hisguardian | Tanagura Inbox

[Speaking with Guy had been a disquieting experience. His conversation with Michaelis? That somehow managed to be worse. Jade's mind is filled with too many questions and no answers at all. He finds himself wondering if any of it matters. Even if he is from another world, this is his life now, and Peony is still missing - very possibly dead.

But no, putting all this out of his mind would just be another form of running from the truth. Jade knows better than to do that.

So, he prepares himself to gather information. Arietta is the natural starting point; Guy had mentioned her being from Auldrant as well. He hasn't really spoken to her since that night, but he doubts she'd mind being contacted after such a long period of silence. It's not as if they're friends - if anything, he imagines that frequent contact between the two of them wouldn't lead to anything good.]

Hello, Arietta. I apologize if this is an odd question, but what do you remember of Auldrant?

[They're definitely not friends, and it'll occur to her as soon as she sees the message that she's never actually gotten a message from him before. Despite having each other's contact information, she assumed there would be no reason for them to ever reach out to each other except for an emergency.]

[Which is also why she hasn't reached out to him at all in regards to a certain matter she's been considering this past month. In a way, she's almost glad he contacted her first!]

[...but that only makes her more suspicious than she might otherwise be, really.]

i still remember everything? you have to be more specific than that

[No, that won't be necessary. Her answer already tells him everything he needs to know: she does believe she's from Auldrant, and the fact that hers and Guy's stories line up...]

I see...
That's fine, I have what I need. My apologies for bothering you.

[THAT SURE WAS A SHORT CONVERSATION]

[Hold on there space cowboy--]

huh??
don't just ask weird things like that out of the blue!

[Is he checking her memory? She's heard about people forgetting things while staying in this world... but she hasn't been affected. She never asked if Peony had been either. But what about Jade?]

[...not that she cared or anything.]

uhm
actually since i have you here and everything
there's something i wanted to ask you too

[Jade...not asking weird things......

He was about to set aside his palm reader, but the sudden influx of messages stop him. Oh? Arietta wants to ask him something? That's new.]

What is it?

you still know how to use all your artes right?

[Is this a subtle way of checking on his memory too, or is she making a crack about his age? It's a mystery.]

[Still know. Does she know about his...'condition'?

And what do his artes have to do with anything?

Oh well. He'll answer honestly.]

As far as I know, I do.

[Does she want him to murder someone with his artes...........]

[Is he being sassy or genuine... she'd blame it on the text, but she knows he'd be no more readable in person. The thought of which almost makes her reconsider asking him this.]

[But it's not like she has any better options. Even if there were other fonists from home here.]

good
cause i've been thinking a lot about what happened last month
i don't want something like that to happen again

i need to be stronger
and
you're the only other fonist here who uses spells like me

[Sure, she could probably find someone to spar with otherwise. But as far as she knows, only fonists can practice artes on one another without accidentally killing each other -- a friend-or-foe mark would guarantee that. And there was really only so much she could do to improve herself without a teacher.]

[Oh. Is that it?]

You want me to teach you?

yes
but i'm not gonna ask you to do it for nothing

if you teach me how to cast stronger artes faster, then i'll teach you some of the strongest artes i know
including the one only one other person in the order ever managed to use in battle

[This way, he wouldn't just be doing her a favor. Because really, the last thing she wanted was to be indebted to Jade Curtiss... even if she kinda already was after he saved her last month.]

[Her strongest arte... Big Bang?

He's not sure what this "Order" she's talking about is, but the Professor had used that arte too, and it's enough catch his interest. Even after so long, he

But now that he's thinking of the Professor, he thinks it's best to make one thing clear right off the bat.]

I don't teach.

[He's not qualified to play the role of a teacher. Imparting knowledge is one thing; a true teacher also guides and mentors, nurtures, and those are things Jade is incapable of.]

But I wouldn't mind sparring with you. You primarily use the first fonon, correct?

[If she has any skill, she'll pick up new tricks all on her own.

But now that he thinks about it...the fact that he and Arietta both use fonic artes, that's important, isn't it? Certainly, it points to a connection between him and Auldrant in some way - perhaps he's a descendant of people who were brought in from Auldrant.

Alternate universes. Alternate timelines. It's not so strange to think there's a version of him that's from Auldrant, is it?

It's a good theory, but there are still many inconsistencies that remain. He'll shelve the thought for now and focus on talking to Arietta.]

[Well, that's probably the best she could have hoped for. She can learn enough just from fighting him -- especially with the threat of death off the table, as it would have been back home.]

[...that was still strange to think about now.]

that's right! i'm best at using the first but i use the sixth fonon just as much

and also the seventh. but i already get a lot of practice with that one

[An she probably doesn't need to elaborate on why that is.]

[He had remembered that detail right, at least.]

I can't help you with the Seventh Fonon anyway. But the First and the Sixth I can do.

Do we have a deal?

deal
but we'll have to find somewhere we can fight without getting in trouble

[Even if it would be a little satisfying going to jail for throwing an arte in Jade's face.]

maybe somewhere in diedo?

Diedo works.

[It's full of open spaces for meditation and prayer. Any one of those could easily be used for sparring.]

ok
i'll let you know a time and place when i figure out my schedule
since i work during the week

[Since, you know, mongrel and all.]

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text; backdated to mid/late-January

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