No, I imagine I'm not. [ no offense taken... he's aware of how he generally. is. ] But I also don't see any reason to ignore one of you when you're both responsible for overseeing things here.
[ with a wry tinge to his tone: ] I'm not particularly sociable, but I'd like to think I'm not quite that rude.
Then you're doing better than some of the others here who're still trying to figure out just how to feel about us. [Something wry enters their tone, but they sit up a little taller in their seat.] I mean I get it but at the same time it makes it a little harder to know how to really help.
I do, but they also depend mostly on what you'd even be able to answer. Because don't get me wrong- I'm still trying to figure out the same thing as some of those others are. But you two have on your side the fact that, for better or for worse, you're at least somewhat invested in what happens to us.
[ or at least, have adopted a public facing strategy that at least pretends to be. ]
It's better than I can say of others I've known. So even if I might distrust you, you're one of the only consistent sources of information we have. It's ridiculous to dismiss you out of hand.
Of course we're invested. We didn't bring you here and none of you should be going through this. Lune and I would like to see you leave as safe as possible.
[They prop their head up with a hand.] But...I appreciate that. [They're still a bit wary, but they can work with it.] That's a more strategic approach than others have taken and I can respect that.
[ wryly: ] If 'not yelling at you every time you show up' is what qualifies as more strategic, I suppose it is.
[ but really, sol gets so much shit from the others. it's almost ridiculous? julius settles back against... whatever he's leaning against i don't know if it's a chair or the wall. shh. and just watches sol. mostly more curious than anything else, though the wariness never really leaves him here. ]
I don't know about you, but I'd be more willing to cooperate with someone who treated me as an actual person as opposed to a tool.
You'd think so, wouldn't you? [They just sound sort of tired, because sure, it makes sense why people are freaking out but at the same time there's only so much they can do right now.] I want to help as much as I can. Me and Lune both. But if this is what the universe wants this is really as fast as we can go. I wish more people understood that, but...I get it.
You said you'd investigate, after the first time. ... I'd get it if you couldn't tell us anything outright, but can you at least say what specifically your investigation topics entailed?
Mostly we're looking for something to change the purification process. [Because that's not super great.] Our goal is to figure out how, exactly, the darkness is manifesting so we can work with it and you can decide how to change or tame it. If we don't have that, then all we can do is a repeat of last week.
It's maybe a little optimistic, but I'm hoping that maybe what happened won't happen again and it'll buy us some time.
Hm. And I don't suppose there's anything we can do on our end to try to facilitate that process? You set us loose through the gateway with the intention of us finding and culling the corruption there, but that seems like something entirely different from this.
It doesn't really seem fair that you two are doing most of the legwork.
Does it? [They sound intrigued.] While the gateway and the corruption that's here seem different, they're just the same thing in two forms. Clearing the corruption in the gateways provides some stabilization of the core itself. So...it's just as important and why we open these gates.
[There's a sigh though.] It's not really about what's fair or not anymore anyway. We volunteered for this, but I still think the universe has other ideas about what we should be doing versus what you guys are doing. It's kind of making me mad that they're only giving us part of the information we need though.
Before Lune and I came here, we were on our own doing other stuff. Traveling new places isn't different for either of us, so when the universe called us here we both showed up. It asked us to look into the problems here, and so for a few weeks we searched everywhere and tried to find the source of the manifestation.
The universe had other plans though and then asked that we serve as the guides for what it wanted. We said yes, because it was the right thing to do. And then you guys came here.
I guess there's a number of us are not unfamiliar with the concept of traveling between worlds.
[ though his mouth twists, a bit. does the universe have an embodiment, then, or did it ask in the same way that they all knew to gather at the meeting hall for trial, in suggestion and impressions? ]
The universe seems rather ... willful, for something asking for our help. Especially so, with the uncomfortable seeming restrictions placed upon the two of you. So I'll be direct rather than try to tease and wheedle answers out of you that you might not be able to give: what can you do for us as guides, outside of opening the gates and providing us the means to gather evidence during that trial we had?
Are we- I don't know- missing something in the day to day here, just because we didn't think to ask?
We're able to travel to planes you don't have access to and communicate with the universe that way. From there, we gather information to bring back and check on other things. In addition...we're kind of a go-between.
We do allow for favors in exchange for tasks, as long as the universe approves of it. But the missions are kinda up to us.
