Scene Archives

has made his way outside at some point, after Salme had decided they were done for the moment. Not there’s a LOT outside, mind you, but he has managed to gravitate towards the train stop platform and might even look like he’s doing something from a specific distance, but, no. He’s mostly just standing there it turns out.

: “Hey there Aury,” he calls out from behind, like he just sort of appeared there from nothingness. “What’cha doing?”

: “Fat load of nothing, turns out. You’d think this realm being filled would mana would make it easier to manipulate, not harder? But no. Can only assume the bodies are too used to dealing with gnosis.”

: “What are you thinking of doing? Something missing?”

: “No trains on Valais? Yeah, there’s all kinds of stuff missing. Even a barebones boarding station should have, like, somewhere to sit while you’re waiting and more importantly, there should be a sign marking which stop on the line this is.”

shrugs. “Oh, I wouldn’t remember, you know that. It does feel like it could be more welcoming, if one wanted it to be.”

: “That also carries an interesting connotation, too!”

: “Like that there may be more of these.”

: “There’s gunna be six, at the absolute least.”

: “How do you figure?”

: “One here, at the Obsidian Road, and one each for Almachadta, Beast, Samudra, Valais and Mu.”

: “Hmm… you think someone would want to come here?”

: “You think people wouldn’t?”

: “Not exactly a lot to do, or that can be done, if ‘people too used to using gnosis’ is an accurate statement.”

: “I mean, I like that there’s precious little here, but that what there is is precious.”

: “Eh… the Zigguraut’s growing up pretty well even after just one world, might be kind of neat after all five finish pitching in. Then there’s obviously the mysterious resident, the absolutely, mindboggling randomly placed lamp-post, and I’m sure a few people will want to study the mirror. And if nothing else, it’ll always function as a rest stop.”

: “Oh speaking of I should go grab that before I forget about it.” He nods to the Awoken in a sort of ‘follow if you want’ before heading over to the mentioned lamp-post.

: “Do you think anything can be done?” It’s when Aurelius nods at him that it’s more obvious that Awoken is staring- which he’s done in the past- with a strange intensity.

follows, odd purpose in his footsteps.

certainly isn’t going to make note of every time Awoken felt the need to burst out the bizarrely intensive and intrusive stare, otherwise that’s all we’d ever be thinking about. “Define ‘done’?”

: “Changed. Influenced. That you’re merely pondering it rather than acting has me thinking that whatever tools you currently have aren’t cutting it.”

: “Oh, you mean, actually doing what I was trying to do on the platform, and indeed, earlier in the tunnel when we arrived…?” He tilts his head this way and that, before running a shrug. “Yeah, it’ll take in another world or two, probably? There’s a lot less resistance to molding the mana this time than there was before.”

: “Will you be utilizing another AF?”

: “Me? No. Him?” A pause. “Fucked if I know.”

: “You say that as if it isn’t up to you.”

: “I feel like the impression that I can’t control whatever the hell he does should have been pretty strong…?”

: “I was not under the impression you could, no.”

: “But I am under the impression that you can choose to.”

: “Almost like you just did.”

: “How, exactly, would that be any different?”

: “There is a stark difference between being able to do something, and actually doing it.”

: “And I believe whatever you want to accomplish, that you, you, you, Aurelius, could do it.”

: “How could I choose to do something, while also being incapable of actually doing it…?”

: “Why couldn’t you do it? What makes you incapable?”

: “Well for one, mind control magic doesn’t exist.”

: “I mean if you really want I could call him out for you if that’s what you’re getting at but I don’t think I could like, bark orders and expect to have them followed?”

: “Ugh, please don’t. Even I have my limits.”

: “You did seem to have an oddly visceral reaction.”

: “What’s the story there, can’t handle not being the only mysterious edgelord?”

does grin at that. “I am only mysterious as people refuse to accept me as I am and think that there must be something underlying it all.”

: “Pretty sure we all agreed you weren’t lying about that anyway so….”

: “And yet.”

: “And yet.”

: “I don’t think there’s anything mysterious about what can happen, it just hasn’t happened yet. Wonderous, breathtaking, but ultimately unknowable? No, not really.”

kneels down upon reaching the lamp-post and picked up a strange, small metal looking cylinder with some kind of sporadically blinking light attached to it? He taps on it a few times, and the blinking stops as it makes a strange, distorted sounding BEEP. It’s then shoved into his pocket.

