[ Moenbryda's memory of how, exactly, she came to be on this train -- and how long it's been --- are somewhat fuzzy, but she can't say it's been boring. It isn't a normal place, that's for certain, with each car practically a different world unto itself as one passes through them: stepping into a forest one moment, then a blisteringly cold winter landscape the next. The control car is the only place she's never been to, impervious to attempts to access it. How the train links together seems to be dictated less by logic than by will, the layout changing from moment to moment.
Now and again, a droning voice over the speakers will call for the residents of the train to assemble and get rid of pests attempting to attack it. Standing on the train roof, trying to cut down many-limbed shadows clinging to the metal, all Moenbryda can see out there is an endless, howling black.
It's after one of those altercations that she finds her way to the dining car -- one of them, anyway. The servers are mute, vaguely humanoid shadows that flit from table to table, taking people's orders. Brushing some lingering snowmelt off her clothes, she plunks herself down solidly at the bar and unhooks her axe from her back so it buries itself with a solid thunk on the polished wooden floor. ]
Well, that was certainly exciting, wasn't it? [ She announces, to no one in particular. There are faces both new and familiar around, but first things first: she needs to get warmed up. ]
[ The interior of the train and its shifting cars is a marvel, to be sure, the likes of which Ardbert has certainly never seen before -- and that's after spending time on not just one world, but two. It had all been a nice distraction at first, with each day feeling different enough from the one that came before it that this trip to who-knows-where didn't feel quite so grim.
But it's been long enough now that he's been getting antsy, and with each turn they take around an unknown corner, his connection to the Warrior of Light and their home shards feels weaker and weaker. For someone who'd been alone with his own thoughts and left to drift for so long, though, this could all be much worse.
At least he can interact with people here.
The chance to do something, to swing his axe around and have it actually cleave through something (even if that something is... shadow creatures?) helps to lighten Ardbert's mood. It works up his appetite too, and so the dining car is the first place he heads once all is said and done.
A woman with an axe that rivals his seems to address him, and Ardbert shoots her a grin before moving to take the stool at her left. ]
Won't ever say no to a good fight. [ He nods to her axe, his eyes shining with admiration. ] It's nice to get the blood flowing, wouldn't you say?
[ Not that there's actually any blood left in his veins any more -- but it all feels close enough to the real thing that he can let himself forget, sometimes. ]
[ The stranger that addresses her isn't a familiar face, but that's no deterrent as far as Moenbryda's -- conversation's been something of a sparse thing, since she came here, and a friendly stranger is better company than none.
Besides, they've clearly got the same good taste in weapons. She chuckles, patting the shaft of her axe fondly. ]
That it is. Not to say I'm spending my days praying for the next bunch of demons or whatever else they are to come along, mind you, but it's nice to be doing something useful.
[ Ardbert murmurs the word under his breath, wondering what those creatures might be. It seems like there are any number of possibilities, and yet his awareness of what state they're in and where they might be headed has him unsure. If they're in some realm that follows death, then it doesn't have to play by any of the rules he knows.
He nods all the same, then waves over one of the strange waiters to take his order. With that taken care of, he settles his attention back on his new axe-wielding friend. ]
Not used to sitting idle, are you? [ He sighs and leans forward, resting both of his arms on the bar-top. ] I understand. I certainly appreciate it not getting too dull around here.
Oh, never. My mother always said she would have nailed me down, if she could. [ Moenbryda answers, idly reaching up to work a crick out of her neck, the markings tattooed high and just under her ear stark against pale skin. She flahes him a quick smile ]
'Voidsent,' though -- I haven't heard someone else call them that in a while. Doesn't seem like it's a term most people here have heard of.
[ This woman recognizing the term of 'voidsent' would have been alarming enough, but when her hand lifts up and draws attention to the prominent tattoo on her neck, Ardbert wonders how he could have missed it. Too distracted by her axe and the promise of a hard drink, it seems.
There's no mistaking it. While Ardbert and the others had never felt the need to tattoo themselves in order to mark them as experts in any field, he's spent enough time in the presence of the Warrior and the Scions to have some idea of what the symbol means. It's all a bit over-the-top, in his opinion, but...
Is she one of the lesser-known Scions? One who wasn't summoned to the First? What was the word Urianger had used... ]
You're an Archon. I can't imagine many people around here have made note of that, either.
