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Entry tags:
- !event,
- #npc,
- abel nightroad: martyr,
- akua sahelian: sovereign,
- amos burton: lover,
- caitlyn kiramman: champion,
- ciel: martyr,
- emet-selch: champion,
- himeka sui: wanderer,
- howl: celebrant,
- jayce talis: visionary,
- johnny joestar: firebrand,
- koriel xii (dextera): lover,
- misa amane: lover,
- rand al'thor: martyr,
- syrlya: champion,
- tartaglia (childe): firebrand,
- yuuta okkotsu: lover
EVENT #5: SOVEREIGN CITIZENS (GODSBLOOD)
Sovereign Citizens
GODSBLOOD
At the height of the Sovereign's moon, Vaeka Lovenskol's execution is announced. Outside of the City Hall, a dignitary of Achamoth is flanked by an entourage of Kenoma, reading the words of Regent from an unfurled letter: Vaeka stands accused to conspiring against the Regent and abetting the fugitive menace known as the Pleroma. Though the details are not made public, rumors spread quickly, some far more wild than the actual truth. The full truth, after all, is something only the Regent's agents and the Pleroma themselves know, and even to them the manner of her exposure is unclear.
Though losing a proud daughter of an influential family, there seems to be little that the people of Godsblood can do besides accept it. After all, they are still a city of the Regent's empire, and for all the freedom they've enjoyed, there are limits. If she was truly aiding the Pleroma, the sworn enemies of the Regent - and in an organized manner, if the rumors are to be believed - can they truly object? Or would challenging the Regent's claim simply invite more death?
As with many things, the families of Godsblood are torn. Tensions are thick for the five days leading up to Vaeka's appointed execution by hanging, with everyone having an opinion and few wanting to go on record talking about it too loudly. As such, the people's frustrations come out in other ways. Bloodites are uncharacteristically unfriendly to strangers in this time, keeping to their own and treating everyone else with overt skepticism.
Those that have arrived as part of the Regent's official envoy, or seen guarding Vaeka, will receive a particularly icy reception. No longer are the Kenoma curious wanderers on personal business. Now, they are here as the hands of the Regent; few of the Godsblood citizens are foolish enough to challenge them outright, but they are ever an honest people.
Early on, the Kenoma and the rest of the Achamite contingent sent with them will be able to take over a jail in downtown Godsblood to hold Vaeka until her execution, clearing out all other Bloodite prisoners and employees in the meantime. This means they have a relatively secure position to guard their prisoner from, which is a good thing; after all, the Regent did outright invite the Pleroma to stop them, and Pleroma are nothing if not stubborn.
EXECUTION DAY
After five agonizing days of waiting and several high visible conflicts between the Pleroma and Kenoma, finally the hour of Vaeka's execution arrives. A gallows is set outside of City Hall, ready to welcome its newest victim, and a massive crowd has gathered in an spirit of anxious anticipation. Some worry that violence may break out in the streets, even without the Pleroma's agitation, but gradually the minutes tick by and the gallows remain empty.
First one minutes passes. Then five. Then fifteen. Slowly, it becomes clear to the people of Godsblood that Vaeka will not be arriving. Are the rumors true? Has she been saved? Have the Pleroma been successful, despite all odds?
As the hours pass and the crowds disperse, Vaeka Lovenskol is not officially reported as either living or dead. Fortunately, Godsblood is a place where information has a way of getting around, whether those in charge like it or not. Some are saying that she was seen being whisked away as if by powerful magic, following a bloody fight at the jail in which she was being held. Where did she go? Maybe her supposed connections to the forest people did her good, some surmise.
The days following Vaeka's failed execution carry a strange and uncertain energy. Where before there was tension and distrust, Godsblood now finds itself in a surreal reality where the Regent's word is apparently not absolute. Then again, do they really want a repeat performance?
First one minutes passes. Then five. Then fifteen. Slowly, it becomes clear to the people of Godsblood that Vaeka will not be arriving. Are the rumors true? Has she been saved? Have the Pleroma been successful, despite all odds?
As the hours pass and the crowds disperse, Vaeka Lovenskol is not officially reported as either living or dead. Fortunately, Godsblood is a place where information has a way of getting around, whether those in charge like it or not. Some are saying that she was seen being whisked away as if by powerful magic, following a bloody fight at the jail in which she was being held. Where did she go? Maybe her supposed connections to the forest people did her good, some surmise.
The days following Vaeka's failed execution carry a strange and uncertain energy. Where before there was tension and distrust, Godsblood now finds itself in a surreal reality where the Regent's word is apparently not absolute. Then again, do they really want a repeat performance?
