[Private Threads of Various Stripes]

[becomeanwarrior]

[ In which the former Chief of OOPARTS - now the Chief of Sector Security and the Lead Investigator of Sector Security's Supernatural Intelligence Division - conducts some on-the-ground beat work, without trying to attract too much attention to himself.

What're you going to do, detective? Well, let's check in and see... ]

Comments

Re: [THE ARBORETUM - SADAME (ANOTHER)]

[timesflow]

Wonderful. *saying that in the most tired way possible*

You're aware then, of a time when signs were appearing, that the Dark Signers would awaken. This was before I had become a Signer, but apparently, the Dragons had gotten it into their head that they should simply kill the potential hosts of the Dark Signers.

This being before we found out that untimely, vengeful deaths would cause them to awaken, of course. My Black Rose Dragon was unable to explain what possessed them to do such a thing, honestly-- but that's besides the point. *waving off that thought*

The Obsidian Lord. His Majesty. He was falsely identified as one of the potential Dark Signers, due to his nature.

Re: [THE ARBORETUM - SADAME (ANOTHER)]

[becomeanwarrior]

...Ah, fuck.

[ I know well enough about the impulses the Dragons go through, given Kamala's own... problems. ]

So it's not just the Obsidian Lord, it's an Obsidian Lord who awoke to the powers of a Dark Signer...? and probably in full control of his 'host body', I'm going to wager.

Re: [THE ARBORETUM - SADAME (ANOTHER)]

[timesflow]

*waving a hand*

I said falsely identified. He isn't a Dark Signer-- not even remotely. He hadn't even been wholly awakened to his identity as the Obsidian Lord, yet.

But the Black Rose Dragon that came before mine, along with her Signer... they killed him. Striking him down in cold blood.

Even though he later revived as a result of the Obsidian Lord's power awakening within him, Her Majesty was... absolutely furious. She effectively awoke first in response to the murder of Her beloved, and did away with not only the Dragon, but also the Signer, absorbing their power into herself.

Re: [THE ARBORETUM - SADAME (ANOTHER)]

[becomeanwarrior]

[ He folds his arms, his brow knitting. ]

...Some of this is starting to sound strangely familiar. Which I guess isn't surprising.

So Lady Suzume absorbed the power of the first Black Rose Dragon, and their Signer. And the Obsidian Lord awakened to his power and revived.

Re: [THE ARBORETUM - SADAME (ANOTHER)]

[timesflow]

Yes.

The problem is, the false positive led to the actual Dark Signer being awakened without the Dragons' involvement. Which is why... I had to be awakened as a Signer, when a new Black Rose Dragon was born.

Re: [THE ARBORETUM - SADAME (ANOTHER)]

[becomeanwarrior]

I'm... afraid I don't actually have any experience in a Dark Signer being awakened without the Dragons' involvement, misjudged as it was. [ He frowns. ] Judging by how you're describing it, it didn't exactly go well, I imagine.

[ He sighs. ] Pretty rotten luck, on your part, too.

Re: [THE ARBORETUM - SADAME (ANOTHER)]

[timesflow]

Yes.

Especially when the Dark Signer in question turned out to be my elder sister, Shiei.

*looking down, gripping the water bottle a bit tightly*

Re: [THE ARBORETUM - SADAME (ANOTHER)]

[becomeanwarrior]

[ Onni's eyes widen a bit. ]

It was Shiei...? Shit. [ He looks off to the side after a moment. The Signer - Dark Signer conflict... it really did tear people apart. ]

...What happened between the two of you, then?

Re: [THE ARBORETUM - SADAME (ANOTHER)]

[timesflow]

Heh. *taking another drink of the water*

I never knew what she was going through, honestly... as much as our parents neglected my problems, they ignored any problems she had, too-- she couldn't feel much of anything. She had difficulties forming attachments. And yet as the eldest, she was considered to be their "favorite". Her problems could be blanketed over, unlike me, paranoid and sleep-deprived.

*suddenly takes the bottle, and slams it against the vine wall, palm used for the force, the bit of water that was remaining splashing out and seeping into the plantlife surrounding them-- but it's obvious what they're trying to symbolize.*

When that happened, and she revived as a Dark Signer, she was... Happier. She could feel things. She felt the emotions she thought she never had. The first thing she did was sacrifice our parents-- for their neglect. For their ignorance. And I couldn't... I couldn't chastise her for that. I couldn't begin to feel like she was wrong for it, even though it was... Even though I was supposed to be the one to stop her... *letting the bottle drop as their arm goes slack, looking down*

Re: [THE ARBORETUM - SADAME (ANOTHER)]

[becomeanwarrior]

[ ... There's a pause as he lets Sadame get their emotions out, before speaking up. ]

I never... liked the Dragons. I thought that the Dragons were forcing scenarios that could only bring more suffering, all because they thought there was a chance everything they were worried about would occur. At least in our world, there's plenty of evidence of the scars they left in their wake.

[ He clenches a fist. Sadame might even be able to see his eyes flash a very emerald green before he tapers it. ]

Things have... evened out, over time. People have healed. But I remember having to deal with the aftermath of what we experienced. I never wanted anything like that to happen again.

Re: [THE ARBORETUM - SADAME (ANOTHER)]

[timesflow]

Maybe here, things have evened out.

But for me... it's still going. How can fate-- how can anything really tell me to strike down my own sister? The last family I have?

She agreed with that sentiment. She asked me to join her, instead.

