EVENT: ORIGIN'S ORIGINS (Aftermingle)

[fairwind]

Who: everyone
When: Day 32, morning
Where: the clearing

[As the final session of exploring the town ends, it's getting close to dawn.

There's a break of about an hour, while the explorers return, licking their wounds. Then, a flash of dark, violet sparkles, and a petite young man with many many wings appears, standing atop the train.

Some of you have heard his voice before, speaking of justice in Trials. You might've heard about him, and how there's "something wrong with him", too. This is The Angel, and his wings are dyed a deep black, with feathers falling out in a sickly way. He doesn't look too pleased, but he also doesn't look like he's about to attack.]

So, you searched. What did you find out? I want to know if you really think this universe is worth saving.

If it's not... Then there's no point to your existence, is there?

[Well. He's not attacking yet, anyway. He is taking a moment to gesture at your deertaur companion though -- a wisp of black wind is pulled out of his mouth.]

I'll give you one chance.

[At least your dead companions are safe? They're waking up now in their rooms, none the worse for wear. But they remember dying, and they have a deep sense that they've seen a kind of void no person should ever look into.]

Comments

[fairwind]

That's correct. It's simply the darkness of mankin's own nature.

[desirestruth]

...So what?

[Shrugging. She actually thinks what he's asking is a dumb question!] If that's all it is, if that's all it ever was, then I made this choice a century ago.

Of course they're still worth saving. That's what you wanted us to answer, wasn't it?

[fairwind]

...

[Is that the answer he wanted? He doesn't know. But he does seem surprised to get it.]

Did you understand what happened here?

[desirestruth]

...Well, I may have been a little indisposed. But there was a war, was there not? A town that made a bid for it's own independence, driven by greed and fear...

...Even if I've missed some of the exact details, I've seen this sort of thing happen before. Over and over. Nothing will change by just trying to destroy the problem...I've seen that, too.

So...I'll choose to save them. I'll even choose to save you.

[fairwind]

I don't need any saving from you. If the darkness wins, it stops. We're all saved from having to endlessly fight it. We won't lose anything else, once it's all gone.

[desirestruth]

...And we'd lose the ability to love each other. To care that we haven't lost anyone. To ever be anything but our worst selves.

That's not sparing anyone anything.

[fairwind]

"Love"...

[He's. He's thinking about it.]

...Hmph. It's less painful not to care.

[desirestruth]

Oh? So you don't care what happens to Hazel? To Cardamom?

[Shaking her head.] It's not actually possible to not care. You're cutting yourself off...from the very things that can make that pain bearable.

[fairwind]

I offered to take Hazel with me, but he declined. As for Cardamom, he's a sad excuse for a Prince who'll never become King.

[He's not actually addressing the second bit because it would involve self-awareness.]

[desirestruth]

[...She's thinking about what she heard about his last game, and snorts.]

In the first place, you don't understand what the duties of a monarch actually are, that much I already knew. But arguing about it would be pointless, right?

[She sighs a little. She'd like very much to punch him in the throat but this won't help. Alas.]

You're hurting Hazel. He will always be hurting. The Malice...feeds on pain. Thrives on despair and suffering. It won't make the pain go away. It will make it endless.

Is that what you really want him to go through?

[fairwind]

Is struggling any better, if the outcome is the same? I don't believe you're going to save anything. Most of you can't even trust eachother for more than five minutes.

1/2

[desirestruth]

Sounds to me like you're too scared of the effort to try, so you're just hurting people and trying to justify giving up to yourself.

[Flatly. Her tone and expression are razor sharp, and glacially cold. ]

The Malice will kill him, tortuously, slowly, painfully. It will not spare him. It will not spare anyone. You can't give in to it and spare him the suffering. You're simply betraying his trust and faith in you to spare yourself the pain. Selfish, cowardly, and cruel. If you ever loved him, do better.

[desirestruth]

[But, she softens.] I don't care if you don't believe in us. I believe in what I know, and what I know is this--

I have beaten hatred before and I will do it again if I have to do it myself.

[fairwind]

[Slowly, it might be working? Maybe.

Right now he just looks extra pissed off, hopping off the train to approach. The many corrupted wings are pretty spooky but he's also like five feet tall so. Very scary.]

If you're swallowed into the void, you won't suffer. It's only if you fall far enough...

[Yeah. Drifting in the void sounds nice. Thyme won't, though -- he's already too corrupted. He'll just become a monster. But Hazel...

...Huh. Will this drive him to the same end? He doesn't want to accept that he's wrong, but at least Naeva's making him actually think.]

Hmph. If you die enough times, maybe they'll stop reviving you, and you can sleep.

[desirestruth]

I won't stop. I will never stop. That void is suffering.

[She grew up in spookytown, Thyme, she ain't scared of an overgrown crow having a bad molt, bitch. She cracks her knuckles and prepares to yeet a motherfucker.]

You won't even listen to what he wants? Who gave you the right to decide for him? That's not love, that's self-aggrandizement.

[fairwind]

It's not my fault he's blind to the truth.

[And stop criticizing his romance!! It's fine. They're fine. He is starting to summon another whirlwind, though, black wisps picking up around Naeva.]

[desirestruth]

It's your fault you're treating him badly!

[RIGHT. GONNA BUMRUSH A BIRD TO PUT HIM IN A FUCKING HEADLOCK 8 MILE MOM'S SPAGHETTI THIS IS STUPID.]

Are you really this dense? How can you stand to keep making him cry? You are the one that hurts him the most--How can you possibly say you're in the right?

Why isn't he enough of a reason for you to keep fighting?

[fairwind]

[He could dodge, normally, what with the wings. But they hurt right now, and her last question throws him off.

So he pauses, startled, and she's caught him!]

H-Hey!

[desirestruth]

[RIGHT. INTO THE OCEAN WE'RE GOING. Maybe the cold water will be enough of a shock to his senses.]

Why? Why isn't he enough? Who fights for every single possibility, for every single person in the world? Fight for what you love, not the merits of a hundred million strangers.

Fight for him. Fight for the ones you care about. If losing him scares you, then fight.

[fairwind]

[You have dunked a bird.

He's sputtering, loose feathers floating away as he struggles. But... is it just you or is there white now, at the base of them?]

Get off of me already!

[desirestruth]

I will not. I'm fighting for the ones I love, too, you know.

[REDUNK. GONNA WASH THIS MALICE RIGHT OFF.]

I'll never stop. I can't stop. It hurts all the time. I'm angry all the time. Do you think I don't know what the Malice feels like?

But for them, I can withstand anything. As long as they're still smiling...it will always be enough.

[fairwind]

[INDIGNANT BIRD SCREECHES AS HE GOES UNDER

...And then he's just breathing really hard because, surprise, positivity and bonds works! He's getting better but that doesn't make the emotional pain better.]

I... don't understand...

[desirestruth]

I know you don't.

[ She sighs, and hauls him to his feet. Still locked in a headlock, before he gets cute, but at least no more dunks. ]

You've been in despair for so long you forgot. Forgot what it's like to see him smile. To be near him. To make him happy.

But he didn't forget...he is waiting for you to remember what love feels like...and if you try, you can still remember. I'm sure of that.

[fairwind]

[Naeva isn't wrong. He really did forget. He got lost out there in the dark.

He was fully ready to die here, or kill everyone. He wanted to make it all stop. But instead everyone's yelling about love and threatening to save him instead, and it's pushing back the Malice.

He's coming back to himself and now he's just... really sad and lonely. He stops struggling, and goes quiet.]

...

[awakenerd]

[Ihaveacrush.jpg]