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nailfiler) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
finalflight2025-01-02 03:40 pm
nailfiler) wrote in finalflight2025-01-02 03:40 pmEntry tags:
nailfiler) wrote in finalflight2025-01-02 03:40 pm
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besides, it's her chance to dog on Weir when he isn't around, it's funnier]
I'm quite serious. If I had to take a stab in the dark, he certainly wished for something, but didn't understand his own desires. And thus, what resulted is a new world he can't totally comprehend.
[Lucy moves to remove the apron around her neck, pulling it taut and folding it neatly. Only a sections of her tattoo around her collar peek out.]
I did ask him about it; about if he was happy, that is.
[She never did get that answer. And she thinks Taka can guess that much.]
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Happy? A guy who makes a wish like that isn't happy. I'd bet he didn't even know what he really wanted, beyond whatever he agreed upon with that thing underground. Pah.
[What an idiot, that Dredger.]
Shouldn't make big decisions like that unless you can sort yourself out first. What a selfish man... [Sighs, running a hand through his already-tousled hair.] Do you know why it's so hard to get an invite to Turner's Vale, Miss Lucinda? I figure you deserve to know, since you had to live through being there.
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To answer his question...]
I had the impression the forest made it difficult.
[She would know.]
But that was from my perspective from within. I was trying to leave. What I wasn't aware of was that an invitation was required to get in.
So enlighten me then.
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[He shrugs, looking up at the ceiling.]
Ah, but Iโm sure there are probably fools whoโve tried. Mainly, though, itโs because the villagers rarely leave the Vale. And when they do? No one wants anything to do with them. Kind as they all may be, theyโre just bad luck โย if one approaches you, and you can often tell because theyโve always got an image of that flower pinned to them somewhere, or wearing that blue color, then people try to get away as fast as they can. Be as polite as possible and end the conversation quickly. Iโve heard merchants have practically given away their things for free when one comes up to barter with them, just to be rid of them.
Because if theyโre nice enough to invite you into Turnerโs Vale, you have no choice but to go. If you ignore it, then tragedy is bound to come your way. Iโve seen proof of it myself.
[He drops his chin, looking at her again.]
Thatโs because you never want to slight a Fae. Thatโs what the Valeโs turned into now โ a Fae village. Twisters of fate, for good or ill, and usually troublesome.
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[Her brows raise and her eyes widen ever so slightly at Taka's revelations. It's the first time she looks unsettled ever since they sat down together. All three of her spirits inaudibly hum under her skin, intrigued by what they hear and indignant about how they couldn't perceive the Vale residents properly.
Lucinda brings a hand up to her lips thinking deeply yet again. She wasn't invited, but her presence was happily accepted. Concerned, she tries to remember if any townspeople invited her directly or indirectly in town. Either way, she had stayed and accepted their generosity in day-to-day life. Being naturally mild-mannered and polite probably helped off-set any direct damage.
And Weir was also there with her. A number of other factors swirl in her mind, but it may not matter now.]
I don't know whether it was because of Weir's presence or if I was already in the forest to start, but I didn't incur anyone's wrath or slight anyone in that town. That or...
[Maybe Fang was a natural deterrent. Well, she'll never know, but now she knows about the Vale's true nature though it doesn't necessarily make her feel better. It was good to escape the jaws of a monster, but it wasn't great knowing she willingly slept in them.]
Mm. Well, it seems Weir is an exception to the rule. They don't mind him being his usual self or at least they don't outwardly show any offense.
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I did some reading and poking around about the Fae; there's not a lot, but they don't sound inherently malicious. Just otherworldly, like when they interact with mortals, their presence alone changes lives. They curse or bless you with bad or good luck, and you don't have a say on where those dice land, or how it manifests. Most people know better than to take their chances.
[Not outright evil, not outright good. Simple entities that leave waves in their wake.]
If you said they were nice to you, I doubt it was for show. You were just lucky, welcomed in because ofโ [He pauses.] I don't know. Maybe because whatever brought you there skipped the invite process. Maybe because Weir accepted you into the Vale, even if temporary. Maybe the "invite" can be as vague as "come into the town for a bit."
[Still so much he doesn't know.]
As for the man himself, he's probably considered a villager; one of their own. Why wouldn't he? He made the wish with that damn Heart. He was one of the original residents of the Vale. Ha, maybe he's an honorary Fae now...
[Which would suck for the rest of them, but. They'll cross that bridge when they get there.]
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[There's something in her tone of murmur. It's hard to parse.
She sighs softly and puts her hand down on the table. At the end of the day, the Vale itself is one of the few issues before them. It all goes back to Weir and the people he betrayed which includes one Taka Ambulara.]
Taka.
[Her dark eyes meet his again.]
You mentioned others. Are they the ones who were part of the ritual with you and Weir?
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He blinks at her.]
Mmn, the others? Yes, all together, there were five of us. Me, a sorceress, a... tailor, a courier, and the Dredger himself.
Right now it's just me, Nova, and Valsa. That's the sorceress and the tailor, respectively. I can only make an educated guess at why we still remain, but it's probably because the Heart was damaged before its power was used to change everything.
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I see. I don't think my relief does any good, but...
[Lucinda smiles and it's the first that doesn't seem practiced or automatic as if expected of her.]
I'm glad you're alive.
[Weir certainly won't be, but screw him.]
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[He smiles at her, tired around the edges, but sincere. She's a nice woman, and he can't imagine how she managed to deal with Weir โ or maybe because she's so cool-headed that she managed it at all.]
I'm glad to be alive, too. Though, I'm guessing by your questions, he never mentioned us in detail to you. Do you think he even knows we're still around?
