#ch: minister ely

[alchemist-labbe]

II. Give me war

Al cruzar la entrada al primer pasillo pudo notar que los guardias se habían duplicado tanto como los rostros nuevos, lo que le llevó a preguntarse qué tan paranoicos estaban en el Conclave para tomar tales medidas de seguridad. Si bien la amenaza de guerra era inminente, no lograba entender a qué le temían tanto como para encerrarse.

Mas de lo usual cabe decir.

Cuando el ministro Ely se acercaba a las puertas principales, notó cómo se abrieron únicamente cuando el anciano uso su Alquimia sobre ellas. Divertida se dio cuenta que subestimaba la paranoia colectiva. Sin contar que, al abrirse las compuertas, al otro lado de ella descansaba otro grupo de guardias que apenas notaron su entrada, de forma casi disimulada, los siguieron al hall principal. La estructura había cambiado ligeramente desde la ultima vez que estuvo en el lugar, notó los nuevos símbolos rodear el domo de cristal superior y supo que no era obra de ningún miembro o ministro del Conclave.

Creía conocer a Athan lo suficiente como identificarlo en su lectura de Círculos de Transmutación.

Ipherium hizo un sonido apreciativo con la garganta mientras miraba los detalles y colores nuevos, luego miró directamente al ministro con una ceja alzada y él supo por qué lo hacía.

—Interesante—comentó con un tono divertido, a lo cuál él solo frunció los labios, sin decir nada—. Decoración nueva, qué moderno.

Se desviaron por unos de los tantos pasillos del lugar, serpenteando de las diferentes habitaciones hasta que logró vislumbrar la cámara Mayor. Aunque era el lugar mejor protegido, esta vez la presencia de guardias era prácticamente nula, por lo que adivinó que Athan había modificado el centro del Circulo e incluso los círculos de los cuartos colindantes.

Se preguntó si había sido por voluntad propia o si el Conclave había suplicado su participación, de cualquier manera, le resultaba divertido.

El ministro Ely se detuvo y el resto le siguió, Tzel y los gemelos que caminaban casi de puntillas detrás de ellos se pararon en seco y esperaron a lo que el hombre tuviese que decir.

—De aquí en más, seremos solo Jer Aëla y yo. —Con su mano señaló a la esquina donde las ventanas les permitían ver la extensión del jardín del ala sur y al mismo tiempo la puerta de la cámara al traspasar el hall Teomal—. Por favor, esperen aquí hasta que termine la sesión. Asumo que no he de repetirles que se comporten y no hagan nada que resulte sospechoso, ustedes más que nadie sabe la… tensión que hay en nuestra nación actualmente y tener tres soldados causando problemas no es bueno para su reputación, ¿no cree, Jer Aëla?

Ella encogió los hombros, desinteresada.

—Haced lo que queráis. Después de todo, ustedes son unidades autónomas y no necesitan que les digan qué hacer. —Se le quedaron viendo casi con la boca abierta, a diferencia del ministro que tensaba la mandíbula en desacuerdo. Desautorizar a una autoridad Mayor como si fuera cualquier cosa no era algo inteligente de hacer, pero desobedecer a Ipherium era peor, por lo que asintieron con firmeza entendiendo que su líder confiaba en que harían lo correcto de ser necesario—. Pero si me causan problemas, me aseguraré que no me estorben nuevamente. ¿Bien?

Tzel, Lar y Nib asintieron tensamente, los ojos de Ipherium eran distantes y oscuros, era la clase de mirada que solo veían cuando estaban en el campo de batalla y conocían demasiado bien a la Ipherium soldado como para meterse con ella.

—Genial. ¿Ministro?

Ely les dedicó una última mirada y continuaron su camino. Las palabras que había dicho resonaron en su cabeza, el hombre podía entender que no era solo a sus subordinados a quienes las dirigía, sino a él, a todos. Por eso la tensión que pululaba en su entorno no le permitía bajar la guardia.

—¿Me explicas a que voy exactamente? Dudo que sea por “incumplimiento de suspensión” como lo anotaron amablemente en la carta. Creo que tienen mejores cosas que discutir en vez de perder el tiempo en ese tipo de asuntos, y de los cuales, por si acaso, se encarga la milicia.

—Es un poco complicado.

—Para ustedes todo es complicado. —Se giró para dedicarle una sonrisa, sus ojos estaban llenos de malicia cuando volvió a hablar—. O podrías decirme por qué repentinamente queremos guerra con el Este, si es que el otro asunto es demasiado complejo.

Ely se carcajeó, debió haber escuchado las advertencias de Myatt respecto de su nieta. Tenía demasiado buen ojo como para que la pudieran engañar.

—Recuerda que siempre hemos querido guerra con el Este y la extensión de nuestra tierra ha sido prioritario desde los tiempos antiguos.

—¿Pero por qué ahora? —Esta vez bajó la voz, la risa de su expresión desapareció cuando el anciano encontró sus ojos—. Dime, ministro Ely. ¿Alguien trató de robar la Reliquia de la Raza del Este?

Se quedó clavado en su sitio y la observó, contrariado con decir algo. Ipherium pudo notar que su energía se había cerrado y trataba de no dejar aberturas de Recitación. Tenía que darle crédito, era lo suficiente desconfiado como para no permitir que nada ni nadie leyera su mente.

—¿Qué te hace pensar eso? —le preguntó, relajando su semblante.

—Ihriam ha intentado por un montón de años mantener la paz con ellos y es lo que mantuvo la frontera sin conflictos. Además, antes de que me fuera, repentinamente cerca del Sur nos encontramos con ataques de antiguas tribus, sobre todo de la más grande…  y el Conclave no me quería aquí. —Se tocó varias veces la cabeza con un dedo—. Es eso o… alguien estuvo cerca de conseguir la Reliquia de esta nación, lo cual sería difícil, pero de cualquier forma no creo que eso importe, ¿o sí?

—Es una buena excusa —concordó él y ambos entendieron a que se refería.

Era una buena excusa para invadir, tomar todo y justificarla como un acto de defensa ante la provocación, sin importar si la intención de robar la Reliquia en cualquiera de las naciones había sido genuina o no.

De todas maneras, la intención detrás de la sesión no justificaba el por qué estaba ahí y la gran necesidad de su presencia. Lo que la llevó a sospechar del verdadero propósito en la inminente guerra.

Continuaron caminando en silencio, Ipherium volvía a lucir divertida lo cual llevó a Ely a hablar nuevamente.

— ¿Te importaría de alguna forma detener la guerra?

Ella lo miró como si lo que preguntaba fuese absurdo.

—Claro que me importaría—bufó y se pasó una mano por el pelo—. No juegas para perder.

—Porque amas ganar, ¿no? —alzó las cejas como si entendiera un chiste que hace tiempo pasó por alto—. Lo has hecho por nosotros durante toda una eternidad, y cualquiera diría que tú has construido esta nación. Pero al final del día no importa la razón de por qué lo haces, dado que solo te mueve la guerra.

Si no la conociera lo suficiente diría que la sonrisa en su cara era de pura autosatisfacción, pero el motivo de diversión era demasiado diferente al orgullo patriótico que él pensaba.

A ella simplemente no le interesaba como objetivo principal invadir para obtener tierras, pueblos, cultivos, etc., era demasiado estúpido y superficial. A ella le interesaba pelear una guerra que jamás se había intentado, que jamás se pensaría victoriosa. Ganar algo imposible porque el resto no era más que un resultado de ello.

Cruzando la puerta de la cámara Mayor tuvo a su vista a los Ancianos del Conclave, el lugar estaba iluminado por varios candelabros dorados colgando del techo y cerca de los pilares que sostenían la estructura. Era la única habitación que no tenía ventanales y las razones eran obvias. El piso estaba hecho de loza fina y oscura que reflejaba la luz sobre ellos, y solo en el centro del cuarto, en un gran Circulo Alquímico, el piso era completo de piedra.

El cuarto dejaba completamente bloqueada la Alquimia de cualquiera que entrara.

Los miembros se levantaron y el ministro Ely les dio una reverencia, Ipherium lo copió, pero se enderezó casi en el mismo movimiento. No le interesaba mostrar respeto a aquellos que no sentían lo mismo. Escaneó rápidamente el lugar y cerca de los Ministros pudo ver a su abuelo con los otros Consejeros, su rostro lucía neutral pero podía notar la leve sonrisa en sus labios.

En algún momento el ministro Ely desapareció para volver a su sitio y ella caminó al centro del lugar, la murmuración se iba apagando a medida que se acercaba a todos y al cabo de unos segundos todo ruido cesó. Observó a Niah y Eday, los miembros y mediadores Principales del Conclave, levantarse y mirarla con curiosidad.

