[ Five // Video // Action in Alexandria ]

[ultrawaves]

[Now that the initial tide of monsters has been dealt with, Quistis has chosen to investigate the damage done to Alexandria, it being one of the nearest cities to where Garden's residents had taken up arms during the Lunar Cry itself. The city itself is livable, but she notes the obvious damage done to the houses along the cobblestone street she is

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[Action]

[strays_pride]

[Noah had started a fight down a side alley, and manages to wind himself up in the main square. He is surprised to see Quisits here, but rather glad all the same for several reasons, a couple of which he refuses to look into deeper. And while the number of monsters has died down, he feel much better if she had company to back her up.]

Miss Trepe!

[He knows he'd been given permission to call her Quisitis, but it seemed so casual and informal, and he didn't think they were quite that good of friends yet. Though he certainly did hope that they would be there eventually.

He nonchalantly hurries over.]

I hope you won't mind company?

[Action]

[ultrawaves]

[Quistis looked up at the sudden and unexpected sound of her name. She offered a reserved wave when she spotted Noah in the distance, taking a few steps towards him even as he approached her rather hurriedly.]

I see you made it here, too. I don't mind at all; I was appraising the damage done during the invasion. It seems the city already has things well in hand, which I'm glad of. You're well, I hope? No further injury done?

[Action]

[strays_pride]

Aye, the inhabitants and the help have been very fruitful in their endeavors.

[He colors very slightly, glancing down, and is rather glad that he is tan enough that it won't show much.]

I am doing very well, Miss Trepe, and I am most humbled by your concern.

[He's in his thirties, he really should be feeling like a young schoolboy. Mental berating has never seemed to work on him, though.]

[Action]

[ultrawaves]

I'm glad. I confess, I'm not sure how to address you. [She smooths out the bottom of her jacket with both hands, perhaps a cover for her nervousness about approaching this subject. She smiles, regardless.] "Noah" seems far too informal, especially if you're going to insist on calling me "Miss Trepe."

[Action]

[strays_pride]

Oh, my apologies.

[He's... never actually considered that before. It has been so long since anyone was unsure of how to adress him, and since he cares for neither of is previous titles, he has nothing to give her.

He pauses a moment, unsure of what to say, before tentatively continuing.]

If it isn't too presumptious on my part, I can simply address you by your name, and you can do likewise? Only if you don't mind, of course.

[Action]

[ultrawaves]

[She nods once.] I don't mind at all. My younger students called me "Miss," though the bulk of them used "Instructor." Personally, unless I'm on the job, I prefer just Quistis. Noah, then.

[Action]

[strays_pride]

[Noah dips his head in agreement and bats out to slice one of the few remaining monsters out with hardly a sideways look. Dire Rats had always been depressingly easy to deal with.]

Quistis, once you have finished your evaluation of the area, do you think we could stop and discuss plans over drinks, perhaps? I was hoping for your opinion on reconstruction plans, as well as discuss some concerns I have. [and maybe just a nice conversation, but he's not going to say that.]

The relative silence after all of this... [He gestures broadly to their surroundings] unsettles me. I cannot help but want to brace for the follow-up, so to speak. [The corner of his mouth twists up in a wry smirk] I feel overdue for another awful circumstance.

[Action]

[ultrawaves]

[Quistis reaches for her whip the moment she catches sight of the monster, but Noah disposes of it quickly, and she lets her weapon remain at her hip for the time being.]

That would be a fine course of action. I've seen a fair bit of the city already, and wouldn't mind getting off my feet for a few minutes. There's a pub nearby that still whole and standing, if I'm not mistaken. It looked crowded, but they're still up and running.

[She nods again as her gaze pans across the square.] I think you're right. I doubt we'll be given much time to recover before the next attack. Why not kick us while we're down?

[Action]

[strays_pride]

Excellent.

[Noah quashes down the bubbles of glee in his stomach. It's very unprofessional. He'd noticed the pub earlier and begins to head in that direction.]

