After The Serpent
| After The Serpent | |
|---|---|
| Date of Scene: | 04 December 2012 |
| Location: | Faris' ship, between Costa Del Sol and Bevelle |
| Synopsis: | The morning after the events of 'They're On A Boat', Avira and Jasmine discuss the future. |
| Cast of Characters: | Avira, Jasmine |
Avira has posed:
All around is an expanse of sea. Their position was completely unknown now, after the storm, and the very high birds-eye view the select few that went to fight did not reveal any land. They could rest assured, though, that the extensive sailing experience of Faris would get them back on course to Bevelle.
Following that grueling experience, Avira had to rest. After Angantyr had retreated to his cabin and Maira had followed, attempting to comfort him, Avira had taken a moment to catch some sleep as well. It only lasts a few hours.
Or rather, she only permits herself to sleep for a few hours. Her mind is too active, too busy to allow her to sleep restfully. Eventually, she gives up, and resorts to wandering the deck, helping out with the crew where she can.
Out of newly-formed habit, she does inquire about the status of Jasmine right now. If she didn't have to walk in on the princess sleeping, then she will not.
Jasmine has posed:
Jasmine sleeps for a long time -- peacefully at first, but then increasingly badly; by the end of it, she's in a tangled nest of sheets, hair, and cold sweat. When she emerges from the cabin, her bad night shows, in the tremors in her hands, slight stumble to her step, and the ghosts of tear-tracks below her haunted eyes.
She's trying to hide it, shoulders back and chin up; her smile is as warm as ever, like the sun coming up on her face when she sees and quietly greets -- and thanks -- members of the crew. But she's put her humble burlap robes and linen veil back on, though the sea is no colder than it was before. The odds of the Heartless having found her visually are zero; it must provide her with some mental security, for all that it's a constant reminder of her new life.
Avira runs into her on the stairs towards the deck. She was rather hesitantly creeping up them, to the extent that 'creeping' is in her movement vocabulary. Pausing, she looks the woman over rather thoroughly, apparently having to satisfy her worry that Avira's not greviously wounded before she can collect herself enough to say anything. "Good morning," she murmurs, after that pause. Her tones are full of remorse, somehow turning a greeting into an apology. "At least -- I think it's morning? I'm not sure how long I slept."
Avira has posed:
Visually sighting the princess as she walks down the stairs actually brings a bit of comfort to the scarred huntress. That meant she was still here. Her condition looked less than stellar, even following sleep, though Avira does not need to really guess why this is the case. After what this princess went through...
Avira knows full well what it's like to be helpless. It's not an experience she wants to repeat very often.
Jasmine will note, when she spies the woman, that she no longer has her metal breastplate on her. That was completely destroyed by Angantyr's hand. Beneath that she apparently wears a leather sleeveless shirt that is semi-open in the back, held by woven leather straps. "Good morning."
Her words are just as remorseful, as if she was blaming herself for the Princess's current discomfort. "Ah, yes, it is morning, you've been sleeping for quite some time." Rather than continue down, her objective accomplished, she turns around and starts heading back abovedeck.
Jasmine has posed:
Jasmine isn't sure if she'd be better or worse off if this was the first time she'd been held in thrall that way; it brought back terrible memories, but would have been more horrible if those same memories hadn't at least slightly prepared her for the latest version.
But she's trying not to dwell on it, which means finding something else to think about, which, inevitably, means those around her. Following Avira up onto the deck, she pauses at the threshold of the stairs and peeks out, looking left and right, up and down, before setting foot outside. The gay, carefree creature she transformed into after overcoming her seasickness is gone... or at least in hiding.
She catches up shortly thereafter. "Please -- wait! I haven't had a chance to thank you yet. I saw everything. You were very brave... you have my gratitude, Avira." She's possessed of a tendency to phrase things in such sublimely hokey soundbites, like she's out of a classic tale, yet have their genuinely earnest, heartfelt nature shine through anyway. And indeed, there's no regret in /those/ words, when it comes to her thanks.
