2873/The First Crystal

The First Crystal
Date of Scene:	21 August 2015
Location:	Hydaelyn Reborn <ARR>
Synopsis:	The Lightning Crystal is acquired, and Crystal Mom is met.
Cast of Characters:	255, 367, 607, 627, 666, 747, 756, 815, N'raha Tia, 823, 826, 834
Tinyplot:	Six Crystals of Light

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Alwyn Highwind (815) has posed:
    Today, you don't need to be summoned by the Adventurers' Guild. Rather, you have been summoned by Komuxio (the Sylph elder's assistant? it was never very clear), who wishes to thank you personally for the work you've done so far in the Black Shroud. Tales of your deeds in the Tam-Tara Deepcroft (those of you who were there) have already reached them, and the Sylph elder Frixio intends to fulfill his promise.

    For newcomers, you'll be arriving at the HAWTHORNE HUT in the EAST SHROUD. It is a big, magical forest, everything here feels super magical and connected to the world, giant trees, big wildlife, sometimes aggressive, Warp Gate next to giant blue crystal at the hut that allows teleportation between other giant blue crystals, etc.!

    The walk to LITTLE SOLACE is about five or ten minutes, directly east of the hut. You'll no doubt be guided by Bertram, N'raha or Alwyn (he is totally present), and the road will in fact be pretty quiet and eventless. It is early evening, the Sun still provides mild light, and for once it's not cloudy or raining. The building presences (north and south, from here) are still here, though.

    LITTLE SOLACE is a small village of tents, traders and bulb-houses suspended to the trees by ropes. The Sylphs are short, green, plant-like people barely two to three feet tall, and they float in the air rather than walk. Here at Little Solace they trade assorted plants and baubles to traders for assorted baubles, money or even food.

    Waiting at the entrance is Komuxio, a Sylph in almost no way different from all the others save for a rainbow hairclip he said he would wear for your conveniences, since he 'is aware it can be difficult for walking ones to tell these ones apart'.

    The narration doesn't look forward to typing like that the whole scene, by the way.

N'raha Tia has posed:
    N'raha is here, looking rather less menacing than he did at the WMAT. After a pair of wins, the Miqo'te is feeling much more chipper about things, there's a spring in his step, and hopefully he's not quite so anxious about the offworlders.

    That said, once Setsuko does show up, which he's expecting... he's going to be giving her a wider berth than usual. No reason for that, at all, nope none.

Bertram Silent (826) has posed:
Bertram is here, of course. Ready to guide and answer questions like always. There's definitely a difference from past events, however. Unlike back then, he has the advantage of noticing the Lord of Levin has calmed down somewhat, easing his worries and allowing him to smile just a bit more. "Well done in the arena, N'raha. Have you ever done any competition in the bloodsands?"

Setsuko Kaminagi (255) has posed:
    Tam-Tara was... rough, to put it mildly. The loss of life there was entirely preventable and has utterly destroyed at least one life that really shouldn't have been in that sort of work to begin with. It still bothers Setsuko, to some extent. But she's put it behind her. It is what it is, and dwelling on it won't change it. Maybe she'll find Edda some time and be able to help her, but that's just idle hope. There's work to be done.

    And thankfully, today's work seems to be much less unpleasant. Meeting with the Sylphs, as regards the work they've been doing on Little Solace's behalf. Hopefully, they'll be pleased with how things have gone on the whole.

    Setsuko arrives as she always does, by entering the Shroud via warpgate and then simply flying. Her stride is brisk and businesslike when she reaches the sylvan village, and Bertram and N'raha both receive simple nods of greeting.

Na`Sabal-Une Fang (367) has posed:
     Nasa was not one of those ones who went to the Tam-Tarra Deepcroft. She had arrived later, and instead helped the Conjurers with some corrupted dirt. That strange purple fae girl who had helped purify things! She'd since been fluttering around the land, doing her best to help heal little bits of the land here and there. A sick animal, a dying plant. They were little bits of aid here and there, but Nasa was doing what she could to help the calamaty-riddled land get better! At present, she'd largely avoided fighting with most of the animals of the land, except when necessary. She'd also largely stayed to the areas close to towns or cities, where it tended to have less aggressive monsters.

     So she arrived at the Hawthorne Hut, eyes flitting around to find N'raha and Beltram. People she recognized. She fluttered over to them quietly, moving to hover nearby them. Likely, once more, getting more than a few looks. Those web-like wings, that purple skin, and lightly glowing eyes. Luckily, she knew people, and she was generally polite and friendly when addressed by guards and such.

     Soon, she's fluttering along to Little Solace, taking little steps in between flutters. It was almost a hopping motion that likely hinted at the only mildly-contained energy of the fae girl. "Sylphs, sylphs. Does sound like they will to being fae, yes!" Nasa says, she was a bit excited to see them! Once she arrives at the village of little Solace... she was not disappointed at all. They were definitely fae! They looked basically like leaves and plants that had taken form, to her.

     She dips into a curtsey towards the Sylph guards as she enters the city, straightening up afterwards with a bright smile. "Nasa greets." She murmurs softly. She straightens up again, eyes shifting over towards her own allies. Hmm. She recognized most of them. That was good.

Serenity (607) has posed:
    Serenity hasn't been quite as involved in these matters as some, but neither is she a stranger to the world. She's dressed as she normally is, complete with shockblade at her side, and for the time being takes a position slightly behind Setsuko. The demigod has a bit more information on these matters than she does, so she might as well follow her lead.

    A small nod of greeting to anyone she knows, for now, should suffice. She does look about Little Solace as she walks though, taking in the sights... as they are, for her.

N'raha Tia has posed:
    Oh hey. N'raha looks up at Bertram as they walk, and grins. "Oh? Yeah I did! Well, enough time, anyways. I've got the basics of swording and shielding down and I... well, where did you think I got the name Desert Marvel from? I, uh. Well, I wasn't the best at it, but I guess maybe now I should try out again, maybe."

Scarlet Everille (747) has posed:
    Considering it was her plan of action in the first place, there's absolutely no way that Scarlet wouldn't be here to actually reap the rewards of going through the trouble of dancing around two separate, violent conflicts. She'd been the one who had pulled the slyph elder from out of his cage and the one who had personally promised him that Tam-Tara would be dealt with, and so even if it was largely the work of other people, it only makes sense that she'd be here to take credit.

    She's showed up well ahead of time so she doesn't have to deal with the ignomity of seeing people, or otherwise be forced to participate in, dancing around, still inwardly cringing a little to think of what Bertram had put her through last time. She looks on as the rest begin to arrive, before inclining formally towards Komuxio. "As promised~" is all she has to say within earshot of anyone else, as if she had personally dragged everyone here.

Shin Tokuyama (756) has posed:
    "Breaking the silence! Nevertheless, we aim for another day! Show the way beyond the darkness, RAY OF LIGHT!"
    Shin bobs his head up and down, singing to himself (In Japanese, I just translated it for convenience) as he wears a pair of earbuds in his ears and strolling along. Despite some dings and scratches on him from his fight with one Shizune Nakamura several days hence, he seems remarkably recovered. A testament to his weird ability to heal incredibly quickly.
    "Our parched chests push on. It's a battle in which we fight all alone. Despair and hope is like a Mobius loop. What'll be waiting when we overcome? Instead of grieving and continuing to wait for a miracle it's better to run on all the way until you collapse."
    He seems pretty content to hang out and jam out to whatever he's listening to on the way to Little Solace, rocking out to whatever continuation of the song there is that you will be spared from being too spammed out by.
    "DUDE WHAT'S UP? I'M HERE TO HELP," He shouts at a Sylph at about point-blank range, because he still has earbuds in.

Mirielle Edelweiss (666) has posed:
    Little Solace... Bugs Mirielle. It's natural, sure, and the place hums with magic, but the whole affair seems /off/ to the Calculator. /Everything/ is magic in this place, but it's not the same kind of magic as in Galianda, and in fact, the metaphysiological impacts of...

    Look, she's got a well-referenced paper she's working on, just let her finish the footnotes and bibliography.

    Her normally blank and dour look scans across the area. "So we are to be arranging the lines of attack for an upcoming operation, right?" She asks, before Shin starts shouting lyrics in translated japanese to some song. "Your earbuds." She glooms, before moving to tug one out of his ear.

Valentha Summers (834) has posed:
    Having heard that adventurers are needed to possibly sway the wrath of a mad god, Valentha Summers has stepped up to the plate! She's on foot today. No flying around, no flashy magic or noisy hovercycle. Just footwork and lots of it carry her along the forest paths. The outfit she's got on does appear a bit too hot for the locale but this isn't apparently bothering her whatsoever. She's not even sweating!

    Upon reaching the entrance, Valentha adjusts her outfit slightly and shines a smile at the greeting part! She's full of wonder at this. Seeing new lands and meeting interesting peoples of all shapes and sizes is one of her many pleasures.

    "Good day! I hear there's some trouble in these parts."

    You wouldn't have a group this huge if there wasn't, probably.

Souji Murasame (627) has posed:
Souji arrives at Little Solace. He does not need guidance, his own automapping system in his Moogle Glasses handles directions just fine. Past the Hawthorn Hut, past the occasional boil of giant flies that are constantly being beaten back by adventurers, Souji arrives at the gates, where he performs a small spin and bows to Komuxio. "Greetings, Komuxio. It is a pleasure to see you again." Souji states in his businesslike tone. While he was not present at the Deepcroft, there were other matters to attend to.

Matters that did not at all involve setting up military-industrial contracts. Pay no attention to the man behind the expensive Ul'dahn tapestry.

Xiao Li Yu (823) has posed:
     Xiao had not actually been around for most of these recent shenanigans. She'd heard at the very least, but did not see. So why in the world was she here? WELL. Curiosity is a wonderful thing. Having heard of Souji's plans to head out here, she decided to tag along. If only for the sole purpose of seeing just what this would all be about.

     A such, she just gave people polite nods as she walked down to path to Little Solace, but otherwise kept silent, with an impish smile forever on her face. Forget all of these greetings and social niceties, she wanted to know what they would be talking about!

     ...Okay maybe not FORGET them, but certainly move it along. Time was money! Or research time. Or knowledge. Or something to that effect.

     Yes.

     Totally reasonable.

Alwyn Highwind (815) has posed:
    One can assume Alwyn gave N'raha a friendly pat on the back for his victory. And probably food at some point. But that's not quite important right now!

    Nasa makes a curtsy bow for a Sylph, who returns a twirling, dance-like motion in greeting. "This one greets walking one!" the guard says. Scarlet approaches Komuxio, and he smiles, twirling in the air with joy. "Dancing ones promised, and dancing ones delivered! These ones are all overjoyed at your arrival. Elder one is finishing preparing these ones' gift, please wait a moment!"

    Shin, much louder, immediatly obtains Komuxio's attention from Scarlet. "Loud one is full of life and energy! Perhaps loud one would like to assist these ones with further tasks, later? These ones still have occasional problems with imperial ones and creatures, perhaps loud one will find much to do here?" Basically: if he sticks around later there is no shortage of jobs here. Punch the wildlife, punch a few Garleans.

    Komuxio nods to Mirielle. "If walking and dancing ones would like to use these ones' home to plan their next moves, these ones will be honored to provide food and shelter for the evening!"

    Souji gets a sort of dancing military salute in response. "Serious dancing one is welcome too! Now, wait one moment!"

    Komuxio flies off into one of the suspended houses, and a few moments later, returns, accompanied by another Sylph. Thie one is pale beige rather than green, with a towering haircut and elderly glasses. Frixio and Komuxio do a sort of dancing duet together in front of everyone, before taking a bow. Frixio speaks:

    "This one is most impressed. As promised, these ones' token is yours. Lord Ramuh gifted these ones the token when these ones summoned him years ago, to combat imperial ones. Touched ones have attempted to steal it numerous times, but now walking and dancing ones must keep it safe."

    Aether gathers in Frixio's hand, and lightning crashes down from the heavens into his palm, bright purple. It forms a large purple crystal, about twice the size of one's fist. He offers it towards Bertram specifically.

Bertram Silent (826) has posed:
Bertram smiles, "Ah, I see. Well, I'm sure you could make some good gil in the bloodsands if you want to. You've grown a lot, and I know they like that kind of spectacle over there." Bertram then grows quiet again, greeting all the others and moving from walking to a kind moving dance as they get closer to Little Solace. He seems surprised when he hears what it is, and when he accepts the crystal he makes a very solemn statement. "Rest assured that I will do all in my power to protect it."

N'raha Tia has posed:
    YAY PATTING. N'raha puffs up at the headpats and then falls into place next to Bertram and Alwyn, trying to look semi important in his lack of armor and gear. Though, as the crystal appears he looks... awestruck. Really and truely awestruck. He's seen crystals before, shards and larger elemental things but this... this was no comparison to those paltry pieces of aether.

    A hand reaches up to tap a finger against one of the faces of the stone and the catman's ears flick and swiver at Bertram's words. He'll talk about the Bloodsands at some other point that a Primal Piece of Aether is not right in front of him...

    "...Twelves."

Na`Sabal-Une Fang (367) has posed:
     Nasa cringes slightly at Shin's shout, her ears folding down to cut out some of the noise almost as quickly as his mouth opens. Ow. Once the shouting ends, her ears perk up once more. Luckily, someone was attempting to pull out his earbuds. Which was much better in the end. Bertram. N'raha... the cat! She flashes a playful grin towards N'raha. However, her attention returns to the guard. That twirling, dance like motion is ... almost immediately mimiced, wings fluttering out to lift her off the ground.

     "This one rarely walks, she is to being hovering one most of time!" She says with a light giggle. She wiggles her finger a bit towards the guard, before fluttering over towards Komuxio. The mention of offering shelter and food gets an interested look from Nasa. "This one is hunter-gathering one, can maybe to offering help with that sometime if does ever needing it." She says in a friendly tone, resting on the balls of her feet. As Frixio talks of the token and promised gifts, Nasa's attention ... slightly strays, as this gift was not for her. She had not earned it yet.

Setsuko Kaminagi (255) has posed:
    The bow from Komuxio and Frixio is returned respectfully by Setsuko; she remains otherwise silent until the crystal is produced and handed to Bertram, at which point she smiles faintly. Even she can feel how special that particular crystal is. Bertram receives another faint nod, and then she bows her head more formally to Frixio. "We thank you for your assistance. If there's any chance that we can show Ramuh the wisdom in peacefully resolving things, I hope to find it, and this will be a great help.

