Reize's Decision to Depart

Reize's Decision to Depart
Date of Scene:	29 January 2013
Location:	Fluorgis - Shard Seekers HQ
Synopsis:	Reize made preparations to leave at midnight. However, it was not without getting the notice of those closest to him.
Cast of Characters:	Reize Seatlan, Lenn, Leida, Emi Dennou

---

Reize Seatlan has posed:
It is the middle of the night in Fluorgis. It is also pretty peaceful. It is one ofthe times that the people can gaze into the night without worry. Or at least, it would be were it not for the Heartless that lingered.

One person is emerging from the boy's dorm, geared up in his full traveling clothes. Majority of the essential things are taken with him. The young adventurer finally made the decision.

He's leaving to go on his adventure again.

The responsibilities of being the leader of the Shard Seekers have long over his head. He did not want to be the leader. Instead, just a simple adventurer.

~ "...You talk big about friendship and rainbows and love and peace, but...In the end, you just want to get out and travel." ~

Those words by Priel linger in his mind. The boy had considered the friendships that he had made with many people within the Shard Seekers something that he has held dear. In fact, Reize has considered it a driving force. However, in the terms of his role as an adventurer: It has gotten in his way. He has been too bogged down by the stay within Fluorgis and the affairs of Manhattan. So much is going on that has kept him restricted and constrained in the areas. In fact, dreams reminded him that he was essentially back home: Stuck in that small village, doing the same thing. Instead, it was a big city.

It is in this midnight that he'll depart on his own.

~ "We trust you, chief. I know you'll be back." ~

Ivo's faith in him bring's reassurance. Yet, in the end, Reize has a desire to fulfill.

He cannot do that remaining in Fluorgis.

Sucking in a breath, Reize hefts the backpack over his shoulder and he starts to walk off towards the exit.

It's time for him to leave Fluorgis and become a real adventurer again.

Lenn has posed:
Lenn has been up late, working on her craft, and thusly, she's using an old bench from when HQ was once a workshop. She stands when Reize is on his way out. "Reize? Where are you going?" She looks concerned. "You were just going to leave?" And maybe just a little hurt.

Leida has posed:
The streets of the city are mostly empty at this late hour, the denizens of the City of Flowers safely locked away behind closed doors and shuttered windows to keep the ever increasing threat of Heartless at bay. Guards are stationed at various points throughout the thoroughfare, some wearing the armor and colors of the local law keeping offices while others are merely adventurers and sell-swords who have seen fit to pick up the slack out of a sense of duty or opportunity for coin.

A cold breeze wafts in from the desert dunes beyond the walls, sweeping through the quiet valleys between buildings in a faint whistling howl that add an eerie element to the already ominious shadows that loom from every nook and crany.

Leida shivers as she pads down the familiar paths leading from the gates to the small dusty building that she now calls home. It is not the chill of the air that makes her skin crawl so much as the sense of being watched in the dark. Her stay in Traverse Town had been a refreshing change from the constant opressive heat and she had chosen to make the journey back at night to try and avoid the worst of it for atleast a little longer.

Moving with inspired haste, the small girl crosses the town in record time and slowly tests the doorhandle when she finally stands before the Shard Seekers base of operations. There is a soft click and a sharp creak as the portal swings inwards; clearly no one had picked up the duty of making sure the sand didn't get into everything while she was gone. Leida sighs softly at that but does so with a good natured smile. Atleast she'd have something to do.

Taking a step inside, she pulls up short as Reize suddenly comes into view clearly dressed for traveling. This was nothing particularly new, their job often required some commuting but Lenn's sense of worry is infectious. The elf has been around him far longer than herself, if she's worried there might be good reason.

"Ah... Reize-san. Going on a trip?" She offers the question with a smile, setting her own small travel bag next to the wall to relief her shoulders of the burden.