To be completely honest with you, Quistis, knowing Garland, I rather think the purpose of Lunar Cry was to lay us down in a position to be kicked. I am growing increasingly worried with what his motives could be. I have a couple of ideas, and I can truthfully say that I do not favor any of them.

[Action]

[ultrawaves]

That's not surprising. I think we'd all be hard-pressed to find anything favorable at all about the situation. [She walks towards the pub at a moderate pace, wringing her gloved hands in front of her stomach, fingers knotted together.]

Everyone will be on the alert after this, however. We're not just going to wait to be attacked again. Now is the time to gather information, bolster our defenses.

[Action]

[strays_pride]

I agree entirely.

[They've reached the oub now, and Noah holds the door open in a chivalrous gesture. Lords, look at who's playing the knight now.]

In that aspect, I hope you do't mind if we review the information we have now, so we can narrow down our search. It can prevent unpreparedness should we not be aware of pieces of information we do have. There is little use in having all the pieces to a puzzlebox if they are not all in the same place.

[Action]

[ultrawaves]

[Quistis offers him a grateful smile as he holds the door for her, stepping inside and turning to wait for him to join her before continuing towards a table.]

I don't mind at all. Going over what we do know is the best way to discern what, exactly, we need to find out and how to go about gathering that information.

[Action]

[strays_pride]

[Bury him now and call him hopeless. He pulls the seat out for Quistis to sit in before taking his own. After that, though he seems to settle ack into regular old Noah. Way to finally get your self-control back.]

Let's start with the basics.

Lufene was the immediate cause of Lunar Cry, and it is highly likely that Garland was the one pulling her strings. [That highly defensive and adversarial tone she had used almost makes i fact.] And Garland has used such things in the past. Here and elsewhere, if memory serves.

Lufene is a genome, and genomes were beings created to-[He cannot say it now, and he won't speak of it here. It is too uncomfortable a thought, even for him.] ... for an awful purpose.

And if whatever Garland did caused this much damage, drawing people from their worlds and in a way merging them together... I fear he istryin again.

This time, with a stronger hold. Thwart me once, shame on you, thwart me twice, shame on me.

So, what has been done before? We need to know what steps are left to be taken.

[Action]

[ultrawaves]

[Quistis takes the offered seat and moves a bit closer to the table once seated, making herself comfortable.] Thank you.

To be perfectly honest, I haven't been here that long, myself. My only previous experience with Garland was the trip to Memoria last month, and even then, there's no proof it was his doing, though I think everyone assumes it must have been.

There are, however, other pieces of the puzzle to be looked at. There are the Myrrh trees that have been appearing in certain locations; that's been going on for some time, from what I understand. No explanation yet, but there's a group that's currently in the field investigating them.

The elemental crystals are also a factor. Regent Cid has two of them in his possession now, perhaps three? We're all to be on the lookout for the last.

[Action]

[strays_pride]

[Now this had Noah visibly surprised. He'd never even heard of any of this befor. Well some of it, vaguely, about elemental crystals, but myrrh trees?]

It seems, Quistis, that you have me at an advantage. I have no idea what you are talking about. [He pauses a moment, silent, as a server comes by to take their ordes for drinks. (He orders tea, nomatter how much he longs for a nice strong vintage of Landisian Ale.) he resumes once the server is mostly out of earshot. One cannot be too careful... (or too pranoid).] I hope you do not think me pretentious when I say that it bothers me greatly that I am so uninformed. It was rather my department.

I hope you will not object to elucidating on those points?

[Action]

[ultrawaves]

[She, too, orders tea when the server stops by their table, then turns her attention back to the subject at hand.]

I would be happy to if I had any more information. [She shakes her head slightly, looking rather disappointed.] Simply the fact that there are myrrh trees is about all I know. I believe Lightning and a few others are looking into the phenomenon. No doubt we'll have more information about them soon.

It bothers me that I know so little, as well. I arrived a few months before you did, but I haven't wandered far from Garden, I'm afraid. Memoria is about all I've experienced firsthand here, and you've already heard about that, haven't you?