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Post by Al-Cid, Rakesh, Paloma, Mateo on Oct 12, 2012 21:11:04 GMT -5
The hull yawned in distress as turbulent winds attempted to tear the Espiridion asunder. They were in the mists of a sandstorm that had overwhelmed them quite suddenly. Or a jagdstorm… if such a thing could even exist. It seemed that the air was thick with magicite, or something there like. The skystone had failed and the ship was thrown from the skies, plummeting to the earth below. Thus, it was that the crew of the Espiridion soon found themselves frantically preparing for a crash landing.
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Paloma Milagros woke up with a start--gasping for life’s breath as though she might lose it. She felt disoriented, at first, not knowing where it was that she had awaked, or how she came to be there.
The room was rather bright at first glance, dizzying in its intensity. Then when her eyes grow used to the light, and her vision returned, she saw that she was in what looked to be an infirmary. It was a long and narrow room with beds lining the opposite walls. Some of the bends, therein, looked to be occupied by those who had seen far better days—and yet, not one was a person whom she could recognize.
She remembered the storm, the crash it caused, and chill ran through her spine—
Where was Mateo? Where was Griogair?
With newfound urgency, Paloma struggled to sit, but only managed to make it as far as propping herself on her elbow, before she felt a pressure on her shoulder and a woman’s voice urging her to lie back down and rest, “Lest you reopen your wounds and injure yourself further.”
It was then that she noticed that an elderly woman had been standing by her bedside. Not really having much of a fight left in her, due to her own injury, Paloma resisted only shortly before following the speaker’s urging.
The elderly women—a nurse, Paloma assumed her to be—continued to speak, asking questions about out she was doing and if there were any pain. Paloma responded that she was fine, although in reality, she knew herself to be anything but fine.
“Por favor, señora,” Paloma interrupted before the women could inquire much further, “What is this place? Where am I? Where is my crew?”
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Post by Beebee on Oct 13, 2012 14:30:22 GMT -5
Sand was swirling all around the castle. Edgar stood by one of the large windows in his throne room, watching the wind blow outside. It was rare that you could see the wind. Letting out a small sigh, his blue eyes tracked the movement of the grains of sand flying through the air. It was beautiful...and deadly. He had already pulled all of the sentries inside, and they had stabled all of their chocobos. There was no sense in having a lookout on a day like this. The cost far outweighed the benefit.
As he was observing the storm, a different type of movement caught his eye. Edgar leaned a little closer to the window, trying to figure out what it was, when his eyes widened in surprise. It was an airship! And it was headed straight for them. He only had time to turn and take a couple of steps away from the window to give a warning, when the whole castle shook with the impact. The king was sent sprawling to the ground, and he quickly picked himself up and dusted his clothes off. The airship had struck one of the towers, and his only hope was that nobody had been too badly hurt.
Edgar raced through the corridors towards the tower in question. When he arrived at the scene of the crash, he stood and stared open-mouthed for a couple of seconds. The ship had ploughed straight through the wall and was half inside the tower. He quickly shook himself out of his stupor though, and started barking out orders. Edgar had complete faith in his people, but he wasn't about to sit back and let them do all the work. Despite a few protests from his guards, he waded into the fray and helped to search for survivors. He recognized a few faces, and was eternally grateful that so far, everybody seemed to be alive. Injured (greatly in some cases), but alive.
"Has anybody checked on the crew of the ship?" he called out to nobody in particular. He was met with negatives, and while two more guards came to his side he entered the ship. Edgar couldn't help but touch the sides of the ship in awe. It was still a beautiful craft, even though it would take a lot of work to fix. It would likely fly again. But he couldn't afford to admire the ship for too long. He could already see a few bodies peppering the floor. The small group worked quickly and efficiently. A few people outside were ready to accept the injured and carry them off to the infirmary.
It wasn't long before Edgar found a dark haired beauty lying haphazardly on the floor. After briefly checking her over for any life threatening injuries, he carefully picked her up himself and carried her out of the ship, trying not to jar her wounds further. Hands steadied him as he exited the ship, and as his people offered to shoulder his burden he shook his head. "I have her. I will take this one myself." It was no secret that he was a womanizer, and it was a long-standing joke in the castle with the ladies that worked there, but that was the furthest thing from his mind at the moment. She was beautiful, he couldn't deny that. He wouldn't deny that, not when she was awake, but for now she needed to be treated. After leaving her in the capable hands of his medical staff, Edgar immediately returned to the crash site. "Has everybody been accounted for?" he asked as he re-entered the room.
