A Dream Of Chains

A Dream Of Chains
Date of Scene:	27 July 2013
Location:	The Ame-no-Torifune
Synopsis:	Helena is called to speak with Souji about upcoming events, and the necessity to unleash something that Helena has held back for a long time from her past...
Cast of Characters:	Souji Murasame, Helena Celba

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Helena Celba has posed:
Helena was called into Souji's office, why?

Who knooooows~! Helena was rather in good spirits of late, having the time of her life with Kyra and for once actually truely happy. Her work has been top notch, as always. Helena takes great pride in the work she does directly for Souji, though she might appear lazy and uncaring...it is but her nature, Souji knows this, when she does something...she does it wholly. Her dedication to Souji directly is unshakeable.

It is why she has use.

She comes in, bowing of course, and calmly walks to have a seat before Souji can even offer it to her. She sits down, twirling a hair in her fingers as she considers the older brother figure infront of her. "Well, Master Murasame, it is not often I am called in here...tell me I am not in trouble? The Pie Golem should go away after enough pies are thrown. It probably won't go on a rampage either. Maybe."

Souji Murasame has posed:
Souji has never had cause to complain about Helena's work. This is why he tolerates her... other quirks, as it were. "You are not." Souji says, after ensuring that no ons is trying to listen in at the door. That becomes an issue sometimes.

He turns away from the door, and then walks back towards the opposite side of the office, sitting down at his side of the desk. He inclines his head towards Helena. "As long as the inanity of Alma Hyral doesn't impede my work I don't care what you do." He focuses his eyes on Helena's. "We have more important situations at hand. My work with Garland is proving fruitful." He says. "The time is fast approaching when everything will be in place."

Helena Celba has posed:
"Hmmm.." She says, leaning back in her chair and turns towards Souji. "So we have already come that far that fast hmm? I suppose it couldn't be helped...I was hoping to have a bit more fun first, I mean...once your plans come into the light...it is going to be a big divider between those of them with us and those of them NOT with us..." She ponders. "Well...you know where my loyalties lie, Master Murasame." She says, perfectly even, not even the least bit coy here.

"...So the question here is...this is more than just a status report, I guess. What is it you need of me?" She asks, standing up to look at Souji, "Though I still have one question that was never fully questioned." She says, "Will all of this, Souji.." She says his first name, so you know she is serious.

"...Will all of your plans, all of them...make you happy?"

Souji Murasame has posed:
"If I did not, I wouldn't be discussing this with you now." Souji says. "Your loyalty is above question." He considers the situation. "Many of them will not understand what it is we are going to do. But it is all right. Their understanding is not required, nor is their acquiescence."

He looks back to Helena when she says his first name.

The question causes him to frown. Will it make him happy? "I don't think I can remember the last time I have been... happy... Celba." Souji says. "Except then." He brings up a hand, pushing his glasses up as he closes his eyes. There is a tension there. Is he remembering something?

Helena Celba has posed:
A memory too, does Helena share with Souji.

Years ago, when Helena was ten years old...

One of the grand towers on Rammuh, owned by the Murasame Zaibatsu, which was used often as houses. This one, was a very lush one, reserved for direct members of the family themselves. However, they family had their secrets...in the lower levels, away from the raging storm above, these levels were reserved for those in the know of the true goals of the family...here, a child had been brought, Helena was found in the wastes of Odin, or perhaps...directed to Helena was a better word. She had, single handedly ambushed a Murasame transport traveling through the wastelands, savagely killing a handfull of guards, stealing valuable food and water, and retreating...of course, she did not escape uninjured, and had been forced to rest near the scene of the crime...

When the auditors came, they had found her still injured and weakened...but even then, when something wild is pushed against the wall...it can be a force to be reconned with. Still, in the end Helena was taken in, she was healed...but there was some intense damage to her mind. Years in the wastelands had driven her feral...even someone strong like her is useless, but the thing that interested the Murasame...

First, she was using chaos magic, not just summoning undead, but creating them from those she killed. Darkness itself is not chaos, but the taint of chaos was in her wild magic. The second, that she could even use such magic at all...and doing so as feral as she was.

However, attempts to correct her had proven...failures.

Two men are outside her room now, discussing such things, as a young Heir might be walking by. IN the room, the young Helena was tied to the bed, occasionally testing her strength against the bonds...while strong, she was not able to use proper leverage. Her hair was still a mess, long and white, her skin a stark white to match her...and red eyes wildly darting about the room.