QUESTIONS
What is the best way for Aions to travel to Godsblood?
For Pleroma, this is very easy, as they are likely to either already live there or be able to easy take Greentruth's portal. For Kenoma, they may come directly from Achamoth by boat as part of the Regent's envoy or arrive via Eustace's portal which is set up in a shed a fairly long jaunt outside of town. Once there has been some time to get established, Misa will be setting up another portal leading straight to the prison where Vaeka is being stored.
Are the Kenoma permitted by the Regent to kill other Godsblood citizens?
Though the Kenoma are authorized to kill any Bloodites that try to physically fight them, they are expected to keep things clean. The Regent prefers to only punish the guilty, and having the lines be clear will create less of a hassle in the future. Generally, Godsblood is not in a state where physical resistance is likely to happen unprovoked.
For Pleroma, this is very easy, as they are likely to either already live there or be able to easy take Greentruth's portal. For Kenoma, they may come directly from Achamoth by boat as part of the Regent's envoy or arrive via Eustace's portal which is set up in a shed a fairly long jaunt outside of town. Once there has been some time to get established, Misa will be setting up another portal leading straight to the prison where Vaeka is being stored.
Are the Kenoma permitted by the Regent to kill other Godsblood citizens?
Though the Kenoma are authorized to kill any Bloodites that try to physically fight them, they are expected to keep things clean. The Regent prefers to only punish the guilty, and having the lines be clear will create less of a hassle in the future. Generally, Godsblood is not in a state where physical resistance is likely to happen unprovoked.
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[ The last bit gets mumbled under her breath, continuing until the spread has reached the middle of his forearm, then stopping abruptly. She really only says it to placate him - so he doesn't draw any more attention over here. That, and, well... it's not really her intention to freak him out. She just needs a little insurance, in case someone comes over and tries to make it look like she's just goofing off or colluding with the enemy. ]
It's just a little something I learned to do recently. It's not permanent.
[ She quirks a brow at him, wondering if that's enough to assuage his worry. ]
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...You learned this-- here?
[ ah; it always takes him by surprise, this bit - but it isn't the first time he's heard of such a thing happening among the Aions in Horos. even so... ]
I won't tell anyone. But, Miss Misa-- you... why are you here?
[ why has she come to Godsblood? ...she can't mean to condone the execution of an innocent woman, can she? he doesn't understand.
no, maybe... he's desperately hoping she will have an explanation for him that is better than what he does understand this to mean. ]
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...I support what the Regent is doing.
[ She says that much first— she's never spelled out her allegiance to the Regent in as clear terms to him thus far, despite her early shown loyalty to the overall concept of creating a new world. But she can't beat around the bush anymore, not even to Abel, who she's sure most of any of the Pleroma she knows will have some kind of negative reaction.
It is what it is— there's no shame in it, not to her, though it is perhaps a disappointment that he may not ever see things her way. Her eyes stay locked with his, careful, apprehensive, as if expecting the worst. She's always been puzzled by his continuing support for her, and thinks that at some point one of these straws will break the camel's back. She goes on confidently, regardless. ]
Less people would make themselves targets this way, you know... so I'm trying to help.
[ It would be better for everyone: not just the Regent, but for the Pleroma too, from her warped point of view. It's as they said afterall— the people in Venera and the prisoner in Godsblood would be examples. When the people of Horos see what happens to those who make trouble, there'll be no need for the Regent to do this again, and more importantly, the path to a peaceful and just world will be less thick to walk through. That's her firm belief. ]
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denial is a hell of a drug, isn't it? even so, Abel's eyes are slowly filling with a grim realization as Misa puts the situation into plain and simple words, leaving no room for misunderstandings or comforting justifications. she believes in what the Regent preaches - not just the promise of the end of everything, but the sacrifices they ask in order to get there.
...he feels vaguely sick - at heart, in body, as he lets his hand slowly drop to his side. ]
What happened to you...?
[ it is spoken so very softly, concern thick in his voice. the rest of Godsblood has good as ceased to exist for now; all Abel can see, all he hears, is the girl in front of him who speaks with firm resolution, without the faintest hint of doubt or wavering loyalties.
she is ready to condemn people. countless people, even, to see her goal through. she believes what she's doing is right. she is that very same girl he'd seen in the cavern, her eyes alight with a virulent passion as she spoke of her dream of a kind world - one that left Abel all but winded to see, to hear.
... ]
You... have been hurt. And terribly... haven't you?
