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redactable2020-11-15 01:53 pm
retellers) wrote in redactable2020-11-15 01:53 pm
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WEEK SEVEN: MINGLE
WEEK SEVEN: MINGLE (21 remain) Rise and shine, gremlins. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and it's the start of a new week. To the participants, yesterday's events may seem distant now—albeit not as distant as their life before this. Whether or not they notice, they will have lost a memory upon waking up. As usual, the participants will find that their lodgings have changed, and should anyone check their PHS, Chiron, Ochako, Soo-won, and Dorothy's profiles have been removed. They may also find that they have difficulty recalling complete details of the past weeks. Furthermore, it looks as though the rules have updated. Not everything is the same as the previous pattern, though. The barrier to the north is back up, and once more, what lies beyond is an empty field. In contrast, however, participants may notice that they can finally access a place they haven't been able to before... Additionally, it looks like the Leaders aren't around. No matter where the participants look, they're nowhere to be found. Should anyone try calling for them in the Planetarium, there will be no response—not even a message telling the participant that they're busy. Finally, everything around the participants begins to... glitch? Buildings may suddenly blink out of existence and then back in, random items like chairs or cups may suddenly distort even while they're being used, and looking at any particular thing for too long may give someone a headache. It's worse than it was that one week, though: participants will find that it's happening to themselves as well. Body parts might suddenly glitch out of existence then back in, and there will be a shot of pain when it occurs. It'll happen randomly, but it also seems to occur more often if they're touching something or another person. |
NAVIGATION locations ₓ˚. statuses *+:｡ ic profiles :ₓo ic rules ･ﾟﾟ･｡ audience requests murder proposals ｡✧o private conversations ･ﾟo｡ curfew ･ﾟ✧ memories |
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[ as for his enemy, well. here he is! everyone's favorite book 1 antagonist. ]
[ zuko's eyes widen slightly as fire nation music plays in the background. there's someone he hasn't seen in a long time -- someone he thought was dead, actually. ]
[ but is any of this for real.... or not? ]
-- I can handle him.
[ and apparently he really can??? as zuko attacks zhao with one of the broadswords he used as the blue spirit. wow, adding insult to injury. ]
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But everyone starts throwing their punches and presumably having a good time.
Though things apparently didn't go quite this well in the original memory, since as they fight, they might see images of other figures: Demans, someone recognizable as Goat, and a man that Hua Cheng and Xie Lian might identify as the grown-up version of the boy they saw in the vision, who celebrated his baby sister's birthday, all dressed in suits.
The red-haired man shoves Goat. "Stop. Get off before it gets rough."
And then Goat, looking uncharacteristically furious— "You... You are stopping me...?"
Then, they disappear.
Anyhow, lots of punching! You're all probably going to end up at least a little bruised after all the tussling with your definitely very beloved people, but since you all did well on your rolls and because I'm not going to make you fight for another million tag rounds, I assume none of the four gets knocked out, and so they end up as the last ones standing. ]
And our winners are... Hua Cheng, Xie Lian, Usagi Tsukino, and Zuko! Who could've seen this coming!?
[ After they're given a few moments to bask in their victory, they're ushered off the ring and into a hallway by a few Demans—before Lexter, seemingly wandering around, casually bumps into Xie Lian just because he's first in the tag order. ]
Whoops! Well, congrats on your victory, everyone! See you around!
[ He waltzes off because he's not exactly safe here. However, Xie Lian might now find a note in his pocket:
Can't go cuz I didn't fight but I'll find a way. Try not to cause commotion until you meet Ares. King guy. Zone 1 gonna be way more dangerous. Getting my road of light ready.
Also if they tell you to take vapour say yes but DO NOT ACTUALLY TAKE IT. STAY AWAY FROM BALLOONS.
In any case, the group will be ushered from place to place, being requested to fill out paperwork, that sort of thing. Who knew soul-sucking, genocidal monsters were so bureaucratic?
This will end with them transported inside a limousine running on auto-drive, on their way to Zone 1. It's very fancy inside: comfy seats, mini fridges stocked with drinks, etc. If they look out the window, they'll see what look like pyramids—even if only Usagi would probably recognize them as such—peering above the walls of Zone 1.
