A Conversation

[lachtara]

WHO: Abel, Eleven, Emet (And 1 looming Estinien)
WHAT: Meeting across enemy lines
WHERE: The Visionary Shrine
WHEN: 5/10, After the New Arrivals
WARNINGS: Attempted Manipulation?



The time has come to meet with a few individuals on the opposing side. Their meeting during the chaos that the new arrivals brought had been purposefully brief, spurred by the fighting at the shrines around them. Today they could speak with one another without the added burden of potentially being involved in a squabble. At least, one could hope.

He proceeds to the Visionary Shrine - an easily accessible halfway point between their two territories. It's the most amicable are for such a meeting to take place.
 
Slipping out of Achamoth with the added commotion of new arrivals is simple enough, while covering the distance between the city and the Shrine is somewhat more difficult. Emet-Selch arrives there while the shrine is still quiet and abandoned. He finds a comfortable bloom of shadows off to the side where he could wait... and carefully observe who approached. 

Would they be true to their word and entertain speaking to one another? Or would this all have been for nothing?

Comments

TL for Abel

[lachtara]

"I was beginning to wonder if you would show at all," Emet-Selch comments as he emerges from his blanket of shadows and steps into the sunlight. It seems that They adhered to their word and have only brought three of the Pleroma in tow - though he cannot help but spare some measure of amusement for the last-minute request that Estinien be in attendance.

"But here you are, as promised," Emet-Selch gestures onward with an open hand. "and I shall indulge you in conversation, as I have promised."

[inutilis]

Abel gives something of a start as Emet-Selch good as coalesces from the shadows, hiding his momentary fluster through the habitual tic of adjusting his glasses. ...Glasses which, as it turns out, are actually perched at his nose today; he is no longer without his spectacles, though the rest of his 'uniform' hasn't quite managed to find its way to him, thus far.

"Ah, Mr. Emet-Selch, the one and only! As if I would stand you up after such a kindly invitation...?"

His smile is soon comfortable and easy as he presses a hand to his chest, giving something of a minute bow in way of gratitude for this welcome. But he wastes no further time dawdling; Abel's footsteps echo inside the large, empty shrine; there is no hatching Aion, here. There are none but them in this eerily quiet space to further greet him.

"...I really am grateful for you coming to meet us. Are you sure it isn't an imposition...?"

[lachtara]

"I will not say that being here was without its obstacles," Namely having to divulge information to the Regent and having to come all the way out here on his own. "but let no man say that I did not try."

Emet-Selch motions to his company with a hand. In a brighter tone ads with a smirk in his voice, "May I say that you look well. I see that being outside the walls of Achamoth has not dampened your spirits."

[inutilis]

"Ah, well... there is no use crying over spilt milk, is there? Not all of us can be afforded the luxuries of Achamoth, legendary though they may be, but... Perhaps the sight of you has brightened my spirits, mm~?"

Abel gives a dryly amused scoff; he knows Emet-Selch would be quicker to balk at that sentiment than most. But there is some hint of truth in it; though the priest certainly is cheerful and energetic enough to annoy most, this arrangement - and Emet's part in it - definitely has put him in a brighter mood for the occasion.

"And what of you, hm? How has the city been treating you...?"

Blue eyes rest on those of his companion, a light tilt of his head conveying the underlying niggle of something... concerned. Abel had certainly swallowed the bait of his Brand hook line and sinker after they had last met; he's been worried about the other man's standing with the Regent ever since.

[lachtara]

Indeed he does scoff out loud at such a sentiment, far be it for others to have their spirits lifted at the sight of him.

"Not nearly with as much ardor as you afford me with. Two short conversations and yet here I am brightening your day with my presence. Dare I say that I have not felt such an eager reception since my halcyon days." It is woefully facetiousness.

His expression evens itself out. "It is as you say. Achamoth is a spectacle of luxury and wealth. We are provided all we need and some besides." Granted they earned it, he carefully omits. "For all that the city offers, I find that I prefer the quiet of its Library."

[inutilis]

"A man of literature, I see...! You do strike me as the sort to be well-read, Mr. Emet-Selch."

And while Abel is intensely curious about what sort of knowledge is holed away in the Regent's shelves, he doubts that this is a topic of discussion his company would care to humor, presently - nor why they're here. Their time is limited, and they ought to make the best of it.

So Abel gently fidgets with his glasses again before casting his gaze about the Shrine, eyes cast toward where the chrysalis lie below.

"...I suppose what you're here for isn't something you'll find in those tomes. I don't think I might find what I'm looking for there either, much as I enjoy a good read on a rainy afternoon."

