Hope Restored

[17:19] Calista Shimasu says, "Elyon."
[17:19] Elyon slowly, quietly comes to a halt behind her, no words for a couple, shorter seconds, but eventually he'd allow his lips to part-- voice somewhat blank, but that much was usual to the Chieftain.
(Elyon Hirai)
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[17:20] Elyon Hirai says, "Come, join me."
[17:25] Trek into the Levengard's fort remains slow, his steps soft and small all the while, even as they ascent up those stairs. No words in particular escape, not until they're finally on the floors above-- even if it's his city or so, the Chieftain did gesture-- send away whatever little guards.

Only then does he turn around, ocean gaze finding her own scarlet, familiar ones... for a moment or two, he'd allow the silence to linger.

Their last meeting, and partings were anything but pleasant, after all.

Finally, a sigh is heaved, and words follow suit.

"Heard that you've been worried over potential war, and... you've not been well."

'She's broken, devastated since-'

"Isaac's issue, Calista?"
(Elyon Hirai)
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[17:28] She probably didn't look her best. It wasn't dissimilar to how he had found her in her home the last time they spoke. When she ended things with him... When she screamed.

Her face was a bit thinner that usual, her eyes showing faint signs of less than normal amounts of sleep though it was covered by makeup.

Her wings bore a slight droop to them.

"I am worried about everything right now Elyon… Especially that. He has my mother in the Worldscape.. and I don't know what's happened to her.

Only that she is Mercy no longer.."
(Calista Shimasu)
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[17:31] Wings that stretched ever so proud drop so low, features thinner amidst those bags under her eyes, and-

Somewhere, somehow, it hurts. Even if it's subtle, even if the it's barely visible-- though the Chieftain doesn't address it so. Instead, he'd briefly tear his gaze away, inhale a softer breath, and find her yet once again.

"I know..."

Only a single question to follow-

"What are you going to do?"

(Elyon Hirai)
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[17:36] She knew she was likely marching to her death, and that was what wore her down the most. To know that even after everything she likely didn't bear the strength to do what must be done.

And to know she must try anyway.

The faintest sense of pain in his eyes, were met with her own.

She was drowning.

"If I can get my mother here.. from there.. if she's not okay or.. changed..?

I'm going to fight my father to the death."

Beneath everything, that deepest shell within herself was cracking. Breaking down into her core, where that long discarded part of herself hid.

The part that was weak.
(Calista Shimasu)
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[17:51] "Calista..."

It's murmured, ever so slightly ever so softly before he continues.

"We don't know what happened... but when the question of fighting agaisnt, or submitting to Isaac came? She chose the latter-- she loved him so much that she gave away righteouesness, mercy for her."

A slower pause.

"You would be walking into your death, no... worst to come? You'll become a puppet--- for him to control, for him to use. Do you want that?"

Amidst yet another halt, a single hand finds the Shimasu's shoulder-- a faint, light touch despite everything.

"...fighting him to death won't lead to anything. Stop this."
(Elyon Hirai)
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[17:57] If anything revealed her state, the fact his hand reached her shoulder at all should say everything.

"At this point it's just as much for Huangzhou as it is for myself. I am the Regent, he has became a threat to my people.. to Agartha.

I don't think my mother would choose this... something must have happened. Something forced. It can't just be her choice."

Tears began to roll, exposing more of her true weakness. As if every tear bore some of her strength.

"If I win... the world is better off.... if I lose..? The world will have one less monster anyway..."

Even if the monster was self-made...
(Calista Shimasu)
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[18:04] "Sometimes people don't... can't reason."

It's murmured as his grasp shifts a bit, a single digit made to interrupt those rolling tears, brushing them off ever so lightly.

"Sometimes they... just love someone so much, so intensly that they don't see what's right, or what's wrong-- that they don't see what they turn their backs on, but... at the end of the day? You have no option but to accept it."

There's an implication in there, even if it's not worded out.

"A monster..."

Almost mused outward, but then there's a pause, eyebrows knitting together.

"Yet, you've fought for Agartha, done more for her people than anyone else-- than any of your siblings, your cousins."

Ah.

"...even if there's something twisted inside, as far as this continent is concerned? This monster is all the world needs and more. Don't just throw yourself away..."

