meridio | (Awash & Hugtopia) IC contact

[ He wonders if a part of that urgency stems from the deep-seated desire to remove herself, be it in this world or hers. If it were up to him, everyone would be returned to their rightful place. Either way, it's not the priority and he will say as much. ]

The world's restoration comes first. Time is short, but you must not stray from the present.

[ Folding his arms, Somnus lowers his head in thought.

The matter of the guardian is being attended to by another group. There isn't enough information on the hen to warrant another blind search. As for the individual items, there is a similar lack of data to effectively apply them, and they could very well go to waste with one false move. It's much the same for the book.

The biggest hindrance, in his mind, is the disorganization across town. ]

There is little the two of us can do alone.

[ Even when she had spoken with Cairngorm, they had been giving (what sounded like to her) excuses after excuses of contributing information to others.

If this is really out of their hands, it sounds more and more like... Mythra’s suggestion actually seems valid. ]

Would you like to share a drink with me, Your Majesty?

[ It's time to get black-out drunk!

Somnus can't recall a time he ever drank that much in one sitting. He would get tipsy, certainly. But not to the point of blacking out. ]

I make for a poor companion. If that doesn't dissuade you, very well.

[ That! That was a joke! But just one drink, what’s the harm in that? She still has rice wine left over from a wish from a while ago; it would go bad anyway.

At his comment that he is a poor companion, though: ]

...Have you ever had a day in your life, in which you only relaxed...?

[ She begins to walk, motioning for him to follow. ]

[ At times like this, it's better to step back and reassess the situation. A drink isn't a bad idea (though it remains to be seen if it is a good one). He follows. ]

There were plenty. I was a falconer in my mortal days.

[ He also napped. A lot. It proved a highly difficult habit to kick once he became king.

At their root, both are independent hobbies. Leisure took him away from company, not to it. ]

[ A falconer...

Also: mortal days. Meaning he hasn't done it since; that's... really sad. ]

...I suppose you wouldn't be able to pick that hobby back up again with mutated falcons here, hmm?

[ Falconry is a practical sport. There's the thrill of the hunt, then the prize of the game. As a spirit, though, he doesn't require sustenance, and so this is the first time that he's even given it a thought in Chroma. ]

There's no need for me to hunt here.

Yes but... it's a hobby. One that you must have enjoyed all those years ago.

[ He must have had fun at one point in his life, right. RIGHT?

She peers at him, leaning in a little more closely as they walk. ]

...When is the last time you smiled, Your Majesty?

[ His eyes briefly narrow as he looks ahead. What a pointless question. He isn't like Pyra, who wears a smile with tears in her eyes and sorrow in her words.

He could ask her the same. When was the last time she truly smiled? But he won't. ]

Your question is irrelevant.

There is... "no need" to hunt here.

My question is irrelevant....

[ She clasps her hands behind her, her tone still light. ]

New question:

When is the last time you did something because... you wanted to, and not because of the gods?

[ His choices are to answer or deflect. Perhaps what he has in mind conflates the two as he stops walking to reply: ]

Everything in the world is preordained. In the end, all is as the gods want.

[ He lingers for a moment, then begins to walk again. ]

But this is not the world of my gods.

[ She continues to walk ahead of him, even as he stops briefly.

Everything in the world is preordained to him, and yet... He blames himself, his own actions, his vices, his sins-- his envy-- for what happened between him and his brother.

Pyra turns around to face him just as he rejoins her. ]

What do you wish for, Somnus?

[ She asks once more, dropping his title. ]

[ She's used his name, and only his name. In recognition of that, his gaze meets hers momentarily. ]

To break the curse that binds this world and those in it.

[ Somnus has no delusions of grandeur about his place in this ordeal. He's but one of many with a limited number of possibilities. And yet, those are more possibilities than he's had in so many years, even as he continues to choose the same path the gods had first led him down. ]

[ And the best way, most likely, to break this curse and restore the color is to form bonds! Repeating that now seems useless, though; he might be a hero in his world, but he's ill-equipped, emotionally speaking, to have any such arsenal in forming meaningful bonds here.

But maybe that is the mark of a hero: overcoming odds stacked against him.

That's not to say that she isn't trying her damnedest to help him, either. With that, she continues to walk. Time to get that drink! ] Have you been forming bonds with others?

[ Yes, the drink. Far better than beating this dead chocobo. ]

I have spoken with a few.

[ Given current conditions, forming bonds is difficult and likely not as effective. They simply have no time left. Somnus watches Pyra. ]

I did not see you at the discussion conference.

[ ...Ah. She can't quite hide her expression right away. ]

[ She recovers quickly, however. ]

...I did not go.

[ .... ]

Was anything of importance discussed?

[ With his eyes on her, she's already too late in recovering. She speaks of bonds, yet she avoids at least one in the same breath. Unsurprising. ]

The skeletons from the burial mound relayed this message: remember what was forgotten. There was also a mention of the red map.

[ .... ]

Love. [ She states quietly, and it seems as if she has great difficulty saying the word. ]

Love is what was forgotten.

[ They know this through the old woman in the woods. ]

[ He nods. Anyone who reads the forum would know this by now. ]

It is not we who have forgotten, but the town that has. Now it falls on us to remind it.

[ Through the forging of bonds, he supposes. If that really is the case, he's a poor candidate. ]

To reminds it, mm. But how...?Through example? Through writing about it within the book? [ Musing, she lets her lips ease into a small smile again. Now that they're away from the topic of the "discussion conference", she feels a little more at ease. ]

I love... all here. Including you, Your Majesty. I love this world, because all of you are in it. [ Yet, she didn't go to that conference. ] But... it's not enough.

Our gods have no power here. The same holds true for their children.

[ In her own world, Pyra exists on a separate plane from mortals. Here, however, they are equals with no one person exerting greater influence upon Chroma. Of course her love alone isn't enough.

But he believes she's been on the correct path in pursuing bonds. After all, recalling the story on the forum: "No bond strengthens from an easy path or a fickle heart that cannot commit." Even the mere act of writing in the book seems to call for a certain degree of cooperation.

What's wrong with taking the easy path? He, so willful and foolish, had once thought this. Now he must be careful. ]

That is why the town entreats us to forge bonds. By ourselves, we can do nothing.

[ They're approaching her house in Bluo.

At the mention that the otherworlders can do nothing by themselves: ]

Your strongest bond here... is your brother. Have you spoken to him more than once, in your time here?

[ Hey if he's going to point out she wasn't at the party, she needs to know if his wish to help this world is strong enough to overcome his own misgivings with his sibling! ]

[ He suspects that she already knows the answer, which is no. The matter of his brother was inevitable when discussing the topic at hand. Theirs is not a positive bond, and it'll likely worsen if he attempts correspondence. Somnus has his doubts about whether or not this will benefit the town.

And he knows an excuse when he hears one. The old ache in his chest flares anew as he turns his head away with a mild frown. All of this is in order to return to their respective worlds, that his brother may be put to rest once and for all. ]

I will speak to him.

[ Perhaps beseech him to write in the book, provided that Ardyn lets Somnus get that far. It'll probably be the last time they ever speak to each other. ]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

1/2

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

1/2

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject