#guest muse: vossler york azelas

[tarnishedxknight]

[ Another Time Another Place A Hollow Universe In Space ]

When Vossler angrily said that mocking him was punishable by imprisonment, likely to intimidate and silence them, Rocket waved at him with a dismissive paw. “Save it, pal. Our team was formed accidentally at the Kyln, which is… you guessed it! A prison. I’ve escaped twenty-three prisons, so I wouldn’t bother if I were ya.”

Vossler didn’t seem self-aware enough to realize the Guardians were respectful with Reks, Basch or the other guards for a reason. But Vossler had clearly noticed that even the other guards chuckled at how ineffective his remarks were, which made Rocket think they didn’t like the man very much. Meanwhile, Mantis couldn’t ignore the sensation that something was wrong. The feeling made her antennae go crazy. Her fingertips went numb, her senses trying to adapt to the place. It was like running into a cobweb; you could barely see it, but you could feel it clinging to you. It was something she had never experienced before, despite the hundreds of planets they had visited.

“C'mon, man,” Quill said to Vossler when he started to insult Reks. “He’s still learning. Give him a break. I get it, you’re smart and we’re idiots, you know better and everyone else does not. If you’re so capable, stick to annoying other adults. Not kids.”

“It is a childish and cowardly thing to do,” Gamora said with a nod, agreeing with her boyfriend’s statement. “There is a difference between using your authority to maintain order and abusing it to belittle and demean young ones. Pathetic. Arrogant men like yourself tend to assume the entire galaxy belongs to them.” Gamora got close to his face, partly to shield Reks, but mostly to make sure Vossler could see her hardened expression. “If I were one of your colleagues, I wouldn’t trust you in the slightest. If I were a damsel in distress, I would trust you even less,” she hissed as she glared at him.

“You fuckin’ tell him, babe,” Quill said, unable to hide his proud, smug smirk.

Mantis felt slightly better after the Guardians held her in a group hug, providing her with a sense of familiarity by letting her read their emotions, helping her ground herself. In her disoriented state, she couldn’t see Munoh right away, but she could feel their presence even before the Occurian got close to her. When they stared at her, Mantis just… stared back, her eyes wide with surprise and incomprehension. The entire experience was affecting her, and now she had a vision to deal with. As her face paled, Mantis swallowed, trying not to engage with the hallucination, and focused on the Zune, trying to pick a song to listen to. However, as she adjusted the headphones over her ears, she quickly glanced at Munoh once again.

When Basch returned and told Quill that the King would see them, the half-human half-Celestial hybrid clapped once and did a little dance. “Cool, awesome! I mean…” Quill stilled and cleared his throat, bowing his head. “Thank you, Captain. We are grateful for your kindness, and we will remind it fondly in the future.”

“Remember it, not remind it. Dumbass,” Rocket corrected.

“If we have permission to do so, we’re all going. Together,” Quill said, ignoring Rocket. “Y'know, I think we know why Mantis feels the way she does. It doesn’t seem to be a health problem, it’s more of an empath problem.” He turned to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Can you walk?” He smiled when Mantis nodded. “Yeah? Good. Come on, Guardians!” he roared.

“Why are you yelling?” Drax inquired.

“Yeah, we’re right here,” Mantis complained.

__________

“Ah, criminal fugitives, then. I might have known,” Vossler said judgmentally. “King Raminas is occupied with keeping this kingdom safe amidst war and plague. He hasn’t time to waste on miscreants like yourselves.”

Reks hated being left with Vossler. Dealing with him was night and day compared to his captain. It made Reks wonder how and why Vossler was accepted into the Order in the first place, but it was not his place to ever comment, of course.

Vossler looked to a few mechanics who were waiting to perform maintenance on the ship, even as they looked up at it and whispered amongst themselves at all the parts that looked like none they’d ever seen before. “Well?” he called to them and they all stiffened. “The sooner we fix this junkheap, the sooner we shall all be rid of these delinquents.”

The mechanics sprung into action, inasmuch as they went to approach the ship to check parts and skystones that didn’t exist, and to repair other parts they knew nothing about...