"Yes sir!"
Edgar nodded with a smile. His people really were the best in the world. Even the new world they had found themselves in. "Wonderful! Alright then, we need to figure out how to dislodge the ship, and keep the rest of the tower from collapsing." He already had an idea how to get rid of the ship. He had a few favours to call in, but once the storm stopped he was positive they could get a lift of some sort whether it was from other airships or a crane. Then they would be able to fix the tower. That...would take a lot of work. Edgar clapped his hands together. "For now, let's just block off the opening. That way it won't fill up with too much sand." The large group started piling rocks and bricks from the tower walls on top of and around the ship to fill the hole that had been made. In what seemed like no time at all, there was barely any sand getting through.
"King Edgar! One of the survivors from the ship has woken up!" Edgar whirled around at the hail, and nodded at the young boy. Maybe now he would get some answers. This wasn't an attack, he was sure of it. But anybody who would attempt to fly an airship during a sandstorm was either ignorant, or very determined.
"Lead on then." he encouraged the boy with a smile, and quickly followed him through the familiar hallways. He made one short stop, attempting to clean himself up a little more. Dirt was smudged onto his face from lifting the heavy rocks, his hair had pulled loose from it's tie, and he was coated in dust from head to toe. After fixing his hair and washing his hands and face, he patted his clothing to dislodge some of the dust. It still wasn't completely gone, but that was the best he could do at the moment. At least he was somewhat presentable now. Taking a deep breath, he entered the infirmary.
His matron was talking to the woman that Edgar had carried into the infirmary himself. He smiled at the sight of her awake and talking (in a strange accent), and approached the bed. "You're awake. That's good to see. My name is Edgar, and I am king of this castle. Welcome to Figaro." he said with a small bow. "I hope that wasn't the entrance you were intending to make, but it was memorable all the same. What prompted you to fly through the sandstorm? I certainly hope you don't have a death wish. That would be a waste." His bright blue eyes sparkled mischieviously as he questioned her. He was curious, both about her and her craft. He would definitely need to find out more about her technology.
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Post by Al-Cid, Rakesh, Paloma, Mateo on Oct 18, 2012 15:03:45 GMT -5
When she had voiced her question about her crew, it was not the nurse that answered, but a man that was approaching her bedside. He was a blond man who seemed a bit muscular in build--more so than average, but not overly so. Her first impression on his manner of dress was that it was all very... blue. Blue cape. Blue armour. Even his eyes were blue. Then, there was the way that his blond hair was tied back in a pair of blue ribbons. Did he really like blue, or was there a significance to the color? Uniform? Maybe. Although, golden trim of his cape and the red patterning of his armor and sash struck Paluma as looking a bit frou-frou for a soldier--was he of rank, or nobility, then?
His identity was was soon clarified by way of his introduction--Edgar, King of Figaro, which was apparently the castle in which she now found herself.
A king, huh?
What nation--or kingdom--was his Figaro of? What was his alliance? Certainly not the regions of Archedes nor Dalmasca--for former was ruled by a child-emperor, the latter a queen. His manner of dress was not of either land’s fashion; yet, his language was. Perhaps this was a very small kingdom of little influence in Ivalice? Still, it was odd that she had never heard of it.
Setting aside the fact that she had never heard of this Figaro, something struck her as odd that a king himself would be involved in making nice with an unknown in his infirmary. Wouldn’t that be something better left to a guard? He even bowed in his introduction, and when he spoke to her, he had a look in his eyes that seemed a bit naughty. Just what sort of king was this? She glanced over him, taking his appearance once again.
A quick glance at his had revealed a knobbiness to his knuckles that was often indicative of hands used to frequent work. His right hand in particular was slightly calloused at the base of palm as well as at the base of his fingers. There was a heavier callusing toward the right suggesting the handling of a long object in which part would fit into his palm--a sword? Was it wielded by hobby or necessity? And yet, there was something more to his hand structure... they were not really shaped the same way as a man used only to swordsmanship, but also that of craftsman--all tiny nicks and dryness at the tips of the fingers. So, was he the type to literally take important matters into his own hands? By his standing at her bedside, she would assume so.
She returned her gaze to the king when he finished speaking, and seemed to be waiting for a response from her. Right, then.
“Paloma Milagros... of the Ordalia Trading Company.” She introduced herself by her more reputable identity, making no mention of the name she had earned in the underworld: Dama Cactlia.
