PHASE I [ 6 30 ] You really have arrived, finally.
Too bad the welcome isn’t so great.
Upon arrival, you will literally be dropped out of the sky.
You may land in the lake (watch out for the fish). You may land on the roofs of the buildings in the town (watch out for the spires). Or you may be unlucky, and fall all the way from the sky to the ground, at which point you die and lose a life already.
Don’t worry, you’ll respawn in the air and you can try again.
Good luck this time!
If you do manage to finally land in a way that doesn’t break your spine and/or drown you, you’ll find that if you’re a newcomer, you’ll have some strange words hovering over your head. They seem to be a set of your name, a level, a class and a quest, something like --
Ima Adventurerer Lv. 9000
Class: Dragon Slayer
Current Quest: Slay every dragon
-- but aside from existing, they don't seem to have any actual impact on your abilities or requirements. But you can do the quests if you really want to. Everyone will clap politely for you if you do. There might be confetti, even.
They would appear to coincide with a scroll or two posted up in the middle of town for everyone to see.
At least it’s easy to tell who’s new this round.
PHASE II [ 745 ] Once you’re safely on the ground (hopefully no broken bones!), it’s time to get a feel for the game. As free range as it seems to be, you have all sorts of choices in where to go and what to do. You could take on some quests! You could go hunt down monsters! You could...pick up that fancy looking armor over there!
Except you may not actually want to do so. As soon as you touch that armor, it will equip itself, no ifs, ands or buts. Of course, it isn’t so bad, at least, not for the ladies. For the men who equip the armor, they may find it to be a little breezy. In many different variations.
To make matters worse, be careful what you touch in your inventory, unless you want to equip a fish instead of your sword, or whatever the hell this is instead of your cool, awesome, special weapon. Good luck.
And the only way to unequip it is to find something else to equip. There’s motivation for some questing, at least.
PHASE III [ 1000 ] Eventually, you have to venture out of the town, however. There are NPCs ushering you to quest onwards, and there’s nothing in the town worth poking your nose into; none of the doors open, and all of the NPCs say the same, looping lines in a creepy monotone.
There are quests to be done outside of the town, they say, over and over.
So, off you go. However, the moment you step out of the town, you’re…somewhere else entirely. Look behind you, and the town is gone. Look around you, and there’s nothing but flowers, fields and the other people who have stepped out of the town themselves, looking equally confused. The bizarre armor is now gone, and you're back in your proper clothing; the strange floating titles and levels and the like are also gone. Otherwise, it is silent; there isn’t a single other soul. No bird song, no buzzing of bees -- just silence.
Of course, it won’t last. Soon, the monsters show up...but strangely, they seem to be monsters from your world, if your world had monsters. If your world had animals, they are those, or robots, or any number of combinations. But they seem...different. They’re meaner, larger, nastier, and all dark colors and bloody, dripping claws and fangs.
It seems everything’s been a little corrupted here -- even things from your own worlds.
PHASE IV [ 1400 ] If you persevere through the monster-infested fields, trampling your way through flowers which did nothing at all to you, you’ll eventually find yourself at a still, still lake. It’s a beautiful place, quiet and hushed and untouched, and totally monster-free; it might be a good place to take a breather.
But if you look into the lake, even for a brief moment, you’ll see whatever it is you want most in the world. Whether it’s a person (dead or alive), a thing, a title… it doesn’t matter; the lake will show it, tantalizing and right there, so close to being in your grasp.
If you don’t pull away immediately, you might find that it’s hypnotizing, in fact; you’ll feel the need to go closer and closer, even if it means wading into the lake to get closer to that goal. Just...don’t go too far. Something is waiting for you.
If you touch someone to try to help them, you’ll see what they are also seeing in the lake, for better or for worse. It might be a good chance to get to know them, if you weren’t, you know, in danger of being eaten.
Thankfully, with some perseverance and good friends, the hypnotism can be broken. You do have friends, right?
If you survive all of that, you can finally log out and join Cerealia proper -- hooray!
BONUS [ xxxx ] There sure are a lot of flowers in this field of flowers. There are flowers everywhere. Which isn’t a bad thing, unless you’re allergic to flowers (if you are allergic to flowers, CERES apologizes and suggests you take their special, patented ClariCERESclear to clear that right up). Except...the longer you’re in said field of flowers, the more you may notice that things are a little...strange.
Some of the pollen of the flowers has some strange effects on your bodies, it would seem. You could stumble across any of these (or none at all), and they could last anywhere from 5 minutes to an hour or two, depending on how much of that pollen you breathe in.
