Accomplice: ... Accomplice: You and Lahabrea need to both, at the same time, come and finally tell me everything. Because speaking to you separately paints completely different pictures before me.
Hades: Of course Lahabrea believes it in reach. Hades: There is naught else he can do. Hades: It is his strength and his weakness. Hades: Without his pure conviction of success we would have not gotten as far as we have. Hades: We know we have our flaws, Levity. That we fool ourselves. Hades: That we hide away and hold onto what is precious to us. Hades: For that is how we have survived all these years. Hades: And such cannot be undone so readily. Hades: But if you truly wish to know, I will show you. Hades: But not in Future is Now.
Accomplice: I do want to know. What destination do you have in mind? Dreams?
Accomplice: And... truly, I am glad you do realize those things. Accomplice: I can't quite describe why it is relieving to me, but I felt the same with Absinthe. And Vergil too, in some ways. Accomplice: Perhaps... because if you can admit it, maybe I can finally do something for you.
Hades: Yes, dreams. Hades: Though I will warn you my control over them has been rather shaky of late. Hades: So there is a possibility of being dragged into a nightmare that I cannot control. Hades: If you are willing to risk it.
[Let's assume it's the next evening or something. Hopefully it was a chill day in Tokyo-F and fin didn't get set on fire accidentally or something so Levity could just like practice mindfulness.]
Accomplice: I'm ready. Accomplice: Although a thought occurs: if you distrust your control of dreams lately, why not ask Lahabrea to help? Accomplice: Moreover, I was not aware it was possible to lose control of our powers here like that...
Hades: Normally I would, but this is something personal between the two of us, is it not? A test to see if our bond of friendship can last. Hades: 'Tis no different than being frightened or letting your mind wander to dark places unable to pull it out. It is just simply amplified in the dream. Hades: I will meet you shortly. Hades: Good night, Levity.
[And he will pop up in Levity's dreams once he is asleep.]
By His power and His Grace was order restored, but our woes only grew from there.
Ere long, however, thankless fools began to fear that Zodiark's might was too great. From the fears of these naysayers would rise Hydaelyn, She who was to serve as His shackles, to bind Him and hold Him in check. And so they fought, and they fought, and they fought. And in the end...Hydaelyn was victorious. With all Her strength She smote Him dealing a blow so devastating that it split the very fabric of reality. And thus was Zodiark banished and His being divided.
This singular ability strikes not at such banal things as flesh, but everything that defines the target, diluting its existence. Everything reduced in all aspects - strength, intelligence, the very soul itself. This selfsame fate befell not only Zodiark, but the very star.
Only three of us were lucky enough to escape the Sundering.
[he will VERY CAREFULLY refrain from even thinking about his own opinions on Zodiark.
And fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, this is not far from what Levity has gathered from things both Emet and Cosmo have said. He nods, slowly. Just... focusing on trying to approach it as an outside thing, not something that affects him and people he loves so closely.
But he still can't held folding his arms as though to hug himself, posture growing a little tenser.]
...I wonder if I would call it luck. Witnessing all that and staying the only people alive.
When all was done, all that was left were the shattered remnants of our home. A Source and its thirteen reflections.
The inhabitants of these fourteen fragments were feeble, frail, and foolish. Oblivious to their imperfection, ignorant of their past. Malformed creatures thrashing blindly about. Pitiful. Disturbing. Depressing. Again and again they would give rise to tragedy after tragedy.
So we took it upon ourselves to rejoin the worlds. That has been our great work since the world was Sundered. Work that both Lahabrea and I died before we could see its fruition.
So this is apparently the part where he's supposed to start hating Emet or something.
But at the same time... he would be lying to himself if he denied that there is a part of him that feels frustrated with the ways of humanity, the things they do to one another. For all that this place is hell, mortal worlds seem to offer just as much suffering - if not more, sometimes. And out there, there is no quick way to heal, or feel better. Or sometimes even anyone to rely on.
