MASKTOURN

Albanes walked Aarni all the way down to the refectory doors, engaging in simple smalltalk about the weather and wildlife as they walked. "Well.. here we are." @Twig | Seki / Aarni

"Yup." Aarni felt a little lighter now. Nowhere normal, but better. "Do you want to eat?" @innsjo | kyrie🪶+ darcy🖋+npcs

"Ah... sure. I can get something to eat." Albanes nodded. @Twig | Seki / Aarni

Aarni nodded and went to get food. He took some polenta and fruit with him. @innsjo | kyrie🪶+ darcy🖋+npcs

Albanes got a plate of bread, cheese and fruit, and sat down at one of the tables away from the other two groups in the dining hall. "I don't actually have to eat anymore... but it's still nice to enjoy." She hummed. @Twig | Seki / Aarni

"Yeah, I was about to ask, actually", Aarni hummed and sat down with her. "Hm... what do you do these days? It's probably pretty different to when you.. weren't a god." @innsjo | kyrie🪶+ darcy🖋+npcs

"Well, normally, I'm running the Loucari. Never thought I'd be good at politics, but... I try to be decent enough." Albanes shrugged. "I think I'm better at the more religious aspects of the role. And I try to take time to tend to those in the Temple Hospital. That reminds me of how things were... before." She sighed. "I've been here in the Citadel for a while, though. Not much to do around here." @Twig | Seki / Aarni

"Oh, you do that? That's pretty cool... I hope you've given everyone gay rights", Aarni smiled slightly at his attempt on a joke. "Oh, right, did you become a doctor in Laputa?" "Mhmm, yeah, it seems kinda boring... pretty and uh, mysterious too, but I can imagine it getting kinda dull in here." @innsjo | kyrie🪶+ darcy🖋+npcs (edited)

"Yes. I gave everyone gay rights." Albanes laughed. "Mhm. I was an orthopedic doctor. Worked with bones and muscles, especially with people who needed prosthetics." "... everything gets dull after enough time." @Twig | Seki / Aarni

"Nice!" Aarni grinned. "Ohh, that's so cool, I'm sure you were a big help for people", Aarni smiled. "Yeah... I bet it does", Aarni frowned a bit. "Do even people make it nicer? You have some followers here." @innsjo | kyrie🪶+ darcy🖋+npcs

"I tried to be. I really did." Albanes sighed, and smiled wistfully. "Ehh... somewhat. Before the contestants got here, most of the people here weren't... the most interested in conversation." @Twig | Seki / Aarni

"You were", Aarni nodded, even if he wasn't there to see it, he knew she had helped. "Ah, hm. Well, maybe you need to make it a habit to occasionally abduct new people here just for a chat", Aarni chuckled. @innsjo | kyrie🪶+ darcy🖋+npcs

Albanes let out a dry, tired chuckle. "Ah... I think it's best if we didn't. Once this is all over, I'll go back to the Loucari and resume my normal routine, and it'll all be normal again." @Twig | Seki / Aarni

"Mhm, yeah. What year is it over there?" @innsjo | kyrie🪶+ darcy🖋+npcs

"Ahhh.... I think it's around 2500? I'm about to turn five hundred years old." An awkward pause, and then lightly, "I'm gonna have a big party." @Twig | Seki / Aarni

"Ohh dang. Heck yeah, party! Eat cake for a 500 year's worth!" Aarni grinned. "Jeeze, though. The world's probably pretty different, huh?" @innsjo | kyrie🪶+ darcy🖋+npcs

"Mhm. There will be a lot of celebrations, since it's a milestone in my reign, but I'm thinking of doing something a little more personal." A more personal celebration, with all her very dead friends. "Ah, it is. Progress is pretty slow-coming in the Loucari, but I hear hovercars are a thing now." @Twig | Seki / Aarni

2

Aarni nodded, smiling, oblivious to what Albanes had planned. "That sounds nice. I hope you'll have fun. And daang, they made those work? Shit. I bet I'd still prefer a horse ride." @innsjo | kyrie🪶+ darcy🖋+npcs

"I hope so too." Albanes sighed. "And they did! I haven't gotten the chance to ride one myself- there's all these stipulations about what ways are traditionally appropriate for the Lifebringer to travel, but I've read news stories about them." @Twig | Seki / Aarni

"Pfft, they're that strict with what vehicle you can sit in? I'd get if it was a safety hazard, but I guess their mind would get too boggled if they saw a milleniums old deity sitting in a hovercar", Aarni chuckled. "Maybe you should make a double and make her distract people while you go have fun in a disguise", Aarni suggested light-heartedly. @innsjo | kyrie🪶+ darcy🖋+npcs

"Mhm, very strict. I can only ride carriages, walk in a specific processional formation, or on horse or donkey-back." Albanes laughed with him. "It's all very traditional. Being the Lifebringer is more about appearances than I thought." "Ah, that's an idea. I'd have to keep finding a new one frequently, though, since I don't age. Seems like a lot of work just for hovercar-ing across the city." @Twig | Seki / Aarni

