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[Akua is Praesi, and Hayame is a breeding stable jinba. Yet the similarities compound. She knows nothing of the same things. She was bred to be a superior specimen, to be the best. To live by the way of the warrior and nothing else, unattached cold iron that could be directed at whatever her master required. But ever since Horos... her worldview has been ripped apart and left like an open sore, torn even further apart every time she tried to close it. It wasn't until Kenos that anyone bothered trying to help her bandage or salve it, even jut a little, and still-
It ached.
And she is too weak now to pretend that a part of her didn't crave that ruin. Didn't sometimes dream of death even as she longed to survive. She is already wounded, she is already hurting, and friends are supposed to just- just fix it? Her lips curl back and sharp canines grind into her flatter teeth, readying herself to push the other woman away, to demand... just be loyal, then! Was it that goddamn hard? Actually be my friend!
But how pathetic that would be, when Akua has already made it clear what she feels friendship is. She releases a frustrated, impotent snarl, finally finds the fire to fling the other woman's hand away from her with a burst of,]
Stop preaching, Akua!
[Except instead of leaving it there, just letting that be a dismissal and the end of it-]
I heard you, didn't I?
[But did she believe her? Was she willing to let her so-called "friends" be the way they were with her? She didn't even know yet. And how was she supposed to know? Would she know today? Tomorrow? A week from now, a month? Her hooves churn in the woodshaving bedding of a stall meant for a fucking horse, she wants to just lash out-]
Just-
[Just what? The rage burns, but it's always been burning, and there's so little embers left. She doesn't know how to offer peace, how to acquiescence or to surrender, so how... ?
- In the frustrated silence, Hayame's gut suddenly lets out an obscenely loud rumble of hunger.]
It ached.
And she is too weak now to pretend that a part of her didn't crave that ruin. Didn't sometimes dream of death even as she longed to survive. She is already wounded, she is already hurting, and friends are supposed to just- just fix it? Her lips curl back and sharp canines grind into her flatter teeth, readying herself to push the other woman away, to demand... just be loyal, then! Was it that goddamn hard? Actually be my friend!
But how pathetic that would be, when Akua has already made it clear what she feels friendship is. She releases a frustrated, impotent snarl, finally finds the fire to fling the other woman's hand away from her with a burst of,]
Stop preaching, Akua!
[Except instead of leaving it there, just letting that be a dismissal and the end of it-]
I heard you, didn't I?
[But did she believe her? Was she willing to let her so-called "friends" be the way they were with her? She didn't even know yet. And how was she supposed to know? Would she know today? Tomorrow? A week from now, a month? Her hooves churn in the woodshaving bedding of a stall meant for a fucking horse, she wants to just lash out-]
Just-
[Just what? The rage burns, but it's always been burning, and there's so little embers left. She doesn't know how to offer peace, how to acquiescence or to surrender, so how... ?
- In the frustrated silence, Hayame's gut suddenly lets out an obscenely loud rumble of hunger.]
[ She does not wish to drop it, but she understands that Hayame is a stubborn woman, one who does not so easily give in, and she can only allow her to slap her hand away, violently and with a burst of energy that belies her despair. Akua wants to reach out, and soothe it from her, because she is so angry, and she knows what that path looks like. Gods Below, did she know. She knows what it is to be alone, to look upon others with disdain for what they cannot offer. She knows what it is to be so lonely, and what it looks like to be faced with friendship, once one has denied it for so long.
Oh, she had hated Catherine, for making her experience it. For seeing what she could have had, and what she had been denied. For exposing it to her.
She had left, afterward. She had stepped away, and betrayed Catherine soon after. She had loathed her, felt it deep in her soul, how much she hated and loved her for that. How much it had changed her. How much stepping into Praes and seeing how Dread Empress Malicia had warped the people had changed. How walking among them had felt so close to doing the right thing, and yet --
And yet she had never heard --
Hayame's stomach, the loud rumble broke her hesitation, and her lips quirked, slightly. ]
Hayame, how long has it been, since you have eaten?
Oh, she had hated Catherine, for making her experience it. For seeing what she could have had, and what she had been denied. For exposing it to her.
She had left, afterward. She had stepped away, and betrayed Catherine soon after. She had loathed her, felt it deep in her soul, how much she hated and loved her for that. How much it had changed her. How much stepping into Praes and seeing how Dread Empress Malicia had warped the people had changed. How walking among them had felt so close to doing the right thing, and yet --
And yet she had never heard --
Hayame's stomach, the loud rumble broke her hesitation, and her lips quirked, slightly. ]
Hayame, how long has it been, since you have eaten?
Edited 2023-06-27 03:29 (UTC)
[How pathetic it is, to be glad to be interrupted by her gut.
But she is, and she will have to live with knowing that. The embarrassment of how loud the rumble was is easier to swallow than her frustration over attempting to understand the word "friendship", over her inability to finish trying to banish Akua from her stall. She should do it... But if she did, then she will be alone again, with just herself and the crushing sense of defeat that came from having killed and hunted for an Oracle that still fell to the hands of the enemy despite her efforts.
Was it more pathetic to take that way out, or... ?]
... Some time.
[Despite the fact that their shard-based bodies didn't require food in the same way that a mortal body was supposed to, she still tended to eat normally, steadfastly refusing to accept their circumstances. She just...
She presses her forehead harder into the knuckles serving as a buffer between her face and the harsh wood of the stall walls, unable to believe that she was even about to suggest it, that it could fix anything, or at least serve as some way to end it...]
- Are you hungry?
But she is, and she will have to live with knowing that. The embarrassment of how loud the rumble was is easier to swallow than her frustration over attempting to understand the word "friendship", over her inability to finish trying to banish Akua from her stall. She should do it... But if she did, then she will be alone again, with just herself and the crushing sense of defeat that came from having killed and hunted for an Oracle that still fell to the hands of the enemy despite her efforts.
Was it more pathetic to take that way out, or... ?]
... Some time.
[Despite the fact that their shard-based bodies didn't require food in the same way that a mortal body was supposed to, she still tended to eat normally, steadfastly refusing to accept their circumstances. She just...
She presses her forehead harder into the knuckles serving as a buffer between her face and the harsh wood of the stall walls, unable to believe that she was even about to suggest it, that it could fix anything, or at least serve as some way to end it...]
- Are you hungry?
[ Akua, by contrast, only eats when she feels like it. As a shard-bearer, she knows she can eschew more sleep and more food, than she could before, and she had never been the type to over-indulge. Plus, she'd been a shade for years, and could not eat at all during that time. It was easier, a habit that she did not break, when she had been revived, simply eating only when necessary.
