✱ New Beginnings ✱ [Meliora Vitae Group Intro]

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He left a bouquet pretty pink roses at their doorstep—the ones leading into the Silver Wolf guildhall on top of the Phoenix Mountain. In floral language, pink roses were a symbol of gratitude, or more specifically, gratitude for being understood. He left them there hoping that someone would find it and think of him when they did. Not because he hoped that someone would miss him, or someone would feel a loss when they realized that it was him who left those flowers at their doorstep, but because he finally left that mountaintop without turning back that time, and he didn't say anything to them before he did. He spent all morning finding the prettiest of pink roses, neatly bundled them up with a tight string, and left them there, hoping that they'd say all the things that he couldn't. 'Thank you for letting me stay here' is what he wanted to say. 'Thank you for putting up with me' is what he was feeling, but like so many other things, he didn't have the strength nor the courage to tell them any of that. He found Pimwadee and bid a shy and choked farewell, but he couldn't find Mathis or Poppi before he decided to leave. Maybe it was selfish of him to leave like that, without giving a proper goodbye. Maybe he was too full of himself for thinking that flowers could make up for everything they've done for him—and it was so much, even if they hadn't realized it. Maybe he shouldn't have ever left in the first place. His head could understand all of the things he could've done better, but his heart just couldn't accept staying there, being dead weight. All he did was take up space and breathe air. Every day felt like one step forward and two steps back until his insightful encounter with Dagda in Sakuramori.

He had almost died that day, along with that huge unit of a man, and yet the words he shared with Ling after that encounter left him believing that he wouldn't have lived a life with no regrets if he didn't leave Silver Wolf and come here today. He shared with him a beautiful vision of preserving the delicate balance of all life, and even though he had only met one guild since his home was destroyed, it felt so different. Ling had always shared those same values and dreams of peace, even though for the longest time, it felt like he was the only one because he was the only one. He lived alone for most of his life. Then there was Pimwadee, and Mathis, and now Dagda. He felt like if he didn't take this chance and participated in a vision that he so wholeheartedly resonated with, that he'd be doing himself and his family a huge disservice. It already began to feel like his greatest regret if he had stayed. He had to go and meet these like-minded people... and yet it was so tragically difficult.

This is amazing... Ling thought to himself in awe, staring up into the sky at the enormous ship hovering above a beautiful lake. He was wearing his usual white cloak, covering most of his body as he swung in the gentle breeze, hiding the pretty boyish face, blonde hair, and stunning emerald eyes hidden in the shade of his white veil. On one hand, Ling was holding one of the flyers that were scattered all over Fiore right now, holding it like some precious thing as he looked up at the hovering ship. Ling couldn't read or write, so he had to travel through towns and villages and ask people to translate it for him, and give him oral directions on how to get to where the flyer said to go. Needless to say, someone as easily embarrassed and comically shy as Ling felt like he was asked to do the impossible—talk to people. Even more than that, he had more exposure to towns and cities than he had ever had before, and he was mentally drained from all that navigation.

Whatever the case, he was here now, but that refreshed feeling of awe and wonder quickly wore off when he saw people some meters away step into a pod. It was full of people, and he couldn't really make out any faces from where he was. If today was going to go the way he thought it would, they would probably end up as his guildmates. He would have to talk to them eventually, but... maybe not now. Suddenly, seeing such a huge group of people felt terrifying and daunting on his already dwindling mental state. So, instead, he stepped onto the pod nearest to him, which was empty. It closed and began to ascend to the ship he was fawning over just now, and played a little message amidst his quiet panic.

"Dagda is probably up there... oh God... oh geez... I should've brought him flowers as thanks! What is wrong with me?! Stupid, stupid, stupid—" Ling suddenly pulled his hood all the way over his face and gently banged his head against the pod walls, chanting 'stupid, stupid, stupid' to himself over and over until an automated message began to play within the cell, frightening him so bad that he froze and went pale. "—?!!?!"

"Welcome to the S.S. Endeavor! Thank you for your interest in today’s banquet event. We will be departing shortly for the top tier of the ship and will be landing in the Arborium, where the banquet will be held. There is food and refreshments available once we arrive."

