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| Meanwhile in Heorot... |
| (2013-05-14 - 2013-05-15) |
| Maira imparts some shocking news. |
| Avira | THE EVERPRESENT TWILIGHT OF TRAVERSE TOWN... By now, the damage to the VALKYRI Headquarters has been repaired to include the shattered glass of the surrounding buildings. Most of the foundation had been rendered unstable so the building had received quite a makeover, expending a good deal of the saved guild money. On the bright side, this new development brought the opportunity to add a few actual walled rooms and a second floor at the back of the hall. The place had, for the most part, retained the open-air mead-hall-like layout, complete with giant table extending down the middle of the main room. But much like before, this place was but a stop-over for the members of VALKYRI, here for meetings, parties, and the occasional night's stay. After all, travelling far and wide to hunt Heartless and Shadow Lords was woven into the being of the group. To stay in one place for so long would lead to stagnation and complacancy. Chocobo and beetle stables were, unfortunately, not included so mounts must be kept elsewhere! Avira had been far afield when she received Maira's earlier radio. Her best friend sounded awfully distraught, so she had made her way back to Traverse Town with haste. Even then, the trip had taken a few hours and only just now is she stepping across the threshhold. |
| Maira | Maira practically tackles Avira as soon as she enters, as if she'd been poised by the door ready to spring. Distraught is an understatement, truly. She bursts into tears as soon as her arms come around her best friend. "So glad to s-see you! You'll never b-believe what happened--well maybe you would because ap-apparently I'm dense b-but...Angan, he's left Garland. Garland heard him talking to me about his attack and how you two planned it and he showed up and demanded Angantyr choose and--and--and--!" |
| Avira | Avira is all but POUNCED by her best friend fire mage and yelps in alarm. She manages, just barely, to not fall backwards and instead staggers her way into the guild hall. "Ack-" she vocalizes before anything else she might have said is drowned out by Maira's frantic talking. "Wait. WHAT? He LEFT Garland?" she sounds pretty shocked. Yes, the two had 'planned' the attack as to minimize the collateral damage but... "...is he still alive?" |
| Leon | Sadly Leon had /NO/ idea what has happened to Maira. He pretty much stayed away until the meeting point was given, which he was indeed keeping his word about coming alone. This just took him a bit to figure out where it was. He had to ask some funny looking guards with some nasty looking staffs and ignore the second degree looks he was getting. Leon could only guess his reputation even spread here by those looks and the fact he was pretty sure eyes were on him at all times as he walked. Then again, he remembered such looks when he came here to get a bite to eat as well. Thankfully unlike Wutai, it seemed those of Traverse Town would stay content to just watch and not say anything. Also, he would wear his sunglasses to hide his red eyes, but /someone/ had to break those. The jerk. So once Leon approaches the Headquarters he stares up at it and then inhales deeply. Carefully he started to walk toward the door to knock on it. He was pretty sure it was open; maybe; but he rather knock either way. Now, one may ask just what is Leon wearing since you could also be sure who ever is to answer would not see the man in dark armor. No, Leon was wearing a pair of black denim jeans, over a pair of hiking boots, metal shin guards. He had on a white t-shirt with the noticeable metal/leather forearm guards on both arms and black leather fingerless gloves on his hands. At his waist was a sword belt with a rather simple, but nice scabbard holding a just as simple of a sword. Though the odd part was, where the scabbard sat on; it would quickly indicate he was not a right handed man. Though he did have a dagger on his other side. One day though-- he need to find him a good bow and a quiver. Really. He missed firing arrows. |
| Maira | "Yes! Yes he's still alive. Garland didn't attack him. He...he says he's going to end the line of Vespar though. Said he's going to make him miserable and that he's going to break me and all manner of things--he thinks Angan did it for ME!" she replies, reaching up and trying to wipe away some of her tears. This is such madness! "I just...Perci called Angan cause he thought I was in trouble then Angan came and we had a chance to talk and I tried to convince him that he didn't need to do this--that he was better than this and that I was so worried for him and then...Garland..." Maira sits down. Even if she isn't near a chair, she sits down on the floor. She's trying not to hyperventilate, really she is. Then there is a knock at the door. "....Leon! Yes he's come to talk. Oh--oh dear," she says, trying to get herself in order. |
