• Closed • [The Arc] The Inquisitor and The Doctor

[Vivian Shiryu]

After the meeting in Zuudaria, Faith had suggested that the two of them have their private meeting in The Arc, the headquarters of the Wardens of the Lake. On one hand, this made a lot of sense, as The Arc was by no means open to the public or easy to access. On the other hand, the damn place was under the lake. Vivian had agreed to Faith's idea of meeting there before that realization had quite sunk in, and right at this particular moment, as they traveled the route that would take them to The Arc, Vivian was deeply regretting their choice of location. Not because it was illogical or a poor place to meet, in fact it was nearly ideal. No, the reason for her regret was much simpler: She was completely terrified of the place.

Vivian, owing to the possibility of having to rely on her barely-there swimming skills, had ditched the heavy armor she normally wore and was now wearing her off-duty clothes, a simple pair of leather trousers, boots, and a leather coat over a shirt and gloves. It was sturdy wear, able to resist being submerged if the need came to pass. She did, however, have her sword with her because there was no way she was going without Shiryu when she was still on duty, even if the sword might make swimming difficult if it came to that. Granted, with her lack of swimming ability, the sword likely wouldn't make her any worse.

She had, however, tried her best to keep any of her fear from showing. She had, she was fairy certain, managed to keep it from her face, but she could do nothing to control her shaking hands or the shivers that ran through the rest of her body, or the fact that she was paler than usual. It finally, however, came to head when something disturbed the lake, probably one of the animals living in it, and caused a sound not unlike those of crashing waves to surround them. The unexpected sound sent a wave of shivers through her body and she dropped to her knees as her legs refused to support her body anymore. "I...I'm sorry, Doctor. It's...I don't...do well with being underwater, it's...I'll be all right to continue in a moment." she said, her voice shaky. It took a bit more than a moment, but Vivian got her legs to support her again and forced herself to her feet. "R-right, ready to go. Lead the way, please, Doctor." she said, trying to firm her voice back up.

[Faith Augustin]

9th Ymiden, 719

Vivian had asked to speak to Faith, somewhere secure which was not Zuudaria. Faith was more than happy to oblige and so, she'd suggested the Warden HQ. Honestly, Faith had half assumed that Vivian knew about the place, being an Inquisitor in the Lightning Knights herself. As they made their way there, though, it became obvious to Faith that not only was Vivian not a frequent visitor, but in fact the woman was afraid. No, that wasn't true, Vivian was well beyond afraid and she had hit over into terrified.

Faith was almost obsessively compassionate and this was no different - she turned to look at Vivian and the young woman's face showed her concern. "We can go somewhere else, if you'd rather? My apologies, Inquisitor, I rather assumed you knew this place." When Vivian stumbled, though, Faith moved to help her. But, then, she didn't - although she remained very close should Vivian need it - but she rather got the feeling that Vivian was the kind of person who would much rather deal with things herself. When the Inquisitor was up, Faith smiled. "I've never learned to swim. I can do two strokes and a glug" Faith gestured to further along the lake, still in the grounds which she and Padraig owned. "My husband and I nearly drowned there, in fact, when attempting to get away from..." Faith's cheeks flushed a sudden red as she recalled Cyrus and Katie seeking to divest each other of their clothes. "Well, we were making a quick getaway. I'm too short to tread water."

As it transpired, the water opened up in front of them, like a tunnel. Faith knew that it was probably still quite scary for Vivian, but she said nothing more as she didn't want to embarrass the woman. Once they were inside the vast chasm, Faith turned to Vivian and smiled. "Welcome to the Arc. This is as safe a place as can be, and our words here are secure. Take a moment, if you need it," they both had a hundred things to do, but Faith didn't care about that - she firmly believed that people were the most important and so, Vivian's well being was vital.

"And, when you're ready," she dipped her hand in the water and suddenly Schule, her tiny little insect-sized diri was visible to them both, fluttering around. The little creature waved at Vivian then zoomed around making "weeeeeeeeeeee" noises. Faith smiled slightly. "When you're ready, we can talk."