(Elyon Hirai)
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[18:23] There was a truth in the words being spoken, one she wouldn't accept. Because it would mean all she had worked for her entire life had been a lie, that she was a lie.

She couldn't accept that.

"It will kill me to see her as she is now, to see her okay with the fact he abandoned us for a fucking Fae. Even if he is 'back' now.."

This monster is all the world needs and more.

Would it be safe..?

To show just one.....?

Never had a single person ever asked her where her cosmic magic came from, or about her star. It had made everything easier really...

The crying fox offers a wane smile as her tears were wiped, though she turns her focus to one of the buildings windows.

The sunlight leaking through.

Her hand reaches for that light, Jiuweihu's.

It almost seems to shift towards her, becoming cosmic ether as it swirls around her arm for a few moments, reminding her of her mother.

Reminding her, of herself.

Would Elyon realize what this could mean..? Or would it be lost...

"No one ever asked me where my star was... Or where my cosmic came from..."

It was left incomplete, perhaps a piece of a puzzle for the Hirai. The puzzle that was Calista Shimasu.
(Calista Shimasu)
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[18:49] A single thumb remains about the corner of her eye, though that smile is noted nonetheless. He didn't say anything throughout, ocean gaze never once leaving the sight of the Kitsune before him-- every movement, every shift in the air, all the way until she turns about, finding those windows.

Rays of brightness cast squares onto the glossy stone floor, bathing it in a crisscross of iridescent colour and reflecing upon several objects in the room which decorated its otherwise simplicity. He blinks a few times, in an attempt to help his eyes adjust to the ilumination now in focus.

And as that warm, soft glow surrounds her, becoming ether? Amidst the words she speaks?

"...her pyres are always scorching, Calista. Heated, and more than capable of bringing destruction should they be touched upon."

It's hushed, voice trailing off as he never really diverts his gaze away from the windows-- or, rather, the fiery orb that remains visible on the other side.

"...and yet, at the same time, it's important, it's needed."

With that, he'd finally turn towards her, facing her and her alone.

"Even if there's something dangerous up-close, deep within... at the end of the day? This warm glow is a treasure in this normally gray, bleak world. Even if you consider yourself twisted, even if there are thoughts of not being important, not being wanted... know that you're more, much more precious to those around than you think, much like the source of your cosmic. They might not realize it so, but as much remains something no one can change.

Above all else, you're the only hope that's left for Huangzhou, you know? Only one who can keep that faction in the same light as your mother once desired. If amidst these white-feathered angels, a monster is the one who brings salvation? Then the opinion others be damned, because the devil's a blessing."

With that, he'd finally come to a halt, silent, barring a single statement-

"...don't throw your life away."



(Elyon Hirai)
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[19:07] She knew she was the last thing Huangzhou had to stand before her father, that she was the last light in the darkness of that part of the world.

And it made her want to scream.

She had worked so hard, harmed herself so much, all to ensure she would be seen as a monster. The admiration of a daughter to her father taken to a zealous level.

So much so she had broken herself, torn parts of herself away and buried them. Using the pain as fuel for her actions, she wasn't even sure who the real her was anymore.

She hadn't seen the light of day in a long time.

She turns from looking at that window, to meeting the Hirai's eyes. Her face became calmer than it had been in a while.

"To most of the world..? I am the monster I made myself, the monster I chose to be long ago...

The people I mean something to..--"

She pauses, frowning towardsElyon, though it was mostly directed at herself.

"I always hurt them... because.. I don't want people close.. I saw Rindou, we spoke.. We did more.

It told me something, I only wanted her because she saw me as what I wanted others to see me as... Because she fed my lie.. I wanted that.

To be reminded I am a monster, and not the lie... I didn't realize it until she said she was the monster between us... not I."

Somewhere deep inside it was cracking further and further.

(Calista Shimasu)
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[19:22] The calm is there, and that calm is noted as he'd finally retract his hand, quietly standing there and gazing in her direction all the while. Even as the Shimasu speaks, he wouldn't interrupt her in the slightest, listening ever so intently until the very end of it, and then-

"...even if those parts are soft, or even if they're twisted- it's not bad to accept them. Stop being afraid of who you are, Calista."