“And I assure you, I certainly don’t make a hobby of flying blind into sandstorms--that one took us by surprise.” A fact that she found rather disconcerting, being that their flight path had been nowhere near areas prone to such. There was something terribly abnormal about that sandstorm that left her with so many questions, and little answers. But first, there were more important matters to attend.
Lifting her eyes to his, she tone turned more urgent, “King Edgar, is it? How fares the others who were with me? A little boy, Mateo--he is my son. Also, my crewmen. One Bangaa and three other humes.”
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Post by Beebee on Oct 18, 2012 23:39:59 GMT -5
Edgar waited patiently for the woman to answer him. She seemed confused, which given the circumstances was understandable. Her eyes roamed over him as he slowly straightened again, and he shot her another kind smile. What is going through your mind right now? He took the opportunity to look her over as well, but his old matron cleared her throat and shot him a glare. What? His eyes spoke for him, but his innocent act wasn't bought by the woman who basically raised him.
He returned his attention to the injured beauty on the infirmary bed when she introduced herself. Ordalia? He tilted his head curiously, trying to place the name but nothing came to mind. He couldn't even tell which continent she was from, let alone anything else.
The blonde king softened his gaze when she commented that it had been an accident. He had assumed as much. Normally if someone were to attack them, weapons would be used. None had thought to actual ram into his castle. Not to say it couldn't be done. Clearly it could. "They are quick to form, and can last for hours at a time. Everyone is pulled indoors during a sandstorm. This one is worse than most."
Normally they could sense the coming storms. There were signs that most of Figaro had learned to notice, but this storm held none of those warnings. It seemed as though it had just popped up out of nowhere, and that concerned him. Bright blue eyes returned to the dark haired woman, and even before she began to speak he knew what she was about to ask. Edgar furrowed his brow a bit and shot a look towards his matron.
"Lady Paloma...we scoured the wreckage for your crew. Though, we only found two other humans with you." He had heard of the Bangaa race, though he had yet to see one. It was possible it had been missed on board, but not likely. "How old is your son? We saw no children on board. And I hope you'll forgive my saying so, but you look nowhere near old enough to have a child over the age of 10." Even that was pushing it.
A little worried that she would try to get out of bed, he stepped closer and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. Bending down to eye level so she didn't need to crane her neck to see him, he made sure he had her attention. "You need to rest up. I will have my people look once more in case we missed anything. Once you've rested up a bit more we can talk a little more deeply on these matters."
Edgar offered her another smile and turned to his matron, with his hand still on Paloma's shoulder. "What are her injuries? Is there anything more we can do aside from provide the basic comforts they need?" He was careful to use the term 'they', to indicate the other survivors as well. Giving her a gentle squeeze, once he heard the prognosis he nodded once before sweeping from the room.
Stopping in the doorway he turned back and gave another bow. "My Lady Paloma, please rest assured that if your son and friends are on board, or anywhere in my castle, we will find them. You need to do your part in recovering in order to help them." He wasn't sure the warning was necessary, but he shared another look at the matron to convey his true message. She isn't to go anywhere for the time being.
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Post by Al-Cid, Rakesh, Paloma, Mateo on Oct 29, 2012 12:56:29 GMT -5
When Edgar explained that no child had been found, Paloma felt a chill run down her spine. “My son... You guess correctly, he is about ten.” She confirmed his age as she tried to sit up, fully intending to search for the boy herself. But then, the king had stepped closer to rest a hand on her shoulder--fortunately, it was not the one that had been injured. He told her to rest, and yet, with this dire news, Paloma no longer held any desire to rest. As it was, aside from the many nicks and bruises from the crash (including a rather nasty looking gash on her forehead that in the end turned out to be superficial), her most serious injuries turned out to be a dislocated shoulder and two broken ribs. The shoulder had been relocated and wounds patched. And though her ribs hurt like hell, it wasn't enough--by her reasoning--to call for complacency when her child, as well as members of her crew, were missing.
“Nonsense.” Paloma protested, making a more determined effort to sit, “A mother cannot abide setting worry to naught when her child may meet uncertain peril--even a King must know this.” The way in which she said king seemed to tell that she held no great deference towards the wishes of those who held such title. So it was with a stubborn will and determination that she boldly locked her gaze with Edger’s and said, “I needn’t your comfort, nor of rest, but to make leave of this infirmary. I will aid in the search.”
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Post by Beebee on Oct 29, 2012 21:51:39 GMT -5
About to leave, Edgar glanced back down at Paloma in surprise when she argued with him. He tilted his head curiously before making his way back to the bed. "My lady, this...King...does know this. A mother's only concern is her children, especially if they are missing. But...and I hope you'll forgive my saying so...what help can you be in your current condition?" There was no condescension in his tone, but she was injured and needed to recover. Being blunt seemed like the best route to take at this point.