Reize Seatlan has posed:
It looks like leaving will be a bit more difficult than intended. He was hoping that everyone would be asleep when he left. It would make it easier for him to go on the trip. They would likely worry and want to come with him. Reize would have to slow down.

However, this journey is something that Reize would have to do alone.

~ "But I can't imagine you not wanting to protect people in need, not being there at the moment we need you. That's just who you are. So when you need to, wander." ~

When Lenn manages to intercept him, Reize tenses slightly, but he relaxes a moment later. The arrival of Leida has te boy glancing over her way. A faint smile is given towards the two ladies while he adjusts his backpack, "I'm going to travel for a while." He lifts his head up, a rueful smile forming. "... It's been a while since I've traveled. With the situation in Fluorgis, I've put my focus too long. Ivo will be helming up the leadership role for a while."

~ "But isn't it nice to have some place to return to? No matter how long you're gone now?" ~

"I'll be back after my journey..."

Lenn has posed:
Lenn smiles, and walks over to Reize. "Well, I certainly can't stop you." She sighs, and wraps her arms around him, kissing his forehead. "Just promise me you'll be careful. I worry about you, you know."

Leida has posed:
The small backpack rustles softly as it settles against the floor, though Leida's hand pauses with the strap still gripped as he unveils his intentions. Slowly, she lets go and turns to face the young boy quietly, her serpentine eyes questing over his face for signs of trouble in an unusually bold manner.

However, when he smiles she allows her own to return, exhaling softly. She understood immediately. Though people from her world were often quite content to spend the majority of their lives in one place, some people were afflicted with an eternal wanderlust. Their hearts simply could not be happy contained in one place for very long. Some of her brothers had been the same way, though she had never spoken to them much on the subject, she could see the delight on their faces when they rode off to from the castle to explore further and further from home.

"I see..." She averts her eyes at the display of affection from Lenn, waiting for now while the older woman says her peace. She's got first rights on saying good bye, being his betrothed.

Emi Dennou has posed:
Grr!!

Emi is unhappy. It's not about anything that happened to her, nor does it even involve the Shard Seekers. But she's grumpy. And tense. And she wants to do something. But because she can't think of what to do, she's being reckless and what's more she's desirous of something consistent. And what's more consistent than the Shard Seekers which seems more or less to be a party all ni-ight.

She flings the door open and despite knowing this is the Shard Seeker HQ, walks inside without even making sure nobody's in the doorway or anything--she KNOWS that's just asking to trip into someone but by god, she doesn't care. Of course maybe her metaphysical awareness may protect her. It's a mystery.

What she does say upon coming in is, "The Network enters coolly, and warns of a foul mood which is to say not a 'fowl mood' which would involve birds but in the sense of being a bit tiffy, The Network explains rationally."

Reize Seatlan has posed:
Reize finally explained his intentions. He has been growing unhappy remaining in Fluorgis. With the lingering feelings taking over, he feels that it is good to dispel it by traveling and depart from the place. In the end: He is an adventurer. It feels so much more comforting to be a traveler without the need to go back home.

As Lenn moves over towards the boy, Reize looks up towards his fiancee, then his arms wrap around her as she giveshim a kiss towards his forehead. "...Yeah, I'll be alright." He gives a brighter smile, "I promise."

He walks over towards Leida, placing a hand over towards her shoulder. And then he move to give her a hug, "I'm glad that you have made friends. You've been stepping a foot forward wth yourself. I'm proud of you."

He is about to turn over to leave, until Emi slams her way into the HQ.

"...Emi?" The boy furrows his eyebrows, "What's wrong?"

Lenn has posed:
Lenn smiles, and rubs Reize's head. She'll have to accept this... It's a good a reason as any to get herself into shape, so she can go *WITH* him sometime. "You always keep your promises." She steps back, and looks to Emi, concerned. "Trouble?"

