August catch-all (open)

[emet_sulk]

Who: Emet-Selch and anyone!
Where: Aldrip and nearby outskirts
What:
- Emet-Selch attempts to do some actual work for once at the clinic, healing people's hurts (shock, horror).
- He takes the device he found around for walkies, finds other hot new single users in his area!
- Encounters a morbol in the wild and it tries to follow him home. Or take him home. Hard to tell with these smelly things.

Warnings: None, will update or list in comment headers if necessary

(Will match tag format, action brackets are fine)


1. The Ascian will see you now

Having returned from the desert, it's business as usual at the clinic. Emet-Selch doesn't really like working but he did make a deal with that young woman to put in the time here. Besides, the pay is going towards the weapon he is commissioning from a local blacksmith - one eager enough for the challenge of an unfamiliar weapon and understanding enough to accept payment in installations.

So the Ascian puts aside his ennui and dons the more agreeable veneer of Solus zos Galvus as he attends to those still recovering from the hurts of the past two months. Being one of the Chosen, he's usually also first to be called on to look at other Chosen who walk in.

a) Greeting walk-in patients:
The smile on his face almost resembles a smirk as he walks up to you. "And what trouble have you gotten yourself into, hmm?"

b) Interrupting him whilst he's busy:
He glances up, from whatever or whoever he's working on with a frown. "Do you need something?" he asks, tempering his impatience with effort.

2. Tindr? More like Findr

After putting out a request for help and cobbling together some semblance of a working device, Emet-Selch can be found trying to access some of its other features - to not so very great success. Having noticed that it seems to randomly react to something, he takes the thing outside and tries to locate the source.

Which is how he comes across someone else with another device.

Emet-Selch looks at you, looks at the device in his hands. Frowns.

"Why is this reacting to you?" he asks irritably.

3. Friends Forevermor-bol

Further afield, outside of town - or even perhaps closer to the forest's edge - Emet-Selch has come across a familiar creature.

Or perhaps, rather, it finds him.

The creature in question is a towering mass of thick, vine-like tentacles and a gaping, putrid maw. Like an upright land octopus that is at least as tall as a man. Emet-Selch, surprised to come across something from his homestar, is too stunned to move before the seedkin notices him and starts to undulate over.

"No," he says emphatically, jabbing a finger at it. "Stay."

As if this creature can be trained like a dog. He remembers that gift sent by one of the provinces and how it terrorised the imperial gardens before somehow escaping out into the snowy tundra. Morbols and their ilk simply do as they please.

--and this one attempts to reach out and grab him.

He vanishes into a rift, materialising a distance away. But the morbol advances relentlessly, vines reaching for him.

"Of all the creatures to make their way here from our star, why this one?!"

4. Wildcard

For closed threads or custom scenarios etc., feel free to hit me up on the CR meme to plot.

Comments

[emet_sulk]

Regrettably, he is all too aware of her pointed staring. The Garlean third eye makes it difficult to ignore things in his vicinity. However, Emet-Selch manages to resist the urge to turn and shoot her a Look until he finally reaches her bedside, at which point he crosses his arms and stares back with a pasted-on smile.

"What?" he asks. "Is the Warrior of Light dissatisfied with her care?"

[likethestars]

"I'm bored." Sure, it makes her sound like a petulant child, but it's the truth. She's bored out of her mind without anything to do in this damned bed. "And you don't seem too busy right now."

[emet_sulk]

"How rude. Can't you see how many patients here are in need of care?"

They both know that the long term patients don't need more than a check-up.

"You're lucky I spent time with the chirurgeons of Garlemald. Their medical knowledge is unparalleled."

[likethestars]

"And how does that medical knowledge hold up to what you could do long ago?" Elidibus told her Emet-Selch was aware of his fate so she doesn't see a reason to not act if she's aware.

[emet_sulk]

His smile slips a little, the corners strained. (Why would you poke the bear like this, Yuja?)

"Of course it could not possibly hold a candle to our greatest healers. Why, if one of them were here, I'm sure they could diagnose your ailment in a heartbeat and offer a solution."

He takes a seat on the edge of her bed and pats the approximate lump where her knee should be under the blankets. "Alas, you shall have to make do with my meagre skills."

[likethestars]

She can't help herself.

"But only the greatest healers, I take it?" Not that she's saying Elidibus and Erichthonios are lacking in that department, they know a great deal more than her. But if they couldn't heal her then could 'greatest healers' of their age?

Her tail thumps against the bed in response to the touch. "It could be worse, I could be the one doing the healing."