"I assure you, the people in my castle are still searching. Though you are strangers here, we will look after you as one of our own. Which means we will search until there is nothing left to overturn. If he is still not found, we will search the surrounding areas on foot. Or on chocobo, rather." Crossing his arms in front of him, he gave her a gentle look. "I may not have any kids of my own, but that doesn't mean I am without a heart. The best thing you can do for your son right now is rest up and recover from your injuries. If you were hurt even worse while labouring, and we were to find him, how would that make him feel?"
He was completely making things up off the top of his head now, but it didn't make it untrue. If his family had been hurt searching for him, he would have been devastated. Even more so if he was a little kid who perhaps didn't understand what was happening. "I will personally keep you updated on our progress so you won't be left behind, and can still feel involved. But I must insist that you stay here."
Edgar's tone turned a little more stern at the final sentence, and he wondered how this stubborn woman was going to react. He wasn't sure it would be enough to sate her worry (not likely), but hopefully she could understand that he wasn't intending to let her son fall off the radar.
He perked up at the thought, the gears in his mind turning at the possibility. "The radar!" Smirking boyishly at his matron, who was staring disapprovingly at Paloma, he started to pace. "I just need to tweak it a bit. But I think it could..." It would work, he knew it would. "It shouldn't take too long. It'll just need a bit more work but it'll penetrate the stones and metal of the ship. We can focus our searches on certain areas." His excitement was palpable, and he lost his 'proper' form of speech at the thought of working on his new machine.
"Once I get it working, I'll be back!" he said as he gave another low bow, and swept from the room almost at a jog. This will work! He quickly made his way through the halls until he made it to his room, and pulled out the new device he had been working on. It was almost completed, and would pick up any lifesigns under the rubble...if it worked.
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Post by Al-Cid, Rakesh, Paloma, Mateo on Nov 8, 2012 20:43:49 GMT -5
Paloma listened to the king’s words--about her being in no condition to search for her child, and his insistence that she recover, lest she endure further injury by not. And although she did not like to admit it, she knew he had a point. She was also ashamed to admit that she had not even considered how her son might feel, if something unfortunate were to happen to her. Then, when the king assured her that he and his men would not give up, that they looks after she and hers as though they were his own people, she finally acquiesced.
“Very well.” Paloma sighed in resignation, “I shall remain here, as you insist.” She never like waiting long, but for now, she would do as he asked.
Paloma was surprise when the King told her that he would personally keep her updated on the progress--more so when he rushed from the infirmary, seemingly determined in doing an antlion’s share of the search coordination, himself. She was not sure if she should take his kindness at face value, or wonder if he was scheming toward getting something from her or her own. She did not exactly trust him, for her impression of nobility was always that they were rather duplicitous people who were more interested in their own affairs than the plight of strangers. True enough, due to her own ventures into racketeering under the pseudonym of the Dama Cactilia, she had little room to judge such people. Still, that this Edgar would act so kindly to one who had literally crashed into his home, rather than demand compensation for the damages, she was both cautiously relieved and thankful.
In the time that passed afterward, two more crewmen were found thanks to Edgar’s invention.
The first to be found was Ruben--she had picked the kid up off the streets of Arches almost three years ago. He was young, and a bit wet behind the ears, but he had a eye for detail. The son of a scholar, he was brilliant at forging documents and seals. Unfortunately, he had not fared well in the crash. His right arm had been crushed under the weight of a rock. The king’s doctor treated it as they could, but the arm had to be amputated.
It was a day later that Griogair--the bangaa whom she’d known her whole life, and thought of as her own kin--had been found, pinned under a pile of fallen stone. Although covered in bruises, the hardy bangaa was otherwise fine once the rescue team cleared the rubble away. After checking on Paloma’s health, as well as that of the crea, he had immediately joined the others in the search for her son.
That had been two days ago.
Thus far, the king and his “radar” had yet to find her son. It had been almost a week since the search began, and with possibly no access to food or water, the likelihood of her son still being alive was very slim. An adult human body could hardly last more than three or four days without water, especially in the heat. As for children, they were even less likely to last so long. A part of Paloma despaired at the idea that her son was, by all probability, dead.
