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Himeka, likewise, had collapsed in place. She was luckily already sitting on the floor, surrounded by yalms of woven cord to repair some of the fishing baskets she'd made specifically to catch the eel-like creatures in the nearby river. One such net lays half-worked in her lap as she's awkwardly splayed to the side.

"Mrrt..."

She makes an odd noise, her tail slapping the floor once, then twice with gusto as she comes to.

"Is that--"

Ah, yes. Goodberries. The very eager one.

--Wait.

Her eyes snap open as she tries to turn around.

"Estinien?"

"By the Fury," he grumbles, clutching his head as he pulls himself up into his knees. Did that really just happen? He had no idea the Regent could exert such power over them.

It's a relief for the probing presence to be gone, but it doesn't make the situation any less humiliating.

"Aye. I've..." He trails off, not knowing what to say. The Regent's words are still ringing in his ears. "We've returned. For now."

They're back in Greentruth--that much is evident and a great relief. But the reality of what they had just experienced begins to sink in almost immediately after.

They were always at war, they know this. And yet to have the Regent there before them--at least in some manner--solidifies it even further. That what's been done thus far hasn't been enough, that there's more to come. An example to made of citizens, of Resistance members...

Himeka disentangles herself from the netting.

"We have to tell the others." The Resistance members living in the forest. "And--"

But Estinien doesn't look ready to spring into action. She pauses.

"...Estinien?"

Though he appreciates her sense of urgency, he finds himself lost for a moment, staring at one of his hands. He makes note of the little nicks and old scars of imperfect flesh, something that has only been reasserting itself recently, drawing a sharp contrast to the flawless white he'd been reborn with all those weeks ago.

While some might enjoy the loss of those blemishes, the idea of it had made him sick to his stomach. It had been with great relief that the familiar markings of his body had returned - a reminder that his identity had not been completely shorn from him.

But if the Regent was right...

He tries to shake it off. He's bothered Himeka with this enough already, and he knows that there's nothing she can do about it. There are more important things than the possibility of his slowly encroaching demise.

... Well, maybe he doesn't make a very good case for himself, thinking of it like that. He raises his gaze to meet hers, his expression blank with that internal resolution.

"'Tis nothing. Lead, and I will follow."

Edited 2022-07-12 05:46 (UTC)

Himeka settles, slowly, watching Estinien fall back into himself there for a moment. What the Regent said isn't lost on her--more than the address, the implications they gave of Estinien's current predicament. Himeka had been able to speak with others until the impromptu court was abruptly adjourned, but Estinien had been left hanging with his thoughts.

"..."

She shakes her head. They weren't the only ones there--surely someone else in Greentruth can lead that call, then. But not everyone can be here for Estinien when he needs it.

"We don't know if what they said is even true."

Oh. He guesses he wasn't concealing it particularly well, was he. He decides he won't brush her off, as she's clearly identified his concern already. But...

"Perhaps not," he agrees. "They... had motive to deceive us. To trick us into believing they were my only salvation. I realize this, now..." He had plenty of time to think about it, while forcefully being made an observer. Much the same as with the destruction of their worlds, the Regent has every reason to sew the seeds of futility and despair.

And yet...

"..."

Himeka nods readily in agreement. Anything the Regent says should be taken with a whole barrel of salt, if you ask her.

"Exactly. I would even hedge my bets that they would try to give us false hope specifically so we play into their hand. Which we won't."

Estinien may not have the conviction right now and that's okay. That's what friends are for, aren't they? To be your strength.

She scoots closer, making a bit of a bigger mess of the fishing nets on the floor.

"Besides...you've been getting better, haven't you?"

"Aye." That much he can't deny. His flesh has largely returned to its regular tone, albeit slightly pale - far within the realm of normal possibility at least. He's not sure what has caused it to recede, but he does know that it seemed to start around the time they visited the Tamfa's tree.

None of the evidence suggests that he will relapse... besides those ominous marks still lingering on his friend's hands. Would it make a difference? Tehri had said that an Aion's identity had a way of reasserting itself over time.

"I could feel them searching my spirit, while they held me bound. For signs of the Innocent, I expect. I know not what they saw, in the end."

