Odynar Necromancer Needs Food Badly

Odynar Necromancer Needs Food Badly
Date of Scene:	14 May 2013
Location:	The Ame-no-Torifune
Synopsis:	Alma tries to get Helena to open up to her... and learns that her Cooking Lessons really are the key to Helena's heart.
Cast of Characters:	Helena Celba, Alma Hyral

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Alma Hyral has posed:
After her meeting with Souji, Helena would have witnessed Alma leaving Souji's office, with her head bowed, clutching something tightly against her.

She left the Ame-No-Torifune shortly afterwards for a few days, then returned as quietly as she could. If any employee asked her what happened during the meeting, she would only defend that Souji had been a perfect gentleman and the two had worked things out, but would not speak on any other details.

One night later, she sent a message to Helena, asking if she'd be willing to come meet with her on the observation deck at around midnight. Alma had arrived early, collimating her telescope perfectly as per her ritual. She set up a stool nearby it. At it's side was a folding table with an open laptop, its view on a program she'd written to record her data and create theorized three dimensional models of the universe once she had enough data. Tonight however, there was a new addition to that table. A picture frame, that was turned away, so that it faced the telescope. The figure in the picture not apparent unless one tried to actively take a look at it.

Alma was wearing the dress Seloria had made for her, with a scarf over her shoulders decorated with red triangles. Her hair was down for once, the sheer length quite suprising to all perhaps but Helena. She'd had it bound up quite tightly after all, up until that point.

When Helena arrived, however, she was neither punching in numbers, or gazing through the lens of the telescope. She was just.. staring, vacantly into the heavens. Her hands folded together in her lap.

Helena Celba has posed:
Helena walks slowly onto the deck at the appointed time, she has a finger running through her hair as she comes onto the deck of the Ame-No-Torifune. She looks up, at the sky for a moment, and shrugs...she could sneak up on Alma, but she isn't in the mood to be coy. She's had a hard few days, actually working, and spending her down time working her frustraitions in her training. Partners may or may not have left with very odd colored flesh as she both broke their bones and then mended it...to break them repeatedly.

The Souji and Nik thing was starting to ware her patience down to the point of violence. There was only one more step in this, and nobody was going to like what she does next.

Nobody.

She finally comes to sit down across from Alma. She is silent for a moment, looking at the picture frame, but having a guess at who it was. Right now, she turned back to the star-struck girl before speaking, "You should try looking forward instead of up all the time, you'll trip less."

Alma Hyral has posed:
Alma didn't move for what seemed like an absurdly long time after Helena began to speak to her. She didn't appear to be purposefully ignoring her, or even in prayer, her mind just literally appeared to be elsewhere. After several long, awkward minutes, she would actually have some cognizance that there was someone else there. This startled her a bit, as would actually turn, pushing her glasses up on her nose. After the initial startlement faded, she'd offer Helena a nervous smile, "H-Helena, thank you for c-coming. H-How have you been? I.. e-everyone has been t-terrible to each other lately, and y-you're always so u-upset about it. I wanted to c-check on you."

On Helena's initial comment, she said nothing. Had she really not registered it at all? As Helena looked upon the picture, she saw that it was Tira in a white dress. A picture she'd have previously seen in Souji's office. Tira had an odd blend of both Alma and Kyra's features, but she looked.. prouder, more elegant than either.

Helena Celba has posed:
Helena knew Tira, hilariously she was just as much human as Alma and Kyra were...they both put her on a pedistal, for different reasons. Helena wondered what she would think of the situation now...

"Eh, it's more annoying when I am not the one being terrible." She says, flatly, running another hand through her hair. "Souji and Nik's disagreements are doing nothing but causing issues for everyone, and I am honestly tired of Nik forcing his views on everyone else. He does his little song and dance about not, but when Souji does something Nik doesn't like..." she waves a hand, "Souji starts things too, sure, but...I feel it is beause Nik constantly is disreguarding what the people of the Academy want and are working for. That's great, he doesn't want our home back, that's fine...whatever. He doesn't have to talk about what a waste of time it is every chance he gets." Helena continues.

