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No title.
(2013-04-03 - 2013-04-03)
No description.
Artemis Eurus After the zombie madness near Mullonde, it was time for the heretic camp to move once more. Artemis had considered complaining that Ramza needed to rest, not travel, but if the Church found him they'd be running anyway.

Now, when she'd heard where they were going, Artemis gave Ramza a long a curious look before finally smiling.

Camp had been set, tents pitched, a mess area arranged, a large fire pit built, complete with a roaring fire over which is currently roasting a few rabbits Artemis had snared for them earlier that day whilst they traveled. She will have to take Ramza hunting sometime soon. That would be interesting she was sure.

Artemis is tending the spit over the fire, giving it a turn before she sits back down and continues to sharpen her katana with meticulous focus, each stroke loving and precise. Now and then she looks up just to stare at the scenery, her expression thoughtful but serene.
Ramza Beoulve Ramza Beoulve wasn't actually wearing his typical armor. More foreigners had influxed into China as of late, and the last time he came here, he had modified a set of traditional Ivalice Samurai armor to look more in line with the standard issue armor for the Imperial army. And so he was wearing that yet again, with a headband wrapped once around his head and tied behind it.

As Ping had aptly put it, in China, clothes make the man, and noone would dress with a warrior that was so handsom...smartly dressed. That part of Ping's statement still puzzled him, perhaps it was just a mistranslation.

Once he'd overseen the construction of the camp, he would walk towards the cooking fire, watching her at work. He couldn't help but smile, he enjoyed seeing his friends happy, and everyone but Marlowe was happy to have returned to China "Enjoying the view? This country can be breathtaking at times."

He tried to ignore his memories of the Shinra reactor marring the landscape.
Artemis Eurus Artemis turns to look toward Ramza as he approaches, nodding her agreement. "See the mountain there?" she says, pointing off into the distance. "Those are the Wuyi mountains. Some of the most famous tea varietals in China is grown in those mountain....and somewhere is the site of the temple where the fire tieguanyin was found according to legend," she replies.

"Sit, the rabbit should be done," she comments, motioning for him to have a seat on the ground as she lays her sword gently aside and pulls the meat off the spit. A hungry company of Braves soon gather for their share of the catch. Artemis takes a knife from her belt and uses a cleaned off rock to place the rabbit upon and cut up accordingly, passing out meat as people approach. Ramza is served first, as leader.

"That was....an interesting situation down near Mullonde," she comments to him once all the meat has be divided.
Ramza Beoulve His gaze would sweep over the mountain range. He had to admit, they were beautiful. He could see why people would grow tea upon their high peaks. The rest of her words are unfamiliar to him, so he'd ask for clarification. "What is the fire tieguanyin? I've never heard that legend before."

He'd take a seat, and allows himself to be served first, but even so he'd not actually take the first bite until everyone had been given their portions. He had to admit, it was delicious, as he took small bites of it. "It was. It, puzzles me... I thought for certain we'd find the Dark Knight we encountered in Fluorgis there, but instead we found a Witch."

Helena in the background was speaking to Sheryl idly about how, even though she's retired as an Inquisitor, how she'd have little trouble burning /that/ witch at the stake.

He'd give Artemis a small grin. "The trip wasn't for naught though. We did a good thing there, and learned something we wouldn't have otherwise. We need to keep abreast of her search for that vault... If it truly contains the treasures of the Glabados faith, then it might have one of the stones within."
Artemis Eurus Artemis smiles some, shaking her head. "I will tell you the story. Tieguanyin is one of the most famous teas in China. The legend says that there was a rundown temple to Guanyin, a Chinese goddess of mercy and compassion where her iron statue lay. A man named Wei walked by the temple every day on the way to his tea fields. Saddened by the worsening condition of the temple, the poor tea farmer brought incense and a broom from his home, cleaning up the temple and lighting incense to Guanyin."

"That evening, Guanyin appeared to him in a dream, telling him there was a cave behind the temple where he would find a glorious treasure. Wei listened to his dream and located the cave. Inside, he found a single shoot of the tea plant. Wei planted this in his field and watched it prosper, naming the varietal tieguanyin after the goddess."

Artemis takes a bite of her potion then, chewing, staring longingly at the mountains. "It is likely just a legend, but perhaps...heh."

