The Outsider walks among us
riposte and tear until it is done
|
They/them
|
10,844 posts
|
points
|
|
|
|
|
|
Addict
|
Post by + ebonite + on Aug 1, 2019 11:54:00 GMT -7
The Helkaer Commander made her way to Mount Vigilum, her head filled with racing thoughts and too many questions. The fact that she had a grandson did not surprise her much. Having ten children running amuck in the world meant this was bound to happen someday. Having one that was a part of the Vigilum and may or may not have been raised in the Versai was much more of a surprise. Zana was only able to give her some of the story of what had happened to Lanathia - all of the answers would come from the Vigilum member himself. Casimiro. Respira doubted that he would want to speak to her, but this wasn't a negotiation. She would get the answers from him, whether he wanted to speak to her or not. She wanted to have the full story before she brought it to the attention of the Light Royals. She chuckled a bit to herself. That was bound to be a fun conversation. Though her being as she was, they might not believe her. And even if she brought Zana and dragged Casi along too, they might ask questions about why a Helkaer and two Vigilum were collaborating on the same story. Perhaps she should take the time now to accept that she might not be at this particular meeting.
When she reached the border of Mount Vigilum, she paused briefly to let out a call, "Casimiro! Let's chat." Hopefully, he would not take too long to show up. He could not turn her away - that was not very becoming of a Vigilum member. It should not matter who she was, only that she was here and needed something. That was one of the beauties of this doomed group. At least they seemed to be consistent with who they were.
"Speech"
timeline after talking to Zana about Lanathia
|
|
The Outsider walks among us
riposte and tear until it is done
|
They/them
|
10,844 posts
|
points
|
|
|
|
|
|
Addict
|
Post by + ebonite + on Aug 1, 2019 12:06:00 GMT -7
by xxsuzerain casimiro Teaching a bird how to communicate was going to be significantly more difficult than Casi had hoped. Neither of them could make the same sounds as the other, no matter how hard Casi tried to imitate Goldy's chirps. He hadn't officially named her yet - Goldy was a bit of a placeholder name while he tried to figure out an actual good name to call her. He was beginning to think about using gestures for them to be able to speak. But that was complicated in and of itself. He would have to start small and work his way up. He already felt exhausted. Between this and cramming as much herb knowledge as possible into his brain, he was going to get some good night's sleep - and that wasn't even counting trudging up adn down the mountain paths on the daily. This is what you wanted to do, he constantly reminded himself. And he did want to do it. He just wished that there was more time in the day to accomplish things. He would learn so much more if he didn't have to sleep.
'Casimiro! Let's chat,' the call was unfamiliar as it sang across the mountain. Evidently, though, whoever it was knew him by name. Curious and a little wary, he made his way down from his shelter for the night, taking care to place his feet evenly among the stones. He'd already had a bad fall yesterday morning when he hadn't been careful enough. His knees still hurt, but they were starting to scab over with help from the herbs he'd collected. He was going to learn quite a bit practicing on himself.
The figure came into view and was still unfamiliar - a golden-hued mare. When he came closer, her features became more clear - white star on her forehead, a hand shorter than him, black eyes, scarred. It was only when he tilted his head to catch the brand on her hip that he recognized who she was with a thrill of adrenaline. Respira, the Helkaer Commander. He instantly felt himself tense, wondering why she was here and why she wanted to talk to him specifically. Had she found out that they were related?
He halted a safe distance away, not wanting to be rude, but not wanting to get too close either. "Hello, I'm Casimiro," he swallowed nervously, "What can I do for you?" He had no idea what a Helkaer would want from a Vigilum, but maybe this was a personal visit now that she knew that he was her grandson. Did she want to get to know him? Want to berrate him for joining the Vigilum? Want to take him away? His stance shifted defensively. If she wanted to take him, she was welcome to try. He might not have as much experience, but he still knew how to fight. His father and uncle had sought to that.
