[Open/mingle] Alexa Play The Completionist's Theme Song

[strawberryredgrave]

Who: The Heroes of Light
When: Post-time loops
Where: Myste Aura, particularly the hot springs
What: Mingling! Celebrating both a job well done and 100% completion of the game
Warnings/Notes: Hot spring antics, hot wing antics, potentially washtubs





Everyone knows the Heroes of Light by now. They took the world by storm over the last few days (over and over and over the last few days) and with the calamity averted and Bahamut fended off? They needed a vacation. One on a brand new day would be great; the past few became a little too predictable for anyone's taste. The solution? Celebrate a brand new day at a place they're sure to be welcomed and are least likely to be thrown out. A job well done is well and good as a hero's reward, but a person's got bills to pay and feet to get off of now and then, so the ultimate destination place was an obvious one: the Myste Aura hot springs.

The invitation's an open one and Dante's one of the first to arrive, primarily to get the cooking all set up. There's a lot of it to be done, but given the zora's amused smirk through it all, he's having a good time. It's as much for him as it is everyone else. He could only bring enough for cooking and serving, so no vacation gear here! Gotta bring your own or pick some up on the way over. Either way, it's a stress free time that everyone really needed. Oh...and the invitation insists that the heroes bring along their Calm Deity Masks for an unmentioned reason...


THE HOT SPRINGS

Without a doubt, the main attraction of this trip. The hot springs are world renowned for a reason! Take a dip into the waters and see for yourself. The bubbling warmth of the natural waters are more than enough to let weary heroes and travelers alike unwind and let their troubles melt away for a little while. Some people have actually fallen asleep while settled in these, so be careful to keep your head above water!

Waterside refreshments are also available, particularly beverages. Remember: no underage drinking!


FOOD STANDS

There is. A lot of food. Including the shawarma Dante promised! He's got a few volunteers willing to help keep things clean and organized, but a majority of it is self serve with various kinds of cuisine for all kinds of tastes! As thanks for all the shenanigans Bass puts up with, there's a separate food table for moogles and dishes incorporating kupo nuts. Appetizers, entrees, desserts, it's all here. Dante himself is manning the shawarma station and offering anyone who asks a good, hearty slice of cooked Ochu meat. Trust him, guys; it's so good, it doesn't even need a sauce.


LIVE ENTERTAINMENT

The nice thing about being this close to Myste Aura is that the Bard's Guild is nearby. Once word got around that the Heroes of Light were gonna take a vacation in their neck of the woods, a few enthusiastic volunteers were more than ready to perform as a show of thanks for all they've done. Enjoy the concert of songs, some classics, some composed in honor of the heroes themselves. Naturally, there's little to stop anyone who wants to hop on stage and perform themselves. Hell, the bards would be proud to perform alongside a hero of light! Just don't mind the spotlight you'd be under.


COLLECTIBLES

So remember the whole thing about bringing your Calm Deity Masks? Surprise! Everyone who approaches the table of bagged goodies wearing their masks receives one! Each bag has a collection of goodies inside, from toy crystals to even figurines of the heroes themselves! Were you lucky enough to get yourself or your friends? Nothing's stopping you from trading until you get the one(s) you want!

Along with each bag is a free t-shirt. They have several different sizes just in case and all of them bear a familiar logo as a reminder of the great deed the heroes accomplished.


Wildcard

We're all kicking back and relaxing, I'm not gonna tell you what to do. Have fun, go nuts and remember to clean up after yourself.

(Make toplevels! Relax! Have fun~))

Comments

[acapriciousreaper]

Kuja frowns, faintly, glancing back at Matilda as she relays the story. "Do you really think so? I don't think I shall ever understand the whole... forgiveness thing. How do you just- move on, when someone has hurt you that badly? When you've hurt others worse? The temptations and the old ways don't just go away, my first instinct on even the most trivial of annoyances is always 'just set fire to it and walk away'."

[musicinmysoul]

"It's...a long process. Difficult, to be sure. Fragile, as well, with the old impulses and the mindset still present. It...helps to have an anchor. Someone who believes in you, someone who'll stand by you, even when confronting the ones who hurt you...and will especially stand by you when meeting those you've hurt." The second part of that sentence is spoken in a slightly hushed tone. Carys still struggles with her father's return and Tilly can't hold it against her at all. Even so, her resulting behavior and self depreciation is...dangerous.

"...There's not always the possibility of reconciling with them. I honestly couldn't tell you the best way to handle that; there's...always going to be a disagreement over whether or not you deserve that second chance. Disagreements can happen even between the heroes that stopped you...and for that, I could tell you stories about the elven warrior, Carys."

Tilly shakes her head. "The most important part of it, I feel, is what you take away from that second chance. In Tarot readings, the Death arcana represents a great change in your life leading to new possibilities. A new beginning, even. The death of who you were and the birth of who you are now. What wisdom do you take away from your previous life? Is it one you would return to? What have you learned in your new life that you wish you knew before? I think seeking out the answers to questions like those are what truly make a road to redemption."

I'm so sorry he literally has no idea how to put this concisely

[acapriciousreaper]

Kuja nods... and inhales softly. "I suppose one good turn deserves another, and I owe an explanation." Tea. He needs tea. "Mojito, could you-"
"Yeah, sure thing, Boss."

