Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Powder Miner]

For most of the trip, Senija had been snoozing away, leaning face first into her wyvern and tangled all up in her reins. But as the trip neared completion, Ranzen shook a little and woke his rider up; Senija took a moment to wake up before murmuring to Ranzen, who met up with the ship, clutching the edge of the deck just long enough for her to walk on over to the group, near-instantly noticing the fruity order (even as she promptly ruined the group's apparently clean smell by being A. unwashed and B. near a big smelly wyvern for a long period of time).
:"What's that... weird fruit-spice-stuff smell?"

[Solymr]

: Someone needs to go down there and warn them not to stand below the ship when I land it and I'd rather have a native from town tell them in case they decide to throw things on fire at us.

Nikolai went to the side of the ship and rolled down a rope ladder that reached near the ground of the plaza the ship was hovering over.

: I will go with you. You first, Lady Lillian.

[SeriousConcentrate]

"I suppose I'm up, then."

Lilly sat on the edge of the railing and swung her legs over it, but took a moment to make sure her equipment and everything was in place and secure before moving onto the ladder. It took her a few moments to clamber down, but eventually she dropped off the final rung and landed lightly on the ground only a foot or so below.

"Right. If I may have your attention, please?! Everyone move out of the way so the airship can land! We bring aid from Kizamo!"

The bard already could be quite loud when she wanted to be, and cupping her hands around her mouth to amplify her voice meant there wasn't anybody in the plaza who couldn't have heard her request.

[Solymr]

The people gathering around made way for the ship to land safely. A lot of people were around, including a few guards, and more were joining. At first they were just talking between themselves, until a voice raised above the rest directed towards the newcomers.

Lillian?

One of the guards, a young man with long hair, took a step forward.

: Is that really you?

[SeriousConcentrate]

Lilly raised an eyebrow and looked around when someone called her name. She didn't recognize the voice... but when she saw the guardsman, she certainly recognized his face. Not a child anymore, that was for certain, but he had the Rose eyes, and she remembered her kid brother had worn his hair like that.

"...Johnny?"

Lilly took a step forward and raised her arms slightly as if to hug him, then remember herself and cleared her throat, looking down and returning her hands to her side.

"Yeah. It's me."

"It's, uh, it's good to see you again, little bro."

She looked at him out of the corner of her eye, to watch his reaction without staring impolitely. She really didn't know how any of them would react to her, but of all of them, she thought maybe John Jr. might not hate her. He had been too young to really know why she had been gone for almost a year practically a decade ago, maybe was too young to have been told what happened between her and her mother the night she ran away from home. And they had gotten along much better than she and Ivy had. But still... she didn't know.

[Solymr]

"Johnny" didn't have as many qualms as Lillian, as he walked towards her with open wide arms.

: Lilly! It's been years! Where have you been? I missed you!

Meanwhile Nikolai landed the ship and the rest of the crew prepared to unload their cargo.

[Haspen]

"So that's your brother, huh." Laura made a passing remark.

And a passing stare from toes to head, before she scooted away to put down some bags.

[SeriousConcentrate]

Lilly was both surprised and pleased by his welcoming gesture, and she gladly stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug.

"I missed you too, little bro."

After a few moments she disengaged the hug, but kept a hand on his upper arm.

"You've really grown, Johnny. I want to hear about how you've been too, y'know? The last time I saw you, you weren't even chest high on me, and now look at you. You're almost as big as Micheal!"

That was a bit of an exaggeration. Their older brother was a mountain of a man, but John was still taller than her now. It was a bit of an odd experience; she had been so used to crouching to look him in the eyes and ruffle his hair, and now she was looking up at him. Idly she straightened his armor; she had gotten used to doing so for Tomik, and this was a bit of sisterly concern she couldn't help but immediately revert back to doing. But she couldn't stall forever, and she had to answer him somehow.

"I've been doing a lot of traveling, y'know? I've been all over Alberal, and a little bit into Kizamo, and I've seen more than I'd like of Ixion."

She sighed and closed her eyes.

"I, uh... I've even been beyond the Waygate. It's... It's not nice on the other side."

"I've had a son, lived on the road, learned a lot of songs, been in jail, been on the run, shot at, stabbed, kidnapped, fell in love, had a church collapse on me in pretty much that order... to be honest my life has kind of been a mess the last ten years."

She chuckled darkly at herself and the vast understatement. At that point Laura interjected, and Lilly turned slightly to gesture at her.

"Oh, right. Johnny, this is Laura. She's an Ixion prison guard. She sorta helped us break out of Strohnban. Laura, Johnathon Rose junior, my younger brother."

[Haspen]

"Oh the pretty one you told me about?"

[SeriousConcentrate]

"I don't recall saying he was pretty... I mean the last time we saw each other, I was sixteen and he was nine."

[Haspen]

"And I remember the escape from the prison being more like me being kidnapped in the process."

[SeriousConcentrate]

"At least you're alive."

[Solymr]

: Oh, um, hi. This is a bit awkward.

John Jr was taken aback by the list of things his sister had been through.

: You certainly have a long story to tell, more than me at least. After you were gone things changed a lot... I tried joining the army to see something new but I got stationed here, probably a suggestion from "someone". But if you're gonna tell me everything that happened to you...

Johnny put a more serious face.

: Why did you leave in the first place? After you left, nobody would tell me what happened that night.

[SeriousConcentrate]

"Hmm, probably."

It didn't really seem like something their father or Micheal would do... keeping John close to home sounded more like something their mother would pull, were she still alive.

"Heh, speaking of awkward... wow, that's a question..."

Lilly rubbed the back of her neck, uncomfortable with reliving the memory again. It was one thing to talk to Kyle and Tomik about it; she loved Tomik and Kyle kind of understood, but they were both removed from the situation. It wasn't a matter of blood with either of them. That and she really didn't want to talk about it in front of Laura... in fact she would have said a lot less had she been aware the knight had - for once in her life - quickly gotten off the airship behind her. After a few long moments of silent stalling, the bard sighed deeply and set her shoulders.

"Mom and I had a fight. I don't mean an argument. I mean she pulled a knife on me and... well, we fought. She was drunk and I was terrified. So... things got out of hand and... well..."

She REALLY didn't want to continue with that. But she had come that far already.

"I shoved her to get her off of me, and we were at the top of the stairs in the entrance foyer, and... yeah... so... I mean..."

Lilly held herself uncomfortably, her hands on her upper arms.

"I didn't... want her to die, or anything. I mean, maybe I hated her a little, and she hated me, but she was still our mom. I wouldn't wish... that... on her. So when I realized what was happening, and then she was lying there like that... I panicked. I had to go, y'know?"

[Solymr]

Johnny looked at his feet. It was uncomfortable for him too.

: Yeah, I don't think she would have been kind on you after that. Not that she was much before... Thanks for telling me, though. She hasn't spoken to anyone but Ivy since that night. And she forbid everyone from talking about that again.

Johnny sighed. He grew up wondering what happened to his missing sister, and now that he knew, he had a lot more questions to ask.

: And how come you're back home now of all times? We're in the middle of a siege, and suddenly a flying ship comes to give us help AND you're in it? It's... so strange!