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Post by Remus on May 10, 2018 0:51:10 GMT -6
This was nice. In ways he couldn't quite articulate. Though he wasn't sure how he felt about the elderly woman that he was fairly sure, was a dragon, he was happy to be learning about Nayru's home, and tidbits of her past. Spending time with her, sitting down after a long and fairly murderous almost literally journey to get there, was the best way he could imagine to simply relax. A soft smile here, a faint chatter of laughter there, as he glanced occasionally to his sable haired comrade with mirth abundant enough for both of them. Lapis hair finally freeing itself some from the clinging vines look as the sweat slowly dried and the priest found himself cooling somewhat with some modicum of comfort, he was feeling more and more like his old self again. Slowly liberated from the oppression of the scorching heat they'd crossed outside the longer he was present. The shaggy haired Etrurian shifted a bit, still feeling strange without his robes on and feeling just a bit exposed compared to what he normally was, he tried to gauge the interaction between Nayru and this elder. It was so strange.
That didn't stop him from chuckling a bit as she audibly protested to the story, before the talk shifted to tea. Both were so exceptionally knowledgeable that it took him by a bit of a surprise still. They knew things he suspected he'd simply have forgotten. So for some significant portion he'd fallen silent and simply opted to listen. Happy, at-least to be in a place of some comfort. Even if some of those comforts made him uncomfortable. Though he was quick to follow Nayru despite this as she made to exit after several stories later. Though making his appreciation of the tales evident in his attentiveness to them and still fairly amazed that, at any given moment, he was in Arcadia and the implications that followed such a rather blatant fact. Almost everything that drew his attention. Every individual. Every building. Even the details on some, drew his notice for some passage of time if he wasn't careful. Occasionally focusing on Nayru and her direction to ensure he didn't get rather lost.
There was a noticeable difference in local after a few minutes. Though the people and animals had thinned and the crowds vanished, and the buildings changed to er..more..visibly less human like, in some instances, he still spotted grottoes and huts scattered throughout. The Priests fingers tightening around Thyrus slowly as he peered around corners curiously before they'd pass them. Trusting Nayru implicitly but still rather curious. Quietly, he'd look to her as they approached what felt like a lone house, drifting in the middle of the ocean compared to the veritable metropolis bustling prior. His eyes fixed on it almost squarely before Nayru turned to address him directly. Blinking as he glanced to her, and then back to the house. Looking at her with no mistake in his concern while he pivoted his head curiously. Though he did try to clear the air of a visibly noticed tension while Nayru looked to the door. He coughed quietly. Tapping his staff at the ground and taking but a brief moment to smile.
It was at this point he felt so...not confident. Determined? Encouraged? As if something set before him. Some task that he simply couldn't fail in. How strange. He didn't want to be a nuisance to Nayru, but this trip was obviously important to her. Important enough that he'd noticed a shift, and she'd allowed him to notice. That said volumes. He'd known her for what felt like several years of his life, in a far shorter span. Yet he could not recall someone he trusted more, aside maybe his sister. Though he wasn't quite certain at times..given her temperament...- his glance to Nayru caught her looking back to him one more time. He..dared to reach out. His hand lightly pressing to her shoulder before speaking with a smile. The most Remus thing possible maybe. Perhaps he was the most expertly trained one trick pony out there, but never had he felt so determined to simply try and be a pillar of support that his friend could lean on, were she to ever feel that need. He wanted to say something. Something upbeat. Happy. Warm. Friendly. Yet he didn't. It didn't feel appropriate. Perhaps it was tact? Maybe he could learn something after all! Instead, he lightly squeezed her shoulder before releasing and clasping at his staff once more.
What awaited them was...not what he would've expected. Though. Could he ever have actually guessed? No. No he could not.
Now. Remus was a young man, raised in the church that practiced modesty. Who had just come from an exotic cafe. The fact that the serious tone in his mind was so abruptly derailed by the female before him was salvaged only by him almost instantly becoming distracted by her horns. He couldn't be sure if it was lightning, or his eyes playing tricks on him or being accurate, but it looked like her horns had the same texture and composition as her skin. Though, he wasn't precisely an expert on dragonology given his lag of in depth experience on a plethora of specimen despite the evident attempts of a cafe owner to introduce him . However he was shaken from his stupor to look to Nayru when she mentioned a single word that almost caught him off guard. Home. Something about Nayru's tone, and referring it as such caught him off guard. Some sturdy unwavering pillar of support he was. His jaw didn't hang agape, but for a brief instant it seemed like it was about to before he started glancing around. Trying to take in the details, and look to Nayru, or this "Erim" he was now meeting in the flesh without looking to her much directly. He knew her appearance was going to distract him, and unlike the previous encounters in the city he knew this interaction probably housed great importance and emotional depth. He couldn't dare risk setting a bad first impression for human kind! He also knew he'd stare at her horns and that was probably rude.
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Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Aug 13, 2018 9:30:17 GMT -6
The kimono clad woman stared at Nayru for a few moments, a blur of unreadable emotion flashing across her eyes while her face remained almost stonily neutral. She felt like she was a kid all over again; never quite sure what the older woman was thinking, even how she saw her. A nuisance, a chore, or a child. After a pause, though, she spoke in tones all too familiar; the measured cadence and honeyed lilt marked by subtle influences of a thousand languages. "...Nayru."
If she hadn't been too busy being nervous at finally leaping ovaries-first into the exact meeting she'd spent several centuries avoiding, Nayru might have taken it as a bit of a personal victory that she had FINALLY managed to flap the unflappable elder dragon. As things stood she was too busy hoping the other woman didn't slam the door shut in her face. For better or for worse, the entranced manakete seemed disinclined to do so after a further moment, taking a step backward as she either regained control of herself or acted automatically, Nayru couldn't really tell.
"Yes... of course. Come in." Gone were the bemused undertones she was so used to, their absence almost alien, but the simple fact that Erim hadn't turned her away was enough to freeze Nayru was well for a moment. It took a few moments to realize that she wasn't moving, completely out of her depth and unable to even understand the emotions swelling through her chest much less single them out. As if her worst fears and greatest dreams had merged together into one unknowable existence.