When Ling realized that it was just an automated message, a sigh of relief flooded out his mouth as he slowly regained composure. Well, tried. As the pod approached the ship more and more, it was beginning to feel like a time where you signed up for a school talent show, and while it sounded great on paper and you had no issues with signing up for it, the moment you had to step onto the stage in front of all of your peers, you could feel your confidence crumble into a million little pieces. He already had to talk to so many people just to find his way here, and now he was going to have to face even more.

Well, by the time Ling was wallowing in his panic, the pod had finally docked onto the ship, and there was nowhere left to go but out of it and into the Arborium. When he did, he was once again stricken with awe and wonder as he was surrounded by nature and forestry. It felt like... home, almost. Even more, there was a fountain, tables with food on them, and more importantly—Dagda.There was a lot to take in, but as he fixed his gaze onto Dagda and made his way into the clearing, so much more came into view.

Ling's heart lifted nearly out of his chest when he saw none other than Mathis and Poppi there was Dagda, the man and companion who had taught him a thing or two about reading and writing while he was still at Silver Wolf. A million questions ran through his head when he saw that stoic man, but the only thing that showed on his face were tears running down his face and dripping off his chin like a wet cloth.

"M-Ma-Mat...!" Ling called out to him, walking over to the group like a lost puppy who had found its beloved once again. When he walked up to him, he couldn't even finish his name before wrapping his thin arms around Mathis from behind, squeezing him in a gingered embrace, smooshing the side of his hooded, sobbing face into his back. You could hear his small, gentle and yet rupturing sniffles when suddenly he shifted his wet, tearful gaze to Poppi, moving from Mathis over to her and wrapping himself around her in the same mushy hug. "P-Poppi...!"

Although it was sort of cute, Ling's face was smothered with tears, and frankly he was sort of impervious to his bashful tendencies at the moment, and Dagda wasn't safe from the sobbing blonde either, even though their meeting was completely anticipated. Ling just felt like crying even harder when he saw that tragically tall man before him and went in to hug him as well, burying his face into that impossibly large and broad chest of his. "D-Dag... Dagd...!" Ling sniffled and continued to bury his face, "I'm here...! But... I...! Mmmph! Huh...?"

When Ling was looking up and around at all the people he just broke down in tears in front of, he caught glimpse of another curious individual seated just nearby. He had two hair colors split down the middle of his head, and more than that, he looked like he had just gotten mugged. It had nothing to do with him, and Ling didn't know who he was, but seeing this stranger in that state... his heart shattered again, and suddenly he was sobbing twice as hard when he saw it and registered that this guy was hurt.

"Ish hwe gonnuh DIE?" Ling began to panic, still holding onto Dagda and looking at that man at the table, all forms of speech breaking down into something between weeping and confusion, slurring his words together as the overwhelming emotion took over. It really did look like a puppy having a happy, anxiety-induced meltdown. "I'm sho sorry, mister...! I'm so sorry...!"

What was Ling apologizing for? It wasn't really certain. But needless to say, Ling was easy to cry.

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People started arriving on the Arborium from the pods. With each one that joined, Dagda could only grow more excited. There were so many, more than he could have dreamed. Many kept to themselves upon stepping onto the deck, but several others engaged in conversation with those around them. Chatter filled the air, accompanying the songs of the many birds that inhabited the Arborium.

Dagda himself was approached by a man with reddish hair in casual wear, who extended his hand and introduced himself as Kyran. The titan shook his hand, listening with a friendly smile as he spoke excitedly about the S.S. Endeavor. “Welcome, Kyran. Yes, I am Dagda. The Endeavor truly is a wonder,” he agreed, glancing at the stone beneath his feet. The inner workings of the ship were a complex tangle of technology and magic. He was so lucky to have a friend like Percy who had the skill and knowledge to get it up and running. “As far as I’m aware, it’s one of a kind.” Considering it was made by a member of his race, perhaps the only other one to visit Earthland, there was a dismal chance of there being a copy of the ship out there.