The effects are as follows:
➟ The urge to princess-carry the nearest person
➟ The urge to serenade the nearest person, regardless of your singing ability
➟ An awakened urge to be really aggressive towards the nearest person, even to the point of fighting (it's time to pvp)
➟ Uncontrollable crying
➟ An uncontrollable urge to make flower crowns and place them on peoples' heads (which thus further spreads the other effects).
Don’t trust the flowers.
[ Remember to apply proper warnings on threads with sensitive or inappropriate material and do let a mod know if your thread careens off into maiming or canoodling so we can lock the log. ] |
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
no subject
[stahn's more than grasped the finality of leon's death—or at least, that had been the case until just a few minutes ago. finality doesn't seem to final when the dead is living and breathing next to you.
but the time to think about that has temporarily passed; there's no doubt they'll be back on this topic again soon enough, but the thoughts are more than pushed to the side for now. he didn't expect that leon would catch his thought, considering he hardly even realized he spoke aloud to begin with.]
They're okay... they're safe. [or, they were.
it's incredible, how leon can be this way, though. for all the times he acted like he didn't care—even now, when things were such a mess—he had time to be genuinely concerned for their friends. it speaks volumes to stahn about what leon feels.... the fact he could have time to worry about that even when marian had taken center stage in the conversation says more than maybe even leon realizes. but it doesn't slip past stahn, just as most things don't.
he may be inept when it comes to academics, and even common sense at times. he may let insults fly right over his head, and he may not be the most competent swordian master. but he can read the emotions of other people; he's perceptive in that manner, and when it comes to leon especially, he can't miss it. what kind of best friend would he be otherwise?
stahn is glad in that sense. he's at least relieved that even at the worst of times, leon does worry about the others, enough so to express it in his own way.
but it's not them that have been lost, so he shakes his head.]
But you and Chaltier, Baruk... [he pauses, sucking in a quiet breath. the next name is the one that brings back the worst memories aside from leon—he was forced to see someone he believed in take her own life out of helplessness.
it's still hard.] Ilene... and Rembrandt, too.
[maybe those people aren't important to leon; he probably knows that they were siding with hugo's awful plan. But he liked Baruk and Ilene especially, and he still doesn't think anyone's life is worth losing for something like this. everything has gotten so far out on control, and he knows that hugo's life is likely the next one.]
no subject
There's for a moment pure relief that Rutee and the others are safe. It's a strange euphoric feeling that he wasn't expecting (but maybe he's just lightheaded from all of his emotional outbursts so far), and he's not sure what to make of it or how to feel. He was...worried, wasn't he?
... And then Stahn's words make him cold all over again.
He can't say it comes as a shock, though. Ilene, Baruk, Rembrandt...they'd been working with Hugo all along, of course. They'd tried so hard to protect him, though, even so. They had tried, in their own way. It hadn't been enough, of course, because in the end they listened to Hugo, and Leon... Leon had had no choice. But they'd been there all his life even so. When he had been a child, Rembrandt had been there. When he'd first become a captain, Ilene had been there to cheer him on.
Baruk had always teased him, for so many things.
He breathes out a shuddering breath, posture still bowed. And it's barely a whisper, when he does speak, because it was inevitable. Of course, this was how it had to go. They would never have stopped. They never would have let Stahn and the others convince them. To carry on, Stahn and the others would have had to...]
... I see. Of course, that's... of course.
[Dully, quietly. He's supposed to be dead, isn't he?
So why does all of this still hurt?]
no subject
[stahn really isn't sure what to say after that. it's not as if there's anything good to say; the fact that their friends are still alive doesn't make things okay. it's not okay that other people have had to die for this cause. they were all people with their own dreams and goals, and while some things didn't line up—the things that would sacrifice too many more more lives, namely—it didn't mean they should have to die for it.
they weren't bad people. they just had beliefs that were dangerous. and what's more, these are people who clearly had worth to leon. stahn wasn't sure at first how deeply it would affect him; he was always sure leon cared about them and trusted them, but his reaction says a lot to stahn. more than he cares to admit, honestly.
everything hurts; everything is hurting both of them so deeply right now. maybe there's something in this that should be a happy reunion, but there's so much else that overshadows it that stahn just has no idea what to say or do anymore. he's thinking about their friends they haven't seen yet, he's thinking about what all of this means, and he's thinking about the other people who were lost. it's still hard to get the image of ilene's last moments from his head.
there's a reason stahn readily admits that his head is no good for situations like this. he has a hard time wrapping his mind around this level of complication and despair. and the more he thinks about it, the worse it gets. now would probably be a good time for dymlos to tell them both to get their heads on straight, but even he knows that it's not that simple. they need time and they need to work out the very basics first—which is a slow process, but they're not at a total standstill, at least.]
