Pinky Swear II (5/25)

[16:40] She's not entirely sure if something super important is going on. If it is, those things usually happen behind closed doors. Leni, for all her faults, is still not super great at what they call 'reading the room'.

So, with her withered crown of flowers and her eyes directly on the High Lord, she steps forward.

" 'Scuse me. You're Finley. Right?"

She addresses him by no title, no rank or station. No, just Finley. Leni either doesn't understand how this might be a faux pas or doesn't care.

It's always hard to tell with her.
(Leni)
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[16:46] "I am." Finley said to Leni. The High Lord was normally marked by the Crown of Aschea he bore, but ever since the mantle of Myllenoris' leadership had fallen to Finn, he didn't keep it on his head very much at all. Instead the relic was tied to his hip by a ceremonial black sash, right within reach of his crystal arm.

"And you're Leni." he said, remembering her name from a while back when Theo and Yersin had introduced them.

"Can I help you?"
(Finn Ghede)
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[16:48] Leni does still remember some of her manners. She nods, steps a little closer into Finley's personal bubble, and replies.

"Yeah. Can we talk please? It doesn't have to be private or anything. I really don't care."

He seems like the type of person for, whatever reason, probably gets asked for private conversations a lot. Fortunately- or unfortunately- Leni is very public about almost everything.

Sometimes that's good. Sometimes not so much.
(Leni)
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[16:49] Finn Ghede asks, "We may. What's it you wish to speak on?"
[16:49] Kofe says, "Hey, Leni."
[16:49] Leni says, "Hi, Kofe."
[16:50] Leni says, "I heard you talking about it a lot already. But kind of wanted to talk about what happened in Os. Sort of."
[16:50] Leni says, "So I talk to Roo. "
[16:50] Leni says, "Uh. Tieru. That is."
[16:51] Leni says, "Roo sounds better though."
[16:51] Finn Ghede says, "Mm.. feel free to do so here. I've spoken with many about Osrona. I understand that what's happened needs.. clarification or explanation."
[16:51] Armondt sits himself down on the bench near a brazier, warming his hands against the fire a little pointlessly. He watches the conversation as it happens, in the meantime.
(Armondt)
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[16:51] Leni says, "Well. I think it was dumb. And it wasn't good at all. But that's not the point."
[16:52] Nope. She shakes her head. A single dried petal falls from her crown. The events of that day in particular evidently aren't what she's here to talk about.

"You're the will of Aschea and stuff now, right?" she asks with nigh heretical flippancy, watching his face and studying it like most might study a jigsaw.
(Leni)
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[16:55] While to some, Leni's questions may seem strange or disrespectful, Finn was willing to entertain them. If there was one other who saw the Crown as something to be questioned, it was the one who had stood as Asta's opponent within Myllenoris for a decade.

"I bear her Will within the Crown, yes. As well as the Will of the Vale and the spirits within. The spirits across Esshar. It's the duty of the High Lord to heed their words and translate them as best as he can to the Teraphim and Valeborne meant to listen."
(Finn Ghede)
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[16:58] Leni sees the crown and...

All she sees is a particularly fancy hat. If she has any particular respect or reverence for it it certainly doesn't outwardly show.

"Okay. That sounds important and stuff. I wasn't going to ask other stuff. But...now I'm thinking about it and I can't get it out of my head.

That will or whatever, was it the will of the spirits on Esshar and stuff that made you guys do all that?"

'That' is all she refers to it as. She doesn't need to delve any further. Otherwise it's just going to make her more sad.
(Leni)
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[16:59] Ro looks off to the side and says nothing.
(Ro)
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[17:16] "In a sense." Finley began. His pale gaze matched Leni's own, and he realized the delicate nature of the conversation that was about to take place. Fortunately he had had a similar discussion with not only Amalia already, but Ophelia as well. "But we made our own choices as living people with free will."

"This-" he brought the Crown up in his crystal hand and tapped the gem in the center of it with his other hand. "-is the last remaining Core of Aschea. Her Heart, in a sense, still alive. Still with us." He lowered the Crown to his side again.

