Beautiful artwork made by Randompeephere <3
__________________________________________________
"What do you think the news is?" Naomi asks as she rocks back and forth in one of the comfy chairs lined up in the Boardroom of the Divine Temple. It feels kinda strange being back here, even though it hasn't been that long since the last time. Maybe it just feels longer because of the unfortunate events that have happened since they first set out on this quest.
But now they're back, sitting and waiting for more bad news. Hurray.
"Who knows. If it was something small, he either would have written it in the letter, or not bothered to write at all. Doesn't exactly make me feel good about all this," Nisha says and leans over the table with her head rested atop her arms.
Nesosa decided to remain standing despite the custom seat made for centaurs that's still here. Lavern also stays standing and leaned against a wall near the door, impatiently waiting for the Grand Master to show up and tell them the news already so he can leave.
Malachi has been quiet, but his annoyance shows on his face. Nothing he loves more than to be at the great Athemar Du'Keldan's beck and call for every little thing that comes up. But on top of that, he also has an uneasy feeling. It's similar to how he felt the night he was meant to meet Colin in Eelry, before he even saw the smoke and fires. It's not quite as bad, but that feeling of apprehension certainly lingers.
Nesosa grumbles and fidgets in place. "Ah swear, if it's about th' shit that happened in Arkala, A'm aff tae be pissed," she huffs. Lavern glances at her with a glare before looking away and staring at the ground.
Naomi shrugs and crosses her legs in her chair. "Maybe he's got news on this 'mystery man'?" she suggests. Nisha flicks her ear towards her and slightly lifts her head.
"I... doubt it. I've had no luck all that time I spent searching, so I doubt something new's come up in the few days I haven't been looking," she says.
Naomi turns her attention to her. "Well... aren't there other agents looking, too? Like that 'Blackwell' chick?" she asks.
Nisha's ears lower and she scoffs. "Right... Her," she mumbles and turns her gaze downward to glare at the table. Her tail flicks irritably.
Naomi goes to ask her what her deal is with Sara, but she closes her mouth as the door beside Lavern opens and Grand Master Athemar steps through with a forlorn gaze plastered across his face. He walks into the room at a slow pace, which is when they notice that Sarabeth is with him.
She's no longer wearing the fancy dress from Arkala, and instead she wears a sky-blue cloak and black and dark blue leather armor that hugs tightly to her form, and her brown hair is down to shoulder-length.
As she walks through the door, she glances at Lavern and smiles with narrowed eyes. "Good to see you've recovered, Sir Dev'Alrich. I was afraid your wounds may have been... fatal," she says breathily before turning her attention forward and following Athemar over to the map he has of Aramora.
He stares at it with his back turned to everyone, and they all wait in silence before the Grand Master finally speaks. "We have received dire news..." he starts. Everyone stays quiet as they wait for him to continue.
He closes his eyes and crosses his hands behind his back, slightly lowering his head to the map with a hollow deep breath.
"...Another city has fallen victim to the voracious Drynthar," he says with mournful hush to his voice.
Everyone sits up straight in their seats and Nesosa turns to face the Grand Master. Lavern just lifts his head and watches to see where this is going to go. This isn't what he was expecting, but he was prepared for bad news so he's not too affected by this.
"Which one?" Nesosa asks warily. It was the question on everyone's mind, but fear of the answer made nobody want to say it. Leave it to Nesosa to take the leap no one else is willing to.
Athemar opens his eyes and they dart north on the map before he slowly turns around to look at the group gathered in his Boardroom.
"...Whiteridge," he breathes out heavily.
Nisha gasps and sits up stiffly, her fists clench to stifle how they start to shake. She looks as though she wants to say something, but it seems she needs a moment to process her thoughts.
Sarabeth nods and mimics Athemar's posture by crossing her hands behind her back. "We are currently uncertain if King Arrick Minex'mar had arrived back in Whiteridge before the incident. He left Arkala shortly after the coronation of King Castien Dev'Alrich, and no one has heard from him since. We sent a courier out to locate him, but nothing has turned up as of yet," she explains and slightly lowers her head.
Once again, Naomi can't help but feel uneasy about this woman. She seems so stone faced about this whole thing, but then again, she seemed the same way in Arkala. It's as if nothing bothers her, even if she tries. And from what Naomi can tell, she's trying now.
