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XOCHI'S HOUSE - EARLY AFTERNOON
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Nesseth makes his way up to the front door of Xochi's house, having gotten the key from Kira, as well as the necessary paperwork to search the place for clues about all the current goings on. After his talk with Mia, he's set on a purpose if he happens to run into Xochicoatl, but in the mean time he still has a duty to do. He pauses out on the porch and sighs a bit as he looks at the darkened windows, just thinking about the whole situation for a few seconds.
Xochicoatl descends behind Nesseth, having wanted to see her other selves garden... and in part to consider all of this. Asking directions to her former home from Erika, she is... perhaps not so surprised to find Nesseth standing there as she lands from her flight. She doesn't quite fold her wings back, watching the lizard cautiously, certain he has heard her set down, and unsure if she shouldn't take back to the sky.
Nesseth pulls the key to the door out of a pocket and goes to open it when he hears something land a ways behind him. He pauses and looks over his shoulder, then nods at Xochicoatl. "Ah... good to see you, your Highness. I, ah... if you don't mind, there are some... a lot of things I need to talk with you about, but I also need to search around this house."
Xochicoatl sighs, "Please, there is no need for the 'Highness' title." She sighs, shaking her head. "I... do not fully trust you, Nesseth. But... Erika told me what is happening. I still do not fully understand. But I wished to see my... 'her' home."
Nesseth nods and unlocks the door fully, and pushes it open, then heads in while waving for Xochicoatl to follow. "Then... Xochi, just as I call your older self. Come on, we can talk while we wander about a bit inside."
Xochicoatl watches Nesseth enter, then bows her head and follows him inside. She glances around the rather spartan accomodations of the home. A simple kitchen, a mat for a bed, and a bookshelf. "Ahh... it is... not much, yes?
Nesseth hums as he looks around, getting his first real look at Xochi's home. He doesn't seem all too surprised to see her more ascetic living arrangements, though. "She seems to enjoy living the simple life out here, yeah."
Xochicoatl slithers over to the bookshelf, looking through the titles... most are simple herbology and gardening books, probably imported from Bairnell or even borrowed from Erika (Who absolutely does not need them). "A simple life... hm. Why did she come to Respite Falls in the first place?"
Nesseth walks slowly around the room, his eyes just sort of taking in the place as a whole right now. "She never wanted to attain her birthright, from what I remember us talking about. She just wanted to live in peace and quiet, and do what she could personally to make lives better, rather than lead a nation."
Xochicoatl hums turning to watch Nesseth as he examines the room. "...her birthright and mine. Could she have not made many lives better leading a nation? It would have granted her the freedom and peace she desired, yes?"
Nesseth shakes his head. "I don't know. If it's just personal peace that she wanted, well... not much peace to be had when one has the worries of an entire nation on their shoulders." He sighs a bit and stops his slow walk for a bit as he just looks at a side of the room, "Leadership isn't easy, even in the best of times."
Xochicoatl frowns, "Ah, Captain Louma said similar things... I had thought, being Queen, you could simply order others to leave you alone when you wished for it. I could have made peace. I would..." She pauses a long time while Nesseth continues to search the room. "...was she better than me?"
Nesseth tilts his head at the question, only then looking over at Xochicoatl with a curious expression. "Well, she is you, so no better or worse. The only difference is that she didn't get a chance to escape her gilded cage for many years longer."
Xochicoatl sighs, "Apologies, it is perhaps a biased question... I simply... I wish to help her, this 'other me', I truly do. And I will do what I can to aid you and your friends to find her... but... Erika has told me of the cost and..." She shakes her head.
Nesseth gazes at Xochicoatl for a few seconds, then sighs as he rubs a hand over his scaly snout. "Well... if you want to know everything, that's what I wanted to talk to you about. I think I've got the best grasp on the situation for Xochi's side of things, right now... at least for the folks currently around."
Xochicoatl hesitates a moment, then nods, "Yes... please. I want the truth. Erika has told me all she knows, and I have agreed to help. But I refuse to simply... return to imprisonment."
