spherevitaen | [LOG] Once Upon A Time

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[LOG] Once Upon A Time

CHARACTERS: Maria, Aligoté, Fayt, Cliff, Mirage and who knows who else from Maria’s circle of friends
WHEN: SD 773 / 7QJ51, after this and this
WHERE: starts at Aquios, possibly ending up all the way in Surferio
SUMMARY: Maria and Aligoté start a new life together, after Econtra.
WARNINGS: Excessive cute? ♥

It felt like the moment when it all began - being drafted to Econtra. The blinding light, the feeling of falling, the disorientation. But when Maria finally opened her eyes, she wasn’t in a white room, and there was no Warden. Instead, she was standing on the balcony of a familiar castle, which overlooked a familiar lake, and up on the sky, against the backdrop of a stunning sunset, were three familiar moons.

She drew in a breath. Elicoor. She really was here, she’d really escaped Econtra—

“Aligoté,” she gasped in realization, whirling around to face him. She looked halfway between laughing and crying. “We’re here. The Warden, he did it. We’re not in Econtra anymore.”

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Aligoté was likewise disoriented by the sensation of their transport, and unlike Maria, experienced no familiarity in seeing their surroundings at first. The sights - the castle, the incredible sky overhead - left him momentarily stunned and trying to process the change.

But it was clearly not Econtra, and her reaction said everything when Maria spun around to face him, and he swept her into an impulsive hug.

"We're here," he echoed, the phrase intentionally laid parallel to the precious I'm here that had played such an important role to their past. "We did it."

Maria returned the embrace and held on to Aligoté far longer than usual, savoring their moment of freedom. Quite truthfully, a part of her (although not one she paid attention to) had thought that either Econtra had been a dream all along, or the reality she would never be able to escape. Fortunately, it was neither; it had been real, and they’d made it through, despite the overwhelming odds.

Tears glistened within her eyes when she finally pulled back, though she didn’t completely break away. “Oh, Aligoté. You’re really here, with me.” Then, belatedly realizing that she should’ve checked, she asked, “Are you alright?”

"Yeah," Aligoté said hastily to reassure her. "All limbs and everything accounted for. Although..." He lifted a hand to point at the trio of moons with a lopsided smile. "I mean, that's really weird... I don't know, your crazy sky situation here could be making me reconsider..."

But it was obvious he was only teasing her; as if something so trivial could make him reconsider such a monumental decision as to have made the move to restart his life in this way, with her.

Maria laughed, shifting so she stood beside him, following his gaze up to the sky. “Sorry, I forgot to put that on the flyer. Didn’t think it was a dealbreaker. Do you want your money back?” When she’d arrived in Econtra she’d been mostly sad and serious, but strangely enough, even with the war looming literally over their heads, Aligoté had managed to bring out the lighter side of her.

She then rested her head on his shoulder, and whispered, “Thank you. For coming with me.”

"False advertising, I see how it is," he retorted in mock-affront, but let the jest slip away when she thanked him, putting his arm around her again.

"It's me who should be thankin' you for that," he said. In the grand scheme of things, they hadn't known each other all that long, and their relationship had taken such a drastic development literally mere days ago. For them to take such a big step wasn't without risks, and they both knew it. But they were also somehow, inexplicably sure, that this was what they both wanted.

"So, uh... this sure is a castle."

Having had a similar conversation more than once before, Maria knew they could argue (and she would stubbornly argue) about who was right to be thankful. But as she thought about it, she supposed they were both entitled to it, having done some good to each other’s lives, and though Aligoté seemed to have risked a lot more by moving to a completely different universe, she’d given just as much for them to get to where they were.

His comment about the castle reminded her of their present situation, however, and that it had to be dealt with. “Oh, right.” She straightened up. “We’re in Aquios, capital of the Sacred Kingdom of Aquaria. This castle is not only the home of the queen, it’s also the holy site of the Church of Apris - and a runological lab.”

She glanced at the doorway behind them. “We should probably go and look for Fayt, before we get arrested.”