"You don't see me cramming for any chance to restore our world, I don't go around screaming about it either...you guys do what you guys want to do, I, however...prefer this world, and I feel Master Murasame does too."

Alma Hyral has posed:
Alma put her on a pedestal purely for one reason... because she was everything that Alma felt she wanted to be, but felt she could never achieve. Kyra was Alma's hero.. Tira was Alma's ideal. Tira would have likely found it amusing, while at the same time gently supporting her baby sister, she was like that.

She'd sigh, bringing a hand back through her hair, "I k-know, and I'm n-not helping matters s-sometimes. But.. I t-try to d-diffuse what I can. I don't l-like to see them f-fight, I l-like them both."

And then on the subject of Nik, she'd offer Helena a timid smile, "I d-don't know why N-Nik thinks that S-Souji would ever hurt me. And.. N-Nik is running from s-something. We all are, I t-think, in our own way."

She'd stay quiet as Helena talked about the restoration of their world, only speaking up long after she's finished, "I d-don't want to leave either. B-But.. I have to d-do my p-part to save them, H-Helena. All of t-them."

Helena Celba has posed:
Helena listens, for once.

"Running? I am not running, Alma. I know exactly what I need to do, where I need to be, and how and why to do it. I accept my position and fate perfectly well." She says, "We all have chains that bind us, those who realize them for what they are can find freedom within their embrace." she says, "Nik wants to rid himself of all those bonds, and all he is doing is going to hurt himself in the long run, when at the end of his life he has nothing to show for anything. He runs from his responsibility...instead of facing it."

"Souji accepts his responsibility, but does so on his terms...much like I do. Our methods are different, but the goals are the same. It is why we get along so well..." She says, "Beyond growing up together." This isn't a state secret or anything, she's been a ward of the Murasame family for some time, and on her way to being officially addopted.

"You can not save everyone, Alma. Some words are beyond saving, some people are beyond help...or simply refuse to accept your point of view as acceptable. You're gona have to accept that."

Alma Hyral has posed:
Alma would listen to the entire conversation before finally offering her thoughts, juxtaposing it in a way. "I k-know. I s-still have to do what I can, H-Helena. Even if I only s-save one person. S-Small parts of w-worlds. It's.. s-something. W-Whether people accept my p-point of view is unimportant. I just c-can't sit and do n-nothing in the face of the end."

She looks away for a moment, "W-Whether S-Souji is r-running from s-something or not.. is d-debatable. I don't know his m-mind. It s-seems like I d-don't know a-anything about him n-nowadays save one thing..." She'd glance unintentionally towards the picture, but there it is...

There is a momentary pause, "I t-think N-Nik has more sense of r-responsibility than you k-know, he just has to work through... some i-issues. He'll c-come around. T-There are people h-helping him come around. I just d-don't think him and S-Souji will ever r-reconcile. They seem too far g-gone."

And then finally, "H-Helena... you s-spoke once on your.. y-your family.. if you ever w-wanted to.. t-talk about it..." She let's that linger, suddenly unable to continue, wondering if she just made a serious error.

Helena Celba has posed:
"They are dead." Helena says flatly, "They are dead, and nothing is going to bring them back." She says, "I was five, we were traveling from one city to the next...I don't remember where to where...I was too young. We ran into a large group of Nightmare Golems..." She says, as if she were reading the news.

Her eyes are hard, she wares a mask of no emotion as she retells the story, "My mother hid me into a nearby cave...thinking I would be safe from them. She was right, I was, I listened to them slaughter them...my mother, my father, my brothers and sisters. Until only I was left, I stayed in the cave for a day or two, finally moving because I was too hungry to stay any longer..."

"You can imagine the sight I saw. I salvaged what supplies I could and...hid. It was what I could do to survive. Eventually, what I found wasn't enough...I learned how to survive on Odin with only myself. You can imagine what this does to a child..."

