timeandtides_backup | [Thread;Open]

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[Thread;Open]

Characters: Leonora, Porom, Ursula, Palom, Ceodore, Dancing Girls, OPEN
Progress: Incomplete.
Summary: Preparations for trips to the shrines is underway. The girls are determined to get Leonora into something she can't trip over.
Location: Troia
Date: May 24th.
Warnings: dancers, peeping, hormones... really nothing much to warn about
Other: Feel free to use the rest of the log for any open tagging, party-style fun you want while in Troia. There's a pretty big crowd in the area. Just make a note somewhere in the subject or tag whereabouts in town you are. :D

Returning from that meeting left Leonora feeling anything but revitalized. There was simply far too much at stake, too many risks, too many questions. Yet something had to be done or this world was just as doomed as their own. She felt more confused and lost than she had when she'd arrived and out of habit, she went to the one place she hoped she could depend upon to still her thoughts enough to see what she should do: the Earth Crystal's chamber.

The darkened room just was not the same. Without the light to illuminate it, it was gloomy and nearly impossible to see in. She stared glumly at the empty pedestal, knowing that the crystal she was supposed to protect was halfway around the world from here. Soon it would travel even further for a plan she wasn't sure she had faith in at all. It wasn't only the chamber that felt the absence of the resident crystal. Leonora could see the differences in Troia itself. Even displaced from home, there were things that had changed that should not have been. The waters were not as clear, the forests not as lush. Troia flourished under the blessing of the crystal and with it gone, much of that abundance was gone.

Leonora clasped her hands in prayer, reciting them all from memory, although her heart and mind was not in it. She knew such shallow devotion was wrong but she simply could not stop her thoughts from straying away from the task at hand. Could the crystal even hear her from such a great distance? Was it angry with her, for leaving Troia or for going to the moon or... seeking Palom's guidance just as much as she did from it. No! No thinking about her teacher. Not here. Only she couldn't seem to stop herself from wondering if he'd laugh at her for taking this so seriously. But it was serious, wasn't it?

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Since learning of their inability to return home, Porom had been - unhappy. The crying was over and done with - for the most part anyway, the quick bursts of sobs when she was alone or with Ursula or her brother didn't count - and what was left was just an unpleasant numbness and uncharacteristic lethargy. She'd spent the last few days doing various amounts of nothing at all.

She'd travelled to Troia for Ursula's sake, to be there when she returned from the meeting, Ursula was losing far more than her, after all, it was the least she could do. And after learning of the shrines and Leonora's determination to accompany the Earth crystal, she finally found a distraction - making sure that Leonora came back in one epopt-shaped piece.

It wasn't difficult to find her. She entered the chamber in silence, echoing Leonora's prayer almost perfectly. She was less familiar with Troian prayers, thanks for and celebration of the bounty of the earth and the beauty of life, than she was with Mysidia's own repetitions of oaths and prophecies in old languages but she had been sent to train epopts before and this one was one she knew well.

When the prayer was finished, before Leonora could continue, she spoke.

"Leonora."

At the sound of her name, Leonora turned, looking both guilty and startled. Porom's arrival took her by surprise, but only because she was more lost in her own thoughts than focused on her devotions. Maybe Palom was right and she should give up the idea of being an Epopt. More and more she began to wonder if she really had what it took to cut it.

She managed a small smile and bobbed her head. "Lady Porom! I didn't expect you."

A creeping blush spread on her cheeks, mercifully masked by the depth of darkness in the enclosed chamber. It wouldn't do at all to let the great white mage of Mysidia know she'd been thinking about Porom's brother rather than her prayers.

"I needed to prepare for the journey to the shrine. Mysidia is- still no place to prepare for anything."

Much as she loved her homeland, it was empty. Aside from her students, there was nobody there. Even the moogles still didn't dare stray too near. If she needed to buy medicine, she had to go to one of the cities.

"Are you done with your prayer? I don't mean to drag you away from it."