: “Like that!”

: “Hm?”

: “Planning on relocating it to the station?”

: “Probably just holding onto it for now, now that this location’s more stable.”

: “That’s exactly what I mean. Powerfully changing and influencing!”

: “I feel like we skipped part of the conversation at some point, what exactly are you going on about?”

: “I’ll start from the top, then. The Truth That Burns, as revealed to you, is part funny but also tragic. The ‘funny’ was more about the timing than anything else.”

: “Oh, yeah. No definitely funny asterisk both times, but boy, it is’a burnin’.”

: “But I can’t accept it as truth, as it is written. I refuse to.”

: “You did earlier. What changed?”

: “Oh it’s real, but no more or less real than potentially sprouting the lamp post somewhere else.”

: “It’s not a truth that supercedes anything.”

leans back against the lamp-post on his back and with one foot up against it. “Mmm.”

: “I mean, I guess we could argue it’s a true that doesn’t matter, aside from it driving specific kinds of people crazy when they here it but I feel like we were always on the same page with regards to that…?”

: “I’m fearing we’re not on the same page regarding it.”

: “And this is… an issue?”

: “I believe it isn’t, and it can be. A flame stokes by not just the nature of it being a flame.”

: “Alright.”

: “I’m saying I believe in Aurelius changing the worlds and accepting all decisions made from there. I don’t for Jorule. Because yes- you are the same person, and by your own words and both of your actions, you aren’t.”

: “For him, we would just be all side-characters in a story. That I believe implicitly.”

: “That would be the Truth That Burns, and is most important.”

: “The struggle of the worlds, of ourselves, the triumphs and accomplishements therein- footnotes, ignored by the casual reader.”

: “That’s the story I refuse to be a side-character in. As much as I believe that this is my story- it is also everyone else’s.”

blinks slowly. “…You’re scared of him hogging the spot light?”

: “The concept moreso, but sure, I can be specific.”

: “Makes it sound more personal if that’s easier to understand.”

: “It’s not me I’m concerned about.”

: “And… that’s why the weird, round about questions? You’re trying to feel out if you need to worry about me handing the reigns over too easily, or worse, taking control of the Magic Asshole Inside…?”

laughs. “Honestly I would feel better if you did take control of the Magic Asshole!”

: “What would be wrong with that?”

shrugs. “I’uno, I’m just trying to figure out where you coming from and what you’re getting at. You have a way of talking around problems, and I, apparently, tend to read things at slightly-off angles…?”

: “I’ll say it again then: I would prefer if you controlled him- or even just his abilities- moreso than himself doing it.”

: “I believe you can.”

: “Oh right that what we were talking about. Yeah. Hmm.”

tilts his head back, staring not-quite-at-but-just-past the light.

: “I do appreciate the vote of confidence, but I… don’t really think it works like that. Well, not on the scale you’re thinking of at least. Like…”

waves a hand, causing his spear to burst into existence out of no where. He hits it against then ground, then flips it into the air where it vanishes again without a trace.

: “…Like, that? I’m pretty sure that’s one of his powers that I’m tapping into, but… AF? That’s a whole fucking different kettle of fish.”

leans in, hands behind his back, smiling wide now.

: “Well… you know it involves a fish… and a kettle… that’s a good start!”

rolls his eyes while shaking his head. “I suppose.”

: “Maybe you’re not there yet. But it can be done. We’ve seen it be done. It’s not impossible- nothing is.”

: “Not any more impossible than eclipsing the Centrelight, surely.”

: “And doing so is a thing that needs to be worked through. No shortcuts, even if sometimes the math is really easy.”

: “I feel like I should be worried about how often you bring up doing bad things to the Centrelight.”

: “Do you like… have beef with the donut sun…?”

leans back, laughing again. “Upon consideration, it may not even be needed! But, y’know, it’s there, as an option.”

: “No issue with the grace of the Light, only with which the flourishing gnosis will lead to a fire that burns.”

looks back down and folds his arms over his chest. “Hmm…”

: “Nothing need be accomplished now. Doubtful that our Arete combined would be enough alone to influence anything of importance.”

: “And you have seven! Is it restraint or laziness?” he teases with an upturn of his words.