"...Were there any survivors...?" Nisha asks, sounding uncharacteristically timid. That's another question it seemed no one wanted to ask, despite them all wanting to know the answer. However, Nisha doesn't appear to have heeded her words, instead they just came out as her mind ran blank.
Athemar sighs and slowly leans forward on the table with his head hanging low. "It's too early to tell. However, from what our scouts have reported, it doesn't look good out there. Based on their descriptions of the damage... it seems unlikely anyone could have survived this... terrible disaster," his words come out heavily, shuddering at the thought.
Nisha's ears flatten against her head and she stares at the surface of the wooden table as her claws dig into it, blinking quickly as her eyes begin to blur. "Sirash..." she whispers to herself.
"What was that, Lady Moraan?" Sarabeth asks and tilts her head curiously.
Too distracted to care about her condescending tone, Nisha swallows back the lump in her throat. "...Nothing. I just... I'm sorry, I... Need a moment," she gets up quickly and turns to leave, but before she reaches the door, Sara speaks again.
"Hold on, Lady Moraan. The meeting has not yet concluded. I understand this must be... difficult for you, but it is imperative that you stay," she says pointedly, making Nisha's fur stand on end as she fights her anger.
She stifles a growl as she glares at Blackwell. "But—"
"Lady Blackwell is right, Hu'Nisha. You need to stay for the rest of the meeting," Athemar cuts her off and slowly lowers into his red-cushioned chair at the head of the table.
Nisha takes a deep breath and returns to her seat beside Naomi, who grabs her hand and holds it gently in her own, gaining a small smile from the Tus'Felnis.
Returning the focus to Athemar, Malachi decides to contribute questions of his own. "I assume you're telling us this because of the Whiteridge fragment, right?" he asks gruffly, glaring at the Grand Master.
Athemar leans back in his seat but keeps his posture. It's then that they notice the dark circles starting to form under his eyes and it almost looks like the wrinkles on his face have deepened since the last time they saw him. Seems Sara wasn't kidding when she said Athemar's been hella busy while they were away.
"Yes and no. The situation with the Whiteridge fragment is... complicated, to put it lightly," the Grand Master says.
"How sae?" Nesosa asks.
Athemar grumbles and nods to Sara, who sighs and faces the group from the Grand Master's side with her head high. "Unlike the other city rulers of Aramora, King Minex'mar did not personally keep the fragment. Instead, he had left it in the care of his Court Mar," she throws a snarky glance to Naomi, "Sorry, his Court Mage," she says and earns a glare from the girl.
Naomi growls. "I know what Mar means—"
"Anyway, as I was saying. Arrick's Court Mar, Nelaeryn M'Qinan, had made the mistake of leaving the Schism Fragment in his lab and in reach of his eight-year-old daughter, Reela. She accidentally broke it and thus, the Tene-Medeis from the stone latched onto her," she explains and throws a subtle glance at Nisha, but the Tus'Felnis pays her no mind and just stares at the table.
Malachi nods slowly. "So, the girl was inflicted with the stone's Dark Magic," he says.
Blackwell smiles. "Correct. After the Dev'al Ordon received word of the incident, we sent an armed unit to retrieve the girl and pay her father a heavy sum for his trouble," she continues, but Naomi scoffs which grabs her attention.
"He handed his own daughter over for a handful of numis?" she asks with a frown.
Sara sighs and narrows her eyes at the girl. "It's compensation, not indifference. You would do well to understand the difference, Morris," she hisses, which makes Naomi's face flush red with frustration and anger towards this woman. To calm her a bit, Nisha squeezes her hand beneath the table and smiles as best she can.
"Sae what happened tae th' girl?" Nesosa asks and crosses her arms, also growing quite impatient for this meeting to be over.
Athemar slowly nods and holds up his hand to signal Sara that he's taking this. "The unit never returned. Witnesses reported that the soldiers were found dead near Balmoral and with wounds that looked gruesome enough that they could have been inflicted by a rabid bear. But the girl was nowhere to be found. Given what we understand about Tene-Medeis, I think it's safe to say the Dark Magic in the child recognized the soldiers as a threat, even while she was still comatose from the initial incident," he explains.
Nesosa stares at him with big eyes and her jaw slightly slack. "Wait, are ye trying tae say that th' Tene-Medeis turned an eight-year-old intae a murder machine?"
Sara shrugs and answers for the Grand Master. "You could put it like that, yes. It's for this reason that Tene-Medeis is outlawed across the six lands. Given the right circumstances, it can turn even a humble pacifist into a homicidal maniac with the flip of a switch," she says, once again throwing a sharp glance at Nisha, only this time the Tus'Felnis returns the look with her own.
