Harsh Reality

Harsh Reality
Date of Scene:	19 April 2013
Location:	Imperial Airship Alexander
Synopsis:	Judge Magister Zargabaath calls Riku to the Alexander for a meeting concerning the behemoth.
Cast of Characters:	Zargabaath, Riku
Tinyplot:	Heart Of Power

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Zargabaath has posed:
<Radio> Judge Magister Zargabaath transmits, “Judge Riku. Find me on the Alexander’s bridge as soon as you receive this message.”

Riku has posed:
<Radio> Riku transmits. "Right away, your honor. I'll be there as soon as I can."

Riku has posed:
Riku eventually appears, picking bits of detritus and leaves off of his clothes and out of his hair. He grumbles something venomous about forests in general as he dusts off his sleeves and straightens his duster back over his shoulders.

He seems to relax a little, his forceful stride becoming less urgent and threaded by anger as he takes in the purposeful atmosphere of the Alexander and makes his way through the corridors towards the bridge. He was certainly sore in more than one respect, but shaken or not he takes a minute or two to speak with people on the way.

The teenager even finds himself smiling to be back in semi-familiar territory and the Alexander, while crewed by a lot of people, didn't trigger the disquieting pressure and restless anger that had driven him out of Archades. He stretched out his arms and shoulders, swinging them back and forth as he walked the last couple of steps and entered the bridge proper.

Zargabaath has posed:
The crew of the Alexander appears to have been expecting Riku’s return, and none seem to care how the boy had gotten on-board mid-flight. The conversations are pleasant, nobody seeming to be unduly stressed or otherwise compromised, and a few passing greetings are called over to the Judge as other Alexander crewmembers pass by on occasion.

In fact, even the bridge has the same feeling to it as the rest of the ship. The crew focusing on their jobs, an almost professionally casual air keeping the atmosphere light, and Judge Magister Zargabaath sitting in his captain’s chair with his full focus on the instruments before him. None verbally acknowledge Riku immediately, the few who do notice his entrance only glancing up long enough to give him a smile or a nod before returning to their duties.

Looking outside the windows, the view is as spectacular as ever, with ocean as far as the eye can see with low-lying wisps of clouds occasionally occluding the view. The lack of apparent urgency allows Riku to take his time and enjoy the view if he so pleases, and also to allow him to spark the conversation with Judge Magister Zargabaath accordingly.

Riku has posed:
Riku does in fact take the time to appreciate the view. He takes in a deep breath, letting it out slowly as he looks out at the world rushing by. He closes his eyes for a moment and feels the dread loosen a little. There had been no 'visit' by the dark knight. The judge magister was safe. The Alexander was safe.

He didn't really feel comfortable with the idea of letting his guard down a second time, especially because of the presence he can feel roaming around in the back of his thoughts somewhere many miles away but for a moment the shield of anger he had to use to fend off the darkness he puts down.

When he opens his eyes, he leans against a railing and looks out at the world. "You asked for me, you honor?"

Zargabaath has posed:
Judge Magister Zargabaath does not reply immediately. Instead, he rises out of his captain’s chair and walks over to join Riku over by the railing, crossing his arms on the surface and leaning forwards as if about to rest his helm against the glass. “Aye, I did,” he rumbles quietly, an almost fatherly warmth to his voice, but also that authoritative undercurrent when on duty.

His shoulders untense slightly, though the almost incremental way they do so indicate it isn’t exactly an easy feat. “We got the results back from Drakor Laboratories.” He inhales deeply. “The scales had traces of steel and tanned leather weaved amongst the bone, and the blood was human mixed with behemoth.” He shakes his helm, fresh memories still replaying in the back of his mind as he constantly re-analyzes what he’d seen. “You were right, Riku.”

Riku has posed:
Not really expecting his stomach to lurch on being proven right, Riku coughs as if someone had punched him, grip tightening on the rail for a moment. There had always been the idea that he might have been wrong.

But the alternative thought Riku immediately pushes away. "Well." he snorts faintly. "It's good to see they've been busy with more than that radio." his shoulders tense for a moment and then relax. "So.. what now?"

Zargabaath has posed:
Judge Magister Zargabaath reaches over to pat Riku on the back during the coughing fit, thinking that he had choked or something. But once it’s clear Riku has recovered, the Judge of Reason pulls away his hand as if nothing had happened.

“I have spoken with Judge Magister Constantine, and we are in agreement that the behemoth must be captured with the minimal amount of injury as possible. Dr. Cidolfus believes that any injury the behemoth sustains will transfer to His Honor Gabranth upon reversing the effect.” He hesitates for a moment, a nasty thought rearing its ugly head. Have they already caused lasting damage as it already is?

He shelves away the thought before it affects the conversation. Perusal can come later. “Where is the behemoth now, Riku?”

Riku has posed:
"Uh.." Riku tenses up at the pat but then tries to relax, tapping his fingers across the railing as he pauses for quite some time, looking off into the viewport.

