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Entry tags:
[Open] Surrender's Not an Option
Who: Beatrix, You, Any Necessary NPCs, Etc., etc.
Which: Open Log
Where: Reverein, Wildlands, etc.
What: Beatrix is getting to know the area one begrudging emotion at a time.
Warnings: TBD (Will update if needed.)
01. Thorny Cages
02. Disney Princess 101
03. Wildcard
Which: Open Log
Where: Reverein, Wildlands, etc.
What: Beatrix is getting to know the area one begrudging emotion at a time.
Warnings: TBD (Will update if needed.)
01. Thorny Cages
[The more she's here, the more she dislikes it. The more she realises that just about everything is based on whatever she may feel or whatever she wants to will into existence, the more it grates on her nerves. Beatrix has always been a relatively closed-off woman, keen to keep her information close to heart, supposing she even has one.
It's finally beginning to catch up to her. In the back of her mind, she can hear Tifa's warning about her abode and what could happen to it if she isn't willing to marginally play along with the requirements of this world. Beatrix's treehouse is a comfortably suffocating home, overgrown with thorny stems and roses, about as symbolic as one could be. As caged as Beatrix is. As caged as Beatrix has sometimes felt when one removes the title and role from her.
She'd love to be further away from people, but it seems that's just not particularly likely and she can't exactly pick up and just move. Faced with no shortage of sprawled vines over stairway, Beatrix settles a hand atop her hip. There's a pile of roses that she's clearly manually removed with her sword, but none of that's helped because they just keep growing back.]
Surely I could have solved this simply imagining Alexandria castle.
[She scoffs, though seems to realise that an answer like that would have been too easy. If just anyone could live in a castle, then surely they all would, wouldn't they? Either way, it doesn't seem as if she'll be going anywhere anytime soon.]
02. Disney Princess 101
This is demeaning and undignified.
[She is the general of a military. Not an errand girl. Not an attendant. Not a sellsword. Not a mercenary. She deserves better. At least, where Beatrix's lines of comfort are concerned, she's convinced that she deserves better. Logic reasons with her. In this place, it doesn't matter who or what she was back home. That role, that title, that position means absolutely nothing here. It's because of that, that she's even gotten herself involved.
A fairly nondescript local has been in search of a particular species of mushroom located just within the more welcoming part of the Wildlands. It isn't something Beatrix would ordinarily concern herself with, but given that her only options so far have been to sternly continue questioning Reverein locals about how one goes about returning to the waking world or finding some other way to survive on some kind of sustenance without having to ask someone else for assistance, mushroom hunting might be a better way to pass the time.
It doesn't take her long to regret this act of charity on her part. What can anyone really give her here that would benefit her, anyway? Beatrix is a self-sufficient woman normally, not keen on relying on others, and often believing that in many cases, she knows best. When obligation, of course, doesn't play a part in things.
For as unsuspecting as the friendly part of the woods seem to be, Beatrix's presence doesn't leave it untouched. Her disdain may as well follow her in the flesh, a twisting of branches and plants in her path, closing passages that otherwise would have been open, the withering of flowers too cowardly to face her. Surely one's greatest misadventure would be to get caught in a forest with Alexandria's most capable general.
But at least she has a sword. She can just cut her way out, right?]
03. Wildcard
[As written. Beatrix has some TDM prompts, which can be used here as well. I'm also quite happy to write closed starters for interested parties. Feel free to write your own if that fancy strikes you, or contact me via PM or atofthesky.]
For Zelda
[Beatrix is listening, but it seems that it's only in part as she more properly adjusts the weight of the scabbard and sword attached to waist belt. As she fixes the deep red lapel of her duster, she sets a momentary hardened expression on the shopkeep, one... Madame Blackbird? Beatrix can't claim she immediately committed the name to memory. When she more properly tugs on the gloves that hug her wrists snugly, she finally offers up more than simply steely-eyed gaze.]
Yes. I have heard something of the tales of whatever may lie out there.