—Presente Ipherium de Aëla, descendiente de Sul, Jer de la Unidad Central. —Eday inclinó la cabeza como saludo y tomó los documentos de su escritorio cuando terminó de revisarlo—. Dado que el Conclave esta completo, comenzamos. —Todos a su alrededor asintieron—. Por el informe entregado, la sesión preliminar determinó que ha incumplido su estadía fuera de su cargo, de acuerdo al tiempo límite y en consideración a su solicitud. —Miró a su alrededor y sacudió las hojas para dejar en evidencia la información leída—. Lo cual se concedió, ya que Jer Aëla de acuerdo a sus funciones ha dirigido los investigativos de amenazas que puedan referir la conexión de nuestro portal con Demak, o como se registró, la Tierra. Debido a los reclamos presentados por el Conclave y el Director, se hizo un informe para debatir este hecho, así que os doy la palabra de para explicar lo sucedido.

Eday se paseó por su lugar hasta rodear el escritorio y se recargó, cruzando los brazos. Cuando vio que nadie hablaba, miró a Ipherium con las cejas alzadas, sorprendido de la actitud de los miembros cuando no hace un par de horas no había forma de silenciarlos.

Parecía que, a pesar del descontento general con la Alquimista, nadie se atrevería a ir contra ella.

Suspiró, verdaderamente eran unos cobardes.

—Este Conclave, Jer Aëla, considera que su comportamiento e interés por estar lejos de casa, interviene con su desempeño para representar los intereses actuales de nuestra nación. Sin contar con su salida en un momento crítico para nosotros. ¿Tiene comentarios al respecto?

Ipherium encogió los hombros.

—El Conclave tomó la decisión por sí mismos y no hubo consentimiento de mi parte en ella, así que ¿he de comentar sobre ellos o lo que refiere de mi solicitud de salida? —Ladeó la cabeza con cansancio, con solo escuchar la estupidez del informe y ver el circulo impidiéndole leer el flujo de energía a su alrededor, sentía palpitar las sienes—. Por lo que veo, el informe no llegó a sus manos sino hasta ahora. Y dado que este tipo de asuntos se encarga directamente el Ejército Central, porque son asuntos internos y exclusivos… —Hizo una pausa para acentuar su dicho, esperando que alguien la contradijera. —No entiendo que hago aquí, específicamente por la clase de cargos absurdos con las que se me cita. Además, el Ejercito solo informa al Conclave de sus asuntos, de otra forma se requiere una Corte con los Ministros y Principales.

—El Ejercito aún en su autonomía depende del Conclave—comentó con sorna un miembro a su lado. Podía ver por su rostro que estaba entrando en la indignación por lo que escuchaba.

—A menos que se trate de pactos entre Naciones y estrategia de Conquista, claro—aceptó Ipherium, girándose a mirarlo—. Sin embargo, su determinación de sacarme por tiempo ilimitado y sin razón aparente en una sentencia de la cual no tienen autorización es completamente ilegal.

Por supuesto, la mitad del lugar estalló en quejas y gritos enfurecidos, ya que los acusaba directamente de no tener la legitimidad en sus decisiones. Lo cual era cierto. Ellos no tenían poder de autorizar o negar la salida de nadie en el Ejercito porque invalidaría la gestión general de este y las ocupaciones del Conclave requerían priorizar la paz de la nación y la estabilidad para el resto de las personas.

—¡Esto es indignante!

—¿Cómo te atreves a decir eso? ¡Expúlsela!

Los Principales trataron de calmar nuevamente a los miembros y llamar su atención, a lo lejos escuchaba a los ministros murmurar entre sí y a Ely haciendo todo lo posible por no reír. El Consejo estaba completamente en silencio y miraba la situación desenvolverse con calma.

—Por favor, silencio. —Niah se levantó finalmente y solo con su presencia el resto comenzó a poner atención—. Jer Aëla ha expresado su opinión del tema, lo cual se solicitó sin prohibiciones. En este momento se discute la conclusión del caso y les pido ser respetuosos con los miembros, la sesión anterior nos dio suficiente tiempo para discutir y ahora solo determinaremos qué hacer.

—Disculpe, Principal. —Un hombre delgado y canoso alzó la mano, su rostro mantenía una sonrisa calculada y sus ojos oscuros, demasiado conocidos para Ipherium, le dedicaron una mirada burlona como si disfrutara el alboroto—. Si me permite, creo que la molestia general de los miembros al ser incriminados de esta forma es comprensible. El Conclave nunca ha tomado decisiones por parte del Ejercito, pero esta vez fue solicitada nuestra ayuda del Director Nod Semaki. Todos aquí presentes saben que la autoridad del Ejercito es absoluta y jamás podríamos involucrarnos de forma voluntaria…

—Sí, Koryan, eso lo entiendo. —Eday asintió, pero no se veía convencido—. He leído la carta del Director en el informe y estoy al tanto que él es responsable del tema, sin embargo eso no responde las dudas que os hice en la reunión anterior. El Conclave tiene el caso del Este como prioridad y desde entonces hasta ahora lo sigue siendo, lo que no sé es si usted entiende que una parte de nuestra nación está siendo amenazada y muchos de nuestros ciudadanos han perecido bajo el filo de nuestro enemigo que toma terreno lentamente. Lo cual es inadmisible para este Conclave permitir que dicha situación siga afectándonos.

El Principal juntó sus manos y observó a Koryan Majeed con el ceño fruncido, el vejestorio tenía los labios apretados y su aura de salvador se esfumó rápidamente.

—Princip….

—Entiendo que el tiempo fuera del cargo ha sido traspasado y mi opinión del caso es que usted Jer Aëla retome sus funciones en cuanto cumpla con el castigo asignado por los Ministros. —Ipherium le sostuvo la mirada mientras hablaba y no dijo nada, los castigos no le importaban demasiado porque siempre significaban más horas en el campo y eso jamás había sido un problema para ella—. Pero dado que el Conclave decidió prohibir sin autorización de los Principales la entrada en el Portal a través de la Orden una vez se retiró, la eximiré de la molestia.

—Pero Principal, no es correcto que…

Niah levantó la mano para callarlo y miró a la Alquimista con rostro amenazante.

—Debido a la negligencia de ambas entidades en las que confiamos ciegamente para nuestra protección, hemos decidido que serán sancionadas y suspendidas. Jer Aëla, si bien los Ministros presentes han decidido asignarle la Rebelión del Norte y desvincular temporalmente su autoridad de la Unidad, consideramos que su presencia en el Este es más importante. Por eso en diez días se trasladará para ocuparse de la amenaza y una vez terminada, se presentará nuevamente con los Ministros y tendrá una Corte que decidirá su camino.

Ipherium frunció las cejas y con expresión confusa avanzó un paso.

—Disculpe.

—Oh, ¿tiene algo que decir? —Niah le dedicó una sonrisa, pero no había alegría en ella.

—Sí, claramente —respondió sin chistar, ladeó la cabeza y miró a los ministros, en especial a Ely, que parecía estar demasiado entretenido con todo—. Asumo que si han decidido enviarme al Este, Mig Ahddar está al tanto, ¿no? Dudo que hayan tomado esa decisión sin considerar lo que significa, ya que actuar sobre otra autoridad crea demasiados conflictos territoriales dentro del mando.  

Ely se levantó tomando la palabra.

—Mig Ahddar será informado dentro de tres horas en cuanto termine la sesión. Y la Unidad sigue a su cargo. —Como siempre actuaba como el mejor negociador con su semblante confiado y gestos gentiles. Lo cual lograba irritarla—. Y respecto del mando, no habrá conflictos si es lo que le preocupa, Jer Aëla. Tampoco tendra conflictos familiares por esto. —Encogió los hombros—. Si bien los ataques ocurren en el Este, el enemigo se aparece constantemente cerca del Sur, pero las amenazas han sido lo suficiente inteligentes como para nunca traspasar el territorio.

Ella asintió una vez, entendiendo a que se refería.

—Lo que los deja con las manos atadas porque el Este es responsabilidad del Ejercito Central y mientras no sean atacados no tienen razón de actuar.

—Exacto, usted entiende bien, Jer Aëla. De todas formas, si la situación lo requiere…—Se dirigió a los Principales, esta vez la seriedad que correspondía a una persona de su posición—. Autorizaremos a Jer Aëla a disponer del mando en el Sur sin limitaciones.

—¡Un momento! —Azela le dio un golpe a su escritorio y se apresuró al puesto de los Principales—. ¡Esto es inaudito! ¿Cómo es posible que estéis disponiendo de tal territorio a un soldado al cual debéis castigar? Disculpe, Ministro Ely, pero la decisión que estáis tomando es completamente imprudente.

—¿Imprudente? ¿Entregar la responsabilidad al soldado más competente para terminar una guerra de la cual os ha tomado meses en resolver? —Le dedicó una mirada de fingida confusión—. Por favor, Mig Azela, si finalmente han logrado tener una solución justa infórmela a todo el Conclave, de otra forma no estorbe en lo que respecta la protección de nuestra Nación. A los Ministros no nos interesa la rivalidad que tengáis con Jer Aëla o cualquier otra autoridad. ¿No están de acuerdo? Soliciten una sesión y resuélvanlo, mientras pasa el tiempo seguiremos trabajando y esperaremos a considerar su acuerdo.

La mujer se quedó pasmada, sin saber qué responder. A su alrededor el silencio era sepulcral, los miembros se miraban y cuchicheaban entre sí, nadie se atrevía agregar algo más. Ipherium consideraba toda la parafernalia una molestia, porque podía predecir la intención de los Ministros.

