guestservices | AUDIENCE FOR: Dimitri oh fuck i have to put in his last name

[ oh, baseball was fun. even if he ended up in a goose hat. ]

Hm... Frankly, I am not one for parties myself, so perhaps I am not the best person to speak of this. But I would like to raise people's spirits, if we can.

[ it's not a terrible idea, he thinks. but also while he's pondering, it's stardust hours! here is an awkward dance cinematic, up through the chat with dimitri afterwards. at least virgo can get a sense of what he means by a ball. ]

[they nod, and they're about to say something else, but - wow! that sure is a lot of stardust! dimitri's memory transitions into another one, just as it ends.

The sounds of the battle are deafening, even from where you kneel.

As usual, you have been tasked with tending to the injured. Your father has never once wanted you on the front lines, and you suppose you cannot blame him, but it makes you feel ill at ease to be in a place of relative safety while those you care for most are risking their lives more directly.

Your aunt wields a sword and shield, and she is right in the thick of things, commanding the troops with a ferocity that you know must strike fear into the hearts of her enemies. Both your uncles are there, too, one towering over those who would fight them and the other raining terror from above, lashing out with the sort of power that could lay waste to cities. And your father - he is there as well, though you have lost sight of him for the moment.

Your attention is on the injured soldier beneath you. His breathing is labored, and his wounds are grave, but - you can save him.

Saving people is what your abilities are for. What would be the point, if you did not use them?

You hold your hands over the soldier's chest, and you focus. A bluish light shines over the wound, and you watch as it knits itself back together, and as the soldier's breathing becomes a little easier. He will live. As the light fades, you are aware of the other soldiers around you - injured, not well enough to fight, some struggling to get back up because they want to. Their comrades are still out there, fighting.

Your comrades - your family - are out there fighting, too. The battlefield is a terrifying sight - flames and smoke, singed ground, winged reptilian creatures up in the air, the clash of steel on steel, the cries of the injured, the silence of the dead...

Slowly, you get to your feet.

"All this bloodshed..." Your uncle swoops down, and focuses, and an explosive beam of fire engulfs the soldiers on the ground. You wince. "Will it never come to an end?"

...your other uncle, charging an attack, is struck by several - he falls, crushing many of the soldiers beneath him. You gasp, and you can only watch as enemy mages focus their spells on your aunt, but she rapidly outstrips them, running out of their range as they charge up and slashing at the soldiers as she goes. One of them jumps, aiming to strike a devastating blow against her, and -

There he is. Your father, swooping down in on his steed's back, knocks the soldier right out of the air. He looks back and shouts your aunt's name, and she leaps upwards - there's a bright, green light, and...

She is transformed. She is a terrifying sight, all scales and wings and sheer power, and she takes to the air, dodging spell after spell, going straight for a line of mages atop a cliffside. They throw up magical shields, but you know even before she charges a spell in her throat and lets it fly that they will be shattered.

It may well be that an end to this bloodshed can only come with a significant enough show of force.

...your role will be to help those who survive pick up the pieces.

virgo, who had just been about to say something, goes absolutely still and silent.]

[ sorry, this should be an emotional moment. it's a harrowing memory. but he just

reaches up and rubs his brow, eyes tightly shut. give him a second. ]

[that's valid as hell. dimitri can have all the moments he needs.

inwardly virgo is screaming.]

[ he has. such a headache. sometimes you see a history-defining battle and all the bloodshed and sorrow that comes with it, and it's still not the biggest shock that a memory has to offer.

eventually, ]

I think you ought to speak first, Virgo.

[they glance from side to side, their gaze lingering for a moment or two on the shadows cast by the lights in the room, and nod.

they speak rapidly, when they do, but their voice is very soft, as though they're trying to avoid being heard by anyone other than dimitri.]

It is a long story, and - there is much that I cannot say, because there is much that is at stake. [their voice is pained.] I did not anticipate that things would turn out the way that they did - and I know it is not fair to ask this of you, but if I could please ask for your silence in regards to what you saw...

[ HE IS SO TIRED OF THIS. how many times is he going to get punked by flayn.

that said, he understands. the camp did prepare him for this, both in terms of secrecy and also flayn's shenanigans. after a long silence, he speaks quietly, just between them. ]

...Fine. But you will speak the truth plainly to everyone, as soon as you are able. Swear that to me, Virgo, and you will have my silence for now.

I swear it.

[that promise, at least, comes easily. she keeps her voice equally soft, though, hoping against hope that no one else can hear this.]

The moment it is safe to do so, I will explain everything.

AUDIENCE FOR: Dimitri oh fuck i have to put in his last name

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