Ace Muses

Sideblog to fan-tasticfour Indie Semi-selective OC/Crossover friendly Multimuse Dump

[rinnysmuses]

Looking at the parasol, Rhea stared at it before clapping her hands. Heehee. "It's so pretty!"

Gently taking it from Hadri, she twirled it around before she began to hold it. Heehee.

"What do you think? Do I exude the confidence of a dainty noble lady?"

[acemuses]

Heehee. Her posture was slightly off, but-- "You're pretty damn close, yeah. You honestly look great. Though you'll have to unfotunately choose between looking all noble-like and continuing to work around the gardens, since it's kinda hard to do both at once."

[rinnysmuses]

Rhea chuckled. He was so sweet "I don't need a parasol right now, but thanks! I'll probably go in before it gets super hot. I just like being out here with the flowers."

She looked down at them before looking at Hadri again.

"Honestly... Can you get me one? Just in case? I don't think I'd get sick but the climate here is different compared to back home."

[acemuses]

Hadri lit up at the request. "Of course! I'll be right back."

He turned on his heel and briskly walked back inside, getting his hands on the first staff member around and asking where he could borrow a parasol. The fact they brought one to him instead of showing him where he could choose his own was only slightly disappointing, but he thanked them nonetheless and returned to where he'd last seen Rhea.

"Here you are!" he said proudly, propping the parasol open for her.

[rinnysmuses]

Lookikg up at Hadri, Rhea shook her head. "Nope. Not bothered at all! I quite like the sun. How are you?"

[acemuses]

"I'm alright. And I'm not surprised you'd enjoy sunlight, I just don't want you getting burnt or dizzy from heat. I'd be happy to fetch you a parasol so you can keep tending to flowers safely, if you wanted."

[rinnysmuses]

She was busy tending to the Albarea gardens again. ...It was nice. Doing this. It toom her mind off of so, so much...

[acemuses]

Ah. There she was indeed, just as Jusis told him.

...He hesitated a little, but eventually made his way over to her.

"Hello, Rhea. Not too bothered by all the sun, I hope?"

[rinnysmuses]

"Believe me. We didn't see much of anything down there before everything happened up here..."

Ashe stretched as she nodded towards the building in front of them. "This is actually the Watcher's Tower. He's an Ancient that presided over the moon and Zodiark for millenia."

She pointed to the building in the far distance.

"That's where the Loporrits live! We can go see them!"

Rean stared at the building before looking at Ashe again. "Why...Can we breathe?"

"...Oh. Right... The moon was built by Hydaelyn to basically become a space ship in the event of the Final Days. Hence why we can breathe up there. Thankfully, none of that ever passed."

"...We...Missed a lot in Tural, huh?"

[acemuses]

Crow turned to Rean. "Hey, in Tural's defense, I'm reasonably convinced 'the moon was a spaceship all along' still isn't exactly common knowledge, and we're just finding all this shit out because we happened to befriend the one person who was involved with everything ever."

[rinnysmuses]

Ashe smirked as she started the teleportation spell. "Be ready to be shocked out of your mind~"

And then they were off! Making sure it had been a smooth ride, Ashe sighed as they finally arrived at the Aetheryte of Mare Lamentorum.

"Oh...Wow..." Rean murmured after they arrived. "Look at the sky. And that building. Why is a building here? And an aetheryte? Oh. The sky is gorgeous."

His eyes looked around before landing on the planet behind them. "And there's..."

"Etheirys. Yes."

[acemuses]

"Is that building where the Loporrits live?" Crow asked. Sharlayan wasn't littered with them or anything, but during their stay there he'd occasionally come to cross paths with some. One in particular kept visiting the Last Stand to request pudding, with Dickon seemingly surprising them with a new flavor for every single one.

"...Kinda surreal, being here," he muttered. "Like standing in the northernmost reaches of Xak Tural, the same pure white mountains all around and the same starry night sky...and a scarily big and colorful moon just above the horizon." He looked at Ashe. "The weirdest part about this, though, is that from the star's surface, you can't really see all this. You'd think people could spot a crater with ominous red energy spiraling out of it and a conspicuous building or two."

[rinnysmuses]

"...I...I'm?! ...I'm... I have so many questions. But yeah. I'm ready to go if you are, Ashe."

Getting up from her seat, Ashe came around to her friends and held out her hands.

"C'mon. I'll tell you more when we get there."

[acemuses]

"I can't believe we're getting moon lore," Crow chuckled, taking her hand-- and Rean's unoccupied one. "Thanks for the tour, Ashe. And just taking us in general. That's-- honestly a really sick vacation trip offer, and I can't wait to try and explain that to our friends."

[rinnysmuses]

"...Why were you on the moon!?" Rean asked.

"To fight Zodiark!"

"...WHAT?!"

"Yeah! That's where Zodiark was imprisoned. There's a whole big ass crater there! But. I can teleport us there, if you want! So we can go right now! Tomorrow! Whenever you want."

"What do you MEAN you fought that Zodiark thing up there!?"

"I also talked to Halmarut just a few months ago up there."

"You got there REGULARLY!?"

[acemuses]

"You know what I'm most surprised by? The fact that being on the moon doesn't seem to cause any problems. Like it sounds as if you can breathe totally fine up there. Anyway, I'm ready to go right now if you are." He paused, looking at his mate. "...And if Rean is."

[rinnysmuses]

"Yeah. I know. You guys just knew me as the girl that helped out Vow Wuk Lamat. And the Arcadion Grand Champion."