Cuando Ely volvió a hablar, le quedó claro.

—No creáis que Jer Aëla esta siendo favorecida de alguna forma, porque si no triunfa en su cometido será destituida. —Aquello llamó la atención de todos e Ipherium no pudo evitar rodar los ojos. Predecible, era demasiado obvio para ella que la preferencia no se inclinaba para nadie que no hiciera lo que ellos querían—. ¿Está bien? ¿Es suficientemente justo para ustedes?

De nuevo, silencio.

—Ahora que hemos dado por sentado ese tema, terminemos con esto—Eday se frotó la cara con cansancio, sabía que de aquí en mas otro caos debía ser controlado—. Considerando que el Director Nod Semaki no logró cumplir las obligaciones de su cargo será destituido de su puesto y lo reemplazará Jul Bod-Akeem como nuevo Director. Y considerando que los Ancianos del Conclave se involucraron ilegítimamente en decisión de un Jer, el Regente involucrado, Koryan Majeed, será suspendido y el Ministro Ely tomará su lugar. De esta forma, evitaremos conflictos y nos ocuparemos del caso que está en nuestras manos.

Ipherium simplemente dejó de escuchar el alboroto a su alrededor, por lo que se encaminó a tomar lugar en la tribuna. Estaba evitando a toda costa carcajearse, porque las caras de los Ancianos se le antojaban de los más graciosas. Y a pesar de que trató de contenerse lo mejor que pudo, la mirada furiosa del vejestorio Majeed logró que su cara dejara escapar una sonrisa.

Como estaba sentada cerca de los Consejeros, pudo escuchar como alguien aclaraba su garganta en medio del caos de voces y gritos de desacuerdo. Obviamente sabía quien era, y con mayor razón no quería voltearse a verlo.

Suspirando, comentó:

—¿Disfrutas el espectáculo?

Su abuelo rio por lo bajo y asintió, el ronco sonido le provocó cierta paz y luego de largos segundos lo miró.

—¿Resultó mejor de lo que esperabas? —Se inclinó hacia ella con las cejas alzadas—. Como siempre la mayoría del Conclave votaría a favor tuyo.

—¿Eso crees? —resopló y se colocó un mechón detrás de la oreja—. Es más una apuesta de ruleta que otra cosa. Me lanzan a lo que sea y aunque muera, nunca perderán nada.

—No apostarías por algo en que no crees te dará ganancia. —Myatt se acarició la barba con cara pensativa—. Y los Aëla jamás hemos defraudado como buena inversión.

Ipherium lo observó un con gesto asqueado.

—Qué hay con estas expresiones tan… —movió su mano de forma vaga—. Tan de la Tierra.

—Solo pruebo tu humor, quiero ver que tan acostumbrada estás después de tanto tiempo. —Le dio un golpe a su nariz y ella rodó los ojos, su abuelo era un sentimental—. Pero veo que Athanaj ha sobrevivido más en ti que en cualquiera. Lo cual es bueno, gran indicador de lealtad.

—Oh, por favor—escondió la cara en sus manos, el anciano la sacaba de quicio—. Realmente no tengo animo para esta conversación.

—Ya lo creo, y con las continuas conspiraciones de los Ancianos para moverse dentro del Ejercito debe ser cansador.

—¿No lo sabremos nosotros? —murmuró, observando en la distancia a Koryan y Niah discutir en furiosos susurros mientras Ely solo estaba en silencio a su lado. El resto hablaba caóticamente entre sí o trataban de cruzar palabra con Eday, que lucía poco dispuesto a darles en el gusto—. ¿Has hablado con Ahddar?

Myatt la miró.

—¿Por qué preguntas?

—Porque conozco al Anciano Aëla. El Consejo es lo suficiente poderoso y astuto como para convencer a los Ministros, y la mayoría de ellos te idolatra. —Hizo una mueca de fastidio—. Harían lo que fuera por consentir tus caprichos.

—No necesito hablar con mi nieto para eso y el Consejo sabe lo que es correcto. —Se recargó en su lugar con los brazos cruzados, cualquiera diría que se concentraba sobre lo que ocurría frente a él—. Ahddar debería haberse hecho a la idea que llegarías a su territorio aún ignorando tu sesión con el Conclave. Sabemos que el conflicto con el Este fue provocado, y él debe entenderlo mejor que nadie ya que conoce demasiado bien el pacto… Ahora no sé cómo digerirá lo del mando…

—Supongo que me encargaré de ello cuando suceda.—Sabía que el chico no daría su brazo a torcer, era demasiado parecido a su padre. Lo que le recordaba—. ¿Qué hay de Haren?

Su abuelo frunció los labios con expresión molesta.

—Ah, sí, ese vago… me parece que lo vieron en el Norte hace unas semanas atrás…

—Al menos sigue vivo —comentó con diversión, lo que a él no le hizo gracia. Haren siempre le había sacado canas a su padre por ser tan liberal y despreocupado. Al punto de haber luchado contra su Nación solo para dormir con la heredera de la tribu Emat, prácticamente ignorando que su padre lo había salvado de la ejecución. Ah, qué juventud—. Es más de lo que podríamos decir de aquella vez que navegó a las Islas Ukitec para buscar la reliquia de los templos y casi muere.

—Ni me lo recuerdes. —Se inclinó a su izquierda y le murmuró algo a su compañero, quien asintió y se levantó en dirección a los Principales—. Lo único que sé es que no lo veremos por un buen rato. No deberías preocuparte por eso de todas formas, Ahddar tiene todo bajo control.

Al cabo de unos minutos los Principales dieron por terminada la sesión, por la expresión de Eday y Niah podía imaginar que no había acuerdos con los Ancianos y aunque no parecía preocuparles no evitó que se vieran agotados.

Su abuelo seguía charlando con la persona a su lado y murmuraban para sí cuando Majeed apuntaba con su dedo en su dirección y se quejaba con sus seguidores lamebotas. Podría haberle dado más importancia sino fuera por Niah. La Principal se paró frente a ella y le dedicó una sonrisa, por supuesto no la clase de sonrisa que le darías a un amigo sino la que le darías a un niño que te resultaba molesto y aun así debías disimular amabilidad.

—Espero oír buenas noticias de usted, Jer Aëla, de lo contrario sería una pena no ver su rostro por aquí.

Ipherium no se esforzó en responder y se limitó a mirarla, prefería fastidiarla antes que darle en el gusto de pensar que le importaba qué podía o no hacer para deshacerse de ella.

Obviamente lo logró, Niah apretó los labios y se rio molesta.

—Esperaré tu informe y no nos des problemas Ipherium, si pasa no hay nada que tu abuelo pueda hacer para salvarte.

Lo observó marcharse y esta vez la voz de su abuelo la distrajo.

—Bueno, que no te dan un respiro, ¿eh? —Myatt recargó la barbilla en su hombro en tanto cruzaba sus brazos a su alrededor para darle un abrazo—. Tienes mucho trabajo que hacer.

—¿Tú crees?

[whispersafterdusk]

Lost in Time - ch 8

It felt like Sunday came a lot quicker than it should have.

As he'd said before he wasn't expecting any sort of trouble - Portia's residents weren't known for getting physically combative during arguments - but still, Arlo had a small ball of anxiety in his gut as he walked down from the Civil Corps building toward the plaza.  

Usually the winter meetings didn't last too long since everyone loved hearing the news but hated standing out in the freezing weather to listen to it; Gale tended to keep these meeting short and to the point, bringing up only major or emergency talking points and plans, and then the next day he'd send out bulletins with the less urgent news and invite the townsfolk to give their input at his office at any time.  Arlo had a feeling that tonight was going to have only one major announcement but knew it could go either way on whether the meeting was short or if it dragged on (and if Gale hadn't already talked to Lee about Eli then it was definitely going to drag on). ((Continued below cut))

There was still about fifteen minutes before the meeting would start; Arlo could see shadows cast (on the inside, of course) through the windows of the mayor's office and the commerce guild but the plaza was currently empty.  He climbed the steps and pushed open the door to the commerce guild and nearly bumped into Gale's back as the man was standing just inside the door talking to a small cluster of people; he quickly and silently closed the door and moved off to the side to avoid interrupting their discussion.

Selene was there and so was Remington, and there was a quartet of blue-suit-wearing persons Arlo hadn't seen before but he recognized the patches on the arms of their jackets -- those had to be the scholars from Atara Gale had mentioned were coming.  Just as he was wondering when they'd gotten here the door behind him opened again and-

"-Mali!  Good to see you again."

Much like Arlo had done Mali also had to carefully shuffle around the group near the doorway; to his surprise Eli came in behind her - he knew Eli would be here tonight but hadn't expected her to have already met Mali.

Mali offered him a nod.  "Arlo."  She gestured for Eli to step ahead of her and toward the little group speaking with Gale; once Eli was over with them Mali turned her attention back to Arlo.  "I've been given the short version of Portia's recent events.  I came out here with the scholars but four more Flying Pigs will be heading out to help your Civil Corps with security detail."

