Depressing Shrine Crusade

06:06:58: <Alvis> Last time on Crystal Crusade: Spiderbears! And then some really kind of depressing stuff. And possibly more depressed than anyone throughout it all was Alvis; the boy had gone noticably quiet compared to his usual bubbly self, even once everyone got back to the tavern for dinner that night. And then he'd seemingly vanished.
06:08:57: Rosette noticed the Mithra boy's abscence. Figuring something was wrong, she set out with a plate of food in hand for him, searching about the encampment.
06:12:35: <Alvis> It likely doesn't take too long to hear from someone about where the heck Alvis has gone, or at least gotten a hint (maybe he asked Mitzi about using the teleporter or something) or maybe Syl knew and was headed out there.
06:13:42: Rosette quickly wraps the food up before heading towards the teleporter herself, now knowing full well where he went.
06:16:57: <Alvis> It's pretty much confirmed for Syl when the shrine's door is not a door, but rather slightly a jar.
06:18:12: <Syl_> Indeed, she's already in the area.
06:19:23: Rosette approaches Syl as she arrives at the Village, "Ah, commander Syl! I don't suppose you've seen Alvis around here anyway?"
06:19:30: Rosette eyes the open shrine door, her question answered.
06:19:49: <Syl_> "And what are you doing here, Alvis?"
06:21:59: Alvis is sitting in the shrine, surprisingly formally with his head down - and his ears, too. "...Huhn?" he seems to take a moment to even register that the two women have arrived, but he only looks briefly before turning back. "...Thinking."
06:22:24: <Syl_> "Hopefully you're constantly doing that."
06:22:26: <Syl_> "About what?"
06:23:19: Rosette frowns at Alvis' pensive demeanor, taking out the wrapped plate of food, "I...can't say its warm, but I brought this for you. I...noticed you were missing from dinner."
06:25:02: <Alvis> "Oh... thanks," Alvis turns himself around to take it, apparently not quite as miserable as he was initially. "...Whadda you guys think about this place?"
06:25:33: <Syl_> "The deaths that happened in here...shouldn't have. Simple."
06:25:45: <Syl_> "But...let's say that their silent please have been put to rest."
06:25:48: <Syl_> *pleas
06:26:03: <Rosette> "Have they?" Rosette says, worriedly.
06:26:56: <Alvis> "...It's really only chance we found them at all," Alvis sighs, starting to eat. Albeit, noticably lacking the fervor of breakfast and lunch on the trail.
06:26:59: <Rosette> "The night before we set out," The Elvaan says followed by a heavy sigh, "the high priestess of our expedition, Yvonne her name was, said her rest has been tormented by spirits of the restless dead ever since she came here."
06:27:19: <Rosette> "I can't help but feel like this has something to do with that."
06:27:50: <Syl_> "....no."
06:27:55: <Syl_> "No, it wasn't chance."
06:28:51: <Alvis> "...You're pretty certain of that," munchmunch.
06:28:56: <Rosette> "Of course not, non. True coincidences are rare," she eyes the shrine's 'center' ruefully.
06:29:29: <Rosette> "That said, I'm worried that this may only be one village of many, from how Yvonne described."
06:29:47: <Rosette> "Goddess, what happened here?" she sighs.
06:30:43: <Rosette> "The language they used is Orcish...were these people here first, were they slaves or...? It makes no sense."
06:31:34: <Syl_> "Quite certain."
06:31:46: <Syl_> "Recall that I specifically led you here."
06:32:16: <Alvis> "And how'd you find them, then?"
06:32:20: <Rosette> "Mm?" she looks to Syl, concerned, "Do you know something we do not, then?"
06:32:58: <Syl_> "About this place, you mean?"
06:33:32: <Rosette> "Oui, commander."
06:35:07: <Syl_> "Then I know just as much as you do."
06:35:37: <Syl_> "The Orcish bit concerns me, though."
06:36:02: <Rosette> "Oui, this is -or was- their homeland, but how these people relate to them is an enigma."
06:36:07: <Alvis> "..." Alvis finishes nibbling on a piece of meat, though he still looks quite thoughtful.
06:38:30: <Alvis> "Still... nobody knew," he mutters this as he resumes eating.
06:38:44: <Syl_> "....now -we- know, though."
