melodiesoflife | Event || The Festival Of Light

That made the smile disappear completely. "I know." Said quietly, sadly. "I was at the meeting discussing strategy." Even though she'd kept her head down mostly.

"Then you should know why it's important not to waste our time," Ales said as if he were a teacher lecturing his misbehaving student. "I never was the type to wait for things to work out, and I never will be."

Lydia is going to ignore the hint of lecture, because Ales is her friend. "Not arguing with you, just glad to see you taking a break is all." Okay, there might be a hint of hurt that he scolded her.

"I--" He was arguing with her, and there was no reason for Lydia to be offended. This was a lesson, just like any other Ales used to give to the "heroes" of the Glade of Dreams.

"Are you taking a break, too?"

He is not her teacher though, but her friend. They are both 'heroes' though, and have their own paths to walk. "I'm looking for good pictures. I want to make a record, of who was here--especially among the Heroes."

Friend, teacher, similar things. He was a guide in his old world, and he's compelled to return to that role after years of retirement.

But Lydia's explanation does calm him down. He's still agitated, considering what has to be done, but she's doing something with her time. "That's good." It's something positive to make up a horrendous year.

"How's that project going?"

"I really only just started, as I had to get more film first. I'm being very careful with my shots. Finding the right chemical combinations here to use as developer has also been difficult." Honestly, building the dark room had been the easiest part of her project so far.

"That reminds me though," And her grin is back, holding up the camera hopefully. "Wanna be my first picture, Mr. Magician?" For her, to him, the name was affectionate--at least that was how she meant it. She hoped he still felt that way too.

Ah, science. That's a comfortable topic for Ales. "But they are easy to find in this world, yes? The costs of transportation would be worrisome, much less the cost of safety equipment. I'm no photographer, but sticking your hands in those chemicals multiple times a day can't be good for you."

There was a professional photographer in the Glade, but Ales wasn't interested in learning his trade. It's a needed profession, but not one that can change the world like engineering.

Ales smiles. It had been a long time since anyone called him The Magician. While it was tied to a frustrating time of his life, he enjoyed the reputation that came with the name.

"Well...why not!" He tilts the bring of his dark hat back and puts on hand on a hip. It's the coolest pose he can think of at the moment. "How's this for a pose?"

Lydia holds up her camera to her eye, adjusting the lens and playing with different angles. Moving as she does so, and hmm'ing to herself. "Good, but we can do better!" There's a wide grin on her face as she peeks out. "You're awesome, and we need to show that, Ales."

Looking around, before pointing at some of the crates of supplies for the festival stacked nearby. "How about up on there? I'd love to get a shot from below, with you posed dramatically?"

Actually, compliments work even better. Ales tries out different poses: holding his arms in the air like a vampire on the cover of those cheap novels, swinging the tails of his jacket, covering his eyes with his hat. The last one feels most familiar to him. It's calming.

"Well, I do agree that it's quite difficult to look imposing at your angle." He chuckles at his comment before heading over to the crates. "How high do you need me to go?"

Hmm.

Eyeing the crates again, Lydia examines her camera, then nods. "I could get a good shot if you wanted to go all the way to the top, but otherwise half-way would be fine." She's sighing with a mock pout on her face. "Too bad we don't have dramatic blowing wind. If I'd planed better I'd have gotten a shot of you on an airship."

She is happy to compliment him, because Ales really is awesome in her eyes. He is her friend!

Ales hops onto the first crate and sits on the edge, holding a finger to his mouth and wearing a serious expression .A"Usually, the wind's stronger by a large body of water. If we were by the ocean, we could get a good gust, easy." Lydia understood his taste. Dark and imposing is cool.

"Ah, well. The next time I'm flying somewhere, you have to travel with me. Machine parts are such magnificent background scenery!"

"Aye Aye, captain." Lydia saluted, more than willing to travel. And of COURSE she understood his taste--she shared it. Maybe not always 'imposing', but she definitely understood that too.

Lydia held up her camera again, lens whirring as she adjusted. Moving around, before directing him. "Can you stand up, leave your front hand kind of on the crate but move your back one out like you're surveying the landscape? Looking for trouble and alert?" Seemed like that would be a cool pose as she crouched down and positioned the camera to see how it'd look.

If Ales didn't trust her, he would have thought Lydia was humoring him. Captain. A fitting title for someone with lofty goals as himself.

He followed her instructions, standing on the second highest level of the crate pile so that he had enough to rest his hand on. He faced away from the house the boxes were piled against, with the wall of the building stretching behind him. If Lydia composed the gram right, one side of the photo would have bricks and wood while the other presented the false illusion of open sky.

"Right here." He erased that smile, though with some difficulty. This wasn't a truly serious situation, and he had a tendency to default to happiness when nothing was happening. It helped to keep people off-guard.