He wasn't able to keep the look of surprise off his face -- FOUR Flying Pigs coming to help them out?  "That's great!  Though we did just get a locked elevator car into place - should make things a lot easier to keep an eye on."

Mali nodded, crossing her arms.  "I'm aware.  I'll be in possession of a key eventually.  Is it really true that you haven't found any AIs or security measures down there?"

"It's true.  It's very strange."

She nodded again, looking thoughtful.  "I've never heard of an Old World ruins that didn't have SOMETHING dangerous active in it."

"The place wasn't really powered properly.  Might be the AIs fled when their power sources started fading."

"That's a possibility," she said.  "The power cut out right as you found Elizabeth, right?"

"Eli," he corrected.  "And, right - it was at 3% when it released her from the tube and then everything shut off."

"We'll have to double check every nook and cranny to make sure nothing's hiding."  With that Mali turned and headed toward the small gathering, standing just behind the scholars she'd brought out here.

"Right," he said quietly.  There COULD be something hiding down there, he supposed...didn't seem likely, but until they'd investigated every square inch of that place they couldn't be 100% certain.

Whatever the group had been talking about seemed to wrap up a few moments after Mali joined them; Remington broke off from the group with Selene at his elbow, coming over to clap a hand to Arlo's shoulder silently.  Selene looked a little nervous too and was furiously scribbling away in a small notebook; Arlo glanced back to the group and saw Eli all but mobbed by the four scholars.  For one brief moment she met his gaze and flashed him a wry smile before turning her attention back to the ones in front of her.

They certainly looked the part of scholars; one was a balding gray-haired elderly man with a pair of spectacles perched on the tip of his nose.  The other three were all older women (not one of them could've been younger than 50) and all were sporting long dark hair going gray tied up in buns; the middle woman wore a pair of thick-rimmed glasses, the one next to her had darker skin and a noticeable tremor in her hand when she reached out to shake Eli's, and the third woman seemed far more sturdier than her companions but also thicker in the gut and neck.

In their matching uniforms they at least presented as a neat, tidy, and united group, but he definitely understood now why Mali had had to escort them out here -- none of them looked especially capable of defending themselves against...much of anything, really.

'Probably a good thing we've not found any hostiles down in the facility then,' he found himself thinking.

Thinking on Mali made him wonder when exactly they'd gotten here; he knew the sound of Mali's RS-001 well and knew the plane could be heard coming from a mile away, and he was positive he hadn't heard it approaching at any point this afternoon.  Maybe they'd arrived overnight?  He'd been sleeping a lot more soundly (and, a lot more in general) lately due to the long shifts out at the guard post for the facility and it was possible he could have "heard" the plane but it hadn't been enough to wake him up.

Arlo dropped his gaze down to Selene and caught a glimpse of what she was scribbling in the notebook - looked like an itemized list of...furniture took up the top half of the list that he could see from where he stood.  Probably for the scholars; the Happy Apartments sometimes doubled as hotel lodging so at least each room had a bed in it but they were pretty bare at all other times.

"Big plans, Selene?"

"Huh? Oh - yeah," she replied, glancing up to him.  "Gale's going to put the scholars up in Happy Apartments for the time being - that empty house up near Dr. Xu's home needs some renovations and Gale's hiring me to get those done ASAP, and then that's where they'll stay since they'll be here awhile studying our new ruins.  Thankfully I already got the elevator car done so I can start as soon as I get home tonight."

"All by yourself?" he asked, eying her. Selene was good but fixing up a house quickly, on her own, seemed like a tall order.

"Of course not.  Albert and Gust are going to be handling the plans and assigning most of the construction work.  I'll be working with them to get the raw materials processed as needed - boards, nails, screws, bricks, tile, you name it, I have a machine that'll make it.  And..." she added, with a sigh trailing off into a growl.  "I can dump whatever tasks I want onto Higgins, per Gale's orders.  I'm going to have a look through the place after the meeting and then see what bits and pieces I can handle and what I want to trust HIM with."  With a roll of her eyes Selene flipped the notebook shut and stuck it into the back pocket of her pants.

"Does Gale know there's four Flying Pig members coming out too?"

Selene nodded.  "Yep.  Mali said they'll make do with their own camping supplies - and she also said they're bringing more than just tents.   They intend to be here awhile."

Arlo nodded at that; the Flying Pigs were an adventuring guild, after all: if anyone would be comfortable roughing it in any weather, it'd be a Flying Pig.  

Remington took a couple steps toward the window and moved the curtain aside just enough to peek outside.  "-got a crowd gathering.  Not a big one at least but most of the usuals are out there."

Arlo mentally sighed -- if the 'usuals' were out there that meant Lee was definitely in attendance.  And so was Nora... That was something he'd been hoping to avoid (he wanted to broach that subject with her personally) but...well, he'd have to handle her reaction the best he could.  She was already not exactly happy that he'd been so tied up with guarding the facility's entrance--

"All right, people, all right-" Gale called out.  As everyone turned to face him he carefully buttoned up a sweater jacket and gave them all a wide smile.  "Time to head on out and greet our fellow Portians.  We don't want to be late - it IS rather cold outside tonight."

Being as they were closest to the door Arlo, Remington, and Selene hurried outside and stood off to the side at the bottom of the steps.  Behind them Gale, the scholars, Mali, and Eli all filed out and sort of loosely lined up behind the mayor as he took his place at the top step.

Arlo scanned the crowd; he could see Lee and Nora in the back, where they usually stood near the fountain's edge. Xu, Higgins, Paulie, Albert, Gust, Alice, Antoine, Carol along with Mars and their daughters, Dawa, Liuwa, Isaac, Russo, Martha and her son Toby, and Presley were all clustered at the bottom of the commerce guild's stairs, and there were a few curious tourists that Arlo could see that had stopped at the very edge of the crowd.

Glancing back up the steps he could see Eli standing next to Mali; however she might be feeling at the moment wasn't readable in her expression but he couldn't help but notice how rigidily she stood there.  For a brief moment he thought her attention flicked to him and he nodded to her but she didn't give any indication she saw.

With a deep breath he turned his own attention outward at the crowd.

------------------------------------------------

All right...that man in the back, with the graying hair and beard with the gold bead in it.  If anyone in this crowd had to be this Minister Lee she'd been warned about, that had to be him.  There was a young woman next to him, dressed similarly -- probably the church girl...couldn't recall her name at the moment but Eli knew she'd also been mentioned at some point.

Let's see...there were a pair of men out there that looked identical to Sanwa.  Two obvious family groups with how they were standing together (and triplet girls, goodness - did Portia have a reputation for multiple births?), Xu was there, some older folks and some younger folks.  

None of them stood out to her like that minister man did.  If there was going to be trouble it was going to be from him, most likely.

In front of her Gale greeted the crowd and told a few jokes, announced a few things about some kind of festival coming up (something about a hot pot) and then reminded everyone about how the end of the year was approaching.  She listened even as she scanned over the crowd again; everyone seemed to be in high spirits and willing to joke with one another, and Selene breaking off from Arlo and Remington to go stand in the crowd with Paulie briefly drew her attention before it shifted back to the man she assumed was Lee.

"-now, with the fun things out of the way," Gale went on, clearing his throat.  "I have several rather...unusual, as well as highly important, announcements to make.  The first is the new ruins out in Somber Marsh are still closed to the public at this time -- our Civil Corps, the Research Center, and our very own Selene are working diligently to make sure the ruins will be safe to visit in the future.  Which brings me to the next announcement: I'm sure you've all noticed that Mali is once again here in Portia and that she stands behind me with a group that are strangers to you all."

He paused and there was a murmuring among those gathered; Eli noted a young boy waving at Mali only for his mother to shush him and push his arm back down to his side.

"I would like to introduce to you Edgar, Maryanne, Elsie, and Petunia-" Gale gestured at each as he announced their names - Edgar was the balding man, Maryanne had the thick glasses, Elsie had the weakened arm that shook with every movement, and Petunia was the larger woman.  Eli had met them only moments ago -- she'd need to definitely keep the women's names straight as she was going to be working with them down in the facility from now on alongside Merlin and Petra.

'Getting kind of crowded down there...'

"They are on loan, as it were, from the University of Atara and will be helping to study and preserve the ruins out in the Marsh."

There was an audible groan of frustration from one of the men in the audience - Eli's attention zeroed in on the noise and wasn't too surprised to see it'd come from Higgins.

Gale had obviously heard him too, his head turning to peer down at the man.  "Now now, I know many of you were hoping to do a little ruin diving or start a salvage operation but these ruins are incredibly well-preserved and we could learn a great deal from studying them."  His head sharply turned to fix his gaze on Lee in the back.  "This is a MEDICAL facility.  What we learn down there could save countless lives across the Free Cities, so while I promise that eventually we will be allowing visitors into the facility I want to emphasize that there will be NO unauthorized salvaging of anything within the ruins."

Eli watched Lee closely as Gale spoke; the minister's lip curled up in mild disgust but he remained quiet.  For now, anyway.  Maybe he could tolerate the thought of medical information, but boy oh boy she was not looking forward to his reaction here shortly...