"When Alexander defeated Asta, he took it upon himself to try to slay Aschea as well. He leveled his sword at the Crown's center and spoke her name, as if he could banish our Mother to the stars himself." Finn's eyes closed. "It was this act that caused the hearts of all Teraphim present to stir with rage. I myself felt nothing but hatred. I could see nothing but red. I don't say this to excuse what we've done. I say it because it's the truth. Because the slaughter of Osrona's people is something that should not be forgotten."

The way Finn spoke of it indicated some underlying regret, and yet, the High Lord approached it anyway, mentioning that somewhere in there was at least a bit of blame on the King who wouldn't stand down, the King who hated his kin and their Faith out of nothing but ignorance.

"The Spirits vary in motive and morality. Some want to see this world crumble into chaos. Others with to see the living uplifted. Alexander incurred the wrath of Aschea that night, but in her own teachings, we find a need for balance that must follow. Osrona fell to death and destruction. Now it must rise with life and tended healing. That is all we can do now to answer for the mistakes we made."

He blinked.

"Does this make sense?"
(Finn Ghede)
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[17:23] There's a lot of words going on. Leni struggles to focus. Most of it's probably important. She latches onto a few key things though.

She regards the ground with a different sort of expression. A sober one. Not with reverence exactly.

"So. It's like he was trying to kill someone important to you. Like your mom or something. It was Aschea's will. It was yours. Right? I mean, like, the Teraphim."

It's pithy and probably doesn't carry the full weight of the implication of what the king had intended to do, and yet it makes more sense in her mind this way. It's an idea she can wrap her brain around.

For a moment the crown on her head, though it looks dead, bristles with thorns and barbs as her face scrunches. Then they recede.

"I think I get it. Yeah. Thanks, Finley. It helps a lot. Still think what you did was dumb, but I get it if that's what it's like.

I need you to promise something though, since you're the will of Aschea and stuff. I still don't really know what she is or what all it means, but I don't think I need to for this."
(Leni)
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[17:28] With his hands sufficiently warmed for no particular reason, Armondt sits back on the bench, awaiting Finn's rseponse to a fairly bold response. The courier folds his arms across his chest, lowers his eyes, and allows himself to stew over it. To call what had happened in Osrona a tragedy was to downplay the sheer volume of death that happened that day.

At least they were cognizant enough of it.

While Leni jaws over the matter and asks for a promise, Armondt speaks up out of a needling sense of curiosity. "Y'know they're gonna come back. People can hope it ain't the way of Esshar, but... plenty figure that blood's gotta atone for blood. That there's gonna -- there has to be an answer to what happened."

"I've been around the encampment. It ain't shown outright, but it ain't a stretch to say there's bitterness there. ...What do ya plan to do about it? Seein' as the King is still alive, and probably no less bloodthirsty or bull-headed. At the very least, I'm hopin' the innocent ain't need to answer for him." Armondt frowns. Even if Alexander might have invited the tragedy out of his own willful ignorance, it didn't entirely excuse what was to follow.

"What I'm afraid of is havin' to watch a cycle. Kill this, heal and restore, get killed... and then so on."

(Armondt)
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[17:37] A single nod given to Leni's oversimplification of the situation followed, for in a sense, she was still correct. "Our goddess. He thought he could kill something beyond his own comprehension. Alexander's hubris is, at this point, a sickness Esshar would do well without."

He didn't say anything to defend the rest. Calling it 'dumb' was once again an understatement, yet it still was also true. Others called the act evil, atrocious. It was something that would be a low point in the history of their land forever.

But Leni asked for a promise, and Finn intended to hear her out. "Go on." he said to her, before hearing Armondt's addition. The courier called out a cycle that was all too well known to history, and one that Finn agreed was unnecessary.

"As far as Myllenoris is concerned, Osrona's fall is the end of our conflict. Nysea, as I've heard it called, is where we'll leave Alexander for now. He'll likely come back to try to reclaim his throne, but at that point Romani will have constructed a new city, one that might very well stand on its own."

