Peony Min (blackmagicks) wrote in emillion, @ 2014-12-04 09:34:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, !log, jareth monaco, peony min |
We both know I cannot come home, the water rose faster than I could run...
Who: Peony & Jareth
What: A confession is made, and then a plan is hatched
Where: Shieldwyrm Hall
When: Today
Rating: Jare has a potty mouth, otherwise PG
Status: Complete
This visit was more difficult to make than perhaps any other she'd had to endure in the last week. Lying to the boys had been difficult -- she was not the sort who lied well or often -- but she hadn't had to tell them everything, which was a strange sort of blessing. Still, she'd already been through it once with her fellow Mages' Guild leaders, and surely it could not be so bad a second time... Her steps were heavy as she walked the familiar hallways of Shieldwyrm Hall. She hadn't even considered simply sending word -- quite aside from her promise to Pyr to try, she felt that the man at whose side she'd fought so often deserved an explanation of her abandonment at such a dark, difficult time. And what else could she do? She found him at his desk, scowling at a file; she took the empty chair across from him and said quietly, "Good afternoon. When you are finished, I have a matter of some importance to discuss with you.” Jareth looked up from the report he’d been reading - just another damn thing to add to the list of shit that was starting to overflow on his desk. He hadn’t had time to keep up with the paperwork, and he hadn’t really given a fuck about it. There were more important things to deal with than making sure t’s were crossed and i’s dotted. He set the report down and looked across at Peony. “Now’s as good a time as any.” It had been a while since they’d talked - too much shit going on - but if she was here, then it was obviously important. And probably more serious than some damn noble who was crying about being robbed in the streets. “I believe we may do best behind a locked door,” she suggested. Her voice was grave, and he wasn’t the type to misunderstand -- he simply stood and gestured her towards one of the empty meeting rooms. She walked ahead of him, listening for the click of the lock before she turned to face him. There was a moment of quiet before she spoke again. “I am here to tell you that unfortunately, my collaboration with the Knights of the Peace must end. I regret that this is the case, and the guild is so troubled at this time that I fear you are unlikely to be assigned a replacement anytime soon. I am very sorry.” She had held his gaze until this moment; now she looked down at her clasped hands, and for perhaps the first time in their acquaintance, he would see her look defeated. “I will be leaving the city -- and the guild -- within the week.” He frowned and leaned against the wall. “That’s sudden,” was all he said, but he was wondering if Pyr even knew, since the kid hadn’t mentioned anything. And getting Pyr to stop talking was a challenge on the best days. Kid was crap at hiding his feelings. “I take it this is a leaving and not coming back thing, or else you wouldn’t be here.” “Correct.” She paused again before she said, very softly, “Unfortunately, I can no longer protect this city. I would say, in fact, that my presence here only endangers the people I have spent my life attempting to aid.” This was the difficult part -- the part she had been able to talk around with the boys, the part that had shocked her colleagues: “You recall Vivian, I think. It is not easy to forget what she did. I have recently found myself similarly… afflicted. It would be foolish of me to assume I can contain something of this magnitude by force of will alone; Vivian never intended harm, I am certain. My only solution seems to be removing the threat -- in this case, myself -- from Emillion altogether.” That wasn’t what he’d expected to hear, but he took it in stride. He knew that they could possess people, and fuck knows he’d seen enough of them living in this damned city that it shouldn’t be surprising that, eventually, someone he knew would get infected. “How much control do you have now?” Peony was smart - she wouldn’t still be here if she didn’t think she could keep it leashed for the moment. But that didn’t mean she’d be able to do that forever. And if she left, she had the potential to lose it somewhere else. If she was close to a city, then that city would deal with what Emillion had been dealing with. He wasn’t a good man most of the time, but he wouldn’t wish Emillion’s troubles on anyone. “And what’s your plan?” “Enough, as long as I stay away from earth and air magicks,” she replied. She appreciated that he would ask it so bluntly, so that she might answer just as simply. She didn’t want pity (Merrion particularly had not taken it well). “I do not sleep well, and sometimes my grasp on certain spells is… questionable. Aside from that, I am not endangering anyone, yet. I would not wish for this to change.” It was the one thing the creature would never fully take from her -- she had sworn it to herself. “I am going to western Ordalia,” she responded. Because of course, he knew her well enough to realize that she would have considered that she would be a danger anywhere, and that she would have thought of ways to prevent it. “It is sparsely populated, which is suitable. Perhaps more importantly, I have read of certain artifacts that take away a mage’s ability to draw upon mana. I have been researching,” she added, a bit sadly, “as I have withdrawn myself from teaching. There is a trail, very faint, that implies I may find one such item in a ruin situated in that particular desert. If I am no longer able to cast, I will also be unable to call the beast, whatever it may do to my mind.” And at this, her face was tranquil -- releasing that which had been her livelihood seemed a small price to pay. “Further, if I can find this item, perhaps it can be copied. I cannot think that there are not others who would not benefit from having access to such a thing.” He nodded - trust her to have found something in a damn book. If she could find whatever it was, then there was a chance she’d be able to come back. But first, she had to reach it, and if her grasp of earth and air magick was tenuous, that left her arsenal diminished. Basically, what she was saying was that she was going on a suicide mission. Jareth had always been impulsive, so