eachdraidh | [video] Open to both courts.

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[video] Open to both courts.

[With the battle against the Fox finally over, his power gone (though his daughter had escaped from Ganondorf which made Lumina pretty uneasy) and his heart destroyed, despite her best arguments that they should see what they could do with it first, Lumina had to go and check out where the battle itself had gone down. She knew what had happened, for the most part, but hearing about it and seeing it were such very different things.

It was hard to imagine that one person dying could cause the kind of destruction that he had. The entire landscape was changed! It was even sort of pretty, in an...uncomfortable kind of way. She wouldn't have stayed past looking around, except...well. Like most things Lumina did, she'd had a silly whim and the materials to pull it off.]

[When the locket turns on, it's pointed at a cape that many people would find familiar as the one worn by a certain near-revolutionary named Reynard. At the top of the screen, just in view, are two small hands holding it up, clearly not able to do much more than manage it almost like a curtain. After a few seconds it abruptly drops down to reveal Lumina's face.]

Boo!

[She giggles, letting it drop the rest of the way, and waves towards whomever is holding the locket (one of her imps presumably) who backs up a bit to reveal that Lumina is also wearing Reynard's boots. Although they're so large as to be comical, and she probably got her feet, shoes and all, inside them with a lot of room to spare.]

Grr. [She manages, still chuckling.] I'm Reynard! I'm going to steal the things you care about and overthrow your kingdoms!

[She stomps a few steps, which involves lifting pretty much her entire body each time she moves a shoe. She doesn't quite have to reach down and pick them up with her hands, but it's close. The cloak drags along behind her so far it's practically a train.]

[Behind her is Cul Lairid Orc, or what is left of it after the battle with Reynard. A blood granite vein starbursts along the ground where he had fallen, perhaps twenty feet or so away from where Lumina stands.]

Give me all your shards and I'll take over the world!

[Lumina stomps a bit to the side of the frame, leaving the explosion in the center of the image.]

Or maybe not, huh? [Her tone shifts some as she looks over at the ruin. Though this is Lumina, so she's still clearly amused.] So Reynard's exploded twice now. He's not gonna walk away from it this time, though. Probably not anyway.

I guess this means we won. [Lumina's smile is a bit sly.] A group of noble shardbearers from both courts banded together to face down our shared foe! They solved the riddle of the Great and Terrible Reynard, saving us all from his oncoming, unstoppable wrath! So powerful was he that dying changed the very land around him! [She says this quite dramatically, arms tossed to the side for emphasis. But then they drop to the side.]

Of course, it's never that simple, is it? We hated him, but the locals loved him. You know, the little people we all kind of ignore? [She wiggles her fingers dismissively as she says this.] And he had allies we probably don't even know about! I bet they're all preeeetty mad.

[Her voice is a bit sing-songy by the end, and she nods her head sagely as she falls silent. Observant listeners might hear...something? In the background there. A shout on the wind, maybe? Like an echo of an echo of a scream. But then Lumina's talking again.]

I wonder how it'll all turn out? What do you guys think? [The kid waves a hand towards the marred land behind her.] Good day, or bad?

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[Lumina brightens, clapping her hands together.]

Great! Where are you I'll come get you.

My room, same as always.

[Lumina clicks the locket closed, and thirty seconds or so later she's appearing in her usual swirl of chaos and light, flopping down on the edge of Alice's bed.]

Hey! Come on you ready?

[ Alice has forgotten she can do that and she's still plenty flinchy after her ordeal with Reynard. She nearly falls over and Sophie immediately jumps on Alice's lap. GOD DAMN IT. ]

...! You can give me a little more of a forewarning!

[The child huffs.]

I did! I said I would come get you!

[ Calming down, only because Sophie insists on kissing Alice's hand when she feels her tense up. And welcome to her room, it's an absolute mess. ]

A little more than a declaration goes a long way.

[ Alice moves with the rabbit in her arms to find her boots and a coat. There's drawings about and more importantly, a portrait hangs over her bed and a very obvious younger Alice in the picture. ]

Edited 2014-12-26 06:57 (UTC)

[Lumina starts to say something then just lets it go, shaking her head and looking around the room as she waits. It is pretty messy, but she can't talk. If not for her imps, her room would be a whirlwind.]

[Eventually she notices the portrait.]

Hey is this you?

[ She is usually fairly tidy, used to cleaning up after children, but when it comes after herself in her room? Not so much. It's her sanctuary, so she leaves it as is. Alice has found her boots, now her coat. She is a little reluctant to let Sophie down, but she does, right on the table where Alice has cloth and other sewing tidbits. She spares a glance to Lumina and the picture. ]

Yes. I was seven years old.

Hmm.

[Lumina sits back on her ankles, looking at the picture, not really listening to Alice as she shuffles about her room. Finally she does look over though.]

What was it like?

[ It's an unusual question, but she supposes ultimately a curious one. Alice spares a glance to her parents and sister. ]

Well, everything is certainly bigger that age.

