meadowlarklogs | — open log

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— open log

WHO: ciri and u
WHERE: all over
WHEN: doesn't matter
WHAT: being dumb
NOTES OR WARNINGS: self harm, technically...

one — the club scene
[ There's something she's learned from Dandelion and his associates quite some time ago — loose lips are more useful than you'd imagine. A bit ... vulgar, but when information is so important, finding those willing to offer it was crucial.

Ciri knows best — how drunkards and sloshes spill their hearts out to a pretty girl. She gets an outfit with a hood, one masking the ugly scar ripping up the side of her face. With the limited freedom she has, she hopes to interweave in the kinetic crowd of the club she finds herself in.

It's raw, it's gritty — the sound of high-pitched electronica nothing more than a foreign sound to the woman. She must admit, even when she traveled to other worlds... she still finds the change fascinating. It's no simple string or drum. It's faster than that, more precise and quickened. Ciri likes it.

For now, she plans to take things easy — hang outside among some of the lingerers who instead rev engines of their hoverbikes, showing off the latest equipment and hardware installed. The music spills out to them as people pass by, let in by bouncers. Ciri'll head in too eventually, but...

Luckily, she asked you to tag along. ]

They're beautiful. [ She says in a slight trance, sighing at the craftsmanship of the vehicles. ] The silver, the iridescent glimmer to its paint — they practically sparkle like stars...

---

two — the safehouse scene
[ A few bad hangovers later, Ciri is back in the safehouse kitchen with little to no privacy. It's not as if she cared at this point — she has a place to sleep, bathe, and come back to. It's something.

Ciri's keeping to herself, seemingly deep in thought as she stands over the sink of the kitchen. She had just cut something up for lunch — but as she holds the blade to her palm, it seems... there's something off.

With a quick slice, anyone can hear Ciri wince and recoil, immediately grasping at the fresh cut wound that drips blood down the drain. ]

Come on — come on. Glow —

[ She's mumbling to herself while bleeding, nbd. ]

---

three — the house-hunting scene
Yeah?! This place rivals a pig pen — to hell with you too! No one in rags can afford the riches you demand!

[ A dramatic kick sends a trashcan bumbling down a flight of stairs, followed closely by the totally not suspicious Ciri. It seems that the girl was looking at possible housing — places to rest her head, but even unsavory places have their price. Prices she can't afford. A few hotheaded comments and she makes an enemy with a possible landlord, but Ciri is too prideful to be here now.

Whether she asked to meet up or your paths cross, it's hard to ignore the trashcan rolling down the street. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

It's horseshit is what it is.

[ Ciri barks, trying not to get too upset. She could rarely afford an inn, but there were always places to go in Velen — exchange of room and board for monster hunting one of the most common. One day they will explain how intricate the world has gotten with fees and charges, okay.

Everything on "paper" seemed vague, but promising. Even combined, so long as they scrape by, Ciri believes a space outside of Morningstar was crucial.

Her shoulders loosen a bit, eyes downcast. ]

The view was garbage. [ She reiterates. ] There's a few in this area — they're in the taller buildings, too. We have a little while until our meeting... Walk with me?

[ Around, not even to the appointment yet — just to clear her head. ]

Let's go. [Without a single ounce of attitude. Keith does stop to pick up the garbage can and set it upright. He could have never guessed that he'd be the well-behaved half of any duo, and yet, here they are, trying to find an apartment together while he inwardly plots out how to talk to landlords.

That's the thing he doesn't get. Like, he gets it on a more literal level, but he's never done it before.

He turns to guide her out with a wave of his hand, and starts walking as he talks.]

I never had to find a place like this before. [He agrees with the need to have something outside of Morningstar. That's primarily because Keith desperately needs privacy. He likes alone time, and it's been hard to get since he woke up on that bus.] When I got kicked out of school back home, I just went to live in the house I shared with my dad. [And before that, he was too young.]

I think it'll be fine. We can talk about how much these guys are jerks when we aren't in a room with them.

[Assuming they can keep their combined temperamental natures in check. Good luck.]

[ Ciri was a bit impulsive, quick to anger like her adoptive mother. She has no way to show her frustration like a perfectly timed portal, so the can-kicking was primitive and got the job done.

Ciri stuffs her hands in her jacket as she walks beside him, tension washing away with each step. ]

I don't like to roost anywhere for too long, but... it'll raise questions if I zip around this city. And after waking up on cots and hard pillows... a place to sleep sounds so nice...

[ She almost sounds as if she's sighing dreamily over it.

He does well to at least calm her down, an appreciative smile sent his way. ]

You got kicked out of school? You seem so ... disciplined.

[ She sounds rather impressed. ]

That's new. [Keith can understand the need to move around. Being confined to a single, rather large city doesn't sound like his idea of fun. He spent his entire life trying to get up into space because he felt drawn to it. Now he has to spend his life being normal. What if he had felt nothing in that desert? Would he have ended up a taxi driver there?