| Avira | A wave of relief hits Avira when Maira tells her that Angantyr was still alive-but it is temporary. Garland, she realizes, is not the type of individual that would just simply kill the target of his ire. He had all the time in the world to make them suffer. Indeed, he'd much more likely kill the people around Angantyr than Angantyr himself. So when he mentions ending the Vespar line, "...so his family..." Ah, but did Angantyr care enough about the rest of his family to mourn if they were killed? Avira had heard hardly a good word about them. "Break /you/?" Avira says coldly, "He'll have to go through me first." Which, she inwardly knows, he will. There's a knock at the door and Maira announces who it is before Avira can answer it, "Leon...oh, that guy." She opens it and...well, she's never seen Leon outside of armor. This man in the black gets a careful and suspicious look from the scarred woman before she gestures him inside. "Hello Leon. You are just in time to make us tea." |
| Leon | Leon is use to people giving him the once over, thankfully unlike someone else, Avira at least is nice enough to /not/ punch him... yet. "Ma'am.. you must Maira's friend she told me about." Not that he can recall her name. Damnit' he needs to get that journal! Ok. Once this is done, he is getting that journal! He steps inside and then offers Avira his hand, she was a much shorter woman, which was /nice/. Hanging around Rena you sometimes go off and forget how short the normal female population was to you. "It is a pleasure to meet you... and make tea?" he then laughs softy, "..Um.. isn't that not the guests responsibility?" The dark purpled hair man look rather confused by this. Leon even glances over to Maira as in to ask her if this was just a normal thing with her friend until he notices her face. He knows when a woman has been crying, he knows the redness in the face, no matter how much they tried to hide it. Curse of having a little sister really. "..is.." He looks at Avira, "..everything ok? If I need to go, I will." |
| Maira | "Not just the family he has--but a-any family he has to come," she replies quickly, blushing. "--and yes, he wants to save Rellius. He said we must go to Arcadia." Maira stands then, wiping her tears and trying to get it together. She has a smile ready for Leon when he arrives, tear-stained or not. She even laughs lightly when Avira says Leon is in time to make tea. "I'll make tea, she's joking...I...well, I'll tell you the story. I'm okay, kind of. Heh, well another Shadow Lord is decided he wants to make me miserable or not exist anymore so there's that," she says in disbelief. It is just so ridiculous. Maira moves to the kitchen to start preparing tea. "Leon, this is my best friend Avira. Avira....Leon," she introduces. She glances to her side then, Uist appears (to her at least) "There you are! Uist I don't even know what to do--I'll talk to you later about it, okay?" she says. To Leon, it must seem she's talking to an imaginary friend. |
| Avira | No, there is no punching. No stabbing, no jumping, no hissing or spitting at Leon over what he's done to them both in the past. No retribution for his efforts to slay her in front of Maira. There is only wariness. Leon can see the pelvic bone-shaped hilt of the Spine poking out at her left hip though he'd probably not recall this odd weapon. "Avira." she reminds him, lifting an eyebrow. A hand is offered and she takes it, shaking firmly. "It's funny, the last time you visited, you took the liberty of making us all tea." She turns, though she doesn't put her back to him fully, always keeping herself somewhat facing the former Dark Knight. "Well, our lives all just got a shade more complicated as of last night. Maira can explain." Avira seats herself, crossing one scarred-skin leg over the other. When talk of Uist starts happening, Avira doesn't seem phased by it at all. This was a normal thing to her now. |
| Leon | Leon raises an eyebrow at Maira. "..Another shadow lord huh? You should like your becoming a popular lady." He says in some sarcasm in his voice. "..also if there is a story to go along with the remark, I am sure it is something else. Seems like all the stories are." He almost frowns a little. He can only imagine as the Dark Knight what he might have done to rile the anger of tea-making. Maybe he broke all their china as one of these 'tests' Maira told him about. He could almost mock himself now... 'I have come to test you. By breaking your finest china! *SMASH* Doesn't that make you angry, har har'. 'Oh noos, not our china! You monster!' 