Scene #9659: BINDING BLADE Ch56: Postmortem

Owner	Pose
Marigold	BERN'S NORTHEASTERN MOUNTAINS Former location of the Shrine of Seals, a little while later. It's been a little while. Long enough to digest what happened, after you re-emerged from Bramimond's trial- or was it just a counseling?- in the buried Shrine of Seals. Coming up into the world of light again made what happened down there feel like a dream. Only a few pieces of evidence- the Binding Blade itself, the scrap of paper in Petra's hand, the bruises on Roy's hands and knees- could prove that it wasn't. Everyone was relieved you were alive, and delighted you'd succeeded, and then... Then what? Rutger once said she would be satisfied with her swordsmanship if she could cut all of Bern in half at one blow. Maybe the Blade is sharp enough to bring down a kingdom, but any giant-slayer knows it's not easy to find the right ligament to cut. The Blade makes the task of ending this war seem possible. Now that it is possible, one must confront the fact that it is hard. Maybe that's the source of the pervasive softly-thrilled unease. . . . That strange 'black lake' is still at the bottom of the pit you all dug together. It's as if you'd broken through into a water table of darkness. It feels like it shouldn't be; that something so flagrantly un-real in a world otherwise mostly grounded should be smoothed over by some healing process; and yet it persists. No-one has a reason to re-enter it now, and the army has gotten almost used to its presence in the days spent camping by its edge. Fae is sitting just five or six feet from its edge, even, on a little rock that still shows jackhammer-marks; and Igrene only eyes the situation a little anxiously, while the little dragon insists on teaching grumpy-patient Raigh the rules of a game involving lines-in-dirt and shiny pebbles. Around the impromptu quarry's rim, the army has tactically established their tents in the shadows of Riku-strewn boulders, acting as shelter from the night-time wind and occasional rain. Melady is flying a lookout high up in the sky; her wyvern's silhouette won't be taken as suspicious even if it is seen. Almost everyone else can be found milling about somewhere or other; Lucius trying to give some quiet spiritual advice to Karel and Fir near the supply wagon, Mage-General Cecilia here from her command duties to discuss some news or other with Roy, who anxiously fidgets with the Blade wrapped in heavy red cloth; Clarine and Princess Guinivere nearby them, arguing about something or other... "You really just shouldn't have gone in there. I don't think you can blame them?" Guinivere says to her, holding in a giggle. "Of course I can! She was uncouth to me--" "They were rude to you." "She had my face! I can say she!" "Hm. Well, still..." Guinivere still has her hand politely over her mouth when you arrive; Cecilia flags you down with a wave, and Roy manages a slightly-strained smile.
Angela	"Looks like we finally have a means to end this thing." Roland says to Love. "Sorry I wasn't any more help." "It's okay!" Love chirps back at him. "The war's almost over then right?" She hesitates for a moment, frowning uneasily, but then shakes her head. "It didn't seem like the uh... Bramimonds liked your Bramimond all that much. Are you feeling ok about that? You seem uh... feeling down." Roland half mumbles, awkwardly, like he's not really sure how to manage a proper conversation right now. "Hm? No, that can't be, they were reflecting us a bit, but probably not perfectly, what would be the point if it was perfect?" Love offers. "So it doesn't mean anything really..." Roland's unsure. "So you're okay?" Love's lower lip quibbles a little bit. "I'm fiiiine..." She spreads her arms and runs over to Roy. "Right Roy? Right? We're the best of friends, right?" "Uh sorry sorry--!" Roland stammers. "I should've kept my mouth shut--!" Love insistently offers Roy a fist dab.
Riku Asakura	Riku comes back to the camp overlooking the former Shrine of Seals. He's in his normal outfit, which consists of an orange shirt with a space logo on it, a jean jacket, a pair of jeans, and tennis shoes. He doesn't have the usual smile on his face because coming back to this place reminded him of the burden they carried in the form of the Binding Blade and just how dangerous it could be if they used it poorly. Looking down at the black lake at the bottom of the pit just dredges up the memories of what he said to Flamel, and he was ready to back up his promise should the worst come to happen. However, he trusted Flamel, at least a little bit, and that wouldn't have ever happened. So he walks away from the black lake and towards the tents of the army. He notices the large boulders he had thrown away from the edge, smiling a little at them. It's good that they're getting some use here! Cecilia flags Riku down with a wave, and Riku smiles and waves back towards the mage general. He also makes sure to wave to Roy, Guinivere, and Clarine. "Hello, Cecilia! Is everything alright on the warfront? I certainly hope so..." he says with a frown, preparing for bad news. He also considers Clarine for a moment, "Was she rude to you? A lot happened at once down there..."
Nobunaga	The Nobbu soldiers are still all milling about, though without a strong imperative to dig they've settled on lazily tidying the place up. Moving loose stones into little, vaguely-organized piles, filling cracks with crushed gravel, and so on. The Demon King Oda Nobunaga doffs her cape, flipping it out over a stone and then seating herself on it. Immediately, one leg folds over the other and she leans forward to place her elbows on her thighs, hands draped loosely between her knees. "The agreement I reached with myself is that this is a weapon of last resort," she states plainly, eyes shifting between Cecilia and Roy, "The thing with 'ultimate weapons' is that they often do just as much harm as good, after all. Even if our odds aren't good, that sword must only be used if absolutely necessary."
