driftfleet | Mingle for the oldies

Entry tags:

Mingle for the oldies

Who: Anyone who is immortal, inordinately long lived or just likes hanging out with old people?
Broadcast: Fleetwide
Action: Málum on the Iskaulit
When: End of November

Broadcast: Text
[The broadcast is simple.]

Málum. Tonight. Immortal or near enough meet up. Buy your own.

Action: Málum

[Bigby is there, drinking whiskey and smoking cheap, horrible and stinky cigarettes. The rest of you can do what you want.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[He sips at it cautiously, holding a bit on his tongue to let the flavor sink in before swallowing it. He's never quite sure how his newly-revived sense of taste is going to react to something, and so far he's only been able to test it on ship food.] ...That is good.

[...He also hasn't had alcohol in like four thousand years, so he should probably pace himself.]

So would you rather tell me about your gods that provide such things, or ask more about the Summon Spirits? [He's curious about other worlds, and maybe if he learns more about hers he can decipher more of the things she says...]

Eh? Well, I'm a goddess, and I provided it, so...

So, now, your turn! Tell me more about these 'Summon Spirits'.

[Oh, don't ask it like that, you've handed him a blank check for infodumping...]

There are nine elemental Spirits, one for each of the eight elements of mana, except Light, which has one Spirit each for Sun and Moon. The Spirit of Wind also likes to appear divided into three sisters much of the time, but they don't seem to count themselves as separate beings the way Aska and Luna do. Then there are four other Spirits who aren't aligned to any particular element: Origin, the King of the Summon Spirits; Maxwell, who gifted the Elves with spellcasting; Verius, the guardian of hearts; and...the Spirit of the great Mana Tree which provides life-giving mana to the world. I myself am that Spirit's guardian, and guardian of the Tree as well.

[It feels strange to say...it's only been a year, he hasn't quite incorporated that role into part of his identity.]

Oh, what a grand role!

[She applauds appreciatively.]

But, does that mean while you're here, it has no guardian?

[He makes a face. That's been on his mind, too.]

I have been assured that I will be returned to the point in time that I was taken from. I can only hope that's the case; our situation right now is far from stable, and I don't like the thought of her- of the Tree being left unguarded.

And none of these Summon Spirits possess the power to send someone through time, if it isn't true?

[That's actually a thought that hadn't occurred to him, and he looks startled and a bit relieved to consider it.]

...Origin might. The Eternal Sword was his creation, and I believe it could do that in the right hands. He's forbidden that use of it, but if the world was in such peril that there was no other option, I'm sure he could be persuaded to relent.

[When he says that, her face lights up, like he just confirmed something she'd been thinking. And, on top of that, she's smug enough about it that it's probably obvious she was kind of drawing the conversation in this direction from the start.]

I see. But touching that sword might be pretty dangerous, you know? I wouldn't try it unless you were prepared to risk everything.

[Then she probably wasn't prepared for that last statement to cause Yuan to break into slightly incredulous laughter.]

...You...oh, you have no idea.

[Give him a moment and you might be able to persuade him to elaborate.]

[... She doesn't like being on this end of someone knowing more than they're saying.]

I believe I do, but why don't you enlighten me?

[He settles down and manages to continue, still looking lost and incredulous, but no longer so much at Caster as just at the joke his own life has become:]

I already did. Risked everything to get control of it. Lost everything, even the Sword. To a young fool of a hero who thought he could save everyone.

And the worst part of it is, he was right. Almost right. People died, but...he did better than I could have.

[this would be literally a thousand times funnier to her if she was from the main franchise, and not the shitty PSP spinoff

oh well]

And? What happened to him?

He's still running around the world trying to save it from itself. If I needed the Eternal Sword to do something, all I'd have to do is ask him to help me. ...Some people just have all the luck.

[Or maybe he just has none of it. ~~give me half an excuse and watch how quickly I turn Yuan into a Lancer.~~]

[~~isn't it sad, yuan~~]

Hm... And he's still alive?

No, he's running around trying to make sure the world stays saved while dead. Of course he's still alive.

...Not that he shouldn't by all rights be dead five times over, but. Like I said, the kid's got all the luck in the world. [Despite his earlier bitterness, he sounds kind of fond of 'the kid'.]

[running around trying to make the world stay saved while dead, while using a weird magic sword.

it's a pity caster never met emiya.]

You know, you should drop the sarcasm if you're talking about things that happen.

[He runs over his part of the conversation in his mind, and looks at her nonplussed.] ...I wasn't. ...Do you have dead people trying to save the world where you come from? [She did say something odd earlier about him being still alive, as if there was another option...]

Don't you remember what I said about Heroic Spirits?

[she is pouting now.]

You said they could be summoned to fight threats, or one another. You never said anything about them continuing on after death.

[His definition of 'spirit' seems not to include 'ghost', or at least not to prioritize it.]

We're spirits. Former humans or human-like, whose existences were so notable that after our deaths the world removed our souls from the cycle of reincarnation to be able to fight off threats to the world or humans after death.

[Yuan is clearly a little startled by this revelation.]

...I didn't know. That's not at all what the spirits are where I come from.

[But another thing stands out too:] 'The world of humans'? What about the other races?

No, no. The world or humans. Sometimes, humanity faces a threat of extinction, and sometimes, the planet faces a danger that could kill even it.

What about the others?

It's the same thing, in the end. [He shakes his head, annoyed.] ...Why only humans? They're as bad as the elves that way, only thinking of their own kind. You're saying if elves or half-elves were in danger, but not the rest of the world, no one would come to save them?

... Well, I'm not sure what kind of elf you're thinking of, but we don't have those.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Mingle for the oldies

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject