014.4 Jaela

[Corwin]

[20:00] <Kotono> It's been a long week for Jaela. Death and loss are one bookend, while the other is hard work and restoration Aurora's laboratories. Heading to her quarters for some well deserved rest, Jaela finds Annalise awaiting outside of her room. She stands before the door, a little smile on her face.
[20:01] <Jaela> "Hi," Jaela greets her with a little wave. "Want a drink?"
[20:04] <Kotono> A smile comes over her face at that, "Mmm-hmm." She drawls that word out, "Have you finished with that laboratory?"
[20:06] <Jaela> "I guess," Jaela holds the door open for Annalise to step through, idly kicking it closed once more afterwards and proceeding towards her desk. It's hardly the Aurora's cafeteria, but a mostly-full bottle of rum is atop it, and a pair of clean glasses is easily produced. "It's about as good as it will be with the way we are." She glances at Annalise over her shoulder. "Unless you've done all sorts of dabbling in alchemy in your time?"
[20:08] <Kotono> "I've forgotten more things about alchemy than a master will learn in a lifetime," Annalise goes to take a seat, "So how was Arborea this time?"
[20:09] <Jaela> "Same as before. I feel at home, then it kicks in that I don't deserve to be there. Melancholic, in a word?" Jaela pours their drinks and delivers Annalise hers, opting to remain standing. "Everyone I met was nice to me, if that's what you were asking."
[20:11] <Kotono> Annalise takes a sip before putting the drink down, "Nice, but yet you returned alone, no?"
[20:11] * Jaela knocks her own down, shrugging. "Well, a bard propositioned me, but I've got you, right?"
[20:14] <Kotono> Annalise doesn't really smile at that, instead looking down at her drink. It flows in the glass, moved slightly. "Elrisa was useful. She would have helped you reach the salvation of your world. Yet the Gods refused. Do you get tired of being held to their whims, Jaela?
[20:15] * Jaela makes the short trip to her desk to refill her glass. "Anything I say here stays between us?" she asks, perhaps needlessly. "No one can ever know."
[20:16] <Kotono> "Of course," Annalise smiles a little bit as Jaela gets a refill.
[20:19] <Jaela> "You've got it all wrong. I guess it's an easy conclusion to reach, me being rejected and all?" Jaela snorts. "That's wrong. I got humored. I got to chat with Elrisa, see? Even met her mom-- has to be a nymph, that one. Elrisa didn't want to come back. Thing is, she was tired and scared like a little girl. She might've carried on like-- like I dunno, but deep down, she despaired of ever amounting to anything. So when this happened? She just gave up." Another glass is drained in silence, and then Jaela has to laugh. "They would've let me bring her back. But the only way that was happening was if it was by force? Ain't it a joke?"
[20:22] <Kotono> "That or a challenge," Annalise puts her glass down, "Taking that challenge there would have been suicide. But why turn away from saving her at all? I could have given her a new life, and the power, beauty and ability to become whatever she wanted. Far better to take that destiny in your own hands then to go to the Gods as a beggar and pray for a handout."
[20:23] <Jaela> "Sure, you could've given her an existence. Life? Unlife?" Jaela shrugs, not caring that deeply. "But unless there's something about it I ain't getting, you can't give her the will to live. That's not part of the vampire package, is it? If someone's just given up on it all, you can't bring them back, not really."
[20:30] <Kotono> "Hah." Annalise shakes her head, "She would have risen if I bit her, no matter her wishes. Don't presume to assign the same arbitrary limitations and weaknesses the Gods impose onto me." Pausing to look out Jaela's window, "It's not hard to make someone enjoy life, either."
[20:32] * Jaela snorts. "Don't doubt that you could get a raise out of her body. But that's not what I meant and you know it. What made her useful, like you put it? That was the fighting spirit. And she just ran out of it all, so here we are."
[20:42] <Kotono> "You speak as if it's impossible to rekindle that spirit," Annalise observes.
[20:44] <Jaela> Jaela purses her lips, wordlessly offering Annalise a refill. "You know I'm big on freedom? Stubborn, really, to the point of death? Would tell Helm to fuck off over it? We all make our choices, and that's how it goes. Death ain't final, but when you use a healer to call up the spirit, and then go into the heavens to beat some sense into her and she still won't come back, that's where you respect the choice, dumb as it is, and cut your losses."
[20:48] <Kotono> "So you give up?" Annalise smiles just a little bit now, idly chuckling, "Not what I expected from you at all."
[20:49] * Jaela grins at her. "Maybe I'm just being all sneaky, and I'll try raising her back in a month. That's plenty of time to chill in paradise, isn't it?"
[20:52] <Kotono> "It won't work," Annalise doesn't smile, "The Gods are hypocritical, jealous things. They won't let her go."
[20:54] <Jaela> "Oh please!" Jaela waves at her dismissively. "Like they care that much. I doubt they'd so much as notice, much less pay personal attention to try and stop it. And that's even if I agreed with you to begin with. The Seldarine are decent. They trust me, I trust them. It's pretty great."
[20:57] <Kotono> "Really? Many would say that of Helm," Annalise smiles just al ittle bit now, "How may would?"
[20:58] * Jaela just laughs, shaking her head. "And how many of those many met both?"
[21:00] <Kotono> "I've met a few powersin my time," Annalise continues, looking out the window. The Ysgardian night is dark, her gaze peering out into it. "In the end, what are we to them but pawns, tools and toys? Instead of taking your destiny into your hands and molding it to your desires, you bowed your head to them. It's a fluke of fortune that you're still here after your trip to the House of the Triad."
[21:01] <Jaela> "I'm glad you think it's fortunate."
[21:04] <Kotono> "Mmm-hmm," Annalise murmurs, "What will happen the first time you defy them, hm?"
[21:08] <Jaela> "Stick around and find out?" Jaela shrugs. "Beats me. What if I'm in the wrong? I'm not perfect. Are they supposed to give me a pass, then?" Even as she says that, Jaela hopes such a situation doesn't come about, and so the topic is slightly changed. "Helm was a dick. If you think about it, I stood trial twice that time, and for the same crime. I'm perfectly sure the Seldarine and the Triad hated it the same way, but only the Triad actually went against me. Our rules are pretty lenient s'long as we're doing the right thing."
[21:11] <Kotono> "Mmm." Annalise merely rises at that, "On another matter, you're heading to the plane of fire soon?"
[21:12] <Jaela> "Yeah. Wanna come? I could ward you if you need it."
[21:24] <Kotono> "Perhaps," Annalise pauses, "Fire is not an enjoyable realm unless you like to see things burn, plus the efreet get along far too well with devil-kind as to be convienent for our purposes. Still...perhaps."
[21:24] <Jaela> "Our guy's there, and besides, if any devils get uppity it's okay to kill them, yeah? S'long as they strike first?"
[21:26] <Kotono> "Kill them. They're nothing but hellspawn," With a wave of her hand as she goes to the door, "As long as it's prudent and safe to do so. Insulting the efreet can make one's time on Fire unpleasant."
[21:28] <Jaela> "Yeah, I know that much. They're dicks, but they'd be troublesome if we force them to make us our enemy," Jaela agrees. She hesitates, but then decides to add, "Listen, Annalise, you don't have to wait outside next time if you wanna visit. Ask Elena for a spare key or something. I mean, if you want one."
[21:30] <Kotono> "Perhaps I will," Annalise turns back to smile just a moment, before slipping out the door and away.