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.

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Sparks winced at that. It had been on his mind a lot, and the worst part was, at the time, he thought the sacrifice of one person was an unfortunate necessity to save everyone else.

"Yyyyyeeeaah, I, uh. I know. Trust me, if I had been in my right mind, ain't no way those guys woulda gotten away with this. But they somehow made me believe all kindsa crazy stuff. Not just me, but everyone else who were already there."

"I realize that," Ashelia continued, "however you still carried out those actions." She sat back in her chair, looking down at her crossed arms for a moment before fixing the man in her gaze once more. "If nothing but one's actions matter, and you choose to sit and indulge in libation instead of striving to right the wrong you have done..." She let that hang, one eyebrow raised.

A look like that was obviously getting to him, as Sparks shifted in his seat uncomfortably. Even he could only run from his problems for so long, though. "Yeah, yeah, I know... Just. Gimme one more day. 'R at least this night. I think I need another drink, first."

Ashelia nodded. At least it seemed like she had gotten through to him. "Of course. After that ordeal I'd not begrudge anyone a night of drinking." She didn't say it, but the implication was there. One night of drinking.

"That being said, how are you faring, Marshal? After everything?"

Asking Sparks about his own feelings was always a tricky thing, being stoic and unflappable as he generally was. Still, he's not as impassive as he thinks he is, especially after this many drinks. He struggled for a moment trying to articulate just how fine he was.

"What, me? No, I, uh. 'M fine. Y'know. There ain't nothin' this planet can throw my way that I can't handle. 'S no different from Mars in that respect. Nope. Sure's no Mars. Nooooot even close."

In an effort to divert the topic away from that, he tried to turn it on Ashe instead. But this meant asking someone else about their feelings, which to Sparks was equally as nerve-wracking.

"But, uh, how're... how're you after all that. All that stuff."

"No. I do not suppose this is Mars." Ashelia narrowed her eyes, sizing the Marshal up once again. "Marshal...'tis hard for all of us, being away from home. This is not some trip, some pleasure tour. We are not here to see the sights, indulge in the culture, sample the cuisine - we have been taken against our will. We must fight to regain our own lives and, should the time come, to protect the lives of all Crystallians." She leaned forward in her chair. "All the more reason to hold steadfastly to those close to you. This is not Mars, but you do have parts of Mars with you here, perhaps the most important parts."

As for how she's doing? The queen leans back in her chair, uneasy. She never dealt with her feelings very well; there was always something else to focus on, some other problem to solve. The one time she did let her feelings guide her, she almost got carried away and destroyed an empire. "I am fine."

Yep.

That made two of them uneasy, then. He frowned, knowing she was right, but of course not wanting to admit it. He mumbled out a barely-perceptible "Yeah, I know" in response to her advice. While it was good to have people like Red and Jim here, he also wished that his friends had never gotten wrapped up in this mess. Any one of them could end up as a crystal statue any time now.

He shot her a raised eyebrow regarding the answer to his question, then nodded slowly. "Right then. I'm fine, you're fine, and everything is... fine."