001- Like a leaf on the breeze (OTA- Action/Video)

[notadragon]

[For a moment... just a moment, it’s a little more windy in the cavern as Theodora wakes inside the pod, trembling.

She tightens her grip on the package as her head swims, body aching from exertion as it slowly begins to come back to her.

She looks around the bay, squinting in the low light, before she makes her way to its mouth.

This...isn’t where she had been at all. While the box and her winds reading the area do provide at least a little bit of comfort for her immediate situation, but she can’t exactly quell the panic entirely. Where was she? What had those psychotic cultists done with-

She grimaces, hugging herself tightly and pausing just outside the entrance to gather herself a little more properly. She... probably looks really rough, despite her ‘rest’. Those long silver curls are certainly disheveled, and she can’t quite get the mildly pained and panicked look off her face entirely, even as she listens to the hologram.

Once the informative speech is over, one will be able to find her sitting on a bench nearby, bent at the waist with her head resting in her hands and a strange, but gentle, breeze keeping her company.]

—-

[Later, once she’s figured out just how those strange devices function, Theodora attempts a short broadcast, blinking confusedly at the screen for just a moment or two before she speaks.]

Hello... I was wondering if anyone knew of anywhere less... populated than the cities. Someplace bigger with...less around.

[An odd request, maybe, but she needs a backup plan, in case her situation gets a little more...intense than just sitting in her new room at the Commons.

Upon closer inspection, those bright teal eyes are almost...catlike...Something is definitely off.]

Comments

[erinoah]

If you're looking for quiet wood, Fayren has plenty.

[ Her first answer came from a young woman, her purple eyes strangely hollow. Her voice sounds just the mildest bit condescending. She might be able to see thin bunny ears on the top of her head if she squints. ]

Mind the fairies though. They don't care how strong you are.

video

[ubiquitously]

Hm? Don't like crowds, I take it?

There are less crowded places in Fayren, from my experience. The mountains there are pretty sparse.

(Action)

[monklookslikealady]

[She can hear footsteps coming from the area of the bay, and if she looks up she'll see a blond in robes walking towards her. An axe on his back, and a staff in his hand, he still doesn't look like a threat. He stops near the bench.]

My lady, may I be of assistance?

video

[captain_by_the_book]

[ The cat-like eyes are noted but don't alarm him, he's seen stranger. Her request, howver, is an odd one for someone Cassian hasn't seen on the network before. Odd enough to warrant his attention, at least. ]

Well, if you go through the Fayren archway you'll have access to the forests and mountains surrounding the town. There are also subarchways which might fit your needs, if forests are still too much. I think it would depend on your needs.

[notadragon]

[Oh! how quick!]

Fayren... the one to the...south, right? [She glances away to consult her map for a moment, then back curiously.] Fairies?

Re: video

[notadragon]

Oh, um... well.

[She can't just openly admit that she's feeling so near the edge of just giving into her fate, though she does realize now that her request is a little too vague, especially for someone who's only just arrived.] Not the crowds! Just planning ahead a little at a time.

Mountains would probably work just fine, [she nods, smiling softly at the suggestion.]

[notadragon]

[She feels the man's presence on the wind before he even speaks and lifts her head almost timidly, face a little paler than should be expected. Oh... he's polite....and sees her?]

Hello... I'm not entirely sure, if I'm honest. [she smiles weakly, shaking her head and lifting the package on the seat next to her as way of explanation.] I'm just trying to wrap my head around things. [What little remaining that isn't absolutely pounding.]

[notadragon]

Fayren... [She nods- that one has been suggested a few times and will be the first on her list to check out the moment she feels better.]

There are sub-...'archways'? [She gives him a weary, but ever-gentle smile.] This world just keeps surprising me. [Not that she's explored much of it yet.]

[ubiquitously]

Hmm...? You're not going to test a bomb or something, are you?

[He's joking! Just... telling the wrong jokes at the wrong time.]

[captain_by_the_book]

[ His lips twitch a little and he gives a little nod. ]

Trust me, it still keeps surprising me, too, and I've been here for than a year.