timeline he's still a relatively new Vigilum member
"Speech"
|
|
The Outsider walks among us
riposte and tear until it is done
|
They/them
|
10,844 posts
|
points
|
|
|
|
|
|
Addict
|
Post by + ebonite + on Aug 1, 2019 12:33:47 GMT -7
Mount Vigilum was a beautiful place, she had to admit. It was brimming with life - full of plants and flowers and other animals. It was similar to Toxin Raj in that way. Respira took in the sights as she waited, watching the birds fly and circle in the air, took in all of the colors of the flowers, breathed in the clean, crisp air. She eventually spotted someone moving down from the mountain - a dark figure. It had to be Casimiro. She watched him trek carefully down the mountain path. His draft build did not seem suited to this type of terrain, but he was going to have to get used to it. She was silent as she watched him. He approached her eagerly at first, seeming to not know who she was. She saw the moment he realized it, watched his eyes widened and his stance change from friendly to wary. The muscles tightened in his shoulders and he stopped a safe distance away, as if afraid that she would attack him outright. All fair assumptions. After all, she had hardly made her opinion of the Vigilum a secret. She was their antithesis.
'Hello, I'm Casimiro,' he said, 'what can I do for you?' Her gaze raked again his body for a few moments before she replied. He was very clearly of draft blood now, with the bulk and feathering on his hooves. He stood a hand taller than him. His eyes were brown though, just like his mother's, even though his shade of bay was darker than hers had been. Respira felt almost wistful and nostalgic looking at him. "I assume you know who I am," she said. He nodded. "And that you are my grandson," she continued. He nodded again. "Zana told me what happened to your mother," she said, getting right to it, "but she didn't know all of the details. That's why I'm here - to ask the source." A smirk came lazily upon her maw. He looked guarded and frightened, but he didn't once flinch from her gaze.
"You were meeting with some others when she was killed. Who were they? Why were you meeting them?" She asked, her questions pointed, her gaze sharp. She started to think that it would be no use lying to her when she remembered that the Vigilum were incapable of lying. Casi made the perfect victim for interrogation.
"Speech"
timeline after talking to Zana about Lanathia
|
|
The Outsider walks among us
riposte and tear until it is done
|
They/them
|
10,844 posts
|
points
|
|
|
|
|
|
Addict
|
Post by + ebonite + on Aug 1, 2019 12:44:26 GMT -7
by xxsuzerain casimiro He was so uncertain what to expect, and that uncertainty was eating him alive. He had not been here for very long and felt wholly unprepared. Did Respira hope to take advantage of the newest member of the Vigilum? He tried to quiet down his nervous thoughts, tried to tell himself that he wouldn't know and it was no use guessing right now. Surely, if she meant to attack or kill him, she would have made her move by now? He met her gaze evenly, managing not to flinch as it flashed silver - just as his mentor's flashed gold. It was then that the Commander began to speak, 'I assume you know who I am.' He nodded. 'And that you are my grandson.' So she did know. Who had told her? Or had she figured it all out somehow? He nodded again. 'Zana told me what happened to your mother.' He felt a momentary flash of disbelief that his mentor would go telling the Helkaer Commander about his origins, but it seemed that the two of them were sort of friends or had known each other upon a time. Knowing her daughter had been murdered, she probably felt obligated to go and tell her about it. 'But she didn't know all of the details. That's why I'm here - to ask the source.' She smirked at him and he felt like squirming. He refrained. He met her gaze evenly, hopefully ready to answer the questions she decided to throw at him.
'You were meeting with some others when she was killed. Who were they? Why were you meeting them?' He'd tried to block the day from his mind and oftentimes the details were hazy, but he still remembered who was all there. He could still remember the excitement he'd felt when he saw his mother again, when he saw his baby sister, Liylah. He could remember the feelings, even if the details were hazy. "We were meeting with my mother, Halloween, Elsa, and Liylah, my new baby sister," he said, managing to keep his voice calm, "'we' being me, my sister, Mariposa, my father, Sanctio, and Mari's father, Underoath." He watched Respira's eyes blaze even brighter at the mention of Underoath. Casi felt his own temper raise at the thought of the stallion who had been his "uncle." Casi wished he could have seen who Underoath was sooner, but he'd only been a child. There was no way for him to know any better. "I had not seen my mother in over a year. She lived with the Versai and we all assumed she was on a Versai mission," he said. Respira probably was not too happy to hear that her daughter had become a part of the Versai, brainwashed as she had been. Casi felt sick thinking about it, even now. Despite the horror of finding out, he was glad that he had, because otherwise, he would have become a Versai instead of a Vigilum.