'Har har' Picture that in chibis and your all set! But yes, he had no idea how the Dark Knight would even honestly act. Outside he sounds like the darker side of his more anger version of when he get pissed or-- very, very focused on the hunt. Oh-- and what Maira explained to him, but that was still hard to imagine. Sadly he does not recognize the interesting weapon, though he does study it for a moment. "Pleasure to meet you, Avira." He cants his head to the side. "..also nice weapon. Looks pretty handy." He decides to add on to try and cool down any air; perhaps to even keep his own emotions in check. "..and I did?" He then looks even more confused. "Why in hell's name would I make people tea when I apparently had the reputation of trying to throw them under a carriage?" This now took that earlier mental image now with him as the Dark Knight in a maid apron and with a duster.. and that har har still included. He just stared out in space and blinked a few times before he shakes his head. "...man.." He then rubs the back of his neck as he tries to to toss out this mental image. "And yes, please do explain. I may be able to help in some way." Leon says with a slight nod of his head, though he does wonder who the heck Maira was talking too. Strange woman be strange. |
| Maira | Maira hands Leon his cup of tea first, then Avira, then herself. "We should all sit..." she says, actually moving to a chair this time. Maira looks to Leon, smiling sheepishly. "Not the kind of popularity I want--and its not likely to last because--well at this rate I'm not likely to last," she explains. "Yes, the Dark Knight was just here once when we can back, sitting, then started to make tea. It was extremely bizarre. I suppose he did it to unnerve us...then we went outside, then there was a fight," she says, looking down at her tea for a while. "So...well, Avira knows more about Garland than I do, but he's...terrifying. A Shadow Lord, but he seems more. A...A friend of ours he was...well, sort of his apprentice..." she says, looking toward Avira, thinking she knew more about this part than she did. |
| Leon | The former Dark Knight listens to what has been going on with poor Maira in silence as he takes a seat in one of the chairs and nods a thank you to her for the tea as well. He kicks one leg over the other and gently drinks the tea. It was better then the water and many assorted liquor drinks he has been having, that is for sure. "I see.. so this Garland is the big bad of the shadow lords, the guys is apparently pissed off about something, and now he is chasing after you for.. whatever reason.. and he probably will chase you down for time and memorial?" Leon gets a bit of a dead pan look on his face as he sips his tea and then raises an eye brow. "...sounds like the guy needs his ego popped before it gets so big it crushes him and the world." |
| Avira | Avira looks over her shoulder just a little more at Leon as he compliments her on her weapon. "You should see the whole thing." She's not going to draw her weapon right now, though, since she didn't plan to draw her weapon on him unless things went south. This includes just to 'demonstrate' it. Accepting her tea, Avira starts sipping it right away, enjoying this moment of not having to say anything herself. Maira can explain-she'll jump in with clarifications as needed. She will nod along when the tea incident is described. "What we know about Garland is also distressingly little. I'm still trying to research him but hitting so many dead ends. Yes, Angantyr Vespar. He was apprenticed to Garland for quite some time, learning to control the darkness he was born with inside of him. Much of his fighting style he learned from Garland." |
| Leon | Leon then cuts a glance over to Avira as she further explains. "..Right.. so.." He then places down his leg and leans back in the chair, almost balancing it on its back two legs. "..Garland trained this guy. This guy is his apprentice. Maira did something with this, Angantyr.. pissed off Garland cause he is like.." He tries to do this horrible macho voice, "Don't touch my stuff!" and then ahems as he sips his tea. "Which has no lead to-- him chasing after Maira for time and memorial because his apprentice didn't do what Garland wanted and Garland is having a temper tantrum." He leans forward, the chair thumping on its two front legs. "Got it. Garland is an ass and needs to have his front teeth kicked in." "Unless there is more to this, but-- I am just taking wild guesses here." He then takes another sip of the tea. "..I also probably should not be talking bad about this guy cause he may try to crush me under his boot like an ant, I am sure, but I really don't give a damn to be honest." |
| Maira | Maira turns a very bright shade of red. "It isn't because I touched his stuff. He wouldn't care about me at all...but he's going to want to hurt Angantyr because Angantyr betrayed him by...not being as evil as Garland wants him to be? I guess? And....Angantyr says he um--loves me...." she answers, very quietly, staring VERY intently at her tea. |
| Avira | "No, it's a little more complex than that. Maira is actually one of...many things pulled together. Garland did not seem to approve of the influence of those who would call him their friend, ultimately. Because in the end, Angantyr decided to shield his friends from one of Garland's plots." Avira sighs, "We tried to make it look otherwise and even then, it hurt just as much as if it was real. He came and destroyed this building in Garland's name." She falls silent and looks into her tea, her expression unreadable. |