But until you arrive, enjoy your sweet ride? You are all back in your normal clothes with your inventory again, unless you wanted to still be stuck in a suit. ]
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anyway. wow! that was cathartic!!! mister martial god had a great time whaling on just about anyone, and briefly smiles at lexter when he goes running off - hands settling peacefully in his pockets while they're escorted through paperwork. it's kind of wild how much this feels like ghost city. he's half expecting to see ... that one guy whose name he can't remember's mask around the corner.
such is not the case. it's only once they're settled into the limousine and it's driving off that xie lian feels for the paper again, which is now mysteriously among his sleeve inventory. he takes it out, and smooths it over his knee, and then passes it around to the rest of the group in the limo so they can read the rest of it. ]
...I think this "Ares" person is... well, I have a hunch, but I think they are someone very important to Brother Goat's past. Let's follow that young man's direction - he will certainly know more about this place than we do - and try to lay low while we can.
[ he has so many questions still. road of light? vapour (????) balloons???
that's fine ]
Is everyone alright, after that...? [ a beat, and then ] And our feathered friend, too? It was all quite unexpected.
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Also he likes the suit. He's going to look into this later.
But he climbs into the limo next to Xie Lian, taking inventory of his things now that they've been returned to him. He leans down to reach into his right boot, casually pulling out... the hilt of a goddamn knife, before he nudges it back down, like he was adjusting it. It's fine. ]
It might be like the Distance Shortening Array. [ Answering 1/3 of the question marks he can see floating around Xie Lian's head. The others he's not as sure about, but can hazard that the vapour has something to do with that smoke they saw. Better to pass on that.
Flexing his hand absently, Hua Cheng mulls over their situation, watching the scenery outside for a beat, especially with how at odds everything seems to be with itself. ]
So long as we keep moving through the motions, while not succumbing to anything here, I think we should be fine. We just need to tread carefully. [ He looks to Usagi and Zuko, though, as he settles back with his arms behind his head, to make sure they're fine - and their bird friend. ]
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[ that's an absent explanation for her ancient folk while she reads. ]
I guess they filled it with something dangerous instead.
[ otherwise, she's just happy to sit back and vibe, since she knows absolutely nothing about what they're getting into. it's fine though, she's full of Fight Adrenaline, a punch well done and ready to fist fight
godthe boss ]no subject
... Yeah, maybe.
[ at xie lian. he has no idea what to say about balloons ]
Looks we can all handle ourselves, when we have to fight again.
[ not if... ]
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Eventually, it comes to a stop, and Demans outside open the door to let the four out. Though once they see how many there is, they give each other an odd look. ]
Four, huh...? Isn't that a lot more than normal? Well, whatever. We'll just divide them into groups.
[ A Deman points at Xie Lian and Hua Cheng. ]
Those two seem like they're together, so send them to Sir White Night. As for the other two... Well, better not send them to Lord Caleb—Lord Bark is around, isn't he?
[ These Demans apparently do not care about separating children from their parents.
Hua Cheng and Xie Lian will be led (whether or not it's against their will) to a building, although it'd probably be better described as a temple, going by the aesthetic. In particular, they're taken to a large and spacious room, on which an elegant, if prissy-looking man sits on a fancy bench. You can tell he's a pompous asshole because he's just sitting there in this giant fancy room with nothing else in it but him.
Also, the black blob thing has definitely followed the two of them here. Anyway, the Deman who led Hua Cheng and Xie Lian introduces them, as well as introducing this man as White Night, Captain of the Guard.
White Night gives them a look over. ]
So these two are the winners...? My, appearances can be deceiving. [ He stands up, giving them a smile. It's not unfriendly, at least. ] You two must have endured much, to reach this far. Is it not hard, bearing such burdens and expectations?
[ Meanwhile, over with Usagi and Zuko:
The Deman leading them around... wanders for quite a while, trying to find this Bark dude. They might get lost once or twice. Whoops.
The good news is that they succeed at some point and you don't spend the rest of this adventure lost! Bark, as it turns out, is a stoic-looking, hulking figure of a Deman. If Hua Cheng were here, this guy would still be towering over him. He big. ]
What am I supposed to do with them...? [ No one told him he'd be on babysitting duty?? ] Well, I suppose I can give you two a tour.
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...and with that, off they go! xie lian keeps his hands in his sleeves as he walks through the temple, giving off an aura of nothing but calm. this place feels like the heavens, and xie lian easily and naturally falls into routine, pressing his fist to his hand to greet this "sir white night" and bowing his head. he's just fine to do the talking, and his warm, if a little sheepish and airheaded smile stays firmly on his face. ]
Haha, perhaps so... [ the similarities with the heavens did not stop with the aesthetics, huh. wow. ] Well met, Sir White Night. We thank you for your hospitality.
