VoidTrecker Express Mods (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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middleofsomewhere2022-06-12 07:36 am
voidtreckermods) wrote in middleofsomewhere2022-06-12 07:36 am
Event: In Pursuit of Knowledge
The day after the Voidtrecker speaks to the voidtreckers they arrive at the voidhub.
"Approaching Voidbase now. Prepare for docking."
There is no shaking, not leaving the void: instead those who risk looking out of the windows will see a large structure ahead of them. The void turns to metal around them as they enter the structure, and for a moment, there is nothing outside the train but darkness.
"Welcome Voidtreckers." A voice speaks over the ICPs. Not the voice of the train, this is a male voice, sentient. "The filtration process takes a few moments, so please be patient. Meanwhile, I am sending some information about our void base over to your SCA's."
They will receive a small pamphlet on their SCA's explaining about the void base, that it was set up as a research base and has been expanded to provide living quarters for some of those rescued from system #78961112094711. It explains that they had made the decision to invite the voidtreckers there to further unravel the mystery surrounding them. They would be quartered in ministry sleeping areas, and have free access to the ministry part of the base. Anyone who wished to visit the citizens of system #78961112094711 could do with good reason.
It's not too long before the filtration process is completed, and the doors of the Voidtrecker Express open. They are greeted by a group of ministry workers. Among which are Lia Nine, Ten Nank, and Anan- who isn't strictly a void ministry worker, but is there to greet them nonetheless.
22-29 RABBIT ~ VOIDBASE INFO ~ OOC INFO ~ NETWORK
SCA EXPERIMENTS ~ COMBAT TRAINING ~ REACHING OUT ~ ARCHIVE RESEARCH
1. MULTIMEDIA. There are a few types of lounging rooms, chairs and cushions, tables for sitting at. Slim televisions sitting on walls, a few tables - that can be lowered or raised - joined with screens that can be more privately watched. Shows and movies are available in some rooms, gaming equipment in others. There is also a more quiet room for lounging in, with access to e-books and screen readers for them, audio options also available.
Relax, or get into a multiplayer game -- games that break friendships are available in the void.
2. FITNESS AND SWIM. For those looking for more activity in their 'rest', there's the fitness gym and swimming pool. In separate rooms but nearby, the fitness gym is larger than the train's gym, and more well-equipped. Muscle training, speed; there will be a Ministry worker to show how to use the variety of equipment, so that nobody has an accident.
The same will be for the swimming pool, with a shallow and deep end. Balls, floating pads and more can be grabbed. It's a swimming pool - what's not to love?
3. TRAINING. Beside the pool and fitness gym is the combat gym, where they will find small groups already exercising in a variety of fighting styles. Voidtreckers will be left alone to train if they wish, but any who take interest in partners will be allowed to join in with the ministry training. Magic, energy, weaponry; some of them use special batons, Ministry-issued, and the Ministry workers will show how to use them. If a Voidtrecker becomes well-trained in how to use one by the end of their stay, they can be given one to use on void missions.
The Ministry fighters will also introduce them to a special training tool, the hard- and holographic courses and 'dummies'. Quite a few fighting styles can be set to a holographic opponent, or even one made to mimic a voidtrecker after fighting them - they're surprisingly quick to adapt. The hard-light partner can listen and read sign-language, and will change on command. Want them to move faster, focus on attack, dodging? Now they will.
4. GREEN THUMBS, OPEN AIR. The last room in the relaxation area is a curious one, reading simply 'GARDENS AND SIMULATION' on its front. Opening it will lead to a simple and long corridor, five more doors on each side. Four devoted to gardening, labelled Hydroponics, Hot Houses, Ice Houses, and Land. Entering, each space will be larger than should be possible. But it is, with each an indoor type growing space except for land, which mimics a farming field. There's a sky above, a wind in the air; sometimes, it might be raining when you enter.
It might be a shocking experience for some, the first time round.
The last six rooms simulation rooms are less specific, but with plenty more options. Rooms of prayers, beaches, cities, open valleys; with some time spent learning the menu, people can recreate a realistic area. The rooms can be set to private, but some people may leave the spaces they've created - on purpose, at random, or on accident - free for others to wander into. Sharing is caring, and there's only six of these rooms, you know.
