ohmyarceus | January - February Test drive

Please, I'm not about to pretend you'd be cutting your well-earned retirement short if you had a...choice...

[G'rhyf may be many things, but oblivious is not one of them. And that continued blank stare isn't because Emet is taking exception to their assumption.]

You don't know me yet. [This is. Awkward.]

[It's fine, everything was fine.]

I will. I have my pokemon too, they're pretty tough. [The Bisharp gave a small rasping noise, tilting her head back to look down at the camera. Then extending those arm knives, she was ready to murder for Boss. Yes.]

[ Alright, well- That was kind of cute. She'll give him that one. This time. ]

Yeah? Well, hey, that's a good thing. Means your bond will be even stronger and all that jazz.

[An eyebrow raises as he slightly tilts his head.]

Should I?

[He pauses a moment, and then it clicks. Just as before, there was that proclaimed Warrior of Light of which he had not known, yet she was well aware of everything the hero he did know should. Is this much the same? As far as he is aware, he gets defeated by the Source's champion, and laid to rest, there should not be anyone else he'd have time to meet, nor grow to respect, so by all indication...]

Explain yourself: how do you know me?

Edited 2022-01-30 01:57 (UTC)

[G'rhyf closes their eyes and sighs, letting their head fall back against the tree for a moment. They don't want to go on an ages long spiel, but how to word this...]

I'm Hydaelyn's chosen champion. I'm certain you knew of me before then, but we met properly on the First, when the Scions and I were trying to stop the eighth Rejoining.

[They grimace and look away from the camera, looking...not guilty, really, but something of the same flavor. Regretful, maybe.] We, uh. Fought.

Edited 2022-01-30 03:29 (UTC)

[A video in response shows a Jane with a very sympathetic wince.]

Ooh...oh, um, those are...humans aren't supposed to eat those, actually? I think the symptoms should be gone within twenty-four hours, but for now...well, the main thing is to not do that again?

Oh for the love of—not this again!

[He sighs dramatically and face palms into a gloved hand. His eyes squeezed shut with annoyance as he just sits there for a moment.]

'Twas not you who laid me low—not by my recognition. That I would have to suffer this once was trying enough, but a second time? That is beyond absurd.

[.......]

[.....]

[...]

[What.]

What do you mean I wasn't--wait. Wait. [G'rhyf presses their hand across their eyes, already feeling a headache coming on.] I'm not...Azem's soul was reborn into someone else in your timeline. Am I understanding correctly?

[That's the only way this makes sense. They were only on the First to begin with because they had Hydaelyn's blessing; no one without it could have achieved all the feats that G'rhyf had managed which led them there. They had to be the one to receive Hydaelyn's blessing, because they are the one that went back in time to meet her, which wouldn't have happened at all if Emet-Selch and Hythlodaeus hadn't intervened on their behalf, which they likely only bothered to do in the first place because they recognized the color of Azem's soul. It wasn't G'rhyf that was the key to that stupid time loop, it was their soul.]

And this has happened before?!

Trust me, I wasn't going to be eating any more of these. [They manage a pained smile, tossing the berry somewhere off-screen.] I definitely learned my lesson, was just...hoping I might be able to find a bit of relief in the meantime.

I take it this sort of mistake is somewhat common, then?

What have you gotten yourself into?

[Estinien crosses his arms, looking at the back end of the person stuck in the wall. His Charmander quickly glances up at him before also trying to cross its own little arms in imitation. They're slightly too short.]

Estinien?!

[G'rhyf starts squirming harder, legs kicking in an effort to push themself back the way they came. A little more muffled comes a soft cry of 'Ral! Alts!!', and something being drug across the ground.]

Trust me, there was a plenty wide gap before the boulder went and shifted on me! You don't think you might be able to, uh...push it back over that way, do you? [They indicate a direction with one leg, though with how the surrounding earth resettled under whatever disturbance shifted things it might not be quite that easy.]

Edited 2022-01-30 05:59 (UTC)

[Wait, does he know you? Not that he recognizes people by their arse, particularly.]

