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Post by SlvrNight on Feb 10, 2016 11:25:42 GMT -5
Suna let out a hearty laugh, smiling widely. The king was right, of course. It went back to them both agreeing on Carl's stubbornness. Or perhaps it was more of the man's loyalty and love to his friends. He would make the same choice, no matter how many times the decision was thrust at him. It was something she both loved and hated about the man. It was a wonderful quality to have but not without its faults. The emerald haired woman was glad to finally be able to talk about all this.
She opened her mouth to say something else but stopped when Triste reentered the room, carrying a tray with three glass teacups and three decently sized glass pitchers, along with a small bowl of sugar and a small metal container filled with cream. The young woman gently placed the tray on the center table and picked up a cup, holding it towards her mother who took it with a grateful nod.
"Some sweet herbal tea with honey for you, mom. I also put your medicine for you in that cup since it should be easier to take like that."
Triste picked up another cup and then held it towards Tael.
"And I have no idea what kind of tea you like, your majesty, so I made you some blueberry tea, sweetened lightly with some sugar and cream."
She then picked up her own cup and sat down in another seat near Tael, taking a sip before speaking. "So, in case you two haven't gotten to this topic yet, the main reason I went looking for the king here is because I was hoping his healing abilities could help you, mom. Maybe having a talented healer with intricate and existing knowledge of the patient can make it more effective? I dunno since I'm not really an expert on that stuff, but I figured it was worth a shot."
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Post by Jisui on Feb 10, 2016 12:27:49 GMT -5
As Triste came in the room with the tea, the two adults quickly realigned their conversation topic from the heavy matters they had been previously discussing. Catching the whiff of fragrant tea aromas, Tael took the cup of tea offered to him with a thankful nod at the young woman. The king's lips twitched, head becoming filled with the familiar scent of wild blueberries as he brought the teacup to his lips and took a sip.
"...You know, I think the position of royal tea-maker is still up for grabs."
Tael wasn't even sure whether he was kidding or not, but that had been what he needed. The tension and stress began to fade from his body and mind, allowing him to focus on what he had come here for.
Despite what Suna had told him, he was still going to give it a shot. Tael owed it to Triste and Suna to give it all he had at least. He was confident in his abilities and understanding of his old friend, so perhaps there was something magic could do that science could not. And if anyone could attest to that, it was the ruler of the Jin Kingdom.
"Well... I am pretty good after all." The king remarked with a smirk, traces of his brash and confident young self seeming to reappear for a split second before it returned to a serious expression. The last thing he wanted was for Triste to get the wrong idea and to get false hopes.
"Magic can do a lot of things Triste. But in the same way, its similar to any other surgical procedure. I can't just throw healing magic over Suna and make her better."
Tael really didn't want to bring down the young woman's spirits, but at the same time didn't want to give her any false hope about what he could do. He had seen it all the time. Some people thought healers could just bring back the dead. But well, it was true that he was good at his craft. One had to keep his skills sharp on the throne.
"That being said, there's not many people better at me at this in Jin. So if your mom wants to give it a shot, I'll be happy to do it."
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Post by SlvrNight on Feb 10, 2016 13:51:32 GMT -5
A slight blush tinted Triste's cheeks when the king complimented her tea skills and she smiled at his approval. If the king of an entire kingdom approved of her tea so highly then perhaps she did have some skill with it. But that was a completely different topic. She listened to Tael's warning on magic's potency and nodded in agreement.
"I know. I know magic isn't some miracle maker. That's something a lot of people in the general populace needs to understand, but I get it. I just want to try everything I can, even if it has a small chance of success. If you arcane skills can offer any sort of benefit to mom then that'll be better than nothing."
To be honest, Suna herself didn't have much confidence in the whole idea. She had long accepted this as her fate, for she was only living on borrowed time that went against the rules of nature in the first place. As a result, she did her best to prevent any hope from building up within her. But she would never outright say no to this. How could she do that to her daughter? Just outright accept her death in front of her and refuse any form of help? No, she had to play along.
"I'm completely fine with this." The mother said, looking at Tael. "I'll admit I'm not too familiar with healing magic as it is nowadays. Are things different? Does there have to be preparation or something? Actually, it's probably easier if I just ask when you want to get this started, Tael. I'm ready whenever you are. Just tell me what to do."