Gale clapped his hands together then, and rubbed them together - it seemed more of a nervous gesture than anything to do with coaxing heat back into his fingers.  "Now... As a final announcement, and by far the strangest one I've ever had to make."  Very quickly he glanced to where Arlo and Remington stood; the two men both gave Gale a nod -- they were watching.  "-I'm sure you've all heard about how the ruins were found, and the little rescue mission that was undertaken to retrieve one of our own."

There was another brief burst of murmuring and more than a few heads turning to look at one of the short, squat men; that man in turn rolled his eyes and told a couple of people to hush up, even as his brother elbowed him with a wide grin.

"There was, however, one more person rescued from the ruins."

Eli inhaled slowly through her nose.  Here we go...

Gale reached a hand behind him, seeming to paw at the air for a moment before he turned enough to spot Eli behind him; that pawing motion turned into an obvious 'come here' gesture and Eli stepped up beside him flinching a bit as he put a hand to the small of her back.

The murmuring went dead silent, and all eyes were on her.

"This," Gale went on, "is Elizabeth Summers.  She is a Dubei native who was found within the ruins, having survived for hundreds of years due to advanced medical technology from the Old World."

The crowd erupted into gasps and hurried conversation, but over all the voices--

"-I thought you were JOKING," Lee called out, eyes wide.  "You can't be serious?"

"I AM serious," Gale replied, tone firm.  "This young woman here-"

"-not so young now, I think," Eli interrupted, smiling weakly.  The attempt at brevity didn't break through the handful of separate conversations going on.

"-yes, yes, not technically young by number," the mayor chuckled.  "Regardless of this woman's age however I can indeed state, with total honesty, that she was within the ruins and rescued the same day Dawa was."  The man's attention went to Dawa who simply nodded silently, then stared down at his feet as his brother elbowed him again (much more forcefully this time, and with a look of disbelief on his face).

"And just why was this kept from everyone for so long?" Lee shouted - not so much out of anger but more to be heard over everyone. "How many have known that this...this dangerous woman has been within our town?"

"Lee, I'd ask you not to call names or make generalizations with the intent to tarnish reputation," Gale immediately snapped.  "If you recall I did try to broach this subject with you several weeks ago but you rebuffed my efforts as some sort of practical joke."

"Because it's impossible!" came the minister's response.   "It's nonsensical!  And even if this is true, how can you possibly permit anyone with living knowledge of dangerous weapons and technology to roam our streets freely?"

Gale took a steadying breath, lifting his chin a bit so he was ever so slightly looking down his nose at Lee.  "As I was saying.  Elizabeth here - excuse me, Eli - was rescued from the ruins and has been both recovering as well as aiding our Civil Corps and Research Center members in sweeping the ruins to make sure they're safe.  There's been quite the number of human remains located down there, and we will be arranging a mass grave and memorial service for them as soon as we're certain we've found all of them."

"Don't ignore me, Gale."

The portly man was clearly getting agitated; Eli kept switching her attention between him and Lee, and by chance caught the strange look that the girl next to Lee was giving Arlo -- and Arlo had his head down, not looking in the woman's direction.

...interesting.

"Should you wish to discuss this in a civil manner then I am willing to hear your concerns," Gale said evenly (Eli silently congratulated him on sounding a lot calmer than he currently looked).  "I tried to give you that chance prior to tonight but, as I've already said, you brushed me off.  To answer one of your questions, obviously there are some here in town who knew of Eli before tonight -- it wasn't possible to keep her a total secret.  And while many would argue that that's a terrible secret to keep it was a choice I made in order to give her the best chance to recover in peace, as well as give myself time to see to it that she has employment and purpose, and above all felt welcome within a world that's totally unlike the one she lived in centuries ago.  And that is my final request before we adjourn tonight:  I sincerely hope you'll all join me in welcoming Eli into our community, as you would any other newcomer to Portia."

Lee looked to be seething, and she noticed Xu's brief gesture of encouragement and smile; the rest of the crowd were in various states of shock or maybe that was mistrust?  She didn't know any of these people well enough to read their expressions, especially considering how dark it was at the moment.  She saw at least a couple curious faces (and that woman had a hand clapped over her son's mouth and appeared to be dragging him away, despite his best efforts to stay put) so...maybe she wouldn't get run out of town by a mob.

"That's all the announcements for this evening," Gale said, looking a bit less annoyed now that Lee wasn't still shouting at him.  "As always, Sophie has been kind enough to provide us with pie so please help yourself."

...pie?  What pi- oh.  There was a table just off the side of the stairs, almost hidden from view since Arlo and Remington were standing directly in front of it.  There were lots of covered dishes there but no one seemed interested in getting a slice of whatever pie was underneath the covers.

The two family groups left almost immediately; the rest of the crowd dispersed in twos and threes, heads together and talking.   Lee stayed where he stood and glared daggers at Eli; she felt like making a face at him just to antagonize him further since she'd bet actual money that even the friendliest smile she could give him wouldn't change anything.

"Well, that went better than anticipated," Gale muttered.  He blew out a long sigh and scratched at the edge of his hairline.  "I knew Lee would have his outbursts of course but I DID try to warn him ahead of time..."

A shuffling at the base of the steps drew her attention away from Gale and toward where Selene was dragging Paulie by the arm toward them.

"Gale!  Gaaaaaale!" the builder called out.  "Higgins wouldn't even look at me but Paulie's willing to help."

The mayor blew out a long sigh.  "Probably because I didn't approach him first with the reward amount in hand.  Typical.  Well, regardless-" he gave Paulie a relieved looking smile.  "Good to have your help, Paulie."

"Of course, Mayor.  Selene showed me a list but is there anything else we're going to need?"

"No, no, you'll only need to be concerned about just the furniture - and perhaps a strong arm to help Selene with moving materials around."

Paulie nodded and crossed his arms (and somehow managed to fit a flex into the motion).  "Not a problem.  I can carry anything of any weight, anywhere, anytime."

Selene giggled a bit and bumped her hip into him.  "We know, Paulie.   You'd try to carry an entire building around yourself if you could figure out how to lift it in one piece."

The little group laughed quietly; Gale adjusted the front of his sweater.   "Selene, I'll have Gust or Albert, or possibly both, come by in the morning to schedule a walk through of that old house and arrange purchase of the materials - all paid for out of Portia's budget, of course. None of this need come out of your own pocket."

Selene waved a hand.  "Oh pfft - don't worry about it Gale.  Whatever of mine I use is just a donation.  I don't mind it.  And I'll hold off on having a look tonight then if we're going there in the morning."

Gale nodded, then began to head off down the street.  "I'm off for home then - have a good evening everyone."

There was a break in the chatter then; Eli looked around and saw that the plaza had fully emptied, more or less.  The scholars were being herded toward the Happy Apartments by Remington and Mali, Lee and the little church girl had disappeared at some point, and no one else had lingered to stare.  It was pretty cold and she was ready to head inside somewhere herself.

"-how's the casting of that tool coming along, Selene?" she asked the builder.

"I'm got a few molds setting up, then I'll start the metal casting step.   Got a few different designs, as it were, because I don't know how much leverage we're going to need to budge those bolts."

Eli nodded.   "We usually coated things with a thin protective layer that was meant to prevent sticking but who knows what three centuries might've done to it."

"Are you needing some manly muscle?" Paulie asked, looking between the two.

"Actually, we might," Eli answered.  "I guess we'll let you know?"

Paulie nodded, then patted Selene atop the head and gave them a half wave as he headed off down the hill.

"Well..." Selene said, blowing out a sigh.  "I'm going to head home - you don't have to come back now if you don't want.  I'll leave the door unlocked. Going to be a busy morning."

"I suspect I'm going to be mobbed bright and early by those scholars," Eli said dryly.  "I should probably get to bed myself."

Together they headed out of the plaza and down the road that led to Selene's shop.  Eli wasn't especially wild about the idea of a bunch of old geezers getting underfoot while they tried to work down there...she probably shouldn't be too hard on them, she supposed.  The world had...had lost a lot.  A lot of people, a lot of technology, a lot of knowledge.  Any chance these people had to recover some of what they've lost would only benefit the world in the long run; Eli was willing to teach and share whatever she knew but, on the other side of that particular coin, her knowledge was somewhat narrow in scope.  Just because she knew how something worked didn't mean she knew HOW it worked...knowing how to use something or approximately how it functioned wasn't a guarantee she could assemble one even if she had everything she needed to do that.

It was a concept she hoped she could immediately make clear to those scholars: she wasn't the be all, end all, source of knowledge they might be expecting.

As she walked it occurred to her that the sum of her knowledge were all things that that Minister Lee was likely going to screech about; she chuckled a bit and Selene turned to look at her.

"Hmm?"

"Nothing to worry about."

 Don't think about it.

--------------------------------------------------------

Albert and Gust showed up early as promised; when Eli came out of her room she skirted around the border of the front sitting room where they were conversing with Selene around a table strewn with papers and books, and various rolled up blueprints.  The two men eyed her warily as she moved around the room but then she was out the door into the chilly morning where the sun was just beginning to rise.