His failure would have easily landed him in that position.

He neither looks happy or sad about this thought—just ... distant. Very distant.]

My mom and her commanding officer drilled it into me. After a while, it finally stuck.

[Not perfectly. Keith would never be able to fall into rank and file. He needs the freedom of being a paladin, and he recognizes that now.]

You just didn't see how badly I needed it before. I would do whatever I wanted.

It's smart, but even I'm getting tired.

[ Mentally? Physically? It's hard to tell. The scar-ridden face echoed that she was a fighter, that she took things on without fear. Yet... she wants to make sure she doesn't screw anything up.

While, kind of screwing things up.

Ciri crosses her arms a bit, almost as if she's trying to get comfortable on their walk. ]

That's true. I have no impression of you before this. It is a bit hard to imagine. Take a moment and try to imagine me completely different — like.. in frills and silk.

[ It's not the same, but she laughs at it. Mainly thinking of Keith playing bad boy. That, of course, is where her mind first goes to. ]

And you like this 'new you', yes?

I don't know. [A beat. It's weird to think of it as liking or not liking himself. Keith doesn't tend to think on those terms. It's more about whether or not he can be better at something. Is someone better than him? Those thoughts don't creep up as much anymore, moving along his spine like they're waiting for him to fail. It's less about liking himself now and accepting himself.] I'm glad I met my mom. I'm glad I had time with her.

[More than anything, he's glad for a version of his life where he has more than one person. It means everything to him. He knows once and for all that caring for him had led to her leaving. It's hard, but that's the way it is.]

I don't get the dress thing. Does that mean something? [The meaning was lost on him. It's mostly because he's too literal, and right now he figures most people can't wear what they'd prefer.

Unless they stole it. Like he stole the jacket he's wearing.]

[ Those times are always important. She doesn't comment at first. She doesn't know anymore than what he's told her — and between half of the fantastical explanations of his world... she may confuse a few details. So, she offers a hand on his shoulder, an encouraging pat. ]

Treasure that memory. It's good to have them.

[ And then they're on the dress.

And she's totally jealous of his jacket. ]

No, not... necessarily? It's formal. Far too formal for something I'm use to or would like to. Nobles and the rich wear such attire. I've avoided wearing the likes of that as long as I could.

[ Implying she belongs to one of those. ]

[Royals that Keith has met: Lotor. Allura. ... Ciri? Keith's steps slow as he looks at her. That's not to say that Allura isn't capable of her brusque moments, and Lotor is awful and evil. But still: they have a certain way of carrying themselves that Ciri doesn't have.

Is Ciri a royal? A noble? Something like that.]

I wouldn't have guessed.

[A beat.]

Are you sure?

[What?]

[ There's a bit of silence, as if she spoke much more than she was comfortable with. It's taken a lot for her to understand her lineage had some... effects on her life, even if she claimed a certain Witcher and his beloved as more family than blood. Except her Grandmother, of course. ]

Fairly. [ Her tune was sarcastic, but sheepishly, she continues. ] I've since renounced my claim to the throne and spend my days hunting monsters of both beast and mankind. I don't do well with it.

[ Scholars and historians would say otherwise — speaking of her kindness and ambition... but selfishly, she refuses the life. ]

[As someone who has renounced a leadership position, he understands. He's back in it, but that barely matters now. In this world, the Black Paladin means nothing. The Black Lion means nothing.

He's just Keith again. It doesn't matter what she's renounced, he guesses. They both have to carry on with the knowledge that it doesn't, which may be more difficult.]

Well, I guess it'd be hard to fight in a dress, [he says, still processing it bit by bit.] Though I bet you could pull it off. They don't have warrior queens where you come from, then? [Still ... processing ...]

It'd be the worst! [ Ciri, for one of the first times, sounds as if she's truly excitable. Truly lively. There's a sputter of her lips and slap of her hand to her hip. ] Considering your knickers would wedge up and you'd step on your trail — ugh. Perhaps if the attire was shorter but even then...

[ She was going to bring up the warrior queen from the North, one that was 100% fictional scottish and irish inspired. Keith allowed her the option to... ]

We have women who rule, maybe not battle in ballroom attire unless need be. Come to think of it, I don't think I've seen many lead into battle at all. [ She looks to see how far they are from their next appointment, how the roads weave more intricately and the buildings look far more condensed... Hm. ] I don't blame them. Most find peace doing other things, why risk your life unless your cause is intriguing enough?

I know a Princess back home. Her name is Allura. She didn't like sitting by the sidelines, and couldn't wait to get into a fight. [If anything, Allura hated that her father decided to back down. Keith knows that she's had to learn moderation since then. When Allura went to that other world and saw what she and her people did to the Galra, she knew she had to take a step back. Reevaluate. Keith doesn't know if she's still afraid of that, but it's hard for him to ask. It's not like he's been around to check on anyone.]

It's not about what's intriguing to her. Just—what's right. What she has to do. What those before her couldn't do. That's all.

[ It's a tough life to live — to take responsibility and act not with a sword, but with wit and pleasantries. Ciri doesn't feel she's suited for that world and would rather run from her Father's questionable choices than ascend. It was odd. She's afraid that things aren't fixed by hitting them headon — that she can't fix centuries worth of muck-ups... but. Keith can easily see the confliction in her face. ]

The want to do right can sometimes be overshadowed by someone's ability. I don't know if I would have been able to do much — to change the mind of people set in their ways. [ She sighs. ] I just wanted to do what I was good at.

Honestly ... that doesn't sound too different from Allura. [It's not Ciri's fault that it's easier to relate to people by what he knew about someone else before. Keith was once so isolated from people that his point of reference tends to be less than varied. That's his own fault, something that he can't bypass when it comes to himself.

Speaking of himself: Keith understands running from the unfamiliar to the familiar. He's done that, too.]

Sometimes you have to do what you can, and hope that change comes with time. Or—I think that's what she'd say. She wasn't very certain she could pull off fighting alongside the diplomacy. So, I guess it's the inverse, just—[He pauses, thinking.]

Let's just say that Allura had fighting down. Just not necessarily lion piloting.

Edited 2018-10-07 22:10 (UTC)

[ Don't worry, Ciri does the same. It's hard not to — in reality, finding some kinship with complex human traits of others... makes her feel less alone. ]

...Right. [ Not even in a sarcastic tone, more thoughtful. She's learn to be more weighing of his words, to take them in to see if they fit some messed up puzzle in her mind. Logical, ambitious, safe — she tries to balance them all and there's a laugh on her end. ] Then I'm sure her name grew infamous on the lips of many in your world?

["Infamous." Keith wonders if Ciri is seeing this an entirely different way. Infamy isn't where anything would go for Allura, as far as he's concerned.]

No, not infamous. Why would you say that?

That sounds like a fearsome combination... surely it would have garnered some kind of attention?

[ Infamous to her was inherently not negative. It was more associated with the way word would travel — battle-sung bards weaving tales of glory or longing. Geralt and the school of Witchers were infamous. Yennefer and the Sorceress Lodge was infamous. She associates it with making an impact. ]

She did. I mean, everyone knew about Voltron and its paladins, and Allura was one of the last of her kind. I just—it's not infamy. She's famous and revered.

[Partly because she gives a mean speech. She's really good at that.]

We differ on the word, then.

[ She leaves it at that, far too set in her ways. She knows good and she knows evil — but there's always a gray area. She can be a gray area at times. Yet, she means no harm and there's a definite show of that with how her hand comes up to his shoulder. ]

Then we'll be glad a public figure such as herself doesn't find her way into this world. Far too much to stay under wraps.

Yeah, I guess it's better that none of them are here. None of our friends, right? [A weird turn to take. But getting onto the topic of Allura stirred something up inside of Keith, and that's because it's been there for a while.]

Is there anyone you wish you had here with you for this? Who you think would make it easier?

It's still lonely, don't misunderstand. [ Ciri lets a sinking feeling out into the world, giving it life and accepting she misses people more than she thought. With Geralt and Yennefer? Her parents? Of course that was there, but her feelings were always suppressed because she had things to handle first. To mourn and submit to them — it would be unbefitting. ] Part of me wishes I had people here, someone that my heart is tied to. But — it'd rather them not experience this.

[ She offers a smile, forced but a true one. ]

There's quite a few people — [ She's even stupid enough to think of her past almost-lovers, even if the taste was still bitter in her mouth. ] but.. yes. Geralt would know what to do if he was here. He raised me to hunt and wield a sword, but he has a way with handling situations that don't require as such. I could use his guidance more than ever...

I'm sorry that he's not here. [Geralt sounds a bit like her Shiro. Someone who helped her become the person she is today. It helps to ask. Keith knows that anyone would miss their comrades, but it's not always easy to bring it up. Talking about them is a fine way of rekindling the ache of losing them.

It hurts.]

For what it's worth, people like that—they want to be there for you. Even if you don't want them to experience this. You'd never ask that of someone. So, I guess what I'm saying is—it's okay to miss him. To think about what he'd do.

... Thank you.

[ Quietly, Ciri tries to show her appreciation. Maybe not through heroic gestures like diving in front of a sword, but his words were certainly impactful to her. ]

I know. I know. I don't think it makes me weaker or ill-fitted. Tragic or some such dramatic state. I just try not to think about it. I want my mind focused on finding solutions to get me back to my family.

Huh.

[It's a solid point. It's also how he'd see things, normally, except ...

Except he's met his mom. He's saved Shiro. He found him. And—]

Maybe your mind should be better at multitasking.

Hey! [ There's a nudge with her elbow as if she took offense to it. ] I manage quite fine on that regard! I ... managed not to crash that vehicle during work hours while replying to people on MS' network, alright!

[ And she's breaking the slight tension with a childish outcry that was far more jovial than he'd seen of her thus far. ]

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