[It sounds dismissive on her part, but it's not. In Beatrix's opinion, there's nothing she's going to face here that can be any more or less than what she's expected to face back on the Mist Continent. Arrogant, perhaps, and without a doubt the shopkeep is unimpressed with Beatrix's bravado, but holds her tongue momentarily all the same. She gives in with a sigh.]
At the very least, you shouldn't go alone. If something happens, you'd have no one to assist you.
[Lifting a hand, Beatrix sweeps back a curl of chestnut brown hair over her shoulder. When she developed such a tell, she can hardly say, but it's only something she does when she's feeling particularly haughty.]
Save that concern for someone who needs it. I am no spring mu. [Although it is highly unlikely that Madame Blackbird should even know what a mu is] I assure you, my own safety is paramount. There is nothing in the Wildlands more frightening than myself. Regardless, your information has been practical and I shall ensure that it falls not on deaf ears.
[Which is the closest Beatrix is going to get actually saying thank you. Had it been her initial arrival, she doubts she would have been that kind. With a relatively stiff salute, as old habits evidently die quite hard, the general dips her head in something that must be akin to appreciation.]
Now then, I had best depart. I have tarried on for far too long.
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[ It's impossible not to eavesdrop on the conversations Madame has with customers and today is no exception. Especially when the word 'Wildlands' reaches those pointed ears. Zelda tries to keep her concentration on the sleeve she is currently attaching to a shirt, but her eyes keep flicking up from her work to regard the customer. Ever since she received her Sheikah Slate from the Wishing Well, Zelda has found the urge to explore beyond the city almost impossible to ignore. Without Link or the company of anyone else who could protect her, the princess has held back from doing anything reckless. But if someone just so happens to be heading to the Wildlands right at this moment, and that someone just so happens to carry a blade and give off the air of more than just proficiency with it... ]
[ ...And that someone is now exiting the shop. Zelda jumps up abruptly, causing the table to groan as her legs bump against it. She hurriedly flips the shirt she was working on right-side out and drops it in a lump on the table. ]
My apologizes, Madame, I must go! [ She hastily flips the shirt she was working on right-side out and drops it in a sloppily folded lump on the table. ] The shirt is finished. I will see you next week!
[ Zelda bursts out of the shop, stumbling down the steps. She looks around wildly and spots Beatrix not far from the shop. ]
Wait, please! [ She jogs the short distance to Beatrix, breathing slightly elevated. ] Please excuse me, Ma'am. I did not mean to pry, but I overheard you tell Madame Blackbird that you are traveling to the Wildlands.
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She is barely some paces from Madame's shop when she hears the outburst. With a hand resting atop where her sword remains sheathed, an ever frequent reminder from Zidane that implies she mustn't use it unless it's required, she pauses. Turning in slight, her eye spies a head of blonde hair.
This girl was in the shop at the time she was exchanging words with Madame, though Beatrix hadn't taken the time to more appropriately assess her. A worker there, she'd assumed, though perhaps that's not the case. Evidently, either way, a nondescript young woman who didn't seem the type to gain anything useful out of eavesdropping. Not... that Beatrix was being particularly quiet about what she was meaning to do.
She cocks an eyebrow at Zelda's admittance and she shifts her weight between her boots, settling a hand atop her hip.]
What of it?
[It sounds like a request of some kind is about to come her way. Does she look like a mercenary? As she thinks about it, considering the way she's garbed, yes. She probably does. People in this place likely have no idea what a general should look like and considering none of her soldiers dress the way she does, it's likely that Beatrix doesn't even care what a general should look like.
She could always imitate Steiner and his clanking around, but... no. Let him make the fool of himself. She has far too much pride.]
Is there something you need?
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There is, yes. [ Gathering her royal authority as best she can, Zelda holds herself straight and makes sure to look Beatrix directly in the eye. ] I would like to accompany you on your venture to the Wildlands.
