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The Warmth of a Hidden Hearth

Scene details

Setting: The Star Chasers recuperate in Hidden Hearth after their confrontation with Atl's sister Xiuhcue, the leader of the Ankhialeans' militant faction, and decide what to do next.

Log


 The slight plume of steam rising from the mate gourd before Ivo wreathes his tired eyes, stirring him to a semblance of sensibility and encouraging him to take another restorative sip from the metal bombilla straw. Reminding himself not to sigh, he looks out over the village, drenched in the rising sun. Seated on a simple stone seat before a carefully chiseled table atop one of Hidden Hearth's highest roofs, he may witness a sublime panorama. The sleepy hamlet hardly looks as if it has been rocked to its social foundations: its harmonious beauty remains untouched and its rhythms remain superficially intact.
 But one can still see the scorch marks in the central plaza.
 "It's good," he finally remarks, of the mate. "I think I'm getting the hang of the brewing temperature. One must be careful not to scald one's mouth, though."
 Ivo was once anxious about his dilettante interests, a frequent source of mockery from his stern and implacable father, and vacillated between brashly leaning into them and flinching from his own true self. But after much time adventuring with his friends, he believes that his passion for small things, for bringing out the best in them and eliciting small surprises, can carry himself and others through difficult times. Times like these.
 "I confess I anticipated none of this," he continues, tone casual, as if he were still speaking of beverages. "Neither Yacumama nor Ankhiale seem in any state to retain their memories of the past, to resolve our lingering questions about the conflict between these firefolk and the serpent cult and their vampire allies, the apparent heart of Oradia's history. Moreover, the Ankhialeans are split against themselves, and the champions of this village, knowingly or not, turn against what remains of Ankhiale herself in the name of vengeance against Oradia."
 Atl's sister, Xiuhcue, the terrorist who had attacked the Hanging Gardens and disrupted the Vampire Ball, remains at large, with she and her formidable fellows departing Hidden Hearth to, by all appearances, continue their fight.
 "The Vampire Ball may remain imperiled," Ivo observes, thinking aloud. "We'll struggle to track her down in the jungle. Our best bet is to anticipate where she'll strike and try to intercept her there. Doubtless her chief target is the Queen... for who else would it be?"
 He takes another sip, then slides his mate gourd away, offering the talking bombilla, as it were, to the next person down.
 "So I suggest we conclude our jungle expedition and return to Rosia with what we've learned. But..."
 He trails off.
 But what about Atl?

Ruidosa La Crima eyes Ivo as she sits across from him and considers the going ons. She had to go shadow to fight that terrorist. That's going to be a problem, if she can wield that kind of power. She keeps it to herself though, not wanting to worry the group, besides, it's probably evident information anyways.

Anyone could had seen that.

She huffs. She's never met the Queen, despite her nobleness and ties to her Grandfather. Only ever seen her at thee events. But if she's after the Queen that's a bigger problem. She frowns and crosses her arms. "Short of a full on attack on the ball at this point, I wonder how they intend to get in. We found their little short cut already. Disguise maybe?" she muses as her eyes drift to Atl when Ivo doesn't mention her in his trail off. She looks back to Ivo, before pursing her lips in thought.

She COULD teach her to be a proper lady! Mom would have a field say.

  • Character: Daiby
  • 2 days, 4 hours ago


Daiby has, of course, been putting herself in a position to not burn her sensitive mouth. It's not that it's actually THAT sensitive, so much as that she has internalized that burning one's mouth is evidently an issue for many snakes!

Not all, of course.

"I have noticed that there's a lot of things that happen that we don't quite expect," she answers Ivo, reflectively. "But that's why you go on a journey, isn't it? To find out new things, to meet new people, to encounter the strange and the unknown."

"And even if all we've done is brought them to some awareness of what has come before," Daiby continues, "then it's already been quite a good piece of work, and I don't think we're done yet, either. Why, we aren't even hurt!"

Daiby looks at Reize as she says that.

