#housetummelt

[exiled-turk]

he had pieced the picture together since leaving gralea - backtracked through the foggy memories of the past; the airship that had been downed near alstor slough all those years ago, the losses the empire had wrote those soldiers off as, just numbers on a page, no mention or acknowledgement that the airship had been carrying child-soldiers.

baldur had gone against the grain and disregarded orders, but he'd found his son, hadn't he? it had to have been back then that he'd crossed paths with dave auburnbrie. and it must have been that which had made his old friend realise that his boys were nothing more than battle fodder to an old man.

little had baldur known that his and the hunters lives would end up so entwined.

' play along, and we all might just get out of here. ' veld spoke beneath his breath, finally reaching the door. raising his flesh and blood hand, the turk thumped the metal door, waiting a beat for it to open and he stood to the side, holding out the links of baldur's shackles for legend and knife to take the lead - each took hold of one of baldur's arms, tailored black suits stark against the metal armour of the soldiers who stood guard in the corridor - they still believed this to be above their paygrade and didn't question whom they believed to be the leader of the turks.

they'd both have hell to pay for when ulldor realised his prized pony was missing, but they would have to become two more to a long list of collateral damage veld seemed to leave in his wake. but for once, this was for altruistic ends, not for himself or for the turks or the empire as a whole.

' at ease, we won't be long. ' veld curtly informed the guards, keeping his breath even and his voice level as his two turks began leading baldur down the corridor. he followed a few metres behind - far enough back to ensure his own safety and close enough to keep his charges within his sights, but far enough back to ensure there were no whispers of suspicions coming from any guards. the heels of his shoes made a dull click that echoed off of the poured-concrete walls of the base, ringing hollow as they rounded a corner and traversed the network of hallways and corridors that led throughout the base. each corridor a clone-copy of the one before, each step measured and fought against the urge to hurry, veld thought they'd never make it to the door of the vehicle hangar.

but they did, after what felt like forever. a polished black jeep was parked nearest the exit, ready and waiting for them, but there was another betrayal to come yet ... baldur was a variable. legend and knife knew their roles and knew how to play them to a tee, baldur was a seasoned general, but a prisoner of war whose whole world had just been turned on its head and a man who had all the skills and the necessary reasons to kill him the moment they got through the garrison gates.

' forgive me old friend, but you'll have to trust me one last time - i will get you out of here and back to your son. ' veld offered no other explanation when baldur's head whipped around, merely nodded his head at knife, who took her opportunity to plunge a needle into the general's exposed neck - a sedative. one that would ensure their safety for the five hours it would take them to get to caem.

He did not know.

There was no trace.

What if only Reno had survived? That was more than he had been able to hope for these past ten years. And yet it still burrowed the pain that had grown to scars into his soul deeper. Writhing again. Tearing open old wounds.

If Ida and Loqi were dead…

Looking up, his glare dug into Veld’s back. Of course Reno did not trust him – he was smart. Smarter than his old man. Veld had proven to be the last person on Eos to trust. And Dave… Auburbrie. That old hunter from back then… Baldur hoped this man still held to his morals. And listened to Reno. Not to let Veld closer than needed.

Just like Baldur needed Veld now. But as soon as he was free…

“Get me out of here…”

[meldaciomartyr]

Continued from here.

It was irony o' ironies that he was so good at readin' folks, but forgot he was such an open book for others t'read too. Keepin' secrets had never been somethin' that suited him. Course he knew of the menaces in the dungeons deep below Lucis, but that was a secret a small portion o' the hunters knew of, an' it was for the better of all people they were ignorant t'the slumberin' atrocities.

But this? How he'd kept this to himself for the past few weeks was beyond even Dave as he let out a heavy sigh. Of course Ida could tell there was somethin' goin' on; she was one o' the most intelligent people he'd ever met. Reno was a master at hidin' his emotions and she could even read him.

"I wouldn't do that to ya," he wouldn't disrespect her an' walk away from this conversation lyin' an' telling her it was all fine. It wasn't fine; word from Veld had it he was puttin' his plan into force tonight an' they'd soon know whether a former Imperial general was alive or not.

"- but yain't gonna like any o' this darlin'." Biting his lower lip, Dave slowly sat on the chair across from Ida and his shoulders felt like they'd cave in with the weight of it all. "I couldn't tell ya all along in case it all came t'nothing."