| Leon | Leon listens to all this once more. Both that Maira stating that this man who Garland is angry at loves her and the fact that he was also used to attack this building. It was an interesting puzzle to stare at and shuffle the pieces around with. Typically everything has a motive, everything has a reason, so what was Garland's real reason behind all this and could he be stopped? More correctly, could someone protect Maira from this mad-man's games? Leon took another sip of his tea in the silence, before he places the cup down on the table and clasps his hands together as he taps his index knuckle against his lips in thought. His eyes really looking at nothing particular as he thinks silently to himself. Those red eyes just staring at nothing, before he closes them with a heavy sigh. "..great.. so.. I am guessing there is no way to reason with this guy right? Once he makes up his mind, that is that?" He shrugs his shoulders then. "..well.. sounds like you need to learn how to wield a sword Maira and fight." He then looks at her. "Because if you don't have anyone around you to protect you, your going to have to defend yourself-- and beyond magic at that.. and beyond that.. fickle light of yours." |
| Maira | Maira looks up toward Avira, looking extremely distressed. She's going to have to make a choice, and that scares her almost as much as Garland. All she wants is her best friend's advice. Maira looks back to Leon when he suggests she learn to use a sword, shaking her head. "I don't think that's a good idea. I don't even think I could swing a sword! My magic is strong though, I've been using it to defend myself for a while. I think I have a better chance of that than a sword against /him/," she replies. "Maybe I could learn how to use a gun or something...but no I'm not a swordswoman I'm sure of that. I was really sick a lot as a child and its left me pretty weak physically." |
| Avira | "If there is a way to reason, we haven't discovered it yet." Avira pipes up rather optimistically. Maybe they haven't appealed to the right senses yet, but at the same time, with someone as psychopathic as Garland they likely did not want to appease or negotiate. "Maybe there is something we could say to convince him to give up this endless cycle of battle he's so into but I look at him in the eyes and get the sense that it's part of his nature. There's...no man underneath that armor. Not in the way you were. I've hit him and you with my weapon..." She looks up at Leon, eyes piercing, "You bled. He did not." Avira catches that look from Maira and her gaze softens. My, Maira did look distraught. "Or maybe a bow and ar...no, that would still take some measure of strength to draw back the bowstring. But a gun would help. Maybe you should speak to Mercade, he uses guns." |
| Leon | Leon raises an eye brow at Avira, "Oookay? So he doesn't bleed. Big deal. Probably chop off his head and that be that." He then shrugs his shoulders softly as he leans back in the chair. "..I am sorry if I don't share the same level of fear of this man, but when you have lost everything in your life.. death-- death becomes a very welcoming thing." "After all, there is a saying about fear a man with nothing to lose." He then places out his hands to the side, before he looks over to Maira. "..I can actually show you how to use a bow, sadly not a gun. I taught my sister how to use one and how to hunt." He smiles softly, though there was sadness in his eyes. "..she was getting the hang of it.. before /he/ came to Fynn." His fingers tap on the arm chair, before he suddenly goes to stand up and just walks around a bit. Seeming to become suddenly restless. "..but yeah.. if maybe you can reason with him, then maybe you can solve the very heart of /why/ he is doing this. He sounds like someone who /has/ to have a reason for what he does, not just do things out of thin air." Though as he walks a bit of wisps of darkness flicker under his feet from time to time. |
| Maira | Maira sighs, then sips her tea. "I don't know if that is true, Leon. He is a force of nature...all the things he said last night it was like he took every ideal I value and flipped it on its head. He said that if Angan had betrayed him for selfish reasons he could forgive him. But to do it for his friends? Never. Is that really all that evil is? Opposing goodness? It seems so.../stupid/." Shaking her head, Maira stirs her tea and looks to Avira. She doesn't think there will be any reasoning with Garland. "There has to be a way...to destroy him." |
| Avira | Avira slowly shrugs, a little put off by all this irreverance of a "man" that could very easily kill her. "Oh, I'd love to be so blaise about this but I'm in no hurry to die. I've fought this guy and I'm nowhere near his level. Maybe one day I will be..." Trailing off, she looks to Leon and attempts to force a subject change, a little disgusted about how much Garland has been a topic of conversation as of recently. "He who exactly? You wanted to meet with Maira to explain, right? So start explaining." |
