EVENT #2: HEARTS LIKE YOURS (ACHAMOTH)

[aionmods]

Achamoth

A DEITY'S WELCOME

After only a day or two on the river, the newly christened Kenoma will arrive in the city of Achamoth. The architecture is the more striking things about it, as if its skyline has been built up and constantly improved over many centuries. It's clear from even the riverside view that there is an artistic tendency towards building humanoid shapes into the supports and detailing of structures here, creating the strange effect of placing hundreds of silhouettes in your peripheral vision. If you ask the sailors why its like that, they will simply say it's the way its always been. Any metaphorical seed was planted long before anyone here was born.

The Citadel can be seen even from the entrance of the city, a towering spiral that looms over the rest of the land around it, lit from within by various magical energies. That's your destination, you are told. Soon, you will be passed into the care of the Citadel's staff, and will be sure to meet with city's elites not long after.

They aren't wrong. When you show up at the port closest to the Citadel, the street are always lined with people waiting to greet you. It's easy to recognize now how diverse the population of Horos can be, with many of those waiting showing off unusual heights, colors, and appendages, though appearances that are typically 'human' are still the most common. Most of them wear dark outfits with a gothic flare, with mask-like facial adornments apparently being fashionable. They cheer and chant as you come down from the boat, tossing flower petals and small gemstones onto the path you walk upon. This continues all the way to the Citadel.

Once you are inside, up winding paths of stairs, you will be shown to your new quarters to rest. You're each assigned a lavish bedroom with servants stopping by ever so often, offering to bring you food, clothing, or other items of comfort. There are a variety of soaps in your room's private bath. You are told that if you take a liking to any individual servant that you may claim them as your permanent retainer, though you are not required to. Their dispositions range from euphoric to be serving you to quiet and shy, but there is a notable lack of resentment.

After about a day of rest, you will be brought an official invitation by one of the servants. Apparently, the Regent has requested your presence for supper that evening. It is not optional.

THE FEAST

A few hours before suppertime, one of the servants will arrive to take you 'clothes shopping' for something appropriately formal to wears for your meeting with the Regent. In practice, this means taking you to one of several changing rooms filled with costly formal wear. The styles and sizes are diverse, which makes sense when you are informed that they are a collection of offerings from local weavers and seamstresses, some of which have been waiting for an owner for quite some time. From an Earthly point of view, there is a wide spectrum of cultural aesthetics, though most of them lean towards the same dark colors and gothic sensibilities that you saw the citizens of Achamoth wearing. Headpieces and artistic masks are plentiful, but not mandatory though the servant will tell you they are in vogue. A servant will be able to make alterations to your clothing with magic to achieve a proper fit.

After that, you have a couple more hours to prepare before you are invited to a lounge-like area for pre-meal drinks. You can get almost any kind of cocktail you can imagine, including some you can't, and will be allowed to chat each other up for about an hour before the feast begins. Some small appetizers are available, and soft, rhythmic music plays in the background. If you look for her, Xishen is present as well, dressed in a black evening gown with golden accents that flicker like stars in the night sky, her long hair pinned up into a messy bun and decorated with hair-sticks. As usual, she seems to be avoiding company for the moment, though she is keeping an eye on everyone. Perhaps she's counting heads to make sure there are no stragglers.

When the time arrives, two huge doors are opened, leading you into a room that looks like a mixture of a dining room and a cathedral. Ahead of you, three long takes are connected together in the shape of a triangle, with a large throne positioned at the point furthest into the room; it is presently empty. You'll be instructed to take a seat, basking in the multicolored flames of the candles and torches lighting the room. As you find your places, all seats will be filled except for the throne up front, with Xishen at its side. All you can do now is await your host.

[Mealtime interactions with the Regent can be threaded here. They will arrive right after the first course has been served.]

EXPLORATION

Having survived supper with the Regent, the next few weeks are essentially yours to plan. Though the Regent indicates that there is work for you to do on the Horizon, for now your orders are to simply rest and prepare. You'll have access to the Citadel's armory to acquire any basic armor or weaponry you could need; though none of what's on offer seems to be enchanted, it is undoubtedly the work of a master. Clothing is much the same as it was for the formal wear you picked out, though you will find there are more practical offerings available as well. If you don't find anything to your tastes, you are also welcome to go out on the town with a generous allowance from the Regent's own coffers.

Clothing isn't the only thing you can get out in the city, though. While there are material goods of many kinds available, the most tempting thing for many residents is the raw hedonism of the city's entertainment district. It has just about anything you could imagine, from day spas to gambling to brothels, and none of it is contained by the burden of law. Any Achamite entertainment seen as too intense to face daylight would certainly not be for the faint of heart.