Nesseth nods in turn and turns to face Xochicoatl straight as he goes to lean against the wall in lieu of sitting at a table or anything similar. "Of course. So... as far as I know, Xochi... the older one, not you, did a ritual of some sort to undo some regrets she'd had. That's why I'm here, to find any info about the ritual if I can." He pauses, then shakes his head, "That aside, she vanished from town not long after we all came back from an excursion out to the far west. Not too long ago, I found her one night in a dream... but it didn't feel like a dream. She was being kept in a purgatory of sorts, the Dark Sea, in exchange for you coming forward in time to now."
Xochicoatl listens with interest, until Nesseth mentions the Dark Sea, which causes her to recoil back, eyes wide. "T-that isn't a real place, Nesseth! It's a bed time story... it's... it's a..." She shudders, but after a moment, another thing clicks into place. "Forward in time... how long as it been since the end of the war?"
Nesseth shakes his head slowly as he dips his chin down. "It's not a story, I'm afraid... I was there for a short while, and the other Xochi is still there even now. She'll eventually be trapped there for good." He lifts his chin back up again and thinks, "...It's been roughly 60 years since the war, I think, or thereabouts."
Xochicoatl sighs, "Then I... she is that old, hm? And... trapped... to end her regrets... but instead, it brought me here?"
Nesseth nods. "I'm guessing something with the ritual went awry, or else didn't work as anyone intended it to... or she wanted to fix regrets that piled up over the years she'd been stuck in that manor. I don't know, except that it brought you out of time to here."
Xochicoatl nods silently. "And if I perform the ritual... then what? She will be restored, and I will... return to the manor?"
Nesseth shrugs and shakes his head. "I don't know. That's my best guess, and I'm hoping to all the gods our two species worship that that's the case, because that means you'll still gain your freedom in the future." He dips into a little respectful bow for a moment, "...And we'll be able to meet on better terms than my bumbling missteps the other day. Louma as well."
Xochicoatl sighs, "It feels like... such a slim hope... I shall tell you this, Nesseth. The day I escaped... it was my sixteenth year. My captors told me that I would not be taught to fly. That I would be confined both to that manor, and to the ground, for the rest of my life. I was locked in my room, and I cried. I would have no release... No birthright. I had nearly given up hope. ...but then the window opened. And I did not know how, or why, but I took the moment, and then I found myself here."
Nesseth nods solemnly. "I know. Xochi told me the same, but for her, there was no chance of escape, and no window opened. She wanted to give you a freedom she never had before coming here, but she didn't realize it would cost her everything."
Xochicoatl looks down sadly, "She truly did give up everything for me, without even knowing me... or, knowing me but..." She sighs, "I will help, and just as you, I shall pray. ...though, I will confess to you, the spirits have not spoken to me since I arrived."
Nesseth tilts his head thoughtfully. "No? I remember the other Xochi mentioning similar, but... only that she'd lost that ability some time after her 16th birthday, some time into her confinement..." He frowns a little, "I... hmm... no, now that I think about it, I might know a reason, but I really hope that's not the case..."
Xochicoatl frowns. "I... just thought perhaps they did not recognize me."
Nesseth shakes his head. "I don't see why they wouldn't... You're still you, after all. No... I think you might not hear them because..." He pauses, a slight grimace on his face, "...Well... because they're occupied with punishing Xochi in the Dark Sea."
Xochicoatl frowns, then glances back around the room, "We... we should continue searching, yes?"
Nesseth nods as he tries to banish that thought. "Y-yeah, we're just looking for any sort of papers that have the ritual notes on them. I hope they're still around here somewhere."
Xochicoatl hums, thinking for a moment. "If I were to keep those notes, perhaps in a journal or..." She slithers over towards the sleeping mat, reaching down to lift a corner, revealing a leather-bound book. She reaches down to lift it up and flip through it, but cringes slightly at the uncomfortable recognition of her own handwriting. "Ahh, perhaps you should see if it is what you are looking for?"
Nesseth hums thoughtfully as he looks away from the bookshelves and over at Xochicoatl. He goes over to the mat to look at the book the coatl is holding. "Hm? Oh, is that her journal? It might be in there, yeah... Considering the time she vanished... it should be one of the last few entries."
Xochicoatl flips through it to the end, still finding it strange to read words she wrote and yet... She flips back a few pages, scanning the contents. "...there is mention of the ingredients. 'The items which Sammi requested'?"