1. SCA EXPERIMENTS. For those who wish to help out with the SCA and health experiments- be that through taking part in experiments or helping conduct them- they will be shown to the labs. There are a few different labs, doing different things.
The scientists are generally friendly, if very no nonsense. They will answer questions and explain their research, and are open to listening to new ideas and theories. All ideas are on the table. This situation is unprecedented, there are no easy answers.
They will put any voidtreckers to work who wish to help- be it washing beakers or recording data. They will teach as they go- as long as someone is willing to listen and learn, it won't matter if they have no experience in science.
2. REACHING OUT TO THE VOID. At the top of the void base is an area with a clear domed roof, allowing in the light of the void. Here voidtreckers can attempt to reach out, to strengthen their connection with the train and through it try and find those that have left the train.
It's a slow learning curve. Their first few hours of attempts will be meditation that goes no where. but eventually most should be able to tap into their connection with the train and the other passengers.
Reaching out further is harder, often feeling as if they are falling through the void. It's exhausting, not quite so much as anchoring, but similar. It's easy to get lost in the void, though the room has ministry workers who are highly trained and will be able to help anyone who needs it.
They do say it might be easier to go in pairs, to meditate together and help guide each other, using each others tethers as a touch point. Anything is worth a try.
3. ARCHIVES. For those who prefer old-fashioned research, there is plenty to sink their teeth into here. Books, articles, message boards. Everything needs cross-referenced and checked and verified. What is a rumour? What is true?
It's a buzz of activity at all hours, though there are quieter areas for those who need silence to concentrate. For those less skilled at research, there are always notes to copy up neat.
"Approaching Voidbase now. Prepare for docking."
There is no shaking, not leaving the void: instead those who risk looking out of the windows will see a large structure ahead of them. The void turns to metal around them as they enter the structure, and for a moment, there is nothing outside the train but darkness.
"Welcome Voidtreckers." A voice speaks over the ICPs. Not the voice of the train, this is a male voice, sentient. "The filtration process takes a few moments, so please be patient. Meanwhile, I am sending some information about our void base over to your SCA's."
They will receive a small pamphlet on their SCA's explaining about the void base, that it was set up as a research base and has been expanded to provide living quarters for some of those rescued from system #78961112094711. It explains that they had made the decision to invite the voidtreckers there to further unravel the mystery surrounding them. They would be quartered in ministry sleeping areas, and have free access to the ministry part of the base. Anyone who wished to visit the citizens of system #78961112094711 could do with good reason.
It's not too long before the filtration process is completed, and the doors of the Voidtrecker Express open. They are greeted by a group of ministry workers. Among which are Lia Nine, Ten Nank, and Anan- who isn't strictly a void ministry worker, but is there to greet them nonetheless.
IN PURSUIT OF KNOWLEDGE
22-29 RABBIT ~ VOIDBASE INFO ~ OOC INFO ~ NETWORK
SCA EXPERIMENTS ~ COMBAT TRAINING ~ REACHING OUT ~ ARCHIVE RESEARCH
SETTLING IN
They are shown to their sleeping quarters first. They are in small suites, which match their room assignments on the train. They will be given time to unpack and rest, and told that their SCA's have been programmed to allow them access to the general ministry parts of the base.
Their time here is their own, And though the ministry hopes that they will help out with the various experiments and research programs they have going on, they do not need to. If they wish to take the time to rest and enjoy the amenities, they can.
1. MULTIMEDIA. There are a few types of lounging rooms, chairs and cushions, tables for sitting at. Slim televisions sitting on walls, a few tables - that can be lowered or raised - joined with screens that can be more privately watched. Shows and movies are available in some rooms, gaming equipment in others. There is also a more quiet room for lounging in, with access to e-books and screen readers for them, audio options also available. Relax, or get into a multiplayer game -- games that break friendships are available in the void.
2. FITNESS AND SWIM. For those looking for more activity in their 'rest', there's the fitness gym and swimming pool. In separate rooms but nearby, the fitness gym is larger than the train's gym, and more well-equipped. Muscle training, speed; there will be a Ministry worker to show how to use the variety of equipment, so that nobody has an accident.
The same will be for the swimming pool, with a shallow and deep end. Balls, floating pads and more can be grabbed. It's a swimming pool - what's not to love?
