minimeteor

[minimeteor]

The weather was getting warmer, which meant it was far nicer for her to get out and about- or at least, that was the general idea. Seles didn’t think she would ever get used to being in large crowds, and it was too easy for things to get overwhelming sometimes. Perhaps normally it wouldn’t be too bad, but her illness had decided to flare up as well. Terrible timing, really- but not much she could do about that aside from make an attempt to get out of the thick of things and someplace she could rest.

She hadn’t expected anyone to come over to help, but it came just in time. Normally she would’ve tried to brush it off, but... for right now, she’d accept the help. 

“Y-Yes... Thank you. I can walk.” Talking was harder than she would’ve liked, and her head felt like it was spinning a bit, but the worst of it at least felt like it was passing. “I just... need some space..”

     The vendors of Cotes Fantasci’s market town were ever busy with people— today even more so, it felt like. Looked like there must have been some small gathering of food carts for the day, which had brought even more attention to the normally abundant street, making it a bit difficult to navigate through. For Mao, however, wading through the crowds wasn’t terribly difficult in the slightest. As always, even in her wanderings, she stepped forth with purpose— wading through waves of people as she kept her gaze focused on the nearby vendors…

Until someone happened to catch her eye.

It was a girl wearing a particularly large hat— something that reminded her a tad of the headdress her sister wore from time to time. It wasn’t her hat that had caught Mao’s eye, however. She seemed to be struggling against the current of people, at first glance… no, not just that. The girl looked strained, and not simply out of frustration.

Mao wasn’t quite sure why she decided to do so (besides the sense of obligation she felt for seemingly being the only one to see this struggling girl), but she’d approach the other. And it was just in time too, for as Seles was about to fall over, Mao moved to catch her.

“Easy,” the woman would exclaim— voice low, yet clear amongst the bustling chatter all around them. “Easy. I’ve got you. Breathe.”

“Can you walk? … Let’s get out of this crowd.”

@minimeteor​

[minimeteor]

Well, that wasn’t a text that Seles had been expecting to get. Not that it was a bad thing, just... something of a surprise, maybe. 

[TO: Lloyd Irving] [FROM: Seles Wilder]

[TXT]:  👁️👁️

[TXT]: good luck

....and wait, what was that last bit there?

With the text to Kratos sent off, there was one more person Lloyd needed to talk to before the evening rolled around..

To: Seles From: Lloyd

[ TXT ] : hey! i didn’t see you before i left this morning but i really wanted to tell you something [ TXT ] : remember what we talked about a while ago? about marriage n stuff [ TXT ] : well.. i decided to propose to zelos tonight. i know we had that conversation a while ago but [ TXT ] : i dunno if id work up the courage to actually do it if it wasnt for you, so i wanted to say thank you. i know i was kind of a mess before but im really excited!

…

[ TXT ] : well im nervous but im excited too, haha [ TXT ] : anyway dont wait up for us ok? i’ll let you know how everything goes! [ TXT ] : thanks again, seles. i hope you dont mind me calling you my little sister too one day!

@minimeteor​

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gleamknight​:

@minimeteor​

“Seles!!  I’m glad you were feeling up to coming out with me, we need to hang more, we’re siblings and all that.”  Zelos had toted her along to the Opalarian market in Archimedes and it seemed like there were some artisan booths set up this time around!  A lot of the booths had handmade intricate jewelry and other various trinkets.

“If you want to grab a couple of things.  Go for it.  You gotta stop using my card to order crap online though.  I know we have a large house, but I don’t need all this junk.”  He’d been selling off some of it because of the sheer volume of things she’s ordered.  And he doesn’t think she’s noticed.

“Well, maybe if you weren’t so busy all the time.” Seles pouted, but she knew full well that wasn’t exactly fair. She could admit that she maybe didn’t get out as much as she could’ve, and she’d been recovering for the past while thanks to that near-apocalypse that’d happened.

A smile returned to her face though as she started looking around, eyes immediately drawn to a number of stalls with pretty things. She was choosing to ignore his comments about her purchasing habits- she thought it was fun. You could get so many neat things, truly!

“Oh, Zelos, look at these teacups! Aren’t they cute?”

[minimeteor]

“Is it summer already? The seasons pass by so quickly...”

[minimeteor]

The theatre was someplace that Seles enjoyed coming by- it was nice, and there were often nice performances that were good to relax to. However, to say that she encountered an unusual sight this time would be a bit of an understatement- she’d never seen someone quite so tall before.

That on its own would probably be something she could ignore, but it was a bit harder when said person was sitting in the front row, and blocking most of the view of the stage. 

“...Do you think you could maybe move to the side, or something?”

Never the best with words, this one.

A poor choice. (closed, Seles)

It was a suspiciously cool afternoon at the Theatre of Calliope. It was also very quiet, a small band was playing on the stage but not for any performance. It was their practice, but didn’t mind anyone coming about to see what they were like.