I'm... sorry. [he's sorry for so much. he's sorry that he couldn't save leon or the others. he's sorry that he had to break so much bad news to leon. he's sorry he had to do it this way, and he's sorry if he's caused leon pain as a result.
none of this is fair, not for any of them.]
no subject
This isn't like him. He's Leon Magnus. He's better than this.
It takes him a brief moment longer, head still bowed, but then... he takes a breath in, and he lifts his chin. When he does, his expression is flat, and calm, and perhaps a little cold. But this was too emotional, and too emotional is dangerous. Like this, he's no good to anyone. And what he knows for certain is that regardless of the true story of this world, he has a Task.
For so long as Stahn is here, he's not where he's supposed to be--back home, saving the world. For so long as the fate of their world is up in the air, things are wrong, and he can't accept that. He has to fix it, he has to see Stahn back to his proper role as the hero of their world, and then... he can think about the rest after that. And emotions are a detriment to that. They'll just get in the way.
He has to get a grip. He can mourn Ilene and Baruk and Rembrandt later, because he knows he will. Even if in the end they chose to follow Hugo, they were still...
... Well, it doesn't matter.]
No. Don't apologize for them. [Simply. Flatly.] They lived their lives according to their own beliefs and choices. To apologize now for that would be insulting.
[... A breath, slow and slightly less steady. No... he can do this. There's nothing to this. He's fine.]
For...saving Marian... [A breath, and he continues as calmly as he can:] Stahn, I owe you a debt.
no subject
it doesn't hurt any less, of course. they shouldn't have had to die at all, but yet so many had to suffer and lose their lives for a cause that was so... so awful. he hates it a lot, especially whenever the thought of ilene's helplessness comes to mind. but that's not really the reason he's giving his apologies, and leon should probably be informed as to why.] It's for you.
[how could he not apologize, after all? he's the one dealing blow after blow at a time like this. leon must be overwhelmed by everything that's happening as much as he is, and yet stahn's told him so many painful things. he can't mourn like this, just like stahn couldn't mourn anyone else properly, either. even if leon is better at shoving those feelings down and bringing priority to the forefront, stahn knows all too well how much leon must be hurting.
and maybe that's why stahn goes quiet after leon's last statement. he finally looks up after keeping his head dipped and wild hair from letting his expression show—and his eyes are wide with surprise.
...owed, a debt?
no.
that's not right.]
What—No... you don't owe me anything. [he'd never have let anything happen to marian if it could be helped. she'd been a hostage, and more so... she was important to leon. she was the reason leon took the actions he did, after all. the absolute bare minimum he could do was get her to safety. on top of doing the right thing—because what else would stahn do—carrying out something so important to leon was only natural.
he had to finish the things leon couldn't. that's what friends did in situations like this, stahn's sure of that much.]
no subject
I don't want your apologies. [It doesn't matter what the apology is for. If it's for what happened to him, well, he made his own choices, and he dug his own grave. Now he has to deal with the consequences. If it's for what Stahn is telling him, then that's even more ridiculous; he wants to know this, even if it's painful. Stahn is doing him a favor by telling him these things. He doesn't get it, and he doesn't enjoy it--Stahn apologizing or receiving apologies.] Keep them to yourself.
[And... of course Stahn would think that. That Leon doesn't owe him anything, even after he saved Marian. Even after he did what Leon himself couldn't do, and saved the most important person to Leon. Even after he accepted saving the world, and fixing Leon's fuck-ups, and took it all on his shoulders.
No, Leon owes him a great deal, and if Stahn won't accept it out loud, well... Leon's still going to repay that debt someday. Somehow. He'll find a way, even if... even if it's just in making sure that he gets home safely, of all people. If he will see one person home safely, it will be Stahn.
So after a brief pause, he just makes a noncommittal noise under his breath; it's pretty obvious that he doesn't buy it, but he's not interested in arguing with Stahn here. Instead, he moves to stand (though at least it doesn't seem as though he has any intent to storm off this time).]