[ He turns in his seat, his interest shifting from mild to something stronger. ]
[ To be completely fair, axes are distracting. In any case, whatever surprise Moenbryda might have had at the recognition quickly fades in the face of excitement as she leans forward (maybe a bit too much into Ardbert's space). ]
You recognize it? Then, you know of Sharlayan? Or-- [ She sits back, scrutinizing him more assessingly. No Sharlayan she knows would dress like that, not even Thancred. ] --are you from Eorzea?
[ The very concept of someone invading his personal space at all is rather new these days, after so long spent as a specter who could not interact with the world around him. It's for that reason alone that Ardbert flinches back in his seat for a moment, though he doesn't appear offended in any way.
They've found common ground. It's more than enough reason to be excited. Given that the Warrior of Light had not always been the best of conversationalists, this is like a breath of fresh air.
It's her final question that Ardbert chooses to address, with a brief shake of his head. ]
No, though I was able to make a brief trip there. [ Said as if it was a quick vacation rather than the desperate action of someone with no other options. ] I hail from a different star, though one with a connection to Hydaelyn. It's a long story, but... I have some familiarity with the Scions.
[ He raises an eyebrow at the Galdjent woman. Your turn. ]
[ The flinch isn't lost on Moenbryda, but she doesn't remark on it. Perhaps it's because she, too, is caught up in the excitement of the moment or because it seems to be tied to some private pain that this isn't the time or place to ask.
For now, she'll meet that raised eyebrow with one of her own, giving him a quick grin as well. ]
Is that so? I happen to know some of the Scions quite well, myself. Urianger is a childhood friend. [ She looks reflective, leaning back slightly in her seat. ] I don't suppose you've seen them recently, have you?
[ Urianger? It's hard to imagine the stern elezen man with his lofty speech and head full of scholarly pursuits had ever been a child. Would he have mentioned this woman, a childhood friend, during their temporary "alliance"? Ardbert doesn't remember, but those memories are also as good as ancient history for him now. ]
Not here. [ Said with a quick glance around the train car. ] Though I imagine that's a good thing.
[ He folds his hands on the tabletop in front of him, perking up when one of the strange servers drifts by to drop off their drinks. ]
Before I came to be here, though, yes. Quite recently, in fact.
[ That's enough to earn a quick, wry smile from the Roegadyn, who brushes her hair back out of her face. ]
I imagine so.
[ While her memory is fuzzy on the details of how she came to be here, they're certain on one point: she shouldn't be alive. Her last conscious thought was that there wasn't enough aether to fuel the blade that would bring the Ascian down, and there was only one ready supply. Her thoughts are easily distracted from those moments, though, by what the man says next. There's an unmistakable softening in her expression, a warmth in her voice when she answers. ]
[ It's a fair question, though one which Ardbert finds difficult to answer. He pauses, taking a moment to enjoy a sip of his drink first. It had been so long since he was able to eat and drink that he's been sampling the offerings from the dining car as often as he can, and he can't hold back on the content sigh he lets out after indulging. ]
As well as they can be.
[ Which is a statement that requires some explanation, he realizes. He shifts in his seat enough to look the woman over again. Casual as she may seem, he can only imagine she's eager to hear news of someone she called friend. Especially as Ardbert suspects it's been quite some time since last she saw him. ]
We were facing a dangerous enemy. [ "We," he says, but he had been part of the fight in the end, hadn't he? And how good it had felt to finally be able to do something. ] But we succeeded, and last I can recall, they were making their way back to a safe harbor of sorts, to celebrate.
[ It's as they'd been approaching the Crystarium that everything becomes fuzzy in his recollection. He thought he'd seen his old friends, Branden and Lamitt and the others, but then...
Well, once this journey is over, he hopes he can see them once more. ]
[ It isn't like traveling to the First -- at least then there had been a warning of sorts. Instead, she remembers simply waking up elsewhere. The rest is a of a blur; bright lights, pain, cuts, electrical shocks. Darkness. The nature of it eludes her, and though it is quite possible she might be able to discern the truth of it if she tried, she doesn't care to. Memory picks up bit more properly after that. Discarded in some back alley, left without the Blessing of Light or even the simple ability to manipulate aether. Powerless and helpless. She'd since been set up with temporary lodgings in some kind of warehouse by a mysterious benefactor, with a warning that she'll need to become self-sufficient soon.
