Edge, Friday Evening

[raspberryturk]

It was one of those rare nights that Reno had managed to score all to himself, off-duty, with not a single reason to worry about Tseng calling him in out of the blue to do some urgent mission or another. Why? Because Rude had the night off, too, and Tseng knew better than to try to call Reno in when Rude would do the job just as well, and without whining about it.

And so, there he was, sprawled backwards on the couch (and doing an admirable job of ignoring the busted springs in his back) and staring up at the ceiling, contemplating where in the world he was supposed to go from here and the obstacles on his way to wherever that turned out to be.

"Winter's coming, yo." He paused, and then, with a faint smirk on his lips, he added, "Fehdan'c lusehk."

At the very least, it wasn't as though he'd be making the trip alone.

[For that girl who speaks the funny language. And sure, open for phone calls or whatever, if you'd like.]

Comments

[glacial_queen]

"I'm not really sure," Karla said slowly. "I have no idea what to expect. I just know that things are bad and getting worse." She sighed, settling back and kicking her feet up, trying to figure out where and how to start. "Six years ago, there was a...regime change. The previous Queen and her Consort were murdered, as was the Queen's sister, depriving Glacia of the two most powerful females in the Territory. The murderer was smart and made it look like an accident, which meant no one protested overmuch when he took 'temporary control' of the government--especially since he also claimed guardianship over Glacia's future Territory Queen, who was only a child."

Funny how much easier it was to talk about when Karla pretended it happened to other people.

"Things seemed okay at first. No one really noticed anything, because the Territory was still in mourning. But he was busily working behind the scenes, bringing in a cadre of strong males loyal only to him, and giving them pretty much free reign over everything. He's robbing the treasury blind, using it to pay for his bullyboys and his lavish lifestyle. All the wine, drugs, and loose women he could ever want and more, while people go cold and hungry in the streets." Bitterness was creeping into her tone.

"But even that is forgiveable." Karla swallowed hard and continued. "Glacia's had bad Queens before and survived. What makes him different is that he and the bastards who work for him are systematically culling anyone who might challenge him. They're spreading lies and rumors, inspiring fear so no one knows who to trust anymore. They're enslaving males who they can't control in other ways; males who are too strong and won't pledge their loyalty to Hobart. They're indoctrinating young females with lies to keep them subservient and breaking females too old or stubborn to believe the whispers."

She resolutely told herself that she wasn't going to cry on the phone with a strange male, pausing a moment to collect herself. "The worst part is, they don't even have to do much anymore. The rumors repeat themselves now. It's a vicious cycle I don't know how to break. Females are afraid of males, so they Ring them--enslave them-to protect themselves and their daughters. Males fear the Ring and distrust females and so try to break them younger and younger. And I'm left in the middle, trying to figure out how to piece together a society that's been shattered when I can't even put together a single shattered body."

Karla realized abruptly just how much she'd been talking--revealing, really--to a perfect stanger, and shut her mouth with an audible snap. "I--didn't mean to ramble like that," she said hastily. "Trying to figure out where to start is no excuse to just talk at you like that."

[raspberryturk]

"Talk all you need to, yoto. Clearly, you ain't never met my girlfriend," Reno replied, dismissively.

And then, a heartbeat later, his tone was completely different. Serious. Almost as though there was a completely different person speaking, now.

"Really, it all sounds familiar. 'All evidence of misconduct must be destroyed.' It ain't an easy problem to fix, yo. For us, it took damn near the end of the world."

[glacial_queen]

Karla blinked at the phone for a moment, not expecting the abrupt shift. But when she responded, there was no evidence of her surprise in her voice. "Well, if you have any ideas about how to do so without nearly ending the world, I'd be appreciative," she murmured wryly. "I don't think anyone will appreciate me devastating their Territories to fix my own."

"One thing I would like to do, though, while I'm there? If you know of anyone very ill or injured? I can Heal them, too. Not too many, because I'll probably be drained from Healing the land--" had Karla truly understood the magnitude of what happened, she would have used a better word than 'drained' "--but I should be able to Heal the very worst off." She paused, thinking furiously. "Could I use that? Could I say that in exchange for Healing them, they could help me somehow? So they don't feel like it was charity and we have some extra workers?" She tried not to sound over-excited, though she was more than a bit proud she'd thought of it herself.

Karla was very young sometimes.

[raspberryturk]

Reno was nodding as he listened now, trying to keep any comments about that youthful pride to himself. His had been smashed to bits years ago, and he was just very, very good at covering that fact up, most of the time.

"I say you ask 'em to tell you what they can about their own efforts tryin' to pick up the pieces. My opinion is helpful so far as livin' in it goes. I'm kinda new to the 'puttin' it back together' bit, yo."

[glacial_queen]

Karla nodded, briefly forgetting Reno couldn't see her. "I like that idea. I think the entire thing sounds really workable. Should I just wait for Elena to let me know a good time for me to come to Gaia? I don't think you want me just to show up."

Assuming she could even find the proper Portal there anyway.

"Thank you, Reno, for taking the time to talk to me today. I appreciate it."

[raspberryturk]

"Hey, it ain't like I was doin' anything important, anyhow. You need to talk about anything else, you got my number," Reno replied, and then he was lapsing back into that 'doesn't give a damn,' casual tone he'd been using before. "An' yeah, maybe figure out a time that works good for you an' Elena both, an' I'll make time to make it work over here. I'm crashin' in Elena's apartment at the moment anyhow, so it ain't really like I can tell her no if she wants to swing by with company."

[glacial_queen]

"Thanks. I just might do that." Inwardly, Karla was reminding herself that not all worlds worked like hers (Hell's fire, even her world wasn't working like hers right now) and she couldn't just automatically fall into familiar behavior patterns with random males. "And I'm generally a low-maintenance guest. Especially since Elena's already threatened me with chocobos and other random tattoos." He could probably hear her grinning over the line. "I've promised to be good."

Actually, that joke reminded her of another promise. One she should probably mention. "Elena warned me about timelines," she added, her voice also switching over to Srs Bizness mode. "I'm not saying anything to anyone. It isn't right to gamble with other peoples' lives. Not like that. So...yeah. I know how to keep a secret."

[raspberryturk]

Reno was just working on some kind of 'there ain't nothin' the matter with chocobo tattoos' quip when Karla added the last part of that. And then all quipping was stomped on repeatedly, because Reno was going serious again.

"Could be the whole damn world that hurts for it," he said, just to make certain that this point was clear as crystal. "Elena tell you that, too?"

[glacial_queen]

"Yes," Karla's voice was soft but firm. "She said that saving the world happened by the slimmest of margins and that even the slightest change might tip the balance. That's what I meant when I said I don't gamble with peoples' lives. Changing something might save them, sure--but it also might just as easily lead to their deaths. If two people from the world in question who are up to their necks dealing with the aftermath don't want to change anything, it isn't my place to go against them. I have enough on my conscience without adding the fate of an entire world that isn't even mine."