Nesseth hums and nods. "That should be part of it, yeah. Sammi was the one helping Xochi with that ritual they'd planned."
Xochicoatl reads, "These ingredients seem... strange? Essence of youth... that which walked upon six legs? Essence of Regret, and Essence of Desire? She made notes what they all meant to her. But would we need different ingredients?" She pauses... then hands the book to Nesseth, "Essence of Desire... was feathers. She... she never learned to fly?"
Nesseth shakes his head at the question, but takes the book to read through the passage himself. "No, her wings weren't able to support her in the air due to a lack of use. She also spent a lot of time with her wings bound and hidden, which didn't help the problem at all. The feathers were still very, very nice, but her wings just... didn't work."
Xochicoatl stretches her wings out, "Captain Louma... was very insistent in teaching me. That... must be why." She seems devasated at the thought, only having just found the joy of flight.
Nesseth hums and nods. "I wouldn't be surprised. It was a shame that Xochi's wings were disused, since her losing the use of her wings is like me losing the use of an arm or leg." He smiles a little at Xochicoatl, "Though, I'm glad Louma was able to teach you how to fly."
Xochicoatl folds her wings back behind her, "For... what freedom it will afford me. Yes... More than any crown or throne, it is the birthright I would most lament losing, now that I have experienced. ...no wonder your friend felt such sorrow that she would go through with such a ritual."
Nesseth takes a moment to flip back a page or two just to see if he can glean any more information about the ritual from the entries. "When Xochi arrived here, she had no desire to ascend to the throne, though we did joke about it once or twice." He gestures at Xochicoatl's wings, "Her wings, though... it was something she, Louma and I always felt the worst about. But, thankfully, now that you know how to fly, you can keep them fit."
Xochicoatl nods, "Louma has taught me how to keep them strong and clean. It is not a thing I wish to neglect. Captain Louma said they would be the key to ensuring no one could ever hold me down again... and perhaps that will prove to be the truth."
Nesseth dips his head a bit, agreeing with Louma's statement to Xochicoatl. "I agree. Your wings are your ultimate freedom. With those, you can fly anywhere you want, any time you want. Whether you stay here or go back, your wings will carry you far."
Xochicoatl: "And if this ritual... sends me back to that Manor, or tries to trap me in the Black Sea..." She shudders again, but straights up, "I shall fly away from either. I will not be bound, Nesseth, I swear to you."
Nesseth nods at that. "That's my hope, Xochi. If there's one thing I can't forgive my kind for, it's robbing someone of their freedom like that over so many years. Whether you go back or not, though, is your choice. If you decide to stay, I'll support that and help however I can... and if you decide to go back, I'm praying with all of my might that you simply return to the manor, and not the Dark Sea."
Xochicoatl bows her head. "If... no. I shall do what I must to help your friend, first. The rest... we shall see what the Ancestors shall see fit to decide."
Nesseth can't help but smile a bit at the familiar motion of the bow. "You know... you might be the younger of the two, but I can tell you're both one and the same, talking like that."
Xochicoatl tilts her head, then glances away. "...If only we were, and this would not be an issue. I want to help... I wonder... would you hate me had a chosen to remain? I want to live, to be free, and we do not know what this ritual will do."
Nesseth shakes his head. "No. I'm sure we would get along like I do with the older you, even if it'd probably take a bit of time working back up to that, but no, I wouldn't hate you if that's your choice."
Xochicoatl hums, slithering over towards the kitchen to look outside through the window to the backyard. "Part of me wishes to be selfish, but it is a quiet voice. That part of me fears that things will not be as simple as you may think."
Nesseth hums quietly. "Mmh... it usually never is, as much as we might want it to be. Without Sammi and the other Xochi present, though... we don't know what might happen if we try to reset things."
Xochicoatl looks out at the garden, it looks a little wilted and uncared for in these colder months. "But we must try regardless, yes?"
Nesseth shifts uncomfortably. "Only if you want to. Like you said, we don't know what might happen."
Xochicoatl chuckles, "It is not really a choice for me. It is what is right. I just... Success, or failure, it may end with my departure. So I only ask for you to remember me. Care for these flowers."
