FEF: The Lost Lands [IC Thread]

[Zetaark]

After the day had passed and the group was well out at sea, Yuel decided to head on the deck to clear her mind, book in hand. Whatever happened the day they escaped was certainly intentional, as the unnatural gusts of wind were directed at the sails, and the glimmer of light they saw before they left. Somebody wanted to aid them, though for what purpose she couldn't hope to guess at the time. As she continued her thoughts, she noticed a few familiar faces by the railings.

"My my, someone seems to be in high spirits as usual," Yuel remarks to Cassidy, who had bombarded Beatrix with all manner of inquiries. "Though it does seem like Bea is deep in thought. What's on your mind?"

 

[Code: PIRULUK]

Shiro sat cross-legged at the bow of the ship, her spear laid across her lap as she slowly breathed in and out, centering herself and clearing her mind. Somehow she had been dragged along on this ship, despite merely wishing to protect those who were in danger. Well, the commander had promised rewards and transport from Opus, so it wouldn't prove much of an impediment to her travels.

 

The problem was, where were her travels taking her?

 

It had been almost three years since she had begun her pointless wandering, moving all across the land in search of... something, She didn't know what. She didn't know why she was searching. She was lost. She wanted to find her way. Her way to where?

 

After they arrived at Opus, where would she go? She didn't know.

[rokubiraijuu]

"Ahh!" The sudden impact of a small and compact bullet of a friend staggers her and her heart lurches for the one — just one! — moment that she thinks she might flip over the rails. And before she can even catch her breath, Cassidy is already rattling off into her ear. It's several seconds before she's able to turn around with an amused — though still somewhat frazzled — grin.

 

"Whoa, slow down! You know you just about killed me a little."

 

Then she catches sight of Yuel approaching from the steps up to the deck. "Oh, Yuel! I just can't get that magic out of my head. Y'know, the one that pushed the boat yesterday, came out of nowhere." She's still locked in Cassidy's death hug, but doesn't seem to mind at all, having extricated an arm to drape around the smaller girl's shoulders.

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

Cassidy ignored the comment, she knew after all that Bea was safe in her capable arms. There was never any risk she'd tumble off the side. So she set focus on the rest of what she had to say instead. 

"Oh that big boom of lightinin' and the wind ye ye? Forgot about dat, l do suppose it was interestin', wonder wherein it came from ye? l suppose we all are, didn't seem like anyone 'ere 'ad a lick of Thunder or Wind in 'em. But, whoever dat that really saved our skins doe huh? l wonder who they could be. Maybe a mighty adventurer! Full of mystery!Romance, AHHHHHHH...!!! They're so cool~" she said sorta losing herself in the moment just picturing whoever helped them away from those dasterdly ne-erdowells! "What'cha think Aunty Yuel? You're all like... mysterious and magic-like ye? You'd have ta know. You'se the smartest lady l know."

[Zetaark]

"Well, if I had to take a guess, someone or something probably wanted to lend us a hand. Those gusts of wind were directed at the sails of our ship, and when we left there was something that shined in the forest. As for why it lent us aid, I couldn't hazard a guess. There are too many potential reasons and not enough actual information to go off of. So for now that will have to be a mystery, though I get the feeling we'll find out at some point," Yuel announces, as she finishes summing up her thoughts on the matter.

[rokubiraijuu]

Beatrix brightens at Yuel's words. "You're right! If whoever it was wanted to help us, I'm sure we'll see them again." The thought that their unknown benefactor could possibly want to stay anonymous doesn't even cross her mind. Who wouldn't want to be known for their achievements?

 

"It's been a while since I've seen magic like that. Well, anima magic, anyway. My mom would've been able to pull off that kind of power, y'know." She wonders how they're doing. If she's to be honest with herself, she does a pretty bad job of keeping contact with them. Probably just the same old stuff. Nothing changes much around there.

