mingle a little Mor tonight

[catamite]

Who: Everyone!
Broadcast: Sure!
Action: The wonderful world of Mor, nearby way-stations, and ships!
When: The first week or so of arrival

[this is it-- Atroma's surprise vacation stay for you all! it's time to explore, speculate, relax, and totally behave yourselves. right?

how are you all dealing with the ever-so-educational volcano? have you played around with the visual toggle on those collars yet? aren't they cool? aren't these peasant clothes rad? if you haven't had a decent meal since Abeo, maybe you could afford some of that authentic farm-raised meat they have here. historical!

I bet you're all excited and completely thrilled to be here! who wouldn't be? ...so, make some discoveries, make some friends, and have fun!]

Comments

[amarant]

[ She's small, it's easy for her to be missed at first, especially when someone's mind is a bit...elsewhere. ]

...I like quiet places best, though.

Are you well lately?

[birdsbirdsbirds]

I... Don't know about that, either.

[he settles back down in his spot, looking up at the statues...]

I would rather not be outside. I thought it would be too far away to ever remember, but... this city keeps reminding me of the town where I grew up. It's very... strange.

[amarant]

Oh...

[ It makes sense to her, now. ]

We could go somewhere else, far away from town.

[birdsbirdsbirds]

[that's very considerate of her. he smiles, a little.]

Thank you, but I'm doing all right in here. It's odd, but reminds me of somewhere a little closer.

[amarant]

Faith is awfully similar, no matter where it is.

Something like that?

[birdsbirdsbirds]

Yeah, something like that...

[he looks up at the statues again. tall, beautiful depictions...]

You know, a funny thing I think about every time I step into a place like this... I used to have whole temples built to me, you know. Statues of little old Robin, all tall and pale like this.

[...he chuckles a little.]

They never got my face right, though. Always looked weird.

[amarant]

That sure must have been a sight.

[ Raising an eyebrow, amused. ]

Statues of you, when the real thing's still here. What were the temples for?

[birdsbirdsbirds]

Our Gods, mostly. The prevalence of the Priesthood meant that my kind were just the figureheads to give people some faces to worship--and warn them not to make the same mistakes we did. Kind of a dubious setup, but none of them knew I was alive to complain about it...

[it's weird, watching your own religion warp around without you.]

Though... There were a couple of temples I ran through that celebrated the old ways, when we were almost considered Gods ourselves. My... Oh. [he pauses, suddenly, looking over.] ...I haven't explained the Nine Kings to you, have I?

[amarant]

[ She nods a few times as he speaks, listening intently... ]

Oh...you never did, no. Are you going to?

[birdsbirdsbirds]

...Yes, I think I am. I'd almost forgotten that I hadn't already...

[Emblica already feels very close to him; he'd almost assumed that she'd already know about them.]

The Gods on my world are ineffable, impossible to understand... But, at the beginning of things, they turned nine humans into special beings who could comprehend and speak for the Gods. These creatures became known as the Nine Kings, and each of them ruled over a part of human existence.

There was a war between them, eventually, and humans wound up killing them... But they reincarnated into new humans, who eventually grew into a new Nine. I was one of those humans, but now I am Riem, the King of Pain.

[he says this with... a little mock bow where he's sitting, actually.]

[amarant]

[ That sounds kind of impressive. A little cheesy, but impressive. ]

What a name to bear... and you have temples, and statues. It must sometimes feel a bit much, hm.

[birdsbirdsbirds]

...A bit much, yes. And the whole thing became very complicated...

[glancing back up at the statues...]

I'll explain one day, but for now, the short story is that most people think I'm long dead. A thing of legends. They don't really need me around to worship what I stood for... So it's a very bizarre experience, to be the center of something you were hardly involved in.

[amarant]

I can only imagine what that's like...

[ But it feels like it makes a lot make sense. ]

Is it nice, to be among those who know you're alive?

[birdsbirdsbirds]

Mm... I don't know.

[he shrugs. it's still very complicated.]

A lot of people know that Robin is alive. That's not bad. Very few people know that Riem is alive and walking, and those who do... It doesn't always sit well with me.

[...after a moment, he laughs, awkwardly scratching at the back of his head.]

It's a bizarre life, little Owlet.

[amarant]

[ Owlet? Is that supposed to be her? It's not a bad name, certainly. ]

Now I know, too. But that's okay with you?

[birdsbirdsbirds]

You're like me. We're very equal people, I think... So I don't mind.

[he really does remind her of one of her sisters... or maybe a brother.]

[amarant]

We've both had our secrets, and our long lives...hiding things, and losing things. It feels we're only alike in ways that hurt.

[birdsbirdsbirds]

...Is there anything that doesn't hurt?

[it's an honest question that shouldn't have been so easy to ask.]

[amarant]

Very rarely. Or it finds a way to hurt later.

[birdsbirdsbirds]

[it shouldn't, but it makes him smile.]

Then maybe there's no one better to know me.

[amarant]

Maybe you're right.

[ It's a bit of a sad smile, here. ]