waiting for the truth to come find you -- Playerone

[Warringkingdoms]

  [font=trebuchet ms]/set after Play recovers physically

  Yet again, the situation- or at least, Rin's perception of it- had been upended.

  A god, Playerone had said. Certainly, the increased electrical potential in the air whenever she was near was undeniable, as was her relatively-quick recovery (though it would've been quicker had she stayed in bed more often). Through some means or another, she had experienced a power boost, and while Rin hadn't yet seen those powers in action she wouldn't have been surprised if that increase was astronomical in scale.

  She supposed she was grateful that an ally had come into so much power, but... it couldn't be that simple. Play's newfound powers could have devastating side effects, assuming she could control them enough for them not to go haywire and injure her on their own. Her behavior was different, too, in a way that Rin struggled to pin down. All that stuff about being a "protector," right after everyone- Play included- had taken Rin to task for describing herself in the same way... it didn't add up. From what Rin had observed, Play didn't seem the type to forget such a vital lesson, even if she was selfless by nature.

  Even if it really was that simple- Play still being herself, her powers being controllable and not having destructive drawbacks- the wyvern she'd slain was just one of the many supernatural foes that Elysium had to defend themselves against. It would take all of Elysium's strength to face whatever the gods wrought.

  Rin clambered up onto the peak of the mountain, looking around her. Nobody was there, and she suspected nobody would be coming up here for the moment. "Alright," she muttered, half to herself, turning back to check that Play had made it up the mountain after her. Sitting down, she tugged at her scarf with one paw, running through what to say in her head.

  Finally, she said to Play, "You said you had something you wanted to talk about, so I'll let you talk first."

  / [member=2426]Playerone Kennedy[/member]

[Hope Arcanium]

In truth, as Play spoke those words at her open Q&A, a bitter taste formed in her mouth. Such a phrase was something she had gotten on Rin’s ass about before, so how was it even right for her to proclaim the same thing? It didn’t make sense. When it came out, she wasn’t thinking- but that was no excuse. What had she been thinking?

She had spent a lot of her time, when she wasn’t out and about like a dumb of ass while injured, metaphorically punching herself in the face for it. It was such a hypocritical thing to do, and that was not in her nature- Rin was correct.

That was part of what she had come to speak to her close friend about. The other part was about the Stellar Collision Festival. It was, to be completely frank, the perfect time for the gods of Rin’s former pantheon to strike again. Even if it was a tradition in Elysium, it would put more lives at stake, not just Elysium’s own, but their visitors’ as well. That would not be okay.

“Thanks, Rin. I wanted to apologize for what I had said during my talk about my attack. That ‘protector’ stuff? That was highly hypocritical of me, especially when I got on you about it. I’m sorry. That wasn’t what I wanted to say, but it came out that way, and I realized it as I said it. It felt so... wrong.”

She tucked her tail over her paws, folded her wings in against her body as some sense of comfort. She was feeling some anxiety, she couldn’t deny it.

“I hope you’ll forgive me for what I said. It was wrong and I had no right speaking that way.”

But with that out of the way, there were more pressing concerns she wanted to point out to the Magna.

“The Stellar Collision Festival... I know we’re supposed to be holding that, but it seems like a perfect opportunity for the gods to strike again. I’m worried for Elysium, as well as our visitors, that they might attack us again, and put them in harm’s way.”

Now, she would pause, her expression turning grim as she spoke of the Festival. She wanted to have some fun, but if they were still dealing with the gods, then that wouldn’t be the best decision. But Play, of all people, understood the importance of following tradition sometimes, but during the right time.

She awaited Rin’s response to her words, anxiety growing.

[Warringkingdoms]

  [font=trebuchet ms]Facing Playerone as she spoke, Rin swiveled her ears to listen in, giving her full attention. Absorbing her apology, Rin allowed her thoughts to wander only briefly when Play took a moment to pause. Not thinking about her words before stating them would explain a lot, especially seeing as how Play was injured when this had all been going on. Noticing the nervous way in which Play held her wings close, Rin lifted her brows slightly, her expression becoming just a bit softer than normal.

  Once Play finished her explanation, Rin nodded. "I get it," she said, her ears twitching. "I really do. It's... hard to let that go." Tugging at her scarf, she added, "But I'm glad you understand where Lavi was coming from. And of course I forgive you." She'd never written anyone off for something this minor, let alone a friend whom she'd known for years.

  As Play began to explain her concerns about the festival, Rin listened quietly, her brows furrowing once more. The possibility of the gods striking again... she couldn't discount it, even if the odds were low. Nodding along, she allowed a sigh to leave her once Play was done.

  "...It'd be stupid of them to attack when there are other people here," she commented finally, glancing up at the clouds. "Which, I don't know. It's possible no one will show up, like what happened at the market festival. But if there are people from all the other clans here, it'd be far more advantageous to a hostile god to wait until they're all gone to attack." Sitting and curling her tail around her paws, she went on, "...It's possible a god like Mercury might take such a chance. He's associated with trade and travelers, after all. But he's not really a combat-focused god, to my knowledge."

  Looking down at the snow, then up at Play, she shrugged. "So probably, it'd be the best use of our time to prepare for a potential attack before the festival starts, and after the festival ends. We should probably all stick together before the opening ceremony, and during and after the closing ceremony."

  Feeling her ears swivel back, she said, "We'll keep an eye out. But if we wait to hold this thing until all the gods are dead... that could take months. And they're only going to get stronger."