#If that is to be my fate (Vanea)

[childrenofmeyneth]

So we all know there's another Machina now, because XC3 is feeding me... Since she's a hero, I hope she gives us a whip class. Why a whip?

Oh... no reason...

[childrenofmeyneth]

So Lanz huh

[childrenofmeyneth]

Lanz: hi Van--

Vanea: what are you WEARING???

Lanz: pants?

Vanea: WHAT ARE PANTS???

[childrenofmeyneth]

Vanea swallows down the memory and continues her work. Melia had made it clear how important she was to this, how key. Melia’s eyes had sparkled with hope, more hope than she had seen since the events in Mechonis Core.

She remembers when she pulled her away from Egil. The resolve and the hope sparkling in her eyes. Despite Zanza’s appearance, she had been filled with hope for the future.

And then, they had both lost their brothers.

Vanea had recognized the ever encroaching pain in her eyes. The one that never quite leaves once you lose someone important to you. One that never quite goes away, no matter how much you mourn for all that was lost.

But now, Melia needs not mourn as much.

AKA Melia and Vanea have a lot in common and I have feelings about it. Fic on AO3 and under the cut.

Vanea knows she is integral to Alcamoth’s rebuilding. She and the Machina, their technology, it helps speed up so much. Including the technology of Alcamoth itself, reinstating self-defense and teleportation to homes…

Unlike Agniratha, where the Machina could simply walk into their homes from the main streets.

Vanea swallows down the memory and continues her work. Melia had made it clear how important she was to this, how key. Melia’s eyes had sparkled with hope, more hope than she had seen since the events in Mechonis Core.

She remembers when she pulled her away from Egil. The resolve and the hope sparkling in her eyes. Despite Zanza’s appearance, she had been filled with hope for the future.

And then, they had both lost their brothers.

Vanea had recognized the ever encroaching pain in her eyes. The one that never quite leaves once you lose someone important to you. One that never quite goes away, no matter how much you mourn for all that was lost.

But now, Melia needs not mourn as much. She has her home back and she has Tyrea -- a sister (though not connected by blood), should all go well Melia has told her. Vanea remembers smiling, telling her how happy she was to hear that.

And she was, she truly was happy. That did not erase the ache in her chest, though. It did not erase the whispers of jealousy sitting in her chest. A home and a sibling, the two things they had both lost, now back in reach for Melia.

Never in reach for Vanea.

She continues to program, and continues to bring Alcamoth back online as Melia watches in wonder. As her father chuckles and tells Shulk just how proud he is of her. Always such a sturdy head on her shoulders, this is nothing for her.

That’s her. Sturdy Vanea. Always able to handle anything that came at her, even when the brother she had been connected at the hip to died. Even when she watched her goddess she strived to assist perish like a mortal would against the onslaught of Zanza. Even when her entire home came crumbling down.

“I apologize,” she finally forces herself to speak, shutting down her screens. “I need a moment.”

She rushes off, kicking herself for being so upset about this. She should be happy for Melia! Should be happy she has so much returned to her. It’s not as if Vanea is without -- she still has Miqol, still has her father. Melia does not have that -- she remembers Fiora saying as much to her before.

So why is she so upset, why is her throat constricting? She rushes as far away from the group as she can, gulping in air. She is the sturdy one, the one who will march on despite it all. She can handle these losses better than Melia.

Young, fragile, Melia. Someone who should not have to take on the pain of her people at such a precious age. One who should not have to try and guide them into the future without help. She needs to be strong, needs to be that help, no matter how pain wracks her.

“Vanea,” she freezes at the sound of Melia’s voice. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” she responds, forcing herself to smile as she turns to her. “I was just a bit overwhelmed, truly. It’s an honor to be given such a task.”

Melia does not return the smile and, for a moment, Vanea sees that pain they share again. Playing behind her expression, despite the hope that now mingles with it. She approaches, holds out a hand.

Without thinking, Vanea takes it. She allows the empress to lead her even further from others and to sit her down. She sits next to her, watching as Melia thinks deeply for a moment. As they sit in silence, the sounds of the city behind them fading into the background.

“It is alright to hurt,” she finally says, oh so quietly. “I still do, over my father. Over Kallian. Over all my people lost… It is alright for you to hurt, too.”

Vanea opens her mouth, only to close it. She is much older, with more than a thousand years making her Melia’s senior… And yet Melia is the one telling her something that should be so simple to understand. Something Vanea had refused to understand before now.

“I suppose you’re right,” Vanea replies. “But I do not wish to spread that hurt now. Not when this moment is such a joyous one for the High Entia.”

“The High Entia could do good to learn from your pain,” Melia grasps at her shorts, frowning. “We’ve already had the issue of High Entia speaking as if you Machina do not understand the pain of losing a home. As if you are to blame for the Fog that had leaked into Alcamoth… Remind them you and I, we are not so different despite it all.”

“I… is that so?” Vanea laughs a bit, staring up at the sky. “All this time I was worried that my pain would dampen the joy and the hope, but here you are telling me the opposite? That it may make the hope all the sweeter, make the understanding between us all all the stronger?”

Melia nods, reaching out once again to hold Vanea’s hand. She squeezes it gently as she does, rubs circles into the back of it. Something she could see an elder brother doing for a younger sister.

She wonders if that Kallian would do that for her when she was worried, the same way Egil did before it all fell apart.

“I suppose I was too caught up in myself to think of others,” Vanea says. “I apologize.”

“If anything, I believe you to have been doing the opposite,” Melia chides. “I have been guilty of the same, Vanea. I would hate to leave you in the thralls of pain alone. So, please, remember it’s alright to hurt.”

Vanea nods, squeezes her hand in return. “I suppose, with people like you to support me, it is.”

[childrenofmeyneth]

I think Lady Meyneth is glad that she met you.

[childrenofmeyneth]

Not to be obsessed w my own AU concept but. Sea Serpent but mermaid Vanea

[childrenofmeyneth]

Meyneth's Blessing

Fic for the new AU, you can read on Ao3 or under the cut! Warning for mentions of drowning and for blood drinking

Egil reads over the writing of Meyneth again. Scrolls that seemed so unimportant, brought to his attention by Vanea… If he had never seen this, he wonders if he would have a plan to counteract these Homs. He can’t help but think not, and he doesn’t like that thought.

He reads one more time. The blood of a Machina fed to a Homs could give them the blessing of their goddess. The blessing of breath and agility in water, of the ability to travel comfortably to the deep…

Perhaps, he thinks, they ignorant Homs would learn if given this blessing. They would see the Machina are no different, that their wants and needs were just as important. Understand the Machina do not want to hurt them, they just want their supplies to not be choked.