Lilian Rook	'Of course I can! She was uncouth to me--' 'They were rude to you.' 'She had my face! I can say she!' 'Hm. Well, still...' Lilian has dredged herself from the Pit once again. Feeling the enormous hole where most of her emotional stockpile was, she wonders absent-mindedly why critical moments like these always exhaust her in this same way. The first words she hear help tremendously in getting her mind off of it, because they're a prompt to make her reflect on why she used both 'she' and 'them' to refer to her conversational partner slash opponent down in the depths of the Shrine of Seals, and then try to fathom the boundless dark power of mirror pronouns. "Well, Bramimond wore other people's faces as well, and some of them are men. How does it feel for the person who had your face and voice to be a he?" Nope. Back in the oven. She needs to cook that one longer. The first thing she focuses on instead is getting back the rest of her outerwear, now that she's too cold to sweat anyways. The second is her companion in emotionally charged ideological-personal debate. Finding Petra as a second order, Lilian inquires with some meaningful amount of curiosity, "What was it that Petra handed you anyways? It seemed like you were getting on bizarrely well." <J-IC-Scene> Lilian Rook says, despite the absence of a gitmo to get that out of her, "Bramimond's idea of me was oddly foul-mouthed and emotionally invested, and was obviously wearing her heart on her sleeve the entire time. I suppose it's an artifact of my natural resilience to mental examination." <J-IC-Scene> Nobunaga says, "Ahaha, they were remarkably pragmatic and strategic, you know? They made a convincing stance." <J-IC-Scene> Flamel Parsons, ever-tactful and perpetually friendly, "Yeah! You're very resilient." <J-IC-Scene> Lilian Rook says, "No doubt Petra's influence had something to do with it." "It's good to see you again, General Cecilia." says Lilian, waving her down and altering her approach a third time. Seeing Roy's condition, she decides to choose her words diplomatically. "It looks like you took the fall in badly. Have Father Lucius or Raskins seen to those?" She still looks back at Guinivere more times than she ought to. A little worried, perhaps, despite repeatedly finding no sign that she should be.
Flamel Parsons	Flamel mills with the about-millers. He's still got a folder under his jacket, still rotating the situation in his mind. He's always a help around a camp, as a counselor and as a camper... When Riku arrives, his gaze lingers on the man for a moment, tense but hidden behind sunglasses. A winning smile is flashed, though, always happy to assure! Much of what he's doing, though, is focused on Lugh these days. He spends time teaching the boy that unique intersection of transcranial stimulation and electrical magic, all designed to give him what he'll need to found an independent study of Psychonautry. Soon, this will all be over. Ultimate weapons, final battles... All of this is coming to an end. It won't be long now. And, with any luck, Lugh will be an adult soon. This year-or-two of mentoring ought to produce a peer, not just a happy boy. --- When Cecilia flags folks down, he joins them eagerly. "Hey there! How goes your end of the campaign? We're really getting near the end here..." He looks back over the black lake. "As you can see, our end got a little deep but it's quite a good outcome here. I like that fellow down there, wish I could get them out on the road with us!"
Petra Soroka	Oh, right. The Binding Blade. What Petra has been up to for the past week has precisely nothing to do with that. "Oh, I want jewelry made of one-- no, no, that's terribly greedy of me." Cone snails. Who even was it that brought them up first, again? It was the mouse, right? And then Petra started blabbering about snails to Princess Guinivere a bunch, because she has no control over herself. Probably, Guinivere's forgotten all about the idly stated whim that she immediately took back. But Petra can't forget about it. If on the off chance Guinivere does remember, then Petra will have failed a side quest-- but more selfishly, she's forgotten entirely, and that makes it cute if Petra brings her one anyways. And Petra would really like to be called cute. So, the journey begins. Calling around, she finds an aquarium in Sydney that happened to have a cone snail die recently of natural causes, which she then spends most of a day traveling to. For the trouble of the weird request, Petra leaves them with a sizeable donation, which then results in them insisting on putting a plaque with her name on the wall of donors which she flusteredly accepts just to get that confusing social interaction over with. From there, she goes to a jeweler, who drills a hole and threads a golden chain through it, presenting her with the entirely unique end result. Mission success! However, this is now an extremely embarrassing item to have. Petra does have quite a lot to think and say about Brammimond, but it's difficult to conjure those thoughts up at first. Making sure she has her traced star charts along and running her fingers along the little indentations in the paper that followed along the cave wall helps refresh her focus, enough to reminisce on the echo of Petra that was left behind in the dark in the radio at Cecilia's prompting. She shows up as usual, in her burgundy and black outfit, with a little leather pouch bouncing on her hip as she scampers down the slope to the camp. The fussing over Roy and Sophia was done after coming out before. Really, Petra could take or leave most of the Elites besides Lilian who was with her in the cave and Love and Roland who entered after her, so it was mostly seeing the three world locals vanish into the pit that stressed her out at the time. The Binding Blade is certainly a subject to raise, but first-- "Of course I can! She was uncouth to me--" "Oh my god. Clarine, you went in recreationally?" Petra practically teleports into the frame to bully, leaning forewards with her palms on a chunk of rubble like it's furniture. "What'd she even say? I mean, after we had the Binding Blade already and all. Actually, what did you say to her?" "Oh, wait--" After wiggling with her butt sticking out like a cat preparing to pounce, Guinivere's presence prompts Petra to (pretend to) just remember her gift. She fishes in her pouch, carefully drawing out the necklace by the chain with the geometrically patterned thumb-sized shell hanging off of it. It's about as simple as a 'necklace' can be, just being an ornament and a chain. It's still so so so embarrassing of her to have gotten it, and her cheeks are incrementally darkening with each word she says, as she offers the shell out on her palm for Guinivere to see. "Er-- this is one of those shells we were talking about. Um, it's ethically sourced, so there's no need to worry about that."
Desire Stars	You really just shouldn't have gone in there. I don't think you can blame them? Of course I can! She was uncouth to me-- "Um..." Neon is visibly struggling with communicating an idea in a gentle way, eyes conspicuously avoiding contact with Clarine despite addressing her. Hands clasped together, she rocks on her heels and effortfully searches for words. "It kinda seems like they were reading everyone's mind's, so..." Ace smirks and lifts a hand in greeting towards Roy. "Not bad, for your first test of spirit. You're shaping up to be a real somebody, kid." He doesn't miss the strained quality in Roy's smile. As he grows closer, he lowers his guard--the smugness dissipates, wholly absent from his eyes even if the curve of his smile remains the same. "What's on your mind?"
Odette Raskins	Even with the Binding Blade secured, Odette doesn't feel all that much better than she did before the dig started. There's a sense of relief that it wasn't lost, sure, but something about the entire thing this time just felt particularly bad to her compared to the others. She can't even put her finger on why yet, either, even when she sees more familiar faces on the way in. There's clearly something eating at her, too, when her semi-usual seconds of smiling like an infatuated dope at Lucius is replaced with a more subdued wave and smile. Even seeing Fae and Raigh getting along (?) isn't enough to pull her out of that distracted funk. "She was uncouth to me--" "Were they? I thought it was kind of flattering, the way Bramimond was so... Like us, just at a glance." Odette comments, rubbing her neck idly while slowing to a stop by Clarine and Guinivere. "They really cared... Still care for this world a lot, huh? Just sticking around like they did, still trying to warn us about what could happen with the Blade and all. It's kind of hard to believe someone like that could be forgotten like that." She lets out an uncertain noise, then looks over at Roy shortly after Ace gives him some praise. "You did really good in there, Roy. Um... How're you feeling now?" She asks, briefly looking like she's going to ask something else before stopping herself.
