[semi-open] 🔥 we didn't start the fire

[phoenixdominant]

Who: The Hideaway crew & friends.
Status: Semi-open.
Where: The Enterprise II, docked in Eltrut.
What: To celebrate a nice evening and the gathering of a new crew, members of The Hideaway have a little midnight cookout on deck.
Warnings: Alcohol use. Tba.

It’s been several weeks since The Hideaway has come together as a ship crew now. And with their new ship that was so kindly commandeered by their fearless leader and crewmates, it is high time that they all come together for a nice night around the campfire installed on the ship’s deck. The Enterprise II sits docked in Eltrut, floating serenely and overlooking the docks with a steady grandeur.

On deck, the crew and any friends invited will be welcome to huddle around the fire to keep warm during the lightly snowy night. Enjoy hot beverages (or cold beers and wines) and chat about plans and adventures to come.

Just be wary that there are still little mishchevious minis floating around at times, whispering secrets into the ears of the unsuspecting.

Comments

moonlight

[vermilloci]

Dion... There you are!

[ Someone tell her that going up to the crows' nest after she's had a glass of wine or two (or three) is probably a bad idea.

Oh well, that's not important. She's here to see her friend. ] Looking at the stars?

[dragoonoflight]

[ A good idea? No. But that's where Dion is, so up Rem must come. It does catch his attention when she calls to him and he turns to look at her with a warm smile. ]

That's correct. [ He holds out a hand to offer her stability if she needs it to get settled. ]

Or more accurately, I suppose, I'm just allowing myself to get lost in thought.

[vermilloci]

[ Ah, so he’s having a quiet, private moment up here. In that case, she won’t be long. Seem smiles at him, stepping onto the platform. ]

Stars have a way of enchanting us all, they do. So far away, so… untouchable. But still so bright.

[ A pause. And then, she gently inquires: ] Everything okay?

[dragoonoflight]

[ He doesn't mind the company. If he minded, he'd have shut himself up in his room. ]

Far away. [ Dion agrees. ] Even having dived into the stars themselves, I've never actually encountered one.

[ He can fly really far. ] Everything has been going...fine, I suppose. Nothing terrible has happened as of late.

[vermilloci]

[ A brow raises at "just fine". She could be reading too much into it, though, and so she decides not to be too nosy. ]

Really...? Up there, you mean? [ Rem looks to the sky, eyes wide with wonder. In her final days, the airship they had restored from the ancients' era could fly so high. But they also had no reason to explore. She's often wondered what else it would be like to spend more time-- ]

It must have been quite the sight.

[dragoonoflight]

That it is. I have managed to fly quite high in the sky before, but I haven't done it recently.

[ It's something to consider at another time. ]

I've always enjoyed flying.

[vermilloci]

[ Rem, who had been looking up at the stars, turns her head to glance at him instead. ]

When was the last time you've flown?

[dragoonoflight]

For enjoyment? Several months ago.

[ He's hovered a little bit, for combat purposes, but it's not the same as going for a flight just to stretch his wings. It's complicated though, it will probably make his condition worse. ]

[vermilloci]

[ She doesn’t know why, but the answer sounds just a little sad to her. Flying is a joy, she finds. Or— it was a joy, back in her world, for the scent, few times it hadn’t been for battle… ]

Do you miss it?

[dragoonoflight]

I do. [ Dion murmurs, it's true. It's a joy though that he shouldn't indulge in, not with how everything happened, and worse, if his continue is still due to deteriorate, there's no reason to do it. ]

It's quite unlike anything else.

scant*, even lmaooo

[vermilloci]

[ From her discussion with Cid some time ago, she knows that Dion is a Dominant, and his Eikon is Bahamut. She knows from Jill that it costs Dominants a portion of their health and life to channel their power. Is flying worth trading one's life force away? Probably... no. At least, not as if it were some leisurely stroll. And if it means Dion remains healthy and whole, she's glad Dion is exercising discretion, even if she can hear the longing for flight in his voice.

But maybe there's a way. ]

Maybe.... I could take you. With the Bahamut I can summon, I mean.

[ Cid'd part of their deal was helping her find an artifact. Her part of the deal with offering a way to ensure the Dominants were blocked from being summoned by others. Cid made good on his end of the bargain, so. It's time to offer up what she can do for them now. ]

[dragoonoflight]

I don't know that you wouldn't wind up summoning me. [ A beat. ] However, it's much easier to just ask me.

[ That's a bit of a joke. ]

I don't think it would be the same thing. I'm sure I'll have my opportunity to fly again.

[vermilloci]

[ She shakes her head. ] No, I mean... after we make it so that there's no mistaken summoning. [ But she understands. Flying by another's power isn't the same as flying by one's own.

