Meet the Landers: Travelers of Alne

The first day that the Adventurers got stranded in Alne, they ended up being in a position where they could barely get food going for the immense numbers. Yet, in those days, Alne was a place of safety. The many many houses within Alne provided simple - albeit flavorless - food they could eat.

It was later found out that it was the Travelers, hidden within the city of Alne, that provided this food. Hestia in particular having prepared and distributed all of it when people were not looking.

Back then, an invisible presence. Now, she walks with more confidence amongst the Adventurer-populated City. Though Alne was promised to the Travelers, they welcomed Adventurers into their home and treated them as well as they could.

Now, they're just hanging out at one of the nearby bars. The Hostess of Fertility. Hestia and Ganesha both, seated at a larger table, enjoying good foods. The kinds of foods that the Adventurers have introduced. Ganesha's mask has a small yellow stain from the burger he's eating. Hestia in the meantime, is finishing up a more modern sushi. Adventurers milling about in the pub, a warm air showing just how far things have come since that fateful day, almost three years ago now.

A long three years it had been for most, everyone had lost something by now, seen the horrors or had to face the reality that there might be no getting free from the world in which they had been ensnared. Luna was certainly no different in that regard, teetering on what she should do and who she had grown to be. It left many questions that she currently did not like to think about all too deeply for the moment.

For now, that did not matter one bit, sure she was here out of research purposes and had asked to meet the two Travelers who had kindly accepted, but, if the last three years taught her anything, it was simply to enjoy things as they came, rather than push for every single answer she could. She entered with a soft smile, giving a small bow to the two travelers at the table, "Thank you for accepting to meet in person, it's a pleasure. Glad you chose this place, the food is lovely!" With that she pulled out a chair and sat down herself with a sway of her tail, before looking what to order herself.

"Gwen, I am afraid my uniform is running out of durability, so I'll need it mended...", Uta declares, as she bursts into the main dining area of the Hostess of Fertility from outside. "I'll probably need some replacement while this one is worked on. Maybe something more on the black side, since I'm working on my Dark training... and... uh..."

Uta looks around. Tables. Bar. Mia Garnd.

Uta frowns.

"Wait a minute... this doesn't look like the Chain Mail Bikini Plus One!", she states, dubbing her chin.

And then she lights up.

"Gwen, you redecorated! I love what you've done with the place!"

She resumes walking on, at a leisurable place, as she looks left and right in amazement at the patrons, "And it seems you've attracted so many customers! Less emphasis on clothes. More on food. I love the new concept."

By now, she's arrived pretty close to where Ganesha, Hestia, and Lunaris are sitting.

Gwen recalls that day she first arrived in this world for real, she recall the flavourless food her, once real cooking had been figured out? She'd never visted a lander run restruant or pub for food since. At least it has been something to eat she admit either way she was here once more clad in her well known heavyblade 'armor'. Still over those last three years? Gwen has no real desire to go back to Earth at this point. She too gives the travelers a bow as well.

Gwen will order some kind of meat platter and pray things are better she's not ordered food here since her first month in this world. She would not cause a fuss but she is praying she gets food.

"Hello Uta! Wait this isn't the Chain Mail Bikini +1 but I think you'll want to join us..."

Hestia smiles as Lunaris as she enters. "Of course. Please." She motions to the side. Ganesha looking at Hestia for a moment, looking to Lunaris, then back again. "Remember to behave." He warns Hestia. The short black-haired woman in the white dress quickly huffs at the man with the elephant-mask and tells him; "I'll behave!"

They glance at Gwen and Uta as they come in, one of them clearly <very> confused about where they are.

"Please." Ganesha still motions forward, at the seats. Hospitality is important after all.

"What did you want to talk to us about?"

It's the familiar voices that perk the vulpine's ears, twitching once as she glances back behind herself to see both Gwen and Uta appearing, the latter apparently lost as can be. That part perhaps doesn't surprise her half as much as it should, and with a shrug she waves them both over anyway after the Travelers acquiesce to meeting them. For her part Lunaris perhaps looks a little out of place, mostly in clothing more reminiscent of a stablehand than her usual adventurer garb, but these things could hardly be helped, she had things to look after now!

"Please, take a seat if you like, and.. Ah. I'll have whatever the chef recommends I guess. Always gotta try something new," She decides with a cheery grin, before looking to the Traveler pair once again. "Honestly? I don't have much of a plan. I've been curious about the Travelers for a while, but know nothing," She explains, moving her hand as if to emphasise the blank slate of her knowledge, then with a twinkle in her eyes, "So. I suppose I was hoping to ask what a Traveler is exactly? Is it a title? It appears to be more than that, from what I've seen."

At first Uta is hesitant. But with so many people inviting her, she eventually replies, "Well, I'm not being an inconvenience..."

"Oh. Wait, you're Hestia, right?" She exclaims, recognition lighting up in her eyes. "We met once, in the past. Long ago. At Crescent Burger!"

As she takes her seat at the table, she scratches the back of her head. "I... uh... well, there is a thing I wanted to say since then. Just... you know, thank you. For all the food you've given us back in the early days when we couldn't really fend for ourselves. I wish there was a way I could reciprocate. I cannot really cook myself, but... you know, maybe I can arrange for a way to have a number of meals paid at some establishment-"

At this point, Uta was about to say "-A, of your choice, and B, of my being able to afford it", but her Etiquette skill jumped in and struck the sentence down before it could be uttered.

"-we can probably agree on. Seriously, I think each of us we owes you a big one, and I'd like to do my part to reciprocate."

At this point, Uta, the as the Lore Nerd she is, cannot help but follow up with Lunaris's question. "Oh, yes. That's something I've been wondering as well. See, unlike the world where we Adventurers originally come from, this world seems to have some 'identification' thing goin on. As in, Landers seem to be instinctively able to tell if something or someone is a Lander, an Adventurer, or a Monster. We Adventurers have the ability to be aware of some symbols associated with creatures. In the case of you Travellers, it's a letter 'I', a letter 'D', and a pair of wings." She taps her chin and looks up and away. "We don't really know what they mean, but I've been wondering if 'I' means 'Iman', a term I'm told is used by you Travellers. Another term I've heard but whose meaning I'm not aware of is 'deus', and was wondering if that is what the 'D' could mean. Still no clue about the wings."

Gwen will also think for a moment about what Ganesha says and she also looks to Hestia with a bit of a grin.

"First Geneshs its been some time and I hope you have been well and I admit i have some questions of my own. Even if you will not or can not answer them. One thing I have noticed is you and your companions all bear the names of Mytholocial figures from or world of origin."

Uta handles the next question far better than she can so she just leaves things there for the moment...

Ganesh and Hestia share a look for a moment when Lunaris inquires just... what a Traveler is. "No, it's a title." Ganesha answers the vulpine Adventurer. "I can't go into many details but... we do not come from this world, just like you. Except, we came here far sooner, from a very different place." He explains.

"There is a bit more to it than that, of course." Hestia chimes in, only to quiet when Uta starts talking and... talking. Hestia tries to get a word in edge-wise from time to time, but after a first finger-raises and 'well's, she gives up and lets Uta finish. Bemused more than anything.

"We don't really desire payback. Your people living in this town, bringing life to it... that is more than enough." Hestia finally remarks. "I rather make sure I pay for the things your people bring here." She adds.

Ganesha then slowly nods at Uta's remarks on matters of Inspect. There's a look he gives Hestia when Iman comes up. And Hestia looks a bit surprised. "I didn't know that word had come into the Adventurers' vocabulary." She notes, seeming rather warm about that one. "After all, I don't see any of my Children amongst you." Looking between them.

"Remember, they are not separated by race the way the Landers are." Ganesha reminds Hestia.

"Ah... right." Hestia chimes.

Ganesha then nods; "Deus is another term for us... one we got to keep, but have no interest in anymore."

Hestia chimes in; "We don't really want to be associated with the remaining Old Deus." They don't touch upon the wings.

Ganesha then notes; "I am not surprised to hear that there have been others bearing our names in the past." He bids to Gwen. "We have traveled to many worlds after all. Have born many names."

Lunaris listens, her ear twitching as she awaits the food to be brought, and though a lot of the answers do go somewhat over her head, she does get the gist of the conversation. At least enough of a gist. Though one thing does quirk an eyebrow, "Can I ask how you were brought here? You seem more like us than we are with the Landers. I think?" It's not a sure question, if anything she's barely keeping up, but there is still a soft gleam in her eye, especially as the Travelers refuse the request for a favour returned. That was something she could trust in then. They didn't seem all too bad.

The surprise about inspect makes her head tilt ever so slightly, "Then you can inspect things too? And use the things the same way--" She pauses, reigning herself in and giving an apologetic smile to the pair, before glancing at the other two adventurers and back, "I did wonder though, if you were connected to the Remnants of our World here, but I suppose you've already answered that."

Letting enough time for people to speak, this time, Uta will begin, tentative, "Your children are the... Humans, right?", after which, pensive, rubbing her chin, she mentions, "I was a human in the world we Adventurers came from. As far as I know, every adventurer was. The way I know it, those of us who aren't got cast as a different race as part of travelling into this world. And now we're stuck like this as a result of the events of the Fourth World Fraction."

Looking up again, she asks, "So... uh... are we technically still your children?" And after that, she continues, "I mean, to be fair, we kind of guessed the meaning of 'iman' from context. We use it to mean what the Lander might possibly call 'people', pretty much. Back home, we didn't need a separate term, because we were all 'humans', so 'human' would do. But maybe you can help us clarify its meaning?"

Gwen is making mental notes on what their hosts have to say she will not push anything and she pauses for a moment.

"Well that makes things certainly interesting to think on..." She pauses for a moment "Yes I recall so, I too was Human as were my parents and now ... I was once mentione dtoi be a child of..." She trails off. "I fear i can't remeber but I can not recall what. Aye on earth there was but one species. Well we're not alone anymore that much is clear here."

"No... no that is not a gift we have." Hestia and Ganesh mutually answer, when Lunaris asks about inspecting things. "Similar to Landers, we just kind of... know. Unlike the Alv. They had a way of interacting with the world in a different way." Ganesha adds.

"As for how we were brought here... we..." He looks to Hestia.

"We don't actually know. We know we go from world to world. But each time we jump to a new world, it's like a slate is being wiped clean. We have little moments of Deja Vu or memories that spark, but..." Hestia answers, turning back to Ganesha.

"There are things even we do not know the answer to. All we know is that we came here when the world was created. And over time, we Named the races of this world and took them on as our Children." Ganesha finishes. The latter part making Hestia a bit uncomfortable.

She then quietly nods as Uta notes that her children are the Humans. "This world's Humans." She points out though. "You are not my Child." She then explains to Uta.

She glances to Ganesha, who shakes his head. So, Hestia shakes her head as well. "You will have to do with the context you've learned."

"We forget things too, guess that makes sense," Lunaris replies slowly, thinking it over for all of five minutes before her curry is delivered and for the moment that distract the vulpine in her entirety, digging in while just thinking things over. It wasn't quite the answers she seemed to expect, but it was a good deal of information, really. "I still don't get why losing our memories turns us into Landers though. Maybe surviving until the end makes you a traveler.. Ah. I dunno," Yeah food was much more important for the moment, and she gladly kept to it.

A few moments later she leaned back with a sigh, not knowing really where the Travelers fit in, it seemed Uta was more the one to ask such things, though after a moment she does ask, "One things been bugging me for a year though. The remnants of the old world, like the one Gil took us to. We were warned not to go too far for the dangers just beyond the horizon. Do you know what they were? Wish I could go look myself.." That one angled to all four people around the table, not just the Travelers.

"So, uh, whose child am I in this world?", asks Uta.

Then, as if suddenly struck by a revelation, she continues, "Oh, which reminds me. Since you've been around longer... I've once heard from a humble traveller, with a lower case t, mind you, of a town called Orth where someone could heal people through Sheer Song. Healing through Sheer Song is something I'd be interested in learning, but apparently nobody else seems to know about that place." An eyebrow is quirked as she leans over. "You sound like you're well travelled. Do you happen to know where it is?"

"I think we might be able to have relatively easy access to one of them relatively soon," Uta replies, cryptically, to Lunaris. "Not sure of the risks associated with going there now. I think it'll take some speaking with Marchioness Wake or Haru, but..."

Uta trails off there, but a lead is definitely offered there.

"That's something I've been wondering about, yes..." Uta kind of utters in a distracted tone, to Lunaris's hypothesis. "I've been wondering if the floors of the Tower are some sort of layered Core Sample of different worlds that the tower has been through. Sort of like a drill with an empty core. But as poetic as the picture might be, I have no hard data to base it on. Just, you know, poetry and aesthetics."

Gwen sayus "Every time we fall in battle and get back up we lose part of ourselves..." She think for a moment.

"There's nothing left where we're from by that point. That is a worrying thought Lunaris." She will get into her food too and she think for a moment.

"There's other places that look like it. I wonder is this our world but the future and something ressurected us? I recall a man who had been working on the devices that allowed us to play the game. He had noted they had hit the point they could ... basically scan our souls in full. They had been seeking to use such to allow for replacement limbs for the maimed before we ended up here."

She also look the pair over for a moment with a grin as she gets an idea, you knowt he look she's sizing them both up for outfits.

"You know I have ideas of outfits I could make for you both, expand your wardrobes a bit...."

"...She's not trying to repay you," Uta hurries to explain to Hestia. "She does that to everyone she likes."

The two share looks when Lunaris mentions the old 'remnants' of another world. Their old world. Ganesha then remarks; "I think that's a question best asked of Artemis..." He remarks. "But from what she's explained to me they're like... memories left over by the ones who sung this world into being." He answers.

At Uta's question, Hestia is quick to start; "That's easy, you're Are~" Before her mouth is covered by Ganesha. "That is not our place to say. Let your Traveler identify themselves to you." He remarks with a heavy tone.

Hestia is grabbing onto his hand for a bit, then decides to bite it, forcing Ganesha 'off of her'.

"Orth is far away from here - close to the Dark Lands. You should not wish to go there." Ganesha warns Uta. "That's the place that hold Cubia, and a prison to Hunters. Do not travel there." He tries to impress upon her. "You will perish."

"Bith and the other two got out." Hestia counters Ganesha.

"Barely, and with costly help." Ganesha retorts.

He then shakes his head to Uta. "The Tower is well beyond our ken." Nor do they seem to know anything about the Adventurers' relationship with memories. In fact, they seem to kind of 'tune out' Gwen entirely.

Lunaris giggles at the pair as she continues to eat, glad for the invention of flavour they could actually taste within this world, rather than that they once had. Certainly, it kept you feeling that bit more alive than the implied potential of just being a housed soul. That was a bit existential. Though she raised an eyebrow and looked back, "So we are all from a lineage of a Traveler? I wonder what that actually means, you all seem like.. Well every other adventurer. Aside from our species being different now." Her brows knitted together, that thought was purely giving her a headache, and she let out a groan, rubbing her head.

"And it's always singing here.. Did the Alv just like opera? Singing to heal, singing things into existence.. I'm shocked everything's not a song.." Yeah, no, for now, it seemed like food was the main option. Less head hurty. Though she did look up as the pair, like landers, ignored mention of the outer world.

Gwen pauses for a moment as she thinks for a moment

"Song has great power here, both in the normal form it always does yet it effects the fabric of the world. So the world was sung into existance that makes a lot of sense but memories of ..." She notices the Travelers tune out the mention of the dive tech and makes note of that. She also seem to make note of the warning.

"Aye I will not forget that...and Cubia?"

She tilts her head.

"That's not a name I have heard before. Though I try to heed the warnings given by Travlers about places we should not mess with."

She still looking the pair up deisgning outfits in her head.

"Bith, Lilith, and Magi?", Uta asks, as she slams her hands on the table in surprise. "I'm looking into their history! That's a big deal! The 42 Songs have apparently been written in Remembrance of them," she explains, turning to Lunaris, "and their ancient struggle!" Back to Ganesha and Hestia, "What do you know about them? What did they do? In general I mean, not just... in Orth." She doesn't mention it, but she is clearly reminded of when the Sword Maiden told Uta that perhaps she's supposed to follow in their footsteps.

"Yes, people who sung this world into existence. Like ' ', who sang the original, unadapted version of the Primordial Song." The name is, of course, pronounced as a rest. Yes, that is the name. Pronounced as if it was a musical rest.

Realizing her outburst of excitement, she quickly sits down again, and, hands stuck firmly under her armpits, she looks left and right, blushing. "Uh... Looking into that as well."

"Hunters? As in, the Hunters' guild?" Uta asks about the 'prison to Hunters' part.

At Lunaris mentioning "I'm shocked everything's not a song..", Uta surreptitiously looks left, and right, like a certain monkey puppet from a certain meme. "I mean..."

Because, either because of speaking Japanese or because of the translation system, Lunaris will likely be aware that 'Uta' means 'Song'...

"Not really... Lineage. They existed before we named them." Ganesha points out. "Some... later than some others." He adds, which immediately gets him a MEAN punch to the ribs by Hestia. "HEY!" She hisses at him.

"Sorry, sorry." He lifts his hand. "Old habits." He admits, groaning and grimacing a bit. Good thing this place isn't a Root Town.

"And of course Song is important. Though it's not really just as simple as saying that any ditty is a Song. There's a difference between /song/ and /Song/." Ganesha points out. Though it looks like that's as much as he'll say on that.

"Cubia is... was... the brother to the Twilight Dragon." Hestia notes.

As Gwen mentions the trio, she points. "That's the ones." Pausing, before she says; "They... traveled the world seeking for a way to stop the Curse Wave, and fought in the Great War." Hestia then adds. "Honestly, that's all I know."

Ganesha nods. "The time period around the Great War is... notably confusing. Especially for us Travelers." He answers. "And yes, those Hunters. The guild existed well before you Adventurers came around."

"Yeah, song and Song are different, but it seems tightly woven to everything here. Where our old land had other theories for what made up everything, this place seems to have song be like, that linchpin," Lunaris explains as she waves her fork around as if to the beat of a song. "If we looked close enough at the rocks, we might not find atoms, or we might find them arranged like sheet music. I don't mean that literally, before you check," she points out with a glance over at Uta, who's name for one reason or another seems to go well over her head.

"But if the Remnants are the old memories, then what is outside those memories? Can you travel within the remnants? Idle thoughts, got too much work to be doing on the ranch to look into it," Though she does eye them at the mention of Bith and the others as Uta points out the connection, again at the Twilight Dragon, but is happy to relax back into letting Uta and Gwen take the lead. Until one thing makes her curious, "Hestia, Ganesha, I don't believe we've asked, but what do you really want in this world? Are you here to just explore and experience it, or do you have a goal?"

"It's so confusing for us Adventurers as well..." Uta mumbles. "I wish I knew -precisely- when it happened, but..."

After she said that, she continues, "Well, if my Traveller wishes to make itself known to me, I would love to get to know them, but if they prefer not to, well, that would be impolite to push further, wouldn't it?."

"What was that about 'Old Deus', again? Are we talking, like, something Artosh?", she asks. "that's another of those things where I have barely more than a name, Artosh, and a denomination, deus. And a song, Artosh's Anger."

After another short pause, she adds, "Oh, and in one of the ancient languages of our world, 'deus' means 'god'. Is there any relation with the Goddesses?"

Gwen thinks for a moment as she gets a full on anime meat haunch put on her plate, she thanks the server and will take a bit of it while thinking. This is imporant information and she muses.

She seemes lost in thought for he about those who made it and with the memories bit she wonders about who sung the world into existance.

"I have to thank you both for what your willing to share with us on the questions we ask. If we find anything of note to you on the Great war I'm at least willing to share it or with anything else."

"It's not like I can speak for other Travelers on the matter." Ganesha notes. "But..." He looks to Hestia.

"Our goal is to... make up for things." Hestia answers. "I don't really want to talk about that though." She adds.

And when Uta brings up Artosh, she lowers her head. Ganesha putting a hand on her shoulder. "Artosh is our greatest shame. We do not like speaking of it." He explains. By the way he phrases it, it sounds like Uta is right. Old Deus.

Then, a shake of his head. "We are no Gods. Though many have referred to us like that in the far past."

At Uta's offer to bring them information on the Great War though, Ganesha raises his hand. "I... really rather you didn't. As the one who calls the Were Fangs his children... I don't think I could bear it." He admits.

With that said, he rises from his seat and looks to Hestia, who nods and also rises. "I think that's all we've got time for today. If that's alright with you." Ganesha then notes.

Lunaris pushes back her chair to stand, offering a thankful bow to the Travelers in thanks for them going out of their way to meet them. "Thank you both, we are still lost and adrift in this world, and your aid has been much appreciated on that matter, I'm sure all three of us agree on that. If you ever need to reach out for whatever reason, I'm sure we'd happily listen!" With that she fixes a beaming smile, darting a tiny pace back, choosing not to bring up the rest at their request.

Glancing back at the other two adventurers, she tilts her head slightly, ear twitching, "Anything else, or happy with what you learned? I'm a bit.. I've a lot to think about first!"

"I think we're good," Uta offers. "I mean, I would like to learn more about this whole song versus Song thing, even if it implies doing a lot of homework on my own, but I understand it is a subject you do not wish to discuss." She stands up herself and bows. "And sorry for bringing up unpleasant topics. Thank you a lot for everything you've done so far. And... once again..." She pauses. "...If there is anything we can do for you, please, by all means..."

After another short pause, she adds, "Oh, and please take my thanks to Loki as well. If I remember correctly, Loki also helped with the food situation in our time of greatest need."

Lunaris gets a not. "A lot to think about indeed."

Gwen :look to the pair of Travlers and smile at them both.

"Thank you for your time the both of you and I hope we can meet again." She will give them outfits, if she ever found out about Bell oh gods she'd be showing up with outfits for them both but that's for another thing.

"Oh so it's Loki's help please pass my thanks too."

She looks to Lunaris

"Yes, I have learned alot also Lunaris I have some outfit ideas for you as well!"

See this is just a thing Gwen does...