She'd not slept all that well... Not that she'd been sleeping well since she'd recovered, to be honest -- the bed wasn't hers, the room wasn't hers, every little noise was unfamiliar and the general smell of the room wasn't something she considered to be...hers.  It was a strange thing to try and describe, even to herself, but there tended to be scents that you both did and didn't notice in your own home.  Smells that undoubtedly marked the place as safe, familiar, and above all something belonging to you.  Her current room smelled of wood varnish, with an underlying hint of dust, and the bed, pillow, and sheets smelled new still.

Eli rubbed her hands across her face; just more small details on the massive pile of details that she didn't want to, but really NEEDED to, think about and reconcile with.  And the longer she kept putting it off the bigger that pile of details was going to get, and that meant more...EVERYTHING could come crashing down on her at any moment.  Would she rather be buried by a mountain or a mole hill?  The choice seemed obvious but it wasn't a choice she liked being forced in to.

Well...whatever.  

It was probably too early for anyone else to be out and about in town; she'd gotten her first pay check, as it were, from Gale yesterday morning -- they'd agreed on a bi-monthly payment cycle for her Research Center salary and he'd fronted her her first two weeks of pay so she'd have at least something to her name.  How did shops work around here?   When she'd gone to Paulie's store with Selene they'd made their order and Paulie had delivered it but at the time no money had exchanged hands (aside from Selene's meager bet earnings), and she was pretty sure she didn't remember Selene paying him when he dropped the furniture off either.  Did Portia have a bank?  No one had mentioned one yet.

It seemed like she should carry money on her until she was sure how the economy worked, but then how much SHOULD she have?  She didn't even have a price context to come up with what was considered pocket change... And, come to think of it, she had yet to even closely study the gols she'd been given -- were there denominations to reckon with too?

Ugh.  What she wouldn't give to have her bank chip.  And her bank. The pile of details grew a bit larger.

What to do with her morning... She wasn't all that hungry, and didn't have anywhere to be until the scholars came looking for her, or at least until Merlin and Petra were at the center or the shops opened.  Maybe a quick walk?  There was a path along Portia that would circle her all the way around the town and back to the gates, and would probably (assuming she kept to a leisurely pace) kill enough time to get her through these early hours.

Right as she crossed underneath the stone archway of Portia's gates she heard someone calling her name; coming up the hill on her right was Sam and Paulie, and the woman was waving at her.  Eli returned the wave and headed that way, meeting up with them just outside of a little flower shop.

"Want to come for a run with us?" Sam asked.

Eli considered that for a moment; she felt pretty strong, all things considered.  Far stronger than she'd been in recent weeks, and she hadn't needed the cane at all in over a month.  "Guess I could -- I need to see where my limits are currently sitting."

Sam gave her a half-grin accompanied with a nod.  "We'll help get you back into shape, no problem.  C'mon - we meet up at the gates and run down to the harbor and back."

That wasn't all that far...Eli was fairly certain she could handle that.  The three of them headed up to the gates and stood around, chatting idly, while they waited for Arlo (and possibly Mali - apparently Arlo had invited her along too but no one knew what the answer would be until she either did or didn't show up).

"I know Gale told you not to but I do wish you'd told me about where you came from," Paulie said suddenly.  "I would've been happy to provide you some things without charging for it."

Eli blew out a sigh.  "I'm not all that comfortable with so much charity, if I'm honest.  Dr. Xu, Phyllis, Selene...everyone's been spending money on me and giving me things -- and don't get me wrong, I'm very appreciative.  It's very touching, and it makes...all of this-" she gestured around herself in a wide sweep, "-a lot more tolerable.  Knowing I'm not just thrown out into the world on my own is very comforting.  But then I've not really been a person who needs help all that often and needing it now is sort of a..."

She paused, and Sam tilted her head as she looked at her.  "-issue of pride?" the woman offered.

Eli shook her head.  "Not exactly.  More like...embarrassing."

Sam shrugged.  "Nothing to be embarrassed about - everyone needs help at some point."

Eli caught movement out of the corner of her eye and turned to see Arlo walking down the hill toward them; when he met up with them they all moved together as a group down the road at a moderately quick jog.  The cold air was rough on her lungs but the pace was tolerable, and no one talked much as they went.  On the way back from the harbor Arlo urged them into a faster pace in quick spurts; she had a feeling he was going easy on them because she was here. On the one hand she found that amusing but on the other she probably shouldn't push herself too far too quickly.  She was missing muscle mass and while she was fine at the moment she could definitely tell the centuries had done a number on her conditioning and fitness.

When they got back to Portia they came to a meandering stop at the fountains; Sam and Arlo did a few stretches but Paulie headed off immediately down the street toward his shop.  

"All right.  I've got to go relieve Remington," Arlo grunted as he stretched arms above his head a final time (Eli heard a few loud, deep pops - likely his shoulders).  "Sam, please let me know when the Flying Pigs arrive.  I didn't hear Mali show up at all yesterday."

"Probably because she didn't bring the plane," Sam replied.  "They came by bus.   Mali said Asher would be piloting the plane in with their supplies and the rest of them."

"Aha.  Well, good to know I didn't just sleep through it or something."

Eli looked to Sam curiously; a plane?  Planes still existed?  Or had they been rebuilt?  ...wait, no - what was considered a "plane" in this time period?  "A plane?"

Sam nodded, turning her attention to Eli.   "Yeah, Mali's got one of the few functional planes left over from the Old World.  We've had some other flying contraptions built since then but not a lot of them are as complex as her RS-001."

"A... You're kidding."  Eli started laughing - she couldn't help it.  An RS-001 had been a relic even in her time.  "I can't believe one of those survived."

Sam let out a short huff of a laugh.  "Do you know how to fly one then?"

"Good grief, no - those things were old tech, even for us.  I think that was a prop plane?  We didn't use propellers on our craft unless it was water-based, and with those the propellers were underwater for propulsion.  All our flying craft used high-powered turbines or -- ...um."  How the heck did she explain the anti-grav hover units?  "Have you run into any AIs that could hover?"

"A couple, yeah."

"Ok, imagine that but big enough to budge something up to a hundred times bigger than an RS-001."

"That's huge."

Eli nodded.  "They could get pretty big."  She glanced around; Portia seemed to be waking up and there wasn't any sign of the scholars just yet.  "I think...I'm going to go visit a shop or two, get an idea for how much things cost and how much pocket money I ought to be carrying around.  All I know right now is about how much food costs and food isn't something I can wear."

The three of them split up; Eli headed down the street to the clothing store she had spotted next to Paulie's store.  She could sense eyes on her as she walked and saw more than a few faces peering at her from the windows as she went.  She arrived at the shop right as a woman opened the door and flipped a sign over to read Open; above the door to the clothing shop was a large sign that read Total Tools.  Clothing and tools inside the same storefront...odd.

The woman gave her a hesitant look that turned into a nervous smile. "Oh, uh.  Hello there."

"Good morning."  Eli paused where she stood a moment.  "-uh.  All right.   I'll be honest - I'm in need of clothing but I have no idea how your economy works or what anything costs.  I've earned some money but don't have it on me since I didn't know how much I'd need and a lot of coins can get pretty heavy.  My hope is you won't mind me looking around to see if there's still things in my size available, and then I can run back to my room and grab whatever I need to pay for it."

The woman listened to this quietly and didn't respond immediately; in the awkward pause after she went quiet Eli could see the woman was growing a little less tense and seemed to be sizing her up -- not out of hostility, but more...gauging her actual size.  "Well...that seems reasonable.  And I'm sure I still have some things that ought to fit.  If not we'll see about altering them."

Eli nodded and walked up, extending her hand to her.  "Thanks.  Eli.  Well - Elizabeth Summers, but I prefer Eli."

The woman shook the offered hand after a breath or two.  "I'm Carol.  Please, come in and have a look around."

---------------------------------------------------

This time Arlo both heard and saw the RS-001 fly by overhead.  A few hours later and he could pick out Mali's figure on the horizon, and with her were four more people; all five of them were carrying heavy packs.  They came up to the little guardhouse and sat everything down -- looked like they had lugged out at least one heavy duty tent and other various camping tools and accessories.

Mali gestured for the four Flying Pigs members to start unpacking.  "-set up over there, to the right.   Looks flat enough and the guardhouse ought to block some of the wind."   She looked to Arlo then.  "Are the trees up here owned by anyone?"

He shook his head.  "No.  Nothing in the marsh is on any one person's property - it's just Portia's, in general."

"Good.  We'll be careful in how we collect firewood so we don't harm the area."

"The tree farm can help provide wood I'm sure."

"Gale's looking in to it to give us an idea of what can be provided."  Mali looked over to the elevator car then.  "That's the only way in?"

"That we've found.  There's an area that's caved in down there so it might be possible a second entry point was buried a long time ago, but it's also just as likely that we haven't opened the right door yet to find another entrance.  The place is enormous and we've been trying to quickly search the rooms for any remains," Arlo answered.  "It's also a bit of a mess down there in terms of power hook up since what we have isn't nearly enough to power a facility this big."