Another man with white hair and a seemingly stoic air about him approached. He seemed to know Kyran already. After greeting the redhead, he had turned to Dagda, introducing himself as Mathis Lora. His manner of speaking and what the titan could only assume was some sort of formality added to both his and Kyran’s names was unusual. He’d never heard anything like it before. “Mathis, welcome,” Dagda greeted. “After the banquet, I’ll take anyone on a tour of the ship that would like to.” The thought of someone other than Percy getting into the ship’s systems made him a little uneasy. The titan felt protective of the Endeavor. It was the symbol of his and Percy’s hard work. He felt an attachment to the vessel, the fact that it was made by another Marmor was a little taste of home he couldn’t stand to lose.

“Er… perhaps in the future you could see it more in depth,” he added with a nod. He couldn’t blame the man for being curious. Mathis probably wasn’t the only one who was wondering how the ship worked. It was not every day that people saw a giant airship shaped like a whale in the sky.

A mass of sobs, tears, and blonde hair wrapped in a white cloak collided with Mathis. The person wrapped their arms around him in a hug, muffled sniffling reaching Dagda’s ears. His brow furrowed in concern at the sound of crying. Was this person okay? Hopefully those were happy tears. That cloak looked familiar, but the titan didn’t realize who it was until they had moved on to Mathis’ companion.

“Ling!” Dagda cheered with a smile on his face as the tearful young man wrapped him in a hug too. He gave Ling a few comforting pats on his back. The two had met not too long ago in Sakuramori. Both ended up almost being eaten by some carnivorous fairies but had bonded over their near-death experience. Like a few other people, Ling was someone that Dagda had spoken to about the guild before the flyers had been sent out. The young man had seemed like someone who was passionate - proven again by the happy tears that now soaked Dagda’s shirt - and held similar values. The titan knew he would be an asset to the guild should it come to fruition.

Ling had caught sight of Percy sitting nearby and asked if he was going to die. The sobbing had escalated tenfold with the question. “Oh, no, Percy will be fine,” Dagda reassured the blonde, but in part was comforting his own worries. “He’s a tough guy.”

After some more talking and attempts to calm Ling down, Dagda knew it was time to address his guests. Everyone who was here had come with an intent to at least listen to what the guild he wanted to start was about. Their time was valuable and he didn’t want them to become too restless. Hopefully after he was done speaking, most of them would want to join.

“Excuse me.” With a slight bow, Dagda took his leave from the little group he had been conversing with. Stepping towards the podium once more, he stopped and took a sip of the water in his glass. The cool liquid helped him clear his head a bit. In his younger years, he had learned over time how to address others as a leader. Certainly he wasn’t the most eloquent with his words, but he still knew how to get the point across.

Stepping up to the podium, he turned to face everyone. Dark eyes scanned the crowd, taking all the people in. Besides Ling, he was pleasantly surprised to see another familiar face. Cassiti Calixte hung at the edge of the clearing, having just dismounted from a gorgeous flying horse. They had met a while back in Minstrel. She’d healed the same horse he was trying to save, and after speaking to the young woman, he knew their paths had to cross again. That day, he’d spoken to her about the guild he planned to make, just as he was about to address the people before him now. At the time, she’d seemed unsure. To see her here today was a relief.


Clearing his throat, Dagda began. “Welcome!” he called out. The giant man’s voice was deep and powerful enough that he had no need for a microphone. “If you’d all settle down for a few minutes, I’d like to say some words before we dig in.” A grin crossed his face as he gestured to the tables full of food. He’d been too excited to eat earlier, so the sight of the food reminded him of his empty stomach. This might have to be a quick speech after all.

“Thank you all for coming. It’s truly a pleasure to see so many people here, I’m sure most of you were brought by the flyers, but if you stumbled here by accident you’re more than welcome too!” Dagda’s booming laugh filled the clearing. “Though I see some familiar faces, for those of you who I haven’t met yet, my name is Dagda MacLean. I’m glad to welcome you all the S.S. Endeavor as the Captain of this ship, and hopefully will welcome you to Meliora Vitae. This ship is what started it all. Since it came into my possession, I knew it was the perfect hub for a guild to run out of. This place will serve as a base of operations. As you may have noticed, there’s a giant forest around us.” He gestured to the lush greenery around the clearing. “This is the Arborium. These trees and plants are what fuels the ship, they take in carbon dioxide and put out oxygen that the ship takes in and uses as fuel. They are the very life of the ship, so please treat them with respect.”