"So what do you want us to do?" Malachi asks.
Athemar nods once again and stands up to return to the map. He stares at it for a moment before speaking again. "From what I understand, you all were planning on venturing out to Kilead next. You were likely planning on taking the western route, but now I request that you take the northern path instead. Pass through what remains of Whiteridge when you're on your way to Kilead. I have already sent word to Evgenia Val'Kirix, the Kirix Tribe leader, to have a ship waiting for you on the southwestern coast of the Recharn Sea. Once you are done in Whiteridge, you may continue your quest as you have been doing," he starts.
Malachi is annoyed at the forced change in plans, however he can't really complain about taking the route that avoids Eelry. But this all just raises his next question. "Why do you want us to go through Whiteridge?" he asks.
"To see if it's possible to learn of the whereabouts of King Minex'mar as well as potentially the M'Qinan girl," Sara says. "From what we are aware, the girl had recently arrived back home in Whiteridge. She was likely present for the attack. She may be a child, but she is still a vessel of Tene-Medeis. Her magic has the same properties as a Schism Fragment, and therefore we need to know if she survived and if so, we need her here to help open the rift."
Her word choice really irks Naomi. 'Vessel of Tene-Medeis'? That's still a child she's talking about. She would call her on it, but she really doesn't feel like getting shut down by such a powerful agent of the Dev'al Ordon again.
Naomi looks down as she thinks about the mission instead of Sara. "But why send us when you can just send scouts?" she asks. "Wouldn't that make more sense, since we'll take longer because we're also going to Kilead?"
Athemar nods and Sara smiles. Once again, she speaks before the Grand Master is given a chance. "Correct. You all will be there as an extra set of eyes to survey the area and see the damage. After we're done, you will go on your way to Kilead and I will return here to inform the Grand Master of our discoveries," she explains with a smirk.
Nisha's ears twitch and her tail scrunches up. "'We'?"
Athemar sighs and nods again. "Yes, Lady Blackwell will be accompanying you all to Whiteridge as she has been on top of the matter regarding Reela M'Qinan. She will return to Ecrin once you all depart for Kilead. Is that clear?" he asks and faces the table, eyeing each person in the room aside from Sarabeth. He seems to keep his curious gaze mostly on Nisha, who is making no attempt at hiding her anger on the matter.
Before the silence and heavy glances makes Nisha snap, Naomi nods. "Yeah. We've got it," she answers. She too feels slightly annoyed about having Sara come with them, even if it's only for, at most, a few days. But maybe this would be a good chance to possibly try talking to Sara and seeing if she can find out what's going on with her and Nisha.
Sarabeth chuckles as she walks past the table and towards the door. "I'll be waiting for whenever you all are ready to depart," she says and pushes the door open to step out into the courtyard.
Athemar motions his hand to the door. "That concludes our meeting. Please, take the time to rest and prepare to set out by tomorrow around noon. You are dismissed," he says and turns back to stare at the map. His eyes are now fixated on the center of the map; Ecrin.
The group all exit out into the courtyard, relieved to finally be free to breathe but also downcast about the news. After the not-so-subtle passive-aggressive exchanges between Nisha and Sara, Naomi's first priority is to check on Nisha.
She noticed that Nisha was the second one to storm out, the first being Lavern who it seems has already taken off as he's nowhere in sight in the courtyard. Nesosa is in the garden, watching the narrow flowing streams and seemingly in deep thought. And Malachi is standing at the edge of the grand balcony that overlooks the city below, solemnly staring off over the entirety of Ecrin.
Naomi spots Nisha standing beneath a tree with her arms crossed stiffly and her ears flat against her skull. Her tail twitches anxiously and she seems to be having a hard time staying still.
Naomi rushes over and goes to tap her shoulder, but doesn't get the chance to before she suddenly finds herself backed against the tree with a dagger to her throat. Nisha gasps once she realizes who it is and she retracts her blade, returning it to its sheath but she keeps her hand on the leather grip.
"Shit! Sorry, Naomi! I thought you were someone else..." she huffs and looks away with grit teeth.
Naomi steps away from the tree and awkwardly scratches the back of her head. "It's fine. But who'd you think I was?" she asks and tilts her head.