Eventually he rubs the back of his head for a moment and then shrugs. "It's sort of difficult to explain. But I know where they are. I can go there when we need to."

Zargabaath has posed:
Poor Riku has no idea just how good of an idea that sounds /right now/ to the Judge of Reason. Admittedly, he has more information than he has delineated thus far to the Judge-in-training, and he would like nothing more than to chase down that behemoth and drag it back to Archades by whatever means necessary as soon as possible.

But no.

Charging after a moving target is not going to help matters. He would be setting a bad example to crew--and heck, even all of Archades, for that matter. It is the unfortunate side-effect of having so much power and responsibility. Certainly one obtains the freedom to act as they see fit, but that duty becomes a chain that binds even stronger than irons.

Judge Magister Zargabaath audibly inhales a long, slow, clearly steadying breath. “We need time to prepare.” His voice is almost perfectly stoic, but the underlying tone is self-biting. As if he is saying this to convince himself. “The Alexander will likely be the only available craft with the capability to transport the Behemoth without the use of teleportation magick, provided there is adequate containment. Containment that is not yet ready.”

He unfolds his arms from under his chestplate and rocks back on his feet slightly, resting only his elbows on the bannister while his fingertips steeple in front of the ram-like helm. His implied gaze seems to be aimed past the horizon. “Also, Judge Magister Constantine will need to be kept informed. I promised her that much at our last meeting.”

Riku has posed:
"Sure." Riku says with a note of reassurement. "Whatever time you need, your honor." he looks out at the viewpoint and figures well.. another few hours or a day or two wouldn't make the biggest difference in the world. What he did could not so easily be undone and although he was having some stranger than usual dreams and a nagging headache, he could find Gabranth when they were good and ready.

"Better that it's done right than not at all, I guess." There is a mild thread of irritation in his voice but he has to remind himself that Archadians don't just drop everything and /go/. He'd gotten so used to being able to be where he needed to be, he often forgets the long way around. He just figures this is something like that.  

Riku looks over at the Judge Magister and feels a moment's uneasiness, tracing the implied sightline out to the horizon and then back across the bridge. "Yeah. At least /someone/ is putting the fear of Somebody into that group." Riku grins. "This is why I'm glad to be over here, and not over there honestly."

Zargabaath has posed:
Judge Magister Zargabaath emits a weak chuckle. “Aye. It has been too long since I have flown the skies myself. Being grounded for so long waiting was... well, you already relate.”

He straightens away from the bannister, tapping his hand on its surface before turning back to his captain’s chair. “You have been assisting with the search ever since the initial incident, so it would be only right for you to see the full report from Dr. Cidolfus. However,” he looks directly at Riku, complete seriousness in every subsequent syllable, “you must promise me that you will not move on your own upon reading it in its entirety. Agreed?”

Riku has posed:
Riku lets that uneasiness gnaw at him for awhile and finally lets it out since he figures around the Judge Magister he can afford to be honest.

"Yeah. It's always the worst bit." he spasms his hands on the bannister and sighs. "Your honor.. may I--" but his voice fades off as the Judge Magister continues to speak and an eyebrow raises at 'initial incident' and 'full report', the expression dropping off his face like sand leaking from a broken vase. The predator wariness flashes across his eyes as he narrows them at Zargabaath and he pauses for a very long time before shaking his head.

"Define. Move on my own, your honor." he requests in a calm, flat voice. "..Because if it's so bad you expect me to bolt... then it does not really matter if I read it or not, does it? My path's been set by you even speaking those words. So what choice do I have? I can't lunge into something blindly again." he chuckles very direly.

"Bad things happen when I do that." he sucks in a steadying breath, gritting his teeth against something for a moment before he nods soberly. "..What is it?"  

Zargabaath has posed:
Judge Magister Zargabaath looks at Riku for a very long time. His body is very still, his armor hiding any sign of expression or body language that would betray his thoughts. A metal-and-leather statue at best, an icon of contradictions on the other. “I only ask... because ‘tis what I would do /right now/ if able,” he states quietly, his voice barely audible past his helmet.

He picks up a sheet or two of paper, stamped with the Archadian seal, and hands it to Riku directly. “In short, the effects of the Eclipse Shard’s explosion within that Faram-cursed floating isle were more far-reaching than thought. Fragments lodged in his body released their energies before later being removed, but the damage was done. In the midst of the 9th Bureau’s training exercise, magick triggered the transformation--whether his own or being a target of it. We already know the rest.”

He falls silent at this point, letting Riku read the papers. Within details not only the full story, but also the full analysis of the various samples sent to the Laboratory. Nothing has been left out, not even the part about the fate of Freddie the lab rat, though it seems Dr. Cid had been surprisingly concise in his explanations... perhaps solely because a similar missive had been sent to the Senate and House Solidor.

Riku has posed:
Riku doesn't even look at the papers for a long time, his expression glazed with shock. Something stirs in his memory sluggishly, like shadows passing each other and sliding off.

Riku closes his eyes tightly, remembering to breath after his lungs start to burn. He shakes his head sharply, the piercing fragments of some nightmare crowding his thoughts and he blinks rapidly, yellow filling his eyes as he reads over the lab analysis.

His eyes slide and skim and skip over the words because his focus is torn between keeping a lid on his temper and reading what the report actually says. When he gets to the fate of Freddie the lab rat, he folds the entire report over and silently thrusts it in the Judge Magister's direction. He says nothing because he doesn't trust his own voice anymore.

He closes his eyes for a much longer time and keeps them closed as he continues to mutely extend the report back to them. His hands minutely shake.

Zargabaath has posed:
Judge Magister Zargabaath immediately takes back the papers and tosses them carelessly--almost forcefully--back at his chair. He then rests both hands on Riku’s shoulders, but does not pull him into an embrace this time around.

Riku would feel the Judge of Reason’s hands shake minutely themselves. Or is that simply the boy’s own shivering reverbing back? It’s difficult to tell.

“I know. I understand.” The empathy and, more audibly, the restrained indignant /rage/ in Zargabaath’s rumbling voice is startling to hear compared to his usual neutral or fatherly tones. To the bridge crew’s credit, they do not react nor even seem to notice the conversation, solely focused on their own duties.

Riku has posed:
Riku trembles with fury and his head turns ever so slightly to look towards the bridge crew, eyes still firmly closed. He swallows the darkness threatening to boil out but it hurts to do so without letting so much as a heat mirage betray the presence of so much being constrained so tightly.

The judge magister's hands on his shoulders, if they stay there, would probably feel an intense cold for a few seconds. Riku takes in a few very slow breaths. If he hyperventilates he was going to do something rash and the weight of two people he respected had both told him to be as careful as possible. And sometimes that was harder to do than other times.

The young judge reaches up and DIGS his palms into his eyes for a moment and lets out a very faint growl. "Okay." he eventually manages to say. His eyes open (which are normal again) as he slowly raises them to stare at where Zargabaath's sightline will be. "We'll prepare. And I won't do stupid things. And it won't be too late." There is an absolute void of forgiveness in his eyes at the silent promise of any other alternative.

Zargabaath has posed:
Judge Magister Zargabaath ignores the cold even as it seeps past leather and metal alike, the metal even seeming to frost in that few moments. Only when Riku seems to be in complete control of himself do his hands return to his sides, but not before. “It will not be too late.” That firm promise underlines an iron will and a deep finality, his implied gaze meeting Riku’s unflinchingly. “And you shall make sure of that.”

He presses on without pause. “You may resume following the behemoth. Tracking its path, evaluating its condition, keeping myself or Judge Magister Constantine informed on any new information you find. We shall move to capture it once it ceases its wanderings. I shall spearhead preparations on the Alexander myself, and the 12th Fleet will standby to receive the behemoth and transport it as soon as it is captured.”

A faint ghost of an emotion incrementally more positive seeps into his voice. “And we shall both provide a flogging never witnessed before once His Honor Gabranth is set back to right.”

Riku has posed:
Riku takes in another breath and steadies himself.  The shock of having to pull back so quickly and so completely has left him shaky, like an adrenaline crash.

He reaches out to the railing again to keep himself standing. "Well then...that.. is something.. to look forwards to. Your honor.,. may I be excused?

Zargabaath has posed:
Judge Magister Zargabaath nods once, though his entire upper body cants forwards slightly in an implied bow. “Go.” He takes a step back, ignoring the more fatherly thought to assist Riku. This is neither the time nor the place... of course, it is so difficult to properly understand when to approach and when to keep one’s distance, either way.

“Rest and prepare, then do as you see fit.” That odd tone lifts his voice again incrementally. “And I am certain it will not be ‘stupid things’.” He has more faith in you than that, Riku.

Riku has posed:
Riku would bow if he wasn't pretty certain he would fall over in the attempt. That... took a lot more out of him than he thought it would. He inclines his head.

"Alright." he opens his mouth to say something else. Feeling like something else should be said here and.. then not being able to. He just nods again and leaves the bridge without another word.

Zargabaath has posed:
Judge Magister Zargabaath returns to the command deck and picks up the papers in one hand as if about to crumple them into trash. He watched all of this happen, he doesn’t need a detailed written summary to boot.

“You’re too kind, Your Honor,” Judge Yuves comments blandly from his corner of the bridge without even looking up.

The Judge of Reason sighs lowly and rests the papers on the console. “Perhaps.” He sinks into his chair and turns his helm to regard his aide. “Would you rather me be otherwise?” Judge Yuves only shakes his helm in reply. “I thought not.” And with that, he returns his full attention to running his ship, taking solace in the familiar.