He'd slightly lean forward, ocean gaze still upon the ruby ones, soft, yet firm all the same.

"And as far as this world around is concerned? Said it so, and will say it again- it needs you more than any other. Somewhere, somehow, you should know that, too... so many seek to be heroes, so many hold that care, that love for everything around, but you- the real you has something most can't carry. That brimming desire to not bend, to stand tall, to not give in."

Perhaps it doesn't need to be anchored-- perhaps it simply need to sail in the right direction.

"So, stay true to yourself, and as far as Agartha is concerned? Sometimes the one who can save it so, who can bring salvation doesn't have to be a hero. For your love, your pride, your desires, and all that you hold dear; fight this war against Isaac or any other, but do it in a manner that'll see you win, ultimately, yeah?"
(Elyon Hirai)
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[19:42] Stop being afraid of who you are, Calista.

It was all she had ever done, hid from herself. To make sure one person was proud of her, to ensure he was happy with her.

She had never been true to herself.

It was why she was broken, why she enjoyed pain. It all paled in comparison to how she hurt herself for so long. It was why she sought destruction, if there was nothing left she could be free from it all...

But was it freedom..?

Not in the slightest.

"I've always been afraid of myself Elyon…"

She glances to the floor.

"Do you think I am what I am now because I simply was..? Sure the things were there... reduced emotions.. the like.. but it was a choice.. to be like the one I admired.

All to make my father happy... because he was a hero in my eyes...

My hero.

Now he is the villain, and someone has to stop him...

It is I alone in Huangzhou who can stand against him and he is still the Shogun. How will I keep my settlement safe..?

How will I?.."

It was leaking out... her weakness.
(Calista Shimasu)
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[19:59] * You have been awarded 1 Roleplay Points! *
[20:08] Walls shattered, and every confession made came true to her heart-- he knew as much. He could tell as much. Even when she glances to the floor and continues ever so quietly.

"You'll need to step out of his shadow, right? Even if he was hero, even if you believed he was the right of everything-- even if you worked so much, tried so hard just for him.

You were made leader not becuase of him, it happened because you were capable. Because people believed in you. You stood by those mountains, tall, even when that rift opened-- because you were brave. You've always been... even when you've been broken over and over again, you always kept going, didn't you?

Just... remember one thing, alright? You're better than that, you're better than him. You're not just his daughter, you're Calista Shimasu, the Regent of Huangzhou."

Coming to a slow pause at that, he'd reach out in an attempt to gingerly take a hold of her chin, slowly tilting it upward, just enough so her gaze meets his own yet once again.

Her question, however? Only a sincere resposne finds its way you-

"As to how... I don't know, not yet, but-- you got one thing wrong; you're not alone. You'll have support-- be it from some of those within Huangzhou, or my own. So calm down, put that faith in yourself. We'll work something out, alright?"



(Elyon Hirai)
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[20:20] Was it true..?

Had she accomplished so much because she was the one who did it..? Not because she had became so much like her father, her brokenness never stopping her from what must be done.

Even as her self poured free.

"Why do you keep helping me... making sure I'm okay.. caring about me..? I don't deserve it.."

She didn't. She deserved so be tossed aside, she had hurt him so much...

"But what if my mother is corrupt..? How can I have faith in something that is so... broken..?

We will figure it out.. but I lost faith in myself a long time ago."
(Calista Shimasu)
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[20:34] "...you're one of the few I ever let in-- and despite everything that happened? Despite where we stand, now? I care because I simply do."

There's a pause, and the voice to follow is more firm.

"...and stop that, stop doubting yourself-- regardless of whether Reito would stand beside you, or not, keep faith in yourself more than any other, okay? You're only broken for as long as you refuses to let those pieces up, to let them be put back together. Because they will stick, this time. Out of anyone's shadows, out of anyone's expectations; just yourself, Calista."

Another, slower pause.

"...when elections took place, people didn't vote for you because you were Isaac's daughter-- or that you were like him. Some voted against you because of that very reason-- but the reason why you stand where you do? It's because others believed in you- that you'd be like him, that you'd be different. That you'd be what your own person, more than anything. So just prove them right, yes?

...and we will figure it out, trust me."
(Elyon Hirai)
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[20:45] Despite where we stand, now?