Nisha takes a deep breath and slowly lowers her hand from her dagger to bring her arms back up and cross them over her chest. "I... I just don't like any of this... The Drynthar attack on Eelry was over a century ago. So why does it decide to attack Whiteridge now of all times? It just... doesn't make any sense," she growls and shakes her head. Even after realizing Naomi was the one to startle her, she doesn't seem to have loosened up one bit.
"Nisha, is everything okay?" Naomi asks. She didn't mean to brush aside her thoughts on the Drynthar, but Naomi's focus right now is on Nisha. Theorizing about a dragon can wait until later.
Or maybe not.
Nisha sighs. "I'm fine... I guess this news was just... shocking, is all," she looks away and takes another deep breath. "Anyway, I think I'm gonna go lay down for a bit... I need to calm down," she says quietly. Naomi nods with a sigh, sad that she has once again failed in getting Nisha to open up to her. As Nisha walks past her, she shows a small smile and gives her a soft kiss on the cheek before making her way to the Hall of Residence.
Well that didn't go the way she had hoped, but there's still time to talk to Nisha more since she's going to be coming with them to Kilead and Whiteridge. But now, she should make sure her other friends are okay with the shitty news and slight change of plans.
She decides to check on Malachi first. One, because he seemed kinda off after hearing about the Drynthar attack, and two, because the view he's sanding in front of looks sick as hell and she wants to see.
She doesn't tap him on the shoulder after having learned her lesson from Nisha that doing that could potentially result in both grabbing the person's attention, and a possible side effect of decapitation. She thinks it best to keep that in mind when she talks to Nesosa.
"You okay?" Naomi asks and leans against the thick stone barrier of the balcony beside him.
Malachi grunts and looks down at her with narrowed eyes. "Why are you asking?" he questions, watching her suspiciously.
Naomi snorts and rolls her eyes. "Um, because I want to know how you're doing? Chill out, old man. It's not like I asked you what your credit card number is," she snickers.
Malachi grumbles and slowly nods. "Right... Sorry, I guess I just... Have a lot on my mind."
"Like what?" Naomi asks.
Malachi frowns and returns his gaze to the view of the city. "It's just... the Drynthar. I don't like how... calculated this beast seems to be," he starts. Naomi eyes him curiously. She tries to follow his meaning, but she has a really hard time understanding a damn thing about what the hell's going on. She didn't think of the news as sounding any kind of 'calculated'. To her it just seemed like another freak accident.
Then she remembers what she and Malachi had talked about after they had been kidnapped by the Narvadin spies before Arkala. How he believes the Drynthar is somehow controlled by the Dev'al Ordon in some way and he thinks that's why Eelry was destroyed the night he and Colin were supposed to flee through the rift.
"You think the Order did this?" she asks. The question wasn't accusatory, but rather curious as to whether or not he's actually onto something or borderline losing his mind.
Malachi shrugs. "I don't know. Athemar may be good at bullshitting, but as much as I hate to admit it, he seemed genuine back there. I believe the king of Whiteridge was actually a friend of his once upon a time, so I'm not sure if he would have done this if he knew Arrick would potentially be killed..." he says.
Naomi nods and looks down as she thinks about it. "Well, what would the Order have gained from what happened to Whiteridge? It's not like there was a rift there or someone trying to flee to another continent like in Eelry," she says and he nods in return.
"Again, I don't know. I guess we'll have to wait and see what we find in the remains of Whiteridge," he says and pushes off from the wall. "All this is too damn stressful for one day. I'm gonna turn in. Make sure you do the same, kid," he says and just like that, he takes his leave and also enters the Hall of Residence.
Again, not exactly an emotional outpour, but at least he provided more conversation than Nisha.
Next up, Nesosa.
No way in hell is she going to risk tapping her shoulder, so instead she approaches from the front to give the centaur some warning before she starts talking. "Everything okay, Nesosa?" Naomi asks. She should start keeping a tally of all the times she's said that since coming to this continent. Everyone here is a mess.
Nesosa huffs and her face hardens. But oddly enough, she doesn't appear to be as shaken as everyone else was. It's not too surprising considering who Nesosa is, but it's still kinda strange. "Why wouldn't ah be? Hopefully th' damn Drynthar is still in Whiteridge when we get there 'n' we hae tae fight it. Ye ken, a minor complication that forces us tae come back tae Ecrin. Or Balmoral. Ye ken what? Anywhere. Anywhere would be better than Kilead," she snaps and takes a deep breath before she accidentally lets herself fully go off.