Quite a tall order when she knows not what to do with herself, or what she could possibly offer in such a sorry state.
For the time being, she's taken to wandering the city as a distraction. The throbbing in her temples still hasn't entirely subsided, and so she traces a wall with her glove as she walks, counting on it to support her should she stumble. Her ears are flat against her head as she walks, flickering slightly at every foreign sound.
Gods, how she misses the other Scions. They might know what to do, or at least have some kind of direction for her. She's grown too used to being the solution, not the one thinking of one. ]
[ No, this place (wherever it may be) is truly nothing like the First. Or the Source, for that matter. The closest comparison that Ardbert has been able to latch onto is Garlemald, though he'd never seen the seat of the Empire with his own eyes, only heard it described in passing in the vaguest of terms.
More perplexing than even where he is, however, is his own state. It's been a few days now and yet he's hardly adjusted to the fact that he's in a body again. How or why it happened, where he is, what force brought him here — he has no answers.
Nor can he say he has any idea of what to feel about any of it. Surely his time should be over, he should have moved on (or at the least settled comfortably into M'ahina's soul), and yet...
Could this be his curse? That he will never truly rest?
Much like his counterpart, Ardbert's set to wandering for lack of any better plan. It's as he rounds a corner that he almost crashes right into her. Instincts drive him to tense up for a brief moment, before he registers who it is, and then he only stares. ]
M'ahina? How—?
[ Though, need he truly ask? Of course she's here. ]
[ The voice is familiar--too familiar, as is the face that accompanies it. In a better frame of mind, she may have been to notice that the presence matches too, but as is?
As far as she knows, Ardbert is where he should be. Elidibus is gone. This person, she does not know where they came from, but she cannot abide it. She draws into a defensive stance, poised to draw a weapon at a moment's notice. Nevermind that she does not have a weapon; she can improvise. ]
I know not who you are--[ she lifts a accusatory finger ]--but you'd do well to put that body back.
[ A feat that should not be possible in any form, but she isn't concerned about the logistics of whatever's happening so much that it's happening. The rest can be dealt with in due time. ]
[ Despite M'ahina's smaller stature, when she is worked up and steeling herself she is no less intimidating than the tallest of Galdjents. She's stood up to literal gods without faltering, and so to be on the receiving end of that piercing gaze and accusatory tone would be enough to make most anyone quaver.
Ardbert's faced off against her before, though that may as well be ancient history. Water under the bridge and then some, especially now that they each understand their connection to each other, one that can't truly be put into words.
All the same, he does take a step or two away from her before lifting his arms in a placating gesture. He can understand why she's jumped to such a conclusion. His current state shouldn't be possible. ]
It's me. Ardbert. In the flesh. Don't ask me how, but...
[ He lowers his hands enough to look them over, as he has nearly a hundred times by now. ]
[ The mannerisms are enough to make M'ahina lower her fists, just a bit. It's not like Elidibus--it doesn't have feeling of wrongness that made her blood boil--but it's... difficult to accept. Even when the little gestures match, when the presence itself is one she knows almost as well as her own.
That body is improbable, to put it rather mildly, and the soul should be with her, finally resting. That's the worst part of it. Impossibility has become her bread and butter, but to deny the man the peace he so deserves...
Still, they need to clear this up somehow. Her brows draw into a frown, and she tilts her head in confusion. Mm, what to do, what to do... Could she talk about Seto? Or...
Carefully, she lowers an arm, and tentatively offers out her right fist. If this is truly Ardbert, he's certain to understand what it means. ]
Just for... reassurance?
[ She's still on guard, but her tone is apologetic. It's a bit silly, as tests go, and she truly wants to believe this is not some elaborate ploy, and yet... And yet, it's much too important not to confirm, is it not? ]
[ There's no offense taken when M'ahina offers him a test of sorts. The sight of her outstretched fist brings back two different memories, one of them more faded than the other. His knowledge of the events that took place whilst he was within M'ahina's soul are far from clear, but he remembers this well enough to know what she's echoing.
Along with how utterly Elidibus had failed said test.
He offers a nod, then stretches out his own fist to bump it against hers. It's a source of comfort for both of them, he imagines. When first he'd done this, it was to let her know that he wouldn't abandon her, even as the light threatened to tear her apart from the inside and it felt as if all was lost.
