vatheon | 001

Entry tags:

001

Who: Richter Abend and you!
Where: The plaza
When: Let's just go with today, around midday
Style: Prose or action, whatever the poster's preference is.
Status: Open!

Richter was pissed, to put it lightly. Bedraggled and confused by the sudden shift in his surroundings, Richter has yet to move to do anything. His left hand sat on the hilt of his sword, gripping it so tightly his hand was shaking. For the longest time he stood in the plaza, studying anyone who passed by to see if Ratatosk or Marta are anywhere nearby.

Approach if you dare, denizens of Vatheon. Richter was just going to stand there for now, dripping with water and scowling at everything.

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[Oh crap, he's casting magic!

Not that they hadn't dealt with magic users before and couldn't do so again, but it always changed things whenever magic got involved, especially if they didn't have Raine present to help blunt the attack. It meant they needed to act fast. He didn't recognize that spell. Who knew what it could do?]

Zelos, now!

[Without waiting, trusting Zelos to know what to do and move in perfect timing with him, the red-clad teen dashes forward, blades drawn and ready, already preparing his mana to make this attack hurt. If nothing else, he needed to disrupt that spell!]

Cross Thrust!

[Zelos is moving a split second even before Lloyd calls out, timing his strike with his friends'. Countless hard fought battles together had bred a sort of silent communication between the two and as Zelos flicks his sword from its sheath to land his attack in time with Lloyd's, something clicks and he can't help but grin to himself. Despite their difference in where they popped out of Aselia to come here, they're still in sync, moves coordinated with a glance.

The Chosen too puts mana behind his attack, ceasing Richter's casting being the highest priority. A glowing blue streak stretches out behind him as he slides nearly through Richter, raking his blade across the other's form if he doesn't make it out of the line of attack in time.

Of course, he'll have to do so while avoiding Lloyd as well...]

[Caught in the middle of his casting, Richter doesn't have time to jump out of the way of the attack. He goes to bring his weapons up to block, but he's too slow. There's a short cry of pain and Richter hits the ground. He winces and slowly pushes himself up into a sitting position.]

Damn it all!

[Even before Richter hits the ground, Lloyd's pressing forward, swords slicing through the air to stop a hairsbreadth from the man's neck. Grim as his face is, though, he's not willing to make the finishing move.]

Will you just listen to us? We don't have to fight! Whatever it was I did to you in the future, I haven't done it yet, and if you'd just tell me, maybe I can change it!

[He doesn't care what Zelos says about not remembering any of this. There has to be a way to change things when they go back. They can do anything if they try.]

Would you at least tell us your name?

Besides, there's really no point in us killing you considering the coral here'll just pop you back to life again.

[Zelos flips his sword theatrically and slides it back in its sheath. Lloyd has it covered from here, and if not he can always draw it again, but it's a calculated move, a small show of trust that Richter will be reasonable from that point on.]

A name would be good though, yeah. I tend to like to know the people that hate my guts. I mean, it's such a short list.

Fine. Let's pretend I believe what you're saying. My name is Richter.

[Well, Richter isn't stupid, and it's obvious that he's outmatched with Zelos here now. He makes an angry noise as he pushes himself back onto his feet. He sheathes his weapons and crosses his arms across his chest.]

What does a coral have to do with dying?

[Richter's not the only one surprised by that comment. Lloyd throws his friend a startled look.]

You're not serious. The coral can bring people back from the dead?!

[Distracted and more at ease now that Richter's sheathed his weapons, Lloyd lowers his own swords. Sorry, Ricther, not ignoring you. Lloyd just wants to hear the answer to this, too.]

It's magic or something, or sentient, I dunno. The locals think it's a god. Either way, if you die, you come back five days later right in this spot.

[He shrugs, hiding once again the fact that they can't die being one of the most unnerving things about Vatheon, at least to him.]

So really there's no point in waving swords around. Now, I'm from a few months after the world got reunited and Lloyd is from even further back, so whatever your beef is with us, we have no idea.

I must be hallucinating or something.

[Richter is muttering to himself, so Zelos and Lloyd might not even hear what he's saying.

He sighs and raises his voice again. It's obvious from his tone that Richter feels he's only humoring them.]

I'm from two years after the reunification. The climate had gone to hell because there was nothing to balance the mana, so a...colleague and I went on a search for a way to fix it. We found a spirit named Ratatosk who could balance the mana, but he killed my colleague.

[Richter pauses, visibly angry again before he manages to compose himself.]

You and your group had allied yourselves with him after he had lost his memory.

[Lloyd listens as Richter explains, a frown creasing his face at the end. When put like that now he can understand why Richter would be angry and assume that they were enemies.]

But if he lost his memory, he wouldn't remember what it was he did. Punishing him wouldn't do any good. And... it wouldn't bring your friend back.

[That alone is enough to make him feel bad for Richter right there.]

I guess I can't ask you to forgive him. If the guy who was responsible for my mom's death forgot he did that, I think I'd still have a hard time forgiving him, too. But you said you needed this Ratatosk's help. Can't you use this to do what you and your friend wanted to begin with and get his help with the mana? Wouldn't your friend want that?

Edited 2012-04-29 07:32 (UTC)

[Zelos stays quiet, examining Richter's face. He knows he's seen him somewhere before. It's the squint that's ringing bells, though it's less than it was his memory tells him. Glasses. He didn't have glasses when Zelos had seen him.. What was it, two or three years ago now? In the basement laboratory in Sybak. Zelos had been called in for some Cruxis Crystal related nonsense and dragged down to that stupid basement lab. Faces never blur together for Zelos, not even in the background, and that red hair and farsighted squint he remembers, though he never had a name until now.