Leida has posed:
As is often the case, when the presence of Leida's two rather crude fallen soul companions is the most unwanted, they choose to manifest. Like right now. Twin bursts of green flame wink into existence in the air above her shoulders, both giving dramatic and unnecessary yawns as they 'awaken' from their dormant states. An annoyed expression immediately overcomes the princess as she feels their presences manifest but Reize curtails the things she is about to say to them with a surprise hug.

Leida's eyes widen and she blushes a little but getting hugged has become common enough that she doesn't freak out any more. "A-ah... thank you, Reize-san." She doesn't return the hug as her arms are pinned by her side but she does give him a warm smile in return.

'Oh, looks like we got up just in time for some mushy stuff.'

'How touching, truly.'

The princess' sudden glare in their direction catches the two spirits so off-guard that they instinctively scoot backwards several feet. Before they can mount a rebuttal to this afront, the door slams open and flattens the both of them into the wall, earning two painful yelps of surprise and agony that only she can hear.

Ignoring the smooshed fireballs, Leida turns to peer at her friend and her foul (not fowl) mood. "Um... Emi-chan...? Are you alright?"

Emi Dennou has posed:
Emi manages to refrain from going after Lenn's ear for the moment. She is frustrated enough with whatever it is that is frustrating her that she doesn't immediately notice that something is up with the Shard Seekers--which is something of a crime in of itself against perception because it'd normally be rather obvious with her, just with a simple scan of what reize is wearing and the ladies that are with him and the like. She certainly doesn't notice the poor ghost fireballs she squashed though it's debatable whether she'd notice them even if she wasn't distracted.

As such Emi gets nearly through half her rant before she realizes what's up.

"The Network's friend's heart got broken and there is nothing we can do about it to comfort him, The Network explains frankly but notes that we are not referring to--"

She pauses, the scene catching up to her conciousness.

"...The Network inquires what is going on?"

Reize Seatlan has posed:
The smile becomes fainter, listening to Emi's rant. It seems that someone's heart is broken, but nothing can be done. Nevertheless, the young adventurer just moves to place a hand over her shoulder while passing her.

He turns around to face her, "...I'm going on a trip for a while. Ivo will be leading the clan for a while until I return." How long before he intends to return is unknown. "... It's been a while since I've been an adventurer and explored the various worlds on my own." He brings his hands over his head.

He frowns a bit, "I am sorry to hear about your situation. Though.." He is unable to field such a thing, "...I guess time will have to heal." He rubs the back of his head awkwardly.

Leida has posed:
"Heart got broken...?" Leida stares blankly for a few moments. Emi had not seemed like the kind of person to get so upset over things, especially something like that. Perhaps their inability to assist in this situation was what had gotten them riled up.

Either way, the girl steps away from Reize and places a hand on the Legion's shoulder, trying to give her a reassuring smile. "I am sorry to hear that. Do not worry, Emi-chan, I am sure your friend knows you wish the best for them. You are a very understanding person. Or... ah... Network."

She glances back to the boy. "Well... please be careful Reize-san. I hear of many dangerous things while wandering the markets. Everyone will be very sad if you get injured."

Lenn has posed:
Lenn blushes... So many people saw her being affectionate with her fiancee. She bites her lip at Emi. "That *IS* a vexing problem, isn't it?" She crosses her arms, thoughtfully.

Emi Dennou has posed:
Would he really be okay with time, Emi wondered. While she was certainly frustrated she couldn't be of assistance to him, maybe the greater fear was simply that she wouldn't get to see the real Max anymore.

And to make matters worse, Reize is going on a journey. She is shoulder patted not once, but twice!

She opens her mouth to tell Reize in no uncertain terms that he is not allowed to leave right now, but she can't really bring herself to say it even though she'd rather like to. Instead she says, "How long do you intend to be gone?, The Network inquires."

Reize Seatlan has posed:
It is tough, given that Emi is undergoing a situation of her own. That is an interesting question: How long?

"I don't know." The boy's shoulders lift with a shrug, honestly not so sure himself. Weeks, month, years. Reize is uncertain. All that he knows is that he wants to leave soon. Instead, he manages a smile.

