Eyes of a Stranger (Active / Semi-Open)

[solidorstrength]

Characters: Larsa, Fran, anyone in the apartment area
Content: friends from home meeting up again
Time of Day: Afternoon
Location: Fran's apartment
Warnings: none

Comments

[unheardviera]

Fran was returning from one of her long walks, her time to be in the company of her own thoughts, in solitude and in silence, when she saw the young emperor standing before Irving Place. She had always liked him, this wise, serious hume child. In Ivalice he had seemed to carry the weight of destiny on his small shoulders without complaint; in this world, too, some burden seemed to weigh on him, but what and why were less clear to her here, as were all things.

She unstrung the bow she had carried with her as she approached him, the clack of her tall heels against the pavement announcing her arrival. "It is said one must not linger before doors," she remarked by way of greeting, "lest the spirits who reside in between be tempted. We do not always know where our choices may lead us, but we must choose. Forward or backward. We dare not linger."

[solidorstrength]

Larsa had not expected anyone to come up behind him, so the clickclick of Fran’s heels caused him to turn around in surprise, though it was a slow movement. A smile broke across his face as he spotted her walking nearer. He had always valued her company, as her wisdom was unequaled in his eyes. He considered Balthier extremely lucky to have come across and befriended someone such as she was.

“Then I should make my choice to be forward,” the young emperor answered with a smile, moving forward to pull open the door and hold it for his friend. Making up his mind rather quickly on a topic of conversation, he continued, “I had wondered if I might speak with you again.”

[unheardviera]

Her lips curved upward slightly as Larsa gave his answer without hesitation. She came forward to pass through the door he held for her, and beckoned him to follow her up the stairs to the apartment she shared with Balthier and the child Cooro. "Of course you may speak with me. It is welcome." She glanced back over her shoulder. "You are troubled, Larsa?"

[solidorstrength]

Letting the door shut softly behind him, Larsa followed Fran up the stairs. “I suppose I am. I had not given it much thought until recently and the topic is worrisome.” That was putting it lightly for sure, but maybe Fran had some insight he could work with. It was rare for the emperor to reach for outside aid, but seeing as neither Gabranth nor Basch were present here anymore, this was his only course. Besides, he trusted Fran’s intuition.

“I suppose I had not realized that danger could come in the form of something other than the monster and its spawn.”

Of course, this meant that he was worried about the kidnappings. Anyone who knew him would probably be able to guess as to where his thoughts were at this moment.

[flyfromnobility]

Balthier looked over toward the door, hearing voices outside. He was able to pick out Fran's, and, after a moment, recognized the sound of the young emperor as well. Wasn't that a pleasant surprise? He opened the door and stepped out of the room to greet them.

"You'll find danger everywhere you look, I'm afraid. Men seem to be about as cooperative as beasts at times." He looked between the two, head cocking to the side. "I do hope I'm not interrupting."

[unheardviera]

Fran smiled briefly when Balthier made his appearance. "Hardly so. He speaks truth," she added to Larsa, "only men are far more dangerous than beasts. The defy prediction."

She caught the door and held it for the others to precede her back inside. "As these disappearances defy prediction." Apparently she had indeed guessed the course of Larsa's thoughts. "Though never reason."

((ooc: sorry for the delay!))

no worries <3 I was crazy late in my last round of tags >>a

[solidorstrength]

Well, they had a point, Larsa conceded inwardly. He hadn't really thought about it much, but after all he did have firsthand experience there. It was an experience he tended to avoid thinking about.

Larsa offered a smile to Balthier in greeting before turning to Fran with a thoughtful frown. She'd done a good job of guessing what had been on his mind, though he couldn't say he hadn't expected that. She was extremely intuitive.

"You are not interrupting," the emperor responded, in answer to Balthier's question. "I had only requested a talk with Fran, though I would be honored if you would be able to spare the time to join us."

He appreciated Balthier's opinion as much as Fran's. They'd both shown their worth to him time and again.

"Have you any idea of the reason some of these people have disappeared?" If he could figure out that, maybe there was a way to keep Namine safe...

[flyfromnobility]

"I should be able to spare a few minutes." He followed the other two inside, moving to sit in the chair he had occupied before their arrival.

So that was what they were discussing. He had had a feeling that would be the case, and he had a few ideas of his own. How correct they were was difficult to say, but any light shed on the situation would be better than continuing to wander around blindly in the dark.

"I think the reason should be obvious enough for most of them," he replied. "They've poked their noses into our captors' business, and they don't seem to much care for that." It was putting things a bit bluntly, but it was the best way to explain. "And for the few who haven't, they seemed to be the ones that did most of the healing around here. With how often that group ends up being whisked away, one has to wonder whether we're supposed to recover from those nasty little bites

[unheardviera]

"They take the troublemakers, and those who would obscure the path of their plans," Fran agreed. In this she shared Balthier's opinion. "I do not know what the illness from the smaller beasts' bite is, but I am neither blind nor mindless. It is an evil, unnatural malady. A curse in its own way."