Re: [THE ARBORETUM - SADAME (ANOTHER)]

[becomeanwarrior]

[ He's clearly on edge, he's still sitting, let Sadame tell their tale. ]

...All things considered, you'll forgive me if I presume this story doesn't exactly have a happy ending.

So, you joined with her, I presume?

Re: [THE ARBORETUM - SADAME (ANOTHER)]

[timesflow]

I still wouldn't be a Signer, properly, if I did.

We struck a deal instead. I would be given the time to decide if I'm going to join her, or fight against her-- and she would be given the time to do the things she was never going to be able to do, with the problems she had. With the parents we had. Traveling the world, seeing what it had to offer.

A part of me hopes she keeps on traveling, so I never have to make that decision... *and that's why they're here. because it's harder to travel to another timeline than it is to travel around the world.*

Re: [THE ARBORETUM - SADAME (ANOTHER)]

[becomeanwarrior]

...So that's why you're here. And why you don't know that much about what Her Majesty or Noriko are doing.

To you, this is just a way to extend the timer on that deal. So you don't have to go back and resolve it.

[ He sounds... understanding, but perhaps a bit disappointed by all of it. You can see his shoulders slump. ]

Re: [THE ARBORETUM - SADAME (ANOTHER)]

[timesflow]

You say that like you're disappointed.

*shaking their head*

I can say... I know enough about what She's doing to know that saying anything will turn out badly. Whatever Noriko is doing however... it's likely aligned with the nicer half of the Flame Lord, His Undying Blaze.

Re: [THE ARBORETUM - SADAME (ANOTHER)]

[becomeanwarrior]

Maybe a bit.

I don't like being stonewalled. Even if it's well-intentioned. I get why you're putting your survival first, but it does make me irritated enough to want to put 'Her Majesty' through a table or three. Especially since I have enough of a guess on what 'Her Majesty' is doing that nothing can end up good for my world by her being here.

[ He exhales sharply through his nose. ]

..."The nicer half of"... That'd be Souha, then, I assume? The Obsidian Lord's brother?

Re: [THE ARBORETUM - SADAME (ANOTHER)]

[timesflow]

"Sibling", specifically. When the Flame Lord ascended, they burnt all concept of gender from their being.

Physically and mentally. It was... apparently as painful as it sounds.

*coughing a little* But yes, the Lord that shouldn't have been-- the Obsidian Lord's own sibling, awoke to the power to reshape all by burning it down.

Re: [THE ARBORETUM - SADAME (ANOTHER)]

[becomeanwarrior]

[ He clicks his tongue. ] Well, that part tracks with our timeline's Souha, at least...

So let me take a wild guess, here.

Did this send your timeline hurtling on a crash course to destruction? This ongoing fight between the Flame Lord and the Obsidian Lord?

Re: [THE ARBORETUM - SADAME (ANOTHER)]

[timesflow]

Oh, no.

Actually, their presence was a part of what's helping.

Re: [THE ARBORETUM - SADAME (ANOTHER)]

[becomeanwarrior]

[ ...Hrm. ]

See, now that's fascinating - I would have assumed between the two there would be some... strife, but they're a stabilizing force? How's that?

Re: [THE ARBORETUM - SADAME (ANOTHER)]

[timesflow]

They're siblings. They have their own territories, certainly, but there's enough room.

But Souha, as the Flame Lord, should have not been.

This isn't hyperbole. This isn't me exaggerating. It is a wrongness about my world.

Just as there's many things wrong, here.

Re: [THE ARBORETUM - SADAME (ANOTHER)]

[becomeanwarrior]

[ Oh, that gets his eyes to narrow. A wrongness about the world, huh. ]

Like how Shiyoko has a daughter, who has assumed the place in prophecy usually reserved for the Obsidian Lord, you mean? Just as an example?

Or do you mean something else?

Re: [THE ARBORETUM - SADAME (ANOTHER)]

[timesflow]

I don't know the specifics of that. But that sounds like one of the wrongs that scratch underneath the surface, yes.

I feel them. Constantly. Gnawing away at my awareness, while most others accept them without blinking.

It's the same no matter where I go, now.

Re: [THE ARBORETUM - SADAME (ANOTHER)]

[becomeanwarrior]

[ Why are you so hard to nail down. Ugh. You either 'don't know anything' or 'know enough you can't say'. It's deeply frustrating.

...To that, Onni leans back. ]

You aren't the only one. I can see the stitches in reality. I don't really have the ability to exist out of time and space so much that I know what those stitches looked like, before. But I can see the vague shape of what was removed. I'm not going to claim it's an elegant solution, but it's kept things from spiraling out of control when we constantly have to deal with outside threats.

[ He really puts emphasis on the last part, kind of fixing you with a steely gaze. ]

Are being able to sense these wrongs why you were brought here?

Re: [THE ARBORETUM - SADAME (ANOTHER)]

[timesflow]

... there's a lot of stitches.

But let me ask you in turn: why would either world need so many stitches? What causes those stitches in the first place?

Anyone could fulfill the role I was chosen for, essentially. My abilities, hectic as they are, offer a clear benefit for those who have either gained my favor, or my submission. But they're not, specifically, why I'm here.

I'm just a part of the team, officially.

*dusting themselves off, as they grab a hooded top to put on*

I'm sorry I can't answer your questions directly. I'm sure none of what I said is remotely useful for you. Just complaints from someone who feels like all one can do is complain.