tushanshu | [Video] 001

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[Video] 001

[Having been here a few days now, Aqua has mostly acclimated to being around people again, and simply sitting idle doesn't suit her. She's had enough of aimless wandering with no direction to last her a long while.]

Hello, my name is Aqua, and I arrived here a few days ago. Things have been mostly explained to me, and I'd like to help out in any way I can. I'm not sure where to start looking, though, so I'd be grateful for some direction. I know a fair number of spells, but I'm not sure how useful they would be here. [She hasn't seen Unversed or any other sort of monster around, so she doubts being able to summon a bolt of lightning upon a target would be of much help to the general population.]

[A brief pause while she considers whether or not to ask her other question, given that she's just offered to help, but decides to go ahead anyway.]

And... I understand that how we are brought here is not fully known, or how we could leave, but if anyone has an idea, please let me know. I've been away from my home too long.

[She's worried about both Ven and Terra. The former is safe, but what if he has awoken in her absence? And the latter... she doesn't know at all.]

I'd truly appreciate any advice. Thank you.

[End video.]

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That much I'm sure of. [She has to be.]

[She smiles at Aqua, just a little thing, and gestures to indicate Aqua should follow.] There's no one right now, which is fortunate except in that it removes the opportunity for demonstration. I'll show you what we're working with, however, and I can give you some idea of what to expect.

[Raine leads Aqua through halls, and while she hasn't been in charge long her attitude is not tentative; she carries herself like she belongs here. There are rooms for examination and treatment, for storage, for teaching. One looks halfway set up for keeping a longer-term watch on people. It's not a hospital by any means, and there's equipment lacking here and there, and overall the space is too big right now for the few people who work in it, but it's clearly a work in progress.]

[As they go:] You said you'd been battling 'dark forces' before this. I take it then you're most used to a combat setting?

[Aqua nods and follows Raine, speaking as she goes.] I would like to demonstrate, but I am glad that there is no need for it right now. A tour will be wonderful.

[She finds herself looking at nearly everything they pass, taking it all into account. It isn't huge at all, but appears serviceable, and Raine has clearly put work into it, and is continuing to do so.]

Yes, I am. Fighting monsters and those who would upset the balance of light and darkness. Although, recently it's been more defending myself.

[Raine slows on occasion if and when Aqua shows particular interest, wanting to make sure she gets an accurate enough picture.]

[At this last she nods, understanding.] Prior to my arrival here, I most often used my artes in a similar context. [A pause to consider, because that's an interesting way to put it.] The balance between light and darkness? How do you mean that?

[Aqua does take a little time to pause and study things of particular interest, noting things to ask about in detail.]

Light and darkness are two sides of the same coin, and keeping that balance is important. If, say, the darkness begins to overwhelm the light, the worlds of the Realm of Light will be in danger. [She pauses a moment.] There are some who would try to force such an imbalance for their own gain.

[This does give Raine some minor concern, and she turns the idea over.] There always are.

What of the reverse? Has it ever happened that light threatens to overwhelm darkness?

[This curiosity mostly because Aqua has almost explicitly identified herself as on the side of light, and Raine has to wonder, given the typical associations of good and evil and the example Aqua chose, if she really means balance. She doesn't doubt Aqua's character; she just has to wonder.]

[That gives Aqua pause. Master Eraqus had spoken often of the darkness and the dangers it presented to the light, as well as the need to preserve the balance, but never of the light threatening the darkness.]

I've... I've never heard of the light endangering the darkness. Wherever light exists, there are always shadows, but the absence of light is also darkness. That's why the light needs protecting: it can be lost, but the darkness is always there.

[Raine makes a quiet, thoughtful noise, watching Aqua. In a moment she lifts her free hand, turns it over, and there's a faint light gathering at her fingertips. It's brief, not there long before she dismisses it.] In my world, light and darkness are perfect opposites. Two sides of the same coin, you could say, working in concert but rarely competition. Balance is... an intrinsic property, I suppose, of the elements.

The way you speak it sounds more like you're charged to protect the light, rather than keep a balance. A noble goal, to be sure; I only wonder why the idea of balance is important if there's virtually no risk of darkness, too, being lost.

[Yes, this is absolutely an academic problem by now.]

[It's something to think about, at least. In Aqua's experience, darkness has never brought good, and while protecting the balance of the two was taught to her, Eraqus certainly put a strong emphasis on the defense of light against the claws of darkness.]

I would consider myself a defender of the light in those terms. But the balance is important, in that the darkness must be kept from overwhelming the light, or disaster will befall the worlds.

[She thinks for a moment, running over her training and Raine's words as well.]

If... if there ever is a time when the light threatens to consume the darkness, then it would be my duty to prevent that as well.

[The way she says it though indicates that Aqua highly doubts such an event would ever occur.]

[Raine's not surprised by the doubt, but she does consider her question answered. She nods slowly, assimilating the new information into her picture of Aqua's world. Or worlds, as the case may be.]