timeline he's still a relatively new Vigilum member
"Speech"
|
|
The Outsider walks among us
riposte and tear until it is done
|
They/them
|
10,844 posts
|
points
|
|
|
|
|
|
Addict
|
Post by + ebonite + on Aug 1, 2019 15:27:45 GMT -7
She had, of course, not come here with any intention of harming the boy. He could hardly answer her question if she attacked him, after all. However, that did not mean that he was safe from any violence from her in the future. They did exist on opposite sides of peace and chaos, so conflict between them was almost inevitable, if he was any good at his job. His relation to her did not save him from that. She had no "soft side" for her family, especially given that she had way too much of it. Growing up in Dark Woods would do that to you. She did not really understand those who refused to go against their family, even if they were on opposite sides of a conflict. She supposed family did not mean as much to her as it did to others. Sharing blood with someone didn't grant them any special privileges in her eyes. When you had as much family as she did, the concept started to lose a lot of its meaning. Her family were those she chose to spend time with. Any blood shared mattered very little.
Casi looked wary as she asked her questions. However, his voice was steady when he replied. 'We were meeting with my mother, Halloween, Elsa, and Liylah, my new baby sister,' he said. Liylah? Another one of Lanathia's children? And a newborn at the time of Lanathia's murder, it seemed. Poor child. '"We" being me, my sister, Mariposa, my father, Sanctio, and Mari's father, Underoath.' And then another sister, Mariposa. So Lanathia had three children then - Casimiro, Liylah, and Mariposa. Respira's eyes flashed silver at the mention of Underoath. So he was the father of one of Lanathia's children. Murdered by one of her children's fathers. Respira's teeth clenched in her mouth. This also meant that Lanathia had been close enough to have a child with a Light extremist at one point. Just how far had she gone? What things had she done while being brainwashed by the Versai? 'I had not seen my mother in over a year. She lived with the Versai and we all assumed she was on a Versai mission,' Casi seemed to read her mind. She had gone on Versai missions. And she hoped to use this as a cover when she fled from the Versai and let them draw their own conclusions. Respira did wonder what Lanathia planned to do after the meeting, however. Pretend to go back to the Versai? Pretend to go on another mission? And if they decided to go to the Versai and ask questions about it, their plan was ruined. It seemed so risky. But Lanathia had wanted to see her kids again. "So, you weren't with her when she left the Versai. And she wanted to see you again," she said, nodding a bit, almost thoughtfully. She scraped a hoof absently on the ground. "Do you have any other siblings?" She asked, wondering if Lanathia had had any other children. "Where did you grow up?" She asked Casi. Had he lived in the Versai lands at all? Or had he grown up somewhere else? "Why become a Vigilum?" Now, the conversation was turning more personal, but also professional as well, even if Casi did not realize it. Casi was still an enemy and this was information she could potentially use against him if she needed to.
"Speech"
timeline after talking to Zana about Lanathia
|
|
The Outsider walks among us
riposte and tear until it is done
|
They/them
|
10,844 posts
|
points
|
|
|
|
|
|
Addict
|
Post by + ebonite + on Aug 2, 2019 10:42:58 GMT -7
by xxsuzerain casimiro He didn't know what to expect Respira's reactions to be when he answered her questions. In fact, he was curious as to why she wanted to know this information at all. Did she want revenge on the one who'd killed her daughter? Well, it was certain that she had already gotten that information from Zana, given Casi had told her who the murderer was. But instead of getting revenge, she was coming to him to ask more questions. Why? What was her angle here? Did she simply want to know more details about Lanathia's death? Was this some kind of twisted get-to-know-your-grandson meeting? Somehow, Casi didn't think that she cared that much about getting to know him. He was a Vigilum, after all, and she had only discovered his existence very recently. But maybe there was more to her than he was seeing. Maybe she was curious about getting to know him, even if he was a Vigilum. After all, she was friends with Zana who was also a Vigilum. However much he tried to convince himself that this was true, though, he still remained rather suspicious.
