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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Feb 15, 2023 22:29:57 GMT -5
Feeling BF stop struggling and with Veliky’s confirmation, Astrid releases her hold on the canine bot and watches it stumble back. This is the second bot in a short time that’s been disobedient, and Astrid’s trust for the things is starting to wane.
"Never knew yer bots ta have a habit of disobeyin' directives..." she mutters. Then again, Astrid’s only had a few experiences with the BlixtbotsTM outside of Charles, and even he can have unhelpful commentary.
Veliky parses her words as she minces over to one of the seats, before literally hopping onto the seat in a way that somehow incorporates both exasperation and dignity.
"They don't. But they do have a habit of cruddy hearing. And they aren't great with context clues."
That answer somehow doesn't seem to satisfy Astrid. "I wouldn't say Buffalo had cruddy hearin'," she says somewhat cautiously, trying not to test Veliky's patience too much. Sure they already discussed this, but the whole situation was fishy. And scary. Definitely scary. "That one went against yer direct orders."
Astrid's question is not a welcome one. Even as Veliky is settling into her seat, that subtle and familiar rime plays over her eyes - eyes which flicker to Cantio for a pointed instant. And her voice assumes a tone that brings memories of the night they returned from over the desert journ.
"Buffalo was a special case. Its rebelliousness resulted from a severe malfunction in its mathematical processor[1]. That incident was rare to the extreme. And unfortunate[1]."
It feels a little weird to Astrid hearing Veliky dismiss Buffalo’s attack as a simple error, but she would know best about how the bots operate, Astrid supposes. It doesn’t do much to quell the nervous bubbling in the girl’s stomach. First a killer bot, then assassins, and now BF acting out of sorts? She remembers nearly dying to a lightning strike when on a mission to deliver something for Veliky, which was an odd way of giving the girl a “reward” of a personal companion. Astrid can’t help feeling like Veliky likes to test her. If Charles was a reward for the mission, what is this house a reward for? Veliky doesn’t just give out gifts. Sure, she says it’s an investment, but isn’t that just a gift in advance?
As Astrid takes a seat and looks at the plate of cookies laid out neatly before her. They smell great, and she’d normally jump at the opportunity for a snack, but she’s also incredibly overwhelmed and has little appetite because of her excitement, and now this strain of anxiety working its way through her. Her eyes don’t meet Veliky’s, and her voice is quiet when she asks, "What... would've happened if I didn't come back outta that underground city?"
[1] Smooth Talking - Veliky
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Post by Cantio von Lumen on Feb 28, 2023 19:00:53 GMT -5
“Be careful!” Cantio’s tail lashes nervously, brushing up against the wall with a notable ‘thwap!’ as he creeps close to it, seemingly trying to close off most of BF’s points of entries; his gaze remains on Astrid, lips pursed worriedly as the girl holds back Veliky’s creation like it were only a pup. “Veliky!” He looks pleadingly at the small woman as she tries to direct BF to elevate him to croissant status or whatever; but the golem doesn’t seem to be listening.
Instead, it calls him Canio.
Cantio makes a puzzled face, seemingly forgetting that BF is currently threatening his state of existence. “Eh? Canio? What kind of name is Canio?” he wonders, only relaxing once BF has calmed down. “Ahhh…” he sighs, dropping the phoenix that had risen to protect him; it fades away in a shimmer of sunrays and embers. For a moment, Cantio stares warily at BF; but BF remains motionless, so he creeps around the arcanic construct like he might wake it if he steps too loudly.
He swings around one of the chairs, hands gripping each side of the back, as he proceeds to use it like a shield in case BF were to go rogue again.
… It seems fine, though.
Cantio starts to relax, shoulders dropping when he tunes back into the conversation about Veliky’s bots. “Huh?” He tilts his head, frowning between the tension with Astrid and Veliky. He looks to Veliky with a frown, listening to her describe ‘Buffalo’, which… he’s not sure he’s heard of this yet. “What happened with your bots?” he prompts; but Veliky mentions malfunctions.
He looks hesitantly at BF, before looking back at Veliky.