So she just stood there. Acutely aware of her cowardice, loathing herself as much as her tendency to run away from the things that scared her - that for all the good crap she talked about punching stuff, in the face of someone that she was emotionally incapable of trying to hurt, all she could do was run like the worthless coward she was.
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Post by Remus on Aug 13, 2018 22:40:36 GMT -6
The tension in the air was almost like its own gravitational force. As if the weight of its oppressive presence was actually compressing downwards and asserting itself over the priests admittedly frail shoulders. If he was wearing his normally baggy blue robes, he'd have retreated so fast into them that he'd have become a genuine blue-berry. It was almost alien. To see Nayru's expression. Poise. Everything sundered in such an instance as if she'd been stripped clean of any form of certainty. This person was someone of supreme importance, and of that he could glean from what small tidbits were present in this initial encounter. However This was a moment in which Remus felt ever smaller. Feeling like a mouse next to Nayru was normal, for him. She was a dragon. She was powerful with collected lifetimes of knowledge and brave in the most dangerous of times. He was..Remus. Squishy, fumbling, Remus. However there was..a sense that overcame him. He wasn't quite sure if a mouse could really do much compared to a dragon. But he'd put those paws to work as best he could!
The lapis haired priest quietly lifted a single hand to rest on Nayru's sun-kissed shoulder. Still gentle given the fact that not only had she damaged that same shoulder earlier in their travels, but because he didn't want to startle her. Pressing just enough to ensure all five fingers clutched to her with the slightest squeeze so she could register his presence. He'd taken his eyes off the ashen skinned female rather easily to look with at first concern, and then gave her the single most "Remus" smile he'd ever given anyone. If he could imbue her with the unwavering confidence he felt when ever he was around her, he'd have in a heartbeat. He had no doubt, that Nayru could accomplish anything. Not because she was a dragon, but because she was the single most remarkable individual he'd ever met.
Remus turned to look back to the female. Mustering enough confidence within that overwhelming weighted atmosphere to quietly tap Thyrus to the ground once and then tucked it parallel to the ground against his waist and bowed forward. dipping his head politely. The warmth in his features and gesture, and even his tone not as much to be inviting or welcoming, though he seldom tried to be anything less. It was to give comfort and confidence to Nayru.
"Ah..hello. We've never met..er..obviously..I'm Remus! It is nice to meet you."
He turned for a moment back to Nayru. Still clutching the staff resting against his waist and pivoting his head as he smiled, chuckling quietly towards her.
"I suppose this is yet another opportunity I should be thanking you for. Everything we've seen today so far..everything here. I couldn't have imagined it, in my wildest dreams. Thank you for this opportunity...and for bringing me to be here with you."
Maybe she just needed her momentum? Maybe if she started by looking at him. Got talking. Got moving, then she could go easier? The priest gestured with a single hand quietly as if to motion he would follow Nayru. Giving her a reassuring smile as he tried to ensure the emphasis on his final sentiment.
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Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Oct 8, 2018 3:52:33 GMT -6
Nayru started visibly at Remus's movement, her sun-kissed shoulders warm to the touch and tinged with a light taste of magic, though not nearly as strong as the spark that raced through her mind as she was torn from her thoughts. Not that it magically gave her the courage of a lion or a serpent's tongue, it would have taken a Scouring hero to knock that much sense into her, but at least served to remind her that she wasn't standing alone in the middle of nowhere. Baby steps.
For her part, the ashen-skinned dragon simply watched impassively, whether unable or unwilling to act in the moment was impossible to determine from her neutral expression, but after Remus's greeting and Nayru's seeming lack of a plan to add to it the woman allowed herself a light smile at least, regarding Remus with something resembling bemused interest or at least polite friendliness. At him, or towards him? She didn't seem interested in sharing. Nonetheless she spoke, her words honey and spice, carrying through the desert air clearly.
"Remus, was it?" Her smile widened, almost motherly, though it was hard to tell if it reached her eyes. "My name is Erim Al-Saiduq," she said, the foreign tongue flowing naturally from her lips. "It is a pleasure to meet you, young man. Nayru rarely brings her friends home for some reason."
Her petulant glance at the villain in question served to do more to rouse Nayru from her reverie than anything else so far as the younger dragon sputtered in frustration. "W-what? Now it's MY fault? You're the one who-"
Interrupted by a slight giggle, Nayru paused to glower at the much more widely smiling Erim, whose eyes were alight with mischief dancing in empyreal flame. "That's the spirit, my little lost egg." Her voice, tinged with sing-song intonation. "How bright you burn; a phoenix, risen and returned from whence it came."
"...I'm too tired to be mad at this point," Nayru grudgingly stated, her shoulders sagging in defeat as Erim stepped backward into the dusky house looking quite pleased. The darker skinned dragon hesitated for one more moment, turning her head after it towards Remus and mumbling something that might have sounded suspiciously like 'thanks,' and followed her in without further argument.
It wasn't a particularly large house, nor fancy; sandstone walls carving dimly lit rooms out of nothing, the entrance leading directly to a modest kitchen of sorts, albeit spartan in its simplicity. A table that had seen better days. Two chairs. Shelves packed with assorted items, appearing to be mostly spices and plants. An almost rustic fireplace. And one pale woman who looked a great deal more personable than she had a few moments before.
"Would you like some tea, young Remus? I believe there is only a very small chance of it liquefying your internal orga-"
"why are you like this?"
"Oh? Does that mean you don't want any, dear? Speak up, I seem to be going hard of hearing in my old age."
"You know damn well I - ...yeah."
"Excellent! And you?"
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Post by Remus on Oct 15, 2018 21:28:18 GMT -6
The sight of Nayru atleast stirring in the smallest of ways was enough to lift his own spirits. He'd made no attempt in the slightest to hide his concern and was more than happy to support this endeavor however he could. He had, well, absolutely no way of knowing what she was going through in that moment. This encounter. This scenario. What he did know though was that he could at-least stand by her side. Even if it meant averting attention from her unto himself. Though that was a role reversal of sorts given how many times she'd saved him from perilous situations by doing just that. At this point however his own attention was drawn as the pale-skinned Erim seemed to turn her focus onto him. Now to say that the space in which he was standing upon suddenly suffered from several times its gravity was perhaps an over exaggeration, but the atmosphere projected by Nayru and the assumed importance of this female gave him precisely that impression. It was yet again however that he found himself wishing he could've dawned his normal robes of lapis shade and retreat into their near endless folds. Like a turtle in a tiny blue shell.
