[As far as Takame knew, he saw soldiers once his allies now being killed because they were traitors to the Maelstrom. He cared not for the details of the mission, just that the kobolds had summoned a dangerous threat. Traitors had no business being alive, even as they fell their last words were praying to Titan.
The earth-aspected aether that latched onto their souls, their very essence, he faded with them like sand blowing away in the wind with his own eyes.
Takame was bruised all over with cuts from shrapnel of the ground. He was tired but willed himself to ignore it and the pain. He didn't need to feel it. Or anything.
What snapped him out of his exhausted daze was hearing that familiar voice. He was still down on one knee, but he looked up when Rose approached.]
[If Rose knee what Takame was thinking, she would have been mortified. But, she doesn’t. She barely knows what she’s thinking, except that she’s trying very hard to not let the images of the dead and their families overwhelm her.]
[Right now, all of her energy is focused on Takame. He’s very injured, that much she can tell. Rose pulses with energy, as she alternates through the healing spells in her repertorie, as she tries to heal his wounds. It won’t be enough to cure the injuries completely, but it will be enough to prevent further damage from being done until he can get to a proper doctor. All the while, she’s scanning his aether for signs of tempering, of which she finds none.]
Yes, it’s me, you idiot. Of all the stupid things, you went off to fight a bloody primal! You do know that your fancy sword skills don’t mean anything if you fall under Titan’s control, don’t you?
The kobolds... they were a threat... [Idiot, he was well used to being called that. He knew it was true, that he was a fool. He was that smart at least. He felt the soothing aether of Rose's spells gradually reverse and dull the pain he pushed to the side. He barely registered any pain until it faded.
... They requested my assistance to put a stop to their activity.
[He never expected to fight their kami. At the very least, he was able to bring himself up from his knees slightly. Mostly because what Rose said was cause for massive alarm.]
And there’s a difference between stopping the Kobolds and rushing into Titan’s lair without an echo user.
[Rose makes a gesture towards the corpses on the ground. She’s still not used to this sight, no matter how often she sees it. The stench of death pervades the air.]
Those are the lucky ones. You do know what tempering is, don’t you? I can’t believe that somebody would be stupid enough to waltz into the Navel without knowing what a primal can do.
[He'd never heard of a technique called Echo, the closest he'd ever heard of something like that was the rumor of the Ninja art, Bushin. And yet something about it (hear) was familiar. Like he had some (feel) association with it.
His heart started beating faster.]
I... I've heard only rumors. Do you mean to tell me that they're true? That these primals... [It kept beating louder. Beat. Beat.] they truly can force people under their control?
[If Takame looks conflicted, Rose is too upset to notice it now. Had nobody informed Takame of the dangers he faced? Had the Au Ra not thought to ask? It’s one thing to go on a suicide mission against the Empire, for they are only human. But primals are gods, for Hydaelyn’s sake!]
Oh for the love of...of course the rumors are true! Why do you think I’m so important? If somebody else could do this job, don’t you think I’d let them?
[She sighs. Calm down, Rose. Calm down.]
The echo makes me immune to tempering. For anyone else, it can happen in an instant, and once it does you can’t go back. The Alliance doesn’t enjoy killing people who are tempered, but they have no other choice. Those who are tempered lose any free will they have.
Kami forefend... [Cold as he may seem, the thought of another person losing their will in such a manner was horrid to Takame. What he admired about others was their defiance, they were better than him because they could resist. They were not of the weak mind he was. So the ones who seemed to betray him earlier...]
Then... the others-- Ngh!! [Beat.
The sound of a single heart beat shook him to his core as if its volume was increased tenfold within an amphitheater. He brought one hand to his head, practically slapping it and clutching it in severe pain. Why was this happening again?? Why did it happen at all?? All his vision went white and the image of Rose in the Navel grew smaller and smaller as if he was being forcibly pushed away from it with the force of the very earth, careening off the edge of the stage...