When Quill questioned his treatment of Reks, strangely going so far as to refer to the royal guardsman as an infant goat, for some unknown reason, Vossler listened quietly. As a very green woman continue to berate him, he stared for a moment before motioning for Reks to come closer to him. “You there, lad.”

“Y-yes, Ser Azelas?” Reks said, stepping forward.

“How many summers have you seen?” he asked.

“Seventeen, ser,” Reks replied.

“And how long are you enlisted in Dalmasca’s army?” Vossler pressed.

“Two years, ser,” the young man answered.

“And how long are you in service within the Royal Guard?” Vossler asked.

“One year, ser,” Reks replied, straightening a bit more with his response. It was clear that he was very proud of that promotion, indeed.

“There,” Vossler said, turning back to Quill. “He is no child. The age of adulthood in Dalmasca is sixteen, since you claim to be unaware of Ivalician cultures, and he has been already two years a soldier. Furthermore, in times of war and political unrest, we do not employ idiots among the Royal Palace Guard. Our king’s safety is paramount. Only the finest are promoted to such positions. The lad’s failing is neither lack of intelligence nor experience, but rather...” he glanced back at Reks, “lack of manners towards his superiors.”

“A-apologies, ser, if I have been at all rude,” Reks said to Vossler.

The corners of Vossler’s mouth curled ever so slightly upwards, his immense ego reveling in the guard’s subservience. “You are forgiven. But you will conduct yourself better from this moment onward.”

“Yes, ser,” Reks said.

Munoh noticed the one with very strong energy behaving... oddly. More than once she almost looked directly at them, but seemed to quite deliberately avert her gaze. Munoh sensed her energy becoming more volatile, as if disturbed by their presence. “You sense me, child... do you not?” Munoh asked very gently, a curious inquiry rather than a blunt challenge. Not many could detect the presence of an Occurian if they wished to remain undetectable, not without magical assistance, and so Munoh was impressed and intrigued. “No harm do I mean. Be at peace,” they said, offering some calming energy in her direction, since she seemed to be so unsettled. It was ancient, Munoh’s magic, but not threatening. More like an old, wise, guardian than an insidious intruder. Only a little, though, did they offer, for this one seemed to be highly sensitive to surrounding energies, and Munoh had no desire to overwhelm.

Upon Basch’s return, the very air seemed lighter among the ranks. “Aye, you’ve all permission to have audience with His Majesty. Howe’er, I must ask that you leave any and all weapons behind. If you are unaware, war currently rages on all sides around us. There are many who would seek to threaten His Majesty’s life and Dalmascan autonomy. ‘Tis a risk we cannot take. I bid you understand.” It was not negotiable, and yet Basch said it as though it were a kind request among friends rather than a direct order. He had a way with tone and words, with making those around him feel seen and heard, and with putting others at comfortable ease. It was part of the reason why he was Knight Captain over an older, native Dalmascan like Vossler. “You have my word that none shall threaten you unprovoked inside the palace, or they will answer to me,” he said rather formally. “Treat with us in peace, and we shall do the same with you.”

Vossler had taken to idly picking at his fingernails with the tip of a dagger while he listened to this conversation. Why was Raminas bothering with these lowlifes? Did he not have more important things to do with his time?

“Ser Azelas, remain here and make certain their ship is properly tended to,” Basch ordered.

“Aye,” Vossler simply said, though he was already bored of this.

Basch turned to the group of royal guardsmen, pointing in turn at two of them. “You, and you. Remain here and assist as needed. The rest of you, with me,” he ordered.

Reks, included among through going with Basch, was far more outwardly relieved than perhaps he should have been.

The Royal Palace of Rabanastre was a sprawling building of three main floors, six towers, and hundreds of years of history. Some seven hundred years old, the massive building consisted of white and beige sandstone, white marble, and granite, all locally sourced. As the Guardians were led inside its carved walls and high ceilings, it was apparent that the ancient building was very well kept. Clean and devoid of cracks or wear, the stone shined with a lovely polish at every glance. All around, tapestries depicting Dalmasca’s history and culture hung, as did the royal seal of House Dalmasca.

