Absolutely Drive You Wild

    Lately things have been rather quiet, relative to the usual fast pace craziness the traditionally surrounds Eas and the Olympus HQ. It's given Elly some time to get introspective, which is how she ended up here. Sitting on a precariously jutting cliff over the falls.

    It's a nice area for being away from the various guards and lesser nobles that are keeping Eas safe these days. Oddly, she's not wearing her usual vestments. Instead, she's wearing a rather simply, but perfect fitted dress of dark orange. It goes with the changes of the leaves.

    While the falls mute other sounds, she does appear to be singing something or other, though it's impossible to make out from a distance. From closer, one can hear and feel a kind of melancholy tone to her song.

        When autumn comes and leaves obey
        I think of you when spring was new
        And fall was miles away
        And when I close my eyes I see you
        And I don't feel the chill
        When autumn comes... it's summer still

You can hide from guards and nobles. But it's harder to hide from a friend that can see where you are. Or where you're going to be. Or maybe just following the music of someone else in this case.

But startling someone on a cliff would be a bad idea, so for once Kauchemar just makes her way out like a normal person instead of her usual slipping along the edge of vision until she's there. "You have a knack for finding interesting vistas."

    Elly trails off for a second to direct a smile back at Kauchemar. "Interesting, it is true, but it's more lovely now that you are here." She scoots a bit on her perch, patting the space next to her.

    "Care to join me?"

    She turns back to look over the waterfall. Elly sighs softly, slouching ever so slightly. It's practically unheard of!

Kauchemar makes her way out onto the ledge and settles in the proffers spot next to the Baroness. She has no worries about falling, seeing as she has a trick for just such occasions. Then tilts her head towards the woman. "I don't need my abilities to see there is a lot on your mind, dear."

    "There is," Elly replies gently. She scoots next to Kauchemar and takes hold of her arm, leaning in.

    "I am asking myself what all this is about. Where I am going. What it all means?"

    She gestures out at the horizon, indicating Eas. The manacles glint slightly in the failing light of afternoon. Her expression is hard to read. There's a joy in her, her lip curved as if on the brink of a smile, but her tone hints at uncertainty and doubt.

    "I did not do this all on my own, but I still did it. And people have fought for it. Died for it. If the invaders return, more will die. It occurs to me that each death, though it was not my design or intent, is my burden to bear. I have to make those losses mean something. To make them worth it."

"You continue to stand in defiance of those that tried to ruin what you wrought, and continue to aid in bringing their eventual downfall," Kauchemar replies as she accepts being lent against. "You saw the wisdom in moving those more vulnerable to someplace safe and did so. The effort and sacrifice is worth you having the capacity to still do such things."

Brief pause. "Though avoiding any additional sacrifices would certainly be an upturn in this affair, yes."

    "I am trying to reach out to Queen Lorelai. I want to meet her," Elly says suddenly.

    She sighs softly, letting her cheek rest on Kauchemar's shoulder. Staring off into space in silence for a time, she tries to assemble her thoughts and sort out just what she's feeling.

    "I mean to stop the dying. Peacefully, if I can. Violently if I must. I just am not sure if I have the skill to persuade her to change. To stop all of this. Why do I believe in her, anyway? A chance meeting and what I thought I saw in the middle of a frantic battle?"

Kauchemar shifts to wrap her closer arm around Elly's shoulders. "And supposedly she was not like this before. You see a possible redemption in an enemy, even though the potential cause of their state may be very difficult to deal with... And that is a more impressive pursuit than to simply try and strike the foe down as many others would."

    "So if we win. What are we doing then?" asks Elly abruptly.

    She looks up at Kauchemar's face, studying her expression for a long moment. She then turns back to Eas, looking over the castle.

    "I cannot put my finger on it. I feel so restless. Perhaps I am just nervous about what is coming, or feeling that strange sense of discontent that comes from getting close to achieving your goals."

"-When- we win," Kauchemar replies. "And that... is a common feeling that comes with the pursuit of one's desires. Especially for someone such as yourself, who doesn't like to rest on what has been done for long from what I see. But I am certain that the 'next thing' will reveal itself to you when the time is right." Pause. "But I can't tell you what it will be. The powers of foresight don't work that way... and it would ruin the thrill of the effort for you if I spoilered if I could."

    "When we win."

    Elly laughs at that, hugging Kauchemar's arm. She feels more relaxed, and the slight shift in her posture shows it. Not into a greater slouch, but into something more poised, draped on the nightmare's arm though she is.

    "You are right, of course. We will win. And then you will perform in the concert hall!" A pause and a most intent look, "You will of course. Right?"

Kauchemar laughs as well. "Of course!" She almost makes an 'even death couldn't keep me away' joke, but considering the previous conversation decides not to spoil the mood. "The Anthem was written for it's acoustics, after all. And why it took time to retune it for a party peformance instead. Time worth waiting though, if the reactions were any indication."

She pauses to look off into the horizon herself for a few moments. Then adds, "Though the talk of the future reminds me, you and a certain Spriggan are looking for references to a certain soothsaying sage as I recall." Nope, she hasn't forgotten the previous comments about Sarla.

    "It was lovely, and very much worth waiting for," murmurs Elly gently.

    There is a quiet in the air here, despite the noise of the falls. The wind gusts for a moment, and loose leaves go flying. Their restless noise only adds to the hush.

    Elly whispers, "I did. His writings apparently have something to do with what King Gilgamesh did. Sarla does not seem to be a pleasing topic for the powers that be, though. I am curious if those writings might help me."

"Yes and no," Kauchemar replies with a hint of mysteriousness in her tone. But keeps the teasing to a minimum before she gives a more appropriate reply. "Seriously." She holds up a thick tome in her other hand. "I have one of his books. But it only reveals things to the reader when it wants to, when the time is right for aspects of the future to be known. It's impossible to read too far ahead." A snort from her nostrils. "Trust me. I tried. Repeatedly. After a point the pages turn infinitely blank, keeping it's secrets until the time is right."

Though if one looks close they can tell the book she's holding is not THE book, she's just using it for display. She's not going to foolishly wave that Relic around.

    "I imagine it only works for you," Elly points out, sounding slightly grumpy. "Why do relics always have to have such an attitude? Nothing can ever be straight-forward with them."

    Elly pushes her annoyance with relics aside. Well, almost. "Like The Right Clothes. Trust me, they have some pretty strange ideas of what is /right/ on any given day. You would think Tae had sabotaged them sometimes.."

Kauchemar chuckles a bit, as the book is returned to her inventory. "Nothing worthwile is ever easy... Besides, it lets me get away with quoting River Song about Spoilers so not complaining. But it was better I got my hands on this book before someone that might misuse its potentional did. We have enough outsiders trying to destroy our new world as it is."

    Elly laughs softly, shaking her head. She shakes herself slightly, then laughs again.

    "I feel.. you know, everything has been so serious. I really want to just relax. To enjoy this thing. To do all the.. stuff in my head that I never could before."

    A long pause.

    "I have no idea what that means."