[ No pleasantries, no beating around the bush, just right out with it. If Zelda is reading Beatrix correctly, she's the kind of woman who prefers to avoid flattery and frills wherever possible. ]
I am a ...researcher-- [ A little stumble. Zelda isn't quite comfortable referring to herself as anything but a princess. ] --and I would like to learn more about the Wildlands surrounding the city. I am under no delusion that venturing into the forests is dangerous, which is why I seek the company of capable warrior like yourself.
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At Zelda's explanation, she cocks an eyebrow, and gives her a look over. It's not that Beatrix is expecting much in the way of adversity in the Wildlands, but it is always best to be prepared. Just a look over Zelda and Beatrix has a difficult time thinking that she's... particularly combat-versed.
As she continues, she finds her suspicions confirmed. A researcher. Probably the... nicest dressed researcher she's ever seen. Not that Doctor Tot was not impeccably dressed himself. Simply that Zelda is not what she would have thought when she thought 'researcher.'
Beatrix nods slowly and she draws her gaze aside. She's no escort service. Well, that's not true. She plays the part of escort almost expertly. Looking back to Zelda, she dips her chin in something of a subtle nod. Acknowledgement, perhaps, more than consent.]
What could you be researching that would be worth you putting yourself into potential danger?
[After a pause, Beatrix lifts a hand just to keep Zelda's attention.] That is not a declination of your request. Merely curiosity. I trust in my own abilities enough to keep you from coming to harm.
[Truly. Nothing in the Wildlands is surely as frightening as a general with an icy temperament.]
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Zelda immediately opens her mouth to fire back with a retort, but Beatrix, as if anticipating Zelda's reaction, lifts one hand and stops her. Zelda closes her mouth begrudgingly and allows the general to continue. Her defensiveness is short lived when she hears not the admonition she has been accustomed to expect towards her scientific pursuits, but an invitation to continue. An expression that was turning towards disappointment immediately brightens with determination. ]
We know dangerously little about Songerein overall. The majority of our knowledge comes from the fairies and our surveys of the town as a whole. There have been forays beyond the city's borders, but with the pursuit of supplies and provisions, rather than knowledge. As it seems we are to reside in this world indefinitely, we had best learn what we can about it.
It would be naïve to rely solely on the fairies for information. They are not always forthcoming when asked about this world; but whether out of ignorance or malice, we don't know. One dreamwalker was thrown across town after a fairy refused to allow them to travel to the Wildlands. [ Zelda is not aware that the victim of fairy violence actually antagonized the tapir to this end.
Zelda unhooks the Sheikah Slate from her belt and extends its screen to Beatrix. ] For now, I hope to simply document anything I discover during this first foray. I can instantly capture pictures of things using this device, then I can study them more closely later on.
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I suspected the fairies were not as helpful as they seemed.
[Good to know her intuition is relatively intact and not dulled by their situation, though the taste of 'indefinitely' does not spark much more than a background irritation. Beatrix won't be kept a captive of anyone or anywhere if she has something to do with it. She simply doesn't have the information to properly tackle that ongoing issue just yet.
Give it time. She'll find a way. Surrender isn't a word in Beatrix's vocabulary. There's no honour in concession, after all.
Her attention turns onto the Sheikah Slate. It's far more advanced than anything she's seen in Alexandria, which is hardly a surprise. She isn't sure what a 'picture' is, which may be transparent in the cock of her brow, but then she sets her attention onto Zelda a bit more firmly.]
You have obviously given this due consideration.
[I was expecting you to be a starry-eyed fool. Which is something Beatrix wisely keeps to herself. Zidane's reminder that she mustn't resort to intimidation for everything.]
I can escort you. We may be able to uncover information that could provide advantage for us and for the others like us. [Although if Beatrix is truly honest, she remains her foremost priority. Everyone else can come after.] At worst, you obtain your... pictures, I perform reconnaissance, and we make no progress forward. Regardless of the result, I had intended to chart the area for my own records. Your company will not hinder that.