The only things that might have seemed out of place with the impeccably maintained luxury around every corner was the intrusion of sand and the presence of tiny lizards. Glistening, crystalline sand grains collected in corners and against walls, and this did not seem to bother anyone. In fact, it seemed almost welcomed and aesthetically acceptable for this to occur, judging by the fact that no one anywhere was in the process of sweeping it away. And the diminutive lizards, not unlike those of the anoles of Terra, were everywhere. On the walls, the ceilings, even clinging to the tapestries. And this, too, seemed normal, for the various guardsmen walking about within the palace took no notice of them beyond avoiding stepping directly on them.

Basch led the Guardians from the dock into one of the towers and down into the palace proper, taking them through large, opulent hallways lined with guards and servants alike. The palace was a bright and bustling place, filled with happy and proud energy, despite the hard times the population of Rabanastre found itself braving. All who worked there were proud to be there, loved their king and kingdom, and were proud to be Dalmasca. It was also clear that they had a great deal of respect for Basch as well, for many greeted him along the way. And whether it was another knight, a guard, or a lowly servant who greeted him, Basch returned the greeting with respect and kindness in like kind.

Soon, they arrived at a pair of immense, towering double doors flanked by guards more heavily armored than some others had been along the way. Basch paused before them, turning to the Guardians. “Please wait here a moment,” he asked of them as the doors were cranked open and he entered. The doors were closed behind him, and the Guardians found themselves waiting without, bounded by guards on all sides. This was only for a couple of minutes, and then the doors were cranked open fully and Basch bid the Guardians all enter. Once they had, the doors were cranked shut once more.

Upon a throne at the end of a long, torchlit, golden hall was an aging man with a kind face. Although old, he seemed alert and had a regal bearing about him.

“Your Majesty, I present to you Captain Star-Lord of Missouri in Terra, and his crew,” Basch said, nodding formally to the king before turning to the Guardians. “His Majesty King Raminas B’nargin Dalmasca,” he announced to them before stepping aside to allow the meeting to continue. He remained close by the throne, however.

{ I’m stopping here because I didn’t know if Quill or anyone else would speak up before the king did. And I also didn’t know if they would put up a stink about the weapons issue, so feel free to do whatever you wanted with that, heh. I will place a pic of Raminas below, though, so that you know what the Guardians are seeing when they meet him. He looks weary here because he just got some bad news, lol, but with them he’d look a bit more friendly. There just... aren’t too many pics of him because he died so early on in the game. }

[tarnishedxknight]

[ Another Time Another Place A Hollow Universe In Space ]

“Yeah. Space.” Quill nodded when Basch asked if he was referring to outer space. “We’re the Guardians of the Galaxy, so we travel the, uh… galaxy?” His eyes widened when Basch told him about the dock. “Wait, really? Shit, I’m so sorry! I’ll make it up to you!”

When Vossler appeared and the guardsmen seemed to stiffen, the Guardians didn’t fully understand who this guy was or why the other men seemed tense around him. He was just some guy, at least to them. When he coldly told the Guardians to leave because they weren’t welcome, they all blinked and exchanged glances. They had been the biggest losers in the galaxy, the rejects, the abused. Vossler’s rude remarks were as effective as trying to fight a hurricane with a sigh. Basch seemed to give the Guardians the benefit of the doubt, however, and they nodded when he told them to wait there.

“Thank you, kind sir,” Quill said, trying to sound formal.

Drax laughed again. “You sound so silly when you make your voice deeper!”

“I’m not! This is my voice!” Quill cleared his throat and rolled his eyes when Vossler spoke directly to him, asking what manner of ship the Benatar was, but then the younger one, Reks, answered for him. When Vossler said they were lying, and not lying well, Quill seemed offended. “Hey! I am a great liar! Not that I exhibited my excellent lying abilities recently…” His statement was met with protests from the other Guardians.

“Two weeks ago you said you weren’t doing anythin’ and played it cool when I woke up to get a glass of water and I caught you singing along to Dancing Queen in a high-pitched voice,” Rocket pointed out.

