Pink and Blue

Aedwen Morning lingers near the very end of the docks with her gaze cast out to sea. She's taken favor in leaning her weight against the fence post -- something that seems unwise upon further examination of the wood nearly bleached in ocean spray and weathered by age. A gentle breeze rolls in with the waves, and she appears to be peacefully content as she awaits the arrival of her companion.

Sui Eclair | Aedwen doesn't need to wait for much longer. A small wooden ferry arrives, her companion in tow, hopping off in the midst of the boat preparing to dock. She brushes herself off, a hand running through her bangs and breathing in the sea breeze. With an offer of thanks to the workers she makes her way over, sights set on Aedwen.
Sui Eclair: "Did you wait long?" She asked, hands behind her back and standing up on her toes.

Aedwen Morning turns her head when the boat docks, spotting Sui's head of blonde hair easily among the small crowd of ferrymen. "Not long at all, dear," she muses, pushing off from her rickety perch to offer Sui a wave -- a subtle curl of her fingers. "You're just on time, in fact." She beckons the woman forward a moment later and turns to head up the slope to the bazaar. "Enjoy the ride?"

Sui Eclair grins ear to ear, climbing the stairs to meet her. "I am? Well, good!" She tilts her head, as if she really needed to consider her words. "The ride took longer than I anticipated...but I certainly enjoyed it, all the same!"
Sui Eclair: "I mean...look at it."
Sui Eclair motions to the ocean.
Sui Eclair: "What isn't there to like? ...Ah, but I'm sure someone could think of a thing or two, maybe."

Aedwen Morning does as she's told, despite having been gazing upon the sight of the glistening sea for bells now. "People who claim no love for the sea live the most miserable of lives, I've found. Bland and empty, really. I could not imagine a life where there mere sight of the sun upon the water does not move and stir my very soul, Sui ~" As she rambles, she keeps moving, taking the slope one plank at a time. "I am glad you made it safely. You're not too weary to continue upon our little excusrion into -
Aedwen Morning: - the ruins though, yes..?"

Sui Eclair shakes her head at that, following after her as quick as she could; both were clearly eager for this. "Of course not! The moment you proposed this little excursion to me, I was already ready to leave at any moment." They just. You know. Chose later to go. "I want to see these ruins for myself, too—after we chose today, I've been reading as much as I could in preparation." She hums to herself delightedly, feeling quite proud for it.
Sui Eclair: "You know what they say...two minds think the same! My heart stirs for knowledge and passion as yours does, Morning!"

Aedwen Morning chuckles faintly to Sui's enthusiasm, her grin widening as she glances over her shoulder. "Don't lose that eagerness, dear. It's what keeps life exciting." She offers a wink as they reach the top of the hill, but she does not slow her pace, and heads for the eastern gate. "Have you never been to the ruins in the south, Sui?" She sounds genuinely surprised. "The sunken temple is one of my favourite places to visit, next to Nym. Tell me what you've learned thusfar, won't you? That way I know -
Aedwen Morning: - what to leave out of our history lesson."

Sui Eclair: "I...don't think I have, no," she says, eyes narrowing a bit. "So it should be my first time! Let's see, let's see...if I recall correctly, it was Azeyma that was the Belah'dian's most worshiped deity. It was a civilization that was even more ancient than Sil'dih—I think. Erm."
Sui Eclair: "...It's dangerous, too. I've read of ashkin being a prevalent thing there. So we should also be careful where we're stepping."
Sui Eclair: "How's that?"

Aedwen Morning bobs her head. "A simple enough understanding. I'll explain more when we get there, hm?"

Sui Eclair: "Yes, please! I'm looking forward to it!"
Sui Eclair: "Shall we?"

---------------------------

Aedwen Morning || The road to the outskirts of the fallen temple is long, and rather quiet as the desert evening settles over the region. The heat gives way to a gentle chill, and the stars peak out from beneath the veil of inky sky overhead. Aedwen seems mostly preoccupied with the scenery about them, and offers a faint, foreign tune in a quiet and cheery hum. At the very edge of Qarn, she stops, and turns back to Sui. "Don't mind the golems much, hm? They won't bother you unless you bother them."

Sui Eclair takes the moment's lull to observe their surroundings. The blanket of night and the quiet—save for the movement of the golems patrolling the area—gave way to an eerie feeling, the ruins in the distant almost. Sad? Melancholic? Lonely? She blinks.
Sui Eclair: "...Well, I can see how well they deter passersby. It's lonely out here."
Sui Eclair leans in a bit, though, as if to get a better look at the temple from where they stood.