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

"So wise Aunty Yuel, so wise. You must be right! Surely we'll sees them again if dey 'elped us. AHHHH, that's so cool! l wonder what dey be like. Maybe they are awesome treasure 'unter's like me! OOOOOOOO, what iffen they are like... AHHH!!!" Cassidy left her imagnation run wild for a bit, as she often was want to do. Until she realized what Bea had said. Her mother huh? Cassidy wondered what it was like to have a mom. She never knew her own parents. She must've had them, she existed after all, but she never got to met them. She wondered what they were like... they couldn't have been as awesome as Bea's wizard mom doe. After all, they had left her all alone to fend for herself. Cassidy... wasn't truly angry with them. She didn't even know them after all, they could've had good reasons. Where they left her was... good enough a place, so clearly they did care... but not enough to have kept her. As a result of all this she couldn't help but ask Bea about her Mother. She wnated to know what it felt like... what that bond was.

"Oh, your mum was a magicky person too Bea? Wicked~ She musta been real cools like to do somethin' like dat. l wishin' l was better at them readie wordsies, maybe l could do some wicked magic too!"

[Swordstar]

Bradwr sat with his back against the railing, lance leaned awkwardly against his shoulder as he inspected the shaft for any signs of splintering or aging. It wasn't inherently obvious, but he was not exactly comfortable in this situation right now. He hadn't really intended to fight against the military of his home country just yet. And now to end up on a ship with a ragtag band of... Well some of them were slightly less ragtag than others, but still. He set the lance down with a sigh and leaned back against the railing staring at the ceiling. This was going to be an adventure, and not one he was sure he was going to overly enjoy. Still, it could potentially provide for some interesting opportunities. Stick with the group, but don't get close. Your end goal isn't the same as theirs. Remember what you aim to do and don't forget it.

[Chevaleresse]

Alwine spotted Shiro off at the bow of the ship. It looked like she was trying to meditate, and the woman stood where she was for a moment (she'd been wandering the ship, idly checking up on everyone), considering continuing on her path. Still, she barely knew any of the people from the town, and this one was doubly a curiosity, as by her looks and mannerisms she was from somewhere else entirely.

 

Shiro's primary warning was the sound of a heavily-armored individual clanking toward her, then stopping and sitting down heavily on the deck near where she'd positioned herself. 

"Thinking about the battle, or something else?"

[Code: PIRULUK]

 

Shiro's sphere of silence was broken by the shifting sounds of armor moving on armor. Heavy footsteps resounded behind her. She did not stir. She did not move. The person asked her a question. She responded without moving from her spot.

 

"I'm not thinking about anything at all. I'm also thinking of everything at once. Everything expands to nothing. Nothing belies everything. By embracing the void of nothingness, I step closer to complete internal unity."

 

She was a traveller with no destination. She was a walker with no path. The question of where she was headed... Shiro wondered if her newfound conversation partner had an answer for her. It was not chance that had led her here. All was predetermined. All was as destiny dictated. Everything that could happen, had already happened. It was the part of those in the world to carry out the roles their destiny demanded. Shiro wondered how their threads of destiny, her own thread and this person's thread, were interconnected. She continued the conversation with her eyes still closed.

 

"What about yourself? What whim of fate brought you here, to speak to me?"

[Chevaleresse]

The bits about nothingness and everything flew over Alwine's head a bit, and she wouldn't be ashamed to admit it. She didn't consider herself unintelligent, and she thought deeply about some things, but by and large she preferred to just take the world as it came instead of thinking about it spiritually, or whatever this was.

"Curiosity about the people I've fought beside, I s'pose. You aren't part of my squad, obviously, but you also don't strike me as a resident of that village. I'd give you your same question back; how did you end up here?"

[ElfCollaborator]

Johan, for his part, was looking out across the sea. When he had first set out from Kahla, the sea had been unfamiliar to the Hammerhand. Through his journeys, however, the sea (and a lot more besides) had become familiar to him. Still, the seas were very different from the mountainous forests of Kahla, and so they still proved something interesting to the giant of a man.

 

A fire still burned in his blood. He let out a deep, throaty chuckle to himself, remembering who had come for them yesterday. He clenched his right hand, gently placing it on the railing of the deck.