[lachtara]

"Indeed. I did not ask you to come here with the intention of discussing my tastes in reading material. I asked you here because I want to know: why." To the matter at hand, then.

He takes a few gracious steps forward and then throws his arms wide to the area that surrounds them. "Why do you find that this world - " Emet-Selch steps in a gracious circle to indicate the shrine around them. " - is fit be saved?"

[inutilis]

Goodness, but doesn't this man have a flare for the dramatic?

Abel cannot help but find Emet-Selch intriguing; there is something enigmatic about him, though it has little to do with his enthusiasm for putting on a good show. The priest finds himself instead drawn to what lies beneath; there were hints of something genuinely pained and aching in this Aion, a man yearning to be reunited with all that he had lost, the weight of time only having made that gnawing pit in his stomach hunger all the harder for what had been beyond his reach.

He is still in juxtaposition to Emet-Selch's animation; his smile remains at his lips, for now.

"The better question might be why I wouldn't, don't you think?"

The preservation of this world - of any world - seems natural to him. Wanting to end everything... to summarily write off every life on this planet and so many others... No; Abel cannot claim he can't fathom why anyone might wish for such a thing. But even so...

"...I, for one, have found a great many things I enjoy about Horos. Places I'm beginning to fancy-- people I'd quite like to call friends, and maybe some I already do. Is it strange to want to protect those things?"

[lachtara]

"It is strange to receive such a dispassionate answer." The scowl on his face deepens. "Those you once cared for are no more and the gods you serve have seen their end, and that is all the explanation you offer why this world is so deserving?" Spoken with the intent of someone with a personal motive.

"Would you not find something else to be 'fond' of in a new world? I am sure that there would be some new marvel to 'fancy' that could be much improved when compared to Horos."

[inutilis]

"They aren't gone."

Abel corrects the other man gently; perhaps he could have let the point go, but it feels important that he does not. The priest is firm in this affirmation but patient; he knows not all share his point of view on the subject.

"I fully intend to go back to those waiting for me back at home, and I believe they are waiting for me. But... even if they weren't, it wouldn't change what I've said at all."

Whether his earth, his people, live or die does not change the fate of all the rest in his eyes.

"The people living in this world are no less deserving of life than any others. None of us have the right to pass summary judgment on whether or not others should live or die... and even if we did-- who is to say the world the Regent wants is better than this one...? This person, this... entity... could you tell me you trust them and their vision, Mr. Emet-Selch?"

[lachtara]

"I am not so blind as to trust someone based on their word alone." Emet-Selch snaps in response. A dangerous thing to admit to, for certain, but never the one to shy away from risk. "However, we share a commonality in our thinking and methods. What they offer I can not simply ignore."

That is all he cares to indulge at that moment.

His harsh tone subsides and his expression eases. "You said that they were not gone. What do you mean." It was said with a certainty that was not present before.

[inutilis]

Abel didn't expect Emet-Selch to be the sort to follow another blindly, but hearing the other man affirm this aloud is a reassurance all the same. He's had some... worries... about how far the Kenoma might influence those who had ingested it without inevitably purging it as well. Was it possible its host were under some form of manipulation...? Considering how some of their Aion brethren had spoken so freely and with great acceptance after the ritual in the cavern, the priest has his suspicions.

He puts that thought aside, for now; instead, Abel is focusing on the conversation at hand. Emet-Selch is motivated to follow the Regent in hopes of seeing some personal goal fulfilled; it doesn't take much to puzzle out its involvement with his world, his home, lost to him.

"I mean that our worlds are precisely where we left them," Abel replies. "The dreams we shared are the only proof we have to the contrary. Beside that... there have been some-- oddities, ones I don't think I can explain if everything were truly gone. It isn't that I have irrefutable proof one way or the other - but... it's what I believe, for whatever that's worth."

TL for Eleven

[lachtara]

After a chat with the priest comes for the opportunity to speak with the other individual he requested to come along. The child hero, the one so fervently attached to the idea that light would solve all that ailed the world.

"Come," Emet-Selch saunters up to him and motions onward with an option palm. "Let us regale one another with our stories. Perhaps we can uncover something truly surprising, hm?"

Note

[lachtara]

( Due to Solar dropping, there will be no replies on this thread. However, they mentioned the following about their conversation: "El hasn't spent much time in Godsblood to give good answers, so they'd be pretty vague and unhelpful. He's aware Greentruth is supposed to be secret though so less about that. Moreover, El would wax pretty poetic about motivations, the importance of life/light and such." )

TL for Estinien

[lachtara]

After speaking with the other two 'guests', Emet-Selch separates himself from the pair and comes to a stop a short distance away from the shrine. He takes a moment to contently breathe in the fresh outdoor air - the pleasant smell of it is quite different than what resides within the bustling streets of Achamoth.

