phantasmalrift | Mini-Catchall before the Fissure?

Mini-Catchall before the Fissure?

Who: Ruto and YOU
What: General shenanigans around the Station, post-Echo grumblings, and dealing with your Darkside
When: After the Fire Festival, but before the actual ~~dungeon~~ fissure
Where: The kitchen, on the beach, the hot tub, or generally around
Warnings: Not...too much? Possibly some violence and less-happy thoughts involved with the Beach thread. And skimpy clothes at the hot tub.

In the Kitchen

[The day after the Fire Festival, Ruto can be found hunched up on a chair in the kitchen with her hands determinedly wrapped around a mug of tea with the sort of grip that declares that someone will have to pry it out of her cold, dead hands before she lets go of it. Her ears are pinned back in discomfort still, eyes half-closed, and there's a blanket wrapped about her.

After her Echo triggered twice last night, her head is achey as all seven hells, and she's doing her best to entirely ignore her aethersense with how wobbly her head is. Food will be...an iffy option. She left the Festival early for a reason, and the after-effects of it all are still not entirely agreeing with her. It's strange, because normally she doesn't feel this for nearly as long after a triggered vision. Then again, normally she doesn't catch 2,000-year-old memories.

Still, she doesn't look grumpy or too unapproachable - just headachey.]

On the Beach

[At night, in a somewhat more secluded cove of the beach area, Ruto has discarded her tomes and fist weapons for a greatsword almost as long as she is tall, and swapped her light and mobile robes for heavy armor. She's almost dancing across the sand, the size of the sword meaning that it has almost as much momentum as she does at times, but she manages to counter-balance the weight almost effortlessly. For those who can see more unnatural things, it almost seems as if the darkness itself is occasionally entwined about her body and blade...

...and sometimes, it might almost seem like she's fighting an opponent made of shadow that's a mirror of herself.

Ruto is fairly caught up in what she's doing, soft hisses and snarls occasionally escaping with particularly strong blows, and so it's probably relatively easy to sneak up on her if that's your cup of tea.]

Hot Tub

[She's heard rumors about this place from the start, what with the very first and still rarefied Actual Rule being "no sex in the hot tub," and so she can't resist finally trying it out. Fortunately, she's got a bathing suit of her own, so there's no need for her to borrow any of the provided ones.

Ruto sinks into the hot water with a long, happy sigh and stretches out happily.]

Alright... This helps make up for it all.

Around the Station

[The Miqo'te can also be found at various places throughout the station, including the media room where she tries to figure out DVDs and non-Allagan tech, the stables where she takes care of her chocobo or occasionally goes for a ride, or the ever-popular library where she occasionally joins a vast majority of the population here in trying to read until her eyeballs fall out.]

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[Did someone say chocobos? Ardyn's own might not have been there, but that sure didn't stop him from visiting every so often. His own much smaller bird was on his shoulder, a galaxy-patterned pigeon with a stylish orange ribbon around her neck.]

Oh--hello there. I hope I'm not intruding on anything.

[Not just a chocobo, but a purple-dyed one as well!

Simi whistles a polite alert when Ardyn walks in, and Ruto turns with a blink and a smile. She's got a feather-comb in one hand, with other tools for taking care of her bird's talons set aside for later use.]

Oh! Hi again, Ardyn.

[At least the headache's finally gone.]

Hi, er...forgive me, even after all that I don't know that we've been properly introduced.

[focus on something not a bird for five seconds, ardyn]

I'm Ardyn Tenmyouji--I changed my name quite a while after that incident. Just calling me Ardyn is fine, though.

[Oh right, normal people introductions. Sometimes they're hard to remember after you've seen someone's memories, especially one where they introduce themselves to someone else so...dramatically. Ahem.]

Ah! I'm sorry, I'm Ruto Lhauske, and it's a pleasure to be introduced properly.

[That's a sheepish little smile there.]

Likewise.

[dramatic is very much his middle name]

...Is this chocobo yours?

[She blinks and then smiles proudly, petting the bird's side.]

Yep! This is Simi, my warbird. I was riding her when I was brought here, so whatever it was apparently decided to take her with me. Would you like to meet her?

[She eyes the little bird on his shoulder curiously in turn, but there are so many different pets here. At least it's a change from the apparent collection of cats?]

Oh,I'd love to--don't worry, Luscinia won't bother her. She's quite calm for the most part.

