rekindleme | The Promise

Entry tags:

The Promise

Who: [npc] Rhea and anyone
Where: The Shrine... and possibly her residence if they stalked her home on the rare occassion she actually went to head to bed.
When: August 1st to the 11th
Summary: Rangar made their presence known to the Guests, the scientists are trying to cover it up to maintain order, and there is a priestess who is apparently trusted by the leader who has no knowledge of the incident. This needs to be remedied.
Warnings: Potential plot spoilers.

[OOC: This is a post for anyone who wishes to pester Rhea after the revelations brought upon by Zeloph on the network. However, ICly the entry has been removed by those who maintain the communications network.]

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[She nods faintly, going to fetch another cup from the small kitchen so she may pour her guest one. She joins him with one more, placing the cups down in order to start pouring the tea.]

Highly recommended, huh. [There's something about her faint smile that says he isn't the first to approach her this week about it. Pouring the two cups, she straightens up - though don't think she failed to notice the notes before him.] May I ask who sent you my way?

[ Up close like this? The resemblance between the priestess and the leader of Rangar is uncanny. Siblings, maybe?

He waits until she's returned to the table and put the tea down; though her smile hinted that she might have an idea of who sent him her way, he still wouldn't want her to drop those cups in case it was a shocker.] He wouldn't give me his real name, but he called himself the Dragon Thunderer.

[He pauses, then adds the rest of the message. ] He wanted me to tell you that he was still searching for the truth.

[Rhea only just placed her own cup down on the table when she heard the title and went instantly pale as though she'd seen a ghost. Again. Though that would not be nearly as much of a surprise as this bit of news. So Zeloph was... The person who had sent a former HYDRA pawn and WWII vet to her apartment last night was...]

He's...alive?

[It was perhaps a good thing that she was sitting down, because she doesn't quite think that her legs would have held her up. She is also glad she had yet to apply much of any makeup, because that... That is...

... The smile crossing her lips even through the tears is likely the most sincere she's ever given anyone since the first day she made her presence known.]

My brother's alive... Thank goodness.

... I thought so. [ He gingerly takes his own cup of tea and raises it as if to take a sip. ] You favor each other.

[ He's not sure whether he wants to change the subject so swiftly - hearing news of a loved one's survival after a long separation takes some recovering from.

... it couldn't hurt to elaborate a little, though. Only a little.] He's holding himself together well enough - there's a lot of people he's watching over.

I... [She was about to say she has no idea what he was referring to, but instead holds her tongue.] It sounds exactly like something he would do.

[There was probably a happy tear or two more as she went to take another sip of tea, mostly to calm herself. After last night, she could definitely use it.]

[But she places the cup down not a moment later, a faint ringing in her ears and a headache beginning to form.]

N-not again...

[She rubs her left temple with her hand, trying to think of something... She'd heard of it before, but... where? Sometime yesterday?

'Sorry, Rhea.']

...

[ That... didn't look good. Worried, he puts his own cup of tea back down. ] Miss Rhea? What's wrong?

[ He knew that look on her face - a forming headache. From her words, it's not the first one she's had recently. ]

Edited 2014-08-13 08:30 (UTC)

[It's a moment before she responds, and even then it's a quiet whisper.]

Why would-

[She shakes her head, trying to brush off the rest of it. In fact, she stops to press both hands together in a form of jutsu that suddenly shuts off all electric devices nearby for a second time in twenty-four hours.]

Something I should have realized a long time ago.

[But beyond that, she won't say much.]

I see... [ He wants to pry. He really wants to. However, from the tone of her voice, he's guessing he won't get anywhere if he does.

So instead, he tries to think of a way to actually start talking about what he came here to talk about. ... he thinks he knows a way. ] What you just did... was that a spell of some sort?

[ What did it do? Is it safe to talk? ]

It's a skill my brother taught me when we were still children. It short circuits all electronics within ten yards.

[It's safe to talk now.]

[ Very small smirk forming now. ] It seems like a pretty useful skill to have.

[ Good. Very good. Safe to talk means he can bring up some sensitive topics.

Taking a sip of that tea now, and then beginning. ] When I said I wanted to learn more about this world's culture, I wasn't lying. There's something I want to find, and there's something that needs to be stopped that no one knows much about. There might be clues in the texts we found for you a few months ago.

Oh, it definitely can be... especially with sudden visitors arriving in the middle of the night to offer their services.

[Innuendo possibly intentional, or simply hiding identities. She takes a sip of her own tea, before nodding.]

Yes... I admit it has been difficult to translate some of the texts. Time has not been kind and the pages are becoming brittle. However, I may be able to help you. Assuming you are seeking a way to fend off the miasma, I might be able to help with that.

[ Whether the innuendo was intentional or not, Terra managed to catch it. He hides the small smirk by taking another sip of his tea. Guests in the middle of the night? Someone has a poor sense of timing, or a flair for drama.

Maybe both? There's no telling, and he's not about to press for details there.

He puts his cup back down, and nods. ] I am; I have an idea, but there's more I need to know in order to proceed.

