[Honestly, this is just an excuse to get out and drag Thancred with her. Any of the Scions could use the distraction and Val's been doing the best she can. For all that they went through to bring them all home from the First, each one of them had left something - someone - behind.
Valeria sometimes feels guilty that she could still travel between worlds.
When she had heard of a pack of... uh, somethings? She couldn't remember what exactly the creatures were. Regardless, when she'd heard of a pack of creatures causing trouble out past St. Coinach's, she decided that it sounded like the perfect distraction for her next target.
She finds him exactly where she thought she would: at a table outside, overlooking the bustling and busy market below. She slips into the chair opposite him, offering a grin as she leans forward.] Good morning, Thancred.
[She's obviously ready to travel, wearing her heavier coat and boots. She's switched out her glasses for the eyepiece that helps her focus.
And she's grinning, which is usually a sign of things to come.]
[ Despite the fact that Thancred's attention seems trained on the crowds of people down below, he doesn't jerk in shock or react much at all when he hears Val's voice. He wouldn't be very good at his job if he didn't hear someone coming, even someone as light-footed as the Warrior of Light.
When he turns to look at her, Val is wearing a grin, one that she seems capable of mustering up with little trouble at all. Her ability to maintain those high spirits is part of what has made her resonate so well with the many people she's aided during her time with the Scions. Thancred nods to her in greeting, then lifts a hand to draw it back through his hair.
He senses some trouble on the horizon, but he can't say he minds. The distraction would be welcome at this point. ]
Oh, I know that look. [ He smiles, something not quite so broad as Val's grin, and shakes his head to himself. ] What is it this time, pray tell?
[ He reaches down to slide his hand over the hilt of his gunblade, already preparing himself for the promise of a fight. ]
Nothing you and I can't handle. [She rests her elbows on the table and quirks a genuine smile - rather than the "trouble's coming" grin - at him.] Some trouble up past St. Coinach's Find. I wrote it down.
[It's not common knowledge among the general population that their hallowed Warrior of Light can't remember a damned thing unless she writes it down, but the Scions are very well aware of the failings of her short-term memory. She reaches into an interior pocket of her tailored coat, produces a small slip of paper, and reads directly from it.] Pack of hippogryphs that are unusually aggressive.
[She huffs as she puts the paper on the table.] I could not remember hippogryphs. [She tries, every now and again, to see if she can relate the particulars of information without her notes. Sometimes it works. This time, it did not.]
They shouldn't pose too much a challenge, but it's a little much for the average scholar. Care to join me?
[ It's been long enough now that Thancred is quite familiar with Val's memory problems, and he's done everything to ensure that it doesn't become a liability for them. Granted, Val had mainly sorted that all out for herself, always making sure to carry a journal around so she can jot down what she needs to know. How many journals has she filled with scribbles of the variety of errands she agrees to do for people? It's almost beyond belief.
But when he can, Thancred remembers for her. His own mind usually refuses to let go of even the most minute details about a job, given that intel-gathering is one of his main purposes among the Scions. If Val has forgotten something of import, it's almost guaranteed that Thancred hasn't.
This particular spot of trouble isn't anything for them to be so concerned about, however. ]
I wouldn't miss it for the world. [ He rises from his seat then, checking over his gunblade and peering into his pack to make certain he has all the cartridges he needs, dutifully supplied to him by Y'shtola. ] And if we can determine what's got them so riled up, all the better. We don't want this to happen again, when we're not around to see to it.
[ He cracks his knuckles and then stretches both arms over his head, limbering up as he shifts his weight from one leg to the other. ]
[Val knows that her Scion associates have had to sometimes go above and beyond when her memory fails and she knows very well that it could become a liability. That knowledge has been the driving force behind her attempts to take care of it herself.
She hasn't thrown out a single journal she's filled in recent years. They take up a nice amount of space in her apartment.
She throws a smile to Thancred as she stands, tucking the sheet of paper back into her inner pocket.]
That's what I was thinking. There should be a reason for it. [She dusts off her jacket; the weapon on her back and the aetherometer on her hip have already been checked and readied.] Let's take care of it, then.
[ Ever since Thancred took up the mantle of gunbreaker, the two of them have made quite the pair. It's something that they've remarked on before, and so there's no need to dwell now. Thancred simply sends a quick glance at the aetherometer before he nods and takes off, his coat flapping behind him.
Once they reach Revenant Toll's aetheryte, he turns back to Val and cants his head. ]
Would you rather go on foot, or should we see about saddling up some birds?