"What, they were havin' a shortage of real estate?" Aligoté joked, letting her take the lead but still falling into step beside her.

"What exactly are you gonna tell Fayt? He's not the same one who was in Econtra, ain't he just going to think we're making everything up? It's pretty unbelievable."

“If we’re lucky and the Warden brought us to when we‘re supposed to be, Albel should’ve already explained most of it to him by now.“ She and Albel had agreed - both for their sanity and the Eternal Sphere’s stability - to return to the moments they were taken from, more willing to explain the presence of their companions rather than deal with potential space-time paradoxes. They’d deduced that she was from further along their timeline, so he would have the honor of telling their unbelievable story first. “But if somehow we’ve arrived first... well, Fayt will just have to take my word—”

Maria tensed visibly, then she quicky stepped in front of Aligoté, holding an arm out protectively. Her other hand reflexively moved to her hip, only to realize a second later that she didn’t have her gun.

From the shadows of the hallway a group of armed women appeared, surrounding them. They were dressed more formally than the field soldiers or those in the Crimson Blade, but they didn’t look less dangerous.

“Identify yourself,” the one in front of Maria ordered, leveling her spear at the newcomers. She was blonde, beautiful and much younger than Maria, but she carried herself with a certainty that bordered on arrogance.

Maria met the girl’s gaze with a calm, unfazed expression, but she raised both her hands up in a gesture of surrender. “Maria Traydor. And this is my partner, Aligoté.”

There were definitely gasps, although muted, when Maria said her name. She even caught the term Offworlder, whispered with awe, from somewhere behind them. It was an aspect of her life that she’d like to leave behind, but for the moment, she seized the advantage it offered. “Apologies for the secrecy, but we were instructed by Lady Nel to come this way, and seek out Fayt Leingod,” she lied. Not that anyone could tell. “Is he here?”

There was nothing but silence and stillness for several heartbeats. Then, the girl with the spear lowered her weapon, and the rest followed. “Apologies, Lady Maria, we did not recognize you. But yes, we were told to expect your arrival. This way, please.”

Maria waited until the blonde had her back turned towards them before letting out a soft sigh of relief.

Edited 2018-04-01 13:15 (UTC)

The armed women's arrival was alarming, but Maria seemed to have it well in hand, and Aligoté noted the reaction to her giving her name. Still, the tension didn't abate in the set of his shoulders until the spears were lowered and the blonde girl confirmed that they were being expected. "Guess you called it right," he murmured to Maria in an undertone.

Offworlder... They had no idea, Aligoté thought to himself, shaking his head a little.

Maria had been prepared to fight, if necessary - she didn't need a gun to take them all down, she was the weapon. But she'd banked on the Aquarians remembering that she and her comrades had lent them a hand when the Vendeeni attempted to steal their holy relic, and her gamble paid off.

"That went even better than I hoped," she muttered, glancing at Aligoté to see if he was alright. She was used to being threatened at gunpoint (gun, spear, sword, to her there wasn't really much of a difference), but she couldn't say the same about him. Oddly enough, it was at that moment when it occurred to her that she didn't really know him as well as she thought she did...

She shook her head, putting that thought away for the time being. They will soon have all the time to rectify that. "Now I wonder how much Albel had told Fayt."

The blonde led them through a couple of corridors, and eventually to the guest rooms, stopping in front of a door at the farthest end of the hall. By then the other women had melted back into the shadows, with the same level of stealth as they'd appeared. "Lord Leingod?" she called out, knocking. "Lady Maria is here."

She had to knock and repeat herself several times before the door finally opened, and a dazed, somewhat sleepy Fayt stepped out. Still with the blue hair and kind face, but he definitely looked younger than Maria remembered, and younger than the version of him in Econtra that Aligoté was familiar with. "Sorry, Lady Cairine, I was— oh, hey Maria."

"Hey, Fayt."

The one called Cairine stepped back and bowed. "If you need anything, I shall be down the hall. Lady Maria, you and Lord Aligoté may occupy any of other rooms, and for as long as you need."

