No, that should suffice. I doubt this is the sort of thing we want to speak about in public, eh?
[Yes he's just inviting himself. K'rihnn shouldn't feel too bad though, Emet-Selch was bound to find out where and who he was staying with soon enough anyway.]
[K'rihnn sighs. It was bound to happen anyway, true. Oh, well. He'll just have to let the Exarch know after this conversation.]
Very well. Here's the address.
[And he'll send Emet-Selch the address to the manor that they're using. It's got room enough to accommodate a number of people. The Miqo'te will patiently wait for Emet-Selch to arrive.]
[Emet-Selch doesn't bother responding to the text, and it's with a sigh that he forces himself to get up and out. Even if this was information he was interested in, it was still a hassle to get it, and he was tired. Every part of this world seemed determined to drain him, from walking everywhere, to constant interaction, to filthy living conditions, to no usable magic, to finding one specific manor in a city he was yet unfamiliar with.
But he does make it there eventually, looking as though this was just another nice, leisurely adventure.
And though he knocks on the front door before entering, the Ascian doesn't wait for a response before trying the handle, letting himself in if he can.
This was more warning than he usually gave, it was probably fine.]
[K'rihnn's just trying not to use the couch as a back-scratcher as he waits for Emet-Selch to find the house. He's not about to go through the indignity of wiggling around on the couch like an animal. ...But damn is it tempting.
The knock on the door startles the Miqo'te into squeaking, which the Ascian can absolutely hear as the door is unlocked. He's... going to hope that Emet doesn't say a word about that and pretend he didn't do that.]
Ah... I hope you found this place just fine?
[He'll gesture for Emet-Selch to take a seat. The Ascian probably will anyway, but at least it's a show of politeness.]
[The squeak definitely gets a smirk from him, though the Ascian does refrain from commenting on it. Was the miqo'te really so tense? He was even expected, for once, rather than simply turning up when least wanted.]
No problem at all. [A careless wave; he had certainly not gotten a little lost, nope.
Glancing around the room for whatever looked to be the most comfortable thing to collapse in, Emet-Selch settles for the other end of the couch K'rihnn was seated at, dropping heavily onto it. Attention falling to the smaller man, he gestures for him to begin.]
So what's the story you've dragged me all the way out here for?
[As if he hadn't just refused to let K'rihnn come to him.]
[K'rihnn is fairly certain that Emet-Selch says what he says on purpose. It raises some questions, but he doubts he'll get answers to them. At least, not at this time.]
Very well. 'Tis a bit of a long one, but I shall try to be brief.
[He shifts to sit up a bit straighter.]
After reaching the top, we had to figure out a way to reach Mt. Gulg. The solution was to create a giant Talos and use it as a bridge between earth and sky. With the aid of every person in Norvrandt, it was a successful plan. Thus did the Scions and I climb the mountain, and then I defeated Vauthry at the top.
[The Miqo'te raises a hand to his chest absently. Perhaps a phantom pain of when the Light nearly shattered his soul.]
Innocence's Light was nearly too much for my soul to bear. When you arrived to take something from me, you expressed your disappointment, and then, out of pity, bade me to visit your abode in the depths of the Tempest when it all became too much. So I could descend into madness with dignity, as you called it.
[K'rihnn doesn't doubt that there'd been some genuine pity, but he's also fairly certain that they would've used him for their plans. How could they not?]
Without Ryne, I wouldn't have held on afterwards. When I awoke, the Scions and I convinced Bismark to aid us in surviving in the Tempest. It took some time finding where you were, but find you and... and Amaurot we did.
[He glances over at the Ascian.]
'Twas a beautiful city, and you were correct. From what I saw, I would've loved it had I seen the real thing. But I digress. 'Twas there that we learned how you summoned Zodiark, the sacrifice it took, and your plans for after the Shards rejoined the Source. The Rejoining was only a stepping stone to bring back those you had lost.
[The petit tia fidgets a little with his hands. This next part is perhaps what he dreads telling the most. How in the world does one say that the person before them has died? And the Warrior of Light is the one who did it?
It's awkward, but necessary. He owes it to Emet-Selch.]
On meeting you, we could not reconcile the loss of our own history as the price. Thus did you test us once more, and showed us Amaurot's final days. In the end, you still found us wanting, and I found the strength to keep the Light from shattering my soul. I challenged you. You revealed your true name to me, and... and we fought.
In the end, I used all of the Light stored within me to end you. Your final words to me were to remember that you once lived, and I promised to do so.
[So ends the tale. K'rihnn sits back and waits for Emet-Selch's reaction, and subsequent questions.]