For some reason those words stung, much more than they should have. Some part of her desperately wanted to plug that hole, to keep it all away... but... she didn't.

He had a point, as usual, he had too many.

She goes completely silent, falling eerily quiet for a few moments... Before small voice emerges, it was so softly spoken, a voice so lacking the woman's usual tone it could almost be as if someone else said it.

"Then... pick them up."

It was what she needed... what her people needed. They didn't need a villain to stop a villain.

They needed something else entirely.
(Calista Shimasu)
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[21:08] The soft, almost unfamiliar voice finds itself escape, words ever so murmured, ever so vulnerable, but... they only cause him to still in the moment, completely and utterly silent.

Couple, longer moments that felt like minutes to him tick by, before he'd finally speak, slow to start.

"...you were the first to ever witness everything that's wrong in here. First to accept, no-- first to cherish them, even. I care for you, always did, and always will..."

He remains still there, barring a soft frown which slowly takes over.

"And... I'll support you throughout, will be there for you. Help you in these wars of yours, but..."

He doesn't speak any further. Instead, the Chieftain allows his eyes to drift to a bit of close, features shifting towards her own, though the touch and brush of his lips quietly finds her forehead. It's light, laced in care, and yet it's so much different from anything they shared in past... the feelings, any sort of desire or so.

Instead, it's more chaste... not quite the same, but close to what'd it be from a brother to his sister.

It's evident in the way he takes a slightly larger step backward once the contact is broken, though still gazing in her direction, silent all the same.
(Elyon Hirai)
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[21:21] That kiss on her head, telling her all she needed to know. Told her what she had feared.

Her chance had passed.

She didn't know who had.. taken him, but she didn't feel jealousy. She couldn't, she wouldn't. She'd had not one but two chances.

"I see.. I should go.. Thank you."

She would turn to walk away if not stopped, the sunlight seeming to turn to follow her in some capacity. To head to Huangzhou.. to prepare..

For whatever came next.
(Calista Shimasu)
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[21:42] It wasn't a forced decision- it wasn't something he felt obliged to do... where one's feelings remain-- the person who he wanted to be with? He knew the answers to those, and he was never the one to not pursue what he genuinely wanted; a softer glimpse of pink hue, a warm, adored embrace he's gotten so close to, and an anchor to everything he thought was twisted, broken within...

And thus, the gentle rejection, but...

...but why'd it have to hurt so much?

Hands by his side clenched tightly as she turns to walk away-- too tight that if he had claws, those palms would be bleeding in the moment.

"Calista, I..."

Though the words escape, it took him a moment longer to add to them.

"...I'm sorry, I meant everything else, that I'll be there for you, just-- don't take any drastic step... any wrong step."

It's slow, soft, and though he doesn't attempt to stop her, there's a quieter breath heaves outward.

"And what I siad remains true; you're someone Agartha needs. Much like the sun itself... that fire doesn't die out, does it? When the time comes, let me fight alongside you, and that's all I ask for."
(Elyon Hirai)
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[21:50] It was something she should have expected, she had spurned him too often.. too much.. too hard. She could never have Rindou..

Perhaps it was simply not meant to be for her..? Whether by her own choices or the choices of others.

"Elyon.. just.. make sure she is happy, whoever she is."

She wouldn't stop, those combat styled boots ringing against the tile.

She had an idea forming in her mind, one that would shake the foundations of it all when the time came. One that would declare every message she needed to declare, and prove the world wrong about something.

About her.

"I'd hate to deprive you of a good fight... Just know Elyon.. even if I have to play the fiddle for a while.

I'm on Agartha's side."

There was something changing about the Kitsune, almost palpably with each step... but what..? Though one thing was certain, wings were held high once more.
(Calista Shimasu)
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[21:56] "I know Calista."

It's murmured ever so softly, eyes drifting to a bit of close there.

"Even when you were unsure of yourself, even when anyone else doubted it so, I knew-- I know. You're on Agartha's side."

A slower pause, and as ocean hus watch those wings held high yet once again, he'd offer a nod, even if she can't see it so.

"And this is our fight-- for this continent, for ourselves, and our sense of belonging. And we'll win it, alright? This is-"

Not Gehenna, not Huangzhou, or Levengard.

"-our Agartha."
(Elyon Hirai)