Noble
IS OFFLINE
40
Renown
Half-Halfling, Half-Goblin
Arrived in the Booba Stratosphere
766 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Veliky on Mar 5, 2023 23:21:23 GMT -5
She was too late.
The tiny footprints in the dust lead to a still, stopped Veliky, whose extended hand slowly falls to her side. She couldn't do anything. And now, with Astrid trapped in the being's confines, Veliky can do nothing as the entity encroaches upon her. It knows what she knows - that she is defenceless, that it need not use magic or mayhem to conquer the little quarterling before it. It's over.
'Veliky... you idiot. Why didn't you do anything? Why did you just sit there and watch?' Guilt. Guilt and shame.
She closes her eyes to avert from the being's piercing glow. But even so, she can feel space bending around her as it draws closer. And even so, she knows that this is the end. And even so, she can still see Astrid's face, frozen in fear for all eternity because Veliky simply couldn't save her...
"Maa mo das tam vida-ekk..."
No. She's being a fool, and she knows it. How could she just sit there and watch? Indeed, how could she, even now?! She doesn't know if Astrid can be saved. But she does know that it damn well won't happen if she just lets herself be taken by this extraplanar piece of shit. She needs to act. She needs to try, and latch onto whatever fraction of a possibility there might be! And to do that, she needs to fight.
Without even opening her eyes, she brings one of her fists upward in an uppercut! Such a strike from her should be painless. But, defying all logic and seemingly fate itself, her fist clashes against the entity's membrane with a great flash of light[1] that sends it reeling! Only now does she look, revealing her eyes played over with melted rime, face twisted into a sneer against the blinding light. Like an animal, she cries and leaps forward, digging her fingers into the existential skin!
The sensation is like nothing she's ever known. It's like forcing a hand through pure force, with all of the resistance and none of the texture. Residual lightning arcs past Veliky's face; she can feel it burning her skin. But she won't stop.
Clawing a hand in either direction as tendrils of the being's existence spike past her, she begins to pry. Blinding light creeps up her forearms, overtaking her little by little! But so too does the entity begin to falter as Veliky widens a hole in the ethereal membrane!
She can see Astrid, through it. And that terrified, frozen expression... it seems to say 'Is this the end?' just as Veliky has moments ago.
But now, she shakes her head. And between gritted teeth, she spits "Not today, Astrid." before ripping the matter open in a single, visceral wrenching of clawed fingers! She cannot know if it feels pain, or if it could even understand such a concept, but she hopes it does. It's ruptured exterior warbles and begins to ebb away like paper in a flame. And, from between the gaps in its being, Astrid and the Rook come spilling out.
1. Angelic Light
|
|
The Tinkertons
IS ONLINE
26/53
Renown
Dragon's Cradle
We're gonna get Zarius back.
1,874 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Mar 6, 2023 21:43:29 GMT -5
Her time trapped within the origin matter seems negligible. As soon as she's entered, to her, she's immediately pulled free again, the surprised scream finishing its note only for Astrid to realize she's being pulled away from the creature by... Veliky?? Oh, thank Avasha. Astrid takes a breath, barely managing to cut the electricity sparking off her form away from striking Veliky and turning her attention to the looming, warbling ball of broken space only a couple feet away.
"Ah, no, I'm done with this thin'," she says with a tone that can only be described as a disillusioned annoyance.
With her hammer held fast in her left hand, she points the head of it directly at the creature. The air becomes a dense cold as frost gathers at the side of Astrid's face, the electric blue glow in her eyes reflecting the pale icy blue of her hammer. A tiny mote of light gathers around her hammer's head then focuses into a sudden burst of cold energy erupting from the hammer as a beam of frost. All the fury of a blizzard is concentrated in the magic that streaks from the weapon, and it strikes the origin matter's surface, scattering a frozen film across it. If the creature could shriek, it would, but the sound of icy magic enveloping it so rapidly shrieks in its stead.
After half a minute of intense concentration, howling winds, and righteous fury, the creature's form stops shifting, frozen in time just as its victims were. Then it simply shatters. A hail of glass sloughs from its form until it's nothing more than a pile of melting ice on the ground.