Naomi nods her head slowly as she tries to think of a good response that won't just piss her off. She doesn't know how she didn't realize this sooner, but talking to Nesosa is pretty scary when she's upset. She doesn't know how Lavern does it.
"You don't want to go home either, I take it?" she asks. The question was by all means rhetorical, but Nesosa is apparently too agitated to notice and she scoffs.
"Whatever gave ye that idea? Did th' public display from Tormund in Arkala nae tell ye how deep in shit a'm with my tribe? I'll be lucky if a'm nae killed on th' spot," she states and takes another deep breath. Naomi momentarily questions if she's hallucinating, because for a moment she swears she just saw the Nesosa Val'Dernak's eyes start tearing up, but the centaur quickly blinks them back in her anger.
Naomi reaches up and pats her on the shoulder. After a few seconds of not dying, she realizes it's probably safe. "Maybe it won't be so bad. If anything, you'd think your tribe would overlook whatever it is you did once they see what you're doing now. You're helping to save Aramora. That's gotta count for something, right?" she says with hope that she's choosing the right words.
Nesosa snickers spitefully and turns away from her. "Aye, it'll count fur something alright. Fur how ah hae truly betrayed mah people. If there's one thing ah ken fur certain about Kilead, it's that th' only thing th' tribes hate more than each other is th' godsdamned High Order. Sae a'm sure they'll all be delighted tae see that ah ran away tae join Athemar's 'Holy Order' once they hear that it's all fur th' 'greater good'," she shakes her head.
Naomi tries to think of something to say next, but she realizes that when talking to Nesosa, it's probably smart to have responses prepared ahead of time, otherwise there's no chance that you're going to keep up and walk away with your life intact.
Nesosa sighs and doesn't say anything else before she also retreats to the Hall of Residence. Honestly, that place is looking pretty damn welcoming right now. But first, she needs to check on Lavern.
She looks around the courtyard again, and sees that he's still nowhere to be found. The only people currently out here are a few gardeners and some people wearing colored robes who are most likely disciples who are finishing up class for the day.
She decides to ask one of the gardeners since they've been out here this whole time and she's pointed in the direction of the city. She takes off, trying to be quick as the sun is just starting to set by now and she wants to make sure Lavern is okay before she goes to bed.
Judging by how blatantly off Lavern has been lately, she decides to stop and check the tavern first. She enters and throws a few quick glances around to see if she can spot him right away, but she has no such luck. So she steps up to the bar counter and smiles at the man standing behind it. Once again, his colorful feathered hat is damn near impossible for her to tear her eyes off of. She has decided that abomination is her new sleep paralysis demon.
"Excuse me, sir. Have you by chance seen my friend? White hair, gold eyes, pointy ears, and probably sulking in a corner somewhere? You know, your average DnD rogue?" she asks and diverts her gaze away from the rainbow ostrich-feathered vomit hat by glancing around the tavern some more.
The bartender chuckles. "I may have seen him. Depends on if you're buying something," he hints with a wink.
Naomi's face deadpans as she turns back to face him. "Why do you need my money when you've got that embodiment of wealth and beauty on your head?" she feigns entrancement and it takes every fiber of her being to not break out laughing at the words she hears leave her mouth. She wouldn't be surprised if that hat suddenly sprouted legs, picked up a suitcase, and got the hell up outta here while smoking a blunt.
The barkeep chuckles and waves her off as he blushes. "Oh, I knew you were someone with an eye for fineries. Oh alright, I'll make an exception for you," he says and nods towards the door. "Your Adaliaen friend left not too long ago. There was a bit of a quarrel with some folk and he took off before it could get out of hand. He couldn't have gotten far," he explains and Naomi steps aside as a woman in a dark cloak approaches the counter and sets some numis in front of the barkeep.
Naomi nods to the man with a smile. "Thank you for your help," she says and rushes out the door. Once she's back on the street, she starts scanning her eyes around to see if she can spot Lavern in the immediate area.
"Come on, Lavern. Where the hell are you?" she mutters to herself, but apparently not quietly enough as now it's her turn to be tapped on the shoulder and nearly punch someone in the face. She quickly turns around to see the cloaked woman from the tavern standing behind her.
"He went to the Church of Maze," the woman says simply. Her soft voice is really the only distinguishing feature about her, as her face and body are completely covered by her tattered dark brown linen cloak.