Subarchways... They're like a simulation, a copy of a place you know from home. You can't recreate your entire galaxy, but you could recreate your manor or your home town. Even the people you know are there... but they're just copies. I find it far too eerie to recreate a place with people I know but a subarchway is useful to have access to resources from home... or to a large empty space.

[erinoah]

Yeah.

Camp De Fae is their grounds, I just live here with bunnies.

[ To accentuate her point, one pokes its head out at the camera. ]

[monklookslikealady]

It seems we're in a similar situation. I'm assuming you woke up in those pods back there also? [He holds up his own package.]

[notadragon]

Oh! Well... I wouldn't want to hurt them-

[Oops. She probably should have thought that out a little better.]

[notadragon]

Oh! Ah, no, no... [She laughs, but... it's a little empty. Tired, maybe.]
I just... like to know where my open spaces are. The winds are stronger there, sometimes.

[notadragon]

Oh! [She offers a small smile up at the... woman? Man? ....it doesn't matter to her, really.] Not long ago, [she confirms with a little nod, closing her eyes for a brief moment. Even with so small a nod, her head is still spinning.]

[ubiquitously]

Hmm... Well. The tea shop I work at takes you to an open space. Why not stop by sometime? You end up in the mountains, with lots of fresh air.

[notadragon]

[Her eyes widen at the explanation.]

Oh! ....hm. [That's a lot to contemplate, for sure.] How does one go about doing such a thing? [Was that in the pamphlet? She can't remember, and trying is making her head pound worse than it already is. She's already pale enough...no need to add the extra pain.]

[notadragon]

[She smiles, a little more genuinely this time.] That sounds lovely! An that's in... Fayren, too?

[captain_by_the_book]

You will need to sacrifice something important to you, a valued memory or skill. I wouldn't recommend doing it until you're certain you have use for the subarchway, since you will also need to sacrifice such things to be returned from death here. You wouldn't want to lose too much, too early.

[ Others might give different advice but Cassian's always been cautious about sacrifices here. You never know if things take a turn for the worse and you need these sacrifices...]

[erinoah]

Uncontrolled power...?

There's further forests out there that might be safer. Worst comes to worse though, I have ways of babysitting. Not sure if you'll like them though.

[ubiquitously]

Yes. If you'd like, I could bring you there when you're next in the area. It can be hard to find the entrance if you don't know what to look for.

[notadragon]

That would be wonderful, [she nods, making note of it.] Thank you for your kindness.

[notadragon]

[She's a little more sheepish now, but she nods in agreement.]
Oh, I'm sure it won't come to that... Or... at least I hope not.

[Not...that it will matter, once the need for 'babysitting' arrives. Theodora won't even remember herself at that point, and if she's honest with herself (which she really doesn't want to be), it would probably be best for someone to...end it, rather than attempt to keep her contained...]

[notadragon]

[Oh.... well that's quite a lot to think on, isn't it? She wavers...almost at peace with it, but would it still work if she knows she'd be opening an archway to a space for her own demise? Not much of a trade for the bartering side...

Something in what he says does catch her attention, however.]

People can return from death here?

[....If her fate is so quickly approaching anyway... Could that be a loophole she's looking for? Or-]

Do they return in the same state in which they arrived in Genessia?

[If she were to pass on, would she be 'healed' or would she come back in the same point of the cycle she's in now-]

[ubiquitously]

It's no problem. I think you'll get used to the people here being exceptionally kind.

[erinoah]

You sound distant...

[ There something about her voice that seems... defeated? Noah isn't sure, she can't make heads or tails of it. Maybe being dead actually lost her some of her power. ]

Well, as long as you're not a threat to bunnies, I don't particularly care. Whatever power is giving you trouble, find some way to deal with it.

[ No, that's not perfectly helpful advice, but Noah's convinced that she can't give any that would help this woman. ]

[captain_by_the_book]

That... [ He squints slightly at her, as if there was a way he could figure out what exactly she is aiming at here. But there's no visible impairment which she might hope to shed with reincarnation. ] All I can tell you is that the injuries you sustained will be healed, though you might retain some scars.

[ Such as the weld marks K-2SO carries where his frame had been torn apart. ]

Beyond that... That's outside my expertise. You'd have to ask someone who has more experience with death here.