The locals haven't had enough time to recognize the city's new Aions on sight, but if they see your shard or or any other sign of your status, you are bound to attract a lot of attention. You're a celebrity in these streets, and while it can get you plenty of favors or even unsolicited offerings, it can also be quite overwhelming. In many cases, Achamite's religious fervor exceeds their survival instinct, at least in terms of the ones most likely to bother you. They will back off if threatened by you, but they will take politeness as an invitation to continue.

When leaving the Citadel, a servant will usually try to accompany you, though they will stay behind if you order them to do so. They insist that it will be easier for you to get around with a dedicated guide, but in the end you're the one in charge.

QUESTIONS

How does my character picking a retainer work?
All Kenoma are offered the opportunity to take on an NPC retainer after arriving at the Citadel. This retainer will be an NPC created and played by you. They will be available day and night to attend to your character's needs. These servants understand the Regent largely from a religious perspective and will not have any outspoken anti-Regent sentiments, though they may or may not be nervous about their new master. Generally speaking, though, this is in a new job jitters sort of way, as working in the Citadel is considered to be a job of great cultural and religious significance. They want to do a good job! You are free to develop your retainer's personality and relationship with your character. If your character (or you) are not interested in having a personal retainer, they will instead be served by a rotation of unattached servants.

How much money are Kenomas given for shopping?
They will be given an emerald's worth in jools, which is 1000 units. This is about how much a minimum wage worker makes in two months. They will continue receiving spending money on a monthly basis, though the Citadel itself will take care of all of their needs. On an OOC level its safe to say that average city expenditures will be covered by the money they are given, though they are welcome to invest that money in making more money if they have to skills to do so.

What sorts of things are there in the entertainment district? Is anything illegal?
Almost everything is legal in Achamoth when it comes to entertainment, and there is not much government oversight in the way anything is run. This means that most 'entertainment' you can imagine is both present and largely unregulated, and it doesn't need to be underground on account of how permissive Achamite law is. Brothels, drugs, and even bloodsport are all fair game... technically, participants in brothels and bloodsports must be willing but that 'consent' can be pretty nebulous. 'Extreme' bloodsport is generally hush hush (those that are particularly graphic and unpleasant, or basically torture) and behind closed doors mostly just to avoid causing a fuss.

The one thing there is official rulings on, straight from the Regent, is the enforcement of 'age of consent' and laws against child abuse. Children are generally not allowed to participate in those skeevier activities and there is a cultural expectation for people to raise their children properly, though this still goes wrong fairly frequently. It's just one of the things that is actually punished. Adults, however, have fewer innate protections.

Comments

training yard

[baltimores]

[ The Citadel is so massive, it takes some time to get oneself familiar with everything it has to offer. But eventually, Amos finds the training yard, and while he doesn't have any real reason to be out here now beyond exploring, it's something he can see himself making regular use of. Just, you know. Not yet.

Although Ciel might be doing enough out there for all of them.

Amos stays off to the side, well out of her way when he first stumbles upon the spot — it's just basic survival instincts to not get in the path of someone throwing daggers around, after all. It's at a point she's paused, or decided to take a break, or whatever that he decides to make himself known (and if she'd already caught on to his presence and was just ignoring him, he doesn't mind), stepping further into the training space now that he knows he's not gonna get hit with anything.

Can't help but glance at her throat for a second before addressing her, but he blinks back up to make eye contact almost immediately after. ]

Where'd you learn to do that?

[ All of the stuff with the blades, that is. Just some professional curiosity is all. He knows at some point he's going to have to fight — for real, not whatever had actually been expected of them back in the cave — but there isn't really anything here that resembles what he's used to. Not in a meaningful way, anyway. And she sure looks like she knows what she's doing. ]

[expiera]

[She's used to it at this point, being watched by one party or another. Citadel staff and militia may still pass by even if she orders to be left alone, and of course her fellow Aions can go wherever they please in Achamoth, the training yards she happens to frequent being no exception. True privacy isn't something she can feasibly afford on these grounds to begin with, and as much as she's not one to openly advertise what she can do, shifting from working alone to working as a team did bestow merit in making her abilities known. The Regent may have made it clear that all of them possessed the potential for great destruction power no matter how humble their beginnings, but progress still takes time. So if more battles are in their collective future, then she rather step up to do enough fighting for several Aions on their side instead of forcing someone unprepared to take the field, if not at least make it clear that she's reliable on the front lines.

Thus Amos is left to watch for however long as he likes, though she may be cutting a particular session short for an earlier break once she notices his presence. The fact that he's sticking around instead of moving on after a few minutes is not lost on her either, the time it generally takes for curious onlookers to resume whatever they were doing before.