He’s seen some of her bots in the works; and he certainly knows how dangerous they could be… but at the same time, Veliky is talented and much smarter than he is with them… so she would know, right?
Still, Astrid’s following question unsettles him.
“Veliky would’ve never let anything happen to you!” he objects with a stutter; but the concern still shows in his surprise; he looks at Veliky, concerned. “Right? What in the world happened with this… ‘Buffalo’? It was one of your bots?”
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Post by Veliky on Mar 2, 2023 14:47:26 GMT -5
"..."
As silence lingers, the silvery light through the window takes on a more somber shine. Grim - oppressively so. Its glow upon the little woman's contemplative face paints a melancholy that she's either blind to, or simply ignores. She's thinking in a moment where the answer should be something simple, which is never a good tiding.
She closes her eyes and lets in a long, congested sniff, opening them as she exhales.
And then she snaps her fingers. And beside her, at her unspoken command, blue smithereens of mana coalesce into a shape: herself. In only a few seconds, a second Veliky is standing beside her, arms clasped dutifully behind her back and indistinguishable from the original[1].
"Cantio?" the seated Veliky inquires, crossing her legs without looking to the tieflings crimson worry. "Go into the hallway and have a word with the clone. It should only be a moment."
Already, the clone is wordlessly turning toward the doorway. The wear in its face evokes the image of overtime: one last task before it can go home and get some rest.
Cantio’s expression shifts into something hard to read; but his expression notably falls when he sees the arrival of the second Veliky. He purses his lips, tail flicking nervously just before he opens his mouth, “Veliky, I... I really don’t want to be rude after everything you’ve done—” he starts, looking sheepishly after the clone, before looking back to the little seated woman. “—but why can’t you just talk to me here?"
In response, she returns his timid peering with a glare. It's her natural expression; in truth, she's surprised. Melos, skitterer of the Duralli-Casthos name, questioning her order? He may not be her subordinate, but it's surprising nonetheless. She's only ever known him, by reputation and by her own experience, to be an utterly submissive sort. So why would he do such a thing?
...Could it be? Yes, she can see it. She's always known that she frightens Cantio, and that he would be prone to unquestioning obedience in any other circumstance. But now, here, Astrid is present. It's subtle, belied behind bashful fidgets, but a little bit of fatherly instinct can be scried in the minstrel's eyes.
That's good. That'll help. She should reward it.
Softening her expression and posture at once, Veliky crosses her legs and leans back. It's a sly attempt to lighten the atmosphere - an attempt that should be flawless were it not for Veliky's naturally icicle-serrated demeanour.
"Don't be so touchy." she says with a blasé that suits her far too well. "It's simple: I have things I want to say to you, and I have things I want to say to Astrid. You can share what I tell you with one-another, but that's a decision that should be made *after* hearing it. Understand?"
It takes most of his willpower not to flinch at her tone, but after searching Veliky's expression a moment; he then glances to Astrid; and looks back with a hesitant nod. "Alright..." he relinquishes; he pries his curled fingers from the frame of the chair and steps away to follow the clone. "I suppose I'll be back in a moment, then." He offers Astrid a weak smile, before following after Veliky's replicant that was starting to develop an expression of 'Today, preferably?'
Astrid looked between Cantio and Veliky with furrowed brow. There's worry on the child's face as she watches Cantio leave. Last time he walked away... well, it was about a month ago. But, once he's abandoned, she regains some confidence - or, at least, defiance - crossing her arms with a face that says 'Bring it on.'
Which is fortunate, because that's precisely what Veliky does. Resting her chin on interlaced fingers, with eyes whose business-rime quenches any warmth to be given or received, like cataracts of sympathy. There's a merciful moment that she blinks, but they haven't wavered by the time she opens them again.
"You really want to know what would've happened if you hadn't come back?" It's a simple parroting of Astrid's own question, and spoken so plainly. Yet something about her echo fills the room with such a choking penumbra.
Here it comes.
