melodiesoflife | Preparing for things to come.

Entry tags:

Preparing for things to come.

Where: Aqures Ixen
When: June 29th – July 5th
Summary: Zelda isn’t one for war but she’s going to start practicing and thinking of strategies. She knows that there will be a meeting but she doesn’t want to attend empty handed. She is also on a look out for new heroes. It’s a bad time for them to show up which makes her think that they will.
Warning: None.

Zelda was always busy and with the threat of war she was even busier. She was coming up with plans using the city map as a guide. It would be better to use the cities natural strengths during the fight, such as preexisting walls, but it’s clear that this city wasn’t made to withstand a war. The best they could do was guess where the Empire might focus their attention and so Zelda made a list.

1.) Jessie’s Lab
2.) The Hospital
3.) The Fire Crystal
4.) The Castle
5.) The Old Observatory
6.) ~~The old Magitek Research Facility~~
7.) Mognet Office
8.) Airship Port

There were other possible areas too but she didn’t think they’d attack schools or homes. They couldn’t chance leaving areas unprotected but she supposed they could put a concentration of people around specific points. There were a few locations that worried her more than others. She didn’t know if they should move the heroes in stasis or if they should focus around the crystal of fire. It would really help if they knew what the Empire was after.

She worked late into the evening, pouring over notes and making scribbles and plans on small pieces of paper.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

She was planning to fight and while her skills lay primarily in wit she wasn’t a stranger to brute strength. She thought of changing her jobs back to the skills she had mastered but she knew that Link wouldn’t want her on the front lines. Instead she practiced with the bow that he had made for her: aiming, firing, and then fetching the five arrows she was using for practice.

Zelda could be found practicing in a few places. Right outside the town was the most common. She could aim at trees or things around her without the possibly of hitting a foolish passerby. She could also be found right outside the Observatory, pass the garden that she had create and along the back of the building. She set up a small firing range with a few straw looking dummies at the opposite end. They weren’t perfect but they let her practice without destroying any arrows.

She could also be found using her illusionist skills such as duplicating herself. This would be the easiest way for her to help from afar and she hoped that she could think of ways to use these skills in a larger scale battle. She couldn’t help but wonder how well the Heroes of Light would ban together. She remembered the first time they all fought. It was in the Chocobo Ranch and it hadn’t gone very well at all but since then people have grown and changed. New heroes have arrived and they found a purpose.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Along with everything else Zelda was on the look out to see if new heroes would arrive. This was a constant duty that she gave herself but with war looming she decided to keep her eyes and ears out more so. It would be a perfectly awful time for the heroes to awake which made her think that they would. She also had no idea where they would show up which weighed heavily on her thoughts.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Ven wasn't much of a planner. He was one to go with the flow, to follow his heart at a moment's notice and, simply put, act on impulse nine times out of ten. Predictably, this whole calm-before-the-storm ordeal left him restless and uneasy, and he put most of that energy into more training. He would need it, anyway.

When he wasn't doing that, he was going around the city -- partly just to keep moving, partly to memorize more of the streets and locations. He still wasn't sure how things would play out or what he was supposed to do, but being more aware of his surroundings would pay off in any case.

His stop by the Observatory was nothing so practical; he just realized he hadn't seen Zelda in quite a while, and since he was around there anyway, why not? It didn't take him long to find her in her makeshift firing range, and he offered her an easy smile.

"Hey! Training hard?"

Zelda lowered her bow with a smile. Her hand had been pulled back into a tight ponytail but that didn't stop the usual wisps of gold strains from coming loose and framing her face. There was a glimmer of sweat across her forehead which she quickly wiped away with a towel she had on her shoulder. She was wearing a summer dress hoping to fight off the heat with the thin material.

The corner of her lips curled into a happy smile as her gaze fell on Ven. "Yes. Have you been training too?"

She could only assume so. He didn't look like the type who enjoyed sitting still for very long. She walked over towards a small bench that sat in the shade of the observatory placing the finely carved bow down and picking up a glass of water. She hadn't been keeping track of time but she's been outside for a few hours now. A break would probably be beneficial.

Taking that as confirmation that he wouldn't be in the way, Ven approached with a nod. "Yep! Pretty sure I'm driving Rae crazy, but she worries too much." He said it with patient fondness in his tone, at least; his moogle tended to stress over little things and underestimate him at times, but she was still a friend, and she meant well. That Ven had come up with the nickname was testament to his acknowledging both of those facts.

"But I've been keeping busy," he went on. His voice remained cheerful, but the way his smile shrank slightly hinted at his thoughts. "How've things been for you?"

Things were hard and they were bound to get harder from here on out but Zelda's smile didn't waver from place.