Petra Soroka	"How does it feel for the person who had your face and voice to be a he?" "Hm?" Out of Lilian's frying pan and into Petra's fire, Petra tries to consider that thought coming from the voice of god. She gives it a seriously inordinate amount of thought, knuckle slowly gravitating to between her teeth, holding both the alternate Petra and the alternate Lilian in her mind. "Would it be right to call them a person? I mean, they're like a more... transient Qetra, basically. Any individual pronoun would just be referring to, um, one facet of the cloud or gestalt of all of humanity that could potentially pass by them. It's not like 'them' is specifically correct by choice or anything-- it's the indefinite 'they', not some introduction they made. Reinterpreting it into being a definite signifier for Bramimond as a distinct entity feels wrong, somehow." "What was it that Petra handed you anyways? It seemed like you were getting on bizarrely well." "Ah! Yeah!" Petra digs through the pouch to find the thing that's of main quest importance, rather than her silly little side quest. Neatly folded down and creased rather than wrinkled, she takes out the piece of paper she held against the cave wall and flattens it on the rubble in front of her like a table. On it is a tracing of the night sky as it was in the ancient records, along with a palm-sized symbol in the corner, drawn by an identical hand. "I traced out all the stars and everything, to compare it to the constellations now. I thought that, really, that would be a big part of convincing other me-- having records of what the world is like before each use of the Binding Blade-- and also it helped convince me too. I thought I'd show it to Lilina, next time we see her? She was interested in this before." "Oh, and..." She points at the big symbol in the corner, then waves Sophia over to come take a look. "She drew this on the paper while we were talking? I don't know what it is, though." She doesn't directly answer Lilian's implicit question at first, but working her way back around to it, it sounds like she's already thought about it a lot to herself. "I don't think Bramimond could read my mind. I mean, obviously, but even despite... patterning onto me, they couldn't get a complete view. It felt like what was missing in the other Petra was everything that, wasn't Petra, like that was shielded away from them." "So... I don't know." Her eyes fall back to the paper. "She felt younger than me, somehow. So I tried to leave her with, some of the things I've learned ever since. That's what we were talking about."
Lilian Rook	'Er-- this is one of those shells we were talking about. Um, it's ethically sourced, so there's no need to worry about that.' "Ethically sourced cone snail?" Lilian scoffs, then laughs briefly. Even with an eyebrow up, she says, "You're a funny bitch, Petra." fondly. It's so stupid. 'Would it be right to call them a person?' "'Alright' is an odd criteria." says Lilian. "Is this about ethics? Because I sincerely doubt Bramimond has a preference at all." Well, she got that far! She's conceived of 'no preference' pronouns! Yay! "I think it's interesting, if flawed, to assert that the terminal is feminine because it's 'you', though. In reality, you don't have any particular thoughts about why you're a 'she'; it just sort of is that way and you don't have any reason to argue." Lilian says, with an 'inexplicable' trace of verbal irony. "Of course, Clarine referring to herself as 'she' is just obvious, but deciding that something that happens to look identical is as well is a step or two further. Is an illusion, or a male shapeshifter, or even a hypothetically perfect statue, 'Clarine' enough to be 'her'? Aren't we all just picking labels of convenience to refer to Bramimond at all?" This would be more pretentious if Lilian hadn't just asked Petra about Petra (the other one) without differentiating at all. 'It felt like what was missing in the other Petra was everything that, wasn't Petra, like that was shielded away from them.' "That makes perfect sense to me, actually." Lilian says, thoughtfully. "The idea was never to simulate a perfect you. It was the symbol of 'Petra' imprinted into the void, as a sort of linguisic-ideological interface. There's no need to embody you; only to have something to speak to. And in the dark, the person you most often speak to is yourself. Not the whole of you; just the voice in yourself that sounds like yours." Leaning over the star map, Lilian finds time for a faint smile at Petra's whimsical conscientiousness, before she focuses fully on the weird glyph. "I can't imagine it's something irrelevant if they chose to leave it with you. It doesn't look as if it's relevant to the stars, or any locational information, thought. It might be some seal or crest or site-marker we're meant to recognize later. Or something magic, I suppose."
Petra Soroka	"In reality, you don't have any particular thoughts about why you're a 'she'; it just sort of is that way and you don't have any reason to argue." Rather than pointing out the obvious thing here, Petra actually has an entirely different angle to bring up. "Does that matter necessarily? I mean, your whole identity is kind of premised on whether you're a man or a woman in the first place. I don't even know if I'd bring up... 'identity', as an individual thing at all when talking about this. To get to mimicking you at all, the baggage of, um, societal preconditioning has to filter into an image of you, right?" "Like, the way you look is because you're a woman. Your personality traits and physical mannerisms are because you're a woman. Your belief in, like, personal responsibility, and the relationship of an individual to society, and whether you'd use the sword is because you're a woman. I mean, not completely, but we all know that no person is formed out of nothing and so much of anyone's personality is created in conversation with the social constructs of categorization that they exist in. Like, I don't think it'd be wrong to call the other Petra white." Who the fuck is teaching her this. "Is an illusion, or a male shapeshifter, or even a hypothetically perfect statue, 'Clarine' enough to be 'her'?" "You know Galatea?" Someone has to shove this girl in a locker at some point. "That was actually almost what I named the Beauty of Ash, but, well. That's not its name, obviously." "But, uh, I don't really have thoughts on guys, that's not my business, but I think there's a lot you can say about gendering specifically an image of a woman." Petra jabs her finger into the paper that she's spread out, at the constellations, probably at least one of which is meant to evoke a mythological woman. "I mean, people treat images of women as, uh, nonthreatening vessels to pour misogyny into, but the whole Pygmalion thing is a really good demonstration of how that functions in society. Artistic mediums exist as part of society, not, like, separate from it. I think misogynizing artwork of a woman makes it a little bit of a woman. And also, Brammimond is, like, autonomous, and only exists when copying one of us, so I don't think that makes them anything besides a woman."