@housetummelt

[littlexsisterxulric]

@housetummelt Continued from (x)

Smiling widely, Selena wrapped her arms around the woman, returning the hug and feeling a small pang of guilt for what she was going to say. She was an adult, so was Reno, and they should be able to hash things out between them, but this was different.

"I'm fine," Selena stated, nodding her head a beat later to help put Ida's concern to rest, "And so is Jake." And Reno was too - for the most part. Picking at a loose thread on the cuff of her sweater, Selena pulled a face, not feeling wholly confident in her wording, but knowing she had to say something. And maybe this would turn out to be something - maybe it was his father's birthday? Or it was coming close to a date that meant something back before he came to Meldacio? Something he didn't want to tell her about, but something Ida would know about and she could put her mind at ease?

“Reno is being quiet. I know that sounds a bit silly, Ida, but I don't know who else to talk to - he's just, elsewhere and I'm worried because he won't tell me what's going on.

[madeofthreads]

@housetummelt | x

Ji-eun exhaled a slow breath. The tension was still there, but it wasn't quite as explosive as it had been before... she didn't want to shout, and she didn't want to assault him with questions after all. She simply needed a moment to gather herself back together.

Following his guidance, she pulled back from the hug, and it was then that she realised his was the first familiar face that she had seen in the aftermath. Of all the people she had ever known, Baldur Tummelt was the first she could confidently say 'he survived'.

"It is good to see you Mr. Tummelt." Ji-eun meant to apologise to him. To dismiss her reaction in some way, but really, she wasn't sorry about it at all.

"I... am alive." It almost sounded like she questioned that, whether she truly was alive, whether this could truly be called living. It felt more like surviving. Her parents had both been listed as dead, according to a security database they were both swiped into their non-military work, and both placed at the epicenter of disaster. Even if it were a lie, even if they somehow survived the initial assault from within Gralea, they would not survive the cold and the dark that was to come.

When asked whether she needed anything, she gave a small pause. Yes. Yes, but a secret need. "Perhaps..." she couldn't get out the words. "That is, I do have a favour to seek, but I wouldn't ask for it until I see for myself the state of this Nifen base. There has been so much that has gone wrong. So many people in greater need. I can wait."

Then she managed a very weak smile. Barely a tug of her lips, and it was gone just as quick. "Mrs. Tummelt. I would very much like to see her as well. People have been slowly arriving, and I haven't seen any faces that I recognised until now. I'm... I think I'm in need of familiar company. The Lord Hi- former- Ravus." It felt strange to use his name in a setting that wasn't private. "We arrived together, but we were made aware of intel concerning a Tenebraean escort that needed assistance. He left to receive them but I... well, I'm here, unfit to deploy." That was her favour, but Baldur was a smart enough man to put two and two together.

Ji-eun maneuvered to stand at his side. She followed his lead, hoped quietly that the lower decks weren't as depressing as the image that came to mind. Not a sad and decrepit slum where the Nifen had been dumped. "... and how are you?" she dared to ask after she herself had spilled her troubles upon him. "Are you well?" Or was he also surviving.

[proxnotxaxfool]

he could have done this earlier, but he’d made the excuse that his mama had been working in the store then, and that place probably wasn’t the best place to have a private conversation - anyone could have walked in or walked by the door and overheard what he was saying.

and maybe a part of him had been trying to put this off too? 

either way, he couldn’t avoid it forever, and there were no more excuses to fall back onto; the store was closed. loqi and kim were in bed. dave was still busy doing final preparations for a hunt that would take place the next day.

sucking in a breath as he entered the kitchen, reno braced his hands on the back of one of the wooden chairs at the table, watching his mother busy herself washing dishes before he dipped his head and bit the proverbial bullet.

‘ selena’s not speaking to me, i’m not sure whether she ever will again. i told her the truth - where we are from and why we came here. ’

@housetummelt​

[holyguardian]

“Take Aerith somewhere safe.”

Those words had barely left the woman’s lips, when her hand fell down to the ground again. Limp and weak. She was dying… it was evident from how she looked. She had that hollow gaunt expression. There was nothing that could safe her yet. But the little girl beside her… her green eyes were full of resilient bright green.

