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[ 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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