"...The same thing that would've happened if you hadn't come back from the Marsh Flats. Or if you'd frozen in Frost Gale. Or if you'd been killed by bandits in Moonglade. Or if you'd been eaten by that dragon." There's a calm, rational simplicity in her voice: a recitation of well-acquainted fact. "We would've sent search parties, obviously. But if they didn't find anything, your new family would've been left in shambles. Your grandparents would've been devastated. Your new father would probably die from grief."
Her eyes narrow to ice-lined slits.
"You run that risk every time you go on one of these 'adventures.' When you play big games, you stand to lose big."
...Her eyes close, and the silence is one of humming stillness. But when she opens them again... there's a softness there. Perhaps real, perhaps false. In truth, she doesn't know, herself.
"So remember that whenever you consider one of these jobs. In business, we always consider what we might lose whenever we make a gamble. And you? You have a lot to lose."
1. Clone Self
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Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Mar 13, 2023 23:31:56 GMT -5
With Cantio having walked into the hall, Astrid fights the urge to try to overhear what the other Veliky and Cantio are talking about, but she has her own conversation to focus on. If only she could be in two places at once too.
There’s something about Veliky’s gaze that makes Astrid only want to challenge her more. Where there was worry and hesitation in her initial question, she knows that Veliky hides things behind cold eyes and colder stares. It’s not something she can quite see through and identify what lurks beneath the surface, but Veliky must care, and part of her question was to find out exactly how much – if that’s something Astrid can even surmise.
So while the half-dwarf’s crossed arms and fierce expression challenge Veliky, she’s looking for something to find beneath it all. Yes, she wants to know what would have happened if she didn’t come back from beneath the sands. That was a mission specifically assigned by Veliky, one that was tough but successful, one that she’s proud of, but one that made her fear for her own safety more than once. What would Veliky have done?
And so Veliky makes a list of the things that Astrid’s done in the last few months, most of which without adult supervision, most of which with the added challenge of hiding a knight’s secret, and most of which without the most important thing: someone to come home to.
Veliky makes a good point.
The consideration for everything laid out in front of her plays through Astrid’s mind, but on the flip side of that, so does everything else she’s done and been able to accomplish because she had people she trusted on each and every one of those missions she took on. Of course, she doesn’t go alone. Of course, she couldn’t do these things alone. She’s just a kid who’s sometimes in way over her head, and she’s not afraid to admit that, but if she’s been so willing to fight to win and live another day even without knowing that someone would be expecting her to come home and walk through a door, even without knowing that she might leave someone in the same position she found herself in only a few months ago, then why wouldn’t she fight harder to make sure she does make it home to the people that she’s grown to love and who have come to love her?
Astrid’s shoulders relax a bit, but she leans forward, looking Veliky right in the eye with her own unwavering look. “Honestly, alla that stuff was baby stuff,” she says with a certain smugness that only a twelve-year-old can muster.
Her attitude becomes even more sardonic as she sits straighter. “Ya know…” she starts, drawing out the note as she considers what she’ll fire back with. She thinks back to the first meeting in Sky Peak, in this very village, only a few months ago. “Fer someone who couldn’t even give me the courtesy of sayin’ a proper goodbye after draggin’ me off the streets, ya sure do put a lotta effort into me, doncha? I told yer special magic duplicate that I promised I wouldn’t die, but ya didn’t get ta hear it yerself ‘cause ya ran off. But here I am keepin’ that promise, ain’t I? Ya don’t think I wouldn’t keep it an’ always make sure ta come back ta the people I care about, do ya?”
The thought of abandoning anyone, even by accident, is her biggest driving factor. “I’m always comin’ back, Miss Veliky. Won’t no sea monster, harpies, or dragon keep me from doin’ that. There might be a lot ta lose from goin’ on adventures, but the way I see it, I’ve gained a lot from ‘em too.”
The silence that follows is a strange one. The room seems divided into two auras, each intense in their own way: Veliky's cold calculus, and Astrid's devil-may-care attitude. Each seems, in their own right, unshakeable. Two immovable objects, staring one-another down.