It had not helped, the guilt she felt then.
Even now, she does not heavily indulge. ]
Moderately so. Would you like to find something? I know of a stand that has fine fruits nearby. they even have oranges.
[ She would give Hayame the space, to think on what she said. She only hoped that it would lead to her learning to... bend more. When the situation required. ]
It had not helped, the guilt she felt then.
Even now, she does not heavily indulge. ]
Moderately so. Would you like to find something? I know of a stand that has fine fruits nearby. they even have oranges.
[ She would give Hayame the space, to think on what she said. She only hoped that it would lead to her learning to... bend more. When the situation required. ]
[Despite how much she ate... Hayame never did quite overindulge- though it likely looked that way to others. She had a half ton body to fuel after all, and it took a lot of food to do that. At least, it was supposed to. And she hated to be reminded that their existences had somehow been reduced to just gems embedded in their bodies...
So she ate. And she slept. And she...]
... You will have to educate me on these... "oranges".
[- Takes the escape from more talk on the nature of friendship. Later, alone in the dark, she will think more on what Akua has said.
But she doesn't want to be alone in the dark yet. Not again.]
So she ate. And she slept. And she...]
... You will have to educate me on these... "oranges".
[- Takes the escape from more talk on the nature of friendship. Later, alone in the dark, she will think more on what Akua has said.
But she doesn't want to be alone in the dark yet. Not again.]
[ Akua blinked once, twice, three times? ]
Oh Hayame.
You have never had one?
[ She held out her hand, an offer to take it, to lead her outward. ]
Well, now we must have one! We grew them where I am from, we are famous for them!
[ Along with betrayal. And beings some of the baddest bitches out there. ]
Oh Hayame.
You have never had one?
[ She held out her hand, an offer to take it, to lead her outward. ]
Well, now we must have one! We grew them where I am from, we are famous for them!
[ Along with betrayal. And beings some of the baddest bitches out there. ]
[Hayame did not like when her ignorance was pointed out, even in passing or jest. Her first instinct is to frown and say something cutting or dismissive, anything to obfuscate that she might be looking stupid... But she swallows it. She doesn't..
She's tired. She doesn't want to argue anymore. Not with one of the few people who professed to accept her, to care for her, even if she was still wrestling with the definition of friendship she had always understood being... so far from what she had. After a moment of hesitation...
Hayame takes Akua's hand, a hint of something awkward and ruddy on her cheeks.]
... I know the color.
[But the food? She doesn't have the slightest idea what to imagine. Except maybe what shade it is.]
She's tired. She doesn't want to argue anymore. Not with one of the few people who professed to accept her, to care for her, even if she was still wrestling with the definition of friendship she had always understood being... so far from what she had. After a moment of hesitation...
Hayame takes Akua's hand, a hint of something awkward and ruddy on her cheeks.]
... I know the color.
[But the food? She doesn't have the slightest idea what to imagine. Except maybe what shade it is.]
Then you will be delighted to try them.
[ Akua does not want to shame Hayame, but instead, she wants to share this with her. She does not know which worlds had them, and which did not. They are here, so surely they must be rather common. Though... she knows they require particular environments. Heat, and lots of water. Something not common in Praes, but something that Wolof had in droves. They used it for export and for food for their own people, but it would never be enough for the rest of Praes. It is why the country resorts to... other measures. Like Human Sacrifice. To affect the weather. ]
They are a fruit, and they burst when you eat them. They are both a sweet and sour citrus. You will find them pleasing, I hope.
[ Akua does not want to shame Hayame, but instead, she wants to share this with her. She does not know which worlds had them, and which did not. They are here, so surely they must be rather common. Though... she knows they require particular environments. Heat, and lots of water. Something not common in Praes, but something that Wolof had in droves. They used it for export and for food for their own people, but it would never be enough for the rest of Praes. It is why the country resorts to... other measures. Like Human Sacrifice. To affect the weather. ]
They are a fruit, and they burst when you eat them. They are both a sweet and sour citrus. You will find them pleasing, I hope.
[Hayame does not know it, but the land she hails from does have citrus fruits. Small things, a bit more bitter than these oranges, sometimes unpalatable unless reduced in cooking or used sparingly for juice, in the southern islands... But she has never been there, and the closest she has come to going there was the year the Shimazu clan sent a buyer to Exhibition Day. The Shimazu were known for sacrificing jinba by the droves to win battles... and so she had never wanted to go south.
She will never taste a fruit like that in her own world.
So here... While she is here and Akua is saying they are good...]
I like fruit as much as the next person...
[She concedes. And she follows to where the oranges are.]
She will never taste a fruit like that in her own world.
So here... While she is here and Akua is saying they are good...]
I like fruit as much as the next person...
[She concedes. And she follows to where the oranges are.]
[ — the point where Communion violently begins is born from the sense of intimate connection developed between two individuals.
It is very obviously a burning, bright thing from Set, whose mind scatters into the corners of those he has forged some sort of companionship with — for duty, for responsibility, for fun, for solemn vow. What arrives is the briefest sense of rising disorientation, woven through with a burst of wrath and grief so white-hot that it might char flesh from bone within seconds, shot through with rapture and the whiplash of love. It rises like a dying, murderous sun ( like Meridian ) — stifling and acute and suffocating — only to be tempered within seconds, by the cool, crisp wash of the dark sea ( like Zenith ), tempered and soothed with all edges laid flat once more.
The Communion plunges into quiet and calm, like a great, purring beast, and ends as abruptly as it began. ]
It is very obviously a burning, bright thing from Set, whose mind scatters into the corners of those he has forged some sort of companionship with — for duty, for responsibility, for fun, for solemn vow. What arrives is the briefest sense of rising disorientation, woven through with a burst of wrath and grief so white-hot that it might char flesh from bone within seconds, shot through with rapture and the whiplash of love. It rises like a dying, murderous sun ( like Meridian ) — stifling and acute and suffocating — only to be tempered within seconds, by the cool, crisp wash of the dark sea ( like Zenith ), tempered and soothed with all edges laid flat once more.
The Communion plunges into quiet and calm, like a great, purring beast, and ends as abruptly as it began. ]
[Hayame is in... her house. The one Liem Talbott had built for her in Alenroux, that she had been unable to refuse any longer once they had reached an Accord and brought him back to Meridian. She is... rearranging furniture, attempting to create... a "home". It feels so foreign and domestic that she thinks she may not even be herself anymore, that something strange has changed within her, but...
