Hunters and Hunted

After their recent expedition through the Hunter's Guild, Tian had returned to Alne in order to turn in the quest and collect the coins that come as a reward. It's an experience that feels quite strange to them, walking into a town and simply doing quests for the Landers. It almost feels like it is an MMO again, after almost a year of this being a life or death struggle.

The Cait Sith walks out, counting the pouch full of coins before swiping the air and neatly depositing them into their inventory. Then, it is a short walk over to the notice board to start looking over other quest postings, seeing if any might be reasonable to a somewhat lower-leveled Adventurer such as themselves.

Lunaris was starting to become a common face around the guild, even in the short time she had been here she took out quests most every day. It was enough that she got a couple of glances of recognition, though of course her reputation hardly had deep roots, a couple of weeks would never be enough for that. But the Cait Sithe came in with her usual energetic bluster, she found this exciting after all, all that time hardly meeting people suddenly giving way to the life of an adventurer. After taking Haru's advice that quests were the best way to meet people, well she had never quite looked back. Well, except for that time with zombies. That was a given. Plus! It was absolutely great for experience being practically a newbie herself. So perhaps unsurprisingly she was soon stuck to the board, perusing the latest quests with a vibrant energy.

She's rather slow to spot Tian next to her, perhaps in part due to the mask, but more realistically because of the foot traffic being enough she sometimes had to drown out all the colours and noise. A moment is taken to study them, her mind trying as quickly as it could to fish out a name before she ended up embarrassing herself, before finally remembering without having to resort to the inspect feature and offers them a cheery wave, "Tian.. Wasn't it? We fought the huuuge Gnoll? Big and horned and dragon tailed?" Flicking her own tail behind her as if it was some sort of demonstration, "Good to see you again! Looking for quests?" A cheery grin quirking her features.

The sounds and bustle around them don't seem to bother Tian, likely because the Adventurer simply doesn't really take in the din the same as other people. A regular Cait Sith would likely have their ears pivoting around to take in the sounds, but their dark ears are remarkably still, only twitching ever so faintly at times.

So, it is more the movement that catches Tian's attention, gold eyes catching the motion of Lunaris' hand before their words reach them through the translation system. There is a curious tilt of the head. A gesture that, with that mask, looks far more animal than human in the moment. Then, they offer a smile and an incline of the head before moving one hand in front of their face, closing fingers and thumb together before their nose in the shape of a muzzle.

"<Tian.>" The translation system confirms, offering the understanding of the gesture's meaning. "<And you are Lunaris, correct?>" It is the Cait Sith's curious expression that seems to bring the question, their hands distinctly seeming to spell out the letters in the name. L.U.N.A.R.I.S. One hand gesture for each letter.

There is a silent laugh and a sign of amusement in Tian's eyes as they nod before signing again, "<Yes. I have had my fill of Gnolls.>" Those yellow eyes flick to the board and then back again, reaching one hand to tap at it before explaining: "<We did not have access to the Hunter's Guild before coming here. I am quite behind on levels.>" The look that crosses their masked features might be embarrassment, or shame. Certainly the look of someone who doesn't like being quite so behind the curve when it comes to strength.

Lunaris appears all too aware of the movements around her, a little too much so, her attention wondering off when not carefully corralled towards the person she was otherwise trying to focus on. It wasn't something unique to her avatar of course, she was like that prior to the game, enhanced senses just made it a touch worse. But at Tian's recognition she bursts into an excited nod, happy to be recognised alone, her eyes following each motion of Tian's hands, trying to understand despite the translation.

"That's right! Lunaris the summoner. Glad you remember I didn't really do much. Certainly can't land those spin kicks. Seriously, need to level up so I can help out more," she rambles, green eyes flickering back to the request board, lingering on the mention of Gnolls for an extra moment, her nose scrunching up in distaste. Her eyes stolen once again by the spelling, and she almost noticably tries to recreate the letters on one hand hanging by her side, head tilting with the same glimmer of interest. "They weren't too bad! Glad we dealt with them. Prefer them to undead anyway! But that altar was creepyy.. Didn't think quests would get that gruesome," giving off a small huff, then giggling at her own reaction, positivity all but blossoming off of her. "Ah, same. Kind of. I tried to stay out of cities when I started. Had my fill in re--. Uh. Seen enough, but animals and beautiful forests?" She continues, waving a hand off to the nearby woodlands, "Never seen anything quite like it. Being able to live out there was lovely! And there were adventurers to chat with and help, but.. Decided it was finally time to get involved. Properly."

There is a moment of hesitation and another tilt of the Adventurer's head before they sign: "<I have not partied with many. They are always memorable.>" They hold up two fingers, tapping one to their cheek and then motioning behind them. Tian catches that attempt at duplicating the letters and a softer smile seems to form on their painted features. It is rare that someone tries to sign, so even that small gesture seems appreciated.

So, in turn, Tian repeats the finger-spelling, making sure to pause after each letter so that Lunaris can see how each one is formed. Then, afterwards, the Cait Sith creates a 'C' like shape with their thumb and forefinger, touching it to their forehead. "<Lunar, like Moon, right?>" Strangely, they use that same 'C' gesture twice, the first one a tap then outward movement, the second two taps.

At the mention of the strange altar, Tian raises a hand in a universal 'wait' gesture, and then swipes through menus before drawing out what appears to be a stained, discarded doll. It looks very similar to the ones they had encountered at the altar. It is shown for only a moment before tucked under one arm so they can sign fully. "<These came from Landers. Landers who are dead now, I think.>" Despite everything they have gone through, Tian still shows some sadness at that. Soon enough, the doll is stowed away again with a quick motion.

There is curiosity that shows in Tian's expression, a sign that they are understanding Lunaris' tale. One can't quite say they are 'listening' but with the translation system, it's obvious that the Cait Sith is focusing on the fox's words. Then, almost with a bit of hesitancy, Tian offers out, "<I am from China. Trapped in the Palace Lands. I came here to help those fighting against the attacks here.>" A fist is held forward, striking against an single finger held upright.

"They have been fun so far, and everyones been really forgiving of me being new! Though my favourite so far was the library, it had this adorable slime made of ink. And quill tips. You can always see something new here," Lunaris replies with a happiness to her, that was the part of ETO she thrived on, seeing the possibilities. There were too many different monsters to count of every variety. Even those she was pretty sure the game had somehow came up with itself. There was a whole freedom to that. Though at the acknowledgement of her attempts she relaxes just a bit, it was strange in a way that for as bouncy and friendly as she was she almost seemed nervous of getting something wrong. As Tian started to show the letters to her she started to copy much more outright with a cheery shine to her eyes, "Like moon; I always found the stars pretty." It was to be fair much easier to learn with the system translation, instant feedback on what each motion meant.

She stills as she is told to wait, then an odd curiosity coming over her at the appearance of the doll, "This was from the al--?" Her early question cutting off at the answer, nodding with a frown. Sure Adventurer's didn't die.. But there was more of an air of seriousness when it dawned on her about that blood maybe being from Landers. "Oh.. That.. I didn't even consider that.. But.. What does that doll have to do with it?"

A breath leaves her as that mood reasserts itself, giving a small smile at first, and she gives a small nod at Tian's words. Her eyes show enough, there was little reaction to her, either not caring about it, or being too naive to realise what actually was going on, "Ah. That war? I've heard about it a bit, but have been trying to keep to myself. I've been bugging people about how to help, but.. Still not really sure how. It's a shame, I really want to see the palace lands!"

"<I have not been to the library.>" Tian replies, but there is a look of interest there. "<It...>" There is a pause in their signing, as if thinking, "<Would be nice to explore more of this world. I am used to always being on the run.>" Tian seems uncertain in that moment, perhaps on how to explain what that is like to someone who has never experienced it.