“The other day I asked you,” Gamora said, “if you were scared of my sister, and you said no before jumping and hiding behind me when she walked by.”

“Fine, fine! Jesus.” Quill held both hands up in surrender and turned his attention to Vossler once again. “Look, what I’m tryin’ to say is that we do, in fact, come from space. If you don’t believe us, sir, that sounds like a you problem.”

“I am Groot,” Groot said cheekily, mimicking Vossler’s condescending tone before producing a fart noise with his tongue.

Quill, Rocket and Drax broke into uncontrollable laughter at Groot’s comment. Gamora shook her head, but a small smirk appeared on her face. Even Mantis, who was feeling unwell, couldn’t help but giggle. But her improvement was momentary. Color drained from her face once again, and she stood still.

“Also…” Rocket, still laughing, turned to Vossler. “I don’t get what makes you think we would lie to impress you.”

“You gotta put up with this kinda attitude often, buddy?” Quill said to Reks, noticing how anxious the young man seemed around Vossler. It was as if Reks feared being left with him, especially since the situation was already tense enough. Then, Quill frowned when Mantis placed Groot on his shoulder. She started to recoil. “Hey. Mantis, what’s wrong?” he asked, in turn placing Groot on Drax’s shoulder.

“Too loud. It’s too loud in this place.”

“It’s not loud.”

“No, I don’t mean loud with your ears, I am talking about a different kind of loud!” Mantis didn’t stop recoiling until her back hit the wall, covering her ears anyway in case it helped. Her antennae glowing with a dim, faint light. Tears welled in her eyes, running down her cheeks. “It hurts! Where are we, Peter?”

Quill, suddenly understanding a little better why Mantis was feeling sick, pulled her into a hug, letting her use his emotions to ground herself as she sobbed into his chest. He gave the other Guardians a look, mouthing ’you know the drill’, and Drax joined them with Groot. Gamora followed. Rocket, though mumbling curses and complaints, approached Mantis as well and grabbed her hand to place it between his ears. As much as he hated the feeling of having someone inside his head, he did it anyway because he knew Mantis needed it, and because his constant nightmares went away mere days after they accepted her into the team… and Rocket knew it wasn’t a coincidence. Once Mantis was calmer and the Guardians gave her some space, Quill grabbed his trench coat and draped it over Mantis’ shoulders so she could wear it, before disconnecting the Zune and giving it to her, placing the headphones over her ears. Mantis threw her arms around Quill’s shoulders and kissed his cheek, her tears gone, replaced with a beaming smile.

(Oh thank you so much for the detailed explanation! Keep in mind I can always look up something I don’t understand tho, I wouldn’t want you to spend a lot of time giving me context and getting to less replies because of it! LMFAO great idea, it’s pretty in character for Peter Quill to accidentally land on a palace and be like “whoops! Sorry! Will you forgive me if I show you ABBA’s greatest hits?” Vossler, man, if you pick a fight with Rocket “Professional Asshole” Raccoon I can’t guarantee your physical or emotional safety, my guy. But yesss, yeet all the muses at them, canon or oc. For example, yeet Munoh at Mantis and watch her think she’s hallucinating because she’s already feeling sick. Yeet Caelen at Drax and watch him think Caelen is a beautiful woman and buy “her” a drink. Yeet Noah at Rocket and watch the two of them either bond over their anger issues or try to kill each other. Yeet Vossler at Mantis and watch her use her powers to make Vossler suck his thumb like a baby… So many possibilities! Give me all the in-character drama.)

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{ Oh no, you’re fine! It was more a tiredness and a lack of brain issue this past Tuesday, not that I spent too much time on your reply. Burnout from work, basically. I actually had time to write, I was just too tired to focus on long, detailed replies. The only reason I could get yours out was because for some reason I have a rabid amount of muse for this thread, so it powered through the sleepiness, lol.