A Miqo'te woman... Keeper... with deep red hair, long and curly. A dangerous adversary faced... and conquered. She returned to a warehouse in Vesper Bay to see it surrounded by people saying that there was a commotion, that there was screaming.
She descended the steps and opened the door. Inside only death greeted her, blood staining the walls and the stench of that blood along with that of corpses and recently fired bullets. Were there any survivors?
She continued to the solar. What greeted her was more of the same death, a slowly dying Sylph. She held her head in pain. The Sylph thanked her then died like the rest.
A sight of horror. A feeling of paralyzing fear... she would later be called the Warrior of Light.
A moment ago he was in a building, so why did he feel the gravel of the Navel beneath his feet again? He told himself to stand. Stand, Kesi. Stand...
But he fell. His vision blacked out completely and he fell against the flat earth with a hard thud.]
[Rose has been on the receiving end of many an echo vision, but rarely has she seen someone else being blessed with the 'gift.' As Takame clutches his head in pain, she makes the connection. He hadn't avoided Titan's attacks, he'd just been immune. The more she thinks about it, the more sense it makes.]
[Even if she's not sure what it is he sees, she can tell that it's something powerful. After the vision, he collapses, and she calls over for a nearby soldier to help get them to safety.]
[They arrive at the nearby camp rather quickly, and Takame gets set up in the infirmary. Rose isn't the type to watch over someone while they're sleeping, but she has a conversation to have, and it's important. When the Au Ra wakes up, he'll find Rose in a chair beside him, arms crossed.]
You know, it's nice to not be the one passing out, for once.
[Consciousness returned to Takame slowly, awareness even moreso as the last place he remembered being was what looked like an office... No, he was in Titan's lair... he didn't even know. His eyes fluttered open and he put his hand to his head again before he sat up in the sickbed he found himself in.
When he heard Rose's voice, he turned to it immediately. Seeing her before him now, different than she was in the vision, he felt uneasy. His fingers started to curl in on his side. She can't know what he saw, she'll think him mad.]
... What happened to me? [He knew damn well what happened, what caused him to pass out. It was times when he needed to lie that he was thankful for his stoicism.]
[Rose smiles when she sees Takame wake. It would be easy to assume it’s because she’s happy her companion is hale and whole, and that wouldn’t be entirely incorrect. The other part of it is some sort of karma; Rose is happy that the echo is finally someone else’s problem, and not just hers.]
You have the echo. Honestly, I should’ve known as soon as I saw you weren’t tempered by Titan; he might be a brute, but he rarely misses.
[She sighs. This conversation is going to be long, she can feel it.]
You saw something when you passed out, didn’t you?
[His brows shot up, the most shock he's displayed since he rescued her.]
I have...? [He pauses, he was speechless really. She... knows what this is? This power he had? Was he not mad? And she knew he saw something... kami be good she's probably furious at him for lying now. He looked down at his hands for a while before looking back to Rose.
She addressed you, answer her. Answer the Warrior of Light.]
I... I did. I did see something. [Another pause.] ... You were there. Your hair was long. [He didn't say anything more of what he saw. He'd seen images of people's pasts before and whenever he would dare to mention them, it was always like opening old wounds for them.] This... it's called the Echo?
[Rose has been around Takame enough to know that he seldom gets surprised. Not that she can blame him, of course. The Echo is always nasty the first time. And the second. And every time after that.]
Yes, you do. Unless you can think of another reason you’re the only person from the attack that isn’t worshipping their new god.
[Or dead now. And dead now.]
[She sighs. If she had only listened to her mother, this could all have been avoided. “You’ll get tempered by a primal,” She always said. Nobody told Rose the alternative was worse.]
I’m not surprised you saw me. The Echo can give you a glimpse into people’s pasts, whether you ask it to or not. Judging by your reaction, I’m guessing this isn’t the first vision you’ve had.
[He couldn't think of any other reason. He wasn't that lucky, it was the only explanation why and yet. He felt stuck with disbelief not that he had this power, he's known of it for years, but that he even knows what it's called now. That it's somewhat explainable.