With a flicker, the blade she has in her hand vanishes, and she turns to him with her full attention. If she notices him staring at her neck, she gives no sign of it.]

Back in my world, after I was taken in by a combat-oriented organization.

[It's vague on purpose despite the equally professional response, she's aware, but she's not sure how much good it would do to try explaining the Church and its Executors to someone who's most likely from a different world. Although given how Black Keys are created, maybe a conversation on that line may be inevitable regardless? That's admittedly something she's still trying to gauge and parse, how much to say and how much to keep. She's used to the latter, but here in this world where the details no longer matter... Hm.]

[baltimores]

[ He has near infinite amounts of patience — just something he'd had to develop because of life circumstances, both whatever had happened to him from an early age and the very nature of space travel. (Space is infinite, you can only go so fast before the acceleration kills you, makes for some real long journeys kind of thing.) So sticking around and quietly observing Ciel had been like second nature — especially because he knows the only thing he's really good for is fighting. Protecting his people.

The Regent had kind of said as much directly to him. That's his role, and he's going to fulfil it. Except he knows he's still out of place here when it comes to fighting purposes, and Ciel looks anything but, hence the interest.

She makes no comment on her neck, so neither does he; just a blink of surprise at the way her blade vanishes. My world seems to explain that, but it's something else she's said that ends up getting his attention. ]

Taken in makes it sound like they looked after you. Trained you, I'm guessing — [ and there is curiosity in his tone, how one learns the thing she has, even if he doesn't ask it just yet. Give him a moment — ] but cared for you, too.

[ Because that's ended up being the more pressing question. Amos could say he went through something similar — being taken in by a combat-oriented organization isn't terribly far off, if by organization you mean gang and by taken in you mean property of — but it's not like he was trained. Or looked after. More just thrown to wolves and so happened to survive.

And suddenly it's important to know that where Ciel came from, she had actually been taken care of, not just used.

... If she had been then he'll deal with that, too. Even if it means just not acknowledging it. He's certainly more than familiar with that tactic. ]

[expiera]

[So he's patient. Patient, blunt, honest, may wear his heart on his sleeve also - or at least, that's what she could glean from what he's said for himself in front of the Regent. In truth, she did agree with him. She just went about it her own way, didn't try convincing any of the Pleromas down in the caverns precisely because she didn't feel like it was her place to influence their choice for them. It was theirs to make, and theirs alone.

Thus she acted immediately upon orders, and covered over the facts that she didn't capture or fatally wound anyone through loud threats and flashy displays of combat. Perhaps this is the gap between them: she knew how to leave things unsaid because she already understood the difference between what she believes and what she must do, as well as how to bridge them even if they're opposing ends. He had to voice his justifications out loud because he hasn't resolved such things for himself, or couldn't recognize the contradiction as the Regent had pointed out.

This man...

It's at his zoning in on what she had said over things she's omitted that has her recollect her thoughts. "Taken in", yes. She's certainly worded it that way, didn't she? Now that he's pointed it out... Hm.]

I had unusual aptitude, it would have been a waste not to. [It indirectly answers how she recovered from what happened inside the caverns, a wound that would've probably been fatal to most others. As for "cared for"... Can it be called that? She hasn't really thought of it that way before. How to answer that...]

It wouldn't do to let an effective weapon rust, either. I had access to resources befitting of my work. In that sense, our situation now doesn't feel very different from what I was used to before.

[What is he trying to get to? She doesn't directly address the part he's put notable emphasis on, but does ultimately judge that this much should be fine to divulge. She's not in the habit of going on about herself, but does recognize the need to present a coherent background to allies she'll be working together with. There's simply a lot of details to omit, as they're irrelevant to the present or the results she can provide.]

[baltimores]

[ For what it's worth — probably not much, if anything — her distraction had worked on him. He'd seen her jump into the fray, and most notably get brutally injured for her troubles. That she didn't die kinda makes sense now, what with the whole shard thing, but that's about all he's been able to take from her display. As far as he knows, her effort was a sincere one. Amos doesn't really do games or tests so much as the real thing, and the next time will be the real thing. Which means he's gotta match her, not so much in ability as in effort. That makes her someone to learn from. Maybe even admire, if he wants to go that far.

... For a second, he can feel his heart sink at her answer. And then the feeling is gone, swallowed down, pushed below depths he can't reach. Calling herself a weapon is familiar — it would be painfully so, if he hadn't just dismissed all of those feelings — so he takes that second, and nods.

She hadn't really acknowledged the whole cared for part. Which probably gives them an unfortunate number of things in common. Oh well. ]

Guess it doesn't, huh? [ If she had detected any trace of emotion from him, it's gone now. ] Being a weapon's all I was really ever any good for. There's almost something nice about knowing that's what's expected of you. Like you don't gotta be anything more than you're actually capable of.

