The Territory of Sceval, Kaeleer (Saturday Afternoon, Fandom Time)

[glacial_queen]

Invitations had gone out, letting people know that Karla was planning to take a trip back to Kaeleer. Nothing special, just a short day-long trip, complete with picnic.

Of course, that was nothing special if you didn't know about the kind of picnic Mrs. Beale was capable of putting together with a bit of notice. Or if you weren't impressed with visiting unicorns all day. Whichever.

The portal opened up at the Hall, where the staff was packing up a single Coach with all of the supplies a group that size might need: sweetfeed, sugar cubes, apples, carrots--and provender for the picnickers, too. Guests would find themselves ushered into other Coaches; large wheeled conveyances that were powered by Craft and could be drawn by horses on roads or powered by Craft to travel over the Winds. Karla, Jaenelle, and Lucivar were not there to greet the Fandom folks; the latter two had gone ahead to ready everything on Sceval's end, and the former had vanished that morning, offering apologies and deliberately vague explanations of an errand that needed running.

Not that anyone at the Hall was going to let her absence slow down their timetable any. As soon as the last person was seated and comfortable and the last basket stowed, the Coaches took off, catching the nearby Opal Wind to speed them along.

The ride was on the longish side, lasting about an hour--apologies had been made, but Sceval was a closed Territory and portals were not permitted--but soon enough they were touching down again. This time, there was no extended hike through the woods, the Coaches landed in a large open meadow, next to a cheerful brook. Large blankets were already laid out, and the coachmen clambered down to open the doors and then begin unpacking the mountains of food they'd brought.

There were two people waiting for everyone when they climbed out. One was Karla, the other was a solemn dark-haired girl who looked about eight or nine. She gave the assembled group a tremulous smile and clutched Karla's hand tightly. Karla gave her a fond smile before looking up at her assembled friends.

"Welcome to Sceval," she said, waving with her free hand. "Lucivar and Jaenelle are already out visiting the herd, which you're welcome to do. There's food to eat if you're hungry and plenty of places to explore if you get restless. I didn't, uhh, plan any activities, so hopefully there's enough here to keep you entertained!"

[NFB for off-islandness]

Comments

Re: Eat or Explore

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah leaned over to poke her. "Next time, I'll call you too. 'Cause sometimes Karla doesn't call, I get a dream, and I just show up because she 'forgets' how to work a phone." She rolled her eyes. "Although she's getting better... Anyway. It's nothing about magic." She was quiet a second. "Do you think you could kill someone here?"

Re: Eat or Explore

[heromaniac]

Momoko's answer was actually slow in coming. Not because she didn't know it, but because she was trying to figure out how to say it.

"I fight to save lives, I don't fight to kill. And not just because my monsters aren't like everyone else's. It's how I am." She frowned, not sure she was saying this right. "But that doesn't mean I don't fight as hard as anyone else. Or that I'll go easy on someone."

Re: Eat or Explore

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"I know." Dinah was quiet a minute, also trying to figure out what she wanted to say. Then realizing it was just another question. "Would you want to be in a fight, where everyone else would be killing the other side? That seems to happen here. More often than not." She turned over on her stomach, and looked at Momoko. "I'm trying not to assume you wouldn't. But... I don't know, Momoko. I don't know if you'd want the nightmares this place gives me."

Re: Eat or Explore

[heromaniac]

"I've done it before," Momoko replied, thinking about her first Fandom invasion as well as her trip to Spira with Rikku. "By choice, even. Or are you talking more about war?"

Re: Eat or Explore

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Bit of both," Dinah said, thinking. "There's a war coming. At the very least, to get Karla's uncle off the throne. He's an abusive, nasty piece of work, but he has similar supporters." She blew out a breath. "He won't go easy. And might not be taken alive. I don't know how much I'll be here, involved, when that all happens. Or how much Karla will want people to be. The political stuff gets weird." She pillowed her chin on her hands. "But they don't think anything of killing here, Momoko. And they might think less of you for not doing it. I don't know for sure. It's something to ask about."

Re: Eat or Explore

[heromaniac]

"I'm not going to change just so that they'll like me," Momoko snorted lightly, then was quiet for a while, listening to the people and the unicorns in the background as she let her mind run through things.

"It's totally hard to win if the other side isn't following the same rules, but it's not impossible. Killing isn't the only ending available." She looked over at Dinah, willing her to understand. "But a war is hard. I'm on the side of good, and I totally think that means Karla, but I'm a hero not a soldier or a warrior."

Re: Eat or Explore

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"I know," Dinah said gently. "That's what I mean. Think about whether you want to be here, when that's what they need. Or at least expect. I'm not saying change. I'm saying, if you want to be left out-- and that's up to you-- I'd get it. And Karla would too. But asking to be included means watching people die. On both sides."

Re: Eat or Explore

[heromaniac]

"When I'd be a liability," Momoko nodded, going back to looking at the sky. "But not everything is a war."

Re: Eat or Explore

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah was quiet. "When you wouldn't have a purpose," she said more softly. "And no, not everything is." She smiled a little. "Talk to Karla about this, okay? Like I said. If I'm in, you're in. But lay your groundwork, and Karla won't try to protect you so hard. She does that to everyone, but you guys got to be friends after the last two worst times to be here. She hasn't been through as much with you. She'll appreciate knowing you want to help, I think."

Re: Eat or Explore

[heromaniac]

No purpose...

"I will. I promised to take her crime-fighting, too. Teach her more about what I do. Although it was during the Nothing fight, so she may not remember."

No purpose...

Re: Eat or Explore

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah nodded, chin back on her arms, and closed her eyes. Listening to people laughing, the wind, unicorns talking. "This is the best of Kaeleer. The worst is... just as intense. In the other direction." She sighed. "But at least we can fight it, here. Tereille's a nightmare, from stuff they've said."

Re: Eat or Explore

[heromaniac]

"Politics again?" Momoko asked, trying to clear her mind from the totally depressing thoughts she was thinking. "Or honey-pear shortage?"

Re: Eat or Explore

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Politics. Take Karla's uncle, multiply him by twelve, and you'll have the mess that Terreille is." She shook her head, thinking of the war that might happen in ten years. "Anyway. Hopefully we'll have other trips here like this one, not like the bad times."

Re: Eat or Explore

[heromaniac]

"It's hard to think of places that bad when you're in places like this," Momoko sighed. "Is Terreille in Karla's territory?"

Re: Eat or Explore

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Nope. It's a totally different ... realm. Um. It's connected, through these permanent portals, at altars. Topographically the same, the mountains are in the same place and all, but not all the cities." Dinah was quiet. "Lucivar was a prisoner there, for a long long time."

Re: Eat or Explore

[heromaniac]

"Prisoner?" Momoko was torn, now. She really wanted to know more, but she also didn't want to ruin the day for Dinah. "So we should probably not try to fight him for more pears?"

Re: Eat or Explore

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Lucivar might actually tell her. And then she'd have to fight the urge or cry or be sick.

"Oh, no. Fight him for pears." Dinah grinned, even though her eyes were serious. "He needs the teasing."

Re: Eat or Explore

[heromaniac]

And with that... "Ne, sempai. I totally declare the depressing conversation over for the day. Now we must plot." Momoko grinned back and flipped onto her stomach, slitting her eyes to look like she was asleep. OH, BUT SHE JUST HAPPENED to be staring at the pile of honey-pears on Lucivar's blanket. "What are his weak spots...?"



[sorry, had to add it :)]