Instead, they seem to focus on the question of the doll. "<Children.>" Tian's gesture is almost like taking both open hands and lifting them only to drop them again. "<The monsters attack everyone. Adventurer. Lander. Young. Old.>" After another pause, a tightening of the brow beneath that mask, Tian adds. "<I hate most Landers in the Palace Lands. I hate what they did to us. But I still mourn loss. Is that... strange?>"

Tian shrugs then, perhaps unable to really properly articulate the struggle that being here has brought for them. "<That war.>" Tian confirms, "<Yes.>" There is a sort of fidgety gesture that might be the Cait Sith searching for words. "<Find what you are good at. Turn it to fighting back.>"

Motioning at themselves, Tian gives a soundless sort of laugh, but it has no real humor. "<I am quiet. I watch. I have quick hands. I make weapons. Enchant jewelry. Discover ways to remove the Crowns that control the Adventurers from the Palace Lands. I try to free my people.>"

"It's a weird place, but kind of beautiful. I'm working on something to try and summon that slime, a top-secret technique!" Lunaris announces before bursting into giggle, unable to keep a straight face, "I think it'll be adorable anyway. And Pecan needs someone who can help with the whole not getting hit thing. To be honest, so could I. But exploring is the most beautiful thing! You totally should, everywhere in this world is so stunning. Except Ninetails." Shiver. "Not so pretty. Shame with such a pretty name!"

A darker look passes her at the mention of children, it almost looks odd on her face and she suddenly is paying far more attention to the quests board. If someone paid attention to her hands, they'd most certainly find the knuckles white. Sure, this world was meant to be a game, but it was -her- world. And that meant the Lander's were real, AI or otherwise. She knew that they got attacked, of course, that's why she was more serious around Lander's after all. "Why would that be strange? They're *people*," highlighting the people part, but not offering any deeper explanation as her ears lowered, words reeking of a certain distaste. But probably not the kind of distaste Tian might have.

It took her a while longer this time to brighten back up, the conversation apparently wearing on them as much as she tried to hide it, "Oh! Yeah! I have a few plans, but they're secrets. And.. Well, I haven't told anyone yet, but should be fine," a lack of worry in her voice as the tail behind her sways mischievously, then an eye turns back to the other Cait Sithe at the mention of crowns, her head tilting, trying to place something or other.. Frowning before brightening up at the perfectly wrong explanation for the words, "Oh! Is that the Roleplay? Merek said they were running it, never really did ask them about it. Sounded pretty interesting! Cosmospheres and stuff. Pretty name."

"<I have heard Ninetails was more beautiful, before the undead were unleashed there.>" Tian had not been in Yamato during those times, but there were many who still spoke of it. Even now, Adventurers were trying to fight back to reclaim those lands from the undead, so perhaps those days might come again.

"<All Landers are not the same. All Adventurers are not the same.>" Tian comments, as if trying to frame their thoughts. It's quite possible that they simply cannot read exactly what is causing the shift of expression on Lunaris, and is trying to defuse the situation if it is aimed at them. "<I wish to live. I want them to live, too.>"

There is another of those shrugs, as Tian knows quite well that it is a fine line to walk, especially in a time of war when horrible things are happening. But then just as Lunaris seems to be starting to brighten back up, they say something that Tian seems to wince at. It's a very physical motion and they open their mouth almost as if there were words that came to their lips.

Instead, Tian shakes their head from side to side. "<Not Roleplay.>" Reaching up, Tian removes the mask that they wear, revealing the dark makeup that runs across most of their features. They tie the mask on to their belt before signing again. "<Crowns are relics. Powerful objects. They make an Adventurer unflaggingly loyal to those who place it upon them. It controls them. Turns them into slaves. Cannon fodder for the Palace Land armies.>"

With Tian's full expression visible, there is a play of quite sincere emotions there. A sort of horror of war that they have seen that many in Yamato have been spared. "<I have watched friends die, Lunaris. They fight for the Palace Landers, until there is nothing of themselves. Nothing of their hearts left.>" Tian touches a finger to their chest, then shakes their head with a pained expression, looking away, ears drooped back and tail low.