[It was a strange experience, hearing a story that one was a part of, yet having no recollection of it.
But the details seemed reasonable. The heroic efforts, expected. At the mention of K'rhinn being unable to contain the light, the Ascian nearly sighs, a flicker of disappointment showing. But he has little opportunity to dwell on that feeling (and is likewise distracted from the odd mention of him having taken something) by the rest of the miqo'te's words.
...It all made sense. If K'rhinn had failed, as Emet-Selch anticipated he would (yet hoped he would not), he would've left for the Tempest, where he knew the ruins of the original Amaurot lied. He would have recreated the city, for himself, for nostalgia's sake, to wait out the end of the world. A reminder of home that he couldn't achieve on the Source, not yet.
And he would've invited that failed Warrior of Light to see it, to witness the one place worth saving, that had once been home for the both of them.
His actions made sense, the information was all accurate- and were all things that the Warrior of Light had not known in his time. They could only have come from the future. The Ascian's hands tense at the mention of Amaurot's final days- even now, after so many years, the memory was as clear and blinding as the moment it had occurred. If he'd shown them that, then there was truly no hope.
The conflict was inevitable. But the result--
His attention, already transfixed, drawn in more than he'd expected- snaps upward, every part of him tense to the point that it felt his muscles might very well break under the strain. His breathing stills, and he knows not what to say.
He wants to protest, to claim that K'rihnn was obviously mistaken- how could some failed remnant destroy him, in the full flush of his power? If they had fought, he would not have held back, and how could one kill the very face of death itself?
Emet-Selch's thoughts race in circles, an ouroboros devouring itself until there was nothing left but the truth.
Clinging to- it didn't qualify as hope, he couldn't identify the feeling just yet- he asks one question.]
...What is it then? My name.
[He looks away from K'rihnn as he asks, voice softer than usual. Somehow, this one last detail would clinch things to him- would prove some inescapable validity to K'rhinn's story.]
[The question isn't unexpected, at least. K'rihnn's certain he would've asked, too, had he been an Ascian. He's not sure how Emet-Selch feels about all of this, either, other than the disappointment of not being able to contain the Light.
But he'll answer the question, though his eyes are on his hands.]
... Hades.
[A name K'rihnn's promised himself he won't say unless Emet-Selch wishes it.]
[A slow exhalation. That was it, then- his real name, not a title he'd neither wanted nor particularly enjoyed.
That was... it. That was how everything ended. Amaurot would never return. Zodiark would remain forever buried. Elidibus was the only one of them who remained, and Emet-Selch couldn't believe he'd be able to finish the task on his own.
It was over.
And- though it was but for a few moments- his expression is only one of quiet relief.
...but yet, here he remained. As long as he lived he couldn't give up; Emet-Selch wasn't quite sure how he felt about that. To live, knowing the futility of it all? And what do you say to the person who killed you? Who you had attempted to kill in turn?
It's some time before he finally looks back to K'rhinn, watching him quietly. If anything, the Ascian looks- calmer than usual, less exhausted, as though some great weight had finally passed from him. It would be back soon enough as the reality of yet living crept back, but for the moment, he felt... okay. His smile, though faint, melancholic, is genuine.]
...As long as you do as I asked, I don't think I'll have any complaints.
[K'rihnn glances up to look at the Ascian and sees that, for now, there's a calm relief on the man's face. He looks a little surprised by what Emet-Selch asks, but soon gives a small smile of his own.]
I intend to, come hells or high water.
[Maybe a tad dramatic, but, honestly, both will likely be thrown at him at some point in his life.]
I wouldn't presume to call you by your true name without your permission, either.
[After all, Emet-Selch has made it clear that it'd be a breach of etiquette, if not downright insulting in Ascian culture. He'll respect that.]
[The promise draws a- not quite a laugh, but a sound of amusement, anyway. What a bizarre mood this was- grieving for what was lost, yet not despairing of it.]
Good. Perhaps I can tell you more of it sometime. If you're going to leave a proper record.
[The consideration towards his name gets a thoughtful frown, and he looks aside, inspecting the back of the couch instead.]
For my name... well, you've earned the right to use it, I suppose. I don't mind.
[He had very, very few things that were truly his own. Not objects, not physical form, not the title of his position.
To be reminded of one of them... might not be unpleasant.]
[K'rihnn's fairly certain that both of them have experienced far weirder things than breaking bread with someone he killed. Or was killed by, in Emet-Selch's case.]
I'm in the process of making some sandwiches myself, if you're interested in that. Otherwise, I'm a fair hand at the culinary arts and I could make you something else more suitable to your taste.
