Catch all + 1 open prompt

[pyrafect]

WHO: Pyra/Mythra and you for one open prompt! The rest are some top levels
WHERE: Around
WHEN: Endgame stuff
WHAT: if you wanna talk with her before endgame! this is it!
WARNINGS: none so far

[ Pyra stands upon the edge of one of the docks, looking outward. Should you approach, she’ll glance at you with a soft, reserved smile. Turning her gaze back to the horizon before it may fade, she asks quietly, ]

Have you gotten your page yet? Are you excited to return home...?

[ Assuming, of course, the information that obtaining your character sheet is true... ]

Comments

For somnus

[pyrafect]

[ She waves him to follow, but already her image is barely more than a silhouette as mist begins to wrap around them. ]

This way, Your Majesty. The fog will seek to split us apart.

[ Guiding him through the woods would be a far easier task if they knew each other better, she thinks. They are called trials for a reason, and she doubts this journey will be any easier than the last. ] ...If it does you might hear my voice, maybe others, leading you away.

But all they do is speak. They will not attack.

If we pass this trial, you will be one step closer to obtaining your page to returning... home.

[meridio]

[ Has she obtained hers, he wonders.

The fog has already begun to shroud his immediate surroundings. Pyra is nearly out of his sight and he knows that he must grasp the situation no later than now. The forest intends to test their freshly established bond. If he hears voices, he must ascertain the one that belongs to the true Pyra, to whom the same applies. ]

Words pose a threat greater than that of a blade. Pay them no heed.

[ No sooner does he finish his warning than Pyra vanishes from sight. ]

[pyrafect]

[ He vanishes as quickly as iron in the inky black water of the harbor, only there is not a ripple or stir of the mist around them when he disappears.

She's been through this twice before now. Words pose a greater threat? She knows this to be true. Steeling herself, she marches forward, knowing she should call out to him... ] Your Majesty. Please focus on our bond-- [ But among the other whispers he might hear, there will be two divergences among what she says:

"--You know...," he might hear a tired smile accompanying a sigh. The voice sounds disappointed, regretful, mournful for him. "This might have been easier on us, if only you did not lose so much of your humanity."

"--Did I ever tell you, that I have a brother as well?" Light, almost whimsical. It sounds as if she's sharing, offering something. "He loathes me, just like yours..."

"--If there was ever a time you were... happy while with me." Guilt, doubt is spoken with the word 'happy'. "Think of that! It will bring us closer."

Towards which voice does he move? ]

[meridio]

[ Stilling, Somnus listens.

"Focus on our bond." The first voice that beckons for him goes against this, so he ignores it. The second voice gives him pause. The third voice, after a moment for thought, pushes his feet in the direction of the second, for this one promises the cultivation of their strange bond.

She alone cannot guide him through this fog. Through their bond, he must guide her as well. When they last spoke and partook of her rice wine, she listened. Now it's his turn.

The forest would challenge Pyra again in this trial. The voice that belongs to Somnus and the voice that impersonates him both pose a pensive question regarding her brother.

"Does he deny you your wish?" one asks. "Do you resent him?" asks the other in the same inflection. ]

[pyrafect]

[ He's as impassive as ever, with no different in the tone between the two questions. She wonders, briefly, cynically, if he's intentionally making this difficult. Yet if she cannot pass this trial with him, then she will not be able to help him. She will not be considered strong-- and that is what matters now.

Somnus, she believes, as sharp as he is, wastes no breath on questions to which he may already know the answer-- such as the second question. She assumes he knows her well enough that it is not in her "heart" to resent... anyone, really. Thus, she takes a step in the direction of the voice belonging to the first question.

"I fought him with all of my might."

"He served our father more than I ever did."


Somnus, however, has selected the correct answer. ]

[meridio]

[ Both voices have drawn closer, yet they beckon from opposite directions. He wonders as to the relevance of each statement. The first reminds him of the War of the Astrals, and he steps toward it for this reason.

"A weapon can do naught but destroy. Why do you hesitate before your purpose?"

"Strife between the gods invites destruction upon the world. Is that why you seek yours?" ]

[pyrafect]

[ He selects correctly.

Fake voice or his real voice, what he says and what the forest throws are equally gut-wrenching. This is how he is, however, and the forest mimics him beautifully.... Between the two questions, one calls to a purpose-- and sh knows for a fact that he's insistent on fulfilling his own to the gods' design. Thus, she should be dutiful to her father. The second asks about her greatest wish.

Still, she steps towards the latter question. Somnus may not mince his words, but he's not cruel.

"No. I alone have the privilege to destroy the world, not my brother. Wouldn't you wish to destroy something dangerous, to protect that which you love?"

"Yes. In the fight against my brother, three great continents fell. How else may I obtain peace with my brother, except for leaving this world?"

[meridio]

[ Pyra loves the world first and foremost; this, he knows without a doubt. Until now, her brother had been a nonfactor in their discussions. That boundless love for the world and those in it draws him to the first voice, and Pyra will find that his voice has also drawn closer, for she too has chosen correctly.

"That privilege may be yours to claim, but your brother is no mortal. If you were to cease, would he stop fighting?"

"That's right. In order to protect humanity, I erased all traces of my monstrous brother from history. Perhaps you ought to do what he did, and sleep away your sorrow."]

[pyrafect]

[ He selects correctly. Somehow, she can hear his voice grow stronger.

Somnus has often casually referred to his brother as a monster, as if the description and the person are inseparable. She knows that the king does what he must for his people to protect them, and that no matter how often she inquired further into his story, he strictly keeps to his duty as a monarch and as a servant of the gods. 