She was quiet as he gave her the answers to her questions. She seemed almost thoughtful. Her eyes still glowed silver, though, which betrayed the anger that she felt. Casi wondered if the interrogation was over now, but Respira decided to continue it. 'So, you weren't with her when she left the Versai. And she wanted to see you again,' she observed thoughtfully. Casi nodded in response. Perhaps it was a bit odd that he had not really grown up with his mom. Well, he had, for about six months until he was weaned. Then he had been sent off to Desolate Earth with his father and uncle. It seemed cruel to him when he was a child, but in hindsight, it was definitely for the best. 'Do you have any other siblings?' It seemed she was going to ask more questions. He shook his head, "no. Just me, Liylah, and Mari. Mari has other siblings though... through Underoath. I'm not sure about Liylah," he said. He didn't really know any of Mari's half-siblings very well. Some of them visited sometimes, but he never really talked to them much. 'Where did you grow up?' Another one came. "I lived with my mom til I was weaned. Then she sent us to Desolate Earth to be with our fathers," he answered. He didn't really understand why she wanted to know, though. 'Why become a Vigilum?' Oh, maybe that was why. He shuffled his feet a bit. "I wanted to be a Versai," he said, only mildly aware that revealing this information might come back to haunt him, "but after my mom died... I realized they weren't who I thought they were. The Vigilum were." He wanted to spread peace throughout Wild Equines. He couldn't do that as a Versai, but he could as a Vigilum. Would she laugh at him? Maybe, but she had asked the question after all. He wasn't sure what answer she was expecting to get.
timeline he's still a relatively new Vigilum member
"Speech"
|
|
The Outsider walks among us
riposte and tear until it is done
|
They/them
|
10,844 posts
|
points
|
|
|
|
|
|
Addict
|
Post by + ebonite + on Aug 2, 2019 16:06:30 GMT -7
Respira usually did not feel nostalgic or particularly sentimental, but she found that hearing her grandson speak about what happened to his mother made her feel that way. It made her wish that she had known Lanathia when she had been alive, had been able to speak to her again after all this time. It was unfortunate that their paths had never crossed again, even after Lanathia discovered who she was. Why had she not wanted to come back to the Helkaer and to her family? Respira would have definitely protected her against the Versai - all of the Helkaer would have, relation to the Commander or not, given their rivalry. But Lanathia hadn't come back. She'd instead chosen to remain with this Elsa and Halloween. Who were they? Were they still alive? Respira felt an urge to speak to them, to find out more about what had happened and learn more about her daughter. What had happened to them after Lanathia's murder?
At her previous inquiry, Casi shook his head, 'no. Just me, Liylah, and Mari. Mari has other siblings though... through Underoath. I'm not sure about Liylah,' he answered. So, Lanathia had only three children then. And it did not seem that she had ever had a mate, considering they all had different fathers. She was a free spirit, it seemed. 'I lived with my mom til I was weaned. Then she sent us to Desolate Earth to be with our fathers,' Curious. Had she sent them away to keep them safe? Did the Versai force her to? Did the fathers force her to? All questions that Casi probably could not answer. After all, he had only seen her til he was weaned and then not again for over a year until she was murdered. He didn't really know her at all. It made Respira feel almost sad for the boy. 'I wanted to be a Versai,' he confessed. Respira's ears pricked and she tilted her head curiously. 'but after my mom died... I realized they weren't who I thought they were. The Vigilum were.' She chuckled at this. No, the Versai were a band of hypocrites just as violent as the Helkaer were. At least Casi had had the wisdom to see that before he signed up.
"Good on you for seeing that before you signed up," she commented mildly. Casi looked rather shocked at receiving such a compliment from her, though Respira didn't see it as a compliment really - just using common sense. "What happened afterward? After your mother died, what happened to everyone?" She asked. Where had Underoath gone? And Mari, the daughter of the one who'd killed her own mother? And little Liylah, seeming to be barely weaned? Were they still on this mountain somewhere? That was a distinct possibility given this was supposed to be a sanctuary of some sort. Though Respira couldn't imagine it would be easy to stay in the place where someone close to you had died, especially a child as young as Liylah.
"Speech"
timeline after talking to Zana about Lanathia
|
|
The Outsider walks among us
riposte and tear until it is done
|
They/them
|
10,844 posts
|
points
|
|
|
|
|
|
Addict
|
Post by + ebonite + on Aug 2, 2019 16:21:07 GMT -7
by xxsuzerain casimiro Casi was still tense, despite the growing evidence that Respira was not about to attack him anytime soon. She seemed to be here just to interrogate him, which he supposed was better than the alternative. Though the alternative would not require him to delve deep into memories he would rather forget. She was very blase about asking him about what was the biggest trauma of his life. The event that made him leave home for good and question everything he had ever been taught since he was a child. In fact, having her question him so casually about it was making him feel rather indignant. Did she not realize how traumatizing it had been, to watch someone who had been his uncle murder the mother he had not seen in over a year? To hear her take her last rattling breath, knowing he would never get to know her, that the chance was lost for good? Hearing Elsa scream at Underoath after he'd done it, seeing him flee the scene, watching the conflict in Mari's face, Liylah's cries... Casi shut his eyes for several seconds, trying to keep himself focused on the task at hand and not get lost in the memories of it all.