Naomi throws a glance in the direction of the church and sees it just down the road. With a smile, she turns back to the woman, "Thanks for the... help?" she quizzically looks around as the woman has seemingly vanished into thin air. Once again, she's momentarily left to question if she's hallucinating. Even if she is, checking the church still wouldn't hurt. Maybe her mind just told her that's where she should look since it's the only other place in Ecrin she really knows.
Is she really so exhausted that she's starting to see strange women? And if so, why was she fully clothed?
She shakes the thought aside and rushes towards the church. She pulls one of the large doors open and peeks her head into the chapel. There aren't any priests here at the moment, probably because of the later hour of the day. Or maybe it's Monday.
Mentally thanking her hallucinated GPS woman, she spots Lavern sitting at a pew in the front row, staring up at the stained-glass image of the deity 'Mazenya' riding a giant duck through the sky. She still has trouble understanding what drugs the people who decided to worship this woman were on and where she can get some. Maybe they were smoking the same blunt as the bartender's hat.
She enters the church and walks down the isle until she's standing just behind him. Before opening her mouth, she pauses and tries to think of how to best open this conversation. She's pretty sure asking 'is everything okay' after the shit that happened in Arkala would be like asking someone where the pain is coming from after they've been stabbed through the eye with a spear.
But she apparently doesn't need to open the conversation, as Lavern does it for her.
"Mazenya Arius. Renowned thief and assassin whose total kills could be counted on one hand and who stole less than your average beggar. Yet, low and behold, she's worshipped across the six lands as a deity and no one even knows why. And yet the people who do try to make an impact on the world, for better or worse, are lucky to get their names in history books as more than 'Athemar Du'Keldan and his humble emissaries'. Go figure, huh?" He doesn't turn his head back to look at her. He stays reclined in the pew with one foot propped over his knee while he stares up at the glass image.
Naomi sheepishly stands in her place and scratches the back of her head. She swears if she gets any more anxious she's going to accidentally scalp herself.
She clears her throat. "I mean... Isn't that the point? That we just try to do something and see what happens? I'm sure this 'Mazenya' didn't try to be a deity. Anyone who tries gaining that kind of recognition typically isn't seen in the way they want because in reality they're more like a tyrant than anything," she says with an uncertain smile.
Lavern still doesn't look at her. He just shakes his head and weakly huffs. "Yeah... Sorta like 'King Castien Dev'Alrich of Arkala'? Or 'Athemar Anilisan Du'Keldan, Grand Master of the Dev'al Ordon and Prophet of Aramora'?" he says. Naomi says nothing as he continues.
"The world is fucked up, Naomi. If you aren't what the majority of people want to see, it doesn't matter what you do. You won't gain anything but the 'satisfaction' of still being alive, if you're unfortunate enough to even have that in the end. This thought has been in my head ever since I saw my sister's dead body laying cold on the ground. One question has been just... plaguing me every time I have a moment to think about the shitstorm we're in. And honestly, I want to hear what you think the answer is," he says and finally stands up, but he still doesn't look at her. He just takes a step towards the statue of Mazenya Arius at the center of the wooden podium.
Still, Naomi waits for him to go on. He leans forward over the base of the podium and glares down at nothing. "One question," he throws his darkened glare over his shoulder at her.
"Is it worth it?"
Naomi doesn't think before she speaks, not that her response is by any means glamorous.
"What?" she tilts her head and watches him cautiously.
He looks away from her again and shakes his head as he scoffs. It's strange, but right now he seems worse than he did after the werewolf incident outside of Balmoral. This is different. And for some reason, that kind of scares her. But Lavern is her friend whether he likes it or not, so she won't let that turn her away.
"You heard me. Is. It. Worth it?" he asks again.
She opens her mouth to speak again, but he keeps going. "Is it worth it to sacrifice everything with the chance of things going the way you want? And even then, there's no such thing as a 'happily ever after'. And even if there was, those stories never make history, now do they? Because it's only the bad endings that make people feel something. Sure, happy endings feel good in the moment, but what about twenty, ten, hell even one year from now? No one will care, so no one will remember," he strains himself by clenching his fists around the edge of the podium, digging his nails into the wooden boards.
He continues, "Sure, we may save Aramora. But who's going to give a shit? They'll all get to just go about their lives never knowing there was ever any danger. But if we don't save Aramora? You bet your ass that every bard, historian, and poet in the world is going to write about it and tell stories about how we tried. So what if we just walk away right now? In the end, what difference does it make?"