[ people do not wake up one day willing to make these kinds of choices. they don't start out able to stomach the feeling of so much blood on their hands - even for a just cause.
something horrible has happened to her, and it makes him ache. ]
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Want to know what makes me think this way? Is that it...? [ Her voice is small when she asks, rhetorical. If Abel wants to know, she will tell him honestly where the root of all this lies - she owes him that much. ] Two years ago, my parents were killed right in front of me during a burglary. I thought I'd die too... but I didn't. Even so, the killer never went to trial.
[ The other Aions she's been capable of speaking about this with— her words had always been quick, and sure. But here, they're bitter, strained. It is perhaps because Abel is more empathetic, more gracious, more concerned for her, that she's able to show a glimmer of the depth of her loss. He's the very kind of person she wished had been there for her to lean on when it had all happened — because only very recently has she realized that the grief she'd kept at bay for so long wasn't entirely gone. It'd been put on hold, replaced by her anger and hatred for the killer at first, then further obscured when she'd fallen face first into a fanatical chase to find and thank the man that would eventually come to punish him. In the moment, she feels a fraction of all the melancholy she'd packed away forcibly. ]
I wanted the world to change, since even back then. It isn't right...
[ Her eyes search his, a bit pleadingly, hoping plainly for him to understand where her drive for a world that is just and kind originates from. ]
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the pain in her eyes, behind her voice, makes his chest pang and tighten in a familiar way; Misa doesn't waver nor falter despite speaking on the incident that had changed her forever - and that, too, says something far beyond what words might convey to him. this has sat inside of her, boiled and festered in her blood and turned to rage to deal with that pain. anger is so much easier to drown in than grief; it is less crippling, perhaps even uniquely motivating. it keeps one going instead of breaking them down.
but... it also chips away at one internally, doesn't it? yes, it does. rage does not bury grief. it merely masks it, and the consequences of letting grief manifest in a wrathful hatred are innumerable.
Misa is paying a terrible price, and she doesn't even know it.
Abel's right hand - unweighted by petrification - cautiously lifts toward her. it is deliberate and slow, purposeful, with no ill-intent behind it; hopefully she can see as much. and if she lets him, then... she'll find him very gently and delicately resting his hand atop her head to offer whatever meager comfort he can in the face of her loss. ]
...You lost everything, and there was no justice.
[ the bitter, spiteful spiral makes more than enough sense. in fact... it might almost seem inevitable, especially if there had been no one to help guide her through her pain, help her cope in a better way. if there had--
she wouldn't be here, would she? no; Abel does not believe Misa possesses a naturally hateful, corrosive heart. it's quite the opposite in fact - those who are capable of loving the most are often the ones whose knees hit the ground hardest in the face of loss, of loneliness. ]
I'm sorry. I'm... sorry, that everyone failed you. ...I understand.
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Without thinking, she draws him in around the middle like she had in Venera, resting her head against his chest in a loose embrace - unable to contain her impulsive desire to show her gratitude for his gentleness towards her. To be close to him. To be close to anyone. If she thinks for too long about her parents, it's so, so horribly lonely. She should think about other things— of Abel, who always knows what to say to calm her down, and of Kira, the one person who hadn't failed her. ]
One person was able to help me, in the end. They were like a savior to me...
[ She speaks with her cheek pressed against him, closing her eyes reverently. What Abel said is true; she did lose everything. Having to live knowing that the killer would potentially get away with everything had been so unfair that at times, she felt herself physically ill from it. But, even accepting that, she also wants him to know that some semblance of justice had been served, which had saved her from complete despair - and had in turn placed her on the path of reshaping the world. If she focused on that avenging act alone, she didn't have to contend as much with the pain of their deaths, did she? She could keep her sight trained on a better world in front of her, rather than on the one she came from. ]
They made sure that man paid with his life for what he did. And I finally felt joy in my heart again.
[ With that act, she was able to convince herself to return to her happy and energetic self, as though that chapter of her life was closed. She begins to let go of him, her smile quiet and soft and just bright enough. ]
But it would be even better if the world was always just in the first place, wouldn't it?
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the abrupt pressure as she folds her arms around him, all but burying herself into his chest in seek of comfort and reassurance takes him by surprise. it breaks his heart and warms it in equal measure, and Abel finds himself gently enveloping her much smaller frame in an almost protective embrace in return, softly and loosely smoothing fingers through her hair. she has been left wanting, left lonely. he can feel that ache as if it were his own.
and what she says next does little to dissuade him of the notion that something inside of her has been thoroughly broken for a long, long time. the hole that had been dug out of her in the face of her loss had been deepened into a cavernous maw, and the only thing that filled it was the purpose he sees shining in her eyes as she draws back from him--
justice; fairness. 'kindness' in a world that is bereft of the suffering she endured. how can he argue that such a place would be wonderful...? it is something he had yearned for a long... long time, yet something he believed completely out of reach. if the Regent had come to him and made him the offer the Kenoma whispered in Abel's ear back then...
he doesn't think he would have been able to deny it.
and Misa had not denied it for that very same reason, now.
