Scene #1324: Crashing Waves Of The ... Heart?

Owner	Pose
Cassandra Dolet	Trips home to Leviathan are a practical education and a needed requirement for Cassandra Dolet. A education because it keeps her ship shape on her sailing skills, and a needed requirement to continue the compressed twelve years of education her brother had into mere months on how to run her own company. Due to Leviathan's also popular status as a resort, she tends to offer up trips out when she goes, accepting who wants to come and who doesn't. The ship this time is not the Alianore, a grand stately sailing ship, but is instead the Drake, a small craft built for reliable speed and get-there-ness, rather than elegance. This also means alone time for whoever is on the ship with her! Y-yay. Or something. "Seas might get a little rough here shortly." She says, her grey eyes narrowing.
Landon al Cid	The Prince of Ramuh does not go many places without his bodyguard. It's simply not the sort of thing that's done. No matter how trusted and well-liked a family may be, no matter how well-connected they may be, it's a dangerous decision to put oneself in the care of others like that. It takes a certain level of living on the edge to place one's personal health in the care of those who might have a line to the throne. On the other hand...well, since the Shivan Crisis began, Landon's been dying for an excuse not to be on Chocobo or Ramuh. He's been dying for an excuse not to be around the politics. And...well...since things got a bit...careless...with Cirra, he's also been dying for a chance to get away and get his head on straight there, too. Clear his mind. He's always had fond memories of Leviathan, and Cassandra may not be nearly as close an old friend as Cirra, but he's still known the Dolet girl for a very long time. The Leviathan vacations were fond memories for him, when his family got to be a family rather than a dynasty and a house; the smell of the sea and the wind and the sky were more pleasant than any other sight of any other plate in the world. If he ever had to disappear somewhere, it would be here. He'd left Cirra a note - 'gone sailing' - to make sure she knew he was alright, then had come out at the invitation. "That's alright," Landon replies gently from his place by the mast, "We should be alright." "Thank you for this, by the by. I really...I needed the time away, I suspect. It's been a bit stressful lately. I'm sure you've kept abreast of the situation."
Cassandra Dolet	In a reassuring way, the Shadow Twins, Cassie's bodyguards are around. Somewhere. They're kind of hard to notice, but they do go everywhere with Cassie. Unlike Cirra, who is a Academy student, they're adults and not so easily slipped past. Oh well. At least there's a guard for each of them, to be fair. That's about all the protection they're going to get out on sea, that and Cassie's own weather sense. Leviathan can cure ills and hearts, is Cassie's deep rooted belief. The normally complacent plate is a wonder of sea and harmony, and frankly, she was glad when Landon decided to take her up on the offer for once. She glances over at him from the wheel where he's standing at the mast, a smile crossing her face for the briefest moment. "Yeah, we'll alright." Cassie confirms softly. "I--" She pauses, inhales, exhales. "Yes, I've been kept abreast. I've only been interacting with the extraverse for a short time, compared to say, you or some of the others, but I've been paying attention." Which is strange, because Cassie occasionally seems to never notice anything.
Landon al Cid	Landon has noticed the Shadow Twins. He just...doesn't comment on them. It's highly unlikely any impropriety is going to occur. Landon isn't even the sort to engage in impropriety with the woman he obviously cares very, very deeply for, after all. And he stands nothing at all to gain by assassinating or harming Cassandra Dolet. In an ironic way, Landon al Cid is the most trustworthy person off Ramuh it's possible to be - he already stands atop his plate, and could gain nothing by involving himself in the politics of the others. This is why many of the extra-plate rulers are friends of each other. Except, of course, the Shivans. "It's awful," Landon sighs, "I needed some time to myself. I made sure to leave a note, so you won't be in trouble, but I just...if I head back to Ramuh I will hear nothing but talk of war preparations and diplomatic solutions, and it will at this point drive me mad." "I hope the Dolet Corporation can be counted on to back us up should this come to blows against the Shivan military forces. I know there is no formal alliance, and while I won't blame your family if you choose not to, it..." Landon sighs. "It might mean the difference between war and a continued, tenuous peace." "Do you not have someone who can steer for you?" Landon stands and walks over to the wheel. "You must be getting tired, standing for so long. I can take the wheel, if you like."
Cassandra Dolet	They're not the types you normally comment on, mainly because once you see them once, you never really see them again. Cassie herself would've left them behind, had she not wanted to get grounded til ... she was twenty-seven at a minimum, so instead they're downstairs, playing Triple Triad. She tilts her head as Landon sighs, her hands wrapped around the worn spokes of the ship's wheel. "I ... can understand completely." She says, her voice soft. "I am getting the same way with the business of the corporation, but I still am trying to fight through it. However, yes, you may count on the Corporation, but - as you know, we help everyone, Landon, not just who we are ... fond off." She trails off a little, as he comes over. "Oh, one of the twins could steer, but you know, Levitani, if I couldn't steer a ship I'd be disowned." She gives him a smile, stepping away from the wheel to allow him to gain access for it.
Landon al Cid	Landon waves his hand dismissively. "It's quite alright. I need the practice, anyhow. It's been some time since I went sailing, and I'd like very much to, ah...well, there's something about this Plate that makes me want to stand and act rather than sit about. I sit and read when I have free time already." He gives her a distant, somewhat sad smile. "Fond of, Lady Dolet? I wasn't aware your family favored the al Cids more than you favored Harald, though I admit, Harald Wolf-Fang is a man who lacks in..." Landon purses his lips. "Integrity." He puts his hand on the wheel above just above hers. "Please. I can sit and do nothing while others do my work anytime. To allow a lady to take such a long shift is unacceptable to me if I am doing nothing."
Cassandra Dolet	"That's the plate for you." Cassie says, giving him a smile before she swings herself deftly closer to the wheel, to allow him more space. She tilts her head as she considers the sky above. "Hourish to land if the weather stays up, I think, longer if it doesn't. Those are storm clouds." She nods her head towards the sky. She may be more attuned to the sea by blood, but all Levitani know the weather. Don't want to get caught in something dangerous. "It is not a matter of integrity. The Dolet Corporation is based off of the simple fact that we are here to help, and frankly, the Shiva need help... but not in the way they think they do. I do not want there to be war. I am not a warlike person by any manner, but... I understand the need for it." She sighs. She then smiles, a faint one crossing her lips. "I am very fond of many people. Father say it's going to get me in trouble one day, when I find myself having to make choices."
Landon al Cid	Landon gives Cassie a very long look when she mentions stormclouds. Yes, he was quite acutely aware of the stormclouds. He's the Prince of Ramuh. The blood of the First Storm roared in his veins. He can't help but be aware of the high-pressure front coming in. He puts his other hand on the other side of the wheel and starts steering away from the storm on reflex, letting his pressure senses guide him. "I understand," Landon agrees, "You have obligations. You are a corporate heir, and the corporation must remain loyal to the gil over all else but family. I..." Landon shrugs at the mention of people being fond of others. He looks off at the storm again, his thoughts turning...elsewhere. "Is that so," he replies distantly, "And why is that? I cannot imagine that your chastity is in any doubt. You are, as far as I know, beyond reproach, Lady Dolet."
Cassandra Dolet	Right, right, Ramuhan, sometimes Cassie forgets about the rest of the talents the blood of the gods beat through others veins. She brushes back her hair behind one ear, giving him an acknowledging 'yeah that was sort of a dumb thing to mention' look, letting him guide them away from the storm towards a safer port. She shakes her head. "Our family has never been about the money. That is part of why we have refused to... let control go, even though the Murasame Zaibatsu has tried many times, including Souji's threat of breaking it off with the Hyral family for marriage related reasons. We are about helping those that need the help." She licks her lips. "He is afraid that I will let my heart lead my head when it comes to decisions. I am already 'a tempermental child who follows her heart' more than logic itself. He is afraid it will get me killed, or the corporation down to nothing. I belive he is wrong, but it is true, as far as chastity, I am beyond reproach. I am for the man I will call my husband." She decidedly stares at the wheel rather than Landon.