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I-- Thank you! Your kindness is most appreciated.
I am Zelda. [ Her introduction stops of abruptly, in an awkward kind of manner that shows Zelda still isn't accustomed to not saying "Princess of Hyrule" immediately after her name. It is a deliberate omission, one she has been making in almost all of her introductions since arriving in Songerein, ever since one dreamwalker put the idea in her head that she didn't have to share her real name with him. Songerein wasn't Hyrule; she didn't need to be a princess here. She could take some space to breathe, to put the past and duty behind her, and just be Zelda for awhile.
Still holding the Sheikah Slate, Zelda raises her hands to her chest and bows slightly. ] It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.
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Not that she's lowered it much since her arrival.]
Beatrix.
[It's a succinct and terse little introduction. Zelda's little bow does leave an impression. There aren't many people who have seen fit to do that here. At least, not many that Beatrix has met personally. In fact, most of the people have been informal and personable, which has done little more than grate on her nerves.]
I am certain it very much is. [She replies, evidently not one for particularly welcoming pleasantries. But she isn't chasing Zelda off with colloquial venom, so she must be making some kind of improvement.] Do you have everything you need? It would be pertinent to ensure you are hold adequate provisions given that I do not know what awaits us or how long this... misadventure shall take.
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02 - This okay?
[However, they cross something rather... concerning in their hunt. A decaying trail - or maybe a twisting one affected by an earlier passerby?]
[Zidane momentarily dismounts to examine the flowers, their retreating, withering leaves and soured petals; and then come the branches nearby that had become more like claws reaching out. The grass that withheld appeared darker in pitch and trembling, but not with the same terror held in the flowers - maybe not even terror at all. He's getting a bad feeling not unlike another place he's been before. Boco twitters his displeasure, but Zidane mounts up and turns him towards the path.]
C'mon, we gotta see what's up...
[The mushrooms would have to wait a moment. It takes a minute to convince Boco to even go, but the chocobo heads off at a decent trot.]
This is beeeeautiful. (Bocoful!)
When she really thinks about it, which she's had plenty of time to do since arrival, she can't remember when she last wasn't constantly on guard. Where she didn't feel constantly evaluated. In spite of that, to say she feels at ease, at peace, these would be falsehoods. Surely that is one among many reasons for the way her presence affects the forest as it does. She's taken notice of it, though has thought little of it, deciding that perhaps she ought not to overstay her welcome.
It's the approach of distant steps that are far too quick to be a person's that catches her attention. She pauses from where she examines a withered plant, rising to her full posture where she rests hand atop the handle of her sword. She's been mindful about not provoking anything if she can help it, and where she is accustomed to relying on force, she finds herself exhausted on the idea of leaving it as a last resort.
She squints.
Is that a chocobo. Here, of all places. Accompanied by a familiar sight. One that's perhaps all too familiar for her liking. Although a nagging voice in the back of her mind reminds her that he isn't completely terrible. Only marginally so.]
Huhu!
[Though he sees her reaching for her sword, he urges Boco to go on until they're close enough, and then slow down. He takes a moment to look around her, look ahead, and then look back.]
... Yeah, okay, that makes sense.
[The General had been having a time settling into the realm, but the fact that the forest was withering and twisting under her emotions, but they could talk about that in a bit.]
Are you looking for the mushrooms too?
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Beatrix looks increasingly annoyed, though whether it's the actual situation at hand or simply Zidane she can hardly properly parse. He's not her favourite person to see, and yet... And yet. He is a taste of familiarity, and that does mean stability, and in some way, it also means security.
Her attention turns at his question before she can drown herself in the mire that is her thought process.]
It would seem so, yes. How I was persuaded into this I believe I am still attempting to understand. There are no shortage of dreamers who would be overjoyed in assisting. Like yourself.
[Zidane always was the better adventurer, she's going to gather.]
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Well, we might be dreaming, but some people do live here.