Despite that intimidation, he did greet her with the same exuding kindness that Remus had treated everyone with. At the mention of his name directly, the young priest turned from Nayru to directly face Erim. Thyrus was still cradled against his shoulder along the length of his figure, across to the other side with arms quietly pressing it to him. He bowed partially, inclining his head politely as she addressed him. Remus's shoulders rocked with a soft chuckle as he spoke in kind, though the chuckle heightened ever so slightly at her jest towards Nayru, and Nayru's retort as she joined the conversation. ""It's lovely to meet you as well, Miss Erim. I ah..certainly did not expect to be here. That is to say, I would've never imagined myself here prior to Nayru's invitation. I'm..still a bit overwhelmed that such a place exists haha..it's...alot to take in. If it wasn't so dangerous..I wish the little ones could see this magical place as well.
His thoughts briefly drifted towards Amelia and Owain. Perhaps the longest he'd been away from them, he wasn't sure how they fared. That small anxiety that gnawed ever present in the back of his mind despite knowing he'd left them in the care of his parents. Though they certainly might not have been able to make the journey, it was a place he believed they would've found as wondrous as he himself did. His smile never faltered, and his kind demeanor had become so naturally practiced that even his anxious moment couldn't broach the sea of happiness he felt in that point. Nayru had a home, and she was there. It was certainly obvious this place had troubles for her. However, home was a place you considered special. People special to you were there. If anything Nayru had told him, or anything he'd gathered was true, this was the case.
He saw the subtle changes in both Nayru and Erim. The way the senior engaged with the junior. Having raised children in an orphanage, and been a child himself, he knew this exchange almost instinctively. To see Nayru go through it though? It gave him a type of joy special into itself. A close friend he worried about. Someone he imagined to be alone when he was not with them, clearly, had someone they deeply cared for. Someone who cared deeply for them. That made him happy beyond words. So much so that he couldn't help but quietly laugh amidst their exchange. It was a full laugh though that gave him a very genuine smile and made him feel some semblance of peace where he would've once housed worry. Though he kept the volume respectful and silently shifted in place.
As Nayru moved into the small house, Remus did follow. Still cradling Thyrus but now taking in the sights of the house for himself. He couldn't begin to imagine what this place had been like with a young Nayru running around. Though, given the Nayru he knew, he did imagine a strange hybrid of the seven year old Amelia, with Nayru's long wild hair flipping off the table and kicking at imaginary monsters. Remus once more turned to Erim as she spoke to him. Her final statement giving him a very distinct "Nayru" vibe, if any of the various near death experiences that they'd encountered with her laughing head first into the danger were to set any president. Remus nodded politely towards Erim in affirmation before turning to Nayru with a slight smile.
"If I can survive the traps of a rather hostile temple on Vinland, I will simply have to hope I can survive the tea. Heh. If it's Nayru approved, I trust it~"
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Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Nov 3, 2018 10:08:37 GMT -6
The elder dragon chuckled, her voice possessed of the airy lightness of chimes in the wind as merriment took root in the wake of Remus's commentary. Compared to the stolid walking corpse of moments before, she seemed far more pleasant; whether because she was genuinely happy or if she had but replaced one mask with another remained to be seen. "Ah, don't you worry young man. Nayru would never let me hear the end of it if I poisoned a guest."
"...That's not the ONLY reason, right?" "Should there be another?" "...I walked through the goddamn desert to get here and the entire trip was less exhausting than the last two minutes." "You'll have to tell me all about it, dear. In the meantime... mmm... where did I put..."
Her movements slowly sped up as the elderly dragon moved with grace belying her years, somewhat uncertain where some things were it seemed but rapidly returning to old habits, taking a pinch of this and a dash of that; crinkled leaves in her palm one moment and crushed dust in the next as she sprinkled them into two cups. An ethereal smile tugging at the corners of her lips as she placed both on the stove, waving her hand above it as it sprang to life. Inserting her index finger tip into one cup, then the other, a tiny puff of smoke following each.
"...Vinland, mm? I did hear something about that recently. The great discovery of our age. The Taguel. An entire new world for your kind to exploit. But how can one discover that which is already known? And will this story have a happy ending?" She smiled, her gaze through Remus's eyes rather than at them, her eyes betraying little of her thoughts. "It's exciting, isn't it? To be able to shape the future. How those two worlds come together once more may decide the next century - or millennia - of our world. Will there be peace, or war? Not genocide, I think. To uproot the Taguel is a task many have attempted. But it does beg the question. What other worlds lie out there, hmm? Are there other continents, other Elibes, teeming with life? Human, dragon, taguel, or something else entirely? Will they come in peace, or in mighty armadas?
What do you think, young man?
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Post by Remus on Nov 3, 2018 22:46:05 GMT -6
Once more, their banter made him chuckle. He wasn't sure he'd ever seen someone goad so much emotion out of Nayru. At-least, not with so little effort. Though his gaze began to drift once more to the small, modest yet surprising abode they were standing in. His head swiveling curiously with him examining the place, still finding it hard not to envision a small Nayru flailing or stumbling about in wild spurts of energy. Though perhaps he was simply substituting what he imagined Young Nayru to be with how Amelia was now. It was an endearing visual, none the less. He might've stood there for minutes, or even tens of, in blissful silence if it weren't for the sudden serene inquiry that reached his ears. It jostled him back to realty as Erim began to speak of Vinland. Though, she made many points, he had to remember. This was..a place of dragons. He was a human, in a home of Dragon's. Sometimes it still took that acknowledgement for him to remember that they weren't the only ones on the continent. Was he supposed to feel a guilty about that? Maybe, maybe not, but he did. If not from pure insensitive lack of consideration to present company.
