The Shopkeeper's Daughter: Act 1

[desertbloomed]

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.

Comments

[wear_tear_rust]

Angeal felt a sense of welcoming from those words. She was right and he agreed with a nod. "He's a wise man. My father had said the same thing to me growing up. Honor has been our family's foundation for as long as I can remember, and I do my best to uphold what he has taught me through example. I wonder, how is the shopkeeper, Lady Ashelia?"

He was naturally concerned about the people but there were some things that even he had missed when so much happened around them.

[desertbloomed]

"He was a great man." Truly. "His greatest desire was peace for his people - for all people." How could she put this tactfully? "There were those...who took advantage of that desire."

The queen shook her head. The expression on her face said it all. "He claims to have lost hope long ago. His daughter's sickness will inevitably take her life; even the potion we seek to complete will not save her, but simply ease her pain as she waits for the end." She sighed, looking at the ground. "I do wonder if I did the right thing. Perhaps leaving the shopkeeper to his despair would have been less cruel than promising him that which we may very well not be able to deliver."

[wear_tear_rust]

He thought over what was said with a lean and his arms rested on his thighs to support his weight. "I see. Even hope in its smallest form is better than no hope at all. I don't think this will change, only that his daughter can smile without pain in her final moments. So many are not so lucky."

He thought about the suffering that he caused back home and even if he were to ease the suffering of one was enough to heal his own conflict long enough to go on without the pain of another.

"I think you did the right thing." He offered in reassurance. "But, if you made a promise, it's best to keep it. We shouldn't let his hopes down even if she can't be cured completely. Just knowing that others cared enough to try is enough to give anyone hope."

[desertbloomed]

"If we are able to locate the seed in time." That was a big if, in Ashelia's mind. What was I thinking?

She shook her head, telling herself, as she did time and again, to focus on what she could do in the moment. "In any case, we shall have the parties sorted out this evening, one way or another. All that will be left is to do what we must."

[wear_tear_rust]

So many what-if's. He sighed through his quiet contemplation. There was no need to twist the knife than it had already been. He didn't want to think on the negative since he had enough of that back home. He was thinking on a new hope even if the outcome wasn't entirely favorable. He was already thinking about the inevitable but didn't want to voice his opinion on it.

Matters were complicated enough. He took a moment to think about an action plan without saying that he was. Angeal was ready to face the good or the bad and in his own way, he was grateful for the chance to atone for his past sins. "I'll do my best."

It was a simple response that said so much, at least for him anyway. He didn't want to shell out false hope by saying that he would succeed when he knew better. Should the outcome provide a favorable result, then he had a reason to smile again genuinely through these ordeals. For now, he was just as much in the moment as Ashelia.

"Do we have a description of the plant?" He asked. He needed to note what it was he was looking for. As a hobbiest botanist, it made sense.

[desertbloomed]

Ashelia cleared her throat as she snapped back to reality. She talked the talk, time to walk the walk. "Of course." She brought Angeal several pieces of parchment. Each one had a drawing of a different coloured flower on them. Upon closer inspection, while the colours were very different, the petals made it clear they were all indeed the same type of flower.

"The seeds are unremarkable in appearance. Brown, ovular, like many flowers'. The bloom can range from purple to black, and looks much like a simple lily. It is said that the bloom's aptitude - that is, what properties it possesses and what purpose it will best lend itself to - becomes clear depending on the colour of its bloom."

[wear_tear_rust]

He studies the depictions carefully with each turn of the page. It seemed like such a simple thing to the untrained eye. Angeal was learning about the different flora and wouldn't mind having a few samples for himself for study. He scowled in thought.

"What color are we specifically searching for, or does it not matter much as long as we get the seeds?" He figured that the darker blooms were probably the rarest and the most potent.

[desertbloomed]

"For our purposes, any seed will do. Something in the seed which is somehow lost upon sprouting is the key component we seek." Ashelia brings out a map of the northern half of the Continent of Balance, tapping it with her finger. "There is out destination. A day's journey southeast of the city, a plateau exists where the flower is said to be found in abundance."

[wear_tear_rust]

"Ah." That made sense to Angeal just then. The growth of the flowers itself depended heavily on the enzyme but the science wasn't entirely the subject.

He looked at the map with clear interest. If anything, to know the location was important. "Sounds perilous. Most, if not all of us had never been outside the city walls. Balanced parties are recommended. I suggest learning about the volunteers a bit more to know their capabilities otherwise we may end up in trouble."

[desertbloomed]

"Precisely why I have gathered us thus." Ashelia gestured around the room to the other Heroes, unable to keep the grin on her face. As many misgivings as she had about making a nigh on impossible to keep promise, this was the kind of action she missed on the throne. It reminded her loosely of gathering around the campfire on her journeys across Ivalice with her companions, discussing their next move or attempting to puzzle out their own motivations, their own hopes and dreams.

"A balanced party is a must, as you say. I'll not be responsible for another Chocobo Eater debacle," Ashelia quipped with some humor.

[wear_tear_rust]

Angeal couldn't keep the laughter back with his hand to his face to hide that embarrassing memory. "You saw that?"

Of course, he saw the humor in his own mistakes which made him one of the most memorable instructors among SOLDIER. Mistakes were best for learning and he wasn't offended in the least that shown through his laughter.

[desertbloomed]

"I did." Ashelia smiled at the man, pleasantly surprised. He wasn't a grim as he seemed at first. "We all learned valuable lessons that day. And, alas, to stop learning is to stop living, no?"

[wear_tear_rust]

"Agreed." He chuckled with a nod. Angeal was the easier of the three SOLDIERs to get along with and he didn't mind the light jabs in mirth about his mistakes. While he was a proud man, he also knew when to put his ego aside for the sake of the mission. It did no one any good when there were more important things to be concerned with and he rubbed his hands in thought.

"I believe my pulse is pretty strong so that means a lot more learning is to come. I welcome it." He smiled warmly, then turned his attention back to the map.

"Are we going by airship or chocobo?" It was important to know so he could pack accordingly. The last thing he needed to happen was a lack of provisions.

[desertbloomed]

"Chocobo. The majority of the Heroes have their own. While we've passes to travel to the other cities, I imagine we would have to hire a ship ourselves if we desired transport to somewhere so remote." The queen shook her head. "No, chocobo will do just fine."

[wear_tear_rust]

That sounded much better to him since they needed to see along the ground through the trek. Airship would mean gaining a lot of ground cover but less likely they would find what they would need along the way.

He passed back the parchments that contained her notes after he was confident that he learned all that he needed. "Good. Demeter wouldn't mind the run."

Mogington looked completely bored and yawned as he laid behind Angeal's shoulders.