eswareinmal | 1st Orb - 4th of Rebirth's Decline

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1st Orb - 4th of Rebirth's Decline

[A: Action – early to mid-afternoon around Schwanheim]

[Hiding in plain sight takes on a literal meaning when you’re a rogue. Ginia had read books seen movies, and played games with rogues and thieves in them. She knew the archetype and figured if this was a world of fantasy and fairy tales, it was worth a shot. It was also a good distraction for herself. After a night of dreams too dangerously real and tempting, Ginia needs something to focus all her attention on as a distraction. She spends all morning trying to pick up the finer points of stealthy arts and after a few hours, has managed a more sneaky and translucent state. She’s still tangible, still capable of making noise if she doesn’t watch where her feet step or if her clothes rustle too much, but translucent and almost invisible in the shadows. In the afternoon, she decides to test her newfound ability out against other people and heads into the village proper.

The test is easy enough; pick a target, tail them for as long as possible and as closely as possible, apologize or run when discovered. Restealth somewhere safe, find a new target, repeat until tired. Be a target, catch her as she’s following someone else, watch her as she’s watching other people, anything goes.]

[B: Orb – late afternoon]

[Later in the day, Ginia ventures forward with her first message on the orb. Unable to speak, and with the hunch most people wouldn’t know American Sign Language, Ginia improvises by writing out a message in her journal and slowly panning it over the words she's written.]

Can anyone tell me about the different areas in this region? I’m particularly interested in the thorns and the Two Faced Forest, but any information will be of great use. I want to explore some of the areas, but hardly want to go in unprepared.

Thank you in advance.

Please feel free to speak your response. I’m unable to talk so I have to write. I apologize for the inconvenience.

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Ah. I see. Everything always does seem a bit different in the daytime I find. [ Party last night, right. Helios takes a moment to remember what exactly he did afterwards, aside from going to bed, he read a little, practiced some of his sigils. Then he went to bed. He snatches a small glance back at Ginia before looking back in front of him. The dreams...

He'll blink managing a small chuckle and smile at Ginia's word. ] Well he certainly wasn't allowed to conduct any more spells of that nature by himself afterwards. I-I think it's more alarming when you, ah, become invisible against your will really. [ The man being a bit loud mouth was his only saving grace of actually being caught. And also the fact that he liked to pull pranks of his fellow coworkers. ] He was a bit of a prankster actually. Bram I believe his name was.

[ He'll wave a hand dismissively. Before looking over at a few of the stands and then back at Ginia. ] If there's anything you want don't hesitate to say so. I have a good amount of money so we should be fine in terms of shopping around. [ Another small fleeting smile as his expression goes back to being mildly thoughtful. ]

[Ginia laughs lightly. She's considered playing a few tricks on people in her stealthy state, but that'll come in time. For now, she's still working on the finer points. Moving objects seems to be a little problematic as well as figuring out how close she can get before she's detected or her ability breaks.]

/Kind of you to offer, but I think you know I'll say no. I need to earn my keep, it's only right. Though don't worry, I'm not going to start a crime spree./ [A little smirk accompanies her last sentence.]

[ Helios sighs and looks back at her with a smile. He knew she wouldn't take it but it's still something he wanted to offer up to her. Maybe as amends for everything that happened last night, and maybe because he's just that type of person. ]

I-I know. But I just, I just wanted you to know that it's-it's not any trouble if, if you do want anything. [ He'll hold up the hefty amount of money in his little pouch and give it a jingle. He blinks at her and then laughs a little. Crime spree is not something that would be condoned, no. ] Plenty of m-money. So th-there's no need to worry yourself over it, honestly.

[It's something they could go back and forth on and never end until one of them gave in. It was the trouble that came out of two self-sacrificing being friends. She laughs softly and glances over at him and his money pouch.]

/Doing quite well for yourself. What have you been doing to earn all that money? I don't think I ever asked./

[ Helios chuckles and smiles. He isn't doing bad, no, but it's not really something he'll brag about. He's not one to do so. ] N-Not really. I just...have the townspeople to th-thank for, um, allowing me to help them. Magic or-or no. I think it's nice that they're, um, t-tolerable towards it, given the situation here and everything.

[ Everything being magic induced and supernatural...it's amazing that some people would even allow him to do it. Though there have been a few mishaps the first couple of days. ]

/People do seem to be quite lenient here. While I was sneaking around earlier, a man apologized to me after I bumped into him./ [She shakes her head and smiles lightly, wondering if his reaction would have been the same if she were making an attempt for his coin purse. People did leave them right on their belts and all she needed was a quick cut of the knife to free it...]

/I confess it's nice being in such a lively village. A different sort of environment and all. And this market! I love it./

"I suppose it's because we're ah ch-champions maybe?" Helios isn't quite sure but he doesn't really mind it. He's met a good few families so far doing tasks and magic for them and they all seemed like good people. Good people thrown into a situation that they couldn't very well help but be a part of. The thorns were a much discussed presence in this place and their being brought into this world was a true wake up call to how bad the problem had become.