Aedwen Morning smiles faintly and gives the ruins ahead a brief moment of consideration. "..I suppose it is, yes. But ruins aren't typically known for being warm and inviting." She sighs and starts along the path towards the towering alabaster pillars. "You were right in that this, once, was a place of worship for Belah'dians. It's said, however, that long before Belah'dia, another civilization stood here among the sands of Thanalan, but no records anywhere indicate its name." She clucks her tongue. -
Aedwen Morning: "Some say the historians and those in power scrubbed any trace of this former civilization from their ancient texts when they turned and persecuted mages. It was a terrible mess."

Sui Eclair: "They...erased any trace of their existence?" She blinks, eyes wide. "That's...quite the accomplishment. How awful." She crosses her arms, gazing again towards the entrance. "...Why would they persecute mages? Were they afraid of them? And—"
Sui Eclair: "How did...scholars come to realize their existence? That's..." She hesitates, then looking back to her comrade.
Apologetic. "I'm not asking too much at once, am I?"

Aedwen Morning chuckles and shakes her head. "No, dear, not at all. This is a history lesson, is it not?" She puts a hand to Sui's shoulder and urges her along, beaming. "Let's find a place further in to talk, hm? The War of the Magi, and the War of the Sisters thereafter are.. Rather convoluted tales, and I'd loathe to misinform you while distracted by patroling golems."

Sui Eclair | They somehow step past a few golems not even two feet away, by coincidence, and Sui can't help but wonder if they can sense emotion—or tension, really—but nothing happens, and she breathes a sigh of relief as they walk past unharmed, right to the entrance. "...Oh my," she comments. "It's dark in there."
Sui Eclair: "Um! But, yes."
Sui Eclair: "Please, go on. Now that you mention it, I recall seeing something about a War of the Magi in my readings. That must be what you were referring to before."

Aedwen Morning looks into the dark tunnel, somewhat congested with fallen debris. "It opens up on the other side. The temple was part of the city. You'll see." She winks, but doesn't elaborate further. Instead, she readjusts her focus to her teachings. "The War of the Magi occurred during the.." She takes a moment to count on her fingers, brows furrowing. "Gods, there are so many, and I often get them mixed up. I believe it was during the Fifth Astral Era, when the advancement of magical practices boomed."
Aedwen Morning: "That, in and of itself, is a rather long tale, but all you need to concern yourself with is that the mages.. Grew out of hand. They abused the magics and took their power for granted, and brought about the Sixth Calamity -- a great and terrible flood that wiped out the ancient civilizations of Nym, Ampdaor, and Mhach. There were survivors, miraculously -- mages and non-mages alike."

Sui Eclair squints at her, trying to follow along. To most, perhaps, this should have been common knowledge. But as familiar as these words were, somehow, the context had never been very relevant to her—until now. She could comment on what a terrible thing it would be, experiencing a catastrophe of such a magnitude—but, well. It doesn't need to be said after all, does it? "I wonder," she finally comments, tapping her foot. "That ancient civilization shrouded in mystery... Could it have been Mhach >
Sui Eclair > all along?"

Aedwen Morning blinks, and momentarily looks as if she's been struck by a brick. "..You're right. Mhach is a relatively new discovery -- I'd nearly forgotten all about them." She beams and taps a finger to the end of Sui's nose -- an affectionate gesture rather than patronizing as it typically was. "Yes, that mysterious civilization was Mhach. Good catch." Humming, she turns to the entrance and gives it a good, long look. "Those non-mages who survived the floods blamed the mages for the Calamity, and -
Aedwen Morning: - persecuted them mercilessly. Many were killed, texts were burned and ancient knowledge was lost en masse. That is where Belah'dia comes in, and her daughter cities, Ul'dah and Sil'dih."
Aedwen Morning cants her head with a grin. "Shall we continue inside?"

Sui Eclair also proceeds to blink, and realizing she'd been on the nose(!) can't help but laugh a little, flustered by her apparent cleverness...but that quiets down all the same, listening closely, and there's a twinge of sadness that can be felt. "...But there must have been good mages, too. Not /all/ of them could have been as evil as history would have told, I think. That's..."
Sui Eclair: "...It's quite awful. Yes." There's a somber pause. But it's fleeting, the girl shaking her head and the grin renewed. "Yes, though! Let's go see."

Aedwen Morning: "You're right. Not all of them were bad, and it is thanks to those good mages that we have the Order of Nald'thal today." She inclines her chin. "Lieutenant is a member among their number, as you know. You should ask him if you're curious on the history of the Order." She moves forward and mounts a piece of the fallen rubble with ease. Turning she holds out a hand to the smaller Raen and grins. "Come on then, dear!"