And then Veliky closes her eyes. "...Yes. I suppose you have." she concedes. "Just don't underestimate any of these missions on account of them being 'baby stuff,' alright?"
“I don’t,” Astrid says simply, resolutely, but not in a way that dismisses Veliky’s worries. She sits back, letting herself relax more “I don’t do anythin’ on me own. I… I’ve made some friends.” Her voice suddenly chokes up at the thought. She’s not just made some friends, she’s made what she’d consider a best friend. A favorite mission partner, someone she looks forward to running into who she wholeheartedly trusts with her life.
“A-An’ not just friends! I’ve got more family now, too,” she continues, finally rubbing a tear from her eye. “I met Mister Bellighul at the ball, an’ he said he’s like me gramps, an’ I got ta spend time with him, and then we got ta meet this lady Miss Kamille, an’ she says she’s me gran, an’ I…” Astrid suddenly takes a deep breath. When she started adventuring a short time ago, she never imagined the situations she’d be in, least of all that she’d find friends and family. Those things felt so foreign only a short time ago.
Finally, her teary eyes meet Veliky’s again. “I’m real grateful that ya care about me, too.”
In Veliky's expression, there's a rare flinch: a slight widening of the eyes, a faint slacking of the jaw, a sudden stiffness in posture. It's subtle, but it's more than she often expresses.
And then, she looks to the side, failing to meet Astrid's gaze.
"...Of course I'd think about the safety of a potential employee."
Seems that aura was shakeable after all.
Astrid's brow furrows looking at Veliky, seeing her freeze up, even slightly. Granted, this is only her fourth or fifth interaction face-to-face with Veliky, so she doesn't quite know everything there is to know about the quarterling, but if the duplicates in the bath were anything to go off of, this kind of behavior isn't indicative of something going through her mind. Is it surprise? Does she dare ask? Oh, she has a question alright.
"Do ya build oversized houses fer 'potential' employees?"
It’s about this time that the door swings open, and Cantio emerges looking… as Cantio does after receiving presumably troubling news.
"So... do I get ta hear it?"
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Post by Cantio von Lumen on May 23, 2023 18:09:03 GMT -5
Cantio takes a breath as he walks beneath the archway into the hall. He takes long strides after her which feel simultaneously too quick and too slow at the behest of the illusionary woman's expression. Nervous butterflies bumble about inside his stomach, settling awkwardly, and making his heart feel just a little heavier. " So... what is it?" he prompts the little woman; his tail swishes back and forth, outwardly signaling his nervous jitters. Like the slow decline of a breeze, the little baroness comes to a stop in font of him. Somehow, even although her stature is short and thin and unimposing in every manner of which can be thought, her far-turned back is like a wall of stone. She begins without so much as turning to face him. " As you heard in there, there was an incident a few months ago involving a mission -- which Astrid was a part of -- that went poorly." She makes a break from her statuesque posture, beginning to pace up and down the hall's width. But she still doesn't face him.