"Oh! Oh yes, I'm finished." Leonora stole a glance at the pedestal before turning away from it. She couldn't help but feel guilty for daring to think about any man when in this place and yet she did it more often than she cared to confess. "Do you suppose our prayers can reach the Crystal from here?" She'd believed that they could, but after being received with silence for such a long time when speaking with it...

She nodded, closing her eyes.

"Our prayers reached the moon seventeen years ago. You were praying along with the rest of Mysidia, weren't you? The crystals aren't going further than that, I'm sure they'll hear them."

A tiny smile settled on Leonora's face and she nodded. "Yes, I was. That seems so very long ago now..." For a moment she hesitated, glancing to the pedestal again, then to Porom. "I should go back to Lindblum soon. Would you like me to check on the Water Crystal too?"

[ooc: I figured Leonora and Porom could have their talk and then run into Ursula at some point?]

Ursula was feeling similarly to Leonora, especially when it came to being lost and confused. The decisive and determined front she projected during the meeting was just that; a front. Afterward, she felt at odds again. The impending mission wasn't approaching fast enough for her taste, as she desperately needed distraction from her own thoughts. Thinking about her parents and home and how she would never see any of that again was too painful. That her relationship with Ceodore was now a non-issue was the only silver lining in the entire mess, and she felt guilty for even thinking that much.

As such, Ursula was out training by the pool and had been for a good while now. Her muscles were becoming sore, but she almost didn't care. As long as her body was in motion, at least her mind wasn't dwelling on what caused her so much pain. After a while, Ursula had no choice but to stop. Flushed and aching, she scrunched up her dress and sat at the edge of the pool, lowering her feet into the cool water. That alone did much to ease them as she sighed in contentment. The thoughts held at bay while training would soon crowd in if she was idle for much longer, but for that moment, she had something almost resembling peace.

Walking into town was always a distressing activity for Leonora. Even though she understood the need to return there to make preparations, the subtle changes in the landscape were painful to see. And yet, this was her responsibility until the others could be found or more trained. The prospect of training more when she herself was so new to the position was terrifying.

So when she spotted Ursula sitting by the water, she nodded to Porom and then hurried to the girl's side. At least insofar as her bulky robes would allow. Which truthfully was not so easy to move about in at all. It took a great deal of concentration to move around in them without stepping on them or tripping from within them, and haste was altogether out without physically grabbing them up and exposing legs.

"Princess! Are you enjoying the waters?"

"Ursula." She said quietly, kneeling by the water at her friend's other side. "How are you feeling?"

The sudden company snapped her out of her haze, and she managed a small smile for them both. "I'm just taking a break from training. That helped somewhat."

She fell silent for a moment, still not very talkative compared to her usual self. Then, she looked Leonora over critically. "You still intend to go to the Earth Shrine, right?" There's a glance to Porom, as well. It's about time she brought something up to the epopt, and hopefully her friend will agree.

For a moment, Leonora blinked at being the target of scrutiny. She was so accustomed to merely blending in to the background that she didn't know what to make of it. "Oh. Yes, yes I do. It's my duty to protect the Earth Crystal." She fidgeted a little and stared off at the sea to the east. It troubled her beyond words to have it so far away and in the care of someone who wasn't trained to serve the Crystal.

"Are you going alone? Is anyone accompanying you?"

Porom was concerned for Leonora. She was a powerful mage, certainly, but more than a little-

-well. 'Confused' might be a charitable way to describe it.

Ursula was concerned, as well. "I would, but I have a duty to the Wind Crystal." At least in some way, she could still aid Fabul.

Another moment of thoughtful silence, then....

"Hm...whether you go alone or not, I think you need to wear something different. Those robes are lovely, but they're long. The last thing you want to worry about in battle is tripping." She glanced to Porom again. They needed to make her battle-ready, at least in terms of clothing.