[ as he straightens, he tilts his head, gaze flicking to hua cheng. ] As for burdens and expectations.... which ones would you mean?
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Yeah, he's not thrilled. After a glance back of his own, he falls in step with Xie Lian without missing a beat - or missing out on scrutinizing everything. For as much as this place has reminded both of them about Ghost City, it truly does resonate with the Heavens, too.
He doesn't bow. But he does smile (that is not a smile) in return. He'll play up appearances, whatever it is that this White Knight might be expecting of them. ]
And were those expectations met, I wonder.
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of course, that's if the person leading them knows where they're going and they don't end up lost here forever? but then it goes from bad to that sure is a giant. she probably comes up to his knee. ]
We'll be good......! Show us around!
[ they totally won't sneak off on their own or something.... ]
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[ zuko sizes him up... hm... ]
... I guess?
[ he's not that tall either so there are just puny teenagers pretending like they're going to behave. ]
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If you've come this far—and I've no doubt you shed the blood of countless believers along your way—then there must be something you want, correct? Something you believe in strongly enough that you would fight to reach it.
[ White Night takes a step forward. ]
I like the look in your eyes. Worry not. You will soon obtain the vapour and become one of us.
You may have seen it. In many places, the lives of humans are like hell. In others, they are treated like playthings. Yes, most of the time, they are traded. However, in Zone 1, our slaves do not suffer. They work and are compensated. It is natural for humans to swear loyalty to those greater than them.
[ He smiles, as if justifying slavery is perfectly innocuous. ]
Not everyone can be happy. Humans always have a need to fight, for whatever reason. It is in their very nature—their selfishness. But if there exists a land where nothing collapses, would that not be paradise? Here, in Zone 1, we have achieved that.
... Sacrifices had to be made at first, of course. But through domination, Lord Ares has brought peace and prosperity.
Shall I take you to see him? And then, you too will be able to understand.
[ Over with Zuko and Usagi, who got the less conceited Deman:
He starts showing them around, going through streets between buildings. He doesn't have a lot to say, to be honest. At some point, though, another Deman approaches to pull him away for a moment. Something something Lord Caleb is, uh, causing trouble? Bark looks so tired. Fuck that guy.
But while he's distracted, Zuko and Usagi might see someone who looks suspiciously like Lexter waving at them from around the corner of a building...? ]
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xie lian's expression shifts away from his smile, falling to something more serious as white night speaks, though it could be easily taken that he's just listening to the gravity of his word, that they've captivated him.
in reality, distaste and anger stirs low in the back of his mind.
this is paradise? this?
his comparison to the heavens wasn't necessarily wrong. sometimes the gods of xie lian's own world seem to forget that they were human once. so often, they have forgotten the simple struggles of the world that they came from, even when they answer prayers. it always seems to come back to this, doesn't this? the idea that some 'other' thinks they can decide the value of humanity in one broad brushstroke. like they have ever for a moment experienced what it really meant to be human, with all of the pain and the struggles and the joy that comes with it. (that a calamity, thousands of years removed, thinks that xie lian can be his successor, that he will cause despair and destruction because he can?)
the words the white night speak ring with that same careless cruelty, and it strikes xie lian to his core.
gods, humans, ghosts - no one is better than the other. that's something that xie lian believes with every part of him. it is the nature of a being that makes it who it is, not their powers, or their genetic makeup, or their money, or their privilege. and humans may sometimes be selfish, and sometimes, they may be cruel, but... they can be extraordinarily compassionate, and kind, and selfless, too. he knows it. he's experienced it. in eight hundred years of life, he knows it intimately.
xie lian loves humanity. this is the kind of thing he cannot stand for.
(how many times has he had this very conversation in the realm?
the white night asks if they have something they believe strongly enough to fight for - and that is it. )
but they have to play along. they have to get to this lord ares - they have to get to goat. that's what matters - they have to get to goat, and bring him safely back.
xie lian tucks his hands back into his sleeves, and nods his head, bowing once more before lowing his arms. his hand curls into a fist, but it relaxes, slowly, and his voice is calm when he speaks. ]
How truly magnanimous.
[ not. xie lian's gaze flicks to hua cheng, for a moment, but otherwise, he's perfectly steady.
perfectly determined, to make it to their end goal. ] Please - it would be our honor to speak with Lord Ares. If my lord would be so kind.
