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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Ramza frowned. As distasteful as he found politics, he kept himself well informed of the conflicts going on within his homeland. A Beoulve could not simply ignore the plights of the kingdom.

"I know of no Dalmasca. There is only one king, or queen, if the Princess Ovelia ascends. The monarch rules from Lesalia. The territories of Gallione, Fovoham, Zeltennia, Limberry, and Lionel are ruled over by nobles, and Mullonde falls under the control of the Church of Glabados. The kingdoms of Ordallia and Romanda fall beyond the kingdom's borders." That was basic geography that any good Ivalicean noble-child would know.

Perhaps Ramza was being too trusting, but he found no reason to doubt the lady, neither that she was Queen of Ivalice she claimed to be, nor that she meant her promise to cast aside the Seraph's power. There must be something more to the matter.

“Yes, the false Saint, Ajora Glabados. Do you know aught of his legends?” Ramza asked, fighting the keep the bitterness out of his voice.

Ajora Glabados? Ashelia had been looking at the bartender idly, but when she heard those words her gaze snapped to the errant knight's face. Something more valuable: the Cache of Glabados. I await in Bervenia. She looked down at the ring on her finger.

The names of the other kingdoms rang bells for Ashelia, at least she thought so. She hadn't much intelligence from the western kingdoms since most of her attention had been on rebuilding Dalmascan society, but she did know from her childhood schooling that they were almost constantly at war with each other.

"Legends?" The queen shakes her head. "Not at all. I do know an Ajora - 'tis not a common name - though his surname is most certainly not Glabados, and he is decidedly not a saint. He is a spy. My spy."

Ramza noticed her eyes flick to the ring she wore, but he did not question her about it. The lady's secrets were her own to keep.

"Curious. The saint was truly a spy, sent to spread dissent within the Holy Ydoran Empire. The Church of Glabados, founded by his followers, concealed that fact, and recorded only the tales of his miraculous deeds and miracles." He smiled bitterly at the queen. "Many of us placed our faith within the Church, fought and died for its lies. I pray your spy does not follow in the Saint's footsteps."

That sort of talk merited more ale. The broken shards of Ramza's faith still cut deeply when prodded. The drink might dull that ache. He took another long sip.

"Footsteps?" Ashelia might have been somewhat ignorant of the state of the western kingdoms for someone in her position, but she definitely would have heard of a Saint Ajora, and there was most certainly no such thing as the Church of Glabados in her Ivalice. The Cache had been discovered and used - she herself had rode through the sky on its wings. The only thing resembling a Church of Glabados was the legions of sky pirates openly drooling and snapping at Vaan's heels for his command of the ship and its auracite.

"Ramza..." Did she want to say this? To put this opinion out into the universe? The theory was the definition of insanity, but stranger things had happened. Two separate Yunas. Two Genesi, each seemingly the same in all but gender.

And yet, if Ashe was indeed from the Ivalice of Ramza's past, then the revelation could sever their ties completely. If she was responsible for the rise of this Saint Ajora, whose lies had caused Ramza and his innocent sister such pain...

She shook her head, pushing the thoughts out of her mind. There was no reason to push the subject either way. She needed friends here, not enemies. "In any case, we must needs focus on the task at hand. The ritual, the seeds, their connection to this moogle and the moogle's connection to the Heran Empire."

There was not a breath of relief, per say, when the conversation turned back to more relevant events, but Ramza would have been lying to say he was not grateful to have the talk of Church and demons put aside. The lady had promised not to consort further with the Seraph, and that was all he could ask for. The rest was his own burden to bear.

"Yes, we are meant to listen to clues. I apologize for the distraction." He turned to the barkeep. "Rumors are floating around. Have you heard anything interesting about recent events?" he asked, sliding a copper gil coin to the man on the other side of the bar.

[[ooc: Is there characters are supposed to pick up here? I figure most of the clues are coming from the Cat and Mouse event. I can totes have Barkeep tell us lovely things about the weather and the favorites on chocobo racing and all that ;D ]]