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[By the time all is said and done she's sure she'll have enough experience traversing worlds to write a godsdamned book about it. Note to self, ask Lord Edmont if he can spare any tips upon her next return to the Source and to Ishgard. For the time being, however, she was content to focus on the task at hand.

To lose one set of friends only to regain another, or so she hopes. At last they'd found the passage needed at the base of the Crystal Tower, and at last she'd been able to successfully journey to the First. If she'd been left to twiddle her thumbs just one moment longer she might have taken to pulling out her own hair. One could only revisit so many old haunts, remodel their apartment so many times, clean and dust and hone their crafting so often before restlesness settled in. She'd never been one for excessive patience and waiting, and that hadn't changed even during her time in Lunatia.

True enough, said time meant she didn't worry overly much about events back home, mostly because there was no feeisable way to traverse between worlds, and she'd the benefit of seeing first hand that time did not pass in their absence, but between the Source and the First...

Well, time is of the essence.

Shielding her eyes against the glare of the light against the sands, she searched for any sign of the familiar figure of her elezen companion. Try as she might Ziva could not help her bias when put to the choice of who to seek first: Alphinaud or Alisaie. Even knowing that she would not recall their time together- for why would she? She hadn't been of the same star, of the same Source -it would still do her heart well to see the younger woman with her own two eyes again.

Mayhap that had something to do with the plea she'd made before they'd departed for the battlefield... It had certainly pulled on Ziva's emotions strongly enough. Or, mayhap it was something a bit more selfish, more stubborn and defiant, determined to take back the most recent part of her family to have been lost.

Truth be told, simply beholding Alisaie's footprints had left her gobbsmacked with emotion so thick she'd needed a few moments to compose herself, lest the young red mage wonder if she'd taken leave of her senses during their reunion.

Shaking her head and lowering her gaze, she was just about to give up the search in the area for lost when movement caught her eye. Turning her gaze she glimpsed the white visage of a sin eater beating a hasty retreat away from the base of a tower. Then she heard a familiar voice, and the beast was completely forgotten.

Eyes whipping upwards to the top of the tower, she pushed them as hard as she could against the distance and the blinding brightness of the sky in search of the figure she knew that voice belonged to.]

Edited 2019-07-05 04:02 (UTC)

[ the sands burn, as the sky burns. the air is crisp and arid and far more chilly than one might be led to believe, a symptom of the light, she can only assume, and the natural strange and unforgiving weather of a desert. still, the light shining off the sand scorches the eyes, and for a moment she nearly loses sight of the pale sin eater than blends so effortlessly into the glare.

but this is nothing new for alisaie, and her time in amh araeng has sharpened her skills and senses both, honing her edge, shaping her into a hunter, a killer, and she cannot allow even one eater to escape her sword. its movement gives it away, the telltale unnatural curl of its wings as it makes to escape, and alisaie leaps from the broken tower without a second thought. ]

Get back here!

[ there's no need to shout, the sin eater does not hear reason, but it fuels her fire nonetheless. it won't get away. even one stray eater is one too many, and even a lesser fiend can devastate a village or a group if left to its own devices. this she cannot allow. the ground flies up toward her, and alisaie's grip on her rapier tightens. she's ready to strike.

at least, until a different movement catches her eye - one more natural and easy, something walks on two legs, and alisaie is thankful for her sharp elezen sight that even from this height and distance she is clearly able to make out the face and features of her friend. is that.. ?

no - first, she must see to her task. just in time, alisaie bends her mind again to the sin eater, landing hard in the unforgiving sand, dashing immediately. she catches the eater in the spine with the tip of her blade, and without hesitation unleashes a flurry of merciless blows that send it crumbling, screaming, into the amber sands. she would almost feel sorry for how woefully unprepared it was for her attack if she did not know better. can a sin eater even know fear? can it know anything at all? ]

[She had little reason to be surprised these days, having seen the number of things she had. She had, in fact, come looking for this very person and by all accounts should not feel as shocked as she does, and yet...

The sight of stark red amidst the wasteland of warm sands and decrepit buildings is like a beacon to her eyes, and follow it down they do. She'd half a mind to call out but simply managed a questioning, alarmed tone as she uttered the girl's name and watched her fall.