"I'm sure it was once. To be honest my only comment was on the undead there! They kind of.. Steal your attention more than the buildings and stuff. Had monkeys dropping from the ceiling and everything," Lunaris relays with a spine tingling shiver, her hands wrapping around herself to ward off the nonexistant cold. It wasn't the being undead that freaked her, but the body horror and rotting. A ghost? Ghosts were fine. She could deal with those all day. But zombies? Awful. Vampires weren't the worst if they even existed here. She assumed they did. "Of course!" She replies, happily changing the topic from her wandering mind, fixing up a small smile on their face, "Some Lander's are lovely. They're people like us. Just.. Killable ones. So they need protecting. That's vital. And us and them living is a good thing!" There seems to be something more she wants to say, a glimmer of her seriousness, but she bites that off well in advance.

The talk of the actual war makes her tail slow, an expression crosses her face of someone trying to read another, to whether they were being serious or not. "Come on, this is a game. You can't control others, are bodies are still out--" She gestures vaguely to the air with some disdain, she didn't like having to think about that reality. She detested having to talk about it and for that reason alone her mood soured. But something felt like a glimpse beneath the mask, like finally chatting to someone out-of-character that you had only roleplayed before, a stark contrast of emotion. "You can't be serious. Real pain? Mind control? Destroying people's avatars?" Her words, for the first time, slow. Not excited. "We can't -die-."

There is one, tiny fact, that Tian has not told very many people. One that would likely change some people's perception of them. For that reason, it has never been brought up. Until now.

When Tian turns back towards Lunaris, there is no hint of any sort of joke in their expression. The sadness and pain in their eyes is all too real. "<It is real. I know, because it happend to me.>" The Cait Sith reaches up and runs a hand through their hair. The strands fall haphazardly forward as the Adventurer lets out a breath. "<I crafted trinkets and sold them. When the war started, I aided Adventurers in escaping. I was caught. Crowned. Under their thrall, Lead the Landers to one of the safe houses we had outside the city.>"

Tian pauses, fingers slightly shaking before they give an emphatic toss of the head, unwilling to go further into the details of what happened. "<I was freed weeks later. I have been fighting back ever since.>"

Another shrug follows, but this one seems helpless in that. There is no way Tian can convince someone if they do not wish to be convinced, so it seems left to Lunaris to form their own decisions based on what the Cait Sith has shared.

They do confirm, however: "<We can die. Each death. Each respawn. We lose a part of ourselves. Our memories. What makes us who we are.>" Tian holds their hand over their heart, that pained expression still there "<If it happens enough, we become like them. Landers. No sense of who we were. Those ones. Adventurers turned Landers. When they die. They die like Landers.>" Tian seems to emphasize this point. "<Gone. Forever.>"

Lunaris' eyes don't move from Tian, not the slightest inch as she studies every fraction of their revealed face. It was a lot for someone to take in, especially someone who had been viewing ETO wholly as a game, just one they had been stuck in. It also meant accepting more that she had heard even if it wasn't present in this particular conversation, and that was.. Relatively even harder than a current war. People wared. That was a fact of life. Mind control was the tip of the iceburg of things she heard that were in most respects, far worse. "You had better not be kidding me," her voice and reply cool, dripping with emotions that were a bit too tumultuous to count, nor properly discern.

It didn't fully sink in, there was no way she could manage that feat in the space of a couple of minutes, not the consequences or ramifications. Even though it was so easy to see her mind connecting things she'd heard, starting to actually think as her hand braced the Cait Sithe against the quest board. Of all the things however, the news about death barely seems to concern the green-eyed vulpine, just noted away. "If so. I'm sorry with what you had to go through. And if true.." Her head shifted to look aside, eyes hard and the rest of her body unmoving, "Then.." Quietness the only explanation to her thoughts.