"It makes all the difference," Naomi cuts in before he can stop her again. "If we walk away, then we didn't try. We're not trying to gain publicity and recognition, we're doing this because it's the right thing to do. You so carelessly say that if we 'don't save Aramora' that will make history, completely overlooking the fact that not saving Aramora literally means the death of millions. Is all you want from this really just to have your name be sung about for years to come?" she takes a small step towards him and resists growing too angry. She wants to talk to him, not fight.
Lavern chuckles emptily and shrugs. "Maybe it is. Is that so bad? I mean, think about it. Everything we've done already. All the shit we've had to go through for these fucking fragments. Who cares? When we pass people in the streets, they don't know what we're doing – what we're sacrificing – for them. My sister who didn't give a damn about me is dead and my heartless prick of a father is sitting on a throne. In the end we still got the fragment, but was it worth everything we had to go through to get it? And will whatever the hell Kilead has to throw at us to get the next fragment be worth it? If all our efforts turn out to be what saves Aramora, will it be worth it when no one but us gives a damn?" he looks back at her again and once his eyes meet hers, she takes a step back as she's met with piercing slivers that show how deeply upset he really is.
Naomi sighs and looks down, not sure if it's out of fear of keeping eye contact when he's this angry, or out of shame of actually understanding where he's coming from. She hates it, but he has a point. Only the way she sees it, she doesn't care if she's recognized for saving Aramora. But that might be because this isn't her home. If she saves Aramora then goes home to Eutria, no one will care regardless. Maybe it's different for someone like Lavern, who lives here.
But still, she stands her ground. He may have a point, but that doesn't make it right. "I get it Lavern, really I do. You've been getting the short end of the stick since all this started. In Balmoral and Arkala, things were rough for you and you feel like you should gain something to compensate you for your suffering. It's not an unreasonable thing to ask for, but I think saying that Aramora isn't worth saving if you don't get anything from saving it is a bit too far," she says.
She believes it too. He does deserve better than he's been getting, but that's no excuse to leave Aramora to be destroyed. Things will get better if you just give it time to happen.
Lavern shakes his head and closes his eyes. He seems to pause for a moment as he thinks, leaving them in heavy silence that looms overhead with general unease that comes with this whole interaction.
People have vented to Naomi before, mainly Kitty. But she usually doesn't need to say much as it just helps to get it all out of their system. She's actually having to think very carefully about what to say to make this right, and hope that she doesn't mess up when there's so much at stake.
He sighs and glances at her again, and she sees that his eyes have somewhat returned to normal. "Tell me, Naomi. In Arkala, after Exer'Valan was over and both me and Ana were dead, what would you have done if you hadn't had such a powerful Life Mar with you?" his voice now sounds like he's fighting a lump in his throat alongside his anger.
She wants to give him a proper response, but she admittedly doesn't have one. She desperately searches her mind for the right answer, but all she turns up is nothing but dread of not having an answer.
He notices her mind working to find something to say, but doesn't wait for her. "Don't bother trying to think of something noble to say because you and I both know the real answer. You would have left. Maybe you would have gotten the fragment, maybe not. I would have died and you would have kept on with this quest to save Aramora because that's just how life works. When people die, the world keeps turning without them. All leading to this idealistic 'happy end' that in ten years, no one's going to give a shit about," he spats.
He spitefully chuckles with venom lacing his breath. "But hey, at least everyone's alive in the end. Everyone stupid enough to have reached that point, anyway. While everyone else gets killed and left behind, forgotten all for that happy fucking ending that everyone seems to want so badly that they're willing to sacrifice everything to have it," he steps away from the podium and finally turns around to face her fully.
Naomi strangely hopes this is another situation like outside of Balmoral after the werewolf incident, where Lavern was going on about stuff like this only to find out he thought it was flirting. But she can see in his eyes that he is dead serious this time. He may have been teasing back then, but maybe he really did believe in what he was saying.
As she still struggles to think of a response, he just takes a deep breath and steps around her as he makes his way towards the door of the cathedral. He turns back around from down the isle to look at her.
"No one cares about anything but themselves. And the people like you, who are stupid enough to think you care about more, don't mean a damn thing to the world. If it had been you instead, who died in Arkala, that wouldn't have made any difference to any of us. Because it's all for the greater-fucking-good." He doesn't even stop to let her say anything before he opens the doors and walks out into the approaching night, leaving her feeling the crushing weight of those words that now linger in her head.