The woman her mother had grabbed by the wrist looked at the child for a brief moment, before she knelt down and quickly searched for the healing potion in her bag… but as soon as she blinked again, she knew that the mother of the child was gone.

It was one of these very rare moments in her life, where Ida felt completely helpless. She had no control over any of this… and this child?

Little mite was still so young, right between her two son's ages, if she had to guess – and her sobs broke Ida’s heart. Carefully placing her hands on the girl’s arm and back, Ida tried to give her a little comfort, while still not tearing her away from her mother. She looked around… but there was no one close by. No father. No other family. No friends. No one cared for this little girl’s fate.

No one but Ida.

Glancing down at her – Aerith – again, Ida noticed the II on her arm. A tattoo. And in that moment her worry turned into dread. She had seen that before. That and another symbol… the child’s name, too. Aerith…

Quickly Ida undid the buttons of her coat, draping it around the girl. She could only allow her one more moment of grief for her mother, before he scooped her up. As cruel as it was, they had to hurry.

“My darling, we have to go.” @housetummelt - Ida

@housetummelt

Aerith had tried to find a doctor to make her mother all better again, which was how she had grabbed the sleeve of this woman in her white coat and tugged for her to follow, begging for help. "Please, please help my mummy, she's sick!"

Ifalna knew this was her only chance to make things right for her daughter. Aerith, stubborn as a cat, thought all she needed to do was to find someone in a white coat to help. It was a horrible feeling, to fully realise that the only world her baby knew was one where adults wore white coats.

She reached for the woman, to hold onto the same wrist that Aerith had guided closer. She could see it in her eyes, that she wanted to help in some way. "Take Aerith somewhere safe." There was so much to explain. So much left unsaid. But it was all she had left to give. It was like in knowing that her daughter wasn't going to be alone, her body finally dared to relax...

Aerith was beside herself. Bawling and clinging to her mother, she knew that her soul was slipping away. That her mother was returning to the Planet and there was nothing to hold her back — try as she might, little hands clinging as though she could hold her mother there and make her stay. They were free now! They could live in a house together! They could grow gardens and never have to see a wheelchair again!

She cried in loud, wracking sobs. Especially when the kind woman scooped her up, her hands losing grip of her mother. Her arms remained outstretched, grasping for where her mother lifelessly laid, and there was little chance of a silent getaway with how she cried her heart out. Eventually her arms slackened, and eventually her sobs calmed to sniffles, even if the tears never did seem to fully stop. They were far from the train station now. Far from the bad men. All she could do was watch over the woman's shoulder. Take in the new sights, of streets that looked... neat. Tidy. Where they had funny pretend trees and lights that lit up all of the pathway.

[meldacioxhq]

How did young Kim react to not only her mom not being around, but then a new woman living in the house and having two pretend brothers?

that was a questions she hadn't spent any time dwellin' on - it had a nasty undertone o' blame about it that had no place in their lives. she had only been a little ankle-biter when her mama had gone on a hunt and hadn't come home again.

it wasn't as if ida had just swooped in and assumed her mama's role - hell no. they'd stumbled on blindly, her grams and other hunters tryin' their best to field the little girl's repeated questioning of where her mama was or how long more her mama would be on that hunt, her miniscule view of the world not letting her wholly understand the concept of death.

ida had come way later - later than reno and loqi. and she had been hesitant in everything she'd done for that little girl, acutely aware that she didn't want to tread on another woman's memory ... the same careful steps her own pops had taken with the two boys.

' there ain't nothin' pretend 'bout loqi and reno being my brothers ... family is who you choose, not just blood. and the same goes for ida - she's been my mom for as long as i can remember, that don't mean replacing my mama, i just got lucky and got two now. '

@housetummelt

[kunselxsoldier]

"Do I look like someone you should mess with?" - Baldur

Random Sentence Starters:

It wasn't often the higher-ups of the higher-ups came to address them, but this was one of those rare days. All summoned to the Soldier floor and of course one or two 3rd Classes were a minute or two late.

Rookie mistake that he would talk to them about later.

But Kunsel was too busy adopting a hundred-yard-stare as the older man glared at him. 'Do I look like someone you should mess with?'