Shin Tokuyama (756) has posed:
    "DUDE YEAH, THEY'RE NICE RIGHT? I WAS GONNA GET SKULLCANDY ONES, BUT I THOUGHT FUCK THAT. I GOT SOME BOSE ONES INSTEAD, SUPER NICE," He shouts right into Mirielle as she reaches for his headset, "WOAH. LOOK WITH YOUR EYES, NOT YOUR HANDS," He chides a bit, frowning.
    "DUDE FUCK YEAH, I'LL HELP YOU OUT," Shin continues shouting at Komuxio, nodding his head and giving a thumbs up, "BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF THOSE GARLICANS," He adds as an afternote, grinning to the sylph.
    When he just sort of watches the crystal appear to see what happens.

Serenity (607) has posed:
    A few people get a small glance, but for the most part Serenity does not remark upon her companions. The Multiverse is full of strangeness, and it's never been clear even to Serenity what sort of things she could see, and what they meant. Most of it is nonsense to her... much like the dancing she sees. It's an interesting little distraction, that's for sure.

    She's listening, but she doesn't actually change her attention fully until that crystal appears in Frixio's hand. This has her head snapping forward, staring at it for a long moment. She holds her tongue for now, but Bertram gets a quick, curious look from her.

    Sigh. "Did something damage his hearing?"

Scarlet Everille (747) has posed:
    Now this is definitely more like it. Scarlet would be considerably more cross with Shin's general obliviousness, possibly intentional or not, if the sylphs didn't appear to like it anyways, though it seems that Komuxio might just be overjoyed in general with how wide his range of favourable receptions is, if Souji is anything to judge by.

    She's somewhat familiar with Galianda and its magitech by now, through continued association with Kyra, and so Xiao and Mirielle don't trip her attention too much, but Na'Sabal almost instantly and openly catches her eye, though attempting to assess the fairy's magical nature is done more subtly. She keeps her vague scrutiny of Valentha on the downlow for the time being. Setsuko she's already met a few times, but Serenity she only knows from personnel files, and so the presence of a second officer changes things in quiet, non-obvious ways.

    Apparently, with all that company, it's all too easy to forget the natives are even here, because Scarlet's smile invisibly slips for an instant as Frixio immediately hands the priceless artifact over to Bertram of all people. Bertram! "Rest assured, it'll be more than safe in Union custody." The fact she had mentioned the superfaction seems somehow more like a namedrop rather than a particular slight or omission against anyone from elsewhere. "That said, we do hope we can count on your continued trust and cooperation. As happy as we are to have this, the matter of Ramuh has yet to be fully resolved." She suppresses a frown at Shin's screaming, surreptitiously twirling a finger with a flicker of barely used magic to try and dislodge the lightweight earbuds from one side before continuing. "Is the token recognized in any way by the "Touched Ones"?" she makes a deliberate attempt to use the verbiage. "Or will only the primal himself appreciate it?"

Mirielle Edelweiss (666) has posed:
    Mirielle frows deeply at Shin. This, right here, this is the thing. This is the cancer that is killing Eorzea. This, right here, is the Primal Threat.

    And Mirielle is the hero with the Green Magic to fix it. Pulling minute amounts of power from her inner reserves, she shapes a spell. Something easily overcome-able from a raised voice, even.

    Her hand glows a sickly black and green as the spell falls over Shin's face, focusing on his throat.

    It's Silence! But a very, very low yield one.

    "I've saved us all." Mirielle deadpans, as she smiles to everyone else.

Xiao Li Yu (823) has posed:
     Even Xiao had to wince at Shin's shouting. Every bit as loud and rambunctious as always, this one. In person and on the radio. An amused smile found it's way onto her face as she Well, there were worse things that could be happening, so she could tolerate it. She could be getting set on fire or torn in half, or any other gruesome things.

     ...Wait a second.

     Right about then, Mirielle had cast silence on the loud, bellowing fiend. Nevermind then! "Well, that's one global threat neutralized." She mumbled aloud in a casual manner.

     Once the crystal was unveiled, Xiao quieted down, watching with an intensely interested gaze. She might have taken a step or two closer to better observe the crystal that Bertram was entrusted with. It certainly looked and sounded important. A shame she couldn't study it back at her lab. She wouldn't even bother asking that one.

Souji Murasame (627) has posed:
The yelling from Shin causes Souji's eyebrow to twitch, the slightest of cracks in his otherwise stony stoic mask. However, Mirielle seems to be on the case before he even ask-orders her to handle it.

He nods to Mirielle. "Good work, Edelweiss." Someone is getting a favorable performance review. His gaze strays to the purple crystal, and he frowns for a moment, staring at it. One hand moves up to the side of his head, idly tapping in a show of thought as he considers the nature of the presented object, but does not comment on it.

Alwyn Highwind (815) has posed:
    As Bertram grasps the crystal, something echoes out. It resonates-- to those with strange vision, or magical sight-- between Alwyn, Bertram and N'raha, like a bridge being built between the crystal and the world.

    A female voice rings out in all heads.

    Hear... feel... think...

    The world goes completely dark. The ground under your feet is removed, but you float rather than fall. The Sylphs, the forest, it's all gone. Blue light shines through this voice, and stars slowly illuminate the sky.

    Again for those with such senses: you are no longer 'in' Hydaelyn. You are 'at' Hydaelyn. The source of all Aether, all magic, all life. You're in the core.

    As you glance about, you see a gigantic crystal, perhaps fifty or more foot tall, blue and white in color. It is being orbitted by numerous smaller, people-sized crystals of various shapes.

    The female voice speaks again; it sounds weak, but motherly.

    Crystal bearers. I am Hydaelyn. All made one. A Light there once was that shone thorough this realm... yet it hath since grown dim.

    The orbitting crystals break off, floating slowly towards each person, as though providing someone to 'reply' to directly, though it feels obvious the voice comes from the much larger crystal.

    Odd as it may feel, the smaller crystals, the ones roughly the same size as you, seem to be starring intently. Not at you, but into you. You can shut them out, if you focus, or you can let them probe. They gauge your worth, your story, your present, and your destiny.

    While here, your forms shine the color most significant to your being. For Alwyn, Bertram and N'raha, this is a light shade of blue close to white, the exact same shade as the massive crystal.

Na`Sabal-Une Fang (367) has posed:
     Aaaand then the shouting came again, only louder this time. Nasa's ears fold down again with a wince. Oh goddess he's so loud. "...Does politely request that you do to trying to talk quieter. Some of us do to having sensitive ears to loud noises." Nasa says towards Shin. The energy wasn't the problem. It was just the loudness. The energy just meant that he was healthy, probably! And he seemed happy enough. So that was also good.

     Scarlet Everille's examination of Nasa would find that she's relatively straightforward. She has nature magic, and it seemed to hang around and cling to her, not even remotely hidden. There were some inherent magics that seemed attached to her being as well, but they were possibly less obvious. The most obvious thing right now, is that Nasa had a spell cast over her, and one over her armor. The one ON Nasa was a simple environmental control, protecting her from environmental effects. The spell on her armor was a shielding spell, as well as a much more subtle magic-enhancing spell. Meanwhile, Nasa was listening to Scarlet, as she seemed to be the most actively engaging with the sylph leader right now. And asking the important questions.