She propped her hands on her chin, humming. Where would they like to go next? Sharlayan had been their base of sorts... Hells, she could even take...

Gasp!

"I was gonna ask if you wanted to come to the First-"

"You can take us there?"

"Mhmm! It's an easy teleport to the Crystarium. But... Have you ever wanted to go to the MOON!?"

"...Excuse me?"

[acemuses]

Crow stared.

"...'Wanted' is a strong word, because, uh, truthfully? It never occured to me that we could go to the moon. But now that you've brought it up? Yes. Absolutely fucking yes. When are we going."

[rinnysmuses]

"Thank goodness I have no plans TO announce it from the treetops. ...Thank you. For coming with me. For coming to help. I don't know what we'll find there but, hey! You guys get to say you helped out the Warrior of Light!"

"Eh. Fame is whatever. We care about helping out you. Besides... I'm not going to lie. I'm itching to see how you are in battle against another person. Monsters and whatnot are one thing, but..."

[acemuses]

"We didn't even know you were a big deal before," Crow snorted, putting his hands behind his head. "So I agree with everything Rean said. And I dunno what to expect from shard travel, but I'm still up for more regular travel across the star if you got anywhere else you wanna take us!"

[rinnysmuses]

"Yeah. Well. It's also a trust thing too. I can't exactly tell everyone wht I told you about Halmarut and what not. Need to know basis. So. Just keep it private for right now."

Rean chuckled. "We understand too, Ashe. I promise. A lot of what you are dealing with is something you can't exactly scream from the tree tops. Crow was just sayin'."

"I know."

[acemuses]

"Actually, I think you could scream it from the tree tops! Just that most people would assume we're real deep in our cups. But yeah, I do understand the need for secrecy, and I'm not trying to convince you they should be told-- just that they're cool people you can count on."

[rinnysmuses]

"Oh! I don't think I'm lugging you guys around or anything! I like spending time with you two! I may spar with you both at some point just to see. And I'm going to have to give you the run down of shard travel!"

Rean nodded before punching the inside of his palm with his hand. "Great! I can't wait to learn and train. I...I imagine we have to keep this to ourselves?"

"...Yes. Please. Your friends are lovely but I don't need them banging down the Rising Stones' door. Y'shtola will get mad."

[acemuses]

"I trust most of them would understand if we just explained that you're limiting who all can come," Crow chuckled. "And I am including Maki in that. He's an eager cookie, but a smart one too-- just because half the star would stand up and volunteer to help you doesn't mean you can bring half the star."

[rinnysmuses]

"C-Crow-"

"..."

Heh. Packaged deal, indeed. That was what she thought but she had wanted confirmation. Crossing her arms, she nodded.

"Yeah. Okay. I can't stand the idea of separating you both, either. If Rean is coming, then so are you. So. You're in."

[acemuses]

Crow grinned. "It's a deal, then! I'm still down for a spar or any other trial you wanna put us through, too, but it's nice to know you're not against lugging us around for a while longer."

[rinnysmuses]

Rean's ears immediately wilted as Ashe sighed.

"I'm not opposed to it, by the way!" Ashe said, waving her hands. "This isn't a Scion problem. Den and Chrys'a don't even call themselves Scions. I just need you to be sure! Shard travel... Is crazy."

She looked at Crow.

"Would you be coming as well?"

[acemuses]

"I consider us a package deal, so if you're cool with having us both, then yeah. If you think it's getting crowded and only want the one...I mean, I guess I'll live, but I'll feel kinda betrayed if Rean goes anyway."

[rinnysmuses]

"Yeah. Chrys'a and Den. Chrys'a WOULD riot. And so would Alisaie. So. Those four would be the first I'd tell to join me."

She trusted them the most, after all. They were here-

"Take me with you!" Rean said, leaning forward. "Please! You need help, right? I can help."

What the fuck...?

"...Uhm. R-Rean..."

[acemuses]

Crow snickered.

"She may have to test you first, y'know. Put you through your paces and all that, make sure you can hold up in a fight just as well as the others do. We haven't done all of that space travel and beating-up-Primals stuff yet, so."

[rinnysmuses]

"I probably should, honestly. Even if it is to just check up on Ryne and Gaia. See how everything is going on their end of things. If they've experienced anything... Weird. That's honestly not a bad idea."

Rean hummed as he continued to mull over something before looking at Ashe.

"...Who are you taking to the Fourth? In case you are able to take people with you."

"....Uhhhhh?"

[acemuses]

Crow smiled. Oh, he could see it written all over his man's face already. Poor Rean was an open book who'd never been good at hiding his thoughts-- at least from Crow's perspective.

"Chrys'a and Den, because Chrys'a gives me the vibe of someone who'd riot if he wasn't invited," Crow speculated anyway. "And the Leveilleur twins, too."

[rinnysmuses]

"...I know," Ashe murmured. "I know I don't have to go. No one is making me. And yet? I do want to go. I want to see another reflection. Learn about who they are. What issues they face..."

She smiled sadly.

"I want to go on an adventure again..."

"I imagine that's just who you are. And going alone isn't that appealing to you, is it?"

"...Not... Really. But that part? If I must, I must. The probem is? I'm not sure what we can do here in the Source. The Winterers will keep shard hopping and bring them close to a calamity. And quite frankly? That means they can fuck with the First. And I have to protect that place. For Thancred. For G'raha. And for me."

[acemuses]

"If you want to go there, that's a whole other thing," Crow chuckled. "But it still means you can try and put it off until something's figured out, right? Hells, since you mentioned the First, maybe there's something there that could help you figure out the whole back and forth travel thing."