Wait, how many planes are we working with here besides the obvious? One physical one, one for the spirits I assume, and then... One for the universe? Is that what you're saying?
[ a beat. then a muttered, "what doesn't the universe have to sign off on..." before: ]
What kind of favors and tasks are we talking about, anyway?
[ he doesn't mind doing extra legwork, if only because he's basically been dying of cabin fever with nothing concrete to work off of or anything obvious to stab, but you know, knowing what you're getting yourself into, ]
This one that you're on, and a few others, yeah. There might be even more that Lune and I don't know about yet but we're opening new paths as we're finding information.
[They're not too thrilled either.]
Usually it's favors that will help you guys, or stuff you guys would want, in exchange for a task that's difficult for you. It's an equal exchange, and it changes depending on who you are. Things you find most difficult net the bigger rewards.
[ he closes his eyes, briefly, and huffs out a sigh. the thought hadn't even occurred to him before sol mentioned being used to traveling, and yet...
first things first: ] What's your definition of relevance, then? And as for the other thing-
Making sure that someone will be taken care of back in my world in the event of something happening to me. Taking them off world [ off universe, ] preferably, if there's some place more hospitable that isn't innately doomed by virtue of being what it is.
[ hm. ]
... There's things I'd want for here, too, obviously, but.
[ well. beggars, choosers, etc. and long term contingency plans. ]
Relevance, I think, depends on what it is you're really looking for. Some people won't find anything of use in the paths that we open, but others...it might benefit them more than they realize.
[They consider this for a moment.] Is your world in danger, Julius? [They're curious, because that's a tall order and yet somehow this seems like something they can understand well enough.]
I suppose you can't actually elaborate on these planes for now? I'd imagine that being told what they are up front might help some to decide whether or not they're of use.
... But yes, of a sort. It's nothing immediate. My world's been in danger, as you put it, for a long time.
[ he still did ask, though, so maybe it's a bit more than he's downplaying it as. ]
You might have heard me ask Lune about whether our situation here was due to some imbalance in souls, or something like that back when the two of you first appeared to us.
The short of it is that the world's been slowly but surely dying for a long time, and it was decided that humanity was the issue. Some Great Spirits set up a so-called test, for us, that if we managed to prove ourselves before a certain time limit we would be able to live. If not, then.
[ well. ]
... It's been thousands of years since then. We haven't gotten any closer to clearing the Trial, not for a lack of effort. And, well. If people didn't believe or realize there was a problem before, they certainly do now, as of a few decades ago.
[As they listen to this story, they keep their head propped up with a hand but their full attention seems to be on Julius. It's a rough situation to be in, especially hearing the fact that someone else decided that this would be a way to determine who was and wasn't worth something.]
You must really love how things are done here then. [Being brought here against his will, deciding that humanity would have to solve the issues. The parallels are there.] And the time limit back there is coming up, isn't it?
What kind of test was it supposed to be anyway? Did the spirits or whatever at least tell you that?
What, was it really that obvious. [ He hasn't exactly bothered to hide his general vibe of 'universe why' after all. ] But to anyone's best guess, it is. We don't have an exact date or anything, all we have to work off of are old records and legends the family managed to preserve-
[ And boy doesn't he sounds frustrated about that, ]
But more and more it feels like anything we do is really only trying to plug holes in an already sinking ship. And- I don't know. Of our character? Our ambition? Strength? Will?
All I know is that it can't have been for our ability to care. [ but that's just, like, his opinion. it isn't as if the spirits have shown up in thousands of years to make an announcement or anything. ]
I think I'm digressing, though. From the problem here. I didn't mean to actually burden anyone with all that when this is [ apparently ] a larger problem.
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[ with a wry tinge to his tone: ] I'm not particularly sociable, but I'd like to think I'm not quite that rude.
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I'm sure you have a lot of questions by now, too.
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[ or at least, have adopted a public facing strategy that at least pretends to be. ]
It's better than I can say of others I've known. So even if I might distrust you, you're one of the only consistent sources of information we have. It's ridiculous to dismiss you out of hand.
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[They prop their head up with a hand.] But...I appreciate that. [They're still a bit wary, but they can work with it.] That's a more strategic approach than others have taken and I can respect that.
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[ but really, sol gets so much shit from the others. it's almost ridiculous? julius settles back against... whatever he's leaning against i don't know if it's a chair or the wall. shh. and just watches sol. mostly more curious than anything else, though the wariness never really leaves him here. ]
I don't know about you, but I'd be more willing to cooperate with someone who treated me as an actual person as opposed to a tool.