"It sounds as though you have kept yourself busy. You are earning quite the reputation with the other Kenoma for your skills. Bravo." He calls into the quiet, to the 'observer' that the other two had requested come along last minute. The Dragoon had not participated in the conversations but there was never any doubt that he had not been intently observing.

[coerthantorment]

Fortunately, for the sake of the gathering's integrity, nothing short of a direct threat to participants or the spilling of extremely critical information would draw Estinien down from his post. He has been listening for signs of discord, but ultimately, he gave his word. He's here to keep watch and to make sure Abel and Eleven are safe. He's not here to interfere with this attempt at diplomacy, no matter how suspicious he is of Emet-Selch's intent.

Even now, it seems as if he's hesitating to respond to Emet-Selch's callout, feeling it may be simpler to remain completely uninvolved. He remains on his perch, though he does deign to speak after several seconds.

"An entirely complimentary one, no doubt," he drawls, assuming the opposite.

[lachtara]

"That depends entirely on what your personal interpretation of 'complimentary' is." Some preferred to be feared for their skills while others want to be adored for them. With a distant sigh, he adds, "Although I do wish that your sparkling renown would result in less of a mess for me to clean up."

[coerthantorment]

Estinien doesn't care one way or the other, what he cares about is the results. The Kenoma can think whatever they want about him, as long as he's successful in his objectives to protect the others.

"Given the circumstances," he says, "you'll have to forgive me if I care little for your or the other Kenoma's inconvenience. Someone has to keep you in line while my comrades pursue their more optimistic ideals."

He's not being completely serious, but it's serious enough. Abel and Eleven are prime examples of what Estinien is dealing with.

[lachtara]

Emet-Selch looks off to the other two whom he had just conversed with. Each of them spoke with such commitment that this world should be saved regardless of its flaws. It's horrible, despicable flaws. He breathes a slight sigh, "I can not speak for your other comrades, but one can not deny their fervent dedication to such 'optimistic ideals'."

So he turns his attention back to his temporary overseer. "I wonder, was your presence here to 'keep me in line' at their behest, or was it yours?"

[coerthantorment]

"Father Abel asked for my presence," he says. "Though I wouldn't say he phrased it as 'keeping you in line.'" He lifts a shoulder. He doesn't want to give the impression Abel came into this with poor intentions. "My presence here is only to prevent the worst from coming to pass."

He's quiet for a moment, and then adds: "...And, I suppose, to bolster my faith in his methods if it turned out to be a success."

[lachtara]

Emet-Selch slowly folds his arms in thought. "Then as our singular outside observer, what are your current impressions of his 'methods'?"

[coerthantorment]

"I think..." he begins, "...that little has been proven."

It's a genuine observation, not just because of his biases on the subject. Admittedly, he's felt this way from the start, but it's safe to say that what he's seen here hasn't changed his mind.

"I feel it's unlikely that any of you will simply be talked out of your opinions," he says. "You can debate these matters until your faces are blue and in the end 'twill change nothing. 'Twould be an insult to your convictions to think otherwise."

[lachtara]

"Should I be flattered that you think so highly of my convictions?" He says with a tinge of amusement in his voice.

If nothing else, he can appreciate such honest assessments of the situation. Asking to speak with the Pleroma is not without the understanding that their ideals could never come to an agreement. There is no compromise to be reached here - one side must succeed and the other would not.

"Although, that point of view does stir my sense of curiosity." Emet-Selch gives the Dragoon a thoughtful look. "Why would you give a Kenoma the option to return with you if you thought they were beyond your reach? Why not crush their shard and be done with it?" Namely, Howl.

[coerthantorment]

"Perhaps not, given the horrific acts said conviction has inspired in you," he says, and despite the intensity of the statement, his tone is level. His eyes do narrow as he mentioned Howl, however - it's clear who he is speaking of, even without the name being said outright.

"You and Howl are nothing alike," Estinien says. "I believe in your ability to have chosen this path by its own merits. Howl chose nothing... he was broken."

[lachtara]

Emet-Selch gives him a long look, a thoughtful expression as he considers what has been said. The way each of them speaks of one another lends itself to there being a depth of understanding that extends beyond a simple fight. Sn untold relatability.

"Be that as it may," He begins slowly. "your paths may cross again in the future. Do you intend to let him go a second time, or gamble that he will choose to show you the same courtesy as you have shown him?" Letting Kenoma go and assuring that their ranks keep numbers seems an unwise strategy if they are truly 'beyond help'.

Then again, one could not underestimate the frivolous logic of so-called 'heroes'.