[15:23] Lea was tempted to greet Aurora like she greeted some other people, by blowing a gentle bubble at the back of her head, but she decided that, given the subject matter and the person in question, it was probably best to take this as seriously as she could. So, rather than anything fun, she went the boring route of gentle tapping Aurora on the shoulder to get her attention.

"Hey, Aurora? I know we've never really spoken before, and it's been a while since we've even seen each other, but there's some stuff I'd like to ask you about."

She was a bit nervous, but didn't let herself show it.
(Lea Elisheva)
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[15:28] Aurora didn't seem all that busy.

In fact, Lea would probably be able to tell that the demi-angel was up to... Nothing at this very moment. She leaned herself against a wall, with her hat almost touching it as well. Her head was slightly turned upwards, pale blue eyes searching for something in the horizon. A distraction, maybe?

Nevertheless, she snaps back from her... Daze, as soon as the Elisheva taps her shoulder.

"Huh?"

It's not that she didn't recognize the voice of her cousin. It's that... Like she's said, they've never really spoken to each other. "Sure, yeah. I don't mind answering some questions." Not that it needed to sound so formal, but... "It's not about the expedition, is it?"

Whether if it was or not, she was prepared to follow after the blue-haired magi.
(Aurora Cruor)
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[15:29] Lea Elisheva says, "Nah, it's not."
[15:29] Lea Elisheva asks, "Do people frequently come here?"
[15:29] Lea Elisheva says, "Just making sure."
[15:29] Aurora Cruor says, "..Hm. I don't think so."
[15:29] Lea Elisheva says, "Alright."
[15:29] Aurora Cruor says, "Sometimes they go here to train, or speak in private."
[15:29] Lea Elisheva says, "Perfect."
[15:36] There being a beach here was convenient, as water was Lea's personal favorite backdrop for anything, be it an important conversation, daydreaming, dinner, etc etc. Without care for sand, Lea sat down on the beach and allowed her gaze to drift towards the night sky, but her actual attention was still firmly focused on the situation at hand. Just... not her gaze.

"It's about Godfrey. Or rather, the situation surrounding him."

A bit late to ask these questions, probably, and maybe a sore subject to bring up right off the bad, but Aurora appeared to be rather reasonable at first, not one to hold grudges against Levengard as a whole, just the people running it. That was just from her perspective, though, because it was equally likely that Lea was just the least threatening person in the world and nobody could stay mad at her.

"At the time, I was too overcome with grief to actually listen and understand. But I've battled a few inner demons since then and came out on top, so I just wanna know what your perspective of everything is. Why you acted the way you did towards him, why it made sense to you. You know. Just... open up about it, as much as you're comfortable."

There wasn't the slightest drip of resentment or bitterness in Lea's tone, as it was something she had mostly come to terms with. Now, the girl just wanted to know what Aurora actually thought about everything.

"And maybe Levengard as a whole, too, but that can wait."
(Lea Elisheva)
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[15:44] She half-expected to hear his name, especially after Lea confirmed that this wasn't related to the expedition. Nevertheless, Aurora doesn't seem bothered by hearing the name of a boy she condemned to die. Years might have passed, but she hadn't let go of her grudges. .. Not fully towards Godfrey though.

Towards both of the girls' uncle. Calael.

"I feel like I have been open about it. Since the day he and I met, actually," Whereas Lea felt comfortable looking up, Aurora seemed to want to look at her. Even if the Elisheva's eyes didn't meet with her own. "But- there have been many lies told. I've heard that I bullied him. That I hated him from the first moment I saw him, that I drove him away from Levengard... All of which, just so you know, aren't true. But lies are lies. And I never cared to correct people."

A deep breath is drawn, the brunette pausing for a moment.

She thought about Siegfried. How much the death of Godfrey affected their friendship. The what-ifs, as well. What if she hadn't left, what if she'd let the Oscuri live...

"So instead, if you don't mind answering my question... What do you think I've done to him?"
(Aurora Cruor)
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[15:56] "So those were lies, huh...?"

For some reason, Lea held an implicit trust in Aurora's words. She knew it wasn't that easy, that the other girl probably had intentions that weren't quite so impure. But at the time, she was too blinded by grief, anger, and resentment to really let herself process that. As she'd become older, she left many of those things behind, allowing her to see things more clearly than she ever did before.

"I just know you were a big part of the reason he left, regardless of what you actually did. Let me show you the letter he wrote me."

She allowed herself to fall back to stare at the sky, wincing a bit once her body weight came down on her newfound wings. Those were going to take some getting used to.

The letter had long since been gone, but it was burned into Lea's memory. She repeated it, word for word, in a strange, emotionless monotone that matched how Lea spoke when she was younger.

It seemed as if her really good memory had a few... caveats. Although, she'd cut off midway if Aurora mentioned she already knew what it said.

"https://pastebin.com/8NELCZzX"

Her voice returned to normal.

