Scene #4724: Reassessment

Owner	Pose
Faruja	It's another day in Mullonde. Hymns fill the streets, Templar march, priests tend to the flock, and a million different decisions that will shape the course of Ivalice for decades are made through the Church's secretly guiding hand. Inquisitor Faruja Senra may not be at the top of this list, but he's by no means at the bottom. A deft hand signs a document, and after some drying, it's placed on the stack of outgoing decisions. There's notably a mid-sized ladder to handle that. One can't use magic for everything. That said, he has appointments more than well open for anyone wishing to visit. Berry's away, and the Inquisitor's building is mostly quiet in this mid-day in Mullonde.
Yuna Kagurazaka	This time, Yuna is not in her Temple Knight armor. She's not in any kind of armor at all, in fact - although Elner is close enough to let her transform if somebody tries to assassinate her, or anyone else within her awareness. She still walks like she knows where she is and where she's going, though, nodding hello to people she passes on the way to Faruja's place ... whatever you call it when somebody's home is also his office. 'House' just doesn't quite seem correct ... at least not yet. Still, Yuna walks up to the door of Faruja's residence, and raps on the door with her knuckles - loud enough to be heard, light enough to make sure she doesn't bust her knuckles or something on the wood.
Faruja	Wobble wobble. Wobble wobble. Faruja is on the tips of his toe-claws as he reaches up towards that top of the stack of papers! He concentrates, holds his tail at /just/ the right angle, and then... Knock knock knock! There's a squeak of dismay, a tumble, and a /thud/ as Faruja lands flat on his tail. A groan, and then an annoyed squeak. Thankfully, a quick incantation saves the pile of paperwork! /AHEM/! "/Do/ come in!" The tone is roughly that of a 'I'm going to righteously smite you if this isn't important or I don't know you'. Good thing this is probably both!
Yuna Kagurazaka	"My apologies for the intrusion," Yuna calls out as she opens the door and steps inside - And immediately hurries over to help Faruja up, never mind that he probably has the advantage over her in both height and body mass. "Agh, did I startle you that badly when I knocked ... ?" the blonde asks, wincing sympathetically. "I'm so sorry! I didn't think I was coming at a bad time or anything, are you all right?"
Faruja	It doesn't take much to get Faruja up! Standing at all of five foot and change, and lightweight thanks to marginally being comprised of skin, bone, fuzz, and not wearing armor today! Almost immediately, the rat is up and on his feet thanks to the young pop idol amidst his protests. He sounds rather embarrassed about the whole thing! "Come now, calm down my dear, th...think nothing of it! Erm, just a bit of clumsiness on my part!" He offers with a slight red to his cheeks. Up the rat goes, and his tail wiggles. He pushes out a chair, waving his staff as papers finally settle from their wobbly position. "Lady Yuna! You are never unwelcome in these halls, such as they are, and you need worry about nothing. Just...erm.../do/ try to message ahead? Now then! What may this humble Inquisitor do for you?" The rat already is reaching to the cabinet at the side, a wine bottle out, as well as fire spell-warmed teapot fresh with tea at the ready. He has tiny cups and glasses ready to go, as Yuna prefers!
Yuna Kagurazaka	The last time Yuna drank anything alcoholic, she was tipsy three sips later, and doomed to unconsciousness (and a headsplitting hangover the next morning) by the time she finished the can. No wine for her; she shakes her head quietly at the wine bottle, and gestures at the teapot with an affirmative nod, settling into the offered chair. "Sorry for not calling ahead, I was ... kinda just going, didn't even realize for sure I was headed for Mullonde until I came out of the warpgate. Guess it's just been on my mind ..." Has it really been two weeks? She wasn't sure if it was less than that, or more. "... how much did Strawberry tell you about that, uh, situation that you 'didn't' tell us about?" the blonde asks.
Faruja	Tea it is! Faruja deftly pours a cup for Yuna, offering honey, sugar, and cream. Crossing one leg, his tail sways as he leans back in his chair with a soft sigh. The incident in question has him giving a half-smile. "Deep breath. Speak your mind, Yuna. You are with a friend." He offers to the poor young woman. Reach, patpatpat on the top of her hand comfortingly. "I thought that might be it. Everything, of course. I had her keep a watch on the whole situation. Mmm. It seems Lady Finna thought ill of the whole operation. A bit messy, not /quite/ how I thought the matter might be handled." A small pause. "Tell me. How do /you/ think the operation went? Ignore anyone else's opinion." He prompts, hands folding together as he listens.
Yuna Kagurazaka	Getting headpatted might not comfort Yuna as much as it could for some people (she's still kind of sensitive about her height - or lack thereof), but she accepts the gesture without complaint, mixing some honey and cream into her tea. "Honestly ... yeah, we didn't really plan or organize going in, but my judgment was that we didn't have time to let the bad guys regroup. I thought we had to at least get them to stop where they were, and calling them out seemed like the best option. I didn't think they were panicky enough to hurt the girl ..." She pauses, stirring her tea a little more, then taking a sip. "Given that we all hit the ground running with our separate ideas? It could have gone smoother, but we did talk them down and rescue her, and she's safe and sound with her family, right?"