Avira has posed:
It's a shame too, since given the recent state of things, everyone on the ship really could use the the bright ray of sunlight that post-seasickness Jasmine was earlier. The sailors here have been working for hours to correct their course.
Still they work, though, determined to reach their destination.
"Hmm?" Avira slows, but she doesn't stop as Jasmine runs to catch up with her. "I...ah.." She looks to the ground, managing a small smile. The contrast between her right now and the cheerful, almost overly excited girl she was earlier is pretty stark. "I try. You're welcome, Jasmine. I could have done better but...ah...you're welcome." It doesn't even occur to her that the words are hokey or cheesy. From her, they sound like they're the truth.
Jasmine has posed:
Spring always comes to Jasmine's attitude quickly, after a winter, long or short, of discontent. Already she relaxes slightly, a bit of tension leaving the cords of her neck as the /literal/ sunlight washes over her. She smiles softly at Avira's self-depricating response, and shakes her head. "You were amazing," she insists. "Please don't beat yourself up over what happened. It's ... you can't ..."
Her hand splays outwards, as though she's grasping for the right words physically as well as mentally. After a moment, she has what she's looking for, and it seems like something of a revelation to her, as well, the words finding their way out of some part of her that's been lost for a long time. The princess looks her straight in the eye -- an unusually easy thing for both of them, since they're roughly of a height. "You mustn't blame yourself for other peoples' actions," she says at last, with a solemn compassion that comes from the empathy of shared experience, not the petty sympathy of pity. "Blame the ones who do selfish, destructive things, or forgive them if you can, but don't shoulder that burden. Just being true to yourself, in difficult times, is burden enough."
Avira has posed:
Her face doesn't seem to change beyond that small, perhaps even forced, smile for those few minutes. She does eventually slow to a stop, standing near the towering mast of their tall ship. The same mast Avira had been dancing up and down earlier in pursuit of Heartless. A calloused hand reaches to touch it.
Jasmine might notice that her fingerless gloves are gone too. Avira's certainly lost some gear on this trip. Of course, that could be remedied later.
A blush does grace her cheeks. "Thanks..it's just that..." she trails off, coincidentally, at the same time that Jasmine does.
Then they look each other in the eye. "I..." she seems about to interrupt, but grows silent, the princess's strong words shining through.
That smile of hers grows a little warmer, no longer looking forced. "That's right. What the Heartless do isn't my fault. Damn Heartless..." she pauses, "What's important is, you're alright. Right?"
Jasmine has posed:
Jasmine's self-possession is such that Avira's blush and following warmth does not infect her with embarrassment but rather affection; she tenderly embraces the warrior, cradling her for a few moments as though she's the most precious thing in the universe.
Which she is -- it is Jasmine's nature to love without reservation, and it's one reason why events like Garden's large-scale violence, or the smaller-scale fight with the sea monster, affect her so badly. But focusing on the blessing, rather than the curse, is in her nature as well.
"I'm fine," she promises, and in this moment, it's true. When it's time to draw back, she looks Avira over again, and the missing gear seems to register this time, her gaze flicking to where the breastplate and gloves should be before returning to her face; she rarely focuses on items, her eye for the person beneath them. A result of weeding out well-dressed suitors over many years. "Will you be?"
Avira has posed:
The hug comes as a large surprise to Avira. Jasmine can actually feel Avira tense suddenly, but she doesn't push the princess away or anything like that. After an awkward moment in which Avira is apparently processing this development, she lifts her own arms and hugs her back.
Jasmine's hug is also far more affectionate than the ones she's had lately. "You promise?" she murmurs back to the princess, looking up at her with those brown eyes of hers once she draws back. She doesn't seem to entirely notice the subtle glances that indicate Jasmine's noticed her missing clothing.