"...Until the calling brings me back here." He grins.

"I just know... other places are calling me now." He brightens a smile, "Part of being an adventurer is answering those calls."

Lenn has posed:
Lenn smiles at Reize. "Let's hope it brings you back soon. We might end up going on an adventure to find you." She hugs him again, briefly, before going back to finger the ring she's wearing.

Leida has posed:
Leida nods again. She was hardly what could be called an adventurer herself. Infact, she rather preferred staying in one place (just not one so hot all the time.) But she understood the need to wander. "We shall try to keep the city in one piece while you are gone," she offers lightly.

Emi Dennou has posed:
Emi gets an answer to her question. She stares at him for several moments. If there was a timeframe--she could understand that. Vacations are something even The Network understands. But the idea of just popping off without any idea because of the call...FOR ADVENTURE! Well Emi is no gentleman adventurer, she is rather skeptical of the idea.

But it fits with Reize's character. What is stranger is everyone else. "How..." She looks towards Lenn in particular. "...How are you okay with this? Are you not engaged? The Network is admittedly not familiar with Elvish tradition but from our understanding of humans...it is odd."

It is too odd for her to see everyone just okay with this. "You may never see him again."

Lenn has posed:
Lenn looks to Emi, and sighs. "I'm not. I love him. I'm going to worry every day he's gone. But I can't keep him HERE, it wouldn't be fair to him. And I can't keep up with him, as I am. Yet. So, for this one... I'll wait for him. Because he promised he'd come back."

Reize Seatlan has posed:
"...Ivo told me something," He turns to face Emi as she looks over in bewilderment of everyone's reaction. While the smile is still faint, it is still there. "...They have faith that I'll return. I will... how long until then, I don't know." He offers a faint smile, "But they also understand that in the end... I am a wanderer."

He pauses, listening to Lenn's words. As she hugs him close once more, Reize embraces her. Then, he retracts the hug. He rests his fingers along the engagement band. "...Thank you, everybody."

Reize shuts his eyes, then he turns around to walk through the doors.

Leida has posed:
The princess is rather taken offguard by this question. Warriors riding off to battle or fame was something that happened constantly in her society. Though many differences existed here in these new worlds, most of them were still populated by men and women who lived and died by the sword. Death an ever-present companion to them.

"I... did not mean... to sound indifferent." She looks down, suddenly shamed that her easy acceptance might have seemed as such to these foreigners. "But we cannot tell Reize-san that it is not acceptable to follow his heart. We must simply bid him a fond farewell and wait for the time that we can meet again. Even if that moment never comes, we shall always have the memories that we shared."

She looks up and smiles brightly at Reize as he turns to go, giving him another bow. "If this should be our final meeting, Reize Seatlan, please know that we shall be eternally grateful to you for what you have done for us." Leida reverts to her old formal speaking habits, using the royal 'we' instead of 'I' as it makes the words easier to say if they are spoken out of tradition rather than emotion. The faint glimmer of moisture in the corner of her eyes betrays her real feelings though.

"May the spirits watch over you on your journey."

Emi Dennou has posed:
Emi listens to the arguments in favor of Reize skipping town.

"You are already commited," Emi says after a while. "So these words will be wasted, but nevertheless, The Network will say them."

"Never abandon a comrade." She says. "When we had that discussion in the garden, we had assumed you were working on the situation in Burmecia, planning for how to defend Fluorgis from the threats that are still plaguing it. We still do not know why there was such danger in Fluorgis to begin with. There is much we have yet to uncover. The city, and your friends, are still very much in danger. We seem to have assumed incorrectly, you were instead considering how to properly run away, finding the proper excuses. 'I am a wanderer, that is who I am'. We thought you were a knight. What sort of knight abandons their territory to go out and have fun."