"Tch...just another enemy to watch out for. That witch. I regret I did not get to engage her directly, though I'm sure I will have another chance," she comments.
Ramza Beoulve The young man would listen to the story, smiling. It was a beautiful story after all. It certainly took his mind away from the false legends of his own world. "A lovely tale. Is this tea available to foreigners? I think I'd like to purchase some, if so."

And then on the witch, he'd take another bite of the coney meat she'd offered to him, thinking upon it as he chewed. "I'm sure we shall. That one isn't likely to give up.. Mayhaps she's drawn to the power the stones have to offer her. Or there might be something else she seeks within the Church. When I inquired about her, I discovered that she's been invading other Cathedrals of the Church, leaving only a trail of living dead in her wake."
Artemis Eurus Artemis frowns deeply. "I will keep my ears open for rumors of her presence then. If she is looking for one of the stones, she cannot be allowed to possess it," she replies, her tone dropping dangerously. "I do not like those who disturb the honored dead," she adds. No doubt, she is thinking about her father and what she would do if he was raised in such a manner.

"As for the tea...we could possibly acquire some. I spent enough time here that I learned some of the language at least. Zhou would have some though. We'll have to pay a visit," she says with a nod.

"Ramza," she says suddenly, turning toward him. "You should grow a beard." Random.
Ramza Beoulve Ramza would be frowning as well. "I certainly can't fault you for that, I feel the same way about desecration of corpses."

A nod as she spoke of Zhou. "We can certainly pay our respects to your friend while we're here."

And then at random, she asks him to grow a beard, almost reflexively he'd be stroking his chin. "My Lord Father had a beard, and so do my brothers. Their hair is better suited to it, I'd think. I inherited my blonde hair from my mother, I don't think that color would frame my face quite so well."

And already the gossip was starting in the back of the camp about how Ramza would look with a beard. Some would agree with Artemis, while others with Ramza. Marlowe would speculate that he /can't/ grow a beard with that baby face of his.
Artemis Eurus Artemis is wondering the same as Marlowe really. Except that Artemis would reach forward and place her hand against his cheek, feeling for stubble. "It would be something of a disguise, that was my thought. Though I do think you would look handsome with a beard. Beards are generally darker than the hair," she replies thoughtfully, examining his face. Might age him some. Help him be less recognizable immediately, which would open up their options when it came to traveling.
Ramza Beoulve Oh he was quite capable of growing a beard, despite misbegotten rumors to the contrary.

As she touched her hand against his cheek, he'd give her a suprised look, before mulling it over. "Mayhaps. I'll consider it. I just don't want to take on the features of my Lord Father. I don't feel worthy of wearing that austere face." He'd even hated taking on his name for a time, even as a pseudonym, Ramza was absolutely terrible at deception outside of battle. He was good at feints and unconventional warfare at least.

And perhaps the question on his mind, that went unspoken, is whether Louis also kept the features of his Father, and whether that hurt her all the more to see something of her Father in him.
Artemis Eurus Artemis lowers her hand, perhaps looking a touch surprised herself. She smiles then, the beginning of a cheshire grin. "You're getting used to me," she comments lightly. "Why should you not want to favor your father? You do not think he would be proud of you? Sure, you have been labeled heretic, but you have done what is right and you know it," she replies, her deep voice gentle.

No, Louis didn't strongly favor her father anymore than Artemis did. They both favored their mother.

Artemis reaches to pull her wineskin from her belt, opening it and taking a sip before she passes it to Ramza. It is filled with strong mead.
Ramza Beoulve He'd grin sheepishly. "Maybe a little." But then his expression would become more somber. "I think he would be proud of me certainly, but I still don't feel like I'm worthy of the man's legend. The hero of the fifty Years War, Ivalice's greatest Knight, the Lord of the Beoulve family before my brother shamed his memory and proved to me that a name, and blood means naught. Mayhaps when I felt that I've lived up to what he told me when on his death bed.."

He was so caught up in his thoughts that when Artemis passed him the wineskin, he must have thought it was water. When he takes a swig, his eyes widen after a moment, and then he's sputtering it out comically, causing the fire to hiss and briefly flare to life as the strong liquor touches it. He's wiping away his mouth afterwards. "W-What was that?"
Artemis Eurus Artemis chuckles softly. Not even a blush.