Something else hits her. Something from a familiar source, flaring in the corner of her mind and in the space of a second growing to be a wildfire that spread through every crevice and cranny in a sudden burst of emotion and confusing tumble of sensations. Rage, loss, love, burning, cooling... and then nothing.
She presses her hand to her one remaining eye, stumbling slightly and catching her heavy weight on the corner of the table. Set. He had told her (he had, like he promised) that he was going into the Beyond, searching for the temple Liem had seen there, deep in its mysteries and mists, so was this... ?
Once she is stable her gaze turns immediately inward... and she is there, where they always meet in this way, at the border where sand and snow mix. Unlike the last time, there is no storm brewing on the peaks or winds whipping at her hair. She knew he had gone somewhere unknown, somewhere dangerous, and yet the assault of emotion had not included... pain, per se. Not something that made her feel as if he were under attack, even if she was suspicious of that Zenith touch, so-
Hayame folds her long dun limbs and moves to her belly, reaching down to cup handfuls of sand into her palms. Reaching out as she watched grains of it slowly shift and drain between her fingers.]
Set.
[Was it a cry for help? It felt far more unintentional than that, but... She is there, waiting to hear more, to know if the mission to the Beyond had ended in failure or success, if this was something else overwhelming and powerful in its own right-]
I am here.
Something else hits her. Something from a familiar source, flaring in the corner of her mind and in the space of a second growing to be a wildfire that spread through every crevice and cranny in a sudden burst of emotion and confusing tumble of sensations. Rage, loss, love, burning, cooling... and then nothing.
She presses her hand to her one remaining eye, stumbling slightly and catching her heavy weight on the corner of the table. Set. He had told her (he had, like he promised) that he was going into the Beyond, searching for the temple Liem had seen there, deep in its mysteries and mists, so was this... ?
Once she is stable her gaze turns immediately inward... and she is there, where they always meet in this way, at the border where sand and snow mix. Unlike the last time, there is no storm brewing on the peaks or winds whipping at her hair. She knew he had gone somewhere unknown, somewhere dangerous, and yet the assault of emotion had not included... pain, per se. Not something that made her feel as if he were under attack, even if she was suspicious of that Zenith touch, so-
Hayame folds her long dun limbs and moves to her belly, reaching down to cup handfuls of sand into her palms. Reaching out as she watched grains of it slowly shift and drain between her fingers.]
Set.
[Was it a cry for help? It felt far more unintentional than that, but... She is there, waiting to hear more, to know if the mission to the Beyond had ended in failure or success, if this was something else overwhelming and powerful in its own right-]
I am here.
[ It is quite some time, that Hayame must wait for a response — not to fault her, in any way. All the minds that Set has poured himself out into must wait to hear from him, as he steadies himself under the cool flush of Zenith's latent energy within him and speaks with Liem in reality. Only then, does he bring himself back to her, once he can answer her with adequate information and command.
Except,
he does not come as a conqueror, but with a disoriented sense of presence and the mild mischief of a yearling that might have just uncovered something wonderful or something terrible, depending upon how he will use it. ( And use it, he will. ) ]
We found it, [ the desert itself speaks to her, pouring through her hands. Each grain a sound that reverberates as she sifts it. ] I do not know what yet to make of it, but I think so much and feel so much right now — and I will not draw conclusion until I am satisfied. But, Hayame...
[ Sand brushes along her belly, the idle slither of a blanket of it from which begins to pour the draping, indulgent form of her god. ]
The god once celebrated within is my sister.
Except,
he does not come as a conqueror, but with a disoriented sense of presence and the mild mischief of a yearling that might have just uncovered something wonderful or something terrible, depending upon how he will use it. ( And use it, he will. ) ]
We found it, [ the desert itself speaks to her, pouring through her hands. Each grain a sound that reverberates as she sifts it. ] I do not know what yet to make of it, but I think so much and feel so much right now — and I will not draw conclusion until I am satisfied. But, Hayame...
[ Sand brushes along her belly, the idle slither of a blanket of it from which begins to pour the draping, indulgent form of her god. ]
The god once celebrated within is my sister.
[She waits. It is safe within the walls of her... her residence, locked and barred, far more so than it had ever been in a stall, in a barn, and she does not need to split her attention so severely from communion and reality, unable to feel as if someone might appear, attack, or otherwise take advantage of her distraction. She is able to simply wait. She is not... unconcerned about what may have happened to him, but. He had told her where he was going, she knew what to expect, to a certain extent, not blindsided or caught off guard like she'd been so many times in the past, and in reward for that particular brand of trust she had demanded, asked, then... begged him for-
She waits quietly until the sand begins to stir again, regathering from the initial pulse of emotion and revelation that had been too large to be contained even within the mind of a god. Like a penitent she lifts the sand in her hands closer to herself, as if to better hear the voice that reverberates from it, even though the echo is in the shard, the hearts, not simply the ears.
They found it, then... the temple, the one Liem had seen once before, that the traitor "Melshi" had discussed on Communion before. Good. A goal achieved, and something- Something brushes against her body. Normally she would flinch, but she knows where she is, who it is. Shamefully, (but not as shamefully as she once would have considered it), she recalls a different drag of fingers, of hands along her body... and so she stays where she is, turning her gaze to watch as he begins to form, as he says,]
- Your sister?
[They have never... just spoken about themselves, plain and purposeful and long-winded. Neither of them were the type, even if the reasons could be different when it came to why they guarded the details of their lives, their connections to others, their pasts. But it has been many moons now that they have shared a corner of the mind, that they have come together time and again, in moments both strong and vulnerable, and over time... they had come to know certain things in brief lapses and intentional offers both. She knows just enough to ask,]
The healer?
She waits quietly until the sand begins to stir again, regathering from the initial pulse of emotion and revelation that had been too large to be contained even within the mind of a god. Like a penitent she lifts the sand in her hands closer to herself, as if to better hear the voice that reverberates from it, even though the echo is in the shard, the hearts, not simply the ears.
They found it, then... the temple, the one Liem had seen once before, that the traitor "Melshi" had discussed on Communion before. Good. A goal achieved, and something- Something brushes against her body. Normally she would flinch, but she knows where she is, who it is. Shamefully, (but not as shamefully as she once would have considered it), she recalls a different drag of fingers, of hands along her body... and so she stays where she is, turning her gaze to watch as he begins to form, as he says,]
- Your sister?