“I’m sure those of you who saw the flyers know the gist of what Meliora Vitae is. People and nature must live in a delicate balance so one does not overtake the other. Our overall goal is to preserve this harmony, whether that be between nature and humans or the magical and the mortal. Since I came to Earthland, I’ve seen many places where there is no balance, no compassion. People and natural places wrought with chaos and greed and pain. It’s disheartening. I was raised to give equal to what you take from nature, to help preserve it so that future generations may continue to live in harmony with it.”

Taking a deep breath with a determined look on his face, Dagda continued. “Thus, our goals will be these: to protect natural environments, to heal and relocate animals, to eliminate threatening animals, and to preserve balance and harmony above all else. Of course, each situation may be different and there may be smaller and more specific objectives that come along. These will be achieved by two branches within the guild. Rehabilitation and Research branch will do just as the name suggests, helping displaced animals and gathering information about various life and ecosystems. Relocation and Dispatch will be the more hands-on, dangerous work. This involves removing threats and stepping in to restore harmony, even if that means by force. These two branches and the guild as a whole will work together.”

“So to those of you who hold these same values and would like to strive for these same goals, I humbly request that you join in this endeavor. Preserving balance is a purpose too big for just one man, and as a guild our impact could be much grander.” Reaching into the pocket of his pants, Dagda withdrew a sleek black box. Popping it open, he grabbed the item inside and held it up for everyone to see. It was a stamp, magically enhanced to place a lasting guild mark upon the skin. The rubber was carved carefully into the shape of two mirrored koi fish in the Yin Yang symbol.

Pulling down his shirt off his left shoulder, Dagda placed the stamp against the skin of his bicep ceremoniously. With a pulse of magic energy and a slight glow the stamp had done its work. When he removed it from his arm, there sat a fresh koi fish mark in a shining white.

“If you intend to join Meliora Vitae, please come forth and receive a guild stamp,” Dagda requested, pulling his shirt back over his shoulder. “When you’ve received one, feel free to socialize and explore! I’ll give a tour of the ship’s interior later. Oh, and eat, eat to your heart’s content! This is a celebration after all!” he cheered, his face overtaken by an infectious smile.

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Post WC: 1661  ♜  Total WC: 3,528  ♜  Tagged: @SlayerMathis_ @Kyran @Ling @Percy  ♜  Music: Link  

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Lethe didn’t seemed spooked at all by the pod moving up, all too familiar with the motion. He dropped his magic as she held her own hand up towards him, to show she wouldn’t try to attack him either. As he talked to her, Lethe put a hand on her face and pushed her head back. This was bad. This was definitely her dad. His smell was all too familiar. Shaking her head a little, she starts to fix her head right again. “I… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to call you ‘dad’. You just seem rather similar to my dad. That is my fault.” She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose as she grumbles slightly to herself about how stupid she was to say that out loud to him. He had confirmed that they were boarding the Endeavor and she pinched the bridge of her nose harder. Just. Her. Luck. ‘It’s alright, we’ll get through this. Stay calm for now, assess the situation… maybe this can be better for us.’ Veles mutters to his host, and she sighed deeply as she nodded to herself. She kept her head down as she listened to her adoptive father leave the pod after the doors opened.

This was after she was born… must mean that the other guild her birth giver was in with her dad had a moment of issues and he left. Her birth giver left first though, promptly dropping her and her siblings off with the man she calls ‘dad’ and the woman she would call ‘mom’ over her own birth giver.

She lifted her head again and slowly left the pod after him after collecting herself. She smiled softly at the familiarity of the ship and let herself go off to the side a bit. She didn’t want to be in the way. She had crossed her arms over her chest and looked down at her getup. She was at least glad that nothing physically showing she was from the future was on her, like a logo or whatever on her lab coat. She smelled a familiar scent approaching, and stiffened for a moment. She lifted her head and looked towards the blonde for a moment, blinking in slight confusion. 'She's definitely thinking of your birth giver.' Veles grumbles to Lethe. 'Not surprised.' "I'm Lethe. I don't think we've met before. I'm not from… uh… here?" She shrugged her shoulders slightly awkwardly, but offers a smile regardless before she gives a polite bow. She could definitely keep her natural customs while here. One of the few things she adores the most.