Abel looks... grim. he permits her to withdraw just a bit, but his hand inevitably ends up trailing from her hair to her cheek, cradling it to ensure their eyes meet; there is a grief for her pain lingering amongst a somberness that is uncharacteristic of him. what she's said has struck a chord, and it isn't a happy one. ]
Wanting that sort of world... it isn't wrong, Misa.
[ it never was. from that day in the cavern to this one where they stand together, side-by-side as "enemies," that hasn't changed for him. ]
But what you would sacrifice in the name of achieving it... what you would lose of yourself in the process-- what it asks of you...
...You've lost enough. I don't want to see you lose anything else so precious.
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All she ever wanted since the tragedy was to feel cared for again. Isn't this feeling what she's been looking for all along? Why does it feel so bittersweet, then...? Why does she feel such a sense of dread in her heart? ]
Abel... I'll be okay. I'm not scared.
[ One of her hands moves to wrap around his wrist as a comfort, giving him an encouraging, friendly squeeze— all while keeping his hand pressed to her cheek. Misa says this with all the meandering, light tone her speech is typically laden with, though quieted to suit the tenseness of the moment. Her natural reaction is to try to cheer him up, to tell him things aren't so serious, that she doesn't care what happens to her in the end. Because she just... doesn't. Not the way Abel seems to care. There's a flippancy, and inevitability to her delivery, as though she's already submitted herself to what she may need to endure on this path with the Regent. The reason for which becomes crystal clear moments after; her voice lowers even further, solemn, yet still strangely detached. ]
It's like I said... I thought I'd die that night. I'm probably supposed to be dead. [ It's a fine enough cover for her certainty of the fact— knowing her time was already over had permanently made it easier to give up, a development that has only made her desensitized to what the Kenoma demands of her. ] Even if it costs me everything... I'm not scared if it's for something I believe in. I'll be happy if I even helped a little...
[ If she has to bear terrible burdens, or lose her life in the process, then it'll have been worth it if she could move the world just a step closer to a better place, in the name of her savior. ]
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it feels like Misa's dug a knife right into his chest and twisted it; these soft and earnest words delivered with such ease make him genuinely want to cry. he can feel the burning sting behind his eyes, and his hand still held to her cheek cradles just a little more fervently; he shakes his head, brow knitting together even further as his expression contorts into something pained. ]
That isn't... right. That isn't right at all, and that you can even say something like that--
[ Misa. ...Misa. every protective instinct he has, every compassionate bone in his body is literally aching with such force he feels like he could fall apart. it isn't fair; why is this girl - someone so young and who wants such a pure-hearted thing as peace, as a world without violence, without orphaned children suffering the loss of their parents... why is this girl left to languish in such agony? why does this happen, again and again and again? ]
...There is something in you that is so precious, but you can't see it yourself. It's a cruel trick, you... see? [ his voice wavers, wobbles, but he forces the words out - it is too important to stop now he's started. ]
You want to protect others in a way you weren't protected yourself. You want to give the world what it took from you... even if you haven't even-- you won't let yourself grieve for having lost it in the first place. You... you, definitely... If you let this world steal anything from you, Misa, I--
I won't forgive you for that. You... can't do this to yourself. --Please. ...Please don't do this.
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Thus, the difference in their perspectives is staggering - the breadth of the cavern that separates Abel's heartfelt concern and Misa's resignation is so wide, she doesn't know if she can even begin to build a bridge across it. All she can do is call out from her side, and try as she might to shorten the distance.
She sees the pain in his eyes, recognizes it, his stark refusal towards her carrying this burden, but in the end, her expression reads closer to confusion than understanding. ]
But... staying with the Kenoma, that's what I want to do....
[ She really doesn't have a better rebuttal or excuse to go against his plea— it's simple, childish almost, but it comes from her heart. ]
What are you so worried will happen to me...? You're saying all this stuff that's making me nervous...