[Vivian Shiryu]

When Faith asked if she would rather go somewhere else, Vivian shook her head, but didn't speak right away. The comment about having assumed she'd be familiar with the place got her talking, though. "No, I...um, never had occasion to visit, though I've...I've met Lovalus herself before." she said, stumbling over her words somewhat. When Faith shared her story about not being able to swim, Vivian smiled slightly. "Fell off a ship when I was little. My father was a biqaj and I always w-wanted adventure. Almost drowned before h-he got me." she said, her tone trying to find its calm, though not quite succeeding.

Getting to The Arc itself, however, was not an easy feat in the slightest. She had to close her eyes at first, and she really wasn't happy with being there. But it was secure, and that was what she wanted. She did, however, plan to spent as little possible time looking at the water as she could. The water creature, however, caught her attention immediately as she watched it zip around, and Faith would notice at Vivian unconsciously began to relax as she watched the little animal-like spirit move.

Then she shook her head to focus and tensed up slightly again, but she was calmer now. "Um, right. Okay. The mission you set up, getting the poison and bringing it back here. There was a group you missed, when you were setting up the false information." she said, starting to pace slightly as her agitation got to her. Then she stopped and forced herself to stand still and look Faith in the eyes, rather than getting tetchy about all the water around them. "I'm an Inquisitor, and our job is generally dealing with criminals. Thieves, murderers, the kind of monsters that look just like a normal citizen. And that's...difficult, but it's not the worst part of the job. The worst part is dealing with the traitors." she said, her tone turning grim.

"Before I was assigned to your protection, my biggest case was looking for Faldrun's agents in Rharne. But that case was born from the actions of a traitor. A lightning knight, one of my superiors, led an attack on the market and the bank. She and her followers killed dozens, including her fellow knights." she said, her tone grim. "The worst part was that they honestly believed that in doing so, they were helping Rharne and helping Ilaren." she said, before taking a deep breath. "The point of it all, Doctor, is that the one place you forgot to set a trap was among the Zuuda. It is very possible one of them may betray you. And they may do it fully believing that they are not only doing the right thing in doing so, but that they are helping Famula." she said, her tone serious, though a crashing wave shortly after she finished speaking sent shakes down her spine and completely broke her concentration again.

[Faith Augustin]

Faith and Schule were - on the outside - very different. Schule fluttered around, never still and constantly chattering. Faith tended towards being still, showing a paucity of movement, and would be quiet given her druthers. However, those were surface traits and, in truth, the Warden and her diri were well matched. Schule obviously put Vivian at her ease and so the little creature fluttered over to the Lightning Knight and waved, almost shyly. "Hello! I'm Schule! It's nice to meet you - you've met Lovalus?! REALLY?" Faith smiled at her small companion, but didn't say anything. The tiny little creature and she had become very good friends, and she recognised what Schule was doing.

"You've met Lovalus? Yes, she's... well, obviously, I'm a fan." Faith smiled slightly. She listened then, to what Vivian was saying and she shook her head, slightly. She didn't say anything, however, until Vivian had finished speaking. Then, she perched on the edge of a rock and sat, her fingers entwined tightly together in her lap. "When we were in there, I explained that, I didn't forget it." Faith said, with a smile. That Vivian hadn't heard her wasn't surprising to Faith - it had been a busy meeting. However, "The Zuuda, we tell the truth. Not least because it's more or less impossible for us to lie to each other, once marked, and I've insisted on an intricate mark-your-buddy system." Faith repeated, word for word, what she said. "Feeding false information to them is rather pointless. We can see when one of us isn't serving. The mark allows that at even the basic level." Faith smiled, and gestured around. "Either every Zuuda is in on it, or none of us are." Faith shrugged slightly.

"That isn't to say I don't think we should be vigilant. Or that I don't think we should check. Rather, and please be clear, what I'm saying is that I can not be the person to instigate it," She gave a slight, perhaps meaningful smile. "Nor can any of the Zuuda. Because the minute I do - everyone will know and that's rather counter productive," she looked at Vivian and gave a careful, neutral, smile. "I trust that this is clear?"

