driftfleet | mingle a little Mor tonight

Entry tags:

mingle a little Mor tonight

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!]

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[He doesn't understand it, how Robin can smirk and speak with levity. A part of him finds strength in it, sees it as an amazing feat, while another becomes slightly unnerved. He chases the latter away with those three little words Robin said. I like you. It was enough.

He smiles, but it's thin and forced, wavering in its weakness.]

I... see. I'm flattered. [He thinks. At least it sounds like the right word to say. Falling silent again, he laces and re-laces his fingers together as he thinks, considering his words.] And, for... what it's worth, I'm sorry.

[this is the part he can't stand. he can feel himself ruining things. he wants to warn him of the misery he drags with him, and how angry he is, and about his true nature--but doing so will just upset Mattias. all he wants is this person to like him. part of him wants it to stop already.

he hopes he did the right thing, in telling him. he loses his bitterness. his smirk disappears.]

I'm sorry too. But I think you would have asked your way into knowing anyway...

[...he keeps his arm around his shoulders, settling in a little too close, maybe too friendly a gesture for all of this. he starts rolling his thumb against the fingers of his other hand, just some fidgeting to the common observer. what he's really doing is spooling up little bits of thread, little lines of pain from Mattias. one of his powers is being able to take some pain and hurt away from people... so picking a little bit off of his friend doesn't seem like a bad idea.

he might not notice any change, but it'll help him feel a little better.]

And it isn't all bad. I was actually fortunate enough to live somewhere with a healthy reverence for the Nine... They might have made mistakes, but they still strove to serve their children. They still embodied important ideals. Humans could learn a lot from them.

[and then, a very broad smile.]

Hey, Nightjar. When's your birthday?

[The woe eases under his embrace and Mattias attributes it to the comfort Robin seems to exude. He settles in his arms in relative peace and only slight concern, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips. It's warm, sitting like this. Time seems to slow. He likes having Robin this close.]

My birthday? [The question comes as a surprise. He thinks about the question, trying to remember. It's been too long since he thought about it.] The twelfth of Speiro, I think.

[With a cocked grin, he regards Robin with a queer look.] Why?

...Oh. [he returns the look with a bit of surprise, on his own.]

I don't know when that is. What season does that fall under?

[barely a beat, before he remembers a key point--] Does your world have seasons?

[He nods.]

Three. Aikaithe, Gannene, and Kleiton. [A pause. None... of those will help, will they?] Aikaithe is the harvest, Gannene is the planting and Kleiton is the growth. Speiro is the second month of Kleiton.

[oh... okay. all right. he pauses, for a moment.]

How many months to a season? I swear this is going somewhere.

This is possibly the strangest interrogation I've ever had. [But he's laughing, if quietly.]

Aikaithe and Gannene are both three months, Kleiton is the longest at six.

Ah, all right. [he nods. he thinks. he bites down in his lip, idly, doing the math... and then his face positively brightens.]

Riem! On my world, your birth would fall under Riem's king-sign...

[he... it's just a coincidence. one ninth of the population falls under that sign. it's nothing more than a horoscope, but... it's stupid how delighted he gets, thinking that the stars might have divined him to fall under his influence more than the others.]

[Oh, he gets it now. He cants his head, leaning a bit closer.]

Riem? Which one is that?

My second favorite. The King of Pain, they call him.

[which might seem alarming to an outsider, he understands--quickly following in with an explanation. he speaks so... kindly about it. gushing, a little.]

I know it sounds unflattering, but he's so much more than that. He lords over suffering and the release from it; both the cost and the reward. Pain can make a person strong. One person's pain can benefit the lives of thousands. He's... He is a reminder that one can't feel joy without first knowing what it is like to hurt.

Said to be a tall... [he looks up, imagining the statues he's seen depicting--ironically--himself.] ...pale figure, with blood-red eyes. Often depicted wearing white and silver.

[He watches Robin with muted adoration, trying to hold back a smile and only partially succeeding. Every word he says seeps in and causes a bubble of laughter that he has to hold back with pursed lips, nodding at all the necessary points instead.]

A pale figure in white and silver. [He tests the image on his tongue, lips twitching as he attempts to hold the laughter back. Alas, his efforts are fruitless. A giggle bubbles out, followed by a chuckle, and then a laugh, light and fluttering. His head tips back and one head moves to his forehead as the entire temple turns to look but he doesn't seem to mind as the laughter dies down, body sinking in the seat. Tilting his head, he speaks on the remnants of a chuckle.] Well, it fits. If anything, I was bred to suffer.

[It'd sound more dramatic if he didn't say it like a joke. Turning back to Robin, he smiles, all previous signs of tension gone.] And what king-sign are you?

[oh... dear. they're going to kick them out of the temple, at this rate. there's probably a three-strikes condition that they're running dangerously close to. but Robin doesn't care so much anymore; he came here for a place to hide, but he wouldn't mind being asked to leave if Mattias could leave with him.

he's glad. it's good that he's feeling better. it's... stupid of him, but he's right there, trying not to laugh himself. even when he says something like that, it makes him think they've got a little more in common ]

My very favorite, of course... Ha'it, the King of Life and Death. A beautiful woman with flowers in her golden hair...

[it's funny that he wasn't born under his own sign, but Finch's instead. but... it fits.]