Remus quietly shifted, once more gently resting his weight on Thyrus. The silent stave of marble white supporting it without even the slightest inclination of strain as his gaze grew pensive. Mixed expressions drifting within slightly narrowed hues as the priest looked down to the stone table from the ashen skinned female. He paused, and spoke after a moment. Quietly, but seriously.
"I love the implications of discovering Vinland. I love, meeting people lost to our annals of history. It can mean so much, to so many. To children, the idea's of such fantastic sights. People transforming into birds larger than men, or hounds the size of horses. The things our cultures might learn, from one another. The idea...that we aren't alone, by our own doing. It makes me so..very very optimistic. However..."
He wanted to retreat into his robes again. He'd never be ashamed that he was devoted to the Eliminian faith. He'd never be ashamed that he'd strived to be like her. He knew however, that his people, were far astray. Remus continued to stare downwards towards the table. Messy lapis hair clinging to his face, partially framing his visage because of the heated atmosphere keeping it someone dampened from sweat. The slight blue curtains at the side of his face almost made him feel a bit more hidden as he delved into such personal thoughts.
"Our world is at such a fragile place. Every nation poised at the brink of shattering. Lycia crumbles beneath civil strife and monsters as dark horrors spread death in droves. Bern tries to piece itself back together after decades of endless war. Sacae finds itself cornered and burning. Ilia is no better. And Etruria..."
He paused. Sighing for a moment as he thought back to that quiet, dark night in Ilia. Where a lit lantern kept the Inn room visible and him and Nayru had spoken of his dreams for his home. How things might've changed. Things that hadn't passed yet..
"Eturia conjure's forth the full might of zeal and fervor to try and drive the rest of the civilized world beneath its shackles. So when I think of Vinland..and I think of the hope it could bring...I soon find myself afraid of what happens when those in power are done looking to their neighbors. When I find myself thinking that, I can't help but wonder, if it'd have been better left undiscovered."
His smile recovered almost as if it'd never faltered. Though is gaze never left the table.
"I can't let that fear keep me from trying to make a good impression, if I ever visit again though. Ah..but that was only part of your question wasn't it? What else is out there? Um.."
His poise shifted as he shuffled slightly. Thinking to that dark figure. The red piercing gaze and the screams of fetid agony. He could only hope that was the only one of its kind out there. He muttered quietly, to himself, more than anything.
"If it's not more Arum, I'd welcome it regardless."
Was it okay to speak of them in a joking manner? Was that just Nayru rubbing off on him? He couldn't tell at this point. No doubt that corruption ran Deep.
"I think..that it's likely both. I am sure there are friendly races out there, human Taguel or other..and those of a more hostile nature. If we'll ever know..I suppose we can only tell in time. This seems to be a time of discovering, for better or worse. Maybe we can yet discover more good, than bad. At-least, that's what I think."
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Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Nov 5, 2018 0:58:42 GMT -6
For her part, Nayru was mostly content to let the two speak, but... it was hard to be happy about it exactly given the subject matter. Remus wasnt wrong. Vinland was a place of seemingly endless potential. A world she hadn't even known existed. An entire race driven from Elibe a thousand years ago, or more; neither hating nor identical to humans, but their own... 'thing.'
Yeah she hadn't exactly gotten along well with Lafiel, but as a whole the Taguel were a fascinating coalition of tribes, as were the mortals on Vinland. A world in which the Scouring had never happened was a tantalizing one. She hadn't really made it clear to Remus, and she knew that she couldn't do this, but a part of her still yearned to simply retire there - to disappear into the jungle and never look back. Living in a world where she could train and live and hunt, or even just run a damn bakery, without being persecuted for who, or what, she was.
Erim, on the other hand, mostly just seemed amused. Her attention divided between the preparation and Remus's speech, her tongue stilled as she allowed him to speak freely until he was finished. An aromatic scent slowly wafting through the kitchen; to Nayru, nostalgia aloft on wings of wind; to Remus, a strange, almost alien scent born of unknown herbs and spices. The elderly dragon simply chuckled, the flames of the stove flickering out in a heartbeat as she added a dash of something to each cup. Speaking, albeit quietly, thoughtfully; her words not so much answers as questions.
"Fragile... yes, perhaps. But the land will survive, will it not? Even if the world runs red with blood as the races die out. Even if nothing but birds and bees survive in a world filled with corpses. Time will do the rest. As abandoned cities crumble, as our bodies decompose and nourish the earth, new life would be brought forth. So is it the world that is fragile, or simply the hearts of men, I wonder?"
Each cup placed on a tray as the kimono-clad woman looked up from her work, smiling brightly though her eyes were dark. "Nayru, would you please you show your friend to the lounge? It will be more comfortable to converse there."
The trip was... not exactly an arduous one in a house that small; barely across the hallway and a bit down the doorway to a modest living room stood, ushering them into a dimly lit room that brightened somewhat as Erim, trailing behind the two, passed a brazier that leapt to life in her wake and revealed the room somewhat better. An almost suspiciously modern looking couch beckoned, as well as a reclining chair in the corner next to an apparatus with some sort of tube attached to it.
After placing the tray of drinks on the coffee table before the couch, Erim claimed the chair in the name of Spain without much ado, retrieving a long, slender pipe from the small table beside it. Bringing the bowl to her lips; a slight puff of smoke and flame as she blew across it, lightning it, then took a deep whiff of the the pipe while settling in. Nayru in turn took one end of the couch and grabbed one of the cups along the way.
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Post by Remus on Nov 5, 2018 2:16:35 GMT -6
It was a weird line of thinking. One that spoke of inevitability. Her words spoke of an eventuality. Yet something in particular drew his attention in her phrasing. "Nourish". It drew his thoughts, almost strangely so. He couldn't quite place his finger on it but that line of thinking had led him to the word, which in turn sculpted his own thinking. It was at this point that he noticed the scent, lost in his thoughts until prior. A scent he'd never smelled before. He couldn't even begin to describe it. It briefly shook him from the conversation of men and birds and bee's and corpses. He lifted his head to look around, only then noticing that Erim seemed to be done making the Tea, given she'd actually moved. When Erim requested Nayru to guide him, he did not hesitate to fallow into the through the doorway into the darkened room. The blue haired priest was quietly gazing at it, standing off to the side as Erim had entered, his head still drifting as he scanned to and fro'. He did slightly start though at the sudden ignition of light and looked around in some visible perplexity before quietly looking to Nayru.