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As someone that has walked through each of the three realms, and seen the best and worst of mankind spread out across mortals, gods, and ghosts, this isn't something he hasn't come across for all his hundreds of years. The White No-Face stands at the head of it all, or what he can remember - he could laugh, at the name of White Night, but he doesn't - but no one kind has ever been free of such egotism. Such megalomania. Paradise! ]
Ah, I see.
[ If he wants what the three realms have spun Hua Cheng into, then that's what he'll get. There is no twinkling spark of mischief, no warmth of kindness, in his dark eye - just a cold nothing, even as he doesn't pack away the edge of danger to him. Xie Lian's glance is returned, but otherwise full focus is given to their, ah, host. ]
Truly, you've found your heart in paradise. [ Without the full quote and its true context, this is... actually an insult, not that anyone besides Xie Lian (and the readers at home) will realize it. ] To have accomplished so much, carrying the burdens that you have of human selfishness... it's admirable. I do, sincerely, hope that we've met the expectations that Lord Ares much surely keep as his standard.
[ People are inherently selfish. They have desires, and wish to see them met, to have, to possess, to stand at the top of the world, to simply live. They will do anything, even tear one another apart, to accomplish it, to survive. Dog eat dog world, and all that.
But he dips his head to match Xie Lian's bow, and steals a glance from under the sweep of his bangs before straightening again, knowing that just one person can be selfless and kind, and still change everything. ]
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the bun currently called serenity looks bored to tears at this tour guide, not even remotely entertained by this silent tour. it’s a good thing Lexter shows up when he does because she's immediately ready to go and pokes Zuko on his good side. LOOK ZUKO, WE HAVE AN ESCAPE(?) ROUTE.
on three? ]
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[ enough that he almost feels bad when lester pops up and usagi nudges him to go. almost. ]
[ but yeah, on three. he gives her a silent nod, making sure bark is good and distracted before they slip off. ]
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And, at the front, is a man who might be vaguely familiar to anyone who's looked at the photo in Goat's room. He seems to be speaking—hey, you're just in time to hear his speech. ]
... will show them that the fate of mankind is in our hands. We will gouge out those who kept us in the shadows and tried to isolate us.
[ He points a sword towards the sky. ]
Soldiers, draw your swords! Soak your swords with blood and show them! That we are the rulers!
[ Well then. The army does as he commands, roaring in agreement.
Then, a voice—Goat's—echoes. "Is that your plan? Ares."
Ares looks shocked, as a figure steps forward from the crowd, unveiling his hood to reveal Goat. From there, a memory plays, because that was way too much for me to write out.
Once it ends and Goat disappears, so do all the Deman soldiers, leaving Xie Lian and Hua Cheng alone with Ares who still stands at the front. A void forms behind him, as what can most accurately be described as teeth emerge—before they lunge towards Xie Lian and Hua Cheng.
They'll want to be careful, as they'll find that these teeth aren't essentially just giant blades: whatever they touch turns to ash. ]
[ Over with Usagi and Zuko:
Bark apparently does not notice his babysitting charges escaping. As they presumably go around the corner, Lexter looks very happy to see them!
Whispering: ]
Phew, caught up with you guys! Ready to finish this? I've got a plan.
[ He points to a mountain in the distance. Wait, was that always there? Maybe not, because Zuko might recognize it. It looks awfully like a mountain he might've shouted on before. ]
We just need to head up that mountain. Once we're at the peak, everything will fall into place.
[ I assume neither Usagi nor Zuko has a reason to be all "fuck you, Lexter, no," so he'll lead them towards the mountain. Once they've climbed up part of the way, though...
Bark suddenly drops down near them (where the heck did he come from? mystery), a giant mace in hand. Seriously, the size of the spiked ball alone is probably like half of Zuko's height. ]
And where exactly do you think you're going...?
[ Children :/ ]
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ares.
seeing goat like this - instead of like they had before, red haired and bloodied makes xie lian's heart lurch. he can see where this conversation is going the moment he starts speaking, as the pieces of memories that goat was able to share with him, over meals and quiet conversations, are starting to click into place.
that child would go on to commit many sins, because of my actions--and that is my own sin.
