un: starburst, toward the end of this arc.

[valeas]

( Emilia di Carlo has seen better days, by the look of her. Her battle leathers are torn, soot and cuts still on her face — but she doesn't give in to the exhaustion just yet, nor the bile in her throat. First, she addresses the people of Alem, dignified and resolute. )

Prince Haiva sacrificed himself and leaves his sister, the young Cle-Florens, spared.

I was witness.

( A pause, then, as she allows that to sink in. )

Hell is sealed.

You fought with valor so others might live. I'm glad to have fought beside you, and will remember your fallen just the same.

If you've yet to evacuate, the time is now. Hassir awaits.

Comments

[private]

[valeas]

No, the bar is all right.

( Red is there for a reason, and Emilia won't make this any more disorienting than it needs to be. She needed a drink or two after her own experience with a beacon, and she only lived through days. She can't imagine decades.

It's unnerving to think of the possibility, but Red's experience makes it difficult to ignore.

Wrath purchased them first class tickets, so Emilia has access to most of the favored areas. In the end, it isn't difficult at all to find her, even as she looks so different. The color of her hair always gives her away. ) Red?

[private]

[damnable]

The one and only.

( Red confirms even as she turns and takes in the sight of Emilia before her with a low breath. Jesus though, the dress is beautiful as is she. It can kind of be hard to remember through all the hazy, funny details. )

And, Emilia, also the one and only.

( She smiles with emotion even as she's hit with a whole helluva lot of things at once, memories of things she forgot, things that shaped her. ) Damn it's good to see you.

[private]

[valeas]

( Emilia doesn't doubt Red, not truly. But she can't help wondering if it is strange as it is good. If this bittersweetness is shared, and she looks to Emilia in the hopes of recalling a memory, same as Emilia looks back at her to catalog the differences.

She steps forward, recovering some of the confidence she lost in her surprise. )

It's good to see you. I'd wondered if you managed to leave —

( Except she kept looking for the wrong person, one who had yet to shed girlhood. )

How ... long has it actually been?