Moving Forward

[twibeast]

[ The 7th day comes to pass and despite knowing that things are different now, Achilles still braces for the worst - only when time doesn't reset does he finally feel like he can breathe again. Like the final confirmation that the loops are indeed over.

Though it's what he sees in the coming days as they prepare for the Underside that really excites him, to the point that he messages the group chat about it. ]

Well, well. So is this the highly anticipated "school festival" I've heard all the students speak so highly of?

[ Indeed as Achilles says, the school festival has finally come. It is the most extravagant, anime-ass Japanese school festival you can imagine, with various student run stands outside full of food and even more things going on inside... and the entirety of the student council running around like chickens with their heads cut off trying to keep everything running smoothly.

This, even more so than the passing of Authority and the lack of time resets, puts him at ease. ]

I know we still have much preparation to do but I think after all of this a little bit of fun and relaxation might be good for us.

Of course if all the hustle and bustle gets to be too much for anyone you're more than welcome to make use of my office or faculty dorm, should you have difficulty finding an empty room.

[ Not that he'll be in either much, he's also in a mood to check out the food festival. But hey you don't need him to be present to chill in there.

You've done good work Executors. Enjoy this respite before the battle ahead. ]


((ooc: This is an open mingle post for everyone! Feel free to top level your character doing whatever you feel like doing and tagging around. :) ))

Comments

[discutio]

[After a...somewhat complicated talk with Chiron, Phoenix decided he actually wouldn't mind attempting to relax for a change.]

['Attempting' being the key word, as he was in fact still very much Phoenix. Half of Superbia's Authority was in fact going around just a little too stiff and formal--though he was going out of his way to try a wide arrangement of food. Ideas to be used for later, probably. Assuming they survived.]

[twibeast]

[ Achilles himself is well... in a better mood than he has been all layer, that's for sure. That weird uncertainty that's been following him since he's gotten here seems to have disappeared and he's doing much less spacing out. Perhaps resolving matters with the Authority peacefully has really done wonders for his morale... or maybe there's something else.

Either way he's taking his time exploring the festival and trying what foods he can (not all of them obviously, but the vegetarian options he is ALL over). He can remember seeing his fair share of festivals in his life time, from the ones they Beastials would put on every year to the ones in Cygnia that Odile always had to be present in some capacity for, and something about seeing one again gets him really excited. It might be different than any of the ones he's ever been to, but there's still something almost comforting about it.

...Someone should steer him away from some of the stands though. Because he's definitely eyeing up a chocolate banana one and debating if it's worth the stomach ache later. (It's not)







At some point though he starts to feel a little worn out and seeks to get away from all the activity. Though he had offered up his office and dorm for anyone who needed some peace and quiet, he did not go back to either of those places himself when he needed the same. Instead he finds himself drawn to the edge of the woods, where he sits on the ground at the base of one of the trees. After a moment of reflection he takes out his harp for the first time in weeks.

He stares at it for a long time, finger tracing the strings without plucking or playing anything. His smile is gone and he's deep in thought.

"My name is..."

And then he finally starts to play.

Memories don't come easy to any of them. They can be hard, fast and devastating, or they can be agonizingly slow. For weeks now Achilles has felt like there was something in the back of his mind. Something that was almost there but not quite. Something that he knew was coming but still couldn't reach yet. And it left him feeling out of it, completely dazed, barely able to help the others or do much investigating without staring off into the distance.

...It wasn't all there yet. There were still some other things that felt like he was on the very edge of remembering (some of which he thinks he might not even want to remember yet). But one thing he did finally remember, and it was like a valve being turned, releasing all the pent up pressure he was struggling to overcome.

He remembers her face. Her long brown hair, her bright blue eyes with the dark circles under them that always made her look so tired, the freckles that dotted her nose and cheeks... all of it. He remembers finding her, discovering she was the legendary priestess and taking her to Orpheus. He remembers the way she held herself, like she was afraid she would fall completely apart like shattered glass if she didn't do so with all her might.

He remembers her slowly piecing herself back together. He remembers promising to protect her only to hear those same words said back to him a few months later, when she had gone from broken bird to soaring eagle. He remembers the way the Beastials pushed him to dance with her at their final festival... he remembers her holding him and being there for him when the beloved home he had protected for generations went up in flame.

He remembers her trying to teach him and Orpheus this song, and the way Orpheus slaved to recreate it as perfectly as possible. Because it was her favorite song and they wanted to give her something from her own world she actually loved. Because they both loved her so and just wanted her to be happy.

He remembers her name. Or rather, the name she chose for herself to start her new life in Rhearth.

"My name is... Odysseus."

Achilles feels at peace for the first time in weeks, not just because the loops have stopped and time has moved forward, but because he remembers. Remembers what it was like to fall in love a second time and actually know it was love this time. And so he continues to play this song that by all accounts he shouldn't even know, feeling content with finally knowing why he does. ]

[discutio]

[He'd caught the sound of something vaguely out of place at a school festival--of course he had, his hearing was sharper than his sword. It took him a fair amount of time to pinpoint and follow it amidst all the other general noise, but follow it he did all the same. A little bit curious, a little bit concerned, and more than a little interested.]

...That's quite the remarkable talent. Where did you learn that song?

[twibeast]

[ He stops his playing only for a moment, slightly startled as he turns and sees the other man. ]

Ah, Phoenix.

[ Immediately he relaxes… and stares at his harp again before resuming to play. ]

I learned it the way I learned most of my songs - from someone important to me. Though this one in particular… came from someone especially so.

[emberserker]

[Wolfsbane is there, even if she never seems to be in a good mood. Then again, she might be a little more relaxed right now if you squint. You can find her at the food stands, studying a spear of dango like she isn't quite sure about it before taking a bite, and then checking out the various clubs and classes' offerings: visiting a maid cafe and drinking tea, politely watching the Drama Club's play (a riveting version of "Sleeping Beauty" where even the half of the cast that's supposed to be asleep looks way too excited to be here), and walking nonplussed through a haunted house and swatting the rubber bats away.]

Really? It's as if they have no idea how to scare people.

[But wait... as much as she ditched class for Executor business and/or venting in the past months, Wolfsbane is still part of a class. Which, naturally, means that sooner or later, her own class will find her and drag her over to their classroom to do her fair share of the work.

So, in Class 2-B, you can walk in to find Wolfsbane with a stars-and-moon shawl thrown over her head, reluctantly sitting at a table with crystals surrounding a glass ball, at one of several stations with classmates doing the same. If she notices you, she'll lock eyes with you, as if daring you to make any comments.]

What? Come and get your fortune told, will you.

[She may be skilled in any number of things, but none of them are customer relations.]

[etincelledefierte]

[What is the other half of the Superbia Authority doing, at the moment? Well, she's enjoying the festival. It's familiar, in a way that she can't quite put her finger on. Every now and then she'll play a game, or try a snack, or something else, but as it stands, she's enjoying the hustle and bustle.

Eventually, though, she's going to find her way to whatever stage is there. She's not sure how she knows the song, but she's going to sing:]

Ready! Let's go!
Behind the curtains you'll find the signal of dreams,
Starlight glimmering just for you!
On Stage!

"What do you mean by trials?"
I was just having fun,
Dreaming about a wonderful future

But there's no Cinderella without hardships
Any heroine
Could have been crying by herself

I don't want to be told how to follow my dreams
My passion's not going anywhere, it's raring to fight!
VS my heart!

Are you Ready?
The moment when the curtain rises on our dreams
Will only come once,
So we'll be aiming for the singular dream
Of meeting our new selves!

Baby!
The voice in your heart
Will give you the push forward
Is this brilliance
An illusion? Or yourself?

Leap into the storm!
Action Now!

You and I really are the same
Your poised hands were trembling
As ultramarine illuminated our profiles

When dreading an unwanted battle,
Any heroine
Would have wavered like the heat haze

The fury of the spring thunder
The ache of the summer sky
The sky that lightens towards snowfall
Glimmer in the colors of the rainbow!
VS my pain…

Are you Ready?
Together, we'll give form
To this shapeless moment!
We'll cheer until our voices grow hoarse
As we trek a newly opened path!

Baby!
Because your smile can take us
Towards the future,
Reflect that brilliance
And the fruits of our labor will take shape

Soar through the storm!
Action Now!

The choices of my present are mine alone,
But hesitation always follows me around
I won't lie to myself
I've put my trust into our unshakeable bonds
It's too soon to be satisfied, so from now on

The revue will go on
Even as the curtain falls,
Even when we've fulfilled our dream!
Our hands will be joined together
As we head for the next show's opening!

Are you Ready?
The moment when the curtain rises on our dreams
Will only come once,
So we'll be aiming for the singular dream
Of meeting our new selves!

Baby!
The voice in your heart
Will give you the push forward
Is this brilliance
An illusion? Or yourself?

Leap into the storm!
Action Now!

[discutio]

Forgive me, I quite literally couldn't help but overhear.

[He made his way over and sat down a short distance away, offering a small smile.]

That rather suits it, I think.

food

[emberserker]

[Wolfsbane looks up from where she's suspiciously eyeing some takoyaki and clears her throat.]

I shouldn't be surprised to find you here. Doing well, are you?

[emberserker]

[Wolfsbane does clap from the audience, and she goes to find Etoile when she's done.]

Well done. Better than most of these Spectres milling about, at the least. Don't tell me the clubs made you do this.

[discutio]

Well enough. Haven't gone mad with power just yet, if that's what worries you.

[emberserker]

Oh, if that were a concern, someone would have done it by now. Instead, our only sole Authority has decided he wants to run off and live here forever, so I sincerely doubt Authority does that to people on its own.

[discutio]

Hm...well, that's certainly a choice. I don't exactly want our numbers to fall too far, but ultimately I expect the entire world will share the same fate whether we should succeed or fail.

[emberserker]

We'll simply have to make up for everyone we lose, isn't that right? You won't have to worry about me.

[schardynfreude]

??? Children are so strange. It seems like quite a bit of work for no gain... Purgatory strangeness? [help he's never been to anime school] also!!! We still can't go back up. That seems worrying.

[But enough about that, school's doing some shit. The chess club seems to have put on a full person chessboard? With people as the pieces? And mock battles when they 'fight' each other? Curious!

He's got his shades back in place, though otherwise seems to be less...sticky gross sickly goopy. He scratches his head at some of the festival offerings. Some of these do not seem...age appropriate. Or to have anything to do with the clubs. He also is apparently Too Big For Bouncy Castle, which is clearly ridiculous, and he will thus prove everyone wrong through various antics. Mostly he's just walking around bemused, looking at everything and feeling all out of place. Whether because he is An Adult, or because of where he's at with Phoenix that's still lingering, or the realization that it's all so fake since they're all dead and these poor children don't even know it. Maybe it's an itch to finally get out of here, to go and get on with it after the loop had made him somewhat loopy.

There's a dunk tank, though. So you know he's definitely going to try it.]

[discutio]

My dear Wolfsbane, I would never assume you to be doing any less than your best.

[etincelledefierte]

They absolutely didn’t make me do it. It’s just something I missed doing. The memories are still a little fuzzy, but I remember being on stage being something I love.

[twibeast]

It is all right - this isn’t the first time my playing has drawn others in after all. I appreciate the compliment and the company.

[ Though Phoenix can’t see it, there’s a clear fondness in his voice that gives away Achilles’ smile as he continues speaking. A sort of fondness he doesn’t use too often, except perhaps when speaking to Rei or about his son. ]

…It does, doesn’t it? I’m thankful such a person taught me it, and that I can think of her when I play.

She told me that it was called “Clair de lune” meaning “Moonlight”.

[discutio]

You must have cared for her a great deal, if that's what it sounds like to play while thinking of her.

[twibeast]

Yes… a great deal.

[ But he doesn’t want to get too into it now - he’s only started to remember her after all and though he had an idea of where their relationship went he doesn’t have the whole picture yet. That and it wasn’t that long ago he spilled his heart out to Phoenix about his son - he doesn’t want to bog his friends down with too much about his past life. It makes him somewhat self conscious. ]

But enough about me - how have you been holding up since the other day, Phoenix?

[discutio]

I'm...

['You talk far too much sometimes.']

...fine. Physically. I don't believe possessing half the Authority has had any effect on me.

[He almost wished it had, then any dumb shit he did might almost make sense.]

[twibeast]

[ :|a hmm… ]

And mentally?

[ He stops playing. ]

It couldn’t have been good to have seen… whatever you all saw. Especially judging from what little was said.

[discutio]

...Better than I was, somewhat.

[Maybe that was it. A need for a sharp distraction, emotions running high and...was that all it was? No, upon reflection he knew it wasn't that easily brushed aside. Nothing was ever quite so simple, least of all when it came to the pair of them.]

[emberserker]

I'll just have to improve on that, then, won't I? At least some people appreciate what I do for you lot.

[emberserker]

So you found what it is you were born to do, did you.

[twibeast]

Somewhat is better than not at all, I suppose.

Well, you know you can talk to me about anything, right?