...Regardless. Our first step should be finding our way out of here. [Business. If he focuses on business, then...this will be fine. He can figure out the rest (mourning, and Marian, and paying Stahn back for what he's done for him, and everything) on his own time, when they're not in a dangerous virtual reality.]
no subject
even as he's cried, even as he begged leon to accept this chance at life, and even as he's informed leon of all the tragedy that's befallen their acquaintances, it's been hard to feel like any of it is real. being told it's real doesn't account for much when it's impossible to tell what's real and what isn't. he's already been fooled by an illusion of leon once today, after all. but hearing those words, harsh as they are... that makes it feel more real.
it's really leon. he's really here, and he's doing what he always does; putting those necessities before their own personal feelings in a way that stahn struggles so deeply with.
of course, there's a slight hitch to his breath when leon moves to stand—it's an immediate concern that he's going to use the opportunity to try and get away again. which he doesn't want at all. stahn would probably cling to that wet cape if leon would allow it (he knows leon won't allow it) if it would keep his friend in his sights. so naturally, when leon forces the topic to shift to the business ahead of them without actually leaving? okay.
it's going to be okay.
somehow, some way, he knows it'll be okay.]
Right. I think we're going to have a lot to do when we get out of this thing, too. [right.
if leon can stay strong and not let his emotions overtake him at a time like this, stahn realizes he needs to be able to do the same. what he's been through hurt, but it can't be nearly as painful as what leon's experiencing. so even if it's just for the sake of that, he'll steel himself.
if he could steel himself for rutee, for the swordian team, and for all of his other friends in their darkest hours...
then he can do it for leon.
so he wipes away the last of the wetness around his eyes, forcing back anything that threatens to fall, and then pushes himself to his feet to stand next to leon. he's not quite smiling yet, but... he can do this. he can do this, because he has to do this, no matter what. he has to show leon that he's able to handle all of the burdens; he has to show leon how his own strength is something stahn's been able to use for himself to get through these difficult times.]
no subject
A long-term mission, but on his own terms. He has his end goal, and that's enough; he can figure out how to accomplish it on his own.
And Stahn... well, Stahn has changed a little, hasn't he? The tears were startling, but somehow the way that he picks himself right back up is even more so. Stahn had never been the sort to take things in small measure. He laughed fully, he smiled fully, and, it seemed, he cried fully too.
But now he's putting it aside, and trying to stay strong in a way that makes Leon oddly uncomfortable, and he fails to realize that it's because he's seeing Stahn attempting to be a bit more like him. Stahn, trying to bear more burdens, and look strong throughout it all, even though it doesn't come naturally to him at all.
... Leon doesn't like it. It's not natural to Stahn. It doesn't feel... right.
He clears his throat and focuses on their surroundings, crossing his arms. He's still wet and dripping, but that doesn't matter. What matters is finding an exit, and... there's a glimmering, rather blatant > Log Out option hovering there now, now that they seem to have gotten through this entire level.
It makes him wary, really, but there's really no way to figure out if it's going to work besides...trying it. Leon hesitates briefly, and then sighs.]
Presumably this is the way out. [Some...how... however it works. The less he has to look at Stahn right now, the better.] Let's go.
no subject
it's not as if he enjoys shoving his grief down, and it's definitely not easy for him to carry out. but he tries. he tries so hard for the sake of everyone else, he tries so hard for the sake of duty. he's a swordian master, he has to be responsible and put the needs of the world before his own personal hangups. and he knows that.
so he's trying his best to be stronger. he'll bear the burdens his friends can't. dymlos chose him as a master, and that means he has to be worthy of that mantle; maybe stahn himself doesn't realize his own similarities to dymlos, or how dedicated to duty he can be. even if the hardest of trials, stahn understands now that he just can't give up... and that he can't let his own personal hangups stand in the way of what matters. he has a dream he'd like to achieve and protect, and he can't do that by being weakhearted and letting grief get the better of him.
it's not easy, but he'll do this. even if it's weird to leon, and even if there are times that it cuts him right to the core with pain. and that's why he continues to shake off his sadness, why he pushes aside to focus on the same things leon is focusing on. he's done this before, and while this is all a great shock in every way, they have to get out. so his focus shifts when the log out imagery occurs, and he nods his head.]
Ah... so that's how logging out works. [he muses; he'd asked others about it earlier and didn't get much help on what to do. it seems strange that it's shown up now, but he guesses it's because they finished what needed to be done.
...was the game just ensuring they'd cross paths first? it's something that doesn't cross stahn's mind, but dymlos lets out a skeptical hum. "......."
yeah, it's as suspicious as anything else, but stahn's keeping his attention on leon.]
Right. Let's go... let's see what comes next.
no subject
Leon wonders how long he's been dead for, and how long Stahn has been doing this for.
What happened, exactly, after that elevator reached the top...?