Faruja	Faruja finds a notepad from amongst his belongings. Scritch scritch scritch. He dips an ink quill into a pot, making slow, unhurried notes as Yuna speaks. "Mmm...little information to go on...dangerous hostage situation...introducing unknown elements to induce diplomacy...ununified approach. Mmm." Mumble mumble mumble. "Yes, that about sums up what both Miss Finna and Strawberry stated. Excellent, we are all on the same page, then. Frankly, Yuna, I agree in part with both your own, as well as Miss Finna's judgement on the situation." A pause, as he gathers his words. "She /did/ have a point. Next time I scramble you lot, I assign someone to lead. Or, at the least, encourage someone to take charge. I oft forget not all members of the Union are so used to acting quietly in these matters. A lesson for next time." Smile. "Dysfunction aside, I quite like the shock and awe tactic. Your 'recklessness', as I believe it was called, is most effective. But, it all needs to be coordinated. Either you blindside them, or, you rush in swords at the ready. Both completely viable for a hostage situation. You were on the ground, and made the choice you thought best in a tight time frame, and swiftly after seeing the situation. Commendable. After all, as you say." Teeth show. "The good Lady is safe, and mayhaps more importantly, the patriarch of her family is in the Union's...and the Church's debt. And our would-be kidnappers have been put to more productive uses than simply snatching innocent maidens off of the streets." His head tilt. "Would you like to know what they called you during their trial?"
Yuna Kagurazaka	Judging by the way Yuna pauses in the middle of taking a sip of tea, that's a REALLY good question. Not what they called her, but whether Yuna wants to know. It's not a spittake moment, just a 'hold on did I actually hear that right' on her part. She finishes that sip of tea and sets the cup down. "Somehow I can't imagine that they had anything that nice to say about me, or us ..." Yuna admits.
Faruja	Faruja hides his face with his own cup. The sway of his tail, and the rise of his brow, might speak to slight amusement. One hand goes to his chest melodramatically. /Ahem/! He can do a pretty good 'common Ivalician' voice when he tries. "Angels of Faram's Wrath here to pluck we lowly gits from our foolish misery". He can't help but chuckle. "Half pandering to the judge, of course, but one or two of them meant it. You could see it in their eyes. As though they had blinders suddenly yanked from them, seeing the world once again. Beautiful, really." A self-contented smile, and he raises his wine glass. "To souls saved, and lives still on this wretched dung heap of a realm. There are few bright spots in Ivalice, trust me. Yuna, no matter what mistakes were made, you obtained results /and/ have shined a touch more light on this earth. You and I could work all our lives. I doubt we would truly defeat the darkness that ever eats at the corners of all good men. But with enough time, enough dedicated lives...this might just become the world that Ajora himself would have us inhabit. You've been a part of that possibility." Then, he downs the glass in one pull, pouring another. "So, instead of beating yourself up in the head, learn from your mistakes and continue doing what your heart and the Lord guides you to."
Yuna Kagurazaka	Yuna actually has to fight to stifle a giggle at Faruja's impression of one of the ruffians from that night; the seriousness of the topic helps, and she picks her cup back up to 'accept' Faruja's toast. "Well, I'm glad at least a couple of them took it that well ... and you say that they're doing more productive work now, not just rotting in a jail cell? That's even better news." She sits back in her chair, a weight noticeably lifted from her shoulders, or at least from her heart. "It's kind of funny ... when I was first tapped to become the Savior of Light, Elner was basically calling me to deal with a big crisis - one that could have led to the Queen of Darkness reigning unchallenged over my universe, so they really did need me to step up. And when we finished and I went home, I thought that would be it ... until the Eternal Princess incident started. And since then, it's pretty much been from one thing to the next. Beating the Queen of Darkness didn't mean an end to evil for all time in my world, either ... but it meant that people could still live their lives and not be oppressed or enslaved, that they wouldn't suffer at the whim of the forces of evil." She finishes her current cup of tea, then tilts her head at the pot. "There enough for a refill?" she asks. She seems to be drifting in a more somber direction again.
