voidtreckernet | Getting It Over With - Video

"La....Lady Najaran... We may have found someone... with a worse memory that yours!" Goligan said.

Najaran twitched so that she "accidentally" smacked Goligan's face against the wall.

"Kigi was the last of the elves. She and her people were bound to protect Bisteam, and the secret buried under it. They had a legend that said that there was a group called the Mistrals who could fix... well... everything. But thy had to test everyone who came to see if they were the Mistrals or not... and um the first test..." she shuddered a bit. "We walked through the gate thing, then suddenly we were in this sealed room with all these skeletons..." She swallowed a bit. "They were all twisted up. And their jaws all looked snapped off. Wile we were trying to figure out what killed them, and how to not die too... um... we found some mushrooms. And whenever they were damaged, they multiplied and grew... And, um... they... what is the word, Goligan?"

"Spores. They gabe off spores," he said, rubbing his nose with his mustache, tears in his eyes.

"Right. They gave off spores that made us laugh. We were laughing so much it hurt and we couldn't stop. Just... everything seemed so funny. And at some point I started thinking it might be funny to see if the mushrooms would multiply in my stomach when I ate them. So I started eating. Then there was a HUGE mushroom. So I called out my Cards and we all chowed down. And somehow that worked and we ate all the mushrooms and the room opened up. But as soon as we were free, my mouth tasted super gross, and my stomach felt all icky. Now I don't even like looking at mushrooms..."

Oh, Kigi was an elf? He thought--

"She was the last?" That-- seems impossible in Esteban's mind. The last of the Elves? He may have his quarrel with some of them, but for them all to die out? He cannot imagine it.

Perhaps the world would be better without them. Perhaps it would be worse. He can't... imagine it either way.

He shakes his head. This isn't-- he's getting too wrapped up. Kigi was the last of the elves, and she was keeping the Dark Lord at bay... somehow. The Mistrals are a group that maybe doesn't even exist, or maybe doesn't exist yet, he's unsure about that, and Scepters call cards to life. Ish. He thinks. It's... a lot. Pieces of a puzzle that he doesn't all have.

But he can catch them. Bit by bit, he can catch them and place them in order. For Najaran's sake, if nothing else. It brings a grin to his lips, weaker than usual, perhaps, but determined nonetheless.

"Alright, so crazy murd'rous mushrooms that kill with laughter." That's... a whole new one too. Yikes. "No mushrooms. Got it." He can keep that on the list of things he clearly knows at least. And.

"... that was the first test?" He's... nosey. Maybe he should back off, but-- 'Dians. She's so young. And Kigi tossed her into these trials? Yikes. He's not sure he likes her much-- though Najaran seems to have held her in high esteem.

Najaran nodded. In one of the tests we all got turned into plants."

"Najaran got turned into an insectivore," Goligan said.

"Yech," she added, wrinkling her nose at the memory. "And yeah, all of Kigi's people gave their lives to maintain the seal in the Dark Lord.... I'm not so sure we were actually the Mistrals they sought so much as... the last chance they had..." she said, frowning a bit in thought, eyes distant and sad.

"No mushrooms an' no insects," he adds, trying to bring a bit of levity to her words. The kitchen looms ahead, leaving them to traverse the dining rooms, which are surprisingly empty, being mid-afternoon. He hesitates for a moment, before adding "an' no gettin' upset when you do y'r best to help everyone."

He's not sure if he's allowed, but Najaran seems like she could use a little pick-me-up, and it's not a gesture he feels wholly uncomfortable doing for her. His hand drops lightly at the top of her head to ruffle the strands, the corners of his mouth rising as he gives her a cheery grin.

"I think I can do that," he assures her, stepping forwards to open the door to the kitchens. It feels a little tossed out there, this small reassurance-- but he didn't know when else to tell her, and he doesn't want to lose it entirely either. So, casual or not, he's said as much. And if she doesn't believe him; he'll just have to prove it to her.