Slowly, she nods. "Of course. I'll keep going." she smiles gently, "I must!"
Jasmine has posed:
Jasmine bows her head affirmatively, when Avira presses her on truly being fine; /now/ it's her turn to blush, her golden-brown skin abloom with desert roses. Her eyes close for a long moment, as though she's internalizing something -- probably a lot of somethings, which will take more than three seconds to handle, but it's a start. When they reopen, they're radiant. "I promise."
Avira's own affirmation elicits a faintly reproving shake of the head, her own smile widening with frank admiration. "That isn't true, Avira. To fight, and to do what's right, even though it's hard... it isn't something you /must/ do, it's a choice you make, every time. And it's the only battle that really matters. As long as you keep going, I know everything will turn out in the end." She says it -- /I know/ -- like an axiom of existence, and with no little emotion, but not with the gleam of the blind fanatic. There's a warm, mysterious, almost mischievious glimmer in her eye, instead, like she knows a wonderful secret, and is sharing a little piece of it.
Avira has posed:
Avira's waiting to hear the response for by now she's realized that Jasmine is not the type ot speak untruths. Every word she spoke now came from the heart with a sincerity that Avira could sense. To affirm this, she sees that look in Jasmine's eyes, when they sparkle with the life that Avira was much more used to seeing from this resilient teenager.
She grins a little. "A choice. A choice I always seem to pick the same option. I plan to keep going. As far and long as I can..."
Jasmine gets a curious look. Avira has picked up on that sheer "fact" of Jasmine knowing something. It was the look of someone who had insider information. "You're confident. I like that."
Jasmine has posed:
Jasmine nods encouragingly, and very respectfully, at Avira's grinning remark, but the compliment about /confidence/ sparks a wry laugh. "You're the first one to ever say something like that -- my attitude got me in a lot of hot water, back home." Just saying the word draws a shadow of grief over her for an eyeblink, but it's banished very, very quickly. "You seem very confident too," she says instead, and means it. "Very strong. Perhaps stronger than you realize. What you did for Sir Angantyr..." She always uses knightly honorifics with him, for some reason, "...it helped him. He'll need more of that. We all will, but one thing I've come to realize about the Darkness is that it is... isolating in a way I can only barely comprehend."
This time, her sadness lingers, but her convictions remain firm. "He has a hard road ahead, but he doesn't have to walk it alone. He's become very dear to me in our travels, but my being around..." She trails off, remembering his berserker screams, and the feeling in his heart. "...is dangerous, and to him more than most, for all his prowess in battle. I'm glad you're his Clanmate. Please, don't let him forget."
Avira has posed:
"Has it now?" Avira laughs. "Do they take offense to your pleasant smile and kind words? Or is that dastardly knowing glance?" Seems she's trying to make light of such a thing, having no real idea of the sort of roles royalty must engage in at Agrabah. Which is, of course, significally different from where Avira is from.
Her smile widens at that compliment, truely touched, for months ago such words would have not been possible. But that grin fades a little as Angantyr is brought up. "Angantyr..." she says softly. "...he'll need all the help he can get. He...he scares me a little, Jasmine, I'm not going to lie. I've seen what's inside of him." She's personally fought what's inside of him. "It's overwhelming."
Falling silent, she listens once again to Jasmine's words. "I'm there for him, even if he scares me. He's my dear friend and clanmate. I owe him my life and my skill." Avira is even blushing a little as she says all this, though she seems largely unaware of it. "You're so full of light...is that really dangerous to him?"
Jasmine has posed:
Jasmine just shakes her head, amused but not elaborative, about Agrabah. She doesn't seem so much reluctant to discuss her home as she is focused on another topic, now, though; further inquiry at another point could probably bear fruit.