[ ... Human. Biologically, sure. Or at least before he ended up here. But whatever actually makes humans humans had always seemed to be missing.

(She's the one who had announced they all had souls, he remembers. Still feels beyond his grasp, even if the evidence of it is tangible now. Either way.)

He tilts his head, gesturing towards where the blade she'd previously been holding had been. ]

Except I know I'm not exactly useful as a weapon right now. This whole place is out of my scope. Found some guns in the armoury, but they're old as shit compared to what I'm used to, and I've never had to work my way around a blade before. [ A beat, and. ] Any pointers, in case I gotta pick anything like that up?

[ When in Rome, and all. ]

1/2

[expiera]

[If she's noticed any flicker of emotion from his expression at her answer, she shows no sign of it. It's better if he doesn't feel for her, any shred of sympathy would be sorely misplaced. She knows what she's done and made peace with her choices. They're on the same side, this side, for a reason, after all.

So he's in a similar situation, but from a world without magic, that much can be inferred. It's also the only way of living he's ever known, isn't it? She can make such an assumption because it's already glaring, the stark difference between how they both view their function as living weapons. The simple and straightforward way he expresses himself so openly without nuance is the complete opposite of her, there's almost a twisted sort of innocence to how candidly he speaks of the matter.]

But humans are capable of a great deal, for creation and destruction alike. Even weapons must be forged, or at the very least used with a specific intent. They don't just poof into existence, they could also be tools with other uses before being repurposed as one. Hearing you put it like that, are you sure it's all you're good for, and not because you haven't tried enough other different things to find something else?

[She offers a faint and ever-so-slightly deprecating smile as she links her hands behind her back, wondering if she's being too forward yet finding herself not filtering her assessment. It'd terribly awkward if she was wrong, yes, but... The gut feeling is unusually strong for some reason, hm.

...That said.]

[expiera]

I could try offering you suggestions, yes. The Regent did say every one of us has the potential to become extraordinary, Xishen also explained to me that our capabilities are dependent of our personal expectations and self-perceptions. So knowing that, what sort of combat-oriented power or skill are you hoping to learn?

[It's not one size fits all, and both their superiors have made it clear that they can develop abilities they didn't have before. Thus the bigger question is: how imaginative is this seemingly ordinary man, who so earnestly refers to himself as a human weapon?]

[baltimores]

[ He shrugs, unbothered by her words, her questioning of his own assessment. There's a clear difference between the two of them — he's much more direct than she is. He doesn't mind it, either. As long as nobody is trying to delve into the specifics of his past, he's got nothing to hide. There's no point to it. If she sees fit to dance around details as far as she's concerned, then that's fine, too.

They already have enough in common, that much is obvious from just these few words. And yet there's apparently a gap between them, based on what she's asking him.

It's a good thing. ]

Maybe. I had people back home who probably saw it the same way you do. Except the thing is, you get it into someone really young, and they don't exactly have the chance to branch out into something else. They're incapable. The brain doesn't develop properly. [ There's the slightest shake of his head; his brain. ] This was kinda the best case scenario for me.

[ That's why they're here, isn't it? To make sure his best case scenario never happens to anyone else. He's certainly committed to that.

Though a thoughtful look crosses his face at her disclosure that the possibilities are far more wide open than he'd originally believed. He was used to just making do with what he had, which hadn't been much for most of his life. ]

Huh.

[ Amos glances down at his hands for a second — broad and powerful, worker's hands that have seen their fair share — before back up at Ciel. ]

Probably wouldn't hurt to learn something new during this downtime. But my own self-perception... [ He's already made it clear what he thinks about himself, hasn't he? The idea gives him real pause, wondering if there's anything more there. If the sky's really the limit—

He glances up. Past the sky, for all the good it does now, being bound to this planet. ] I worked in space for twenty-something years. Being able to bring some of that back down planetside would be nice. Some of the tech, somehow, or maneuverability in zero g. Maybe with more control since there actually is reliable gravity here. Hell if I know; I never knew anything like this was even possible.

[ But it is now, isn't it? Normally Amos would think it'd be dangerous for him to become something extraordinary — except here, he knows he's on the right side of things. So here, as long as he serves the Regent, it's probably a good thing, isn't it.

There's almost a sense of wonderment at the whole notion — something incredibly appealing about it. ]

[expiera]

[...Haha.

She perks up with a smile, bright and cheerful and kind as if they're sharing excellent news between them.]

Is that like saying children who grew up that way would be more efficient at acting like weapons, if it's the only thing they've ever known? That means you can definitely surpass me, then. I started rather late, myself.

[There isn't anything forced about it. It really was natural. Though her smile does fade a bit, as they motor on to the matter at hand that has them meeting in a training yard to begin with.]