"Alright, so what's the plan?" he asks once in, ready and willing to follow along with her instructions. Cooking yummy food is bound to raise their spirits up after all.

She appreciated the no mushrooms and no insects, but especially the no getting upset at her part. She smiled at him as he ruffled her hair.

As to his question, she considered the kitchen. "Well.... I know a few good stew recipes depending on what is in stores..."

"Ooooh~ Stew is good~" Esteban adds cheerfully, before setting himself his own task. "If we make bread too, we can get bread bun bowls~ They're really popular durin' the feasts of the Bronze Moons, 'cause all of it gets eat'n up." He has... a vague idea on how to make those. It's basically pizza dough, but not spread out, right? That works, right?

Well, one way to find out. It's a good thing that he and Jake have started keeping up with making dough now, because it means there's some readily available. Esteban is still going to make more though, in case Jake wanted to bake a pizza soon.

"Alright, what c'n I help you with?" he asks the teenager by his side, already washing his hands in preparation for their task.

"Well... I hav no clue how to make bread bowls, so if you want to make those and then come into the Garden car while they're baking...?"

"Ah! I'll get them ready while you make the stew. Bread takes a while to knead, an' then y' have to let it sit. I can prep it up here an' then bring the bowl with me to the garden?"

For the other loaves-- the ones he would bake for their stew, it was easy enough to set them in an oven, leaving the timer to take care of it; a nifty little thing Esteban had learned to use with how many pies he'd baked so far! So while Najaran gathered her ingredients, Esteban was quick to measure and combine his own in a simple bowl-- dumping the yeast in the water to let it sit while the rest went on top, and was essentially ready to mix.

"Alright~" he cheers, as soon as the mix is ready. "Anythin' you need help with?" He's got one free hand if she does!

"I don't have an oven to cook it in there, just the fire pit... so maybe kneed it and all that in the Garden car?"

"Yep! That's the plan!" He points at the loaves he's already set in the oven, and the timer that is ticking down slowly.

"Those are the bowls we'll use. This is just t' make more dough, 'cause it has to rest for it to rise, an' that takes a few hours." So definitely not in time for the stew. He does his best to try and grab a few of the things Najaran had set aside herself, trying to balance them in the one hand not holding the bowl with his mixture of yeast and flour.

"I'm ready! How' 'bout you?"

"Oh! Okay!" she said with a bright smile. She nodded that she was ready as she flounced towards the Garden Car with a pot full of water. Gremlin and both Eidolon followed, also carrying stuff.

With all their ingredients gathered, and the treck to the stone garden back underway, Esteban grinned at the few companions they'd gathered, and nodded, shifting back to the topic at hand before they'd gotten distracted with food.

"So what other tests didja have t' do? How many did y' go through?" he asks gently again. It's not that he wants to bother her with this, but the tests are just one more thing he can learn from Najaran, and about her world. Actually, more importantly--

"What were the tests designed to... test 'xactly?" What was Kigi searching for when she tested them?

"Mmmmm.... I'm not fully sure what they were supposed to test," she said. "I'm not smart like Joaquin and Alta..."

"Not mentioning Ganz?" Goligan asked.

"Half the time he was asleep and the other half he was drunk. Not sure how much he'd remember. He sure did teach me lots though. But the rest of the tests... Um... come to think of it what was the second again?" she asked Goligan.

"Naja...." he said sounding exhausted.

"Sorry sorry... it was...." she thought as she walked "Planting the garden?"

"No, that was what you did for the Woodfolk to make up for wounding that one and letting it get infected into a monster that absorbed all the other Woodfolk!"

"Oh... right..." she said sheepishly. "Um then it was probably... OH! THE WOOD FAIRIES!"

"Very good, Lady Najaran," Goligan said with warm approval.