[ With that, he slides the documents he brought with him in front of him. Finding a starting point is going to be tricky - there's so much he wants to ask. ]

[Rhea seems to straighten a bit more as she places her cup down as well.]

What would you like to know?

[ Down to business, then. He knows that his questions won't make sense until he explains his idea, but he needs to know if his idea is even viable to begin with. ] Can you give me a basic run-down of this world's faith? Your brother mentioned a fire goddess, and some of what she represents. Is there more to that?

[She nods briefly, before beginning. Hopefully Terra can write notes fast.]

Our 'religion' is more an observance over the Four Elements: Water, from which all living things are given sustenance. Earth, which gives our forms shape and protection. Air, which breathes life and grants us magic. and lastly Fire, which is our energy and willpower.

Each is represented by a Goddess, who was said to have gifted their children with abilities that would help them survive the wilds of this world. Amidra, the goddess of water, is the Mother of all. Her daughters Avana - the Earth - and Akasha - the Air - formed the landmasses and rivers that we sustain ourselves on. Their daughter, Ahilani, provided those they created their life force and spirit.

In texts from the most ancient times, humanity seemed to have been meant to live alongside them. However, that was changed when the Deathbringer was born when Ahilani had relations with another and she accidentally burned her lover in uncontrolled passion.

[ He quickly writes down what he can on a mostly blank piece of paper that looked to be prepared for just this question.

His pen pauses when Rhea brings up 'the Deathbringer', and he flips through his notes until he finds what he had written down about the source of the miasma, and the Unleashing. He frowns, then turns the paper around so she can read, and indicates the name 'Arthai'. ] Would this be the name of the Deathbringer?

[ He is not saying that name again - not with the spikes of malignant darkness that vocalizing it brings. ]

[Rhea looks at the name, somehow able to read it and everything else on the page with ease.]

Yes. Though be careful not to speak it, for it is a taboo that it can bring the dead back to this plane... or worse.

[ Nodding. ] I'll be careful - I've only had to say it once, but the darkness spike that comes with it is hard to ignore.

[ Very hard to ignore - malice like that isn't something you feel every day, after all.

He flips that page back around and tucks it into the small pile of notes he brought with him. Since they're on the subject this guy now... ] Is there anything in the texts about possible weaknesses that the Deathbringer might have, or ways to seal it?

Unfortunately no, not without a great cost. What that cost is, however, I was never taught. [she sighs, shaking her head. If anything, she seems disappointed.] I recalled a text from my childhood that discussed this, and had hoped that by asking your fellow guests, it could be retrieved... but it was not among the texts brought back in the excursion.

Though this darkness you speak of... that is the negative force that is most often used by and for the more nefarious, right?

[ Of course it wouldn't be that easy. He mutters a rather mild swear under his breath - the excursion hadn't brought much. ] If we get sent out again, I'll keep my eyes open.

[ He blinks a little, when asked about darkness. He's... not used to having to explain it. ] That's right.

[ How to find the words for this? ... how had Master explained it? What had he learned over the years?

One thing at a time, Terra. Choose your words carefully. ] Darkness itself isn't evil - it's an element of nature, acting as the balance for Light. All beings with Hearts have it inside of themselves, but it's also all around us - Light makes room for it, casting shadows.

[ He pauses again, uncertainty appearing in his expression. This is getting a little personal. ] Like any element, it can be misused - water can take life as well as give it, fire burns, earth crushes, and winds can destroy when they're too wild. Darkness, though...

[ Yeah. It's becoming a little personal. ] It's easier to bring to the surface with negative emotions - anger, fear, grief. It's often used by... people that seek power in some way. Some want to conquer, others destroy. But some...

[ Here, he lays his hand on the table, palm-side up, and closes his eyes to concentrate. Within seconds, a black and red ball of something not unlike fire manifests, wisps and particles of smoke drifting up. He opens his eyes, and it's not difficult to see the guilt and shame in his eyes. ] ... some only want strength in order to protect those closest to them, and have their wish used against them.

I thank you for that.

[She smiles faintly, then quietly listens to the story. For some reason she cannot fully explain, she feels...sympathetic... to the plight she can vaguely recall.]

That's right... It would be a rather touchy subject. [She bows her head slightly in apology.] We have a similar force in our world that dates back to primordial times. However, it isn't always tied to negativity... Some texts refer to it as the "Mist", or "Aether"--though the most popular translation is the "Miasma".

Mist, what you would call a blend of both light and darkness, is what we derive our magick. In controlled quantities it is harmless and can be channeled to either heal or support. Hells, some like myself have managed to use it in an offensive manner. It was only in recent history that humanity began trying to classify and divide the kind of mage one was by how they manipulate the aether. Hence my brief confusion.

[She grows silent for a moment.]

... However when potent miasma is unleashed from a large tear in the boundaries like it was over a century ago... Well, even life-giving properties can destroy in too high an amount. That is why most mages practice a form of balance between the two types.

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The Promise

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