Come to think of it, there is some concern that he isn't where he "should" be now. Could that terrible light sickness return without him there to bear some of the brunt? Surely not...
Ardbert pulls his fist back, then hops right into discussing their current situation. ]
Know you anything of this place, or how we came to be here? My memories are not as clear as I would like.
[ It's all takes to pull a smile from her. It's as much a gesture of hope now as it was then; that this trial, too, need not be faced alone. Here stands one who has long understood the burdens, the sacrifices--the truest of friends in the most unlikely of circumstances. And in the flesh this time, no less! No need to stay her hand, or swallow the lump in her throat as his fingertips pass through a cup. There's a joy in it that far surpasses her own questions, and makes it much simpler for M'ahina to pull herself together. It's ever easier to put on a brave face for someone else than to be left to her own devices. ]
I'm afraid I'm much the same. I barely remember waking up at all, or what transpired since, only that I was found some time later, abandoned and ... out of sorts.
[ An understatement, to say the least. And she would be content enough to leave things there, but Ardbert deserves the truth. ]
It's all gone. The Blessing, the Echo... I've been cut off from Hydaelyn before, but this is different, it's... more. I can't manipulate the aether to cast the most basic of spells, and even the soul crystals are silent.
[ She gives a small huff. Losing the Blessing of Light before had been a trial, to be certain, but now? Now she cannot help but feel less than useless. She dares not tell even him that she's only just now having a proper look around because of how difficult it's been to fight off the headache. ]
Ah, but nevermind that! [ She waves a hand hastily. ] I can still loose a few arrows to the perpetrator's face well enough, no need to worry. [ Once she finds a bow. .. And whoever did this. Mayhap not the best consolation? Still. ] You're alright, aren't you? Nothing amiss aside from the unusual circumstances...?
[ As M'ahina explains her side of their current predicament, Ardbert settles back on his heels and crosses his arms, hanging on every word. Conversations with her have always felt easy in their own way, even when the subject matter itself was anything but. Speaking to her is effortless, and they both know why that's the case now.
Which isn't to say that he accepts all of her words with a smile. The revelation that she's been stripped of Hydaelyn's blessing to the point that she can't even cast a single spell is worrisome, to say the least, and his brow knits. What force would be powerful enough to sever a bond as strong as that? The same force that has inexplicably given him a body, mayhap.
It's also possible that M'ahina's current state has everything to do with where they are, along with their distance from the Source. The First was, all things considered, one of the closer shards. But who could say for this place?
As she returns the same question back to him, Ardbert straightens for a moment and then shrugs. ] I'm still at a loss as to how this is even possible, to be honest. [ He uncrosses his arms and lifts both hands to look them over once more, squeezing them into fists before letting them fall back to his side. ] We may speculate all day long, however, and not find ourselves any closer to the answers. We'll have to find someone here who can clue us in, I suspect.
[ If there's one thing both of them are good at doing, it's finding friends in foreign places and ingratiating themselves. They don't need any sort of blessing to manage that, do they? ]
[ Right. The confusion is quite understandable, to put things mildly, but ultimately, Arbert is correct--idle conjecture avails them naught. It's never been much her strong suit anyway, so the suggestion to be a bit more proactive is quite welcome. ]
Nothing to stop the force of two Warriors of Light, eh?
[ She taps her chest confidently. It feels natural, in even the face of such uncertainty, and she suspects she knows why. It's easy the recall all the support Arbert gave her in the source, either by helping talk her through things, or at times speaking of completely unrelated matters so she did not have to suffer being consumed by her own thoughts. And now, here they are, and they can but handle things the way they always have. ]
Ah, right! There's a place I'm staying--it's temporary, and far from luxurious, but... [ She shrugs. It will do for now, and she knows they've both had to make due before, so no need to apologize on that front. ] I can you lead you there as we talk. There's someone who.... Well. It would seem anyone knows as much we do, but there is someone helping find jobs and so forth, so we can fit in a bit better.