[Whatever that taste is. It's fine. He can handle strays. As long as said stray behaves.]
[In the future, sure, he'd probably mention when the available snacks weren't to his taste while rummaging through their supplies. But for now- well. The details of food barely registered; he was used to eating without much appetite, at least.
After a moment's hesitation, he does have to add, expression cautious.]
...You realize I will try to change my fate. You might be damning some strange Warrior of Light to an entirely different ending.
[He'd been fighting futility since the day Amaurot fell. As long as he lived- that couldn't change.
But Emet-Selch did appreciate that K'rihnn had been willing to tell him, regardless of the consequences. Sure, it probably would've come out eventually, and the longer it took, the less trust he would've had left for any of the Warriors of Light. But still- it had been a risk, and he could recognize that.]
[K'rihnn is about to head into the kitchen to start making those sandwiches, but he pauses when Emet-Selch comments on that. He closes his eyes for a moment before looking up to meet the Ascian's eyes. There's grim determination in his green eyes.]
'Tis only natural, and I would expect no less. However... you took a great risk yourself by approaching us in the First, and I know naught of whether we'll still remember this place on returning to our stars. But 'tis a risk I'm willing to take.
[The purple-haired tia crosses his arms and looks away.]
... It simply wouldn't be right to keep this information from you regardless, especially when I know something as important to you as your own name.
[Perhaps the other Warriors of Light will disagree with his opinion. He doesn't know, and he can't speak for them, but there's no going back now.]
All I can do is trust that my reflection in your star has the resolve to meet that uncertain future. 'Twould be disappointing for all of us if they did not, yes?
[Meeting K'rihnn's gaze, Emet-Selch is- surprised, a little. His meetings with the hero on the First had shown him a persistent distrust, a perpetual suspicion. But had they realized the risk he'd taken from the start? Was this something all of the Warriors felt, or was it just K'rihnn?
In any case, it gets him a small nod.
Strange. Continued cooperation should've felt like a useless endeavor, but- somehow it seemed that much more important to maintain.]
I have time to think on it, in any case. Both on how to remember, and how to avoid.
[His current task may have shifted drastically, but the final goal remained the same. A small, vaguely amused sound escapes him.]
I admit, knowing what I do now, I'll be a trifle disappointed if they can't find a way to struggle through regardless. [If K'rihnn had the capacity to kill him, then surely they all did. Which was an alarming thought, but also had the effect of raising his Expectations.] And in any case- your own world is safe. I don't think I could change that, even if I manage to avert my own destruction.
[He offers it with almost-a-smile. It was an attempt at reassurance, a reminder that the display of trust probably wouldn't backfire on the mi'qote. His star would remain saved, no matter his best efforts.]
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[Text]
No, that should suffice. I doubt this is the sort of thing we want to speak about in public, eh?
[Yes he's just inviting himself. K'rihnn shouldn't feel too bad though, Emet-Selch was bound to find out where and who he was staying with soon enough anyway.]
[Text]
Very well. Here's the address.
[And he'll send Emet-Selch the address to the manor that they're using. It's got room enough to accommodate a number of people. The Miqo'te will patiently wait for Emet-Selch to arrive.]
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But he does make it there eventually, looking as though this was just another nice, leisurely adventure.
And though he knocks on the front door before entering, the Ascian doesn't wait for a response before trying the handle, letting himself in if he can.
This was more warning than he usually gave, it was probably fine.]
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The knock on the door startles the Miqo'te into squeaking, which the Ascian can absolutely hear as the door is unlocked. He's... going to hope that Emet doesn't say a word about that and pretend he didn't do that.]
Ah... I hope you found this place just fine?
[He'll gesture for Emet-Selch to take a seat. The Ascian probably will anyway, but at least it's a show of politeness.]
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No problem at all. [A careless wave; he had certainly not gotten a little lost, nope.
Glancing around the room for whatever looked to be the most comfortable thing to collapse in, Emet-Selch settles for the other end of the couch K'rihnn was seated at, dropping heavily onto it. Attention falling to the smaller man, he gestures for him to begin.]
So what's the story you've dragged me all the way out here for?
[As if he hadn't just refused to let K'rihnn come to him.]
and the major spoilers begin
Very well. 'Tis a bit of a long one, but I shall try to be brief.
[He shifts to sit up a bit straighter.]
After reaching the top, we had to figure out a way to reach Mt. Gulg. The solution was to create a giant Talos and use it as a bridge between earth and sky. With the aid of every person in Norvrandt, it was a successful plan. Thus did the Scions and I climb the mountain, and then I defeated Vauthry at the top.
