trust_the_cloak [Curious Coeurlian RP Repository]

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===== 08/06/22 - Trust the Cloak =====

<fc #ff00ff>''[Tadashi]''</fc>

A knocking at the door to Eligor's lab signaled Tadashi's presence, bearing a single package for the man. As they had discussed earlier, his gift for Novine had been crafted, and he was looking to give it a finishing touch. He had already inspected the cloak himself, impressed with the cloth the weaver had chosen for his gift, and was satisfied that it would be of much higher quality then his own. He rolls his shoulders back to give himself a little bit of confidence, for he was always nervous when speaking with Eligor.

<fc #cd5c5c>''[Eligor]''</fc>

Eligor opens the door and walks out, scratching at his head before closing it behind him and walking off down the hallway, having barely glanced at Tadashi at all.

“….What is it?”

He seemed a bit grumpier than usual, having nearly eyeliner dark lines under his eyes and a somewhat slumped posture even as he walked, something that was even more prominent with his sloppily tied hair and hands shoved into the pockets of his lab coat as if that would stop them from flopping tiredly at his sides.

<fc #ff00ff>''[Tadashi]''</fc>

Tadashi follows behind him, frowning slightly at Eligor's appearance.

"I have the cloak we spoke about, though you look as though you could use some rest. Is there anything I can do to help so you can take a break? I would feel bad if I add more to your plate without helping alleviate some of the burden."

<fc #cd5c5c>''[Eligor]''</fc>

“Mhm, well I don’t need any break. Remind me what you wanted me to do to this cloak of yours.”

<fc #ff00ff>''[Tadashi]''</fc>

A pained expression flashes across the white haired lalafell's face before he continues.

"The cloak is a gift for Novine, with the goal of being able to camouflage her should the necessity arise. We had briefly discussed some solutions, since you mentioned that hiding her aether wouldn't work, but you said you had ideas."

<fc #cd5c5c>''[Eligor]''</fc>

“I see. You want to visibly hide her then.”

“Have you done anything to it already?”

<fc #ff00ff>''[Tadashi]''</fc>

"I have not aside from inspect that it functions as a quality cloak. I wouldn't know where to begin, so I would rather leave it to an expert."

<fc #cd5c5c>''[Eligor]''</fc>

“I see….and how quickly do you need this done again? I also assume you wish to keep the appearance the same…”

He leaves the corridor and begins walking downstairs towards the basement lab.

<fc #ff00ff>''[Tadashi]''</fc>

"The  middle sixth Astral Moon should be enough time. So no rush. And yes, the exterior of the cloak should stay the same. The interior could change slightly so long as it isn't too bright or unnatural looking."

<fc #cd5c5c>''[Eligor]''</fc>

“Wouldn’t she want to stand out?”

<fc #ff00ff>''[Tadashi]''</fc>

Tadashi tilts his head in confusion.

"I had intended the cloak for use in the woods where she might need to blend in. Why would she want to stand out? Or do you mean as a leader?"

<fc #cd5c5c>''[Eligor]''</fc>

“Just in general. Leave the cloak there then, and I’ll do….something.”

He points to a nearby table as he begins tapping away at a monitor, not really bothering to speak much else.

“If you come back in…perhaps two days I should have finished something.”

<fc #ff00ff>''[Tadashi]''</fc>

Tadashi frowns, setting the cloak on the table before waiting awkwardly.

"Are you sure you don't need any assistance? And it really doesn't need to be done so quickly."

<fc #cd5c5c>''[Eligor]''</fc>

“What do you want to be able to do then? Did you not already do your part?”

<fc #ff00ff>''[Tadashi]''</fc>

"You look as if you haven't slept well. Either I can take over some menial task and let you rest, or I can make a tea or something to help you relax and get some rest, because you look terrible. I understand you are a busy man, but it doesn't help anyone if you fall over because you haven't rested."

<fc #cd5c5c>''[Eligor]''</fc>

He continues working at the terminal, but slows down a bit as he listens.

“It’s easier when the view is black or white. Either you hate me or you do not. Easier to work with, and around because it is clear. You….you seem more or less transfixed with being on the fence. I thought it was simply being useful at first, with your distaste being tempered by logic, and the fact that my daughter stubbornly wants me alive.”

He turns his head a bit.

“But this is clear concern for my well-being beyond what is socially polite or necessary. You do not need to show concern whether it is feigned or not to this degree.”

<fc #ff00ff>''[Tadashi]''</fc>

Tadashi seats himself to lean against the wall near the door.

"I wouldn't say I hate you. There are things you do that I don't like, but I respect your skill, your desire to protect your family and help out where you and and your ability to lead and inspire so many. I am also hired as your daughters bodyguard, and yet I am breaking one of the agreements that we had when we started, so I feel bad about that."