[ She motions with her hand, and keeps her steps small as she walks. She no longer looks quite as worn down at she did, but for all that Ardbert's untimely and confusing appearance has brightened her day, it does not alleviate how physically awful she still feels. ]
[ Ardbert opens his mouth for a moment to protest that designation (he would not call himself a Warrior of Light or a Warrior of Darkness at this point), but M'ahina carries on before he can get a word in, and he has to wonder if that's by design. She likely has grown tired of his self-deprecation, and in many ways, so has he.
Word of a place to stay and someone who might have work for them is all a sight better than what he had to work with before, and that's enough to put some spring in Ardbert's step, though he takes care to not outpace M'ahina. ]
Well, I'm not picky. So long as it's a roof over our heads — and even then...
[ He frowns, catching for a moment the way a wave of exhaustion passes over M'ahina's expression. She won't want to be coddled, nor does she need to be, which leads him back to distracting her. ]
What manner of work? Granted, I'm sure you could pick up just about anything that was offered.
Mm, some manner of day labor I've yet to decide on. [ She taps her chin in thought. ] It seems this shard hasn't so much as of heard of adventurers. There are no guilds, no leves, no marks... passersby look at you as if you're unwell when you try to see if there's aught you can help them with. It has been... confusing.
[ To say the least of things. She has little question of her own skills and their worth, but she's never encountered such a challenge in figuring out how to actually use them, on top of being ... weak, at the moment. She hates thinking that, yet--... She immediately shakes her head. That can be pushed back down where it belongs. ]
I think I'd do poorly as a receptionist or what have you... [ She'd get bored, and with boredom comes laziness or even mildly destructive habits. Best to avoid that for everyone involved. ] I wonder if I could get away with being a tavern bard? I might be able to glean some information that way...
[ She's considering it. Her old mentor would not be terribly proud of her, but desperate times, and so forth. ]
[ No adventurers? Not even any marks? It's almost impossible for Ardbert to fathom, and he has to assume that this world is a far cry from either of their homes to not have those elements that are so commonplace for them. Mayhap it's nowhere near as dangerous for someone living their daily life here, and so adventurers are not a necessity.
That's going to be an adjustment for both of them. In truth, Ardbert has never considered what he might have done with himself if he hadn't fallen in with his band of friends to travel the realm and help wherever they could. Might he have stayed home, to focus on farming with his father? That had always seemed such an uninteresting life to him, hence why he'd left in the first place.
Nowadays, he does wonder if he might have been better off staying put, but that ship sailed long ago.
Lost in thought, he finally glances over when M'ahina mentions serving as a more traditional sort of bard. ] A minstrel? You're friendly enough that I suspect you could get the patrons to tell you just about anything. I could find another job there, or would we better off dividing and conquering?
[ Not knowing much more than the basics of their situation here thus far, it's difficult to know where to start. Earning coin is truly only a means to an end. ]
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some kinda train to the afterlife + snowpiercer + spirited away jamjar setting
Now and again, a droning voice over the speakers will call for the residents of the train to assemble and get rid of pests attempting to attack it. Standing on the train roof, trying to cut down many-limbed shadows clinging to the metal, all Moenbryda can see out there is an endless, howling black.
It's after one of those altercations that she finds her way to the dining car -- one of them, anyway. The servers are mute, vaguely humanoid shadows that flit from table to table, taking people's orders. Brushing some lingering snowmelt off her clothes, she plunks herself down solidly at the bar and unhooks her axe from her back so it buries itself with a solid thunk on the polished wooden floor. ]
Well, that was certainly exciting, wasn't it? [ She announces, to no one in particular. There are faces both new and familiar around, but first things first: she needs to get warmed up. ]
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But it's been long enough now that he's been getting antsy, and with each turn they take around an unknown corner, his connection to the Warrior of Light and their home shards feels weaker and weaker. For someone who'd been alone with his own thoughts and left to drift for so long, though, this could all be much worse.
At least he can interact with people here.
The chance to do something, to swing his axe around and have it actually cleave through something (even if that something is... shadow creatures?) helps to lighten Ardbert's mood. It works up his appetite too, and so the dining car is the first place he heads once all is said and done.
A woman with an axe that rivals his seems to address him, and Ardbert shoots her a grin before moving to take the stool at her left. ]
Won't ever say no to a good fight. [ He nods to her axe, his eyes shining with admiration. ] It's nice to get the blood flowing, wouldn't you say?