"I came to power in that place, and eventually the Muramasa family found me on an expedition when I was caught stealing from their stores...when they sent a rescue crew to find the first one. When they tracked me down to the hole I was in, eating what I could find."

"I think I was eight then."

Alma Hyral has posed:
Alma listens to the entire tale, for her part, she keeps her eyes on Helena the whole time. Her face would go through the whole spectrum of emotions. From shock, to horror, to sorrow... And once the tale was done, she would remove herself from her stool, and if Helena didn't stop her, she'd wrap her arms around her in a hug. Her voice was suprisingly calm, if soft, "There's nothing I could say that wouldn't seem trite or naive. I could try to tell you the world isn't such a terrible place...but sometimes it just is, and there's nothing that can explain it. I could offer you my condolences.. but that is hollow comfort in the face of such tragedy. Just.. I'm sorry Helena."

Helena Celba has posed:
Helena accepts the hug...maybe it was all a lie to get Alma to hug her.

It doesn't seem like it because there is no return hug, or GOTCHA that comes after. She accepts it stoicly.

"No, only Odin is." She says, with a touch of bitterness, "There is no beauty in Odin, no matter how much you or Nik stretch for it." There are only graves to her. The graves of many of her people..

"There is nothing to be sorry about, I have made peace with it, and have done so for many years. I was forced to survive, and am stronger for it. The Muramasa family has tempered that even more..."

But she leans over, "I do not dwell on the past, only work towards the future."

Alma Hyral has posed:
She'd nod, she'd never been to Odin. She'd only heard the terrible tales from her Father who had used them to scare his youngest daughters into demure obedience. Along with tales of black magic, Chaos, Necromancers, summoners of the Second Gods... none of it really seemed right anymore, even if she believed that /some/ of the above list was still evil, it definitely wasn't as her Father had told her. Her time in the World of Ruin had turned much of it on it's head, "Then maybe we can work together."

She didn't draw away as Helena leaned forward...the hug was looser now, but still there. She would state calmly, "I know I make you uneasy, but I would still.. very much like to try and be your friend. Even if it means.. that I'll have to learn to be more comfortable about certain things.. to be less uptight about your teasing."

Helena Celba has posed:
"Hmm...Perhaps I was being impatient...you are much more resistant to changing than your sister was." Helena says, waving a hand, "For good or ill, who knows..." She says, "But well...as long as you keep your moralizing in check we won't have any problems." She says with a continued tone of neutrality.

"Besides, I haven't been fair either, so I am not going to place this all on you."

Alma Hyral has posed:
"I don't know if I can ever change, to be like Kyra... much less Tira." She'd actually manage a sort of timid smile, "I'll actually admit, I was a bit.. jealous of you. These days, it seems like you know my sister, more than I do." She'd nod again, "That's... well fair. I promise that I'll at least keep it off the public channels. That I'll.. speak to you in private if I have reservations."

And then after a moment's pause, she'd state in a very soft voice, "I promise that I won't be upset, no matter what you say but.. what sort of deal has Kyra made with you to protect me, Helena?"

Helena Celba has posed:
Helena smiles actually, her question...entertains her.

"Hmmm? Deal? Oh yes...well, instead of messing with you, I think she agreed to try my dress when I complete it. And other things, but those are...shall we say /private/ afrairs." She says, teasingly.

"And you could get to know her, Alma, if you stopped chastising her. If you...listened intead of talked...you have to understand her, and learn to accept that Cosma simply...functions very little out here. Well, orthidox Cosma." she says, "I still think she believes in it...just on her terms, and with her desires to change the world around her..." Honestly, why Kyra was so anti-souji...

"Anyway...I am hungry."

Alma Hyral has posed:
Alma would listen to her, her expression remaining carefully controlled, she didn't like that others were sacrificing something for her, but she still remained calm as she could. Her eyes close briefly, before opening again. As she spoke, her voice only cracked slightly, a stammer creeping in "Is there anything that I can d-do. to r-redirect some of t-that to me...?"