3. TRAINING. Beside the pool and fitness gym is the combat gym, where they will find small groups already exercising in a variety of fighting styles. Voidtreckers will be left alone to train if they wish, but any who take interest in partners will be allowed to join in with the ministry training. Magic, energy, weaponry; some of them use special batons, Ministry-issued, and the Ministry workers will show how to use them. If a Voidtrecker becomes well-trained in how to use one by the end of their stay, they can be given one to use on void missions. The Ministry fighters will also introduce them to a special training tool, the hard- and holographic courses and 'dummies'. Quite a few fighting styles can be set to a holographic opponent, or even one made to mimic a voidtrecker after fighting them - they're surprisingly quick to adapt. The hard-light partner can listen and read sign-language, and will change on command. Want them to move faster, focus on attack, dodging? Now they will.
4. GREEN THUMBS, OPEN AIR. The last room in the relaxation area is a curious one, reading simply 'GARDENS AND SIMULATION' on its front. Opening it will lead to a simple and long corridor, five more doors on each side. Four devoted to gardening, labelled Hydroponics, Hot Houses, Ice Houses, and Land. Entering, each space will be larger than should be possible. But it is, with each an indoor type growing space except for land, which mimics a farming field. There's a sky above, a wind in the air; sometimes, it might be raining when you enter.
It might be a shocking experience for some, the first time round.
The last six rooms simulation rooms are less specific, but with plenty more options. Rooms of prayers, beaches, cities, open valleys; with some time spent learning the menu, people can recreate a realistic area. The rooms can be set to private, but some people may leave the spaces they've created - on purpose, at random, or on accident - free for others to wander into. Sharing is caring, and there's only six of these rooms, you know.
TESTING AND EXPERIMENTING
Anyone who wishes to take part in the experiments will be given their options, and led to the appropriate rooms. Health checks, tether scans, combat training; each one is voluntarily, and Voidtreckers will be be granted their results.
There is much to discover, as well to ensure the health and safety of the Voidtreckers. And what can they learn about the Voidtrecker Express, the lost tethers, and the anomaly known as the World Eaters? Time may finally tell...
1. SCA EXPERIMENTS. For those who wish to help out with the SCA and health experiments- be that through taking part in experiments or helping conduct them- they will be shown to the labs. There are a few different labs, doing different things.The scientists are generally friendly, if very no nonsense. They will answer questions and explain their research, and are open to listening to new ideas and theories. All ideas are on the table. This situation is unprecedented, there are no easy answers.
They will put any voidtreckers to work who wish to help- be it washing beakers or recording data. They will teach as they go- as long as someone is willing to listen and learn, it won't matter if they have no experience in science.
2. REACHING OUT TO THE VOID. At the top of the void base is an area with a clear domed roof, allowing in the light of the void. Here voidtreckers can attempt to reach out, to strengthen their connection with the train and through it try and find those that have left the train.
It's a slow learning curve. Their first few hours of attempts will be meditation that goes no where. but eventually most should be able to tap into their connection with the train and the other passengers.Reaching out further is harder, often feeling as if they are falling through the void. It's exhausting, not quite so much as anchoring, but similar. It's easy to get lost in the void, though the room has ministry workers who are highly trained and will be able to help anyone who needs it.
They do say it might be easier to go in pairs, to meditate together and help guide each other, using each others tethers as a touch point. Anything is worth a try.
3. ARCHIVES. For those who prefer old-fashioned research, there is plenty to sink their teeth into here. Books, articles, message boards. Everything needs cross-referenced and checked and verified. What is a rumour? What is true?
It's a buzz of activity at all hours, though there are quieter areas for those who need silence to concentrate. For those less skilled at research, there are always notes to copy up neat.
OOC NOTES
~ Questions.
~ This event runs until the 26th June (Day 29)
~ There will be a concluding post on the 25th to wrap up the memory restoration.
~ This event runs until the 26th June (Day 29)
~ There will be a concluding post on the 25th to wrap up the memory restoration.
no subject
And yet she didn't stop him. Instead she just listened, saddened by the fact that this new knowledge of the man she had come to love was not the knowledge she had hoped for. She had wanted to learn more about him - but this was heartbreaking already.