"So, this mission takes us to fight the Pax. They think I'll back down from the prospect of another fight with them? I look forward to it."

[rokubiraijuu]

"Uhh, haha, something like that..." The words sound flat the moment they leave her mouth, and she wishes she hadn't said anything. For a long time, she'd thought her mother was a really cool person too, when she'd thought she'd known her. "I'd say I got all my awesome skills from her, but..."

 

Putting on false brightness, she turns to Yuel. "Well, what about you, Yuel? You must've had a lot of schooling in magic, right? Don't you think we could teach Cassidy a thing or two about it, sometime?"

[Zetaark]

"Most of my learnings on magic were more...practical experiments than anything else at the start, but I have studied it a fair bit. And I suppose we could teach her about magic when the opportunity presents itself. It would be a good experience for all of us I would say," Yuel answers with a smile.

[RedMageCole]

It was an immense relief that Aidan's first couple of actual battles were finally over. The journey was already exhausting, but that didn't stop Aidan. For now, he decided to enjoy the tranquility for once. Clutching his Fire tome, he decided to pore over it. Having battled for a while had given him some new thoughts on how to utilize it in battle more effectively.

 

Heading onto the deck, Aidan spotted a few people talking amongst each other. A twinge of guilt hit Aidan all of the sudden; he found himself feeling slightly regretful that he never got to properly thank the new ones for helping them on their mission. He tried to make it a thought in the back of his mind to thank them next time they were all together and had a chance to talk.

 

Trying not to look at anyone for too much longer, not wanting to stare, Aidan sat down on a nearby little bench... well, it was more like a bunch of planks of wood stacked on top of each other to make a seating place for him, but it worked out just the same. Getting himself comfortable, he started to read over his tome in silence, the conversations among his peers in one ear and the sound of the waves in the other.

[ElfCollaborator]

The planks suddenly shudder with the weight of a mountain of muscle, creaking, barely able to take the weight.  A massive, bear-like, muscled arm suddenly warps itself around Aidan's shoulder, barring any hope of escape. 

 

Johan has arrived.

"You can read that thing later, boy. You should get to know those who you fight with, shouldn't you? Your battle-brothers are just as important as that magical tome of yours in the middle of the fight."

[RedMageCole]

Even when reading for just a few seconds, Aidan tended to get very invested in his books, whether they were novels or tomes. He had been poring over the basics for what seemed to be the hundredth time to make sure he had gotten it just right, when suddenly he jumped out of his stupor by a giant arm being put around him.

He looked to see the source, and- ah, yes, he recognized him. He was the bard helping out in the battle. Looking a little bit nervous to talk to such a mountainous man after getting so caught up in a book, he attempted to speak with care, especially when in an iron-armed grip.

 

"Ah, you must forgive me, I had been under the impression that everyone else was speaking. Perhaps that was rather careless of me... but you are absolutely right." Aidan closed his tome. Perhaps recreational reading would have to come another time. "...I'm thankful for this opportunity to speak; I never got to thank you for all you have done in that battle, sir, and now I may say thank you. Your music was truly amazing."

Edited July 23, 2018 by RedMageCole

[ElfCollaborator]

"That was nothing, boy.  Songs of war and bloodshed are something of a tradition among my people. Better songs were best left for worthier opponents.  How are you faring, boy? You look nervous for someone who seemed to hold it together in a fight."

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

Cassidy might not've been the bestest at readin' folk, but she certainly could hear the wind fall out of Bea's sails when the topic of her mother came up. She even quickly changed the subject, so Cassidy knew it probably wasn't the correct move to move it back. She could understand such, though... Cassidy would at least be happier if she even knew her parents at all, no matter how bad they were. She'd at least have someone to be angry at, or direct what she felt towards. Luckily Cassidy's natural high energy didn't need to be faked however, she was capable of summoning it in most situations.