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Post by Jisui on Feb 10, 2016 16:09:00 GMT -5
Triste was quite mature, Tael thought while listening to her words. It made sense considering who raised her, but he was a lot less reasonable at her age. Regardless, it made his job a lot easier if she knew the limitations of what he could do.
The king slowly stood up from his position on the couch, slowly stretching as he felt a satisfying relief in his back and legs. Turning his attention to Suna, he offered the green-haired woman a reassuring smile before moving near her position on the chair. He could tell that she was still skeptical, but accepted for her daughter's sake. The thought spurned him on a bit, steeling his determination to help his ailing old friend.
"Its not much different besides some new techniques people have discovered over the years." He said, briefly pausing before continuing with a slight chuckle. "...And you know, actual standards besides throwing magic at people and hoping for the best. In Jin at least."
Tael decided not to elaborate on the fact that he pretty much did exactly that in his young adventuring days. Suna probably had experience with it anyway, but it probably wasn't the best thing to tell Triste right after he had warned her about magic.
"All you need to do is lie down somewhere flat, maybe a sofa or bed. I'll take care of the rest."
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Post by SlvrNight on Feb 10, 2016 21:49:30 GMT -5
"Throwing magic at people and hoping for the best, haha. Pretty sure a lot of people still do that nowadays. Feels like the majority of humanity still hasn't fully tapped the secrets of magic. Then again, I don't really use it much at all, so I can't talk." Suna then got up from her seat, grabbing her cane and heading down the hall.
"If I need to lie down somewhere flat it may as well be my bed, right?"
Suna's room was decently sized, with forest green carpeting, a large window on the right wall and the back wall, behind the bed, completely covered by a closet and some shelves. A nightstand rested next to the large bed, with a lamp atop it and two pictures, one showing her with Tael, Carl, and the rest of their traveling group and the other showing her with Triste and Krizno, with her daughter looking to be in her early teens. A small link from a chain also sat next to these items, likely a memento of her lost lover.
Suna crawled onto the bed, her body sinking an inch into the soft mattress. She lied on her back and placed her hands on her stomach, then looked towards the king and her daughter.
"Okay. Ready whenever you are."
Triste spoke up at this point. "Is there anything I can do to help?"
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Post by Jisui on Feb 11, 2016 1:38:50 GMT -5
While moving near the bed, Tael's eyes caught sight of the group picture and chain link on her nightstand. Feeling himself getting pulled back into past memories, he forced his eyes to rip away from the site and focus on what was in front of him.
Thinking for a moment in response to Triste's question, the king nodded in affirmation before gesturing to Suna.
"An extra pair of eyes never hurts. Just keep an eye on your mother and tell me if she reacts oddly to anything I do. Same goes to you too Suna."
Many healers would object to having close family members nearby while "operating", but Tael wasn't arrogant enough to believe that extra help would not be needed. He was also quite familiar with the feeling of being helpless, and wasn't keen on the idea of Triste idly sitting by while he attempted to heal her mother.
"I'm just gonna run a quick diagnostic spell on you," The king explained, moving closer to the bed and holding out a hand carefully. Before he began the spell, he gave another reassuring smile along with a small quip to ease the green-haired woman's possible nerves.
"Just sit back, relax and think of all the other times you and the others made me heal you guys."
Then his expression began to steel, eyes narrowing in focus as he began his spell. The hand he was holding out began to glow a brilliant golden that washed over Suna, bathing the woman in familiar magic.
It was standard to cast a diagnostic spell to find out any irregularities in the person they were healing. It worked on a similar base to medical imaging in a way. A good healer would be able to scan the patient and get a general idea of how their body was functioning, along with possible abnormalities. It was fortunate that he was considered a great healer. Tael's scanning spell was generally refined enough to give him a much more detailed understanding of a person's body than any ordinary doctor.
The king slowly hovered his hand over Suna's various body parts, drifting down from her head downward to her toes. Many of the issues that Tael had found so far could probably just be attributed to old age, which meant he had yet to find the real problem. What was causing the disease that was eating away at Suna's life?
He froze, hand hovered over the green-haired woman's chest area.
Something... was wrong.
It was hard to detect because of how faint it was, but there was an abnormal energy slowly coursing about Suna's system that Tael couldn't explain. Immediately however, he felt its atrophying nature and deduced that this was what was slowly killing Suna. He moved his hand a little farther downward from her chest, and felt his ability to detect the energy fading slightly. So it was originating from the chest...?