She stood straight and looked towards Dagda as he greeted everyone and started to talk to the room. She softly sucked her teeth as she shook her head. "His voice…" she mumbles mainly to herself. She softly chuckled to him as he continued his speech and laughed about including the stumblers… his laugh was infectious, but it was ironic to her as she fell in on this. This confirmed the date for her though. The start of Meliora Vitae. Her phlox purple eyes stayed on the man as he spoke his speech, soaking in everything, and possibly using a small archive screen to record through her fingers to take in his voice more. She needed the record. She was sure. Not much of the ship has changed too much from her time aboard it in the future, but she still spared a glance around the Arborium before her eyes were back on the titan. She listened till he pulled out the guild stamp, and looked down to her side.

Not thinking of those around her, she pulls up the left side of her blouse to see where her guild stamp was, exposing her stomach at least in the process. She blinked a bit as her guild stamp wasn't there, and she was confused. She knew it was there earlier… Shaking her head again, she took a deep breath. It was probably best for the mark to no longer be there. She cautiously went up to Dagda and bowed politely to him when it came to her turn. "Hello, I am Lethe." She bit her tongue briefly before she could say her last name. "I know this guild will succeed and prosper in the future. I also hope my side won't be too bad of a spot for you." She figured to say quickly as she smiled sweetly. She turned so her left side pointed towards him and moved her coat out of the way before pulling up her blouse. After the stamp was removed from her side, a purple to grey blue gradient stamp was left across her skin. Even though she had done this before, it was always a beautiful sight to see on herself. She bowed once more and moved out of the way of the guild master, letting him get to others now.

Lethe moved towards the buffet, and glanced towards the sneezing man. Smiling softly, she clears her throat. "Bless you." She tells him calmly before she allowed her attention to be half taken by the banquet and the food she was starting to gather for herself before she made her way to a far corner and sit by herself for now till someone joins her.

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As she was approached by another, Lethe had froze slightly while eating. She knew his scent well. Part of her was panicking, but on the outside, she was calm. A soft smile came to her lips as he rambled on about her. How to respond? ‘By not killing him, presumably.’ ‘Not helpful you old lizard.’ Her purple eyes look over at her adoptive father as he sat next to her, smilight slightly to him. That smile faltered though when he mentioned two names that she wasn’t aware of. Ducarius and Bel? She didn’t even try to hide her confusion when she tilted her head a little bit. “I don’t…-” She looked up as Aliannah came up to them. She fixed her posture a bit as she was starting to slouch, and smiled sweetly to the woman. She was acting much like a lady that Gaia would have taught her to be.

‘You thinking what I’m thinking, V?’ ‘Of course, I’m swimming in your thoughts… this definitely isn’t our dimension.’ ‘Did we make a time machine that goes to a parallel dimension?’ ‘I… don’t know?’ It wasn’t often that the dragon didn’t know something like this. But if he was stumped, they were probably in something far bigger than either of them.

“It is nice to know someone here. Makes conversing and making friends and potential partners easier to do. I’m not too fond of the awkward banter to feel someone out and get to know them. But getting to know people is just as nice sometimes. It can get one’s mind going with new thoughts of things they never thought they would before.” She crossed her legs at the ankles and picked up her food once again to munch on it. “Though, I don’t know you too well, but with how you seem to know Kyran, you two are familiar with one another? Care to introduce me?” She was keeping a rather professional face on as she sat there. Her mother wasn’t even able to keep this level of professionalism when working. Lethe claimed it as the Gaia effect with her being an actual mother who raised her and taught her things. Her not knowing Aliannah though, was a flat lie, but her face stayed as calm as it had been the moment she joined them. She was good at hiding her emotions after all these years.

She then turned her attention to Kyran again and kept her sweet smile on him. “I’ll be getting a new iLac in a few days if you want my number and we can continue this later. Mine… broke when I fell.” She chuckles nervously. If anything, Kyran would know what she meant by that, and hoped he’d be fine with talking later. She really did mean no harm. And seeing her father as tense as he was currently, she didn’t want to talk to him like this in case he might not like something she said, even if it wouldn’t be her fault.

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