"In the end, I place the blame on him. But... I want to bring the world together through compassion and love, y'know? I wanna reconcile the differences between people the best I can. And I guess I just wanna know what he did to compromise that before leaving."

She was a bit naïve, no doubt, but that's just who Lea was, and it's not something she wanted to be forever.

"And I really wanna know what kinds of things make that reconciliation impossible so I know what to look out for."
(Lea Elisheva)
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[16:06] * You have been awarded 1 Roleplay Points! *
[16:07] "My first, and only meeting with Godfrey was the day your father brought a collared, black-lined Oscuri to the square."

This isn't said as easily as the rest of the things Aurora has said so far. She might have thought Ethan was an idiot-- no, the stupidest man she's ever met on Agartha... But he was still Lea's father. And since he was gone, the demi-angel could only assume how rude it'd be for her to speak ill of him.

"He put her before Godfrey. And asked him to judge her. To say whether if she lives or not-- no, he asked him to decide and do it. To let her go, or kill her. It wasn't Godfrey's first time in Levengard back then. He had been living in our home for a couple of years, since his mother died," Aurora remembered it clearly. Seeing that happen... Hearing Godfrey say that blacklined Oscurisdeserve one thing - which was death.

"He said they all deserve death. Each and every black-lined Oscuri. And it made me upset. At your father, who shouldn't have put Godfrey in that place... And in a boy, who'd been given mercy like no other, and continued to spit in the face of our home. In the face of my mother. In the face of people who were trying to rid the world of a greater Evil. Of Dusk and Sors Ultovex." And they did succeed, didn't they?

At least in some way. Dusk was gone. Sors was alive, but... Dusk was gone. A fact that still comforted Aurora's heart.

"..And that was it. I got mad, I insulted him, I fought him - and since you knew him, you'd know that he fought back. I didn't injure him. I didn't try to kill him. And to add to it? We never spoke again. He left Levengard years after, during the war.

And I refuse to let people say that I've bullied him out of our city. Because it didn't happen. It was his decision. Plain and simple."

The letter does not come as a surprise to Aurora, or at least... Not entirely.

"Ah, yes. He threatened my life so this isn't surprising-- but I didn't think he wanted my head that early. I guess it doesn't change anything."

".. But either way, this is my answer to you, Lea. Not every person can be changed and saved. Not every person wants to be good. I am not always good, and I don't claim otherwise. But Godfrey chose to be what he was. He chose to leave and betray the people who gave him a home. He chose to go to the people who'd sell him out, and bring him collared to me. He chose to threaten me in the Dreadwoods, and say that although he isn't strong enough to kill me on his own... He'll return with more people in order to do it."

Ultimately, it doesn't sound as if Aurora held any remorse. Not towards Godfrey, at least. She only felt bad for the people who cared for him, and had to endure his loss.
(Aurora Cruor)
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[16:18] Even though Lea didn't really stress that much over the whole situation, maybe she did more than she thought, as Aurora's answer gave her a palpable sense of relief. One of the things Lea appreciated most was a sense of understanding, and she was given it, thereby allowing her to see things from a perspective that she hadn't before. Now she could hold Godfrey fully accountable, which, despite their relation, was something that she wanted to be able to do.

"Not every person can be changed and saved, huh..."

A tough pill to swallow, one that Lea thought she had time and time again. And yet, every time she heard it, it still hurt her a little. There was a part of her that strongly felt that wasn't the case, that everyone could be good if given the chance, so that part was under attack every time she heard it. Lea still possessed an answer for that, though

"I guess, yeah... I've said since I was little that I'd always be willing to give people a second chance, but also always acknowledged that I shouldn't be the one to make that choice... that's what people like you are for, right?"

It's true; that was one of the first conversations she had with Adrian, her first friend.

"And what of uncle Calael? What do you think about him?"

She hoped this wouldn't be the sore subject, yet she prepared herself for it to be.
(Lea Elisheva)
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[16:33] In her mind, Godfrey Vishkar had been given a second chance. In fact... More than that. And if it wasn't for her, he'd have been given another chance.

And maybe, if he had succeeded in murdering her, only then would have people agreed that he was evil.
But they were beyond that now. Something Aurora was thankful for.

"I don't know if I am the right person for that job. But I can point at a few that aren't fit for it," Yes, that was much easier. That was a job much more fitting for Aurora. Telling people what they couldn't do. Where Calael was too foolish, and not wise, to decide criminals' fates. Where Isaac was too angry to see beyond a petty, minor crime. Where Reito was too merciful and was willing to give too many chances.

At least they all agreed on one thing. That Sors was irredeemable.

Hearing the name of their uncle brought up does sting a little. It was a sore subject, yes, but not one Aurora felt the need to avoid. ..Although, the bell attached to her staff did ring a little upon hearing the man Aurora held so many negative emotions for. Not hatred, not yet... But close to it.

