2022-07-01: The villains go sightseeing, and nobody dies
- Log: The villains go sightseeing, and nobody dies
- Cast: Yuliana Dispersal, Elisa Kafim, Lin Xiahe
- Where: Nesvizh Castle, Ravnui
- Date: 2022-07-01
- Summary: Yuliana takes Elisa on a date to view an old castle, and happens to have the chance to introduce her to an old friend in the process.
<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Dispersal has posed.
What remains of Nesvizh Castle is an architectural marvel of Ravnui -- at least 600 years old by some estimates, it has often been regarded the most beautiful castle the area has to offer. Rising sea levels mean that much of the grounds are underwater rather than waterfront, in the present day, but there are still some fascinating walkways through the aged fortifications.
... whether it's open to the public hardly matters when the people in question are Yuliana Dispersal and Elisa Kafim.
The former of whom easily strolls into the centre square of the castle, one arm about her partner as the other gestures, grandly, to the architecture. Her tone is chipper and fond; her smile, broad. "... they've been restoring it on and off over the centuries, of course. Frankly, it's a wonder gems like these haven't all been destroyed yet... aren't those archways just gorgeous?"
Yuliana doesn't even have an evil plan for this one! She just wants to show Elisa a beautiful place.
<Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.
The public??? Who cares about the public? Elisa and Yuliana go where they like.
Elisa walks along, dressed in green as ever, and looks to where Yuliana grandly gestures with a pleased look. Granted, she usually has a pleased look, but perhaps this one is particularly so. "Yes," she agrees, "It is lovely. It is so nice when people pay attention to their history..."
Is it?
"Ahhh, the archway. Oh, we should also examine that tower, there--" Elisa points to it.
She seems to be having a good time. And nobody's died yet!
<Pose Tracker> Lin Xiahe has posed.
Elisa points at the tower, and--
and...
aaaaaaaand...
There's a young Chinese woman standing in front of the window of the tower, wearing a traditional ruqun -- a Chinese dress -- of white silks, with increasingly translucent layers of pastel blue and red. She's wearing an enormously oversized princess crown ontop of her head, as she gasps and laments:
"Oh, someone, please save me! The evil dragon has trapped me in this tower, oh, woe is me, the princess...!"
Her overacting is pretty bad, if only because she can't wipe the grin off her face.
<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Dispersal has posed.
Who's going to stop them? No one yet, apparently: nobody's died yet, after all.
Yuliana is dressed in one of her typical dark suits, of course -- and a blue and purple striped scarf tucked around her neck, obviously. "Oh?" She asks, easily following Elisa's gesture up to the tower, a smile on her face.
And when she finds what Elisa was pointing to -- Yuliana laughs, her free hand coming up to splay her fingers across her lips. "Hahaha..! How terrible...!"
Her fingers rest on her cheek, as she tilts her head, to the woman beside her. "What do you say, mm?" She presses for Elisa's opinion, cheerfully. "Should we rescue such a poor, forlorn soul?" Nobody's died yet, but the day is still young!
<Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.
It is a lovely scarf. Elisa likes it. She also likes the tower, but she perhaps likes it even better as it turns out that it's occupied. "My," she says. "What a beautiful princess!" Elisa turns her head slightly to glance at Yuliana, and considers the matter, watching her for a little longer before looking back. "Yes," she says. "I'm dreadfully curious. And I think a crown is exactly the right thing..."
It's probably fine.
"Do tell about the dragon!" Elisa calls as she starts forward with Yuliana. Because of course she's not going alone.
<Pose Tracker> Lin Xiahe has posed.
There's a luxurious smile as Xiahe places her finger to her lip coyly, gazing down upon the two of them. Upon closer inspection, she's also got little qilin horns on either side of her head, which appear like tiny white tree branches.
"The biiiig, evil dragon that threatens us all... just what form does it take? Is it a massive, firebreathing lizard that sits atop a hoard of gold? The machine dragon of treachery and subterfuge, its clockwork gearing the very cog of modern society...?"
A pause.
She laughs brighter and suddenly just jumps straight from the tower, and begins to just... float in midair, gliding aloft towards the two and landing ontop of a precariously thin piece of debris that by all rights shouldn't be able to support her.
"Or perhaps it is just... the dragon of ennui! The evil monster that sinks us into the doldrums of the everyday..." She makes a flourish and a bow. "Lin Xiahe, at your service."
Lin Xiahe is... a somewhat known name, some six to nine years ago -- someone who piloted a mysterious Super Robot and defended the REA and Japan against terrestrial threats, such as the Dinosaur Empire, the Mycenae Empire, and the Primevals. Then... she disappeared, six years ago.