Ah, space! I'm only versed with magic myself, but modern contemporary magi in my world do say that science and magic seek similar ends, just through completely opposing methodology. Maybe levitation and telekinesis, if you have a good understanding of gravity - or rather, the lack of it? If you can make yourself ignore the concept of weight entirely, then maybe you can someday come to freely move anything around you regardless of how heavy your target actually is?

[The suggestion is arguably childish, being indeed excessively simple an idea at its core. But there should be plenty of practical applications for it, as well as combat-oriented ones. Any tool can be repurposed to fight, as they were just talking about before.]

[baltimores]

[ Her smile earns a blink as he digests what it could possibly mean, not to mention her actual words. The confusion doesn't last long, though; her admittance that she started late is actually nice to hear. Instead he shrugs, opts to approach the subject like they're talking about the weather.

There is a kind of comfort in being with someone who isn't going to make things a bigger deal than they have to be. ]

Maybe it's kinda like that — if they've proven they can adapt and commit to it, then sure. Then it's just more hours put into the trade. Never makes anyone worse at the job. [ And the implication seems clear enough — they both adapted. He knew kids who couldn't; maybe she did once, too, but that hardly matters now. ] But I dunno about surpassing you — more like it'd be nice to know I can make myself useful. Only competition's between us and them.

[ The Pleroma — the ones he's actually going to fight next time. He's less concerned with his fellow Kenoma's abilities than so much as finding the best ways to work alongside them so they can do what needs to be done.

But as he listens to Ciel talk, a more thoughtful look crosses his face; by the time she finishes, he's locked eyes with her, properly engaged. You can't do anything about the past, so reminiscing only did so much; now that they're on to the future — things that very well might be in their power to control — he's that much more interested.

It also helps that she's taken an approach he finds he understands intrinsically. There's a new brightness to his eyes as he speaks, voice less of a drawl, more enthused. ]

Shit, that makes a lot of sense, actually. Like the idea of leaving Earth probably felt like magic way back whenever, only it became possible through science. But since magic exists here... [ He cocks his head, thinking about everything she's listed as a possibility. Sure, it's kinda childish, but he's dealing with an elementary understanding of magic here. Why couldn't this work? ] Thrust gravity on a ship's easy to change. I get the right tech around me, I already know how to change the weight of everything on board. If it's possible to just come from me...

[ He glances down at his chest, roughly where his shard lies. If that's what makes him extraordinary, if that's what will let him take what he already knows and give him a means to channel it, through him rather than an engine, it actually doesn't sound that farfetched.

Amos looks back up at her, a small smile starting to grace his features. If the suggestion is childish, then a bit of that childlike enthusiasm seeps into his voice. ]

Hell of a lot of things I could do with that if it's coming from me, not a ship. You're right. [ A beat. ] What about you? You got what you already knew from back home — anything else you can see yourself learning?

[ They're allies, right? It's in their best interests that they both grow. And besides, she's already helped expand on one idea; if she's got more, then maybe there's something else they can build off of each other there.

That or he learns to use a blade at some point. That option's still on the table. ]

[expiera]

[Right. Context is a detail, a footnote, no matter how much it contributed into shaping the tools they've become today. It's the end result that counts, and they're talking right now precisely because they share common cause, one that will have them do everything in their power in service to the Kenoma, to the Regent. She understands his sentiment. Coming from a dangerous line of work where the average tenure is about a few years at most (because death or conversion usually ends up getting most people, the latter treated as worse than death for what it represents), there's no need to be picky about the background as long as people were willing and somewhat competent at the job. As an undying monster endowed with an exceptional body, she was just expected to be more capable as much as she was going to be shunned, both because of her very nature and nothing more. ...It's almost nice here, in a sense, to at least not be judged by that alone from her coworkers.]

It's a nice and simple way of looking at it, yes. And please, don't dismiss the possibility until you've given it a shot! We're treated as demigods for a reason, now. [It sounds like she's joking, tone light and smile still cheery.] I don't think we necessarily have to physically defeat the Pleromas too, through it would make it a simple matter to retrieve their shard if their physical form dissipates. It had been mentioned that bringing them to our side is possible as well.

[Hypocritical as it is for her to mention it, as she's done nothing trying to convince the Pleromas back inside that cave. Ah well.]

Yes, exactly, much like attaining flight and long distance communication! [She matches his enthusiasm quite readily, having never considered herself a magus and thus is devoid of the disdain for tech that regular mages in her world are often full of.] Your shard is like the power core, and they do say that the soul reflects the body, so here, that just also extends to your abilities. The possibilities are endless, I'm sure more ideas will come to you too as you get better at what you set out to master.