I think I will throw Munoh at Mantis because I realized that certain things going on would attract them to the area, but… OMG LOL DRAX THINKING CAELEN IS A WOMAN. XD He is a very… pretty man. I’m sure he’ll grow into his ruggedness when he gets older, but at the time of this thread, he’d be in his 20s so… yeah, he’s a very fine-featured young man, heh. And UGH I LOVE WOULD TO YEET NOAH AT ROCKET. They’d either kill each other or really bond. Unfortunately Noah is thousands of miles away in Archadia. And feel free to have anyone and everyone fuck with Vossler however they want, he’s basically there… to be fucked with, heh. That’s the only value of having him in a thread at all. XD }

“‘Tis forgiven. You were not to know, being thrown afar of your intended destination,” Basch said with kind respect. Wherever that might have been. He understood that these people truly hadn’t meant to dock where they did. Maybe it was technically trespassing, and maybe it did raise alarm because of the tense climate of war in which Dalmasca was currently immersed, but clearly it was a matter of necessity and misunderstanding, not malice. Even so, he needed to speak with King Raminas about it before the narrative got away from him via rumors and hearsay within the palace. Or Vossler’s own intolerance.

Although Vossler tended not to be as empathetic as he, Basch knew he would not cause undue issues while he was done either. His longtime friend had a bit of an arrogance issue, but when tempered by those who could point it out to him, Vossler had made small improvements here and there. Perhaps he didn’t have the temperament to be a Knight of the Order of Dalmasca, but that was not his decision to make. All he could do was advise His Majesty and then manage the final results, which he was attempting to do now.

The other guards shrank back a bit, content to let Reks take the brunt of Vossler’s ire, though they did receive a stern look of reprimand from the knight when they began to chuckle at how these foreigners were reacting to him. Reks, however, truly cared about his job and was trying to pay attention and assist Vossler however the knight might need, even if he truly disliked the man.

The more Vossler listened to the Guardians banter among themselves and otherwise childishly disrespect him, the more he simply stared, eyes narrowed. “Idiots,” he mumbled in irritated incredulity. 

“Ser?” Reks asked, not having quite heard him.

“They are idiots, the lot of them,” he said, gesturing towards them. “Listen as they twitter and cluck as though part of some ill-scripted mummer’s farce,” he said a bit louder. “Perhaps I was mistaken. They seem not to possess the intelligence to be thieves or spies,” he said.

“Maybe… they’re just travelers, ser,” Reks suggested.

“When I wish your opinion, I shall solicit it,” he said sternly.

“Yes, ser, s-sorry, ser,” Reks stammered. 

“Mocking a Knight of the Order is an offense punishable by imprisonment, tiny creatures,” he said to the Guardians, looking at Groot and Rocket in particular.

When Quill addressed Reks, the young man didn’t know how to respond. If he said no, he was lying. If he said yes, Vossler would no doubt yell at him for it. “Um…” he stalled, trying to think of a diplomatic response.

“I am his superior. You will address me,” Vossler said to Quill.

“N-no,” Reks said before he could think better of it. “With all due respect, ser, Ser Ronsenburg is our superior. You are an authority, to be sure, b-but not our direct superior. We take our orders from him, not… n-not from you…” He nearly swallowed his own heart as it jumped up into his throat.

Vossler turned to look at Reks, his gaze sharp enough to run the poor boy through. “All knights are superior to insolent grunts like you,” he said harshly. “Or have you forgotten that only but a year ago, you were starving on the streets of Lowtown? If you wish to keep your newfound privilege, you will show respect where it is due, boy.”

Reks wasn’t about to say anything further after that, even if it meant not speaking up to correct something that wasn’t true. It just wasn’t worth throwing away his whole career that he’d worked so hard for. He had a brother to support, after all.

- - - - - 

Munoh could ignore the change in energy no longer. First, there had been the feeling of something shifting, enough to make the Occurian’s magickstuffs pulsate with greater fervor than they had in a long time. A rift, it was. It had been centuries since Munoh had felt something like a rift in time and space, but… there was no mistaking it. It had an energy, a charge, a life all its own, when the very fabric of time and space was torn asunder, and anomalies permitted either entrance to or exit from where they ought or ought not to remain.