"That one was just... weird. We had to catch a Wood Fairy. But there were lots of them and we had to catch the exact right one. They jumped around lots and Kigi said she guessed it was impossible for humans to pick out one Fairy from the rest cause we don't pay attention or something. I finally found the right one, cause she looked the most wilted from being in the shade, not as yummy as the others," she said, lost in the memory and seemingly unaware of how creepy that sounds. "But when I tried to catch her I kinda landed on another one and became a carnivorous plant." she sounded a bit sheepish at that. "Joaquin really saved the day that time..."

The woodfolk story sounds like... a kick and a half yet again. Esteban doesn't know how to react to that, other than to let it slip by him as he focuses on the memory Najaran is recalling for his sake.

Not as yummy seems an odd way to talk about a fairy. His eyebrows raise almost to his hairline as he tries to understand her words, but maybe, just maybe he might not want to know what Najaran might mean in that moment. It really makes him wonder what kind of life his friend had lived up to that point, before she mentions Joaquin again, and Esteban shifts his head to the side a bit, glancing back at her.

"Y' mentioned him a few times; who's Joaquin?" Wait-- was he? One of those who recalled the stories of her world? Is that him getting mixed up? Untangling everything from the shards that he catches here and there between Najaran's explanations is a bit of a puzzle, but he still finds it intriguing, prodding and poking and finding out where each piece sits, in his ever-slow progress.

"OH! You said he was one of the Mistrals, right?" Hang on-- "Doesn't that mean that he passed the test?" Did he... get that wrong? He thought the test was to find the Mistrals? But now he's a Mistral and Najaran is not? "Unless-- y' passed the tests together?" Is he getting a better picture here? At least it makes sense in his head.

"So you're a Mistral too?" Just-- making sure they're on the same page here. The unfamiliar terms are a bit of a struggle to keep track of after all. "He's a Mistral, y'r both a Mistral an' a Scepter." A slow nod. "Tell me more about him?"

Anyone who matters to his friends, after all, matter to Esteban as well. He's curious what sort of people Najaran had around her before she came to the train, and he seems less of a sore subject to her than Kigi is.

"Kigi said we're all Mistrals, since we passed the tests. Me, an Joaquin, and Alta, and Ganz, and of course Goligan and my cards and all. I mean, she never said that, but if we passed then sure they did too! But why do you wanna know more about Joaquin...? I mean I thought you'd like Alta more..."

There's a blink at her question, before Esteban shakes his head, a grin perching on his lips as the light prodding reveals more than he'd thought.

"Y're the one mentionin' Joaquin all the time!" He snickers, but there's no denying his curiosity now. "I didn't know 'bout the others! Tell me 'bout them!" He cheers, just as they arrive at their destination. It's easy enough for Esteban to lay the few items he'd held on a bench, watching as Najaran sets up her regular tools. He settles by her side, ready and willing to listen to her while he helps with cleaning and cutting the vegetables that they brought-- it's best to lend a hand while he can. Kneading dough is not a quick endeavour.

She got set up and summoned Knight and Cait Sith and Living Weapon to help out. Then she started in on prepping vegetables with everyone's help.

"Well.... Joaquin is super smart and he made me study all the time," she said as she pulled a face. "He was super serious about everything. He kept thinking that so long as he knew what was supposed to go into something it would be good enough. He would use us as test subjects all the time for what was and was not edible. Or what was good for Ganz to drink..."

She smiled a bit, thinking about them all, remembering. "Ganz... was drunk just all the time. But he was a fierce fighter. Maybe even more when he drank more. He was a lot of fun when he was awake and I learned from him too.... And then Alta... well... she was kind of our leader. Alta's a searcher. Have I explained what those are yet?"

Many hands made for light work, and it didn't take long for Esteban to be done with his self-assigned task. After rinsing his hands and passing off the vegetables he'd cut to Najaran, he picked up the bowl that had been set aside, and started mixing the dough, the flour soon caught in a viscous mix. This would take him a few minutes, which was why he was entirely free to listen to her as he worked.

