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[horsepowered]

Neigh, stand and unfold yourself

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12/24

[aviphile]

[All's well that ends well. Christmas-- ahem, Candlenights is saved and New New Aspen will begin rebuilding when dawn breaks. Some Reclaimers are headed back to Moon Base but da Vinci wants to stay a while longer on the planet. She helps the villagers with odd jobs and flits about, keeping herself busy with a smile on her face. It's only when night falls that she withdraws to a secluded area off the beaten path. She gazes up at the colors painted across the night sky, drinks the sight of it all in.

(She thinks, for a moment, of clear Antarctic skies, and the memory pricks her heart, just a bit.)

Da Vinci sits on a fallen log, the aurora borealis reflected in her pensive gaze. The mask covering her damaged face seems to absorb the sky's color. Snow dusts her shoulders and hair, but she doesn't seem aware of it.]

[horsepowered]

[Being Too Greek means that Chiron only understands Christmas as much as the Grail has filled him in. He understands winter festivals though, even if Greece was never that cold. He lived on a mountain. Snow did happen from time to time.

He's ready to go back. But in looking around for familiar faces, he did not see DaVinci's. Best to go find her. She's probably working on that tree house, or at least that is his best guess. But no, she's found a little spot of her own, and Chiron makes sure his feet are loud. It's harder when he's a human, but he manages.]

...Ah, there you are.

[He sits himself down beside her, assuming an invitation. The mask is...he's not quite looked, but that seems new.]

[aviphile]

[The sound of someone approaching pulls da Vinci from her reverie. She brushes back a strand of hair and, quick as a flash, her perfect smile is back. When she sees that it's Chiron, the smile becomes more genuine.]

Ah, there you are! Been keeping busy, have you?

[horsepowered]

I suppose so. Nothing in comparison to yourself though, it seems.

[He's content like this, bundled up, and absolutely wearing a pair of kitten mittens in order to deal with the cold. Yes, he knows a horse in kitten mittens is silly. That's...the point, come to think of it.]

I've heard only praise for all your hard work over the past few days.

[aviphile]

[Kitten mittens...? Where did he get those from? Da Vinci can't help raising her eyebrows, amused, but she won't remark on them. Cats are awfully important to the people of Aspen. Maybe he picked it up from a local.

... she doesn't know if it aesthetically suits him, though.]

Someone like me has to stand out wherever she goes. Don't you think?

[A Heroic Spirit does their duty, regardless of where they go. Even if her Earth is gone, her heart remains with "humanity," no matter where that humanity is.]

Don't downplay yourself, my noble steed. Someone like you wouldn't be idle.

[horsepowered]

[It keeps his hands warm, and that's the important part! The horse, for better or worse, is truly not invested in the aesthetic.]

I'd argue that you do that simply by being yourself. [But he does notice the mask, and he tilts his head slightly at it. The question will come up in just a moment, because the noble steed comment deserves a warm laugh.]

I suppose that is my role these days, isn't it? [He smiles all the same.]

The mask is new.

[aviphile]

[Ah, she figured the mask would come up sooner or later. Da Vinci touches it lightly and her smile becomes a tad smaller.]

Oh, you know me. I must try out new looks from time to time. Well? How do you like it?

[horsepowered]

Hm.

[Chiron pauses and shifts a bit, so he can see the mask in full. It is a lovely piece of art to be sure (what else would one expect from a genius?) but it makes him worry about what is hiding beneath.

She'll tell him in due time. He shall not press.]

It compliments your eyes very nicely indeed.

[aviphile]

[The kindness does not go unnoticed. Da Vinci appreciates it, though she knows she can't dance around the subject forever. Things could have been worse. Something more important could have been taken. But what artist wouldn't feel crushed when they see their work defaced?

She links her fingers together and looks up at the stars.]

I'm grateful for the chance to make it. Death has a small price, so long as we're contracted with the Bureau.

[That should explanation enough.]

[horsepowered]

[There's a lot being said here. DaVinci is very open, and this is quiet of her. Strangely so, and...

...and then there is mention of death, and all Chiron can do is squeeze DaVinci's hand gently. He's not going to ask questions or demand elaboration.]

And my friendship a much lower one. You don't need to have that on around me if it becomes bothersome or too heavy to wear.

[aviphile]

[She didn't expect the kind hand. Death was a natural part of a Heroic Spirit's existence, wasn't it? For their kind, it was either kill or be killed. They were reincarnated for the sake of fighting on the battlefield. To be sentimental about it was pointless, in da Vinci's eyes. She has the scope to see beyond her own life, now. These sentimental feelings simmering in her heart were remnants of her humanity.

Chiron's comment draws a laugh from her, soft and quiet.]

I'm afraid I've yet to finish restoring the Mona Lisa. Please understand. It's about my pride as an artist.

[She cannot bear to present a tainted work of art.]

[horsepowered]

Of course. But if I have learned one important thing from my students, it is when one should put aside their pride.

[He'll not nudge any further. DaVinci's decision is DaVinci's decision, and he is happy to abide by it. So long as she knows she can drop all pretense around him, well. That is just enough for him.]

[aviphile]

[Ah... is this what it feels like to be on the receiving end of a lecture? It's annoying, but comforting at the same time. Da Vinci raises an eyebrow at him and moves to playfully pinch his side.]

Oh, enough teaching! We're sitting here as two friends. We should be more interested in the stars than in lessons, right now.

[horsepowered]

--Miss DaVinci!

[That pinch is rude! But he laughs brightly, and his eyes do turn upwards. What hangs overhead puts an immediate smile to his face.]

You're right. But...hm. I can't say that any of these stars are ones I recognize.

[aviphile]

[It would be better to open up about it. It's as Chiron said: to set one's pride aside is the most valuable lesson you can learn. But da Vinci's wounds are still fresh and deep. The solace she wants right now comes from the beauty around her, to bury herself in what this world has, so that she won't focus on what was lost. She looks up with Chiron, arms folded in her lap.]

... it's a miracle that we were able to be summoned away from Earth.

[They're spirits tied to the Throne. For them to be in an entirely different universe.]

When I was alive, we didn't have the opportunity to peer into space. Ah, a sight like this... it makes me immensely happy. That even in another universe, the stars remain.

[horsepowered]

[There's a very faint flicker of a smile on Chiron's face that suggests that for him, it's...it's a miracle, but not exactly a new one. He's yet to share with DaVinci all of the adventures he had between the Grail War and here, of going through histories Earthbound and beyond, resetting events in so many ways.]

It never ceases to amaze.

[He can say that much without revealing more. And as his eyes remain skybound, there's a little laugh.]

They do. But it is just as well that I have no Noble Phantasm anymore. If I cannot see myself above, I cannot summon it to work.