[They have never... just spoken about themselves, plain and purposeful and long-winded. Neither of them were the type, even if the reasons could be different when it came to why they guarded the details of their lives, their connections to others, their pasts. But it has been many moons now that they have shared a corner of the mind, that they have come together time and again, in moments both strong and vulnerable, and over time... they had come to know certain things in brief lapses and intentional offers both. She knows just enough to ask,]
The healer?
Edited (Forgot my html ) 2023-08-11 06:32 (UTC)
[ He comes to lean along her flank, half-man and half-element, a spill of red that is more content to lean his cool cheek along her warm side and listen to the thundering sound of one of her hearts. Much of him has cooled, to a dark tranquility that will soon return to a simmer, perhaps a boil, over time; the calming draught of Yima's power is, after all, only temporary. And now with the last of it gone, he can only hope he will not overload again. That he will find a way to remain calm in times of emotional agony, for his feelings run catastrophically intensive and his intelligence is oft subsumed below them — however bright he is, there are deeper wounds and vulnerabilities that were manufactured.
( Akin to telling someone in pain that they were just being hysterical, and watching the resulting collapse of their mental defenses. )
He rubs a hand over the short, soft pelt of her side. They don't talk much about themselves, do they? She knows the most important thing — Anubis — and of Nephthys and the man who haunts him but? Isis, is... ] Yes, her.
[ His family is complicated. ]
I have three older siblings. Osiris, god of life and death, Isis the god of magic and miracles and Nephthys, goddess of harmony and peace. Osiris and Isis were married, as were Nephthys and I. Isis's son is Horus, and my son — is Anubis. We were the direct rulers of humanity. Osiris sat the throne of gods and men alike, before I took it from him.
[ The words are recited thinly, as if he's waiting to be called out for a liar. History has not sided with him, after all. It was written to obscure truths and paint his actions for the violent evil that they were, just... with Osiris cast in a more heroic light. ]
Isis and I were best friends, for so long. Now, we hate one another. I do not know if the Isis who that temple was for is "mine" [ he doesn't think so, and that alarms him; he has a sense of himself as the only one, omnipresent across all realities and realms ] but I knew it was her. Her icons, her symbols... her scent.
( Akin to telling someone in pain that they were just being hysterical, and watching the resulting collapse of their mental defenses. )
He rubs a hand over the short, soft pelt of her side. They don't talk much about themselves, do they? She knows the most important thing — Anubis — and of Nephthys and the man who haunts him but? Isis, is... ] Yes, her.
[ His family is complicated. ]
I have three older siblings. Osiris, god of life and death, Isis the god of magic and miracles and Nephthys, goddess of harmony and peace. Osiris and Isis were married, as were Nephthys and I. Isis's son is Horus, and my son — is Anubis. We were the direct rulers of humanity. Osiris sat the throne of gods and men alike, before I took it from him.
[ The words are recited thinly, as if he's waiting to be called out for a liar. History has not sided with him, after all. It was written to obscure truths and paint his actions for the violent evil that they were, just... with Osiris cast in a more heroic light. ]
Isis and I were best friends, for so long. Now, we hate one another. I do not know if the Isis who that temple was for is "mine" [ he doesn't think so, and that alarms him; he has a sense of himself as the only one, omnipresent across all realities and realms ] but I knew it was her. Her icons, her symbols... her scent.
[Sand beneath the sun was warm, sometimes scorching... but Set is cool like the desert at night where he comes to rest against her powerful flank, his weight in flux between flesh and shifting grains. She prefers him warm, there is something about this chill that she dislikes (something like Yima, though she cannot name it so, something lingering that smells like sickly sweet petals on the verge of rot)... But she has him as he is now.
As his hand rubs over her short, well-maintained dun coat, Hayame leans some of her weight on her left hand, just enough to shift her heavy body and turn from the "waist" until she is able to reach him. The motion is not the surest, because his outburst of overflowing divine presence mixed with all of those emotions and impressions had left her a bit pale in comparison, unsure if something like the touch of a single mortal would even register after he has been everywhere and nowhere... but as her equine chest rises and falls with her breathing, softly moving him along with her in a slow rhythm, her fingers card gently through long crimson strands (and one inky black one), silent and attentive as she listens to his explanation.
... It's complicated. Of course it is, he is a god. Hayame is prepared for that, if anything, coming from a world herself where all the deities were related and wed and involved somehow in their respective domains. Had Izanagi not birthed the sun goddess, the moon god, and the storm god from his body alone without a woman while performing his ablutions? Had Toyotamahime not abandoned her babe with a mortal man and returned to the Dragon King's palace under the sea before sending her sister to tend and later bed him? What of Susano'o, whose wife bore him eight gods and goddesses that wed amongst themselves to combine their powers? At least... That is what the priests' tales said.
It is strange, though, to hear such things directly from him in words and not just visions or impressions through Communion. It almost makes her feel like she's spying on something, even though it's being given to her, like she's just taking and refusing him the same. Should she... ? There is much to process. So the god who she had grown to despise, that cloying, possessive, disgusting green man whose shadow sometimes haunted Set even in this faraway place... so his name was "Osiris". A brother--]
... I have over ten half-siblings.
[She doesn't know what to say yet, and for some reason what comes out... isn't an accusation of him being a liar, like he might fear. Why would she, when surely he has little cause to do that now, and they are in Communion where truth and falsehood become both obvious and strange? It's... payment. Fairness. Vulnerability and openness offered to him in exchange for what he offered her.]
I do not know exactly how many. My sire was prolific at stud.
[She knew of the ones that were still at the breeding stable, but her sire was an Armless her master had owned for years, and his older progeny had been sent to sale since before her birth. Who knew what the number was. Unlike Set, she was not...]
But we were tied by nothing but blood. There was just one I considered my brother. ... Yubari.
[And even saying that... No, she should not go too far down that path. Not yet. Not unless asked, or earned, or needed. He gave her facts, she gave him facts... and now that they were even, she could take the next step again, her voice quiet and yet so loud on the border between desert and snowy mount.]
... Why does she hate you now?
[Because he took her husband's throne? She hopes that is it. Because if it is not...]
As his hand rubs over her short, well-maintained dun coat, Hayame leans some of her weight on her left hand, just enough to shift her heavy body and turn from the "waist" until she is able to reach him. The motion is not the surest, because his outburst of overflowing divine presence mixed with all of those emotions and impressions had left her a bit pale in comparison, unsure if something like the touch of a single mortal would even register after he has been everywhere and nowhere... but as her equine chest rises and falls with her breathing, softly moving him along with her in a slow rhythm, her fingers card gently through long crimson strands (and one inky black one), silent and attentive as she listens to his explanation.