She shakes her head. "No, The Network still does not understand. Your friends are good friends to 'understand' this--no," She shakes her head again. "They are easy friends. Still, The Network must applaud your maturity, then, to step down for finding yourself unsuitable for the task."

DIS A POINT MENT. Of course, she did come into this grumpy and did warn everybody of this, but this does seem remarkably sincere.

She turns for the door, intending to just walk right back out it. "This one apologizes for sharing such uncomfortable feelings. If you do not save this city, or the adventurers--your friends--who got stolen away... The Network supposes they will have to step up."

Reize Seatlan has posed:
Sigh.

Reize pauses, turning his head over towards Emi when she strikes him with those words once more. The longer he stays, the more unhappy he is. After losing a good majority of his friends and the others in this, Reize just wants to depart and just journey ahead. A grimace is given.

There is usually a limit that the boy can take during all of this, especially when he is the leader.

In the end, Emi is right.

He doesn't walk out.

"...You're right."

Reize turns to face the ladies, "...When the Shard Seekers were started, it was through the union between Ivo, Lily, and I." He pauses for a moment, "...I never wanted to be the leader." He offers a rueful smile, "... I did not expect for the Shard Seekers to grow as big as it did. ... I did not expect Fluorgis to be a home." He shuts his eyes, "... I found it becoming a cycle for me. A boy that grew up in a small village for 14 years, a village that no one knows about for miles across. You'd be lucky to find it on any of the maps."

"In that small village, I had my father's stories to go off of." He shuts his eyes, thinking back to the tales that were told. "...He wandered the world, helping those in need. He got to see things that many of us have not. I wanted to walk on a that road like he did. Outside of that little forest, I never knew what the world was like. I wanted to see it all for myself."

"When I arrived here, this was my chance to explore the world. ...Though, I did not imagine that I would had lost a world at the process." His eyes become downcast, but he lifts his head up with a faint smile, "...I never intended to be a leader or to hold one territory. ...I never intended this place to be my home. I sought to travel the world like my father did."

He looks like he is about to say a bit more, but he stops himself. Instead, a smile grows.

"...You're right. Knight's Vow #72: Never abandon a comrade. ...I cannot leave Fluorgis or Cleyra in the condition that they are." Guess sometimes, even being selfish for just a little bit is a bad thing for him. "...There are people that still need me."

Leida has posed:
The princess hesistates as she rises, taken aback by Emi's blunt and, she thinks, harsh attack on the young boy. It is probably true that she is an easy person to get along with though Leida has her doubts that this was intended as a compliment this time, which makes her expression turn somewhat downcast. This was the first time she'd seen one of the Network act like this and it was rather upsetting.

It seems so unfair to keep him here simply out of circumstances that he had not chosen for himself. But then, life was rarely fair. That didn't make her feel any better though. The girl stares down at the ground as Reize considers her words, holding her tongue throughout his brief history lesson on the origins of the Shard Seekers and himself.

She is sure that he will leave regardless of what anyone says. Wanderlust was a hard thing to contain. Which is why when he acquiesces to Emi's claims, she is completely taken by surprise. Leida's eyes widen a little but she cannot help the faint smile of relief that also touches her features. She wouldn't have to worry about him any more than usual, for now atleast.

Lenn has posed:
Lenn nods, "I'll admit, I'm relieved that you'll stay here." She smiles. "Once this is over, maybe we can all go on a big adventure, together..."

Emi Dennou has posed:
Emi was expecting Reize to blow her off. Her eyes have strangely become watery which, for the Network, is a bit of an unusual sensation. What's even stranger is that she's not even that close to Reize, what business is it of hers where he goes and stays? Why does she care? She didn't shed tears for her sisters who had fallen to Cronus, the last time she cried was when Shida was returned to the collective.

Maybe she's crying because the others weren't. Well, it's hard to know why tears flow sometimes. For all she knows, it's because this city is important to her--to the Network. it could be an number of reasons. Maybe because she doesn't want leida to miss them. Was it cruel perhaps to say 'easy friend'--of course, how can any act be easy when faced with this decision. Maybe she's just crying because for once she's just so discombobulated she's not even entirely sure what she is thinking, which for a Network is rather rare.

