melodiesoflife | The Shopkeeper's Daughter: Act 1

Characters: Ashelia, and other Heroes that answered her call
Where: Her house, B-05
When: 09/10
Summary: Ashelia has an interesting proposal: that the Heroes of Light start acting like them.
Format: Prose or action is fine
Warnings: none!

Everything was set up perfectly. The table was laid out with a bowl of (non-spiked) punch and some sugar biscuits. Chairs were arranged into a circle. Ashelia paced around the living room anxiously. We haven't the time for this. That little girl was dying, and here she was, holding a meeting to propose a plan of action on what to do about it. That's what Queen Ashelia would do - that's all a queen could do. But I am no queen here. She should be out there, finding the seeds herself. The battle with the Chocobo Eater continued to gnaw at her, though. She'd gotten out of it relatively unscathed, but only because there were people more able to take the hits. She needed the other Heroes for this. As much time as she felt she was wasting with this meeting, she couldn't be in two places at once.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Kaji appears a bit rushed to get here, not like his usual cool, calm demeanor. Kaji had planned to come along, to see what Lady Ashelia wanted. (So far, she is someone he actually wants to stay in the good graces of.) But he couldn't help but notice that Ib wasn't back at the house, and realized that she must have wanted to come help out, as well.

He steps in the doorway and scans the room, frowns a touch when he sees that she's here. Okay, here we go again, this is just like the chocobos. He can't stop her, and maybe she's even more capable in a fight than he is, since she can cast magic. He can make sure that she isn't going into this alone, then.

This protective streak, it's annoying, but maybe not entirely unwelcome.

"Ib," he raises a hand when he walks up. Shinji flutters behind him, wearing the hat for Kaji's Archer outfit. "Thought you might be here," trying immediately to put the cool facade back on.

Ashelia looks from Ib to Kaji and back again. She hadn't expected the child to actually show up at the meeting. "Ah, yes, you've come to the right place, then. I am the Lady Ashelia B'nargin Dalmasca. I do not believe we've met, Ib." She looks back to Kaji questioningly. What is she doing here?

"Ah, Ib, if you're so inclined, there is punch and biscuits." Ashelia motions to the table she had set up. "Please do try not to eat too many...the, ah, sugar..."

Ib smiles brightly at Kaji. She's really glad he showed up.

"Well, if I'm going to be a hero I have to help people, right?"

Ashelia has a lot of names and sounds very important. Ib wonders if she should curtsey. She made cookies though, so she must be nice.

"Thanks! It's very nice to meet you."

Luckily Ib isn't the type of kid to overindulge in sugar. She is going to have a couple of the biscuits though.

Kaji breathes out a long sigh, and smiles for Ib. "You're right. And this is a good thing for us heroes to be doing. I think." He shoots that smile up at Ashelia.

He'll answer Ashelia's silent question out loud, actually. He's not a fan of the 'adults talking over the kid and pretend they aren't there' thing. "We're all here to help. Not necessarily to fight, but you called us here for a good reason."

Ashelia bit her lip, looking - really looking - at Ib. She was just a little girl. And yet, I would do the same. Ashelia had always been a somewhat rambunctious child, owing mostly to her hot temper and her eight older brothers. It had all culminated when, at sixteen or so, she had taken it upon herself to foil what she had assumed was an attempt on her father's life by her fiance. I would not have come to the meeting. I would have stormed off on my own to fix things...what, I wouldn't even know.

"Of course. Every Hero is needed for this mission." Uttering that sentence made her want to hide her face in embarrassment, but it also wasn't untrue. "Ib, I have the perfect job in mind for you. 'Tis quite possibly the most important job of them all." Ashelia wasn't even patronizing the child, much as it might seem. "I shall bestow upon you your special mission after the meeting, yes?"

Okay, that last one was a bit much, but she was trying.

Fairly, Ib is just normal little girl. But she's a lot braver than she looks. She made it through the dark art gallery, she can certainly help look for a cure to save someone's life. And she does realize that the grown ups are going to be the ones in charge here, but she's glad there's a way for her to help. So she nods in what she hopes is a confident way.

“Okay! I'll do anything I can.”

Ashelia approached Ib confidently. There was no sign of her previous apprehension in dealing with the child. The queen sat next to the girl, legs on one side of the chair to better face her. "Thank you for waiting, Ib. When you have time, I would like you to visit the shopkeeper's daughter and keep her company." She paused for the girl's reaction, but then thought better of it and kept going. "I know it may not seem like much, but I know not how long it may take us to find these seeds. I need you to keep her with us; it is arguably the most important job of all. Do you accept this task?"

Ib quietly considers what Ashelia is saying. She's determined to be more directly involved. Go out and search for the seeds, question that man. And it does feel a little like the grown ups are just trying to keep her out of things. But.... she can also imagine what that poor girl must feel like. She must be so frightened. And no one should be left to deal with that alone. After a moment, she nods.

“Zelda and I were going to talk to the sword seller in the hospital. But... that's only a few hours. So I can visit her before. And after too! I bet she could really use a friend right now.”

The Shopkeeper's Daughter: Act 1

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After the meeting...

After the meeting...