     That 'silence' spell was noted, and Nasa's gaze flits towards Mirielle. She doesn't praise or condemn her either way though. She'd wait to see how the boy responds to it, before responding herself. If he seemed particularly frustrated about it, she might do something about it. Maybe. Her attention focuses back on Frixio though.

     "We did to recovering a corruption-filled gemstone from infected earth elemental. Is being examined by Gridania people, yes. Was wondering if maybe you did to maybe have information that could to being useful on that. Nasa is to being a guardian of the Wilds, so anything that can to helping eliminate the perversion of the wilds here would to being appreciated."

     That resonation of the crystal though.... and then... a female voice? Nasa's gaze shifts immediately. Darkness. Almost comforting. The sight of that giant crystal, the sound of that weak, yet motherly voice. It was bright, something that caused Nasa to squint her eyes, a bit of watering in them. "...What is..." She shifts very slightly, looking at that smaller orbiting crystal, which floats in front of her. A mixture of purple and green made up her glowing aura, which seemed to dance both chaotically and yet in harmony with itself. The child of the moon and the child of nature in one. "..." All made one. Hydaelyn. She shifts her gaze towards that crystal, reflexively lifting a hand to reach out towards the smaller one that floats towards her. If it allowed it, the fae would simply attempt to take it into her arms. "...You to feeling like Goddess of the Moon." She murmurs quietly, warmly. And happily allowing that probing. Awe caused that secretiveness that Nasa might normally have to simply fade away.

Setsuko Kaminagi (255) has posed:
    The voice is Setsuko's first inkling of something peculiar going on. Then the world seems to disappear, and her hand is halfway to Zanjintou before she realizes that her own supernatural senses are telling her that this is no threat. She relaxes, and falls silent, briefly looking to the others - particularly Nasa and Serenity - to confirm their wellbeing. And then Hydaelyn speaks to them, and the demigod's eyes turn to the massive crystal itself. She seems to keep her focus there, rather than on the smaller one before her; that, she allows to do its work without resistance.

    Setsuko's light, for those who know her, is probably unsurprising. A vibrant sky blue light, the same color as her eyes.

N'raha Tia has posed:
    N'raha... panics for a moment or two as he's suddenly finding himself inside one of those hallucinations he has but... but this time everyone else is here too. He stammers and flails a bit, before finding his non-footing and floating upright again.

    There's a sheepish look to the others, before he bows his head a moment, and looks up to Hydaelyn. Something warmer in his cheeks, a joy that he can't explain.

Valentha Summers (834) has posed:
    Well, others seem to have things well in hand. So Valentha has little more to say. Instead she studies the Crystal being handede to Bertram with a ferocious intensity. No doubt trying to read its aura and glean what she can about it while it's in view. The rest of her attention is on the locale - she's studying the Sylphs and mostly just enjoying the environment.

    Until there's a VOICE. Then things get disturbing.

    Valentha blinks. Gazes up.

    And promptly jawdrops.

    She was NOT expecting to be sent to such an incredible 'place' so utterly acasually. It's enough to invoke minor panic.

    Valentha glows an intense shade of blue. Very differently from the three actual Crystal bearers. It's the color of ley lines, of her world's magic. Purest, undiluted power.

    "What an honor, and on such short notice." She answers softly, quite certain that this Hydaelyn can hear her whether she whispers or shouts. She makes no attempt to stop the probe.

    "I bear no Crystal, but know a call for help... what has dimmed the light so?"

Shin Tokuyama (756) has posed:
    So a lot of things all work against Shin at once. He's rubbing his hands together as Mirielle casts her spell on him "SO LIKE, WH-at are we doing today?" He's still full-on shouting, but she's cut the volume down so that it sounds like he's just very enthusiastically speaking, "Because I'm down to dungeon. Or fight some Garleans. Generally hanging out is cool too, I can get out some of those cool cards games," He adds, looking around. Still shouting, but the volume is way closer to standard speech.

    His earbuds fall out of his ears a moment later thanks to Scarlet, but before he can say anything, they're transported to a new and magical land. Shin looks around a bit curiously as he's suddenly floating in a skyline sort of environment. This is pretty weird for the martial artist, but he seems to be taking it in stride. He is totally glowing red by the way.

    "Oh shit, is this the prophecy part? I was really hoping I'd get to be a part of one of these," He says, his voice stifled by the mute spell now that he's speaking normally. It'd take the most careful listening to pick out his now-muted voice as he floats there, looking at the crystal.

    He doesn't stop the crystal from probing at him, tilting his head at it a bit, "Hey there little buddy. What're you up to? It feels pretty probe-y, but in the mystical sense instead of the 'take me to your leader' sort of deal. What's the dealio with that?"

Bertram Silent (826) has posed:
Bertram seems comfortable. He doesn't speak, but there's familiarity on his face. The kind that suggests he knows exactly what it's like, and he even includes a brief glance and a smile towards N'raha. A smile that is both encouraging and holds an element of 'told you so.' He bows towards Hydaelyn after, and briefly lets go of the Crystal he had received, letting it float naturally if it's so inclined.

Scarlet Everille (747) has posed:
    Scarlet blinks as the flicker of magic arcs between the three natives like a circuit catching, her head reflexively snapping towards the emission fast enough for her hair to flutter. She doesn't have much time to do or say anything further before the "event" taking place becomes blindingly obvious to everyone else. She briefly struggles, and then succeeds in remaining expectantly composed as the world drops out from around her, steeling her resolve for whatever kind of bizarre vision awaits, before being pleasantly surprised at how inoffensive the sights and sounds are.

    It quickly becomes apparent that this isn't some kind of pre-recorded magical message however. The timing is sudden and the targeting seemingly indiscriminate, but Scarlet can tell that the entity, bearing the name of the world itself, is speaking directly to her rather than at her. She regards the crystal that seeks out her in particular warily, her expression perfectly kept as the object draws even with her gaze. She even manages to maintain that facade as it begins to probe into... something she can't quite describe. What she knows however, is that it isn't something she'd decided to show, and thus is immediately worth concern. Does she try to shut it out and potentially spurn the charity of the local God? Does she take the huge gamble of allowing a foreign quasi-deity to know whatever kind of inner secrets about her it might be looking for?

    The answer is neither. An aura the same colour as her namesake briefly flickers with shots of unnatural violet before stabilizing into gentle gold as she cranks her personal, secret, and inviolable magic up to its highest level. The goal? Bluffing Hydaelyn. If she can overpower that cursory examination, for all intents and purposes, she'll come off as nothing less than a stunningly capable and upright individual with great things in store for their future, potentially of benefit to everyone. The kind of person who goes on to become a Gandhi or Abraham Lincoln, if somewhat less hamfisted and overplayed.

    As always, even before the eyes of divinity, lying is the quickest, easiest, and best solution.

Serenity (607) has posed:
    Serenity stares up at the crystal, and doesn't comment on the events that follow. The slight tense of her shoulders betrays that no, she wasn't expecting this. However, she does allow that starry probe to reach into her body, letting it feel her out without attempting to reject or flinch away. Her own 'aura' is blue as well, though a deeper blue than seems to be the case for the natives. It's just her natural color.

    "Is that the source of the troubles in this land? The dying of the light?" Serenity finally speaks, addressing 'her' crystal with a simple question. "Will restoring you remove some of the ills?"