He needs to start with someone stealing their food, their livelihood. A punishment and a blessing all in one, a way to force them to see. See what they were doing was wrong.

He sets out in the middle of the night, because trying to go out in the daytime would be asking for his eyes to burn. Machina were not made for the light of the surface, not for any extended amounts of time at the least. If he finds himself blinded, he can’t do what he plans…

A ship, out hunting. It doesn’t take long to find one, it never does. Homs were greedy people, constantly hunting, taking everything the Machina needed. Refusing to share their gains, even when they did not need them.

This vessel is for whale hunting, the main food source of the Machina. Egil grits his teeth and decides this is the place to start. He slams into the ship and hears the Homs yelling. There’s no splash into the water yet, though, and so he continues.

He slams again, there is more yelling. He wraps around the boat, and the Homs begin to sob in fear, for a Machina has found them. Good, let them scream, let them fear. He shakes the boat with all his might, and finally, a Homs falls overboard.

He releases the boat, and pays little attention as he pulls away and sails off as quickly as it can. That does not matter, he needs the Homs that is falling, drowning. He reaches out and wraps a hand around him, holding him.

He’s rotund, has a name tattooed onto his arm -- family or a lover, perhaps. He should be thankful, Egil thinks. That he’ll live long enough to reunite with whoever Desiree is.

Cutting open his palm with his own claw, he shoves it against the man’s face. He swallows it, without much of a choice. Egil watches him choke on it, releases him as his body begins to change into someone more familiar to him.

He chokes, thrashes around in the sea, and Egil just watches. He’s just being dramatic, if you ask Egil. Soon enough, he calms down when he realizes he can breathe. Good, Egil did not have time for that.

“How…?” He asks, looking down at his hands. “What happened to me?!”

“I have given you Meyneth’s Blessing,” Egil replies. “You now have more in common with the Machina than you could know.”

“You did this to me?!” The man approaches and lashes out at him, Egil dodging backwards. “I never asked for this! I was doing what was asked of me! To feed my daughter!”

“And starve the Machina out,” Egil points out. “Do not worry, more of your kind will come to realize as you will. Of who we are, of what we need.”

“No, no…” He shakes his head. “No…!”

Egil shrugs. “You will come to accept it, if you wish to survive.”

--

Vanea’s blood runs cold as Egil leaves the man, somehow transformed into one of their own, floating there in horror. She had seen it all, seen the way the blood was forced into his mouth…

She follows Egil, praying for Meyneth to protect the confused man. She needs to confront him, find out why and how he did this. She cannot let him go back to Agniratha as if nothing happened.

“Egil!” She catches up to him, coming to a stop in front of him. “What did you do to that Homs?!”

“Ah,” Egil begins. “You saw that, then.”

“I did,” Vanea furrows her brow. “Do you not care that you left him like that?!”

“He will learn to accept Meyneth’s Blessing, or he will die,” Egil replies. “That is up to him.”

“Blessing? You forced him to drink your blood!” Vanea yells, hands shaking. “That is not a blessing, it is a curse!”

“I read it in the scrolls, Vanea, the ability to bless Homs with forms like ours,” Egil begins. “Are you questioning what Lady Meyneth deems a blessing?”

“No, that’s not it,” Vanea shakes her head. “She would not want us to use it by force, though!”

“How can you be so sure?” He asks. “Why would she leave it for us to learn of, with no mention of the other party being willing? What is it if not a blessing to allow us to survive the Homs trying to slaughter and starve us?”

“I…” Vanea swallows hard, “I don’t know, but it’s not right! It is not what Lady Meyneth would want!”

“Is it not what she would want, or not what you want?” He asks, voice low.

Vanea’s words catch in her throat as she tries to find words. Tries to find an answer she does not have. “You are just projecting your wants onto her, brother…”

“Could it not be said that you are doing the same?”

Vanea does not answer, because she does not know.

Egil swims past her and she stares at the sea floor, unmoving. She does not know what to say to him, does not know who is projecting their wants and needs onto Lady Meyneth. She is a kind goddess, but a goddess who wishes her people to survive all the same. Would she really support something so horrifying?

Their lady sleeps, so she cannot ask her. She cannot know.

Instead, she swims towards the man Egil left, finds him still there, curled in on himself. She touches his shoulder and speaks, her voice quiet.

“Hello there,” she begins, “I’m Vanea. Please, allow me to help you.”

[childrenofmeyneth]

For the flash fic, how about 27 and Egil?

You can’t actually tell the difference can you?

The words make Egil freeze, make him grit his teeth as Canea speaks with such pity towards him. He forces himself to look at her, forces himself to not run away.

"What do you mean?" He forces out.

"The difference between what our brethren would truly want and what you think you hear," she says, her voice oh so soft. Oh so quiet. "Egil, our people would never want you to do this!"

"You do not know that!" He shakes his head. "You could not know that."

"And neither could you," Vanea points out. "Egil, do you remember what Linada said? You are suffering from auditory ha--"

"I know what she said, Vanea, and that changes little," he replies, cutting her off. "I have made my choice. It would do you well to make your own, as well."

[childrenofmeyneth]

Mother Dearest

Oydis sits back, a smile on her face as she turns to Miqol. “Well, they’re ready for life, now.”

“Indeed,” Miqol chuckles in reply, running his hand through the hair of the children. “What shall we name them, then? They’re going to need names if they’re to have life.”

“True,” Oydis hums, placing the wrench she was holding down on a nearby bench. “How about Egil and Vanea? I’ve thought about this a lot, and I think those are my favorites.”

“Those are wonderful names,” Miqol nods. “I’m sure Lady Meyneth would agree.”

Fic written about what if Egil and Vanea had a Mama. Note the tags for Major Character Death and Graphic Depictions of Violence

Ao3 Link

Oydis sits back, a smile on her face as she turns to Miqol. “Well, they’re ready for life, now.”

“Indeed,” Miqol chuckles in reply, running his hand through the hair of the children. “What shall we name them, then? They’re going to need names if they’re to have life.”

“True,” Oydis hums, placing the wrench she was holding down on a nearby bench. “How about Egil and Vanea? I’ve thought about this a lot, and I think those are my favorites.”

“Those are wonderful names,” Miqol nods. “I’m sure Lady Meyneth would agree.”

“Indeed,” Oydis leans a bit closer to Miqol. “But no need to butter me up. I already agreed to use my old parts to help build you some children, Miqol!”

“Well, they’re your children too,” he points out.

“You’re dodging my statement, Miqol.” She accuses, poking him uselessly in the side.

Miqol lets out a hearty laugh. “Some may say dodging statements and questions is what I do best.”

“Let’s hope our kids don’t pick up on that from you, then,” she makes a face. “I want my children to be honest and forward.”

“I want that, too, that’s why you’re the mother,” Miqol replies. “Gives them a chance to take after you.”

“Once again trying to butter me up,” she clicks her tongue, putting each child’s pod under her arms. “Come on, enough of that. We have children to welcome to the world.”

--

“Egil won’t stop crying,” Oydis holds him on her lap, frowning. “Any idea what’s wrong?”

Miqol is currently holding Vanea, trying to stop her little wails that started in reply to her brother’s. “Not a clue, I’m afraid. Too bad he’s not old enough to talk yet, he could just tell us.”

“Babies don’t work that way and you know that,” Oydis clicks her tongue and bounces him a bit. “Do we have any Spicy Banana? It might be teething.”

“How would Spicy Banana help with that?” Miqol asks, brow furrowing.

“Shyves used to lather that on Linada’s gums and she’d calm down,” Oydis explains. “Doesn’t hurt to try, right?”

Miqol nods. “I suppose not, let me go see. Come on then, Vanea.”

Miqol moves his chair towards their supplies and looks through the cupboards. Spicy Banana… They should have a few, right? Every family on Mechonis kept a supply of any naturally occurring fruit or flower, in case they needed it for a medication or a ritual…

But then it hits Miqol. Isn’t Egil a little young to be teething already? He knows he started early as well, but that was how he ended up like this. Growing too fast and unable to stop, even when he should have. Becoming large enough his Growth Module had to be outright removed or he wouldn’t have been able to support his own internal systems.

Egil’s may have been malfunctioning in the same way his had. He didn’t like the idea, but he supposes that’s something to bring up to Oydis later. Maybe ask Meyneth for guidance on what to do… Maybe an early removal of the module, before he’s more than a young adult? Maybe an assurance it’s not as bad as Miqol’s had been…

Aha, Spicy Banana! Miqol pulls it from the cupboard and moves back towards Oydis. “One should be enough, yes?”

“Plenty,” Oydis takes it from him and places it on the nearby table, smashing it with one fist brought down upon it.

She takes some on her finger and gently spreads it across Egil’s gums, the baby still wailing and sobbing in her arms. Soon enough, it's in place, and shortly after that Egil lulls himself to sleep with coos. Looks like it was indeed his gums, then.

Good to know what it was, not-so-fun to know he may have inherited Miqol’s growth malfunction.

Vanea calms down too, no longer upset by the sounds of her brother’s crying. She falls asleep in her father’s arms and soon the parents are placing them back in their pods, closing them gently.

“Good,” Oydis smiles a bit. “I was worried we’d be up all night.”

“We’ve had plenty of sleepless nights because of these children already, hm?” Miqol chuckles as he and Oydis take the children back to their room. “They’re quite the handful.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” she smiles. “Lady Meyneth says struggle helps make success all the sweeter.”

“I suppose she’s right, as she often is,” Miqol nods in agreement. “Let’s just hope they can start telling us what’s wrong, soon.”

“We’ve still got a hundred years or so before that, Miqol, don’t get your hopes up.”

--

Vanea is six hundred when her mother takes her out of her pod to brush her hair. It feels nice, as it's starting to get longer and gets so tangled in her pod, but… She cannot help but feel so awkward. She loves her mother, she really does, but the attention is so weird to her.

“Your hair is so nice, Vanea,” Mother says. “We should do things like this more often.”

“Why?” Vanea asks, a bit confused. “Father is always so busy, how are you not?”

Mother works at the Shrine, she speaks to Lady Meyneth often. She’s even taken Egil and Vanea before, and Vanea noticed she had a lot to do. More than a lot, actually, if you ask Vanea. Speaking directly to their Lady was a lot of work!

But here she is, taking the time to take Vanea out of her pod to brush her hair. Hair that almost no one would see, given the fact she’s always in that pod. Vanea just doesn’t get it --Father never does that. He’s honest about how busy he is.

“I have an important job, but my kids are even more important,” Mother replies with a hum. “Your father… he leads us, so maybe he can’t take as much time off as I do, but that’s okay, right?”

“Mmm,” she nods as Mother continues to brush out her hair. She still doesn’t quite get it, but she guesses it’s because she’s so young.

(She just wishes Father would make time too, if Mother wasn’t lying about children being more important than work).

“Relax, dear,” Mother speaks again with a laugh. “I have plenty of time to spend time with you and your brother! I’m not ignoring work to do this, I promise.”

“I believe you,” Vanea says, lying a bit.

“Good,” Mother places a kiss on her cheek. “You’re always such a good girl!”

“Thank you,” she says softly, wishing she felt like she had actually done something to earn the praise.

--

“An important part of being a disciple of Lady Meyneth is understanding not only her words but also what we can do for her,” Mother speaks to Egil as he kneels next to her at the shrine. “She tells us what she will do and what she needs from us, but we must understand there is more than what she says that we can do.”

Egil nods, having just recently moved from his pod, earlier than most. Mother is teaching him the basics of what is expected of an adult, which is more than he could ever expect. He listens and nods, a bit surprised.

Lady Meyneth, the soul of their Titan and the goddess of them all… Sometimes, there were things the Machina could do for her, things she did not even guide them to do? It leaves him a bit in awe, realizing there was more he could do.

“Wow,” he manages to breathe out. “Disciples of Lady Meyneth are amazing, Mother… You’re amazing.”

She laughs a bit and pinches his cheek. “Trying to soften us up to get into the group, are you?”

“No!” Egil responds, his cheeks flushing a deep grey. “I really think that.”

“I know,” she pulls her hand away. “I was just trying to tease you, darling.”

He rubs his cheek. “How does Father let you get away with that?”

Probably had something to do with what a doormat his father could be, but… He wouldn’t say that. He knew Mother would be disappointed in him if he did, and would insist they should try and get along. Egil just didn’t feel like they could, though. They were like oil and water, no matter how hard they tried.

Vanea enjoyed her time with Father, anyway, wasn’t that enough? The two of them were basically two halves of one child, so it was fine if only one of them liked him.

Though Vanea herself may not agree with that. It seemed the ladies in his family were both the type to nag him about his relationship (or lack thereof) with his father. What was with that, anyway?

“Your father teases just as much,” she points out with a smile. “That’s part of what you don’t like about him.”