Landon al Cid	"I wasn't aware Murasame was trying to wrest control of your company from you," Landon admits quietly. He didn't much like Souji Murasame. The man made his skin crawl. Maybe it was just the way he was coping with the loss of his loved one - and that, Landon could understand and empathize with well - but he still set Landon on edge, even in casual conversation. There were few members of the Ramuhan elite quite as ruthless as Souji, and even fewer as clever as he was. It was a dangerous combination. He hadn't yet figured how to deal with the man, but he knew that if he didn't, it could prove...problematic. He doesn't need to glance out at the storm clouds to find the best path as they steer. He's quiet for a long moment, looking out on the horizon of Leviathan. "Your family's dedication to helping the less fortunate has had my father's eye for some time," Landon admits finally, "He's been pushing me to court you. With the coming war on the horizon, I expect he'll push a bit harder than normal. He may order it. Ensuring a blood tie with the Dolet corporation would force the Shivans to think twice about war, especially considering your family's reach on Leviathan, and the contacts you have access to." It's a lot more...morose, than he usually is. "Let us say he thinks you would look fine upon the throne, and that you can be trusted far more than the usual screech-voiced, power-hungry debutantes who sit at my hand during meals and hope to catch my eye so they can bear my child and assassinate me. If he finds out Murasame is pushing for consolidation, then he may force my hand." Landon glances at her. "You will forgive me if I say that I am not eager to be wed, though you are among the only two women in the world to whom I can imagine marriage might actually be pleasant. It is not a long list." When you cut out the person who's actually at the very top, it gets a lot shorter, too.
Cassandra Dolet	"I don't think it is so much 'wresting' as much as he is trying his normal, variably underhanded and over the table tactics. It is, to be fair, a very simple way of gaining control by a marriage contract, but my father, I think, won't have much to do with it, unless the Murasame family tries something very unusual, and even then, I think, when it comes to this, I ... do have some minor say in what may or may not happen." Cassie glances up at the storm clouds. Her attention is on them, not the sea. She can sense the rougher waves coming in behind them as they sail out the storm. She continues staring at them as Landon goes... a little morose, a little quiet, a little /unusual/ topic of conversation, but to be fair, this type of 'alone' time either one of them have is fairly ... unusual, so it is not wholly surprising to her that this eventually comes up. "Not to mention the fact the Dolet company is one of the main providers of non-communication based technology, like summon matrixes and other items." Cassie says, almost wearily. "Which is part, I think, of why the Murasame family is trying to push consolidation. If they can get my corporation, that essentially leaves the Masoch Communications company to take over, and then they'll have everything." She pauses. "Thank you." She finally says. "I do my best to not be a power-thirty, screaming harpy. I am a bit more ... shall we say, open than those other girls who attempt to court you, which means at least you have no fears when I promise that I'm never going to attempt to assassinate you or have someone try to assassinate you, and neither will anyone in my company or my family." Cassie says. "Two of us, huh..." She doesn't say it out loud, but her lips mirror the name Cirra for a brief moment, before she shakes her head.