By the time he had paused, Lioriley had shifted to sit in front of him, legs tucked under herself and a hand pressed to back of the couch, just beside Rezo so he knew that she was close enough to reach for if he needed her. She had...questions, but decided to just let him go on.
no subject
“As you can imagine, I had difficulty finding people to teach me. I couldn’t read and I had no money or relatives to help me, so I was less than desirable as a student. Fortunately, Atlas City was home to a large branch of the Sorcerer’s Guild.” And still was, last time Rezo had checked.
“The Guild members didn’t appreciate my skulking about the property at first, and I was frequently tossed out on my ear. But I kept coming back, until it became easier to simply let me sit in on their lectures than to keep throwing me out. I would also barter my labor in exchange for anything the sorcerers would teach me. It was mostly menial work but I was cheaper than hiring an actual custodian would have been and I was desperate for any scrap of information I could gather. Eventually I knew enough that I could have been certified as an official sorcerer and member of the guild, except that the exam for that included a written portion. I asked the head of the guild for permission to take the exam orally, but was denied.”
He’d been incensed, if unsurprised at the time. With everything that has happened since, the frustration has faded to only a memory of a feeling, and Rezo merely sounds tired when he mentions the incident.
“I had, by this point, actually learned to read a little by feeling out the letters carved on gravestones and statues. Thinking on that, I came up with the idea for my reading spell and I spent a long time developing a stable version that I could use to improve my reading and writing skills. I was able to pass the exam by the time I was eighteen.”
There is another pause, and Rezo shakes his head. “Forgive me, I am getting somewhat sidetracked. At any rate, it became much easier to study white magic after that. I was able to read through the Guild library at my leisure and while I’d already been supporting myself with my healing abilities I was beginning to get a reputation outside of the back alleys, which made it much easier to find patients and make a living. I tried not to charge more than my patients could afford, which I suppose made me an appealing alternative even to healers who were sighted and more experienced than I was. But finding a cure for my own blindness remained my priority. I tried all sorts of spells on myself and on volunteers, but I could never find the exact one that would open my eyes and free me from the darkness I had always been trapped in.
“By this point I was married and had a son, so I had… various talks with my wife. I felt I had learned everything I could from living in Atlas City, and we agreed that if I was to find my cure I would need to travel to other cities, other guilds. And that is how my life as a traveling priest began. I have told you various stories about that, so I think you have an idea of what much of that was like. I spent many decades traveling, healing, learning. But still, I couldn't find my cure.”
no subject
If anything, it all just made her more sad for him. Even more so with the obvious knowledge that now, in his more than a century of life, he had not accomplished his goal. He was still blind, and even if he had cured others of the same ailment, something was keeping him from doing the same for himself.
Rezo would hear her inhale, soft and a little shaky as she tried to keep herself composed. She was so nervous - and all this build up only seemed to make it worse. What could he possibly be leading to beyond more sad stories of failure and emotional turmoil?
"I remember." She said, thinking it best to say something so he did not think she was completely out of it. "What did you - what happened then?"
no subject
“By that point it had become increasingly apparent that my blindness was not a natural, congenital condition that could be cured with white magic, but some sort of supernatural curse that had been laid upon me. Who had cursed me or why, I did not know, but I did know enough of black magic to know it would have to be involved. So I switched my focus and began studying black magic.”
And he’s doubtless told Lioriley enough of black magic for her to know the implications of what he has just confessed.
“Black magic isn’t necessarily taboo in my world, but by this point I had a reputation that I still wanted to keep, so I kept my research a secret. But after hitting a dead end with white magic I was able to explore many new avenues with black magic and experiment with innumerable potential treatments. The knowledge I gained was… intoxicating. But still my cure eluded me.”
no subject
It sounded, at least from what he had told her so far, that his desperation to cure his blindness was beginning to overshadow logic and reason. And the way he called the newfound knowledge intoxicating actually made a shiver run up her spine.
"What did you do?" She asked, her voice still low and yet not as accusatory as it perhaps should have been. Just another prompt to get him to continue his story- he knew why he was blind, but he had not said it yet.
That might have been the most terrifying part so far.
no subject
“You will recall that black magic draws upon the powers of the mazoku. The mazoku are a very hierarchical species, and the magic that draws upon their power is no different. If I wanted to break the curse behind my blindness, I would have to call upon a mazoku that was more powerful than the one that laid the curse in the first place. And the most powerful of all mazoku is the Dark Lord himself, Ruby Eye Shabranigdu.”
