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

[clerically]

They did. Lucky, huh?

[Maybe unlucky, but she doesn't want to think of it that way. Just being in the sun is good enough to live for! Dying sucks!

It was so scary, to be so quick.

She's just going to. Lean on him a bit.]

Cause I messed up.

[rolebreaker]

[ he. ... he doesn't move away but he stiffens a little when she goes to lean on him. for a moment. wh ]

... you did? [ proces..sing, what? ]

I'm the one who left you behind.

[clerically]

[dealwithit.gif]

You did warn me about the danger, and I'm sure you didn't leave me on purpose. Unless this is a confession of your dastardly deeds.

[She giggles, but it's a bit wrong coming out. Too high-pitched, overly forced.]

It would have been great if you'd managed to get me out, but wouldn't us both dying have made it worse? Think about it.

[rolebreaker]

[ ..... it might be.

he's not exactly the best at recognizing the subtleties in tone, the break in her voice, but he does understand one thing. she was his responsibility. ]

It wouldn't have been my first time dying. [ is all he can think to say. it wouldn't have made things better, certainly, but... ]

You're different from me. And you were assigned to me. [ read: they were both assigned to Clover, but that's not exactly how he parses it. ]

[clerically]

That really doesn't make it doing it again the most wonderful idea. Unless you get better at dying with experience, but that doesn't seem right...

[While hearing he's died before is pretty disconcerting, Morning doesn't press. There's multiple reasons why.]

I think I get where you're going with it with us being different, but spell it out for me? I'm feeling like a Frog right now.

[rolebreaker]

[ ... how much should he tell her?

at least the basics should suffice. ]

I remember my life before here-- and the life before that. [ pieces. but. ] Before I came here, I was a soldier. I experienced death and rebirth countless times... I've always been numb to it. Which has only proved useful to me. But most people aren't like that.

[ a pause. ... ]

What do you mean you feel like a Frog?

[clerically]

I don't think most people should be like that. But if I had to, I think I could be.

[It sounds like utter agony. Nothing she wants to experience, but she does know that maybe those deaths affected him in ways he didn't know.

People suffered for other people, so she could bear up under it a little bit.]

I mean, like someone with a silly name like Frog, that no one would take seriously.

But if I got faster and stronger, I'd be less prone to needing protection, right?

[rolebreaker]

[ if she were to ask him how he felt about it, he wouldn't say that it was agony... rather there's something grounding about the experience of violence for him. but he's always been... off. he knows this much at least. ]

.... maybe. [ responds, turning her words over in his head as he gives her another glance over. she looks too shaken. too frail. but her words, at least, hold conviction. ]

Training your body to fight and react more readily to danger would help you ... appear less like a frog. [ if that's the goal? ] Though that may not be enough. You also have to steel your mind.

[clerically]

[PLEASE, SIR.]

This is going to sound strange, but I think my mind can pick it up as I go. It's just a feeling I have, you know?

So when are we going to start?

[Morning's just going to take it for granted, deliberately, that he would be willing to show her the ropes. She even bats her eyes a little, if less animatedly than a gesture like that would usually be from her.]