Kuja sighs. "My story begins, I suppose, a very long time ago, on a world called Terra. I'm not certain exactly how long ago, but the ancient Terrans had depleted their world of resources, and they were dying. The last Terrans created a golem and named him Garland, and they give him the directive of finding a way to resurrect their civilization and give the souls of Terra new life. After some time, Garland discovered, at last, another planet, similar to what Terra had been when it was young and full of life, called Gaia. With the foresight of immortality, Garland created a... device, that would interrupt the flow of the cycle of souls on this new world. With Gaia's souls left to stagnate and prevented from returning to the world, there would be room once they were gone to insert Terra's souls and allow them to begin anew. It would be a slow process, but eventually Gaia would be consumed by Terra. Only... it was taking longer than Garland expected. Five thousand years later, there wasn't enough progress to be considered worth it, and Garland needed an... accelerant. Something to speed the return of Gaia's souls to the planet. He was already working on engineered vessels for Terran souls to inhabit, and they... provided an ample opportunity. So he created one, gave it a soul... and gave it the directive to exterminate all life on Gaia. To be an... angel of death, as it were."

He takes a drink of the tea when it arrives, muttering thanks to the moogle that brought it. "It all went wrong, of course. The prototype angel was defective, willful, petty- Garland never built it to last, not really, just to do its job causing as much destruction as possible, then have its soul reclaimed and repurposed, its body used as a future vessel. And the most unforgivable defect of all, of course, was that it started to have thoughts of self-preservation, even as it continued to stick to the plan, engineering a war. Garland couldn't have that, so he started to build- a replacement. He was learning from his mistakes, you see. Creating an adult body and sticking a fresh soul into it was only going to invite trouble, obviously- he needed an ordinary developmental period, to be stable, to be... compliant. Well, the first angel found out, and conspired to dispose of its replacement in a fit of... short-sighted jealousy, I suppose. Garland found out- too late, in fact, and cast his creation out, told it in no uncertain terms that if it didn't play along, it would be destroyed immediately. So, it played along, it laid plans, and it plotted revenge. To make a long story, ahah, short- it succeeded. There were setbacks, there always are- But at long last it had everything it wanted. Unlimited power, its creator on his knees, and its enemies broken before it. All the death, all the pain, all the suffering it had caused, none of that mattered- because it had won. Only it hadn't, not really- Garland revealed, as he died, that it was all pointless. The angel's efforts to avoid its own death meant nothing, because it was never built to last in the first place. It had, at most, a few months to live. So, like Ramaa, it threw a tantrum that burned one world to naught but ash and glass- and nearly consumed all others- only to be stopped at the last second by the very infant it had thought to destroy all those years ago- survived, all grown up, and willing to defend the world he had lived in."

Kuja considers, staring into his cooling cup with an expression of faint distaste. "Of course, there's other bits I've left out- various atrocities committed in the name of saving my own skin, some tripe about my replacement- my brother, excuse me, coming back for me as I lay bleeding out, some utter nonsense about dying and waking up on a ship, and trying to do better." There's a sigh, and the cup is drained- and set aside. "Empathy would have been nice. The ability to understand other people. I often wonder, these days, what might have happened, if instead of abandoning Zidane seventeen years ago, I'd gone with him. Perhaps I'd be a different man. Probably there'd be a few million more people alive on Gaia."

To be fair, it's a lot to summarize

[musicinmysoul]

Tilly listens to Kuja's story, refraining from getting her own drink. It's easy to tell Kuja's talking about himself most of the time; she could joke about his arrogance, but the subject's too serious for that. He's the one Garland created to kill off a world's people so his own could survive; he did so to help put together his own revenge, an act followed by an empty victory. It's tragic, really, but with how he looks when talking about Zidane, he clearly has his regrets. Much like a certain paladin back home, Tilly didn't know Kuja during that time; only him after the fact.

Gods help her if anyone from his world shows up.

"Thinking back on the what-ifs is dangerous, but you know better than to dwell on them for too long. While I can't comment much on the angel of death you once were, I can comment on the man I've known since we were plucked out of the Dream Width. He had a lot on his mind back then and seemed concerned when I mentioned my affinity for necromancy." She's clearly teasing him when she mentions that, playfully sticking her tongue at him.

"Still, you've made friends, whether you're willing to call them such or not. You've made your own living here, you've clearly done a lot of self-reflection...and admittedly, I have been studying Opal's reactions and behavior towards you. She really likes you, you know, so if my opinion can't cut through your doubts, then maybe the dragon who knew you then and knows you now can."

[acapriciousreaper]

"Opalescence... She doesn't hate me, or fear me, and that's possibly the strangest of all. I wasn't a kind master. Silver Dragons, they're... magical constructs. Imperfect copies of a greater Eidolon, and I never saw them as anything other than tools. I was horrible to her, and my actions killed her, and yet... she consents to bear my weight, in spite of everything else. I can't imagine why."

He sighs softly. "I suppose you... are. A friend, Matilda. It seems strange, saying that, but... not a lot of people would have risked themselves to try and drag me out of Ramaa's control."

[musicinmysoul]

"You're worth the risk, Kuja. Even if you disagree with the idea, I stand by it."

She smiles, considering. "And as far as Opal goes...I think it's because she understands your pain the most. From how I understand it, you paid Garland's treatment forward, but doesn't hold it against you because you were a link in the chain. Here, where you broke free of those chains, she can be her and you can be you. And the you you've become is someone she wants to stay with."

[acapriciousreaper]

Kuja frowned. "I... I did pay it forward, didn't I? To Opalescence, and..." he freezes, eyes going wide for a moment.

Oh, dear... the princess has such a bloodthirsty little puppet.

"... I'm just like him, aren't I."