" Astrid was placed in command of a small squad of Blixtbots™, and sent into the ruins of an ancient city below Zeinav. The mission's objective was to recover several artifacts from a buried armoury that'd been recently discovered. They reached the destination, successfully cleared the area of hostiles, and secured the objective. But things went south as a Blixtbot™ involved in the mission -- Buffalo-01, the commander of the other squad -- went rogue. It attacked Astrid's squad, destroying all of the Blixtbots™ under her command and attempting to eliminate Astrid and Wolfe. But they managed to destroy it, and finish the mission." She stops in front of him. " That's what Astrid knows about what happened. But it isn't the whole truth." At last, she looks to him, and her eyes glisten with rime. " The truth is that the whole incident was staged. Buffalo didn't go rogue; it was specifically programmed to turn on Astrid, once certain prerequisites had been met. Astrid's success in the mission, Buffalo's betrayal, and Astrid's success in destroying the Buffalo were all according to the initial plan. It was meant to seem like it had gone rogue; but, in the end, Astrid was never actually in danger." And that concludes her explanation. Hundreds of unanswered questions -- many of which were just now raised -- and yet she doesn't speak another word. And now she looks up at Cantio, awaiting some of these inevitable queries. Cantio just looks at her; there's a lot to take in over the span of the few moments; and the bard is not entirely sure how to begin registering everything she’s just said. “ So… so you…” He trails off, experiencing an awkward barrage of emotions: waves of concern and worry crash over him, followed by a stifled confusion, and then a piercing guilt mingled with all the rest. “ You made it all up?” He keeps his voice hushed, like it’s a secret. On one hand, he’s glad. He’s glad that Astrid was never in danger; it’s a relief to know that she, in fact, was never at the mercy of some rogue Blixtbot™ that had it out for her, but… at the same time, wouldn’t this hurt Astrid’s sense of accomplishment about her ability to look out for herself? “ Veliky, why would you do that? Astrid’s going to be upset if she finds out you staged that whole thing!” He keeps his voice low, tail swishing back and forth with an anxious twinge. " Because she wanted to be an adventurer." There isn't a drop of hesitation to precede her tone, and not an ounce of uncertainty to follow it. It's blatantly, naturally spoken, as if all of Cantio's words were notes and hers were the only possible conclusion -- a textbook, regulation fact. But it leaves many questions of its own, and even she knows this. So, treading past Cantio with shallow strides and an unflinchingly forward gaze, she continues her monotonous recital. " Astrid's adventurous. I'm sure you know that well enough, even if you aren't aware of the full extent of her... exploits. She's accomplished a lot; from dealing with bandits to rescuing stranded merchants, she's aided a lot of people. But that doesn't change how dangerous proper mercenary work can be. Any one of these misadventures could've been her last, and she never would've seen her new father again." She stops in her tracks, and looks back to Cantio with solemnity on her frigid eyes. " I needed to make sure that she was capable enough to survive the life that she's been playing at. So I gave her an enemy that brute force alone couldn't beat, to see how she'd fare." ... She turns away. " Which is also why you're right. Telling her would tarnish that victory and potentially have an impact on her mental state. That's why I haven't told her. Of course, that same decision now falls to you; obviously I can't stop you from telling her, if that's what you want. And as her father, it'd be your decision regardless." As Veliky turns away, Cantio’s shoulders tremble. “ What?” There’s distress that lines the tone of the bard’s usual melodic pitch, causing it to crack mid-word; he steps forwards, tail lashing. “ Veliky, I can’t have this family built on lies, too. I’ve done that once already; let me assure you, it went poorly!” His tone remains hushed, but for once, there’s a bite to his words. “ I know that these things can be dangerous, and I know that they’re dangerous for her, but— you can’t just—” He starts to falter, the feelings coalescing into overwhelming frustration. “ — Even if it wasn’t real to you, that stuff was real to her! What’s that going to do to her confidence, knowing that all of that was staged? What if she loses her will to adventure? What if she—” Cantio trips over his own tongue, biting on it through his set jaw while he struggles to find the words. All the while, Veliky is unflinching. Not one emotion plays over her stone-cold expression as Cantio speaks his case -- no empathy or, at least, no sympathy that she'd willfully show. She's patient, to wait for him to finish his thoughts -- but not so patient as to let his silence last for long. " You're already weighing the cons. Good." And as he struggles for answers, she plainly turns away. " I did what was necessary; the consequences were nominal. Whether or not you agree is your choice." She begins to march away with her slight, yet authorative strides, back toward the door. But not before leaving one last drop of doubt. " Just don't make the wrong one." And, she leaves Cantio there to dwell.