She answers Rui more pragmatically. "I saw several plays where hostile persons snuck into a gala or a party by infiltrating the service staff," she answers her. "Now, I don't think that you're going to find a catering company or event bedazzling crew out here, since Cosmopolis has, what's the word, a very complicated service economy, BUT, if I was going to sneak into a Vampire Ball, that's how I'd do it."

She takes a sip of the beverage.

"We could suggest they get in front of it, but - mm - I don't want to speak poorly of them, Rui, but it *does* seem like they might not be eager to hear suggestions from well meaning outsiders."



  This is quite the tradition that they they've carried since... their encounter in Cosmopolis's wilderness. Reize's wanders briefly, trying to figure out who first introduced it. But it fades once Ivo starts speaking.

 As they all are atop of the highest roofs, Reize had been able to enjoy the sight of the hamlet from below. Even before the meeting began, he was taking in the sights with wonder. Now that they are discussing important matters? Let's focus.

  Reize takes a hold of the gourd and he holds it close. First, he blows at the contents and carefully sips from the straw, giving a thoughtful look. "We'll have to head back. However, we did make some progress." He looks over towards his pendant, "Yacumama has been more aware and even responded to us. So... she's no longer just a 'remnant'." Reize decides to pass the talking bombilla over to the next person. He does glance over towards Daiby as she looks at him in the same lines of 'we aren't even hurt!' with a question mark above his head.

  "Daiby's right, there's also the ball to consider. It's supposed to be happening soon, right? It'll begin once we return?" He then passes the gourd over.

 

  • Character: Atl
  • 2 days, 4 hours ago

True, to the casual observer, the Hidden Hearth has escaped mostly unscathed. But to one whose magical inclinations are more driven by deep instinct than scholarly observation; by the soul more than the mind, there are pain points running like veins all the way through to that towering tepuy. Deep beneath the earth's face, volcanic rock gutters and groans, molten streams receiving the order to belay and oh-so-slowly retreating back through their scorched tunnels. The village was a step away from catastrophe...

And the puppet strings are, albeit barely, visible, connected to the girl who was herself consumed by lava. Indeed, what about Atl?

In the immediate aftermath, she collapsed, smoking, white-hot tears pouring from ravaged eyes, her subsumed being slowly fighting to regain form and control as the villagers looked on in various states - a precious few aghast, most concerned in a way that seems less directed toward Atl herself, rather a broad and philosophical worry for their people and culture. A few others seem angry - at *her*, as if she were the cause for all this turbulence and strife. Then, there's simple, human relief. Thank goodness.

Old, grizzled Chimalli stepped forward, his cyclopean eye dark and troubled, sweeping off a cloak of leaves and feathers to encompass the child and bring her to her feet. The cloak began to blaze, and then ceased at a whispered demand from the burly guardian, who parted ways from the recovering adventures with a nod.

When these two vanished, it was down to the village women to act, one in particular fussing entirely *too much* over Ivo as they were given due hospitality and found a place to recover. Atl has joined them eventually, brought back in by the most matronly and capable woman imaginable; Chimalli's wife, of course. There's no fussing over her, she's delivered back almost like a pet recently operated upon...

Do they give her up so easily?

She's been quiet, silent, as has mostly been her wont prior to the conflict. But now, there's no comfort in it, she sits gently quivering and sipping at a hollowed nut filled with a sickly-sweet pulp. She looks like she wants to disappear, and positively squirms as Ruidosa looks her over.

Notable in their absence are the wisps. Where are they? Without them, she appears naked.

She draws a breath, looks up at Rui and tries to smile, but hiccups instead. Dimmed eyes flicker downward, a flush of shame on her cheeks, and then she looks to Ivo and tries again - harder still, she tries to speak.

"She--" Hiccup. This one makes her *angry*, which at least lights up her face with something proactive.

Daiby provides her the means to hide again, anger washed over with gratitude. But it steams away, smoldering, becoming a knot of confidence and ambition. When there's space to speak again, it's Daiby that Atl looks to - and her little jaw sets firm, her carved nut cup slamming down on the table to punctuate her speech.