Then, perhaps because she needed to change the subject or - more likely in truth - because she felt that too much talking about it would be damaging. "Have you ever considered becoming a Warden yourself, Viivan? You have an almost pathological need to protect Rharne, and that sort of.. well, frankly, bombastic level of determined which seems to me to be a job requirement." Although, in fairness, that was something she had observed, rather than done any kind of study on. For Faith, in that moment, she needed Vivian to understand. Faith knew that the Lightning Knight had heard her, but in this moment, she needed her to take the initiative and sort it out for herself.

Because Vivian had exposed a clear and present weakness. Which Faith could do nothing about.

[Vivian Shiryu]

Vivian smiled at Schule when the little creature met Lovalus, then gave her a slightly surprised look when she got really excited about her having met Lovalus. "Um, yeah. It was during an incident on the Isle of Vyrelle. Weird lights and people going missing. We hadn't set up a quarantine yet and some tourists were head out there, so I went along in civilian clothes to make sure they stayed safe. Wound up with all the men turned into animals. Me, a bigaj named Vega, and a Cassion-marked named Arlo wound up finding Vyrelle's body and releasing it. Seems she'd made some sort of deal with Lovalus, but had broken it. Lovalus showed up, Vega and I talked her into letting Vyrelle pass on. Heartmourn turned into a man and went travelling with Vega and Arlo, last I heard." she said, her tone serious. She able to stay calm through the whole story, the memory of the past adventure proving somewhat of a release.

She fell silent as Faith explained why she hadn't set a trap among the Zuuda, and at the end, Vivian simply nodded. "Very clear, Doctor." she said, nodding her head. Vivian would have to lay a trap among the Zuuda herself, and she thought she knew exactly how to do it. However, she didn't say anything more on the subject. In this instance, the less Faith knew about her trap, the better. However, then Faith changed the subject and asked Vivian about the Wardens. Vivian paused for a moment as her mind caught up to the change in conversation, before giving a slight smile.

"I like the Wardens. I think they do a great service for Rharne and its people. And I would be honored to join them. However, I'll admit I never sought to do so. From what I understand, it's an invitation only sort of unit. I figured that if Lovalus, or whoever picks new Wardens, thinks I'd be good for the job, I'd get an invitation." she said, before she looked at the water around them with a shudder. "Granted, being afraid of water is probably something of a sticking point for a water spirit." she said, before grinning slightly. "Are you offering your recommendation, Doctor?" she asked, her tone genuinely curious.

The comment on her pathological need to protect Rharne, and her determination to do so, however, drew a thoughtful look from Vivian. "In a way, I do have a pathological need to protect, on three levels. The first is...well, I'm a runewright, a Hone mage. A lot of us have a need to protect, it comes from our Spark." she said, shrugging slightly at the admittance of her Spark. "As for the second, it's...complicated." she said, before letting out a sigh. "I...I'm from Rynmere by birth, and not as a peasant. I was a Warrick by birth, and I was raised to believe the nobility should protect the people. That...they don't do that. The nobility as a whole thinks of the peasants, or anyone who shares their lifestyle, like sheep or cattle. Animals to be used, not people." she said, a note of anger and outright hatred entering her voice. "When I saw that, I turned on them. Joined the Qe'Dreki as the bodyguard to Zvezdana. But the Qe'Dreki were no better than the nobility, and we left them in the end. Came to Rharne, looking for something to believe in." she said, before she smiled at the thought of her new home.

