Last time, the plot thickened as Lunair's dad announced that he was going to marry her off and make her Duchess. Turns out, all of that was a ploy to bind her to Aeria and make her his puppet. In addition, he was going to continue using her as a test subject and unknowingly feed her a love drug. After learning all of that, Lunair took this as an opportunity to sneak Revier in by killing off her future husband, Heath.
The Intrigue
With those dramatic details out of the way, they finally make their way into the Duke's quarters through the same path Lunair took.
Inside, Lunair briefly reprimands Revier for playing with the guards outside, and then chastises him for being extremely impressed by their house. Once inside the bedroom, Revier directly questions her about the repercussions of killing Heath, which provokes a pretty darkly amusing exchange:
Revier: Wait, after we are done here, they will eventually find out about Heath... What then?
Lunair: Who knows, just let the politicians clean up the mess.
Lunair: Perhaps there might even be an internal war.
Revier: (shocked) That... How can you remain so calm?! This is your home--
Lunair: (angrily) I couldn't care less about a home that tries to kill me.
Revier: (stubbornly) But what about all the innocent civilians?!
Lunair: They'll take care of themselves.
He also discovers a few delightful slices of life, but those aren't relevant to the plot at hand. Suffice to say, however, that it's a pretty interesting city exploration portion, despite a clear lack of polish, and is perhaps worth covering in a later post.
I have no clue why he thinks this; is it perhaps because he still distrusts Lunair? Because he's pondering why she chose to help him? Narratively, it mainly serves to show Lunair that Revier, while still disliking her and begrudgingly relying on her, is beginning to shift somewhat. She, of course, doesn't have a good answer to it, but hesitatingly acknowledges that he's right. They keep talking for a while, and eventually the storm settles down at sunset. Revier leaves for the rendezvous point they agreed on, the city gates.
A small scene of her playing "To Realize" later, she relents and agrees to show him where Serai is held. We shall explore that in depth next time!
Thoughts
Revier: Wait, after we are done here, they will eventually find out about Heath... What then?
Lunair: Who knows, just let the politicians clean up the mess.
Lunair: Perhaps there might even be an internal war.
Revier: (shocked) That... How can you remain so calm?! This is your home--
Lunair: (angrily) I couldn't care less about a home that tries to kill me.
Revier: (stubbornly) But what about all the innocent civilians?!
Lunair: They'll take care of themselves.
Then she tries to shift blame for the situation to Revier, which he naturally protests. They go to sleep, and the next morning, Revier heads off to eat breakfast as Heath for the first time. He's clearly uncomfortable playing the role though, and nearly commits a faux pas by telling his servants he'll pour his own tea. Lunair sends everyone out and reminds Revier to adhere to royal conventions. After that, they hatch a plan to find out more about Serai, by leaving the house for the day under the guise of a city tour and then going in opposite directions. Lunair would prod around the royal palace itself, while he would explore the rest of the city.
She also reveals that she found someone else from the Second Quarter that he could've impersonated, and will for the duration of this day. It was just that killing off Heath was more convenient for her plans. Revier is naturally shocked about this, but can't really do much.
She also reveals that she found someone else from the Second Quarter that he could've impersonated, and will for the duration of this day. It was just that killing off Heath was more convenient for her plans. Revier is naturally shocked about this, but can't really do much.
With the plan set, Lunair proceeds to make her way to the palace. Revier is now free to (largely) explore the city. He discovers a few important things: Lunair impersonates General Dirk to get her information, classism runs strong in the Middle District, and outside of it, the people of the Third Quarter of Aeria generally act like... normal people, contrary to his expectations.
He also discovers a few delightful slices of life, but those aren't relevant to the plot at hand. Suffice to say, however, that it's a pretty interesting city exploration portion, despite a clear lack of polish, and is perhaps worth covering in a later post.
Eventually, the weather gets stormy, and Lunair takes shelter in a street corner - the same one where she invited Huey to the palace all those years ago. She muses a bit on her future; after all, even if she does successfully rescue Revier and Serai, there is no good place for her in Aeria now. Revier later takes shelter in the same corner, but doesn't recognize her since she's disguised as a random citizen of the Middle District. He engages in a bit of small talk, and then starts pondering a philosophical question:
I have no clue why he thinks this; is it perhaps because he still distrusts Lunair? Because he's pondering why she chose to help him? Narratively, it mainly serves to show Lunair that Revier, while still disliking her and begrudgingly relying on her, is beginning to shift somewhat. She, of course, doesn't have a good answer to it, but hesitatingly acknowledges that he's right. They keep talking for a while, and eventually the storm settles down at sunset. Revier leaves for the rendezvous point they agreed on, the city gates.
There, Lunair reveals that she found where Serai was. We then briefly see Revier enjoying the food at the royal dinner, before eventually moving back into the bedroom. Revier protests Lunair not letting him rescue Serai tonight, but she raises a very pertinent point - Serai doesn't enjoy the powers of the Quintessence, so there's no good way they're going to be able to make her leave Aeria. However, she counts on security being lax at her prison tomorrow, since most of them would be at the wedding.
A small scene of her playing "To Realize" later, she relents and agrees to show him where Serai is held. We shall explore that in depth next time!
Thoughts
While this part had less scheming than usual, at least visibly, it was still a valuable insight into the two characters, and how they feel about, and are challenged by the situation. Lunair's writing as someone who distrusts people, but understands them enough to manipulate them effectively was quite strong in particular. Her pragmatism also helps temper Revier's raw passion, while also being an effective contrast to his empathetic and emotional self. In turn, his presentation of that self through his philosophizing, while perhaps a bit abrupt in the situation, helps her do some soul searching and grow as a character, if rather subtly so.
It's also interesting how this aspect of the characters play out when they switch roles - Revier is clearly uncomfortable bossing people around, much preferring to be a helpful bystander who does what little he can. Lunair however is pretty comfortable posing as powerful people rather freely, even going so far as to impersonate Dirk himself. Quite neat that the main plot point of this world is used in such a meaningful manner.
Next time, Revier gets to meet Serai! But of course, the plot doesn't end there. Find out what happens next then!
Next: The Aerian Court Intrigue 4 - Familial Ties
Prev: The Aerian Court Intrigue 2 - Royally Arranged
It's also interesting how this aspect of the characters play out when they switch roles - Revier is clearly uncomfortable bossing people around, much preferring to be a helpful bystander who does what little he can. Lunair however is pretty comfortable posing as powerful people rather freely, even going so far as to impersonate Dirk himself. Quite neat that the main plot point of this world is used in such a meaningful manner.
Next: The Aerian Court Intrigue 4 - Familial Ties
Prev: The Aerian Court Intrigue 2 - Royally Arranged
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