Her expression sobers as well as he speaks, for his story is a familiar one. "It is strange, isn't it?" she muses. "Our situations are oddly similar, are they not? At least the world doesn't think you killed your father, at least," she adds. That stings so badly. Not everyone she met would believe her as Ramza did.

At his reaction to the mead, Artemis blinks. "Mead...." she trails off, giving him the strangest look. "Good mead you just wasted."
Ramza Beoulve Already there was uproariously laughter within the camp. Even the most serious of the Braves, Theodore, was cracking a smile.

Ramza for his part, was flushed, his expression embarassed. He'd hand the wineskin back to her. "I'm not exactly certain I'm cut out for mead, Artemis.." And then he offered no other explanation for that.

The laughter in the camp just picked up though at his half-hearted excuse. After a time, he'd try to change the subject.

Coughing briefly, and clearing his throat, he'd continue. "Yes. In a way. Though my Father did not have to suffer the same indignity at least. It is a small comfort for me that he died happily, surrounded by his children, before he ever knew of the treachery that lay within his firstborn's heart."
Artemis Eurus Artemis can't help but laugh a little, shaking her head. "Nonsense Ramza, some mead will do you good," she replies, looking around to those who continue to laugh at him. It is naught but a glance, but suffice to say a good portion of the camp is now afraid of her and thus shuts up.

Art looks back to Ramza, frowning gently. "Yes, that is a blessing I wish my father had known," she replies, placing the bones of her meal aside. "I also think we should get dogs," she adds then, random, before moving back onto the difficult topic. "Did your brother kill him?" she asks.
Ramza Beoulve Silence now reigns throughout the camp as everyone suddenly remembers a far more important task they had to attend to. On the subject of mead, he doesn't respond to it, perhaps out of embarassment.

On his father and brother though, he was a little less reticent. "I don't believe so. He fell ill suddenly, and died in a tenday. I was at the academy at the time, and we didn't think he was dying until it was too late. It didn't seem /real/, that my Lord Father could be cast down by some foul miasma. I rushed back to Eagrose castle and only witnessed his final moments." He'd shake his head. "No, my brother's betrayal came afterwards. My father always cared for the common folk, but my brother..? He was harsh to them, and I could not see it. I suspect the Corpse Brigade's rise was his fault ultimately, but it is my burden to bear for not seeing my brother's hand in it. After I deserted..."

He'd lift his gaze up to the mountain range in the distance. "I worked as a sellsword named Goffard. He was like.. Angantyr, in many ways, except Angantyr has morals, a conscience, friends.. Goffard had no use for any of that, profit was all that he cared about. I would have left his employ immediately except that our first task was to protect Princess Ovelia Atkascha. During that mission I discovered that Goffard was actually in my brother's employ. He had sent Goffard to assasinate the Princess in order to legitimize Duke Larg's claim to regency. Needless to say, my Father would not be proud of him. He is /everything/ that my Father tried to warn us against becoming."

And then he'd fall silent for a time, before eventually asking. "Hounds? For hunting, or another reason?"
Artemis Eurus Perhaps that was a strange conclusion to jump toward. Not everyone was Louis....mad enough to slay his father.

Artemis listens to the tale, sipping her mead by herself now. Weirdo.

"Ah...ambition turns many a man monstrous," she remarks, either to Goffard or his brother she leaves unclear. Perhaps it is both.

"It is up to you then hmm? To bring honor back to the family name...preserve something for the next generation," she says quietly, looking away. The LeBlue name...if she is lucky, it will be forgotten. That is the best she can hope for.

"For hunting and for security. A dog has excellent senses, can warn you if someone or something is stalking you. Just another line of defense," she suggests with a shrug.
Ramza Beoulve "Ambition, and fear. My father proves that it is not power that corrupts.. 'tis the fear of losing it."

The young man would nod his head. "The next generation perhaps, but that hope will lay in my sister, I think, not myself. What of your own family honor, Artemis? Is there nothing of it you wish to preserve for its next generation?"