"Ah~ Yes, Ganz. Okay, got it!" He affirmed, now that he'd caught onto the name. She had mentioned him just earlier, hadn't she?

"What's a searcher?" the half-elf asked eagerly, sparing his companion a glance before he turned to his task again.

"A searcher is..." she started this but suddenly realized that she doesn't know to explain it, really. "Searchers go to old places... the same kinds of places like treasure hunters, but they're more there to learn. They like treasure too, but won't ruin the history of a place to get a treasure... I guess that's the best way to put it. Like... Dum Dum was a treasure hunter and he didn't care who he killed or what he destroyed so long as he got rich..."

"Lady Najaran, he was infested...."

"I know, but Alta said he wasn't that different once h was infested, that he was always like that, just not as desperate. She said that the people who worked for him were always disposable to him and he already had a horrible reputation..."

"Ah... that is true."

Najaran shook her head a bit. "But Alta... she wanted treasure, but she gave everything to help protect and defend the forest. And she didn't take any treasure at all once she saw what Bisteam really was."

"Was she-- a legend gath'rer?" her companion eventually asks, an eyebrow raised in his curiosity. But not quite. She does remind Esteban of how Melchor would gather stories when he was small, passing through places and listening to the young and the old. Her methods, her research still seems just a little different, like she might have been searching for places rather than myths and legends.

Learning their culture, their way of life, maybe? Something that Esteban is always keen on learning himself-- it's no wonder he constantly badgers Najaran about her world, about her stories, about how her world understands itself. Siblings in their research topics, somehow; himself, Atla and Melchor. All interested in the same gem, but looking at it from different angles. It has him smile again, feeling some odd kinship with this person he's never met.

"Oh? What is Bistream?" he asks eagerly. There's several other questions on the tip of his tongue about the infested-- he seems to recall Dum Dum had... done something, but he can't recall what exactly. Only that Najaran had not seemed pleased or to trust him much, and had called him selfish.

All the while, he works through the dough, slowly spinning and squishing it, before he repeats the process, over and over again. It is only starting to lose some of its stickiness at this stage.

"I'm not sure. Lots of people think Searchers and Treasure Hunters are the same, but they're not. Seeing Alta at the same time as people like Dum Dum really made that show clearly!"

"Bisteam...?" She considered as she worked. "I didn't know anything when I left home, but Alta explained lots after she broke me out of my cell. She said it was an ancient hidden ruin that used to be a city. she wanted to explore the mysteries there. But when we actually got there..."

She stopped working on the soup as she let herself remember the feeling of Old Willow, after the fight.

"They weren't protecting the ruins of some ancient city full of treasures. Rather... All of Bisteam was actually Old Willow herself. An ancient tree full up with the spirits of all the other elves before Kigi. She used her power, and theirs, to keep the Dark Lord sealed up. That was what Bisteam really was. Not a treasure, but a huge magical seal on one of the four Elemental Lords..." A single tear ran down her face as she stared out past the train walls. "That was why Kigi was instructed to kill anyone who tried to invade Bisteam, to search for the Mistrals. She was supposed to find those who could destroy the Dark Lord once and for all..." she said softly. "We arrived when Kigi was the last, when she could barely stand against the corruption. I think... I think if she wasn't so desperate she would have tried to chase us off. But we were the chance she had..." she whispered.

The Woodfolk, who usually ignored Najaran - other than to glare at her - had inched closer as she spoke, as if they wanted to hear the story too.

Wow, he's really trying hard to construct some sort of timeline surrounding Najaran, but... she doesn't make it very easy does she? There's a smile that lifts the corners of his lips as he works, still not interrupting her through her tale, but the moment she mentions Old Willow, there is a familiar feeling of nostalgia that lingers under his skin.

It seems that they have similar tales in some fashion.