"She can find her."

And at that, her lithe fingers rummage into her sackcloth shirt, pulling forth a wisp... it's barely alight, guttering like a candle in rainstorm, barely even exuding heat. Atl holds it out to Daiby, glancing briefly at Reize's pendant and shaking off a frown.

"Fire," her murmur is distant, but she gains momentum and finishes ardently, "She needs fire."


 Ivo's fatigue seems to alleviate as he listens to his companions speak. Specifically, he seems to brighten as Rui glances conspicuously to Atl, trying to keep his expression carefully still and gaze at nothing in particular. If he plays his cards right, he's going to have a very funny story to tell Priel.
 "We may not have the influence to advise on how to secure the Ball," he says to Daiby, nodding in agreement with his senior before looking back to Rui, "but we can use whatever connections we have to learn about possible vectors of attack. I wouldn't want to raise undue alarm in any case. It's possible they'll bide their time and not attack the same place twice. In which case... perhaps we can become close to the Queen somehow, so that we can escort her if need be."
 He couldn't say if the Queen likes well-meaning outsiders, but she might like *amusing* outsiders, and the Star Chasers are nothing if not that.
 "We could... well..."
 Ivo looks to Reize's pendant, too.
 "We could inform the Queen of Yacumama's presence," he says, sounding more hesitant than usual, "and her restored consciousness. If the Oradian royal family descends from the legacy of the serpent cult, that might interest her... or we could impress her with Daiby's ophidomancy, enhanced by the cult's regalia. The risk is that she'll try to confiscate Reize's pendant... or Daiby. So perhaps we can get a read on her, first."
 Yacumama herself remains silent, perhaps just listening and processing, perhaps still cautious in the haven of her ancient adversaries, especially given her own lost memories.
 "So--"
 But Ivo stops when Atl begins to speak. Again his expression is carefully controlled, but revealing intimations of concern rather than amusement. The girl is vulnerable, experiencing something Ivo likely cannot comprehend and that she likely cannot communicate. Whatever Atl chooses must be her choice.
 But...
 "Reize," Ivo murmurs. "The pendant's power can produce fire, right? Has that changed now that Yacumama's strength is starting to return, or can you still do so? Or you could try attuning to the Carnelian Bracers. And Daiby has her fire snake, and I, the concentrated fire aether of the elespheres, if in limited supply... could we help to sustain Atl's wisps as we travel and they help to locate Xiuhcue? If so..."
 He smiles to Atl, though he still looks a bit tired.
 "We could help each other."
 And the reality, Ivo knows, is that they need her help.

Lady Lacrima is going to have a field day with Atl. Tranquila might have a similar reaction. This will be funny when it happens.

Ruidosa considers these things as she purses her lips and hums. "The servants at the castle are all high vetted! I doubt it's possible to 'sneak in'..." she frowns. She seems to think on this some more as she sighs a little, and looks between Reize and Atl.

Ugh. Fire. More Fire. All this fire is making her ''antsy'' and she scooches a little in place.

"Just. Keep the fire over there. Away from me." she says.



  Reize looks over towards Atl as she is brought in by one of the villagers. "...Oi, you okay?" He follows up, "... How are you recovering?" From what Reize remembered, her entire body was in a similar state as Ruidosa, except in flames as opposed to shadows. While he did find it quite the sight to behold, he isn't sure how she feels about her state.

  It is when Ivo remarks about the queen wanting to confiscate the pendant that the boy furrows his eyebrows with a flat reply, "That's out of the question." He looks over to the pendant, clutching it close. It was the gift from his father! ...Not only that, but it is very important to where he was to told to never lose it.

  Thoughtfully, Reize looks over towards his pendant, "I'm uncertain. I know when Kernunnos was housed within my pendant, I couldn't draw upon what was naturally tied to the pendant. Instead, it was just the eidola." He considers, "It may be the same way with Yacumama." He gives a smile, "However, I still have the Carnelian Bracers!" Reize proudly holds his arms, revealing the bracers.

  He will keep these treasures forever and ever! Surely, he'll be able to take these with him after his journey here, right?! Reize can feel it, treasure!

 

Reize only has them for the tutorial for the next game until they're robbed from him until later in the game, like second to last level.

  • Character: Daiby
  • 2 days, 3 hours ago


Daiby looks over towards Reize. "I don't know if there's a particular date, but it does seem to loom over the social calendar." Her ankles cross, and she looks towards the smaller, shyer, more withdrawn Atl. She doesn't speak until after she does.

"Do you mean the fire of the heart?" Daiby asks her, tone staying gentle. "Or more... hm... traditional...?" She trails off, Ivo speaks more. "I would be glad to put on a show," Daiby says, "and while I'd hate to lose these lovely relics, it's as they say in the bourse, 'easy come easy go'." Beat. "Wait, you meant she'd try to take the relics, right?"

Not DAIBY HERSELF??

  • Character: Atl
  • 2 days, 3 hours ago

After every time she speaks, Atl cringes back into herself, as if the act were profane. Her dark lips purse, and big carnelians cloud with damning emotion. She's home, in this place, but everything about her is like an animal caged - the only point of comfort being that struggling wisp. She cradles it like a child - no - like a child cradling its own, sick mother, teasing in every drop of life that she can.

They're both visibly exhausted, but neither is giving up. Her gaze flits to Ivo, thick lashes partly obscuring what she feels, but there's hope in the scholar-knight that extends to her, a beacon through the fog. Her lithely-corded shoulders shift, a tangle of blacks falling against her cheek. She looks as if she wants to brush it away, but resists, too intent on holding her flagging, smoldering burden.

"Help," she repeats, this time the distance in her tone covered in a single verbal bound. On her stumbling tongue, it almost *rhymes* with 'hope', and that carries through to the quick down-jerk of a nod she gives.

"Fix," she breathes, looking now from Ivo to Reize, head tipping to one side, birdlike. But there's no question as she finishes, with certainty, "The world."

This seems to serve as delayed answer to his query too, perhaps, 'the world is more important', or 'I'm part of the world - so if we fix *it*...' In any case, she seems to think this is some reassurance to the intrepid adventurer. So, it's back to Daiby, and insistently she extends the wisp anew.

For the first time since arriving in the Hearth, she smiles, as she tries to encourage Daiby to take her burden.

"Fire, yes." Well, that clears it up. "Fire heals. You're--" a flutter of hesitation, and warm depth floods her awkward vocalizations as she finishes, "A healer."

A sly little side-glance to Ruidosa, the smile gaining a hint of her prior mischief.

"You are all healers."


 Ivo grins to Rui at her concern. Under other circumstances, he might make a quip about the BURNHEELS protecting her, but after witnessing Xiuhcue and Atl's incendiary capabilities, frankly, he'd prefer a break from fire, himself.
 "It's possible that at this point, Yacumama might be resonating with the pendant as Kernunnos once did," he says to Reize. "We could test that out on our way back. I'm running low on fire aether concentrate: if there are any rogue nonsapient elementals roaming about, once we're back to the SaGa, I could distill them in our travel lab."
 It's less a lab than a table with some very secured glassware.
 "Oh?"
 Ivo seems most intrigued at the prospect of Daiby putting on a show. He must be really interested in her snake magic. After her moment of hesitation, however, he smiles warmly, leaning a bit closer and bracing his elbow upon the stone table to cradle his chin.
 "If I were her," he says, "I'd surely take you."
 Ivo seems to be back in high spirits again.
 "Ah, well..."
 But his moment of smoothness (or so he is confident) falters at Atl's earnest words. Ivo reacts to the prospect of fixing the world with mild alarm and distress, having seen too much of the world at this point to think that this is within their power, for all that they've already accomplished. But at the girl's last words, Ivo blinks away his concerns, surprised into a rather bashful smile.
 "Reize *does* have some facility with herbs."
 He cannot resist a jest, but...
 "Yes," he replies, smile softening. "We'd like to be."