melodiesoflife | Event || Revelations

Entry tags:

Event || Revelations

Characters: All the Heroes of Light and their Moogles.
Where: Order's Sanctuary, The Interdimensional Rift and their Homeworlds.
When: August 03rd - August 30th

Summary: Following the battle against Palitutu, all the Heroes of Light were transported into the Interdimensional Rift. They were told by Palitutu they would have to find her to prove they can break the cycle-- But before they could reach their destination, a malevolent entity from the Rift stripped them from their immortality...

And now, they woke up in a decaying and dying world, most specifically in a place called Order's Sanctuary. From there they are ready to jump... Into their homeworlds! Feel free to use this post for the Mingle at Order's Sanctuary and should your homeworld be the stage for the Heroes of Lights' next adventures, feel free to make a thread for it and as many sub-thread as necessary! Please refer to the OOC Post for questions and plotting.

Warning: Whatever you come up with.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Ramza steps closer to Rialynn and lowers his voice. "Do you wish us to go there, or set our course elsewhere? We shall abide by your decision."

He understands why she would be reluctant to return, and that reunion is not one anyone else could rightfully force. Five miles northeast and possible wolves were no insurmountable obstacle, and they could brave them if need be.

Duster beckoned at the group to come closer, near the forest. Discussing plans in the middle of the road would draw attention.

He hadn't heard Rialynn add the comment about growing up in the nearby village, but he weighed both choices in his head. He glanced at the moon above him. The moon moved across the sky differently depending on where in the world they were, but general judgement on the time of night could be made with a quick survey. Once everyone was a safe distance from the road, he spoke.

"It will be easier to find a place to stay in a city, and people are going to be suspicious if we stop in a small village. But judging from the sky, it's getting really late. Depending on how fast we walk, we might not be able to reach a a city inn before it's too late."

He stares at the stars for a minute. A city would be better to hide in, but a village would be of less interest to an army.

"How tired are you guys? The choice is up to you." Duster wouldn't be able to make the decision on his own anyway.

K'pandolu nodded and accepted the hat, tucking her ears under it. "Thank you," she said, before taking her tail in hand and considering before tucking to tuck it into her pants as best she could. She understood the need, but that didn't make it much less annoying.

She hummed, gaze drifting between the others. "I could manage, I think," she said. "But- we could claim we'd encountered some trouble on the road?" She shook her head, frowning, and looked to Rialynn. "Is there anything that ought to lead us to one over the other otherwise?"

Rialynn met Ramza's gaze, holding it silently. She could see that he probably knew why she was hesitating, and she appreciated his confidence. Then she looked back to Duster and K'pandolu. "Give me a minute. I need to think it over. But you're right, getting off the road comes first."

It would give her a chance to collect her thoughts. She never thought she'd be facing the sight of her hometown again. Then again, she thought she'd never face her father again, but he'd been right there on that stage, albeit with a different name and a different set of memories.

She steepled her fingers together and pressed them close to her mouth as she walked. By all accounts, staying away from this place was the easiest thing to do. On the other hand, if they were to find the portal, then there was probably a reason why they'd wound up here specifically.

Moreover, she might not have this chance ever again. There was no guarantee any of them could return to their homes even if they did manage to fight the Calamity. And if they failed, this could be her last chance to say goodbye, and apologize. She exhaled, her breath shuddering, and she looked at the town again. "My house is here," she finally said. "I don't think an innkeeper would accept gil, so...if you're okay with it...I can see if my father will let us stay. Is that all right with you guys?"

"...If you're fine with it." They may be family, but Duster knew well enough that ties of blood were not always positive. He was fine with either decision, and left it up to the others again.

He shuffled his feet and looked at the faces of the remaining party members, switching from person to person as if to read their body language for a response.

Ramza nods. "We can go to your Father. But we also have equipment we can barter if we need. We are not without options."

And it is not as if Ramza has never camped out before. He does not plan on asking Rialynn to do anything she is not ready for, just for their comfort.

K'pandolu glanced at the others, and nodded. "That would be fine by me," she said. Of course, they could camp if things turned out that way, though she hoped it wouldn't be absolutely necessary.

Rialynn nodded slowly as she took each person's preference, then her eyes slooooowly grew wider as she realized that she might actually be the party leader for this merry little band. She looked back at the road. Looked at the others.

Crap!