Seeing her handily dispatch the sin eater after isn't nearly as shocking (This is, after all, the same young woman who'd fought back a horde of red kojin single handed just to buy her companions an escape.), and all that Ziva can think about now is reaching her, a strange blend of emotions swelling in her chest.

Godsdamn it all, this will be harder than she thought, won't it? To pretend to remember nothing of all she'd learned of Alisaie and Lyse and the others in Lunatia? To set aside memories of all the time they'd spent there just doing normal, mundane things. She knew more than she should now, and at keeping secrets, Ziva was no expert. Sooner or later she was bound to let something slip that she likely wasn't meant to know yet- if ever at all.

But, bah- she stubbornly puts all that aside! Even just the sight of Alisaie's back as she draws nearer is enough to make her forget those worries and all others, a smile coming unbidden.]

Talk about a grand entrance... and here I was, hoping to be the one to surprise you.

[ she waits - she always waits - for the sin eater's aether to begin to disperse. she cannot take her eyes off of it until she is sure that it is dead, and a part of her.. enjoys it, watching the wretched thing die before her eyes, taking with it all the misery it had felt and spread. there are hundreds of thousands of more where it came from, but still, even the smallest of victories is worth savoring. even if it never feels like enough.

only once the eater begins to shimmer away in a slow burn of light does she turn.

it's not that she isn't happy to see ziva. of course she is. not only is she a familiar face, she is a friend, and while for alisaie lunatia is a fading memory, she has not forgotten. everyone else has, it seems - and it was more than a little strange at first - but those she had known in lunatia who had also hailed from hydaelyn are flung far from her now. back in eorzea, a world away, and she has had a very long, very arduous year in which to allow the memory to decay. she's hopped around so many damned worlds by now that it feels near enough to habit now.

nevertheless, she is passing shocked to see ziva here - how on earth had she arrived from the first? that they had shared the star would not surprise her, eorzea was filled to the brim with bright and capable adventurers last she checked, but to run into ziva here, in a place like this..? crystal exarch and her few fellow scions aside, there are none on this shard who should know of eorzea at all.

and ziva.. ziva seems to recognize her.

okay, just hang on here, her brain is struggling to make sense of this. ]

Ziva? You.. what in the world are you doing here? How -

[Silence, as she waits for Alisaie's response. She can imagine several, if she felt so inclined. As often is the case, however, she prefers to see for herself what sort of reception she'll have from the girl.

Quip aside she HAD expected surprise to be chief among them, but this seems to go far beyond that. There's a flicker of recognition that seems... wrong somehow, out of place. In the weeks that had passed since her departure from Lunatia she'd had ample time to wonder how the others fared on their respective stars, but never did she imagine for even a MOMENT that any of them might somehow find their way back to HERS.

So it is that she's none the wiser as to the true nature of Alisaie's confusion, and furrows her brow with a wry smile, playful even now.]

The how of it is a bit of a story, but as to why, surely you didn't think I'd be content to stay behind on the Source while the rest of you were off saving the worlds as we know them?

[It IS a relief, not only to see her again but to hear her name spoken in such a familiar way. Some part of her that she'd done her damned best to silence and bury still feared a repeat of her first meetings on Lunatia. Not only Alisaie, but Estinien, Arenvald, and brief though his visit had been: Aymeric. Returning had done a bit of a number on her, but she'd bounced back quickly enough.

Never the less, it's a good feeling to have that recognition confirmed at long last.

But, again, this surprise seems a bit... excessive somehow. The smile wears away, concern becoming more apparent.]

... You look as though you've seen a ghost. You... did believe I'd come for you all...?

Well, I..