[Ardyn stepped a little closer, the bird on his shoulder content enough to just ruffle her wings and settle in comfortably.]

Sounds good!

[Ruto turns back to Simi and puts a hand to her neck, murmuring a soft reassurance and basic "stand down" command. The half-ruffled feathers of the chocobo's crest relax with a flick, and she warks softly.]

There we go. Feel free to come say hi! She's very friendly.

[And battle-scarred beneath the feathers, which Ardyn will undoubtedly notice, though they're all cleanly healed.]

Well, hello there. [Ardyn put a gentle hand on her neck, speaking softly; it definitely did seem like he was more than used to dealing with chocobos, apparently.] Aren't you quite the lovely thing?

[this is apparently a great day for him]

It's almost a shame mine's still at home; she'd probably not care for this place, but I do miss her a bit.

[Simi preens under the praise, arching her neck proudly and chirruping right back at him. She knows when she's being given the compliments that she's due, after all!]

Simi's gone with me through some pretty crazy things, so this latest one doesn't seem to be bothering her at all. Learning to fly, flying underwater, fighting ancient dragons, dealing with Hildibrand...I've yet to find anything that really phases her!

Flying underwater? [whoooosa good bird yesyouare] That's a new one. Chocobos where I'm from are fairly strong swimmers, but I've rarely known one to take it to that extent.

...Also I don't know who or what Hildibrand is.

I was lucky enough to gain the blessing of a powerful kami back home, which allowed me to breathe underwater. The blessing's effect seems to extend to my mounts too, and she took to it without any hesitation. The Ruby Sea is beautiful under the waves.

[Ruto grins because Ardyn practically has a best friend for life right now, Simi ducking her head down so that he can get The Good Spot behind her crest, her beak clacking in contentment as her inner lids relax.]

Hildibrand Helidor Maximilian Manderville is...an inspector extraordinaire, I believe that you might say. Or he certainly has, anyway. He's fairly insane, and also insanely lucky. He's been zombified at least...three times so far? I think? And launched practically into orbit more than once, and blown up, and all sorts of things. He's an experience unto himself, really.

....sounds the oddly familiar sort, really.

[he will pet this bird all day don't think that he won't]

Oh really? Is there a chance that you've met him, then? I'll admit that I really hope that there isn't anyone else too much like him out and about in the universe...

[While he's busy petting, Ruto moves back in with the feather comb to pick up where she left off, carefully carding through the pale feathers to pick out dirt and debris and help spread the natural oils. It's a soothing, familiar task in this world.]

Oh, I was thinking more that's the kind of mad nonsense I'd have done now and again. I'm afraid it's not likely I've met anyone like that, or at least not to my recollection.

Have you posed whilst doing so? Or had a particularly powerful dance handed down from Manderville to Manderville, to showcase the true power of a Manderville Man?

[Her voice is wry but relieved, because hopefully there aren't two Hildibrands in the universe. After a moment she hands Ardyn the feather comb before turning to retrieve the talon rasps.]

Here, she's almost done anyway.

You know, not in a few centuries.

[Ardyn laughed under his breath, picking up on brushing out the chocobo's feathers.]

Edited 2018-09-01 00:18 (UTC)

Which one, the posing or the dance?

[Yes, that's a flash of toothy amusement - and yes, those are fangs in her smile as well.

Ruto shifts over to Simi's feet, and the bird patiently lifts one foot for the Miqo'te to start checking over her over and cleaning and sharpening the talons.]

Mostly the posing. I've been known to dance now and again when the situation calls for it.

[he has seen far weirder than a blue catgirl]

Oh-ho? And what sort of situations have called for dances, then?

[It's rather nice to not have someone staring at her as if she'd managed to pop the Ninja Dumb Bunny onto her head without warning.]

[He didn't mean to spy. Honest! He was just curious about what the room with the "coming soon" sign could possibly end up having, but there weren't any clues that he could find, and it's easy to see through the walls of the hot tub room, and--and--

And the girl in there is really, really pretty. Sleek and slender and strong, with a bikini that shows off everything to its best advantage, and just look at that beautiful smile as she stretches out and melts into the water.....

Can anyone really blames him if he ~~stares at~~ admires a work of art a little longer than necessary?