[ Then again, she's feeling small lately. ]

Mama and Papa raised me close to them and I didn't have many playmates my age. Lizzie was my friend, along with my cats. But those were good days. Papa was so thrilled when he had that developed -- he loved photography, you see. He tried to do things like that all the time. I used to frazzle mama all the time, I remember; she was always fearful I would fall off something and break an arm. And Lizzie, well-

Lizzie had a lot of patience. She was 18 when she passed away, just one year younger than me.

[Lumina turns to look at Alice as she begins talking, but she's back to looking at the picture before the other girl finishes. Her expression is...thoughtful? As thoughtful as she ever looks.]

It sounds nice.

[She's quiet for another moment before she shakes her head and sits up again.]

Anyway, anyway, sorry. We should go if we're going!

[ It's fine by her. At least now a visual of Lizzie can accompany Alice and it does explain her mannerisms with Lumina. Just to be sure, Alice pulls out the vorpal blade. It'd feel good to use it again, just as much as she would like to try and avoid using it.

The past weeks have been terrible. For good measure, Alice does swipe the air a few times, letting the blade sing through the air. ]

Of course, before it gets dark.

[Lumina leans back as Alice gets out her knife, then grins faintly.]

I'm telling you, there's nobody out there for miles and miles. You won't need that. [But she knows this is an argument she'll lose. Instead she just holds out her hand to the older girl.]

Here come on.

I thought the same before I awoke in a cell.

[ She's only mildly irritated by that. Alice will take her hand and so help anyone who decides to mess with Lumina. ]

[Lumina can't remember if she's taken Alice with her before, so when the other girl takes her hand she gives it a squeeze.]

You might want to close your eyes.

[And then the teleport happens. It only takes a moment, but it would feel something like stepping through a wall of ice that was also a wall of warm, reassuring light. Neither sensation quite overrides the other, but they're both also distinct and acute.]

[And then there's there, on the edge of the blood ore vein that had been left behind when Reynard burst. Three of Lumina's imps and her chocobo are milling around nearby.]

[ Of course there's a crater.

Of course.

Alice abides by the warning and when the feel of her surroundings change, she opens her eyes. She's on heightened alert, fearful that the worst can happen with Lumina and herself. That trust is gone now and she grips onto Lumina's hand.

She'll do anything to protect her. When Alice does get a chance to look, it feels heavier than it was in Caer Scima. It would be unnerving if Aic wasn't so curious about it.

And the sadistic, smug satisfaction she could finally see it with her own eyes, the proof of his death. ]

[Lumina would have let go once she was sure Alice wasn't going to fall from the teleport, but she could feel the death grip the other has on her hand so isntead she just takes a couple steps, not quite drawing her along with her. She points to the middle of the explosion.]

I'm pretty sure that must be where he popped. And since we trashed his heart too, he's gone for good.

[ She won't be letting go of her any time soon, not until they get back to Caer Scima. Alice looks, still with a tight grip.

It's almost like Queensland. She remembers her fourth trek through Queensland, how dead it was, how much it satisfy her to drive the red queen back. It's in the back of her mind she can hear her.

The red queen's voice, just a whisper in her ear, But you wanted to be here, didn't you? Does it anger you you couldn't drive the vorpal blade through his heart?

Alice snaps back into reality, after likely looking thoughtful as she stared down. It's not what she sees. She sees elements of Queensland. She doesn't say anything to Lumina, she hides it.

She's starting to lose grip of on reality. ]

I hope so.

[Lumina had thought it was a stupid idea to just kill him. They could have had their own pet revolutionary, controlled the whole game! But she'd been very, very outvoted.]

[She takes another step, then hesitates, considering still how tightly Alice is holding her hand, and turns back to face her.]

...You okay?

I'm fine. It just reminded me of something, that's all.

[ Nothing harmful- well, nothing harmful for Lumina, but the same can't be said for anyone at the end of her knife. ]

Ah huh. [Lumina so doesn't believe her. Instead she tries to squirm free of Alice's grip, and then goes skipping off towards the smearing blood granite stain where Reynard had burst.]

Remember when he exploded at that big battle? I bet this was so much bigger if he did all this damage.

[She has no idea though, since she wasn't here.]

[ Reluctantly, Alice lets go, but she hovers close to Lumina, watching her carefully. But now the knife is drawn; since it reminds her so much of Queensland, she is on edge even more. Magic may not work here, but that has not rid the properties of the vorpal blade's sharp edges.

It will remain sharp, no matter what. ]

Had it now?

[ It's still the same blood granite as Redgate's. How did it get this far? ]

I cannot say I'm surprised.

I bet he even died melodramatically. [Lumina giggles.]

So. [She slides to a stop.]

It's kind of weird to think he's finally dead, huh?

Of course.

[ For all that Reynard has done, he is, after all, certainly melodramatic. ]

Not really, I'm still waiting for the next part.

What, you think he'll come back?

[Lumina crouched down next to one of the granite 'veins', seemingly considering touching it.]

I'm pretty sure destroying his heart kiiiiinda blew any chance of that.

[video] Open to both courts.

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