Souji Murasame has posed:
It was a brighter, more pleasant time for Souji back then. He was still the powerful, dynamic heir to be, but he ruled with compasion and discipline in equal measure. He found the talents of those he worked with and coaxed them out. He was empathic and strong, even if his family still bore those dark rumors, stained by their relationships and their history.

Perhaps back then, he thought he would usher in a new age for the Family.

He walked past the guards at the door, his sharp hearing picking out what they were speaking of. A witch, they called her. A feral beast.

Five minutes later, the door opened. Souji walked into the room, dressed in a clean gray business suit. Even then, he always wore one. He sees the woman bound to the bed. He frowns at the situation, and turns to hand his blade to the guards outside and close the door.

He walks up to stand over Helena, looking down at her... And then he simply reaches over to remove her bonds.

Helena Celba has posed:
Helena stares up at the clean cut man in the suit. Her eyes narrow...they are sharp, wild...but also an intelligence behind them.

She stare at him how a tiger might stare at a wary meal...but he does something unexpected.

The bonds restraining her are removed. she pulls herself up almost immediately and tries to bold for the door.

Solid. She beats on it for a few moments...only bloodying her hand in the process. She looks like a trapped animal suddenly, looking around fantically. She looks then back at Souji and starts advancing at him...

She doesn't speak, instead tries to grab him by the arm and points at the door. After a few moments of this, she tries to speak...it comes out broken, haggard...it's as if she's trying to remember how words FUNCTION... "Out." She demands, realizing that is where she needs to go.

"Make out."

Souji Murasame has posed:
Souji watches as she bolts for the door and strikes at it. He expected as much. She desires freedom... But he desires understanding. Perhaps if he could...

She grabs him by the arm, and he nods. "Yes, out." He pauses. "Soon." He says, and then he points at the floor. "Sit."

Souji then sits down on the floor himself, crossing his legs. He watches Helena carefully as she moves.

Helena Celba has posed:
Helena pauses...

She looks at the door, then at him, then at the door again.

She sniffs the air once... then looks at him oddly again. She frowns...

Then something horrifying happens, she clenches and writhes in pain for a moment...there is a strange buldging in her back...and then the calcium rich deposits in her body litterally BREAK out of her back...forming long lines of chains that move to hover aroudn Souji. She points at the door again, "Out. Hurt." She says, shaking the chains at him.

The have the consistancy of bone by the looks of them...but they litterally operate like chains. Her eyes look...triumphant?

Souji Murasame has posed:
Souji is, even now, a man who is not unfamiliar to pain. To discipline. The bony chains surround him, but he does not startle. He simply waits, as he looks up at her, watching. His eyes focus on hers, as he begins to stare at her. "Safe. No fear." He says, as he watches those eyes.

Helena Celba has posed:
Helena looks...confused again.

She takes a moment to understand the word...safe...

She is even more confused...he wasn't responding normally...the other doctors had feared her...deathly afraid of her when she used the chains...the fear exhillerated her...making her feel as the top dog. This creature here was sitting before her...fearless..

Finally, she sits down at looks at him oddly again...now more curious than threatening. The chains slowly side back, reforming with the rest of her body as she puts her head in her hands trying to support herself...the give sup on this and instead tries to mimic his sitting possition. Then she gives up on that and just lays on the floor. She stretches out after a moment, feeling a bit sore from the chains...

And then looks at him. As if waiting for something. Now and again, she looks around, as if expecting something to hurt her.

Souji Murasame has posed:
The Murasame Heir continues to sit, placid and immovable even in the face of pain. He continues staring at Helena, his eyes hard, but edged with compassion and hope instead of the coldness that marks them later in life. "Safe." He eventually repeats. "No fear. No hurt. No hunger. Safe." He smiles a little at her, letting her think, letting her try to relax.

Helena Celba has posed:
She tries to understand the words...

After a moment she speaks, "Golems? Nightmare Golems?" She still obviously thinks she's on Odin. She curls back up and sits up, unable to stay laying for too long. She still stares at the Murasame heir...these words she was speaking...she did not understand them, but there was something to him that was causing her to not lash out at him. Maybe it was age...or those eyes. She turns her head to the side for a moment, Realizing she is hungry. "...Kill food?"