The Nightmare Knight had taken to the rather empty ampitheatre for such a reason. However, he had also chosen to sit in the front row. At his regular size, of around forty-five feet tall. This wasn’t very considerate of him.

He did not notice or care. He was busy listening. Someone should really do something about that.

[minimeteor]

dxrkestmirror​

“I’ve used it a bit.”  …A lot.  “There’s some neat gadgets.  Not that I know how to really use them.”

“Oh, most of them are confusing to me too. But it’s still really fun to buy them! I’ve ordered all sorts of weird things for the kitchen for us.”

But has been banned from attempting to use them.

[minimeteor]

dxrkestmirror​

“I wouldn’t say cute…More like abominations at best.  If they get such a reaction from the city, surely I can stir up some form of trouble…”

“Well... ok. You can really find amazing things with mail order, though... it’s such a wonderful thing.”

[minimeteor]

dxrkestmirror​

“Oh, hey, that’s an idea.  I can order an army online…Fufufu…”

“They’re a bit cute, aren’t they? I think I’ll get some myself.”

The party pad is going to find some very interesting packages at its door tomorrow.

[minimeteor]

dxrkestmirror​

“Now that’s a creature of darkness if I’ve seen one.  I wonder where I can acquire it.”

“I wonder if it’d be in any of my shopping catalogues...”

[minimeteor]

“Tch. Dragging us into things over on this side, hmm?” The older Seles frowned, an anti-CPN gun in her hand. “Fine then. I suppose it’s not like there’s much else we could do.”

[minimeteor]

fatedatonement​

“Pardon the intrusion” The older Regal nods politely, and the other version of him follows suit. At least both of them know how to act in the presence of other nobles. “For the time being, I think him joining us would be best, if you don’t mind. There’s nothing serious to discuss, I’m just dropping off the paperwork we had talked about in our last meeting. I wanted to go over it with you myself, but we can schedule that for another time if you’d prefer.”

The younger Regal’s face remains neutral, but he can’t appreciate being talked about as if he’s not there by both of them. He holds his tongue, however– this Seles seems different from the one he’d come to know. More guarded… he’d never had the chance to talk to either one of the Wilder siblings about their counterparts. Now he wishes he had.

“If I may, I’d like to ask about the version of you that I know, Miss Wilder,” Regal speaks up, careful to keep his tone polite. “I wanted to make sure she was doing all right in all the chaos.”

“I see. I have time at the moment, and if you don’t think he’ll intrude, then I suppose that’s fine.” It wasn’t like she’d openly discuss many details of her business regardless- and he wouldn’t have much time to go around leaking information anyways, given a worst case scenario. Of course, she wouldn’t let something like that happen... but always good to be prepared. “Come inside, then.” 

Leading both of the Regals towards her parlor, Seles took a seat and signaled for Tokunaga to bring them some tea. While her reputation wasn’t an entirely gentle one, she was still going to entertain guests properly. After all- like it or not, she was in the upper class here.

“Ah, her.” Nodding, she looked to the younger Regal. “She’s staying here at the moment. Are you familiar with her in your world, then?”

She wouldn’t let on to any more details until she knew- while this wasn’t her, she still had no intent of making any indication of weakness. She only knew the Regal Bryant of this Spirale, and there was no way to truly know what sort of person the other was.

[minimeteor]

originskey​

He’d never set foot in the Wilder residence–especially not after what happened years ago. He hardly even corresponded with that woman. Even with her daughter, Krautos only sent her a very objective letter asking to uphold the agreement with the late Lady Wilder.

Now here in person, he looked a bit more stiff than he would have liked. He’d never seen what Seles looked like, after all (but now he could clearly see the resemblance.)

“Forgive the intrusion. Ordinarily, I opt to leave you be. However, I take it you are… aware of the odd circumstances happening around here?”

Well, she would give him credit- at least he was being polite. If this was a conversation that had to happen, it was better for things to be civil. Not that she knew exactly why he’d shown up here, but she felt like she could wager a guess.

“Yes, I am quite aware.” Nodding, she folded her arms across her chest. “I was met by another version of myself, so it would be difficult to not be aware.”

The Seles from the other Spirale was still resting, though her condition had improved considerably since her arrival. And despite her initial hostility, Seles had no intention of throwing the other out at this point.

“I can’t imagine you’ve come all this way just to discuss that, though.”

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gleamknight​

That was…Peculiar wording.  He knew her mother had died…Particularly young for a half elf.  He’d suspected foul play the moment he’d heard, but he had nothing to back it up.  But, then his sister practically came out and admitted to it.

“Seles…Did you kill your mother?”

