melodiesoflife | (no subject)

Characters: Lady Ashelia...and you!
Where: At a dive bar/pub in one of the rougher districts of Aqures Ixen.
When: Post-Night of the Thirteen Moogles, pre-trip to Aqures Ixen.
Summary: After recent events, the Lady Ashe decides to see what she can find out the old fashioned way: people watching at a table in a dingy bar with a bad reputation.

Ashelia sat at the bar, sipping slowly on a flagon of ale. She blended in with the crowd well, despite the fact that she was one of very few women in the establishment. Her hair was tucked under her red mage hat, shoulders bared in a red peasant blouse, a welcome change from her usual white ones. She wore tight-fitted leather pants, the knee-high boots with what looked like uncomfortably high stilettos completing her look. A red sword belt hung loosely around her waist; she had opted for an epee this evening. She was confident in her ability to out-finesse any of the drunken curs in the establishment should they not take kindly to her rebuffs.

She narrowed her eyes as she took another sip of her ale. Dreadful stuff. But she wasn't about to be picky just then. There was every possibility she could hear something, or talk to someone that could give her a lead in how the Empire had infiltrated the city - or continued to, as the case may be. With the spies' ability to teleport, Ashelia didn't think it could have been that hard.

But the seeds. They had been using Baltoro's Seeds for the ceremony that fateful night. A large quantity of them, from the looks of things. Yeul had told her it was all connected, and the queen had a feeling she was starting to see just how that might be.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"No doubt." The more she learned about Red and Sparks, the less she was surprised, though some of the references they made were completely lost on her. "Though it seems it was for the best - the battles that broke out were quite...harrowing." Ashelia didn't doubt Red's mettle, necessarily, but the foes that were faced were rdiculously strong. Ashelia owed her own survival, as did a couple of the other Heroes, to her magickal prowess. It didn't seem like those from Sparks' homeland were magic-users. "Unless you were caught up in one?"

"I ain't ever been in a fight light it before. Don't think I'll ever understand this magic, but onea tha jobs that I gots is supposed ta be a chocobo knight. I'm gunna go out an' see what a darn chocobo is and get ta know tha one I'm supposed ta be able ta summon."

She downed her drink. and ordered another. "Its hard fer me ta be in a city like this fer very long. I'm used ta bein out on tha plains of Mars. That's why I'm tha Red Plains Rider."

She almost finished off her second drink. "Not ta mention my ex-husband was one of tha new 'Heroes' that woke up here this past month."

"You haven't a chocobo yet?" Ashelia was surprised, and looked it. Red must certainly be something, to survive that night without the full extent of her power.

"Ah, I see." The queen nodded slowly, but then stopped. "Hold. Your ex-husband? Not the Marshal." She could have sworn, that night in the forest...it had ended badly, but Ashelia had just assumed Red and the Marshal were an item. Had she really read the situation so poorly?

"I ain't used ta seein' things like 'em before. I'm used ta horses like what Nevada's got."

She looked at the queen for a moment before raising an eyebrow. "Nevada an' me ain't together. Ain't been in a while. I was married ta Cactoid Jim fer a while, but that didn't last either."

She finished off her drink and ordered another. The woman could hold her booze. So far the only ex that she had that hadn't arrived yet was Croach. She was thankful that he was back on Mars.

"I see. My apologies, I often forget how different Crystallis is from others' homelands. The similarities to Ivalice abound; it has been...somewhat less of an adjustment for me." She didn't want to get into it, but Crystallis' moogles creeped her out.

"Cactoid Jim..." Ashe hadn't met him yet, but thought she remembered the name from some mognet mail she had received at some point. Perhaps I should be more thankful I was the only one taken from Ivalice. If Al-Cid were to be brought here...

"In any case, I apologise for assuming. I simply thought...truthfully, that night in the forest, it was all so...emotionally charged." The queen's speech was uncharacteristically halting. This was very close to two friends talking about boys and relationships and such things were usually the furthest thing from Ashe's mind.

Edited 2014-11-14 15:58 (UTC)