"A Hilltop Chat"

Cast: Daniel (Turtleye) & Seed (Deme)

TLDR: Seed and Daniel meet again, and discuss Florian's armor. Among other things, they also then discuss the peculiarities of the those seemingly-brigand-like soldiers they'd fought on Arbor Aurelius. They seemed cold and devoid of emotion for the most part, and they commented on how much they detested fighting. They mention how odd it was for the soldiers to seem like they had their very souls ripped from their being.

Support Points Earned: 1

[2:51 PM] Turtleye: Daniël let out a sigh as sat down on a hill, overlooking Nicousa and the sea behind it. He'd gone out for a stroll. However, Daniël wasn't taking in the view. He looked at the area where the stables were located. That sure was an experience, he thought to himself. I expected Florian to dislike putting on armor, but he really made it tough for me to even put it on. daniël had spent the entire morning attempting to put the armor on Florian. Despite his best efforts, Florian seemed not pleased. In the end, Daniël managed to persuade Florian into putting on a single piece. His movements did really seem more sluggish. Hmmm... "I guess it can't be helped. He'll have to get accustomed to flying with it eventually." Daniël sighed again, leaned back against a rock and closed his eyes. I just hope we dont get involved in another battle before he gets used to it(edited)

[3:13 PM] LadyDeme: The one moving sluggishly in Seed's world was Seed -- or perhaps, he mused, it was the passage of time. Perhaps it was the anticipation. He had sent a letter: the letter had been sent -- that was all there was. The most sturdy courier seemed to have set up shop not far from this hill, with its lovely view and easy access to out of town, and so Seed was walking back from there almost aimlessly. It was, of course, entirely insane to expect a reply the moment the letter left his hands, but Seed's pointed ears were honed for the sound of someone approaching him, anyway. So much depending on that little reply. Seed was almost glad to see the pegasus rider out here, where the city spread out across the distance and the blue-grey waves of the sea filled the horizon. It was a fine view, and Seed turned his attention to it for a moment where his tension could melt: the air swelled with a faint brine, rustling through his leaves in that familiar soundtrack in the backbeat of his life. The grass tickled at Seed's feet -- bare, as always. There were concessions Seed had made to a lifespan spent among people with mores and needs he wasn't terribly suited to (hence, now, the loose, sleeveless robe he wore draped elegantly across him), but shoes were not one of them. They dimmed the world horribly, in a way Seed pitied on instinct. He lifted the drape of his robe away from his knees as he climbed the last few feet up the hill, the most streneous, towards the diplomat. "Ah, Daniël! How fare you?"

[3:48 PM] Turtleye: As Daniël was thinking about the battle at Arbor Aureolus -- there was still something about the attack that felt "off" but he couldn't quite describe why -- he heard a familiar voice. He sat up and opened his eyes. "Oh hey there Seed. Didn't expect to see you out here! I'm doing fine myself. I've been quite busy the past few days as well as this morning, so I figured I would go out for a walk." He looked at Nicousa. "The weather today is great, and the view is even better." It was indeed a beautiful day. The sun was clearly visible in the skies, with a few clouds scattered through the skies. There was a mild breeze coming from the sea. "So, what brings you here, if you don't mind asking?" Daniël inquired.

[4:11 PM] LadyDeme: "I've just been to send a letter to a former patron," he answered. He did not intend to lose his composure as severely as he had at the talent show, where he'd inadvertantly spilled out a little too much heart, and involved his comrades in that pathetic mess. Best keep it simple. He settled himself down beside Daniel, stretching out his legs into the grass before him. "Since he's a Rettatti businessman of some renown, I'd hoped that by speaking to him, I could...Well, catch up on his life, for starters. And from there, perhaps understand the situation here a little better, and see what's relevant to us... With that done, perhaps I can clear my mind and get a little inspiration." It wasn't a lie -- though his first letter had masked itself in pure pleasant sociability. He'd been avoiding speaking to him for years, and Seed couldn't help but feel a ping of guilt in his heart. There were things that, as much as he'd wanted to know, he couldn't bear. But Seed now tilted his head, considering Daniel to his side. "Have you been busy with anything particularly interesting?"