"..." Despite his best efforts, the king's face became troubled. He had believed that Suna was simply dying from natural causes like disease. This had the making of something similar to a curse or hex, which was something that he particularly didn't enjoy thinking about. He would need a stronger diagnostic spell focused at her chest area to learn more. Tael forced his face to reset to an expression of calm.
"...Suna." He began, temporarily disabling his magic and shooting the green-haired woman a glance. "Can you tell me how long ago this sickness started? Has it slowly gotten worse, or was it a more sudden change?"
Tael knew that Suna had always had a weak constitution, but it was never this bad. He needed more information before he took another look.
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Post by SlvrNight on Feb 12, 2016 18:26:31 GMT -5
Triste watched the arcane display in fascination, having seen very little healing magic personally. Suna couldn't resist sinking into her memories, remembering the various times their old adventuring group would turn to Tael for aid with their injuries. His healing skills were pretty much as valuable as his archery. She pulled herself from the past though and focused on the present, looking at the king's face and noticing his troubled expression. What had he found?
How long ago the sickness started? Such a thing was relatively easy to remember. Suna had thought about that herself many times over. After all, her illness was something that was constantly on her mind, despite how much she hated to admit it.
"Twenty years ago." Suna answered. "It started as a fairly minor illness, something that doctors thought was a simple cold. It's gradually progressed over the years, never really any sudden changes except for the occasional day where I can't really find the strength to leave the bed in the morning."
"It started soon after I was born." Triste spoke up. "I always assumed it was a resulting complication from my birth."
"That's never been proven and I refuse to believe that." Her mother shot back, harsher than she intended.
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Post by Jisui on Feb 12, 2016 19:36:08 GMT -5
Twenty years ago then... he could see how Triste had connected the thoughts and thought that she was the reason behind her mother's sickness. It must have been a terrible feeling. But Suna was right in this case, judging from what he had just found.
He had to focus on the facts. It had started twenty years ago, and had slowly gotten worse on a gradual scale... that meant that whatever was near her chest area and spreading that energy, was something similar to a slow-working curse designed to eat away at Suna's life.
The very thought that someone had cursed Suna threatened to send Tael into a frenzy. But he forced himself to remain calm.
"I... might have an idea of what's wrong," Tael began somewhat hesitantly, before moving his hand over Suna's chest area again. "But I'll have to make sure. Suna, if you feel anything wrong, tell me."
And here was where the danger began. If it was a curse... would it react negatively to his magic? Imagining it like a time bomb, there was the possibility that it could go off if tampered with even slightly. He would have to be careful.
A flash of golden signified the start of another diagnostic spell, although the light seemed more intense this time around. He would need a stronger spell in order to get a more detailed look at what was wrong. At the same time, he needed to tread carefully.
Tael's magic began to sink into Suna's flesh, moving almost painfully slowly as it gently wrapped about her chest area and began to return information to the king. After a few minutes, the king's expression shifted from confusion to sheer disbelief at what he was finding.
There was... something embedded in Suna's heart.
It was there, but not there. It did not have physical shape, but he could detect it no matter how faint it was. Although it was difficult, Tael got the faint image of a feather in his mind from what his magic had told him.
Something screamed at him that it was not a curse. More than that, it should not have existed in this world.
And it was definitely what was killing Suna Hisashi.
His mind began filling in the blanks rapidly.
Twenty years ago, her sickness had began. Twenty years ago, Carl had disappeared. Twenty years ago...
"He sacrificed his life for mine, you know. And I know you know who I'm talking about. But his sacrifice wasn't a permanent solution, just a way to delay it."
"..." At a loss for words, the king deactivated his magic as his mind finally pieced together what the 'feather' actually was.
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Post by SlvrNight on Feb 13, 2016 13:08:45 GMT -5
Triste continued watching in silence, studying every detail. She watched the flow of the king's mana, hearing the whispers of nearby spirits as they observed the event, some marveling at the warmth of the glow and others being repulsed by it. While it may have been a simple diagnostic spell, the skill and power behind it made it obvious, to both Triste and the various unseen entities observing, that the king of Jin was extraordinary. This simple use of his arcane skill was like peeping through a keyhole and getting a glimpse of the man's true ability.
Triste's mind wandered as she watched, thinking of how she would develop with her skills as time went on. Ha, "skills", as if she had any right to call them that. Her control over her ability was amateurish at best and there was heavy doubt in her mind as to whether she'd be able to fully control it or not.
