Omens of Destruction

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[00:16] Etapalli's completely out of loop here, Sa's enthusiasm isn't understandable, either relatable, but the Gehennan is sure that Sa's enthusiasm isn't thanks to her. Maybe the city? She tilts her head to the right, pondering to herself... The woman must be an old citizen to love a city that is almost crumbling.

"Eh?! North? Are you with those vampires? They keep attacking us, but I doubt a vampire would be wise enough to come here and attack like that..." She scratches the back of her head.

"I wouldn't like to think that a Sarradian is a suspect, but the previous Sultan died 'cuz a Sarradian helped the group that killed him..."

She spoke a lot, taking a deep breath after the end of the little explanation. "Uh... Are you a civilian? I'm not even a civilian, I don't know how to help you... I just like to sit on this bench."
(Etapalli)
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[00:25] "Died?"

The enthusiasm in Sa's gaze was normally pared with cheer to be sure. One got the impression that joy, delight, happiness, that these things were the petite woman's natural companion.

There was just something about her.

Even without conscious effort, the sun's light appeared to shine more brightly around Sa Awaret. Small as she was, there was a really big sense of warmth and safety and familiarity about the solar-blessed Sarradian.

Perhaps enthusiasm wasn't the correct way of describing how she was regarding her surroundings and those around her, including Etapalli. There was an intensity about her gaze. An intensity that one would normally expect to be combined with something postitive, something caring. An intensely caring act, perhaps.

And yet, as the girl's words went on and on, it became obvious that this intensity, this enthusiasm, was very unusually NOT paired with cheer.

Sa Awaret paused. Stood up tall, fingers loosely holding the heart-shaped scepter in her left hand.

"No, I would not attack the place I once called home."

Her words were quieter now, and she stepped towards the teenage child. "I have been in the mountains. I.. swore I would stay, until I finished my studies but.. I saw the towers burning on the horizon."
(Sa Awaret)
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[00:25] Alyka Zam asks, "The hell happened while I was gone?"
[00:27] Sa Awaret says, "...demons fighting at Deseti's gates."
[00:28] Peneli Lovara asks, "Which gate?"
[00:31] Sa Awaret says, "...I saw it in a vision. And.. well, from a distance."
[00:31] Sa Awaret says, "I do not think the demon remains.."

[00:33] Etapalli is sort of getting involved by the warmth, a mere nod is given at her direction, she couldn't say more- the Sultan, in fact, died, nothing she says more about would change that.

"Towers burning on the horizon, eh? I think you arrived a bit late. People died, the Sultanah is so weak that makes me genuinely sad, even if I'm from Cruxati."

Looking deep into the woman's eyes, she mentally states something: Sa Awaret seems to be important, or at least she seems different than the normal Sarradian. It's a feeling she never felt, neither she felt it when she met Dervla.

"Demons? I didn't see any of them, I was sleeping... What a shame."
(Etapalli)
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[00:44] Late.

The tinest of intakes of breath was given at that, the child pointing out the obvious. She hadn't been there.

Ah, how easy it would have been to sink into the horror of that realisation. She was too late, and William was dead! She was too late, and she had broken an oath.

Instead, Sa Awaret smiled. the Sarradian seemed to possess an easy smile. Even if smiling wasn't easy.

The child wanted to see demons? Sa assumed the child wanted to fight them. "Yes, well." She reached out, intending on allowing her hand to rest aagainst Etapalli's shoulder. "Anger is not something to hold onto, little one. It is important not to fight for vengeance, or out of hatred, but to fight to protect and improve the lives of others."

And so it was when she finally noticed Eagleheart.

"...teacher!"
(Sa Awaret)
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[00:52] Etapalli's gaze shift from her to Eagleheart, a guy wearing a hood and hiding his face with a mask, her first impression about them is: he's a coward, but Etapalli sort of needed to look at them to avoid looking at that smile, a smile that only annoys her.