Because she's quite serious about Angantyr. She seems very understanding about Avira's reaction to Angantyr's internal landscape, nodding slowly and seeming even sadder. "It's scary," she agrees, just as softly; one hand reaches out to squeeze the warrior's shoulder, as much drawing comfort from the contact as she's comforting. "I've seen it too. But I've also seen his Light -- and more importantly, his true desire to be more than revenge, even if he's afraid to admit it, especially to himself, because in doing so, he feels like he's betraying his family and his home." Evidently, when Jasmine listens to people, she /listens to people/. And then thinks about them afterwards. "It's overwhelming to us... imagine what it must be like, carrying that around all the time. We can't leave him to those who would turn him into a weapon of the Dark -- not because I fear his opposition, which I do, but because every single Shadow Lord I've met so far, all of them, seem incredibly unhappy. And he would be, too, because he knows what virtue is. To choose to deny it," there's a slight emphasis on the word 'choose', "Would wound him all his days. He deserves better, and only he can make that choice in the end, but the Dark would have him make it alone, so that it seems like the /only/ choice. That seems to be how they operate."
Let it not be said that the Light cannot get pissed off.
She actually paces during some of this explanation, as though walking off her distress; she's this strange mix of calm, analytical thought, great concern, fierce love, and, as she talks in depth about her observations of the tactics of Darkness, a rather extraordinary anger that rolls off of her like a flame. Apparently still waters run deep, sometimes. Avira's loyalty to her clanmate is very heartening, though, and the fury subsides fairly quickly, back to a more typical sunny tranquility, as she's distracted into talking about something else.
Leaning up against the mast and folding her arms, she clarifies, her light tones only partially disguising the very strong feelings -- anguish, guilt -- betrayed by her defensive stance, "No, but the Darkness I attract affects him rather strongly, as demonstrated. He'll be around it no matter what, but... since we started traveling together, at Baron, he's been exposed far more than he would have been otherwise. You all have. I won't allow that to continue much longer... everyone needs a break."
Avira has posed:
Even Avira is saddened by her own reaction to Angantyr's inner darkness. She really wanted to be strong and face it fearlessly. The reality was she was still getting scared-such perfection was obvirously beyond her as far as this relationship went.
This time, Avira does not tense when the girl gives her shoulder an affectionate ssqueeze. What's most intersting, about what Jasmine says about Angantyr, is that there's a true desire for more than just revenge, which was something Avira had not picked up on before. Not in their conversations at least.
A grim look is on her face as Jasmine mentions one thing that really worries Avira regarding Garland and the other Shadow Lords. Would he ever become one of THEM? Jasmine doesn't seem to think so and this is intensely comforting to Avira, even though Jasmine is slowly growing incensed as she spays it.
A skeptical look covers her face. "Don't blame youself.." Though in this case, it really was her fault. Her light-filled heart attracted the darkness and just being around it meant anyone within its vicitnity could be pulled into the trouble. "But wait..."
She narrows her eyes, "Does this mean you're planning to ditch us?"
Jasmine has posed:
Jasmine narrows her eyes right back; she doesn't give an inch. "After we try Sir Angantyr's idea of consulting these priests, absolutely. I've let you all travel with me far longer than anyone else, since Garden, because I like you all so much; being in your company has been a tremendous comfort to me. But that's the same reason I have to say goodbye. Which I will do -- I'm not planning to sneak away in the night like some sort of thief." She seems offended at the very idea, tossing her head, well, rather imperiously; her veil flies back, revealing her headband.
After she's blown off that steam, though, she softens. Her arms unfold, her smile returns, and it's almost as gentle as her voice. "This was never a permanent arrangement... it all started when I hired Sir Angantyr for /forty-eight hours/ so that I could get some uninterrupted sleep. I never intended it to go any longer than that, but..." She holds out her hands, looks down at them, then back up at the warrior, "...I made a friend. And then another, and another, and another. Don't ever think for a moment that I enjoy leaving people behind."