He has no idea what to say, how to introduce himself, how he should come across..... Anyone would be flustered, right? It's not like he's..... exactly got the best track record..... B-but that can change! He's sure he can succeed if he tries his best! .....Right? Surely even he can be interesting enough for someone like her to want to spend time with!

He just..... has to put his best paw forward, that's all. So Morgana goes to dig through the box of provided swimsuits to see what he can find. He ends up falling in while digging around, and getting kind of tangled up in all the strappy suits--but eventually, he does find something that fits him! .....Sort of. Barely. That is to say, once he changes into his mascot shape and puts his belt in his inventory, it's still kind of baggy--but with his tail poking out through one of the leg holes, he can keep it from going anywhere.

Too bad he can't do anything about how badly the eye-searing neon orange clashes with his stylish yellow bandana. He'll just have to take that off too, even if it's weird to have a naked neck..... Maybe by itself though, bright orange will look good against black fur?? Maybe it's a bold fashion statement?? .....Oh, who is he kidding? He looks ridiculous.

There's no help for it now, though--it's the only pair of trunks that even comes close to fitting him, and he's not letting himself back out now. Soooooo..... off he goes, heading into the hot tub room and hoping for the best! (And that he doesn't melt from all this heat. That too.)]

[Ruto is practically purring as she settles against the hot tub's jets, when she hears the door to the room open. She shifts upward again so that she's not sprawling out to take up too much of the tub itself, and blinks at the...interesting sight to meet her eyes. Another feline, though not like her or like the more normal cats in the Station, wearing...well, a truly awful pair of swim trunks that are practically falling off of him. She lifts a hand to hide a smile, eyes crinkling, and tries to casually turn the gesture into a wave of greeting.]

Hi there! Come to enjoy the hot tub too?

[Phi has had enough headaches of her own that she's well-acquainted with That look.]

Rough time?

[Ruto's ears twitch just a little from where they're pinned back at the sound of another voice, and she glances over almost wanly.]

Something like that. One of my...gifts triggered at the Fire Festival. Twice, in close succession. It doesn't generally feel good afterward on a normal day, but with what happened then and the rapid succession of the trigger, my aether-sense is still twinging.

So it's not something you control, exactly? That'd give anyone headaches. You want anything?

No, not really. It doesn't tend to give me this much of a headache, though. It's just that one of the memories was apparently over two thousand years old...

[The Miqo'te grumbles and sips at her tea again.]

I'm not sure if anything would really help, sadly. Unless you can rebalance aetheric energies.

So this gift of yours does something with other peoples' memories?

[Phi's expression turns for a moment, as she hopes she doesn't accidentally makes things worse in one of several possible ways.]

But no, I don't know anything about aetheric energies, at least not yet. Let's save that explanation for another time, though.

It allows me to view memories. Though it generally doesn't trigger very often, nor for unimportant memories. Usually they're soaked with emotion or energy or just...meaning, I suppose I could say.

[Ruto manages a wan smile.]

They'll settle eventually.

I may need to make this short, since I have something similar.

[Or at least, it can have that effect.]

If your energies need to settle though, I'm guessing it's explicitly more magical than mine.

Something similar?

[A startled blink, though that really shouldn't surprise her too much. There have to be variations of all sorts of powers.]

Yes, it- Pretty much, yes.

Most of the time it just sends the memories and consciousness to me in another history, where things turned out slightly differently.

[No matter what the cause of the difference is.]

But if another person with the same power is nearby...

...would it even necessarily react the same way? The Echo is the result of a blessing given to me by an outside force, not necessarily something that I was born with independently.

...I think.

[She’s still working on learning how all of these different power sets can potentially interact with each other, really.]

That's a good question but honestly my memories have given me enough headaches. My life has not exactly been straightforward.

[You might have been able to tell, from how she described it.]

You don't know?

I don't blame you on that front in the least.

[Ruto waves an acknowledging hand, her voice dry as the Southern Thanalan desert, and then her expression turns rueful.]

I first awakened to the Echo as a young adult, but I don't remember ever specifically receiving Hydaelyn's blessing. I didn't even have any form of communication with Her until after it had expressed itself on a prior occasion. So I'm not certain exactly when it happened.

I was born with the SHIFT ability, and I know it, but I didn't quite know what it was initially. I was... "pushed", to put it lightly, into discovering it, and even then I didn't have the name until later.

[She had no choice but to come to the knowledge of it.]