Xiao Li Yu (823) has posed:
     "Eh?"

     Where there was once ground and slyphs, there was suddenly darkness. And then the ground vanished. "Wha!" Xiao panicked for a second, flailing her arms and legs, about to activate the A.A.N.S., when she realized soon after they they were floating already. "Huh. How strange." Well, about as strange as anything else she's seen so far.

     The giant crystal and it's smaller contemporaries was deftly noted, as well as the voice. It was weak, but...also kind of nostalgic in a way. She couldn't place why, but didn't dwell on it either. "Light grown dim, hm...?" She folded her arms into her sleeves, eyeing the smaller crystal that had floated in front of her. She could vaguely sense that it was probing her for something, and didn't try to stop it. Rather, the scientist just stared curiously, letting the process run it's course.

     "How curious. What could this be for?" She asked no one in particular. It should be noted that currently, her form was shining a sickly black and purple. Mixing together erratically like the tendrils of a misshapen fiend.

Souji Murasame (627) has posed:
Souji was not expecting this.

The dussen rush of sensation, the vision that streams through Souji's head causes him to put a hand to his head, grimacing in what looks like almost pain as he hears the voice of Hydaelyn. His grimace quickly becomes a scowl as he observes the situation, and he drifts backwards. As the crystal approaches him, Souji affixes the generic-looking crystal with a stare. "I have nothing for you." Souji states in a frosty tone. He turns away, the motion trailing a dimness, as if shadow pooled like liquid into the cracks around him... but little more.

Mirielle Edelweiss (666) has posed:
    Mirielle is surprised when she's drawn into the world of Hydaelyn, and she's bathed in the light of the Mother Crystal. She watches on, interestedly, as the Light Warrior trio meet with glowing facets of the larger one itself, and hears the words of that giant hunk of shiny mineral in her head. To hear, to feel, to think. Well, Hydaelyn, Mirielle already does all that. She's not terribly stressed out about this situation - it seems to be important to the trio of Destined People (which tracks well with her estimations and experiences with each of them) and is well in line with projected curves and the data she had gathered. But then there is the matter of her own crystal, whose outside is shiny and crystalline, like a crystal should be, but the inside is a stormy coal black.

    It probes her, and a hand moves to her head, a strong wince of pain and... someting else. Her eyes are hidden, her thick glasses reflecting the light of Hydaelyn.

    "I'd prefer if you didn't do the usual to my... head..." She mutters, to herself.

Alwyn Highwind (815) has posed:
    I am many things. I am Hydaelyn. I am a star, its world, its people, its magic, even its moons. In turn, all are of Hydaelyn. the crystal answers Nasa; it is obvious she speaks of her world only, making no assumptions of those gathered besides three. You struggle against darkness, seeking to tame and redeem it. Your path will be long, but rewarding.

    The Light has been dimmed by agents of Darkness. With each summoning, the Light dims further. The beings you call Primals are of Hydaelyn too; Aether making legend, thought, worship and power manifest. Each that rises dims the Light. the crystal answers Valentha.

    I sense much pain in you. the crystal answers Shin, as it floats there idly. A beaten path, walked by a beaten man. Ever onward with broken legs. It pauses. I merely seek to know you, who exist outside me.

    In my current state, my Light cannot shine through lies and deceit. the crystal tells Scarlet. But I sense even in the lies a spark of truth. Do you deny who you are? Do you attempt to lie to me, or to yourself?

    To Serenity, the crystal's voice softens. And one who has already suffered so much, yet still you would help others. The Light dims, but it is only a symptom. In the Light can great heroes find strength, but the Light will not keep the Darkness at bay on its own, no matter how strong. Light must be used by worthy hearts to combat Darkness. My strength wanes, but it was never for me to push back the Darkness. Merely to empower those chosen. To restore Light would allow its champions to triumph, but alone, it would simply dim again.

    Xiao gets an answer, even if she wasn't speaking to anyone. This has for task to answer your questions and set you on the proper path. I sense a great, destructive path ahead of you. One walked by more than heroes.

    Though Setsuko gets nothing, it's on the same topic the crystal addresses her. War and bloodshed seem inevitable in all cycles of life, but yours may yet transcend that. Purpose determines the worth of war.

    Souji receives the same coldness from the crystal. There's no disdain, no hatred, no rejection, merely silence, and the smaller crystal floats back to the larger one.

    And Mirielle is treated much better. Darkness exists alongside Light. No doubt you have heard the idiom before, but one cannot exist without the other. You use one to fulfill the purpose of the other. Pray do not lose yourself to it.

    Finally, Alwyn, Bertram and N'raha are gathered together, with their three smaller crystals. The purple crystal Bertram held produces a beam of light, which blasts towards the larger crystal. The light produces a massive spell circle underneath it, with six slots. The light forms into a copy of the purple crystal, in one of the slots. Hydaelyn, for it, seems to shine a bit brighter.

    And you three, my children. You must seek the Crystals of Light to restore Light. Through your actions, they will appear. Stray not from your current path, continue on as you are now. Seek not the Crystals for my sake, but rather seek to do what is right. Only then will they appear before you.

    The purple crystal returns to Bertram's hand.

Bertram Silent (826) has posed:
And Bertram holds onto it, even stronger now. He still doesn't speak, he simply nods, knowing that Hydaelyn has faith in him and words are superfluous. Again, he smiles at N'raha, and now also at Alwyn, and he makes no comments about what Hydaelyn says to others. He merely listens.

N'raha Tia has posed:
    N'raha... boggles as the energy flows through him, the sigils expand outwards and he's... declared a child. He'd heard that before, but only in snippets of what was surely ramblings of a crazy miq-brain.

    Now though, hands grip tightly at his sides, his face looks up at the Crystal, and he bites his lip. "Do what is right. How...?" He looks over at Bertram and Alwyn though, and then behind him at Setsuko and the others. "How do we know?"

Setsuko Kaminagi (255) has posed:
    A glance at Nasa and Serenity tells Setsuko that they're both fine. And so, she has nothing to say to the beating heart of this world; but simply listens, quietly. To the crisis of the land itself, to the fact that the Primals dim the light of this being, and thus harm the very world they're summoned into. She listens to the words of Hydaelyn to her allies, and in particular her eyes linger on Scarlet for a moment. Curious, but she has no intention to press.

    And then there are words directed to Setsuko herself, eyes widening faintly. May yet transcend the inevitability of war? She's not certain what to think of that. But as for purpose... "I feel the same way," Setsuko says quietly. "So I choose the light as my purpose. That includes the light of this world." Knowing there is no ill will towards her from this world's high goddess is a relief, on some level.

    And Bertram, Alwyn and N'raha have their mission. To that, she has nothing to say; simply watching their reactions is enough.

Na`Sabal-Une Fang (367) has posed:
     "You are of the Wilds. Though maybe not my own, it is close enough." Nasa murmurs softly. She shifts calmly, her wings gradually floating. Even though she was floating without them, it was reflexive. "The Guardian of the Wilds are here. Yours are wounded, so she seeks to help where she can spare it." Nasa would release that crystal if it had allowed her to take it in the first place. "...Is reassuring to hear those words. That it will to being rewarding in the end." Doubts. She had questioned if it was even possible many times; the Drow were so steeped in their own hatred. Still, it was likely a much-needed reassurance that she's not struggling uselessly.