Remus followed Nayru as she took her seat. Though he sat with a bit of space between them, so she had ample space, he did quietly ease himself in. It was only then that he'd started to notice just how much his body was aching. In that quiet lapse of time in which he'd taken a seat. That time that he'd settled into the couch seat he seemed to feel every lingering soreness and ache. Though he would keep as strong a mask as he could, he was all too painfully aware of the near splitting pain his calves, thighs, and lower abdomen were in. Though he would attempt to treat the soreness later, he knew it was likely from over-use compared to his normal physical exertions. Trekking across the desert truly had taken its toll.
He gently shifted Thyrus. Nestling the ancient stave against the corner of the couch, feeling his fingers slip away and letting those ever present whispers fall into silence from the corners of his mind. Slowly leaning forwards to clasp quietly at a cup of tea, before he leaned into his seat. For a moment returning to ponder on Erim's words, before he chuckled quietly. Staring into the murky reflection of himself in that tiny cup while replying finally to Erim's statement. "The land will always survive..but our people...have somehow preserved through every storm thrown at them yet. Those that do whether the storm have to be responsible so that what ever is left to rebuild..what ever is left to nurture..doesn't fall short of its potential. A world built by Kraft should not be rebuilt by the next Kraft..."
The hearts of men. As the saying went.
Greater evil than the most vile demon, greater good than the most benevolent saint.
He wasn't afraid to show that he believed in the good of people. It was what got him through almost every hardship. Hope, belief, and support from a few close friends. If his time with Nayru had taught him anything..
"They can be Fragile. The hearts of men. It's easy to find terror so strong that it makes it hard to move. Anger so great it makes it hard to think. So many emotions that can be sparked so easily. And we are so frail. No..armored hides like Taguel..or scales like Dragon's. We don't live very long..and yet.."
He looked to Nayru for a moment, more examining her than speaking to her but smiling as he thought back on the number of times that she'd legitimately lifted him from the ground. The number of times, when he couldn't stand, that she'd helped him. He turned back to Erim, before continuing, even as that flood of memories filled every crevice of his mind.
"We have each-other. Our hearts can be weak on our own..but that is why we help each-other. We support each other. Then when the fear passes..and the anger clears..they can help someone else. One deed becomes two. Two becomes four..and it continues. Then, the next time the heart wavers..it isn't going to be so easy for fear to creep in. Because you know you aren't alone."
At that point, he realized that he was probably coming off preachy, which while not inappropriate to his profession, was probably when speaking to someone his senior. To which he smiled sheepishly and quietly turned his case back to the still heated tea. Noticing now, that he looked at his reflection a few times that he was a bit different from the last time he'd seen himself in a mirror. Though he didn't exactly check frequently. His hair was a bit longer. His features were a bit more defined. The priest could tell that time had passed, since he'd first left the orphanage all right.
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Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Nov 5, 2018 8:40:07 GMT -6
It was a bit unnerving the way everything looked the damn same as how she remembered it. Not bad. It was... nostalgic. But that was also the problem. Things were supposed to change. She had expected different. This, this was too close to her memories. It dredged up old memories. Old feelings. Thoughts of who she used to be. Of who she had wanted to be. Nayru wasn't sure how much of that kid was still alive, and she wasn't sure if who she was now was much of an improvement. But sitting here, quite literally faced with her past, was enough to make her want to sink into the couch and never come out.
Well, that was the idea anyways. In practice she ended up grabbing one of the mugs of tea; relishing the familiar warmth of the stone surrounding the steaming liquid within. Not too warm. Not too cold. To heat the insides to one temperature and the container to another; she didn't know if it was perfectly calculated or just trial-and-error practice, but it was calming in its own way. Familiar. Warm. They had never really communicated that well. But little things like that, they felt all the more real for it.
...Or maybe she was just looking too far into it. As Remus spoke, the younger dragon mostly just listened, taking a sip of the tea. Not too much, she had learned that one the hard way. But enough. She could feel the warmth, not only in its actual temperature but the way it spread through her body, her mind; the myriad entwining flavors dancing on her tongue, sweet and sour, salty and bitter, savory and alive. It was hard to describe. Supposedly it tasted different for everyone, but Erim had said that with a smug smile so she wasn't entirely sure how much she had been bullshitted. But it was a unique recipe nonetheless. Born of the endless past of the ancient manakete, bits and pieces carried from the time before time began.
...Damn tea acted fast, as she should have bloody remembered BEFORE letting her mind wander.
"Don't drink the tea too fast," she leaned over and muttered to Remus; if Erim heard what she had said the other woman gave no sign of that fact. For the time being she seemed more interested in Remus's response than anything else, slowly exhaling a voluminous cloud of smoke as whatever poisons she ingested worked their effects as well. Nayru had seen her with that stupid hookah and the pipe as well, way too many times, to the point that they almost seemed second nature. She had never really gotten a straight answer as to why, either. The obvious answers would be to help the manakete relax, or to forget, but she didn't know WHAT.
"Hmmhmm... and what if there are none left to rebuild? A quieter world, yes. A more peaceful one, too. I wonder... is that cost worth the result, or vice versa?" Lightly smiling, she took another deep breath of her pipe, inhaling the contents as if they were air. "Given that I did not specify a race for these men, it is interesting that you speak only of humans. Is there no place for those with hides and scales in your ideal world, mm? Or are we so used to the terminology that you simply assumed? To be human. To be a man. Men. Warriors. So many human oriented terms. And yet - they defeated so many competitors in the common vernacular. Even dragons speak them as naturally as if they were their own. A virus of language, or the survival of the fittest...?" The manakete shook her head, lightly, a ripple of movement crossing her upper body. "Forgive my faux pas. Language is such an interesting subject. The way it evolves, degenerates, ripples; as alive as any man or dragon, more powerful than the greatest warrior, yet powerless without mouths to speak it and hearts to hear it."