No, Baldur Tummelt was certainly not someone to mess with. He held more power in the upper echelons of the Plate than most knew of. One son was a Turk, though no one knew that, and the other skilled in engineering, though he applied to join the Soldier programme. Waste of a brain. And his lady wife was so ingrained in the labs of Shinra, she was irreplaceable. But to the others in this room he was a fettered company official who was sending a Soldier a death-glare. If only this man knew how much Kunsel actually knew of him.

"Most definitely not, sir!"

@housetummelt

[meldaciomartyr]

@housetummelt

You shouldn’t have to do this on your own.

[exiled-turk]

continued from (x)

their working relationship went back a long time - back to the days when they had both been stupid kids, joining the military, but then the turks had been formed and veld had donned a different uniform, his old friend climbing the ranks of the nifen military. but they had never truly left each others lives.

veld had been present when baldur had married ida. likewise, baldur had been present for veld's wedding too, and one of the first to know about the turk's impending fatherhood.

reno was a turk now. and earmarked to be a good one. tseng had joined when he had been fifteen, and now reno too - it was a good job. a tough one, but one that came with as many benefits as it did risks; he wasn't going to become canon fodder to be dropped on lucian soil to meet the kingsglaive head-on.

loqi was earmarked for the mech program. veld might not agree with a boy so young entering military service, but it wasn't a decision for him to make.

he made no attempt to pull back from baldur's grasp, nor to remain out in the open for all to see - this was enough of a shit situation without making it worse. did he understand what baldur and ida were doing?

yes.

did he agree with it?

that was irrelevant.

' you're out of your depth, baldur. i know well what you are capable of, but you are a single man, who has now betrayed his home - you have marked yourself an enemy. they will come for the boys. '

closing a hand around baldur's wrist, veld tightened his grip and held the other man's glare with one of his own - lips pressing into a tight line at the mention of felicia. that was a low blow, a personal one, but it showed the desperation his friend was feeling. he was lashing out and trying to dig his way out of a hole.

' what i would have done doesn't matter. you know well that i can't make this disappear — i am not the only person with eyes on this dock right now. ' lifting his gaze as a foghorn blared in the darkness, warning all on the dock that the ship was about to shuck its moorings, veld tightened his grasp on baldur's wrist, shoulders tensing in anticipation of what might happen next.

' the boys are aboard ... my timing was off to retrieve them. but i won't return empty handed baldur - you're a general, you know you can't do this. '

@housetummelt

[meldaciomartyr]

"I appreciate your coming back for us. That was really brave." - Ida

Percy Jackson sentence starters:

It'd been a shaky month rollin' into a second one since those boys had turned up at his door, an' their mama was found a week or so later. Nearly two moths an' the Empire wasn't givin' up their search for the family.

He could remember meetin' Baldur Tummult, through awful circumstances down by the slough. He'd struck him as an important man; but caught 'tween a rock and a hard place with his little son bein' a soldier too. But Dave was startin' to realise that the family were higher-up in the Empire than what he'd thought.

Wiz had heard it from travellers that the Empire were lookin' for a Nifen woman an' her two sons, an' that they intended to travel to all outposts. Meldacio was to the north-west, but it was still on a main road. A word with Ezma an' her blessin' had them here; an old abandoned lighthouse in Caem with a hidden dock. Down in the cavern that hid the dock would be safer, but Dave was mindful of the water down there an' how Ida an' her family had escaped the empire an' lost Baldur. So the old house would do for now; it was hidden from the roadside by trees, set well back an' gave them enough time t'get to the lighthouse an' the hidden dock to hide if needed.

'I appreciate your coming back for us. That was really brave.' Sittin' on the worn couch, Dave blinked when Ida spoke and placed a mug of coffee on the table in front of him. He'd been out on a hunt when Wiz called t'warn him, so he'd returned to Meldacio an' spirited Ida and her boys away.

"Ain't nothin' brave about it. I gave my word to Reno I'd protect 'em, and I promised you too. Not a feller who goes back on his word." If he was bein' rational, then hidin' the Tummelts protected Meldacio as a whole, but his bleedin' heart didn't wanna see a family split up again. Wringin' his hands together and eyin' the radio left standing on the coffee table, Dave leveled Ida with a look.

"But this has t'work both ways. The Empire's looking for y'all for a reason, not jus' cause yer husband was a general or Loqi a soldier." At that his voice dropped to a whisper and Dave glanced at the closed door upstairs, where the boys were sleepin'. "Yer gonna have t'level with me here Ida, I need the full picture to ensure yer safety an' the safety o' the hunters."

