smash_logs | [Open] A Visit to a City on the Sea

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[Open] A Visit to a City on the Sea

Who: Blaze, Visitors
What: Blaze allows visitors to see her dimension, and her world's version of Soleanna
Where: The Sol Dimension, Capitol City of Soleanna
When: October 24-28

This wasn't the first time she tried to bring people with her to her home dimension, but last time it happened, things were... not so pleasant. They had arrived in the middle of an attack by Dr. Eggman Nega's forces, and thankfully were able to repel him. This time, however, things were different. All was peaceful and calm. She had talked with Jon some time ago about letting people visit, and now seemed as good a time as any. The shadow bugs were hardly a problem now, and the opportunity was there.

And so with a stable portal in place thanks to the Sol Emeralds, Blaze was allowing people to visit her home dimension, and its capitol city of Soleanna.

Visitors were free to explore to their heart's content, so long as they didin't interfere with the regular goings-on around town. And any trouble would be dealt with personally by Blaze. She had her eye on everyone, although not at all times, and certainly more focused on the known troublemakers who happened to visit...

((Feel free to start your own threads! Soleanna in Blaze's dimension is very much like a Venetian town, with all the shops and amenities you'd expect. Most of the population are koalas. Have fun!))

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Blaze was silent, slowly looking down at the water below them. "My... My parents are dead," she explained. "I've been on my own for some time now... It's been my responsibility to bear. My attendants have tried to look out for me, but it has been relatively recently that I've begun to... allow them in," she admitted. "I've always felt alone, like this burden was mine and mine alone to bear."

Eirika's expression fell when she heard Blaze continue. She could sympathise with the sentiment. The difference was that she still had a brother to look out for her. Not at the academy and the last time she'd seen Ephraim it wasn't a good time. She didn't feel like she nearly got enough time with him either.

She shook her head slowly. "I'm... sorry to hear of your suffering, Blaze. It may not mean much, but I'm here if you need me to be. When you need me to be. I understand your position far more than it seems. It would appear that we have more than a couple of things in common..."

She nodded. "It would definitely seem so," she answered. "And I appreciate it, I really do. For the longest time, I felt I couldn't rely on anyone, couldn't trust anyone or share my burden with anyone else. But I met some friends who started to change that. I know I don't have to be alone anymore."

"For the longest time, I felt I couldn't rely on anyone, couldn't trust anyone or share my burden with anyone else."

It sounded like something Eirika would say. But many times before Blaze had reflected words that Eirika thought on the inside. There was some admiration where Blaze's open demeanour was concerned.

"Then let's always do the best that we can together, Princess. I certainly feel stronger when I have you around, and mayhap one day I'll be able to show you my homeland as well."

Blaze's small smile returned, and she nodded in agreement. "Agreed," she said. "We will do our best together. I look forward to seeing your own homeland one day. We will get you back there, I promise."

"I know," Eirika admitted, though she didn't sound nearly as convinced as she'd wanted to. Of course one day she'd see Renais again, and she hoped by that time the war would be over and a state of peace could finally reign. "I'll show you my favourite places and everything. There was a beautiful garden and fountain in the courtyards. I used to spend hours there, doing little, but thinking much."

Then she turned to look over to Blaze with a small smile. "Did you have anything like that here? Someplace that took your breath away and made you the most happy?"

Blaze thought hard about it, placing a hand on her chin. When she finally settled on just the thing, she looked up at Eirika. "I do... But it's a bit of a walk. Do you mind?"

"No, of course not."

Like Blaze needed to ask. She could have dragged Eirika around anywhere and Renais's princess probably wouldn't have cared. "Don't feel the need to rush. I don't have anything really waiting for me." At least nothing that couldn't wait for a little later. Connor would survive for a bit without her and of that, she was absolutely certain.

Blaze nodded. "Then follow me," she said, leading Erika down the path. She could have run there much faster, but Eirika didn't have super speed. It was a fair walk, down past the pier towards the mountains and into the woods.

Past the woods, and several clearings, there was quite the sight to behold. A partially flooded castle stood off a cliff, tall towers gleaming. It was an ornate castle on the water.

"This is Kingdom Valley," Blaze explained. "It... WAS the royal residence, when my parents were alive."

The walk in silence was fine. Comfortable, even. Eirika didn't mind. Being a diplomat oft meant listening and hearing to understand people. Or observing. In cases where it wasn't social galas, it was usually observance that she was committed to. Whatever the case, it didn't seem as long as it probably was, and she chalked that up to enjoyable companionship.

As she looked around, she took everything in quietly with much reverence for her own memories, and her own parents. "You do not use it any longer?" she asked as her eyebrows knit together. After all, Blaze was still a princess, with or without her parents. Laws of lineage tended to follow that.

"It serves a ceremonial role," Blaze explained. "But ever since... Well, you know. Ever since then, I haven't been comfortable there."