There are times when words fail. Tian knows this, perhaps, moreso than others. So, the Cait Sith is simply quiet, giving Lunaris time to process this revelation. It isn't the first time Tian has told their story, and it likely will not be the last, and each time the impact is not missed on them.

Tian doesn't try to push that understanding, knowing that it will take time. Instead, there is another of those moments of hesitation. Tian is a deaf person in a hearing world, which means that there is often uncertanty in how to approach others. Still, they do reach out in an attempt to touch Lunaris' arm, offering some measure of support through that contact.

"<We live.>" Tian lifts that hand away, their gestures small as if expressing something soft-spoken. "<We can still change things. That matters.>" The Cait Sith lifts their brows. Though the shadow of their experience certainly haunts them, Tian has always worked towards change.

"<We can find peace. To live beneath the same moon and stars.>" Tian loops this back around, obviously tying in Lunaris' own love of the night sky. It is a soft expression that they offer, not quite a smile, but just one that seems to offer support and understanding.

Time, sometimes, is exactly what is needed. Words convey plenty of things, but they can't often help with internal processing when it comes to such a sudden jerk in perceived reality. And that is exactly what this was to Lunaris, the world she was still happy she escaped to suddenly being revealed as something darker. Something that may well in some places not exactly want them there either. And that was not something Whimsy or her Blind Goddess could just fix. Not that she would. That wasn't the point. But if there was one things Luna truly detested it was someone being robbed of choice, that stung far familiarly to her.

The touch to her arm, though it makes her initially jolt in almost-panic-attack, seems to have been the right choice, after a moment the Cait Sithe relaxed just a fraction more, eyes that had shut at some point, opening once again. "We live," she agrees. Again biting off a choice of words that seemed to obvious, and too raw at this point. There was a pause as she straightened back to standing, letting out a breath, at least burying it all down beneath the surface. "Sure. We can find peace. We can help." The Cait Sithe sounded far more confident of the second bit than the first.

Tian doesn't press further contact, especially after the initial jolt. Knowing when to reach out to people is still something that doesn't come naturally. It shows in each of those hesitations of their hands, or in the way that they seem not quite sure of themselves in some moments. Yet, Tian still seems to persevere and pulls the mask from their belt, pulling it back over their features.

Though it is subtle, they do seem more confident when wearing it, as if it offered a slight barrier between the outer world and their inner most thoughts. So much of sign language is tied up in expression, so it may very well offer them more subtlety than they might otherwise have. In this case, Tian tries to offer a small smile, changing the subject.

"<I have heard they have found coffee in Yamato. Would you like to try to find some with me?>" Is Tian inviting Lunaris on a date? ... Maybe. It's hard to tell with those features obfuscated. It's entirely possible that the invitation is simply an innocent gesture, offered to try to diffuse a tense and worrisome situation. "<I wish they had chocolate, though. I miss that.>" Tian gives another of those soundless laughs.

Lunaris didn't press much either, she definitely appreciated the touch and support, but was not at all used to such and she'd probably be in a panic if she wasn't already mid-panic for something entirely different. Yes, she had certainly done so during the patrol but -that- was rather different. While the Cait Sithe had no physical mask there was certainly one she donned in the form of persona, and that had been stripped from her in the current moment. Perhaps in that regard they were quite the pair. But they were right, she needed to do something other than think about this right now. Something other than have a panic attack in the middle of a town next to a board that adventurer's usually stared at -- They hadn't stopped exactly, but rather starting to create a small circle around them.

It took another breath to steel herself, a long one, heavy with a weight she didn't have before and for now back into that persona she stepped. "Right! That's an issue for later. I think that's exactly what I need!" With a quick move she's away from the gathering crowd and grins over to Tian, eying that mask again. It was rather nicely crafted if nothing else, "Cho--.. We don't have chocolate either? First Ice cream.. We have so much work to do!" And with that she darts off. The wrong way. Why was she in the lead? That was wholly a mystery.