It is for that reason that she almost takes a step in the direction of the second voice... before moving towards the first, albeit hesitantly.

"He would not. But... you must understand. You may be the only one who understands. Isn't release from your own sorrow what you desire as well...? "

"He would not. Even so... perhaps others could stop him in some way without risking to use me. If you could, would you help me obtain my wish?" ]

For berkut

[pyrafect]

[ Somehow they’ve managed to beat the treacherous whispers of the woods and navigate the dizzying fog. Now what greets them is an almost-sheer cliffside. ]

We will have to climb; there is no other way.

[ She looks up the cliff, already marking which ledges to use. When she’s done with her assessment, she turns back to the prince. ] It might be easier if you remove your armor to climb...

[ Less weight to pull. ]

[superioritis]

[ Berkut glances up at the cliff side. ]

And leave it here for the maw of the next creature to come this way?

[ Not only would that cost him reliable protection, but it would also put Pyra's forge work to waste. He doesn't trust the forest—and the people roaming it—enough to leave his possessions behind, even when it seems wiser to shed the superfluous weight. ]

[pyrafect]

...I only wished to inform you that there are parts of this cliff that, ah, ...we will need to assist each other. [ And no extra jumping or flying abilities or magic can help! ] In those areas, there are some sort of limiter on my own abilities.

[ She'll just have to work twice as hard to lift him, because she doubts he'll be able to help assist her, should she need it, with her weight and his armor. ]

But forgive me, you are right; surely, you'll be able to scale this cliff with no issue.

[superioritis]

This is a bonding exercise.

[ As well as an exercise in trust, he adds inwardly, and that gives him the biggest pause of all. ]

And the forest is a strict judge of such things. Loath though I am to say it, it seems we'll need to rely on one another to proceed.

[ To that end, the armor should ideally go. He acknowledged earlier that making himself lighter would be the wiser thing to do, and so Berkut sets out to unstrap the pieces. ]

[pyrafect]

[ Goodbye, newly repaired armor. Don’t worry, it’ll still be there when they get back. Pyra approaches him, assisting with carefully setting the pieces down by the cliffside. When that’s done, she looks up the ledges, placing a hand upon her hips.

Lending her power to him might make this easier, as she does have that focus ability. And Mythra herself can analyze this cliff’s structure if necessary. Having done this once before, she knows that it still won’t be easy; climbing is a strenuous and difficult exercise, it tests balance, endurance, upper body strength, and patience. There will be sweat.

But that’s not the point of this exercise, is it? It’s about trust. ]

...I think it might be best if I go first. See that first ledge? I’ll be able to pull you up to it...

[ She approaches the wall, finding the first ledge upon which to grasp. ]

[superioritis]

You know, the Empire is largely comprised of craggy lands.

[ He volunteers off-handedly as he follows suit, just shy of reaching for the ledge himself. Rigel boasts few flatlands, and this makes the cliff side a rather familiar sight for him. At the very least, Berkut isn't ignorant to a terrain like this one.

But Pyra shall ascend first, because that's the whole point of all this. So he waits. ]

[pyrafect]

...Oh? Mountains, or canyons? [ Up she goes, planting her foot upon a hold and then pushing herself up. With a leap she reaches a hooked rock for her hand, she she uses her strength to pull herself over the ledge. Turning around, she will extend her hand if he needs help reaching the ledge.

If not, she'll continue onto the next portion of the cliff. ]

[superioritis]

Mountains. They're half the reason Rigel Castle has never fallen in history.

[ The start is always the easiest when it comes to this sort of activity. Still at his peak strength, Berkut nevertheless takes Pyra's hand to pull himself over the ledge. Best not to displease the forest this early on into the trial. He carries on conversationally. ]

We also boast Valentia's largest waterfall.

[ The implications are there. Should she wind up visiting his world, after all, he'll let her go and see it—maybe even take her himself, if they should pass it on the way to some village or another. ]

[troubadamsel]

...Do you believe we really will? After all this?

[pyrafect]

[ Her lips purse before she responds. ]

Would it be so bad, to be hopeful...?

[troubadamsel]

Not bad, no... I just find it... difficult. We've been played with and abused for long...

[pyrafect]

Maribelle... You are one of those who have been here the longest.

[ .... ]

I am sorry, that you do not have more hope to return home. I wish I could reassure you more. [ But the truth is, she doesn't really know. All she has is that hope. ]

[troubadamsel]

... Pyra?

Would you mind too terribly if I... hugged you?

[pyrafect]

[ That gets her to shake-- whatever thought had been crossing her mind. She turns, earrings swaying with the abrupt movement, to look at Maribelle with mild surprise. A hug? Her first question is why. 

But does a why even matter?

Her expression seems to soften, then, and she nods. ] ...Of course. 

[troubadamsel]

Thank you.

[She inhales, and then gently puts her arms around Pyra. It's warm, perhaps a bit tight, wit her head ducked out of... shyness? Humility? Grief?]

... If this does work... I will miss some of you oh so terribly, should I have the blessing to keep my memories.

[pyrafect]

[ The warmth of Maribelle's sincerity in her words overshadows the touch itself, and Pyra finds that her voice has a slight shudder to it. ] ...As will I.

[ Guilt is the primary emotion of what she feels for missing another, when she shouldn't have had this opportunity in the first place. Somehow, she finds herself able to place a hand upon Maribelle's back, and she begins to pat it comfortingly. ] Perhaps... as silly as it is to say, we'll all find a way to remember each other in our hearts.