She gives Dion a sympathetic look, then. ] I wish flying didn't--... you know. [ Cost him. Or, she assumes it does, if it means drawing on his power. ]

[dragoonoflight]

Mm. [ Dion makes a thoughtful noise. ]

It doesn't in itself, I don't think. It's quite enjoyable. But the more magic I use, the more tired and weaker I feel. That I can confirm, and yet the curse has no progressed in these months. That's a significant thing. If that continues...

[ It would be good news. ]

Then I would have no need to limit myself.

[vermilloci]

[ From Jill, she's only heard that the toll it takes on the Dominants may eventually claim their life. Rem doesn't-- or didn't, until now, know that it's viewed more as a curse. So while what Dion shares lends some insight, her level of worry remains. ] No, you wouldn't have to...

And you'd be able to fly again. [ She does, however, manage a small, hopeful smile, if only for his sake. She continues, encouragingly. ] In my world, each summon has their own constellation. Maybe you could choose your own. Select each star from the sky as you fly to them, making your astral chain.

[ The present she had gifted him for Starry Night depicted the astral chain of one of the Bahamuts. But, she thinks, he deserves his own. (Nevermind that stars are actually much much farther away, but it's the whimsy of the idea that makes her smile more easily than before.) ]

[dragoonoflight]

I certainly could. I would have at home, but it has been a point of contention for a long time, since my symptoms worsened to the point they are visible. [ And they are - but not outwardly so. He'd have to take the bandages off. It's unpleasant to look at, and the bandages seem to help, a little bit. ]

A constellation? Hmmm. [ He looks up at the stars, smiling gently. ] I don't believe these are the same stars I am familiar with, but I would not hold me to that assessment. I have never been particularly learned in the matter of celestial bodies. I only know the sky as much as it feels like to fly through it.

[vermilloci]

That's more than most can say-- the flying part, I mean. [ A pause, and she lowers her gaze from the stars, glancing at him instead. So the curse gives him markings, and they've worsened...? ]

You're not... scared? [ Or maybe he is. She doesn't know. But it doesn't sound as if he's entirely despairing. Which, in the face of doom, is rather astounding. ]

[dragoonoflight]

Not as much as I was. [ Dion admits with a murmur. ]

It was terrifying in the beginning, because I first really started feeling the symptoms when I was still a boy, but at this point, no. I'm not afraid to die. What I have left to do, it's even incredibly likely that it will be the end.

[vermilloci]

[ ....And that. That causes her a few extra moments of silence, eyes widening slightly. As a boy, he says, meaning he first started feeling this curse when he was a child. And if that isn't alarming enough-- ]

What... [ She speaks slowly. ] do you have left to do?

[dragoonoflight]

There is an entity, named Ultima that has been orchestrating the demise of Valisthea, and we must go and stop him. That is all.

[ But he's already on his last legs. It will be a lot of magic, his full primed form, it's going to drain what life he has left. He knows it. He's not afraid. ]

[vermilloci]

[ The affairs of his world are beyond her understanding, ultimately, but she knows this: when one's world is threatened, and if ensuring the future necessitates it, one does what they can. One gives all.

And if facing this Ultima means he must use his magic, thereby sacrificing his life... it is an understandable choice. Sad, but. The world is worth fighting for. Sacrificing for. She won't tell him he shouldn't. ]

Dion... [ Wait. He is royalty. She corrects herself: ] Your Highness.

[ Her hand lifts from the railing of the crow's nest, and she places it gently on his forearm, hoping to support. ] You're a good man. I'm... sorry you won't have more time.

[dragoonoflight]

[ At the very least, dire conversation and all, he seems at peace with this decision. What troubles him are his previous actions and his potential future ones. His desire for temptation and things he should cast aside.

He smiles slightly at her correction. ]

Dion, please. [ He insists. ] It has been a novel experience to have people use my name, you know. I would not have insisted upon it, had my compatriots not done so first and...I suppose I can see their point.

[ Between his titles, his leadership and his Eikon, the only person who ever called him Dion was Terence. Things can be less formal here. Not his comportment, certainly but the way things are handled. ]

Thank you, for your kind words. It is unfortunate, but I am at peace with my decision. I would make it again a thousand times.

[vermilloci]

[ A good man, a brave one, and one who will give all to save others. These are the qualities of a noble, aren't they?

Her hand returns to the railing of the crow's nest. Rem looks out into the night. ]

The world is worth it.

[dragoonoflight]

That it is.

[ Dion cannot argue, nor would he. He believes in the bigger goal, the greater need. His life is not the most important thing, sad though it may be. ]

However, we have been afforded a respite. I've been given counsel to take that and enjoy it. I believe I shall.

[vermilloci]

[ Hearing him agree brings a small smile to her lips. It gives her hope and assures her that someone understands on a fundamental level.

The world itself is greater than any one of them. The world should be fought for. And if nothing else, then sacrificed for. Even... even if it is in vain. ]

This world is peaceful. [ She comments, quiet. ] An opportunity like this is rare. You should do things that you've never had the chance to do in your home world.