--"so you have finally made your mind up about me", he says--
Still, even with what I know... I don't think I can say that given the chance to redo it all, I would leave that child to die instead, before he had dirtied his hands.
xie lian remembers. he remembers the look on goat's face when he talked about it - remembers the solidarity he'd felt, in that moment, and the affection and warmth he'd felt for the kind of person that goat has always shown himself to be.
as ares finishes talking, xie lian takes a step forward - if he's going to shut the soldiers out, he's not going to shut the two of them out, xie lian is chasing after goat and he's not going to stop -- but then, he's gone again, and there's a much, much bigger problem.
the teeth look deeply concerning.
xie lian jerks backwards, immediately, his danger senses screaming, and puts himself in front of hua cheng, drawing his sword. there's not much fighting you can do against a giant tooth void monster but he is not getting anywhere near that thing, especially once it begins to touch literally any part of the building around them! he also now understands where goat's injury that week came from! ]
-- Back - get back, hurry, don't let it touch you! [ xie lian is really tired of people he cares about (and their body parts) getting turned to ashes!!! HE'S REALLY TIRED OF IT!!! ]
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The juxtaposition of him standing across from Ares, as Xie Lian is witness to the culmination of one of Goat's greatest mistakes is lost on him, no matter the stark crimson that it's all painted in.
Hua Cheng has lost enough body parts to various voids, he's not interested in doing it again to one full of spinning teeth. ]
Like hell.
[ Xie Lian putting himself in front of him at least gets him closer, and he snatches him by his free hand. Neither of them is at their full strength, and if the gnashing maw is destroying the world around them then it's certainly going to be destroying any weapons that they throw at it. Swords, Ruoye, their fists - all of it, gone, lost to a memory that is very, very real to them. Ares at least is a combatant that they can, conceivably, fight. But they need more room.
This is not the first time they've run from trouble to get ahead of it, to find a solution, and it won't be the last. So he pulls, booking it in the opposite direction of the void rather than letting either of them get any funny ideas about sacrificing themselves. Xie Lian can at least fight back still as they make a strategic... relocation, not retreat.
(There is the brief consideration of throwing their miniature toothy friend at it, to see what happens, but he instead flies past it. Maybe it'll eat Ares.) ]
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but alas up she up goes and looks miserable all the while. and see!!! she was right in not wanting to!!! because look who showed up again and now they’ve gotta deal with him. :unamused:
at least usagi still has the bag of gun xie lian threw at her earlier? thank goodness for that.
meanwhile i rolled at 19 so make with that as you will, jan. ]
We got lost?
[ she’s not even trying to sound contrite ]
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[ he's going to move in front of usagi and lexter, who i didn't forget was here. maybe they can avoid a fight?? ]
... We took a detour. You weren't sure what to show us, right?
[ that's not really what bark said but yeah ]
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The good news is, they might not actually have to fight him...?
Hua Cheng tries to fly past it, but guess what! That blob is jumping at his leg, and chomp it goes. Revenge, maybe. (I feel like I should specify that the biting won't, like, take Hua Cheng's leg off or anything. It won't even be hard enough to bleed!) Dark power swirls around the scene, enveloping Hua Cheng, along with Xie Lian because why not. Wouldn't want either of them to get lonely! Within the mass of power, they'll hear echoes of voices, and glimpses of memories.
"Do you want to save him with your own two hands? Unless you are trying to pacify the entire world, give up."
"I shall do so to those I see."
"The flow of life exists even in places God cannot see. If you are able to find an answer just from what you see, you can no longer walk the same path as me. Are you planning to return to the world's flow within that meager body?"
"If I am able to save that child, I will gladly do so."
Then, a man whipping a young Ares, before light erupts and Goat descends, as if from the heavens.
A grave, marked as Ares. Goat unearthing it, revealing a grown Ares but without horns, tears falling from Goat's eyes as vapour spills from his mouth.
—Then, Xie Lian and Hua Cheng will awaken in what looks to be a cave. Ares, as a young child, sleeps peacefully nearby. While they won't be sure of how they know this, they will be aware of one thing: they have gone back in time, to before the Demans were ever created.
Near the two of them lies a sharp knife. ]
[ Back with the kiddos:
Bark looks very unimpressed with Usagi and Zuko's attempts at lying, especially when Usagi pulls out the flame gun again.
Lexter looks like a deer in headlights. ]
Uhhhh...
[ At this point, Lexter sort of panics and does what any self-respecting human would do in this situation: whip out pepper spray and spray this dude in the eyes! Amazingly, this works, as Bark drops his heavy ass mace because his EYES, kicking up clouds of dirt as the mace slams into the ground.
While Bark is momentarily distracted, Lexter whips out his hoverboard and looks to Usagi. ]
This is only supposed to fit one... but maybe you're small enough that you won't, like, count as a full person? We gotta hurry to the top!