He wants to believe in the best in people. He does. He still holds onto the idea that at their core people are kind and compassionate, that they seek purpose and fulfillment in life, not the suffering of others.
But he can't deny the fact that he has thought of them as foolish or blind. Not separate individuals, but people as a whole, a great mass constantly at odds with itself, unwilling to search for compromise...
He's quiet for a short time as those thoughts flash by, then nods again.]
And... is it the nature of the way you chose to rejoin the world that you fear telling me about?
You've mentioned numerous times there are those who would oppose the return. So the answer must be yes.
[A brief pause--]
Absinthe did hint quite clearly that you were responsible for destroying worlds. Or simply killing thousands. Is that what you thought would drive me from you?
[There's--actual surprise on his face, like he really didn't expect Emet to take it so closely to heart. He looks aside briefly, brow knitting in confusion, then looks back to Emet.]
...Do you never find things I do or say foolish? Incorrect? Hurtful? And if you do, does it make you care for me any less?
We are going to say things we regret, words of ire where emotions tangle in the way. How else are we to grow. To understand.
But I cannot speak to you without worry of every action being judged, of every misstep put on display. And I will make mistakes, I will falter. But you never ask why or understand why I made that choice?
So, no, saying such things does not make me care for you any less, but not taking that step to understand does.
[Oh. That's. Well. That sure gives him pause. For all he's good with people, it certainly seems that he never noticed this.]
... Oh.
[He looks down, trying to gather his thoughts. Up until now, he's mostly seen himself in that position of disadvantage and vulnerability, having his own actions judged on a scale that he did not understand, never knowing if he's doing something right or wrong. And Cosmo and Alexander both were those in power, as it were; though fearful of him in a sense, yet ready to strike him down should he step out of line, as Alexander had put it. Perhaps his jokes about the two of them being his parents were not too far off - a similar situation, where both sides have a lot of pull but in different ways. A parent would be distraught to see their child hurt and would tolerate a lot of their tantrums, yet still wields the "official" power, as it were, while the child has little formal influence but can inflict great emotional scars.
Is that what it's like? Is that what's been happening, all this time? Levity feels a lump in his throat and a burning in his eyes; it's just as he's been afraid of. He has been hurting Hades, and never truly knew it.]
I... Hades, I never meant to...
[It feels as though every sense is heightened as panic and anxiety fill him. What if he says something wrong now? What if he messes this up irrevocably? Levity tries to focus on his breathing, first hugging himself tighter unconsciously, then forcing himself to relax, however unsuccessfully.]
I... I am sorry. I do want to understand you. I...
[He looks back at Alexander, a lost look in his eye.]
... I don't know why I did not ask. I... think I feared that you would not tell me... that you would say I was not ready.
You feared I would not discuss with you game strategy? If we cannot discuss this, then there is no hope for us being able to tackle a topic as heavy as the Rejoinings.
And understanding does not mean agreement. You need not agree with my choices or my methods. Cardinal and I disagree on many topics, yet our bond is stronger for it.
If there is fear that you cannot even broach less heavier topics, than that is a failing on my part. What can I do to make you feel more comfortable?
But in return I ask you do not simply cast off my actions as foolish or inconsiderate. I do not revel in the injury of others, and had I my choice no one would ever feel such pains again. But that is not the reality we live in.
[THIS IS A LOT FOR HIM TO TAKE IN, IT SEEMS, THE WHITE HAIR LACK OF BRAINCELLS IS STRUGGLING
But really, he did not expect Emet to take such offense to his displeasure with their game strategy.]
No, I meant... I did not fear that you would not discuss game strategy with me. But for any heavier topic, I felt that I would be denied an answer, or I was supposed to know it in advance, and thus... gave up.
[Well. There's a lot to unpack here, but let's start with smaller things.]
As for yesterday... Why did you choose to play that way?