And now she's playing princess.
Fun!
<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Dispersal has posed.
"Hmm? Would you like one, darling..?" Yuliana asides, with a sly smile to Elisa, on the matter of crowns.
Of course Elisa isn't going alone; Yuliana walks beside her, waving up to the tower. "Regale us!" She joins in, on her encouragement. And lo, they are regaled --
Yuliana may, in fact, have even deployed alongside Xiahe, back then -- though she was much more of a fresh-faced newbie, in those days. Either way, she certainly recognises her, when she floats impossibly down to perch on her implausible foothold.
"Ah, Xiahe!" She waves to her -- she has no need to obscure what she knows, because it's just Elisa here. "So you were locked in a tower all these years, mm..? How terrible for you. It's fortunate we were stopping by, isn't it?" She says it all with that same cheer in her voice -- she's having a spot of fun.
<Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.
Elisa replies to Yuliana, "Why, of course."
But then the various dragons are enumerated, and Xiahe begins to float down. It shouldn't be able to support her, that debris, and yet it does! Elisa looks delighted. And she considers these dragons, and inclines her head in return-greeting. she... does not recognize the name, though Yuliana does so that's good enough. And Elisa was just talking about the past...!
"I think I like the fire-breathing monster on the hoard of gold," Elisa reflects. "That seems like the ideal dragon to me. But the others are certainly fearsome."
"But it is lovely to meet you. I am Doctor Elisa Kafim. And it would seem you already know my dear Yuliana."
So it would seem.
<Pose Tracker> Lin Xiahe has posed.
"Mmm, I do indeed!" Xiahe sing-songly speaks, as she plants her hand to her chest. "My my goodness me, Yuliana, you look lovely!" She winks and says, "Doctor Elisa Kafim... oh, I feel as if I have heard that name before! Perhaps in the context of... sporting, once...? It was a while ago, however."
She cheerfully adds as she moves on, since she can't piece the name to any greater degree of accuracy, "So you are a fan of the classics! I will have to keep that in mind sometime." ... in the context of what? Well, it's hard to tell with her.
She hums and puts her hands to her waist, leaning forward as she says to Yuliana, "It has been a while. Six years or more. So much has changed, has it not?"
Except... her, it seems. Xiahe doesn't look like she's aged a day in six years.
<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Dispersal has posed.
"Then you shall have it," Yuliana assures her, promising her a crown as easily as dinner.
"I'm fond of the machine dragon, myself," Yuliana asides, given Elisa's reflection, "but there's certainly something to be said for breathing fire." Her smile broadens, when Elisa elects to introduce herself -- someone like her is inclined to let her partner set her speed on information disclosure, but she's able to intuit quite a lot about her comfort from those three lines.
She laughs, easily, a hand to her own chest, as she looks to Xiahe. "Why, thank you! And you know, my darling Elisa is terribly talented..." It's still 'Elisa', when talking to other people, because this is hardly a private arena.
"Oh... has it?" She wonders, a hand brushing through her bangs, as she looks up to Xiahe. "I've grown older, but you haven't aged a day... why, six years ago, I would have still been an unattached agent, no?" Who had a devastating habit of doing things like 'going into battle without securing her protective gear properly because there wasn't enough time'.
Yuliana has always been Like That. She may, in fact, have only been even MORE Like That in the years before.
"But then, I moved from Mycenae to men... hmm, not that it wasn't good for my promotion, of course." She started on the officer track during that intra-Federation conflict, after all -- though back in Xiahe's day, she was still an officer cadet. She grins, as she adds: "I'm a Captain with my very own team these days, you know. You'll not outstrip my performance so easily now."
If this informs Elisa that Xiahe is a decorated pilot in the process, well, that's surely just a happy coincidence.
<Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.
"Lovely."
"Ahhh," Elisa says. "The machine dragon. Yes, I can see that." Then she smiles--very easily--at Xiahe. "It was indeed. But those with an interest in gymnastics naturally interest me. That's likely the context."
She adds about being a fan, "I am indeed. I often find that the old ways of doing something can inform something of a style in the present, even as we innovate."
Talented! Buuut. Hmmm. So Xiahe is a talented pilot who hasn't aged at all since Yuliana knew her some years ago...
"Much can change in six years," she agrees. Then she looks to YUliana, and also smiles. "Indeed she is. She's quite good, too. Ah, but I would not be such an expert in matters of piloting..."
"Do tell me how I can facilitate your catching up."
<Pose Tracker> Lin Xiahe has posed.