     She shifts slightly, her gaze shifting towards each of those that she could see. She examined each, taking in what she could, her sharp ears twitching to listen and take note of those who seemed to welcome Hydaelin, and those who seemed to reject it. Souji was noted. Xiao was noted. They both seemed shrouded in darkness, but darkness did not necessarily mean evil, so Xiao avoids any assumptions on Nasa's part. Souji, however, is marked as a potential danger in the future.

     What happened with Bertram, N'raha, and Alwyn is also paid close attention to. She was gathering information, beginning to think, beginning to muse and plan on how much she might be able to help these people. Making allies was going to be necessary for her. She had a difficult road ahead of her, one that she couldn't tread alone.

     She shifts very slightly, wings fluttering as she tries to approach N'raha. Her hand reaches to attempt to rest on his shoulder. If she could move in that place, at any rate. "...Can never to truly know, can just to trying to do what heart and mind do to tell us is right." Nasa says, giving a firm nod. "...You do to seeming to have decent grasp of that, though, yes." Now that she wasn't addressing the goddess as the Guardian of the Wilds, she seems to have slipped back into her normal speech patterns.

Serenity (607) has posed:
    Serenity closes her eyes as she hears the answers. "I see. And I understand, I think. If you will take my help, I will do my best to see that your people follow through to the end." In truth, she's not sure she'll need to DO anything there, and she's just rather pleased to be speaking to something like this. She's done many things in her long life, but she never had the chance to speak to her own planet's will... or to ask it questions she wishes she could have.

    "And, if I can, I will help as well. Your enemies are much like my own," she admits.

Shin Tokuyama (756) has posed:
    "Haha, yeah. I get my ass kicked a ton, yo," Shin says with an awkward gesture to the crystal, rubbing his hand against the back of his head, "I'm down to get known, though. Nothing to hide, really. Just a dude trying to do his own thing, maybe help some people on the way. Standard cliche hero gig, really. I'm happy to help out your world however I can, though. Bustin' ass on douchebags is about the only skill I have."
    "You can count me in to help your world however I can." Shin says, lifting up a bicep and flexing it confidently. It doesn't show off much in the suit, though.

Souji Murasame (627) has posed:
Hydaelyn has nothing to say to Souji, and much like he had stated, he has nothing to say to Hydaelyn. He simply floats there, listening, his demeanor almost... Indignant, as he waits for this invasion into his perceptions, or spiritual journey, or whatever it may be to end.

He does not seem to respond or care about the examinations of others, hanging there like a stain on the edge of perception.

Xiao Li Yu (823) has posed:
     "Hah?"

     Xiao tilted her head at the answers she hadn't asked for. "Great, destructive path?" And then she tilted her head the other way, a finger pressed to her cheek and brows furrowed in confusion. After several moments, she drifted backwards towards the general vicinity of Souji and Mirielle before asking the both of them. "Have I done anything greatly destructivee recently? I don't think I have, have I?"

     She looked upwards in thought, as if considering this all. "Well, I supposed there was last tuesday when I....but that hardly counts as greatly! Or even on the scale of destructive! Ahhhhh I'm so confused!" And comically, the researcher held her head in her hands as she whined aloud about how she didn't get it. "Am I going to go insane and blow up a planet by crashing a meteor into it? Will I poison a river and watch an entire castle's inhabitants die?"

     Xiao please.

Valentha Summers (834) has posed:
    "Then I shall investigate them." Valentha answers. "You have no small amount of champions here already, but I'll help where I can." Her answer is simple indeed, but the Dragon has little need of being flowery to a being like this...

    "I seem to have been caught up in something terrifically large.." But what can she do except investigate further and try to answer the trust that's being shown to so many people here?

Scarlet Everille (747) has posed:
    Partial success. She should have tried harder. Trying this on the prime creator of a world is a first for her, but a learning experience at least for Scarlet. More or less though she accomplishes the task of not being read like a book by a giant crystal she's never met before with indeterminate cosmic power. A minor victory. Still though, even if these types of beings are normally known for their profound wisdom, the last thing the magus is about to accept is being preached to by a glowing rock. After all, it's her personal information in the first place. Why should she be obligated to let a nosy Gaia figure see any of it?

    Her disapproval falls short of hostility though. It's already abundantly clear that being contacted by Hydaelyn is a big deal, and it or she seemingly has no malevolent intent. Rather than draw attention to herself by arguing, she just lets that one slip under the radar, remaining quiet until that strangely motherly voice moves on. She notices, but doesn't validate Setsuko's look towards her with any sign of awareness.

    "The primals are in opposition to you, then?" she asks instead, plainly and unassumingly as before. "How aware is anyone of this interaction?" It's a legitimate question. To the outside observer, the primals sound more like the incarnations of the world's primal aspects, but something that would clash with and corrode its essence.

Mirielle Edelweiss (666) has posed:
    Mirielle frowns. "I know that. That's my life. But... You're probably right on the forgetfulness thing. Crystal-being who can probe my thoughts." She mutters something else, darkly. It amounts to 'you're not the first thing that's done that'.

    She floats there, in the light of the crystal, and sort of curls up as everything's happening, hugging her knees to her chest. The words are true, but...

    Mirielle really doesn't like this. "I'm ready to be done." She whispers, frowning.

Alwyn Highwind (815) has posed:
    "I don't know," Alwyn answers N'raha. "I guess that means keep being adventurers? Eventually it'll make sense, for now don't worry about it?" He's as overwhelmed as you, catte, he's evidently just a bit better at hiding it! Meanwhile Bertram is pretty much chilling like this is normal.

    Correct. A lit path is merely and only that much. None can tell a man he must walk the path, and each is different. My Light illuminates paths, but it cannot make them. the crystal answers Nasa. With or without the Light, all here are great people. All I can do is help make it more obvious.

    Serenity's crystal pulses briefly, acknowledging her. All aid is welcome. And while I cannot assist directly, I pray the Light shines on you when you face your own devils too. My children will assist if they are able; of their worth I have no doubt, and I am sure that was on their mind just now. Though the crystal can't really speak for Alwyn, N'raha and Bertram, it's true that was on Alwyn's mind just now, so he just smiles.

    Then I will pray for there to be a light, any light, at the end of your hard path. the crystal tells Shin.

    Xiao, whether legitimately confused or just being very sarcastic, gets no further replies from her crystal. It floats back to the main body, like Souji's did.

    All things are large when compared to just one person. Is that not what makes all things worth it? the crystal asks Valentha, without necessarily expecting an answer.

    The Primals are part of Hydaelyn too, their energies coming from it. It is their summoning that is unnatural, as though a means to weaponize faith, to take a portion of the Light for yourself, and to turn it into your very own deity. the crystal answers Scarlet, essentially explaining that Primals themselves aren't harmful, but the ritual through which people, beastmen or otherwise summon them is. It fragments Hydaelyn, draining some of her life to form a body for the Primal.

    Only believe, for the Light dwells in thy hearts. Darkness threatens the end of all things, and of life. I beseech you all: deliver us from this fate. Go now, my children. Shine thy Light on all of creation.

    The crystal pulses again, and weakens. The connection to it falters, as you are sent rocketing past the crystal and into the sky. There's no vertigo or side-effect to speak of; actually it probably feels rather pleasant.

