melodiesoflife | Event || Terra Incognita

Entry tags:

Event || Terra Incognita

Characters: Anyone who signed up for the trip!
Where: The Enterprise / Mysidia.
When: Starting from the 18th of November.
Summary: The first trip to the Continent of Ruins is finally happening! The Heroes of Light, the Enterprise Crew, Cid and O'aka are all onboard for the trip. What will the Heroes of Light find there? Will they come back alive? Feel free to start your own top-comment thread about your character exploring Mysida and its surroundings! For details regarding Mysidia, please click here.
Warning: Nothing (yes, they'll come back alive).

Open Mingle || The Enterprise
Event || Welcoming Committee

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"Sadly, it's our only clue regarding the Calamity's movements. We'll just have to take him at his word... for now." It wasn't as though they could ignore the warning, however much they might mistrust the Sage. Besides, what would be the point of lying about that? There was no benefit that Jade could see in falsely claiming the Calamity would be on the move soon. That part, at least, was most likely true.

Though, that just raised another concern. Why did the Sage only agree to give them answers once the Calamity started moving again? What would waiting accomplish? Was something else going to happen in the coming months that would change things...?

"In any case, we can't just stand around waiting for the Sage to start cooperating."

There was a knot of dread which had settled deep in Sephiroth's stomach ever since he'd seen that scene from the past cycle depicted in glass, even now -many months on- it didn't take much thought for that remembered dream to be brought up to his surface thoughts again. Although Sephiroth surrounded himself with responsibility and duties, which he then used as a distraction it was a bane in that he couldn't forget any of it. Too much had happened already, too much directly had some sort of foreshadow with regards to what he really was.

He'd never forget those hints that Kalki herself had delivered to him.

"That's true enough." Sephiroth looked momentarily back to Jade, wondering-

"I'm not sure to what extent the Republic would commission too much of it's attention in this direction, with affairs so unknown revolving around Hera currently."

"You're right. Things have been too quiet near the border." However interested they might be in the new continent, it was unlikely Esdham would risk lowering its guard now. Nor would Jade ask them to. The safety of Aqures Ixen depended almost entirely on the Republic, after all.

This meant that as soldiers, their time to investigate Mysidia would be limited. And then there was Palitutu's lab. Two months later, they still weren't even halfway through everything she had left behind.

"...I may not be able to keep up my military service much longer."

Jade had been mulling over the idea for a while. He was already busy splitting his time between the lab and the army. Adding the Continent of Ruin into the mix just wasn't realistic -- not without giving up one of the other two.

The atmosphere in Esdham had reflected much of the same uncertainty. Same old patrols with increasing complacency within the troops overall. He worried that should the Heran Empire strike again at the stronghold, that the Republic wouldn't be ready for it. Yet at the same time, the upper-ranks were still apprehensive about sending scouts out further out over the desert -towards the Heran frontier- in case that were some sort of a trap, either. It was an odd balance of over-thought and paranoia which plagued at the minds of many in command.

In his opinion, it'd have to give one way or the other, eventually, but it wasn't quite for one of only Major rank to make such observations officially.

It seemed that the slight hunch, that Sephiroth wasn't sure in himself if he knew Jade well enough to have called, was viable after all. Like with his own scheduling, often Sephiroth had to travel between Aqures and Esdham a lot more often than he used to; on account of his responsibility surrounding the continued surveillance of Mograma. Not to mention how he always felt he had to stop by at the house for at least an evening meal and warm bed before he left again. He'd promised Terra she wouldn't be lonely and, true to his word, Sephiroth were trying his best.

"I see." As things were currently, given the whole new continent at their feet, often he found himself overwhelmed too. He spent so much time working -in one way or the other- that he often got himself into a lull with regard to if it all really would mean anything.

"That's completely understandable."

The more he thought about it, the more confident Jade felt that his skills were of more use elsewhere. Once upon a time it had mostly been him and Sephiroth establishing the Heroes' presence in Esdham. By now, enough newcomers were making their way up in ranks that Jade's departure wouldn't leave much of a hole to fill.

"I had planned to make it back to Colonel, but in these circumstances..." Jade paused, then smiled faintly, as though enjoying some private joke. "No, it probably would have happened sooner or later regardless. I suppose at my core, I'm always going to be a scientist first, soldier second."

Every now and then he still felt some bitterness over that fact. It was, after all, his scientific curiosity and ambition that had killed his mentor and driven him to perform unethical experiments. Such feelings had become less frequent recently, though -- mostly thanks to Luke, if he was being honest. Knowing at least some good had come of his old mistakes... It didn't erase the bad, but it did allow him to view his actions a little more objectively. See the benefits as well as the damage.

Really, it had taken Jade far too long to see things clearly. More than a decade of washing his hands of the affair and convincing himself there was nothing he could do to atone besides live with the guilt. What a waste of time that had been.

There had been a time, had Sephiroth learned of Jade's affinity with science earlier, that it might well have negatively colored his opinion of the other man. However, given all that they had been through -alongside his own respect for the fact that the work Palitutu left in the lab couldn't be dismissed out of hand- it was more of an acknowledging hum that he answered Jade with than a disapproving one.

Still, his general dislike of scientists, backed up with the knowledge now of what Jade had played with on his own world, would be impossible to shake entirely. He owed his entire existence to the success of an unethical experiment, after all.

"I can't say that I wouldn't miss your hard work, and your diligence.

"Yet, even should I make the cut into Colonel, I have reservations myself over what the future might bring from it." After all, if Hera was consumed by the Calamity...what then? Esdham would be the next-nearest frontier of civilization, on the Continent of Balance, in the path of the expanding crystallization and no number of soldiers would be able to stop it.

"As true for you though, it's always been my calling. Considering where else I could fit, should that become defunct, troubles me often."

Jade mulled over that for a moment. He supposed he could see the issue. If your entire life was centered around one single purpose -- be it fighting or something else -- what did you do once that path was no longer open? Jade himself had never lacked for options in that regard, having always been interested in just about everything that provided him with sufficient challenge. If it wasn't military or science, he could have easily found something else.

He had seen the loss of purpose in others, though, more than once. It had been fascinating to witness at times. Human beings could find resolve in surprising places after they'd seemingly lost everything.

"Well, whatever happens to Esdham, I have no doubt you'll find your place elsewhere if it comes to that. There will always be a need for skills of your caliber." It wasn't so much a compliment as it was merely a statement. Soldiers were always needed, and even if they weren't, Sephiroth was certainly intelligent enough that he could excel in other areas should he put his mind to it.

For Sephiroth to have gotten so involved with the military purpose of Esdham was like a moth being attracted to a flame; it had indeed given him a direction, a purpose when he'd started to discover just how shaky the foundation of his ego really was. Since then, on several repeat occasions as everything came like waves to break on that used-to-be-solid root of his Sephiroth had always eventually managed to find his balance again. By having that familiar routine there, that structure to his lifestyle that he'd be like a boy in a dark room -fumbling for the light switch- otherwise.

But to hear Jade pass him a comment like that didn't seem to bring any flavor of a response in that instant. It was a fact after all, that solider or not --fighter or not-- Sephiroth had the freedom to mold himself whichever way he wanted. That thought, though he would forever deny it, scared him...it made him even more concerned that he might not be able to choose the right path for himself in the end.

The last thing he'd ever want to do would be to wind up taking the wrong one.

"You're probably right." Though inside he curled in on himself, at the very idea that he might also end up contributing to research. Whereas before Palitutu had revealed herself, cooperation had felt necessary to help them understand what was going on in this world, now the thought of it made him feel a little ill.

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Event || Terra Incognita

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