She chuckled when he explained his realization that the Versai were bad and he felt heat rush to his face - though out of anger, not out of embarrassment. Of course he hadn't known the Versai were bad. He had grown up thinking they were the good guys, the ones who saved the day, the "light in the darkness." It had been drilled into him since he was a small child and he hadn't known any better. At least not until his mother had gotten murdered for it, until he realized that it was made of lies, that they used conversion to force non-Lights to their side. 'Good on you for seeing that before you signed up,' she said to him, breaking him out of his thoughts. Casi was frankly shocked at the insensitivity of such a comment. Yes, he saw that. Saw that because his mother had died in front of him for it.
'What happened afterward? After your mother died, what happened to everyone?' She asked again and he had half a mind to tell her to leave and that he was done answering her questions. Why had she even come here anyway? She didn't care about him. She didn't even seem to care about her own daughter, given she constantly referring to her as "your mother" instead of "my daughter." "Elsa yelled at Underoath and my father sat with your daughter as she died," he said, pointedly, "after she was gone, Elsa explained everything to me. Who Lanathia was, how she had lost her eye, why she had rescued Halloween. And then I left my family for good." His tones had dropped to deadly serious and his expression had gone cold and blank. He raised his gaze to meet her own. "I'm done answering questions. Unless you would like the services of the Vigilum, we're done here," he said. Any fear or nervousness he'd had had fled him. She had gotten her answers.
timeline he's still a relatively new Vigilum member
"Speech"
|
|
The Outsider walks among us
riposte and tear until it is done
|
They/them
|
10,844 posts
|
points
|
|
|
|
|
|
Addict
|
Post by + ebonite + on Aug 2, 2019 16:53:58 GMT -7
Casi seemed less and less comfortable with this situation. She was rather curious as to what he was going to do about it. Would he just put up with it? Would he leave? Would he tell her to leave? Would he snap? She watched him with curious eyes, her expression never wavering. He was so young, just a boy. She doubted he was even three years old yet. He was an ambitious kid, she would give him that. Joining a group like the Vigilum at such a young age. He wanted purpose and he was trying to find it. Respira could not guarantee that he would ever find it with the Vigilum, but maybe he would. The Vigilum were healers and herb experts after all, so they had that going for them. Respira could not deny the importance of herbs in times like this. They'd saved her life after all.
When her question finally came, his expression had gone cold. Apparently he was reaching his breaking point. But Respira had gotten most of the answers that she had wanted. She wished that she would be able to go with them to notify the Light Royals of these happenings. She wanted to see the expression on Coreion's face. And on Underoath's face when they revealed that they knew. It would be a sweet form of revenge, watching Underoath's alliance reject him - if that's what they were going to do, anyway. If they had any sense of morals, they wouldn't let him stay. This meant he'd probably go to the Versai, but it would be one less Light leader. The Versai was where he belonged anyway, if he was willing to murder for them.
'Elsa yelled at Underoath and my father sat with your daughter as she died after she was gone, Elsa explained everything to me. Who Lanathia was, how she had lost her eye, why she had rescued Halloween. And then I left my family for good.' He raised his eyes from the ground to her own, his expression cold. So, this was just his way of telling her that he didn't know what had happened to them. Or that he wasn't willing to tell her about it. Because he had run away from it all. 'I'm done answering questions. Unless you would like the services of the Vigilum, we're done here,' and there it was. Respira resisted the urge to smirk at him. He was obviously not handling going through the memories well. It must have happened fairly recently, giving how young he was and the passage of time. Well, that was that then. She had gotten some more information, filled in some more blanks. Maybe she would find this Halloween and Elsa on her own time, if she felt the urge to. "Fair enough," she said, nodding her head and allowing the smallest of smirks to form on her lips, "see you around, Casi."
"Speech"
timeline after talking to Zana about Lanathia notes and done
|
|