[ Get on the hoverboard with him, Usagi. Don't, uh, be too afraid of the lightning coming down around the area.
Then he looks at Zuko. ]
Can you hold this guy off in the meantime?
[ Assuming Zuko (who wouldn't fit on the board with them, unfortunately) says yes and Usagi gets on the board, Lexter will take off. Imagine if Sipp is about to tell me that Zuko said no.
On the bright side, once Bark regains his bearing, he doesn't attack Zuko immediately. Instead, he looks at where Lexter and Usagi are probably fleeing away, before picking up his mace with a lurch and looking back at Zuko. ]
... Why are you fighting against us?
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he'd defied the will of the heavens, once (twice, really), to save his beloved xian le - even as the heavenly emperor scolded him for trying to intervene. given up his godhood, just like this, to put both of his feet on the ground and throw himself into saving the common people. ("Do you not realize that if you descend to appear before mortals, it will be a violation of heavenly law?" "then so be it!") he had never been the type to sit on his hands and watch, like everyone in the heavens had seemed to be - and a young xie lian had suffered the consequences of it.
but he had to try. and he would suffer those consequences again, if it meant that he didn't sit on his laurels and watch xian le burn. even if he failed at helping - he tried.
the juxtaposition of the memories - goat descending from the heavens, the way he intervened with the child, and goat unearthing the grave of an adult ares, the tears that were falling down his cheeks - won't leave him for a long, long time. it leaves him even more profoundly touched for the person he's come to know. for the person they have to find.
as xie lian blinks to reality again, swaying a little on his feet and finding hua cheng's robes with his hand, he looks around them at the cave, at the child - and his fingers curl tighter in hua cheng's robe, just for a second, steadying before he releases. even before he gets the sensation of where they are, xie lian thinks he already knows.
xie lian looks at the child, for a long moment. ]
...This is Ares. [ he says, quietly, when he finally speaks, eyes never leaving his sleeping form. ] Brother Goat told me that he left his own heavenly realm to save his life.
[ and they saw it, just for a flash - the holy light, the look of shock on the child's face as he had been saved. he knows that look, because he's seen it on the very person standing next to him, a fact he's only finally learned in his time in the realm. that tiny child who he saved that day (who would go on to become a calamity) had looked at him as if he'd hung the stars and moon in the sky himself, because xie lian wouldn't let him die.
his gaze flicks to the knife - his brow furrows, and the conviction that xie lian has always had (for the love of humanity, for the love of their agency and will, for kindness, for goodness, for every belief he's always held) wraps tight around his heart.
(I don't think I can say that given the chance to redo it all, I would leave that child to die instead, before he had dirtied his hands.)
he takes a step towards the knife - and kicks it away, towards the mouth of the cave. ]
Fate, destiny - if that child will make the decisions he will make, then they are his decisions to make. No ominous stars or bad fortunes and futures mean that his life should be taken from him.
[ right? ]
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In this case, to another part of Goat's memories.
This time, the parallels aren't lost on him. And with his own memory freshly restored to him, with Xie Lian standing at his side, with what he knows - it makes for a powerful twist of fate, across the three realms, across the Realm itself, and through Goat's homeworld to have them be the ones to witness this series of memories. (And, of course, Jan coming for our throats.)
His hand goes and settles on Xie Lian's arm, staying there even after he's steadied himself, as he reorients himself, as well.
Xie Lian's words settle on him, and he can't say he's surprised as his gaze settles on Ares, young and vulnerable, a time in the past that could have been changed, for all the suffering it would likely prevent.
(Would this have been Hua Cheng, in another life? For all the kindness that he and Ares were shown, what followed, to lead Ares down this path where Hua Cheng had taken another? For all that he had loathed mankind and its cruelty, the years of people causing him misery, the star he was born under causing him a less than fortuitous fate...
He looks at Xie Lian, remembering the hand that reached out to him, the one that cradled him close when so much of the world had cast him aside.
... he can pretend he doesn't care about people, but things have changed. And they had begun to change a long time ago because of one person.) ]
If Goat made his choice, then he'd made his choice. The same as Ares would come to.
[ I can't tell you what to choose, he'd said, to another heartbroken and lost child. You deserve to make the choice yourself, for what feels right in the end. Whether it will be - that's for you to find out. ]
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usagi looks rather overwhelmed by the past five minutes but she manages to give lexter a stink eye for his comment. don’t try her, npc-kun....! she’s learned how to punch!!
yet her she is, yelling from the back of his magic hover ride ]
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