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 Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2016 7:24 pm
 "A Smallish library where the citizens of Bellris can go to further their intelligence...if they so want. The library officially belongs to the Royal family, but people from all classes are aloud to enter."
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Posted: Sun Sep 11, 2016 12:27 pm
 Baroness Youkimi Kai
Living today without a way
To understand the weight of the world
Youkimi somberly entered the library. She walked past the door and numbly passed the few who might have been gathered here. Her mind cycled back to the most recent disaster and tragedy. She had only heard back from a few... so few... most of her household had been buried with the house. She hadn't been strong enough, or able to do anything, to help them. Everyone had been hurt. Her home country was in ruin and she was here.
She didn't feel her movements. She slid into a chair at an empty table. She set the fan on the table but she never really let it go. Her eyes stared blankly ahead. The faces of the soldiers and the people she worked with and for... so many people. She heard their screams of panic. She watched so many take to the air in panic. She watched others return to the falling rocks and flames. She felt others fall about her, struck by the stones so dangerously thrown by the volcano... the sleeping monster....
Isamu... Her eyes began to well up with tears. She braced her elbows on the table and leaned forward. She had seen his black feathers in the air, quickly finding her when the chaos broke. She watched him veer sharply. He saw a sharp fragment... debris from the rumbling explosion... not the first, but one of the following roars the earth made as it shuddered far below. He flew into the rock. He shielded her. Protected the count....
The back of her left hand rose and pressed against the center of her face. She was not worthy of that kind of sacrifice. How am I to repay you, dear friend?
She closed her eyes and her hand moved to cover them, turning her palm against her face. It was not ladylike to cry in a strange place... She shuddered nonetheless. ... There was so much to do. She had to establish herself here in Bellris, gain friends and allies, and direct that effort to rebuilding or at least stabilizing life in Ethe. ... She also needed to determine whether this was even possible. What could she do to repair the damage that the earth itself caused?
She increased the pressure on her teeth, grinding them together. So much to do...
OoC:
Once my heart beat to the
Rhythm of the falling snow
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Posted: Mon Sep 12, 2016 12:27 pm
✺Forgotten Son The air in Bellris was always thicker, less pleasant to fly through, then Ethe's atmosphere. That was the one thing Dixon remembered about it, not having actually landed on the face of the country before. Now, though, that had been reversed--seemingly with jealous interest. Was it really fair to assign these countries personalities? After the explosion those who were left found themselves faced with the aching, hollow feeling of being forsaken by their god; a nation could rebuild itself physically innumerable times over, if it had the will and resources to do so.
Youkimi had already gone to work on the latter. Dixon was struggling to find was of salvaging the country, but the longer he stayed the more he felt himself pulled down, melted into that hot, inert-but-volatile soup of discontent. Aftershocks: the riots and moaning in the streets as mothers wept for their children and begged for their own lives to be taken just so they could find peace; of radical shrugging of religion and the tradition and nobility which had helped keep its shining emblem in place. She'd written asking for Dixon's help: a hand from out of the wall of a storm. With a shrug, he left his fight until after hers had been settled.
"It's been a while," he said, making his usually casual entrance. He grabbed a chair, sitting across from his former assistant. He could guess what she was thinking. "... Youkimi."
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Posted: Mon Sep 12, 2016 12:56 pm
Baroness Youkimi Kai
Living today without a way
To understand the weight of the world
Habit forced her hands back down to the table. She slowly straightened in the seat and her eyes respectfully turned to Dixon. Her friend. He was braver than she was, working with the people actually there. Where she should have been. But she couldn't help others unless there was a stable platform to reach out from.
Dixon had responded to her. He didn't look at her with judging eyes... She wasn't sure whether to count this as a relief or with suspicion. She didn't know what to say. He was here, now, and able to speak to her. He had answered and stayed in touch. How did he keep himself together?
"It has," Youkimi answered softly. She didn't trust her voice at the moment. Her eyes were not clear, she did not feel rested, and she imagined that she didn't look her best. "Thank you for coming."
OoC:
Once my heart beat to the
Rhythm of the falling snow
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Posted: Mon Sep 12, 2016 4:21 pm
✺Forgotten SonNormally he would have made a joke about it, picked up on it, done something to keep his partner in crime in check--in the friendliest sense--but today there was nothing but genuine concern in his eyes. That might have been what was so hard to take; the whole time they were there, while Youkimi seemed to gather herself, Dixon never took those worried yet calm eyes from her face. He reached across the table, took her hand.
"You don't have to act like that now," he told her, giving a squeeze and letting go just enough to give her the choice of whether or not to keep his hand. "You know I'm happy to do it... We've got a lot of work to do." His words on the matter were so flat, so businesslike on the surface, but there was a hidden care in them. It was almost kingly.
