly]

[ he turns to go at last, and alisaie frowns hard at his back, but says nothing. there's little enough left that she has not already said, and even she knows when she is arguing to a brick wall - not that that would stop her. alisaie is as stubborn as the day is long, and like as not, should they stumble across one another again, they may very well argue over the same thing yet again.

but for now it has passed, and alisaie feels a little emptier for it.

exhaling in a soft sigh, she reaches into her furred lapel to tug free her folded handkerchief, which she chucks hard at emet's retreating back; it lands squarely atop his head. ]

For your damned bloody hand.

[ she says, and turns down the path away from him. ]