Astrid lets gravity take hold of her hammer, her arm falling down beside her. "We did i..." Before she can finish the victory cry, the toll from using an overwhelming amount of magic sends her to sleep in Veliky's lap.
Active effects: Frost Pulse Sleepytime Tea
Passives: War Hammer - (spellblade bond - returning, weightless, electrified), Pale Ice, Heavy Battle hammer - ice rune, silvered, weapon tether Diplopia Armor - gives an afterimage, making it difficult to accurately strike the target Lightning Resistance Charged Particles/Extended Charge - lightning damage charges the enemy for 2 posts; if they take lightning damage again during this time, the damage is doubled and they become paralyzed for 2 posts (no physical attack/defense, but can cast spells) - this ends the charge Unstoppable bolt - Lightning abilities ignore resistance/immunity Storm Lord - physical touch causes moderate lightning damage and paralysis, preventing the affected from using a physical attack/defense for their next post. They can still cast spells.
|
|
Noble
IS OFFLINE
40
Renown
Half-Halfling, Half-Goblin
Arrived in the Booba Stratosphere
766 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Veliky on Mar 8, 2023 23:37:53 GMT -5
Sleep. Well-earned sleep after a battle well-fought. In the stories, there is often an unspoken lapse of time between the climax and the epilogue. When victory is secured, what need is there to tell of all the settling down and minutia before the resolution? There is none, and it's a commonly held storytelling rule that one shouldn't include anything that isn't necessary.
But perhaps there's another reason that such things are not included. Because, while the climax and epilogue hold much drama and excitement, those unspoken hours of downtime hold something quite less fun: aches. Aches in plenty. A well-earned slumber may be utterly divine after a hard-fought battle, but waking up from said slumber is utter agony.
Veliky feels this, holding an arm and groaning as she sits in an uncomfortable, wooden chair that had to be moved into the room. Everything hurts, from her legs that dragged her up the Dragon's Spine to her arms that had to pry open the epidermis of a ball made out of space. Her core, too, is aflame (she isn't sure why, but it is). Sitting and looking up at the ceiling, with evening light shining through the window, she is utterly miserable. The Blixt™[1] only did so much.
But she hasn't slept. Not yet. She's felt every moment as the ache slowly crept into her muscles and bones, until she reached a point of debilitating anguish. She should be asleep. She wants to be asleep. So why is she still awake, sitting in a chair and waiting?
Well... she need only look forward for her reminder. The chair she's sat in is placed beside a bed. And in that bed is a still-unconscious Astrid.
Her expression softens. Astrid hasn't awoken since then. And, even since she returned to the manor with Astrid in tow, she's been sitting here, merely waiting. She's never seen Astrid use that magic before. She can't know what sort of backlash it may've had on the little half-dwarf. And if there's one thing Veliky despises, it's not knowing things.
Especially when the stakes are so high.
1. (Major Health Potion) Blixt™ SuperPlus (Rook-13)
|
|
The Tinkertons
IS ONLINE
26/53
Renown
Dragon's Cradle
We're gonna get Zarius back.
1,874 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Mar 10, 2023 22:25:33 GMT -5
Sleep. Well-earned after a battle well-fought. Well-taken, too. Astrid’s quite good at sleeping just about anywhere and everywhere, a skill hard-learned on the streets but one that’s been useful for resting while adventuring.
Because the ice beam drains her mana resources, Astrid doesn’t use it often, but sometimes it’s necessary to pull out a hail-mary like that. It was the only thing she thought strong enough to finish off that space orb, and she might not have used it were she alone. She wasn’t alone though, and sleep took her faster and more easily than Veliky kidnapped Cantio.
With her extremely heavy hammer and layers of armor, it would have been impossible for Veliky to carry Astrid back on her own. Luckily, Charles wasn’t too far away and makes a good pack mule that obeys Veliky’s orders, however, the BlixtbotTM completes the task of collecting Astrid in a strange order of operations. He first collects Astrid’s hammer and sets it on the ground beside her, then the clumsy bot squats down and lifts one of Astrid’s hands to make contact with the icy weapon.