“It’s annoying,” he weakly defends, looking up at the shrine. “I prefer things like this, anyway…”

--

Egil could see the blood, see the innards of his people spread out around him. He could see the beasts, Telethia Arglas once called them, swooping down and destroying them. Sucking the ether from them.

He could see the way they fall, the way their heads are snapped off without an issue. The way the claws tear into their sturdy chests as if they are made of Bionis flesh.Could see as their cores are torn out.

He could see the oily blood on his hand as he pressed his hand to his mother’s side. As he tried to keep her organs from spilling out of the wound a Telethia had left on her. Tried to keep her in one piece as her side gaps open.

“Egil,” her voice is weak as she reaches out. “I’ve always been so proud of you. You and Vanea.”

“Mother,” his voice shakes. “Don’t talk like that. Lady Meyneth will save us, and then… then Linada can patch you up. It’s going to be fine…”

Her hand touches the side of his face and she smiles. She smiles and her breath rattles out in a way it shouldn’t . It’s full of pain and struggle, and Egil wants to beg her to save her energy. If she doesn’t. If she doesn’t…

She’ll die.

“Mother, please…” His voice cracks as she gives him one last smile.

“I love you, Egil. You’ll always be my little boy…”

Her hand drops from his face and hits the floor of the building with a thud. He stares, things not registering. She couldn’t be dead… No, she couldn’t be… He refuses to believe it. He just needs to put the blood back, and she’ll be fine.

Put it back… put it back…

“Egil,” Vanea’s footsteps and voice break him from his daze as she comes to a stop next to him, kneeling. “Mother…!”

She lets out a sob, hand covering her mouth. It hits him fully then, when his little sister sees the truth. Sees that their mother died in this attack, died to Zanza and his plans. Died to someone Egil thought he could trust.

His hands are covered in her blood as he lets out a wail that mixes with the screams of his people.

--

Vanea’s hands shake as she goes through Egil’s belongings, knowing how wrong it is. She shouldn’t be doing this… Anything he’s stored away, he’s done so for a reason, hadn’t he? She has no reason to dig things up…

But he’s been changing so much, he’d let everyone leave him. Everyone but her… She would never, could never, do that to him. She couldn’t imagine it, especially not after what happened during the attack.

She pulls away so many things from life before. Things that once brought him so much happiness… How had things changed so much, she wonders? How can all this hurt him now? She wishes she understood.

Finally, she gets to the last item… She picks it up and feels herself just about crying. Of all the things he could no longer look at, she had not thought of the image of their family she hadn’t seen in years.

There they are, before either had finished their headpieces. They were smiling, arms around each other’s shoulders and grins on their faces. Father looks so happy and proud, likely in the middle of a laugh. And Mother… Mother looked so alive, just as proud as Father.

Tears prick at her eyes as she places it back, unable to look at it any longer. She supposes that is her answer. How these things can hurt him, how they can bring no happiness anymore.

Sometimes, she realizes, the past is better left in the past.

She just wishes Egil had left more of it behind.

[childrenofmeyneth]

Light Within Each and Every Person Ch 1

Chapter 1 of a new small fic! Check the Ao3 link to see art by @bionisinterior for it!

Meyneth’s Monado is no longer in her hands, Meyneth is pulling away from her body. Meyneth is going to die. She’s going to die and all Fiora can do is stare up and beg her not to do it.

She feels like her life is flashing before her eyes.

Meeting Shulk when they were both so young, fighting Reyn and running away when she began to lose, making the choice to get into the mobile artillery.

Attacking Metal Face (it had been Mumkhar, how had she not realized it was Mumkhar), being stabbed through and the darkness that followed, being torn to shreds by Mechon.

Waking up and unable to control her body (watching Meyneth, not knowing it was Meyneth, using her body), begging Meyneth to save Shulk and everyone else, falling so far -- down to the endless sea.

Finally waking up to see Shulk -- so relieved she was back, sitting in Linada’s medbay as she realizes her body can’t survive for long, looking up at Mechonis and feeling a connection she didn’t used to have.

Seeing Vanea and remembering her from when she first woke up unable to use her new body, seeing the fate of the Machina as Meyneth used her body, begging Egil to see he was loved.

Falling and surviving as Gadolt dies, Vanea telling her she’s sure Meyneth was happy to meet her, watching as the Monado nearly tore Shulk’s arm to shreds.

Watching Shulk resist Zanza only to be shot in the back.

“No!” The word tears from her throat as she jumps up and finds herself suspended in the air, in front of Meyneth. “I won’t let you!”

“Fiora, you’ll be killed!” Meyneth’s voice is painful. “Get back!”

Fiora doesn’t listen, she holds out her hands, ready to take the hit for her. Ready to die for the woman who gave her a second chance at life. And then her chest begins to feel warm.

There are blades in her hands now, and she has no time to wonder where they came from. She hears Meyneth fall to the ground, her Monado clattering to the ground next to her. Fiora stands her ground, deflects the attack with the blades in her hand.

“I see,” Zanza sneers as he reaches out a hand, Meyneth’s Monado quickly joining into one blade and settling there. “Troublesome, but nothing my disciples couldn’t handle. Dickson, it’s time to go.”

Without another word, Zanza was gone.

Fiora falls, suddenly feeling weak as she places the blades at her side. Meyneth catches her, holds her carefully with a frown on her face. She looks so worried as she holds tightly to the girl.

“You could have died,” she says.

“You would’ve died if I did nothing,” Fiora replies with a weak smile. “Little ol’ me or you… the answer seemed obvious.”

Meyneth says nothing then, just hugs her and sobs. Fiora returns the hug as she recovers, the Mechonis rumbling around them.

“We need to go!” Dunban yells, watching Vanea run down to where Egil lays. “The Mechonis could fall apart at any moment!”

Fiora nods and pulls away from Meyneth. “You’re right… What about Vanea and Egil, though?”

“Let me talk to them,” Meyneth says, already heading the way Vanea had gone, “we will meet up with you shortly.”

Fiora pauses for a moment, but nods. There’s no one she trusts more than Meyneth, not at this moment.

“Reyn,” Fiora turns to her friend. “Grab Shulk! Melia, Riki, you stay close to me!”

Reyn gently lifts Shulk’s motionless body into his arms. Melia and Riki are at her side in no time, and Dunban and Sharla prepare to follow just a bit behind, providing back cover. She glances back for a second, towards the bottom of Mechonis Core, and she prays those three will join them shortly.

--

“Vanea, I’m sorry…” Egil coughs, weak from the attack Zanza had struck him with. “I was so blind…”

“None of that, not right now,” Vanea shakes her head, crying into his chest. “I’m just so glad that you came to your senses… We can talk about everything else later.”