"Oh my god..." Aarni shook his head and put a hand on his face, snickering. "You'd only have to do it once, if you just wanted to try it out. Though, now I can't stop thinking about you driving a hovercar with sunglasses on and passing a bunch of your, err, what're they called? Priests? Any of those guys that want you to ride carriages, and you just stare at them while driving past them. They see me rollin', they hatin'..." @innsjo | kyrie🪶+ darcy🖋+npcs

Albanes laughed- not another melancholy, wistful one, but a full-chested, actual laugh. "Hah! They wouldn't be able to catch me, because I'd be too high up in the air!" @Twig | Seki / Aarni

Aarni laughed as well. "That'd make a really funny action scene, a bunch of religious people trying to catch their god who's driving a hovercar!" @innsjo | kyrie🪶+ darcy🖋+npcs

Albanes kept laughing. "Oh... it is, isn't it... it's so funny to think about..." @Twig | Seki / Aarni

Aarni chuckled. He was glad to hear Albanes being happy for a change. "Yeah. You should try doing something fun like that sometime, heh." @innsjo | kyrie🪶+ darcy🖋+npcs

"Mhm.... I probably should. Maybe once all this is done." @Twig | Seki / Aarni

Aarni smiled. "Yup. You could go down in history as the fun Lifebringer." @innsjo | kyrie🪶+ darcy🖋+npcs

"I could.... I'd probably end up with a better reputation than all the Lifebringers that came before me, combined..." She mused. @Twig | Seki / Aarni

"There you go. The best and most loved Lifebringer", Aarni hummed, and focused on eating for a while. @innsjo | kyrie🪶+ darcy🖋+npcs

"Mhm." Albanes nodded, and fell silent for a moment as well as she ate her breakfast.. @Twig | Seki / Aarni

Once Aarni finished his breakfast, he stretched and leaned back. "Say, didn't the Loucari people rebel against the Lifebringer at some point? Why are they so eager to have one lead them again?" @innsjo | kyrie🪶+ darcy🖋+npcs

"Ahh.... hm. Well, there's been a few different rebellions over the years, but the only one that really got off the ground was the Lily Revolt. That started the Lily Wars. They murdered the, uhh... the fifth Lifebringer, but the powers had already been transferred over to Yeonaixho, my predecessor. I think he was actually on the rebellion's side for the majority of the war, but he eventually took the throne and things calmed down." Albanes explained. "The Lifebringer provides very stable rule. Though there are definitely drawbacks, people tend to prefer that to the turmoil of war, I guess. And it's hard to break an institution that has already stood for ten thousand years." @Twig | Seki / Aarni

"Ahh, I suppose. And monarchs tend to have their quirks everywhere, so that's not unheard of either, I guess." Aarni hummed. @innsjo | kyrie🪶+ darcy🖋+npcs

"Mhm. People like their stability. And that's what the Lifebringer's all about." @Twig | Seki / Aarni

"That makes sense", Aarni nodded. @innsjo | kyrie🪶+ darcy🖋+npcs

Having little else to say on the subject, Albanes fell into silence yet again. @Twig | Seki / Aarni

"Do I take these plates somewhere, or just leave them here?" he asked. @innsjo | kyrie🪶+ darcy🖋+npcs

"There's a dish return over there, near the kitchen." Albanes gestured to a small table close to the buffet. @Twig | Seki / Aarni

"Alright, should I take yours too?" @innsjo | kyrie🪶+ darcy🖋+npcs

"Would you? Thanks, a lot." Albanes put her utensils on the plate and handed it to Aarni. @Twig | Seki / Aarni

"Yeah, no problem", Aarni smiled a bit, and took both of their empty dishes to the dish return. Once he came back, he didn't sit down anymore. "Hmmh. I thought I might go see the goats. Do you know where the nice one hangs out?" @innsjo | kyrie🪶+ darcy🖋+npcs

"The goats are usually out in the fields." Albanes said. "Past the walls. I'll probably have to get back to the acropolis soon." @Twig | Seki / Aarni

"Okay, I guess a walk on the fields should be pretty chill", Aarni hummed. "What are you going to do in the acropolis?" @innsjo | kyrie🪶+ darcy🖋+npcs

"I need to make preparations for the first fight. It's going to be starting... somewhat soon." @Twig | Seki / Aarni

"Oh, okay. Good luck to that", Aarni nodded. "I'll soo you later, then." @innsjo | kyrie🪶+ darcy🖋+npcs

Albanes nodded. "I'll see you later. Have fun with the goats." @Twig | Seki / Aarni

"Yup", he smiled a bit and waved, before heading out. @innsjo | kyrie🪶+ darcy🖋+npcs