if we meet, be brave

[aquaveiled]

[ The heavy doors of her room at the Crystarium creak open on their hinges as she pushes them open, feeling a lot more exhausted than she wants to let on. Being someone who seems to be allergic to resting for more than a couple hours at a time, even she spares a glance to the bed with something akin to longing. Even she can admit that last Lightwarden had taken something out of her--at least privately. Maybe just this once...

The doors shut behind her and she inhales deep, stretching her arms up above her head as high as they can go, pushing up to her tippy-toes. Then she releases it all in one big sigh. Yet as she does a glance around the room, her eyes fall on the long dining table. ]

...First things first~

[ She plops down into one of the four chairs that flank the table and picks up a slice of the dutifully prepared sandwich. It would just be rude to let it go to waste, wouldn't it?

Chewing thoughtfully, she looks to one side, then the next, then behind her, then up to the ceiling. ]

You know, having three pairs of eyes peeking in isn't nearly as fun when they won't talk to you.

[ It's a teasing tone, intended for one set in particular. (Really, only two of the three are admitting to it.) ]

Comments

[soulshard]

[ The where and how of Ardbert appearing to Himeka is difficult to pinpoint. One moment he's not there, and the next moment he is, with little fanfare to announce his arrival. From his end of it, all he has to do is concentrate to make himself visible to her. It's not something he's ever been able to manage with anyone else, but at this point he chalks that up to Himeka being special: a fact that's hardly a mystery to, well, anyone. ]

Three pairs?

[ He strides up from behind her, standing near the head of the table. Looming over her and watching her eat isn't quite the intention here, but it's difficult to know where to place himself during their near-nightly conversations. ]

I'm aware that the Exarch has a habit of keeping watch, but who else are you referring to?

[ He has a guess or two, but he won't jump to conclusions. ]

[aquaveiled]

[ She brightens considerably when Ardbert makes his appearance, confident that he would in the end. For whatever reason, it has been easiest to talk to him in the Pendants. Granted there is usually a lot more going on when she doesn't have the semblance of privacy, but it is probably for the best as Himeka would not think twice about talking to someone in public that no one else can see. ]

Emet-Selch.

[ She says simply before taking another bite. ]

He said that he "likes to watch". But I guess he is, at least, honest about it.

[ It should probably bother her more than it does, though it does bother her to an extent. Though years of being in the public eye have made true moments of privacy far and few in between save when she is able to venture out into the wilderness alone, what is one more? ]

[soulshard]

[ The truth of the matter is that even if Ardbert may be watching Himeka as she goes about her duties here on the First, he chooses not to show himself to her most of the time, realizing that he would only get in the way and serve as a distraction. He may have also made the calculation that she wouldn't hesitate to strike up a conversation with a ghost, even in public. While she might be able to explain this to her fellow Scions, it's an extra layer of complication she doesn't need added to her plate at the moment.

Therefore, appearing to her when she's in the privacy of her own quarters has always seemed the best method to him.

When she speaks that name, Ardbert's face twitches. He doesn't think it's much of a secret that he isn't fond of the Ascians, given his history with them. It's not as if that's a particularly uncommon attitude to have about them. ]

Honest or not, I wouldn't give him the benefit of the doubt. He may want to come across as unassuming, but Ascians can be quite good at acting as if they're on your side... up until they're not, anymore.

[ He pauses then, realizing she didn't actually ask for his opinion. His eyes find the floor and he shrugs. ]

Just a word of advice from someone who learned the hard way, I suppose.

[aquaveiled]

[ His reaction is valid--more than valid. It is the sort of caution that Himeka has been learning to exercise, if poorly. But Ascians are one of the few threats she has taken to heart. It would be impossible not to. And yet...here she is, giving Emet-Selch a bit of leeway. She needs to watch that. ]

Mmm...

[ She narrows her eyes slightly as she regards the piece of her sandwich. She may not have outright asked for his opinion, but she is ever keen to hear it. ]

He does stress that he's telling the truth, but I suppose we don't really have any way verifying that, huh?

[ Himeka looks up again at Ardbert and motions for him to take a seat--well, as much as he can. ]

What was it like when you met your first Ascian?

[soulshard]

[ Taking a seat isn't an option for him, but Ardbert does follow Himeka's gesture to at least stand closer to where she's seated. He positions himself across the table from her so it isn't so much like he's looming over her. ]

He may be telling a version of the truth, one that he's tailored to meet his needs.

[ Will she know what he means? Ascians are so slippery when they wish to be, and Himeka's had her fair share of run-ins with them. That being said, Emet-Selch's approach has certainly been different. He'd admitted that much himself.

As for that question, it's hard to know where to even begin. His face shutters for a moment as he stares off somewhere past her shoulder, thinking back. ]

Ascians. I met them as a pair — Mitron and Loghrif.

[aquaveiled]

[ She's had certainly enough to know to be wary, but her own inclination to go with the flow and her desire to believe people when the say way they do is at odds with it. That she has kept her suspicions up this long is a testament to what she has learned, of course, and the every discerning stares of the other Scions is a motivation in and of itself. But...

She purses her lips, stopping mid-chew to make the face.

There's still a part of her that wonders from time to time... ]

Tmmh?

[ Oops. She finishes her bite properly before continuing. ]

Two? One is difficult enough.

[ Says the woman who has been involved with taking out plenty. ]

What happened?

[soulshard]

[ There's a moment where Ardbert wonders if he should shut down this conversation and tell Himeka that he's not up to talking about it. He suspects that she would respect that, or that she would at least allow him to table it for another time. The truth is that it's still painful to think back on all of this, and it's not as if he's had the chance to put any of it into words until now. With no one to speak to...

But he also trusts Himeka. He can't quite say why, and maybe it's simply because she's all he has now, but it's probably for the best that he gets this off his chest once and for all.

And so he heaves out a long sigh, one that rolls through his shoulders, before saying anything. ]

Well, they were assigned to bring about a Calamity here — the same as other Ascians did on the Source, I would imagine. It wasn't just that, though. [ He glances down, watching as the fingers of his gloved hand curl into a fist. ] They took someone from a different star and manipulated her, convinced her to join our ranks and turn against us, all as part of their plan.

[ The final confrontation with Cylva still sits in his memories clear as day. ]

Of course, it didn't quite go as they were expecting.