Maybe it is unfair to Reize to make him stay but what hero has it fair? What knight? None that Emi knows of, either in story or reality.

Adventure, as Up tells us, can be found anywhere.

She is surprised to hear that Reize is staying as much as anybody, she really expected to be blown off and then have a cry somehwere alone where nobody would bother her but as it stands, now she can't leave. She's trapped. She can't storm off because, technically speaking, she won. She convinced him.

She sinks down against the wall and just sniffles in silence, she's smiling despite herself but she's avoiding anybody's gaze. sniff. sniff. She rubs her nose.

They have their own vow: Help those that can get help from noone else. It's not pretty but it suits them.

Reize Seatlan has posed:
It's something that Reize just has to endure longer. His hand rests along his forehead, a bit strained by having to become the leader of everything. However, given the circumstances, it's something that he has to deal with. Just a while longer with hope that it gets resolved. Relying on the others to handle Fluorgis in his stead is perhaps irresponsible.

Hiss Lenn recommends on them going on a big adventure together, the boy smiles faintly, "Yeah..." It's not that he doesn't want to travel with the whole group, it's just that his personal travels would be more fulfilling. However, it is also a bit of the burden of bein the leader.

A glance is given towards Emi, who is sinking against the wall. The boy is walking over towards Emi, kneeling down towards her. "...Thank you, Emi." The boy's arms embrace her close. "... Sorry that I had you all worry." He pauses, "...Though, as you all now know.. I have my own selfish desires."

Leida has posed:
The surprise on Leida's face quickly evolves into concern when she sees the impact that Reize's acceptance has on her, a hand going up to cover her gasp. She doesn't think she's ever seen one of the Legion's show this much emotion before, much less shed tears!

The princess rushes over to her friend's side, kneeling down next to her as Reize moves in to give her a hug. Beaten to the punch. Still, she places a gentle hand on her wrist, giving the girl a faint squeeze and a smile. Words cannot express how happy Leida is to see her friend show such concern. The Network, though friendly and kind, has always seemed a little distant. This was a step towards closing that gulf.

"It is alright, Reize-san. Everyone has things that they wish for themselves." She knows this better than anyone. Atleast Reize's desire didn't involve being possessed by demons, she didn't think she'd be able to return the favor of rescuing him from such a fate. Not that demons that made you want to wander around seemed all that terrible a thing.

Emi Dennou has posed:
Emi doesn't bother to mention she also has selfish desires because she feels they've been pretty much on display all day. She imagines these people know already.

She is hugged by a Reize. She may be brutally honest to the point that it would make Omi blush, but she isn't a sociopath (that's Imi) nor does she like hurting people or keeping them from their dreams. Adventures are wonderful, but this ain't the time for play. Granted it wasn't /just/ that that caused such protestations. She is scared she may have lost a family member--not literally, either in the case of being family or in the case of losing them, but in the sense that their moments of connection would be lost, devoured by Max's pain. It may be an entirely boundless fear, but it is a fear.

She does not immediately react to the Reize hug. She just shakes once, a tingle of electricity passing through her--a harmless static ping--but after a moment her arms raise up--no, one arm raises up, pulling away one of Reize's arms via his hand.

Denial???? Not exactly.

Emi grasps that hand in her own and guides it forward. And she shakes it.

Sometimes a handshake has more meaning than a hug. For a moment, Emi's eyes are sharp, alert--rather than their typical deadpan. She's still tearyeyed, but there is more determination than before, and plenty in that handshake.

Sometimes there is more meaning in a handshake than a hug. "You surprised me." She smiles. "Reize." A hug just means they care for one another, this is nothing new. The handshake means Reize has more than her fondness--but her respect as well.

"Thank you." She whispers. "I'm sorry, Leida-chan."