Helios looks over at Ginia and nods. "It's...different, isn't it? F-From Luceti at least. Then again not so much. There were always people around there too b-but it never had a market like this one." So very different in those regards. But perhaps there was a place back on that planet that was like this? Helios wouldn't be surprised if there was. So many things about that world that went unanswered and he's somewhat...disappointed that he couldn't have found out more about the people and their culture there.

/We weren't a bustling city with a castle either,/ she comments lightly, giving another look around. The environment was different, they weren't in a barrier-surrounded enclosure, though the thorns fit that requirement to some extent. But many were brought out of their homes and pulled here for an unknown amount of time. That part was still the same.

/But I guess you take what you're dealt. This is... nice. It's good being with the two of you again, even if it's not in Luceti./ or Helios' world. Ginia sighs and wonders how to approach the topic of the dream. She owes him an apology and as a friend she needs to check up on him.

No. No we certainly weren't. Though that would have been something, wouldn't it? Luceti with a castle in its barrier. [ Helios manages a small laugh but it's lacking...something in it, really. ]

It's...good being here with you and Giles as well. It just doesn't feel right with-without you two anymore. [ He shakes his head. That was so very sappy of him, wasn't it? It was. ]

[Castles. Castles in barriers, castles in dreams, castles crumbling down. Castles everywhere, but not the one they all want to go to.]

/I've known you two ever since I arrived in Luceti. It's strange not being around you two./ [It never felt the same when Giles left, but with him here now, even as a ghost, it all felt right again. Her lover, her brother, her family. They were all together again.]

/...I owe you an apology, though I feel that will never be enough for what I did./

[ That gets a small smile to touch his lips. ] You're certainly right a-about that. [ Sister, brother, family he never thought he'd have again. Especially in the terms of brother. Helios looks at her then a bit alarmed and taken aback. He remembers everything about the dream. The one thing he couldn't have the pain and heartache he awoke with. He'll just lightly ball his hand into a fist. ]

S-Stop. Ginia. You-you don't have to apologize for anything. [ Even saying those words takes some effort and he hates that it does. Gods he was so stupid to believe that it was real. That Elise was alive and they could all live happily back in his world together. But, no, they still could just not...not with her. Never with her. ] It's not your f-fault.

/No, I do have to apologize because I hurt you./ [Ginia stops to glance around. A busy market isn't the kind of place for this conversation, especially as they can only hear Helios' words and his reaction. She reaches out to take Helios' sleeve, giving it a small tug before guiding them down the nearest alley. They go down far enough to get away from the crowd and give them a bit of privacy before she stops.]

/I meant everything I said in the dream, but it bears repeating in reality. You are my brother. I would never wish to bring you any harm and I would have given anything to allow you to live in such happiness, but it's not right being lost in a dream. I couldn't have left you there./

[ Helios flinches at those signed words. He'll jump slightly as Ginia tugs and pulls him into an alleyway. He'll look around and over his shoulder as people on the busy street pass back and forth, unknowing and uncaring of the conversation to come. ] Y-You just did what you had t-to, to help me. It-it wasn't your intention to-to do that.

[ He bites his lip as he looks at the ground. He had been so happy in that falsified dream. So happy and utterly content with a life he could never have. Is that would it would have felt like, if Elise was alive and well? Is that what his perfect world would consist of if he could have it? Yes probably and gods he would give up anything to have it. But it wasn't real and there was no way to fix it, not now, not ever. ]

/There could have been another way./ [Should have been another way. She leans against a building and crosses her arms over her chest, eyes looking down at the feet and her ground. It was a beautiful, peaceful dream. Elise seemed utterly perfect for him and even though it was a dream, Ginia has a feeling the woman in reality had been much the same.]

/I dreamed about the castle too. Having a nice, peaceful life there./ [She admits, lifting her head up again to look at Helios.]

S-Sometimes...sometimes there isn't though and you-you s-saved me from, from whatever it was that was controlling our dreams. So. Thank you. [ It is odd to thank someone for ruining a perfect dream, a perfect life where everything was nice and peaceful and felt so terribly real. But Helios knows that would never happen not in his world or lifetime at least.

He'll look at Ginia for a few brief seconds, their eyes meeting and then he'll look away. ] You d-did? That...that sounds lovely. I-I hope that it can become a reality one day for you and-and Giles and even Frederic.

[ A pause. ] I'd like that.

[As would she. As dreams often do, some of the details have already slipped from her mind, but the feeling, how certain things looked, those remain. She can still remember how happy she felt holding Giles, the two of them watching their daughter play without any fear in the park. They were a family, a happy, carefree family.]

/We had a daughter. Her name was Tara./ [The signs spill from her fingers as she remembers the happy girl that was theirs. Would she ever be real, or forever a dream?] /I hope you can meet her one day. You'd be a wonderful uncle to her./

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1st Orb - 4th of Rebirth's Decline

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