Avira has posed:
Well, at the very least, Jasmine is up front about her decision to leave them both. Avira does respect this decision too since she realizes that she cannot follow Jasmine around like this forever. Angantyr certainly felt the same way, she's sure, for while he did enjoy the princess's contact, he would not receive any money if this continued.
"I hope one day you don't have to run anymore." Avira confesses, "I travel a lot but living the same way you do right now must be no less than exhausting." Avira smiles at the thought, though, of Angantyr being reached out for by Jasmine. It felt like forever ago when she was rescued from Baron's clutches. "I wouldn't dare think that you would enjoy leaving us."
Jasmine has posed:
Yeah, Jasmine's finances are not infinite, unfortunately, though a daring raid on the forgotten Tomb of the Agrabah Sultans might be in the cards someday -- why should Ashe get all the fun?
"It kills me," she admits, the tears she's keeping inside her eyes leaking into her raw voice, "Every time. I'd... never really been allowed to make any friends before. It's such a privilege to get to meet such brilliant, strong, kind people. To see how you care for each other, and for the many worlds. People like you are what gives me strength to /keep/ running, Avira."
Straightening up, off the mast, she holds her hands out further, in a way that invites her friend's to join them. "And one day we'll understand the situation enough to stop being reactive, to go on the offensive and change things for good. I don't intend to run forever... and it would be both an honor and a pleasure to have you beside me, when that day comes."
Avira has posed:
Avira would be honored to plunge a tomb on request of a princess. That was a sign of respect that not even words could properly address. More specifically, it's not an outcome that Avira expresses at all and it was these kinds of interaction make me glad that they used...
...3D. And not their home computers. "Jasmine..." a flush colors her cheeks again, this time at the princess's gentle compliment. Gives her strength to keep running! What an honor.
A thought hits her, "Do you have a Ma Belle? If you kept in touch with us that way. It'll definitely make someone's day."
Jasmine has posed:
"Yes... the fastest person to find me, by a mile, was Lord Xanatos. He cornered me within /hours/ of my escape from the attack on Garden, actually," Jasmine doesn't remember that part too fondly, it was a terrible blow to her amateur fugitive pride. Also a valuable wakeup call, though. "He asked me to stay with him in Manhattan, he thinks I'd be safest there, under his protection. I told him it would be nothing less than murder for me to stay in the most densely populated world I've ever seen for any sort of extended period, and so instead he gave me this."
She pulls out her Ma Belle, opens it... stares at it quizzically, head tilted to one side. Shakes it a little bit. Tentatively pushes a few buttons, with the innocent confusion of one raised in a world where the latest in computing is the abacus. "I think maybe the water wasn't very good for it. Or maybe it was the being-turned-to-stone-and-back part." It's very dead.
Avira has posed:
Avira thinks of their experiences here and in Rabanastre. She thinks of Jasmine staying in the densely-populated Manhattan. She thinks of the heartless forces she's seen arrayed against her thus far and how disasterous it would be if the magnitude of forces would come to Manhattan. Why, they'd have to insititute martial law or something ridiculous like that.
Oh the irony.
Jasmine, fortunately, does have a Ma Belle which would be great for contacting her. Except, "Hmm...yeah, the water is not good for those things. I'm afraid you'll need another one. Electronics and seawater don't work together very well." Though maybe that's a good suggestion for later. "But if you ever do get another one, which I think you should, I have a number you can contact me with. Angantyr has one too now."
Jasmine has posed:
"I think having a Ma Belle is a good idea... unless they're being used to track people." Why, Jasmine, what paranoia! It's almost like you're constantly thinking of how to evade your enemies, all the time. "But if Lord Xanatos wanted me in the hands of the Shadow Lords, I think I wouldn't be here now," she admits. "The man is ambitious and proud, and very, very capable. But also... I think he really is trying to protect his home, and that he thinks the best way to do that is to end the invasion on the large scale. But anyway, yes, I'd be glad to take down your numbers." She reaches into her robe and pulls out a modern pen and a rather ancient piece of parchment.