[ however can she answer such a question? alisaie had come to know ziva intimately at lunatia, she learned just how brave and strong she is, how important her comrades are to her, just how far she would go to protect those she loves. in fact, she could not help but be reminded of a certain warrior for whom the first waits, even then. were her world or loved ones in danger alisaie has no doubt that ziva would be among the first to respond to the call for aid, but this -

this is something entirely different.

one does not simply jaunt up to the first and take the first bounty on the adventure board - if ziva is here, it is because she was brought here, and alisaie can count on her hands just how many people the exarch had pulled from the source. if she is here, it is because he had willed it. but why? it's the warrior that he has sought all this time, and the only reason the scions are here at all is because they had been caught in his wake; no matter her valor or personal investment, even alisaie would not have been here at all were it not for her close ties to the warrior, but as far as she knows, ziva has never known the man.. at least, not that she has disclosed, and alisaie certainly had never seen her hanging about the rising stones. in fact, she'd never seen ziva on the source at all, before arriving in lunatia.

it's enough to make her head both ache and spin in the same turn. ]

But how? That you remembered me at all is unexpected, but one cannot simply ride a chocobo to a place like this. How on earth did you come to be here at all?

[That she'd remember...?

Ziva's head tilts with a frown, Alisaie's words ringing... oddly in her mind. It's finally dawned on her that this might be... that she might be... but, that's impossible, isn't it?

Right, as if she and hers didn't do ten impossible things a week at LEAST. Ziva's eyes widen then, her lips parting in surprise. Is she REALLY to dare to hope that she may not be so alone with her thoughts after all?]

You remember? Lunatia...?

[Which means it's now HER turn to beg the question: HOW??? How is it that she's HERE- what- she hadn't remembered Ziva before. It had been obvious that whoever the Warrior of Light was on Alisaie's star, it wasn't HER. Why then, HOW, then, was it that the Alisaie who she'd met on Lunatia came to be here??

But putting that aside for a second, guilt hits her, and for a brief moment she wonders if she shouldn't have mentioned her title after all back then. She worries that- if she's right -what she's about to say is going to sit poorly.
After that pause, a moment taken to compose herself, she straightens. For a second she actualy seems... struck speechless, a rare thing indeed for her, as Alisaie had likely realized during their time together in that glittering city worlds and worlds away.]

Ah, so that's the way of it. How indeed.

[And then... she smiles?]

Aye, I remember you, I remember that place. [There's another pause, and then a humorless chuckle.] Gods if I know how to say this without sounding puffed up on self importance, but... I'm the one the exarch called for. I'm... the Warrior of Light of my star. I hope you'll forgive me for saying nothing of it before. I could find neither the words nor the right time.

[Somehow it had always seemed so unimportant, and when she thought about the confusion and possibly the pain it might cause, knowing from their first meeting that Alisaie already harbored some particular feelings about not recognizing Ziva? The choice was simple, at least at the time. She'd held her tongue regarding her true identity so as to avoid causing further upset and confusion. Here's hoping that she doesn't wind up paying for it now. Until she's sure of that she withholds all other thoughts and feelings on the matter, when really all she wants to do is rejoice that she isn't stark raving mad after all, that someone (especially someone so close to her) still retains memory of that place and those experiences, questions (of which there are many) aside.

Questions for the exarch later, perhaps.]

Edited 2019-07-06 11:29 (UTC)

[ her mind is swimming.

ziva, she.. she is...

in retrospect, it makes sense enough. she possesses all the selfsame qualities of the warrior that alisaie knows - she is strong and kind, compassionate and tenacious, and the gods know that more than one unfamiliar face in lunatia had claimed the title of warrior of light. now more than ever alisaie is acquainted with the idea of multiple worlds, multiple timelines, they exist, and that ziva might be the warrior of light in her reality is not so unbelievable. in time, alisaie could come to digest and accept that.

but then.. why is she here? how do they share the same star? it's enough to make her head hurt. ]

I.. I don't understand.

[ it's all she can say, isn't it? if ziva is here, then.. where is the warrior she knows? the one who was meant to arrive here? a deep misgiving takes root in her heart, but alisaie soon shakes her head. ]

Nevermind. I doubt you are able to offer any more answers than I can.

Answers, no. Half-baked guesses, at best. I'm not sure I understand it either, but it seems likely with all this world traversal we've done something was bound to get mixed up sooner or later. Maybe in coming from our Sources, to the First...? We'll sort it out, don't worry.

[After all, can't be "worse" than being pulled completely away from home against their will, can it? True, it was for good causes in both recent cases, but it didn't change the fact it may have been nice to be asked, in the case of the prismals. Suppose there was no harm in it, though, since time hadn't passed by in the duration, and if anything they came away more knowledgeable than when they'd left.