She looked out over the valley and the towers that dotted it. "Sometimes I forget just how beautiful it is here."

A ceremonial role. A bit akin to Renais's castle, Eirika imagined. She didn't say it, but hearing Blaze made her wonder if she had the opportunity to go elsewhere to rule if she even would. There was only one Palace of Renais, only one place for her to properly raise her sword and lead the people who followed her so willingly. And in the end, she decided every ache of pain was one she had to hold close to her.

Because at least she was alive. Seth had told her once that as long as she and Ephraim were living, Renais still had hope.

"There is beauty, even where there is sadness," Eirika found herself agreeing with a slow nod as she followed Blaze's gaze. "Blaze, are you alone here? I mean, have you no friends, no support behind you? Surely you were not left such leadership on your own."

She nodded. "Until recently, all I had were my retainers. No friends, no family... Just me. But things changed for me. It's been difficult, though," she admitted. She had been alone for so long, isolated by her duty and her powers to the point that she felt she would always be alone. But she found friends that opened her heart and mind, and she was so grateful to them all.

Eirika nodded in kind with some contemplation. Retainers. She missed hers, admittedly. Well, the general anyway. Forde and Kyle were easy to miss too, but they were more officers charged with her brother's safety and not hers.

Folding her arms over her chest, her head tipped with some consideration. "Hm... I hear you. I can sympathise. The people at the academy are good at filling others up when they feel hollow. Or so I've noticed, anyway. You're in a good place with good people, and even when you don't feel strong, they can share their strength with you."

"At least I'd like to think so," she answered. "There are some that I find... less than helpful," she admitted with a small amount of disdain on her voice. "But you're right. Most of them are good at that to say the least..."

"Well, not everyone can be civil."

Like Eggman. Eirika had only despised one other more than she despised him. And sometimes she almost felt the same hatred creep up that she'd tried to let go of. Vengeance wasn't a healthy sentiment to indulge in and she tried to curb it. Fortunately Eggman had done next to nothing in the recent days, but peace was consistently fleeting. She wasn't completely stupid.

"I think your chances of finding good people are better than that of finding bad ones," she continued with a shorter nod. "And those who are bad can either be ignored or dealt with when necessary." Kind of like the way she told Connor if Bowser and Eggman rose up, both would need to be severely crushed. Respectively.

"You're right," Blaze agreed. "There is something to be said for the sense of solidarity that comes with attending Smash Academy sometimes."

"A good way to put it."

Even Eirika couldn't disagree. For as much as she missed Renais and Magvel, and even more—Ephraim—there were good things in the academy. Blaze, Gordon, Connor, Henry, Ike, and everyone else. And there were plenty of people who had been there once and left an ache in her heart.

Still, it was a good foundation. "I never would have imagined myself agreeing with that a couple of years ago. How things do change."

"That is a sentiment I know all too well," she admitted with a smile.

She didn't need to say she agreed. Because that was obvious. Eirika gave another look around, still found at least a part of herself wandering through nostalgia and older, simpler days, and drew in a rather deep sigh.

"Thank you for showing me and telling me about yourself, and your family." Because she was personally so closed off, Eirika had a lot of admiration for people who weren't.

She nodded in appreciation. "Thank you for listening... It feels good to talk about these things with someone. And I look forward to learning more about you and your home when we get you back there."

She politely smiled in reply, feeling both a sense of closeness to Blaze and some odd kind of flattery that Blaze would care to confide in her the way she had. As if they were truly friends and truly allies and in a world where many things could be stripped away and easily, something solidified held a great deal of weight and importance.

"I'll find the time to tell you a bit of it. Even if we don't manage to find me a way back." Not that she had lost hope, but that Connor once had made a brilliant point that sometimes there were things she needed to accomplish first before time would move forward. The lack of a voluntary return to Renais implied that she still had things to do at the academy.

At least it was a comforting notion. More than simply being tied down with no other alternative, anyroad.

"I look forward to it," Blaze replied. "I suppose we should head back to town," she suggested. "Thank you for your company."

~~Blaze's support rank leveled up~~

"If you want to stay around a bit longer, you can," Eirika reassured her. "I can find my way back."

After a moment's consideration, she gave Blaze a soft look. "Thank you for having me, Blaze. Let's come back again."

It'd be a shame to let everything here go without attention.

Blaze nodded. "Yes. Let's." She took a look out over the valley, a place she felt like she actively avoided. She had dealt with the loss of her parents by pushing it away, hiding herself from anything that reminded her of them... She knew that was wrong, but with the level of control that was expected of her at all times, it felt like she had little choice.

"Perhaps... Perhaps I will stay a little longer," she said quietly.

Edited 2014-12-18 06:55 (UTC)

[Open] A Visit to a City on the Sea

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