There's certainly layers in which they have to be guarded about how much they give away -- even Xiahe -- though she seems to appear very easygoing right now... then again, don't they all? Smiles are the most powerful weapon at all, at times.
"Not gymnastics in specific, but I do enjoy keeping up with acrobatic sports and learning from them," Xiahe explains to Elisa. It must've been a television broadcast from some time. But that was some time ago, indeed.
Yuliana points out that she hasn't aged a day, and she cups a hand to her cheek. "Ara ara, stop, Yuliana, I will blush. I just have a wonderful skincare routine, mm? I will recommend the face mask I use to you."
There's a quiet hum in thought as Yuliana works through the years with her, and now... Captain! "Oh, even back then, I plainly saw the spark of potential in you. I am a little rusty from piloting, so you may even get the best of me now! Though, I am not associated with anti-Earth efforts at present, so you do not have to chase me around on that front, at the very least."
For other reasons, though, she seems to say.
"At the moment, I am merely travelling, reconnecting with old friends and seeing how they are doing. Oh, but the world does continue to turn, does it not...?"
<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Dispersal has posed.
Yuliana smiles, a very powerful weapon, as Elisa espouses the benefits of the past. Perhaps it's no wonder she took her on a date to a castle, given logic like that. The fortifications of the past are so beautiful in the present, aren't they?
Her hand comes up to her cheek, as she presses: "Oh? My, that would be wonderful," learning the secrets of face masks, after all. It's important to keep up with one's appearance. Yuliana's isn't the most feminine, but that hardly means she doesn't care.
"Oh, my dear, you flatter me!" She exclaims, jealousy-green eyes on Elisa, as she declares her talent on the field. She laughs, turning her attention back to Xiahe, in turn. "I'm so glad you've cleared your head," she remarks, with a smile. "As an upstanding Federation officer, I've a duty to evict any who would dare be caught disturbing the peace, you know."
Yes, Yuliana definitely takes only upstanding actions, and never commits sabotage. That's why machine dragons are her favourite dragons. Obviously.
(And that's some interesting wording on getting caught, isn't it? Well, she's a Captain, now; she's probably got her own network of bribery going on. That much is just REA tradition.)
"But you know, I've been doing quite well," Yuliana says, gaze lidding over her broad smile. "Particularly now I've met my dear Elisa... we're very happy, aren't we, darling?" She asides, to the eternally-pleasant woman beside her.
The affection in her voice doesn't even seem feigned, which might be kind of surprising, given how disconnected Yuliana always was from everyone around her. Perhaps even hotshot young pilots can eventually find love, once they've lived a little longer.
If she's setting Xiahe up to fall into Elisa's jaws with her romance... well, she has an interest, naturally.
<Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.
Smiles, smiles!
Elisa likewise appears pretty easygoing, though there's always something guarded about a smile that's forever on, whether it admits to being a fortress or not.
And this is a fortress...
"How delightful," Elisa says of the skincare routine. "I will be very interested as well." She doesn't need it. But she likes that kind of thing; she is rather femme. But back then, hm...?
She doesn't comment on duty at the moment. Instead she says to Yuliana, "We rather are. And so of course I'm happy to meet an old friend."
"Indeed though, the world turns. Why... I'm sure the 'me' of those six years ago would hardly recognize things as they are now!"
"It's funny like that."
<Pose Tracker> Lin Xiahe has posed.
Three women in their own castle of smiles...
"Well, first I tried this superfood spinach and avocado face wash, and that worked wonders! Then, there was a coconut and shea butter face mask, which was a leave-on that left me glowing the next morning," Xiahe natters cheerfully to Elisa. It's actually not a lie; she does love playing with this stuff.
It's also a lie, of course, because the truth of her immortality is nastier than fun cosmetics.
"Hmmmm," she does preen at Yuliana for a moment. "You know, I keep making bets to myself on who'd hook up the fastest. But I didn't think it'd be you! So here's five gilla."
She takes the crown off off her head and puts it on a cushy-looking pillow. The crown is only worth five gilla?! Cheap!
"Oh, my head is certainly very clear now. It is becoming more and more evident what I need to do next," Xiahe chuckles. Or is it? The more she searches, the murkier it gets. But sometimes, mud is the clearest substance of all. Like the mud one puts on their face to make their pores clear. Symbolism?
She hops down and kneels, dramatically saying, "And now, to present the crowning of the new couple!" as she holds the crown and cushion out.
<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Dispersal has posed.
If Yuliana realises she's the most mortal woman in this clearing, she doesn't look particularly intimidated or dismayed about it. She, too, is smiling, utterly delighted at the way Xiahe and Elisa bond over cosmetics.