| Maira | "I assume he means Emperor Mateus, of Palamecia," she offers. "Indeed, we would like to know more about him. I've been warned he's very, very powerful," she comments. Of course he is. VALKYRI doesn't do anything half assed, especially getting into trouble. |
| Leon | Leon continues to pace around. His red eyes not really focusing on either of them. His thoughts grinding on the issue with Garland including everything Maira explained to him. He wouldn't let anything happen to Maira, only because she was perhaps the back up if Rena couldn't control the darkness. He /needed/ her. The former Dark Knight slows his steps down as they change topics and mmrhs softly. "..Right.. I did tell Maira I would tell her about my sister.." He says softly, his eyes loosing that stern look for the moment. "..and yes.. Mateus is.. a very powerful individual. Cunning like a fox, honest-- which is the worst part, and.. a sorcerer." He stops in his step and he shakes his head softly. "Maria.. my sister.. she was younger then I was. I took care of her because both our mother and father passed away." He clicks his tongue gently. "..I brought in the money, the food, everything. I took care of her because she was all I had of our family. Yeah-- maybe she was a little spoiled, but, she was a good young lady. She hung out with our friends rather often as well.. Firion and Guy. Firion was.. something else. There was not a weapon that guy could not wield." There was a sad smile on his face. "Actually Firion and I use to spar rather often, most of the time ending in draws." He says with a soft chuckle. "..Maria would always root for him though.." |
| Maira | Maira turns to Leon, nodding as she listens attentively to his story. The one thing he doesn't include is what happened to her. Is she still alive? "Is...she still around?" she asks gently, already preparing for bad news. There was more of it than good as of late. So many families lost to darkness. Maira wonders then about Mateus. Could he be as powerful as Garland? They don't really know much about him, it is possible. Garland can't be the only force out there. Of course, Maira isn't sure if that's good or bad. The world liked balance, didn't it? If there were things are terrible as Garland and Mateus, there must be people who are strong enough to oppose them, right? |
| Avira | "Ah yes, the man that attacked you once you had broken the Dark Knight? Or so I hear." Avira's eyes narrow, "...since I was unable to arrive in time for you that day." There is no small amount of bitterness in her voice at that. She seems rather broken up on being unable to have helped her friend at the time. She finishes up her cup of tea and sets the empty vessel aside on the table. Her hands come together, fingertips touched to fingertips, as she listens to Leon describe the sorceror. Her eyes fall down to the wisps of darkness that follow his steps and her muscles tense up a little bit. Relaxed she may seem, should she have needed to spring into action, she would have gladly done so in order to defend Maira. After listening for a few more moments, she points out, "So you do have some memories of how you were supposed to be?" |
| Leon | Maira asks her question and Leon lowers his head a bit a few of the bangs fall loose from their place as he shakes his head, the darkness seems to wisp a bit more for a moment before he seems to call it into check. "..she died.. she.. Firion.. Guy.." He says softly. "..when Palamecia forces came to Fynn, we couldn't stop them. No one could. Magic burned the city and his men that marched in were not only on steeds that were heavily armored, but.. those with red eyes... you couldn't kill them. Firion planted a sword right though one of their necks.." He motioned to where on his own. Right in the center down near the collar bone. "..it went clean through. The knight eventually got back up and continued to come after us." "Eventually we were cut off by several horsemen.. I was knocked out when I saw the others become overran by the forces.." His hands by now are in fists and are shaking with some sense of anger. Darkness starting to form around the clasped hands as he sneers his teeth with his eyes closed tightly shut. "..the damn bastard burned down our city and we couldn't do /anything/. None of our forces.. no one.." He snaps open his eyes at last to see the darkness over his hands. He quickly shakes his hands hissing at himself for losing some sense of control over it and seems to slightly will it away once more. He then looks over to Avira. "I have memories of my past yes. I remember staring at Mateus when I was brought before him trying to edge him on to take my life." He snorts in annoyance. "..then there was.. darkness.. then when I