"Ooooo, that'd be Wicked Aunty Yuel!" her wild enthusiasm was replaced with some wild puzzlement as she put a stray finger to her chin. She seemed to be deep in thought, something not common of Cassidy. She rarely stopped to think, often just babbling through her thought process. "Doe... l suppose l'd hafta learn 'ow to make out one of dem readsie wordsies then huh? Neva been able to do dat before."

[rokubiraijuu]

Stunned, Beatrix turns to look back at Cassidy again.

 

"Wait, you mean you can't read??"

 

She doesn't seem to realize how her directness might come off rude. Her tone isn't one of derision, just the pure flabbergasted curiosity of someone for whom reading and writing had been a privilege she'd never questioned.

[RedMageCole]

"If that's the case, then I do look forward to hearing your best someday when the time comes. And I assure you I am fine; I'm simply a bit jumpy at times when I get overly focused in something. There was a time in my life where this was a problem, actually; it used to take me much longer to get out of nervous fits when I was surprised. I knew I couldn't have that when I joined the army, so I learned to bounce quickly between subjects."

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

"Nope, not a lick. We couldn't really afford none of dose readsie wordsies let alone da essentials on any given week. Dey's also real heavylike. Hard ta pokket and run off with, so l couldn't really steal dem eith... oh borrow dem l mean." She said, turning a little red. Not cause she was embarrassed that she couldn't read, but because she didn't steal things. She borrowed them. An important distinction. The younger kids certainly needed what she did. She couldn't call it stealing. lt was too important and too good a deed to have been a crime. "Miss Ellen tried ta teach us kids as much she could wit' what little she 'ad though. But readin' and writin' wasn't exactly the da most possible ting."

[rokubiraijuu]

"Wow..." She stares at Cassidy with sympathetic surprise that just as quickly morphs into wonder. "That's... that's amazing! I mean, I never would've guessed. You're so good at so many things! That's like, kind of crazy that you can't even read. I don't know what I'd be doing if I were you." 

 

It's hard to imagine what life would be like. Her family hadn't been wealthy by any means, but they'd gotten by comfortably enough and had seldom ever had to want for anything. Occasionally, mom and dad had been a little pressed for coin when the economy got tight, but wasn't that the case for everyone who wasn't swimming in riches? She'd never felt the ramifications, herself.

 

"You're even cooler than I thought, Cassidy!"

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

Cassidy turned a modest shade of red after that, a magnatude up from before. She tapped the toe of her right boot into the ground a few times and swayed her arms behind her. "l suppose l'm prutty wicked ye." lt was pretty true, Cassidy while she couldn't read was quite intelligent, perhaps showing that literacy wasn't required for it. While she couldn't read signage, she could mkae out what kind of shops places were by the pictures and sneaking quick peeks inside. Food stalls and open air markets were the easiest targets as things were so busy Cassidy could easily slip small things into her pockets. She was also quite the expert when it came to knickin' pockets. She was so good she could even nab people's belts from their trousers without them noticin'.

"Readin' and Writin' are quite useful skills l can imagine ye, but a wee bit of craftiness can supplement from time ta time. Dat... and folks tend ta include pictures so it's be easy to know where ta borrow from ye ye. Makes the Treasure 'Unter life easier when people label der goodies for ya wit' nice visual aids. People also tends to have the shinies in der pokkets, and dose are prutty useful for actually buyin' what'cha need. Tings been tougher cause'in l can't l'm sure... but l neva really had need ta." 

[rokubiraijuu]

"I guess I never thought about that, but you're right. Pictures do solve a lot of problems." She raises her hands, palms up, and gives a shrug. "I guess someone like you wouldn't need to read after all."

 

She'd never looked highly on theft when she was growing up -- who does? -- so it's strange to think about how natural it is to be traveling with someone like Cassidy. But if she hadn't learned a bit about the girl's situation where she'd come from, just enough to piece together an idea behind what she did, she might have a completely different attitude towards her. It made her wonder about the stories she'd hear of pickpockets and rogues on the streets back home. 

 

But that's far from her mind now. "You know, you never told me anything about why you want to go adventuring so much. Besides just being excited like you usually are. Why not keep doing what you were doing before?"