Well--it doesn't matter right now. Instead, Leon's left pondering their new quandary. He doesn't want Stahn to go first (if anyone's going to risk anything, it's Leon, considering he's already dead), but they have no way to communicate even if he does go first. It's frustrating. Stahn will have to take the risk too no matter how he tries to prevent it from happening.
Either way, though... he's still going to go first. If there's a threat on the other side, he could probably dispatch it first, or at least engage it first, then.
Leon glances at Stahn (sees the look on his face, looks away quickly) and nods.]
I'm going, then. [He does spare a look for Chal, though, before he goes.] Ready, Chal? ["Of course, young master!"
And with that, he's really not going to wait for Stahn's opinion, instead going right ahead with that log out option and stumbling right into Cerealia. Sorry about sucking at this "not disappearing" thing already, Stahn.]
no subject
it's troubling; couldn't they have just gone together? but at the very least, leon won't have to see the troubled look on stahn's face as he pauses.
he has to wonder... why does this hurt so much? he's so relieved to see leon and he's even more relieved that there's some kind of second chance here... but something still feels painful about it in a way that stahn has a hard time understanding. he may be pretty good at picking up on people's feelings, but sometimes understanding his own—especially in a situation as complex as this one—is tough.
"Are you going to keep standing there? Log out, Stahn. We don't know how long it'll last. We can discuss the rest more later on, once we've " dymlos interrupts him after a moment, jolting stahn from his frozen state.]
Oh... yeah, right! [he shakes himself off, and dymlos says nothing more. his concern is apparent enough though; this whole situation is throwing a lot of the resolve and many things that came from leon's death into limbo. it's... disconcerting. but dymlos knows this isn't the time to bring it up, so he lets stahn log out. it's a minute or two later when stahn stumbles into cerealia proper, and he's quick to whip his head around in an attempt to get leon back into his line of sight.]
Leon!? [okay, so maybe he stumbled out facing the opposite direction and there is an immediate, small sense of panic that goes along with it. there's also the matter of how similar the logout mechanic is to warping. but one thing at a time, right? and the first order of business is leon.
(because isn't it always leon?]
no subject
There's... a concerning amount of franticness in his gestures, and the way he calls Leon's name, isn't there?
But Leon isn't going to think too hard on it, nor is he going to hesitate to respond from behind, striving for calm.]
I'm here.
[Right behind you, trying to pretend that he's not as floored by Cerealia as he is. It feels as though just when he starts to even begin to get a handle on the situation, something else happens to make it difficult all over again, and this place with it's bright lights, bustling streets and general intensity is not what Leon was prepared for.
So when Stahn appears, he's honestly relieved, and any thoughts of leaving him behind or continuing on without him have temporarily been put to rest. No... in a place like this, any shred of familiarity is too important to pass up, even if Leon's still not sure he has the right to make Stahn miserable with his constant presence.]
no subject
it's a start.
and with that out of the way, he can look at the area around them. unlike leon though, the sense of wonder is absolutely present in his expression. it's loud and busy; busier than even the most bustling areas of heidelberg or darilsheid. the lights are bright and colorful, things are whizzing by that are totally unfamiliar to him.]
This is... [amazing? overwhelming? who knows what the hell stahn is actually going to say, because his eye catches a digital billboard that's advertising some sort of live performance of sorts. wow. wow.]
A place like this really exists... [it's crazy. it's even more advanced than what he'd seen in some of the places he'd seen; oberon's technology didn't even seem comparable to what they're faced with now.
...at least some of the worst lingering sentiments have been pushed to the side for now. they're so far out of their league that it's hard to not be distracted by the sights.]
no subject
(At least this is more like the Stahn he knows.)
But to Leon, this is dangerous, and he sees so many things to be wary of just from his first sweep of the place. There's so much to figure out here. He really wasn't prepared for this, and it's frustrating to know that no matter what he does, he is going to have a steep learning curve.
But he'll do it. He'll do whatever it takes to figure this place out, and find their way home, and see Stahn back to his rightful place in saving it. He didn't leave that up to him just so that he could be taken away from that task in the end.
So while Leon regards the place with a distrustful frown, expression dark, a distinct contrast to Stahn's expression, he's nonetheless trying to figure out what they have to do next. It's a little daunting of a task admittedly when he doesn't even know how this place functions, but he's pretty sure Stahn's counting on him to be cool and in control as ever, and he's not going to stop being that way now.]