Mali nodded again, rubbing a hand against her chin and looking thoughtful.  "Do we have any more updates on that tool needed to get the power back on?"

"Selene said she had molds ready but then the scholars came and now she has to scramble to help get a home renovated for their use."

"Not ideal but I guess we'll have to wait on that then.  Unless the Research Center could take over that particular aspect?"

"Merlin and Petra don't have any sort of production or manufacturing machines," Arlo answered, shaking his head.  "If it's not something they could do with their own hand-held tools then they have to ask a builder for assistance."

"Selene's not the only builder around though.  Is there anyone else who could step in?"

"Not with Selene's level of automation and production, but even then ever since Selene showed up people have been relying on her more than Higgins since she's -- well.  Not Higgins," he said, emphasizing the last two words.  

Mali chuckled.  "Always knew his attitude would come back to bite him.  At least it gives us time to get set up out here."

At that she glanced over to where the other four were unpacking one large tent; it was especially thick canvas, wide and long but not all that tall, and the bottom edge of the canvas seemed to be doubly reinforced with more fabric.  Arlo watched them a moment before turning his attention back to her.   "-are you in need of anything aside from food supplies?"

"Don't suppose you know a source of readily available stone?"

"Sort of.  How much are you needing?"

Mali gestured for him to follow her as she headed over toward the set up area.  "Enough to line the bottom.  Saves on tent pegs needed and reduces drafts coming in under the bottom flaps."

Arlo eyed the tent, mentally gauging its size.  "Got it.  The places I know we can quarry freely that would already have some spare stone lying around are pretty far away.  There's some cliffs around here but you'd have to break the stone loose yourself.  Regardless of where you go though it's all far enough away you're going to need a wheelbarrow or wagon to haul it here."

"We'll ask around for one."

With a nod Arlo stepped in to help with the tent set up; along with being wide and long it also had a separate small section that covered a hole in the top of the canvas, like a tiny roof, but it left a three-inch gap all the way around the "roof" base.  It was obviously meant for ventilation so you could have a campfire inside the tent itself - smoke would rise and go out that gap with ease; that would definitely make staying out here easier, if not downright cozy.  When they had the tent up they left Asher (a tall, muscled blond man with a scar across the bridge of his nose -- a deep one too: if you looked at him in profile you could actually see a divot) to look after the campsite and the facility entrance as Arlo led the rest of them back into town to borrow a wagon from Sophie.  The rest of his afternoon was spent collecting stone and hauling it back to the campsite to line the bottom of the tent; Sam eventually came out to take her shift at the guardhouse, leaving Arlo free to head back into town.

Nothing seemed amiss in Portia as he walked back through the gates; inside Django's he found the round table in the middle taken up by the scholars and a tired looking Eli.  For a brief moment their gazes met and he thought about joining them but she seemed to have it well in hand even though it seemed like the scholars were hardly giving her a chance to answer before bombarding her with another question.  He offered her a quick wave and headed over to a stool at the bar, plopping down and trying to quickly make up his mind on what he wanted; his go-to dish was usually a plate of hot spaghetti but he'd been eating it a lot lately -- staying out at the guardhouse so much usually left him too tired to cook anything when he got back to town.  In order to stay fit he should get back to the more varied diet he had before.

"Hello Arlo.  The usual?" Django greeted him as he came around and behind the counter to take his order.

"Not today.  How about an order of mapo tofu and a bowl of spicy fish soup?"

"Not a problem."  As Django headed off to cook Arlo leaned his elbows on the counter and put his chin in his hands, and closed his eyes to listen to the chatter behind him.

Seemed the scholars were rapid-fire questioning Eli about the Old World nations and what had set off the Calamity, and Eli was sounding increasingly frustrated each time she answered something with 'I don't know, I was probably in the tube by then.'  It didn't seem like it was sinking in with them that Eli hadn't been...awake?  Hadn't been aware might be a better way to put it, but however you wanted to word it they didn't seem to grasp the fact that Eli hadn't actually been fully present when the Calamity hit.  She'd been living a normal life, gotten bombed while sitting at a watch post, and then had awakened to a new world, and now she had to deal with giving detailed explanations for one question only to bounce back to 'I don't know' with the next one.

He was debating coming up with a reason to 'rescue' her again (come sit and discuss the facility? ...no, that wouldn't work, the scholars would probably want to butt into that conversation) when Sonia and Django both showed up with his food, and Sonia also sat a tall glass of rainbow lemonade in front of him too.

"Thanks."

As he picked up his fork Sonia leaned over the counter toward him, glancing between him and the group at the table behind him.   "So...what's she like?" she whispered.  "Is she as dangerous as Lee wants us all to think?

He huffed out a quick sigh.  "No, she's not. Whatever he may have said about her isn't true."

Sonia blew a strand of hair out of her face and straightened her headband.   "She's been the talk of the town all day and Lee is out there trying to convince everyone she's going to, like, run off to somewhere and build something dangerous and come back to claim Portia for herself, or make weapons and give them out to anyone who asks."

This time his sigh was a drawn out and frustrated one.  "Really?"  Sonia nodded.  "Great.   I'll have to let Gale know.  We can't have anyone spreading misinformation about someone else, no matter who's doing the talking about whom.  Lee hasn't even talked to Eli directly yet, I bet."

"And I doubt he will," Django said.  "He's a stubborn one, but a man of conviction.  Really stands behind and clings to what he believes is right."

"Yeah, well, if what he believes is right isn't ACTUALLY right then he needs to stop talking," Sonia grumbled.  She came around and hopped up on an empty stool, propping an elbow on the counter and twirling a strand of hair around a finger.  "He thought Ack was going to be super dangerous too but all he wants to do is cook."

"Lee's right in that some Old World things are highly dangerous.  But to think EVERYTHING from the Old World is dangerous isn't a sustainable belief." With that Arlo jabbed his fork into a chunk of tofu and brought it up to his mouth, blowing on it as it steamed just below his nose - that familiar burn of spicy sauce lit up his nostrils and after a few breaths he took a bite and gingerly chewed the still-slightly-too-warm tofu.

Sonia got called away to refill drinks at the center table; Django seemed content to be quiet and survey the room, letting Arlo eat in peace and it didn't take long to more or less inhale the food and wash it down with the lemonade.

"No sign of any trouble down there, right?"

Arlo shook his head at Django.  "The only thing we've found down there that's able to move around is Eli."

"Huh.  Interesting."

"It's odd, to be sure."

He got a second glass of lemonade that he drank much more slowly; as the spicy burn in his mouth faded he could actually taste it now, and the chatter behind him seemed to be fading too.  All at once there was a chorus of scraping chair legs and as he glanced over his shoulder he caught sight of the scholars heading off together in a group, chattering excitedly to one another and laden with scribbled notes and several books each.  He turned on his stool to see Eli tipping back her glass and draining it, then holding up a hand to Sonia as the woman approached.

"I'm done, but thank you.  What's my portion of the cost?"

Arlo watched as Sonia surveyed the table to double check what was Eli's.  "-looks like just 70 gols."

And now he watched as Eli looked everything over. "-that's the cost and you're not tossing something in for free?" Sonia gave Django a very quick look at that and Eli raised an eyebrow.  "What're you trying to slip in for free?"

"Just the drink.  Don't worry about it - it's just 15 more gols, no big loss.  Consider it my welcome gift to Portia," Sonia said with a grin.

"All right.  Well, thank you.  I hope to stick around and not cause trouble. Or at least not any more trouble than I already have."

Sonia rolled her eyes.  "Oh, don't worry about Lee - he'll come around.  He didn't like Ack either at first."

"I'm told this Ack is a cook.  I'm not."

"I didn't think we'd get lucky enough to get two Old World cooks back to back," Sonia giggled.  She perched on the edge of a chair next to Eli.   "I know you just got bugged by all those bookworms but can I ask some questions?"

"What's a couple more after a hundred?" Eli replied, shaking her head.  She seemed more amused than anything.  "Go ahead."

"You don't have to if-"

"It's fine," she interrupted.  "I doubt you could be worse than that lot - here's a helpful life tip: if someone says they don't possess knowledge of something, rewording your question six different ways won't make that knowledge appear from thin air."

"Ugh.  I can only imagine, and I only heard like a third of the conversation anyway," Sonia said, huffing a bit.  "I had to ask at least that many times just to get their orders."

"Tunnel vision.  Anyway, go on."

Sonia clasped her hands together in her lap and leaned a bit toward Eli.  "This is going to sound silly but what was the fashion like back then?"

Arlo had to quickly turn around to keep from laughing at the absolutely bewildered look on Eli's face.

"Ah..well...uh, so.  Dubei had a couple million people in it.  Fashion was kind of..."

Eli trailed off; Arlo wondered if she was wishing the scholars would come back.

[siverwrites]

Yuletide Letter

AO3 - Siver

Thank you so much for taking this on! Here there are some general prompt details if you want them and if you already have some idea of your own, awesome. I can’t wait to see what you come up with.

In all cases, all listed characters do not have to be included.