"Ilaren and her knights and priestesses, they actually do care about the people here. Protect them, help them, take care of them. As a knight here, I'm not just a weapon to be used against whoever pisses off the Crown that week. I protect the citizens of Rharne, both from external and internal threats. Rharne is how things should be, and I love being part of it." she said, before a slightly more embarrassed expression took over. "As to the third, I always wanted to be a hero. Do the whole fighting monsters and rescuing noble prisoners from towers thing, you know? As I grew older, what meant changed, but..." she trailed off before laughing slightly. "I love my job, Doctor. There's parts of it that are painful. I've had friends die, I've had to deliver bad news of all sorts to families. But I get to hunt the monsters, animal and mortal both, that prey on innocents. I get to fight bad guys of all stripes, I get to see that people are safe and happy and know that I help keep them safe and happy." she said, before smiling again. "I'm so enthusiastic about protecting Rharne and its people because there is nothing I would rather do with my life, outside of raising my daughters well." she said, before tilting her head slightly. "And my job lets me personally make sure my daughters are safe, so that's a nice bonus." she said, grinning slightly at the end.

[Faith Augustin]

Vivian understood what she was saying, and Faith was pleased about that. The young woman smiled at the Lightning Knight and then made sure to change the subject. She knew that she was trusting Vivian with something enormous here, but Faith also understood that the lightning knight had more than earned it. In times when people were busy walking out, sabotaging and otherwise being difficult, the Rharnian was frankly stalwart. Faith had a lot of time for that. Schule grinned broadly - the little creature's smile seeming to take up her whole face - and fluttered around until she landed on Vivian's shoulders for a moment. Not a long one, but she was still for just a few seconds and then she let out a giggle which sounded rather like tiny bells chiming and twinkling. "We like her, Faith!"

Faith glanced at Schule and nodded, saying nothing for a moment.

And then Vivian told her about her need to protect and it was the second thing which caught Faith's attention. She turned to look at Vivian as the woman spoke and, just for the slightest half of a thought, Faith considered saying nothing. But, of course, she did not. "I was in the tent," she said, softly. "where Elyna Burhan killed Velijorn. I had been given, as a slave from House Venora, to Lady Elyna. I knelt next to Cassander as he pretended to be a slave, taught him what to do." Faith looked at Vivian and gave a slight, sad smile. "I went with Lady Elyna and Lord Krome, when they went on the expedition to round up the last of the Qe'dreki. I saw what had been done to Lady Elyna, the mark on her from where Marcus Krome had cut her. That man was a monster."

Faith's eyes took on a distant expression for a moment. "I met Zvezdana again, in Rharne. I delivered her baby." Faith smiled softly, looking at Vivian with eyes which were far older than the young woman in question. She looked tired in her soul for just a moment. "He was beautiful. She and I exchanged gifts. She left me.. in her will, she left me this." Reaching into her shirt Faith pulled out a small talisman. "I was on the side which killed her husband, and she and I were somehow becoming friends. I spoke to Lord Andraska, he was going to bring the baby to me, to look after him. I went to Venora to arrange it, and he seemed sure. I guess he changed his mind." Faith shook her head, just slightly. "I cured the plague, I've sent the cure to the Order of the Adunih, to all of the noble families, Isonomia is distributing it. I just hope..."

With a slight shake, she smiled at Vivian, her face once again set in a friendly, neutral expression. The smile which lifted her lips was genuine, though, as Vivian described the third reason. She reached out and squeezed Vivian's arm. "I always wanted to be the best slave. Ironic, no? You know, Schule was telling me that we like you? That means that she thinks you'd be an excellent Warden. Lovalus permits me to initiate others, and there is no where more sacred or appropriate than here." Faith looked at Vivian with earnest eyes and spoke softly. "If you'd like to, that is."

[Vivian Shiryu]

Vivian had smiled briefly when Schule had alighted on her shoulder. "And I like you too, Schule." she said to the cheery little water sprite, before conversation moved elsewhere. When Faith explained her part in the war, Vivian paused for a moment, tilting her head to the side. "I never knew your name. You must have been a good teacher though. Personally, I wouldn't have believed Cassander could hide his ego long enough to make his own bed before than." she said, before making a brushing motion with her hand. "But I'm biased. And yes, Marcus Krome was a monster, I don't disagree with you. And Veljorn...I don't think he would have made a good king, in all honesty." she said, before giving a sardonic half smile. "He'd been engaged to marry my cousin before he hooked up with Zvezdana. Not exactly a great guy." she said, before pausing slightly. "And yet, still a better choice than Cassander, from what I saw."