[4:28 PM] Turtleye: "An old acquaintance, I see. Well, I've been busy with trying to get some armor for Florian" Daniël said, once again looking towards the stable. He plucked a halm of grass and started fiddling around with it "While I've been succesful in obtaining a set, Florian himself doesn't seem to be particulary happy with it. Florian's got a bit of an ego at times, and the armor isn't of the best quality, to put it like that. I suppose that's a result of growing up on one of the better Pegasus farms in Niciri." Daniël shrugged. "He'll need to put his ego aside soon because I'm not stopping untill he's put it on." Daniël paused for a bit, appreciating the sun's warmth. He looked back at seed "So you mentioned your acquaintance was from Rettati. I take it that you have also travelled quite a bit around Laqueos then?" Daniël asked.(edited)

[4:51 PM] LadyDeme: Seed considered Daniel's woes for a long moment, trying to see if he could think of some way to make the stubborn pegasus more pliant, but coming up with noticable blanks in his planning. At the end of the day, Seed was a fellow who liked and appreciated the ground, and so hadn't really left it very often . He liked animals -- but in the times he'd considered a ride most, he hadn't been able to afford it. He pulled the inside of his lip between his teeth for a moment, before surrendering with a sigh. "Hm...I wish I had more experience with mounts, to offer you some help. I suppose if his pride is troublesome, you could try finding some way to make the armor less offensive to it?"
He suggested, not sure exactly what would do that -- decorating, perhaps. But he was contented to let the conversation shift, and nodded. "I have in fact; when I could not make a living off of poetry enough to secure my life, I wandered and did odd jobs -- healing, mostly, but I can garden and brew a splendid tea, too. When I could, it was often while living at the home of a wealthy patron in one place or another, so I've seen a fair number of places."(edited)

[5:35 PM] Turtleye: "I could definitely try that. Perhaps if I can get some cloth to cover up the metal, he'll like it more." Daniël felt silent, thinking about the cavalry units he'd seen during his short stint in the military. Niciri was a country proud of its achievements and it definitely showed in their military divisions, too. Many of the higher-ups wore capes with blue and orange, the trademark colours of Niciri. They were also present on the armor of the cavalry horses. A bird started chirping and he realized his thoughts were drifitng off. "Now that I think about it, it's a tad weird that none of the diplomats from Niciri get offered a set of armor for their pegasus. It might be worth to adress this when I return." he continued. "Aha I see. I've travelled quite a lot, too. It's quite interesting to see how the reasons behind our travels have been completely opposite of each other. I travel to fullfill my job, whereas you travelled to find work. Although, I usually visit the same cities multiple times. I don't get to wander around a lot unfortunately." He paused, once again. He had tied the grass helm into a loop by now. "Perhaps that is why I volunteered to join this investigation. It's something different". He considered putting the grass halm on his finger for a second before throwing it away into the grass(edited)

[6:27 PM] LadyDeme: "I suppose the rather militant impression of real armor would be bad for optics, but it certainly seems like it's worth checking in on," Seed's answer was a rather hesitant agreement, delivered in a soft tone of voice; he saw the sense in either case. You didn't want your diplomats to be defenseless, after all. "It wasn't just looking for work; I don't need much money, after all, so much as... The work was also a matter of security, of having a place in which to pursue my passions, and people with whom I could share those." He shook his head. He didn't need to work, in a concrete sense: Seed was well-prepared to live in the woods forever once more, at least in the physical sense. "I could say at least some of my reason for joining is about that same security... so in terms of being opposites, I can't say you're wrong. But have you been enjoying the novelty of your journey?"(edited)