"They've been going well. I've decided to train when I've lost the focus to read. I've been thinking of strategies and plans as of late." She laughed softly shaking her head. "I've been mostly just making lists." Organizing things was something Zelda found she did often. It was a comforting task reminding her of home and a world she missed.

"It's good to see your moogle is looking out for you." She hoped all the moogles were but that wasn't always the case.

Ven returned her laugh with a grin. "Well, hey, that's something! I'm not too good at planning ahead like that, so... training's all I'm really good for." His expression indicated he was just fine with that; he wasn't putting himself down, only acknowledging that he had a long way to go.

"So you'll be sticking around for the fight, huh?"

Zelda nodded. “I plan too.” She didn’t think it was a bad thing. He was able to think and make decisions spur of the moment and that in itself was a talent that not many possessed. She smiled at him for a moment before looking up at the clouds rolling over head.

“I hope to make strategies but I think your skill will be very helpful.”

He was used to fighting; she could tell as much by the way he held a sword. She had seen many train to become knights and can spot both progress and talent in others.

"I hope so," Ven admitted. "I'd feel a lot better if I still had my real powers, but... I've met a lot of people since coming here. I don't know everyone yet, but I still trust them -- I know they'll fight with everything they have." Just like before, in their memories. They were all chosen for this, and Ven liked to think each decision was justified.

Since Zelda had mentioned strategies, though, he hesitated, looking thoughtful.

"So... do you think there's a better way than what Jessie was saying? About the Ultima Weapon?" He looked unusually serious as he asked; the thought clearly made him uneasy.

“I honestly don’t know. If that is the best option we have I’d like for us to be safe.” Except that the heroes would be its target and there is always a chance that they are unable to control it. The idea made Zelda uneasy but they might not have an option.

She sighed feeling every worry and weight she had been surprising rise to the forefront of her thoughts. Training helped her clear her head and organize things properly but now she was plagued with thinking about the many outcomes of this war.

“If we knew more about the Empire’s plans, it’s only been a few months since there last attack. They either have an impressive army or an enthusiastic one if they are attacking so soon.” She had hoped that they’d need more time to get back to full strength but Zelda didn’t know a lot about war or what sort of time that usually took.

Ven made a low sound in his throat. He had multiple reasons for distrusting the Ultima Weapon, and the fact that they knew so little about it wasn't helping their reasoning in his eyes.

That aside, though, Zelda's comments shifted his attention to the other big matter. "It sounds like we don't know much about the Empire, either. Do we even know why they're attacking us?" Considering the whole Calamity thing, why would people from the same world waste time fighting each other? There were bigger things at stake. "I mean, Cid and the others mentioned they might be after the Heroes, but..."

“We don’t.” It was the truth but it was also worrying. They didn’t know what the Empire was after and she didn’t think that the Ultima Weapon idea was a good one. Why bring something here that could potential kill them all? Though if the Empire was to have its way they would be dead anyway so she can understand the logic even if she didn’t agree.

Zelda sighed softly.

“I wish I could say I knew. They will have measures against the heroes no doubt that will stop the heroes from getting close or from being able to fight back. Before now heroes would return from death and yet they’ve found a way around that as well. Nothing really sits well for us in this situation.” Which was why they had to try their best.

“I had hoped more heroes would evacuate. Giving us a chance and time to fight back if this war didn’t go well.”

Ven crossed his arms, expression unusually stern as he stared unseeing at the ground. Well, the Empire had to want something, right? And if no one knew what it was, maybe it wasn't something they could just ask for -- something they wanted to take by force.

For Ven, that was a hard thing to picture. Even after his temporary reunion with Vanitas -- that brief brush with the darkness, all the negativity he no longer had -- he couldn't quite fathom this kind of mean-spirited maneuver, nor the concept of desperate obsession with power. Even as a Keyblade wielder, he knew fighting and violence were never the first solution when it could be helped. In this case, with so many innocent lives on the line... what was the Empire thinking?

All he could figure was that the Empire was a malignant force to be reckoned with, one they would have to battle -- and take out -- in order to do what was right.

As for the Empire's ability to kill Heroes for real now, that was neither here nor there for him. He hadn't seen this rumored no-death rule in action yet; ever since arriving in this world, he'd fought each battle like his life depended on it. Now would be no different in that regard.

"I haven't... seen war before," he admitted. "At least -- not before I came here." There had been a few exceptions during that memory mess. "But I've seen the results -- a lot of loss," he recalled. "And nothing good comes out of it. But..." Ven shook his head lightly with a small half-smile. "I know we'll be fine. Everyone has someone or something to fight for here, y'know? And that's when people are strongest -- when they're fighting for something other than themselves."

Not for power. Not for this questionable Empire.

Not for the X-Blade...

Zelda smiled at Ven. "You are right and I think so too. We have a strength that the Empire can't hope to understand. We hope to protect and that makes us strong." It wasn't a frail hope, this was a belief that Zelda took with her no matter where she was.