[ No doubt Val's company chocobo is stabled somewhere, but Thancred will have to look into his own transport if they go that route. ]
[Their's is an easy camaraderie and Val appreciates it beyond any words she might use to describe it. For all that they often have to go their separate ways to take care of whatever might be ailing the world at large, she and Thancred seem to fall back into routine when they are together. (Which, she reflects, can be said about most of the core group of Scions with which she's most well-acquainted.) Fighting together more often of late - rather than tackling problems from various angles - has seemed to solidify the trust between them - and not just between her and Thancred, but the others as well.
At least, she seems to think so.]
We can walk. It's not far. [She slows enough to match Thancred's speed and turns, dancing backward for a few steps as she speaks.] I'd have to rent another bird. [She pulls a face - disgusted, mostly at herself - as she turns back around.] Mel needs the rest. I wasn't watching well enough and she bruised her foot on some rocks.
[ The opportunity to stretch their legs doesn't bother him in the slightest. Mounted travel isn't something that Thancred gets to take part in all that often, as it doesn't usually lend itself well to subterfuge. He did want to give the option, at least.
Without waiting any longer, he leads them out past Revenant's Toll in the direction that Val had originally indicated to him, moving at a quick pace. He knows that Val will have absolutely no trouble keeping up with him. ]
I'm sure she'll be fine. These things happen, there's no need to beat yourself up over it.
[ He's spent plenty of time in Mor Dhona, but never truly tires of its sights. The way the splashes of visible aether distort the air always offers something interesting to look at, to say nothing of the Crystal Tower or Midgarsormr's hulking form in the distance. ]
I think it's good that I see the sights like this. It still doesn't feel quite real, being home.
[ Val settles into that ground-eating tireless jog that's served her well during all her travels. She hasn't always had her chocobo with her, and sometimes it's nice to just... walk.
Or jog, as the case may be.
Mor Dhona will always hold a place in her heart. It's not home, not like Gridania is, but there's a beauty to it that she doesn't see anywhere else. It feels... right in a way that she can't quite articulate. ]
I forget that you were gone longer than it seemed, sometimes. [ Not that she actually forgets, which would be possible all things considered, but it's not something that they ever seem to speak about. ]
[ It's not the same type of forget, and Thancred realizes that, but it is still a somewhat surprising. To him, there would obviously be no way for him to forget, but from Val's end, he can see why it feels quite different. ]
Quite a bit longer.
[ He lifts one hand up and looks it over, but he didn't age in the First and he hasn't aged here. It's strange, to know that his soul has more years on it than his body does. ]
I suppose some might be envious.
[ In truth, all it's done is added a bit more weight and weariness onto his shoulders. ]
No. [ She says it quickly, not having to even think about it. Envious? Who could be envious of what her friends had gone through? They'd been stranded, pulled to another world against their will, and unable to go home. Then, when they could go home, they'd left behind people they'd loved.
There was nothing to be envious over. ]
I hated that I was able to cross between worlds and you could not.
[ That sudden and vehement reaction naturally causes Thancred to look over. He'd meant it as a joking comment, to be true, but it is endearing that Val has such strong feelings on the matter. While it is frustrating that Thancred can't travel between the Source and the First with ease the way that Val can, it's something that he'd had to come to terms with before he ever returned home.
Is it ideal? Hardly. But he also knows that Ryne will be able to take care of herself. He'd taught her well, he'll admit that much. ]
Worry not. Y'shtola seems to believe she'll find a way to get back eventually, and once she puts her mind to something, well...
[ He's making light of it, for what else can he do? And there is a fair chance Y'shtola will do as she says. How long it will take, on the other hand, is a larger question. Thancred's all too aware of how time flows differently between the two stars. ]
[ Val grins at that comment, a laugh caught in her throat. Twelve only knew how often she had found herself at the mercy of Y'shtola's single-mindedness. ]
She probably already has at least six working theories. Next time I see her, she'll have me running some errand for her.
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no subject
Valeria sometimes feels guilty that she could still travel between worlds.
When she had heard of a pack of... uh, somethings? She couldn't remember what exactly the creatures were. Regardless, when she'd heard of a pack of creatures causing trouble out past St. Coinach's, she decided that it sounded like the perfect distraction for her next target.
She finds him exactly where she thought she would: at a table outside, overlooking the bustling and busy market below. She slips into the chair opposite him, offering a grin as she leans forward.] Good morning, Thancred.
[She's obviously ready to travel, wearing her heavier coat and boots. She's switched out her glasses for the eyepiece that helps her focus.
And she's grinning, which is usually a sign of things to come.]
no subject
When he turns to look at her, Val is wearing a grin, one that she seems capable of mustering up with little trouble at all. Her ability to maintain those high spirits is part of what has made her resonate so well with the many people she's aided during her time with the Scions. Thancred nods to her in greeting, then lifts a hand to draw it back through his hair.