"Heh!" Yuliana laughs, as Xiahe declares her crown to be worth five gilla, which is either a tragic underestimation of wealth or a terrible comment on tourist traps. "I'm sure it'll do, for now."
There's something about how she defers that -- for now -- which might speak to some ambition entirely beyond the military heirarchy. Or perhaps she's joking around, as she's wont to do. She smiles, to Elisa, and adds: "It's so nice to see you getting along." This old friend she doesn't hesitate to share, apparently.
It makes Elisa happy, after all, and Yuliana does so want to bring Elisa happiness. Yes, even given her constant smiles!
"Hmmm? And what will you do, my dear...?" Yuliana invites Xiahe to commit to the path she's gestured to, with gentle pressure. Intimacy is a cudgel as much as acceptance, shifted from one context to another; really, Yuliana only knows how to use it like a weapon, which might make it all the more striking how she can only apply the same concept more genuinely to the woman she loves.
But she steps forward, in any case, and delicately takes the crown between her long fingers to place it, gently, atop Elisa's head. "The first of many, I'm sure," she assures her, warm, and for a moment she has attention only for the woman in front of her.
<Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.
"Ahhh I have heard of spinach and avocado, but never tried it. Perhaps I will have to!" Does Elisa enjoy it? Well, it's an open question whether Elisa 'enjoys' things. Especially mortal things. But she sure sounds excited about it!
Elisa, of course, is a monster.
"My! Five gilla!" She seems amused at this. "For now that is good." She agrees for that. And--indeed. "I'm enjoying myself," she says amiably.
The pillow... and a crown! "Fascinating," Elisa comments as to clarity. "I think it's very important to be certain of what one is doing, don't you?"
What is it? Well, Yuliana can ask. It's fine. As for Elisa...
Crowned Burger Queen, she straightens, looking down upon the faceless peasants of the world with an imperious motion.
"Yes, yes," she says to Xiahe, "This... will do. This is delightful." The first of many, Yuliana says.
"Yes. Indeed."
<Pose Tracker> Lin Xiahe has posed.
For now. But is anyone ever satisfied with what they have for now?
Xiahe beams between the two, as she rises lightly back to her feet and does a teensy hop backwards, ever so cutely. Then she preens again at Yuliana, putting a finger to her lips.
"My, telling is the most boring thing I could possibly do. Where is the mystery? The sense of grandeur? Once everything is laid out, the imagination has nothing to do. And that is the most excruciatingly boring state of all," she points out.
A slightly louder hum, as she follows the same gaze Elisa does for a moment. "But look forward to it, certainly. Perhaps we can all play together at a later date, as well. I am so very lonely, and could make more friends, after all."
There's a resplendent little laugh, and then... after being certain no one in particular is looking, she raises her hand.
There's a soft whirl of energy, and the mist around the castle thickens until it coalesces into what appears like a semi-solid... deer?
But to those in the know, it's a statement: this has the feeling of a kaiju.
It's a statement of some level of trust, to say 'I can create kaiju', but also perhaps a somewhat cheeky implicit suggestion: 'I know you're associated with kaiju as well.' To who? Well, sometimes a scattershot approach is fun, isn't it, even if it completely misses?
She sits to one side, legs togather, and the deer starts to march in the direction of the back exit. She motions with a casual handwave as she does so. "I should not keep you two on your date long. Be well, both of you!"
<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Dispersal has posed.
"Good," Yuliana affirms, to Elisa's amiable enjoyment.
She laughs, to Xiahe's demands of mystery. "Hmm..? Oh, you'll have to forgive me. You see, I tend to open those secrets which lie behind all scenes and dreams." The secrets of men? Oh, those too. "It's too easy to forget the excitement of not knowing, in my position!"
Yuliana smiles like a shark, and affirms: "But it's so important to have fun with life." She loves to play! Of course, her games...
Perhaps that's why she can find such amusement in this crowning, just the same. Yuliana follows Elisa's gaze down, as her hand drops to her shoulder and smiles --
Less imperious than hungry, all told.
Occupied with her dear Elisa as she is, Yuliana doesn't much notice Xiahe summoning her kaiju, until it's well and truly done. "Oh?" She asks, rising tone, as she looks back to find her astride a deer; she doesn't sound terribly surprised.
Maybe she would have been, six years ago, but... let's just say Elisa has expanded her horizons quite a bit.
"Take care!" Yuliana calls to her in turn, entirely friendly.
And once Xiahe is gone, she turns back to Elisa, and purrs: "Charming, isn't she? ... do you want her, darling?" That she can offer an old friend up to Elisa so casually...
... it's probably fine.