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Posted: Tue Sep 13, 2016 12:21 am
Baroness Youkimi Kai
Living today without a way
To understand the weight of the world
Youkimi wasn't sure what to expect, or what she should have expected from the count. He did not take the opportunity to tease or to make fun at her expense, nor did he berate or blame. He sat just across from her. He had managed to surprise her by taking her hand.
Was it proper? Her eyes drifted to his hand. He had reached out to reassure her. Her shoulders steadily and slowly relaxed, unable to remain tense for very long as this thought seeped into her mind. Dixon had kept his voice even. He was serious and at ease in the idea of being a help. He didn't force himself to this.
She blinked and became aware of the water in her eyes again. Her hands moved and collapsed around his. He had squeezed her hand, and now she held onto his. Now, of the two of him, he remained calm while she felt her composure slip. She shook her head. Then, the tears escaped, but she still wouldn't allow herself to weep. There was work to do. He was right. There was a reason she had asked for him to come.
"You've been there... what do the people need most? Supplies for houses? Food? Clothes?"
OoC:
Once my heart beat to the
Rhythm of the falling snow
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Posted: Tue Sep 13, 2016 10:28 am
✺Forgotten Son
"They need houses," answered the count after a pause to make sure Youkimi was held together. "Many of the citizens came to Lionis, some here; none that I know of went to Zalto. All of them were searching for shelter and a job to pass the time, either finding one or the other." He leaned back, tossed his hand through his hair.
"It's all backwards to me. The people of Ethe need jobs. Right now there's plenty of work to be done rebuilding the nation, but only some outsiders have taken any interest--I still haven't seen anything actually happen..."
"I want to put them to work," said the count with less confidence than before. "Even if it's only to distract them for a little while, make them think they're rebuilding, helping out, ya know?"
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Posted: Wed Sep 14, 2016 12:14 am
Baroness Youkimi Kai
Living today without a way
To understand the weight of the world
Ethe was scattered.... it was hard to feel proud to be a part of the country swallowed by the volcano when so many had fled for their lives. She withdrew her hands slowly and folded them in front of herself on the table. Back to work. Back to business. She could focus on that.
They looked for work. Let's see... she might be able to pull some strings, perhaps to organize a means to ship supplies over to them in Ethe... perhaps means of irrigation, or to set up something to catch the rainfall that would come to Ethe? The sky wouldn't change, though it was unquestionable that the earth and ground certainly had.
She contemplated options and slowly nodded. "Is there land stable enough to work? Safe from the mountain flow and able to hold water?"
OoC:
Once my heart beat to the
Rhythm of the falling snow
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Posted: Wed Sep 14, 2016 5:09 pm
✺Forgotten Son
"We don't have much," the count admitted; "our fields don't hold much now, but they're covered with black ash, the main mine was covered. We're working, but the men are slow, not really good for anything I'm afraid." Some of those around began to listen, if only halfway, as the conversation seemed to take more of a businesslike turn.
"If we could get some seeds loaned to use, we could replant in the new soil. Old farmers talk about how green the land used to be; they said it was those days that the great god of the mountain was closer to them." He looked at her with that unsure confidence again. "What can we do? Will you really expect these nations to pick up our slack?"
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Posted: Wed Sep 14, 2016 8:35 pm
Baroness Youkimi Kai
Living today without a way
To understand the weight of the world
The men were slow.... an interesting way to put it. Was that so for a particular reason? Were they older? More wearied? Emotionally broken? Well, whatever the case was, attempts to work the land had not been favorably seen to. The season for planting was off, but if there was work, they could get some of the faster-growing crops to take root and begin to grow. The cost for those seeds was something to consider, and even if they had them, she wasn't sure what crops would hold in Ethe soil. Once upon a time, she would be confident that anything could grow. If the soil struggled to hold water or if the people had no faith in their country's land anymore, then whether it was able did not matter.
Great god of the mountain.... Youkimi found this note a bit strange. Though, to his question, she shook her head. "No, I wouldn't expect any country to take interest unless there was something they could gain...."
Youkimi absently brushed a hand through her hair, combing her fingers through the dark locks and letting the strands flow. She began to think through the things she could look up. Would any of the books here have information of the past? She shook her head and slowly stood. "Would you walk with me through the shelves? Perhaps there are old almanacs here... I'm curious if there are records of the last time the mountain spat fire... and what happened after."
Perhaps with a look to the past they could gauge how to handle their current situation. The knowledge might also help them pitch the idea to other nations, providing interest in their shaken country and help build an economy there again. The flow of resources would only help the people recover.
OoC:
Once my heart beat to the
Rhythm of the falling snow
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Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2016 11:51 am
✺Forgotten SonOutfitThe count nodded; all good points, just like usual. It was always like this, Youkimi taking the lead when it came to matters like this--so, matters involving too much thinking. Try as he might to disguise it, deep down Dixon was fairly dim. He simple knew what he heard; the interpretation was largely up to the former baroness.