it didn’t surprise him when the next words out of his mouth were “Then when do we leave?” He’d made a promise to Pyr, even if it hadn’t been in so many words. And so long as Aspel was here, she’d take care of the city. And he could always come back. Come home. But he wouldn’t be able to sit around, wondering what happened to Peony if he didn’t go; he still wondered about Banes, and adding another person to that list just wasn’t something he was willing to do. Aspel and Li would get it, and Pyr would probably feel better if someone went with his sister. Celi was out of the city, so she wasn’t a concern. The only real consideration was that Jead was here. Somewhere. And fuck if Jareth didn’t want to be the one to take that fucker out, but Aspel had more right to that than he did. Still, he’d gotten away last time, and there’d been no trace of him since. It was too much to hope for that he’d just taken off; no, he was still around. But Aspel and Li were still here; they’d be able to take care of him. She rarely showed her emotions, but the surprise on her face was clear to anyone who had known her for any significant period of time. “You are offering to accompany me?” “Yeah.” He’d been needing to get out of the city for a while; Emillion may be home now, but he still wasn’t used to being stuck. “We’ll go, find this thing, figure it out and then come back. In one piece if we’re lucky.” “I was intending to hire a local bodyguard,” she told him. “One with strict instruction on how and when to… neutralize me, if necessary.” Because in the end, she hadn’t considered that anyone she knew could be spared from the city in its time of need. “I would not wish for you to feel obligated to follow through on the offer, if it was made solely because you feel I may not reach my target. I still may not,” she admitted, “but likely not due to the wildlife.” A shrug accompanied his statement of, “Never said I felt obligated.” And he didn’t, not really. Part of it was because of Pyr, but mostly, it was for his own peace of mind. “Just tell me when we’re leaving. I’ve got some things I’ll need to take care of before, but it shouldn’t be hard.” There was a long pause before she said, “Monday.” In the end, it would be better, wouldn’t it, to bring someone who fully understood what was at stake? She would have negotiated the mercenary contract carefully to ensure proper planning, but… “If you are willing to be hired upon the same terms, I will not turn down your invitation to come with me,” she continued, “although you must realize that, should matters deteriorate, my death would likely mean my affliction would pass to whoever struck the blow. With that knowledge, if you choose to rescind the offer…” So that was how it worked. Well, shit. But if no one struck the blow, what would happen to it if he offed himself if he became afflicted? Infected, more like. Still, a thought to consider later. “I’ve already got a death wish,” he told her, giving her dead eyes. He was already half dead as it was. “If it comes to that, I’ve not got no problem taking myself out.” Monday. So he had a little time to get his shit together. “And you’re not hiring me. I’m accompanying you.” “I considered that,” she said very calmly, as though she were not talking about suicide for the greater good, “but I’m afraid that may simply cause the beast to become untethered. It has survived for what appears to be millenia, and I do not doubt some wielders died unaccompanied. It seems improbable to assume it, in fact. It will be something to research, perhaps, once I am certain I cannot hurt anyone.” This journey was only the first step she would have to take, she knew. “As for hiring you, I will not accept your shouldering of such a duty unpaid. Even if we are colleagues.” Perhaps even something like friends. “If you do not wish the remuneration, select a charity and I will ensure the gil is appropriately transferred.” And if he did not, she would do it for him, and make the donation in his name. He doubted the untethered beast could do much damage - if it could, then there’d have been some sort of record. Still, it was worth considering. As for getting paid to do something he was volunteering to do? “Fine. Send it to one of the orphanages.” He had enough gil - more than he was used to having. He didn’t need more. “As you wish,” she said. It was where half of her savings would go, in any case, if she fell. The other half would go to the boys, and while some might call her morbid for making such arrangements, she considered it only practical. Another pause before she said, “In this case, I should likely take my leave, as I will see you at the Aerodrome at five on Monday morning. One final request, if I may: I hope you will arrange for alternative mentoring for Pyr, if you are determined to see this through. He is fond of you, and I would like his life to be as minimally affected as possible. He does not know, and I prefer that not change.” He was upset enough about her departure; she did not wish to cause the boys further heartache. With distance, perhaps their closeness would once again dim, and if she never returned… perhaps it would be a bit easier on them if they never knew the full extent of her reasons. “I’ll arrange someone to take over with Pyr. He needs someone who can teach him the monk class, anyway.” At this point, the kid didn’t need anymore stamina work - he needed to learn the basics of the class he wanted to join before his exam in a few months. He’d tell the kid he expected him to pass and would check in on his progress. Just because he wouldn’t be here didn’t mean he couldn’t assign him laps. He opened the door and motioned for Peony to precede him. “I’ll see you Monday.” “Until then.” Perhaps it was foolish to feel relieved as she left the guildhall, but Peony was so rarely foolish that she allowed herself the luxury this once. For all of their differences, there were few people she could trust at her back the way she had learned to trust Jareth Monaco. And in the end, if matters spiraled out of control, there were few she could trust to do the unpleasant and the necessary. If he had to cut her down, she did not think he would falter. These thoughts allowed her to face this new trial with renewed faith. What Faram willed would be, but she would not leave everything in His hands, either. One way or another, they would find resolution. In this dark time, that was comfort enough. |