He does offer an explanation though in a gentle tone unfitting of other models. “Mistress Veliky, report: Mistress Astrid’s war hammer possesses healing capabilities. She does not need to make a conscious effort. Request: please observe.”
When Astrid’s hand touches the hammer, lightning crackles along the weapon, linking her to it. There’s a soft glow from the hammer, and little arcs of electricity travel along Astrid’s battered form. Everywhere rocks hit her like bullets, the lightning touches her skin and heals her. It’s a quick process, one that might wake her up were she knocked unconscious from a bout of physical exhaustion. Though she’s covered in dirt and sweat, Astrid looks otherwise unharmed.
The trudge back to the manor is to the beat of Pawn model footfalls. It’s a good thing Cantio wasn’t home, or Veliky, in her exhaustion, would have been met with a plethora of worried questions and fretting. Charles dutifully takes Astrid to her room, the largest in the manor that feels much too big for one girl. It’s nearly empty save for a bed, desk, and armor stand, which are all shoved into one corner and arranged with a room divider to make the space feel more cozy and less lonely. Unlike her workshop, which is usually tidy when she’s not working on projects, dirty clothes litter the floor – a sign Cantio hasn’t been home in a few days.
Laid out at the end of her bed is a little blue and white owl onesie that reminds Veliky of the orange tabby one Astrid gifted to her not long ago. It’s well-loved, having likely been washed many times over. The soft fabric is roughened by little pearls of threads built up over time. There are a handful of small patches in it as well: two in the lower abdominal area, one in the upper arm. It’d be easy to surmise she wears this around the house or to bed often.
Charles assists Veliky in removing Astrid’s armor and hanging it as neatly as he is capable on the stand. One buckle catches the edge of the girl’s shirt and pulls it up slightly before it frees itself, revealing two small, round scars on one side of her stomach. Each dime sized scar branches out with tiny tendrils of tissue that indicate there may have been some kind of acid or poison used on whatever created them. It’s likely they could have been much worse if she or her partner in that fight didn’t have some sort of healing abilities.
When her gloves come off, they uncover many more minor scars on her forearms and hands. Most are indicative of hard work or typical scratches a child might receive. Some cuts look dealt by a blade. Callouses litter her palms from using her hammers. Her left forearm has scarring reminiscent of minor burns, but their source is a mystery.
Even with gloves and armor, she’s never truly protected.
Despite all the movement, Astrid remains in a deep slumber. Veliky should sleep too, but instead she remains watchful over the foundling. Eventually, warm orange light from the sunset in Dragon’s Cradle peeks through the window, casting long shadows throughout the room. It’s at this time that Astrid finally stirs, slowly coming back to consciousness and stretching with a big yawn as if she merely took a nap.
“Ugh,” she groans, half-squeaking as a particularly good stretch pulls just the right muscles. After the burst of healing from her hammer, she’s not plagued by many aching or pains. The sleep could have been longer though. As she sits up, she looks around blearily and realizes she’s at home, and it’s quite late in the day. That wasn’t just a quick nap.
She quickly realizes that she can’t move her right arm, and her shoulder just moves and things under the skin pull in uncomfortable ways. Astrid pats herself and realizes that her arm is there, she can feel it, and hoo is it uncomfortable. That misplaced knob can’t be good. The cogs in her mind turn quickly while she tries to think about how to fix this, but she’s quickly distracted by Spicy Pawsage begging for attention.
"Hi, Spicy," Astrid coos. "Doncha worry, I'm just fine. Good boy."
Having paced the room a while then found himself in an anxious rest beside the bed, Spicy Pawsage immediately jumps to his feet at the sound of Astrid's groaning. The hound forces his nose into her hand, nuzzling a hot muzzle against her. Astrid pets him, stroking his head and ears in the way she knows he likes, and he sits down, keeping his head on the edge of the bed, looking at her with all the concern any canine would have for their master. His black tail, interwoven with glowing patches of red and orange, swishes across the floor.