But there's not really a risk of that, with the state of your world as it is. I see.

[Overall Aqua's concern seems more like keeping people safe than keeping a nebulous concept of a balance intact; the latter is only a means to the former. Raine approves.]

You've mentioned traveling between multiple worlds a number of times now. Is that normal, where you come from?

[Raine's not correct about Aqua's own world, but though the shadow of sorrow over the loss of her home crosses her face, it's gone quickly; Aqua understands the intended meaning.]

That's right. The darkness is the greater threat.

Actually, no. Most people aren't even aware that there are other worlds aside from their own, let alone travel between them.

[She catches that moment, but doesn't comment, only moves on to the next point of curiosity.]

That does seem to be the case when there are multiple worlds. Hm.

[A slight diversion, to explain her curiosity:] The parallels between all the worlds fascinate me, especially because they're all so very different. And yet, a number of people are from different versions of the same -- template, I suppose, called Earth. I met a man from a world where the spirits had the same names, and a thirty-day, twelve-month calendar seems more or less standard... there are more points that coincide than I would have expected, initially.

[She's almost lecturing, but this is something that Raine's really intrigued and occasionally excited by, and it shows as she talks.]

[It is very fascinating, though Aqua's never heard of a world called Earth in particular, nor if it would have many variations of itself. She does, however, have suspicions about the cause of the similarities.]

There's a legend I've heard that all the worlds used to be one, bathed in light. But people began to covet the light for themselves, and fought over it, and that in turn opened their hearts to darkness. And so the world was plunged into darkness.

[She pauses for a moment, recalling the story.]

But there was light still in the hearts of children, and with that light, the children rebuilt the world as many, smaller worlds, each separated from the others. Perhaps the similarities are a result of several worlds being rebuilt alike to one another?

[She's no scholar by any means, but it could be a plausible theory.]

Perhaps.

[Raine has to think that over, and there's silence for a bit, her head canted to one side as she looks not precisely at Aqua, but rather through her. It sounds like a fairy tale, a myth, but there's usually something of truth within those.]

It seems reasonable that the state of your world -- one that contains multiple worlds within it -- would be a result of the situation you describe, much as my own was intentionally divided by another's hand. By the standards of others, including the spell that brought us here, they likely count as one world, despite containing or having contained multitudes.

Before the fight with Malicant, my-- [oh no what does she call him in this context] --partner and I were doing some study of the Dreaming specifically, and the planes in general-- looking into the ties that connect all of our worlds. After all, each world is connected to this one, so though travel between them independently seems impossible at this point, there must be at least that one common factor. It had begun to seem like the-- underpinnings, I suppose, of Life and Death and Dreaming and so on, might bear some passing resemblance, and if the underlying structures were similar then the way the worlds grow would also necessarily have things in common.

The why of that, however-- well, it would explain much if we all came, long ago, from some common source, long since diverged.

[Raine's really going to have to think about this more. Her attention's been consumed by the Guild and the politics and everything else, and talking to Aqua about this is reminding her of what drew her and Solomon into extended discussions in the first place, and it has always fascinated her.]

[The idea that the universe Aqua knows, the one she's traversed, would count as one 'world' by the standards of the spell bringing Foreigners to Keeliai is beyond anything she's considered.

Her eyes widen at the sheer scale of such a thing.]

How could that even be possible? So many worlds, each divided from the others, spread across several Realms... how can they be considered all one world overall?

[It's simply mind-boggling. And yet, if it is true... that could explain her inability to access the Lanes Between. Unless...?]

The planes here; they sound much like what I know as Realms. The Realm of Light is where most worlds exist, where they are together and yet separate. The barriers dividing the worlds also exist there. But they can be bypassed by means of traveling through the Lanes Between, which exist in the Realm Between. And... my homeworld was one of the few to exist Between, as well.

There is also the Realm of Darkness. [She hesitates for a moment.] It's... the Lanes Between cannot be accessed from it, and how travel between it and the other two Realms is possible aside from the tearing of pathways through dark magic, I don't know. Is it possible that what I know as Realms are known as planes here? Life and Light, Dreaming and Between, and... and Death and Darkness?

If they were one in the beginning, then-- [Raine stops there, because fairy tales while often based in truth cannot always be used as the best judge of what actually is. She comes at it from a different angle.] Consider that you may travel between all of those places, but have somehow never been to this world before, despite its evident central position to many of ours. It's possible a different term would be better to use -- 'universe,' perhaps? [She doesn't sound convinced about that, though, and shelves the matter for later.]

Keep in mind most of this is theory, and either untested or unfeasible to test, but it's certainly possible your Realms and the planes here are roughly the same. Death is harder to access, I understand, than Life and Dreaming are, and in many worlds death and darkness do seem to be intrinsically intertwined concepts. And the Dreaming is a sort of-- interstitial place, where boundaries are much less clear, and memory and emotion take priority.