After a time he'd nod to her comments about the dogs. "I'll have Theodore procure us a pair in the near future. He's used to training them, from what I understand."
Artemis Eurus Artemis stands, turning from him. Touchy subject. Very touchy. "My father is dead, most of the family lost to darkness...my brother is mad...and I cannot have children. If I am lucky my family name will be fogotten," she replies, then busies herself with adding more wood to the fire.
Ramza Beoulve The young man would rise, placing a hand upon her shoulder. "So you can't have children, that doesn't mean you can't raise some all the same. Myself? I don't think your family name matters so much, but your actions? I think they're worth relating to the next generation. Your Father, I think he would be proud of you. Isn't that all that matters?"
Artemis Eurus Artemis resists the urge to shrug off his hand, shaking her head.

She is quiet for a time before she shakes her head slowly. "Sadly, no...not it is not," she replies.

"Neither of us are planning to survive this, are we?" she asks, crossing her arms beneath her chest.
Ramza Beoulve The young man would frown to himself, looking away. "Why not?"

And then the subject on whether they'd survive or not comes up. His hand would slip away, as he turned around himself. Thankfully noone else in the camp was close enough to hear them now. "I prefer to think optimistically. So I try to see in terms of what I'd do with the rest of my life if I survived..."

A short pause, and a sigh. "...but it does sound far-fetched. Even if we defeated the Church, there are at least five other Empires offhand that I can think of that are just as vile, if not worse. What sort of fool would I have to be, to think that I can defeat all of them?"
Artemis Eurus Artemis takes a deep breath. "No, you can't fight them all Ramza. Luckily, we are not the only people in the worlds fighting. We don't have to do it /all/."

The woman laughs then, shaking her head. "Blood and ashes Ramza, we are so depressing! I have half a mind to drink mead until the world looks sunny. Though it is no fun getting drunk alone," she says, glancing sidelong toward him.
Ramza Beoulve The young man would give her a wry smile. "Oh? You think so, do you? Right now, my enemy's greatest strength is that I'm not willing to involve civilians. I'm not even willing to try and press upon people who are sympathetic to take a leap of faith and join my cause. Lady Avira for example, she has to pretend that she doesn't know me, for fear of being labelled a heretic. She is the /princess/ of Manhatten, and as gallant a hero as she is, if we passed by each other on the road, I'd be lucky if she even nodded to acknowledge me. And if someone like herself is afraid of how her reputation might be tarnished by heresy, then what hope do I have of recruiting others? No. We don't have to do it alone, but sometimes it feels as if we are."

And then on drinking until the world looks sunny. "Mmm. I suspect there are other things one can do to brighten our view on this tarnished world besides drinking away our sorrows."
Artemis Eurus Artemis turns toward him as he tells about Avira. She isn't sure she knows the name, though apparently she is a princess? Seems Ramza knows a great deal of princesses. She sighs then, nodding as she steps closer to him and places her hand on his shoulder this time. "It is a difficult road we walk. A lonely one....a bloodied one...but it is the right one," she reminds him.

As for other ways to deal with their sorrows, Artemis raises a brow beneath her mask. "Oh? What do you have in mind?" she asks.
Ramza Beoulve He would actually smile cheerfully as she tried to comfort him. "You sound much as my Father, when you say that...his final words to me were..."

He'd look her in the eyes, speaking the words as if he'd heard them just yesterday. "...Ours is the soul of a knight. Become a knight worthy of your name. Tolerate no injustice. Stray not from the true path. You will know the path you must walk. A Beoulve can can walk no other. Take care of your sister. And show these brothers of yours what it is to be a knight..."

And then he'd look away. "I failed him in regards to Alma, I shan't for the rest of it."

And then on what else they could be doing. It would probably be no suprise to Artemis that his suggestions were entirely innocent. "I was thinking a hike along the countryside and its fields. This seems like too splendid a country to waste our time on something that would cause us to forget it.."
Artemis Eurus "Your father sounds like a man I would be honored to know," she replies respectfully, raising her wineskin toward the heavens in toast. "To the honorable dead," she says, then sips.

"You have not failed...she may be out there still. We will find her if she can be found."

As he suggests a hike, Artemis almost facepalms. "Yes...a hike. That sounds lovely," she sighs.

 
This scene contained 27 poses. The players who were present were: Ramza Beoulve, Artemis Eurus