You will have time to gawp at the sights like a hick later. We have to find some sort of lodgings. [It's obvious they're going to be here awhile from what he's heard from everyone else.] Focus.
no subject
so it's true, some things really never do change. leon is still leon, and stahn is still stahn. things have a changed, and that goes for a lot beyond their current predicament, but it doesn't change the way they are at their core. for all of the things that have brought stahn down, he's tried hard not to lose the light that made him such a positive force for the party... and he can't lose that now. he knows that for sure, that no matter how serious things get, no matter how much he's grieving, and how hard things may be... he needs to keep doing that much for leon just like he would for anyone else.
of course, there are also times like this, when he's just so... himself about these things. his wonderment is unfiltered, because a country boy like him that was awed by a place like darilsheid could naturally only be even more so taken with cerealia's bustling nature. there's a lot to be suspicious about, that much is true... but it can't all be bad, right?]
Right! [focusing! leon's right, they'll be able to get a better look at what everything's all about once they get the basics settled. but... okay.
where do they start?]
There has to be an inn or something like it around here, don't you think? [maybe that would be the best place to start?] I don't know where we'd find that, though... this place seems bigger than any city where we come from. [look how tall so many of these buildings are!! and there's a lot of them. this is kind of overwhelming in a totally different way than what they just dealt with a few minutes earlier.]
no subject
But like this, plucked out of his comfort zone and tossed somewhere entirely alien, Leon knows basically nothing.
But, naturally, he's not going to admit that. To admit that would be to admit that he has no control over the situation, and the last time he had no control over the situation--
Well, they all know how that went down. Instead, he glances around them. The bustle is intense here, as are the lights and crowds and... everything, but from the advertisements he can see and the stores (they are stores, right?), it seems to be a recreational area... of some sort. Maybe.
Where's a map when you need one?
The silence drags a bit as he looks around, trying to not be painfully obvious about having no idea what to do next, but, well.... he has no idea. And "Let's wander and hope for the best" doesn't sound like a very good plan, even if it's the only plan they've got. (Suddenly, he feels incredibly tired, as if the entire situation is starting to catch up to him.)]
This... doesn't look like the place to find lodgings of any sort. [He sighs softly under his breath.] We'll have to look elsewhere.
[That sounds...somewhat competent, right?]
no subject
sure, leon may not be showing any awe for the bright, colorful surroundings that seem both incredible and terrifying in their way, but he knows... this is completely unfamiliar territory for them both. but he lets leon have it, not making him feel as if either of them is terribly incompetent in this situation.
leon always did like having those small victories, after all.]
I guess we should... pick a direction then? This is tough. [he laughs a little, awkwardly. but then he also remembers there was something else he wanted to address! and maybe that would help them!
so out comes dymlos, because... you know, that's how they do things.]
Hey, Dymlos... That "log out" thing, wasn't that kind of like a warp?
["It seems to serve a similar purpose."]
So does that mean there are other things that would be similar around here? [he scratches his head. stahn's not really sure he gets this technology stuff; the virtual reality game went right over his head, but warping? yeah, he understands warping.
"There might be, but I can't say for sure. We'll have to investigate it a little more before we can decide that."]
Huh... this is already getting complicated, isn't it. [he says, even though he's more or less having a conversation about a bunch of things leon wouldn't even know about. good job, stahn.]
no subject
... .... ....
But it keeps going.
And it's almost like Dymlos and Stahn are speaking another language.
What are warps? Why would they be here? Why would Stahn know about them? (Obviously, things that happened after his death), and it's like an itch that he can't scratch. He doesn't like admitting ignorance, but he likes being excluded even less... especially when it's Stahn, because he feels like he should never find the things Stahn is talking about to be outside of his grasp academically???
He almost feels... offended...which is why he's a little huffy when he finally interrupts.]
I have no idea what you're talking about, but you aren't focusing at all. [Should he ask..... maybe when they have a better idea of where to go. But now Leon's irritated so he's just picking a random direction and...SETTING OFF. Off we go!!!]
This way.
[Amazing.]
no subject
[oops.
he can tell that leon's really not pleased with that, though stahn can only guess it's because of one of two things (or maybe both). the first is that he's not following leon closely enough, and the second is that things are unfamiliar.
so he gets it.
it isn't as if he's intentionally leaving leon out; it's quicker to just ask dymlos something like that first than to explaining everything. it's going to take a while to fill leon in on the details of what happened after belcrant was fired, and stahn knows that... not that it makes him feel any better about the situation.
but a least, like a loyal sunshine puppy, he follows leon's lead as they set off... but man, it's so easy to get distracted. don't get too mad when stahn accidentally steps on the back of leon's boot because he was looking up a flashing billboard for upcoming feature film "the thirsty games."
what does that even mean? stahn has no idea, but it sounds weird. a game of being thirsty? that sounds like a medical problem.]
no subject
He doesn't know, but he definitely doesn't appreciate it, and he's already finding it grating. He doesn't respond to that, simmering in response instead, even as he stomps his way down the road like the grumpy kitten he is. It doesn't help that it's been a really long, really emotional day; he's gone from the entire death scene to his reunion with Stahn and almost dying in the water again to exchanging harsh words with Stahn to here, and their uneasy truce.