Leonora touched the fabric of the robes, lifting some of the heavy material, then looked from Porom to Ursula, uncertain who to answer first. "I... y-yes, the princess of Wutai is going with me." Not that she really had any inkling what the young lady was capable of, should they be forced into a fight. There had mention of guardians in the shrines, best she remembered.

The full measure of what Ursula was telling her began to sink in, however. "Wear something different? But I... all I have are formal robes." That covered up every inch of skin. Not that there was any denying that they weren't at all suited for combat, as she'd seen on the moon.

"So we'll need to find something different for you. We're not going to force you to wear anything that makes you uncomfortable but- well-"

She motioned to the robes, sighing. "You might need to run. Or fight. And you'll need to do that while protecting the crystal from harm."

Ursula nodded, then moved to stand. "We can help make it easier on you, at least. Why don't we see what's available in the shops now?" She glanced to them both, ready if they were. This wasn't just out of a need for a distraction; she really did worry about Leonora succumbing to a monster thanks to tripping over robes that were too long. It was time to find something with more freedom of movement.

For a long moment, all Leonora could do was look at her robes with a pensive expression. Then she lifted her head and nodded crisply. "I'll do what I need to for keeping the crystal safe." What difference did regalia make compared to fulfilling her duties, no matter how poorly she managed at it.

Chewing on her bottom lip, she looked from mage to monk and then asked quietly, "Will you help?" She hadn't the foggiest where to start, and after being under Palom's tutelage, she found herself bracing for a scathing remark of disapproval.

So here was Palom, out and about in Troia. He had come back here with Leonora when she had picked him up in Fum, and he had just stayed here when she had left to go to that Heads of State meeting. It gave him time to think about a few things going on. The Journey on the moon, not being able to go home.

And Leonora.

Ugh. Why did she always come up? She was just his student - well, not really much anymore. Still, hearing her confession really startled him. He just needed to get his mind off of things. Time to check out the sights.

That meeting had taken a lot out of everyone, including Ceodore. It was a strange thing to be so close to an end, and yet have it taste so bitter. Never seeing home again, Ursula separated from her parents- it was in many ways too much to swallow. The best solution for any of that was to simply make it happen. Be ready to go when the call went out. Not to mention being reassigned to somewhere new. He hadn't quite told his parents yet and was putting it off. Armor maintenance and blade sharpening took priority.

He spotted Palom as he exited the smithy and grinned. Ceodore had a fair idea of why the black mage was still in town, and Troia was full of them. With a grin, the prince waved at his friend. "Hey there. Thought you'd gone back to Mysidia."

Palom lifted his hand to wave back. "Guess I just can't get out of this place."

Leaving his spot, the Black Mage made his way over to Ceodore. "I'm fond of the attractions, what can I say."

Ceodore took a good look around and smirked. Women everywhere. Many of them were enjoying the high female population and were far more relaxed about their choices in clothing. Despite all the cheek pinching, it could be a nice place to stay. "You're not the only one. It's too bad I have to leave."

"Where are you heading? I'm surprised Rosa's even letting you leave." He half expected the prince to be chained to his bed in the castle, to be honest.

"Someplace called a Skysea. Interesting name. I don't imagine it's really water in the sky though." Some concepts were just too preposterous to take them at their word. Ceodore rolled his eyes and sighed. "Mother doesn't know yet." If he had to, he'd just sneak off and go, just like when he went behind her back and enlisted.

"Skysea? Weird."

Rosa not knowing yet could be a good thing, he thought. It meant that Ceodore could leave for this Skysea place, and then he could tell her when he got there. This is a good plan. Very good plan.

"Well, in honor of you leaving again, we should do something. Porom's off doing girly things, so I'm free. Up for a bit of dancing?"

A broad grin crossed Ceodore's face. Watching the dancers was always a great entertainment. When he could escape the hair-rufflers and gigglers at the door. "I think that's an excellent idea. Ursula's off with your sister. It's probably the only safe place in town." Girly things almost never boded well for either of the boys. Some bands involving throwing them at stuff came from their female brainstorming sessions.

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