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Post by Remus on Nov 5, 2018 22:02:57 GMT -6
Remus had taken a sip of tea, silently clasping with both palms cradling the stone mug as he idled in silence. Glancing over to Nayru as the hanging silence loomed following his response. The heated liquid pooled in his left cheek for a moment as he quietly ingested the strangely appealing tea. Though he'd never tasted a tea quite like it. To examine the taste further, he'd lifted the mug to take a second, smaller sip when Nayru passed to him what was no doubt purposeful advice. His already small sip cut a bit short as he pursed his lips to swallow that small bit. The priest gently gulped at that small sample of the foreign beverage and turned to look into the darkened pool of tea.Thinking. Quietly listening to what Erim said. Though his eyes never averted from gazing inside the mug.
He'd never met someone quite like her. Though, he suspected the unique nature of her outlook was something not everyone could replicate, even if they would. Remus lifted his head for a moment, as she picked apart his phrasing in a most unexpected way. Her assessment drawing a curious look from him, before he looked back to his cup. The tiny "Remus-y" reflection in the pool of dark liquid gazing back up at him. His smile still present, though a bit less jubilant. "Ah..well you see..what I described to you..wasn't my Ideal World..no..I don't think I'll live to see my Ideal world. You see, my Ideal world is..-"
He barely suppressed the slight gasp. A small startled noise as his jaw ever so slightly became agape. In that small mug, he felt so clearly he could see them. Each face. Each of them, every child from before. Even Amelia, and Owain. Such small, smiling faces. Such realism, he almost felt like he could have some how joined them. As if he was looking in a mirror. Such a clear picture..it made him smile. It broke his heart, yet he smiled. To see those smiles again was something he had never imagined. When a single tear slid down his cheek, and dripped into the murky tea it sent ripples. Scattering that fragmentary image of a time that felt so long ago, yet he closed his eyes as one more tear rolled down either cheek. In his mind, he saw them even more clearly, and despite the aching in his chest he felt that warmth. There was a quiet exhale from the priest before he continued, staring down now with an expression that he'd only ever shown Amelia, Owain, and the other children. One of unrestrained affection, and a profound positivity.
"My ideal world..is one where children..of any race do not have to worry about their dreams vanishing. Where a child can always take comfort, that home will always be there. That someone will always be there to love them. Because that world..is one where humanity can learn to accept others, and learn from their mistakes. So that when the time comes, be they of another race or fellow man, bonds are formed from who we are and not what we are. It is a world that I don't think anyone of my generation can build. If I can plant the seeds though, and set a foundation, then that's good enough for me."
He looked up to Erim again, glancing then to Nayru as he spoke.
"I don't think it is the words spoken that will matter, as much as the tone behind them. More important though, will be the actions that follow those words. That which speaks the loudest."
He looked down towards the stone table. Smiling quietly with the same pensive expression as before. Speaking more to himself than anyone and in a much quieter tone.
"They would've loved it here."
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Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Nov 16, 2018 14:44:18 GMT -6
"Those who speak of ideal worlds often end up martyrs or tyrants," Erim stated quietly in the wake of Remus's speech. Neither overcome by emotion nor overtly dismissing his commentary, little more than an ethereal smile, tinged with the sort of sadness that seems to come naturally with age. "For where one dream succeeds, a thousand others cannot. Some dragons... perhaps even misguided children in this oasis... truly believe that for their kind to prosper, humanity must be brought to heel... or obliterated. And what of wee Etrurian children who believe that it is their holy mission, nay, right to bring the word of the Saint to the world... even if it must be by force?"
The occasional pauses in her quiet commentary made it hard to tell when it was safe to interject or not, but Nayru broke in nonetheless, bothered by how cavalierly the elder dragon was waving aside Remus's heartfelt speech. "So what, do we just give up on hopes and dreams entirely because they don't all play nice? Oh, this guy wants the barn painted red and I wanted blue, time for genocide?" Leaning up in her seat, her ire slightly dulled by the drink but her long experience with it and natural resistance to such substances keeping her in good stead. It wasn't even Erim's words, exactly, though something about them pissed her off too, in a way she couldn't quite describe. But it was... something about it.
The ancient manakete glanced at her, a flicker of dismissive annoyance in her gaze before it returned to carefully neutral. Inhaling deeply of her pipe, breathing it out slowly with each word. "If utopia was so easy... would we not have found it by now? You are hardly the first to dream of it. Nor the strongest. Nor the most influential. Nor the wisest. The future may not be a zero sum game, but resources are finite. Where two sets of ideals collide. By nature, incompatible. Only one can survive. Compromise may solve smaller rifts. But some cannot be solved with words. Sometimes... blood is the only cement by which two bricks can be set side by side. What then, young man? Will you follow in Kraft's footsteps; impose your peace on a sea of broken bodies? Or flee your responsibilities, as Elimine did, and damn the world to another would-be warlord who claims to speak for you...?"
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Post by Remus on Dec 1, 2018 21:15:43 GMT -6
Remus was sitting in respectful silence as the other spoke. He listened to Erim's words and gazed into that reflection in his tea. That blue haired priest looking back up through the murky liquid. She wasn't wrong, per say. None of them really were, he suspected. There would be children raised to believe something very different. Be it by their own life's path, or their parents guidance, or their trials or tribulations fruition. Remus quietly pivoted slightly as he heard Nayru speak up. Her tone, and the way she spoke gathering his attention more than what she said. He felt the faint weight of Thyrus resting against him, and he quietly looked back to his drinks for another moment in idle silence. Reflecting, at some length even once Erim had leveled her question to him.
He had quietly set his cup down for a moment as he sat further back into the couch while leaning forward. He opened and closed his left hand a few times. At the third time, a very faint blue pulse ignited. The very same soft warmth imbuing the space around his palm that he touched when casting a barrier. He couldn't manage too much without channeling his magic through Thyrus, but the faint glow was enough for him to focus his thoughts. He tilted his head curiously towards Erim with a genuine tilt as he thought aloud.