When she sees Veliky sitting beside her, a mix of conflicting emotions flows through Astrid. There’s relief that she’s alright and guilt that she was a burden on the tired quarterling. Wait, is she… She looks worried, or at least as worried as Veliky would allow herself to look. A bit more guilt seeps in, but she covers it with a sleepy smile.
“Oh, hey Miss Veliky,” Astrid says. “Are ya alright? Yer not hurt, right? Is the… space ball gone? We musta won if we're home.”
Sharing Essence [1/2 per topic]
|
|
Noble
IS OFFLINE
40
Renown
Half-Halfling, Half-Goblin
Arrived in the Booba Stratosphere
766 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Veliky on Mar 15, 2023 3:57:28 GMT -5
...
She's okay. After all and more, the little smith is okay. And Veliky's mien is as cold as ever as she lets out a long, tired breath.
"Yes, Astrid." Her tone, in discordance with her words, is resigned. "We defeated it. The mission was successful. And yes, I'm fine; I didn't have both arms dislocated, and I wasn't slurped into the target's membrane like some sort of pasta. And that, unfortunately, makes only one of us."
Her eyes, for a moment, are drawn to Spicy Pawsage, whom she gives a sidelong look that seems to say "No, not you." before closing her eyes altogether.
Yes, the mission was complete. Yes, Astrid's safe -- for the moment, at least, and any lasting damage can be healed with magic or potions. That battle that'd been such a struggle, that'd very nearly killed both of them; is now just another report, just another mission, just another success, just another memory, just another scar.
...
In the evening's warm glow, muted by the Cradle's haze, Veliky's face seems so scholarishly contemplative, like a painting from a nostalgic noble's gallery.
"Astrid," Veliky finally and quietly says, opening her eyes, "I need you to make me a promise. Promise that, when there comes a time that you're able to retire, you'll jump on it in an instant. No more jobs, no more quests. I know how passionate you are about adventuring, but that doesn't change the math. At the rate you're going, if you keep going, there'll be a job you don't come back from. Every scar is a mistake, and every mistake could be the last thing you ever do. And when there's nothing left to be gained, even the slightest risk won't be worth it... Can you promise me that?"
|
|
The Tinkertons
IS ONLINE
26/53
Renown
Dragon's Cradle
We're gonna get Zarius back.
1,874 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Mar 18, 2023 14:47:18 GMT -5
Astrid’s brow furrows when she hears Veliky’s tone. There’s no triumph, no hint of pleasure. The space creature was defeated, but here she is being a downer about the situation. “I dunno what ya mean by ‘unfortunately,’” she says. “Yer alright; that matters, don’t it?”
Feeling her shoulder pull a little, Astrid winces slightly. At least it’s just a dislocation and not a broken bone. “An’ it was just one arm, I can still move this one!” With that, she wiggles her fingers of her left arm. “The other one’s easy enough ta fix. Just a little push in the right place.”
It’s not that she’s trying to be blasé about getting hurt, but she’s been in worse pinches, she thinks. From some of them, she’s come out a lot more battered and a lot more disheartened. Not this one though. Besides, better that she’s the one that got a little banged up and not someone who can’t take it. Who knows what kind of damage or number of people that creature could have hurt?
But Veliky doesn’t see things in exactly the same way, does she?
Finally, the quarterling speaks again. A promise? Astrid’s brows crinkle together into a deeper furrow while Veliky says her piece. Veliky wants her…to retire? Not now, but someday. Maybe… that’s okay. Maybe she could stand to slow down a little bit. She’s done so much in a short time. It’s not even been a year since the two of them met, and already so much has changed. It’s not like she has anyone to impress, either.
So why does she try so hard? Why does she push so hard to keep going and going? What’s the purpose of it all? She has a job, a home, people who care about her – a real family who loves her and would hate to lose her. What does she hope to accomplish by continuing? Especially after…
Astrid’s eyes fall, looking down at her one hand in her lap.
What if what happened to Vikram happens to her? His words echo in her mind, and tears threaten to well up remembering his last moments. “I beg you, live well. You are strong, one of the strongest I have ever known. But…but… Please, don’t allow the pursuit of it to be its own end.”