And yet, a part of her could not let go and accept that reality. That part of her wanted to grasp at any reason not to lose hope that her son lived. One of those reasons was that her son was only partly human--the father had been a viera. Now Paloma did not know much about the viera people, or the thief with whom she briefly shared her bed all those years ago, but what she did remember was that Deoradhán had been physically sturdier than most hume men she’d known, and that he had been alive for a very very long time. Perhaps, by whatever strength his viera blood could afford, Mateo could survive until he was found.
Still, Paloma felt that she could no longer sit by and do nothing while her child was still missing. She had to find something--anything--to do, to find him.
So it was, when Edgar next saw her, Paloma had left the comfort of the infirmary bed behind, only to manage to find her way to the gaping hole in the castle wall where the airship had crashed through. It had since been dislodged, and the remains of her ship were now on the ground, beside the castle.
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Post by Beebee on Nov 9, 2012 13:20:24 GMT -5
Edgar had been thankful to find two more crew members alive (although one ended up losing his arm due to his injuries), but there was still no sign of Paloma's son. They had managed to clear the room that the ship had crashed into, dislodging all of the rocks and metal that had been torn apart in the collision. There were a few weapons that were unfamiliar to Figaro, and Edgar had separated those. Assuming they were on the ship before it had crashed, he wanted to first of all be sure that they wouldn't be used against him and his people, and secondly he wanted to learn more about them! The room itself was now empty, though he had gone over it once more to be sure. There was nothing left to find, and it was time to start rebuilding. He had since moved to the ground and was searching through the rubble there.
Wiping the sweat from his brow, the king focused his attention on the 'blip blip' on the screen. The only thing he had managed to uncover was a scorpion (still alive) that he had barely managed to avoid when it whipped its tail at him. He quickly crushed it and moved on. As he kept his eyes on the radar, he kept his ears on what was going on around him. The soft 'kweh' of the chocobos were a calming sound, and when he found himself starting to lose hope of finding the boy he would go find a nearby bird and take a small break. Even just their presence was soothing to him. While he was with one of these birds, he happened to look up at the hole in his castle. We really need to fix that up...now that the storm has passed. The weather was seasonably warm (hot...in all honesty), but they were used to it. It wouldn't take much to fix the side of his castle.
He was very surprised to see a figure standing in the empty room, staring down at the remains of the ship. "Paloma?" he muttered to himself. She's not supposed to be up yet. Then a small smirk touched his lips as he thought about what his matron would do to her when she found the young lady. It quickly fell when he realized why she was out and about. Edgar had inwardly given up all hope of finding the missing child, but he continued to search regardless. He should have found some sign of the boy by now. All that was left to look through was under the sand, which didn't make any sense.
Turning to his people that were helping to clear the area and fix the ship, he gave them a reassuring smile. "Keep up the good work. I will return shortly." Getting a few nods in return, he made his way back inside and went to his room to clean up. The king changed his clothes and brushed out the sand from his hair, tying it back in his customary manner. Once he was presentable once again, he went to find Paloma.
"My dear, you shouldn't be up yet." he said softly as his boots clicked on the floor. He wasn't about the chastize her though. He understood, to an extent of course, that one couldn't continue to be laid up in bed when family was missing. At least he had known where Sabin was, when he left of his own accord. Paloma had lost her son. Lost him. He hadn't mentioned the weapons to her yet, and wasn't about to until she was ready. Unfortunately, all that he had left to way were empty words. 'Don't give up hope', 'we'll find him', 'it will be ok' all seemed so...
Edgar moved to her side and laid a hand on her uninjured shoulder cautiously. "We're still looking." he finally decided on. Watching his people work below, a sense of pride filled him as they tirelessly continued to search and help repair the ship. "How are the others doing? They seem to be recovering...well enough anyway. At least to the public eye." He had spoken to them a couple of times, but his focus had admittedly been on Paloma. He didn't expect her to answer him if he asked about her well-being. She would probably brush him off and inquire about her son.
"Where were you headed to, anyway?" The question had plagued him since she had crashed, and maybe it would distract her a bit (though not likely) from the current loss of her son. The possibility that he had been lost before they crashed had hit him, and he had sent some of his soldiers out to the desert to look for him. They had yet to return. It was a rather large area to search.
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Post by Al-Cid, Rakesh, Paloma, Mateo on Nov 9, 2012 19:11:17 GMT -5
Paloma heard a clicking of boots sound against the floor, before coming to a halt behind her. from behind--a pattern of steps that were starting to recognize as belonging to the King. Edgar placed his hand upon her shoulder and tried to comfort her unease, telling her that his men were still still looking.