came too it was out in the city of Fluorgris where Mateus was cackling away and everyone was fighting." Leon then motions over to Maira. "..and that is cause of her doing.. but.. anything between that /time/ and that /moment/.. I don't remember anything." "That is why I am seeking answers to /what/ I did as the Dark Knight. Maybe trying to figure out the motive, Mateus plan, maybe-- even try to see if.. anything may.." He sneers softly. "..if maybe something is.. off." The former Dark Knight narrows his eyes. "Mateus told me I would have to come back to him eventually. Maybe if I can solve some of this, I could find the means not too... so far.. that has been a bust and I am..not liking some things that are /starting/ to happen. So I am running out of time." |
| Maira | Maira's amber eyes look to Avira, tilting her head slightly as she hears the bitterness in her voice. "You know I don't blame you for not being there...heh, you've had enough trouble--seems no end to it huh?" she comments, trying to summon a smile for Avira's benefit. Maira looks back to Leon, her eyes sad as he describes what happened to his sister and his friends. She reaches out to put a hand on his shoulder, comforting. "I'm so sorry for your loss. I don't have any family left either. After my world fell...well, I found a new family," she says, smiling to Avira. "I want to help you Leon, but there are others who may be able to help you more. There's a wizard, Merlin...maybe we could find him. Or we could see Isaac, he seems to know a lot of things," she suggests, glancing to Avira again. "I feel like the Dark Knight was testing people to...take the measure of the world. Maybe see if there were any who would likely oppose Mateus. Maybe he was just...scouting, looking for threats or allies," she offers. |
| Avira | Attention remains upon Leon as he speaks, a wince overcoming Avira's scarred features when he admits that his sister and all of his friends died-killed by the Palamecia forces. Killed by unstoppable knights that sounded a lot like what Leon had become. It's a haunting, emotional tale that's clearly having an effect on Avira. But she shifts a little when she sees the darkness starting to teem around him again. Her left hand drops away to casually rest upon the hilt of the Spine. "So all in between. You don't remember a word you said to us...to Maira. Hm. I believe the Dark Knight was judging people's hearts. You know, the amount of light and darkness in each. Maira's obviously got a really light-filled Heart." She leans forward, looking at Leon. "What things are starting to happen?" A beat, "Isaac. Or Merlin. We might want to go with Merlin. Isaac has been busy." |
| Leon | Leon allows Maira to place her hand on his shoulder and he gives her a gentle nod of his head, though silence remains over him. He was in deep consideration, just trying to mostly calm his own nerves before the darkness exploded out like it did when Percival pushed to hard. It was hard to control, harder without Rena here to shush it down. "Not a thing." He says again to Avira. "..I don't even know how.. this happens." He motions to the bits if wisps of darkness that have yet to go away. "I don't know what he /did/ or even /has/ done to me." His hands then fall by his side with a heavy sigh. "..and maybe I should go seek at this Merlin.. maybe.." Leon glances off to the side. "..as for what? Well." The former Dark Knight looks at her. "..you said the Dark Knight could judge.. Light and Dark of people's hearts right? Well.." He tilts his head. "..that is what I am starting to see.. the brightness and dimness around someone's heart.." |
| Maira | Maira sighs softly. Of course, it couldn't have been so easy. It is never easy. The wisps are darkness are returning, and though he fights them they may eventually take over. Mateus seemed so sure that they would. Maira doesn't move, leaving her hand where it is, calling up her magic to channel healing energy into Leon. Fire can be death, but it is also life. Ask anyone who lives where the nights are long and bitterly cold. This isn't what she'd done to him before, but the light of her heart shines true and she hopes that it will have the same, soothing effect as Rena's song. Heh, hadn't she once sang to the beasts in the dessert? Lulling them into not attacking? The only thing she can think to sing is music from Manhattan. Appropriate, for a world that stands as the first example that the darkness can be beat back--the life can triumph. "I've journeyed here and there and back again, but in the same old haunts I still find my friends. Sympathies I'm ready to return. I'll make and effort, love can last forever, graceful swans of never topple to the earth. Tomorrow's just an excuse..." she sings softly. Her voice is very pretty, if a bit shy. She's no Rena. She doesn't know if this will work. But makes her feel a little better, at least. |