[Raine looks a bit wry now.] Although I believe something of the nature of the planes changed recently, when we returned.

It's been said that every star in the night sky is another world, so traveling to all of them in a lifetime would be impossible. [She pauses.] But if this world is so central to others, then surely I would have known about it...? [Aqua shakes her head. It's all so complex, and to think of entire other universes separate from the one she knows....]

That would make sense. The Realm of Darkness is not easy to access, and even harder to escape. And while the Realm Between is not quite the same as you've described the Dreaming, it's similar enough. But if the nature of the planes has been changed, it might... it might not be as similar as I thought.

[She's still trying to wrap her head around the idea that this is not only an entirely new world, but a whole new universe she would otherwise not have known of. Any magic capable of pulling someone across a universe to this place would have to be truly powerful. Aqua's getting a little overwhelmed by it all.]

It's hard to tell at this point; further study will be necessary. [A thought occurs, and Raine charges straight on ahead with it.] The way you normally use to travel between worlds-- I assume you would have tried it very shortly after arriving here?

[If she can't travel that way, after all, that may be an indicator of whether she's truly outside her native universe or not. Or it may simply be another point of data Raine doesn't yet know what to do with. Regardless: she wants to know.]

[Aqua nodded.] Yes, opening the Lanes Between; it was one of the first things I tried. It's always worked for me - I mean, when in the Realm of Light or the Realm Between. The Lanes don't cross the Realm of Darkness.

[And this place certainly is no Realm of Darkness.]

Interesting. It's something to consider, at any rate. I wonder...

[But Raine trails off there, rather than give voice to whatever she's wondering, and her gaze grows a little distant, like she's seeing something else entirely. It's a few moments before she blinks, shakes herself, and looks back to Aqua.]

Never mind.

I realize we've traveled somewhat from our initial purpose. Did you have any questions, so far?

[She's not all that sorry, it's fascinating, but Aqua didn't exactly come here to discuss metaphysical theory. Probably]

[Aqua tilts her head in curiosity as Raine goes quiet for a moment, but doesn't pursue it. Instead, she chuckles a bit when Raine recalls the original purpose of the tour - something she, too, had forgotten, caught up in the discussion of other worlds and the travel between them.]

Ones pertaining to the Guild itself, I assume? No, none so far.

[Of course, learning about the Guild not the only thing she has hoped to accomplish here.]

There is one other thing, though, and I hope it's not intrusive of me, but before this visit I spoke with your brother, Genis, over the consoles. He seemed... he seemed a bit lonely.

[She's trying to word this as best as possible without implying offense, and her tone expresses nothing but concern for the boy.]

[It's a good thing to hear Aqua's kept up and has no other questions, especially because her other question rather stops Raine in her tracks. There's a remoteness that comes over her expression as she regards Aqua, and it's only the sincere concern she can hear and the generally kind nature of the other woman that stays any further reaction. That's... kind of a very personal problem. Not one she really wants to justify, either, but...]

[In a moment, quite calmly and evenly:]

I raised my brother, Aqua. When I was summoned to Keeliai-- it's the longest I've been without him since he was born. But Genis and I are from the same point in time. While I've been here one or two years, when Genis found me again -- about ten days ago -- it had been only hours since he'd seen me last.

[Her expression is rueful, a self-deprecating sort of thing. They are, at this point, not talking over much, and it's some kind of a strain.]

Evidently the intervening time has changed me somewhat. The revelation that I now have a romantic partner did not help matters.

Genis-- made a request to have some space to sort things out. It's still my responsibility to keep him safe, and I'll always be there for him, but for now I can give him that much.

[Raine does know they're going to talk it out eventually, just... not this instant. And preferably once she has something more of an idea about how to come at the problem.]

[Aqua listens quietly; it's good to have both sides of the story, for one, and the time disparity certainly would not help matters. Briefly Aqua wonders if she were to stay here so long, only for Terra or Ven to arrive - would that change things between them?

It's a chilling thought, one she does not dwell on.]

I see. [She hesitates for a moment.] He told me he knows you still care about him.

[Something about the line of Raine's shoulders eases as Aqua says that, but she looks aside at that, not entirely comfortable.]

That's good.

[Quietly:] ...He's been through a lot. More than he should have had to.

[There's a lot Raine wishes she could have protected Genis from. She's tried her best, but right now-- she doesn't really know what to do.]

[She knows that sentiment all too well.]

And you wish there was more you could have done to protect him. [To protect them.]

[It's a statement both directed at Raine and one spoken to herself, sorrowful and understanding.]

[Raine starts, then, after a hesitation, nods.]

Of course I do. Realistically-- I know I've done everything within my power.

Believing it isn't that simple.

[Now she turns a thoughtful look back to Aqua, at that understanding in her voice.] But you know that, don't you?

[Video] 001

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soooo late orz

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