Stop squirming before you get yourself crushed.

[He gets a bit closer, examining the way the boulder shifted and how best to push it back.]

Of course I will, Superstar.

[He takes a moment to cuddle the boy closer for a long moment.]

Besides... even if they still think they need to get you in order to return you to your family... We are family now. If you are with me, you don't need to be 'returned' anywhere.

[Nor by hair, if the Leveilleur twins are anything to go by--]

You say that like I'm not halfway there already... [It looks like the ground underneath one side of the boulder was collapsed by something, possibly an old tunnel dug by a Pokemon giving out. From there the boulder not only tilted in that direction but slid as well, leaving G'rhyf pinned under a jutting piece of rock in the ceiling that wouldn't have been an obstacle before. Any amount of rolling the rock when moving it could get G'rhyf even more pinched up than they already are, but if he can manage to slide it they could shimmy past without too much trouble. Another option could be to repeat the initial incident on the opposite side of the rock, lowering it entirely and making the question of annoying roof spikes a moot point.]

[Look, no one ever TOLD him they were twins and he was a bit preoccupied the only time she was in Ishgard...!]

Hm.

[If he had the extent of the team he had before, this would be a trifling matter. But he doesn't have them at the moment.]

Move as soon as you feel the pressure clear.

[He starts trying to shift the rock back.]

Got it!

[G'rhyf stays as still as they can, resisting the urge to twist around and watch for any progress. It takes a bit, but eventually through ~~the convenience of plot~~ grit and determination the boulder starts to shift just enough to widen the gap. They're quick to take advantage, wriggling and flopping backward until they get free and very nearly fall right on top of Estinien in their haste. Thankfully, they just hit the ground with a thud instead.]

Ouf--!

[On the other side of the passage a bag is thrown through the now wider gap by psychic energy, and a little Ralts comes crawling through soon after. Thank goodness this is all over with...!]

You could have done that with the rock.

[He says not unkindly, looking down at the Ralts as if this is not as all weird. But he remembers the months he spent here before so it's really not.]

Are you alright?

[He asks with no recognition in his expression whatsoever.]

[Without a doubt, his observations are on the mark. There's not much here at all that makes her think of Fódlan. It's an entirely fruitless endeavour to attempt finding something that should bind her to home. The Ruins of Alph are... only similar in the way that they are ruins. Beggars cannot be choosers and through no fault of her own, Rhea is not in a position where she can be particular.

Instead, her attention moves from Kent and onto Dimitri, taking in with care and thought the information he chooses to offer her. It is difficult to imagine any of them being missing for a year, though she suspects that it's not like that at all. After all, was it not five years at least in which she has not seen him, or the others? She shakes her head slowly. It's all a little difficult to believe, but impossible to refute given what she's faced with in the present.

This is no fever dream, as much as she might like to claim that it is.]

You seem to think of this place highly. [That's an observation only, though...] It sounds as if you intend to remain here.

[He's good at leaving her with more questions. She can't help thinking that she must give off the same impression to those with whom she is more familiar. Rhea is a plethora of labyrinthine mysteries, many of which she chooses not to address. And given that she hardly likes it when people pry her for information, she's not inclined to start doing that here. At least, not with anyone who isn't of Fódlan.

Instead, she nods slowly.]

So it is possible to return to your home world at times, then. And you retain the memories of your time here? How curious. I wonder what magic allows such a thing to take place.

[Especially given that no one exactly offered Rhea an invitation to be in this place at this point.]

[Not awful. Just weird. Not the word choice Rhea would use, and yet effective nonetheless. She nods along slowly, dropping her gaze onto the ralts at her skirts. It might be a bit easier if it would provide her some direction as well. The only thing it seems inclined to do at this point is to stay near her.

Truthfully, Rhea is a bit relieved for the companionship. To be truly in solitude... Such things do not bring her comfort. At least in Fódlan she's had her brethren. Here, she has no such luxuries.]

