Gaia's Ice Cavern... [RP w/kasumu_sekai]

[feathered_mages]

The dripping sounds and occasional gurgle of running water are more noticeable inside the Ice Cavern. A few patches of bare rock show through, but in most places the ice is still thick. The water and slush make the floor even more slippery than solidly frozen ice would be, as the Magelets soon find out. They seem to find it fun, though, not bothered at all by the cold as they look around.

Mistral looks around as well. He can see the place falling apart with the underlying magic gone, making it look changed and somewhat unfamiliar - but not as unfamiliar as it should be for someone who's never been inside it. He knows the way through, if none of the paths have been blocked by the thaw. And if they had, ice spells should let them make a way around.

Comments

[feathered_mages]

Mistral's casting a few ice spells as he goes, just enough to firmly re-freeze the ground and make it less slippery. The Magelets soon find if they follow him closely - like a line of penguins - they won't slip. But most of them actually like sliding around on the ice, running to get a bit of a start and then seeing how far they go when they fall down. As a result they're a bit damp, but being blubbery little things are still comfortable.

They don't encounter any stray monsters here. The ones that used to populate the Ice Cavern have mostly moved on or died out. The thaw hadn't been good for them. The very few that remain are in distant parts of the caverns where the ice hasn't thawed as much yet.

Finally, Mistral reaches the entrance to a large 'room' of sorts within the cave. It even has a balcony made of ice. And laying in the 'doorway' is a single blue feather, the same color as the ones on his own wings. He'll pause there, shivering slightly in a way that has nothing to do with the cold. Then he'll look at the bell he has, its ribbon looped around his wrist - even when he wasn't using it, he liked the sound. He'll take it off and offer it to Rydia.

The Magelets are very puzzled. Lono reaches to pick up the ragged feather, but parts of it crumble away at his touch.

[feathered_mages]

Mistral's reaction to the wing-pet is to hug Rydia tightly for a moment. He's scared of what he'll see in there, but doesn't want her to worry. "There's nothing in there that can hurt anyone. Not any more," he says, looking back at the entrance.

A few Magelets are already peeking in curiously, and then they jump back. "Someone's hurt in there!" says Luca.

"Not any more," Mistral repeats softly, as he lets go of Rydia and steps into the room. He wouldn't mind being followed, but he neither asks for it nor tries to stop anyone from doing so.

It only takes a step or two into the room to reveal the rest of it and see what the Magelets spotted. There's a shape collapsed on the ground near the center of the room. Some of the ice is still stained with traces of pinkish-purple, frozen into it. The brown and white rags on the shape have a few stains of their own, dried to a shade slightly more purple than desert rose. A tattered pointy hat conceals the head, and it looks like there's some kind of dried branches, pale wood, lying over the figure's back.

A step or two closer would be enough to tell the 'branches' aren't wood at all, but the skeletal remains of two stubby wings - twisted and deformed just enough to prevent actual flight. A few ragged blue feathers still cling to them. The feet are twisted inward oddly as well, and the figure seems hunchbacked. The shape in the middle of the room is a skeleton. A skeleton of a short, slightly deformed Black Waltz.

[feathered_mages]

The Magelets have formed a sort of semicircle, watching on in innocent confusion. Occasionally one will whisper something to the others - 'Is he sleeping?' or 'He's very skinny...' They really haven't figured it out yet.

Mistral leans into the contact and nods. He's not too surprised that his Rydia would have told her alternate that, though it was something they kept secret from most of the older Mages. Vivi had been so terrified of Black Waltz Three that letting him in on that particular suspicion - proven more likely all the time - just hadn't seemed a good idea.

"Black Waltz One. The first Black Waltz, made before Kuja had all the design problems worked out." Mistral's tone turns bitter at the last, unlike his usual cheeriness.

But then, One had been that - bitter, twisted, angry - and he'd had good reason. Mistral had never had those reasons, but here - especially here - he could remember being that way, and he could remember why. Usually One's memories gave him no trouble, like a faded dream of someone else - but then what remained of One was smart enough not to screw things up. Mistral was generally happy and well cared for, which meant that One was - something that he never would have had as Black Waltz One. In clear moments like these he could remember who he'd been, but there was no disagreement about who he wanted to be.

