becomeanwarrior | [Private Threads of Various Stripes]

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.

[ 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?

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.*

...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. ]

Edited 2023-05-18 05:37 (UTC)

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.

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?

"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.

[ 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?

Edited 2023-05-18 05:57 (UTC)

Oh, no.

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

[ ...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?

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.

[ 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?

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.

[ 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?

... 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.

[ ...Hrms thoughtfully. Is that what Suzume is really after? It would explain perhaps some...things. If Sadame feels like that question is important to ask. ] ...I don't know the exact particulars, but I know people who do. If it's really bugging you that much, I can look into it.

[ As to the second part, he shrugs. ]

It's... [ Hrm. ] I wouldn't call it helpful, no. But it's at least been enlightening.

...I suspect there's no way to get around the fact that you'll have to tell Suzume we had this little chat?

What do you think She is, my handler?

If She was, I wouldn't be hiding out in an arboretum.

*that's probably Sadame-ease for "I'm not going to say anything unless it's brought up."*

I dunno, you seem to think she will literally rip a hole in existence and set you on fire the second you say anything that crosses a line. It seemed like an appropriate conclusion to draw.

[ And that's probably Onni-dialect for "I understand. I'll try to keep it secret." ]

Day to day business isn't Her business.

But again, the walls have ears and eyes.

*zipping up* So will you be arresting a witch, today?

[ He stands up, dusting himself off, slightly, looking you in the eyes. ]

I guess that depends, Sadame.

What happens to you if I do arrest you?

I wouldn't do anything. I don't have my disk on, so it's not like I could reasonably defend myself. *holding up their arms. nothing attached.*

Viola might disagree, however.

Edited 2023-05-18 14:42 (UTC)

[ Guess that means that taking Sadame in here probably isn't the wisest move. Well... ]

...You've given me enough to chew on I can give you a pass. But if 'Her Majesty' throws you in my way, I'm sure you know I can't go easy on you.

But as far as anyone else is concerned, you threw me off the trail.

[ Dusting himself off a bit, looking back the way he came. ]

Edited 2023-05-22 05:08 (UTC)

*as much as they'd probably rather be locked away so things would stop happening to them... but that'd be the coward's way-- they still have something they could be doing, here.

Thankfully, the vines are moving so that you can exit the enclosure without forcing yourself through once again.*

Of course I'm aware. And with luck, I'll not be considered an effective enough weapon to be used against you.

[ He snorts a bit. ]

Luck's not typically been on my side when it comes to these things - so for your sake, I hope she favors you a little more more than me.

Later, Sadame. If you can find you can slip away for a little bit of coffee, I'm sure it's not too hard to find me.

[ He'll give a nod at Sadame. And then a nod... up? He assumes that he can be Seen by Black Rose, here, before he starts to make his leave. ]

Edited 2023-05-25 06:15 (UTC)

I'll keep that in mind.

*nodding, as the vines close behind you.

they're still technically trespassing, but at least they're deep in enough that most people won't find them.*

[Private Threads of Various Stripes]

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