Sui Eclair: "Lieutenant..." It takes only a quick moment for her to realize who it was she meant. "Ah! Yes... Father Salem. He might appreciate my curiosity if I ever come around to asking him." An if, she says, but she figures she would ask to learn more, someday, and with Aedwen's help she's let up on the rubble with a good pull!
Sui Eclair: "Thank you!" She exclaims, getting a good footing on the stone and taking a look around— "This is already such a view!"

Aedwen Morning chuckles. "I'm sure he'd love to tell you all about the Traders, Sui." The tone is odd, but she doesn't linger on whatever thought goes unspoken. Instead, she turns and looks outward, over the crumbling ruins of Qarn and Thanalan beyond. "It's not the sea, but yes, I do agree. It is quite pretty at night." Humming a single note, she pulls herself up onto the next piece of rubble and slides down into the dark hallway before giving a shout, "Come along, dear!"

Sui Eclair: "Ready when you are!"

---------------------------

Sui Eclair stumbles forward. "...Well, that was a lot of crawling. But we made it."
Sui Eclair didn't have any trouble, considering how small she is.

Aedwen Morning busies herself with brushing off her tunic with the palms of her hands. "You get used to it after so many trips. Sometimes people leave it more open than that." She shrugs and stars up the stairs. "Where were we again? Mhach, persecutions... AH! Yes, Belah'dia." She gestures to the hallways around her by spreading her arms to either side of her. "Those mages who survived the floods and the relentless discrimination fled here, to these older ruins of Mhach, to begin anew. They named the -
Aedwen Morning: - city Belah'dia, and they studied their magics in peace from the rest of the world. Would that I might say they lived happily ever after, but.. You see where we stand now."
Aedwen Morning leads Sui to an open court, where the rood has long caved in and pillars have fallen away.

Sui Eclair: "...Despite their desire to live in peace, they still fell." Led up the stairs and to the desecrated grounds, she stills her breath, looking upon it with quiet wonder, and shock, and pity. "It's... There's so much of it. To think this was a great city, centuries ago..."
Sui Eclair: "What had happened here, exactly?"

Aedwen Morning: "Again, by their own hands, Sui. We Spoken can never run from nor deny our nature. "Greed is our god, dear. Many will try to make it their servant; their lever -- but always do we fall." The woman waxes poetic a nonce longer than she might have wanted, and quickly recovers herself to Sui's inquiry, but she does not answer it directly. "Belah'dia was a great and prosperous city in its day. Generations of Sultans -- Lalafuto and his sons -- ruled in the following Sixth Astral Era until twin -
Aedwen Morning: - sons were born into the line of monarchs." She presses forward, the scuffs of her boots singing against the sand-blasted and time-worn walls of the temple. "They squabbled over who should claim the throne, and so they split their city into two; Sil'dih, the fallen, and Ul'dah, who remains to this day."

Sui Eclair grows quiet, at that. It was a question that wasn't necessary to be answered, really, understanding what Aedwen spoke of—the remains of what they walked upon a stark reminder of the failures of humanity, ever repeating itself. Instead she listened, nodding along with her explanation until they reached the engraving that was too worn to decipher. For Sui, at least. "...I see!" She finally comments, sounding intrigued. "Right, yes. I remember that Sil'dih was spoken of as a sister city to >
Sui Eclair | > Ul'dah. In fact...there are ruins /of/ Sil'dih near the city-state, aren't there?"

Aedwen Morning: "There are, yes. Not terribly far off, either. They lie in the basin in central Thanalan, near the Coin and Coffer." She hums and gives the engraving one final look before turning around. "The brothers had their petty quarrels, which brought about the War of the Sisters." She beckons for Sui to join her as she rounds the corner of a wall and begins her further descent. "Ul'dah defeated Sil'dih, and the latter city was destroyed."
Aedwen Morning: "If I recall correctly, the temple was destroyed in the war."
Aedwen Morning: "You're not afraid of bees, are you?"

Sui Eclair: "Bees? I don't think so."
Sui Eclair smiles.
Sui Eclair: "...Why?"

Aedwen Morning smiles right back. "You'll see."

Sui Eclair: "Uh oh!"
Sui Eclair: "How scary!"

Aedwen Morning: "Only when they're in a swarm, really. One or two is hardly an issue."

Sui Eclair looks at the sight, inquisitive.
Sui Eclair: "...Those are large—"
Sui Eclair: "Bees!"

Aedwen Morning totally killed it with her sword and not any magic. Yep.

Sui Eclair: "Haha! Good work, Morning!"