Lilian Rook	'Does that matter necessarily?' "What? Yes." Lilian auto-responds to Petra, then turns to look at her next. "You-- Literally you of all people should--" Then she narrows her eyes and decides she doesn't want to commit to this one actually. It could stand out. As Woke. 'You know Galatea?' "The statue?" Now Lilian narrows her eyes, from below up, which is the incredulous way. "I thought you were taking journalism." She is perhaps actually considering locking Petra in a supply closet. A hint of Bully Energy returns to her barely withheld sneer. "I feel as if you're losing the plot on this automatically being 'yourself', not just some random woman. Clarine isn't a nonthreatening vessel to pour misogyny into for Clarine." Lilian suddenly feels a sense of dread, and glances back and forth at her from the corner of her eye. 'Brammimond is, like, autonomous, and only exists when copying one of us, so I don't think that makes them anything besides a woman.' "What? You can't just say 'I don't wanna talk about guys' and conclude on that! What kind of argumentation are they teaching you?!" Lilian whines. "And you're also conveniently getting Bramimond doesn't actually get a conscious choice in this. Bramimond isn't taking on a form. We're just projecting ourselves on them in an absence of any other identity to perceive of characteristics to extrapolate from or even the silhouette of a societal scaffolding beneath. If you're trying to gender the person then we don't even know because it's not written down. And if you're gendering an imagerial symbol representing yourself that's just--" Lilian skips two thoughts ahead and thinks about the most obvious subject on the track. She frowns, mutters something to herself, and resolves to make Petra's life difficult later about a debate she hadn't even intended to take any side in anyways.
Marigold	"Love! Ri-- um, wait--!" Roy says, trying to return what he assumes is a handshake hastily, almost fumbling the Binding Blade from his lap, and just barely catching it with that thick red cloth again. (He treats it like it's a hot frying pan and the cloth is an oven mitt...) He sighs in relief, and then goes to return the fistbump... by guessing at what he's supposed to do, and clasping his hand over Love's. But his smile's sincere! "I think, um... the other Bramimonds were just startled. They didn't expect any of 'themselves' to want to unseal the Blade. I guess no-one's ever been as... pure-hearted as you are, before?" he ventures, with a little anxious glance to Roland. "Of course," nods Cecilia to Nobunaga. "We can hardly afford for the Binding Blade to be anything but a weapon of last resort. We don't strictly know if it's degrading, as the other Divine Weapons are, but I'd be shocked if it weren't. And if we use it up before we've reached the Demon Dragon..." She shakes her head. It's hard for her to imagine a path to victory without it. "How does it feel for the person who had your face and voice to be a he?" "Huh? Don't be preposterous, Lilian. That'd be... I mean, that's... hmh." Clarine looks very focused all of a sudden, at nothing in particular. She bites her thumb. At an impact delay of five or six seconds, she turns very slightly red. "Was she rude to you?" "Clarine, you went in recreationally?" Fortunately, other people swoop in to distract her from whatever ruinous train of thought that was. "Well, everyone else made it sound like such a momentous experience, I wasn't very well going to not!" Clarine huffs insistently. "Terribly rude. She called me poorly-dressed and unbecoming. Then I said she knows very well what I'm trying not to become; and then she said that that's no excuse for looking like a garbage heap," (was she wearing the flannel again?) "And, and...! Honestly, the gall." "It kinda seems like they were reading everyone's mind's, so..." Clarine turns her intent little stare on Neon for a good three or four seconds, there. "Huh? What are you saying?" she says. "That I have second thoughts about how I should carry myself?" That would be the most natural conclusion in the world, and yet, she makes the words sound dubious.
Marigold	"I'm alright," Roy insists gently to Lilian about his bruised knees, while Cecilia greets her. "It's just some aches and pains. Healing magic still uses up the staves; anyone else could wait this out, and I won't ask for special treatment." He doesn't really have grounds to decline if Odette insists, though! Pills grow on trees as far as he knows. When Ace smiles at him, Roy smiles back, and yet his eyes turn towards the ground. "I don't know. It feels like I'm having my spirit tested all the time," he half-jokes. What's on his mind? "... Bramimond seemed to think I should carry it, for some reason," with a nod down at the Blade, "but it burns me if I touch it, like the other Weapons do." Because he's a quarter-dragon, presumably. "Because you reminded them of someone, it sounded like. From everything I've heard, the Binding Blade doesn't seem like the kind of weapon that needs a skilled wielder," Cecilia prompts gently. "So it shouldn't matter who uses it, right?" "No. I suspect it matters quite a lot, Roy." He frowns, but doesn't answer. "I'm... doing fairly well, given everything. How are you holding up, Odette?" Roy asks her. And then, sensing she might evade: "... What has you looking down?" "'The voice in your head that sounds like yours'..." Guinivere muses softly. "When you put it like that, Dame Commander, it's a wonder they're so kind. But I wouldn't worry, Odette. Just because we don't remember Bramimond's face, doesn't mean they're forgotten, I think. Maybe we even remembered that it wasn't supposed to be remembered." About 'she' versus 'they', the princess adds: "I've been thinking about that. All we know about Bramimond from 'before' is how much they were willing to sacrifice. In the present, you're quite right; they can't want anything. But the living, breathing Bramimond of a thousand years ago... perhaps I'm overthinking it, but to use the vaguest terms strikes me as respectful to the destiny they embraced." "Well, sorry," Clarine gently puffs. Roy and Cecilia crane their necks to peep at Petra's paper, and... "Oh! You're quite right, Lilina would love that. Are you two close? How thoughtful... Roy, where is she?" "Ah, um, she's been visiting Hector, but she does mean to come back to us." "Well, Hector does need the moral support... ... Oh!! That symbol, that's--" "Isn't it magic?" "Look. If you drew that sigil under a modern understanding, this element and this one would 'short-circuit', and it does next to nothing. But back then... Petra, I think this is Apocalypse. Bramimond's magic, from the Scouring. Merlinus-- Merlinus, fetch me some fine paper and spring water. We could try carefully wetting the inks, and blotting them onto more pages...?" But she's looking to Petra for approval.