Some things truly never change, and Leon being terrible at feelings is one of those things.
Which is why when Stahn steps on the back of his boot, managing to temporarily cause Leon to stumble, he snaps with a great deal more emphasis than is needed, whirling on Stahn with a swish of his cloak.]
Watch what you're doing! [Calm down Leon.] What is wrong with you?!
[More like...what's wrong with you, Leon... he knows what's wrong with Stahn, and it's entirely that he's just distracted by their surroundings, which is a perfectly legitimate thing considering their surroundings.]
no subject
Leon— [he starts, but stahn realizes that he doesn't know what to say at all. he knows leon is agitated by being out of the loop, but it's hard to tell how much of this is related to that. a lot, probably? plus the fact that stahn's so distracted, but even still...
it's almost hard for him to remember the last time he was this snappish.
he doesn't know what he can say that will calm him down. it's hard to promise he won't get distracted again, even if he's really and honestly trying to stay completely focused. and as for the things leon doesn't know... well, how can he go explaining all of that here and now? surely, leon has to know that stahn wants to tell him everything, so he can know just what he's missed. he's a member of the swordian team, even if it was something the "assembled" after his death. he's just as much a swordian master as the rest of them, and he absolutely deserves to know what is happening to his world and the people in it. people he worked with and for, his family—this is all so important that he'd never dream of holding it back from leon.
but he can't say all of that here and now. this isn't the time or place for it, and even someone as dumb and uncultured as he can be is not so insensitive as to think that would ever be okay.
he doesn't want leon to be mad or upset over that—more so than his own distraction. he can apologize a million times for the latter and he knows that it really wouldn't be than different than their previous journey together.
everything else, though...
what is he supposed to say right now?]
no subject
It isn't Stahn's fault that he died and was left out of all of this. Of course he would talk about it to Dymlos instead; Dymlos has always been there by Stahn's side after all, and has experienced the same things as him. Of course he would have no reason to tell Leon, not when he's basically outside of the entire situation. (But is it bad? What's happened? What are the others dealing with? Leon honestly can't help but wonder...)
... Either way. While he can admit to himself that he overreacted, he can't quite admit it out loud. Instead, he looks at Stahn for a long moment before abruptly turning away, embarrassed by his own emotional outburst. So when he speaks, his voice is somewhat calmer, even as he forcibly tries to wrestle his emotions back into check.]
Let's go.
[He's fine. He can handle all of this fine, he just needs to shove all of these irritating feelings that keep getting in the way somewhere far far away. The only reason they're escaping him now is because he's tired, honestly.]
no subject
he can't reconcile why everything feels so bad when they should have so many shades of good in it. leon is here, and though there are brief flickers of things being the same as ever between them (which is all he could ever hope for, really), they keep ending up in this awkward and painful place where the events that changed everything seem to create a wall between them.
stahn had worked so hard from the time he met leon to break that down. he'd wanted to badly for leon to stand alongside them as friends; for him to let go a little of his need to handle everything himself and rely on them. because that's what friends do. by the time they started to reach that point, it was too late, and now it feels so unattainable. it's as if leon can't see that his actions aren't meant to try and leave him behind—it's the very opposite of that in every way. but how can he even convey that, especially right now?]
Ye... yeah. [he gives a short reply, and it's obvious the wind has been taken out of his sales. it hurts him knowing that leon is hurting; it hurts him that his own grieving doesn't even seem to make sense anymore. he feels like he should be doing just that, but leon is here, tangible... and he's happy, in some way that isn't oozing out of him like normal.
dymlos remains silent, also knowing that saying much else could anger leon again. he isn't particularly fussed by the idea, but if it'll slow down their getting on the right track, it can't happen. but he knows better. so even though stahn is rendered almost speechless, dymlos doesn't bear any helpful words, keeping silent. it's the human's job to handle their matters unless they're consulted.
and as for stahn, he's ready to follow once more—though with the wind of out his sails, he's keeping his eyes square on leon's back, watching the pink of his cape swish in motion than the sights around them. maybe it's for the better in terms of keeping him focused, but it also serves as a sign of just broken the situation is right now, and how stahn's unfailing sunshine isn't so unfailing these days.]
no subject
It's awkward silence, even Leon can acknowledge that much. He's the sort who never minded traveling in silence before, but... after traveling with Stahn, and Mary, and Rutee and Philia and the others for so long, now traveling in silence is an indication that something's wrong. Which... is both true and obvious. Of course something's wrong. It's Leon's fault in the first place, but that's really no surprise either, as it generally is.