Maria nodded. "Thank you, Lady Cairine. We appreciate your assistance."

At the mention of Aligoté's name, Fayt turned to him, his expression warm yet with a hint of curiosity. "Hi. Fayt Leingod." He held out his hand. "I'm a friend of Maria... but you probably know that already. Um, welcome to Aquios."

He hadn't missed the way Maria put herself between him and the most obvious opponent. Oddly, it hadn't been the threat of the fight that had Aligoté's metaphorical hackles up. He was not unfamiliar with dangerous situations, no stranger to being one step away from a brawl. (Hadn't that been the first years of his life, at Jing's side?) Even in those days, there had been a lack of fear in him (in both of them) that suited their chosen lives.

And afterward, when he'd seemingly shed whatever remaining instinct for self-preservation he'd once had, Sherry had accused him more than once of intentionally picking fights; dirty, ugly, knock-down drag-out melees that no one ever really 'won'. Looking for trouble merely for distraction, and taking refuge in the act of it.

(She hadn't been wrong.)

As a result, he was surprisingly hardy when it came to taking on one or more opponents, and came out on top probably more than he lost especially given that people underestimated him because of his shorter stature and build. That said, he was in no hurry to put himself to the test against a phalanx of armed women who were clearly trained and far outclassed whatever scrappy skills he could bring to bear.

Fayt's appearance, even though he knew to expect it, was still a surprise. Aligoté had not known Fayt for the first part of the young man's tenure in Econtra; when the Alliance had first formed, Aligoté and Jing weren't on speaking terms, and the winged one hadn't had any reason to pry into an organization to which he was so unsuited. Only after they'd mended that relationship did Aligoté really get to know the others, Fayt and Maria included.

He mouthed a bewildered Lord? at Maria in response to Cairine's departure, but let it go in favour of accepting Fayt's introduction. "Aligoté. Thanks for the welcome," he replied, shaking Fayt's hand solidly.

Maria chuckled at Aligoté's expression at being called Lord. "You'll get used to it. They do that a lot here, and over at Airyglyph." But the formality was going to be tiring after a while, which led her to think that they might need to consider alternatives to Aquios. Perhaps Peterny, the commercial hub down south; it wouldn't be the quiet town she'd envisioned for her retirement, but at least they wouldn't be ladied and lorded at every turn.

"Come on in," Fayt said, opening the door wide for both of them. "Sorry about the mess, though."

Mess was an understatement. Not only was his bed not made, a large assortment of tools and scrap materials were scattered all over the room. In fact, Fayt had to hurriedly clear a chair - and part of his bed - of the junk, scooping them up and dumping them unceremoniously on the nearest table. "Uh... please, sit down."

"What have you been doing, Fayt?"

He smiled sheepishly. "I found an interesting blueprint at Elena's lab. I thought I'd attempt to put together a prototype." He was beginning to show signs of the man he was likely to become in a few years; the Fayt they knew at Econtra, three years older than this one, had definitely said he was part of Aquaria's weapons development team. "Things have been fairly quiet here... at least until Albel asked me and Nel to go to Airyglyph. Urgently. I hadn't had the time to clean up."

Then, belatedly, as if only realizing he had guests, he asked, "Oh, and can I get you something to eat? Drink? You probably had a long... trip."

Edited 2018-04-03 06:51 (UTC)

There might have once been a time when Aligoté -- Kir -- would have enjoyed that level of pomp, fallen into the role with aplomb, but those days were long one for him now. As he was, he preferred to shed undue attention rather than seek it out, even if their situation hadn't necessarily called for such subtlety.

He gave a wry grin upon seeing the state of Fayt's room, but he didn't mind. He felt more at ease in a place that felt lived in than somewhere too formal. And while Aligoté himself had never delved too much into the technical side of the Alliance's capabilities, he still paid attention. "S'fine," he assured Fayt, meaning the mess and state of the room. "It is the middle of the night an' all."