[ Not that there's actually any blood left in his veins any more -- but it all feels close enough to the real thing that he can let himself forget, sometimes. ]
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Besides, they've clearly got the same good taste in weapons. She chuckles, patting the shaft of her axe fondly. ]
That it is. Not to say I'm spending my days praying for the next bunch of demons or whatever else they are to come along, mind you, but it's nice to be doing something useful.
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[ Ardbert murmurs the word under his breath, wondering what those creatures might be. It seems like there are any number of possibilities, and yet his awareness of what state they're in and where they might be headed has him unsure. If they're in some realm that follows death, then it doesn't have to play by any of the rules he knows.
He nods all the same, then waves over one of the strange waiters to take his order. With that taken care of, he settles his attention back on his new axe-wielding friend. ]
Not used to sitting idle, are you? [ He sighs and leans forward, resting both of his arms on the bar-top. ] I understand. I certainly appreciate it not getting too dull around here.
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'Voidsent,' though -- I haven't heard someone else call them that in a while. Doesn't seem like it's a term most people here have heard of.
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There's no mistaking it. While Ardbert and the others had never felt the need to tattoo themselves in order to mark them as experts in any field, he's spent enough time in the presence of the Warrior and the Scions to have some idea of what the symbol means. It's all a bit over-the-top, in his opinion, but...
Is she one of the lesser-known Scions? One who wasn't summoned to the First? What was the word Urianger had used... ]
You're an Archon. I can't imagine many people around here have made note of that, either.
[ He turns in his seat, his interest shifting from mild to something stronger. ]
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You recognize it? Then, you know of Sharlayan? Or-- [ She sits back, scrutinizing him more assessingly. No Sharlayan she knows would dress like that, not even Thancred. ] --are you from Eorzea?
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They've found common ground. It's more than enough reason to be excited. Given that the Warrior of Light had not always been the best of conversationalists, this is like a breath of fresh air.
It's her final question that Ardbert chooses to address, with a brief shake of his head. ]
No, though I was able to make a brief trip there. [ Said as if it was a quick vacation rather than the desperate action of someone with no other options. ] I hail from a different star, though one with a connection to Hydaelyn. It's a long story, but... I have some familiarity with the Scions.
[ He raises an eyebrow at the Galdjent woman. Your turn. ]
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For now, she'll meet that raised eyebrow with one of her own, giving him a quick grin as well. ]
Is that so? I happen to know some of the Scions quite well, myself. Urianger is a childhood friend. [ She looks reflective, leaning back slightly in her seat. ] I don't suppose you've seen them recently, have you?
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Not here. [ Said with a quick glance around the train car. ] Though I imagine that's a good thing.
[ He folds his hands on the tabletop in front of him, perking up when one of the strange servers drifts by to drop off their drinks. ]
Before I came to be here, though, yes. Quite recently, in fact.
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I imagine so.
[ While her memory is fuzzy on the details of how she came to be here, they're certain on one point: she shouldn't be alive. Her last conscious thought was that there wasn't enough aether to fuel the blade that would bring the Ascian down, and there was only one ready supply. Her thoughts are easily distracted from those moments, though, by what the man says next. There's an unmistakable softening in her expression, a warmth in her voice when she answers. ]
And are they well?
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As well as they can be.
[ Which is a statement that requires some explanation, he realizes. He shifts in his seat enough to look the woman over again. Casual as she may seem, he can only imagine she's eager to hear news of someone she called friend. Especially as Ardbert suspects it's been quite some time since last she saw him. ]
We were facing a dangerous enemy. [ "We," he says, but he had been part of the fight in the end, hadn't he? And how good it had felt to finally be able to do something. ] But we succeeded, and last I can recall, they were making their way back to a safe harbor of sorts, to celebrate.
[ It's as they'd been approaching the Crystarium that everything becomes fuzzy in his recollection. He thought he'd seen his old friends, Branden and Lamitt and the others, but then...
Well, once this journey is over, he hopes he can see them once more. ]
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cha-cha slides in here real smooth
Quite a tall order when she knows not what to do with herself, or what she could possibly offer in such a sorry state.
For the time being, she's taken to wandering the city as a distraction. The throbbing in her temples still hasn't entirely subsided, and so she traces a wall with her glove as she walks, counting on it to support her should she stumble. Her ears are flat against her head as she walks, flickering slightly at every foreign sound.