Rezo recites all this in a dull tone, as if describing something utterly mundane and unworthy of any emotion.
“But Shabranigdu is broken into pieces. I would have to find one, unseal it, and somehow keep him under control long enough to cure my eyesight and banish him once more. It was…”
Stupid. But he’d been desperate, unable to think clearly around the anguish that had overtaken him, mind and soul, and he’d had very little to lose.
“I was able to find a tower, built during the Kōma War, located in a wasteland where the boundaries between the physical and astral plane were very thin. I was convinced this desolate place must be where a piece of Shabranigdu was sealed away, but even my power was not great enough to break the seal. For that, I needed the Philosopher’s Stone, an artifact that can amplify a person’s magical power by more than a thousandfold. I sent my subordinates in search of it, although I did not tell them my intentions for it.”
Because he’d known that if he’d told the truth, there wasn’t a single person in the world who would have willingly helped him or believed he could have kept Shabranigdu under control. And they would have been correct.
“They were able to find the stone but, complicating matters, it had wound up in the hands of a sorceress named Lina Inverse. While she did not know what she had, the negotiations… apparently did not go well. Apparently she tried to charge Ze- my subordinate thirty million gold pieces for the statuette the stone was hidden in.”
Rezo’s mouth twitches, unable to quite muster up a smile. It was a piece of lunacy in the whole sordid affair that neither Zelgadis nor Rezo had been in the right frame of mind to appreciate.
“I had a great deal of difficulty retrieving the stone from Lina and the swordsman she was traveling with. Several of my subordinates were killed and those that weren’t joined forces to oppose me. In the end, I was able to… somewhat get them to cooperate. I sent them a message informing them that they would either deliver the Philosopher’s Stone to my tower, or I would petrify the residents of the village they were staying in.”
He had hoped, of course, that he wouldn’t have to bother going that far, but if they had tried calling his bluff?
At that point, he would have done anything and more for the cure that was finally within his sight.
no subject
If that wasn't already overwhelming, Rezo just kept piling it on. His desperate need to see must have been so intense he lost sight (for lack of a better term) of everything but that singular goal. People did desperate things to achieve their goals - but she never imagined he would go to the lengths that he apparently had to gain power he surely could not contain.
Her hand on the back of the couch clenched, gripping tight as if that would help hold back to tears welling in her eyes. Teeth bit into her lower lip, words forced back with hard swallows past forming lumps in her throat. She didn't want to hear anymore - didn't want to know any atrocities he may or may not have committed in pursuit of his cure. He was so good to her - good to everything that she had seen, save for a few hiccups that had been (she thought) resolved. He had to be good, he had to be --
"And did they?"
no subject
“They arrived shortly afterwards and while they still resisted, I was able to take the stone from them and complete the ritual of resurrection. There was a great outpouring of energy, stronger than any I had ever felt before. It was so painful, it hurt so much that I don’t know how to describe it- but then, for a moment, I could see a light! It was brilliant, and warm, and more beautiful than anything I had ever experienced before! I was ecstatic, even in the midst of my pain, but…”
One of his hands absently reaches up to cover his eyes.
“...the pain grew worse and my entire body was wracked with spasms. I could feel several things ripping their way out of me. It just- It wasn’t just painful, it was revolting. I didn’t understand what was going on, or why my body was warping so grotesquely until. I heard a laugh echoing from inside of me, and a voice.”
I am he whose rebirth you desired.
“Shabranigdu wasn’t sealed inside the tower. Shabranigdu was sealed inside my soul. And my eyes were the manifestation of that seal.”
no subject
Lioriley had had a theory when they had their last discussion of magic and mazoku and Ruby Eye Shabranigdu; that he was one of those unlucky souls to have a fragment inside of them. It explained his fascination beyond simple scholarly pursuits, and with this new information that he had been searching all his life for a cure for his blindness...a lot of things clicked into place. Why he had asked about others magics, why he had insisted he was not good enough for her, why he was repulsive and undeserving, why he had not wanted others in his mind.