[7:35 PM] Turtleye: "Hmm. You raise a valid point. I shouldn't overdo it, That might raise some eyebrows among other politicians. " Daniël scratched his head. "I must have misunderstood." Daniël continued, regarding Seed's travel motives. "I can understand that it's nice to have a place to practice your passions." Daniël himself had very little time for his own hobbies between his travels, the work he did for the Nicirian government whilst not travelling around and taking care of Florian. Daniël cheered up. "I've been enjoying most of the journey so far, for sure. It's a nice change of what I've done for the previous years. I've visited many countries, but I've never really made friends with foreign people. Ofcourse, I've exchanged pleasantries with others after meetings or during dinners I was invited to, but that's about where it stopped. It's nice to finally have an opportunity" "Ofcourse, the battle at the Money Tree has shaken me up quite a bit. I was kind of suspecting an armed conflict to happen, but not this soon into our investigation. I can say I wasn't quite prepared for it."(edited)

[11:59 PM] LadyDeme: "It's all rather alike from the outside," Seed said, stifling the sigh at being misunderstood; it was hardly important, he supposed, and he had the words to justify it, and he let himself get sold on the positive fortunes of the circumstances -- new friends, getting close to various locations, seeing people you'd rarely get to know. Seed accepted this all, nodding thoughtfully... And suddenly leaning forward at Daniel's mention of being shaken. While his brows rose sympathetically, he couldn't help but nod, clutching the grass a little more tightly, so the blades scratched along the insides of his fingers. "I feel much the same. It was...terrible, even compared with the first attack. I'm not well-suited to battle, and the way they behaved... The death... The threat to all those who returned to the earth and their memories, as well... I'm not sure what to do with all of it but pen it out, and shake," Seed agreed, thinking of things that had been keeping him up at night recently. They were doing the best they could; that was all he could say for himself, and it sounded pitiful and vapid.

November 25, 2017

[11:54 AM] Turtleye: Daniël kept silent. He stared off into the distance, his fingers restlessly fiddling with new halm of grass. "The thing that bothers my the most," he said, finally breaking the silence, "is that the enemy's motive was to just light the Money Tree on fire. It just doesn't make sense to me. Why did they even want to do that? Is someone planning to take advantage of that? There's so many things left unanswered and we won't be able to find out unless we find another connection." He thought back to the final moments of the battle. I was the one who finished off their commander back then. If I hadn't be so careless, if I had just held back, we might've known something now. But he died right there. on the battlefield. Daniël thought to himself.
"I do think that in the end, protecting Arbor Aurelius was the correct thing to do. But I just can't help but think there was a better way to approach the entire situation. I've never been a a fan of raising my sword against others."

[6:39 PM] LadyDeme: Seed let it all stand for a long, solemn moment. After all, Daniel was for the most part saying what he felt; it was all a strange series of events, flurrying around uselessly. He'd have liked to know more, to have more -- to understand things better. Maybe some deaths could have been prevented -- and what had to be done, could be done with the precision of a surgeon. He stared upwards, falling back; above, the sky drifted in layers of faraway blue, the clouds like nothing so much as lazy cats. To catch the situation back would be to catch a cloud; it tumbled, like something else he was seeking here, into mist at his grasp. "Agreed, though I don't really have a sword to raise; I've not the temperment nor the nerve, even when it's needed." But then Seed glanced over to Daniel, and wondered faintly if there wasn't something he could do. He was, after all, rather not the most handy fellow in situations like that. Keeping his allies alive was useful, and he was aware of that... But he felt both spineless (ha, bit a little internal thought that always bit in times like these) and helpless, in a way that no flat knowledge could counter. But he had something. "I spoke to a man on that battlefield." Seed said, slowly picking his way through the conversation he had. "In truth, the man made very little sense. He was not like their leaders, who spoke like brigands -- a monk, perhaps, but he spoke like someone whose soul had been carved out. He claimed at once to be doing this for the good of all, and with total disregard for the value of every living thing on that island. And himself. According to his claims, neither family nor future nor love had any weight; his own life was meaningless to himself... I can't help but conclude either something was truly, deeply wrong with his will. But I can't begin to guess what just yet."

[6:39 PM] LadyDeme: Seed explained that unsettling experience, of speaking with a person acting for everyone, for whom everyone -- himself most of all -- was meaningless. He folded his hands before him peacefully, his brow furrowing as he spoke gravely. "...I think, given that his version of what was best for everyone had no regard for life or beauty, I must disagree with him."