Marigold	... Ah. Right. The course of the war. Presumably what the General wanted to speak to you all about. Cecilia rubs the back of her neck, and nods. "By the standards of an ordinary war, decently well. By the standards of 'trying to stop the apocalypse', who can say," she sighs. "Sigrun let me know that indications are Galle and some of his wyvern-knights have escaped through warpgates, leaving the footsoldiers entrenched in Ilia. That was always inevitable; I'm pleasantly surprised she kept him pinned for this long. But already the skies in Bern are more crowded, and it'll be harder to move undetected." "Let me see... Brunnya is nearly put to flight in Sacae. We've actually had to put less pressure on her from the west, because Bern retreating back to its heartlands and fortifying is the last thing we need; better to give her the illusion she can keep holding Sacae's plains. And Zephiel's armies keep making pushes into eastern Lycia, near Araphen; Hector and Perceval's forces are keeping him from making it too far, but with those dragons we can't hold a line." She sighs. "So, if we ignore Iðunn, you could say we're winning. But if we ignore Iðunn, we're all dead sooner or later. I don't know how to assess that. It's a good thing you've all got the Binding Blade now, but the question remains of how to bring it to bear." And, off to the side, Guinivere now is having to cover her face with both hands in astonished delight at Petra's gift. "Oh, my goodness! Melady, you've got to see-- oh, Saint, right, she's up in the air-- Petra, you shouldn't have! This is one of those snails, isn't it...?" One of her hands ventures to pat Petra atop her head, like knighting her, or petting her; it rubs side to side as she delicately picks up the necklace. "My, and it doesn't feel slimy at all," she marvels, like she wouldn't have minded if it were. "It's so speckled, like... like a fine hunting-dog, or a pastry. Ohhh, now, how am I supposed to thank you?? I'm afraid you've caught me off-guard!"
Riku Asakura	'Well, everyone else made it sound like such a momentous experience, I wasn't very well going to not!' Riku frowns at this; it wasn't like it was some journey of the self or religious experience. It was for the Binding Blade, and of course, knowing the full weight of the item they sought. "Like a garbage heap..? That does sound a little rude..." he admits, though still at a loss as to why Clarine went in after the Binding Blade was retrieved, other than curiosity. 'But the living, breathing Bramimond of a thousand years ago... perhaps I'm overthinking it, but to use the vaguest terms strikes me as respectful to the destiny they embraced.' Riku nods at this after thinking about it for a while. "Yeah, that seems right. It's a little over my head, though..." 'But back then... Petra, I think this is Apocalypse. Bramimond's magic, from the Scouring.' "Wait, that's Apocalypse? Would it even function with today's magic?" Riku asks, not sure about how magic works, but knows that it's been lessened since the time of Bramimond. But with this being the symbol for that magic, if they could make it work... Well, it'd be a very good trump card for their mages against Bern. 'By the standards of an ordinary war, decently well. By the standards of 'trying to stop the apocalypse', who can say,' Okay, that's... neither good nor bad, come to think about it. Things were holding, but the dragons that Idunn was making were still tipping the scales against them. It was a war of attrition at this rate, and things didn't sound good because they were ignoring Idunn, where they were winning. 'It's a good thing you've all got the Binding Blade now, but the question remains of how to bring it to bear.' Riku takes a moment to think about this. It was a hard question, especially because he doesn't have military tactics or anything of the like at his disposal. Things sound like they're holding on, but by a thread. They could retreat, but that's only kicking the can down the road. So Riku thinks for a bit longer before speaking up. "I think we should go for the head of the army and Idunn directly. Their forces are tied with trying to hold the line, and attacking you, if we could sneak in and make a direct attack on Zephiel and Idunn directly... then we could stop the war before it is drawn out even more than it already is." He looks around to see if anyone agreed or disagreed with him on that.
Nobunaga	Nobunaga just... observes Clarine and those around her as she stumbles through what Lilian and Petra are trying to get her to understand. Her posture shifts, resting her chin on one hand with her eyes closed. It's times like this she wonders if she should take up smoking. One of those slender pipes... But wouldn't that only suit the vibe of her ascended self? Troublesome. Opening her eyes, her gaze rests on Fae in the distance while she chats towards Cecilia, "Though you call her the 'Demon Dragon', she's from the Divine bloodline, the same as our own little drakeling. And when it comes to bringing divine powers to their knees--hmmhmm~" Nobunaga closes her eyes again, tilting her face forward and allowing a smirk, "Look no further than the Demon King who stands before you." But she's sitting... Well, that's beside the point. Nobunaga nods once, "If the Blade is already broken before we face Iðunn, then the only ace we could rely on that may cause her true harm is me; While I don't intend to disappoint, I'd rather have all options available, you know?" She raises her free hand. In response, the idle Nagayoshi Mori jolts to readiness and lets out a sharp whistle. The idling Nobbu soldiers gather around him, then start working outward laying down colored tiles until they have formed a... reasonable if pixel-like map similar to the one Nobunaga had seen a few weeks ago. As Cecilia describes the battle situation, a Nobbu dressed like her pops out and takes its position in Sacae; one dressed like Brunnya stands next to it. The Hectorbbu emerges (this costume requires two Nobbu to wear) and stands by the Zephibbu near the Lycian border. Somewhere near the center of Bern, Iðunnbbu just stands there. After a pause, it shrugs helplessly, unsure what to do. A regular Nobbu steps out to the northern edge of Bern where this very sit-down is happening. Gathering at the edges, there are other Nobbu standing by in the requisite costumes. "What we would really benefit from is drawing Iðunn out somewhere, ahh, but she doesn't seem to be drawn to anything except perhaps the Binding Blade. And if we were to use that..." Roybbu hops out, then immediately gets jumped by Gallebu, Brunnbbu, Zephibbu, and Iðunnbbu all at once. > "I think we should go for the head of the army and Idunn directly. Their forces are tied with trying to hold the line, and attacking you, if we could sneak in and make a direct attack on Zephiel and Idunn directly." Mori just sort of reaches into the dustcloud and picks up the Zephibbu by its collar, "Hooh~? You're right, Riku. There's no need to make a distraction, their forces are already distracted. Ahh, you'll make a fine samurai yet." The fight finally stops and the Nobbu rearrange to show the new proposal.