[If he never leaves the Vale, which might be the case, then... that's a logical conclusion.]
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[She answers breezily and with a glint of mischief in her eyes.]
I bet he just thinks your existences were erased and replaced like the Vale residents. He won't be pleased at all when he finds out.
[does she look gleeful at the thought of weir squirming, maybe
Flora and Feather are definitely gleeful, the formal cackling immensely.]
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Good, good. That means we have the element of surprise on our side. You can keep a secret, I bet!
[Hm, he can't quite decide how familiar she got with the Dredger, but it's clear thus far that she finds some satisfaction in upending the man with this revelation. For now, he'll trust that'll hold.]
And... well, with all these revelations now out in the open, can you guess what I'll ask of you next?
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[She's hardly been straightforward about herself or her time in the Vale with Weir.]
You might ask about ghosts, I'd imagine. Or how I managed to fare against Weir despite his... Everything. Maybe you'll even ask why we have some diners and employees listening in on our conversation.
[There's only a few people in the restaurant, but they have squirrled away in seats that aren't that far from listening distance.]
Or you may even ask something totally mundane.
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[An eye's being kept on him, and he isn't surprised. A man from a strange world isn't something that others let wander around with no curiosity or caution; she's already hinted at a greater authority that deals with this manner of thing more regularly.]
But no, if you assort them all by personal priority, one rises to the top of the pile.
[He leans in.]
When youโor whoever else gets to deal with meโsend me back home, can you get me into the Vale? Crack open a door that doesn't require an invite and spare me the forest's insanity? If you managed it once, maybe you can do it twice.
[If it's possible, then he's made things a lot easier for his companions.]
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[She leans back in her seat.]
I'm not the best person to answer that. The circumstances of my appearance in your world has been obscured from my memory and to the disturbance of the people I know, their own. That is to say, recreating the conditions would be impossible.
[Because no one knows the how.]
... But when it comes to the impossible... [Lucinda trails off for effect and her lips quirk.]
There are witches.
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And you'd be willing to nudge one of these witches to help me? I'd be in your debt if you did, Miss Lucinda. In which case, I'll have to be very blunt with you about something potentially unpleasant.
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[There aren't many witches around, but for better or for worse, there's one that is readily available whether she likes it or not.
Her head tilts in curiosity at Taka but she nods.]
I'm no stranger to bluntness. Go on.
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If and when we finally make our way to the Vale, we're going to kill Weir Dredger. There's simply no getting around it.
You'd still be fine with aiding us, knowing that?
1/2
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Sometimes... When I think back on it, I tell myself that I should have killed him. Because it would be the most rational thing.
[She looks back at Taka.]
And when I think about it some more, think about all the people who used to be there that are now gone without a trace, I also believe it would have been worthless vengenance had it been at my hands. I was a stranger from another world after all.
[Many would probably agree that Weir Dredger deserved a worthless death.]
I also think that's a rational thought. And now, knowing you, and the others have survived that ritual, I can logically say, "Ah. I can clean my hands of it all."
[She held her own against him and that was that. Lucinda is just one person, however, and there are four other people who's rage was more worthy than her own (she hardly has any left).]
Selfish, isn't it?
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I don't know if I'd call it selfish, Miss Lucinda. You were thrown into a situation you didn't ask for, just like me and mine.
[And having to make do with what she could to survive. Even if that did mean striking up a reliance on a man like Weir. Striking up a... what, a friendship with him?]
But if you don't mind me saying so, it sounds like you're trying to convince yourself of it. Of "I can clean my hands of it all." Your heart's fighting with your head, right?
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[Mother scolds her sometimes, for being too erratic and emotional. It was rich coming from the firey temperamental esper who adopted her, but her point stands. Lucinda, despite everything, despite being careful and calculated, despite cultivating a calm demeanor, is held back by her weary, worn down heart.]
To answer your question, I don't think it's about being fine with it. It's a matter of it having to be done.
[Inevitability. Much easier.]
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[Citation needed. It has, indeed, gotten him into trouble. It's what landed him in the biggest trouble of all, getting booted from Lunti for unearthing a baleful conspiracy he still didn't completely understand. But...
He'd rather be sharp than dull, going through life like a monotony, sailing through it with nothing to whet the wit.]
Ahnn... I don't know. [He rubs at his scruff.] That's all a matter of opinion, too. We want to kill him not out of some misled sense of vengeance- [okay but there is that, too, but it stems less from Taka and more from the others] -but to return the world to what it was. But we, too, are making the same decision as the Dredger.
Erasing one world to revert it back to what's already long gone. Is that any better? It's worth questioning.
[It won't change the path they've decided upon, but... He's thought about it, too. He thinks about things too much, you see.]
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I think you're right, thinking that far ahead. On the one hand, your world, as it stands, is better for some people than how it was before.
[Weir being the lone example, doesn't have to risk life and limb in the Ceaseless Pit to scrape out a living, doesn't have to be expendable and wretched.]
On the other, for those of you who remember, it doesn't mean that the previous world was worthless.
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[Huffs, rolling his neck as though to banish a crick from it. His brows pinch together; this isn't a simple matter of "we're right, he's wrong", though they wouldn't be in this mess were it not for Weir in the first place.]
For the Dredger, he'd say something like, "the strongest are the only ones who survive, the ones who look out for themselves" and so if we end up succeeding, well, we're just adhering to his own worldview, right?
[Waves a hand.]
Except I hate thinking that way. The world doesn't revolve around one person and their wishes โ it's a bunch of moving parts, each affecting the other. How can anyone make a decision like that so easily... It baffles even me.
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