He never called it into question before but now he had so many.]
... It isn't. [He closed his eyes.] ... I've been having these visions for the past several years. I traveled to this realm soon after they began. [After he was told think...] I did not imagine I would ever encounter another with this power.
[Rose smile softens uncharacteristically. As much as she’s usually guarded, she understands the burden of the echo. She remembers what it was like, to first wake up to this power. It was scary for her, and she didn’t have a past with the Empire.]
Somehow, that doesn’t surprise me. There aren’t many who hold this power, but we do exist, and we congregate.
[She pauses, thinking. Perhaps...]
If you’d like, I can put in a word for you with the Scions of the Seventh Dawn. They’re always looking for Echo users, and god knows they could use somebody with a good head on their shoulders.
Me...? [Once again, he's found himself speechless. There are others... and there is a group searching for people like him. Could he have a place among these Scions?
Someone like him who was only good at killing?]
If... if they would have me. ... If you believe that to be best. I would be in your debt. [It had to be the best option if it was coming from the Warrior of Light, right? He wasn't sure.
But he's had no one else who knew of this power. He had to ask... he had to. Zhian always told him the only way he would learn was to ask questions. He hesitated.] What is this power exactly? What is the Echo?
[Rose sighs and shakes her head. What is it with people entrusting their life to her? Had they met her?]
Far be it for me to tell you how to live your life. But if you want to join, they’ll certainly have you. The Scions aren’t a judging lot. Difficult at times, perhaps, but not judging.
[And now that Lyse is gone, they are much more palpable. They might be allies, but Rose could never tolerate the Hyur.]
As for the Echo, I can’t tell you anything about it, except that I also possess it. Some claim it’s a gift from Hydaelyn herself; I think it more of a curse.
Perhaps... I should. [He's only ever lived his life in accordance with what others tell him to do. He was little more than a vagabond in this realm now, an aimless ronin. He could learn more among them.
Maybe. But maybe not if Rose still did not know much of this power either. And their limited might stood as nothing to the threat looming over them.
Though many would get angry at him for voicing such a thought. Given what he heard her say of her position as Warrior of Light, it came as no surprise to Takame that she saw the Echo as a curse.]
A gift from Hydaelyn... [He went quiet for a bit.] Shortly before my first vision... [He hesitated again, still feeling like Rose would believe he'd lost his mind.] I... heard a voice call to me in a dream. [He looked to Rose, trying to gauge her reaction, trying to figure out if he should take back what he said. His tail flicked once and he pushed a loose strand of hair away from his face.] That voice... was it Hydaelyn?
[Rose shrugs. It’s ultimately Takame’s decision, but she can’t deny that she’d prefer for him to join the Scions. The more manpower they have, the better. The more manpower they have, the less likely a repeat of the Waking Sands is.]
Did the voice say something akin to “Hear...Feel...Think?” If so, that’s likely Hydaelyn.
I understand that she’s the Mothercrystal, but just once, it would be nice if she did her own work. Instead of thrusting the responsibility on us.
... Yes. [He remembers the words as clear as though it were yesterday. Clear as the crystal itself. It was almost eerie hearing them repeated now.
Rose's word against the Mothercrystal wasn't unexpected, but Takame was still surprised to hear it claimed so boldly. By the Warrior of Light no less.]
Perhaps you are right. [A pause.] ... I am not one to call into question the will of the higher powers. [Or anything else. But the fact that Rose did so openly made him respect her that much more. Because of that, her suggestion and the chance to work alongside her again...]
I... would like to lend my assistance to the Scions.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
i love pain!!
The earth-aspected aether that latched onto their souls, their very essence, he faded with them like sand blowing away in the wind with his own eyes.
Takame was bruised all over with cuts from shrapnel of the ground. He was tired but willed himself to ignore it and the pain. He didn't need to feel it. Or anything.
What snapped him out of his exhausted daze was hearing that familiar voice. He was still down on one knee, but he looked up when Rose approached.]