Landon al Cid	"Yes," Landon agrees grimly, "If the Murasame family gained control of the Dolet corporation, it would be dangerous for everyone. They're ruthlessly capable of exploiting any advantage on-hand to get what they want, and if they had such vast control over communications networks...Masoch would be bought up rapidly, and then they'd have near-complete control over Ramuh. I would go so far as to say that would give Murasame the power needed to throw my family off the throne." They're very dangerous rivals, and Landon, despite being a good-natured and honorable man, still takes them very seriously. Because they're /very/ dangerous. He's very quiet after that. He shuts his eyes - he doesn't really need them to steer away from the storm, and Cassie's right there in front of him, so if he steers towards any rocks or anything, she can steer him away. He can practically hear his father's 'duty, honor, family, bloodline' speech ringing in his head. The older man's sonorous voice, reminding him that what he wants may not be what is best for the people. Reminding him that he was not born a common man with the freedom to choose his own life. Reminding him that it's the duty of the al Cid family to carry on the legacy of Cid of Ramuh and bring Ramuh to a state of true democracy, where all men have their say, where noble houses are no more and each man is equal in the eyes of the world. Reminding him that he may have to make sacrifices so that others can eventually have that happiness. "You are," Landon sighs, "You are not the woman I love, Cassandra Dolet. Please don't misunderstand me. I care very deeply for you. We're very old friends, and I find you extremely attractive and extremely kind. Your good heart means a great deal to me, as in a world full of greed and corruption, I know that I can count on you to stand by me no matter what. You are an important friend and an important companion, and the world would be a much darker place without you by my side." "I cannot promise that I can love you," Landon bites his lip, "At least not at first. I know that my father often speaks of the love he found for my mother, of the joy he found in her arms and the comfort he's found with her by his side. I know that he did not love her, at first, either - that he, like me, loved someone of common birth, of common station, and that he was forced to make a sacrifice for the good of Ramuh." Landon shifts, uneasily, as they talk. The waves lap against the side of the boat, bouncing it gently as the storm draws nearer. He can hear his father's voice even firmer, ringing out over the little tiny voice of his heart that tells him to do the right thing. But what is the right thing? In this situation, what can possibly be the right thing? His father says duty. Sacrifice. The people. His heart says love. Happiness. But his heart also knows that he could not find happiness if others suffered because of his choices. Landon lowers his head and looks away. "...I would like you to tell your father that I intend to court you," he says finally, "You are a staggeringly beautiful woman, and far kinder and gentler than many I have known. You are not only the only option, but by far the finest - you outshine the others like a jewel amidst rocks, and I would be enriched and delighted to have you at my side when I ascend the throne of Ramuh." "I...would also like you to ask him to keep it a secret," Landon says quietly, still looking away, "Please. It's..." Landon bites his lip. "It's important to me that...I have a chance to sort out my feelings before this decision is made official and irrevocable, and I ask that the Dolet family understand that."
Cassandra Dolet	"Yes. Souji has been... strangely kind to me lately, aside from some barbs here and there, mostly on radio. In person, he has... just been worried about me. It is rather strange. I think he is hoping I will fail at my duties so he can just snatch it up without having to worry about me. He is also pushing me about having a unfavorable opinion on the Light Warriors, when I actually like the Light Warriors and what they're doing... not that I've let him known that, let me reassure you." Cassie lets Landon talk. She is normally a talker, but even she understands and knows when to be quiet. He can feel her gently shift the wheel to the side, but her attention is on the waves of the darkened sea, biting her bottom lip. She then exhales slowly as he finishes talking, letting them sit there in silence for a few moments, before she gently lifts her hand, placing it on top of his in a simple, brief, reassuring gesture before withdrawing it, her hand returning to the wheel. "I..." She tries, fails to start a sentence, then goes aagain. "I will not rush you to make a decision, Landon, not when I understand what it is like to follow the heart, because that is the story my father tells of my mother every day. I know you do not love me, that it might happen in time. That is what happens. I wish that you'll be able to follow your heart, instead of your duty." Cassie sounds serious. "I will tell my father, though, and we will keep it a secret. No matter what happens, I ... am honored to be one of the two women you would wish to have by your side through your life." Cassie says this extremely honestly, as well.
Landon al Cid	"I'm sorry to bring such heavy politics along on such a pleasant vacation," Landon says finally, his hand moving to grab hers, "I had wanted to get away from it for a while, but I suppose this is merely a reminder that politics dog my steps wherever I go by the dint of my blood." Landon rubs his face slightly with his free hand. "Thank you, Cassie. I...appreciate it. If anyone asks - particularly Murasame - please mention that you're already being courted, or...something to that degree. It should prevent...problems." "Your understanding means a great deal to me," he adds, releasing the wheel and hooking his arms around her in a hug, "Thank you. It's one of many reasons that you'd make a wonderful wife." He laughs, gently, then releases her and walks over to the side of the boat, looking off at the storm. "It's so selfish of me to want something like this." He looks at his hand. "It's the weight of those in power to give up their desires to retain that power. It's the curse of those who want to do good by the people that they're forced to abandon selfishness to help." He runs his fingers through his hair, then looks back at her and smiles. "I shall try to keep such dark thoughts away from the rest of our first trip alone together," he assures her, "I just..." He looks back at the storm. "...uneasy the head hangs the crown,' he says finally.