Egil frowns, heaves a heavy breath. “Vanea, I cannot go with you. There is still much that can be done.”

“No!” Vanea shakes her head. “I can’t leave you here!”

“Vanea,” Egil shakes his head. “It is too late for me.”

“No it’s not, Egil, don’t you speak like that.” Vanea’s head snaps up and she turns, seeing Lady Meyneth behind them. “There is no reason for you to stay here, we can leave. I… I can do what is needed.”

“I will not let you die…!” Egil forces himself to sit up. “Lady Meyneth--”

“I will not die, and even if I did,” Meyneth looks away for a second. “It would lead to the world we both want. A world with no need for gods.”

“Lady Meyneth…” Vanea’s lower lip trembles. “Please, no. I cannot lose either of you, I cannot…!”

“Do not worry, Vanea.” Meyneth kisses her forehead with a gentleness exclusive to a mother goddess. “We will all survive.”

Egil grunts, and Vanea watches as he stands, the chords connecting him to Yaldabaoth break and snap. He can barely stand and Vanea moves to match him, letting him lean against her. She pats his chest gently, pulling him out of Yaldabaoth.

Meyneth takes his other side, humming gently as if to calm them both. “Come on then, Fiora and the others must be waiting for us.”

--

Meyneth lets out a scream as she falls to the ground, feeling her vessel, the Mechonis, be split in two. Fiora is at her side quickly, hands on her shoulders and frown on her face.

“Are you alright?” Fiora asks, rubbing her shoulders gently.

“I’m fine, just… in pain…” Meyneth lets out a sigh. “That is… all I will be able to do, to help you.”

Fiora nods, “that’s okay. You’ve done enough.”

Fiora sighs, thinking of everything that’s been happening. From Dickson shooting Shulk to Meyneth nearly dying to these strange blades… She closes her eyes, just as yells alert her to problems on the deck of Junks.

She runs out, leaving Meyneth behind with Miqol (and Shulk and Egil, lying unconscious in Med Bay beds-- no, she can’t think about that now). There’s Dickson, and more Telethia than she thought possible.

(It reminds her of Meyneth’s memories of the attack on Agniratha she thinks with a shiver).

“Dickson!” Fiora calls out, a frown on her face. “Why are you doing this?”

“This isn’t like you,” Sharla adds. “Snap out of it, Dickson!”

“How could you do this, Dickson?!” Dunban shakes his head. “Shulk adored you, looked up to you!

“ You can quit your bellyaching! I'm in total control,” Dickson laughs. “I've always been like this! Ever since long before any of you lot were born!”

“Before we were born?!” Dunban furrows his brow, but Fiora can see where this is going.

“Now you get it! It's just like Egil said,” Fiora bites her lip as he continues. “I'm Lord Zanza's disciple. Dickson of the Trinity!”

Before much can be said, a Telethia comes down, and there’s no choice but to fight. Fiora pulls the strange blades from her side and prepares for it, Melia and Riki coming to her side.

Reyn, Dunban, and Sharla stand a bit further back, but they’re all there, too. All of them, except for Shulk. Fiora reminds herself of that when she lunges. She lets the beams of the blades tear into the Telethia and it screams out.

Melia’s summoning elementals to her, enough that Fiora feels faster than she ever has before. She runs around it, watching as Riki spits poison onto the thing. Dunban digs his own blade into its side as Reyn draws its attention and Sharla shoots it straight in the head.

It begins to use Soul Read, Melia’s told her about this. That the only way to stop it is when she’s overflowing with Ether or when Shulk is using the Monado… Shulk… She grits her teeth and lets power in her chest build.

“Let’s see how you like this,” she hisses out, knowing Final Cross does not miss. Beams of Ether attack the beast and it falls to the ground, but not for long. It seems like there’s no stopping it… No matter what they do.

Dickson jumps on the back of the Telethia, a grin on his face as he looks at the group. “Look at all of you wastes of space! None of you are that tough without Shulk, eh?”

He shoots at Fiora and Dunban, the two barely dodging out of the way. “Stupid beast and a little girl who’s only good for cheering Shulk on! You should all be grateful, really. Not everyone has a war buddy, or a man who just happens to be able to guide you through the Marsh.”

“Dickson…!” Reyn grits his teeth. “You…!”

“It’s too bad, too, that Shulk didn’t listen. I told him someone would die if he didn’t end Egil,” Dickson turns his gaze to Fiora. “Someone just had to fill his mind with ideas of peace. If you had just laid down and let him do what Lord Zanza had planned, maybe he’d take it easy on you all.”

“I’d rather die fighting you than live as a slave of Zanza!” Fiora snaps back, pointing one of her blades at him.

“Then die!” The Telethia is starting to rear up and Fiora prepares… Only for an attack to hit their enemies, making Dickson fumble. “What?! Who was that? Show yourself!”

“Melia, are you alright?” Dickson hops off of the Telethia as Kallian approaches.

Fiora notes that he seems quite strong, but kind all the same (reminds her a bit of Dunban, really). She’s never seen him before, just listened to Melia talk about him with quite the adoration. And now he’s here to save them… maybe she’ll talk about him the same way in the future because of that.

“Brother!” Melia runs up next to Fiora, hands on her arm.

“Kallian!” Reyn is quick to speak up. “Dickson! He works for the Bionis like those Bionite blokes! He shot Shulk in the back!”

Kallian’s eyes widen and he looks at the girls. “Is this true?!”

They nod, and things start to go too fast for Fiora to keep up. Kallian swears to stop Dickson, and says the Harves can stop them… And then the woman, Lorithia, reveals herself to work with Dickson and Zanza too.

The High Entia are Telethia, when the right amount of Ether is concentrated. The Havres become part of them, even. Fiora feels sick, sicker than she feels looking at other Faces. Melia screams, but she can’t make out what she’s screaming.

All she can make out is Reyn pulling her back as Kallian rams into Lorithia and they explode.

--

“Your brother seemed kind,” Vanea’s words are awkward as she sits next to Melia, who cries in the corridor as they head for Colony 6. “He loved you.”

“I wish he did not,” Melia replies. “If he did not, he would not have done that to save me.”

“Oh, Melia…” Vanea frowns and reaches out to touch her shoulder. “You should not think like that. The love of a sibling is a wonderful thing. You may not realize it, but… not having that love hurts more than anything.”

“Like you and Egil?” Melia asks, looking up at her. “When he said those things to you in Agniratha… did that hurt?”