[emet_sulk]

The smile she receives this time is definitely thinner. He decides to nudge the topic on to a different track.

"I presume you've already tried in your valiant efforts to escape the bed earlier than you should. Now, shall I help you change the bandages?"

[likethestars]

She doesn't respond but the look on her face is all the answer he needs. Guilty as charged, as they say. She doesn't want to be here; she wants to be moving about but has already aggravated her injury one too many times.

"Is it time for that again?" She huffs a little before pushing herself more upright with a wince. She adjusts her top so the bandages can be easily accessed. He'll find a long slash beneath the bandages, cutting through both skin and scales along the ribs on her right side.

[emet_sulk]

He clicks his tongue and leans over to help. He doesn't know how modest she is so he avoids touching more than her shoulder as he tries to tug loose the knot of bandage.

"Ahh, look at this, hero: you've gone and made this tight with all of your fussing." He somehow gets it loose though. Magic? Hard to say. The fresh roll of bandage he produces certainly isn't. "Hmm, it certainly doesn't seem to want to close..."

Focused as he is on the work, he doesn't realise he has dropped most of the sneering act he likes to put on in front of the Warrior of Light and her companions.

[likethestars]

Modesty is barely a word in her vocabulary, but she's not going to tell him what to do when it comes to handling her. He's the expert here, after all, not her.

She remains quiet aside from a small 'hmph' as she watches him work. It's interesting how his demeanor changes while he's focused on redressing her wound. It's only when he's almost done that she says something, "You're not all bad despite how you act."

[emet_sulk]

That gets a sharp look. Just like that, his guard is up again and he scoffs.

"I'm only working here to earn the local coin, seeing as the so-called gods have seen fit to curb my ability to wield aether."

He tightens the fresh bandage with a little more force than necessary - enough to make her wince - and ties it off. "'Twas either this or ride out at the beck and call of any man or woman finding themselves in strife. Unlike you, I don't care for that sort of heroics."

[likethestars]

There's something satisfying about catching him with his guard down and having him quickly put it back up. There's a soft sound from here that might be mistaken for a scoff or the start of a laugh.

"Erichthonios did mention that." He and Elidibus had been quite worried about one of their creations because of it.

The tightened bandages certainly does make her wince but she doesn't give much of a reaction besides. "I see. Well, thank you, nonetheless." She smiles, remembering how he was when she met him in Elpis, he hasn't changed much in that regard she supposes.

[emet_sulk]

"Hmph."

With her care done, he has no reason to linger. But as he sits back he seems disinclined to move. Instead, he stares ahead of him across the infirmary with a brooding expression.

"...Tell me something, hero: is there any purpose to my remaining here?"

[likethestars]

She hums thoughtfully, following his gaze.

"I don't know. Do you have anything better to do that isn't a nap?"

[emet_sulk]

He sighs in annoyance. "That's not what I mean. I mean..." He gestures more broadly. "Here. In this world. Since the only thing I have to look forward to, by all accounts, is my impending death."

[likethestars]

"Oh." She frowns. She supposes if she were in his shoes she would be less inclined to care about anything here.

"How much do you want to know?" A dangerous question, probably. Knowing one's fate isn't for everyone, but perhaps she can give him some comfort if he knows that he won't be alone in the Aetherial Sea.

[emet_sulk]

In biting tones (and still not looking at her), he replies, "I should like to know if my life's work had any meaning to it or if I suffered for centuries upon centuries upon centuries only for Hydaelyn to snatch victory at the very last moment. If so, hero, I may as well throw myself into the sea now and spare myself the ignominy."

[likethestars]

She doesn't flinch in response to his tone. Her gaze remains fixed on him.

"I can't answer that for you." It's for him to decide if everything he did was for naught. "All I can do is tell you all that I've experienced that also concerns your fate."

[emet_sulk]

His gaze drops to his lap. His clasped hands grip each other tightly. Does he want to know his future? Will it change anything to know what is to come? Will he be able to change his fate knowing the outcome? Should he?

What would happen to the Warrior of Light if he decides to act differently once he returns? IF he returns?

"Fine. Then tell me. I would rather hear it from you than anyone else."

[likethestars]

She remains quiet while he decides if he wants to hear or not. She suspects he'll say yes and she's sure he won't react well to what she has to say. She's not really thinking about how the future could change if he knows.

"Alright, first thing first, what was the last thing that happened before you arrived here?" It would be pretty redundant to start with her arrival on the First if he's already experienced all of that.