While her daughter was in her own deep thoughts, Suna laughed quietly as she saw Tael's magic dissipate and his fallen expression as his mind pieced together the truth. It was a laugh born from acceptance and a feeble attempt to lighten the mood.
"I said it was only delayed, didn't I? I don't know exactly what you saw but I can assume you've come to the same conclusion I have, right?" She then placed a hand on the king's arm and smiled. "I appreciate your help regardless though. I truly do."
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Post by Jisui on Feb 13, 2016 17:37:36 GMT -5
"Suna..."
Her consolation didn't make Tael feel any better. In fact, in some ways he felt worse. Suna wasn't the one that was supposed to be trying to console others right now, let alone laughing it off. What use was all of his years of expertise, his knowledge of healing if he couldn't even help his old friend after all these years? Even after finding out what was wrong with Suna, if his assumptions about the "feather" were correct, the odds of them managing to remove or counteract it were slim.
The king felt like he let down Suna and Triste given that the latter had journeyed all the way to Jin for this. Still, they deserved to know what was wrong.
And there was the other problem. Triste most certainly deserved to know what was wrong with her mother, but it wasn't Tael's place to reveal the inevitable harsh truths that were behind Suna's 'sickness'. At the same time, he couldn't just lie to her. It would be up to Suna on how much information Tael would divulge to the two, he really preferred not to reveal anything to Triste that Suna had been trying to hide.
"...I know what's wrong," The king began, exchanging a quick look with Suna before continuing somewhat wearily. "But its not within my knowledge of how to heal it. I'm sorry."
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Post by SlvrNight on Feb 14, 2016 20:16:13 GMT -5
Triste's expression shifted from one of keen interest when observing the magic, to one of sadness and disappointment when hearing of the failure. She had tried her best to not get her hopes up, to keep a reasonable level of pessimism in mind. But the phrase "what if" entered her thoughts and she had ended up imagining how things would have been if the king was able to heal her mother, and her heart had swelled with hope and optimism.
Such a thing was a mistake on her part, for it made the disappointment of the truth all the more crushing. Her initial thoughts were to blame Tael, saying his healing skills had been overestimated and blown out of proportion, but that wasn't the truth and it wasn't his fault. He had tried, even if he had failed, and Triste was grateful for that.
The young woman released a sigh and looked down at the floor for a moment before looking at the king. "So what is it? It's a terminal illness right? A disease of some kind? Probably something new. Would explain why no one can do a damn thing about it."
Suna hesitated for a moment, her eyes briefly making contact with the king's. "I was rather reckless when younger, following my heart and free spirit more than the logic and cautious warnings in my head back during my adventuring days. I'm sure the king can agree with that. It was only a matter of time until it all caught up to me. That's what I imagine this is, likely a ghost from the past having its revenge or something."
Triste wasn't entirely fond of her mother's use of the word "ghost" but said nothing of it and instead looked at Tael, waiting to see if he would add anything.
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Post by Jisui on Feb 14, 2016 22:36:43 GMT -5
It was a mere split second, but Tael caught the brief look of accusation in Triste's expression before she looked away. That alone was enough to compound the feelings of guilt and self-loathing that were building up in the normally confident king. This could have been prevented.
He should have came earlier. At least checked up on them. He knew where Carl had gone, but hadn't once checked up on Suna besides sending her an invitation to his wedding. What had been the reason, besides self-hatred and despair? What had he been so afraid of? If he had checked up on Suna from the very beginning, then maybe...
The king forced himself to remain outwardly calm, although it was proving difficult with each and every thought that raced across his mind.
He had lost many friends and seen many cruelties over the years. But with each one, his father's words came back to mind.
A king was a person who had to remain strong in front of others, no matter how weak he really was.
Locking away the pain for a future time, Tael offered a bitter smile at Suna's words but nothing more. He didn't like it. She made it seem like she was the one at fault, when nothing could be further from the truth. Along with that, Triste deserved to know the truth, no matter how much Suna tried to protect her from it. He needed to talk with the green-haired woman later. Suna couldn't dodge the subject forever.
"...Its not biological. That's why the doctors couldn't do anything I'm presuming." The king began, looking back at Suna's daughter with an unreadable expression. "At the same time.... its not anything I've seen before. That's why I can't do anything. I'm sorry kid... Triste. " He admitted, sighing before scratching the back of his head.