She found that she could not, would not, speak in return. Not yet, lest her words warble with the fear that churned her gut. She would not cry in front of a man, lest she be taken for some damsel in distress, wallowing in her tears of agony. Weeping solved nothing, and she had always prided herself in being a woman of action. So, instead of allowing herself to fret, she inhaled deeply and inclined her head whilst staring out through the open hole in the wall. As she gazed out across the desert expanse, steeled her nerves and focused her mind to the task at hand:
Namely, finding her son.
When Edgar spoke again, she did not immediately respond to his words, nor answer his questions about her crew--he had answered his own question. They were recovering.
“Nearly one week has passed, and still, my son is nowhere to be found...” Logic would have her believe that he may have been buried by the sandstorm, but it was something she did not want to accept. At least, not when there were other possibilities to consider. No matter how improbable they were, she did not yet want to loose hope. Therefore, as she stared out across the desert, she tried to think of any other happenstance that could explain her son’s absence. “Your castle, your grounds, my ship... all have been searched thoroughly, but to no avail. Surely, he has not simply vanished.” Although, if she recalled correctly, the boy’s father had been particularly adept at that kind of spell. With a slight shake of her head, she cleared her throat and continued, “If he is not here, then he must be somewhere... elsewhere.”
“My son is young, but he is also terribly clever. He’s always been curious about anything and everything. Always trying to figure the world out, he is. He knows some Technicks and some Magicks that most kids his age do not--figured them out all on his own, even, without my initial knowing...” It was something she had not been particularly pleased about when she found out what he had done, since it involved him sneaking out into the marketplace well past his bedtime, and stealing the licences from the local shopkeepers. Suffice to say, eventually got caught, and she ended up having to pay the shopkeepers way too much for those very licences, or risk Mateo being turned over to the authorities.
“And although his aim could use some help, he knows how to handle a gun. That, I made sure of, given the nature of my wares.” While she did not specifically state what those wares were, she was not foolish enough to believe that the Edgar and his men had missed weapons cache that had been held in the cargo hold of her airship.
“For this, I must believe that, should he find himself under dire circumstance, he would find a way to escape harm.” She paused a moment in her speech to turn to look at Edgar, a question on the tip of her tongue as a loose plan started to form in her mind.
“Your Majesty..." She paused again, unsure if that was the appropriate form of addres or not, before she forged onward, "I must ask of you to lend me a map of your kingdom. My son... If he were thrown from the ship, and then lost within the sandstorm, mayhap he is not here at all. It could be that he wandered upon another town, and sought shelter there.”
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Post by Beebee on Nov 9, 2012 21:16:30 GMT -5
Edgar simply let Paloma speak. Most of their talk so far had been about the results of the search. He hadn't found out much about her yet, other than she was a beautiful woman, a devoted mother, and she obviously had some intelligence. But now he could learn about the boy. He enjoyed hearing about the boy's youthful indiscretions. It reminded him of his own youth, though he and Sabin had had their own adventures. A small smile touched his lips at the short stories and he gave her shoulder a light squeeze.
He allowed her to finish speaking before he even bothered to formulate a response, though he was a little surprised at the favour she asked of him. They had re-drawn the maps since being thrown into the new world, so he did have the information available on what was now his kingdom. It was much bigger than it had originally been, and though he had already visited all of the surrounding areas, he was probably due for another visit. He needed to see how his people were faring in this confusing time.
Licking his lips to moisten them in the dry air, he released her shoulder and turned to face her fully. "Just because we haven't found him, doesn't mean we've given up hope. In fact, it's quite the opposite. He can obviously move around if he isn't in the immediate area, and I have sent men out to search the desert. If he is still there, we can find him." Edgar paused to look out over his kingdom, and another small smile touched his lips. "Though, if he is as resourceful as you say, I think you may be right about him finding a town instead of braving the elements."
The boy must have fallen out before the crash. That was the only explanation for him not being with the wreckage. "I'm sure Mateo is alright, Paloma." he whispered. He hadn't used the boy's name recently, unsure of how she would take the reminder that her son was missing. Though...it likely hadn't left her mind. "However, " he started in a normal volume, "there is no need for titles. Not here. Not when you are my guest." Shooting her a charming smile, he leaned against a sturdier portion of the wall and crossed his arms over his chest. "You may simply call me Edgar. And there is only one problem with your request."