: “Haven’t needed to activate the next techne yet. But I know what it is, what it does, and how much Arete’s going into it.”

walks closer, and taps Aurelius on the chest with the back of his fist.

: “That’s how I know you can do it.”

: “You can figure it out.”

: “I know you can.”

: “Alright but like…”

: “Have you considered how stupid that would make things?“

: “There’s stupid,” he nods to Aurelius, “-and then there’s stupid.” He staggers about miming a door opening and gives himself wide, googly eyes and runs his hands along his hair as though he’s miming someone else’s long stupid hair and then works his hands to be hand-puppets.

: “(Which, by the way- how do you speak in different tones like that? I want to be stupid too, sometimes.)”

clutches at his wrist, and then the hand attached to it goes up and covers his eyes as he doubles forward, stumbling a few feet from the lamppost. “I can feel it pulsing… it wants to be unleashed…!”

laughs, staggering backwards. “Oh no… the darkness!!!”

: “aaaAAHH~!”

coughs, and then straights up all at once while shoving his hands into his pockets. “No but seriously, I think he’s actually paying attention now.”

: “That’s fine.” He straightens up just as quickly, smoothing down his clothes. “We’ve all been serious this whole time.”

: “Anyway it’s pretty easy.”

: “You already how how to speak with normal emphasis, right?”

: “Yeah, that’s fairly straightforward all things considered.”

: “It’s the same thing but you just gotta (rotate) the (gylph) into a different one. There’s a decent number of ones that work.”

: “Is that so…“

: “Hmm, nope, that one didn’t do what I expected…”

: “Some are a little weirder than others, obviously.“

: “ ^{What about…} “

: “ ^{Ahh, a high-pitched lilt, that would have been helpful for mocking.} “

shakes his head, “Yeah, guess so. _{this fucking guy} .”

: “I’ll have to give ‘em all a try at some point.”

: “But anyway-“

: “You’re gunna laugh and then groan when you figure this one out though.”

: “Augh, jeez, that one gets me every time.”

: “(Salme adores it. I adore that about her, too.)”

: “Oh yeah speaking of Salme,”

: “Did you two seriously fuck before we jumped into the void?”

: “Yes?”

: “I mean, we were considering you too, but she was unsure of your acceptance of it.”

: “She adores you and finds you irritating in equal measure- sound familiar?”

: “I mean that kinds feels like how she feels about a lot of things but.” He rolls a shrug. “But uh, huh.”

: “She’s accepting and becoming herself, however messy and embarassing she finds it.”

: “That takes a lot of bravery!”

: “Don’t I know it.”

glances around the area a bit, before turning back to Awoken a bit more seriously. “Weren’t you worried about… all that… potentially causing more problems though?”

tilts his head. “No, not really. What, you think it’d be a bigger problem than The Truth That Burns?”

: “Do I think normal ass human relationship issues being exacerbated by high stress situations might potentially be a bigger problem than someone going a little crazy and learning how to project their unconscious mind into a magical pamphlet…?” A pause. “…Honestly, yeah?”

looks along the ground, brow furrowed in thought, then looks back up to Aurelius. “…I mean, you don’t have to be jealous. Have you told her how you felt yet?”

: “There was a conversation.”

: “…I don’t think I did?”

: “Hmm. Anyway it’s not even jealousy really, but, I don’t know.”

claps his hands on his hips. “Oh heck, I said that and I don’t even know how you feel. How DO you feel about Salme?”

lets out a sigh, half falls, half leans back into the lamp-post again. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised at this coming up and probably should have an answer to give…?”

: “Oh no, man, don’t say that. Whatever you do, don’t say that to her.”

laughs.

: “It wasn’t quite that bad, I think…”

audibly swallows.

: “It isn’t so bad to allow yourself to be human. We all share a wild ontological mystery which absolutely is causing interpersonal stress but also, interpersonal connection.”

: “It’s chance. It’s timing. It’s fate. Whatever. We couldn’t have dictated that, but here we are.”

: “Mmm, yeah, fair enough. Thinking about it, I feel like my memories of the Beast basically agree with you, too?”

: “Mmm…”

scratches at the back of his head at noticing both himself and Awoken almost-but-not-quite start up again, then lets himself slide down along the lamppost until he’s sitting on the ground.

