It's a three-parter! Slightly backdated to before the VI trip

[sonoffigaro.livejournal.com]

[Today, Edgar is a busy man. First, a phone call, to one particular little girl who just happens to have summons at her beck and call. No, he doesn't want to talk to your father, he would rather speak with you directly, Eiko.]

[Second, he will climb to the roof to visit Reis. She's been wasting away again, and Edgar is not going to let her do that without a fight.]

[Third, once the rest is accomplished, he will make a broadcast from his office, an official-enough place that is less imposing than the throne room so as not to drive people away.]

I have something of an announcement to make, on behalf of the kingdom of Figaro.

Over the past few months, more and more children have arrived on Gaia without a protector, and many native Gaian children have seen their family and neighbors disappear before their eyes. I have acquired a large, empty building in the town of South Figaro that we plan to renovate extensively to provide a home for these children, a place where they can be assured of safety and security.

It will be run primarily by Terra Branford, but many children need many caretakers. If you are interested in either helping with the construction or at the facility after it is completed, please let me know in response to this message.

The world is changing around us, but together we can provide help for those in need.

Comments

On the Roof

[dragoncursed.livejournal.com]

[Reis isn't hard to find, sitting on the roof. She's staring blankly out at the desert and is already far more frail than when she first returned to Figaro. She doesn't really sleep or speak that anyone can remark on, and even the meals brought to her by kindly servants go untouched by her side. More or less, she's given up the will to live. If she cannot be with Beowulf, there is no reason to even try going through the motions.]

On the Roof

[sonoffigaro.livejournal.com]

[And Edgar arrives at the top of the ladder, coughing slightly as he does. He isn't ill, but it's a habit he developed to let Reis know he was there, because he doesn't want to startle her.]

Reis? May I join you?

[dragoncursed.livejournal.com]

[At least he's not likely to end up bitten, clawed or wing whapped if she does startle, as he had been before. She turns her head to the sound of Edgar's voice and nods. It's his home after all and she is only accommodated by his generosity. Who is she to deny him?]

Of course.

[sonoffigaro.livejournal.com]

[The king makes his way over to the edge to sit down next to the dragon lady but refraining from touching her or looking directly at her.]

My people tell me you're not eating properly.

[dragoncursed.livejournal.com]

[Her only response is to look down at her hands, which are folded in her lap. Only after an extended silence does she contribute anything vocal.]

I have not been hungry.

[Which is not her begging for attention. It's absolutely true. She's felt nothing but completely numb since that ill-fated visit with Matoya. Only half-alive at best.]

[sonoffigaro.livejournal.com]

You must eat, Reis. You'll only do yourself harm this way.

[Somehow, he's sure she knows this, and yet doesn't care. But it has to be said.]

[dragoncursed.livejournal.com]

It matters not. I shall not see him again. All hope is lost.

[She covers her face in her hands and begins weeping. There has been a great deal of that since she's returned.]

[sonoffigaro.livejournal.com]

[He sighs internally. He's good with the women, but on some level they have to want to be comforted. He's not good at shoving comfort on someone when they clearly don't want it.]

What makes you think you won't see him again?

[dragoncursed.livejournal.com]

Matoya has said he will not come here. That I should not seek those who are not here, and that crossing the threshold of the worlds will bring their destruction.

[Her hands drop, only to clench around the fabric of her skirts in tight fists.]

I will not risk his life to return.

[sonoffigaro.livejournal.com]

[And something about that seems off.]

I know Matoya is supposed to be all-knowing, but how can she possibly know that he won't ever come to Gaia? The ways people are turned around in all of this are completely unpredictable.

[dragoncursed.livejournal.com]

We asked if she could predict who would come, thinking of Mjrn. She told us she could not, only that she can say who will not come.

[It was quite the odd distinction to her thinking, but then Reis wasn't the one living in a cave alone.]

I saw him in her crystal, the day he took me from the mines after the curse.

[sonoffigaro.livejournal.com]

[To his way of thinking as well, but Matoya was incredibly inscrutable - one of the reasons Edgar had never gone to ask her anything.]

Was he well? Has he been affected by this change at all?

[dragoncursed.livejournal.com]

He was. Just as I remember him.

[Her face shifts to the wistful, voice taking on a melancholy hue.]

He appeared unaffected and I would that it remain so.

[sonoffigaro.livejournal.com]

[And Edgar sighed heavily - he hoped she would at least listen.]

Reis, I am obviously not him - but I can't think he would want you wasting away because of this. I think it would hurt him deeply to know you've given up on life because of him.

[dragoncursed.livejournal.com]

[Edgar is right and Reis knows it. But she would give everything, even herself, if it would keep Beowulf safe. She nods, acknowledging the truth he speaks. However, she can't see how she can possibly move forward.]

I know not what I should do.

[sonoffigaro.livejournal.com]

I suppose it partially depends on what you are willing to do. Reis, you are a good friend to many, and none of us want to see you throw yourself away like this. I know it hurts - believe me, I know. But he is not the only one to care about you.

[dragoncursed.livejournal.com]

[Like most dragons, Reis is good for a long brood when the world seems to be coming to an end, and it's only made worse by her being female. She looks to Edgar, but it's quite blank. It is not that she cannot understand him, only that she cannot comprehend what she should do next. Luckily for her breathing is an involuntary behavior or she'd even struggle to manage that. That other people care has not quite sunk into her psyche, only that the one she longs for is forever lost to her.]

[sonoffigaro.livejournal.com]

[And Edgar reaches for her - not to hold her, but to place a hand on her arm, trying to connect with her somehow in order to get through to her better.]

Will you eat something, Reis? Please, your friends want you to.

[dragoncursed.livejournal.com]

[She's not being stubborn as much as she's just lost. Still, she nods in acquiescence to the request.]

Forgive me, Edgar. I do not mean to spurn your kindness or trouble you.

[sonoffigaro.livejournal.com]

But you do trouble me, lady. I understand your pain - but I can't help but think that if he were here, he would be more troubled than yourself at this change in you.

[dragoncursed.livejournal.com]

I would not wish that for him.

[sonoffigaro.livejournal.com]

Then don't you think it's time for you to care for yourself the way he'd want you to? Even if we can't reunite the two of you, at the least you can honor him and his wishes.

[dragoncursed.livejournal.com]

[There's a slow nod. Edgar's right of course. She still wants to sit and weep her heart out, but the tears have already run dry for her.]

[sonoffigaro.livejournal.com]

[And Edgar starts to stand, offering her a hand to help her to her feet.]

Then let's go find you something to eat, first. Perhaps some soup, or something else soothing and warm.

[dragoncursed.livejournal.com]

[Reis takes the offered hand, but uses it far more than a casual boost to stand. She's weak and now wobbling on her own two feet.]

Thank you, Edgar.