[She grows more thoughtful at his question, recognizing that it's asked purely and simply out of camaraderie. It's a nice change of pace.]

I haven't given it much thought, between trying to learn more about this world and recalibrating myself to the limits of it. There are some strong fighters on the Pleroma's side, but I don't think there's any I can't face as I am, now that we have the chance to organize and better prepare.

[She doesn't make direct mention of what she's gone through back inside the caverns, but this clearly confirms how she doesn't see what happened to her as something worth blinking twice over. For better or worse...]

[baltimores]

[ The mention of being demigods draws something of a small grimace from him, not for any disagreement on his end but because it's still kinda weird. All of this being waited on and treated with reverence — it's weird. It passes pretty quick, though, as he opts to match her good mood instead. Or at least something more ambivalent. ]

I'm not exactly the converting type. Hell, I talked to some of them back when they were still resisting; they were adamant about refusing the Kenoma. Maybe you or someone else would have better luck — but I think I'm more on shard retrieval duty than anything else.

[ Go in, kill someone without killing them, collect their soul for whatever the Regent might want with it. It's a hell of a lot simpler than trying to convince someone to do what he wants them to. Better yet, it's something he'd actually be good at if opportunity arose. That's where his spirits really tick up — that, and discussing the possibilities of what he could do if he could manipulate gravity the way a ship could so easily change under thrust. ]

Never really thought of myself as having a soul before, but yeah. Space is where my body spent most of its time anyway. Makes sense if some of that would transfer over here.

[ Forgive him his rudimentary understanding — actually, thinking of his shard as a power core makes a lot more sense than as a soul, so maybe he'll go with that instead. Doesn't matter if it's accurate in only an abstract sense; abstract might be all he has to work with in regards to his own humanity. It's alright. Seeing her in a pretty good mood has him in one, too. ]

Sure, I hear you. Makes sense. [ He had his own encounter with Estinien, back during the first week of the ritual — and he'd backed off pretty quick, recognizing his chance for a win there was slim. She'd held her own, though. At least until. Amos shrugs it off too; it's not a big deal to her, she survived, it's not a big deal. ] If we're gonna get stronger, though — if someone like me's gonna figure it out — then they probably will on their side, too.

[ A beat, a thoughtful look. ]

Never hurts to get better at the craft.

[expiera]

[Haha. Still having some trouble with how they're revered everywhere they go? She can't say she's a fan either, but there's nothing they can do about how the locals perceive them without knowing anything beyond their Aion status. She'll try to find other terms then, to convey how they can supposedly be much, much more on Horos.]

I can understand that, I'm no good at preaching myself. I can look after people and talk with them about anything else, but what compels us to either side, it's about a lot more than just how we see ourselves, our place in the world, and how we relate to each other. The reasons that drive us are probably not the sort of thing that can be talked out in one sitting, so it wouldn't feel very meaningful to try making it work for others even if we're confident in our own choice. We made it that way because of what we've been through, and no one else would know what our lives were like but us. I wonder if I'm just making excuses... But aha, I'm getting carried away, sorry about that. Please don't blame yourself, is what I mean to say. Chances are no one else would've been able to convince some of the Pleroma either, and it would have nothing to do with luck or who tried talking to them.

[Her smile is a bit more subdued and distant with that, and it lingers, though polite curiosity is added at his remark.]

Really? Why not, if it's okay for me to ask? [Can't fault people who've done space travel to not be very spiritual, but to hear him put it so plainly is still a little odd.]

Mmhm. I don't think fighting strength alone will see us through this though, there's a lot of stubborn people on the other side. But you do have me thinking, since we're talking about it: I think powers that can influence other people's memories and emotions may be effective too, it could also be an alternative to fighting until physical dissipation. I'm not sure if I can come to learn something on that line, but if we're to become more effective at what we do, that could be a useful sort of ability to develop.

[Not exactly brainwashing, but. Everyone's got their trauma and triggers, all those dark feelings spilling out of themselves when they were first fed the sludge was ample proof. Could THEY come to harness powers on that line? If so, what can they do with it?

...

Well, it's just a possibility. They're brainstorming, so it's ok to think of things that are a little crazy.]

[baltimores]

[ We made it that way because of what we've been through. Yeah. Amos listens attentively as she speaks, absorbing every word. If he hadn't grown up in an environment that so thoroughly broke him, maybe he would've had the fortitude he saw in some of the Pleroma to hold out until escape became possible. If Ciel hadn't been taken in the way she had, maybe she would've ended up on the other side. It's... almost strange to think about, the mistakes he would have made if he'd gotten a better lot in life. ]

Not like I know what any of them went through back home, but I kinda wonder if they don't know how bad things can get. How broken reality can be. Because what I do know is there was no chance of me holding out. Anyone who could was lucky.