Lilian Rook	'Huh? Don't be preposterous, Lilian. That'd be... I mean, that's... hmh.' Lilian's eyes widen. She forgets to blink. "Oh god." escapes her lips as she subtly leans back. 'That I have second thoughts about how I should carry myself?' "Thank god you do." Lilian mutters. 'anyone else could wait this out, and I won't ask for special treatment.' "I suppose that's right." Lilian says. She actually isn't pandering. Her standards have skewed so far over time. "As long as they've decided it's nothing serious." 'I don't know. It feels like I'm having my spirit tested all the time' "Mood." Lilian sighs. 'but it burns me if I touch it, like the other Weapons do.' Lilian's proprioceptive awareness drifts to Night Mist, but she doesn't move her hand to it. "That's likely exactly why." she says. 'When you put it like that, Dame Commander, it's a wonder they're so kind.' Lilian stares at Guinivere in surprise. "Really? Yours seemed surprisingly mean." 'I think this is Apocalypse' "What?!" Lilian double takes at the page. Of course she'd already just floated the idea that the glyph was magic, but she hadn't even considered the idea of it being something so absurd. "Forblaze was an entire book, wasn't it? How is this Apocalypse? We can just-- draw it ourselves?" Lilian pauses, charged with a very strange energy. ". . . Is that allowed?" 'Sigrun let me know that indications are Galle and some of his wyvern-knights have escaped through warpgates' Lilian finally seats herself, tilting up her sword with her hand weighted on the pommel for clearance and flopping down with an aggravated huff. "God I'm so sick of him." she says. "I wish he'd be normal." 'It's a good thing you've all got the Binding Blade now, but the question remains of how to bring it to bear.' "She'll find us soon enough." Lilian says, bitterly. "We've run into each other before, and I don't imagine the fighting will get less intense from here. If you mean how to use it, well. Bramimond seemed to believe that Roy would know when the time comes."
Flamel Parsons	"Would it even function with today's magic?" Flamel chats a bit about this, half to Riku and half to the folks in general. "You know, we psychics have a comparable phenomenon. Certain ideas can only form and grow in a certain societal era, and then, their 'adult', 'grown' forms are shapes and functions that would be impossible to replicate in the new era. They're still working, it's just that the growth phase no longer works. I bet it's going to work fine, it'd just be impossible to recreate. At least, I'd trust Bramimond most of all. Seems like the expert!" "Brunnya is nearly put to flight in Sacae." "Slugging it out with Brunnya really taught me about how I, well, never wanna do that again one-on-one like that!" He brushes a hair back behind his ear. "The further she is from me, the better. Kid-gloves her lots please." Flamel chatters amicably. "I mean, protect actual Sacaeans, obviously, the burning of Bulgar probably needs to be on the mind and I'd rather slug it out with her than have more Sacaeans die. But, short of that I'd definitely rather not see her again before I've visited Zephiel himself." He shakes his head, making a low, "mmh" sound. "Frankly, any day is too soon. God only knows what kind of role she was supposed to be playing in the life Zephiel was going to have... Seems like a big one." "Bramimond seemed to believe that Roy would know when the time comes." "That's what you heard down there? Seems like the ideal choice to me." Flamel says, nodding at Lilian. "He's sort of our central fixture. Between his consistent tactical awareness and his role in my Historical Correction Theory, I think putting it in Roy's hands and letting him do what he decides is probably the best approach. I'll be focused on making sure it stays in those hands. Or at least his scabbard! I get the feeling it'll be necessary, sure was last time people needed to deal with Iðunn. But being very, very careful, very restrained with it... I think we can manage that."
Angela	Love is briefly confused as the dab results in a hand over her own hand and with the instinct of a pet she bringsher other hand on top of Roy's. There we go, her smile seems to say, we did it. Roland returns Roy's anxious glance with a sheepish 'you saved it you bought it' type expression. He was warned by Angela to not push too hard against Love's desires to fight 'the bad guys' forever so he's a little worried that Roy, who hasn't received the instruction manual exactly, might fumble it and cause a disaster. Fortunately...that doesn't happen! Roy gives Love a perfectly reasonable explanation that works for Love, at least, and she smiles brightly. "Y-yeah! Though I mean, I've got two sides to me, but I'm purely those two sides, mhm mhm mhm!" "Mhm mhm mhm." Roland repeats, deadpanned. "Mhm!" Love confirms. "I'm really excited to save the world with all of you! It'll work out. Because ... well I guess with absolute power comes absolute confidence huh...?" She frowns like she's not so sure she wants to buy into that but she can't think of anything against it really. ''Just because we don't remember Bramimond's face, doesn't mean they're forgotten -- MAybe we even remembered that it wasn't supposed to be remembered.'' "Sometimes the duty you've got is something that's best assigned to someone who can't really be identified." Roland admits. "Not having a 'face' to put the choices to means it doesn't have to come back to anybody it shouldn't come back to." He gently rests his hand on Durandal as if to remind himself of its presence. ''Strategy talk'' Roland's not really in the mood to participate and Love doesn't really have the mindset for it but Roland's glancing over to listen to what Cecilia has to say. Having to be careful to not win too hard is a good problem to have, of course. But it is easy for him to ignore Idunn. She's not his target. There's a whole other sword for that. Whether she murders everyone or not isn't really up to him. He's more worried about the King. From what he's heard, he's pretty experienced surviving assassinations after all. And while Roland is uneasy about monsters as a general rule, he's even more suspicious of humans. It might be easier for him to have beers with the latter but the people who hurt him most always happen to be human. "How exactly does the Binding Blade stop Idunn anyway?" Roland asks. "It doesn't exactly feel like the other weapons we've collected, the way it's been talked about."