He looks up to him with a small smile on his face.

"I care about you because you are important to us all. A lot of people depend on you, and I really don't like your working yourself to the bone alone."

<fc #cd5c5c>''[Eligor]''</fc>

“I’m not so mindless that I would work myself into compromise. You know your own limits do you not?”

<fc #ff00ff>''[Tadashi]''</fc>

"I do. But I generally avoid working myself to them if I can help it."

<fc #cd5c5c>''[Eligor]''</fc>

“How great for you. I am working for myself, not some sense of duty. This is to my benefit, not otherwise.”

<fc #ff00ff>''[Tadashi]''</fc>

Tadashi shrugs and stands, moving towards the door.

"Very well. Suit yourself. There is no rush on the cloak."

<fc #cd5c5c>''[Eligor]''</fc>

“Just come back when I said, I do not want to hold onto it.”

<fc #ff00ff>''[Tadashi]''</fc>

Tadashi gives a small sigh and a defeated shrug.

"Very well. I shall be back in two days."

<fc #cd5c5c>''[Eligor]''</fc>

“Mhm.”

He gets back into his work, most of his attention diverted from Tadashi now.

<fc #ff00ff>''[Tadashi]''</fc>

Tadashi leaves for the day, leaving Eligor to his own devices. He returns the allotted two days later, knocking on the door to Eligor's lab, hoping he hadn't been holed up there for the past two days.

<fc #cd5c5c>''[Eligor]''</fc>

The door opens on its own, revealing a lab all but turned upside down as vials littered the floor and clocks covered the walls. Eligor was in the far corner of the room, typing away at one of his monitors.

<fc #ff00ff>''[Tadashi]''</fc>

Tadashi sighs at the sight, stepping carefully into the room and watching Eligor for a couple moments.

"You all good in here?"

<fc #cd5c5c>''[Eligor]''</fc>

He grunts in response, turning his head slightly.

“Right. I suppose it’s been two days then. You’ll be wanting your….hm. Your cloak, correct?”

<fc #ff00ff>''[Tadashi]''</fc>

"Yes. How have you been?"

<fc #cd5c5c>''[Eligor]''</fc>

He stopped working and turned around completely. Other than changed clothes it did not seem that anything else had changed about his appearance aside from darker bags under his eyes.

“Nothing happened, just work. A tube-like compartment on the wall began to slide outward from a nearby wall, releasing steam.

“Did something happen?”

<fc #ff00ff>''[Tadashi]''</fc>

Tadashi frowns slightly as he sees Eligors appearance, but shakes his head at his question.

"Nothing that I am aware of. But I don't pay much attention to what happens around here."

<fc #cd5c5c>''[Eligor]''</fc>

“What a terrible thing for a bodyguard to say.”

He pulls the cloak from the steaming compartment and tosses it at Tadashi.

“I did what I could following your criteria.”

“The cloak will hide her aether signature by masking that of the land over it. That means that it obviously will not work in some place without aether to hide in. It's also somewhat....lubricated? It shouldn't catch on random things like branches as easily, and due to the material used it wasn't exactly likely to tear in the first place.”

<fc #ff00ff>''[Tadashi]''</fc>

Tadashi nods, catching the cloak and examining it carefully. He feels that it is a little slicker then before, and stows it, before bowing to Eligor.

"Thank you for your assistance. It looks great."

He pauses, giving Eligor a small grin.

"Is there anything I could help you with?"

<fc #cd5c5c>''[Eligor]''</fc>

“What could you possibly help me with?”

<fc #ff00ff>''[Tadashi]''</fc>

"Do you need anything gathered? Something to eat or drink? Is there some task that you could teach me that I could do to lighten your workload?"

<fc #cd5c5c>''[Eligor]''</fc>

“My workload....ah. The concern again. How persistent.”

Eligor jams his hands into pockets and stares at Tadashi quietly for a few moments before his eyes come to a faint glow.

“How did you feel when you lived alone? As you wandered the land knowing no one?”

<fc #ff00ff>''[Tadashi]''</fc>

Tadashi stares at Eligor for a long time, his expression growing cold. The pink in his katana fades to a pale color as he studies the red haired lalafell. After a long while he speaks.

"I didn't feel much. The first couple days I mourned, I was angry and I wanted revenge. But none of those feed a man. So I set them aside and focused on survival. After a while I was no better then the beasts I killed. Occasionally there would be days of sadness or anger, but it never got me anywhere. The few Garleans I had to kill meant nothing compared to the hundreds and thousands around me. Instead, I busied myself in living and training. That maybe one day I could forgive myself for what I had run from. That failed as well. Eventually I saw the wall fall and the castle crumble. I figured perhaps someone else had come to claim victory."