So, Richter is a half elf. A half elf with a dead friend (colleague? He'd hesitated in such a telling manner Zelos has to wonder if they were something more...). It's no wonder he'd attacked on sight.

Zelos is snapped away from this revelation at Lloyd's words. Heh, Kratos forget? Now there's an impossibility. The man is a guilt-ridden elephant. But even then Zelos is quite certain Lloyd would forgive him eventually anyway too, even though he doesn't deserve it. Even when no one deserves it, Lloyd reaches out and says let's work to fix things, let's move forward. It's stupid and thoughtless and wonderful and so very Lloyd.]

At least you can understand my inability to forgive him, even in his current state.

[At least Richter seems calm now, even though talking of Ratatosk is obviously a touchy subject.]

There's no guarantee he would still help, especially since he seems to have remembered who he is. Ratatosk is far too unpredictable to rely on in any capacity.

[He scowls.]

It doesn't matter what he wants anymore.

[Lloyd had actually been thinking of Kvar. In his mind, the man had been far more responsible for his mother's death than his father, even if Kvar said his father had killed his mom. He still didn't know how much of that was true, and probably never would. As far as he knows at this point, his father is probably dead.]

If that's true, then why would the me in the future side with him?

[He isn't asking the question out of obstinacy. He's actually curious. He doesn't know his future self's thoughts.

That last comment makes him frown, though.]

You don't think your friend still cares?

I think we're kind of missing the point here. I mean, all that's on Aselia and we're not, so chatting about it isn't going to change anything.

[Honestly Zelos is a little tired of hearing all the bullshit his home still has in store, or that he has in store in his future, considering. This Ratatosk thing isn't too far off, but if what Dhaos says is right then there's hardships yet to come after that and who knows if he'll even be alive. He's a Cruxian Angel, he'll live for thousands of years provided he isn't killed and the thought is distasteful even while it's curious. He's not sure he wants to know any more of the details, even if it's just two years in the future.]

[Richter is all set to answer Lloyd's questions when Zelos speaks, successfully distracting him.]

Then where the hell are we and how did I get here?

[He crosses his arms over his chest again, scowling. It's a pressing question now that he isn't distracted with trying to kill the two of them.]

[Yeah, now that Richter isn't busy attacking him, it's easier for Lloyd to remember that this guy is new to this world. The teen takes a breath, then lets it back out.]

This is Vatheon. It's kind of like a world that's between all the worlds, or at least connected to them. I don't know how, but the coral brought us here. I don't think anyone's found a way back home yet, or if they have, they didn't get a chance to tell anyone before they left.

We're provided for, but we can't leave, and the locals are less than helpful if you ask about it. Plus the dying thing. So y'know, fighting each other doesn't really make sense.

[There's plenty more to this place than what they've said but after a fight he's not exactly in a sharing mood, even if that's mildly hypocritical.]

You can't really expect me to believe that a coral was responsible for this, let alone that we can't die permanently.

[Richter turns to look at Zelos.]

Provided for?

That's what everyone else has said. If it's not the coral, then I don't know what brought us here.

[Sensing that Zelos doesn't really want to explain, Lloyd sheathes his sword, trusting that the fight is over at this point. Then he pulls off the glove on his right hand, revealing the mark on the back of it.]

There's a mark on you somewhere that looks like this. If you show it to the people who live here, they'll help you with food and things you need, and you can get a place to live for free.

I don't expect you to believe anything but it's the truth anyway.

[The Chosen folds his arms, waiting for Richter to process or ask questions, but he's ready to defend again if the guy decides not to do either and just jumps on the offensive again.]

[Richter narrows his eyes at the mark. He'll have look for his later.

Time for the most important question:]

Why are we here?

[Lloyd glances at Zelos, then looks back at Richter before shrugging.]

I have no idea. It's something to do with the coral bringing us here, or at least that's what I've been told. I don't really get it myself. Does it matter?

[Stuck is stuck, after all. "Why" doesn't change that fact.]

[Oh great. Does he have to explain to this guy? Well, might as well get it over with...]

The coral needs our energy; apparently it looks like it can't get it from the locals. My roommate seems to think it has something to do with the people here being called from great deeds on their respective worlds or something but I dunno about that. Still, we're basically coral food, even if it gives energy back too us when we touch it. A different kind I guess.

[Well, all that and experiment subjects! But he doesn't want to say that in front of Lloyd and cause a severe reaction. Getting out of here was going to take something other than charging into some office and giving a rousing speech on how you shouldn't use people.]

Of course it matters. If we know why we're here, we can work to accomplish that goal so we can go back as soon as we can.

[Richter scoffs.]

Food for a coral. That's charming. Might as well have been left to die.

[Yeah, uh, probably best not to tell Lloyd he's being experimented on. He's already uncomfortable enough at being referred to as coral food.]

Er... It's not really eating us, is it?

[He doesn't feel like he's missing any bits of himself.]

It's just taking energy and giving it back, so it's like... like what trees do with air, right?

[Hey, look at that, something Raine taught him must have actually stuck! Then again, it is a lesson that most people learn as little kids.]

Maybe it's just taking stuff we can't use, like bad energy instead of bad air, and turning it into good stuff we can use.

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Brain isn't working that well but I know you wanna get through this so..

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