Giving a slight pause before continuing, a mischievous look came across his eyes. "We only have one current map of my kingdom. We were forced to recreate everything when the worlds merged together. Thinking back on the last...week or so..." Edgar shot her a grin to show that he wasn't blaming her in the least, "and all of the excitement we've had, my trip has been postponed. It's time for me to travel around the kingdom again and see how everything is going."
Edgar felt a little guilty for allowing it to go so long before making the rounds. He had been busy spending his time figuring out where they stood in this new world, and it was time to bring the focus back home again. "If there is only one map, and I require it for my...tour...that leaves us with a slight problem. One that is easily rectified, though." Pushing off from the wall, he moved back to her side with that grin ever-present. "Obviously you must accompany me." He gave her low bow before a small chuckle escaped him. "If you're feeling up to it, we can leave tomorrow morning."
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Post by Al-Cid, Rakesh, Paloma, Mateo on Nov 10, 2012 20:57:42 GMT -5
Again, Paloma was a little surprise by this man, particularly his informality of speech and manner. It was not something she would expect from a king, and she was not sure what to make of it. Regardless, he did seem genuine in his interest to personally help her find her son, even if he framed the task under the pretext of surveying the state of his kingdom. Although she would have normally preferred to travel alone, she was, admittedly unfamiliar with this kingdom called Figaro. She didn’t know this area, or its people, so a guide would be a necessity. “Very well... Edgar... Since you have but one map, I shall join you in your travel. Tomorrow is fine; I wish to not tarry any longer... However...”
There was something he mentioned during his invitation that sounded odd, and she was not sure what he meant by it, “I have one question... perhaps I misheard, but what do you mean by ‘the worlds merged.’”
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Post by Beebee on Nov 11, 2012 15:36:18 GMT -5
The king smiled at her as Paloma agreed to accompany him. The Chancellor wouldn't be pleased with him making plans without the older man's input, but he would manage to run things in Edgar's absence. He always did. But when Paloma questioned him on the Merge, his smile fell. She travels in an airship! How has she not noticed? What came from his mouth was a very undignified, "Uh......"
His blue eyes stared at her in confusion. "Have you...not noticed?" Shaking himself out of his stupor, he realized he was being a little rude. Letting out a brief laugh, he offered her an apologetic smile. "My apologies. But...we aren't sure how it happened. About a year or so ago, everything just...changed." Edgar loosened his stance a little bit and clasped his hands behind his back as he started to pace.
"All of a sudden, the world we knew was no more. Speaking with others, it seemed like it was the same all over. Multiple worlds were merged together to create a brand new one. It...has been an interesting change. For example, in my world, magic was no more. Then once the Merge happened, all of a sudden most people could use magic again. New races have popped up all over the place. I once saw a group of beautiful young ladies, who had rabbit ears on top of their heads. Can you believe it?"
They had been scantily clad young women, and Edgar hadn't been able to take his eyes off of them. "They called themselves 'Viera'. I've never seen anything like it before! Your Bangaa shipmate is another new race. I have only ever seen a few others, in a city called Rabanastre, to the south." His pacing picked up in speed as he got more and more excited.
"And the technology! All of this new technology has been brought to our fingertips. I've been able to create many new machines because of these...advancements. All of the different worlds seem to be on different levels of technological advancement, so there is always something new to pick up from visiting a new location. It's..." Oh dear, he was babbling again.
Clearing his throat in embarrassment, he stopped in his pacing and looked back up at Paloma. "I...seem to have forgotten myself." he apologized again, offered her another smile. "But, that was about a year ago. Where have you been that you haven't noticed?" His head tilted curiously as he questioned her. Has she been isolated for all of this time?
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Post by Al-Cid, Rakesh, Paloma, Mateo on Nov 11, 2012 16:13:18 GMT -5
As Edgar explained the merge, as he told her that one year ago different words had merged together to form a new one, Paloma was met with more questions than answers.
“How can this be? This merging of worlds took place one year ago? Impossible...” She trailed off as she turned to face the hole in the castle wall to look out upon her airship. “I travel a great deal--am well studied in geography and cartography. This merge you speak of, I would like to think that I would have noticed it happen. But, no such thing is in my memory. Just a week before the crash, I had been through Dalmasca to meet a... client in Rabanastre.” Her eyes narrowed as she looked at the terrain ahead, taking in the landmarks that she could make out across the desert expanse, and then the mountains in the distance. She stepped forward, as close to the edge of the gap as she could walk, and bracing her good hand against the stone wall, leaned forward to get a better look of the surroundings. As she squinted her eyes, she could make out varying structures against the horizon. In one direction, there was what appeared to be a pyramid. In another, a glimmering metal of a towering structure that seemed to grow upward from the ground like a colossal vine as it reached skyward.