She’d imagined he would guess from how she’d worded it as soon as it had left her mouth- her brother wasn’t a fool. Even ten years ago, he’d managed to fend for himself and keep himself safe, keep himself alive, despite everything her mother had gotten up to.

“...Yes.”

There was no point in denying it, not when she knew he’d already know. If he was going to report her for this, she didn’t regret it- she still didn’t regret what she’d done.

[minimeteor]

gleamknight​

“Like I wanted any of it.  It was all built on lies and trampling other people down.”  The man squeezed his sister’s shoulder, “They dragged their own name through the mud, so I trust you can make things right there.”  If not, that would’ve been his mess to clean should he have become the heir.

“Really, you don’t have to apologize…I’m alive, aren’t I?”

“...I can’t say I’m any better, Zelos. I’m part of this family too- the head of it now.” She’d done her best to clean things up, to make their businesses things that would actually help people, but... could she really say she was any different? At the end of the day, she was still just throwing money around to solve problems. 

“I... that’s true, but... that you had to worry about your life at all is on me.” She clenched her hands into fists for a moment, before finally steeling herself to continue. “If you ever change your mind... just let me know. You can have your position back. And if not... I’ll make sure the rest of our family doesn’t find out about you, so they can’t bother you. Mother’s the only other person who ever knew you were alive, and I made sure she can’t hurt anyone ever again.”

[minimeteor]

gleamknight​

“Yeah, till they start throwing shit.  Not our fault their shit’s flopping.  But, whatever.  Not my problem.”

“Oh…Yeah, it wasn’t too bad…Ma’s not here anymore so uh, it’s not the worst thing ever.”  He placed a hand on her shoulder, “You don’t have to apologize, it’s not your fault.  And kids shouldn’t have to bear the guilt of their parents’ misdeeds.”

“Face it, ma didn’t like me because I wasn’t her kid.  I can’t blame her for that.  And I don’t blame you for this shit either.  Take it easy.”

“They’re all overconfident.” Or, put less politely, they were fools. A bunch of power-hungry parasites who wouldn’t give up gunning for any chance for more power.

“But still... she... we took all this from you. It should’ve been yours.” Even if Zelos said she didn’t apologize, she felt like she needed to. Her mother was gone, there was nobody else left, so she had to be the one to clean up that mess. “Mother wanted me to have everything. She wanted a lot of things for me- I guess she got her wish, in the end.”

There was a hint of bitterness in Seles’s voice, though she hid her face from view.

“...So... I’m sorry.”

[minimeteor]

gleamknight​

“Can do, Lady Wilder.”  Her brother jested as he followed her out, “Sorry I can’t do more about the fam.”  He shrugged at the notion, she seemed to be faring alright though, for someone who’s been without his defense for ten years.

“I think I’d call this house call a success.  I don’t want to overstay my welcome.”

“It’s alright. I can handle them fine.” And she hardly wanted Zelos being dragged back into their drama- it was better for everyone if they still thought him dead. He got to be happy doing whatever it was he was doing, without having to worry about their extended family. “They’re all predictable, anyways.”

It was easy to avoid their general disdain, and they didn’t seem to care that she didn’t want to be around them.

“...Thank you. For coming to see her. I’m sure returning here must have been unpleasant for you.” Seles’s eyes fell for just a moment- it was just a coincidence that she’d even gotten to see him again at all. She could feel her courage leaving her, but there was still one thing more, one last detail she needed to share. “I..... I’m sorry about... what my mother did to you. Everything she... took from you. I only found out... after we last met.”

[minimeteor]

gleamknight​

“Hehe…I don’t think they’ll be giving me trouble.”  He mused, one might take that to mean he took care of the problem, but no.  He was quite entangled in their family affair.

“So, your mother passed, huh…”  Well, that means she got her dying wish: for her daughter to be head of the estate.  Not that Seles seemed properly enthralled with the development either.  But, what could you do.  As far as they were concerned: Zelos died.

“Still insufferable as ever too, I bet.”  And it’s not like Zelos was there now to protect and defend Seles from their extended family.  It was really beyond him why his stepmother wanted him gone so badly.  He was the only one who ever seemed to be in Seles’s court anyway.

“Well, that’s good then.” She wouldn’t pry into the details, but it sounded at least like Zelos had taken care of things.

She nodded at the discussion of her mother, before moving to look at the other Seles. It looked like the younger girl had fallen asleep, so Seles gestured to the hallway.

“She’s sleeping, so we should take this outside for now.” Moving to the hallway, she had a carefully neutral look on her face. “It was a while ago now, back when I was eighteen. Things have been fine.”

Her feelings were complicated, but she didn’t regret what she’d done. Not knowing what her mother had tried to do.

“...They’re less than pleased about this arrangement, but they don’t have much of a say in things to that end.” Like it or not, she was the one at the head of the family now. She just had to manage their distaste for her as best she could. “It’s nothing new, at least.”