Frowning briefly, Ziva folds her arms, thoughtful.]

Our best bet would be to ask the Exarch... but... I can't deny that I'm glad to see you again. I would've been happy regardless, but it's a bit of a bonus knowing I HAVEN'T finally cracked my gourd, being the only one to remember my time there.

[To which she can't help but smile. It's simply her way, trying to put a positive spin on things. Fretting won't get them very far, in the end, and she can't pretend to be disparaged by the recent development.] In the meantime...

[ alisaie has never been one for half-baked guesses, even less for speculation. investigation and hard answers are more her speed, but neither of those things are available to her right now, and she has not the time to return to the crystarium to demand answers of the exarch. she is needed here an amh araeng, and she will not abandon her post for so selfish a reason as to suss out an answer to this.

still, she feels a stain of doubt upon her heart, and a cold, quiet fear that is taking root. were ziva not on her home world, surely the exarch would have noticed that she was not, in fact, the same warrior of light that alisaie is familiar with. for all the similarities they share, he and ziva are still quite different, markedly physically different. so if she is in fact who the exarch was fishing for, that means that it is not ziva who occupies the wrong space.

it is alisaie.

gods, she had been so happy to be home at last..

shaking her head, alisaie draws in a deep breath and lifts her eyes to ziva's face. ]

Aye, no doubt you have.. questions. I've a patrol to finish, if you should like to offer a hand we can finish it in half the time, and leave ourselves ample time to speak.

Aye, let us be about it, then.

[Once again she surveys the spot where the eater's aether was but moments before, then turns her attention back to Alisaie. This is her patrol, and as such Ziva is simply here to assist, not to lead.]

Where would you have me start, then?

[She asks with a wink and an easy smile. Chores. Always chores in the end. The only difference is in how they vary in importance. The sentiment is a fond one though, they're nearly always doing so for the good of others and now that hold especially true.]

[ The Hearth Fire. For a moment, Ardbert stood outside the business with arms crossed, frowning up at it thoughtfully. There was some hesitation, a slight nervousness hidden beneath his otherwise cool expression. It wasn't that he was nervous to meet Ziva, exactly. It was just...the last time they spoke had been rather dramatic, and a firm, undeniable farewell at that. He'd given up his very self, after all, to see that she would win. Seeing him here in the flesh would no doubt be a shock for her after what had happened.

It wouldn't do any good to stand there gawking at the place, though, so he took a breath and finally made an entrance (and yes, he remembered to actually open the door this time). He scanned the establishment, a cozy place that fit its name well, and found her almost immediately. He...admittedly wasn't sure what to do after that point. Should he simply walk up and greet her as though it were nothing? Awkwardly wave from the door? Both seemed to be bad choices, but he did start to make an approach, clearing his throat once he was in earshot. ]

I must admit, I didn't think I'd actually run into you here. Not after everything.

[ A weird greeting to be sure, but he wasn't sure what else to say. Seeing her in person made him all the more confused by his own presence here. By all accounts, it should be possible, and yet here the two of them were, hale and hearty. ]

[These days there's an extra spring in her step. Since meeting and befriending a certain bard she's found herself all but swimming in cheer and chroma, and gods did she not realize how much in need of both she was. It's all been a bit much, hasn't it? Old friends and familiar faces arriving in the city, turning up at the Hearth Fire no less, often with company but sometimes just to say hello. Megumi, Dakki, Nero, all semi-regular faces. It helps to keep the day interesting, passes the time, marks its passage, as well.

The day has only just started and business will be slow for a bit. The prismals she's hired on to cook are prepping the ingredients for the day and making breakfast for some of the staff while she takes stock of supplies, makes sure the tankards that were cleaned the night before have dried and get put back in place behind the bar, checking on the kegs and their stores. The usual. It wasn't entirely uncommon for customers to stop by this early in the day, but it usually came as a low key sort of pleasant surprise. A mug of coffee in one hand Ziva's gaze was angled down towards a ledger sitting on the table when Ardbert walked in, so she didn't see him at first, though she certainly heard him come in. That was signified by the twitch of her ears atop her head despite her focus being on her task. Had she not been in the middle of taking a drag from the mug in her hand she would have spoken in greeting. Instead it was when he spoke up that she realized his voice was familiar, but it was when those sea green eyes deigned to lift from the page that he really caught her attention... mid-sip.

Yeahhh.... this is going to be EXACTLY what it sounds like. One dramatic, shocked spit take later and Ziva's mouth was hanging slightly agape, eyes wide and mug thunking heavily down onto the table.]

Excuse me, what?! You REMEMBER me?!

[In hindsight she MIGHT recall a similar exchange the first time he'd appeared to her on the First, but not right now. With precious little thought she scrubbed her face with the back of her arm, hurrying up out of her seat to cross the distance between them, only to slow her pace once she was near enough to look him over. On closer inspection he was missing the glow that she had seen him with back on the First, had become so accustomed to. He was still in the armor that he'd been wearing on the First, though, so... a new arrival? But- but how did that WORK? Their souls- and...

Oh, gods...! She didn't know how to handle it. This was the first time that someone had RECOGNIZED her from home. She'd gotten so used to the disappointment that she'd come to expect it. She wasn't bitter, truly, there were others who shared a similar situation. She always welcomed familiar faces with the same earnestness that she would had they shared a past, but there was decidedly more joy in this reunion, in being known and not being seen as an other of a sort. She hadn't even realized how much of an outsider she felt until now.

Give her a moment.]

[ This wasn't exactly the reaction he'd been expecting. Surprise, yes. Coffee spraying in his direction? Not so much. Her shock at him remembering her is equally baffling, it should have been a given. They'd traveled together a long time, her the only one who could see and communicate with him. It would be hard to forget such a thing. Maybe there was something about the whole...shared soul thing that he didn't know about? After all, he had essentially stopped being himself once they'd rejoined. Looking at it that way, perhaps the shock wasn't quite so out of that field.

He smirked, chuckling a little to himself as he wiped the specks of coffee off is face (Thanks, Ziva. Really). Talking to her felt much less strange than talking to others, as she'd been the only one he could converse with towards the end. He had enjoyed his time with Toh'ni, but there had still been the strangeness and disconnect that came with being seen and heard by others after so long. ]

Of course I remember. The great I'ziva Ganajai, warrior of light and dark both. I don't think I could forget if I tried.

[ His smirk softens. He was full glad to see her, the only friend he'd had left at the end. Even more so now that he was possessed of a body once again, and they could finally hold conversations without her looking like she was talking to herself. ]

I'm still not sure how it is I've come back from the grave, but it's good to see you nonetheless.

[Her shock deepened (if you could believe it) when he said her actual NAME, to hear someone speak it without her having to be introduced first. The response after she recovered was immediate, first surprise again at his laughter, and then amusement her ears twitched, both at the same time, then laid back atop her head as she suddenly felt... gods damned overwhelmed with emotions because of this stupid man and his stupid face with his stupid voice that she was so gods damned happy to hear say her name...! Really, he brought it on himself, didn't he? So without ceremony or warning Ziva stepped forward to wrap her arms around him in a hug.

With a chuff, half laughter, half scoff, she tried downplaying the surge of emotions and the glassiness of her eyes just a bit to preserve SOME of her pride, but it wasn't in earnest. Pride be damned, she was damned glad to see him again as well, for so many reasons. And even though she felt no less whole for his presence before her she did somehow feel more whole.]

Gods! It's damn good to see you again, Ardbert! Good enough I'll let that slide.

[ He tensed just slightly at the physical contact, but quickly recovered and relaxed, returning the hug. You would think after an entire day he'd be more used to it, having an actual presence, but he imagined it would take much more time to grow truly accustomed, if the previous nights insomnia, his running into a door, and nearly forgetting to eat is anything to go by.

He gave her a friendly pat on the back, touched at how truly glad she was to see him.]

I'll take that to mean it's been a while? [And after a moment hesitation--] Not as long as the last time, I hope?