"Of course," he said getting up. "Lead the way." Wherever Youkimi went, there was Dixon. Willing and able to reach things for her, carry books, etc.
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Posted: Fri Sep 16, 2016 3:01 pm
Baroness Youkimi Kai
Living today without a way
To understand the weight of the world
Youkimi's gait was practiced and smooth as she drifted to the shelves of the library and began her search. Her posture was straight and she didn't allow her shoulders to slump in the slightest, despite the pressure of the worry and the grief she struggled against over the past few weeks that instead felt like haggard months. It was hard to keep track of time. She depended on the word of others to alert her to the reality of passing time.
Her fingers lifted and shifted in the air as she read over the titles. She seemed hesitant to actually touch the books unless she intended to pull one down, yet still, there was a simple grace in motion that was familiar to her muscles and that again hinted at her ancestry and the training of her youth. Regardless of circumstance, happenstance, or chance, she was by birth a baroness of Ethe. She would carry herself as such for the honor of her family and respect for that title.
"You have keener eyes than I, Dixon." She said as she studied the titles and words before her. "Can you help me find accounts of Ethe's mountain? Or perhaps stories of the land? We might also be able to use old almanacs, if we can ever find a time when something like this happened before.... Perhaps we can extend our search to other mountains...."
Her voice drifted off as thoughts overtook her mind and she continued her search.
OoC:
Once my heart beat to the
Rhythm of the falling snow
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Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2016 5:03 pm
✺Forgotten SonThey went at it all afternoon and into the night, plowing away at almanacs, mythology books--...archeology, you name it! There weren't that many leads, or at least Dixon couldn't piece them together as well as he probably should have. They were both tired. Coffee and a nice break for the both of them as they sat looking at each other looking at their notes with puffy eyes.
"So," began the count slowly. "what do you make of it?" Interesting accounts of life in the old days were told in some of what they read, but it never seemed like something they could trust. There was an allusion to 'cleansing fire' and similarly worded phrases describing the return of a great harvest, but nothing very concrete.
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Posted: Mon Sep 19, 2016 9:05 pm
Baroness Youkimi Kai
Living today without a way
To understand the weight of the world
Youkimi barely tasted the tea that she had requested. The kind that she had managed to purchase during her stay here had about as much kick as a mug of coffee. It was softer on the nose than coffee, and she enjoyed it, but in the wake of everything, and after having so much of it, she couldn't properly enjoy it as she used to.
She had multiple books arrayed and open before her. Various historical accounts, notes of thick black clouds caught her attention. As she narrowed in on stories and accounts about this time, she only was able to find a few familiar details in the midst of everything. But, out of everything, the most promising account seemed to be the most boring account, plainly written, and meant to be distributed through the public. It was old, to such an age that only her grandfather might have heard of it, and her great grandfather himself very likely lived through it. Yet, because they were gone, she could not ask them personally what had happened.
".... So little that I can apply...." She muttered under her breath. She took a slow breath in and shook her head. "The last time a mountain shook and spat, it only threw out rocks and dust... ash. Some stories written about that time start out calling it a curse, and tie in evil with spitting and smoke of the mountain... there is some fire, but it leaks out the side... There was a forest-fire that might have been caused by it..."
She braced her elbows on the table and rubbed her eyes. "The fire the mountain spits out... it cools and hardens to rock. The smoke doesn't disperse, but falls like snow, powder... You can't burn it, brushing it scratches whatever it touches... Breathing it tears apart the lungs..."
The last time the mountain did anything, it was nothing in comparison at all. Had it been a warning, all those generations ago? ... Since then, there had grown such a thick and luscious forest where the black cloud had fallen and where the forest had burned and a rock had crept in. That rock had broken apart as the foliage returned, and the green found there had been more beautiful than ever it had been.... But it was all gone now. Did they have the patience to wait for the green to reclaim it? It took generations to erase-
Youkimi folded her hands and her chin rested on her fingers. "It takes so much time... I feel that it will be fruitful and beautiful again, but I can't confirm how long it takes.... Or will take."
What was more cost effective? To try and speed that process or to try and move the few people who were still there out and as refugees to another country.
OoC:
Once my heart beat to the
Rhythm of the falling snow
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Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2016 2:50 pm
✺Forgotten Son
"So what you're saying," began the count, "is that it might not be worth it?" This didn't sit right with Dixon; moreover it didn't seem like something Youkimi would do, just give up like that. She was realistic, but not cynical enough for something like that.
"... So let's put that aside for now." God help him, he had an idea. "We have gems--it's kind of our thing--why don't we just key on that while we wait for things to stabilise? Some of us have been looking into digging out the old mines. ... If worst comes to worst," he said with a knife in his side, "we can sell some of them."
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