Curious, to say the least, but Munoh was loathe to leave Caelen’s side. The young man had been very unstable of late, with his deployment to the Dalmascan/Nabradian border imminent from the way King Raminas had been talking of late. However, when surges in psychological energy began tickling Munoh as well, ones that indicated the mental footprint of either a powerful magic user or an empath or perhaps both, curiosity got the better of the Occurian, and they decided to investigate.

Invisible and inaudible to mortals of this plane, by current choice, Munoh flew through sandstone and marble alike, through the palace. Walls meant nothing to ones without bodies, after all. The rift had occurred high in the sky, Munoh supposed, for that was where the disturbance had felt strongest. But the mental signature was coming from a place far closer to the earth. High for the humes of the palace, maybe, but for an Occurian native to a city far up in the heavens, this was almost ground level. Nevertheless, they located the source fairly quickly, and were downright excited with what they discovered. This… was a powerful being. In distress, certainly, but powerful nevertheless. But what was she…? Munoh had never encountered a being such as her before.

Believing themself to be unable to be seen or heard by anyone other than those chosen by them, Munoh floated very close to the one in distress, peering through the gathering of cronies around her to better assess her energy. Oh. Oh? She carries parts of the stars within her. Interesting. It seemed, upon first contact, that the being was in some way connected to the heavens and beyond, which was nothing short of amazing to Munoh. For now they merely watched and listened, content to observe this strange yet intriguing being for a while.

- - - - -

“Sh-should we bring them to the sages?” Reks asked, seeing how much distress one of the travelers was.

“Nay,” Vossler simply said.

“B-but-” Reks said, but he was quickly cut off.

“We will wait for Ser Ronsenburg,” Vossler said with patronizing annoyance. “Since he is your superior, you can do nothing without his word. Is that not what you said? So, we wait.”

“Y-yes, ser,” Reks said, defeated, although he was happy to see that, whatever was wrong with the odd-looking female, her friends seemed to know how to make her feel better… at least temporarily.

Basch returned rather quickly, not wishing to waste very much time. The guardsmen looked very happy to see him back. Walking up to the Guardian’s ship, he addressed Quill first. “Captain Star-Lord, King Raminas will grant you audience now,” he said with a respectful nod. He looked around at the rest of them. “If any of you wish to accompany your captain, you have permission to do so. If not, you may remain here until he returns. In the meantime, our sages will do what they can for the ill member of your crew. If she is not well enough to walk to them, they can be brought here to her. What say you?” he asked, leaving some of the details to them, as he didn’t know how comfortable they all were with leaving their ship, seeing as how they were a long way from home.

Vossler was silent as Basch addressed the Guardians, and Reks continued to pay close attention, in case his captain asked something of him.

[tarnishedxknight]

[ Another Time Another Place A Hollow Universe In Space ]

The Guardians exchanged looks, glancing at each other as Basch spoke. They were all silently asking themselves the same question.

Where are we?

“Skystone?” Quill echoed. “Wait, what? I don’t use those to fuel my ship.”

“Our ship,” Rocket corrected.

“We fuel it on space stations,” Quill added, ignoring Rocket. “It’s an M-class spaceship. It doesn’t need skystones. I don’t even know what a skystone is.”

“You don’t know what many things are, Quill,” Drax said rather stoically.

“Could we leave remarks for later?” Gamora suggested. “Now is not the time.”

“I threw a stone at Quill once because he wouldn’t stop callin’ me a trash panda,” Rocket said to Basch, his arms crossed. “Does that count?”

Drax’s stoic expression disappeared and he started laughing uncontrollably, while Mantis, still holding Groot, gently placed him on her shoulder.

“Wait, there’s a palace here?” Quill asked when Basch said they weren’t allowed to walk in unescorted. He quickly turned around and searched for a mirror. “Could you give me five minutes? I’ve gotta check my hair.”

“I am Groot?” Groot, perched on Mantis’ shoulder, placed his tiny hands on her cheek. “I am Groot…”

“He is right. You look pale, Mantis,” Gamora said, her eyes gleaming with concern.