Mistral will take one more step forward, and crouch to pick up a round object half-hidden by Black Waltz One's skeletal hand. It's a bell, weathered green in the time it's been here, with some odd designs in the metalwork that almost make it look like it has a face - an odd skull or some kind of shrunken head in the right lighting. The ribbon has rotted away. He'll step back next to Rydia and look it over, letting himself remember.

"The Princess was kidnapped. That's what they were told - all three of the first Waltzes," the tone is completely Mistral's again, speaking of the memories without sinking too deep in them. "They were sent out one at a time to find her, kill the kidnappers, and bring her back to Alexandria Castle. They all failed."

[feathered_mages]

Mistral nods slightly, and is glad when the topic switches to the bell's markings. "It looks like a face, see?" And he'll hold it so that it does. "I think... maybe Kuja wanted his weapons to look scary," there's a shrug at that. "I think it's cute." It was the closest One had had to a toy.

Luca, meanwhile, has crept a bit closer to the skeleton. "Hello? Mister? Are you asleep?"

Mistral looks up, blinks, and just facepalms. He's been traveling enough that he'd nearly forgotten how naive Black Mages could be about certain things.

[feathered_mages]

"Yes," says Mistral softly, looking at the bell, "and I'm sure he's having a dream he doesn't want to wake up from."

"Oh. Ok," says Luca, backing off.

"Maybe we should go and let him sleep?" asks Teo.

"We can come visit when he's awake," adds Tavi, thinking they must have just come here at a bad time.

[feathered_mages]

The Magelets are easily herded. They want to play in the slush some more.

Mistral will nod to Rydia, and hang back for just a moment longer... once he's certain the Magelets are out of range and won't have any awkward questions, there will be some heavy use of ice magic. Then, with Black Waltz One buried as well as could be managed under the circumstances, he'll rejoin the others and they can leave the Ice Cavern behind.

[feathered_mages]

At least it's warmer outside. "It's almost a shame it's melting," says Mistral. "Maybe I'll find something that can fix it, before it's all gone."

The Magelets nod agreement, that place was fun to play in even if they had to be quiet to not wake anyone.

[feathered_mages]

Mistral will nod, and hug her. "Thank you."

The Magelets, meanwhile are just waddling around and exploring the immediate area. They haven't been out of their village before, except to the Nexus, so everything is interesting to look at.

[feathered_mages]

Mistral just sighs at wing-petting. One hadn't ever been hugged, and after all that he'd really needed it. He's back to being a happy Waltzlet.

Magelets, meanwhile, are splashing in the small stream caused by the melt runoff. Kaze looks up. "Where do we go now?"

[feathered_mages]

Mistral's too willing to nod agreement. Looking for new pets would be a welcome change, and who knows - he might find a new one for himself as well. "Dmitri was the first pet I found by checking other worlds," he says, "but I don't know if you'd want a dodongo. They're kind of like wingless dragons, and they live on a volcanic mountain. That world might have other interesting creatures, though. We didn't get to look around too much."

"I guess where we go depends on what kind of pet you're looking for?" guesses Luca.

[feathered_mages]

Mistral nods and checks his PINPoint for the coordinates, relaying them to Rydia.

The coordinates, when used, will deposit them on an Ocarina Of Time era Hyrule, next to a patch of tall grass out in the field, facing Hyrule castle. Luckily, it's early day this time. The last time, the Waltzlets had arrived at night and had to deal with all the Stalkids - not that they'd found them difficult.

[feathered_mages]

Mistral nods, and then points up at the peak of Death Mountain. "Dodongos are from a cave up there. I'll have to put the guard to sleep again."

"Hey, there's something shiny here," says Kaze, tugging on one of the large-leaved grassy plants next to them. He eventually manages to pull out a small green faceted gem.

Mistral nods. "They use those for money here. We got a lot of them the last time, but I didn't think to bring any."

There are sheer cliffs in the direction of Death Mountain, and steps are carved into one part of the cliffside. Between them and the stairs is a river, with a stone bridge. Mistral will just head that way.