Petra Soroka	"You-- Literally you of all people should--" "Ack--" Petra holds up her hands to shield herself defensively from Lilian's narrowed eyes. "I meant whether it matters at all to how we think about Bramimond. I mean, obviously introspecting on your personal existence and relationship to society is important in general-- I just think it's a layer deeper thanhaving a relationship with society at all. And Bramimond just seemed to be operating on that surface layer." "And if that introspection's inseparable from your personality, then, like... well, then I think it's doubly true. I mean, if you asked Bramimond's idea of you if she was a woman, she'd have looked at you like you were insane, right?" "I thought you were taking journalism." "I am!" Petra whines. The depletion of her disagreeing-with-Lilian meter increases rapidly once Lilian starts bullying her about it, and she's cowed within seconds of the sneer coming out. She repeats, less sure of herself after her leash has been tugged. "I am. Er, losing the plot, I mean. I communicated a little badly though. I just meant that any individual image of Bramimond as a woman can be referred to as a woman. The person themselves, back when they were alive, yeah, I don't know, I wouldn't use anything specific." "It just feels like asking, if your reflection moves on its own, is that a woman? And," She taps her finger on the pendant hanging off her neck. "Well. I was being too nonspecific, sorry." "That'd be... I mean, that's... hmh." Clarine may as well be transcribing her thoughts on her face for Petra to read, making that expression. She's about to snicker-- but then, a Nathaniel-shaped weight presses down on her back, and she averts her gaze with an aghast puff of air from her lips. "Well, everyone else made it sound like such a momentous experience, I wasn't very well going to not!" "W-well sure, that's fine, I guess." Petra struggles to regain her emotional balance after having a new, terrible thread binding her and Clarine together. "I mean, you bravely proved that there's nothing dangerous down there even with the Binding Blade removed. You'll probably go down in history for that." "That I have second thoughts about how I should carry myself?" Actually, that has a lot of implications for Bramimond. Absent the unifying motive of acting as a trial for the Binding Blade specifically, it might just be that each individual projection of them challenges the entrant based on whatever personal trial they have at the moment? That's awesome. Petra actually likes Bramimond a lot. "Kinda sounds like you failed the trial, though. I mean, being 'unbecoming' isn't the same as not-becoming. Did that get under your skin that badly because you're doubting yourself more now?" Unfortunately, she kind of likes Clarine a lot too, so she can't help taking this seriously. "Or maybe it's a reflection of the fact that you could still go back after this is over. You could slink back into the courts and be a 'disappointment', but not a 'reject'. Even if it's not out of doubt, you're still holding on to what made you comfortable. Otherwise that wouldn't be important to you."
Petra Soroka	"Are you two close? How thoughtful..." "Ah! Well, um, we talked about it once, and it's something I'm interested in too." Petra's only had enough battles with Lilina to grow her support to C rank, but the scaffolding is there. "Probably once Zephiel's aware of what we're doing inside Bern, Hector's gonna need a bit less support." "But back then... Petra, I think this is Apocalypse." "Wait, it is?" Petra's eyes widen. She nervously pap-paps the sheet it's drawn on to try and smooth it down a little more, feeling like she's just unthinkingly dog-eared an irreplicable ancient tome. "Er-- yeah, we've gotta try copying it, right? They said to give it to someone who needs it, so-- it's gotta be replicable somehow." "So, if we ignore Iðunn, you could say we're winning. But if we ignore Iðunn, we're all dead sooner or later." Petra lingers fussily around the paper for a bit, but there's not really any way she can help with carefully transcribing a magical glyph onto tome paper, she just happened to get on Petra's good side at the right time. "All we can really hope for is that we can maneuver ourselves well enough that we never fall into the bad zone. Iðunn becoming personally active, but not coming to us, is kind of the worst possible future, because there's no one in the world that can touch her but, Roy right now. So we've gotta jump right to 'existential threat'-- to Iðunn I mean-- as soon as we're any threat at all." "This is one of those snails, isn't it...?" "Mhm! Um, Conus Textile is what they said it was called." Iðunn no longer matters! Petra is smugly soaking up the attention, energized rather than relaxed by the hand on top of her head, chattering away while carefully holding still to not dislodge Guinivere's hand. "I think because the shell looks kind of woven like that?" "I just-- well, I was the one that brought them up, and you were interested. It's not like it was any trouble at all, so-- uh, yeah!"
Odette Raskins	"It's just some aches and pains." Although that response is something of a relief given what happened not long ago, Odette still has her own concerns about Roy's condition. "Aches and pains are the body's warning sign that something needs to be taken care of. I get not wanting to use up the staves, at least, but...!" She does, in fact, have medicine that grows on trees and other such green things! Between the bandages and the ointments that smell kind of funky, it might even feel kind of expensive just by vibes alone. Despite that, Odette doesn't seem worried about that one bit, most certainly insisting on getting all those bruises wrapped up. ""What has you looking down?"" That question from Roy, meanwhile, has the EMT freezing up a smidgen. "Eh? O-oh, yeah. There's been a lot going on lately, huh? Between the digging and all the stuff with the weapons, I'd be worried if anyone said they were totally fine." She manages a chuckle, totally trying to evade and failing miserably at that. It takes her a bit (mostly to glance around) before turning back to Roy with a more worried look. "When we were down therewith Bramimond, it sounded like they were still so uncertain about what they did. If someone THAT dedicated to saving Elibe was so unsure even after going so far, it kind of feels like..." She pauses, sounding uncertain on whether or not to finish that thought. She doesn't want to bring the mood down, especially for Roy of all people, but she doesn't want to just leave him hanging with more questions after that. It takes her a few more moments to consider what to do, and then she finally lowers her voice, still sounding uncertain. "... Like there's no way to really soothe their mind about what'll happen. Or of the other heroes that we've met from then, if that makes sense?" "Maybe we even remembered that it wasn't supposed to be remembered." Guinivere's musing gets ODette thinking, too, even while she's still in that confused haze. "If Bramimond meant for people to forget their face... Wouldn't that make it even easier to repeat mistakes of the past that way?" She asks, confusing someone's face with their deeds for a moment before realizing her mistake. "Oh, wait. Um. Wait, but why would someone not want their face specifically to be remembered? Especialy if you're saving the world, being hailed as a hero..." She pauses to think about that, the fame, being recognized and called out by name, and the confusion grows right up until Guinivere continues speaking. "to use the vaguest terms strikes me as respectful to the destiny they embraced." "... Maybe they wanted people in the future to focus on what they did more than what they looked like?" Cecilia's updates on the war! "the question remains of how to bring it to bear." "She'll find us soon enough." "If Iounn uses those shadow things like last time, she'll definitely find us sooner rather than later." Frowning slightly, Odette starts glancing around just to make sure there isn't a shadow that's about to ambush the group right then and there. "And if we see those around, then there's... Probably a good chance that she's around close enough to find, right? But if we don't see them anywhere around, then that still leaves us with having to find her. And if we're stuck looking for her instead of handling Bern's troops, then... Ugh. Y-yeah, trying to stop the apocalypse-" She pauses, glancing over at Petra's paper from before. "Um. Different apocalypse! Trying to stop that and the war at the same might be harder if Iounn actually starts hiding where she is."