However, her gaze yet turns back to Sa as her hand meets Etapalli's shoulder, but there's also an awkward wince, demonstrating how uncomfortable she gets when people touch her.

"It's easy to say not to fight for vengeance when you're traveling in the north while people attack Deseti and my friends die." She said with a purposeful rude tone but then keeps talking with her normal voice tone.

"I'd fight to protect and improve the lives of others if they had their lives yet, but people took from it them."
(Etapalli)
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[01:02] As soon as Sa realised that the presence of her warm hand upon Etapalli's shoulder made her uncomfortable, she released the girl.

Easy to say not to fight for vengenace? "Perhaps," Sa agreed. "But all the same, the words I speak are the truth. Vengeance hurts the soul."

Sa no longer could maintain the very forced smile.

"William was my friend, too. I will see that justice comes to those who attacked Deseti, swiftly. You can trust in that, little one."

Sa Awaret turned to Eagleheart.

".. Eagleheart?" She said. "...I didn't realise you would be so stubborn at not being called teacher."

Grief simmered in the background, but for the first time Sa Awaret felt a glimmer of nerves.

She had failed him. She had failed Deseti.

Inhale. Exhale.

Sa Awaret focused on her centre. Her core. What did she represent? What did she stand for?

Hope.

And slowly, Sa replaced doubt and anguish with renewed purpose.

"I must speak with you. I had visions, bad dreams I thought. But--"

Pause.

"It came true."

(Sa Awaret)
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[01:06] "What?" He said. Apparently, he was simply out of it until now -- He turned towards Sa, and tilted his head slightly. "You -can- call me teacher, I just dislike it. I was, uh... Spacing out."

He said, before one hand moved to remove the mask.

No need for that any longer, at least. A long sigh, a slightly pained expression on his face, before the soothing chime once again rested on top of Sa's face.

"Bad dreams that happen are the most common part of things. We all... Have those. They're luckily outnumbered by good dreams that happen and bad dreams that didn't." He said, before one hand moved closer to her shoulder.

A soft, small squeeze by a now exposed, severely hurt, human hand. Apparently, wearing a gauntlet had too much pain on him to allow him to use it any longer.

"Tell me."
(Eagleheart)
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[01:12] Etapalli looks at Eagleheart once again, realizing she shouldn't disturb a conversation between a teacher and a pupil, slowly raising from the bench while she unintentionally yawns.

"Justice won't come if people keep trusting the Sultanah." The girl said, preparing herself to walk off from the square. "I'm gonna take a nap, see ya later... I hope."
(Etapalli)
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[01:30] The presence of Eagleheart's hand was, for the moment, comforting. Sa smiled up at Eagleheat, genuinely pleased to be in his presence.

But then Justice won't come if people keep trusting the Sultanah?

"Eh?"

Bewildered, Sa Awaret had watched after Etapalli as the teenager excused herself before exiting stage left.

Tell me, Eagleheart saidd.

"About the dream?" Sa burbled, blinking. "I've.. been having these nightmares. Of fire."

As she spoke, Sa shivered. Shivered, in the absence of cold. Her skin grew goosebumps, and a shimmering flame of her own threatened to rise.

"Fire, but not my fire.

Fire without beauty, without warmth. Just this hot, blinding hatred. Great plumes of dark smoke that choke and obscure ones vision.

There hadn't been anything specific, not that I would remember on waking. Until this morning."

Sa's shoulders slumped slightly.

"This morning I had this vision of Deseti burning. Of pain and death and destruction. It was maybe just a dream, but when I woke up and climbed up to the ridge, I saw the watchtowers burning."

It was only now that she reached up to take Eagleheart's hand. She had not yet looked at it, and rather caught up in her own internal turmoil she hadn't noticed that Eagleheart was injured or pained.

She squeezed his hand.

"I.. swore by the light of the sun that I wouldn't return to Deseti until I had learnt how to make sense of these visions."

Until I grasped the secrets of the lifestream.

"...but here I am."

(Sa Awaret)