[ Though Minato hasn't spoken with Ethlyn, personally, the woman's reputation precedes her. She's sensible, so being asked such a strange question gives Minato pause. Swords? Now, why would someone be leaving swords lying around out in the open? ]
I haven't seen any.
[ Or at least, he hasn't seen any other than the ornate blade near Ethlyn. ...maybe she's seeing things?
Although, now that he thinks about it, others had been seeing strange objects popping up here and there too. Minato wanders over and crouches near the sword. It is beautiful, nothing like any that he's handled before --
Huh. Why does he remember swords as well? Eh. Better not think too hard about that one. ]
There's no war here--the only reason for there to be something like this is for a toy, or a costume. I haven't heard of any knights-and-princesses costume parties being held.
[For one thing, she'd probably be the one organizing such a thing, and well--she isn't.
And this sword isn't a costume piece. No. The edge practically glows with sharpness. She doesn't even want to put her hand near it for fear of getting cut. A terrible thing...
...and yet part of her rebels at that revulsion.]
...It is beautifully made. Perhaps we ought to see if we can find its owner. And it's certainly too dangerous to leave lying around. What do you think?
[It's not like Ethlyn to be so indecisive, and she doesn't like it, but she can't help but feel torn.]
[ Ethlyn surveys the sword with a certain intensity, internal struggle broadcasted in her eyes. It's strange seeing the ever-dependable woman with an uncertain expression on her face. ]
Should I pick it up for us?
[ He doesn't have any problems with doing so, even though some might disapprove of a teen walking around with a sword. Minato steps forward, crouching next to the weapon. As he inspects it, it's immediately evident that this is no ordinary sword. ]
I wonder if it was important to someone.
[ And if that's the case, they wouldn't have left the sword just lying around carelessly. But a decorated sword like this -- surely someone out there is missing its company? ]
[Ethlyn looks up sharply when Minato makes that suggestion. She's immediately ashamed--to be acting so fearfully of this thing that someone else is offering to take the burden of dealing with it away from her.
Admittedly, Minato is a grown man--no, what is she thinking, he's just a kid! He can't be picking up dangerous weapons up off the ground. She's the responsible adult, she's the one who's been married and has arranged practically the whole social life of the town since her poor husband passed away.]
No--no, I can handle it. I'll bring it to the blacksmith and they can decide what to do with it.
[Her hand closes around the hilt.
And then she gasps as the images flood her eyes--her ears, her nose. A man in black robes, evil magic streaming from his hands--a woman, her long silvery hair tangled as she grips her head and screams--and Ethlyn, struggling to rise from the ground, reaching out to them as the robed man draws a wicked sigil in the air and whisks himself and the other woman to the gods only know where.]
No--NO!
[The words echo in the vision--and they echo aloud as the neat cobblestones of Aldrip return.]
[ As Ethlyn steps forward, Minato steps back. He has no qualms with her insisting on being the one to handle the sword. She'll take it to the local blacksmith who'll either track down its proper owner, melt it down to something new, or simply put it on the shelf with a price tag.
Except, instead of staying back, Minato rushes forward as the woman begins to scream. He reaches forward, prepared to shake Ethlyn's shoulder to get her attention again. On the other hand, he knows trying to make physical contact with a distressed person might risk aggravating the situation.
It doesn't look like he has much of a choice. Minato crouches down, tugging the sword's hilt away from Ethlyn's fingers. Whatever this sword may be, it seems making physical contact with it has caused some worrying consequences. ]
[Ethlyn gasps when Minato pulls the sword fully away. The world comes back into focus--the cobblestones, the sky, the normal sights and sounds of Aldrip.]
Deirdre...
[The name is drifting in her mind like the last shreds of a dream, but when she says it, it seems to fix itself like a stain. Deirdre. Her brother's wife. Her sister in all but blood.
She's gone. And it's Ethlyn's fault.]
Minato? [She squeezes her eyes shut and opened them again.] We're still in Aldrip?
[ Deirdre? That's a name he hasn't heard before. There's no time to dwell on it, not when Ethlyn's in this state.
Minato offers her a nod. ]
Yeah. We are.
[ Her phrasing is curious. "Still" in Aldrip, she'd said. ]
...you saw something.
[ It's a rhetorical statement, an observation thrown out to offer her a hook if she wanted to elaborate. Based on Ethlyn's words though, perhaps she'd witnessed a someplace that hadn't resembled Aldrip at all. ]
Y-yes. [Ethlyn shuts her eyes again, trying to recall the woman--Deirdre's--face. She's never seen that woman before, and yet she fits into Ethlyn's mind somehow as someone she knows.] But I wasn't in Aldrip... I don't know where I was.
I saw a woman being kidnapped by a sorcerer, and I--I couldn't stop it. I couldn't do anything to save her.
[The words seem to rise from a deep well, of grief and of guilt. But it doesn't fit.]
But I've lived in Aldrip my whole life... how can I remember something like that?
[ If she's never left Aldrip before, there is one possible explanation... ]
Maybe it wasn't real then.
[ Minato offers her a shrug. Memories were fickle things. Sometimes people's minds conjured events for them that felt real but, in reality, never actually occurred. ]
...I'm not sure about other places, but I don't think there are any sorcerers in Aldrip.