It’s a few minutes from Veliky’s return that Cantio actually returns to the room. There’s an exhaustion in his golden eyes which wasn’t there before, a flush in his cheeks, and an ache in his chest; the moment Veliky had left, he felt everything fall apart around him. He’s been in a box for a month; hasn’t ate properly in that same amount of time; and to have this placed on his shoulders? It was the final straw. The sudden pressure to make… ‘the right’ decision… the walls of the house closing in around him, fading the corners of his vision with a vice grip on his heart while he slunk down against the wall and clutched the sides of his head. He is fine, now, as he paces back into the room; but the remnants of those moments in the hall when he just wanted to wish away every word Veliky had told him linger in his golden eyes for yet a moment, before they’re blink away upon seeing Astrid. He just wants to do something right; but unfortunately, Cantio is young and inexperienced, and he is prone to projection and doubt. He wants to see Astrid succeed, but despite his frustrated plea to Veliky, he can’t help but think that her confidence might be shaken by what he’s heard; and he doesn’t… want Astrid to be like him. She’s strong, and she’s resilient, and she’s confident; and Cantio thinks she can do so much if she holds onto those things. “I…” Cantio starts, wringing his hands together; he takes a deep breath, shoulders rising, before he looks up at Astrid with a weak smile. “She told me about… what happened with Buffalo, and all of the details, and... how they went rogue, and I just…” His smile falters a bit at those words; his chest feels heavier, and this house feels bigger; is it wrong to lie if he thinks he's protecting her?
Maybe he's a lot more like his parents than he ever thought he was.
Still, Cantio does his best to shoulder the guilt; he steps forwards and scoops Astrid into a tight hug.
"I'm just... I'm just glad you're okay after all of that..."
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Post by Veliky on Jun 7, 2023 1:53:13 GMT -5
Another hug... Again, for what feels the umpteenth time today, someone leans down to another's level and wraps them in some facsimile of safety. It's between Astrid and Cantio again, thankfully not involving Veliky this time. And Veliky supposes she can understand, though she worries that it's more for Cantio's benefit than Astrid's.
In the end, he chose exactly as Veliky had anticipated. And he'd made the decision that she'd consider the correct one: the one that adheres to reason instead of succumbing to emotion, the one that weighs the pros and cons and accordingly makes its judgement. It's a sound decision. But she'd also seen his hesitation; she knows uncertainty when she sees it. And, knowing this, as she watches the embrace between Astrid and the fell whose diffidence is plain in the furrowing of his crimson skin, she'd be remiss not to wonder if he made this decision out of logic or weakness.
She sighs blankly, still holding a regal stance. Or rather, one of the Veliki do -- the replicant who stands beside the living-chair where the true Veliky is seated, the true Veliky who does not watch the whole affair at all. Her eyes are cast aside, to the cookies that've gone completely untouched. And while it's a subtle-enough gesture to be passed over by most, she is unfortunately in the presence of a rare individual that is extremely receptive of such subtle clues. And that person, of course, is herself (or, rather, the replicant, who looks sidelong at the true Veliky with disillusion).
"...Faa gjam enag wul tam faa. (...You let her get to you.)"
The true Veliky doesn't respond with the viscera that an accusation should incite; she doesn't bother faking such a thing in front of herself. She just raises her shoulders, like a turtle receding into its shell, and still not facing the replicant or the embracing duo.
"Fin wie. (Dispel.)" Is all she utters. And then a silence hangs between them; it isn't an awkward silence, like between estranged friends. It's the silence one shares only with themself, and themself alone: an understanding so profound that words are not needed. Why would they speak? They know one-another perfectly. They know each-other's thoughts, they know one-another's feelings.
And yet, in a paradox of psychology, it's for that exact same reason that one more word is spoken by the replicant when it closes those ice-blue eyes.
"Greaedoe. (Useless.)" And then, like webbing in an arcane flame, it deconstitutes into the mana that created an image so real that even Veliky couldn't tell the difference.
Its absence does nothing to avail Veliky. Its disappearance lifts no weight off her shoulders, and doesn't undo what was said. Why would it? She was the one that said it.
...
Regardless, she can't sit here forever, nor would she want to. With the professional grace that she always exudes, she hops from the chair and lands with two tiny thuds on the rug. For reasons that few could blame her for, she looks exhausted, though it doesn't register in her voice.
"Unless there's anything else the two of you need," she begins with closed eyes, tiredly adjusting one glove, "I'll be leaving. There'll be some paperwork in Cantio's bedroom; nothing difficult, but it's informative. And please -- please -- remember what I said about lying low."
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