"Why must it be of those two?"
His eyes turned back to his magic imbued palm as he stared into the very tiny nexus at which magic and reality blended, its warmth tingling his palm. As ever, no doubt to the great surprise of all, he was smiling.
"I don't plan to destroy anything. I'm a healer. The first magic I learned was healing. The second magic I learned, was to project a defensive shell. It's..not invincible. It isn't without cost, but it's grown. I failed to block a simple blade, on my first attempt. Now, it can withstand-"
He thought almost instantly to the jungles of Vinland. That punch. That force with shattered his barrier, yet kept he himself in-tact. How the ground erupted and tree's buckled beneath overwhelming power. Yet for a moment, his barrier had shone brilliantly. It wasn't because of him alone however.
"Well..it's stronger than I ever would've imagined a human could project. I didn't get there on my own though. I had those that were important to me. Many people, who believed in me and supported me help me get to that point. I've had a friend at my side who has always believed in me, and supported me. Yet no matter what difficulty I've come across. What enemy I've faced..I have always given them a chance. I'm still here."
He looked back to his hand and closed it around that light. Quietly extinguishing it as he lifted it to run through his lapis strands quietly, with a bit of a sheepish chuckle.
"I guess what I'm trying to poorly explain is, I don't see a reason to destroy things that oppose me. If I can preserve myself, and those I care about. If I can continue to project and expand that? That's good enough. I'm definitely not the strongest. I'm certain I'm not the wisest. Ah..I'm just a lone tiny human in a large world, who wants to make it a better place. If my dreams are too large, then at-least I'll know I tried my best."
He paused, once again, thinking back to her sentiments earlier mentioned. Of the children who housed such ideal worlds. Then crossed his legs quietly upon the couch and laid Thyrus across his lap. His hands quietly pressed to the staff's tip, and the gem of brilliant blue upon the curved figure at the peak. Speaking in quiet thought as he questioned Erim.
"What about the children who do not dream of a world regime, but simply one where smaller dreams can be realized? Their children, but who can say what the future will bring for them? What about the children with simpler dreams, who care not for the machinations of a grand scheme, but dream of great adventure's exploring unknown tombs or ancient catacombs. Pioneers to advance life as we know it? Even the simple dreams. A happy life, in a happy home. A world that can accept all dreams, would be nice. You might imagine it Naive, I almost feel more naive for saying it..but our world, as you pointed out, is such a frightfully large place. Who's to say that only one ideology can rule?"
Something still, echoed in his mind. As if she questioned his ideal's in a different way.
What then, young man?
Man.
He thought back, to a conversation that seemed to have been in a different lifetime. When the world, to him, was a much smaller place."I might be completely wrong. My opinions may develop, or change over time. No matter how great I were to become, or how wise, or how strong, or how just, it's all subject to time." He still saw the candlelight flickering within the lantern in that old Ilian hotel, and could still hear the children's faint snore's as he'd heard the words he iterated now. Something that'd stuck with him ever since.
"Even Athos, while he was doubtless the greatest of all mages, and certainly the wisest of men... he is still just that. A man. His footsteps are a trail for others to follow.""
Remus glanced to the gem that he'd lightly pressed his finger to atop Thyrus. Laughing quietly, though more so at the mere comparison and the absurdity of it. Himself, to Athos.
"I'm certainly no Athos..but even if everyone follows footsteps in their own way, we can at-least try to get a bit farther. Walk until others see our footsteps. If we don't quite make it? Well, the trail got a little clearer for the next person. That way, even if it's not the path for them, they know where they can go."
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Post by Nayru Al-Saiduq on Dec 4, 2018 18:43:00 GMT -6
"The road to hell is paved with good intentions, young man. I have witnessed many an ideal warped and twisted by reality, earnest young men like you growing into tyrants willing to torture and kill to realize their dreams. I hardly imagine that every member of your Kraft's army signed on to slaughter innocents." Smiling slightly, sadly, the ancient dragon inhaled deeply from her pipe, slowly breathing out a voluminous cloud of smoke before continuing. "I doubt even Kraft himself ascended to power with this vision of Etruria in mind. The road to power, to progress, is a harsh journey upon which compromises and compassion can weaken and dilute the original ideal... but iron clad belief can turn mercy into madness, beatific nurses into blood knights. And Remus... all dreams must disappear when the dreamer wakes."
She looked at Remus, not unkindly, but neither with tender care. Assessing. Contemplative. Of what, she offered no outward clue. Nayru wasn't sure either, but she had been hit with that look too many times to be surprised by it anymore. It often made her feel like the older woman was looking down on her - trying to gauge whether or not to waste her time on a foolish conversation - but there were times it felt more as though Erim was simply calling upon a wealth of past experiences and knowledge, deciding how to respond. Or sometimes as though she was actually considering the argument. Reading humans who didn't know the first thing about misdirection was one thing. Reading a dragon so ancient and so detached that she sometimes seemed to have nearly forgotten how to interact with others was another thing entirely.
"And what of you, Nayru?"
Huh?
"Do you still believe that one dreamer can change the world? Are you of one mind with your friend, that all dreams are born equal?"
The younger dragon looked down at her tea, taking refuge in an... unwisely deep sip to give herself a little time to think. She knew Erim didn't like to wait for answers; not out of impatience, but of the belief that the first reaction was oft the truest. That she didn't actually care that much what the answer was, more what effect reciting it had on her conversational partner - or victim. But the problem was that... she didn't know. Long ago, yes, Nayru had truly believed that heroes could save the world. That if human and draconic heroes had banded together instead of slaughtering each other, the world could have been a different place, a better one. One where, perhaps, Remus's dreams could have come true.
But even as she had seen so many depravities inflicted by horrible humans, she had also seen the good of humanity; not just in obviously kind people like Elly and Remus, but even in some bandits; the force she and Lena had engaged while protecting Veigue had been little more than desperate men, who by words and ideals - her own - had been convinced to attempt a life of righteousness once more. There had been no need for bloodshed there.
But she also knew that not all of her hatred had magically disappeared over time. And she knew that it was as much a part of her, now, as the good.