"I can't tell you that revenge will never play a part in everything again. Human nature has consistently shown that such a thing can never be rid of entirely. But we can hope that Romani's efforts will draw away more and more of Alexander's supporters. We can see to it that the Loyalists recognize their home in their valley village is a place where they can remain peacefully. And we can hope that with the move of generations, outlooks change."

"Already one of our Teraphim has gained access to Nysea, not as a spy, but as a student to the holy magi there. That is the most we can ask for right now; that Teraphim and humans find a way to coexist once more, despite what's happened."
(Finn Ghede)
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[17:37] Mihalis Lovain says, "Rabbit."
[17:37] Kalina Octavius says, "..."
[17:37] Kalina Octavius exclaims, "Mimi!"
[17:37] Mihalis Lovain says, "I was enslaved."
[17:37] Ro says, "He can come around."
[17:37] Ro says, "-"
[17:37] Ro says, "Yes."
[17:37] Ro says, "Enslaved."
[17:37] Kalina squeals and runs up to hug Mihalis.

"Nobody would ever enslave you!"
(Kalina Octavius)
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[17:38] Mihalis's eyes rolled as he moved his gaze onto Ro, a mistake as he was suddenly assault by a Rabbit missile, his chest hugged as he laxly wrapped an arm of his own to return the gesture.

"Yes, yes. It's good to see you after so long hm? Anything you want to share with me?"
(Mihalis Lovain)
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[17:40] With a bright smile, Kalina looks up to the man. She hadn't let go just yet, however.

"Mhm. Mister Ignis was captured by Osronan forces. And uh... Miss Magne assaulted Sethon. I was watching invisible for a bit so I'm not sure what happened after that."

Information was something she never seemed to lack.
(Kalina Octavius)
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[17:41] Ro says, "...-"
[17:41] Ro says, "Youuu-- what."
[17:43] Leni works in mysterious ways. And sometimes simplifications and understatements, to better facilitate aforementioned mysterious ways.

"Okay. But you're the will of Aschea now. So I need you to promise me something. I talked to Roo, and...he won't admit what he did was bad. He says cuz it was Aschea's will and other stuff that what happened was okay.

...I don't know if he believes that, cuz he's weird and doesn't always say what's in his head, but loads of people are like that so I try to deal with it and junk. I did get him to promise though that he'd be better. That he wasn't going to do stuff like that again."

The magi pauses. Her face falls.

"The thing about Roo is he's super loyal though. He does everything for Aschea. I think it's weird and he shouldn't, that he should do some stuff for himself. It's how he works though and I can't change that cuz then he wouldn't be my friend."

There's a lot of rambling, which is pretty much expected for her. Finally she holds up a hand with a single pinky extended. Does it glow for a moment?...Maybe it's just a trick of the light. Probably that and only that.

"So I want you to promise me that you'll be better too, okay? He always does what the will of Aschea says, so if you're better then that means for double sure he'll be better. Don't let anything happen like that again."
(Leni)
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[17:47]
{LOAD GAME}

[17:50] Finley stared down at the pinky with some surprise. He'd heard of such a pact once in his youth. He knew that for those who believed in making them, such promises of the finger were sacrosanct.

And slowly the High Lord accepts, his own flesh pinky coiled around Leni's for just a moment.

"As High Lord, I must see to it that the scales tip back into equilibrium. Myllenoris will be better, or else we wouldn't be following the path to balance that we now have set before us."

It was a lot of fancy words and a lot of mumbo-jumbo that was still probably going over Leni's head, but she would at least be able to understand that Finn was saying, 'I promise.'
(Finn Ghede)
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[17:54] The covenant of the pinky is a sacred one. It is not something to be done lightly. A childish gesture for many, sure, but it's offered in stony seriousness by the nature magi.

Once the pinkies are interlocked she bounces it once to seal the pact. It could just be one's imagination, but is that a slight tingling sensation? No one may ever be able to tell for sure.

One thing that is for sure is this is a whole lot cleaner than a blood oath. Who would even do those? Gross.

"Okay, good. Thanks!"

There's a little chirp and some hope returns to her. Some of the dried petals on her crown unfurl.
(Leni)