[The Miqo'te raises a hand to his chest absently. Perhaps a phantom pain of when the Light nearly shattered his soul.]
Innocence's Light was nearly too much for my soul to bear. When you arrived to take something from me, you expressed your disappointment, and then, out of pity, bade me to visit your abode in the depths of the Tempest when it all became too much. So I could descend into madness with dignity, as you called it.
[K'rihnn doesn't doubt that there'd been some genuine pity, but he's also fairly certain that they would've used him for their plans. How could they not?]
Without Ryne, I wouldn't have held on afterwards. When I awoke, the Scions and I convinced Bismark to aid us in surviving in the Tempest. It took some time finding where you were, but find you and... and Amaurot we did.
[He glances over at the Ascian.]
'Twas a beautiful city, and you were correct. From what I saw, I would've loved it had I seen the real thing. But I digress. 'Twas there that we learned how you summoned Zodiark, the sacrifice it took, and your plans for after the Shards rejoined the Source. The Rejoining was only a stepping stone to bring back those you had lost.
[The petit tia fidgets a little with his hands. This next part is perhaps what he dreads telling the most. How in the world does one say that the person before them has died? And the Warrior of Light is the one who did it?
It's awkward, but necessary. He owes it to Emet-Selch.]
On meeting you, we could not reconcile the loss of our own history as the price. Thus did you test us once more, and showed us Amaurot's final days. In the end, you still found us wanting, and I found the strength to keep the Light from shattering my soul. I challenged you. You revealed your true name to me, and... and we fought.
In the end, I used all of the Light stored within me to end you. Your final words to me were to remember that you once lived, and I promised to do so.
[So ends the tale. K'rihnn sits back and waits for Emet-Selch's reaction, and subsequent questions.]
no subject
But the details seemed reasonable. The heroic efforts, expected. At the mention of K'rhinn being unable to contain the light, the Ascian nearly sighs, a flicker of disappointment showing. But he has little opportunity to dwell on that feeling (and is likewise distracted from the odd mention of him having taken something) by the rest of the miqo'te's words.
...It all made sense. If K'rhinn had failed, as Emet-Selch anticipated he would (yet hoped he would not), he would've left for the Tempest, where he knew the ruins of the original Amaurot lied. He would have recreated the city, for himself, for nostalgia's sake, to wait out the end of the world. A reminder of home that he couldn't achieve on the Source, not yet.
And he would've invited that failed Warrior of Light to see it, to witness the one place worth saving, that had once been home for the both of them.
His actions made sense, the information was all accurate- and were all things that the Warrior of Light had not known in his time. They could only have come from the future. The Ascian's hands tense at the mention of Amaurot's final days- even now, after so many years, the memory was as clear and blinding as the moment it had occurred. If he'd shown them that, then there was truly no hope.
The conflict was inevitable. But the result--
His attention, already transfixed, drawn in more than he'd expected- snaps upward, every part of him tense to the point that it felt his muscles might very well break under the strain. His breathing stills, and he knows not what to say.
He wants to protest, to claim that K'rihnn was obviously mistaken- how could some failed remnant destroy him, in the full flush of his power? If they had fought, he would not have held back, and how could one kill the very face of death itself?
Emet-Selch's thoughts race in circles, an ouroboros devouring itself until there was nothing left but the truth.
Clinging to- it didn't qualify as hope, he couldn't identify the feeling just yet- he asks one question.]
...What is it then? My name.
[He looks away from K'rihnn as he asks, voice softer than usual. Somehow, this one last detail would clinch things to him- would prove some inescapable validity to K'rhinn's story.]
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But he'll answer the question, though his eyes are on his hands.]
... Hades.
[A name K'rihnn's promised himself he won't say unless Emet-Selch wishes it.]
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That was... it. That was how everything ended. Amaurot would never return. Zodiark would remain forever buried. Elidibus was the only one of them who remained, and Emet-Selch couldn't believe he'd be able to finish the task on his own.
It was over.
And- though it was but for a few moments- his expression is only one of quiet relief.
...but yet, here he remained. As long as he lived he couldn't give up; Emet-Selch wasn't quite sure how he felt about that. To live, knowing the futility of it all? And what do you say to the person who killed you? Who you had attempted to kill in turn?
It's some time before he finally looks back to K'rhinn, watching him quietly. If anything, the Ascian looks- calmer than usual, less exhausted, as though some great weight had finally passed from him. It would be back soon enough as the reality of yet living crept back, but for the moment, he felt... okay. His smile, though faint, melancholic, is genuine.]