[So the fact that they'd need mushrooms made sense to him. He gives a small smile - even if Beatrix doesn't know why she decided to take up the task, at least she's trying.]
How about we help you out? Boco's got a pretty good sense of the forest.
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She doesn't bother to ask it because she suspects nothing Zidane can say would actually convince her. Instead, her attention turns onto... Boco, as it were and she eyes the bird curiously.]
Where did you get this? Are there more?
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I'm sure there are, but I found Boco wandering around on his own in another part of the wildlands. Not sure why he was on his own, but I hope this guy wasn't pushed out of his flock.
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[It's not even his. What if it belongs to someone else? But if it does, that could mean someone else from their home world. It could also mean someone else from Alexandria. The thought of that piques Beatrix's interest almost immediately.]
Surely chocobos are not native here. Did it not occur to you that if there is one, there could be more, which could also mean others we know?
[As she's thinking it over, she lifts a hand to Boco to let him get a sniff at her. She's a friend, not a foe. Probably.]
Regardless, I suppose his assistance would be... practical. He is here, after all. Might as well put him to work.
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01
...
Silently making his way around, he soon spots the woman who seems to be the owner. And judging from her expression and the pile on the ground, it's definitely not because she wants it.]
...Need some help?
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She can't quite explain it, but it's a question that digs a proverbial heel into her. Beatrix takes just a moment or two to think on it as she turns her attention from her growing pile of thorny unwanted decor to set her attention on Eustace. Studying him, she scrutinises and quickly decides from initial assessment, she doesn't have nearly enough information to make even much of a first impression.
Not an Alexandrian, so she can't call him audacious, which is what her immediate reaction is increasingly tempted to be.]
Is that an offer you make to everyone?
[Yes, she needs help if she ever wants to sleep inside a structure again without emerging in a plethora of scratches, but pride is a fickle mistress and regardless of how she perceives herself, Beatrix does not accept aid easily.]
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Only when it looks like it's needed.
[He then turns his gaze towards where the thorns are growing back in the same place she had just cut.]
And it looks like it is. However, if you don't want it then I won't force it.
[He's willing to help, but he's not one of those pushy do gooders who won't take no for an answer. The only time is if there is clear danger, and unless the tree starts attacking, he won't push.
...Though he may still assist regardless, this is definitely one messed up tree and he already has a theory as to why.]
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How laughable would it be to see her trying to climb her way up.]
I have not been able to stop them from... whatever it is doing.
[She finally admits as she turns her attention back onto Eustace.] As I have demonstrated, forced removal is not affecting any of that for the better. I do not suppose you have any other ideas.
[It's a question without her asking it as if it's one.]
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I have a hunch, but I need some information first. Was it like this to begin with or did seem to randomly grow?
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I believe it formed shortly before I had intentions to stake claim. I do not understand why this would have anything to do with why it bars me entry. Unless it is some sort form of trial to test my worthiness.
[She'll show she's worthy, all right.]
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[Hmmm. His gaze moves towards the tree. It's true that the trees seem to have some kind of will of their own, but he's never heard of one refusing someone entry like this. Not impossible, however, there's always a first for everything and it's not like they know all there is to the trees yet. But if it really wanted to oust Beatrix it would probably do more than just put up thorny rose bushes.]
Were you having any certain thoughts or feelings on the matter? Such as feeling guarded or resentment?
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[He's making her second-guess that now, though. What he follows up with doesn't make her feel any better either. Do not start with that whole feelings thing. That she manages to keep that to herself is an accomplishment itself, given that she's been none-too-shy about expressing what she really feels about a place directly affected by her feelings and thoughts.]
I do not do conversation about my feelings.
[Beatrix shakes her head at him with what feels like an ever infinite amount of irritation. Not at him, but simply there all the same.]
Although I suppose my thoughts since my arrival have been anything but positive ones. This is not what I would consider to be a worthwhile use of my time or my presence.
[Resentment? Yes.]
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