Act 12: Keihime and the boys plan

Spotting the boy up ahead, Keihime made her way towards both him and the small pile of Galahad's remains. Her emerald hues were particularly focused on a shimmering thing in the pile of remains. "Hmm... Hello there." She whispered lightly, coming to a stop beside the boy. "What have you found here?" She whispered tilting her head and kneeling down infront of the rubble.

"It's just metal..." the boy replied quietly. His voice was hoarse and rough, raspy for his age, almost as though he was recovering from a sore throat. Looking down at the pile of worn and broken metal amongst the small bits of debris that remained a bit of metal still caught the light. "And you?" he asked, slowly turning his head to stare at the woman opposite him. "What brings you here?"

"Hmm... I wonder what caused this small pile?" She whispered. Keihime looked over at the boy and blinked for a moment. "Oh me?" She was looking for allies to help her in her struggles but she couldn't tell this human that. "I am just taking a stroll on the beach." She whispered lightly. "Other then my wish to walk on the soft sand and see that view, I cannot say that there is alot that brought me here." She smiled softly. "What about you? may I ask what brings you here?"

"I'm just... thinking about things." he replied, turning his gaze back toward the ground. He folded his arms across his chest and stepped back a bit. "I know I don;t really know you, but you seem sensible. What would you say is more important?" he asked, looking her suddenly in the eye. "Doing the right thing, or continuing to do something that might be the wrong thing to help a friend?" His expression was completely flat and showed no emotion whatsoever, just as his voice did not betray anything of what he might be feeling. "Hypothetically I mean..."

Keihime tilted her head looking over at him and pursed her lips together in contemplation. "... Hmm to do the right thing, would always be the correct thing to do. It is a path I follow all the time... but if my friend was to do something wrong, I would try and talk to that person, and guide them on the correct path. In the end it is not up to me, but you." Keihime said lightly. "How bad is it? If it is severe I would not continue to help them in that way, but rather try to get them to act in the correct way..." She whispered lightly.

"It was hypothetical." he replied. "I was just.... curious." He buried his hands in his pockets and continued to avoid her gaze. "But again, hypothetically. What if what you were doing was something you'd been doing for a long time. What if you needed it like a physical addiction and they did too. What would you do then? Would you still try and... 'correct' them, or would you do otherwise? How could you convince them something they needed to live was wrong?"

"Hmmm...." Keihime crossed her arms lightly, eyes looking at the ground as she sighed and went into thinking mode. "Well... Yes I would still try to correct them. To break free from such addictions could be a good thing, especially if it was indeed very wrong." She whispered. "Well... the only way I think which would have a strong enough effect would be to show them what they are doing is wrong."

"I see...." he replied. He folded his arms and pondered for a moment before looking at his feet once more. "I am sorry for what I have done to you. You don;t know what it is... and I'd rather not tell you. Not yet anyway." His gaze turned to the pile of rubble beside them again before he looked up at her again, facing her but still not quite meeting her gaze. "I'd like to talk with you about Shield." He spoke slowly and deliberately, taking a while to get the words out.

"It is fine." Keihime smiled lightly, her head tilted to the side lightly as she listened to his words and gave a slow nod. "Well I am a stranger, so you do not have to tell me anything you do not wish to. I am Oratosa Keihime." She whispered lightly. "Now I am not a stranger to you." Her sweet smile soon left her as she looked at him in slight confusion, he knew of the shield? "You know of it? What would you like to tell me... how do you know?" She asked lightly.

"You... have a point." he replied. "If there was a way to set up some sort of messenger... someone to go back and forth peacefully.... But I fear they might send him to the hoard as well before listening to any message." He sighed. "If only there was a way.... but.... I do not know. You'd need to find an absolutely neutral ground. My suggestion... would be a spiritual human." He told her. "There's a chance they'd kill the human anyway... but a spiritual human is not a dead spirit. They are a living being and therefore if they follow their own rules they might not send a spiritually enlightened human to the hoard so long as they remained peaceful in their presence."

"How do you know all this Kai?" She asked "I do not know any spiritual humans... are you one? you seem to know alot about things mere humans should not." She whispered lightly. Keihime seemed to frowned lightly while she waited. "If they kill the human, they'd go against their own morals no?" She asked tilting her head.

"I... yes." he replied, nodding as his eyes shiftily looked downward. "I am a spiritual human." he told her. This was not in fact true, but again no one could tell otherwise. "If they kill me then it would be a breach of their own ideals and then it would only take a second messenger to point that out to them. But... I don't think they'd kill me." he shook his head. "I believe that given a message... I can deliver it unscathed."

“I see. Well spiritual human Kai. Are you willing to give them the message?” Of course as of yet Keihime had no idea what the message would say…. She would need to think of something, of course if he decided to deliver it. “What that message would be though… I currently do not know.” She looked at him with concern. “Unscathed? You must be quite confident in that belief then Kai.” She whispered. “A second messenger?” She asked lightly. “Who would I get to comply with it?”

: "Very well..." She gave a nod looking towards the ocean. "I hope that you do not die.." She whispered giving a sigh. "I will think over the words... How can I get in ouch with you?" she said softly, watching the boy. "I than you though Kai.... perhaps we can get through to them someway..."

He thought about her question for a moment and replied "Do you think you can have a message written by this time tomorrow? If so... then meet me back here tomorrow at the same time. I don't think there's any other safe way for us to remain in contact." He turned and gently kicked one of the small pieces of metal sending it bouncing across the sand. "I hope things work out but if they don't... Well we have to try."

This time tomorrow... She'd have to abandon her current hunt and go back home to think. "I will have it to you by this time tomorrow yes." She whispered. "A note in it describing of our wish for equal grounds... just to talk, and perhaps to show them a demonstration." She gave a slow nod. "I will meet you here indeed." She frowned lightly, "All we can do is try yes."

"...Okay." he said quietly. "I have... thinking to do. And some.... errands." he gave her a slight nod and reached out as though to shake her hand but seemingly thought better of it and retracted his hand, turning and walking away. Stopping at the concrete steps that led up to the street he turned and said "Good luck." before walking up them and leaving.

"Very well..." she whispered a hand stroking her stomach comfortingly. Keihime watched Kai walk off, her emerald green eyes watching the mystery which was he. "Thank you. And good luck to you too friend." She whispered smiling softly as he left her standing there on the beach. However the woman only stood there for a few moments before turning and heading back to her home, at which she would compose a letter.