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Post by SlvrNight on Feb 15, 2016 20:14:25 GMT -5
Triste brushed aside the issue with a movement of her hand, small hints of emotional pain and distress on her face as she did her best to remain calm and reasonable. "It is what it is." She said solemnly. "You tried, and that's all we can do in life isn't it? Just try our best and accept when that fails." She then looked to her mother apologetically.
"I'm sorry, mom."
Suna shook her head in response. "No, you've got nothing to apologize for. You went all the way to another nation to try and find help for me. That action alone made me really happy, truly. I should be thanking you."
Triste didn't agree with that. She felt she had so much to apologize for. For getting her mother's hopes up, for dragging a king away from his family and home to help resolve a hopeless situation, and for being so powerless as to not be able to help her at all. But now wasn't the time to drown in sorrow. Tael deserved to be rewarded for his effort. She wouldn't feel right just saying farewell and sending him on his way now.
"Uncle Tael." The young woman started. "You're free to stay the night if you want. Would be nice to have some company for dinner and we do have a guest room with a really comfortable bed. Not on the levels of the ones you have in Jin, but still decent enough. If that's alright with you, mom."
Suna laughed quietly. She figured her daughter was in deep distress at the moment but silently gave her credit for being so reasonable despite that. "Of course I have no problem with it. Are you fine with that, your majesty?" She added the last part with emphasis, an attempt at teasing the king to help comfort him.
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Post by Jisui on Feb 17, 2016 16:48:01 GMT -5
"You tried, and that's all we can do in life isn't it? Just try our best and accept when that fails."
"..."
Outwardly, Tael made no apparent reaction, but his fists seemed to squeeze into a closed fist, and his eyes narrowed slightly at the phrase. She had reminded the king of something he had forgotten over the years, buried behind years of bitter loss. Her statement was not wrong. In truth, it was a remarkably mature thing for Suna's daughter to say given the situation. To most people, it was most certainly correct.
But not now, and not to him.
When the price of failure was a person he cared about, it was not as easy as merely accepting it and moving on. What he had was not enough. If he had given everything he had, then all that was left was to gain more. If he had pushed his skill to its limits, then those limits merely had to be shattered.
It was not over just yet. Suna was at stake here. He had not given nearly enough just yet.
But that was for another time, after he gathered more information. For now, it was time to rest.
Snapping his attention back to Triste and Suna, the king's lips couldn't help but tilt upwards at both Suna's quip and Triste calling him "Uncle Tael". It would take some time to get used to that. Tael replaced his formerly solemn visage with his usual friendly countenance in an attempt to brighten the mood, gently clapping a hand over Triste's shoulder in a friendly manner. He wasn't an idiot. It was obvious that Triste was quite distressed at the moment, as anyone would be in her situation. It took a strong person to remain composed and mature under these circumstances. He had to do the same.
"Well... if your mother agrees not to call me that anymore, and I hear a few more of those "Uncle Tael"'s, I think I could be persuaded to stay." The king chuckled slightly before continuing, "That is, if I'm not imposing."
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Post by SlvrNight on Feb 18, 2016 20:22:29 GMT -5
Makkura Household 8:45 PM
The sounds of silverware hitting dishware had stopped several minutes ago, as the three occupants at the table sat content in their seats after finishing their meal. The light above the table shone brightly and the magitech built into the house was more apparent here, with ethereal candle flames floating around the room.
"And then I hear Elesia screaming about iced coffee and see Tael sprinting out of the building, right past me, faster than I ever thought he could move! Pretty sure they spent months trying to fix that hotel in Silverheim after that... Come to think of it..." Suna looked at the king. "Did we ever pay for the damages? Or was that something that was just brushed under the rug for us?"
Triste wasn't the kind to burst out with laughter often. Instead, she had a joyous look on her face and her hand up to her mouth, stifling a chuckle as she imagined the scene. Even with the king's failure to heal her mother, she hadn't seen her so vibrant and happy in such a long time. This visit itself was worth it and the young woman was able to put the distress of her mother's inevitable demise out of her mind for the time. She looked out the window and noticed how dark it had gotten and decided it was time to clean the table up. Triste stood up from her seat and began collecting everyone's dishes, volunteering to wash them so her mother could enjoy her time with her old friend.
A few minutes after it was just Suna and Tael at the table as the sound of running water and clinking glass dishes in the kitchen filled the air.
The emerald-haired mother looked out towards the window and sighed quietly.
"She can never know, you know. She simply can't. She'll just hate Carl more."
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