Cassandra Dolet	Cassie shakes her head. "Politics happens. Heck, why do you think I'm going back home right now? Straight to my office in the Dolet building, that's where I'm going, just so father can grill me before my meeting in front of the board at a later date, to be announced - well, decided, really, I don't even know when." She takes a long look at him, although the hug leaves her a bit red in the face, whether out of embarassment or something else entirely is to be decided. "Goodness, Landon, the way you're talking, I should be buried in potential marriage contracts." She says with a soft laugh, keeping her hands on the wheel as he walks away to go look out at the storm. "Crystal Mirror in about fifteen minutes." She gauges. "Please relax. I want you to be relaxed. Leviathan has always been a place you are more relaxed in, in my eyes, and I want that feeling to continue. Let the waves beat in your blood." She murmurs, her voice soft. "I don't like it when you get so stressed out."
Landon al Cid	"In truth I am surprised you aren't," Landon admits after a moment. He shrugs and looks down at the sea again, then at the roiling storm. In truth, Ramuh was like a wholly different world from Leviathan. It was tumultuous and mad, where things slowly came to a head and then, like lightning, were resolved in a flash. But there was a kind of order to it that he understood, being part of it - an intricate science behind the mad political game and the underlying insanity. Though it seemed random and pointless, it was not - it was a carefully-orchestrated dance of alliances and altercations, where everything had its place and every place had its purpose. But for all that it was no less dizzying. With the ship back on its proper course, Landon just keeps watching the movements of the stormcloud. "Well, at least the Extraversals have been mostly behaved. Except for a few problematic moments. Fortunately, it seems like most of Galianda isn't on Harald's side."
Cassandra Dolet	"I was not a priority until three months ago for any contracts." Cassie says, her voice soft and with a tinge of sadness behind it. "Drake had his plan all finalized; a lovely local girl. He had never attended the academy so he wasn't embroiled in the rest of the plates as far as potential wifes went. So father figured... while I was in college he could finish mine out." She glances across the wheel at Landon. "Yes, I ... do not seem to sense much hostility here on Leviathan towards the extraversals, but ... there are so many scattered places around here, you could truly have a beachfront hideaway. It could be that it is just not a common sentiment; we are a place where there are many from all plates."
Landon al Cid	Landon shrugs at the whole thing. He had some distant understanding of Cassandra's situation, but he hadn't looked too closely at the Dolet family until his father's pressuring. Truth be told, he hadn't really looked too closely at them then - he'd just done what he always did. He listened to his father and he did what his father said. Rycharde al Cid was that kind of man - the kind who can inspire loyalty even in teenage sons of the appropriate, semi-rebellious age. And the older man always knew what he was talking about, too. It was so much to live up to. "I'm sorry," Landon offers finally, "I'm...it's a great loss." "I don't really think there's all that much sentiment to begin with," Landon sighs, "I suspect it's simply opportunity being taken by those with the desire for power."
Cassandra Dolet	"Thank you." Cassie says, quietly. There is silence from the dancer for awhile, and a changeout at the wheel - a young woman, Cassie's height and general build, but with jet black hair, in a matching outfit so she practically blends into the shadows that surround the ships wheel. Rai continues being 'other ninja not on board (but totally somewhere on board)'. First off, how did Fuu even know Cassie wanted her, and secondly, how did they do that dead silently - okay, nevermind, ninjas. That's got to be it, and not the storm masking their sounds, yup. Cassie shows back up again, mostly behind but also to the slight right hand side of Landon, her eyes focused on the stormclouds above them. "Sentiment grows in time." She says, softly, leaving it there. Please don't jump, Landon. You'll need to get used to her sneak.