06:39:46: <Syl_> "That's what matters."
06:40:24: <Alvis> "Now, yeah, but... ... I mean, this place is kind of like... ahh, I don't even know how to put it," his ears fold down again as he rubs his scalp in irritation.
06:40:34: Rosette tries to force a reassuring smile, "Uncovering the answers is our task, non? We owe it our nations to find the truth about who these people were and what happened to them, and now we owe it to them."
06:41:29: Rosette looks to Alvis understandingly, "Sites of great tragedies tend to be a bit unnerving."
06:42:34: <Rosette> "La Vaule Monastery, in Ronfaure," she explains, telling a story, "even after the orcs were finally driven out and it was Davoi no longer..."
06:43:25: <Rosette> "It took years before any wanted to reside there again. Places where many lives were lost can do something to a person, Goddess knows how, exactly."
06:46:00: <Alvis> "...Maybe that's it...?" he doesn't sound so certain that's the answer that he's looking for, but he's not sure it's wrong, either.
06:48:05: <Rosette> "Possibly," Rosette answers, hardly certain herself, uncertainty being something so unusual for her you can tell its bothering her, "although, what am I certain of is this: this is only the start of our work here, now."
06:50:24: <Alvis> "Yeah..." Alvis nods, going back to eating. And thinking to himself.
06:51:18: <Syl_> "It is."
06:51:33: <Syl_> "We'll get to the bottom of this, though where that road leads...."
06:51:45: Syl_ shakes her head, not wanting to continue that line of thought.
06:51:51: <Syl_> "Does anything else bother you?"
06:52:52: <Alvis> "...Is it weird if I say... ... I feel like I knew them?" it takes him a little while to get it out. Clearly it's a little weird even to him to say that.
06:53:43: <Syl_> "That isn't unusual."
06:55:29: <Alvis> "I mean, this place is different and they're different, but..." he sighs, and goes back to eating.
07:01:36: <Rosette> "Syl is right. I believe we all felt like we may have known them a bit," she says as she struggles for proper words, clearly putting thought into them.
07:04:15: <Syl_> "It's basic empathy. There is nothing strange about it."
07:04:24: <Syl_> "I would be concerned if you -didn't- feel something like that."
07:04:50: Rosette nods in agreement with her commander.
07:07:52: <Syl_> "Or is it something else?"
07:07:55: <Alvis> "...I guess that makes sense," he sighs, a little with relief.
07:11:21: <Alvis> "...I'm still not sure if I've got everything figured out, but... at least it's an answer for now."
07:12:12: <Syl_> "Is it something you're uncomfortable sharing with me?"
07:13:08: <Rosette> "I can leave, if you'd rather," she offers helpfully.
07:15:15: <Alvis> "No, I just... really don't know how to put words to it. ...It's just kinda... scary, maybe."
07:16:32: Rosette frowns, short of words now. It was clear his confusion was largely a part of his youth, but she couldn't outright say that.
07:20:20: <Alvis> "Sorry, I'm probably just... making a big fuss out of nothing. I didn't expect to find something like... well."
07:21:59: <Syl_> "The unknown usually is."
07:22:06: <Syl_> "The best we can do is face it."
07:22:14: <Syl_> "....speaking of, though."
07:22:34: <Syl_> "The others are likely worried. You're the main unknown, for now."
07:30:49: <Alvis> "...Yeah. Sorry," Alvis shakes his head again, as he finishes eating. "I shouldn't be making wonderful ladies like yourselves worry about me."
07:30:50: <Rosette> "Oui, perhaps we should head back? Unless there is something you still have to do here?"
07:31:28: Rosette smirks a bit at that remarks, if only because it seems to be evidence of him feeling better.
07:34:35: <Alvis> "...Nah. I think I'll be fine," he stands up and stretches out a little - how long was he sitting there anyway? - and then picks his plate back up. "Shall we, then?"
07:35:36: <Rosette> "Oui, at once then," Rosette smiles, leading the others out. She did not find this place pleasant herself, frankly.
07:43:35: <Syl_> "Very well."
07:43:48: <Syl_> "If it bothers you later, you should know where to find me."
07:50:47: <Alvis> "Yeah. Thanks," Alvis manages a little bit of a smile again, finally