You have been most helpful. [She begins kindly as she folds her hands together once more.] For that, I am appreciative. If I may, are you normally making visit here to help some who have only recently arrived? [Or can it be that this chance encounter is truly... by chance?]

He tried--it was too heavy for him to even budge.

[G'rhyf pushes themself up with a groan and rubs their head before peering up at Estinien--up until now there hadn't been any hint that something might be amiss, but that flat look he's giving them...]

...uh, I think so. Is something wrong?

[da fuq bro]

Aside from being back here and dealing with this nonsense again?

[He tilts his head, questioning. There's something off here...]

[Claude watches Lorenz, taking in every little detail with those sharp eyes of his that Lorenz, in their separation, seems to have forgotten that he has. The way Lorenz frowns and shakes his head, negating some thought or emotion Claude can't see. The grabbing his hand, only to immediately let it go again. Still beating himself up, still holding himself back, still completely mired in his own fear or reluctance or grief or...whatever emotion it is he's experiencing. Honestly, there's a lot of options. But even without being able to narrow down which exactly it is, it's obvious enough that they're all negative ones.

Okay, so Lorenz isn't able to relax himself or his sky-high personal standards here. Fair enough; it's a lot to unpack all at once, and it's not like Lorenz is in a great state for doing any kind of emotional labor. But Claude's a strategist. When confronted with a hard limit, he doesn't take that as an impassable roadblock; he looks for a way around. And he can work with this. It's not like Lorenz has ever been easy to unbend, and he's managed him just fine before.]

Well, if you're not going to take my hand, I'll just take yours. [He says this lightly, even as he reaches out and grabs the hand that just let go of his.] Now you're just enduring me and my ridiculous whims like always, right?

[And, without giving Lorenz any real time to answer, much less protest, he starts pulling him out of the pokécenter.] C'mon, we'd better get going! Restaurants and cafes don't necessarily stay open all night in a sleepy town like this. As for presentable, who cares? It's late enough that we might be the last customers of the night.

That's certainly one question I was going to ask! [Given the length of his list, it'd be hard for her to think of a question not on it.] Not surprised others beat me to it. I guess that explains why you're still wearing your archbishop outfit. In the timeframe I remember, you've been missing for going on six years now. There's a theory that Edelgard has you imprisoned, but there's no actual proof that's the case that I've been able to find. [He scrutinizes her through the screen.] To be honest, I'm not sure that if Edelgard had gotten her hands on you, that she wouldn't have just executed you. I'm not sure what she'd want to hold you prisoner for, unless as some kind of bargaining chip...but then she'd have probably used you as that much earlier in the war.

[This minor information dump - in which he's not actually giving Rhea as much information as he seems; it's just the fact of her disappearance combined with his own theories on it and some passing rumors - has plenty of ulterior motive behind it. For starters, it's meant to rattle Rhea a little. It's just plain sense to put her on the back foot immediately, crack her composure to see what might slip out. He's never been overly sympathetic to the archbishop, having too many contradicting facts to her benevolence to regard her with much compassion or trust, so he feels only the faintest twinge of conscience in intentionally aiming to unsettle her.

But more than that, his words are also a lead. Both into some questions he could ask, while also meant to guide Rhea's thoughts - and, potentially, reactions he can read off her - down the lines he wants them to take. If she knows some reason Edelgard might keep her captive for years, then maybe she'll give that away. Even confirming that Edelgard might do so will give Claude more insight on the war at home, and maybe Edelgard herself - especially once he starts really pushing for answers. This is nothing but the gentle prelude, a light testing of Rhea's guard.]

When I first arrived I thought it was the will of the dragon we call the Omnipotent back home, but it seems to be something else pulling the strings. I still haven't found out what, but I do plan on digging deeper.

[ he's determined to find the answer, because a surprise arrival of one he thought trapped between dimensions was now here, and he was at a loss as to how. ]

As for memories of this place, unfortunately that's something you lose when you return home.

January - February Test drive

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Network

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Dark Cave

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Oh the Starbucks is for him.

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