[Later, when she has a moment to process how she'd reacted she'll probably laugh at herself for getting so emotional, so abruptly. It seems strange that even after all this time she could get so excited. She hadn't been so thrilled in a long, long time, but she supposed it made sense. Of all the people in either world that she could see again, only a select few could invoke such an emotionally visceral response. Some part of her had been convinced that she'd never SEE Ardbert again, had convinced herself to take comfort in knowing that, in some way she could safeguard his soul, that he had entrusted such a precious gift to her. Yes, they were one now, but it didn't stop her from missing his presence. Wary as they had been of one another at first they had quickly grown to look past it, and over time she'd come to consider him as dear a companion as any of the Scions.

Part of her regrets never really getting to tell him that. Maybe this is a chance to rectify that, but if the way that he returns the gesture and pats her back is any indication, maybe he already knows.

After a few moments the two of them part, and she smiles up at him, practically beaming, even as she snags a napkin from one of the tables and offers it for the coffee (Sorry about that, buddy. Really.).]

If you mean a full bloody century, no, not as long. [That reassurance comes easy enough.] It's been a full year for me, though, since we faced Hades. I wound up here not too long after taking news back to the Source.

[ The reassurance is a relief, to be sure. While he might not have any stake in things any longer, it's good to know that he hasn't missed some vast swath of time. It's more strange to think that a year had passed in Lunatia before his arrival. Given the fact he became a part of her soul, he struggles to wrap his head around the how of the situation. Was he technically here the whole time, then? Just a part of her soul and thus unawares? If so, why is he here now of all times? Is he needed once again, for some...higher purpose? Or is it a fluke?

Ugh. It's going to give him a headache if he keeps trying to figure it out, so he sets it on the backburner and decides to worry about it all later. ]

That's good. I can't imagine the catching up we'd have to do if that was the case. [ Still, it sounds like not much has happened back home in the (short??) time he's been gone. ] And your friends? They must still be on the First, if you only took word back.

Edited 2020-05-21 23:26 (UTC)

[She's grateful that he let her get away with that hug, in immediate hindsight. He could very well decide to never let her live it down still, but she'd deal.

As for the questions of "HOW" and "WHY", the latter didn't really seem to have an answer so far as she'd been able to glean, and the former was probably best NOT dwelt on over long, as Ardbert was discovering for himself that very moment. Ziva had long since stopped expecting sense from a place where people turned into damn jellyfish and wolves and sheep once or twice a month.

She motions for him to grab a seat at the neighboring table, which she moves her ledger and coffee mug to before she starts wiping up the mess she'd made and answering his inquiries.]

Aye, we'd only just started trying to puzzle out THAT conundrum. Might interest you to know that some of them are here, though. Thancred and Alphinaud, in any case. Alisaie was here till recently...

[An admission that draws a sigh, and a shake of her head. That one just stayed busy, didn't she? Coming and going from more worlds than any of them could rightly count, it seemed like some days.]

The Exarch is here as well, G'raha Tia... and some others.

[ Boy howdy is he in for a surprise once Sanguis hits and he has to deal with the changes that come with it. Toh'ni had filled him in on most of the basics of how Lunatia works, but there's a definite difference between hearing about something and experiencing it.

He removes the axe from his back and leans it against the chair before he takes the offered seat and relaxes into it, leaning back with arms crossed as he listens to Ziva. He's glad to hear that some of her friends are here, at least. It's good to know she hasn't been completely alone in this strange place.

Her emphasis on others is more than a little peculiar, though, and he raises an eyebrow in question. It could be that they're just people he's unfamiliar with, but... ]

Others? Anyone I would know?

[He has the right of it, and even on the verge of a potentially unpleasant conversation Ziva finds herself glad to be able to discuss the bizarre turns of events this place offers with someone familiar, someone who may begin to understand how she might feel about it all. Were she privy to his thoughts she'd consider them touching. They would have come at once as both a surprise and not, for who knew the dangers of solitude and loneliness better than Ardbert? Yet considering how they had started off so at odds on the Source she wouldn't be able to help but think it an ironic turn of events. They'd come to care for one another so dearly, he truly was as much a surrogate brother to her as she considered Alphinaud, Haurchefant, or Aymeric.