"So you talk an' I'll listen."

[madeofthreads]

@housetummelt | x

Serah stretched and exaggerated a sigh, expectantly watching. Then her hands clapped down on her knees, her little legs kicking in the air, the chair still too tall for her feet to reach the floor when she sat down. "So!" she piped up, practically grinning from ear to ear.

Then she stopped and had to really listen. Her grandfather didn't make the copy game easy with that one, which was no problem, because she gasped excited and leapt up with a little thump where she landed, her arms triumphant in the air.

"OPA'S HELPING MEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" And she was off. Her statement trailed elsewhere into one of the other rooms, haphazardly picking up toys ready to dump them in a storage bin that hopefully her poor old grandfather would follow around with.

[meldaciomartyr]

@housetummelt

[proxnotxaxfool]

@housetummelt continued from (x)

slowing his pace as he stepped into the kitchen, he took his time to let his mother know that he was there. he did the same in ezma's house. it wasn't his house - home, yes, but not his house and as such he respected the privacy of those who lived under its roof.

he'd still ask his mother and dave before taking something, be it something from the fridge or something from the hoard of supplies in the spare room, all in spite of dave telling him there was no need to ask.

it was about respect ... probably more so to do with the lack thereof that he'd had when he'd been a teenager. but that was long gone now.

canting his head to try and peer around his mother, reno's curiosity was met with a dish cloth, and the assumption she'd either been preparing something for dinner or she didn't want him to see what she'd been doing, he settled for leaning back against the edge of the kitchen table.

he'd dragged it out at a bit with dave, but he was under a time constraint now - selena would have told her folks by now he reckoned. and he couldn't play a joke on his mother as easily as he could with dave, she'd see right through him.

' du bliver bedstemor, mor. '

[holyguardian]

Ida did not know what had happened to this girl. Not fully, yet. But from her own research into scientific documents, it had been a hell few could imagine. Most of these documents were classified, though. Or outright didn't... exist.

It had awoken a cold wrath within Ida - though she would not let Aerith know. To have found this little mite at the train station in time was all that mattered. And giving her a better life now. When Aerith was ready to talk, she would listen. And do all it needed.

Combing gently through the long brunette curls, Ida braided Aerith's hair with the hum of a child's song on her lips.

"What pin do you want me to put into your hair, elskede?", she asked with smile, looking over the girl's shoulder into the mirror, "A butterfly? A star? A heart? A flower? Or a bow?"

- @housetummelt Ida

@housetummelt

It had been a week of new-normal. That was what Ida had called it, and Aerith had for the most part hit the ground running. She had a dozen questions to fire off at any given moment, almost overstimulated by how different this world was.

Her lips had been sealed shut about her memories of the lab. Those were her mother's wishes... to not speak about Shinra, or Professor Hojo. They had to keep their heads down. Her first day in the Tummelt household had been a little awkward, where she took her mother's instructions too literally and had stared at her feet the entire morning.

"Uhhhhh." Aerith indecisively swayed her head this way then that, no doubt making the task of brushing out her curls all the more active. Her eyes met with Ida's in the mirror and a smile blossomed on her lips. She could see what adorned her blonde hair. "A bow." Then they could match.

"Why do the parks have pretend trees?" her first question of the morning. "Do I have to 'home school' again today?" The concept was still a foreign one, and she didn't like how stupid it made her feel. It wasn't like she had ever been taught properly. "Why can't I follow Reno to his school school?" Perhaps the question could be dodged artfully, given how quickly she chased it up with another. "What about Loqi? He doesn't school, he becomes a dinosaur."

[kunselxsoldier]

sit .   gesture  for  my  muse  to  sit  down . - Ida Tummelt

Loud & Deafening (non verbal) Starters:

She was a lady he had seen only a handful of times; a researcher if the rumours he'd heard were true. But she rarely ever appeared on the Soldier floor, let alone in the office that had been Director Lazard's.

She was from one of the Plate's most lauded families, the Tummelts. He knew that much, and offered a small nod as she pointed to the empty chair he guessed was for him.

"Good afternoon ma'am." Sitting on the edge of the chair, Kunsel tried to wrangle his thoughts into one line of questioning; what the hell did she want with him?

"How can I be of assistance?"