She turned back toward town and pressed forward, surreptitiously tugging at the end of her bandanna. Butterflies abounded in her stomach, for she'd never really been the leader type. She was the one who followed, gathering information and staying off to the sidelines unless danger demanded she leap in to help.

"It can't hurt to just talk to him. We should conserve what we've got for now, save it for an emergency, right?" At least, that seemed like the best plan to her.

She fell silent as they moved through the woods. She found herself squinting in the darkness, trying to make out familiar items as they moved. Over there should be the weird dirt hills with the small craters at the top, over there would be the big boulders she'd climbed on and jumped off of, and somewhere around here was the fallen log she'd walked over pretending it was over a perilous ravine filled with spikes...

It didn't take long to reach the village perimeter. It wasn't a very big place, holding maybe thirty homes, an inn where a couple more soldiers lingered and casually conversed, and a low circular stone wall in the center of the village, presumably where people sat when the mayor called a town meeting.

Rialynn's gaze was fixated on a small house situated next to a blacksmith. One of the windows glowed with light. Part of her was relieved, as it meant her father was definitely still alive. But it also meant that she had to go face him and admit everything she'd tried to forget about herself.

"Okay. Wait here. I'm not sure how long it'll take, so I guess if it's more than an hour or so, uh... Actually I'm not sure. Just wait here." And she crept closer to the building, keeping it between her and the inn, slipping away toward the front until she was out of the group's sight.

There was no point in disobeying his friend's orders, whether she was the leader or not. It was her family and her town, so she decided what she would do. Duster rested his back against a nearby tree and slid down until he was sitting. The armor rubbed against the aging bard and scraped several splinters which clung onto his back harmlessly.

The spear was laid on the ground, and he waited.

K'pandolu settled down to wait, tail swishing aimlessly. "… I don't suppose either of you have a pack of cards on you?"

Ramza shook his head. "I do not. But I doubt they would do us any good in this darkness anyways."

He sat as well, his thoughts focused on the village and Rialynn as he let his body rest from all the trials they had faced these past few days.

No one knew when Rialynn would be back, and the first suggestion that came to Duster's mind (to take a nap) wouldn't do while in the middle of a mission. However, when he and his friends couldn't sleep during the dark nights, talking was the best solution.

"...The stars are out tonight." Thankfully, while the skies were cloudy, the wind provided the group plenty of chances to admire the small lights above them.

K'pandolu glanced up, and nodded, humming. "It's a different world, but- is there anything you see in them?"

Duster hummed to stall for time as he craned his neck upward. The constellations from the Nowhere Islands and Crystallis were gone, but it left a blank slate for them to project onto.

"Those stars, over there." He pointed to a group hanging above the distant forest, his other arm planted to the ground. "It sort of looks like a bird's head...viewed from the front."

If he squinted, the brighter stars in the middle formed an upside-down triangle. Therefore, a bird's beak.

It was probably somewhere around half an hour before Rialynn's familiar form came back around the corner. Her shoulders were hunched forward, her gait slightly shuffling and awkward, as if she were carrying a great embarrassment on her back.

"So um..." She cleared her throat, which was a little tight with emotions. "We don't have many beds. But we have two wood chairs, some extra blankets, um...well, it's nothing great. I can put my mattress on the floor if we want to lie across it the wrong way and have our legs stick out..."

Apparently the meeting had gone positively.

(OOC: But feel free to keep bonding over stars if you like, I don't mind!)

Ramza hurried to his feet when Rialynn returned, leaving off where he had been imagining constellations forming all manners of weaponry.

"Wonderful. We can make do. I will happily take a floor in a warm house over the chill night air." He will not say anything that will malign the hospitality offered at Rialynn's household.

K'pandolu was slower to rise- she'd been enjoying the tales of the constellations, and trying to see the forms the others saw while sketching out her own.

"That will be enough," she said, offering a smile, eyes on Rialynn. "I'm sure we weren't expected, after all. But I'm glad he's willing to take us in."

"Ah." He rolled his neck, having gotten slightly sore from looking upwards. "If you're worried about making it up to him, I can help around the house."

Better to assume that her father is strict than relaxed. Duster pushed himself onto his knees and stood up, one foot at a time.

"Thanks, you guys," she smiled sheepishly. As embarrassed as she was, she was also incredibly happy and vastly relieved. Despite being a bard, she couldn't even begin to put her feelings into words. So she didn't.