The belated offer of hospitalities earned a slight laugh and head shake. "Not as long as you might think," Aligoté replied, thinking of the Consulo's instantaneous transport. He glanced at Maria for a moment, before returning his attention to Fayt. "But why don't you tell us what you know about expecting us, so we're not repeating a lot of the same information?"

Fayt gestured for both of them to sit down, taking his place on the chair across the bed. He figured this might take a while, although perhaps because of his questions rather than theirs. “It was a little over a week ago when Albel’s second-in-command, Demetrio, came here by dragon. He was to take me and Nel to Airyglyph, as Albel had gotten himself into some sort of situation.”

Quietly, Maria leaned closer to Aligoté, explaining curtly that Nel was a friend of theirs, a spy for the Aquarian army.

“The first thing I noticed when we arrived was that Albel looked much older than when I saw him last,” Fayt continued. “And that hadn’t been very long ago. A month, I think? When he’d escorted King Arzei here, to visit Lady Rozaria?” His gaze held Maria’s for a moment. “Actually, so do you. Look older, I mean. But it’s not as drastic. Anyway, he confirmed our observation, and said that he’d been away for two years - two years that for us had only been a second, or maybe instantaneously - forcibly drafted to a war in an alternate universe against an alien race of pure energy.”

Then he laughed nervously. “It still feels weird when I say that out loud. But I shouldn’t be surprised anymore, should I? After all…” He looked at Maria again, hesitating. “You, me. Sophia. Living weapons. Data forms who’d somehow managed to get to and actually exist in 4D Space, and fight our Creator.”

Maria had flinched, her shoulders suddenly tense. That was a touchy subject for her, even after all this time. Unfortunately, Fayt hardly noticed.

“Then he asked about you. If we’d seen you lately. Nel said you still hadn’t come back from Klaus, and I teased him about it - I did guilt-trip him for not going with you.” His grin then turned sheepish again. “That’s when he said that we’d come to his situation. Apparently him being off to that alien war wasn’t the problem. It was the girl he’d brought back with him.” He wouldn’t look at either of them, still kind of weirded out by the developments. “His... wife.”

He rubbed the back of his head. “Sorry, I’m still wrapping my head around the whole thing.” He was fine with the bits about a war and powerful energy beings. But alternate universes, well…

Edited 2018-04-07 15:53 (UTC)

Aligoté offered Fayt a nod when he noted that Maria and Albel looked older; Albel, especially, had been in Econtra for so long that even someone who wasn't from this world could have seen it. Aligoté looked older as well, less round-faced -- Maria had thought he was a teenager at first, he recalled with a fleeting dash of humour -- and then he refocused on Fayt.

When Maria flinched, Aligoté leaned over so his shoulder bumped hers gently. I'm here, the gesture said.

"I wouldn't let her hear you callin' her a problem," Aligoté smirked, though his tone was teasing.

The shoulder bump seemed very subtle, but the reassurance it provided was just what Maria needed. A reminder that despite everything she was and she was not, Aligoté was there for her. After all, he'd abandoned his world and followed her to her own, didn't he?

Still, she reached out across the space between them on the bed, putting a hand over his and squeezing lightly. Just making sure that he was really there. That what they'd been through - and him being with her right now as a result - was real. That she was real.

Fayt's nervous laugh interrupted her trail of thought, and she let out a small sigh of relief at the distraction it provided.

"You know her, then? From the war?" Fayt asked Aligoté, looking a little sheepish. He didn't mean it that way, but the smirk was a tad too effective. "And, uh, we're talking about the same girl, right? Red hair, really perky?"

He wasn't about to say it out loud, but he still wondered how Albel's tastes had suddenly gone from serious rebel leader to chipper ordinary girl.

Maria squeezing his hand was the sort of reaction that Aligoté had hoped for, because it confirmed that their unspoken communication -- which admittedly, had never been their strong suit in the past and caused more than one misunderstanding -- had done as intended to reassure.

He kept Fayt's attention on him a moment longer, both to answer the man's question and also to give Maria another moment. "That's her all right, an' don't let her fun attitude fool you, she's got a temper to behold," he replied loftily. "In all seriousness though, and don't take this the wrong way, but she might only be showing everyone else including you the side that her and Albel figured might work best as her 'entrance' here."