... It's complicated. Of course it is, he is a god. Hayame is prepared for that, if anything, coming from a world herself where all the deities were related and wed and involved somehow in their respective domains. Had Izanagi not birthed the sun goddess, the moon god, and the storm god from his body alone without a woman while performing his ablutions? Had Toyotamahime not abandoned her babe with a mortal man and returned to the Dragon King's palace under the sea before sending her sister to tend and later bed him? What of Susano'o, whose wife bore him eight gods and goddesses that wed amongst themselves to combine their powers? At least... That is what the priests' tales said.
It is strange, though, to hear such things directly from him in words and not just visions or impressions through Communion. It almost makes her feel like she's spying on something, even though it's being given to her, like she's just taking and refusing him the same. Should she... ? There is much to process. So the god who she had grown to despise, that cloying, possessive, disgusting green man whose shadow sometimes haunted Set even in this faraway place... so his name was "Osiris". A brother--]
... I have over ten half-siblings.
[She doesn't know what to say yet, and for some reason what comes out... isn't an accusation of him being a liar, like he might fear. Why would she, when surely he has little cause to do that now, and they are in Communion where truth and falsehood become both obvious and strange? It's... payment. Fairness. Vulnerability and openness offered to him in exchange for what he offered her.]
I do not know exactly how many. My sire was prolific at stud.
[She knew of the ones that were still at the breeding stable, but her sire was an Armless her master had owned for years, and his older progeny had been sent to sale since before her birth. Who knew what the number was. Unlike Set, she was not...]
But we were tied by nothing but blood. There was just one I considered my brother. ... Yubari.
[And even saying that... No, she should not go too far down that path. Not yet. Not unless asked, or earned, or needed. He gave her facts, she gave him facts... and now that they were even, she could take the next step again, her voice quiet and yet so loud on the border between desert and snowy mount.]
... Why does she hate you now?
[Because he took her husband's throne? She hopes that is it. Because if it is not...]
Ten. You could have asked Zenith's matron for Yubari, you know and... ditched her afterwards.
[ Knowing what he does of her life, of the subjugation of her people — it doesn't surprise him, to know that the woman who had begat her had been used for more than just Hayame's creation. The jinba were property, as she had shown him, and while Set ( unfortunately ) hails from a period of time and a place where such beliefs were common and not oft-disputed, he does not look upon Hayame and see someone who ought to be in shackles.
Ten half-siblings. Sharing nothing but blood, save for one. His name is 'Yubari', and Set wonders if he is anything like Hayame. It's a fair trade, the discussion of siblings between them. Unlike her, he had been infinitely closer with his own. They had been one another's best friends, partners and companions and trusted advisors. Loyal confidants. His jaw tenses when Hayame asks him why he and Isis fell from one another's grace, why she hates him ( and he, her ). ]
After I did away with Osiris, I tried to marry her. She holds the divine right to rule, and I wanted to legitimize my claim to the throne. She up and ran, hid herself within Egypt for centuries. [ He tries for a flippant tone, even if bitterness crawls in his throat. She knew, she saw. She chose Osiris. ] Some best friend she was, running out on me like that. We were both slighted by the same guy, too.
[ He hates her so much. He loves her, to the point of grief. ]
While I was looking for her, I let Egypt fall into depravity. I told you, I am an evil god. I received that title for a reason.
[ Knowing what he does of her life, of the subjugation of her people — it doesn't surprise him, to know that the woman who had begat her had been used for more than just Hayame's creation. The jinba were property, as she had shown him, and while Set ( unfortunately ) hails from a period of time and a place where such beliefs were common and not oft-disputed, he does not look upon Hayame and see someone who ought to be in shackles.
Ten half-siblings. Sharing nothing but blood, save for one. His name is 'Yubari', and Set wonders if he is anything like Hayame. It's a fair trade, the discussion of siblings between them. Unlike her, he had been infinitely closer with his own. They had been one another's best friends, partners and companions and trusted advisors. Loyal confidants. His jaw tenses when Hayame asks him why he and Isis fell from one another's grace, why she hates him ( and he, her ). ]
After I did away with Osiris, I tried to marry her. She holds the divine right to rule, and I wanted to legitimize my claim to the throne. She up and ran, hid herself within Egypt for centuries. [ He tries for a flippant tone, even if bitterness crawls in his throat. She knew, she saw. She chose Osiris. ] Some best friend she was, running out on me like that. We were both slighted by the same guy, too.
[ He hates her so much. He loves her, to the point of grief. ]
While I was looking for her, I let Egypt fall into depravity. I told you, I am an evil god. I received that title for a reason.
Edited 2023-09-19 00:54 (UTC)
... Do you think I have not thought of this?
[That before she had chosen Meridian she had fantasized a thousand times about finally being able to save someone? ... Yubari was her twin in looks, the both of them sharing the same dun coat and dark manes of their dam. They had the same curve to their withers, the same elegant cut of cheekbone, the same stormy gray eyes. But Yubari... Yubari was softer than her. Kinder than her. She'd had to harden him from the moment he left the foaling stables and joined her in the yearlings' quarters. He was a fine archer, but his hands were far more cleverly put to use in the crafting of things than the killing of them.]
Yubari was the only one who ever believed in me. That I was just as good as any stallion. That I would become a warlord's horse.
[And for that... he had nearly died. He now risked being known as the brother of a traitor. Hayame's hand in Set's hair stays gentle, (because she... it made her so sick when she felt hands fist too tightly or pull at her mane), but her other fingers curl tightly on her foreknee. Even if she'd tried to pretend to be a Zenith just long enough to get his shard... Then he would be the brother of a traitor, and more than that... More than that-]
Were you not the one who told me I must return to my world and live, rather than die? I will have the real Yubari, not some rock from a witch.
[So she won't... She won't ask for his shard. (She won't admit that she'd always agonized over who to chose between Yubari and Matsukaze.) She mulls over Set's words instead, and the story he tells of chasing his sister throughout the lands of Egypt to solidify his claim on Osiris' throne. She mulls over... the hints of bitterness she can hear in his tone, and what they might mean. (What she fears they might mean.)]
... Women are expected to be loyal to their husbands, even over ties to brothers or fathers.
[Not that it would ease the betrayal. She knew about betrayal, without being a goddess. Her fingers slow in Set's mane, her thumb rubbing along the hairline of his forehead. ... So red. She never stops being amazed at how red it was.]