Some of her joy spilled out in a nervous little laugh at Duster's offer. "Actually, he might like that. It's grown pretty dusty in the last couple of years since I left. There's a lot of cleaning to do."

She ushered everyone quietly around the edge of the house. Rather than using the front door, she led everyone to an open window on the side, where they would be less visible if there were any guards on patrol.

Once inside, they'd find a big brute of a man, and one that Ramza would clearly recognize from the play they'd held when Narasimha had teleported everyone to the southern continent. He looked far less kingly here, just tired.

And exasperated at the sight of his daughter and her friends tumbling through his window.

"Do you know how many times I've had to clean your fingerprints off of that glass?" he grumbled, folding his arms and shaking his head. "Some things just never change. Come on in." He offered a big hand to help the others clamber through. "There's some bread and cheese in the kitchen. It's not hot, but it's filling enough, I suppose."

At least the man looks slightly less disapproving in this world and time.

"Thank you, sir. If you have a cloth, I would happily take care of the window. We will do all we can to repay your hospitality."

Dusty. Duster smiled at the wording choice, unintentional or not. As long as he wasn't a replaced for an actual duster or rag, he'd be up for that specific task.

He didn't question the window entrance; he often returned home by sneaking through the window nearest the stairs that lead to the basement to avoid detection by his father, and when there was no angry old man waiting for him on the other side of the walls, this was pretty fun. Rather than tumble, he dived into the house, did a sloppy front roll - really? Crystallis took away this much of his agility - and stood up with a bit of help from leaning on his spear.

His joy was cut short when he came face-to-face with the disappointed father. Duster's eyes widened in surprise, seeing his own dad in front of stout man who, while not completely upset at his daughter, had enough of a hint to bring a shock to Duster.

...Duster blinked a few times before realizing that his was just another man with home they'd be staying the night.

"Sorry for coming here so suddenly. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Those were the first two polite phrases that came to his mind. They flowed perfectly well, right?

K'pandolu raised an eyebrow at the choice of entrance, but did her best to climb in as gracefully as she could. She ducked her head for a moment, but watched the man with more curiosity after.

"Thank you for allowing us to stay," she said, hand over her heart. "We'll help out in return where we can, of course."

The man grunted, drawing himself up just a little taller as he looked down the length of his broad and fleshy nose at Ramza. Something about this boy...

"I don't know how you do things where you come from, but we don't put guests to work. Now you boys will be sleeping out here. I don't want to see either of you sneaking into my daughter's room."

"Vater," Rialynn sighed, giving him an exasperated look. "I told you, we travel together, it's not a big deal."

"This is still my house, and my rules still stand," he turned on her, bringing up all of his fatherly intimidation to bear. Then he peered at Ramza, and Duster, and RAMZA AGAIN. "Are we understood?"

Rialynn scratched the back of her head, shrugging to K'pandolu. Looked like she was the only one who wasn't going to bear any harsh scrutiny on account of being a girl and unrelated to the Kollmanns.

"Breakfast is when the cock crows. If you sleep in, you don't get fed. That goes for everybody," he squinted at Rialynn. "You be careful about who you talk to in town. We're on your side far as I know, but a little coin can change a desperate man."

Her face grew serious and she nodded. "I'll be careful. Thanks."

He scowled, grunting as he nodded. But there was a faint crinkling in the corner of his eyes where his smile remained hidden behind the thick patch of a dark beard.

Ramza bows to the patriarch of the house. "I meant no offense to your hospitality. And we are glad to respect the rules of your house. You need not worry."

He tries to catch Rialynn's eye when her father mentions 'sides'. What does he mean by that? Is there some war going on that Rialynn has not mentioned?

Rialynn's father peered at Ramza for a long, long moment, scrutinizing every word for some hint of rakishness. But, finding none, he grunted in satisfaction. "Good lad," he said, and lumbered to the large black stove to fill it with more wood and keep the front room warm.

As for Rialynn herself, she carried out an armful of blankets and pillows from the linen closet to start making beds for Ramza and Duster. "Sorry. I know it's not the most comfortable arrangement, but it's warm at least. Tomorrow, we need to get you a sword," she nodded at Ramza, "and at least two horses. We can probably double up unless anyone's uncomfortable with that. If so, let me know. We'll just have to knock out more guards."

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