But… Astrid’s pursuit isn’t strength for its own sake. She wants to be strong to protect the people she loves. That’s what she did today, at least from her perspective. She protected people and places she cares about, and if she got a little banged up in the process, then that’s alright.
There’s resolve in Astrid’s expression when she looks at Veliky, her bright green eyes meeting Veliky’s cold blue ones. “Every scar I got means someone else didn't get hurt,” she says. Then she lets her shoulders fall, not trying to look like she’s challenging Veliky necessarily. “Well… Some of ‘em are mistakes. Mistakes are alright, though. That’s how we learn, ain’t it? I didn’t make the helmet fer ya on me first try.”
Astrid lets out a heavy sigh. Veliky isn’t even scolding her, which seems…odd. But Astrid can recall at least one situation where she almost didn’t come out at all. She wouldn’t have made it out of those without someone at her side. “I don’t do anythin’ on me own if I can help it. It’s easier ta rely on people ta watch me back. And…I guess… havin’ folks ta come back home ta means I gotta try that much harder not ta get too hurt.”
Her eyes look down again. She knows what it feels like to be left behind. “I’m always gonna come back,” she whispers.
|
|
Noble
IS OFFLINE
40
Renown
Half-Halfling, Half-Goblin
Arrived in the Booba Stratosphere
766 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Veliky on Apr 7, 2023 2:34:59 GMT -5
...It isn't far from the answer Veliky was expecting -- that Astrid doesn't mind getting hurt, if it means that someone else doesn't; that making mistakes isn't a bad thing; and a promise that she'll always come back. Colloquialisms aside, they're precisely the same words she's heard from dozens of adventurers, would-be and veteran alike. She has their confidence, their nobility, and perhaps even a shred of their ego -- a shred that will assuredly grow, with time, fed by the success that she seems to have an affinity for. Whether this speaks to Astrid's maturity, or to the relative immaturity of most so-called adventurers, Veliky cannot say. But what she can say is what she knows for certain: a plain and simple fact that she's learned, sourced from data collected over a wearisome period of seeing these so-called adventurers march off into the depths whose shadows they'd forgotten how to fear, and never return. They are wrong. No matter how certain they may be of their abilities, their success and survival will always be dependant on a percentage-chance; and any probability, like a hungry crocodile, will snap if tempted enough times. Their courage is their bane, the wind that raises them high into the air until their wings burn in the sun. Like the greed of thieves, like the madness of scholars, bravery is the hubris of the hero (or heroine, in this instance).
Unwaveringly, she holds her frigid gaze on Astrid, testing just how certain the foundling is of her words. In secret, she hopes Astrid will crack; after all, if Astrid's confidence is enough to ignore Veliky's warnings, then it will certainly be enough to ignore her own in times of adversity. It takes some effort not to flinch as she sees the little creature's warped arm... calling such a thing a 'scar' feels like a substantial understatement. It reminds her, again, of all the times she's seen similar wounds on her hirelings, and not just on the living. She also recalls all the grisly ways that she's seen the Blixtbots™ maimed and destroyed: she's seen their steel endoskeletons snap, and pierce through their tin hulls; she's seen their pectoral plates peeled back like the skin of an orange, to reveal to grinding mechanisms beneath; she's watched as their skulls were slowly crushed, eye-lenses shattering, emitting cries of artificial pain before the final CRUNCH, and the silence that followed. All these tortures would be revolting -- traumatizing, even -- if they were enacted on a living being. But then, that is the bots' value: they are not living beings. They can be crushed, maimed and melted; and no-one would care.
But Astrid...
...
Finally releasing her gaze and looking down, Veliky lets out an exasperated sigh. No, she doesn't believe Astrid's promise for even a heartbeat; she's rarely one to admit promises at all. There's no true weight to a promise. They're unpredictable, something she can't properly factor into her existential calculus. She isn't one to simply hope against misfortune, because she knows just how deceptively persistent misfortune can be. She prefers to negate the issue entirely, killing it at the root.