Maria didn’t let go of Aligoté’s hand, but her composure had relaxed noticeably after their exchange. She glanced at him for moment, giving him a small smile of thanks, although he probably didn’t know what it was for; she hadn’t exactly told him about her (quite literal) existential crisis.

“What did they say Sheifa’s cover was going to be?” she asked, jumping back into the conversation almost like nothing had bothered her. But the question just wasn’t for the sake of having something to say, as she’d also been thinking about the story she and Aligoté would have to create for themselves.

Fayt had nodded in agreement at Aligoté’s comment, then turned to Maria, to answer her question. “Count Woltar’s niece. It was even the Count’s suggestion, since apparently their youngest sister had eloped with an Aquarian, and was consequently disowned. They both later died, with no confirmed children.“

Maria had known Woltar was a brilliant strategist, but she was still impressed. “Clever. Since the Count’s sister was disowned, to the Glyphians it’ll be as if she - and her family - never existed. He’ll have to adopt Sheifa to legitimize her, but as Count Woltar’s niece... well, she’ll be high enough on the social ladder to marry Albel Nox with minimal opposition.” Then she frowned at Fayt. “So the problem is with the Aquarian side of the story? That’s why he asked for Nel?”

“Yeah. The sister’s husband was a member of Secret Legion. He worked for Nel’s father.” Fayt frowned, too. “Records are easy to manipulate, but it’ll be suspicious if nobody in Aquaria knows who Sheifa is, especially since she’s supposed to have grown up here. Nel’s still working out the details, so until then, Sheifa’s hiding out at the Count’s manor.”

Maria sighed audibly. The last thing they needed were political complications, which would be a certainty if they’d decide to stay in either Airyglyph or Aquaria. She turned to Aligoté, smiling wryly. “I think we might have to go somewhere quieter. They’re having enough trouble creating a new identity for one person, let alone three.”

At that, Fayt chuckled. “I’d invite you both to relocate here, but Maria’s already got a following in the Legions. She’ll probably get roped into one of them eventually if she stays.” He shrugged. “If you want quiet, Surferio maybe? Aznor can help establish your identities there, and Roger’s always been sweet on Maria...”

“Fayt, Roger is sweet to all women.” Maria had definitely blushed at the mention of a following; although she disliked the attention, it did please her to know that she was looked up to.

"Surferio," Aligoté echoed thoughtfully, searching his memory for whatever Maria had mentioned about the place before. "I think we could do with some quiet," he confirmed after a moment's thought.

Maria's remark got a startled little laugh from him; it hadn't been that many years ago when he, as Kir, had been the one sweet on all women.

"Hey, don't knock it when it's gonna help us out," he teased Maria.

Maria met Aligoté’s gaze, and anyone watching them could not possibly miss the way they looked at each other. It had been there, for a while, but it took the final battle against the Entropi for them to acknowledge it.

“Yes, we could,” she echoed. Then she turned back to Fayt, the businesslike undertone returning. “Fayt. Thank you, for having us here. And Nel, too. But I have to ask a couple more favors.”

The blue-haired boy only shrugged. “Sure. Anything for you, Maria.”

“I need you to contact Cliff and Mirage for me. I don’t have my communicator anymore; it was taken when I was drafted, and I wasn’t able to get it back. I don’t need the entire crew, just... them.” Her expression was strange for a moment, like there was something she wanted to say, but quickly decided against it. “And it might be good to let Albel and Sheifa know we’ve arrived.”

“Got it. I’ll send a message to Cliff and Mirage ASAP. And I’ll rig you a communicator while I’m at it — I’ll have it ready by morning.” Fayt grinned, suddenly energetic at the thought of having something to do. “And I’ll have Nel send out the missives to Airyglyph. It’ll take a few days, but they’ll get the message.”

“Thank you, Fayt.”

“Don’t mention it. Now why don’t you two get some rest? Unless you have any more pressing concerns?”

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[LOG] Once Upon A Time

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