To say she was horrified might have been an understatement. But it wasn't even horror entirely at the idea of those atrocities he had committed to achieve his goals. It was horror in knowing that he had suffered and toiled and clearly lost his mind to fix something he never had a chance of fixing to begin with. Not with a demon king sealed behind his eyes.
She could feel her breath quickening, her leylines pulsing as her heart raced. And yet despite every instinct telling her to just leave and let him suffer with what he had just revealed; to not offer him the kindnesses she had for months now. She reached out to try and grasp the hand over his eyes, fingers trembling as they did so.
"Your eyes are still shut." She whispered. "Is he still within you?"
no subject
“I don’t know!”
He half-sobs the words, the pain of the answer combined with the conflicting emotions induced by her hand in his, cracking his composure entirely.
“The seal is in place but- I have no idea what might lie behind it. I never realized he was there before that moment, I- I had thought that my exhaustion, the emotions I was losing, I thought if I could just fix myself it would somehow go away. That I could devote myself to helping others again and make up for anything I had done before and I would finally feel normal.”
Does any of that even make sense? He doesn’t know, but he can’t stop the words from spilling out, stumbling over one another and coming out broken and pathetic. His shoulders shake as he slumps lower and lower.
“But I didn’t- I can’t- I have to give up on that. Even if it renders my entire life and everything I’ve ever done pointless. There’s nothing else left for me except to fix what little I can and pray I find a way to finally put an end to it all.”
Gods. He’s so tired. By the end of his rambling he’s curled up almost into a ball, his head drooping low over his knees. His breathing is tight and fast and his eyes burn behind the seal. If it weren’t in place, he realizes he’d be bawling like a child.
“I’m sorry,” he chokes out. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry-!”
no subject
But this was personal; something he had struggled with for his entire life. Something he clearly tried to hide from her for fear of how she might react. And if he had responded the same way he had to everything else - maybe her response would have been different. Now, though? She could not think of all the things he had done, could not blame him for the path he had taken; wrong and immoral as it may have been at times. He was just a man. Just a man who wanted to see the world as everyone else could. A man misguided and unknowing of just what powers he was playing with until it was too late.
Lioriley sank down, eased foward, and carefully wrapped her arms around him, face pressed to the crown of his skull; buried in his hair.
"Shh." She hushed, carding her fingers through his hair. "Shh, my love. Breathe for me, darling. You will be all right." They would figure it out. Somehow.
no subject
Is it pity that compels her kindness? For most of his life, pity has been a reaction he’s dreaded, something he chafes under. But right now, feeling simultaneously old and exhausted, yet vulnerable as a small child, all he can do is accept it. Gods, he’ll take anything she gives him, for any reason she gives it. He can’t keep sustaining himself on pride alone, especially not now that he’s collapsing in front of her.
His arms stretch out, slow, trembling, uncertain, and wrap around her waist. He clutches at the fabric covering her back.
“Lior.”
He tries to breathe as she instructs, but it’s difficult. His chest tightens, his throat constricting around every breath he gulps down.
“I don’t know what to do. If he comes back, I don’t know what I’ll do. I’ve been trying to find someone, anyone, strong enough to have a chance of destroying him. I shouldn’t be here, I’d been trying- I didn’t mean to become involved with the other people on the train, I knew I should keep my distance, but-!”
no subject
"It is better that you did." She said, daring not to raise her voice to much, like she feared she might startle him. "I cannot imagine the fear you feel, my love, but we are all here for a reason. We are all held within this small space with one another, and even if it is terrifying, we cannot shun our comrades." She tipped her head slightly to nuzzle into his hair. "They are willing to help, even if you do not believe they can or will. No one aboard this vessel is so cruel. And if this beast returns we will find a way to stop him, and we will find a way to save you."
There were gods on the voidtrecker express. Lioriley was confident enough someone could do something if the need arose.
"I will not let any harm come to you, darling. I promise."
no subject
“You shouldn’t…” Rezo swallows, his hands tightening around the fabric he clutches. Her words are kind, reassuring, sympathetic, and, he suspects, very heavy.
“How can you make a promise like that?” He’s not sure if he’s asking because he doubts her ability to protect him from this particular threat, or because he doesn’t know why she would. He’s just revealed a long history of failures and wrongdoings to her. It’s one thing to agree to protect everyone onboard, it’s another to promise to protect him, specifically.
no subject
"Because I care for you, Rezo." She replied, her voice still low to try and conceal the obvious trembling of lips. "Because I want to help you make this change for yourself. And because you should know as well as I — that I will do anything for those that I care for." he had witnessed first hand what she did for those she had known for all of thirty seconds; all the risks she would take. Now he only had to imagine that times a thousand, to know what she would do for someone she loved as dearly as she loved him.
"I would suggest you do not doubt me, my love. Nor think to tell me to stop. I will make sure you are safe, no matter the cost." she kissed the top of his head. "All you need do is trust me."
no subject
“Lior…”
As if that weren’t enough, he feels her press a kiss to the top of his head only a few moments later. He’s… confused. Overwhelmed. He wants to squeeze her tighter and press her down into the couch, pinning her beneath him until his limbs are no longer so heavy.
He shudders, taking several shaky breaths.
“I can’t… hold you to that,” Rezo says, picking over his words carefully. “But I am grateful, more than you could know. And it isn’t that I don’t trust you, I… I think I trust you more than anyone in any world. But it is a likely onerous task you are offering to take on.”
After a breath, he quietly adds, “It would be more than anyone from my own world could accomplish. And not for a lack of strength.”
no subject
She found no reply for his latter comment; certain now that anything she sad beyond that moment would be torn apart by a man who was clearly suffering through a lot of doubt and self hatred. So instead, Lioriley just stayed where she was, arms wrapped around him, fingers carding gently through his hair, her chin now resting atop his skull.
Her intent had been to soothe him, but now she feared things had only gotten worse. And she wondered if this was what he dreamt about - if he was haunted by his past, by the beast, by everything he had done and everything he could not do. And she wished with all her heart she could do something, anything to ease his suffering.
"I love you, Rezo. I hope you know that."
no subject
With his free hand he reaches up to brush his thumb gently along the leyline under her eye.
“I love you too, Lioriley.” He says it timidly, but the words are earnest.
“I think I may have told you that I… I had not believed I could love anyone, anymore. Perhaps I was too old, or too corrupted. But then you found me…”
On that cold, wet platform, where nothing had made sense and everything was overwhelming him, he’d been approached by this strange woman warning him that he’d need to board the train. And he’d thought that while there was no reason to trust her, there was nothing to lose by doing so.
It had been the correct call; by the end of the conversation, he’d liked her. Within only a few weeks that feeling had grown until it was undeniable that they were friends. And it had kept growing, through hardships and happy interludes. To the point where she’d made her unexpected confession and Rezo had been unable to resist admitting his own yearning. He couldn’t do anything but love her.
For all that his heart aches right now, there’s a sliver of hope in that. Perhaps, in a way, she has already saved him.
He sighs, leaning against her shoulder, sinking his weight into her such that she may need to lie back down.
“You have brought me happiness I had never expected,” he says quietly. “I hope you know that.”
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Then, he replied in kind with words she almost feared she might not hear, and she felt that familiar fluttering in her stomach; the rapid beat of her heart making leylines spark bright with joy. Something else lingered there too, however: that worry for him, that sadness she held when he spoke of himself so negatively. Is that how she sounded to others when she said similar things?
"I do." She said simply, leaning back with the press of his weight, head resting against the arm of the couch. Fingers wove their way back into his hair, or pressed to his shoulder, legs trying to tangle around him where they could like she was trying to lock him into place against her in the most comfortable way possible. "And I am so glad that I could. You deserve to be happy, Rezo." no matter what he had done, and especially if he was going to try and do better.
She pressed another kiss to the top of his head. "Rest now, darling. I am not going anywhere."
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So he settles into her, finding a comfortable position with half of his face buried in her shoulder. She is here. They’re alright, for now. Not everything is settled, but… they’re alright. And with all the worries that have been plaguing him, it’s a relief that he’s been able to get this one- what he was going to tell Lioriley about his past- over with.
“Thank you,” he says finally. “For listening to me, and for staying.”
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Fingertips ghosted along the priest's cheek, along the column of his neck, hair twirled around slender digits in repetitive, idle motions to try and soothe him.
"Of course." And it wasn't just some platitude either. More a genuine 'of course I listened and stayed with you', because she certainly wasn't going to do otherwise.