“More than anything else I had experienced,” Vanea admits. “He… he was willing to die, back in the Core. If Lady Meyneth had not been there, he would have. If he died, it would hurt… But I could at least find peace knowing he loved me again, at the end.”

“Vanea…” Melia looks down again, eyes glued to her feet. “I am sorry, it was selfish of me to wish like that.”

“It is alright to be selfish sometimes,” Vanea replies. “It is just important to remember the love he had for you. Even if that may be hard right now.”

“You’re right,” Melia wipes tears from her eyes. “I… I did not realize my father loved me until he died. It was different with Kallian, though. I knew he loved me, from a very young age I understood he cared for me. It makes losing him… so different.”

“It will take time to register it completely, Melia,” Vanea squeezes her shoulder gently. “Allow yourself that time. Just know he died to let you live, and that you have the chance to carry on his wishes.”

Melia nods. “That is… a wonderful way to look at it. My people are bound to be displaced now, and I am to be their hope. For their sake, and for Kallian, I must be strong.”

“Even one who is the hope of their people can ask for help, though,” Vanea reminds. “Please do not hesitate, I am sure everyone would be willing to assist.”

Melia looks at Vanea, a smile finally coming to her lips. “Thank you, Vanea.”

[childrenofmeyneth]

Xord Proposes: A Silly Script-Style Fic By A Dork

What it says on the tin. Contains uh... Crossover crackship of Xord/Vandham. Dadshipping....

Shoutout to my beloved @bionisinterior for the ship idea

[The Face Pilots sans Xord, and Vanea are seen at a table, sitting around with TTRPG items scattered about. They all seem to be varying levels of prepared for whatever game they are playing]

[Xord enters, stumbling into the seat next to Gadolt, he looks nervous and excited]

Egil: You’re late, Xord. That’s unlike you.

Xord: Haha, sorry about that! Had to go pick up a ring from the jewlers!

Fiora: I didn’t know you wear jewelry, Xord!

Xord: I don’t! Got a ring made for my boyfriend, want to propose soon!

Mumkhar and Fiora, in unison: You have a boyfriend?

Egil and Vanea, in unison: Aw, how nice

Gadolt: Wait [he furrows his brow] What does that have to do with the game?

[There is a moment of silence, Fiora giggling at Gadolt’s statement. Egil clears his throat after a moment to speak]

Egil: It doesn’t, but it’s nice he wants to get married again, don’t you think?

Gadolt: It is, I just thought--

Vanea: It’s wonderful! Xord, do you have plans for how to propose?

Xord: I was just gonna ask him while we sat about, watching television and the like.

Fiora: What?!

[Fiora stands up, slamming her hands on the table. She walks over to Xord, placing her hands on his shoulders.]

Fiora: You can’t do something so plain!

Xord: I can’t?

Gadolt: He can’t?

Fiora: You should do something big, something grand that people can watch! If you’re thinking of proposing he should know marriage is on the table, right? It’s not a question of if you’ll propose, but when you’ll propose!

Xord: Huh, guess so!

[Xord thinks for a bit, before frowning]

Xord: Then again, we can both be a bit of a ham when in the spotlight. Might ruin the romance of the moment, don’t you think?

Mumkhar: He muscular?

Xord: Huh?

Mumkhar: That boyfriend of yours, he muscular? Big like you?

Xord: Sure is! How did you guess?

Mumkhar: Just had a feeling. If you’re both so big, though…

[Mumkhar leans back, a grin on his face. Vanea and Fiora both make faces, knowing whatever’s about to come out of his mouth will be ridiculous]

Mumkhar: Challenge him to an arm wrestling contest! Tell him he’s got a good prize coming to him if he does. Propose whenever he finally wins.

Xord: Huh, but what if he doesn’t ever win?

Mumkhar: He’s not strong enough to marry you, then.

[Egil clears his throat once again, everyone turns to look at him. A bit of a de facto leader, it seems they all expect something good to come out of his mouth.]

Egil: That lacks the romance Xord seems to want it to have, Mumkhar.

Mumkhar: So?

Egil: So, why not go for something a bit classic. A nice dinner for him, just the two of you. Propose at the height of the meal, at the height of romance.

Xord: That sounds great! ...I don’t know how to cook, though.

Egil: Ask your daughter to help, she knows how to cook, right?

Xord: Does she?

Fiora: I give Désirée cooking lessons every week, so pretty sure she does. I can help, too, if it’s too out of her range!

Egil: See? Seems like the perfect plan.

Vanea: Almost perfect.

[Everyone turns to Vanea, who has a smile on her face.]

Vanea: A romantic dinner is the perfect place to start! Just the two of you sharing a meal, staring into each other’s eyes… But get creative with how you present the ring!

Xord: Like… chuck it at him?

Vanea and Fiora, in unison: No!

Vanea: Have it placed into a pastry, dessert. Hand it to him and wait for him to find it. When he does, reveal the reason for the meal!

Xord: Ohhh! …What if he bites into it, though?

Vanea: Is… your boyfriend the type to eat without looking?

Xord: Sometimes.

[Silence falls over them again, everyone but Gadolt and Xord thinking hard on what to do. There has to be a way to make it the perfect proposal!]

Gadolt: Where does he work?

Xord: An orphanage! He likes to care for kids who lost their folks in tragedies an awful lot!

Gadolt: Is he working today?

Xord: Sure is!

Gadolt: Let’s all go over now and you can propose.

Everyone, in unison: What?!

Gadolt: Overthinking it isn’t any good. If it’s just a few kids and us it’ll be a bigger event without either of you hamming it up too much, right?

Xord: Huh… guess so…

Gadolt: Would hit the element of surprise, too, if you just sprung it on him right as you got the ring.

Mumkhar: ...How are you so good at this?

Gadolt: Proposed once, remember?

Egil: ...I suppose that means this session will be put on hold until… probably next week, if all goes well. Let’s go then, everyone pack up your things.

[The group packs up their items quickly enough and soon are on their way to the orphanage. Scene change to children of various ages playing or helping each other out. Vandham is standing in a room, watching an older child read to some younger ones.]

Fiora: That’s your boyfriend?

Mumkhar: He’s built like a grenade.

Xord: Thank you!

Mumkhar: Not a compliment.

[Vanea kicks Mumkhar in the back of the knee with a frown.]

Vanea: Be nice, this is a big moment!

[Xord approaches, looking a bit nervous before puffing out his chest. Mumkhar snickers before Vanea elbows him and silences him.]

Vandham: Xord! Funny seein’ you here, didn’t you have a game?

Xord: Sure did! Something came up, though, made me realize I have something I need to ask you.