Hydaelyn?

...that's about what happened to me with the Echo, I'll admit. I even spoke with Hydaelyn once before someone sat me down and explained- Ah, right.

[Y'shtola's invitation to meet with the Scions has been a blessing, especially once Minfilia had been able to sit down with her and actually explain things for once...

Oh, right. How to explain Crystalmom.]

Hydaelyn is a crystallized manifestation of Light. She...it's been a bit. But one version of the story that I've heard is that a very long time ago, there used to be a single supposedly-perfect world. And then something came along and shattered it into thirteen world shards, each parallels of each other, spread out in an arc between Light and Darkness. It's...complicated, and I still don't know everything. But anyway, Hydaelyn can give her blessing and a Crystal of Light to chosen warriors within the world in order for them to face down the Darkness and fight. The blessing is generally called the Echo, and one of its manifestations is to allow us to walk in the memories of others.

[ /elucidate ]

So there are other kinds of the Echo that do different things?

[Light and Darkness as heady metaphysical concepts isn't exactly unexpected, just not something she's encountered before.]

Different aspects to it. Some people are strong only in one aspect or another of it. Folks who can see memories are generally called Walkers. Others can understand the whispers of the soul, so that it doesn't matter what languages are spoken, they can understand. Or those who can get split-second hints about the future, so that they know when to dodge and in what direction.

[And Ruto can do all of that and more, because of the glory of being the main character in her own game.]

What does the...SHIFT ability, you called it? What does it do? Or at least, are there other variations?

SHIFT is one of the variations. The more general term for someone with it or another psychic power is "esper", but I'll use an example to explain what SHIFT does.

[This is going to be pretty long.]

Let's say I flip a coin. Depending on a number of factors that most people would chalk up to luck, it will land on either heads or tails, correct?

[Ruto is more than willing to listen to long and involved lectures on things, especially considering how often she tends to hand them out herself.]

Yep. Or, on the extremely rare off-chance, on its edge. [A teasing smile. She’s from a city full of pirates and thieves, there’s always a chance that random happenstance will...well, happen.] But go on.

It can be helpful to think about literal edge cases, but I'll ignore it for the sake of this explanation.

[It largely only happens for dramatic convenience anyway.]

That coin flip is a branching point from which multiple timelines emerge - one for each possible result. What SHIFT does is let me transfer memories and consciousness to the me in the other timeline, under the right circumstances.

[Ruto grins at the comment but doesn't tease back, as it had primarily been a joke anyway. Instead she just cups her tea between her hands and listens, fascination allowing her to ignore the lingering headache for now.]

"The other timeline" - You have alternate timelines? Or is that only to do with divergent choices?

[She knows of alternate universes, the different Shards back in her home reality, but "timeline" is still a distinctly different word choice.]

More or less. That's the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics - anything that could possibly have turned out differently splits the universe and makes new ones.

...what's a quantum?

[Ruto knows what mechanics are, after all. ~~Even if most DPS ignore them, because HEALER ADJUST.~~ The translation protocols and her own Echo let her get the meaning of "an advanced form of math," and it almost feels like "arcanima," but not with quite the same connotations. But "quantum" isn't quite translating right for her.]

Generally speaking it has to do with the smallest interactions possible - particles so small it gets hard to determine where they are and where they're going.

[Welp, you’re definitely approaching if not past Ruto’s current tech level, but she’s still game to try and understand it.]

Alright, so you can transfer knowledge to the you in the other timeline - and I’m guessing that you get the same sort of knowledge in return, so that you can be aware of all the different possibilities?

More or less. It can be disorienting enough that some things get lost in the process, though. Sometimes it's even more of a consciousness transfer than a memory transfer.

I get the disorienting part. Echo visions can sometimes be easy enough to process, especially if they only happened recently, but other times they're a complete wrench. Like last night. Then again, the memory last night was...old. Very old. And then I got a second one right after, though that one probably wouldn't have been as bad by itself.

[Ruto smiles ruefully, because she's paying with the headache today.]

It was also the first time that my Echo visions have triggered since I've been here, and the ambient aether here is...rather different than back at home. So I imagine that didn't help.

There are a few people who are a couple millennia old around, aren't there...

[She's thinking of some others she met before, now.]

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Mini-Catchall before the Fissure?

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I've always wanted an excuse to say this...

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