Thoughts, thoughts, thoughts and thoughts were tumbling in her brain, but Fae-Fae was in no state to articulate any of them. This had all been so miserably exhausting and they still weren't done. Two of the most beloved people in her life were dead and she had yet to find a moment to fully acknowledge that. Her entire people were in danger, to an extent that made their future uncertain even if the mission had gone as planned. The world had suddenly become a much, much more complex place, and it felt like her mind was far too small to accommodate everything she had to think about now.
So she gratefully accepted Vyn's insistence that she rest. A bottle of water was taken from Aliez, and she drank from it, somewhat messily -- eager to wash away the unpleasant tastes that had accumulated in her mouth. Then, finding a space to settle down, she gestured at Caelyna in an invitation to join her.
Through her growing exhaustion, Fae-Fae managed to say, "I intend to learn from this event."
That would do enough to convey her willingness to stay. She was still a Vanguardian. She did not suddenly agree with the plan, but Lyndin's answer to her question made it clear that she could not blame him for it. Or anyone.
For now, the outcome of today's events had given Caedus one more chance to find the other way he had dreamed of. She hoped he would succeed, that someone here would be able to help him. She was no crystal engineer, so she would have to focus on what she could do.
The Space Cauldron
Sunshine Alouette
Guine
Noir Songbird
Posted: Sat Nov 06, 2021 4:53 pm
Cadet Vyn
There was a hand against the side of his head, shoving. Then a gasp and a squeak, and a rapidly deepening flush as Vyn toppled into the Commodore’s personal space.
He did his best not to flail about, wary of accidentally harming the Commodore, who looked so tired, so unsteady, not quite his usual self no matter how he might try to force some composure. Vyn managed to keep himself stiff limbed, still curled in on himself, with the result that he just sort of fell against the Commodore in an embarrassed ball of hero-worshiping youth.
It wasn’t so scandalous as the depth of color in his face might imply. Their sides were aligned; their shoulders touched and Vyn’s arm pressed against the Commodore’s arm.
Even so, Vyn froze. Instinct told him he should apologize, scramble away, give the Commodore some space. This was the sort of physical contact one might engage in with a friend, not the Commodore. Vyn was horrified. He couldn’t breathe. His face was going to burn off from the heat that pooled in his cheeks. He couldn’t gaze up at the Commodore, so he met Ny with a wide-eyed look of accusation.
How could she? Why would she? It was a crude joke, a betrayal.
But the Commodore was warm, and solid, and real, less godlike than he’d ever been. Here, after so much death and defeat, he didn’t seem quite so divine and untouchable. Like this — on the floor of a building that, despite all the repairs done to it, could not rid itself of a feeble atmosphere — the Commodore was just a man.
And Vyn was so lost, and so tired, and so afraid. The Commodore and his fellow cadets were all he had of home here, the only safe refuge on a world that did not always seem friendly.
Vyn lowered his head and hid his misting eyes against his knees, but he didn’t move away.
EchosSweet
redface
The Space Cauldron
redface
Sunshine Alouette
Eternal Senshi
Offline
Guine
Crew
Lonely Explorer
Offline
Posted: Sat Nov 06, 2021 7:06 pm
Cadet Aliez
Aliez opened his mouth to respond to the Commodore’s comment about him having the book memorized, but ended up gaping wordlessly for a few moments before clamping his mouth shut as heat rose in his cheeks. How was he supposed to breathe when he was being called out for being an overachiever?
Still, Aliez forced himself to draw in a breath and let it out slowly as he turned to shuffle about, wanting to check on the others as they settled down to rest. The kiss on his cheek from Fangnyl was at least a little settling, and he offered the tiniest, somewhat forced smile for Fangnyl’s benefit, and to show him his appreciation.
He heard the slight commotion behind him and saw as Ny was pushing Vyn against the Commodore, and Aliez felt the tension in his shoulders ease somewhat. It was good that at least some of them were feeling lighthearted enough to mess around and tease each other. He hoped that she knew his small smile and quiet nod was to thank her.
“Come on, let’s help get everyone settled,” he said to Fangnyl, who was already helping with the blankets. They just needed to make sure everyone had a place to rest, and had something to eat if they were hungry, and something to drink. He looked down at his own uniform and back to Vyn -- they were both still covered in Cydfae’s blood, but no one had really made mention of it bothering them, so he would do what he could without trying to think about it. He would change later, and make sure that Vyn did the same.