But when that root is death, killing it becomes a rather difficult issue. To negate death? Such a thing shouldn't be possible. It's one of nature's constants. At least, it is for most...
As she raises her head again, Veliky draws a long and congested inhalation. The orange evening light washes over her face like a gentle waterfall. "No. You won't." she breathes with plain, cold rejection. It sounds like a conclusory statement, and her eyes are full of such certainty, which makes her continuation quite unexpected. "At least, not just by saying so. If you're really going to be running around, fighting monsters that could level Sol City and hoping to be back to Cantio for dinner, then we'll need to take certain... precautions."
She pauses, looking down and considering just how much she should actually say. Astrid tends to not be as tight-lipped as Veliky would like, so being too open with her is an unfortunately tenuous prospect. The need-to-know basis holds prominent.
"Sometime soon, I'm going to send you a message. Don't die before then. Understood?"
|
|
The Tinkertons
IS ONLINE
26/53
Renown
Dragon's Cradle
We're gonna get Zarius back.
1,874 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on Apr 15, 2023 23:24:49 GMT -5
The length of time Veliky holds her cold stare on Astrid creates a tension in the room that one might cut with a knife – or in Astrid’s case, smash with a hammer. But Astrid’s own determined expression doesn’t waver. She’s learned that this is Veliky’s way of worrying, to try to keep some distance while giving commands in some effort to avoid hurt. But pain is a part of life, and dealing with that pain determines what kind of person one might be. To avoid pain is to avoid something that could teach.
Scars don’t have to be physical to be a lesson.
When Veliky’s gaze finally falls away from Astrid, the girl takes a moment to try and figure out how to make her shoulder functional again. She pokes and prods, avoiding the winces that well up, until she thinks she has some idea of what to do. Gripping her shoulder with strong hands, Astrid shoves her arm back into her socket with a loud pop.
”Ouuuch,” she finally grimaces as quietly as possible. Cautiously, she tests the motion. Things seem to be in order even if they’re sore.
That’s when Veliky finally rejects her assertion that she will make it home, and Astrid turns her attention back on the quarterling. With motion back in her arm, the half-dwarf starts to cross hers in protest only to hesitate when Veliky unexpectedly continues. “Precautions?” she echoes. Astrid isn’t sure what Veliky could mean by that, especially with how cryptic the businesswoman can be. She could just say what she means.
A look of exasperation – well, more like annoyance – crosses Astrid’s face. “Aye, I’m not plannin’ ta die no time soon, ya know,” she says. But the tone quickly shifts to something more melancholic. “I know folks don’t really plan ta die. I know that dyin’...really hurts fer the folks that get left behind.” The evening light catches the perfectly polished blade of a scimitar hung on the wall, a weapon that doesn’t really suit Astrid whatsoever. Her eyes land on it for a long moment.
Rather unexpectedly, Astrid swings her legs over the edge of the bed and gets up, feeling things out and finding that she can stand just fine despite the soreness. She looks around the room for her icy war hammer and finds it neatly sat in the corner, probably by Charles when he brought her in. She goes over and picks it up, hefting it with relative ease and turning to face Veliky. The weapon glows softly in her hand, a blue light emanating as lightning that sparks along the haft dances up Astrid’s arm to the rest of her body. Cuts and bruises heal with each tickle of electricity that touches her skin. While she’s still covered in dirt, she is completely healed.
She sets the hammer down softly, though the floor creaks under its weight, then she starts going through her things until she finds the little bead on a metal hook that Veliky gave her some time ago. With full confidence, she sets it in her ear then returns to sit on the edge of the bed, looking at Veliky expectantly, waiting for her to do the same before she speaks.
Alright, auntie, Astrid’s voice says firmly over a mental connection. What’re ya plannin’ an’ why don’t ya trust me? It’s not necessarily an accusation, just a statement. Veliky has trust issues, which is evident by how she is controlling as a means of being protective, but that’s all rooted in fear, and it’s a fear that Astrid hasn’t quite figured out its roots.