Souji Murasame has posed:
"No." Souji says, remembering those terrible creatures from Odin. "No golems."

There is a chirp as Souji activates a wrist communicator, different than the Ma Belles they used now. "Bring a steak. Rare."

A few minutes later, there is a knock. Souji moves to the door, and opens it, reaching out to take a plate and pull it into the room, careful to keep Helena from escaping.

Upon the plate is a steak, cooked perfectly rare, with a side of mashed potatoes and gravy. He places it down on the floor before Helena. "Food. Eat."

Helena Celba has posed:
Helena looks like she's going to bolt...but she wasn't close enough to exicute it...instead, she is rewarded with steak and potatoes...she looks at it for a moment, looking back at Souji for a moment and pokes the steak with her finger...warm.

She grabs it by the hands and litterally shoves it into her mouth, tearing pieces of it off as she munches it down. Bit by bit until she looks at the potatoes.

She takes a finer and puts it into them, taking a test bite. She then grabs a handful and eats it.

This goes as well as you expect it. However, she does a good job at licking her hand clean, and then her shirt.

And then the plate. This is followed by a large BURP.

She looks back at Souji for a moment, trying to think of the right words... "...Thank...you?" She tries out experimentally. Then after a moment...suspiciously, "...Why?"

Souji Murasame has posed:
Souji watches her eat, thinking as she consumes the steak. Feral indeed. He is patient, allowing her to proceed as she wills, as she is familiar. You have to build a rapport in order to communicate, and this poor woman has experienced a great deal of trauma.

She thanks him. "You're welcome." Souji smiles. A genuine, happy smile. "I want you to feel safe. Do you have a home?"

Helena Celba has posed:
She looks at Souji again, head to one side as she stares at him. Safe...that word again. It invokes...a memory. A painful one, she pulls away from him. Deciding to look for a way out again. Then back at him, then rubs the side of her head. The reaction is...odd. "No." She says finally, "Cave...cave get taken..." she frowns, "Find new cave...always gets taken." She says, "Safe. No safe...always...not safe..."

Souji Murasame has posed:
It hurts her. He can tell it hurts her. There are things she doesn't want to remember. But she needs to work through it. And that requires... "Here, you will be safe. No more taking your cave." He looks away for a moment, trying to measure a possible way to broach this. He is sure he knows what happened, but... That's not the important thing.

"Did the golems take your cave?" He asks. Start there.

Helena Celba has posed:
Helena finally sits down again, she hasn't been attacked...this place hasn't been attacked. It was large, she knew...very large, but no rumblings...no explosions...no death. Nothing is dying that she can percive...

Finally she just stares at Souji again, trying to understand...then finally, at his words she looks away. "Yes." She answers curtly, "Always take...always kill...not kill me...always flee..."

Souji Murasame has posed:
Souji wants to reach out to her. But he can't. Not yet. She has to face something else. Something worse. He watches the feral child, and asks, quietly. "Did they... take your parents?"

Helena Celba has posed:
Helena struggles with words for a moment...it's like trying to remember something from so long ago...the meaning of the word was on the tip of her tongue...after a moment she becomes sullen.

Looking away she mutters something, it was probably a yes. Helena, wraps her arms around her chest, rocking a little. She didn't want to remember this...she didn't want to be reminded of this..

Souji Murasame has posed:
It was as he feared. Souji slowly approaches Helena, kneeling next to her. "I'm sorry." He says. Carefully, he holds out a hand. "We will keep you safe. You can have a new home with us. With no golems. We will be your family."

Helena Celba has posed:
Helena looks weirly at Souji, she does not scoot away, but she doesn't take the hand either. She can't imagine such a way of life, to her this place would be attacked soon...people would die, there was no safe place. Nothing was safe, everyone was out to get her...

"...Why?" She says, "Why...make safe? Why help?"

Souji Murasame has posed:
It was a relevant question. Why /was/ he helping? What was in it for him? He has no reason to actually help her and give a damn. He could just leave her to the attempted mercies of the doctors and scientists.

But all he had was the truth, as silly as it was. "It's because... I want you to be happy." Souji says.

Helena Celba has posed:
She looks at him oddly...

Happy...happy...

She looks at him for a moment, "Happy.." She says again, the word almost unfamilar to her, but again she tries it out.

She manages something she hasn't done in a long time, she smiles. "Happy." She says again, firmly.