Sunshine Alouette
EchosSweet
Genovianprince
Posted: Sat Nov 06, 2021 9:17 pm
Cadet Caelyna
Vyn's insistence that she was somehow one of the most in need of rest made her want to argue, but Caelyna knew that he meant well, and simply intended to look after her. So she nodded, and when Aliez offered her water, she murmured a soft "thank you."
She knew that they were both right. They needed to rest. And Fae-Fae was beckoning her over, so Caelyna claimed a blanket and went over to her friend, settling in next to her. She gently leaned against Fae-Fae, not putting too much of her weight on her, but enough to make it clear that she was there and not going anywhere.
She wanted to hear more, and understand as much as possible, and she valued everything Lyndin was revealing to them. But she was all out of words for the evening, she was fairly certain, and all out of ability to do much at all.
As much as she'd wanted to resist Vyn's insistence....he wasn't wrong. She really did need to rest.
As she healed herself with Aliez's advice, the throbbing in her head dulled to something much more manageable. Without the pain, there was little to distract her from the exhaustion.
It had been fear and a desperate sort of determination that had kept her clinging onto consciousness through all of this. People were still speaking of important things across the room, of the futures of Earth, of Velencya, and of Caedus and the rest of them, but none of that had the same adrenaline-spiking immediacy to it, and so Naeria found herself beginning to drift away.
She found herself pressing closer to Andreyia again as she drifted off. At first it was just her arm, side by side with his, but then she reached down to place her hand on top of his, patted it once to show that she was there, because she could feel how tense he was.
A few seconds after that, she was asleep, her forehead pressed sideways into his shoulder.
Kyuseisha no Hikari
Posted: Sun Nov 07, 2021 8:55 am
Cadet Andreiya
Aliez had offered a hand and suggested that they go up to bed, and honestly it seemed like a decent idea--but when no one else was moving towards the stairs, Andreiya found that the idea of being separated from the group was a little more nerve-wracking than he cared to admit.
He would have listened to Aliez, of course, and he was ready to help Naeria up because he agreed--surely she would have been more comfortable laying down in a bed!
But instead, when he turned to face her to offer her assistance up, she was already pressed into his shoulder and he faltered. When he realized that she seemed like she was sleeping, he froze, and he could have slept sitting straight up if that's what it took to keep her in any sort of peace.
Carefully, he maneuvered to accept a blanket, and he shook it out with one hand so he could drape it over himself and Naeria.
Maybe it wasn't the most comfortable place to spend the night.
But, they were together, and he found comfort in that.
A tinge of that pressure in her chest began to ease. Faintly. It wasn't enough that she no longer felt the need to pace, and continued to do so, forcing her movements to remain as slow and smooth as she could.
But she was getting what she'd wanted. Answers. Sort of. It was a lot more information than she'd had previously, explanations for some of the reasons things fell the way they did. And she had to acknowledge she didn't have any proposals for other routes they could have taken. Not anything backed with facts, anyway, just emotional-based responses. Such things weren't suitable to actually air, except in private.
"I'll be staying," she said simply to the Commodore, as she watched the others begin to settle down. She was still too... anxious, and that energy didn't want to dissipate. Trying to make herself rest... wouldn't work. She'd be back up in minutes, or tossing about so much she'd just end up annoying whoever was near her.
So she stepped away, bringing herself over to one of the wooden tables, and took a seat. Her foot tapped, though she tried at least to keep that sound muffled so as to, again, not annoy others. She pulled up documents on her ComTech, the screen already partitioning to give the reports on one side, and a place for her own notations and thoughts on the other. Daesva began to mark up the latter with her thoughts on the events that transpired, because it was, for her, the only way she could safely vent her emotions and try to sort through things.
"I will be up for a while, if you wish to rest," she said after a few moments, looking up to Aliez. Teal eyes flickered down his uniform, taking in their state. She also glanced to Vyn, though she wasn't sure he'd be getting up any time soon. "I can keep an eye down here, you're welcome to step away upstairs." To wash up was what she wanted to say, but she took a slow breath through her nose as her lips pursed slightly. "...you've done a great deal today, Aliez. Do not push yourself too far, please."