I know I got eaten by the space ball, but I went into that fight trustin’ that ya wouldn’t let nothin’ serious happen, she continues. Same as I trust Cantio ta come back, same as I trust Wolfe ta have me back, I trust ya ta watch out fer me same as I’d watch out fer ya. Astrid’s shoulders fall a little. I know it’s just a buncha words, but sayin’ stuff is just as important as doin’ it. I trust yer word. Can ya trust mine?
Sharing Essence Red Rogue's Hood
|
|
Noble
IS OFFLINE
40
Renown
Half-Halfling, Half-Goblin
Arrived in the Booba Stratosphere
766 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Veliky on Apr 16, 2023 19:52:44 GMT -5
When Astrid swings her legs over and stands, the abruptness tells Veliky that it's some form of annoyance. It isn't surprising; in honesty, Veliky experiences similar frustrations when secrets are kept from her. But that's because information is intrinsic to Veliky's job; being kept from it would be like Astrid being kept from the Lightning Forge.
She watches quietly, as Astrid picks up the hammer and holds it aloft. The ensuing glow is quick to remind Veliky of her headache. And it reminds her, oddly, of a few other adventurers she's known... How Astrid came to learn these techniques is beyond her, but she's seen the same magic used by more experienced adventurers like Castien. A bond between weapon and man -- one that can only be achieved through a near-obsessive practice of both weaponry and magic. How Astrid achieved this is a mystery.
But what she produces next is not so mysterious. That little bead: standard equipment among many Platinum Corp operatives... and the device Veliky specifically instructed Astrid to use when talking about more personal matters. Immediately, Veliky can feel the dread sinking into her, knowing that what Astrid intends can only be a highly uncomfortable conversation. The feint of seriousness in the half-dwarf's eyes, half-glowing in the sunset's half-light, only serves to confirm this.
Astrid sets the bead, and Veliky immediately feels the little blip of a new telepathic target. That expectant look... right.
Veliky sighs and taps the lobe of her ear, showing that her copy of the device[1] is already resting in her ear. Veliky's always connected -- even when she's sleeping -- to the point that she views the telepathy as another common sense, like sight and sound. There's that little crackle that she's heard so many times before, and then a stern tone buzzing through. Veliky closes her eyes as she listens, nursing her headache and hearing Astrid's voice like a song -- one she's heard too many times before.
Trust... perhaps, to her, it's more like a joke than a song.
Her eyes open softly, but without muting the sharpened frost that reveals itself.
I don't trust people. Spoken plainly, like fact. And brass light glints on the corporate sincerity in her irises. Even if you believe that someone's being sincere when they tell you something, there are still infinite factors that can break that promise: what are they up against if they want to keep that promise? If they're keeping a secret, what are the odds that they'll screw up and let it slip? How competent are they?
Her eyes narrow in that way that Astrid's seen too many times.
I trust numbers. I run the odds, and I choose the best option -- the best people -- for whatever job I want done and whatever secret I want kept. And I don't give away anything that I can't afford to lose, if I can help it. You trusted me to keep you safe during that fight.
...Her tone hints at a continuation. But there's a prolonged pause, a silence filled only with cerebral static. And then, for just a brief moment, her eyes become downcast.
But I came close to failing you. We barely got out of there alive... It was a gamble, and it almost got you killed.
...
Another pause. The silence carries its own grief, stretching through every melancholic stage until what is left is a sedimentary mellow. She's looking down, away from Astrid...
A long, heraldic breath breaks the silence. If you want to know why I'm not telling you, there are two reasons: firstly, because I don't entirely know *what* we're going to do, as there'll be a mountain of details that I'll have to finalize; and secondly, because you -- by your own admission -- have difficulty keeping things secret. Informational security is crucial to this company, and the need-to-know basis is an imperative. So...
Pain suddenly shoots through her head. 'Damned headache... I really need to get some rest.' Closing her eyes, her tone becomes more like an exasperated plea. So just wait, alright? I'll message you once there's something to show.
1. (Red Rogue's Hood) Clandestine Rogue's Earpiece
|
|
The Tinkertons
IS ONLINE
26/53
Renown
Dragon's Cradle
We're gonna get Zarius back.