Vandham: Funny, I’ve got something I’ve got ta ask ya as well.

Xord: Oh? Well, how about we ask at the same time! Should be a load of fun!

Fiora: Xord, no--

Vandham: Sounds mighty fine to me! Alright then. Three, two, one…

Xord and Vandham, in unison: Will you marry me?

Xord: Well, well, look at that. Trying to one up me! Of course I’ll marry you.

Vandham: I could say the same thing, alright, I’ll marry ya!

[The room erupts into chatters and squeals. The children and Fiora all descend onto the pair of men. Vanea and Gadolt share pleasant chatter, happy to see it turn out well. Mumkhar turns to Egil.]

Mumkhar: Are… Are you crying--

Egil: Shut up proposals always get me teary-eyed.

~FIN~

[childrenofmeyneth]

I've seen people say that Vanea should have been a playable character, and I for one agree - it seems very fitting given that she is with the party for so much of their journey on the Mechonis, and would add a lot to her as a character, in my view. She has a whip in one of her concept arts, so that could have been her weapon. Do you have any opinions or headcanons as to what she might have been like if she was playable? (Also, can I just say - this blog is awesome, so thank you for making it!!)

You say Vanea playable I say I am RUNNING. She is my second fave after my little meow meow war criminal Egil, after all. It's funny, she has a whip in her concept art but reading through the artbook, it's Linada a guy was obsessed with adding in as playable?

Anyway! I wrote an entire fic where Vanea (and others) were the playable cast instead of Shulk and co so I have plenty of headcanons on that!

She would wield a whip and be an agility tank like Dunban, she takes aggro and then doesn't let anything hit her.

Snake motif because of her whip, tiger motif because of her marking. Either or both would work well for her Arts naming.

She would join either at the start of the Central Factory or after Mechonis Core -- either way she gets to whoop some ass.

If the former, she could tell everyone more about places in Agniratha as they go. "We once lived here... it was a beautiful place", "the mechon were once so peaceful, Egil has gone so far...", etc.

Her H2Hs could have a variety of topics. Life on Mechonis, her guilt irt helping Egil, her own talents irt machinery, her relationship with her father, and...

Her feelings on Egil's passing. There's an NPC who says they're worried, despite her having a sturdy head on her shoulders, because she and Egil used to be inseperable and now he's gone? Like, come on, explore that more, game!

Alternatively, Egil lives and takes the place of making the Monado Replicas for Shulk as he recovers from his wounds, leaving Vanea free to travel with the party.

Miqol would have special dialogue whenever you spoke to him with her in the lead.

Her most despised item would be a Cable Mouse "Chews through artillery cables. The bane of an engineer's life." Shulk only makes the mistake of giving it to her once.

Her favorite item would be the Fairytale Diode "They say gazing into the red light traps you in an enchanted world." simply because I think she seems the type to enjoy fairytales.

Food would do little for her, as Machina cannot eat and do not have a sense of taste, but most would only give + or - 2 points.

If you went over all of her items and how they affected her affinity, you would see her favorite color is orange.

Due to a late joining she would start with Blue affinity with Fiora and Green with Shulk, in order to make playing catch up on her affinity easier.

She would be in her two-thousands (late 2000s, like over 2700 imo) in game.

Her likes on her little infograph would be being with the ones she loves

Her dislikes on her little infograph would be conflict.

Writing wise she would get along incredibly well with Fiora, Shulk, Melia, Sharla, and Dunban.

Her Skill Trees would be: Intuition, Humanity, Courage, Reliance, Honesty

Here's a quick spread of the skills i would give her/gave her in my AU!

(Her break would only work if she had already landed a Twisted Spin)

(Thank you!! I love the Machina, and love sharing the love so I'm glad you enjoy the blog :D)

[childrenofmeyneth]

Vanea: Remember! Curiosity killed the cat! Meyneth: Yes, but you forget that satisfaction brought it back. So yes, Xord, go find out if that thing can catch fire! Vanea: You're a bad influence. Meyneth: And you don't know your sayings.

[childrenofmeyneth]

Machina-centric Sea-faring based AU

I'm doing a little exercise where people voted on what kinda AU I should make, and I make an AU based on it! It's an AU that'll basically be f2u if you see it and like the concept a lot and wanna expand in your own way, I guess is a way to put it?

Let's go, then, under the cut. Starting with: basic lore of this AU

The world is set in an endless sea, one people are slowly starting to explore more. There's only two known actual land masses, but also a bunch of artificial ones set up by Homs.

Homs and Nopon are naturally land-based, while High Entia and Machina are sea-based

High Entia are merfolk -- instead of headwings they have headfins!

Machina are deep sea monsters, bioluminescent the lot of them. Think... sea serpents but make them mermaids.

Machina also have full-on sea serpent forms and fully humanoid forms. Usually, they take on the merfolk-like forms, however!

Machina are huge. Like. Big Enough To Constrict and Break Your Ship Huge

Both Machina and High Entia can breathe out of the water, but are more comfortable breathing in the sea

Similarly, Nopon can breathe in either but prefer the feeling out of water most of the time (those that prefer breathing in the sea often move to Alcamoth).

Homs, however, cannot naturally breathe underwater. A kiss from a High Entia or a Machina can allow them to breathe underwater, a bit uncomfortably.

High Entia are more likely to do this, as they can have children with Homs. Machina only do it when necessary to save lives, as Homs are often afraid of their appearance.

Face Pilots equivalent in this are Homs who are cursed to turn into sea monsters similar to the Machina whenever submerged in water.

Meyneth is the Goddess of Darkness, Zanza is the God of Life. This is reflected in where their creations live (Homs/Nopon/High Entia live above sea/places in the sea where sunlight reaches. Machina live in the depths of the Endless Sea)

The curse affecting some Homs has unknown uses, though it was definitely made by Meyneth. The reason for it has been lost to time.

Machina seem to see this as more of a blessing, when not forced on someone and instead something chosen by the Homs

One of the real pieces of land houses Frontier Village, the other a Homs colony. Underwater both Alcamoth and Agniratha exist!

Agniratha is full of lights, for the sake of Homs who were too injured to be taken back to the surface. Machina can survive on the low light they generate, but Homs cannot.

Homs often travel the seas in ships with crews, setting out to see how far they can travel through the sea. Nopon often join them on their journies.

Pirating has become quite the norm, due to cutthroats being the type to often venture out further. High risks, high rewards, and all that.

These wrecks are often where both High Entia and Machina find Homs that they kiss and take to their cities.

Now some general plot things:

Land is limited, and it's a problem. There are resources underwater, and tech to look down there is becoming more common... But that leads to High Entia and Machina being more known.