: “Well. For myself, at least, I can say-“

: “Ever since she said that we’re partners, I’ve taken it… pretty seriously. I guess it may not come across like I do, but I mean. This charm-“ He touches the house sparrow charm that hangs from his mantle clasp “-didn’t happen by not caring on both ends. And when we’re on the Beast, I want to know and carry memories of that, of us, with me too.”

: “I love to live this life, even if I don’t remember anything about it, other than the compulsion that I must live it.”

: “I won’t grill you about it anymore here, just.”

: “There’s no underlying scheme I’m running. Yeah, it can be bad if it goes wrong. But I’m gonna be as face-up as I can about it, as it comes.”

: “And believe.”

: “Just as the climber likes to climb, maybe consider that the mountain likes to be climbed, yeah?”

: “(They have those on the Beast, right?)”

: “(The climber is Salme and the mountain is you, if I wasn’t specific enough.)”

: “…Fair enough. She did wonder, you know. About how much you actually…” He gestures, vaguely. “So I suppose it’s good you can say you do.”

: “But anyway it’s not even… Hm…” He closes his eyes for a minute, thinking. “…like being asked isn’t… an issue…? I’m not upset or anything. It’s just… hard? To think about? It’s weird, and complicated in a way I feel is probably kind of unique to myself.”

: “Perhaps!”

: “Anyway, I’ve harassed you enough. Don’t let it get you down, now!”

: “Wow, throw that out there and no bite, just gunna let it slide? Alright.”

: “Oh?”

instantly stops and spins down to a cross-legged sit.

: “I wasn’t really sure if this was you dodging it or actually working it through.”

: “I mean it’s both but for all the ‘you really should try engaging more’s I keep getting it sort of felt like the thing other people would be chompin’ at the bit for me to follow up on.”

: “Well now I gotta know.”

: “What’s on the mind. What’s the turmoil.”

: “Alright so like… well, you’ve been here the entire time, you know we don’t remember anything, right? Obviously. Except… I’ve never… quite acted like I was ever at a loss…? Which I do kinda wonder what the others thought about that but anyway.”

: “…But anyway it’s… different. I do remember stuff. Probably way more than any of you. The memories of Annarr’s life… those are really vague. But the Beast itself? Those… come pretty naturally. And if I focused on a thought or a detail hard enough, I can usually get a clearer picture of it.”

: “But at the same time I also have… a lot of memories of… things that aren’t the Beast. Aren’t Alma, Samudra, Mu, Valais, Sanctuary… aren’t of anywhere connected to here.”

: “And those are a lot… stranger? Ephemeral? It always feels like I’m getting… not even random chapters out of a book without context, it’s closer to just a couple of pages, here and there, and sometimes the things inside the pages contradicted one another…? But I still remember them, remember living those other memories. And at first I don’t… think I realized what they were? They were bizarre and contextless and didn’t makes sense… except when they did? I think now it’s probably obvious I was getting tiny glimpses into his memories every time some of Annarr’s own returned, but…”

: “I don’t know, sometimes they’re hard to reconcile. Here is so different from any of the various theres I half remember fleeting glimpses of. So I don’t always really know how I’m supposed to react to things, or what’s implicitly expected of me in certain situations, even if I can mostly just kinda wing it.”

: “Which, okay, yeah sure, whatever. The rest of you are probably experiencing a bit of that to one degree or another, I think. Not entirely unique, even if it’s on a slightly larger scale.” He lets out a breath, buzzing his lips as he continues rambling.

: “But it’s particularly awkward when I catch snippets of people who… by all rights I should know intimately, but only just have vague impressions about. On both ends of the weird memory funnels.”

glances back up at the light, trying to gather his thoughts a bit more coherently and letting Awoken digest that a bit. 🙧

rubs the end of his chin with a hand, mulling things over. After moments of silence, he asks, “Is it difficult to be here, in the moment?”

has to consider that for a few before responding. “…Honestly? If we’re talking, like, outside of just doggedly pursuing the nebulous Main Objective? … Kind of.”

lets that statement stand for a bit, before following up with, “Do you think if you remembered everything, that would change your main objective?”

shakes his head. “Probably not. I’m pretty committed to seeing this story through to the end.”