General Likes: fluff, hurt/comfort, comfort, missing scenes, friendships, long-term friendships, close relationships of any sort whether romantic or platonic, familial bonds, found family, sickfic, fandom crossovers or fusions, angst with a happy or at least bittersweet end, bonding, cuddling/hugs/holding, banter, mutual care and support, emotional bonding, loyalty, pre-canon, post-canon, reuniting, slice of life, supernatural stuff, mystery, adventure, worldbuilding, creepy or unsettling atmospheres

General DNW: NSFW, non-con, dub-con, underage relationships, unrequested ships, infidelity, explicit gore

Any gen unless stated otherwise combination of character tags within each fandom is cool. Heck, any crossover/fusion between any of these fandoms is welcome too, go nuts. While not requested I’m also not opposed to a certain untitled goose making an appearance in any of the requested fandoms here either.

Ghost Trick

Alma (Ghost Trick)

Cabanela (Ghost Trick)

Jowd (Ghost Trick)

Kamila (Ghost Trick)

Missile (Ghost Trick)

Pigeon Man (Ghost Trick)

Sissel (Ghost Trick)

Yomiel (Ghost Trick)

DNW: NSFW, non-con, dub-con, underage relationships, unrequested ships, infidelity, explicit gore, Yomiel/anyone in the nommed tagset (if fianSissel comes into play that's obviously fine), human-Sissel (unless something taking place during game timeline when he thinks he’s human)

Ships I’m good with: Alma/Jowd/Cabanela, Alma/Jowd, Cabanela/Jowd (where the focus is there but without infidelity to Alma), Alma/Cabanela (with assumption of Jowd’s involvement, again just the focus landing there). Established relationship or pre-established, get your act together guys. Also just as great with non-romance between Jowd and Cabanela, so long as they’re close.

I love this game, its characters and pretty much everything about it, so whatever you want to do will be great I am sure. New timeline mysteries and missing memories are always welcome where it makes sense. Expansions of scenes in-game (I’m always a sucker for that period of time for Jowd and Cabanela between the end of Ch.9 and showing up at the Justice Minister’s office).

Alternate timelines and what-ifs are cool to explore. What if Alma was able to stick around as a ghost,powered, or otherwise? What if someone else like Cabanela went back instead of Jowd to the new timeline?

Fluff, comfort, family found or otherwise and friendships are always a go. Jowd family and extended family--as they absorb the people around them--good times. Spooky ghost shenanigans, mysteries in the night. Holiday fun times. Sissel and/or Missile doing stuff with anyone here is great. I’m a softy for Cabanela and Missile, our two loyal guardians. But what about Alma and Missile? Or Jowd and Missile? Etc.

Always down for various combinations of Pigeon Man with Cabanela, Jowd and/or Kamila. Or PM with someone less expected like Alma! Or Sissel! Or Missile! Post-Canon Yomiel and PM interaction of some sort?

Animal shenanigans and fluff is great.

Crossovers with other fandoms are cool, like Final Fantasy (FFVI and X). The Goose (of Untitled Goose Game) may not be welcome by the characters but I welcome them wholeheartedly into all crossover madness.

The Legend of Heroes VII | Zero/Ao no Kiseki                

Elie MacDowell (LoH VII)

Lloyd Bannings (LoH VII)

Randy Orlando (LoH VII)

Tio Plato (LoH VII)

DNW: NSFW, non-con, dub-con, underage relationships, unrequested ships, infidelity, explicit gore, Cold Steel III and IV spoilers, any ships between these four; I see them all as platonic and family

No ships here please.

Bonding and found family is the name of the game here! Family time for the four of them. Give the SSS some good times, or some much needed comforting times. Other characters are more than welcome if an appearance is wanted and makes sense like KeA, Zeit and Sergei.

Tio and Randy having a sibling-like relationship and bonding.

Lloyd and Randy having bro time or Lloyd trying to remind Randy that he does indeed belong with SSS.

Some needed attention for Elie: Explore Elie’s thoughts and feelings on everything that’s happening in Crossbell. What about her personal feelings on the Croises and betrayal by Mariabell? Her feelings on her own standing and what she wants?

Any combination of any of the SSS related characters is great if you want a bigger SSS gathering. I love them all.

Trails in the Sky

Agate Crosner (Trails in the Sky)

Anelace Elfead (Trails in the Sky)

Cassius Bright (Trails in the Sky)

Estelle Bright (Trails in the Sky)

Joshua Bright (Trails in the Sky)

Kevin Graham (Trails in the Sky)

Kloe Rinz | Klaudia von Auslese (Trails in the Sky)

Mueller Vander (Trails in the Sky)

Olivier Lenheim | Olivert Reise Arnor (Trails in the Sky)

Renne Hayworth (Trails in the Sky)

Ries Argent (Trails in the Sky)

Tita Russell (Trails in the Sky)

DNW: NSFW, non-con, dub-con, underage relationships, unrequested ships, infidelity, explicit gore, Cold Steel III and IV spoilers, Agate/Tita, any ships except those listed

Ships I’m good with: Kevin/Ries, Olivier/Mueller, Estelle/Joshua

Ries &/ Kevin: Anything in 3rd or after, pre-Ao no Kiseki, or after Ao no Kiseki. Give them some much needed soft times. Or could expand on a moment in Gehenna if you want to do something creepier, or really anything in Phantasma in particular or another Gralsritter mission.

Any combination of the Brights and those they adopt: Really feeling the family/found family vibes strongly with any combination of the Brights and Renne. Please give Renne some warmth, peace and happiness, or at least 2 out of 3. Father daughter bonding time with Estelle and Cassius. Father/Grand(?)father new bonding time with Renne and Cassius.

Tita & Renne: Girl time! Bonding time! Give these girls some joy. Send them plushy shopping or engineering nerding. Spooky story telling.Send them  both to hang out at the Bright home!

Olivier & Cassius: I’m just really interested to see more interaction between these two whether while they’re still planning or something before Olivier goes back to Erebonia after Sky SC. Cassius can’t help himself when it comes to giving advice…

Olivert & Mueller, Olivert/Mueller: Being there for each other. I’m fond of the little things like how Mueller always calls him Olivier even in Erebonia when Olivert’s identity is known and public. Heimdallr fun or trouble (Olivier…). Planning against Osborne. Look after a tired Olivert? Something during the civil war when they’re in the west?

Friendship and sister-like bonds between Kloe and Estelle. Estelle providing our crown princess with support?

More friendship and friendly rivalry between Estelle and Anelace.

Big brother little sister times with Tita and Agate. Travel or time spent in Zeiss.

Or try some unexpected combos! Ries and Tita? Mueller and Kloe? Olivier and Renne? etc.

Trails of Cold Steel

Rean Schwarzer

Towa Herschel

Fie Claussell

Laura S. Arseid

DNW: NSFW, non-con, dub-con, underage relationships, unrequested ships, infidelity, explicit gore, Rean/anyone

No ships here please

Rean and Towa or Fie and Laura are obvious and welcome combos. But feel free to mix things up! Towa and Fie or Towa and Laura or all three could be interesting. And of course if you have an idea for all four I’m happy to see it!

Any time during either CS 1 or II is great from Thors time to field studies to the Courageous and travelling through the civil war.

I love the friendship Rean and Towa have and how they try to look out for each other and really should both be taking their own advice.

I love how Fie and Laura end up bouncing off each other and how they were able to resolve their issues between them themselves. How might they spend some free time together that’s not training?

The Last Guardian     

The Boy (The Last Guardian)

Trico (The Last Guardian)

DNW: NSFW, non-con, dub-con, underage relationships, unrequested ships, infidelity, explicit gore

Give me all the cat-dog-bird fluff/shenanigans/playfulness/warmth/coziness. Anything while they’re together. Barrel feeding, snuggle time, riding, flying. Sweet or silly (Trico has his moments for sure) or something else. I adore Trico. I adore the boy and Trico’s companionship.

Alternatively something in the future. The boy grown up reuniting with Trico. A flight with Trico. A temporary willing return to the nest. Meeting Trico babies!

Pyre

Big Bertrude

Volfred Sandalwood

Tariq

Ti’zo

DNW: NSFW, non-con, dub-con, underage relationships, unrequested ships, infidelity, explicit gore

Ships: Volfred/Tariq

These four have all known each other in the past too: Volfred, Tariq and Ti’zo as part of the past Nightwings and Volfred and Bertrude. Anything playing with that is great.

Big Bertrude & Volfred Sandalwood: I adore their close friendship and that it came about from Bertrude’s unrequited love, but it’s okay, better than okay! Anything between them in their history, or during the Nightwings travels or post revolution would be great.

Tariq & Big Bertrude: We don’t see a lot of interaction between them. How do they get along? What stories might they share? An appreciation for music or something to tolerate? What does a day in the blackwagon look like between them?

Volfred Sandalwood/Tariq | The Lone Minstrel: Something gentle for the tree and the moon who somehow fell for him, any time period

Imp times with any of them! Ti’zo and Volfred’s embrace when Volfred was introduced was adorable. How do Ti’zo and Bertrude get along? What does the herald and the imp talk about?