High Entia are more easily accepted by Homs as they look a bit more Homs-like... Machina are terrifying, though.

Agniratha is basically in danger because of this. High Entia never liked them much, anyway, so they aren't much help.

This is where the curse comes into play. It started popping up around the time Homs started pushing against the Machina. Homs think it's a trick of some sort by the Machina to scare them away.

This just makes tensions Worse!!!

Now to get Machina focused!:

Egil is the reason the curse started going off like it does. The other Machina are not pleased with this and it puts tension between them all.

Egil believes it must be done, to show them they are not threats like Homs think. Why else would Meyneth leave them this curse?

Vanea, meanwhile, is having a crisis of faith. She believes in Meyneth with all her heart, she really does... But why would their kind goddess leave a blessing that can so easily be turned into a curse?

She pulls away from people a lot because of this. This sweet girl known for always checking on others pulls in on herself a lot, studying texts left by Meyneth.

She often argues with Egil, tries to make him step back. He accuses her of not knowing what Meyneth wants and it makes the crisis... worse!

These siblings are not alright and the rift grows more and more the more Egil uses the curse! :,)

On the other end of things, Linada is starting to question her job as a doctor. More and more Machina are getting hurt by Homs...

She wonders if there's much of a point, wearing herself so thin like this when she just can't keep up with the injuries and illnesses. But she can't stop -- they need her.

Radzam, meanwhile, is keeping things as calm as he can between the Homs living in Agniratha and the Machina.

If they start pointing fingers at each other, things will get worse for all of them, right?

In my hc these two are cousins, so that carries over here, too. Both are stretched thin, but only Radzam seems to want to do something about it.

Linada and Radzam act as confidants for Vanea, often trying to counsel her through her crisis of faith and her issues with Egil, to varying effects.

Meanwhile, they butt heads with Egil. He's making their job harder but he believes this is the only way to make Homs understand. Linada nearly strangles him at some point.

At the very least, the latter three can keep Egil from outright attacking Homs directly. Egil takes chances inflicting the blessing-slash-curse on drowning Homs, instead.

Linada specializes in helping these Homs adjust to this change in their life if she's able to get her hands on them. Radzam supports her however he can.

Vanea blames herself a bit because guess what! She gave Egil the needed text to understand the curse! Oopsie doodle!

[childrenofmeyneth]

On Junks

Word Count: 761

Characters: Menyx, Egil, Vanea (Shulk, Linada, Meyneth Miqol mentioned)

Time period: Post-Mechonis Core, Pre-Zanza Fight. Canon Divergent.

tyvm to my boyfriend for proofreading this before I posted!!! :>

Egil’s eyes open and he finds himself in the dark of a Recharging Hangar, a hum of engines telling him this must be a ship. He’s hooked into the charging station on the wall, laying on the bed. He can’t sit up, there’s a weight at his side… a child?

He is in a bed for a family, he realizes. Plugged in next to a child curled up next to him. There’s another body, too… Vanea? He frowns, idly running a hand through the child’s hair as he speaks, voice barely above a whisper.

“Vanea,” his voice scratches against his throat.

She jumps up, alert as soon as she hears his voice. “Egil, you’re finally awake…!”

He frowns, trying to remember how he ended up here. Trying to remember what came before this. He remembers staying behind in the Mechonis, remembers the way the ether of Zanza tore through him… Remembers the Mechonis sinking…

He remembers a hand (Meyneth’s? Someone else’s?) reaching out for him. He remembers taking it… And that’s it. He does not remember more than that and does not wish to.

“How did I end up here?” He asks, anyway.

“Shulk, he had a vision,” Vanea begins, refusing to look him in the eye. “He begged us to return to what remained of the Mechonis, and we found you there.”

“And you put me in a room to sleep it all off?”

“We took you to Linada first,” Vanea offers weakly. “She did what she could, and eventually all you needed was rest. That’s when she helped me bring you here and we plugged you in for a rest.”

“And the child?” He asks. “Why allow them to sleep next to a monster such as me.”

Vanea frowns deeply and turns her head away. “Menyx begged me to let them sleep next to you.”

“And why did you say yes?”

She wrings her hands together. “When our people left for the Arm… Father decided they needed hope, a reason to believe Meyneth was still with them.”

Egil furrows his brow. “Vanea--”

“Menyx is our sibling,” Vanea weakly interrupts. “They aren’t even one thousand yet, and don’t know the full extent of what you’ve done.”

“Miqol made a child, when you were so few in people and resources?!” His voice finally raises and the child next to him jostles away. “And no one stopped him?!”

“Egil--”

“Sorry,” the voice of the child was meek. “I-I try and be a good kid, so I’m not a waste of the resources, promise…!”

Egil looks down at Menyx and frowns, running his hand through their hair once again. “It is not your fault you were made like this, child. My anger is not for you.”

“Don’t be mad at Papa…” Menyx shakes their head. “He wanted to help people, so please don’t be mad…!”

Egil sighs, and looks back at Vanea. “Why did you not tell me?”

“I was… afraid,” Vanea leans forward and pulls Menyx away from Egil, onto her lap. “You were so deep into your thoughts of revenge, I was afraid you would see this child as Father replacing you. That was not a burden I wanted to place on the shoulders of either of you.”

“...Are they that, then? A replacement for me.”

Vanea shakes her head, “no--”

“Maybe,” Menyx interrupts, frowning. “But everyone loves you so much, Egil. They say you were so kind and smart… I can never be that.”

“I see,” Egil frowns. “I’ll have to speak with Miqol, then, and see if that was his intention.”

“I don’t think it was,” Vanea’s voice is soft and sad. “It was… just an unfortunate after-effect of you being so loved, and so uninvolved in Menyx’s life at the same time. Had you been here when they were made…”

“Do not try to blame this on me,” Egil forces out. “There is already so much I must answer for, Vanea.”

“I didn't mean to,” she shakes her head. “I simply… think it was unfortunate circumstance that led to Menyx thinking as they do, that’s all.”

Egil nods, looking at Menyx, watching the way they cling to Vanea. They are afraid of him now that they have seen him, or maybe afraid of his feelings towards them? He wants to laugh… he would not blame a child for being forced into a world for such a selfish reason.

He sighs and begins to unplug himself from the recharging station. “We will talk more later, Menyx. I want to get to know you better… after my reunion with Miqol.”

[childrenofmeyneth]

Like everyone I know thought Meyneth was Huge (me too) but no. She's shorter than Vanea. She is like average Machina woman height. Which is still BIG but yknow