: “Do you feel indebited to the memories? And before you answer, I can say that for what little I have of mine- I do. And it bothers me that I do. Uncomfortably, and partially ignorable, but it still does. I know I said that before, but I’m putting it back out there.”

: “Yeah, I mean, that’s a fair question. And, I think that’s part of why it’s all so…” He flicks his foot up, producing a small swirl of green and blue energy, which twirls around for a moment before fading away like dust. “So… whatever it is. They still feel like they mine, so it’s hard to just push them aside an not care? Which is I guess probably what bothers you, huh?”

nods his head to the side in agreement. “It would be easier if I had flat none, however much it appears that I don’t. I feel that, just as myself, standing in the light and at breakfast and talking to partially-ambulatory rocks. But just as we’re all stuck together by some event or other’s intervention, it’s also not a thing I feel like I had any control over. So, aside from an obvious sense of self-importance, that may be why I seek to form new ones. To have something other than the one that persists.”

whistles some notes: low, high, high, low- and then adds three more- low, high, high.

: “Damn if, when I heard it, it wasn’t really, really familiar.”

smiles slightly. “Well, you’ve managed to sell me on your actions not all being entirely impulsive and without thought to consequence, at least.”

: “Doesn’t ring anything in particular for me, at least.”

grins. “I mean, I definitely don’t remember having any particular rancor against the Centerlight, I just thought I had a really good idea.”

: “Heh.”

: “To circle back around to the point though… like, yeah I think I get where you’re coming from, and it’s not like… we really need to care about the predefined roles that have been given to us, if we feel they’re getting in the way? Which, I mean, yeah. Of course.”

: “But there’s still, in spite of it, that weird little conflict going on in the back of my mind. Is it really okay to be more intimate within the group, with one side saying yes, and the other… not as convinced? I’m not sure any set of memories I can get into were really all that experienced in the grand scheme anyway so perhaps it’s best to just say Fuck It there, sure.”

: “So then how do I feel about Salme, really… given… all that?” Another small shrug. “I think… part of me does like her. She’s usually pleasant, seems to get my sense of humor, and she feels like she cares, deeply and fiercely. And it’s nice to have affection from someone like that directed at you? And it could be nice to return it…? But.”

: “She also… reminds me of someone. Someone else, who very much is not her, but has many of the same… traits? And she sticks out because I remember her from more than just one of these different, ephemeral stories. Not always the same but… still that same core? I’m not sure if that even makes sense, but anyway.”

: “She was kind to her friends, a terror to her enemies, deeply curious about the various worlds she always found herself on, and always, always willing to go the extra mile and out of her way to lend someone a helping hand. And she… I get the impression she was someone who was very special, to him.”

: “So when the different impressions start to overlap it’s… I don’t know. Hard to keep them straight sometimes. I wonder if maybe I’m not really seeing her and am instead seeing the ghost of this other person I only have vague memories of. And on top of that I don’t… I don’t think it was romantic, which makes it all the stranger, when they start to get mixed up?”

: “It’s complicated.” 🙧

: “Yeah, I think I’m starting to get it. I’m not gonna say I understand it completely, but. I’m gettin’ it.”

: “Yeah. So, that’s kinda where I’m at on that.”

: “I guess it isn’t all bad, really, despite everything I’ve said about ‘im. And, well, still believe.”

: “But, I mean, I guess that’s a bit complicated too.”

: “And much like the memories or lack thereof, sometimes that’s just part of the hand that’s dealt.”

: “But heck, if’n you want to (rotate) that some more, I’m nothing if not an endless font of curiosity and acceptance.”

: “Mm.” He leans his head backwards and upside down beyond the lamppost, in the direction of the mirror. “Seems like we’ll still be here a while with not much else to do.”

: “It’ll get easier, given another world or two. Or so I’m told.”

: “Yeah, that DOES make sense.” There’s a pause. “Hey, so, scale of 1-10, actually how bad is it if I just went ‘…ah’ to her when she went for it instead of, uh, actually going in depth on that? (Hadn’t really finished sorting it all out yet…)”

gawps. “Oh noooooooooooo ^{oooooooooooooooooooo} …”

: “…Ah.” A frown. “Ah.” Another pause. “Damn. Well. Good talk, should… probably go fix that?”

pumps a fist. “It’s not too late!!”

dusts himself off after standing up, then flashes a thumbs up before wandering off.