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Re: 377 some time after the game
Accomplice: You and Lahabrea need to both, at the same time, come and finally tell me everything. Because speaking to you separately paints completely different pictures before me.
Re: 377 some time after the game
Hades: There is naught else he can do.
Hades: It is his strength and his weakness.
Hades: Without his pure conviction of success we would have not gotten as far as we have.
Hades: We know we have our flaws, Levity. That we fool ourselves.
Hades: That we hide away and hold onto what is precious to us.
Hades: For that is how we have survived all these years.
Hades: And such cannot be undone so readily.
Hades: But if you truly wish to know, I will show you.
Hades: But not in Future is Now.
Re: 377 some time after the game
Accomplice: And... truly, I am glad you do realize those things.
Accomplice: I can't quite describe why it is relieving to me, but I felt the same with Absinthe. And Vergil too, in some ways.
Accomplice: Perhaps... because if you can admit it, maybe I can finally do something for you.
Re: 377 some time after the game
Hades: Though I will warn you my control over them has been rather shaky of late.
Hades: So there is a possibility of being dragged into a nightmare that I cannot control.
Hades: If you are willing to risk it.
Re: 377 some time after the game
Accomplice: I want to take my place by you again. And I want you to want me there.
Re: 377 some time after the game
378?
Accomplice: I'm ready.
Accomplice: Although a thought occurs: if you distrust your control of dreams lately, why not ask Lahabrea to help?
Accomplice: Moreover, I was not aware it was possible to lose control of our powers here like that...
Re: 378?
Hades: 'Tis no different than being frightened or letting your mind wander to dark places unable to pull it out. It is just simply amplified in the dream.
Hades: I will meet you shortly.
Hades: Good night, Levity.
[And he will pop up in Levity's dreams once he is asleep.]
Re: 378?
[And! Levity's dreams are busy but undefined, the mental equivalent of the feeling of being nudged to and fro in a crowd.
Levity himself is wearing his usual fin clothes, but a (suitably futuristic) eyepatch covers the eye that he lost in the game.]
Hades.
Re: 378?
You can see out of both eyes if you wish. Anything is possible in a dream.
Re: 378?
Ah... Just a moment, then.
[Lifts his eyepatch, blinks a few times--huh. Seems to work! And it's a regular eye, too!]
I assume your appearance has something to do with what you want to show me?
Re: 378?
[He doesn't change the landscape but simply starts to walk in a circle.]
I told you of the Final Days and the birth of the Will of the Star, Zodiark, did I not?
Re: 378?
You did. And I witnessed some part of the Final Days in a memory as well.
Re: 378?
By His power and His Grace was order restored, but our woes only grew from there.
Ere long, however, thankless fools began to fear that Zodiark's might was too great. From the fears of these naysayers would rise Hydaelyn, She who was to serve as His shackles, to bind Him and hold Him in check. And so they fought, and they fought, and they fought. And in the end...Hydaelyn was victorious. With all Her strength She smote Him dealing a blow so devastating that it split the very fabric of reality. And thus was Zodiark banished and His being divided.
This singular ability strikes not at such banal things as flesh, but everything that defines the target, diluting its existence. Everything reduced in all aspects - strength, intelligence, the very soul itself. This selfsame fate befell not only Zodiark, but the very star.
Only three of us were lucky enough to escape the Sundering.
Re: 378?
And fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, this is not far from what Levity has gathered from things both Emet and Cosmo have said. He nods, slowly. Just... focusing on trying to approach it as an outside thing, not something that affects him and people he loves so closely.
But he still can't held folding his arms as though to hug himself, posture growing a little tenser.]
...I wonder if I would call it luck. Witnessing all that and staying the only people alive.
Re: 378?
When all was done, all that was left were the shattered remnants of our home. A Source and its thirteen reflections.
The inhabitants of these fourteen fragments were feeble, frail, and foolish. Oblivious to their imperfection, ignorant of their past. Malformed creatures thrashing blindly about. Pitiful. Disturbing. Depressing. Again and again they would give rise to tragedy after tragedy.