Gods, how she misses the other Scions. They might know what to do, or at least have some kind of direction for her. She's grown too used to being the solution, not the one thinking of one. ]
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More perplexing than even where he is, however, is his own state. It's been a few days now and yet he's hardly adjusted to the fact that he's in a body again. How or why it happened, where he is, what force brought him here — he has no answers.
Nor can he say he has any idea of what to feel about any of it. Surely his time should be over, he should have moved on (or at the least settled comfortably into M'ahina's soul), and yet...
Could this be his curse? That he will never truly rest?
Much like his counterpart, Ardbert's set to wandering for lack of any better plan. It's as he rounds a corner that he almost crashes right into her. Instincts drive him to tense up for a brief moment, before he registers who it is, and then he only stares. ]
M'ahina? How—?
[ Though, need he truly ask? Of course she's here. ]
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As far as she knows, Ardbert is where he should be. Elidibus is gone. This person, she does not know where they came from, but she cannot abide it. She draws into a defensive stance, poised to draw a weapon at a moment's notice. Nevermind that she does not have a weapon; she can improvise. ]
I know not who you are--[ she lifts a accusatory finger ]--but you'd do well to put that body back.
[ A feat that should not be possible in any form, but she isn't concerned about the logistics of whatever's happening so much that it's happening. The rest can be dealt with in due time. ]
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Ardbert's faced off against her before, though that may as well be ancient history. Water under the bridge and then some, especially now that they each understand their connection to each other, one that can't truly be put into words.
All the same, he does take a step or two away from her before lifting his arms in a placating gesture. He can understand why she's jumped to such a conclusion. His current state shouldn't be possible. ]
It's me. Ardbert. In the flesh. Don't ask me how, but...
[ He lowers his hands enough to look them over, as he has nearly a hundred times by now. ]
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[ The mannerisms are enough to make M'ahina lower her fists, just a bit. It's not like Elidibus--it doesn't have feeling of wrongness that made her blood boil--but it's... difficult to accept. Even when the little gestures match, when the presence itself is one she knows almost as well as her own.
That body is improbable, to put it rather mildly, and the soul should be with her, finally resting. That's the worst part of it. Impossibility has become her bread and butter, but to deny the man the peace he so deserves...
Still, they need to clear this up somehow. Her brows draw into a frown, and she tilts her head in confusion. Mm, what to do, what to do... Could she talk about Seto? Or...
Carefully, she lowers an arm, and tentatively offers out her right fist. If this is truly Ardbert, he's certain to understand what it means. ]
Just for... reassurance?
[ She's still on guard, but her tone is apologetic. It's a bit silly, as tests go, and she truly wants to believe this is not some elaborate ploy, and yet... And yet, it's much too important not to confirm, is it not? ]
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Along with how utterly Elidibus had failed said test.
He offers a nod, then stretches out his own fist to bump it against hers. It's a source of comfort for both of them, he imagines. When first he'd done this, it was to let her know that he wouldn't abandon her, even as the light threatened to tear her apart from the inside and it felt as if all was lost.
Come to think of it, there is some concern that he isn't where he "should" be now. Could that terrible light sickness return without him there to bear some of the brunt? Surely not...
Ardbert pulls his fist back, then hops right into discussing their current situation. ]
Know you anything of this place, or how we came to be here? My memories are not as clear as I would like.
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[ It's all takes to pull a smile from her. It's as much a gesture of hope now as it was then; that this trial, too, need not be faced alone. Here stands one who has long understood the burdens, the sacrifices--the truest of friends in the most unlikely of circumstances. And in the flesh this time, no less! No need to stay her hand, or swallow the lump in her throat as his fingertips pass through a cup. There's a joy in it that far surpasses her own questions, and makes it much simpler for M'ahina to pull herself together. It's ever easier to put on a brave face for someone else than to be left to her own devices. ]
I'm afraid I'm much the same. I barely remember waking up at all, or what transpired since, only that I was found some time later, abandoned and ... out of sorts.
[ An understatement, to say the least. And she would be content enough to leave things there, but Ardbert deserves the truth. ]
It's all gone. The Blessing, the Echo... I've been cut off from Hydaelyn before, but this is different, it's... more. I can't manipulate the aether to cast the most basic of spells, and even the soul crystals are silent.