Rose...?
what a coincidence i also love the pain
[Right now, all of her energy is focused on Takame. He’s very injured, that much she can tell. Rose pulses with energy, as she alternates through the healing spells in her repertorie, as she tries to heal his wounds. It won’t be enough to cure the injuries completely, but it will be enough to prevent further damage from being done until he can get to a proper doctor. All the while, she’s scanning his aether for signs of tempering, of which she finds none.]
Yes, it’s me, you idiot. Of all the stupid things, you went off to fight a bloody primal! You do know that your fancy sword skills don’t mean anything if you fall under Titan’s control, don’t you?
no subject
... They requested my assistance to put a stop to their activity.
[He never expected to fight their kami. At the very least, he was able to bring himself up from his knees slightly. Mostly because what Rose said was cause for massive alarm.]
Under Titan's control...? I don't understand.
no subject
[Rose makes a gesture towards the corpses on the ground. She’s still not used to this sight, no matter how often she sees it. The stench of death pervades the air.]
Those are the lucky ones. You do know what tempering is, don’t you? I can’t believe that somebody would be stupid enough to waltz into the Navel without knowing what a primal can do.
no subject
[He'd never heard of a technique called Echo, the closest he'd ever heard of something like that was the rumor of the Ninja art, Bushin. And yet something about it (hear) was familiar. Like he had some (feel) association with it.
His heart started beating faster.]
I... I've heard only rumors. Do you mean to tell me that they're true? That these primals... [It kept beating louder. Beat. Beat.] they truly can force people under their control?
no subject
Oh for the love of...of course the rumors are true! Why do you think I’m so important? If somebody else could do this job, don’t you think I’d let them?
[She sighs. Calm down, Rose. Calm down.]
The echo makes me immune to tempering. For anyone else, it can happen in an instant, and once it does you can’t go back. The Alliance doesn’t enjoy killing people who are tempered, but they have no other choice. Those who are tempered lose any free will they have.
no subject
Then... the others-- Ngh!! [Beat.
The sound of a single heart beat shook him to his core as if its volume was increased tenfold within an amphitheater. He brought one hand to his head, practically slapping it and clutching it in severe pain. Why was this happening again?? Why did it happen at all?? All his vision went white and the image of Rose in the Navel grew smaller and smaller as if he was being forcibly pushed away from it with the force of the very earth, careening off the edge of the stage...
A Miqo'te woman... Keeper... with deep red hair, long and curly. A dangerous adversary faced... and conquered. She returned to a warehouse in Vesper Bay to see it surrounded by people saying that there was a commotion, that there was screaming.
She descended the steps and opened the door. Inside only death greeted her, blood staining the walls and the stench of that blood along with that of corpses and recently fired bullets. Were there any survivors?
She continued to the solar. What greeted her was more of the same death, a slowly dying Sylph. She held her head in pain. The Sylph thanked her then died like the rest.
A sight of horror. A feeling of paralyzing fear... she would later be called the Warrior of Light.
A moment ago he was in a building, so why did he feel the gravel of the Navel beneath his feet again? He told himself to stand. Stand, Kesi. Stand...
But he fell. His vision blacked out completely and he fell against the flat earth with a hard thud.]
no subject
[Even if she's not sure what it is he sees, she can tell that it's something powerful. After the vision, he collapses, and she calls over for a nearby soldier to help get them to safety.]
[They arrive at the nearby camp rather quickly, and Takame gets set up in the infirmary. Rose isn't the type to watch over someone while they're sleeping, but she has a conversation to have, and it's important. When the Au Ra wakes up, he'll find Rose in a chair beside him, arms crossed.]
You know, it's nice to not be the one passing out, for once.
no subject
When he heard Rose's voice, he turned to it immediately. Seeing her before him now, different than she was in the vision, he felt uneasy. His fingers started to curl in on his side. She can't know what he saw, she'll think him mad.]