| Leon | Leon looks away and though Maira puts some light into the works and her singing was nice, it seems to maybe calm back the darkness, but he seems still very lost on what to do. The former Dark Knight closes his eyes and sighs softly at his own thoughts. "...Maira.. Did I.. I honesty do the things that were written up in Wutai's newspaper? Did.. I actually kill people and-- consume someone's heart? Is... that.. what could happen to me if this progresses any further? I turn into some kinda of... monster?" He then laughs softly and glances off to the side. "..again.." |
| Maira | There is no sense in lying to him. She can't lie for beans. She takes a deep breath and nods her head. "It wasn't you, Leon. It was the Dark Knight. He used your body but it is Mateus who is responsible for these things, not you," she says, trying to get him to look back at her, to look into her eyes and see the conviction there. "I won't let him take you back either. I'll fight him. You'll fight him...we won't just let ourselves be pushed around by these Shadow Lords. The world Avira's from, it fell to darkness. We lost it. But we got it /back/. Everyone fought for it, and its back. Don't give up hope," she pleads. How much of her time recently has been spent trying to convince men they are not monsters? Too much. Far too much. |
| Leon | Leon smiles softly, but it was a sad smile. He looks over to her and gently goes to place his hand on her shoulder. "...You are so much like Maria." He lowers his head slightly. "So hopeful, so optimistic. Its refreshing, it really is." He then goes to take her hands gently into his before trying to warm up his sad smile. Though his eyes tell all the truth. The hint of deep regret and sadness in them. "Thank you for caring. Its.. warming." He then leans down and then kisses the top of her hand. " But this is a fight I am not sure we can win. Beyond destroying Fynn," Yes, Leon is unaware it was rebuilt! "..he.. what else has he done? He used the Dark Knight as tool to check things out, but beyond that-- what else? You provoked him out when you went to free me.. so.. apparently long as you leave him alone, like some big cat, he seems to pretty much ignore the world." "That is what I have gathered so far.. that is what I have seen from what you two have said and articles on the Dark Knight's exploits. Many didn't even know until that point the Dark Knight was even part of Palamecia. He didn't want the world to /know/. Why? Unless.. we ask him.. we wont know." Leon then rubs the back of his neck. "..I guess.. that would be the next order of business.. going straight to the Dragon's den." |
| Avira | Avira has been silent, watching this all unfold, considering her own experiences with the Dark Knight. She could, with pretty good accuracy, relate their encounters if she wanted to. Even in the moments where no fighting was exchanged, Avira remembers their words well since it had marked one of the times in her life where she found herself so fiercely protective of something-someone. Maira. Leon's question is a heartbreaking one. Will he become a monster again? Avira wanted to say no but she didn't know. "But it's too early to tell at this point." The fingerless gloves on Avira's hands creak as she squeezes them into fists. "But Maira is right. If we could bring back a whole world from the darkness..." She looks at him, fiercely determined, "Then we can find a way to bring back /one man/ who doesn't want to be there." Silent again, she thinks. "Well..." she adds, "...anything we could find out about Mateus could only help." |
| Maira | Maira smiles softly up at Leon, quite touched by the comparison to his sister, as he'd obviously cared for her a great deal. "I would have like to meet her. She was very lucky to have a brother like you," she answers. "Fynn...we've been to Fynn. It isn't destroyed...I mean I suppose they rebuilt--" then something occurs to her. Her eyes widen and she grips Leon's hands tightly. "Leon, you don't remember being the Dark Knight...maybe, if Mateus did /that/ to you...maybe he could also mess with your memories...its just a thought, but maybe..." she can't say anymore. Its probably a crazy notion. She doesn't know what is possible. Maira looks back to Avira, smiling with renewed hope. Forgotten at least for a little while are her problems. "That's right. We can do this. And I don't want to give him what he wants by waltzing up to his palace gates!" |
| Leon | Leon glances between the two women and then gives a soft nod to Avira. He ponders over all this himself a bit more. Falling silent once more as his mind start to turn on everything, though Maira calls his attention back when she tells him about Fynn. "..What?" He stares at her in disbelief, even as she takes his hands and bring up the possibility that maybe they were false memories, yet they were so real. Far to real to be fake and if Fynn was back.. how.. it was.. The former Dark Knight shakes his head before he pulls his hands away and then steps away from Maira. "..I thank you for listening to me and giving me some insight. I think I know where my next order of travel is and that is to Fynn." He then looks at Maira, then to Avira. "The only question I have before I travel there. What were the people like and was there any Palamecian troops there?" "The latter is far great then the former because it gives me a heads up on if I will be pounding ten heads into the ground or not." It seems like he may have switched his gears from depression to sudden determination. |