Once she's finished dabbing up the last of the coffee she goes to get another mug, pouring Ardbert a helping before she takes up the seat next to him and sets the mug before him on the table. All of this took only about the same amount of time for Ziva to list off the previous names, then for Ardbert to settle and inquire for details.]

In a manner of speaking. I've run into a few other Warriors of Light here, and what's odd is that we all hail from the Source, to the last. It's not like with the First, where the names and places are different.

[She'll get to Emet-Selch.]

Edited 2020-05-22 01:49 (UTC)

[ He gives her a nod of thanks for the coffee, a welcome gift given how little he's slept. He takes a long drink while she explains things, listening carefully. He's not sure what to make of these other Warriors of Light, and takes a long moment to consider the information he has, looking down and away as the gears in his mind turn. They're all from the source? He and his were all Warriors of Light, all from the First, so he knows it's possible for a shard to house more than one of Hydalen's chosen. The more he thinks about it, though, the more out of place these particular Warriors of Light seem.

During his brief partnership with the Ascians, they had only ever spoken of one, of Ziva. Were there more Warriors of Light on the Source, they wouldn't have escaped the Ascians focus. Those lot didn't miss much, especially when it related to the Deity that opposed their own. ]

And none on the source spoke of them before now?

Edited 2020-05-22 02:38 (UTC)

That would depend entirely on who you asked.

[She states calmly in response, leaning on one arm against the table, mug back in hand with the other.]

You see, we all more or less share the same general memory of major events, starting points, meeting the Scions, ending the Dragonsong War, all that. I've yet to figure out how or why.

[Make it make sense. Not that she minds. It was more than passing strange when she spoke with her first few about it, but she had no explanation for it and had decided that there simply must be more to it all than they'd assumed.]

Several of the others I've spoken with all seem to have memories of their own Warriors of Light. You're the first to have any idea who I am, specifically.

[And since no one has stepped forward to correct her on that, she assumes it's still true, which is fine. She'd had more than enough practice at hiding how much it chaffed to be- well, "forgotten" wasn't quite the word for it. It was more that so far as any of them were concerned she had simply never existed. Realizing that the first time had been quite the chilling moment, but the last thing Ziva wanted to do was make things awkward or otherwise uncomfortable. But still, if anyone would understand what she was saying without saying it in so many words it would be Ardbert.]

Edited 2020-05-22 03:22 (UTC)

Gods...I'm really the only one who remembers you?

[ It felt as though all known laws of the universe were flipped on their head. If he hadn't known Ziva, he might think she was speaking complete nonsense. Oh, she was saying words, and those words held meaning, but they made no sense. Everyone she knew (including those other Warriors of Light, from the sound of it) had the same memories, yet none but he could remember her? What, then. Was Ziva interchangeable with any of these other so-called warriors of light? How absurd.

He scowled, grit his teeth. His hand clenched tight around the cup in front of him. If he thought it would help, he'd try to shake some sense into Thancred and Alphinaud, set their memory straight by force, but that would help little and likely cause more problems.

It doesn't escape his notice, the things that go unsaid, and he's suddenly grateful he kept his earlier thoughts to himself. If he had said he was glad she hadn't been alone...well. It would have no doubt left a sour taste in both their mouths. Because she had been alone, or at the very least forgotten or replaced by whatever impacted the memories of her friends. ]

And no one knows the reason for this? Dark magic, maybe...? [ Look. He's no Aetherologist, but he knows memories can be altered at least slightly. The Pixies did it to Rhyne and Thancred in Il Meng, to obscure their memory of Urianger's home. So maybe...no. That didn't really track. It wouldn't explain why he's here. ]

Aye.

[She says it simply and quietly, and finds herself wishing she had something much stronger in her coffee mug now.

At least someone is here now that knows her. She knows they haven't all been so lucky. She considers telling him what else she knows, about how some have come and gone from other worlds after being drawn from their homes and before winding up here, but in a rare moment of restraint she realizes those aren't her stories to tell. What little she knew she'd either been told in confidence or didn't quite trust herself to recount properly.

No... best to leave it to them to tell it. Let Ardbert speak to the others for himself. Besides, after a century of wandering alone it would probably do him quite a bit of good to be able to speak to someone other than her, and that thought was enough to chase off any lingering frustration or hurt.