1,874 POSTS & 0 LIKES
|
Post by Lady Astrid Stormstone on May 17, 2023 21:37:03 GMT -5
I don’t trust people.
Everything on Astrid’s face seems completely unsurprised, and at this point, she has enough energy to look exasperated. Of course, Veliky doesn’t trust people; that’s the whole reason Astrid started this conversation. But the girl holds off on any comments for now and listens to Veliky and her reasoning. She wants to understand, and she wants to do whatever she can to quell those fears because fears have a source of some sort, logical or not. Astrid’s had to overcome some of her fears, but even she knows that they never truly go away – it can take a lot of trust, especially in people.
Instead, Veliky trusts numbers. Astrid’s brow furrows at that. There are a couple of things to process in that statement. On one hand, it’s kind of nice that Veliky considers that she can’t afford to lose Astrid, and during their time together, Astrid’s confident that it’s so Veliky can avoid the pain of loss – something else Astrid has had to learn to deal with.
Astrid’s shoulders fall tiredly, and the look on her face shows some kind of wisdom beyond the years of any average child with a typical upbringing. Understanding mixes with melancholy, but a hint of pity for Veliky seeps through. In her time adventuring, Astrid’s been through a lot, but even before that, she had painful experiences. But recently, some of the moments adventuring have been her most harrowing. Even if she’s spoken to Cantio about the events in Sol City and found some way to process them, that doesn’t mean she’s simply forgotten them or moved on. Given what Astrid knows about Veliky, the quarterling has probably never let herself feel truly vulnerable with anyone.
That requires trust.
I get it, she finally says. Math don’t lie. Two an’ two always make four. It’s dependable. Astrid pauses as if to consider how to continue. People are harder ta depend on. They do irrational stuff when they’re scared. They lash out, they leave, they… die… If she were speaking aloud, her voice would crack. But people got other qualities too. They can do what numbers can’t. They can change the odds. If ya need somethin’ ta go against the odds, ya can trust flesh an’ blood ta go beyond. Bots’ll look at the odds an’ say somethin’ ain’t likely, an’ they won’t even try. But ya get the right person in there, an’ they’ll take impossible odds an’ still make somethin’ happen.
Meeting Veliky’s eyes, Astrid’s melancholy is replaced with a quiet determination. Ya pick the right person fer the job ‘cause ya trust ‘em ta get it done, no matter the odds. Then her expression softens. People ain’t machines. They do stuff that can hurt us, so we stick with people we love ‘cause we trust ‘em not ta hurt us if they can.
Her eyes drift over toward the bedroom door that leads down an empty hall to an empty home. She and Blue and Cantio do their best to be home at the same time and spend time together, but it doesn’t always work out that way. ...I was real scared when I didn’t hear from Cantio fer a while – ya know, when ya stuffed him in a box – an’ it took a lot fer me ta trust that he’d get in touch with me when he could. Now I don’t worry so much when he’s gone fer a while. Astrid’s eyes cut to Veliky again, one corner of her mouth pulled up as she snidely continues, Even after ya made me worry like that, I still try ta spend time with ya.
There’s something worrisome about how Astrid approaches Veliky. It’s probably the comfortable confidence and the way the kid seems to loom over the quarterling. Ain’t no better way ta get ta yer gooey center somewhere under there. With one finger, Astrid playfully pokes Veliky’s cheek, an amused smile on her face. I’m gettin’ pretty close, I think. Then she exits her “auntie’s” personal space with a step back. Somehow, after that prodding, Veliky feels a comforting warmth wash over her.[1]
Why don’t we work on the details together? Astrid offers, crossing her arms. Otherwise, yer askin' me ta trust ya about somethin' I don't know nothin' about! It's a two way street, ya know! Besides, I can keep secrets. I got lotsa secrets! For instance, lots of people don’t know about Blue Raspberry being an ooze. She’s been covering for them for months! I don’t tell no one about me projects fer ya, an’ if yer big plan involves creatin’ somethin’, I wanna be part of it. She's incessant sometimes.
1. Comrade’s Patch - heal all ally’s minor wounds 1/topic
|
|