It isn't a heartfelt agreement, but it's an agreement nonetheless. She doesn't really expect for Estinien to clamour up in excitement over it, anyway.

It's what he says next that's really concerning. Himeka, of course, couldn't have any idea of what the Regent was doing other than holding Estinien in place, but it is all the more unsettling to know they were multitasking dealing with all they had gathered and trying to probe Estinien's mind.

She frowns.

"...What did it feel like?"

He shakes his head a little, as if to say 'I don't know'. Eventually, he manages to put it into words, though.

"...As if they were seeking something out, so that it could be pulled from me," he says. What that would do to him, he doesn't know. Maybe it would actually help, like they'd suggested. Maybe it would simply tear at his spirit, as the Eyes had.

"I remember them saying... 'if only this bond were stronger.' As if their attempts would have been far more aggressive were I truly in their presence." He narrows his eyes. "To what end, though? That... beast could not truly live inside of me...?"

Then again, if a dragon soul could fit into a mortal shell like his, maybe this angelic being could as well.

To pull it from him? Was it...the Innocence? As they were saying they could supposedly do to 'cure' Estinien in a way? (Though she doubts that would ever be their real altruistic intent.)

Himeka falls into a contemplative silence of her own, trying to imagine the different possibilities. Truly neither of them have the answer.

"I don't know...but I think they fear it, Estinien."

Estinien grunts in acknowledgment from his place on the floor, still not having gotten up. He doesn't feel like he's being possessed, at least not anymore. Was the Regent just making assumptions about what little has been left behind?

"If so, 'tis the one thing we have in common," he grumbles, folding his arms around himself. If the creature truly did oppose the Regent that would seemingly make it an ally, but his experience with it only seemed to prove that it was just as mad as its enemy. "Would that it could challenge the Regent in a way that didn't center on battering its supposed allies."

Himeka scoots even closer, having to pause to disentangle herself completely from the mass of netting on the floor, until she's finally side by side with him.

"The Regent said it was from an Aion...which would make sense from what Tehri told us, right? Maybe it's an Aion that got really close to defeating the Regent before."

He looks to her, his indecision writ in his expression. It's hard to separate his feelings about the creature or who it might have been from the fear and hatred of what it's done to him. Something so powerful being opposed to the Regent should be a source of hope, but in reality...

"...Dextera told me of his concern that the Pleroma would corrupt us surely as the Kenoma would. Seeing this result... I'd be more inclined to see his point. If it was once an Aion, what has become of it now? Is this what lies ahead for those of us that survive long enough to see it?"

Or possibly even faster in his case, if he ends up being used like a puppet.

"I told Dextera I was willing to pay the cost, if it meant victory. Yet... I find myself faltering..."

Ah...it's a reasonable fear. And she hates that. They have no reason to believe otherwise considering the strange form that it took, the almost childlike incessance to what it saw as a preservation of life and peace. It actually makes too much sense.

Himeka shakes her head, placing her hand on Estinien's shoulder.

"It's not your burden alone to bear," she says as a gentle reminder. "I believe we have some time before we reach that end."

Estinien rests his own hand on her knee, squeezing slightly. She's said as much before, and he knows it's true. Yet, if they do still have time, it seems they have another situation that demands their attention. After lingering in silence, he turns his attention to what can be done in the moment.

"We will rise to the Regent's challenge, will we not?" he says. "The only question lies in how we make out approach. From what was said, both Godsblood and Venera shall be under threat. Our forces must needs be divided."

Where should they in particular go, is the unspoken question.

Sometimes it's easier to just work on the problems they can--inevitably they may find some answers along the way, won't they? Himeka nods in agreement, knowing that it will be easier for Estinien to focus on something he can have a concrete influence on as well.

"We always do," she says easily. And don't they? Each challenge that's presented to them they will face as they must.

As for how to confront that challenge...

"Yes...though how we should--" A pause as she brings her free hand to her chin. "We won't really know how to handle it until we see how they play their hand. But..."

Himeka pauses again as she worries her bottom lip.

"There have been more Kenoma recently in Godsblood. I'd had a bad feeling about it once I heard. Nothing out of sorts happened when I last visited, but..."

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