Even after death. Even if it is to their detriment.
[That is what it is to be a good and loyal wife. ... Or so she understands. She had never thought to be be one. She will never be one. She is... a warrior. One who wonders now...]
... Would you have ruled Egypt properly, if she had wed you?
[If he had not become obsessed with finding her, and instead took to the throne without difficulty... would he have been called an "evil god"? She cannot truly imagine him ever being lauded as a god of peace (apparently that was his other sister's role), but. She could envision him ruling firmly but justly.
Or perhaps she just wished it were so, and deluded herself now simply because she had always hoped that when she became a warlord's horse that the man she would serve would be... not consummately evil.]
[That before she had chosen Meridian she had fantasized a thousand times about finally being able to save someone? ... Yubari was her twin in looks, the both of them sharing the same dun coat and dark manes of their dam. They had the same curve to their withers, the same elegant cut of cheekbone, the same stormy gray eyes. But Yubari... Yubari was softer than her. Kinder than her. She'd had to harden him from the moment he left the foaling stables and joined her in the yearlings' quarters. He was a fine archer, but his hands were far more cleverly put to use in the crafting of things than the killing of them.]
Yubari was the only one who ever believed in me. That I was just as good as any stallion. That I would become a warlord's horse.
[And for that... he had nearly died. He now risked being known as the brother of a traitor. Hayame's hand in Set's hair stays gentle, (because she... it made her so sick when she felt hands fist too tightly or pull at her mane), but her other fingers curl tightly on her foreknee. Even if she'd tried to pretend to be a Zenith just long enough to get his shard... Then he would be the brother of a traitor, and more than that... More than that-]
Were you not the one who told me I must return to my world and live, rather than die? I will have the real Yubari, not some rock from a witch.
[So she won't... She won't ask for his shard. (She won't admit that she'd always agonized over who to chose between Yubari and Matsukaze.) She mulls over Set's words instead, and the story he tells of chasing his sister throughout the lands of Egypt to solidify his claim on Osiris' throne. She mulls over... the hints of bitterness she can hear in his tone, and what they might mean. (What she fears they might mean.)]
... Women are expected to be loyal to their husbands, even over ties to brothers or fathers.
[Not that it would ease the betrayal. She knew about betrayal, without being a goddess. Her fingers slow in Set's mane, her thumb rubbing along the hairline of his forehead. ... So red. She never stops being amazed at how red it was.]
Even after death. Even if it is to their detriment.
[That is what it is to be a good and loyal wife. ... Or so she understands. She had never thought to be be one. She will never be one. She is... a warrior. One who wonders now...]
... Would you have ruled Egypt properly, if she had wed you?
[If he had not become obsessed with finding her, and instead took to the throne without difficulty... would he have been called an "evil god"? She cannot truly imagine him ever being lauded as a god of peace (apparently that was his other sister's role), but. She could envision him ruling firmly but justly.
Or perhaps she just wished it were so, and deluded herself now simply because she had always hoped that when she became a warlord's horse that the man she would serve would be... not consummately evil.]
[ Very suddenly, there’s a sense of Communion touching your character’s mind. However, it’s as if they connect with the mind of a shared Aspect, as they’re not able to block out the brief, but sharp memory that comes to them. ]
The Shard-Bearer holds back their sobs as their back bows over the simmering pot. They’d wanted to make Oma’s dish, just as she’d taught when they were little, but no matter how they try, they can’t remember all of the steps.
[ ooc note — Just to avoid OOC confusion/misinterpretation, the details included in this memory are random and are not necessarily interconnected or plot meaningful beyond a surface level. However, your character is free to interpret this random memory however they’d like! This event will also be touched on somewhat during today’s NPC Communion Post. ]
The Shard-Bearer holds back their sobs as their back bows over the simmering pot. They’d wanted to make Oma’s dish, just as she’d taught when they were little, but no matter how they try, they can’t remember all of the steps.
[ ooc note — Just to avoid OOC confusion/misinterpretation, the details included in this memory are random and are not necessarily interconnected or plot meaningful beyond a surface level. However, your character is free to interpret this random memory however they’d like! This event will also be touched on somewhat during today’s NPC Communion Post. ]
[ After he revives, Fane… has a bit of a crisis, honestly. However. That’s all personal and has to do with his own odd state of undeath. Once he realizes that he’s not alone, Fane is quick to flee. He doesn’t want to be around others while he goes through this, but…
As he flees, he thinks about what had happened before his death. And in that, he finds something else he can focus on besides himself. Besides his daughter and being tricked—
So, with a little urgency in the space of Communion, Fane reaches out to Hayame. As was the case in Commmunion before, his presence isn’t the skeleton. He refuses to think of himself that way when there’s another option. ]
Hayame? I—
[ He reaches out reflexively, but once he has, he’s also not sure what to say. This was something to help distract himself too, so he stammer’s uncertainly, then sighs. ]
Thank you. That- I can only barely explain what happened, but thank you for destroying that foul thing that had taken me over.
As he flees, he thinks about what had happened before his death. And in that, he finds something else he can focus on besides himself. Besides his daughter and being tricked—
So, with a little urgency in the space of Communion, Fane reaches out to Hayame. As was the case in Commmunion before, his presence isn’t the skeleton. He refuses to think of himself that way when there’s another option. ]
Hayame? I—
[ He reaches out reflexively, but once he has, he’s also not sure what to say. This was something to help distract himself too, so he stammer’s uncertainly, then sighs. ]
Thank you. That- I can only barely explain what happened, but thank you for destroying that foul thing that had taken me over.
[Hayame had hesitated, when it came to planting Fane’s shard in the dirt at the great tree. Other people had shared tales of shard-bearers becoming possessed, of the abyssal black taking on the shapes of their compatriots… but had that truly been what happened to this man? There had been… blackness, yes, in the end, as he dissipated, but…
What did she know? She wasn’t a magician, she did not know this man (skeleton) well enough to say definitively that the way he acted towards her in the labyrinth was against his nature. Even if he had seemed to agree with her stance on Meridian, on traitors…
People have seemed a lot of things, to her, since she had been ripped from her world.
But in the end… she had put it in the ground. And now-]
Fane.
[The voice comes as if from a distance- as if she werea skittish mare holding herself apart until she had passed judgement on whether approaching again was wise.]
… Is that your accounting, then? That you were possessed?
[She thinks she would be insulted to be asked the same question. But she must ask it, and she expects it to be understood why, no matter the impugning of an honor.]