The Space Cauldron
Guine
Sunshine Alouette
including Vyn, idk if he's movin' tho
Posted: Sun Nov 07, 2021 2:54 pm
Lyndin glanced at Vyn as he pressed against him, and he didn’t seem even remotely uncomfortable by the closeness. Instead, he tugged one of the blankets he’d been given to lay it out over Vyn, and adjusted his position so one arm was wrapped around him. “Rest,” he said, either too tired for formalities, or too concerned for everyone to want to turn any away.
“Recover. Relax, if you can. Take time to process, and clear your mind. We’ll have tomorrow to plan.”
He nodded to Fae-Fae; there was much to learn, and he seemed to find some comfort that she and Caelyna could rest together.
Naeria and Andreiya were still in sight, and he breathed easier to see them resting.
Aliez and Fangnyl were helping others settle, and he was grateful for their compassion and heart.
Ny was lively enough, there was something reassuring about that.
To all of them, “I don’t know what the future holds. But I’m grateful to face it all with you. I want you all to know that I still respect you. I still believe in you. I’m still proud of you.”
They were here. They weren’t all here, but they were here.
They had a tomorrow, and they could face it together.
For Velencya. Maybe even, for Earth, too.
And so, they remained.
Please make sure to thank your artist(s) ; they worked incredibly hard and deserve gratitude and appreciation for everything they do for the shop!
The Vanguard is now a questable Rare Faction! If you played a Cadet during the meta you will need to fill out a Questing Form and post it for stamping in the Acquired Character Thread to continue playing this character. For this event only, these characters do not accrue points towards the character cap. They will be worth 0 points at first, second, and third stage. All Vanguardians acquired past this point in time will follow standard character cap points.
All players who participated in the post-battle ORPs have earned their characters. The art you have acquired does not have a weapon because you are required to choose a customized weapon during the stamping stage; moving forward, a weapon will appear on the art. Players who do not want their character permanently may forfeit their character; ICly, their characters will have gathered on the morning of November 2nd and returned to Velencya. These characters may be quested for in the future should players change their mind, however at that point in time they will need to be purchased like other characters and will follow the same rules for character caps. The current art will be recolored and given out in future shop events for players to create new characters with. If players want to forfeit their Cadet and return the art to the shop to be recolored can also claim three Crown Tokens. To forfeit the character, please just PM The Space Cauldron to let us know, and post your claim in the Crown Token thread! Your character will be listed on the Master Character list to preserve their name.
If you choose to keep your character, they will not be stuck in the Negaverse, nor will they be required to align themselves with any member of Chaos. The Vanguard is a neutral faction; their opinions and choices are not based on Order or Chaos but are instead based on personal beliefs and goals. ICly, Lyndin will meet with Laurelite on the morning of November 2nd. At player request, the results of this meeting can be roleplayed out, but players can also handwave their characters knowing that Lyndin has secured an arrangement where the Negaverse is committed to giving them the space they need to complete their goal. In exchange, he has shared information on how to better use the energy they have gathered, and amplify the strength of their gathered energy, in the hopes that they will use this to better their world and protect it from outside threads.
Lyndin does not want the Cadets to stay in the borrowed house in the Dark Kingdom; ICly he will secure a house in Destiny City that they can use for housing and shelter. A warp pad will be installed in the house and all Vanguardians can sync with it to allow them the ability to immediately recall to this safe area. It has Vanguardian defenses up to keep it safe and fortified, but outwardly appears like any other house. He handles the finances for this, but the Vanguard is free to customize any room to their liking. They do not have to stay there if they have found other accommodations; They will have access to a bank account that has a steady flow of funds. Lyndin expects to utilize this house in the Dark Kingdom to maintain appearances with the Dark Kingdom and have something of a work space for projects, but he is available for interaction with all members of the Vanguard. He has used a significant amount of energy to push into the machine that destroyed Archideus and needs time to recover, so he is taking it easy for the time being.
Regardless of any Vanguardian’s choice, whether they left the battle with him or wound up on the Moon, he is currently supporting all efforts to research what makes Earth so special, and to investigate how they can save Velencya or restore life on Velenia. He encourages all Vanguardians to work together for Velencya, even if they do not support his decision to seek Caedus and recover his starseed.