[emet_sulk]

"I watched Eulmore take back the Oracle, and the Crystarium make ready to steal her back. Quite the riveting drama - even if it did cause the indolent Vauthry to finally stir upon his throne."

He shoots her an annoyed look. "You always have to interfere in matters which don't concern you."

[likethestars]

"Sorry, 'tis part of my nature." Something she wonders if that happens to be a trait etched into her soul thanks to Azem or some earlier incarnation of her soul.

"That is quite some time back..." If she's remembering correctly. She had hoped that he was from a little further on.

"Well, we knocked out the Eulmoran army with dream powder before Ran'jit stepped in. We managed to escape and fled to Il Mheg. There we made some deals with the fae and defeated the second Lightwarden. After that, you revealed yourself to us and offered to work together. Naturally, we were all rather hesitant to trust you."

No one ever said she was good at telling stories, but at least she's getting to facts as quickly as possible.

"You followed us to the Raktika Greatwood only to disappear the moment things looked troublesome." It didn't help that she said something stupid and riled up the inhabitant of the woods. "It took us some time to locate the third Lightwarden. We had to deal with the Eulmorans again, make friendly with the Viis that had been living there in isolation. Dig around a temple for clues as to where the Lightwarden could be.

Once it was dealt with we found murals that depicted the Final Days as well as the Sundering. We didn't know what it was until you told us."

She wonders if she should pause there in case he has any questions. So much happened and she knows she's skipping over some stuff to get to the point. She does end up waiting long enough for him to either ask a question or tell her to continue before she does.

"Ahm Arang was next. We didn't know where to look so I went with Ryne," a short pause, "That is Minfilia to meet with, um, herself?" That sounds weird now that she really thinks about it. "Anyroad, they spoke, Minfilia gave her the power to locate the Lightwardens and she broke the cycle, I guess. Minfilia was renamed Ryne by Thancred and helped some people so we could get the trolley working so we could reach the Lightwarden. Again, it was dealt with and all that was left was the final one which turned out to be Vauthry."

She pauses once more because this is where things took a turn. "I... I failed to contain the light after defeating Vauthry. Failed your little test and you decided we weren't worth it, that Zodiark was the only way. The Crystal Exarch tried to steal the light from me so the he could take into the Rift and, I guess, die with it." Her mouth twists into a frown.

"You shot him and took him with you to your recreated Amaurot. You told me I could join you there so that I might transform away from prying eyes. I'm sure you can guess how that all ended."

[emet_sulk]

He listens without comment and gestures impatiently for her to continue when she stops. It's not a surprise to hear the Final Days depicted on some cave walls - by context, he assumes in a Ronkan ruin. It is more of a surprise to hear that such a depiction survived all the centuries the First has seen.

But what truly throws him is the conclusion: where she fails his expectations. He remembers harbouring some hope of the Warrior being strong enough to hold the immense burden of Light. It had been a plan in its infancy, not yet solidified as he had watched the conflict between Eulmore and the Crystarium play out - to no end now, he supposes.

And to think that he would invite her down there... To his recreation of a dead city. His home...

"...Well," he says finally. He can't decide if he's upset or angry or resigned. "Well, at least I died in a familiar place."

Bitter. He's bitter.

[likethestars]

Oh, if he's thrown by that, just wait until he hears the rest.

"It doesn't end there, however. Despite my failing to contain the light, there was a shard of... myself that had been following me around since my arrival. I don't know if you met him in life, his name was Ardbert. Elidibus had brought him and his friends over to the Source a while back in an attempt to cause more problems and speed up a rejoining, I guess." She shrugs.

"Anyroad, when I was the verge of turning he offer me the strength to continue." One hand goes over her heart as she says this, a small smile forming on her lips. "It was only thanks to him I was able to contain the Light and then use it as a weapon against you."

She takes another pause, licking her lips and realizing how dry her mouth has become from all the speaking she's been doing. She's never been one to say so many words in so short a time.

"Could I trouble you for a glass of water before I continue?" A pause before she adds, "Please?"

[emet_sulk]

He silently rises from the bed to fetch a cup, filling it from a jug. He leaves both within easy reach for Yuja on her bedside table before retaking his seat on the bed.

It is very difficult to read his expression. Even now, his thoughts are whirling, plotting, revising plans. He knows not if there is any point to doing so but he cannot help himself.

"And whose idea was it to use all of that Light bleeding out of you as a weapon against me? Such an inspired move cannot have been improvised."