    And then, you're back in LITTLE SOLACE.

    Frixio and Komuxio are just kind of staring at those of you who were before them curiously, unaware of what just happened. Frixio at least answers Scarlet, as though they hadn't just skipped a beat. "Are walking and dancing ones alright? But yes, these ones will continue cooperating. It is this one's hope the token will prove to horned one Kan-E-Senna these ones mean no harm. Touched ones usually mean no harm, but imperial ones have disturbed them often lately, and so they are on edge."

    The elder's eyes move to Bertram. "This one saw the crystal shine. This one cannot even imagine the cruel path that must be walked if it means what this one thinks it does."

Mirielle Edelweiss (666) has posed:
    "I am growing to find a strong aversion to this place. Sadly, PE credits do not earn themselves." Mirielle deadpans to Alwyn as she stands up from her fetal position scooch on the ground.

    Ugh, Crystal Mom made her sit on moss and dirt and stuff, her skirt's all scuzzy now.

Shin Tokuyama (756) has posed:
    The low-level Mute spell has, thankfully, worn off of Shin by now, "Woo. Yeah, I hope there is too. Wouldn't it be a crazy twist if I turned out to be the villain?" Shin asks while continuing that awkward rub to the back of his head, "I doubt I will, though. Pretty low chance of that," He muses before shrugging at the crystal.

    When he's back in Little Solace, he kinda just looks around, "Woo, holy shit. What a trippy event that was, right? Fucking... flying in space talkin' to crystals. I thought I'd drank some peyote or whatever it is they drink before vision quests."
    He claps his hands together once and rubs his hands together, "But if the world needs help, I'm down to toss in my fair share."

Souji Murasame (627) has posed:
When they return, Souji looks exactly the way he did before. It seems almost irrational, really, considering the nature of the visit, but it is what it is. The air around Souji almost seems to swirl, the air tinged with the scent of an afternoon just before a summer storm.

However, Frixio's words cause him to immediately smooth himself out, his stormy expression becoming pleasant and businesslike once more. "Thank you for your concern, Frixio. We will be sure to meet your expectations."

He glances over to Bertram, however. "Many paths are cruel in their own ways. It is up to the walker to decide how to meet the needs of those paths." Ominous. Ominous. Ominous ominous.

Scarlet Everille (747) has posed:
    Well if Komuxio isn't going to skip a beat then neither is Scarlet of course. Pretending is both her specialty and an adequate descriptor of most of her life, and her social class in general. "The Seedseers spoke very fondly of you. There's no need to worry~ They'll be more than happy to see it, I guarantee you."

    If Frixio's just going to throw it out in the open, there's no real sense hiding it though. "It's nothing they can't handle." she says in a deliberately token tone of reassurance, as if to make it clear that even if she believes they'll come out fine, she doesn't have any desire to disagree that might might very well be an ordeal for those chosen by Hydaelyn herself. It also expertly deflects the idea that she could be centrally involved before it can be imagined and forwarded. Oh she'll help alright, but those three adventurers are the "destined" ones, right?

N'raha Tia has posed:
    N'raha stammers and flops back on his butt as they are released by the vision, his ears flicking back against his head. A glance to Alwyn and Bertram who... who have clearly seen this before. It's hard to deny that to the miq now as their reactions aren't nearly as surprised as his.

    But then the words of the others finally sink in to his head. A look over to Xiao and Souji and... and Scarlet. At least two of them he'd trusted but... something is there now as he tries to pick himself back up to a proper position. Wariness? Maybe.

Setsuko Kaminagi (255) has posed:
    And so they return - having never, in truth, left. Some corner of Setsuko's mind is not truly surprised. "I do not know this world very well," she says to Frixio. "But I wouldn't be surprised if your guess is correct, We have a large task before us."

    Then she takes a couple of steps over to N'raha of all people, to whom she offers a hand to help his attempt to stand. "Are you all right?"

Valentha Summers (834) has posed:
    The dragon-in-disguise chuckles. "Yes. Very true." She also cocks her head, hearing a rather juicy tidbit. "An improper summoning ritual. Sadly a field I know little of. It might be time to learn! ... Well, it's ALWAYS a good time to learn..."

    But just as soon as she's done speaking she finds herself launched into... the great void and then... back to where she was.

    Valentha promptly rubs at her head and glances around at all the others...

    But finally settles her gaze on the elder. "You know a thing or two about it, don't you, old one?"

Xiao Li Yu (823) has posed:
     And after all is said and done, they are...back. Xiao is standing once again, her arms still folded in her sleeves. "....Oh." She blinked a few times, realizing that they had returned. Wow that was way too abrupt.

     Thanks for the premonition, Crystal Mom!

     She listened to the elder's words, canting her head aside a bit. "Cruel path, hm...? Well, no matter. If there is knowledge to be had, I will assist if I can." That said, Xiao smiled a little, as though it were funny, and said nothing further.

     N'raha's look earned him a wider smile and a cute wave, but no words. She was messing with him of course.

Serenity (607) has posed:
    "Mmhmm." Serenity remains mostly silent throughout the discussion, now considering both her companions and the three ordained 'heroes' that were with her. A narrowing of her eyes considers some of her companions here, but she looks back to the Sylph without comment on them. This situation, she thinks, is one where it is best to wait and observe... especially after what she learned in that crystal realm.

    Not for the first time, she wishes she'd developed her sight like the seers of her realm. Too late now. "This is going to take a bit more planning, I think," she murmurs softly. Louder, she speaks to the elder, "I am confident they will rise to the challenge, and they have our support." Best be diplomatic, anyway.

Bertram Silent (826) has posed:
Bertram puts the crystal away securely once they're back in the mortal world. "A cruel path perhaps, elder. But if you know what it is, then pray don't pretend it's not a path someone must walk; and if it's to be me, then Twelves know, I will. Thus must needs be done." He sounds a fair bit more serious than normal, yet also more upbeat. Below the seriousness is a tone that has not appeared in his voice before, not since before he met anyone present here. Hope. Real, genuine hope.

Na`Sabal-Une Fang (367) has posed:
     Nasa shifts her ears slightly. A lit path... she can light the path for the other Drow, maybe? Show them that there is a better way, and help them escape the frequently-forced shackles of the dark goddess. Yes. That could work. Maybe... she shifts very slightly, giving a small nod. "...Yes, is great people." She murmurs. She doesn't speak any further though, simply allowing herself to passively listen while in that place. She wasn't ignoring, so much as not really having much further to ask or say.

     And then they're returned to their time. She shifts slightly, blinking a few moments as the more normal light returns. That was the closest to 'sleep' she'd had, really... ever. "Is fine." Nasa says, flashing a smile towards Frixio and Komuxio, listening to their explanation. She twitches her ears thoughtfully. Touched ones... and proving to Kan-E-Senna they meant no harm. Friction? Hmm.

     "...Does think that is going to be interesting path, if nauthing else. ... But, easy path is to being rarely the most fun or the most worthwhile in end, yes." She says, streeeetching slightly, her wings fluttering. She flutters over towards Bertram, toes hovering about an inch off of the ground as she does. "Does naut ever need to being alone in path that is walking though. Most paths are to being best walked with allies, yes." She'd learned that the hard way before.