[ Misa complains, sounding both more characteristically herself, as well as truly and genuinely clueless as to what he's referring to. What could be stolen from her, that she hasn't lost already? Her life, which was already forfeit? It just doesn't seem like the conundrum he's treating it as, which is why the gravity of his words frighten her to a degree, especially that I won't forgive you. That's not what she wants at all, irrational and stupid as it is for her to long to stay on good terms with him forever. She finally begins to draw away from his touch, stubbornly, lifting weight from his hand that's supporting her cheek— she wants to look at him more carefully, read his expression more closely. Because she just can't lose the sense that he's envisioning a much clearer picture in his mind of what might happen than she is— he's so adamant about this, what she might end up doing to herself in the process, like he's seen it happen before. ]
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...
he forces himself to swallow against the lump in his throat, forces his voice to remain somewhat level even if it's impossible to keep the creep of emotion from pervading it. ]
I don't want you to cross a line there's no coming back from. I don't want you to... to keep losing yourself down this path, Misa - because the place you seek to go...? The place you will end up should you get there? It isn't a kind world waiting for you when all is said and done. It's... it is hollow, and empty, and lonely, and...
[ ...he hangs his head further, biting at his lip and barely resisting the urge to outright plead with her. he has a feeling it would do no good. as things are... as things stand, no matter what tearful pleas leave his lips - she isn't ready. she isn't ready, yet. she has not reached a place where she might be receptive, open, to what Abel has to say.
will she find that point in time--? or... ]
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[ Her question lacks bite, lacks challenge - it's earnest, confused. A part of her really wonders if this has to do with God and the Church, who she's sure would never approve of "the ends justifying the means" the way the Kenoma take that turn of phrase. Her expression grows more passive, thinking privately to herself that she's probably crossed one of the lines he's thinking of by a mile. She could enlighten him to the fact right this very moment, that she's killed dozens of people in passing judgment on the world - if only to try to prove that she can weather this, she can stay the same old Misa no matter what comes.
But it feels far more important to understand why he feels so strongly - she realizes, in that moment, that she actually knows nothing about him, aside from his occupation. It hadn't ever seemed like a problem before, but now she's beginning to wonder if he has his own histories, his own secrets that he's hugging close to his chest... what was it that M had said to her so long ago? That it was likely that Abel wasn't normal - normal people didn't act the way he did in a crisis. ]
There's just just no way you know for sure what it'll be like. Unless you've seen it before or something?
[ Seen it happen to someone else? Seen it for himself? She keeps her voice soft at the edges, cognizant of how close to tears he seems - and overall, she keeps disbelief out of her voice too. Does his worry come from experience, or from empathetic intuition...? ]
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[ he starts to answer her, seems to stop himself; conflicts rears up into his expression and digs at whatever it was that had been about to leave his lips, preventing it from doing so.
instead, Abel inevitably takes his unburdened hand and finds hers in a white-knuckled grip, tight and imploring. even if he cannot make himself say it out loud, perhaps the answer to her question is in his eyes - an ache, terribly old, edges worn down by grief and time. ]
I don't want you to become an enemy of the world you love. Kindness doesn't come at the cost of innocent lives; it is born in protecting them. You have to choose for yourself what kind of future you want to build, but-- I truly mean it. The only thing you'll build on the ashes of the old world should you let it burn... will be regrets.
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Because she's heard something so eerily similar before— from Himeka, who had told her just the day previous that she'd only meet her own demise if she went down this path. And with hearing this grave omen a second time, she faintly feels herself growing further away from him, in heart, in ideology, kneejerk pushing back against the notion that she could ever come to regret trying to do what she thinks is right for the person she loves. It's impossible, isn't it? Even if he's seen this before, she could be different... maybe. She has to be. ]
Thanks for always worrying about me, Abel... [ She says, gently and sweetly, truly meaning it - though the caveat coming is more than obvious in her tone, the words resembling a goodbye more than an acceptance. ] But... I'm not worried about regrets.
[ There's a sense of finality there, as though she, too, is unwilling to say something aloud, unwilling to shine on a light on her past. ]
You should really... head back. Howl will wonder where I am very soon...
[ This is the kindest thing she can do for him, under the current circumstances. With her free hand, she quietly tries to coax him into easing his grip, an unspoken apology in her eyes. That someone so kind has to be her enemy is regrettable, to be sure, but.... there's nothing she can do. There's no other way. ]
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he knew, of course. it isn't time yet for her to open her eyes and come to the realization that she wants to change. and even if he knew that before he opened his mouth, even if he was well aware that reality before their paths crossed today -- seeing her withdraw, seeing her pull back from him as she begins erecting a familiar wall...
it makes the miserable sink of his heart all the harder to stomach. ]
...It isn't too late. And it doesn't have to be. I just... I want you to remember there is another way, even if you feel it isn't the right one, yet.
[ because it - and he - will be waiting for her.
when she is ready.
it is so, so hard, but -- Abel forces himself to ease his hold, relinquish his grip on her hand and permit her to draw back should she so wish it. ]