It was something that she trust believed.

Before coming to Crystallis she hadn't known of war except in the memories that were given to her. After fighting in Esdham she understood a little bit more and found she had no taste for battle. That didn't mean she wouldn't fight but she didn't want too.

In this case it didn't feel like they were given much of a choice.

He returned the smile, nodding once. "Mm. And they won't be getting the drop on us -- we'll be ready for 'em."

Speaking of, Ven returned his attention to Zelda's arrows and targets, openly curious. He knew what bows were, of course, but he hadn't seen many people use them here. "So what job is this you're working on?"

"Archer." She lifted up the bow so that Ven could take a look if he wanted too. It was finely crafted by hand and even an unskilled eye can see the detail and care that went into making the wooden bow.

Zelda smiled. "It had been a gift. So that I could fight and be safe." As in Link wanted the young goddess as far from the battle as he could get her.

Ven was no expert on weaponry or crafting, but he could tell that a lot of detail had indeed gone into this one's making. It had that handmade touch to it, although it was much more skilled and delicate than anything he'd seen before.

"Wow," he murmured as he admired it, "that was a really good gift." It brought back memories of Terra, like many things did lately -- that wooden Keyblade he'd given Ven, which had really been the start of his more serious training. Or maybe Ven had just taken his training more seriously after that, and really put his heart into it for that reason.

He straightened up again, nodding as if he understood. "Mm. I'm sure it'll keep you safe. Not just the weapon itself, but the one who gave it to you -- their memories are with it, so they're with you, too." He wasn't materialistic by nature, but that was the good thing about possessions: even if you lost them, you didn't lose the memories they carried.

Zelda's smiled widened. "I think so too." Her words were spoken with such warmth that it's obvious whom ever made her the weapon was very close to her heart. She was happy that he thought of her enough to make her something like this and then to wish her safety. In truth, he hadn't wanted her to fight at all but Zelda was stubborn if nothing else.

She looked back up at Ven, crystal blue eyes studying him. "I think I am done with practice today." If only because she didn't want to over work herself.

"Would you walk with me back to the city?"

He grinned at that. "Sure! I'd like that." He was just wandering right now, but doing so with a friend was always better! And even if he wasn't wandering, he would have changed course to go with her, anyway.

As they went, Ven asked curiously, "So you spend a lot of time at the Observatory, right? Do you work there?"

"Sort of. I spend a lot of time there, yes. I technically have another job too but the Observatory has been taking up a lot of my time." She looked over at Ven and smiled. "I hope it will help in some way."

Even if it was a very small way.

Zelda looked back up towards the sky pulling her back over her shoulder. They weren't too far from the city or her destination but she liked the company.

"I'm sure it will," he assured her, genuinely meaning it. "You've already been a ton of help with that journal of yours! It was really useful, too." Avid reader that he could be at times, Ven had found it a lot easier than having some of those things explained to him directly.

"So is that what you do? Go through the information we know about this world?" He knew what an observatory was, sure -- it had been one of the first places he'd checked out, back after his arrival -- but that didn't seem to be its primary purpose from what he had seen.

“Sometimes, I also just try and keep peoples spirits up. People are usually at their best when they are happy and filled with hope.” She turned to Ven with a smile. “Right?”

Zelda didn’t do these things because they were a job of hers. It was something she chooses to do which was why she occasionally had parties or things going on to lift the hero’s spirits. No matter how sad and hard things got there was always a reason so smile and Zelda didn’t want anyone to forget that. She didn’t want people to lose hope. Perhaps it was her own connection and understanding of dark and light that drove her but it made her determined.

Ven gave an easy laugh. He knew the difference in the spectrum between hope and despair, sure enough. There was no comparison. "That's true. I guess... that's what the city really needs right now, huh?" he mused. "I don't think we should lie to each other or anything, but -- if we focus on the bright side, then everyone else might, too."

Not that there was anything bright about war itself, but things could certainly have been worse. As he'd said before, the Heroes all had each other, friends and allies and fellow individuals who wanted to save this world. That was always something to be thankful for.

Zelda smiles brightly. “Something like that.”

As they spoke they stepped into the bustling city. It seemed like everyone was busy with something which made sense considering the event that was going on and then the news of the war. After a little ways Zelda stopped.

“Thank you for walking with me. I’m going to leave off from here though. I have a friend I want to check up on.” Her smile widens. “I’ll catch up with you another time.”

Ven nodded and raised a hand in farewell even as he stepped back into the street. "Sure thing! I'll see you around, Zelda!" Finding something to keep himself busy and his thoughts occupied for a while wouldn't be too hard.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Preparing for things to come.

Observatory! end of June

Observatory! end of June

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject