thebastion | Day 151

Entry tags:

Day 151

Who: Zia, Zulf + the NPCs Nathaniel, Zanya, Zahi + YOU
Open: Open
When: Day 151
Where: Throughout the Bastion
What: Tension has fallen over the Bastion, and it's time to sort out truth and anger.
Format: Any
Warnings: Drama

A few days ago, some residents of the Bastion might have become aware of a confrontation happening at a certain Ura's humble abode. There was some yelling- although not clear- and the result was a very harried looking Rin Okumura forcibly dragging away resident Mancer Nathaniel. The next couple of days have been quiet, but today... Well, if anyone wants to ask about and see what the deal was, it seems like today is the day.

It seems like Nathaniel has finally quit his own self imposed isolation, if only so that he doesn't starve to death. Apparently anger can only sustain a man for so long. He can be seen storming through the Bastion, a thundercloud practically gathered about him, or at the eating area looking very much like he wants to be left alone.

Zulf has been less of a hermit. Anyone who has seen him since the argument has probably noticed his black eye and sore nose. He seems angry as well, although it's quieter and colder underneath all his civility. More noticeably, he's been hard at work building a few fences near the edges of the Bastion- mostly near his tent but also in other areas as well. They're not the best fences, but they're good enough, hopefully. You can approach him at the shrine, his tent, or anywhere, really... He's as available as he's always been. He might even approach you, just to warn about falling off the edge of the Bastion.

Seriously, this place has needed safety railings for ages now. Who's bright idea was it not to include safety railings? ~~RUCKS...~~

Anyone wandering by the Kitchens today will notice... Damn, that's a lot of yelling. And slamming of things. Should knives be used to chop that hard...? That's right, Rin is in a bad mood and anyone who comes near will immediately know it. The excess swearing is probably a good clue. Unlike the other two, she's unleashing her temper with wild abandon in the sanctity of her kitchen where no one will bug her. Well. Unless YOU bug her...

Of course, these three aren't the only ones noticeable about the Bastion today! It looks like the Ura residents are just coming out of the woodwork.

Anyone who's talked to either of the latest Ura additions knows that Zulf came in with Zia. While not involved with the row from a few days ago, she seems just as worried as Zulf seems angry. It's possible to see her wandering about with her pet Pecker chick. Might see her coming away after a discussion with Zulf, too... Maybe she knows what's going on?

There's also Zanya and her father Zahi who have been apparently a bit more sociable these last few days. There's apparently a subject they're both interested in which they'll approach people about, although they'll do so differently. Zahi will strike up friendly conversation, but Zanya will simply get right to the point: do you have any idea what happened?

Feel free to strike up conversation with any of them, or even try and talk to everyone if you wish.

[ooc: This is your characters chance to investigate just what the drama is all about! In such a small place as the Bastion, it's a bit hard to miss... Feel free to have your characters speculate or gossip with the Ura NPCs about what may have happened or if they caught onto a sliver of what happened (like Zulf and Nathaniel falling off the edge of the Bastion), or for them to go the more direct route by talking to either Nathaniel, Zulf, Rin, or Zia.]

[Long story short is that Rin went to get Venn's journal from Nathaniel. Upon realizing who exactly wanted it, Nathaniel went to confront Zulf. There was an argument on just who and what caused the Calamity... and then Nat punched Zulf in the face, they rolled off the edge of the Bastion, and Rin separated them after they got blown back up.]

[As a reminder! Mod Mandy plays NPC!Nathaniel and NPC!Zahi. Mod Jeni plays NPC!Zanya and Rin. Birdmod James plays Zulf. Helpful player Courtney plays Zia. We'll all get to you on our own individual time, and as soon as possible! Just make sure it's clear in your post who your character is approaching.]

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[There's a slight jolt when he hears Zahi's voice, and Zulf promptly gets up. It just seems proper. As he's made probably painfully apparent after his last conversation with the older man, he holds Zahi in high regard. How couldn't he? Certainly he had gone to Caelondia himself to bring peace, yet he still couldn't help but admire those who dedicated themselves to protecting the homeland.]

Ah, Zahi- [He looks a bit embarrassed at the mention of what happened between him and Nathaniel, glancing away guiltily.] Yes, I'm afraid so... I shouldn't have let my temper get the best of me.

[It's something he feels bad about normally- more because he knows things are going to change now and because he upset Rin than actually fighting Nathaniel since fuck that guy... But in the face of someone he respects, he feels even more foolish.]

[He waves Zulf off at that. As far as he's concerned, it's just a little scuffle that will blow over quickly.]

Nah, don't worry about it. Nobody got killed, and you don't seem too badly hurt, so it's nothing worth fretting about.

Yes, falling off the Bastion tends to break up fights rather well before they can get worse. I'm glad Rin was there as well. She pulled us apart before either of us could think of starting it up again.

[A careful glance up to Zahi's face. He's hiding something, and it's obvious that he is. Zulf is an unfortunately open book.]

Has... anyone told you what the argument was about?

Nah, I figured it'd be better to hear about it from the source than second-hand from someone who might be missing important details.

[Plus he's sure people won't think favorably of Zulf in this situation, since he is the newcomer here while Nathaniel is pretty established.]

Though it's up to you if you want to share, I won't pry.

No, no, you deserve to know. I've been meaning to bring up a part of it to you and Zanya for a while now.

[A sigh. It's like he told Rin- this isn't a conversation he's looking forward to. But honesty is the best policy, especially with everything going as it is.]

Would it be alright if we walked while I explained?

Sure, let's walk.

[He'll walk alongside Zulf to wherever he wants to go. He's got practice at being a good listener, so he'll pay attention.]

Thank you.

[He sounds truly relieved at that, too.]

[A possible reason for that might become obvious in that as Zulf starts to walk, he's keep away from the more busy parts of the Bastion. Instead, he keeps his path to the outskirts and edges. His brow is furrowed with no small amount of worry and tension. It takes him a moment to sort the thoughts in his head before he starts to speak. Just in case, he makes sure that he's speaking in the Ura tongue.]

::Nathaniel confronted me because I had asked Rin to go get something from him- a journal belonging to Zia's father. I knew that if I went to him myself, I'd probably... Well. An argument happened regardless, but I had been doing my best to avoid it until then. [He never sought out Nathaniel for that reason, as a matter of fact.] As it turned out, right before the Calamity, I had gained a bit of a reputation. The Mancers had told one another to keep an eye out for myself and Zia. They seemed concerned that her and I would try to make our way to the Observatory to do something. ::

::That's all Nathaniel knew, so when he heard my name, he seemed to assume that I was somehow to blame for... what's happened. I tried to explain, but both our tempers were flying, so I'm not sure how much he understood or tried to. I did try to tell the truth to Rin, except that was when we were separated. ::

::What I was trying to tell Nathaniel was that I wasn't involved with creating the Calamity. ::

[A deep breath.]

::The Mancers were the ones responsible- they were making a weapon.::

[Zahi nods thoughtfully as he listens to Zulf's explanation. Tempers flaring, blaming each other for things, it all sounds like something two youngsters would do. (Sorry Zulf you're totally a youngster to him)

But then Zulf gets to the part about the weapon, and Zahi pauses mid-step. He quickly recovers, but he is obviously surprised by this revelation.]

::And that weapon was responsible for the Calamity, I'm guessing.::

[No judgement here, he's just trying to get to the bottom of this.]

[A terse nod. Zahi is a smart man- an Ura general has to be. He shouldn't have to spell it out just who Caelondia would use such a powerful weapon against... But he doesn't want there to be anything missed.]

::Zia's father was pulled into the Mancers- he was the only one smart enough to be able to come up with such a weapon so they wanted to keep him there. When I met her, I ended up learning about the weapon.::

::Venn... wanted to just sabotage it so that it would backfire on Caelondia instead of ever being used on the Terminals. Zia and I didn't want to do things that way, however. We knew of another Mancer who was regretting working on the weapon and agreed to sabotage it so that it simply wouldn't work at all. While he was doing that, Zia and I would try and see if there were any people in the city who were trustworthy enough to start some sort of movement.::

::Two Ura in Caelondia don't have very loud voices... but we thought perhaps there were Caels who would use theirs to stop this. It was all we could think to do. We're not warriors or scientists, after all.::

::This went on for some time... But then somehow I suppose we were found out. I managed to lose the Marshals that came after me, and met up with Zia. We had both just managed to hide... and then the Calamity happened.::

::That's all I know.::

Venn...

[Of course it was him. Zahi closes his eyes for a moment, as he reflects back on that particular man.]

::I know Venn. Such a brilliant man. It's a shame, what happened to him.::

[He opens his eyes again, and he looks to Zulf.]

::For what it's worth, I think you had the right idea. Getting rid of the weapon all-together is the right idea. It's just too bad it didn't work.::

[There is a tinge of regret to his words, though. How many lives could have been saved, if Zulf and his friends had been successful?]

::Yes... I regret more than anything that it didn't.::

['Tinged' doesn't even begin to cover what Zulf's feeling right now. He had hoped that maybe if he could stop the Calamity from ever happening, then he'd be able to atone for the pain he put both his friends and his own people through. Now... Now it's just become all the worse.]

[He takes a deep breath to calm himself before looking up at Zahi, admiration clear.]

::You're taking this so much better than I did when I first found out what the Mancers had planned. I'm envious.::

[Zahi shrugs. He has nothing to hide, so he doesn't mind explaining it.]

::I'm not really surprised. I served in the war, I know what the Caels are capable of. But at this point, does it really matter anymore? Everyone involved in that project is dead, so what's the point in getting mad? We've got a lot of other things to worry about, like surviving.::

::That's right.::

[The relief is nearly flowing off of him in waves as Zahi speaks, and Zulf could nearly be smiling. It feels so good to finally admit this to the other Ura of the Bastion, and for Zahi in particular to be dealing with it as he is. He thought he would have to argue his case, soothe tempers... But this is better than he had thought it would go.]

::It's a weight off of my wrists to finally tell you about this. It's something you and your daughter should have known about from the start, but Zia and I were simply worried. I'm truly thankful that you let me explain everything.::

[He gives an honest and respectful bow to him.]

[Zahi laughs at that, and when Zulf straightens up from his bow, Zahi will take one of his hands in both of his own.]

::I'm glad I can help. We've got to stick together, and just endure. I know it's tough, being an Ura in a place full of Caels, but enduring is what we do best.::

[After a pause, he adds one more sentence to that.]

::Though it might be a good idea not to tell Zayna yet. She's still too young to accept something like this.::

[Give him a second to respond, Zahi, he's kind of staring at your hands. ~~Senpai noticed him.~~ He snaps back to after a moment, however, trying to pretend he isn't slightly flushing like a teenager meeting his idol.]

::Of course! You are her father. You know her much better than I do. I trust you completely to do what you feel is right.::

:I already told her when we first met, but if you ever need anything at all- whether supplies or assistance- then I'll do whatever I can.::

[Haha oh Zulf. Zahi just smiles as he lets go of Zulf's hand.]

::Thank you, it's good to know that there are friendly faces here.::

[And since serious Ura-time talk is done, he'll switch back to Caelondian before speaking again.]

What's your plan with the fences, anyway?

[Don't you judge him. Even if he totally is holding onto that hand you just let go of. What.]

[At the mention of the fences, however, he looks horribly embarrassed. Shoulders hunching up, he glances away.]

I just thought someone should make it so that no one else will go tumbling over the edge. The Bastion can push you back up, but... there's no guarantee of a gentle landing. It's possible to land on your face.

[His shoulders hunch up a little more.]

...I did, at any rate.

[Oh boy, he can just imagine that trip.]

Ha! Well, you better not tell the riskier kids about it, they might go for a tumble for the fun of it.

[At least now there's an answer to the question of how it feels to be a jack in the box. Zulf gives a slight groan and shakes his head.]

Oh, so help me they might... I need to learn how to make better fences.

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Day 151

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