So we took it upon ourselves to rejoin the worlds. That has been our great work since the world was Sundered. Work that both Lahabrea and I died before we could see its fruition.
Re: 378?
So this is apparently the part where he's supposed to start hating Emet or something.
But at the same time... he would be lying to himself if he denied that there is a part of him that feels frustrated with the ways of humanity, the things they do to one another. For all that this place is hell, mortal worlds seem to offer just as much suffering - if not more, sometimes. And out there, there is no quick way to heal, or feel better. Or sometimes even anyone to rely on.
He wants to believe in the best in people. He does. He still holds onto the idea that at their core people are kind and compassionate, that they seek purpose and fulfillment in life, not the suffering of others.
But he can't deny the fact that he has thought of them as foolish or blind. Not separate individuals, but people as a whole, a great mass constantly at odds with itself, unwilling to search for compromise...
He's quiet for a short time as those thoughts flash by, then nods again.]
And... is it the nature of the way you chose to rejoin the world that you fear telling me about?
Re: 378?
Re: 378?
You've mentioned numerous times there are those who would oppose the return. So the answer must be yes.
[A brief pause--]
Absinthe did hint quite clearly that you were responsible for destroying worlds. Or simply killing thousands. Is that what you thought would drive me from you?
Re: 378?
So yes.
Re: 378?
...Do you never find things I do or say foolish? Incorrect? Hurtful? And if you do, does it make you care for me any less?
Re: 378?
But I cannot speak to you without worry of every action being judged, of every misstep put on display. And I will make mistakes, I will falter. But you never ask why or understand why I made that choice?
So, no, saying such things does not make me care for you any less, but not taking that step to understand does.
Re: 378?
... Oh.
[He looks down, trying to gather his thoughts. Up until now, he's mostly seen himself in that position of disadvantage and vulnerability, having his own actions judged on a scale that he did not understand, never knowing if he's doing something right or wrong. And Cosmo and Alexander both were those in power, as it were; though fearful of him in a sense, yet ready to strike him down should he step out of line, as Alexander had put it. Perhaps his jokes about the two of them being his parents were not too far off - a similar situation, where both sides have a lot of pull but in different ways. A parent would be distraught to see their child hurt and would tolerate a lot of their tantrums, yet still wields the "official" power, as it were, while the child has little formal influence but can inflict great emotional scars.
Is that what it's like? Is that what's been happening, all this time? Levity feels a lump in his throat and a burning in his eyes; it's just as he's been afraid of. He has been hurting Hades, and never truly knew it.]
I... Hades, I never meant to...
[It feels as though every sense is heightened as panic and anxiety fill him. What if he says something wrong now? What if he messes this up irrevocably? Levity tries to focus on his breathing, first hugging himself tighter unconsciously, then forcing himself to relax, however unsuccessfully.]
I... I am sorry. I do want to understand you. I...
[He looks back at Alexander, a lost look in his eye.]
... I don't know why I did not ask. I... think I feared that you would not tell me... that you would say I was not ready.
Re: 378?
And understanding does not mean agreement. You need not agree with my choices or my methods. Cardinal and I disagree on many topics, yet our bond is stronger for it.
If there is fear that you cannot even broach less heavier topics, than that is a failing on my part. What can I do to make you feel more comfortable?
But in return I ask you do not simply cast off my actions as foolish or inconsiderate. I do not revel in the injury of others, and had I my choice no one would ever feel such pains again. But that is not the reality we live in.
Re: 378?
But really, he did not expect Emet to take such offense to his displeasure with their game strategy.]
No, I meant... I did not fear that you would not discuss game strategy with me. But for any heavier topic, I felt that I would be denied an answer, or I was supposed to know it in advance, and thus... gave up.
[Well. There's a lot to unpack here, but let's start with smaller things.]
As for yesterday... Why did you choose to play that way?
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