[muffled spooky scary skeletons playing in the distance]

[geonomy]

Who: You! Me! Everybody!
Broadcast: idk but we've sure got a pretty broad cast of folks eh, eh
Action: HECK YEAH PLANET MINGLE
When: 10/7 until plot update or recaptcha

It's a deep, deep forest filled to the brim with fungi, mysterious life forms, and pitch black darkness. Explore if you dare and discover all these things and more! Just don't get lost...

Comments

[save_the_souls]

You're worried you'll let her down?

[Yeah. He knows that one well. And from the sound of it, Sorey sounds a bit stuck on the big scope of things. Marveling at Allen doing this for ten years, feeling stress that helping out has grown to things much bigger than a room...yeah. No wonder he's having doubts.]

Look, anyone when they look at the big picture feels like that. Especially after they've messed up. You're human, we're not as good at handling the big picture as we'd like to think.

[monolike]

That's a human thing? [Well, dang. That makes him feel a bit better.]

[save_the_souls]

[He smiles and nods] Yeah, it is. It's a very human thing.

For us, it's better to break things down into smaller pictures. Focus on one small objective at a time that'll get you closer to the larger things you want to accomplish. Think of it like learning a language: first you learn the alphabet, then simple words and phrases, then whole sentences, and so on. You don't try to tackle the entire language at once. The same applies here.

You're in your first year of being a Shepherd. I can imagine you still have a lot to learn. With Lailah and Kanda here now, there's enough support that you can actually take the time to learn it.

[monolike]

Mmm. You're right. [Back home, though Lailah did her best to keep him calm and let him take his time, there was a terrible sense of urgency. All the legends speak of Shepherds only appearing when times are dire, but maybe that's not the case. There are Asura's journals they found in Lefay, that outlined him having traveled for several years.

...or maybe the opposite is true. Maybe Shepherds are discouraged from taking a long time for the same reason why Sorey fell to malevolence. Exorcists are different in that way; Allen speaks of it like it's expected to be an Exorcist for as long as possible, but the goal of a Shepherd is to quell the Lord of Calamity as soon as possible.

Either way, with how the situation is here, Allen isn't wrong. While he has the time, he should be figuring out how to handle himself and his responsibilities in a way that will keep himself and the seraphim safe from corruption. He can't fight Heldalf here, but he can at least do that.]

....is Kanda that guy you were screaming with on the network a while ago?

[save_the_souls]

Ah...you heard that?

[Allen turns a bit red in the face and has a rather sheepish expression as he rubs his head. Whoopsies. ]

Yeah, that's him! He's another Exorcist. We were teammates back in the Order.

[monolike]

[Ah one of Allen's people. It's good he's got someone from home now.] He's a... [not very sure about this but he's gonna go for it:] friend?

[save_the_souls]

Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh....

[Yes? No? Maybe??? He always uses the term comrade but honestly that means a lot of things. He gestures awkwardly with his hands.]

What's your definition of friends, specifically?

[monolike]

Th...that's okay. I think I get it. [Yeah he gets it.] He's that kind of friend.

[save_the_souls]

Uh...sure.

[He rubs the back of his neck awkwardly]

I trust Kanda with my life. He's helped me a lot, even when it would've been smarter not to. We just fight a lot too, we always have.

[monolike]

[Edna and Mikleo bicker a lot too, though not quite like what he'd heard Allen and Kanda doing. Maybe it's just like that, with them.] And you think he can help me? [Lailah, sure, of course, but Kanda? Being able to help him with something that Allen couldn't?]

[save_the_souls]

Help you? [Specifically?] Um...maybe if you want a tempura recipe?

[Because um yeah, he can't see Kanda openly offering to help anyone that wasn't an Exorcist]

[He shrugs] With Kanda, I meant more...if something goes wrong, like another demon attack, there's someone else who can help with that. So the pressure's off if you want to avoid getting involved in things because of the Shepherd rules or you think you're out of you league or just need some time off. The burden's not all on you, or me.

[monolike]

Ah... [Sorey scratches his cheek sheepishly, glancing back out over the forest.] Thanks, for thinking of me like that, but I think not being able to help was much worse in the end. I have Lailah here now so she'll be able to guide me and teach me what I need to know. But...I've never felt like I've been pressured to act. It's usually the opposite. [He gets yelled at a lot.]

[save_the_souls]

[Gosh, just because he told you not to pick fights one time...

But he considers that. It's a little hard for him to understand, since honestly Allen never had the problem of not getting to act. Not because people didn't tell him not to, no people told him that all the time. He just you know, didn't listen and jumped in anyway. Good times.

He gives a simple shrug]

Oh. Well, alright. You're always welcomed to help out too if you want. I mean, if something comes up.

[monolike]

[yeah don't worry lailah scolds him way more often than you ever have dude
just
y'know more nicely]

Thanks, Allen. This might be kind of hypocritical of me, but I'd really like to help out where I can, to take some of the pressure off of you. Even if you don't mind having that pressure. Or like it.

[save_the_souls]

[He shakes his head.] I don't think it's hypocritical.

I'll admit, I don't want anyone trying to save me. [He looks over at Sorey, offering a smile] But, I'd always like someone to fight alongside with.

[monolike]

[Sorey nods, and holds out his fist. Tap it, bro.] I can do that.

[save_the_souls]

Alright. You're on.

[He'll reach over and give that fist bump. Bro.

Then he'll completely ruin any semblance of cool by pulling back while wiggling his fingers in an explosion gesture, and making a "pshoow" sound. What?]

[monolike]

[this dude is a nerd so he doesn't know what 'cool' is] Wha- Haha! What was that? [Sorey mimics the sound.] Can I start doing that too?

[save_the_souls]

Ah- I think it's an explosion? Hiro and Ino said that's what you do. [And they have more social skills than Allen, so...!] But sure! Go ahead!

[monolike]

Oooh. [omg now he's going to try and come up with other stuff to do, YOU'VE SHOWN HIM A WHOLE NEW WORLD....thank u allendin]

Well, I'll leave you to your peace. I promised Mikleo I'd get in some proper exploring anyway. [Pushes himself to his feet and dusts off his clothes.] Are you all good here? [Don't need anything?]

[save_the_souls]

[Sorey you adorable dork you.

He'll smile and nod at Sorey]

Mm, I'm good. Thank you for coming by to talk to me, Sorey. Send Mikleo my regards.