It sings with a touch of corrupt occult magic, magic she's incapable of sealing and muting - unlike her mother and uncle. "That he's a fool. That he will ruin my mother's legacy. That he could never compare to her, that he lets people walk all over him just to make sure they are satisfied. And that he's blind too often. And I hate it. But I accept that it's who he is. I accept that he's unfit to lead my home, and I also accept, that when he does ruin it - I won't have to suffer watching it from the first row."

It was part of the beauty in living Huangzhou.
(Aurora Cruor)
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[16:45] The things that could happen if people felt the need to express everything on their mind...

Lea also felt as if Sors was irredeemable, but part of her still wanted to be his friend. That part of her wanted to connect with everyone, no matter how foolish it may be. It was yet another part of her that wasn't truly compatible with how the world really is, yet one she found too precious and valuable to get rid of.

"I want to lead our home."

She stated it definitively, and with the utmost confidence. The girl who once did naught but sit on benches and stare at the ground had found it in her to look higher than ever before, and was out here trying to reconcile and bring together everyone who thought they were unwelcome. This was extended to Aurora, too, just as it was with Aurum, and just as it would be with so many other people in the future.

"And I want you to come back when I do."

Calael trusted Lea to do the things he couldn't, and perhaps this would be one of them.

"I'm only one person, and need someone to help me do the things I can't, so we can do the things he can't. And I want you to be one of them, because I can tell that you're not a bad person at heart and earnestly want Levengard to be the best and strongest it can be. Just as I do."

Her gaze finally met Aurora's, as Lea shot her a bright, happy smile.

"Is that okay with you?"
(Lea Elisheva)
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[16:52] Hm, hm.

Aurora liked to be surprised. She liked to feel as if someone was acting against fate, proving a certain man wrong - that they weren't just following a script. That they weren't just living without a purpose. They made their own decisions.

And Lea made her own.

"You want to lead Levengard?" It doesn't sound bad, and it'd certainly be improvement considering who Calael was but... "How? He won't just give it to you, will he?" Did she plan to wait until Calael was old and tired? Until he was looking for someone to replace him?

She waits for her cousin's answer first and foremost, and then, their eyes finally meet.

Lea's smile is bright and almost... Innocent. Aurora's is much more timid. Some might even suspect it to be of a bad nature-- but it wasn't.

"I am willing to help, yes."
(Aurora Cruor)
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[17:07] That bright smile quickly gave way to a more excited one. The one that gave the impression that she'd jump up and excitedly shout "YESSSSS". But Lea was a more calm and subdued person than that, usually, so she just left it at that.

"He trusts me. He thinks that Adrian and I are some of the biggest beacons of hope that our generation has to offer. He, and everyone else in Levengard for that matter, trust me the most to actually talk to people and try to make friends and allies."

One might think she was just being egotistical, but no, Calael more or less said those exact words to her.

"I don't know when he's going to retire, but it's certainly gonna be sooner rather than later. So yes, if anyone is gonna be an Oracle, it's gonna be me, along with maybe Adrian."

She wasn't sure if this was the kind of thing where Calael's approval of her would be a bad thing, but she was betting on it not being such.

"And if you or Adrian have problems with each other, I know I can make those problems a lot better, because I've been friends with him for over half my life and he trusts what I say a lot."

Half her life? It's been that long?

Goddamn.
(Lea Elisheva)
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[17:08] Aurora Cruor says, "I am not coming back before he retires, just so you know. I am perfectly fine living here."
[17:08] Aurora Cruor says, "Isaac gave me a house-- and, me and Adrian are fine. We've had our up and downs, but we're fine."
[17:08] Lea Elisheva says, "Alrighty, that's fine."
[17:09] Lea Elisheva exclaims, "I'm really happy I got to have this talk with you!"
[17:09] Lea Elisheva says, "Thank you for sparing the time."
[17:09] Lea Elisheva says, "It means a lot to me."
[17:11] Aurora Cruor says, "Oh, uhm... Of course. It was fun talking to you too."
[17:11] Aurora Cruor says, "Well, not fun. But you know."
[17:11] Aurora Cruor says, "It felt good."
[17:12] Lea Elisheva exclaims, "Agreed!"
[17:12] Lea Elisheva says, "Oh, uh, before I go, do you like hugs? I love giving them after these kinds of things but some people just don't jive with that."
[17:14] Aurora Cruor says, "..I can live with a hug, yeah. As long as they aren't too common."
[17:14] Lea leapt forward and hugged Aurora, her wings happily fluttering behind her. While she did a good job containing her excitement, her wings sure didn't.
(Lea Elisheva)
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[17:15] Aurora's own wings flutter too, albeit much less excitedly.

She even wraps her own hands around her cousin, and offers a short hug of her own..! One that's likely much less tight, and much less experienced. But a hug all the same.
(Aurora Cruor)
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[17:17] "Thank you, again!"

And with that, Lea broke the hug, and dash... ran... skip... all-of-the-above'd off. She was certainly a lot more expressive in her movement than she used to be.
(Lea Elisheva)