But her tale soon grows darker, edged with shadows that Esteban isn't quite sure how to fight, always getting back to that Dark Lord, the Mistrals, the quest thrust onto Najaran's shoulders. She's had companions too, but it's starting to make sense-- how much she pours of herself into this, into being a savior worthy of Kigi's trust, because of circumstances, because of the desperation, because of the hope that was laid on her shoulders.

He... gets it. He doesn't like it, far from, but he... gets it. Najaran is too young-- she shouldn't have to fight with these monsters. But there are times where the choice is no longer there, where the only options are to stand and fight, or do nothing and let the world crumble, and... Esteban gets it.

"... In my world, we've got what we call Naming Trees." He pauses, realizing that it might make more sense to her if he actually spoke the proper name, and corrects himself. "But elves call 'em Memoriam Trees." His tongue shifts into the familiar terms, even if he rarely uses elvish anymore. But it's ingrained in him, as much as Draconic is, and he'd never forget those two languages.

"Back when the gods walked 'long with their people, 'f an elf chose to die, they'd give their soul to a god-- usually Eriat, but there's been exceptions-- an' she'd unweave their spirit from their soul, an' settle the spirit inside a seed. The soul returns to the cycle, an' the spirit stays an' watches over their families an' friends, weavin' aethers into protections. Against drought, 'gainst fire, 'gainst wild animals." It's... not much. He just doesn't know how else to bring her spirits up.

"Maybe... Maybe Kigi is still around in your world. Her spirit planted with Old Willow?" He suggests, clumsily, trying to bring her a bit of cheer. It's awkward and half-blind-- he's suspecting Old Willow might not exist anymore either, if the Dark Lord was released, if the seals were broken. But he's still hoping that there might be some comfort, from his world to hers. A parallel that just might work.

"I know her spirit is still there... I spoke to her sister after but... why would an elf...choose to die?" she asked, confused. "And aren't spirits and souls the same thing...?"

Oh, so he's not so far off! There's relief wound in the half-elf's shoulders when Najaran agrees with his attempts, the corners of his mouth lifting gently. (Wait-- wasn't Kigi... the last of the elves? He really doesn't need to know right now.)

"'Cauuuuse they wouldn't die otherwise?" He's not quite sure what she's trying to ask here, to be honest. It's one of the rare process of his Elven heritage that he actually agrees with after all-- but then, immortals had always been a bit of a sore subject for him. Her next question is easier to answer.

"No? The spirit an' the soul?" It's strange to think that someone might not consider these as separate things? But then, the entire thing with immortals is that they're... not easy to separate. It's a warmer smile that pulls at his lips at this while he explains.

"The Bein's made up of three-- the Body, the Spirit an' the Soul. The Body's the physical self, the Soul's the core-- the center 'f who you are. An' the Spirit is grown 'round the Soul." Immortals are immortals, because these three are woven so tightly together.

"The soul's the part that cycles through the lives we've got. It's..." Oh, this is actually harder to explain than he actually expected. "It's what you are no matter what?" An example-- oh! "Like, my enthusiasm!" He perks up, glad to have found something easy to relate it to.

"No matter how many times I get r'born, I'll always be lookin' forward to the joys I c'n find!" Or at least, he hopes so.

He sincerely hopes so.

"But 'round that, there's the Spirit, of "Esteban". My name an' 'xperiences, an' mem'ries." Does that make sense now?

"The Soul r'turns to the cycle, but the spirit's allowed t' linger. Watchin' over loved ones an' tryin' to make their lives easier. That's why we've got Guardian Spirits!" Well. Why most people have them.

"But why would anyone want to die...?" She was so confused. "I mean if you die trying to do what is right, that's... I mean..." she actually flushed a bit, flustered, feeling like she had just walked into a trap.

And the rest of what he was trying to explain just confused her more, and that confusion was clear on her face. Sorry, Esteban, someone has never heard of reincarnation...

CW: mentions of a gruesome way some people died.

CW: some internalized racism?

Re: CW: some internalized racism?

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