Aedwen Morning bows in a rather dramatic flourish. "I do try my best. Would hardly do to have to quit our venture early if you were to be stung by one of those things."

Sui Eclair was totally cool just now, and is as nonchalant about taking the facer down, too.
Sui Eclair: "No, it would be rather unfortunate, no? I wonder how painful one of those stings would be. I don't wish to dwell on it."

Aedwen Morning: "You're not so bad yourself, Sui," she teases, reaching to gently shove her knuckles against the woman's shoulder. "Guess the lance isn't just for show?"

Aedwen Morning: "And they're dreadful. Absolutely. Puts you out for a whole week, maybe more."

Sui Eclair: "Eek!" She gasps, taken aback by that. "I...well...I'll be more careful, then! How awful!" There's a pause, then, and she smiles a bit, albeit small. "...It's nothing very special. I would say we're both at equal skill." She says that, but for anyone who could sense aether—or magic for that matter—there was something peculiar about the weapon that could not be accurately placed.

Aedwen Morning 's aetherial senses were about as dead as a doorknob, unfortunately. She only smiles and cants her head. "No need to be humble, dear. You clearl handle yourself quite well." Turning she continues on into the ruins. "I do believe I've given you the jist of everything, however. Was there something specific you wished to know? I'm hardly an expert on history, but I do like to research my ventures before I delve into them." There's a pause, and she turns her head to look over her shoulder. -
Aedwen Morning: "May I ask what brought about your initial interest in Belah'dia and her daughters? Was it Lieutenant or.. Something born of your own intrigue?"

Sui Eclair | Deeper they go, and soon they'd delved deeper into the temple, the temperature noticeably dropping just as it soon became more difficult to see, the strange aetherical hue of the candlelights ahead their only way of seeing what was ahead of them. It was ominous, but the girl—as unnoticing of the malevolent presence at her back as Aedwen—continued on, filled with wonder at the sights.
Sui Eclair: "...It was not that I had a fascination with solely Belah'dia," she admitted, stopping in her steps. "As you know, I've been working more diligently in becoming more well read. I... Well, it's sort of embarrassing, truthfully. Up until the past year, I've never given myself the chance to...study, you could say." She was illiterate. That's what she was trying to say. "It was my captain that asked Father Salem to teach me. Since then, I've been working harder and harder to perfect myself... >
Sui Eclair: ...sometimes, I had been a burden because of it. It was becoming more of a necessity with each passing day. Especially now, with all these reports and paper trails, and...ah..." She trails off, scratching her head. Is there a better way of explaining herself? "It's through all this studying that I've found an interest in Eorzean history of late, or really anything for that matter! I'm not that young. I have no excuse for knowing any better of these things! Or..."
Sui Eclair: "Well."
Sui Eclair pauses, thinking.
Sui Eclair: "It's more like...I'm trying to /relearn/ these things, perhaps. Things I may have known of once, but forgot."

Aedwen Morning listens intently as Sui explains the origins of her interest in the fallen cities. She'd been smiling at the beginning, but it slowly dips into a faint frown by the end of it. She didn't miss the implications there, but Aedwen doesn't press on it, either. Instead, she merely clicks her tongue. "Well, if that's the case, then, then I would be more than happy to extend my own assistance, if you'd have it, Sui." Her smile returns now and she gives a little rock on her heels. "I can't claim to -
Aedwen Morning: - be a good teacher, but I'd be more than happy to have you along on my trips to far flung places. I can tell you of their histories while we search for treasure and other relics. It'd be fun, I think!"

Sui Eclair is quiet for a moment. Contemplative. The look on her countenance couldn't be read outright, then, with lips parted and looking ahead to the dimly lit darkness. A hand is placed over her chest, resting there, and it feels forever until a smile curls on her lips, facing her with an expression that could only be best described as gracious.
Sui Eclair: "You're...very kind," she said. "I don't know what direction it is that I need to focus on. All of it... There's so much I desire to learn, but there's too much of it that I don't know what to reach for first. I—" She turns then, facing her fully. "—I want to learn, though! I do! If you could teach me as much as you know...I would be greatly indebted to you."

Aedwen Morning snickers and feels fer smile growing wider. "The world is a wider and wonderful place, Sui. Take it as your oyster, and you will never be disatisfied." Her fist clenches then, and she knits her brow in determination. "There is no such thing as 'debt' between friends, my dear. I offer willingly, in full hope to see you grow."

Sui Eclair leans forward, hands together and nodding enthusiastically. "Right. Yes, of course! I'm merely happy—so, please..."
Sui Eclair: "Take me wherever you wish."