| Maira | Maira watches Leon's mood change, her smile slipping. She'd put the idea in his head, now he had to find out for himself. She can't blame him, but she's afraid for him. "Leon, be careful...I...we were not there long when we went. The only time we went, the Dark Knight was there, approached us. We only talked. He...offered my gifts. It was really weird. The people there seemed...normal though, I don't know. There were some guards and the like but I don't know what a Palamecian soldier looks like," she says, wondering if she should offer to go with him. Another really good question, where was Angantyr? Did he go to Arcades without her? |
| Avira | "Indeed." Avira interjects. "Fynn seemed very much like a normal, happy place. While it may have been under the protection of Mateus, there was really no evidence that it was controlled by a power-hungry sorderor. There were..patrols in the streets, to include the dark knight, but nothing beyond that." Only now does Avira's hand fall away from the hilt of her weapon. "Quite a bit of time must've elapsed since you became the Dark Knight." |
| Leon | "Palamecian Soldiers normally have dark armor. Black to gray." Leon explains as he looks over to Maira. "They also tend to ride on horses, not on Chocobos-- I don't even think a Palamecian would be caught dead on a Chocobo-- or even knows what one is.. they were.. extremely rare in our world, so much so that they were nearly fables." Leon then watches as Avira seems to relax and he gives her a nod. "..Its seems so.. I was nineteen when I became the Dark Knight.. I... think my brain is younger then my body or soul.." He says with a shrug of his shoulders. "You should hear the arguments with myself. They are rather hilarious." The former Dark Knight then looks toward a window, seeming lost in thought. "Look. If you both would like to come with me, you can. I wont stop either of you. Rena is busy with-- something or another and seeing Fynn again.." His voice trails a bit. "..lets just say having some company that can whack me upside the head may be helpful." "Because if the people are /honestly/ happy-- I may be throttling some folks to see if they turn to black dust in my hands for being a traitor to their own country." Leon snorts in frustration at that thought. "Never been a patriot, but I would think /someone/ would have to be angry with Palamecia beyond myself." |
| Maira | Maira can't imagine how Leon must feel. How long was he the Dark Knight? How old was he now? He looked to be around the same age as Angantyr....not that she even knew how old Angantyr was, she just knew it was vaguely older than she was. Maira nods to Leon then, summoning a smile. "Yes, I'll go with you," she says. Oh dear she can hear several people wailing protests in her head. One of them is Uist, who's scolding she is at least not imagining! "I may...also need to go to Arcades briefly..." she says, looking to Avira. She'll know why. |
| Avira | "If we knew in advnce, maybe. I'm not sure if I feel okay with Maira' travelling around Fynn. Guardian or not." Avira adds suddenly when Leon proposes walking around Fynn, "Else I would be far more enthursiastic about that advice." "As for other travel...yes, there is Archades." She doesn't menetion a time but seems surprised that Maira would mention it. "We should, yes." |
| Maira | "Just a second..." she says to Avira and Leon, then wanders off to the other room for a few minutes that are likely not awkward at all, nope. Maira returns and looks to Avira. "Angan says he'll come to. To Fynn," she replies. |
| Leon | "Well. If you both decide.. it wont be for a few days until I head that way." Leon says calmly, thinking on a few things. He then reaches into his pocket and pulls out a red pearl. He tosses it to Avira. "If you need to contact me, use that.. or visa versa." He says with a smirk. Then gives a nod about this.. Angan coming along, "Very well. Like I said, it wont be for a few days. I need to get things together. So.. maybe friday?" He chuckles. "..we will see." The former Dark Knight starts to head for the door. "..You both have a good evening and thank you for the tea.. along with the time." He then opens the door and makes his way out. |
| Maira | She wants to hug him. Would that be too forward? Nah, screw it. She hugs him. "Take care Leon! Stay in touch," she says, then lets him go and sees him out the door. |
| Leon | Leon blinks at the hug and smiles softly, "You too, Maira. Try to not cause to much trouble, hm?" He then gives a wave to Avira before he continues his way out. |