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Not having answers is kind of terrible.
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You said you'd investigate, after the first time. ... I'd get it if you couldn't tell us anything outright, but can you at least say what specifically your investigation topics entailed?
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It's maybe a little optimistic, but I'm hoping that maybe what happened won't happen again and it'll buy us some time.
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It doesn't really seem fair that you two are doing most of the legwork.
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[There's a sigh though.] It's not really about what's fair or not anymore anyway. We volunteered for this, but I still think the universe has other ideas about what we should be doing versus what you guys are doing. It's kind of making me mad that they're only giving us part of the information we need though.
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But that's right, isn't it? You two volunteered for this. What was that like?
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The universe had other plans though and then asked that we serve as the guides for what it wanted. We said yes, because it was the right thing to do. And then you guys came here.
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[ though his mouth twists, a bit. does the universe have an embodiment, then, or did it ask in the same way that they all knew to gather at the meeting hall for trial, in suggestion and impressions? ]
The universe seems rather ... willful, for something asking for our help. Especially so, with the uncomfortable seeming restrictions placed upon the two of you. So I'll be direct rather than try to tease and wheedle answers out of you that you might not be able to give: what can you do for us as guides, outside of opening the gates and providing us the means to gather evidence during that trial we had?
Are we- I don't know- missing something in the day to day here, just because we didn't think to ask?
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We do allow for favors in exchange for tasks, as long as the universe approves of it. But the missions are kinda up to us.
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[ a beat. then a muttered, "what doesn't the universe have to sign off on..." before: ]
What kind of favors and tasks are we talking about, anyway?
[ he doesn't mind doing extra legwork, if only because he's basically been dying of cabin fever with nothing concrete to work off of or anything obvious to stab, but you know, knowing what you're getting yourself into, ]
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[They're not too thrilled either.]
Usually it's favors that will help you guys, or stuff you guys would want, in exchange for a task that's difficult for you. It's an equal exchange, and it changes depending on who you are. Things you find most difficult net the bigger rewards.
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[ he gets the concept of a need to know basis, so if they're not important then nbd, but... ]
... The favors, though. Limited to here, or does your reach extend further?
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And that depends, too. You have something specific in mind?
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first things first: ] What's your definition of relevance, then? And as for the other thing-
Making sure that someone will be taken care of back in my world in the event of something happening to me. Taking them off world [ off universe, ] preferably, if there's some place more hospitable that isn't innately doomed by virtue of being what it is.
[ hm. ]
... There's things I'd want for here, too, obviously, but.
[ well. beggars, choosers, etc. and long term contingency plans. ]
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[They consider this for a moment.] Is your world in danger, Julius? [They're curious, because that's a tall order and yet somehow this seems like something they can understand well enough.]
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... But yes, of a sort. It's nothing immediate. My world's been in danger, as you put it, for a long time.
[ he still did ask, though, so maybe it's a bit more than he's downplaying it as. ]
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How long is a long time? [Yeah, not exactly buying that it's a lowkey kind of danger.]
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You might have heard me ask Lune about whether our situation here was due to some imbalance in souls, or something like that back when the two of you first appeared to us.
The short of it is that the world's been slowly but surely dying for a long time, and it was decided that humanity was the issue. Some Great Spirits set up a so-called test, for us, that if we managed to prove ourselves before a certain time limit we would be able to live. If not, then.
[ well. ]
... It's been thousands of years since then. We haven't gotten any closer to clearing the Trial, not for a lack of effort. And, well. If people didn't believe or realize there was a problem before, they certainly do now, as of a few decades ago.
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You must really love how things are done here then. [Being brought here against his will, deciding that humanity would have to solve the issues. The parallels are there.] And the time limit back there is coming up, isn't it?
What kind of test was it supposed to be anyway? Did the spirits or whatever at least tell you that?
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[ And boy doesn't he sounds frustrated about that, ]
But more and more it feels like anything we do is really only trying to plug holes in an already sinking ship. And- I don't know. Of our character? Our ambition? Strength? Will?
All I know is that it can't have been for our ability to care. [ but that's just, like, his opinion. it isn't as if the spirits have shown up in thousands of years to make an announcement or anything. ]
I think I'm digressing, though. From the problem here. I didn't mean to actually burden anyone with all that when this is [ apparently ] a larger problem.
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