[ And therefore unsuitable to make the call on if reality needs to be torn down or not. There is a hint of bitterness to his voice; he cuts it off there. Rubs the back of his neck, a little sheepish. ]

I don't think I'm convincing anyone in the best of circumstances. [ He tilts his head. ] I feel like you could, though. Hell if those circumstances ever come, but you're already way better at any of this than I am.

[ And at the question regarding his soul — he shrugs, unperturbed. Yeah, sure, he'll answer just about anything. ]

I mean... a part of me died pretty young. Like, young enough that I don't think I ever got a chance to be human. I always had something missing; if souls are real, then that would've explained it. So knowing that I do have one after all kinda introduces more questions than answers. [ He's still missing something. Or can't access it, is so cut off from it he can't find it. Does that mean he can get it back? Ever actually be a person? Or is it always just going to be there, out of reach?

... Amos shakes his head. Hell if he knows. She probably doesn't either. The rest of it's so much easier to talk about. ]

Manipulate them into understanding. Make them figure out what we already did during the ritual. [ His eyebrows go up; something like that would have never occurred to him. ] Think I'm always gonna be a brute force kind of guy, but never hurts to diversify our ranks.

[ If they can really bring out what's already there. Or at the very least, make those clinging to hope understand what true hopelessness is.

... It is interesting, he'll give her that. As long as they're just shooting the shit, he's not entirely opposed. ]

1/2

[expiera]

[She listens attentively, and that bit has her head lull slightly forward as she briefly closes her eyes. "If they don't know how bad things can get", huh? Is it coincidence or irony, that she knows how to refute this? From a singular instance where she shared more than she would've ever liked with someone else...]

I wouldn't say that. Some of them may be from terrible backgrounds, have done terrible things themselves, but chose as they had because they found reasons important to them for carrying on. It doesn't necessarily mean they're ignorant, it could just mean they want to believe in the good they know despite being aware of how bad things can also get. That could explain better, if anything, why they resist all the more so stubbornly. The more they stay optimistic and attached despite well knowing how dark and despairing the world can get, the stronger their faith and unwillingness to let go is, founded upon the very precious things that inspired them so in the first place. It's why I don't think talking will do much good from their end too, we're all beings built up and worn down by our own experiences, the world we lived in.

[The motivation that guides them can't be replicated, can't be reconciled. That's why the divide is as it is, between them.]

2/2

[expiera]

[But moving on, and she opens her eyes at him again as they shift to another philosophical topic of a different brand.]

Mm, I think I get where you're coming from. It sounds like it boils down to whether or not we can agree a soul is part of nature or nurture, something that's always there or something that must be grown and developed. Where I'm from, it's taken for granted that everyone is normally born with a soul. You could lose it or damage it to supernatural means, but it's treated as a fundamentally human thing. That's coming from a world where homunculi exist too, human-like artificial dolls made from magecraft that mages use to do their bidding. The scientific equivalent would be robots equipped with artificial intelligence, who are advanced enough to be autonomous with the potential to develop their own will and thought. Do those objects have souls? They're not treated as such, as they're tools created for the explicit use of seeing tasks accomplished. Real humans can be treated like that too, but being dehumanized doesn't change the basic fact that we are inherently human in mind and body. So in your situation, can you perhaps see it as how you may not have had a humane upbringing, but you're still yourself with a soul of your own?

[Perhaps she shouldn't have brought up the homunculus, which may or may not have only made things more confusing, though it felt relevant at the time to underline the distinction. This is getting long-winded again, isn't it... She'll have to apologize later. But for now, it seems like something worth talking about, exploring in full, and she'll focus on that while tucking away for later the possibility of her developing new abilities that could influence others psychologically down the road.]

[baltimores]

[ He's the farthest possible thing from a moral authority on the subject of why people make the choices they do, especially in a situation as drastic as this, so it's with a raw honesty that he listens to everything Ciel has to say. His perspective is limited, stunted; hers isn't — or is at least different enough from his own — so he wants to hear all of it.

Already, he trusts her enough for at least that. ]

You almost make it sound like they're delusional.

[ Which... would fit the bill, as far as he's concerned. There's only so much you can fight against something before it's evident you're not gonna win. Which is fine and all, but eventually you just gotta accept the facts: there's no hope, and trying desperately to find something that doesn't exist is, well. A waste.

... But also doesn't explain how they'd manifested the Pleroma, so actually, it's more like it's the opposite of that. That's pretty direct evidence against what he's thinking, so... ... eh. He shrugs a shoulder, ambivalent. ]

Guess it doesn't really matter. That makes sense, though. There's no talking to anyone like that. Won't accomplish anything.