[ She gives a small huff. Losing the Blessing of Light before had been a trial, to be certain, but now? Now she cannot help but feel less than useless. She dares not tell even him that she's only just now having a proper look around because of how difficult it's been to fight off the headache. ]
Ah, but nevermind that! [ She waves a hand hastily. ] I can still loose a few arrows to the perpetrator's face well enough, no need to worry. [ Once she finds a bow. .. And whoever did this. Mayhap not the best consolation? Still. ] You're alright, aren't you? Nothing amiss aside from the unusual circumstances...?
[ Much easier to focus on, to be certain. ]
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Which isn't to say that he accepts all of her words with a smile. The revelation that she's been stripped of Hydaelyn's blessing to the point that she can't even cast a single spell is worrisome, to say the least, and his brow knits. What force would be powerful enough to sever a bond as strong as that? The same force that has inexplicably given him a body, mayhap.
It's also possible that M'ahina's current state has everything to do with where they are, along with their distance from the Source. The First was, all things considered, one of the closer shards. But who could say for this place?
As she returns the same question back to him, Ardbert straightens for a moment and then shrugs. ] I'm still at a loss as to how this is even possible, to be honest. [ He uncrosses his arms and lifts both hands to look them over once more, squeezing them into fists before letting them fall back to his side. ] We may speculate all day long, however, and not find ourselves any closer to the answers. We'll have to find someone here who can clue us in, I suspect.
[ If there's one thing both of them are good at doing, it's finding friends in foreign places and ingratiating themselves. They don't need any sort of blessing to manage that, do they? ]
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Nothing to stop the force of two Warriors of Light, eh?
[ She taps her chest confidently. It feels natural, in even the face of such uncertainty, and she suspects she knows why. It's easy the recall all the support Arbert gave her in the source, either by helping talk her through things, or at times speaking of completely unrelated matters so she did not have to suffer being consumed by her own thoughts. And now, here they are, and they can but handle things the way they always have. ]
Ah, right! There's a place I'm staying--it's temporary, and far from luxurious, but... [ She shrugs. It will do for now, and she knows they've both had to make due before, so no need to apologize on that front. ] I can you lead you there as we talk. There's someone who.... Well. It would seem anyone knows as much we do, but there is someone helping find jobs and so forth, so we can fit in a bit better.
[ She motions with her hand, and keeps her steps small as she walks. She no longer looks quite as worn down at she did, but for all that Ardbert's untimely and confusing appearance has brightened her day, it does not alleviate how physically awful she still feels. ]
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Word of a place to stay and someone who might have work for them is all a sight better than what he had to work with before, and that's enough to put some spring in Ardbert's step, though he takes care to not outpace M'ahina. ]
Well, I'm not picky. So long as it's a roof over our heads — and even then...
[ He frowns, catching for a moment the way a wave of exhaustion passes over M'ahina's expression. She won't want to be coddled, nor does she need to be, which leads him back to distracting her. ]
What manner of work? Granted, I'm sure you could pick up just about anything that was offered.
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[ To say the least of things. She has little question of her own skills and their worth, but she's never encountered such a challenge in figuring out how to actually use them, on top of being ... weak, at the moment. She hates thinking that, yet--... She immediately shakes her head. That can be pushed back down where it belongs. ]
I think I'd do poorly as a receptionist or what have you... [ She'd get bored, and with boredom comes laziness or even mildly destructive habits. Best to avoid that for everyone involved. ] I wonder if I could get away with being a tavern bard? I might be able to glean some information that way...
[ She's considering it. Her old mentor would not be terribly proud of her, but desperate times, and so forth. ]
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That's going to be an adjustment for both of them. In truth, Ardbert has never considered what he might have done with himself if he hadn't fallen in with his band of friends to travel the realm and help wherever they could. Might he have stayed home, to focus on farming with his father? That had always seemed such an uninteresting life to him, hence why he'd left in the first place.
Nowadays, he does wonder if he might have been better off staying put, but that ship sailed long ago.
Lost in thought, he finally glances over when M'ahina mentions serving as a more traditional sort of bard. ] A minstrel? You're friendly enough that I suspect you could get the patrons to tell you just about anything. I could find another job there, or would we better off dividing and conquering?
[ Not knowing much more than the basics of their situation here thus far, it's difficult to know where to start. Earning coin is truly only a means to an end. ]
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