There is anger in his voice now as the swordsman continues.

"Should I have been happy they had fallen? No. I had done nothing, and that meant their war had been for nothing."

The anger in his voice stills, replaced by a calmer, more optimistic tone.

"But free from my prison, I decided to wander. See the world they had spoken so much about. I set aside my rage, and wanted to learn. View the world as my father had. And so I wandered, curiosity guiding me. It was lonesome as before, perhaps more so, now that I could spare a thought above survival. But it also had a purpose, which I hadn't before. Why?"

<fc #cd5c5c>''[Eligor]''</fc>

“Then what would you feel, had that freedom been snatched away from you?”

<fc #ff00ff>''[Tadashi]''</fc>

"It would depend on where I was trapped. If I was trapped here in the estate there is more then enough to busy myself with for a lifetime. If I were trapped in the middle of nowhere, I would probably be frustrated."

He looks around the lab for a while before settling his gaze on the cloak.

"I assume you mean on terms I would not agree with though. At that point I don't know. I would probably resist quite violently. I don't want to be in that place again."

<fc #cd5c5c>''[Eligor]''</fc>

“That is what I am dealing with. I'm using the so-called lifetime of work to deal with it. Help does not look like help from that perspective, now does it?”

<fc #ff00ff>''[Tadashi]''</fc>

"I guess, but taking assistance is company which may make things bearable. You shouldn't have told me this though, because now I have to ask, how do we give you your freedom back? Can I help with that?"

Tadashi gives Eligor a grin.

<fc #cd5c5c>''[Eligor]''</fc>

“I kill everyone stopping me from getting what I want. Not really an option.”

<fc #ff00ff>''[Tadashi]''</fc>

Tadashi tilts his head.

"Then how are you trapped?"

<fc #cd5c5c>''[Eligor]''</fc>

“Because it's simple. Easy. I kill everyone, I get what I want. But I can't because then no one else gets what they want.”

“So I sit here, seething, twiddling my thumbs because doing ANYTHING else is bad or mean or whatever they feel like calling it.”

“But I can't even do that because then I get people like you pestering and picking and prodding because I'm doing whatever I can to stay stationary and not even that is enough for you people!”

“Now I need rest, or to work less, or to do whatever you think I should be doing so you can feel better. Feel like you did something or affected some change. I will only tolerate so much puppetry before I retaliate you know. You do not need to care or understand but...”

He takes a deep breath.

“You have your cloak. What's more important is that you inform her that the cloak is only temporary. It will only work for her due to the current state of her aether. As she grows bigger it will become less effective, and you will need to procure another toy for her.”

<fc #ff00ff>''[Tadashi]''</fc>

Tadashi stands awkwardly for a couple moments before slowly and cautiously reaching up to put a hand on Eligor's shoulder to comfort him.

"I am sorry we ask so much of you and keep you fettered here. I want to help because I care. You have given me a chance to escape from wandering alone. I want to try and help you not feel alone. I don't fully understand why you feel trapped, but I am sorry for pressuring you so."

He steps back, bowing his head slightly.

"Perhaps all I want is to feel like I did something around here, but I would like to believe I am above that. As for the cloak I will keep it in mind."

<fc #cd5c5c>''[Eligor]''</fc>

“I’m keeping myself here. It's my choices that brought me here, but it is all of you that stopped me from making any other choice.”

He deflates a bit, too tired to recoil from having his shoulder touched.

“They can't understand what was just lost. For them it is...different. And because no one else can see it, it remains my fault for not divining the perfect course. I am supposed to have the answers. I am supposed to ignore this and move on. And I will. Eventually. Soon.”

He sighs and almost loses control; he had been compressing his aether again and again throughout the short conversation and, coupled with his exhaustion, began to finally slip beyond his muted mask of emotion, barely preventing himself from making an indent in the floor.

<fc #ff00ff>''[Tadashi]''</fc>

"What choice would you like to make?"

Tadashi feels the shift in aether as it causes the air to shift in the room slightly.

"Is everything alright?"

<fc #cd5c5c>''[Eligor]''</fc>

“....it will be once I get back to my work. Nothing else matters.”

<fc #ff00ff>''[Tadashi]''</fc>

Shizui fixes Eligor with a long stare, before giving a curt nod.

"I very much doubt nothing else matters, but if you are so consumed by your work, then I will leave you to it."

<fc #cd5c5c>''[Eligor]''</fc>

He wanders back towards a monitor without another word, busying himself with some other project.

<fc #ff00ff>''[Tadashi]''</fc>

"Thank you."

----

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