Nesseth dips his head. "I promise, I'll care for these flowers, Xochi, and I'll keep you in my memories for as long as I live." He pauses, then hitches up a little smile, "Though... if you do wind up back at the manor... I can tell you something that will... hopefully keep your spirits up."
Xochicoatl turns back to look at Nesseth, her face is a bit more resigned, but she manages a smile. "Yes?"
Nesseth sighs a little as he tries to relax the tension in his shoulders. "If you wind up back at the manor again, you'll be able to escape again one day, especially with your wings being developed now. If you do escape, come to Respite sometime around your 60th birthday or so. Louma and I will be more than happy to get you settled right in, like we did for the other you when she first arrived."
Xochicoatl hums, "It is a wonderful thought, yes. It is one I shall hold onto, at the very least."
Nesseth takes a moment to rub his chin in thought. "And... past me is sincere about helping you settle in comfortably, even if he might have been a bit of an idiot at one point back around then. You'll have to forgive him, if you can."
Xochicoatl tilts her head and chuckles, "You say this... I assume she did forgive you, hmm?"
Nesseth chuckles quietly. "She did, yes. Still, forewarned and all that."
Xochicoatl smiles, "Then I shall likely do so as well, yes. But, I thank you. And I forgive you and Louma both, for all of this."
Nesseth dips his head again, grateful. "Thank you, Xochi. We didn't mean anything bad by keeping the truth from you, but we were also just afraid of driving you away if we came out with all of the details at once." He shakes his head, "That was our mistake."
Xochicoatl comes forward and puts a hand upon Nesseth's shoulder. "You were concerned for your friend... and for me. I understand."
Nesseth gently pats Xochicoatl on the shoulder in turn. "If we had more time, I'd have thrown everything into trying to find a way to make sure you could keep your freedom while still helping the older you escape, too."
Xochicoatl sighs, "But the Black Sea leaves no time for that. I know the myths..." She lowers her head.
Nesseth gives Xochicoatl's shoulder a gentle squeeze before letting his hand drop back down to his side. "If you're serious about this choice, I'll see about getting something put together for you to take back to the manor. Hopefully, it goes with you."
Xochicoatl nods, turning back to look out at the garden. "I am sure of it, yes. Beyond this ritual... do not worry about it, Nesseth, yes? Let us focus on this for now."
Nesseth nods as he moves to look out into the garden as well. "Yeah... I wish we had more information, but if we work with Louma to figure things out, we could probably get things set up quickly enough."
Xochicoatl: "And I will be ready..."
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RESPITE GENERATOR - AFTERNOON
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Maybelline finishes lunch, walking back up the steps to the control panel. She glances over the numbers, and picks up her notes to record it. "Hm... down a little bit, but still high output... heh, you uh, doing alright?" She looks up at the generator, not actually expecting any response, but...
Maybelline waits a moment longer then sighs, laughing to herself, "No. Of course not... I'm... crazy. That's all. Letting Mia talk me into this, and then the Loremaster... he was probably just trying to make me feel better about Mia, right? And those changes..." She sets her notes down, walking over to the ladder that leads up towards the outer containment wall. She climbs up, and puts a hand on the wall.
Maybelline feels the thrum of the power within the generator vibrating through the wall. "But here I am still talking, eh? What... would I even call you? Just go by my design notes and call you the AM-EE Mark I? Or let you pick your own name like Mia did? Or just... this is ridiculous..."
Maybelline sighs, climbing back down. She picks up her notes again and gets back to work in silence. As she finishes up with recording the readings, she glances back up at the Generator.
Maybelline: "It's not like you can talk back anyways, right?"
Narrator: One of the panels, the same one that had been giving May so many problems the week after Strix's transformation, pops open, despite being closed and locked in place.
Maybelline blinks, hearing the panel pop and squeak open. She pads her way over to the panel, and slowly, gently closes it. "Oooh... Oooookay. Well... I mean... it can't hurt to talk to keep you company, whether you can hear me or not... right?"
Maybelline continues to go about her work for the day, feeling a little self-concious as she narrates a little bit more than she might usually do, for whoever or whatever might be listening in...