Self-Sacrifice was indeed one of the Seven Virtues. And now Alma was trying to save Kyra from what she'd done for her sake.

And then a moment later, she managed a smile, "We r-reconciled after.. well, you k-know. She k-knows now that it wasn't a t-trick to get her back to the C-Church. I just w-want her to learn to use her m-magic to her full p-potential..."

And then after a slight pause she spoke kind of numbly, "U-Using White M-Magic isn't entirely about f-faith, as my Church t-teaches.."

She'd look at her, calm once again, "Oh, would you like me to make you something? I've been taking.." She would actually close her eyes, shivering a little, "...c-cooking l-lessons."

Helena Celba has posed:
Helena looks at Alma, "Nah, not my type...besides you're still too young, despite my teasing." She says, "Besides it's no fun if you're not at least a little interested.." Helena teases before sitting back.

"Of course not, even I know that...there is no magic based entirely on faith. It's silly to even think so." she continues, "Well...if you have reconciled, then that's good...wait cooking lessons?" She looks...interested, "Why are you...shivering?"

Alma Hyral has posed:
Wait did she mean? Alma flushed beet red in the space of a few seconds, she didn't know that Kyra had promised /that/. She didn't even know that Kyra well.. was open, like that. And yet she couldn't help but think that she'd still have done it, if Helena had been open to it. She just wouldn't have been interested, or enjoyed it.. "A-Alright."

She'd shiver even harder, as Helena spoke on cooking lessons, "O-Oh nothing... I was just remembering the..." A pause, more shivering. Now it looked like Helena had in fact, touched on subject that brought true terror to her, "The Cooking Spool"

Obligatory crack of thunder from the constant storms around the Ame-No-Torifune.

Helena Celba has posed:
Helena looks...

INTERESTED...

"Oh do go on...I am all aflutter." She says, with a devilish smile on her face...she was always looking for NEW and EXCITING ways to hurt peo-I mean, train people.

Yes that, and not the pain thing. Nope.

"Who is teaching you?"

Alma Hyral has posed:
She crossed her arms across her chest, shivering even more, even bowing her head slightly. She looked.. nauseous. And then after a moment, she went to the side rail, quickly pulling her hair back over her head as she leaned over and...

Yes, there it went. And then she'd wipe her mouth, looking embarassed.

"I-I'll have to a-ask him if it's a-alright to tell a-anyone. H-He's rather.. m-mysterious, but his m-methods are.." MURDEROUS? CRAZY? SADISTIC? OHSWEETCOSMASAVEME! Helena saw all of this clearly on Alma's face. The terror. "...h-h-harsh. B-But...I'm l-learning c-confidence in c-cooking."

Helena Celba has posed:
"That's alright.." Helena says...

Instead she'll tail Alma to her next lesson. She MUST meet this person...she has to KNOW the TERRIBLE and ARCANE SECRETS they hold over Alma...

Because obviously she is going back.

"Well, lets...get some food so you can replace that.."

Alma Hyral has posed:
"A-Alright." And Alma led them to the kitchen..

/FORTY FIVE MINUTES LATER/ The table is covered with absurdly exquisite and mouthwatering French food for the time and effort she had to put in to make it. And Alma is just eating a quiche in silence, like it was no big deal that she did all of this in no time flat.

Helena Celba has posed:
Helena is not eating a french meal, and is actually enjoying it..

"Holy crap...this is...and you were a decent cook before.." She says, between bites, eating lots and enjoying it all. You MIGHT be able to poison her with something now, if the food wasn't leaving the table so fast.

Alma Hyral has posed:
"Oh. I'm just /alright/. He says I might eventually become a master chef with enough lessons and the right attitude. I'm pretty slow right now, and still lacking in, imagination..."

She'd actually venture a tiny smile, as she continued to eat. Thoughts of poisoning Helena had never occurred to her.