Dominion over all the cycles of life. All starts and finishes, all beginnings and ends. Nothing lasts forever, but nothing truly disappears, either... [a happy little sigh.] She's associated with healing and the seasons, and the spirit of the world itself.

Nothing lasts forever, but nothing disappears. [He repeats it softly to himself, the smile from his laughter remaining but fading to something nostalgic.] I like that. Those you lost are always with you.

[His smile broadens as he shifts in his seat to better cross his legs.] I like the duality in your Kings. Nothing's truly bad and nothing's truly good. Though I still think I got shafted. The King of Life and Death sounds much more impressive than the King of Suffering.

[He chuckles, then frowns.] I do hope that's not sacrilegious.

[that makes him smile, ear to ear, but not for whatever reason Mattias might think...]

No, I agree with you. And it's only sacrilegious in some regions; you may yet make it through one of the big cities without someone hounding you about your brash words.

[He laughs. Quieter, this time.]

Some regions? Oh, good. That's a better score than back home.

[There's a pause and the smile wanes.] You know, I don't think you've ever told me about your cities. Don't tell me you're saving it for a later date.

I don't believe I have, no. I'd be happy to share now, if you don't mind having your research further interrupted.

[...he knows he doesn't, but they were doing other things before this, weren't they? maybe he just wants to hear him say that he doesn't mind.]

You think I don't count this as research?

[He adjusts himself, holding his chin a bit higher. There's something mocking to his movements, though. As though he's making fun of himself.] Perhaps you don't know me as well as you think. I'd be happy to hear.

Mm... [it's a nice save. he seems pretty amused. best of both worlds.

he'll start with the basics:] Well, most of our cities are underground.

Completely underground? [Hm. No. Still hard to picture.] How do you grow your crops?

Not very well, honestly. There was a lot of starvation early on. Ah, because I haven't explained yet-- [he holds up a finger, mentally backtracking a little bit.] There was a Third End as well, one where a worldwide cataclysmic event wiped out most of the world's population. Survivors hid underground, as it was the only place not... exposed to everything trying to kill them.

[That makes him straighten a bit.]

What was the event?

[dryly:] The Priesthood tells us that humans built their cities too high. They became prideful, got too close to the Kingdom of Souls, where the Gods are said to reside. The Gods struck humanity down to make them pay for their insolence, and remind them of their place.

I don't believe that, though. [he reaches forward to... tap the back of the pew in front of them. he's got short little nails. it makes a dull sound. tap tap tap.] The Priesthood uses that story to keep people scared and inspired and manageable. The Gods may have allowed it, but the world itself is what caused the change.

Humans exhausted their resources. Cut down the forests, poisoned the oceans, ruined the air... There were too many people, too big a strain. And then, having forgotten she was a living thing, everyone was so surprised when the wounded animal bit them back.

The world itself... [He tests it on his tongue but it doesn't conform. An unmalleable rock, it rests in his mouth, stalling his speech until he swallows it with a heavy gulp.] I never thought it could do that. That... we could do that.

[It brings up a sea of questions, more than a few dealing with the nature of his own world. But those lead to areas that are far too painful to consider, his own motives getting called in for question. It's not something he can accept and absolutely not something he wants to think of right now. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he scrunches up his eyes for a deep breath before relaxing.] —I'm interrupting. You were to tell me of your city?

Right, yes... [he knows it's depressing. his world seems to be one calamity after the other. he's actually kind of jealous that other people's worlds appear more... stable. not dependent on magic and the "delicate balance" to stay whole.]

Most cities are underground. Some of our food is grown very carefully under the special sunlamps we've managed to maintain and rebuild over the years. Some is grown or lives naturally down in the caves. In the last... Hundred years, or so, humans have been able to come back up onto the surface, and the farming they've managed has greatly improved life expectancy and population of the world below.

[but enough of that...]

Skeleton City used to have another name, but no one bothers with it anymore. It's said to be the place where all wandering souls go to live. Walking down into those tunnels is... Like walking into a hive, with layers and layers of homes carved out from stone. It's cold, but the colored lights bounce off the walls and make it look so warm... The top levels are always filled with chatter, music, glowing storefronts, bright railings, a maze of ups and downs, secret stairways, gated passages...

[he's speaking so fondly again...] And the surface world, it's so much better know. Gratia was able to regrow very quickly, with everyone hiding below. The forests are very alive, and the air is clean. People live carefully there. It's nice.

[It's difficult to keep quiet for the entire explanation. As usual, he's consumed by questions. The shape of the city, the crops they grow, the location of their water supply—searching for any similarity in an explanation full of them. There are differences, of course, but it's familiar enough for him to imagine and that's enough to give him some hope.]

A world regrown. [He smiles.] A happy ever after, then. I must say, you had me worried, Robin. The way it was going, I was afraid your home would never see a light of hope. [Ducks his head, he laughs bashfully, rubbing the back of his neck.] It was nice hearing you speak of it. [The fondness in it... Mattias will remember it for days to come.] Thank you.

[Still smiling, he scans the temple. People have stopped staring at them, placated by their lowered tones throughout the conversation.] It seems we still have some time before they kick us out. And after all that, I can't help but feel the need to offer answers in return. So, [looking back to Robin, grinning] is there anything else you'd like to know?

mingle a little Mor tonight

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