"...No," the dragon admitted dully after her moment of quiet contemplation, speaking over the lip of her cup as she looked up from it into Erim's eyes, taking refuge in honesty to match her elder's gaze. "Some people just... need to be stopped. Not - always lethally," she added, her voice hitching up a notch as she swallowed, trying to think of how to word her muddled thoughts, "But... sometimes I don't think there is another option. People who just want to hurt others. Someone has to stop them."
"Hmmhmm. Every hero needs a villain, after all, for what is heroism itself but the act of opposing evil? Does that make you judge, jury, and executioner, then? Are you the one who ought decide which humans must live and those that must die?"
"..."
That... wasn't a question she could answer at all. Not even in jest, or falsehood. The very one Nayru had struggled with most of late; the idea that in her efforts to make the world a better place for people like Elly, like Remus, she might have to take the role of crushing those like Kraft. Who was she to judge them? She, who had killed hundreds, more likely thousands, in her maddened rampages? On an objective level her crimes were worse than any bandit she had slain so far, and yet she claimed to know better than they; purporting herself to be the arbiter of right and wrong of all Elibe? It was hubris, plain and simple. Not the failing of a dragon, but of a fool, and she had certainly capered enough for the role.
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Post by Remus on Jul 27, 2019 16:10:57 GMT -6
Perhaps it was the tea? Maybe the city itself. It was, after all, ablaze with magic. As if that sense that allowed a mage to feel, and extend out to touch the flow of essence, had been crawling ever since they had taken to idle within the ancient utopia. He thought back, as he reflected upon the words of both females. The priests eyes lingering upon his closed fist, fingers opening as he stared towards his palm. Still staring at that tiny blue light that he could instinctively draw out. Even the faintest glow. A single phrase echoing through his mind as Nayru and Erim began to exchange between one another.
...all dreams must disappear when the dreamer wakes...
Remus paused. Extending his hand in silence. Light shone dimly from it. A faint blue barrier engulfing his palm partially as he tried to focus. His mind, albeit slowly, turning the cogs that let him pull together that small barrier before he looked up. Glancing to Erim as he cradled Thyrus, the tea resting on the stone table that was between them. His head pivoting as he thought back to his prior words about the growth he'd experienced magically.
" But a dreamer can have many dreams. "
He turned to run his hand along Thyrus a moment later. The barrier fading into a faint glisten of sapphire light as the priest carefully lay the relic upon his lap. Hands finding comfort in the strangely cold surface of its shaft. He gazed back to Erim, pensive as his thoughts turned back unto the first time he'd attempted his barrier. When that fire burned hot as ever. Fingers clutching Thyrus for a moment longer before he started talking.
" As I said, I once dreamed of simply having the strength to help those I love. I loathed feeling powerless. Then, a man of immense strength tried to take someone dear to me. I lost a friend, but was able to save another. When the fire from his sword sought to claim a second victim, I was able to project a barrier to stave off the blow. It took everything I had, well..almost...but it happened. Something I'd sought for so long. Something beyond just healing. I found it. "
Remus cast his gaze down to his right hand and turned it to face upwards once more. This time, a brighter light igniting. Albeit of no magical consequence as it began to cast his visage a twain in light and shadow. The priest chuckling quietly.
" I'd also once dreamed to command powerful magic beyond defensive and healing. Especially when ever my sister was around. I began to recall those feelings, when my friends would step into battle. Was I doomed to wait for danger to strike, before I could help? I still remember how strange it was. Fighting off a pack of gargoyles, in Bern, as Nayru struggled to keep me alive. I felt like such a burden. Then one got past, as she struggled with their leader and a few others. It had me dead to rights...but I just couldn't give up. And then it happened. Light ignited from my hands, and burned several holes in it. Ahah... "
The priest squirmed somewhat, at the thought. Feeling that embarrassment wash over him as he recalled the feelings which had immediately followed.
" It was almost immediately after, that I felt horrible. A great wave of guilt, at the idea of having taken the life of something. Even a creature bent on mindless savage destruction. Because part of me still wanted to save it. Until, Nayru pointed out the people that likely would've died after it killed me. "
His gaze leveled with Erim again. Smiling. As "Remus" a smile, if ever there was one.
" Even though they were small, no doubt drops of water compared to feats like the greatest of my kind, or the feats I've seen Nayru perform countless times, they were dreams. Dreams that came true. Many dreams will not come true, yet the inevitability of failure cannot be a deterrent for the attempt to be made. Is my dream, of a peaceful world one that all would embrace? Goodness no. The proud warriors of Bern. The rough mercenaries of Ilia. The...strangely powerful desert nomads who made my strength seem but a childs. I imagine to them, my peace is weakness. That doesn't mean I can let that stop my attempt. "
The priest laughed quietly a moment later as he recalled Erim's prior words.
" Other's dreams, I cannot speak for. Warlords. Nobles. Dragon's. Taguel. Men. Everyone will see the world differently. I bet, I'll never know the true scope of it all. I won't let it stop me from trying to do, what I think is right. Maybe what I think is right is wrong. That's what I trust others for. They can see, what I cannot. "
Fingers clutched Thyrus a bit tighter as if the priest was finding his center. Smiling before he shivered. Squeezing the staff, as he paused, exhaling for a moment before he tried to wrap up his thoughts.
" And if someone who opposes my dream, clashes I will deal with it as best I can. I would not dare apply a single answer to every variable. If I can help them. Or if we can find middle ground, then I'd happily find it. However I would never do it alone. Because anyone, who takes that road alone does become judge, jury, and executioner. I would pose a question for you though... "
The priests gaze darted. For a moment, looking to Nayru with a chuckle before he glanced back once more to the elder of the room. The woman who's gaze seemed to make him shrink.
" Would it worse, to give up on the dream half-trodden along the path? Is it better, to acquiesce another's dream once you have encountered adversity, or is it better to carry on? For that which is lost, and that which could be saved? "
If it hadn't been for Nayru, assuming he'd lived that long, he'd almost certainly have fallen into the first category. To say he was invested in the question, was an understatement.
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