Desire Stars	That I have second thoughts about how I should carry myself? "Clarine..." Neon had shied away, before, but now, avoiding Clarine's gaze seems like it'd be harmful to her. "Would it be such a bad thing if you did? If you can't act a certain way, and say, 'this is me,' then it should be because it's giving you something that's almost as good. And if it isn't doing that... if something doesn't keep you safe or make you happy, why keep doing it? " She smiles faintly, only then able to avert her gaze. "That's something I've thought a lot about, so... I hope it's helpful for you." From everything I've heard, the Binding Blade doesn't seem like the kind of weapon that needs a skilled wielder. So it shouldn't matter who uses it, right? "We had a conversation about that," Ace nods. "About what weapons are ultimately for, and whether they can be for much else. And about what that one was, and wasn't used for. That part is important, too. Part of them still believes that." "So that's the reason," he adds, nodding in agreement with Cecilia. "But I don't want to lay it on too thick. This is a delicate sort of thing."
Marigold	"'Conus textile'... my goodness, it's a bit like lace, isn't it? But the more I stare at it, the more I'm sure I've never seen anything like it," Guinivere practically coos at Petra. "Why, if I ever get back to the courts, I'm sure this will be the envy of them! A seashell from the Otherworld, gathered and for me by a gallant little adventurer from afar... I could give you one of my necklaces, but that'd seem coarse by comparison! Oh, I know-- you'd look so dashing in a royal guard's dress like Melady, wouldn't you? I think I still have some of hers from before her growth spurt. With a little tailoring..." Oh no. "You could slink back into the courts and be a 'disappointment', but not a 'reject'." "Would it be such a bad thing if you did?" "Hmmh," says Clarine. "Well..." says Clarine. "Maybe..." says Clarine, again. (She's so good at speaking up just when anyone would assume she has nothing more to say. She opens and shuts her mouth a couple more times, struggling for the words. Her arms are crossed; her eyes flinch from Neon's gaze to Petra's, and then drop to the ground. Right on time, as one might assume she's faltered for good, she starts up again, fingers picking at her flannel cuff. "I'm... I just... maybe I do wish I could go back to Reglay. It's not so bad, being a noble, you know. I just... hated being forced into it. But if I give in, I'm back to being forced, aren't I? I never got to seize it for myself. I just... got put back in my place." She breathes out and shuts her eyes at last, arms still crossed. "Ohh... this would be so much simpler if I could be a commoner who became a noble, instead of the other way around..." "with absolute power comes absolute confidence" "Is that really how that saying goes?" Roy asks, genuine but baffled. He's holding a decent amount of power in his hands right now, and looks less confident than ever! "It's not," says Cecilia, powerlessly and confidently. "Oh. But I'm, um... exited to save the world with you too, Love." He's very hand-pettable! "We can just-- draw it ourselves?" "Would it even function with today's magic?" "I bet it's going to work fine, it'd just be impossible to recreate." "Flamel has the right of it, most likely," Cecilia says, but she's gesturing sharply to Raigh, who leaves his game with Fae as reluctantly as he was to start it. The young dark-mage-prodigy ambles over, takes a peek at the paper, and his eyebrows immediately shoot up his forehead without a word from Cecilia. "From what I understand, scribing it today wouldn't have the same effect. Like Forblaze, it can't be written anymore, but it can still be cast. But the ink here is thick. I think... we could get a single perfect use out of it; or we could wet the paper, blot it onto other sheets, and get a dozen or two imperfect uses. My instinct is towards the latter, but..." "But that's not your decision to make," Raigh interjects. "You don't even use dark magic." "... No. I don't. Petra... do you have an inkling what Bramimond might have preferred?" "Not even going to ask me, huh?" "Why? Do you imagine you can use it?" "... Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe Sophia."
Marigold	"Wait, but why would someone not want their face specifically to be remembered?" "I don't know, Odette. Maybe they were very ugly?" Guinivere jokes. "Ahaha, no... hm. I'm only guessing, but... you know, often when I was interacting with townsfolk, I wouldn't let anyone know I was the princess. If I did, they'd suddenly treat me as... something unpleasant, and maybe untrue. Perhaps it's like that." "She'll find us soon enough." "I think we should go for the head of the army and Idunn directly." ""Hooh~? You're right, Riku. There's no need to make a distraction..." "I'm afraid I haven't come up with much better than that myself," Cecilia says grimly. "Iðunn and Zephiel seem nearly inseparable, from all I've heard. Advance to map more warpgates within Bern, hopefully without getting caught. Secure ones as near the royal castle as possible. Hope an opportunity presents itself that's saner than storming the castle outright; perhaps one that makes the Demon Dragon hesitate to transform. Not many troops are stationed in the Bernish heartland, relative to the fronts, but that 'not many' is still a lot for a small group like this." Roy nods, at last, to Odette while he lets her salve his scrapes. But he seems to not quite understand. "I mean... it seems natural that Bramimond would be uncertain. If I were him- um, them- I'd be outright scared. The heroes don't have a good reason to rest until the world is safe and at peace. That's the only way we can lift their burdens, isn't it?" "And when it comes to bringing divine powers to their knees--hmmhmm~" Cecilia glances at Roy, who shrugs, and then back at Nobunaga, a little politely baffled. "Ah... well... it's good to hear that we may be able to count on you for backup, but... politely, you haven't actually subdued any Demon Dragons yet, have you? Since you're at zero, and the Blade's at one, well, I do prefer a proven solution." "How exactly does the Binding Blade stop Idunn anyway?" "It... is said to be... well, you could think of it as 'a sword that grants wishes through violence', if the legends are true," Cecilia says reluctantly, looking down at its silvery blade and ruby-and-gold hilt. "To tell you the truth, I'm not certain. It's not as though we've been swinging it for fun in your absence. 'It makes the vision of victory in its wielder's heart come true'; that's all the stories say." That makes Roy look even less comfortable holding it. But for once, even though he's tense, he isn't crumpling in on himself. There does come a point where you have to resolve to live up to others' trust.