“I do?” Mantis blinked, trying to get rid of the unusual, burning feeling behind her eyes. Her head was spinning; her vision, blurry. The Guardians formed a small circle around her. Even Quill stopped looking for a mirror. “I am fine,” she said. “A little dizzy, but I am okay.”

“You’re lookin’ gaunt, bug,” Rocket mumbled.

“Captain,” Quill said to Basch. “From one Captain to another: I gotta look after my team. If you want us to wait here to prove we mean no harm, we will. But I think my friend is not feeling well. If we could formally introduce ourselves, at palace or anywhere else, then maybe we could get her the help she needs.” He swallowed, visibly trying to keep calm. He wasn’t feeling great either, though he couldn’t really pinpoint why. All the Guardians knew something was… off. What Mantis felt was just a more intense, heightened version of that. To travel the planets and galaxies was one thing, and they were used to it. But the Guardians had ended up on another universe, even though they didn’t know that yet.

(Thank you for explaining, that’s so cool! Yeah, the Guardians are like “what the fuck is a skystone?” hahaha, and I was referring to a Pokémon called Chandelure, they have a similar face! Whether Munoh interacts with Mantis or not, she’s gonna have a hard time. It’s because you’re in another universe and your empathy can feel it from all angles, Mant.)

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{ I’m putting this below a cut because damn it got long, heh.}

{ No problem! I just thought that since you said you were completely unfamiliar with the game that I’d help you get an idea of what was going on. I know that I find that even if it’s something my muses don’t know or that will never come up in a thread, it helps me to have the information because then I can write from a place of understanding as far as what they’d be seeing or how they might interpret things they know nothing about.

To give you an idea of where exactly they are, this pic shows the Royal Palace of Rabanastre, and if you look in the upper left, at those spire-like structures sticking out of the top of it, those aren’t only watchtowers and places from which the mages cast shield spells and other things to protect the palace, they also contain the ship docks. So the docks are actually up in the air, and then there’s a walkway that you get onto when you get off your ship and you can walk into the tower and down into the palace, assuming you’re allowed to, heh. There are other docks in the city, but those are the ones for palace use only. But honestly, if they’re the highest ones in the city, it makes sense that the Guardians would’ve landed there first.

They never really showed the Dalmascan royal docks in any kind of detail, but I took some screenshots of an Archadian one which at least shows the basic idea. There’s a locking mechanism that kindof grabs the ship when it moves closer to the dock, holding it in place, and then you’d exit onto the walkway. Granted, this one is for a tiny ship and not in Dalmasca, but it’s the same setup. 

So the Guardians when they open their ship would be seeing what looks like a walkway and then an entranceway into… somewhere, heh. There’d be guards posted randomly around in addition to the small group Basch brought with him.

Also I’m so sorry, but Vossler wants to start some shit. I absolutely refuse to make him a full muse because I seriously dislike him, but he wants in on this so I’m going to let him have a say. Basch would leave someone of authority with the Guardians while he spoke to the king anyway, so it makes sense. But ugh, I hope he doesn’t end up ruining the whole thread with his arrogant ass. *rolls eyes* 

And OH, HAHA, I totally read that fast and thought it was “chandelier,” which wasn’t far off either, I thought. I’m not familiar with that Pokémon (I stopped played so many years ago, heh) but I looked it up and omg you’re right, it’s got those same round yellow eyes, lol.  }

The more these odd travelers spoke, the more perplexed and wary the guards standing behind Basch appeared. They looked at each other in shock and bewilderment. Basch, however, remained calm and attentive, letting them talk amongst themselves as he listened. It was his experience that people revealed much if one just let them talk, and so he did so… and what he heard was startling, to say the least.

They didn’t know what skystones were? Their ship… didn’t use them? How else did they stay in the air? And what sort of fuel were they referring to? By the time their captain was talking about space and the class of their ship, Basch felt it prudent to interject. He could also tell his guards were unnerved by this entire situation, Reks in particular. He was a young man of seventeen, but already a member of the royal guard by virtue of his dedication and ability. His self-doubt often hindered him, however, and so Basch had sought to keep him close, to help him gain confidence.

“C-captain…?” Reks said nervously, a look of worry he often wear already forming on his young face. Who were these people, where were they from, and more importantly, what did they want?