Faruja	Faruja slowly nods. "My /dear/! Do give me a touch more credit than that. Kidnapping a noble that way is not exactly an easy task. It requires planning, foresight, luck, bravery, and a brazen disregard for earthly law that is very rare within the lower classes. Useful men, why not allow them their salvation while cultivating their talents?" The Burmecian silently listens, until finally both hands curl under his chin. Tail wrapping about a chair leg, he takes a moment, before closing his eyes. "An important lesson. An empire seeking to destroy good men. Demons. Desperate men driven to evil. I cannot even think of what this 'Queen of Darkness' or the Eternal Princess were thinking. However..." He raises a single finger. "Making the lives of others better is your calling, Yuna. 'Savior of Light'. A title, nothing more. Your actions are far more important than what title is given to you. If you live to uphold the good inherent in such a title? So much the better. But do not forget that it is Yuna Kagurazaka that /chooses/ such a path. Do not succumb to simply being the 'Savior of Light'." Then a shrug. "Nor do mortal men and women enter this world evil. We do what we must, and mayhaps many in the Union would call me a hippocrit for saying this, but turning men from the path of evil is always preferable to the alternative. And we ourselves, Inquisitor or Savior, are equally capable of the very evil we fight if we lose sight of ourselves. Indeed, one might say we are capable of far worse evil for having stared into it." Faruja pours the next cup without restraint. "As many as you desire, Yuna. I shall have Ifri..." There's a sudden spark of fire and very tiny roar from a corner of the room. "I shall /request/ his Holy Esper Lord Ifrit assist in ensuring the continued health of a faithful woman with his abilities." One brow twitches. Freaking summons!
Yuna Kagurazaka	Yuna can't help but giggle openly at Ifrit's show of temper - although she punctuates her mirth with a polite bow towards the corner where Ifrit growled from. "I deeply appreciate all that you do for Ser Faruja, Lord Ifrit!" she says - and even though she's still giggling a bit, her gratitude is genuine. She may not be from Ivalice, but she respects other worlds' deities and spirits of great power as much as she's able to. She's more restrained about cream this time, and instead of honey she just adds a bit of regular sugar before stirring it all into the refilled tea. "That title ... you know, I still don't like just going out and calling myself that, most of the time. Sometimes it seems more important or more relevant ... but mostly, it feels like I'm putting on airs to call myself that. Elner says I've been getting better about living up to it, and Ryudia's lessons have helped a lot. But yeah - I'm still me first and foremost, trying to lift people's hearts when I'm not fighting to protect them."
Faruja	That roar suddenly turns into something vaguely like a purr, if it was coming from a holy spirit of fire. Basically there's a slight note of sulfur and burning in the room. Faruja tries to look dignified. He fails utterly, mostly looking exasperated. Yuna might be a better summoner in practice than the Burmecian. A finger comes to the side of the rat's muzzle. "You /are/ too humble a person to revel in it. A quality I do so wish would be instilled in some of my colleagues. Mmm. A title can be every bit a weapon as a sword. Indeed, it may strike more fear and bite more keenly when properly utilized. And as with every weapon, discretion must be used, lest it cut the innocent, or cut the one that holds it. I shall spare you the obvious analogy." Curiousity comes to the Burmecian. "I fear I never have had the opportunity to ask...tell me more, hmm, if it pleases? There seems to be far more to your work, and the good Lady's tutelage, than might seem obvious. You are far more than a simple warrior."
Yuna Kagurazaka	Yuna takes a moment to get a little more comfortable in her chair. "Well ... it all goes back, really, to the Galactic Lady Contest that I entered. It was pretty much an interstellar beauty pageant, and it surprised me that I was the winner. But it was pretty cool; that launched my career as an idol singer and a celebrity, and it came with a scholarship at Shiraokadai Girls' Private High School, so that was nice. Also my own cruiser, the Mike-maru-go. Not sure if you've seen it ..." Not a lot of need for a private FTL space cruiser when warpgates are so convenient to get to Ivalice, after all. "Anyway. One night, I got woken up in the middle of the night by Elner hovering in my bedroom and glowing brighter than a nightlight ... and if Elner hadn't woken me, Yoko would have a little later - she was one of the other girls who entered the contest, and I found out that it was the Queen of Darkness who'd been able to ensnare her heart, turn her violent, and give her an armed battlesuit to hunt me down with. Elner didn't even give me time to decide if I wanted to or not before changing my pajamas into the Light Suit, but either way, I had to go out and stop Yoko before she levelled the whole city trying to call me out."
Faruja	Faruja's face keeps to as much of a line as possible as he listens. The story, at least to his sensibilities, is perhaps insane. He's seen and dealt with the craziness of the multiverse, but the sheer sudden grabbing of Yuna into danger and conflict hammers into him in a way that's both confusing and horrifying. Faruja is well used to the horrors of Ivalice. But going from a young woman in a beauty contest to universe-saving Saviour is frightening. "You wake up, victorious in a mundane life, and then pulled with sleep in your eyes into saving things far greater than yourself? Yuna, you are truly something. Most would have rejected such, either through fear or thoughts of insanity you know?" His face turns to a proud smile. "And yet you faced the unknown for the sake of your town. Wonderful. I have no idea how a contest found the correct person for such a monumental task...however mayhaps I should meet this Lady Ryudia. Inquire of her...methods." There's a hint of excitement in his voice.