Shin Tokuyama (756) has posed:
    Shin, almost as soon as he hits the ground, is also bounding over towards Scarlet, "You're her, right? Everille?" He asks as he holds out a hand to her, "Shin Tokuyama, you bought that Garlican Staff from me when I was trying to sell it on the Multiversal Auction house and no one was buying. I remember the voice! Recognize it, more!"
    "You're pitching in on these? I never knew you were involved in anything beyond collecting the weapons as curios. What's your interest in this whole business?" He's bouncing on his feet a bit as he shotguns questions at the student, sorta rocking back and forth as he watches her. If he weren't closing on 20 in age-range, it'd be a somewhat childish gesture. Now it's more like a rowdy adult.

Alwyn Highwind (815) has posed:
    It's good everyone is so energetic! Alwyn tosses an arm over N'raha's shoulder, grinning. "Cheer up, we're not dead yet! We just have to keep doing the same thing we were already doing, right? So when can we start calling you Captain N'raha?" They still haven't named the ship either.

    Frixio answers Valentha honestly: "Chosen ones walk a cruel path. Chosen ones, and all their helping ones. Five or six years ago, this one met other chosen ones. Many of them, this one has not seen again."

    The elder playfully dances-- well, an elegant twirl, a sort of dancing motion, respectful-- as he says: "This one believes Lord Ramuh can be swayed. This one has witnessed walking and dancing ones being heroes. And now this one has witnessed the path beyond. Walking ones, dancing ones, chosen ones, it does not matter. These ones will pray for success. Lord Ramuh is wise, and strong. Levin One will judge walking ones. Walking ones will prove worthy." He nods, certain of this. Just because there's only a few of you who are 'Warriors of Light' doesn't mean he thinks it's all up to them. And if Ramuh even slightly lives up to his reputation, it'll definitely be a team effort.

    Komuxio is the one to move forward-- well, dance forward-- next, the Sylph offering: "Would walking ones wish to stay for a meal? These ones do not usually consume walking ones' food, but many walking ones stay here with these ones, so these ones have both supplies and skill."

N'raha Tia has posed:
    N'raha just blanches a bit as he rubs at his hair at the sudden attention and... and grumbles. He's hugged/clapped on the shoudler and manages not to wilt too much. "Right, yeah, sure... Captain. Hah hah ah haahahaaa."

    The ears flick a bit more as he glance around and looks to Mirielle the Not-Arcanist. The other dark souled one he'd managed to see. Why are so many with such dark futures... helping them? Just... He bites his lip and misses a bunch more of the teasing as his face screws up in thought.

Na`Sabal-Une Fang (367) has posed:
     The fae-type people seemed generally rather happy, really! Still, Nasa had noticed something about this land. There seemed to be an incredibly large amount of predators, many of which didn't seem to be kept in very good check. They also tended to be ... rather large. The Sylphs seemed rather small. The offer to staying for a meal gets Nasa coming out of her thoughts again. "Ah, yes, would to liking staying for meal." Nasa says, offering a little bow of her head.

     "Would offer to helping find food or helping culling of the large amount of predators in area as trade." Nasa offers, rather than saying that they NEED help, offering it as a trade. Because sparing pride sometimes is rather important when dealing with fae or ... really anyone.

Scarlet Everille (747) has posed:
    Suddenly the, now slightly awkward, diplomatic encounter is interrupted by Shin, catching Scarlet off guard by his sudden interest in her and not loudly singing Japanese music and or flexing his biceps. Without really thinking about it, she offers her hand in return as a matter of course, having done more than enough shaking in her adolescence alone, which does a pretty good job of disguising her imprecise bafflement. "I did. And you must be mister Tokuyama, correct?" It's only through passive magical enhancement that her memory is good enough to recall his name from the auction details.

    "Nothing too spectacular I'm afraid. A general interest in magic, drawn to somewhere where magic is completely ubiquitous, totally natural, and relatively unexploited in direct opposition to where my field of experience lies. The Garlean items are a matter of practicality as well as collector's value. If it becomes necessary, I'd like to know the correct countermagic for their standardized uses." It's all very nonspecific when really thought about, but it genuinely doesn't seem as if she's omitting anything.

Shin Tokuyama (756) has posed:
    "Oh!" Shin says as he shakes her hand. In total fairness, Shin only remembers her because she's in the little book he carried, so he wouldn't blame her too much for forgetting him. He shakes the hand and then releases it, "Yeah, that's me. Combat Vagrant, in the flesh."
    "That's pretty cool, though!" He folds his hands behind his head in a relaxed gesture, milling over her answer, "So like...You're running the academic angle. Research paper or something?" He seems to consider the answer, "Pretty legit, pretty legit. I bet that figuring out counter-magic to their nega-magic-tech is gonna be way more effective than me just punchin' dudes." He's filling in the gaps a lot for her answers, nodding his head a bit, "Plus, you know, the staff looked cool. Mount that shit in your office and people think you're some kinda total badass collector."

Scarlet Everille (747) has posed:
    Scarlet lets slip a genuine smile at that. "Choosing to do multiversal work was something of a controversial career orientation move, so I'm holding up the idiom that the best revenge is a life well lived. Aside from advancing my personal knowledge of magic beyond what they'll teach at home, the exponential boost in subscriptions and followers that comes from posting multiversal content is satisfying in its own, spiteful way~ It's proven far more valuable than toadying around in parliament on the coattails of a professor's favourite politician at any rate."

    Being a magus provides the unexpected benefit of happening to carry paper and writing utensils despite it almost being the 22nd century, which lets her write down a short list of tags, domain and user names to hand over. "In case you're interested~" she says simultaneously with opening Twitter hands free, using eye movement to scroll through the AR menu until she can subscribe to Shin's account.

Shin Tokuyama (756) has posed:
    "That's a pretty chill goal, gotta say. I did the same thing, really, but to a different end," He confesses as he hooks one foot backwards and taps the toe of his shoe against the ground, "Martial Arts is great on my world, but no one wants to ADVANCE it. It's about the old, not the new. I wanna take it somewhere people haven't seen, really, beyond the traditionalist style," He sighs a bit and looks skyward. If she hadn't spotted it by now due to the sunglasses, his heterochromia is easily apparent at that gesture.
    "I'll most def add you on some social media," He says as he takes the paper and looks over the various social media venues, "I recognize... some of these. My Twitter is pretty chill, I'll probably update it again later tonight about the crystals thing," He says, folding her paper and putting it in his jacket pocket. Scarlet will probably have a new follower on most of her accessible social media by the end of the night.

Mirielle Edelweiss (666) has posed:
    Mirielle has faded into the background, having found some insanely huge fairy flower bud thing to sit on and whip out a journal to begin scribing stuff down. She catches the dirty looks N'raha gives her, and looks confused, before giving him a two-finger wave and gong back to her writing.

    Dear Diary: Today I met a giant freaking crystal that violated my soul and when most people's were bright and happy mine was dark and filled with Evil. But it was still shiny on the outside, so I had that going for me, which is nice.

    She begins sketching Hydaeyln, and the realm, as well as her smaller crystal in quick, precise terms. It helps to have memories recorded in this way.

Valentha Summers (834) has posed:
    "A meal would be lovely! That and some chat time about this Ramuh and his brethren. I love hearing about magical beings of all kinds. Your people appear to count!" Valentha chirps out rather happily, adjusting her goggles.