“But this... this is not the Estersand nor Westersand. This is not Dalmasca. Yet, if Rabanstre is as close as you say... None of this makes sense. As far as I recall, none of this was here two weeks ago...” Paloma trailed off and her eyes narrowed as she tried to make sense of this situation.
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Post by Beebee on Nov 11, 2012 21:30:42 GMT -5
Edgar felt a little bad for Paloma's confusion. He knew he wasn't the cause of it, but to have your whole world literally come crashing down...well it was quite the shock. They had all had time to adjust, but for some reason things were different for Paloma. Though Rabanastre wasn't far from Figaro, obviously she was talking about something before the Merge. Letting out a slow breath, Edgar shook his head and shrugged. "I'm not sure what to tell you. Something must have happened on your end. It has honestly been a year since the world was reformed. If you are a traveler, you should have seen the differences but...if you haven't..." What the heck is happening here? "I just don't know." It was a lame ending, but he was at a complete loss. "Maybe when we leave, we can head to Rabanastre first since you seem more familiar with it. I should probably meet with the lovely Queen Ashe again anyway, and it would give you more time to search the city. Then we can move on from there depending on what we find." In the meantime, maybe he should allow her to study the new map to determine which areas she was familiar with and which were new. "I will speak to the Chancellor to give you access to the new map, but he won't leave you alone with it. It's...he is very protective of his work." he chuckled. "Come with me. I will formally introduce you and maybe you can both work together while we continue with our own efforts." [OOC: Feel free to play the Chancellor if you want to write that part out. He's basically an older traditional man who lives his life for Edgar Or you can time-skip to the next morning. Your call!]
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Post by Al-Cid, Rakesh, Paloma, Mateo on Nov 12, 2012 12:59:11 GMT -5
As Edgar explained the Merge, Paloma turned to face the King. She listened to his words with an expression of first confusion, then disbelief. “So I did hear rightly,” Paloma whispered, almost to herself and her mind raced over the ramifications of such a cataclysmic event. “Several worlds, merged as one...Reformed... This all sounds so impossible. But, it does explain why your kingdom is so unfamiliar. You are not of my world... nor, I, yours.”
Her eyebrows furrowed in thought, then, causing little creases to appear in her brow, “Does anyone know the cause? How could such a thing possibly...” She stopped mid sentence, as another realization struck. Abruptly, she turned her back to Edgar again, and gazed out upon the desert with a searching look. “If Rabanastre is nearby, as you say, but the territory of Dalmasca is absent... then where did it go? Did it simply cease to exist, or has it been moved elsewhere...” Paloma trailed once again, as yet another chilling thought occurred to her. With worry returning to her voice, along with an edge of panic, Paloma turned to face Edgar once again. “When the storm overtook us, our airship had been en-route to the Sky City of Bhujerba. We were nearing the eastern edge of the Estersand...” As she spoke, the anxiety in her voice only increased, and she stepped forward to grasp Edgar’s arm in her panic, “What if something happened to my son during the merge? Has Mateo been likewise relocated--separated from me like Rabanastre was separated from Dalmasca? It would explain why he is nowhere to be found, wouldn't it? What if he is not in your land at all, but in the Estersand? Worse yet, what if he is not in this reformed world, at all?”
Then, catching herself, Paloma quickly released her hand and stepped away from the King. She turned away, silent for a few moments as she composed her nerves. “I apologize,” she said at last, “Panicking in a time like this... There can be no good found in jumping to conclusions.” She shook her head and inhaled deeply, trying to ignore all the worse case scenarios that were now running rampant through her mind.
“Rabanastre. Right, then...” She swallowed in an attempt to compose herself, before continuing on as though her brief bout of panic had never happened. “L-Let us go to Rabanastre. If it is so near, my son might have seen the city. It would have been familiar. He would have gone somewhere familiar... as least, I should hope he would. And if not, I have a contact there that would keep watch for him; who would send word if he is found... And then, I would want to go to... To go to...”
Paloma crossed her arms under her chest, and bowed her head. “I’m really not sure... “
After turning halfway to meet Edgar's gaze once again, Paloma gave him a watery smile. “That map... Right... I want to see it. Please, introduce me to your Chancellor. I would like to study his map--to familiarize myself with the area. Then, on the ‘morrow, we will depart for Rabanastre.”
(OOC: Took a second look at matters this morning, and realized there was something important that Paloma needed to panic about before a time skip could be done. XD)
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