When Faith explained her second meeting with Zvezdana, Vivian smiled. "You did a good job. Alzorn was a very healthy baby when he and his mother were living with me." she said, before frowning at the mention of Faith being given the care of Alzorn. "That bastard. I gave Alzorn to Andraska to raise because Zvezdana had been very specific that she wanted him raised in Venora." she said, before letting a slight sigh of frustration. "But then, from what I know of Andraska, he wasn't exactly fatherly material. If it hadn't been for Zvezdana's will, I wouldn't have let him have that kid for nothing. You're a good parent, Zvez would have been glad if you were raising her son, I think." she said, before the plague came up. "I'm praying to Ilaren that they survived that. I'll likely never know, though. Andraska and I don't exactly speak to each other." she said with a slight grimace.

When Faith mentioned she wanted to be the best slave, Vivian raised an eyebrow. "You know, Doctor, intellectually, I know you used to be a slave. If it weren't for that, I don't think I'd believe it if I heard it as hearsay. You're very headstrong and determined." she said, a slight note of amusement in her voice. Then Faith offered to make her a Warden and Vivian blinked in surprise. "I always thought the invitation had to come from Lovalus herself. Um...yes, please. I'd be honored to be a Warden." she said, a mixture of excitement and shyness in her voice at the prospect.

[Faith Augustin]

Faith shrugged slightly, when Vivian spoke of Alzorn. "Lord Andraska was always kind to me. He didn't strike me as entirely paternal though, I have to agree. But, he obviously loved his sister." Faith was very much of the opinion that Andraska had been doing his best. Albeit under very difficult circumstances, it had to be said. But she looked at Vivian and she smiled, although her smile was almost sad. "You carried out her will? That must have been difficult. Your loyalty is obvious, but so is your friendship." Faith knew and appreciated people who wore their hearts on their sleeve; she tended to do so, certainly, and while Vivian could seem lacking in subtlety at times, Faith liked that about her. more and more, she was growing to appreciate the Lightning Knight.

When Vivian accepted the offer of initiation, though, Faith's smile was somewhat overshadowed by Schule's loud and unmistakeable "WOOOOOHOOOOOOO Lovalus! Lovalus! LOVALUS!!!!" There was a small part of Faith which wanted to apologise but she did not and would not do so. Schule was who she was, and that was that. Still, she was a noisy version of it. "It's .. well, I've never done it before. But I know how. How strange." Faith sat, cross-legged and gestured for Vivian to do the same.

Then, she was quiet and still for a moment, allowing herself to simply feel the calmness of the place. It wasn't like anything with the Immortals, there was something far more raw and almost visceral about being here and then, Faith opened her eyes. "Here, before Lovalus, in front of the Lake Herself, you are in Her presence." There was no doubting it, in truth, the feeling around them was like a sort of static moisture ~ the presence of the Induk was not in doubt.

"There's no ritual, no right or wrong ceremony. There's just heart and soul and truth." Faith smiled slightly. "Make your promise to Lovalus, Vivian. To protect Rharne, and all of Idalos. Say your words, speak your truth, and be welcome into the Wardens."

Schule, for the first time since Vivian had met her, was serious and still, perched on Faith's shoulder and with as solemn as expression as could be.

[Vivian Shiryu]

Vivian nodded at Faith's assessment of Andraska, but shrugged slightly. "Andraska never struck me as a bad person, but rather as someone who didn't seem to believe strongly in anything and who didn't have any real goals in his life. He cared for his friends and family though, and perhaps in some ways, that's enough." she said, her tone musing. When Faith offered her condolences over the execution of Zvezdana's will, Vivian let out a sad sigh. "The last duty of the Rebel Queen's Knight. It was difficult, yes, not in the least because I felt I had failed her." she said, before shaking her head and returning to the matter at hand.