“Steady,” Basch said to him gently. “Space,” he then repeated to this Star-Lord. “Do you refer to the heavens? Adjacent the stars?” he asked, by way of clarification. Was that… possible? Perhaps in far distant lands, there were peoples who had far more advanced technology than was known of in Ivalice, but he’d never heard of such a thing before. “I know not what an M-class ship is, nor what sort of fuel you seek, but by your ship’s lack of both skystones and glossair rings, am I assume that you are from a land far outside of Ivalice?”

At the mention of the palace, Basch realized that they didn’t even know they were essentially at said palace. “Aye.” He gestured behind him. “This is the Royal Palace of Rabanastre, home of His Majesty King Raminas of Dalmasca. As I said, ‘tis a dock zoned purely for palace traffic at which you’ve arrived,” he explained, calmly and respectfully.

At the mention of someone being ill, however, Basch fell silent. He watched as the occupants of the ship seemed to focus on one of their own in particular, an individual of a race he’d never before seen. In fact, nearly all aboard the ship appeared to be of races unknown to him. Only Star-Lord, who appeared to Basch to be a hume, was a familiar sight. He opened his mouth to respond to the man’s plea when a voice from behind caused him to turn.

“Who dares trespass in our airspace? Thieves? Or Spies?” said Vossler sternly, storming up to see the situation for himself. “Word of a ship of questionable affiliation has spread quickly throughout the palace,” he said to Basch.

When Vossler arrived, there was a noticeable change in the demeanor of the small group of guardsmen who had accompanied Basch. It was not as if they were slacking or behaving informally by any means, but they had clearly been relaxed in Basch’s presence. With the addition of Vossler, the guards visibly stiffened, appearing a bit more nervous around him.

“An emergency landing, it was. Their ship experienced distress and one of their crew is ill,” Basch explained to Vossler before turning back to the ship. “Captain Star-Lord, this is Ser Vossler York Azelas, Knight of Dalmasca. Ser Azelas, this is Captain Star-Lord of Missouri in Terra.”

“Where?” Vossler asked, bewildered.

“I’ve not heard of it either. I believe they have traveled very far,” Basch said.

“And they can turn right ‘round and return from whence they came. They’ve neither right nor given privilege to remain here,” Vossler said coldly.

“Their ship requires repair, and one of them is in need of healing,” Basch insisted.

“That is neither our problem nor our concern,” Vossler said with the same coldness. He looked to the Guardians. “Leave. You are not welcome here.”

“I have welcomed them,” Basch said, his gentle, kind tone taking on a sudden stern authority. “They have done no wrong and are in need of assistance. We will provide that assistance, as per the code of the Order to which we hold with honor.” Vossler was his friend, but his arrogance was something of a personal failing of his, Basch knew.

Reks swallowed hard, looking between Basch and Vossler. A few of the others shifted uncomfortably on their feet.

Vossler sighed with emasculated frustration and his jaw clenched, setting crooked for a moment, before he responded. “Aye, Captain.”

“Remain here while I speak with His Majesty. He should know of this, and Star-Lord has requested an audience. And we must attend to the one who is ill in swift course,” Basch said, turning to leave.

Reks was practically begging with his expression not to be left with Vossler, but alas, the young man had no choice.

As Basch left off down the connecting passage between the dock and the palace tower, Vossler slowly stepped closer to the ship, eyeing each and every one of the Guardians as well as their ship. “What manner of ship is this, Captain?” he asked, speaking the title with arrogant condescension. “Cargo carrier, personnel transport, or tactical vessel?”

“Th-they said it was an M-class ship, Ser,” Reks said.

Vossler turned a bit to look at him. “And what does that mean?”

Reks shrugged and shook his head. “I don’t know, Ser.”

Vossler turned back to the Guardians. “Archadian spies? Or Rozarrian? Which are you?” he challenged them.

“They said they came from space, Ser,” Reks said.

Vossler’s face contorted with distrust and irritation. “Space? Absurd.” He looked directly at Star-Lord. “At least lie well.”