[7:19 PM] Turtleye: A carved out soul... Daniël thought about those words. He'd seen many different people -- and with that many different personalities. Cheerful, stern, gloomy, but he'd never met someone who had given up on everything, even himself, to pursue his goals. "That indeed sounds like something really wrong. I guess he truly thought he was doing something noble -- sacrificing himself for the greater good -- but it just sounds insane to me." Daniël stretched his arms. "It's just a matter of perspective, I suppose. A hero to some is a villain to others. Although it sounds like that man had a very distorted view on the world." "All we can do now is try to find out more about thise whole ordeal. Perhaps there is indeed an organized group that links both of the attack together. Unfortunately, I haven't come across anything useful during our time in Nicousa."

November 26, 2017

[7:43 PM] LadyDeme: "...I don't know if nobility entered into his reasons." His voice was a faint and worried mumble, recalling the flat, rote tones the monk had spoken in. The Florkana left it there, though, rather than really getting into it -- he'd send a small write-up of the meeting to someone, at the least. " I'm seeing to what I can as well, but I don't think we'll find anything directly here," Seed said, with a faint sigh. He didn't think there was a single nation's government -- but he did think the attacks had some unity, somewhere. "But I think I'm fretting." As his hands came away from the grass, he'd taken a wider blade of grass with his fingers, and for a moment fiddled with it, turning it so the soft underside flashed briefly. "If one must spend a while thinking about these concerns, this is a fine spot for it. I feel like, on a good day, you must be able to smell the sea from this place." Today was not that day -- the wind wasn't with them, it seemed. A soft, wistful sigh escaped him, thinking of the sort of world this image presented. "I suppose this must be a fine spot for young lovers to picnic, above the bustle of town."

November 27, 2017

[11:41 AM] Turtleye: "I doubt it's a nation's government. It feels more like an organisation that is trying to undermine the current economic system in Laqueos, for whatever reason. I don't see any of the current governments, even the Symvoulvio, benefit from that." Daniël looked at Nicousa. It was nice to have someone to talk to about hit troubles. He usually only travelled around with Florian as his only companion -- and while Daniël enjoyed that, it was a nice change to have more people around. "It is indeed a great view from up here. It's very calming. Maybe we could invite everyone to have a picnic here. I reckon it'd be nice."

[2:07 PM] LadyDeme: "Agreed; while something here is clearly amiss, the Symvoulvio frankly benefit from it the least of anyone -- their political aim is smooth business, after all, and this both damages trust in them that is required for investment or other transactions and destabilizes the economy they want healthy and booming," Seed said; he had some insights into how the Symvoulio, mostly, worked. They weren't madmen, even if he... disliked their approach to national planning. But... Something also wasn't right, and all it took was one broken link in the chain to spiral out of control. And here, it was fairly clear, there was a broken link. And part of him slotted her into this place -- a woman with whom he'd once been one of those... Well, perhaps he'd somehow missed his window to be a young lover, he wasn't terribly sure how to count his age, but yes. He turned his mind from imagining the scene which these young lovers would be a part of, which he had been a part of, with great reluctance, which he didn't entirely let show. Instead, he earnestly considered their group enjoying this hillside. "That would be excellent; If you decide to do such a thing, I will happily lend my assistance; at the very least, I can provide some tea."

[5:20 PM] Turtleye: Daniël nodded as Seed talked about the Symvoulvio. He may disprove of their way of ruling Rettati, but they were certainly smart people. "Anyway, it's been a pleasure talking to you. I guess I needed to vent my concerns to someone so thanks for bearing with me." Daniël said as he stood up, stretching his back. They'd talked for quite a while, and Daniël still had a few things to do before nightfall. "I'll be heading back into town for now, so I'll see you around later. I'll let you know if I can set up a picnic. Enjoy the weather!" He smiled at the Florkana, before waving his hand and turning around, slowly strolling back to Nicousa. ...Lovers, huh. He thought about the conversation. It sure was a nice spot. Perhaps one day. He sighed, stopping for a brief moment. For now, there's other things to do.(edited)

[5:21 PM] LadyDeme: == RP End ==