What did she know? She wasn’t a magician, she did not know this man (skeleton) well enough to say definitively that the way he acted towards her in the labyrinth was against his nature. Even if he had seemed to agree with her stance on Meridian, on traitors…
People have seemed a lot of things, to her, since she had been ripped from her world.
But in the end… she had put it in the ground. And now-]
Fane.
[The voice comes as if from a distance- as if she were
… Is that your accounting, then? That you were possessed?
[She thinks she would be insulted to be asked the same question. But she must ask it, and she expects it to be understood why, no matter the impugning of an honor.]
[ He doesn’t think much of the distance. Her hesitation is justified, after all. That, and her plainly stated question make the feeling of his Communion come across as just troubled. ]
I… I suppose that is what it was.
[ Just using the word “possessed” puts it into a different context for him. He feels a deep empathy for Lohse’s situation in that moment, because that must be what she goes through. With her in mind, Hayame gets a brief flash of a red-headed, human woman with a smile that doesn't quite reach her eyes, but her eyes turn dark, and gray veins appear on her face. And with that memory, there's Fane's concern for her and a deep dislike that comes with a word—Demon.
Because her situation is worse, he thinks, since the clever demon possessing her must be worse than… Whatever it was that had caught him. It brings with it the worry that it might linger, but that’s something he’ll investigate on his own. ]
Yes. I… witnessed what was being done. But I had no control. I could only watch.
[ Selfishly, he’s also glad that he? It? Had only run into Hayame as well. Having to go through that multiple times sounds horrific, and luckily she was more than strong enough to take him down even if she’d been hurt in the process too. ]
—One of those things looked like my daughter. And it stole my Shard.
I… I suppose that is what it was.
[ Just using the word “possessed” puts it into a different context for him. He feels a deep empathy for Lohse’s situation in that moment, because that must be what she goes through. With her in mind, Hayame gets a brief flash of a red-headed, human woman with a smile that doesn't quite reach her eyes, but her eyes turn dark, and gray veins appear on her face. And with that memory, there's Fane's concern for her and a deep dislike that comes with a word—Demon.
Because her situation is worse, he thinks, since the clever demon possessing her must be worse than… Whatever it was that had caught him. It brings with it the worry that it might linger, but that’s something he’ll investigate on his own. ]
Yes. I… witnessed what was being done. But I had no control. I could only watch.
[ Selfishly, he’s also glad that he? It? Had only run into Hayame as well. Having to go through that multiple times sounds horrific, and luckily she was more than strong enough to take him down even if she’d been hurt in the process too. ]
—One of those things looked like my daughter. And it stole my Shard.
Edited (wait duh this is how to bring up demon racism) 2023-12-02 21:10 (UTC)
[… His daughter. The one he had briefly mentioned, when he said he felt confident teaching even the most frustrating of students. She had not pried further, because it was not her business, but… She thinks of another father. Of how desperately that man had fought her, and how once she had him cornered… he had bowed his head and abandoned all pride just to beg he be allowed to see his child to safety before offering up his freedom in exchange. How tightly he had held that child, weeping shamelessly, when they had reunited and Hayame had been the one defeated on the ground.
… She had always derided such bonds. She’d always had to. There wasn’t room for such weakness in the breeding stables. Even her own brother… she had refused him affection, refused him even the title, because she could not risk being seen to rely on a man if she wished to be sold as a warrior. And now-
She also thinks of demons. Hopes that the image of her own relations hadn’t bled into communion like Fane’s thought had in to hers, but the voice and the way it says that word… it sounds the same. The same as how she says it.]
… You must forgive the question. It had to be asked. We are hardly bosom companions.
[It was not in her to know if those actions were true to him or not. Yet.]
The shadows stole the shape of… someone I know, as well. So I believe that of you. It is a foul thing.
[To truck someone like that. She’d almost- So that is what would have happened?]
… You have experience with it? Possession?
… She had always derided such bonds. She’d always had to. There wasn’t room for such weakness in the breeding stables. Even her own brother… she had refused him affection, refused him even the title, because she could not risk being seen to rely on a man if she wished to be sold as a warrior. And now-
She also thinks of demons. Hopes that the image of her own relations hadn’t bled into communion like Fane’s thought had in to hers, but the voice and the way it says that word… it sounds the same. The same as how she says it.]
… You must forgive the question. It had to be asked. We are hardly bosom companions.
[It was not in her to know if those actions were true to him or not. Yet.]
The shadows stole the shape of… someone I know, as well. So I believe that of you. It is a foul thing.
[To truck someone like that. She’d almost- So that is what would have happened?]
… You have experience with it? Possession?
I do, but from your point of view, not personally. One of the other Godwoken I was travelling with in Rivellon was possessed by a demon, so we’ve had… incidents where we’ve been forced to come to blows. So, not only do I forgive the question, I understand the caution.
[ His tone slips to sarcastic, though only briefly. ]
Of course, we have a… luxury here that Lohse did not, I suppose. I don’t feel any lingering influence of whatever those shadows were, so death seems to have exorcised it. It seems odd to thank the person who killed me, but in this case…
[ Fane’s tone softens, and he sighs. It is an odd thing to say, but the sentiment is undoubtedly genuine. ]
Thank you. It’s a horrible thing to be puppeted by something else’s will. I don’t envy Lohse’s struggle with her demon, and it makes it all the more important that we free her of it when I return. But that’s a task far ahead. [ And not relevant for Hayame, strictly speaking ] …Though for the immediate. I was glad to hear that you at least felled Silco. I didn't see him amongst those at the tree, so was he truly killed?
[ His tone slips to sarcastic, though only briefly. ]
Of course, we have a… luxury here that Lohse did not, I suppose. I don’t feel any lingering influence of whatever those shadows were, so death seems to have exorcised it. It seems odd to thank the person who killed me, but in this case…
[ Fane’s tone softens, and he sighs. It is an odd thing to say, but the sentiment is undoubtedly genuine. ]
Thank you. It’s a horrible thing to be puppeted by something else’s will. I don’t envy Lohse’s struggle with her demon, and it makes it all the more important that we free her of it when I return. But that’s a task far ahead. [ And not relevant for Hayame, strictly speaking ] …Though for the immediate. I was glad to hear that you at least felled Silco. I didn't see him amongst those at the tree, so was he truly killed?
[One of his... "friends", then, like the archer he had mentioned to her the first time they met. I... Ifin? She cannot remember, she had not placed much importance on it then, thinking him just a magic-wielding artist she had encountered and perhaps would not again after their strange agreement, a child's toy prize for a sketch. Perhaps that had been a mistake.]