[ There's just fighting and killing them, which... that's what he's already signed up for. Nothing's really changed there; if anything, it's a reaffirmation of his worldview.

The talk of souls has him thinking, though. He stares at the ground, at his own feet, as she elaborates — listening, but. It's really a lot to consider, especially for someone who's never broached this topic before in... any capacity, really. Hadn't had any need to until he'd woken up with physical, solid evidence of his soul embedded in his chest.

Eventually, he looks back up. Meets her gaze. ]

We don't got that kind of artificial intelligence where I'm from, but... seems messed up if you took something that could think just like us and tell it it's lesser. Not sure I like that. [ If he knew how to recognize his own sense of empathy, this'd be it kicking in — identifying more with a fake human more than real ones, despite what she says. ] Think I get what you mean, though. It's not like I immediately got thrown in the shit. There were a few years of reprieve first. Even if there weren't, if it's something that comes with you the moment you're born, then... yeah. I would've had that. Just in time for it to be rendered unnecessary.

[ Oh, well, essentially. What're you gonna do. The idea of actually having a soul bothered him more than the idea that it just got catastrophically damaged along the way... But there really isn't anything to be done about either, now is there? He's as at peace with it as he'll ever be pretty much right away. Whether that's a good thing or a bad — doesn't matter. Just that Ciel had ended up answering a question for him he'd have never thought to ask, and he respects the hell out of her for it. ]

[expiera]

Haha. It does sound a bit like that, doesn't it? But that's just how it is, when opposing ideologies clash. If a person has cause to believe in something with all their might, whatever that reason may be, surely they would come across as delusional, maybe even insane, to someone else who disagrees. Logic and common sense become secondary, when faith and emotions become so strong that they override everything else.

[And that's exactly what idealism is: a however misguided unerring belief for the better, no matter how broken the present world is and how many active causes for despair it already holds. That's the sort of blind optimism she KNOWS exists on the other side, and why talking to them won't be of any use.]

Right. Some differences in beliefs are just entirely irreconcilable, there's no compromise we can make because we just stand too far apart. That's the nature of our conflict, of Kenoma versus Pleroma, so we should just focus on what we have to do for our side. It's the same for them, of course. They do they, and we do we. Talking may be a waste of time, but it won't necessarily hurt, either. Just keep in mind why you're here, what led you to choose the way you did, and what you have to do to accomplish what you need to. At least, that's what I think and intend to do.

[She looks back at him with a faint smile, earnest in presenting the conclusion she's drawn for herself. Hopefully it helps more than confuse, especially with the soul discussion already going on.]

Right. It would also be dependent on the creator, whether to treat the homunculus or the AI as a friend or as a tool. Extending the analogy to humans, that would normally be our parents, but overall, our environment, circumstances, and people we grow up with all have a hand in shaping who we are. Humanity, soul... Maybe those are just pretty words in the end, haha. In any case, a physical manifestation to the essence of our existence exists, at least on Horos: that's our shard, and it embodies our appearance, our memories, what we believe we can do, so on and so forth. Please be careful and take care of it, okay? We need it in good shape to carry out what we need to.

[She can't claim to be wholly aware what sort of epiphany she may have helped Amos uncover, but the exact details didn't matter. Ciel aspires to do everything she can for the cause that saw fit to summon and accept her, and giving what she can for allies on the same side is merely an extension of that. As long as she may be of use, as long as she can contribute, as long as someone can genuinely say she's helped them in some way even with their goal being what it is, then she would be validating why she's here. All the better for this sort of thing to be mutually beneficial, right?]

[baltimores]

Right. And those people are dangerous.

[ He holds a healthy respect for those who are committed to their causes — hell, point him in the right direction, and he's one of them. There's no reasoning with someone who's made up their mind. You just have to ride the conflict out to its inevitable conclusion.

... And at that thought, he returns her faint smile, because they're on the same page. ]

But yeah. I hear you. Don't gotta worry about me — if something needs to be done, I'm getting it done. Glad we're on the same team.

[ There is a simplicity with which he delivers that statement, like, of course. Why would he do anything else? So it's nice to have someone who thinks similarly when it counts.

And he nods at the idea of keeping his shard safe, smile broadening just that little bit much more. ]

'course. I don't really get it, but it's not for me to get. I just know I can't exactly do anything without it, and that's counterintuitive to all of this. I'll look after mine — and anyone else's I gotta, too.

[ Which includes Ciel. Anyone else on the Kenoma, really, but she's here now, she's helped guide him through this. He doesn't owe her, but in a way, he does. They all gotta look out for each other, whether it's something as simple as walking someone through a problem or protecting them on the battlefield. Same difference, and he'll extend that kinship to her without a second thought. ]