Vivian listened as Faith explained that, despite never having been told how to make someone a Warden, she knew how to do it and nodded. "I had a similar experience with Palenon. I think a lot of these old powers come with some sort of built-in users guide." she said, sitting across from Faith. When Faith said that they were in the presence of Lovalus, Vivian nodded. It explained why she was calmer here than she should have been, even if she was still very nervous about the water around her.

When Faith told her to make her promise to Lovalus, Vivian thought for a moment, then nodded. "Rharne is my home, and its protection is my duty, but it is not one I undertook simply out of gratitude for the safety this city provided to a friend in dire need, or out of my love of my work. The people of Rharne are good people, people who do not hesitate to reach out a helping hand to those who need it, who aren't afraid to be kind, who don't need to see some benefit for themselves in order to do a good deed. This is my vow, Lovalus, to protect these people and their way of life, not for personal gain or glory, or simply out of duty, but because it is the right thing to do, because I will not do otherwise." she said, her words ringing with her conviction.

A few moments after she made her vow, Vivian looked around, not quite feeling any different. "Is...there something else I'm supposed to do?" she asked, before something shot out of the water around them, colliding with Vivian and knocking her over. It was a ball of water and after it hit her, Vivian felt a link with it as it started to coalesce into a form a bit bigger than Schule, a short, squat creature with the body of a fish, four stubby legs, row upon row of sharp, jagged teeth, and pure black eyes.

This creature flopped the ground in front of Vivian, looked at her and smiled before it started to bounce around her excitedly. Eventually, it skidded to a stop inf front of her again as she sat up. "So you're my Warden, then? I'm Fins, and I guess I'm you're partner." he said, his voice deeper than Schule's but cheerier. "I may not look like much, but I'm a fighter like you." he said, his voice cheerful.

Vivian looked at the creature, which reminded her of a drawing she had once seen of a sea-going predator her father had called a shark. She could sense the truth of his claim, and she reached out to touch his nose, and he leaned into it, clearly enjoying the contact. "I can tell you are, Fins. I'm Vivian, and yeah, I guess I'm your Warden now." she said, causing the spirit to let out a happy noise and bounce into her arms like an excited puppy. She looked up at Faith with the shark-dog in her arms and grinned slightly. "Thank you, Faith." she said, before letting out a laugh. "I guess this makes us comrades in arms even outside of this war with Ellasin, doesn't it." she said, grinning at the healer.

[Faith Augustin]

There was an undeniable sense of pride from Faith as she watched things unfold that trial. Not pride in herself, as far as she was concerned, there was nothing for her to be proud about; she was doing her duty and that was that. No, the pride she felt was at the privilege of being part of this moment, pride in Vivian and her clear and heartfelt promise to Lovalus. Faith had no doubt that the Wardens had just gained a staunch and loyal ally, and that Rharne was just that little bit safer because of it. That was all they could do, any one of them, was hope to make the world just that small touch safer.

Vivian's companion burst out of the water, and Faith smiled slightly. The small creature was fierce and declared himself a fighter. Faith had no doubt that this was so, and she smiled as the pair of them started to talk together. Shule's voice rang in Faith's mind and the young priestess of Famula nodded slightly. They did look like they suited each other, she thought - and she pointed out to Shule that they suited each other too. It was rare that they had moments of quiet, but Faith had to admit that she had grown very fond of - and close to - Shule since her own initiation into the Wardens. The small diri was a constant companion and source of encouragement. While PB served the 'scathing sarcasm' role beautifully.

There was an expression on Vivian's face which Faith recognised. The Rharnian woman was determined, and she was determined to serve those around her. Faith could only respect that. She nodded her head, though, at Vivian's assessment. "Yes," she said quietly, but with a smile lighting her own face."Yes, it means exactly that." Comrades in arms, far beyond the war. The Wardens were a lifetime commitment and, as such, they were now very much serving in the same army.

Strange, Faith thought. From someone that she had thought was efficious to the point of rude, she now thought of Vivian as someone she could - and did - trust. What a strange world it was, she thought, and she smiled slightly as she gestured for the two of them to leave.