Shared Memory: Demon's Defeat

The gardens: peaceful respite to some, path on the route to elsewhere to others, and a spot of natural world amongst the cobblestones to still others. Today, for perhaps the first time, Verna falls into the foremost group. She is seated on a bench, book upon her lap. Said book, however, is not open, and her eyes are uplifted to the various floral constituents of the park.

Her hood is doffed as the chill does not reach so far, with leaf-filtered sun warming her face. While likely a mere coincidence of weather patterns, the stark contrast of the clear sky and bright sun to the past days of dreary and icy rain seems utterly... appropriate.

Making her way slowly and yet steadily through the gardens, Auranar spies Verna at a distance and smiles softly at the fact that their roles have been remarkably reversed from their last meeting. She still has this smile lingering on her features when she approaches the bench, offering her greeting when she's close enough that she isn't yelling through the gardens. "Hello there Verna! Good day to you." She has her now-customary bag with her, which offers at least some suggestion as to what brought her to the gardens in the first place. Apparently reading here is a pastime that they both enjoy.

Verna does not startle immediately, though she also seems initially unaware of Auranar's approach. A breath after the greeting, she turns towards and takes a moment to observe her as well: one more denizen of the park to be admired and appreciated.

That smile is apparently (once more? still?) contagious as Verna's expression curls to mirror it in response. "It is very good to see you, Auranar, and it is a good day, indeed." A gloved hand pats the bench beside her. "Would you join me?"

"With pleasure." States Auranar, quickly joining Verna on the bench and offering a sigh. She takes then a moment to look at the beauty of their surroundings before returning her attention to Verna herself. "I wanted to apologize for the other day... I shouldn't have been so rude to you."

"I-" Verna turns towards and starts to comment after Auranar sits, halting as her benchmate turns and speaks first. A pause, then she speaks her intended, regardless. "I wished to apologize to you. It was unfair and rude of me make such selfish demands." There is another pause before she moves to a response. "You had every right to be angry, and I do not fault you for it. Your apology is accepted."

Auranar seems to relax at Verna's words, settling into the bench more comfortably. "I understand though, why you said what you said. I was angry... but I should have thought about what it must have been like for you... To see me taken hostage by him and having to kill me to be sure that he couldn't hurt me." She looks down at her hands in her lap. "It might have been selfish to demand such of me, but you had a right to, after that."

Verna's expression tightens in a wince at that: certainly not one of her better moments, though she would not recant it. Her own hands move briefly before her, before one reaches to set itself, bare, upon one of Auranar's. "Then, it was a matter of ... practicality. It was the least dreadful result. Now... I do not know whether I could do so again."

Her smile then returns, perhaps in force, and she gives Auranar's hand a light squeeze. "I hope, even expect, that there will never again be a need for such choices. He is gone. It is done. You are free of him. We all are."

Shock is the first emotion that crosses Auranar's features, then briefly disbelief. It's hard, even trusting Verna implicitly as she does, to believe that this shadow across Alexandria can be just... gone. Gone without some complete and utter change in the world around them. "H-how?"

"We..." Verna begins, though her words trail off with pursed lips and thought. Cesran just recounted the tale fare more entertainingly than she would think to, yet she cannot easily recall his verbiage. A moment of thought later, and an epiphany has struck, implied by the return of her smile, conservative as it may be to Auranar's.

"It would be more clear if I showed you. As well, you still deserve to witness his end." Her hand upon Auranar's moves to seek to hold it, rather than rest atop. "May I?"

"I trust you." Auranar says, without hesitation, holding Verna's hand with both of hers. She's eager to understand what happened. To know how the demon was vanquished. To actually know that he's gone for good.

The agreement, and even moreso the choice of words, cause Verna's smile to both grow and soften at once. Without breaking Auranar's gaze, her free hand makes a blind gesture, rote from muscle memory as she makes a brief incantation. And they are suddenly elsewhere...

The Prestigious Moon, or rather the facsimile construct generated by Cesran. He, Seldan, Serene, Silver, and Mei present as the black-haired form (that Auranar and Verna encountered in the wilds on that fateful meeting) enters. Then, unsurprisingly in the presence of a fiend, chaos quite ensues.

It is Verna's own memory, thus the perspective is from her. Her mental checklist of The Plan likely provides context to many things not explicitly witnessed during the course: Mei's involvement, the boon of Tanith's arrival, the significance of the orbs, and more.

It is also heavy with her own emotions at the time, and likely far more clearly than she might express externally. She is focused upon the conflict, yet concerned for a multitude of matters. Worries for her comrades, herself, of course. Yet also still a great many for Auranar, despite the comfort of her lack of presence there.

When darkness covers all and Eclavdran's cold, vile soul (if it could really be called such) is felt crawling along her own... what were concerns become sources of strength. Yes, they sought to stop all manner of ruin that might come, but such a bold concept is ... vague, impersonal. Thus is was for her compatriots, that she fought hardest. For those beside her, and one who was not, yet no less important. Perhaps more.

GAME: Verna casts Share Memory. Caster Level: 18 DC: 18

The memory consumes Auranar. Even once the spell has faded and the exactness of the memories which are not hers begin to fade, she holds them in her mind. The evilness of Eclavdran's soul battling with theirs. In a way, she feels now like she _was_ there. To feel and know it from Verna's eyes, to see the whole of it and hold it in her own memory.

At last she opens her eyes, squeezing Verna's hands and finding that she's at a loss for words in the aftermath of the battle she witnessed. Both physical and spiritual. "Thank you."

This is clearly not meant just for the memory, but for having defeated Eclavdran. For having put her life on the line to see it done. For being strong enough to do it. And yes, for the memory of it. Which is a comforting balm of knowledge that the demon must be gone. His spirit extinguished by those that had battled against him so valiantly.

While still fresh, re-experiencing the memory is rather all-encompassing for Verna, as well. The squeeze of hands causes her to focus back upon there here and now and Auranar. "You are most welcome and most deserving." Of all, as she does not quantify nor qualify. The squeeze is returned.

"The chaos caused will not instantly vanish, and will take time to mend. Afterwards, I immediately felt both elated and ...disoriented. A presence so long in our lives now gone, and I understand that it affected mine far, far less than yours."

"Even seeing it... it almost doesn't feel real. I'm glad he's gone, but part of me somehow expects him to pop up and get the last word in." Auranar smiles thinly. It's not the best effort at a joke. "Still, I suppose that you're right. The chaos he caused will not just evaporate. Nor does what he did simply become undone. He's hurt so many people, and that hurt doesn't just go away."

Verna nods with that. She may not consider it a joke, nor even a foolish expectation. "You are not alone in that worry, even now. He was rather inclined to surprise and frustratingly resilient. Yet not invulnerable." She pats Auranar's hand with her free one. "That should also fade, in time, I expect. Life will not be wholly the same, but it can continue on as it will."

-End