... What happened to me? [He knew damn well what happened, what caused him to pass out. It was times when he needed to lie that he was thankful for his stoicism.]
no subject
You have the echo. Honestly, I should’ve known as soon as I saw you weren’t tempered by Titan; he might be a brute, but he rarely misses.
[She sighs. This conversation is going to be long, she can feel it.]
You saw something when you passed out, didn’t you?
no subject
I have...? [He pauses, he was speechless really. She... knows what this is? This power he had? Was he not mad? And she knew he saw something... kami be good she's probably furious at him for lying now. He looked down at his hands for a while before looking back to Rose.
She addressed you, answer her. Answer the Warrior of Light.]
I... I did. I did see something. [Another pause.] ... You were there. Your hair was long. [He didn't say anything more of what he saw. He'd seen images of people's pasts before and whenever he would dare to mention them, it was always like opening old wounds for them.] This... it's called the Echo?
no subject
Yes, you do. Unless you can think of another reason you’re the only person from the attack that isn’t worshipping their new god.
[Or dead now. And dead now.]
[She sighs. If she had only listened to her mother, this could all have been avoided. “You’ll get tempered by a primal,” She always said. Nobody told Rose the alternative was worse.]
I’m not surprised you saw me. The Echo can give you a glimpse into people’s pasts, whether you ask it to or not. Judging by your reaction, I’m guessing this isn’t the first vision you’ve had.
no subject
He never called it into question before but now he had so many.]
... It isn't. [He closed his eyes.] ... I've been having these visions for the past several years. I traveled to this realm soon after they began. [After he was told think...] I did not imagine I would ever encounter another with this power.
no subject
Somehow, that doesn’t surprise me. There aren’t many who hold this power, but we do exist, and we congregate.
[She pauses, thinking. Perhaps...]
If you’d like, I can put in a word for you with the Scions of the Seventh Dawn. They’re always looking for Echo users, and god knows they could use somebody with a good head on their shoulders.
no subject
Someone like him who was only good at killing?]
If... if they would have me. ... If you believe that to be best. I would be in your debt. [It had to be the best option if it was coming from the Warrior of Light, right? He wasn't sure.
But he's had no one else who knew of this power. He had to ask... he had to. Zhian always told him the only way he would learn was to ask questions. He hesitated.] What is this power exactly? What is the Echo?
no subject
Far be it for me to tell you how to live your life. But if you want to join, they’ll certainly have you. The Scions aren’t a judging lot. Difficult at times, perhaps, but not judging.
[And now that Lyse is gone, they are much more palpable. They might be allies, but Rose could never tolerate the Hyur.]
As for the Echo, I can’t tell you anything about it, except that I also possess it. Some claim it’s a gift from Hydaelyn herself; I think it more of a curse.
no subject
Maybe. But maybe not if Rose still did not know much of this power either. And their limited might stood as nothing to the threat looming over them.
Though many would get angry at him for voicing such a thought. Given what he heard her say of her position as Warrior of Light, it came as no surprise to Takame that she saw the Echo as a curse.]
A gift from Hydaelyn... [He went quiet for a bit.] Shortly before my first vision... [He hesitated again, still feeling like Rose would believe he'd lost his mind.] I... heard a voice call to me in a dream. [He looked to Rose, trying to gauge her reaction, trying to figure out if he should take back what he said. His tail flicked once and he pushed a loose strand of hair away from his face.] That voice... was it Hydaelyn?
no subject
Did the voice say something akin to “Hear...Feel...Think?” If so, that’s likely Hydaelyn.
I understand that she’s the Mothercrystal, but just once, it would be nice if she did her own work. Instead of thrusting the responsibility on us.
no subject
Rose's word against the Mothercrystal wasn't unexpected, but Takame was still surprised to hear it claimed so boldly. By the Warrior of Light no less.]
Perhaps you are right. [A pause.] ... I am not one to call into question the will of the higher powers. [Or anything else. But the fact that Rose did so openly made him respect her that much more. Because of that, her suggestion and the chance to work alongside her again...]
I... would like to lend my assistance to the Scions.