It is good to hear that dissipation has cleansed you properly. Some others, under other influences during the Oracle trials, have not been so fortunate.
[She had forced Liem to die because she was sure... Sure that if she just took him away from the influence of the Zenites forcing or coaxing their wills or influences into him during the Iconoclast Oracle trial, that she could plant him in the soil beneath the Great Tree and he would come back how he was supposed to. A Meridian. But it had not worked that way. It was why she hesitated to plant Fane. ... But, good.]
... You do not need to thank me. I cannot claim I did what I did for your sake. It was for the Oracle.
[And though they won it, making it worthwhile in her mind in the aftermath... It would not be right of her to take his gratitude, when she had cursed him in her head for being a traitor at first, not knowing what drove him to attack her out of the blue in those tunnels in the midst of a conversation she thought was between allies.
At the mention of Silco, though... Her voice in Communion grows bitter. Killing him might have helped show the Oracle her drive... But it hadn't been for that, not really. That had been personal, and she felt she had been so godsdamned close to shattering his shard beneath her hoof except for-]
He was killed. But before I could see to it that he stayed dead, his shard fell into the possession of one of Meridian's most merciful.
[The way she says "merciful" makes it very clear she does not consider it a positive trait. Ever since the first time she had heard that woman whinging about the precious nature of a soul and how they should not ever shatter even their enemies...]
She would not surrender it to me, and I could not reach her. Though he may not have revived just yet... I have no doubt his stain is still somewhere in this world.
It is good to hear that dissipation has cleansed you properly. Some others, under other influences during the Oracle trials, have not been so fortunate.
[She had forced Liem to die because she was sure... Sure that if she just took him away from the influence of the Zenites forcing or coaxing their wills or influences into him during the Iconoclast Oracle trial, that she could plant him in the soil beneath the Great Tree and he would come back how he was supposed to. A Meridian. But it had not worked that way. It was why she hesitated to plant Fane. ... But, good.]
... You do not need to thank me. I cannot claim I did what I did for your sake. It was for the Oracle.
[And though they won it, making it worthwhile in her mind in the aftermath... It would not be right of her to take his gratitude, when she had cursed him in her head for being a traitor at first, not knowing what drove him to attack her out of the blue in those tunnels in the midst of a conversation she thought was between allies.
At the mention of Silco, though... Her voice in Communion grows bitter. Killing him might have helped show the Oracle her drive... But it hadn't been for that, not really. That had been personal, and she felt she had been so godsdamned close to shattering his shard beneath her hoof except for-]
He was killed. But before I could see to it that he stayed dead, his shard fell into the possession of one of Meridian's most merciful.
[The way she says "merciful" makes it very clear she does not consider it a positive trait. Ever since the first time she had heard that woman whinging about the precious nature of a soul and how they should not ever shatter even their enemies...]
She would not surrender it to me, and I could not reach her. Though he may not have revived just yet... I have no doubt his stain is still somewhere in this world.
Well, even so. Thank you I shall, since you did me a service. I’ll accept it being practical, since I surely would have done the same.
[ He’s stubborn in not letting her shirk the thanks, since it is important to him. He doesn’t exactly revel in the experience of dissipation and “death”, but it indeed feels like a kindness compared to the alternative. He’d hate to have seen what might have happened if no one had felled him.
…And a bit curious, admittedly. But not enough to want to pursue it, at least for now. If that’s something to be looked into, he’ll leave it to others.
Though as the conversation turns to Kenos’s Favorite Rat™, the displeased frown that Fane would be wearing is clear from the feeling alone. This is something else that Hayame seems to have an ally in, but Fane was also more morally flexible on this matter than most. After all, he possessed the ability to utterly destroy a soul. He thinks it’s wrong in the sense that it’s something that should be avoided, but it’s little different than how he views a more typical murder. Sometimes, it’s necessary. ]
Hmph. A shame. Mercy is— [ He pauses, not out of hesitation for the sentiment, but more at sharing it. But considering Hayame is the one that brought it up and seems to view his “escape” as a bad thing, he feels more reassured to continue. ] …Well. There are times for mercy is what I would say. I’m not inclined towards it with such stakes, though. Perhaps for the truly ignorant, but that is all I can see.
[ He doesn’t even know if there’s any that would apply to. He’d met Zenites who were… fine, as people. But there were Magisters that were fine as people as well. They received no mercy when they took up arms to keep him from his path, and that’s ultimately how he sees this conflict in Kenos too. ]
It is not as if he is possessed by his demon, correct?
[ Since as is probably clear from his explanation, he does feel sympathy for that. It hadn't been Lohse's fault at all, he knows, and for the others on Bloodmoon Island... Well, he doesn't know. But he hadn't been so sympathetic that he hadn't been willing to kill them, so. ]
[ He’s stubborn in not letting her shirk the thanks, since it is important to him. He doesn’t exactly revel in the experience of dissipation and “death”, but it indeed feels like a kindness compared to the alternative. He’d hate to have seen what might have happened if no one had felled him.
…And a bit curious, admittedly. But not enough to want to pursue it, at least for now. If that’s something to be looked into, he’ll leave it to others.
Though as the conversation turns to Kenos’s Favorite Rat™, the displeased frown that Fane would be wearing is clear from the feeling alone. This is something else that Hayame seems to have an ally in, but Fane was also more morally flexible on this matter than most. After all, he possessed the ability to utterly destroy a soul. He thinks it’s wrong in the sense that it’s something that should be avoided, but it’s little different than how he views a more typical murder. Sometimes, it’s necessary. ]
Hmph. A shame. Mercy is— [ He pauses, not out of hesitation for the sentiment, but more at sharing it. But considering Hayame is the one that brought it up and seems to view his “escape” as a bad thing, he feels more reassured to continue. ] …Well. There are times for mercy is what I would say. I’m not inclined towards it with such stakes, though. Perhaps for the truly ignorant, but that is all I can see.
[ He doesn’t even know if there’s any that would apply to. He’d met Zenites who were… fine, as people. But there were Magisters that were fine as people as well. They received no mercy when they took up arms to keep him from his path, and that’s ultimately how he sees this conflict in Kenos too. ]
It is not as if he is possessed by his demon, correct?
[ Since as is probably clear from his explanation, he does feel sympathy for that. It hadn't been Lohse's fault at all, he knows, and for the others on Bloodmoon Island... Well, he doesn't know. But he hadn't been so sympathetic that he hadn't been willing to kill them, so. ]
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