Lydia absolutely meant it as affectionately as she called him Mr. Magician. She'd happily travel with Ales after this, and was glad they were friends. No stranger to adventure, and adventures were best shared with good friends.

Lydia moved a bit with her camera, checking angles and then smiling behind her beloved toy when she got the right shot. A false illusion of sky, and slightly under him to make him look taller--it was perfect! "Right there! Perfect!" She confirmed, snapping one shot, and then another in quick succession. He warranted 2 photos of her precious film, in her eyes.

Especially as she'd gotten one shot of him smiling, and one without. Lowering the camera, she grinned. Offering him a thumbs-up. "Want a copy once I develop these?"

Ales sat down, satisfied with the brief photo-op, and slid over the edge of the crate he was stand on. "Yes, yes, that'd be excellent. Take your time." The battle was more important for the time being.

Each crate, he slid over in silence. There wasn't much he felt like talking about, even with one of the only two people he considered friends, three if he included those he could talk about his childhood with. Two or three, it wasn't a lot. Without an outlet, Ales heavily considered grabbing a WEAPON and ending the Calamity right then and there, but that was a rash, and therfore, terrible decision. He wished he had some of the power from home.

Once he returned to the street, his happy mood was no more.

Lydia resecured her camera, and it was not hard at all to notice Ales's mood drop. Her own grin fell, and she reached out to him, one hand on his shoulder. "Can I do anything?" She didn't want to ask what was wrong--there was a lot 'wrong' on this world.

That was a difficult question for him to answer. He would tell her to follow his instructions and save the world if he had a plan. He would tell her to become self-motivating like the Lydia from the future, but he didn't know for what goal. They had to fight Palitutu and move on from there, and he hated the lack of a thought-out plan.

"Find something to do when Palitutu arrives. Helping with evacuations, joining the fight, whatever. I'd feel better knowing I'm not the only one taking the time to prepare." There, he did it. He told others about his feelings, just like he learned from talking with the psychiatrist in Aqures Ixen. It was better and bottling up those feelings and getting more and more upset with each passing day.

"...I have experiences with being the only one to do something about saving the world."

"I don't think you're alone here, trying to do that." Lydia encouraged, but she could tell this weighed heavily on him. Assuming he'll let her, she'll lean in and hug her friend. "I...I'm not a fighter. But you're right, that doesn't mean I shouldn't prepare somehow." She'd start her brain moving for ideas she COULD do.

Evacuation might not be a good option, but she could look into that and helping organize what she could right?

Ales didn't react when Lydia moved in for the hug. Once her arms were actually around him, he jerked at the realization. No one ever hugged him. He and Betilla were friends, but their interactions were borderline professional. She patted him on the head, giggles as a nymph is wont to do, but no hugs. Ales wasn't used to this.

His eyes darted to the side while Lydia held him, wondering what was going to happen next.

Lydia is a hugger, and Ales is one of her closer friends who isn't in a Crystalized limbo that's neither dead or alive. If he seems alright with it, she'll tighten the hug a bit. Genuine emotion and friendship in it, holding it for several heartbeats before she'll pull back.

"I know it's not a promise you can necessarily keep, but please try to be safe Ales? I'm really tired of losing friends." There's a sad smile, but it's clear Lydia cares a lot for him.

What was he supposed to do in a tight hug? Stand there? Hug back with his puny arms? There's no squeaks of protests while Lydia is still there, but he's definitely confused when it's over.

"O-of course. I try not to die in general." Unless it's a sacrifice for the greater good, like last year. Who knows, maybe he'll have to do that again.

He's supposed to hug her back--he'd done it before, or had that just been in the bad-vision of the future? Lydia is a bit hurt and confused that he doesn't seem to realize, but she'll shrug it off. "I know. But I can still say it."

Future him was weird. He hugged Lydia like it was a gesture he was used to, and experiencing it first-hand is different from watching yourself give a hug. Honestly, what was up with that?

His eyes dart downward. "What, are you worried about me?" His tone tries to be snarky, but his tight mouth betrays that. No one sounded that genuinely concerned since...since Betilla. And he abandoned her.

Lydia's head tilted, as she didn't understand why this was a surprise. Wasn't it obvious? They were friends--and Lydia didn't actually have many of those she was close to who weren't in Crystal Stasis left. "Well...yeah." It's an awkward smile, but she means every part of it.

"Ales, you're one of the people here I'm closest to who's not in that Crystal purgatory." There's a deep breath, and she clasps her hands behind her back or she'll fidget more. "That was--that was what set me off in the vision. Losing those I'm close to. You, and Sephiroth, and Nanami? You're the 3 people I'm closest to, and I'm trying hard to continue to make friends--but I worry about all of you."

Event || The Festival Of Light

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