[ And if that's the case, then doesn't that mean Ethlyn's visions might be mistaken? ]
[ Surely, indeed. If it's a prank, it's a cruel one based on how much the vision is troubling Ethlyn. ]
Let's return the sword.
[ Perhaps Ethlyn will feel better about it once it's gone. Minato offers her that gentle nudge. It's something he's accustomed to, assisting others as they try to muddle their way through their own lives.
...which is strange. It's not like he makes a habit of getting roped into others' businesses, and yet, he can't help but feel as though this isn't too unusual for him. ]
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expiationlogs2024-03-09 08:37 am
let's tyrfing it up
I haven't seen any.
[ Or at least, he hasn't seen any other than the ornate blade near Ethlyn. ...maybe she's seeing things?
Although, now that he thinks about it, others had been seeing strange objects popping up here and there too. Minato wanders over and crouches near the sword. It is beautiful, nothing like any that he's handled before --
Huh. Why does he remember swords as well? Eh. Better not think too hard about that one. ]
no subject
[For one thing, she'd probably be the one organizing such a thing, and well--she isn't.
And this sword isn't a costume piece. No. The edge practically glows with sharpness. She doesn't even want to put her hand near it for fear of getting cut. A terrible thing...
...and yet part of her rebels at that revulsion.]
...It is beautifully made. Perhaps we ought to see if we can find its owner. And it's certainly too dangerous to leave lying around. What do you think?
[It's not like Ethlyn to be so indecisive, and she doesn't like it, but she can't help but feel torn.]
no subject
Should I pick it up for us?
[ He doesn't have any problems with doing so, even though some might disapprove of a teen walking around with a sword. Minato steps forward, crouching next to the weapon. As he inspects it, it's immediately evident that this is no ordinary sword. ]
I wonder if it was important to someone.
[ And if that's the case, they wouldn't have left the sword just lying around carelessly. But a decorated sword like this -- surely someone out there is missing its company? ]
no subject
Admittedly, Minato is a grown man--no, what is she thinking, he's just a kid! He can't be picking up dangerous weapons up off the ground. She's the responsible adult, she's the one who's been married and has arranged practically the whole social life of the town since her poor husband passed away.]
No--no, I can handle it. I'll bring it to the blacksmith and they can decide what to do with it.
[Her hand closes around the hilt.
And then she gasps as the images flood her eyes--her ears, her nose. A man in black robes, evil magic streaming from his hands--a woman, her long silvery hair tangled as she grips her head and screams--and Ethlyn, struggling to rise from the ground, reaching out to them as the robed man draws a wicked sigil in the air and whisks himself and the other woman to the gods only know where.]
No--NO!
[The words echo in the vision--and they echo aloud as the neat cobblestones of Aldrip return.]
no subject
Except, instead of staying back, Minato rushes forward as the woman begins to scream. He reaches forward, prepared to shake Ethlyn's shoulder to get her attention again. On the other hand, he knows trying to make physical contact with a distressed person might risk aggravating the situation.
It doesn't look like he has much of a choice. Minato crouches down, tugging the sword's hilt away from Ethlyn's fingers. Whatever this sword may be, it seems making physical contact with it has caused some worrying consequences. ]
no subject
Deirdre...
[The name is drifting in her mind like the last shreds of a dream, but when she says it, it seems to fix itself like a stain. Deirdre. Her brother's wife. Her sister in all but blood.
She's gone. And it's Ethlyn's fault.]
Minato? [She squeezes her eyes shut and opened them again.] We're still in Aldrip?
no subject
Minato offers her a nod. ]
Yeah. We are.
[ Her phrasing is curious. "Still" in Aldrip, she'd said. ]
...you saw something.
[ It's a rhetorical statement, an observation thrown out to offer her a hook if she wanted to elaborate. Based on Ethlyn's words though, perhaps she'd witnessed a someplace that hadn't resembled Aldrip at all. ]
no subject
I saw a woman being kidnapped by a sorcerer, and I--I couldn't stop it. I couldn't do anything to save her.
[The words seem to rise from a deep well, of grief and of guilt. But it doesn't fit.]
But I've lived in Aldrip my whole life... how can I remember something like that?
no subject
Maybe it wasn't real then.
[ Minato offers her a shrug. Memories were fickle things. Sometimes people's minds conjured events for them that felt real but, in reality, never actually occurred. ]
...I'm not sure about other places, but I don't think there are any sorcerers in Aldrip.
[ And if that's the case, then doesn't that mean Ethlyn's visions might be mistaken? ]
no subject
...I've never seen any. I would have remembered someone like him.
[And someone like her. Whoever that woman was.]
It must be some kind of prank, surely. The fairies are just getting more creative, that's all.
no subject
Let's return the sword.
[ Perhaps Ethlyn will feel better about it once it's gone. Minato offers her that gentle nudge. It's something he's accustomed to, assisting others as they try to muddle their way through their own lives.
...which is strange. It's not like he makes a habit of getting roped into others' businesses, and yet, he can't help but feel as though this isn't too unusual for him. ]