Leon had always said so many nasty things in an effort to get rid of the dopey, happy-go-lucky smile on Stahn's face.
Now that he's managed it, he finds that he really, really hates it.
Leon grimaces to himself, because Stahn can't see it anyway while he's leading. This entire situation.... he hates it a lot. They're in a world where he feels like he knows practically nothing, which means everything is out of his control. If it was just him and Chaltier, that would be a different matter entirely, but--it's him, and it's Chaltier, and it's Stahn. How is he supposed to deal with a situation outside of his control if Stahn is here as well?
Stahn, who is clearly so attached to him despite everything he did. Stahn, who clearly mourned him, and is still mourning him, and now Leon is back and breathing and that means that neither of them is entirely happy about it.
It's funny. It's difficult somehow, to take step after step, to keep moving forward, when he feels as though being brought to life was not necessarily a good thing, and when he feels that he doesn't deserve to be breathing here and now. Why wasn't it Rutee? Rutee could help Stahn. They've always leaned on each other, hadn't they? Leon hadn't needed Chaltier's small hints to notice how close they were getting.
(And if it meant Stahn was happy, and his sister was happy, and knowing his own fate, he figured it was fine to be satisfied with that.)
In the silence, it's all too easy to dwell on his thoughts, all of which are far too negative; Leon has no reason to be anything but grim right now as he somehow continues to stride forward, as determined as he can be.
Obviously, this is when they're going to be accosted by robots.
Leon was quite prepared to stride right past the robot offering samples (it's not like robots have ever been a good sign for them, really, and the samples look disgusting), except the moment he walks past, the robot reaches out and...grabs his cloak. And pulls.
Naturally, this does a very good job of yanking Leon right back, but considering how closely Stahn was being careful to follow him, Leon might be yanked right back on top of him.]
no subject
it's true, he's attached—he considers leon his best friend despite everything that happened, and not "betrayal" nor death could change that. and it's true, that he was mourning—that he can't figure out how to stop silently grieving when the situation has changed so suddenly. and it's also true that he's struggling in knowing just how to make sense of it and find what he needs to strong. rutee had done a good job of helping him.
but he still isn't sure that's what he'd have called happy, either.
leon's perceptions are different than stahn's in this regard. he does think it's a good thing that leon is here, even if he feels a crushing pain in his chest from the confusion. he never thought their situation was better without leon, and he always wanted to believe that as they carried forward, leon's spirit would remain with them. he knew... he knew leon had wanted to be with them. he knew leon wanted to take his hand and leave that cave to rectify the mistakes that had been wrought. he knew... he knew that even if leon accepted death to save them and as some kind of repentance, that he didn't want to die. who would want to die, and who would want to die in such a terrible way?
he knows this.
stahn almost drowned once himself, after all. the only thing that saved him was dymlos. so he knows, and maybe that's why it sits on his mind so much how much leon must have suffered. on top of all the other terrible things he endured in his life—it's tragic to the very end. and all stahn ever wanted to do for him was be a friend, and be a person who could show him some of the better things to appreciate in life. some things didn't have to be complex to be enjoyed, after all... if leon could have those few small things, he'd be better for it, right?
stahn thinks about these things a lot. he's thought about them a lot for quite a while now, and it's exactly the train of thoughts that sit on his mind as they make their way through the city. he's stopped focusing on the sights; now isn't the time. he can explore and talk to others later. just... follow leon, so he can explain the parts of this that have caused such a strange misunderstanding.
that can only last so long though, not when there's a robot that pulls leon by the cape. seeing leon stumble backwards is enough to snap stahn from his wandering train of thought, and while there's no collision here, it sends him into caution mode. stahn lunges forward pretty quickly, grabbing leon by a shoulder and upper arm to steady him and prevent him from falling.]
Leon, are you okay? [it's his automatic reaction; even though there's nothing to indicate that leon would be anything but startled and mildly inconvenienced, stahn reacts like that anyway.]
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)