He senses some trouble on the horizon, but he can't say he minds. The distraction would be welcome at this point. ]
Oh, I know that look. [ He smiles, something not quite so broad as Val's grin, and shakes his head to himself. ] What is it this time, pray tell?
[ He reaches down to slide his hand over the hilt of his gunblade, already preparing himself for the promise of a fight. ]
no subject
[It's not common knowledge among the general population that their hallowed Warrior of Light can't remember a damned thing unless she writes it down, but the Scions are very well aware of the failings of her short-term memory. She reaches into an interior pocket of her tailored coat, produces a small slip of paper, and reads directly from it.] Pack of hippogryphs that are unusually aggressive.
[She huffs as she puts the paper on the table.] I could not remember hippogryphs. [She tries, every now and again, to see if she can relate the particulars of information without her notes. Sometimes it works. This time, it did not.]
They shouldn't pose too much a challenge, but it's a little much for the average scholar. Care to join me?
no subject
But when he can, Thancred remembers for her. His own mind usually refuses to let go of even the most minute details about a job, given that intel-gathering is one of his main purposes among the Scions. If Val has forgotten something of import, it's almost guaranteed that Thancred hasn't.
This particular spot of trouble isn't anything for them to be so concerned about, however. ]
I wouldn't miss it for the world. [ He rises from his seat then, checking over his gunblade and peering into his pack to make certain he has all the cartridges he needs, dutifully supplied to him by Y'shtola. ] And if we can determine what's got them so riled up, all the better. We don't want this to happen again, when we're not around to see to it.
[ He cracks his knuckles and then stretches both arms over his head, limbering up as he shifts his weight from one leg to the other. ]
Ready when you are.
no subject
She hasn't thrown out a single journal she's filled in recent years. They take up a nice amount of space in her apartment.
She throws a smile to Thancred as she stands, tucking the sheet of paper back into her inner pocket.]
That's what I was thinking. There should be a reason for it. [She dusts off her jacket; the weapon on her back and the aetherometer on her hip have already been checked and readied.] Let's take care of it, then.
no subject
Once they reach Revenant Toll's aetheryte, he turns back to Val and cants his head. ]
Would you rather go on foot, or should we see about saddling up some birds?
[ No doubt Val's company chocobo is stabled somewhere, but Thancred will have to look into his own transport if they go that route. ]
no subject
At least, she seems to think so.]
We can walk. It's not far. [She slows enough to match Thancred's speed and turns, dancing backward for a few steps as she speaks.] I'd have to rent another bird. [She pulls a face - disgusted, mostly at herself - as she turns back around.] Mel needs the rest. I wasn't watching well enough and she bruised her foot on some rocks.
[Self-recrimination, thy name is Valeria.]
no subject
Without waiting any longer, he leads them out past Revenant's Toll in the direction that Val had originally indicated to him, moving at a quick pace. He knows that Val will have absolutely no trouble keeping up with him. ]
I'm sure she'll be fine. These things happen, there's no need to beat yourself up over it.
[ He's spent plenty of time in Mor Dhona, but never truly tires of its sights. The way the splashes of visible aether distort the air always offers something interesting to look at, to say nothing of the Crystal Tower or Midgarsormr's hulking form in the distance. ]
I think it's good that I see the sights like this. It still doesn't feel quite real, being home.
no subject
Or jog, as the case may be.
Mor Dhona will always hold a place in her heart. It's not home, not like Gridania is, but there's a beauty to it that she doesn't see anywhere else. It feels... right in a way that she can't quite articulate. ]
I forget that you were gone longer than it seemed, sometimes. [ Not that she actually forgets, which would be possible all things considered, but it's not something that they ever seem to speak about. ]
no subject
Quite a bit longer.
[ He lifts one hand up and looks it over, but he didn't age in the First and he hasn't aged here. It's strange, to know that his soul has more years on it than his body does. ]
I suppose some might be envious.
[ In truth, all it's done is added a bit more weight and weariness onto his shoulders. ]
no subject
There was nothing to be envious over. ]
I hated that I was able to cross between worlds and you could not.
no subject
Is it ideal? Hardly. But he also knows that Ryne will be able to take care of herself. He'd taught her well, he'll admit that much. ]
Worry not. Y'shtola seems to believe she'll find a way to get back eventually, and once she puts her mind to something, well...
[ He's making light of it, for what else can he do? And there is a fair chance Y'shtola will do as she says. How long it will take, on the other hand, is a larger question. Thancred's all too aware of how time flows differently between the two stars. ]
no subject
She probably already has at least six working theories. Next time I see her, she'll have me running some errand for her.
[ Not that Val minds, for the most part. ]