...As long as you do as I asked, I don't think I'll have any complaints.
no subject
I intend to, come hells or high water.
[Maybe a tad dramatic, but, honestly, both will likely be thrown at him at some point in his life.]
I wouldn't presume to call you by your true name without your permission, either.
[After all, Emet-Selch has made it clear that it'd be a breach of etiquette, if not downright insulting in Ascian culture. He'll respect that.]
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Good. Perhaps I can tell you more of it sometime. If you're going to leave a proper record.
[The consideration towards his name gets a thoughtful frown, and he looks aside, inspecting the back of the couch instead.]
For my name... well, you've earned the right to use it, I suppose. I don't mind.
[He had very, very few things that were truly his own. Not objects, not physical form, not the title of his position.
To be reminded of one of them... might not be unpleasant.]
no subject
I'd like that. I'm sure there are quite the stories to share.
[He's surprised by that. Then again, it must have been a long, long time since anyone has called Emet-Selch by his given name.]
Alright, then... Hades.
[The Miqo'te tilts his head. He might as well offer a little more hospitality than this... rather depressing story.]
Would you like something to eat or drink, while you're here?
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[It sounded... odd, to hear his name aloud. But his instinct had been right, it wasn't unpleasant. An odd feeling, but not a bad one.
The offer of food gets a half-shrug; sharing a meal with the person who had murdered him? It's not as though his day could get any stranger.]
Ah- well, if you're offering, I won't turn down whatever you have.
[This is how you get strays, K'rihnn.]
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[K'rihnn's fairly certain that both of them have experienced far weirder things than breaking bread with someone he killed. Or was killed by, in Emet-Selch's case.]
I'm in the process of making some sandwiches myself, if you're interested in that. Otherwise, I'm a fair hand at the culinary arts and I could make you something else more suitable to your taste.
[Whatever that taste is. It's fine. He can handle strays. As long as said stray behaves.]
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[In the future, sure, he'd probably mention when the available snacks weren't to his taste while rummaging through their supplies. But for now- well. The details of food barely registered; he was used to eating without much appetite, at least.
After a moment's hesitation, he does have to add, expression cautious.]
...You realize I will try to change my fate. You might be damning some strange Warrior of Light to an entirely different ending.
[He'd been fighting futility since the day Amaurot fell. As long as he lived- that couldn't change.
But Emet-Selch did appreciate that K'rihnn had been willing to tell him, regardless of the consequences. Sure, it probably would've come out eventually, and the longer it took, the less trust he would've had left for any of the Warriors of Light. But still- it had been a risk, and he could recognize that.]
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[K'rihnn is about to head into the kitchen to start making those sandwiches, but he pauses when Emet-Selch comments on that. He closes his eyes for a moment before looking up to meet the Ascian's eyes. There's grim determination in his green eyes.]
'Tis only natural, and I would expect no less. However... you took a great risk yourself by approaching us in the First, and I know naught of whether we'll still remember this place on returning to our stars. But 'tis a risk I'm willing to take.
[The purple-haired tia crosses his arms and looks away.]
... It simply wouldn't be right to keep this information from you regardless, especially when I know something as important to you as your own name.
[Perhaps the other Warriors of Light will disagree with his opinion. He doesn't know, and he can't speak for them, but there's no going back now.]
All I can do is trust that my reflection in your star has the resolve to meet that uncertain future. 'Twould be disappointing for all of us if they did not, yes?
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In any case, it gets him a small nod.
Strange. Continued cooperation should've felt like a useless endeavor, but- somehow it seemed that much more important to maintain.]
I have time to think on it, in any case. Both on how to remember, and how to avoid.
[His current task may have shifted drastically, but the final goal remained the same. A small, vaguely amused sound escapes him.]
I admit, knowing what I do now, I'll be a trifle disappointed if they can't find a way to struggle through regardless. [If K'rihnn had the capacity to kill him, then surely they all did. Which was an alarming thought, but also had the effect of raising his Expectations.] And in any case- your own world is safe. I don't think I could change that, even if I manage to avert my own destruction.
[He offers it with almost-a-smile. It was an attempt at reassurance, a reminder that the display of trust probably wouldn't backfire on the mi'qote. His star would remain saved, no matter his best efforts.]
no subject
Seems improvisation and resourcefulness is universally our strong suit.
[K'rihnn nods at that. It's a comfort, albeit a small one. Still... there's one important thing he feels needs saying.]
Hades... whether you succeed or not, I hope it brings you peace, in some way.
[Whether Light or Darkness triumph in the end, this much he hopes comes to pass. He can't help it. Kindness has ever been in this Warrior's nature.]