She elaborates with a gesture of her hand, tail moving to and fro with her restlessness.]

So far as we've been able to tell we all come from some sort of... alternate realities, as if the source and its reflections have been duplicated several times over. Each copy seems to have its own Warrior of Light, but it seems everyone else is more or less the same, save for their memories of-- ah--

[With a soft huff Ziva shut her eyes and shook her head, bringing her hand up to pinch the bridge of her nose.]

--"us"? The warriors? This is too damned much for me. It's all a damn mess, and still not our main concern, besides. More a point of curiosity, to be truthful.

[ Alternate realities...as if things weren't wild enough. It seems like more than a point of curiosity to him, especially given...the potential duplication of their universe or the potential repercussions that might have, but those questions and concerns are better left to those with a firmer grasp of Aether and the inner-workings of their world. Someone like Urianger or Y'shtola perhaps, though it sounds like they're not here at the moment.

As much as Ardbert wants to know the how and the why of this nonsense, he knows better than to think on it much longer. He would end up wanting to bang his head against a wall before long. He's a fighter, not someone who could puzzle out a mystery of this magnitude.

He settles back to a more relaxed posture, rubbing his forehead with a sigh. ]

If that's not our main concern, I'm guessing being...brought to this place is? Unless there's even more I'm unaware of.

[It's enough to make one's head spin. Some of the others are most definitely better suited. She considers herself to be capable of imagining some pretty wild things, after all, she's tagged along on all of Hildibrand's recent exploits, but this? This is in a whole different realm of bizarre.]

... Yes.

[That's it. That's the answer. Yes to both. Yes to all of it. Yes to everything. This shit is weird, mate.]

Things are quiet here for the most part. Every now and again some weird shite goes down that we find ourselves roped into, but otherwise we all just live normal lives here.

[Finally her frustration over the topic a moment ago falls away, and she offers her companion a crooked smile.]

I'd be lying if I said I'm anything but glad you're here with us now. I realize this might not have been your first choice, but...

[Ah, but words are difficult, easy to say, harder to choose carefully, at least for her. She knows he must miss his original companions (who knows, maybe they'll turn up as well), but she's still glad to know he'll get a second lease on life along with the others that have been lost along the way. They deserve it. Most aren't that lucky, and she hopes to see him make the most of it.]

[ She's right, if he's being honest with himself. This place isn't his first choice, furthest from it. He's tired, after all, and not just because he didn't sleep the night before. After everything that happened with Hades--finishing his story, making amends--Ardbert had hoped to finally be able to rest. Yet here he is, and a cynical part of him wonders if he's only been brought back to contribute to some other grand plan, that perhaps what he gave wasn't enough.

He wants to hope, though. As much as he misses his friends, and as confusing as the whole situation is, he can't deny how appealing a normal life sounds. ]

First choice or not, I'm here now. Full glad for it too, believe it or not.

[ He just wishes...his friends could be here, too. If anyone's deserving of a second chance, it's them. ]

Edited 2020-05-25 04:00 (UTC)

[The smile she gives in turn is warm but also a little sad. She can imagine only too well how he feels, though his words do give her heart. Learning what they had sacrificed, hearing all that he'd lost, seeing what they'd given their all to try to protect, he deserved to rest. Ziva was a woman who took her bonds to heart and kept them close, and even with him here before her now she couldn't help but still think of herself as a sort of protector, though she knew damn well better than to say so aloud. Besides, just who had saved WHO at the end there, hm? Exactly.

Still, the man deserved his rest, and she knew she'd find anyone who tried to take that from him and she'd tear them a new asshole.]

Take heart... there's always a chance.

[She said it with surprising softness, a tentative hope that she wasn't fully sure he'd want to be given, but he'd seen his hope rewarded before.]

After all, this place saw fit to see us reunited. I mean it, of all the faces I could've seen from home, yours is the one I'm most grateful for, and not just because you remember me.

[But maybe this was too emotional for a reunion. For a moment she let the sentiment linger, gave him a chance to respond if he wished, but was ready to offer a segue should it be too much.]

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