Souji Murasame has posed:
This is working out well. Everything is going as he hoped. Not for his benefit, but... "Yes. Happy." Souji says, smiling back. "What is your name?"

Helena Celba has posed:
The young girl crooks her head to one side considering the words again...

Name...name..?

She just stares blankly at him for a few moments, shrugging. Did she not get the question, or does she not remember the name?

Souji Murasame has posed:
Hmm. Does she really not remember? Souji thinks himself, for a moment, tapping the side of his head as he considers, a habit he never broke even later in life. "You will need a name. Let's call you..."

He thinks. "Helena. Do you like Helena?"

Helena Celba has posed:
She looks at him for a moment more... "He-le-na?" she speaks, testingly, before, "Helena.."

"...You?" She asks, suddenly, apparently accepting the name.

Souji Murasame has posed:
"My name is Souji." He says. "We will figure out what family to place you with later." He holds out a hand. "But for now... Welcome, Helena. To your new home."

Helena Celba has posed:
"Sou...ji." Helena speaks. She listens, and stares at the hand as it is offered...a different life...a new life.

She slowly reaches out to it, slightly hesitant...but finally puts her hand in his, offering a small smile.

Souji Murasame has posed:
Souji's eyes open, banishing the past. The warmth is gone, only the chill of hard reality. "What about you, Helena? Are you happy?" He asks, his tone holding a faint shadow of what once was.

Helena Celba has posed:
Helena looks at Souji for a long time, "There was a time that you said you wanted others to be happy, Souji." She says, "...Yes, I am happy." she says, walking towards him.

"I have everything I could ever want, and more. But.." She says, looking at him. "I have a brother who does more for others than himself..." she says, seriously.

"So it's my turn to do for you, so..." she asks, "What do you want me to do for you?"

Souji Murasame has posed:
"You flatter me." Souji turns away, walking to the bay window of the cabin office. A crackling storm brews outside, as it always does around the Ame-no-Torifune. "I am selfish." There is a thunderclap, and a crack of thunder that throws Souji's expression into relief for a moment. Was there something in the darkness, there?

"Everything I do now, I do for myself. I hold no illusions anymore about it. I have no sweet illusions to hold onto anymore." Illusions, perhaps, like 'true love', that most terrible of things.

He turns back to Helena. "The time is going to come soon enough. You may need to draw upon the things you learned and... overcame, upon Odin, to survive. Even if you no longer need it, it can remain a useful tool to you."

Souji Murasame has posed:
The mention of the Hyral Sister causes him to shift slightly, but he betrays little. Celba knows the most about him, out of anyone remaining alive from Gallianda. She out of all of the others, and yet...

Would she understand the true fullness of what he intends to do?

"You will not fail me." Souji says it with absolute certainty.

But for what reasons he says it... remain his own. "The discipline you have learned will allow you to make it a weapon instead of a liability. Fear is a weapon. Rage is a weapon. Hatred is a weapon. All must be used at the proper time."

Helena Celba has posed:
Helena frowns...while also technically true...

She keeps the thoughts to herself...no, that was a project for a different day, not now. That is one he did not need to know about, one that he would try and stop her...even if it was for his ultimate benifit.

"For Tira." She says, she understands his heart better than most, but it was also no deep dark secret. "Then I will do everything I can to make your wish a reality." She says...

Of course, what he asks...

The memories never go away, they wash over her...

The death of her parents, the fear...the constant running and hiding...hunger...

She killed to survive. The savage brutality that became her life...killing, and eating, anything she could...reguardless of what, or who, they were. The wildness that came from such strength...and the power she found out in the wastes of Odin.

"I could not control it before...what makes you so sure I can now? Or.." She pauses, "Are you betting on the training that has come from the path of the Chaos Hammer?" She asks...

She takes a breath... "Then I shall not fail you." She says, looking up.

Helena Celba has posed:
Helena takes a breath...

"Very well." she says, "If it is my strength you need, than I will grant it to you." She says, solemly.

Does she understand the full scope? Perhaps so...perhaps not. Does he understand her plans? Again, maybe. Nothing is certain int his crazy mixed up world.

Maybe...deep down, Helena desires to see a smile on the man's face again...the kindhearted Souji from her past to be returned to her...she dreams of a day where he is freed from the chains..

"I will leave to start the trials then..."