[He opens his mouth. Closes his mouth. He really isn't used to direct compliments - and a genuine one, he's far too used to the flattery from fans he could care less about - and he's hiding his awkwardness by taking another swig to finish off his beer.]
[She's...just being nice. Of course.]
Your break? [He finally says, feeling satisfied to latch onto anything not giving him a weird churn of feelings in his stomach.] Ah, Miss Weiss...I'm worried about you. Are you a masochist?
It depends who you ask. [ haha. ] I think my employees would've called me a sadist, while my boss definitely would call me a masochist. So I guess both?
[ she took it seriously... and she's also pointing her chopsticks (rudely) at him. ]
But don't treat yourself like a punishment. That's insulting to the person who wants to spent their time with you, Mr. Gaze. [ to her. ] Even if you think they'd be better off doing anything else, don't forget it's their choice.
[ some dinner date. it's fine, he doesn't look like he eats much anyway. stick. when she's finished with hers maybe she'll just have whatever is left on his. ]
You should be more honest! I think it's fine to admit that you'd like to talk to others just as... yourself, and not someone people think you are. Though I don't know any of the stories they might say about you anyway.
[ they're probably fairly accurate, if embellished. just like the red mist. ]
See! That wasn't so bad, was it? You didn't keel over or anything!
[ look at how happy you've made her. she's beaming.
... they really are just gonna be left with the beers at the end of this, and then they'll have to part. malkuth seems satisfied with her questions too at the very least. if only vergilius was nice enough to indulge her all the time... but she know he's only doing this for some answers. it doesn't embitter it or anything, she just hopes he's been able to relax a bit. ]
[ malkuth takes a sip of her beer, resting her cheek in her hand as her smile remains, if dimming a little. it doesn't embitter it... but there's still a sort of drop in her stomach, a kind of disappointment that comes when the curtains fall, the lights turn on, the performers have taken their bows. nostalgic and sad, just like the memories she owns. ]
... Yeah, it is. Thanks for playing along with my silly wishes, Mr. Gaze. I'll tell you what you'd like to know. What was it again...? If I've died before?
[ and whatever else she might be able to answer, within reason. ]
This is my third life. But I didn't really die in my last life, just my first. The second time... was more like being put to sleep. So just once in a traditional sense.
[ she'll keep it in mind, at least. though her gaze slips to her drink too, humming thoughtfully. ]
Something like that. In my first life... I [ elijah ] was frustrated by everyone being so preoccupied with blacks and whites, rather than the color that could be found around them. But in the end, the only thing I [ elijah ] saw was black and white myself.
[ herself. ]
You know how Nests are. The affluent can get by pretty easily, but the lower you go the harder you work. My [ her ] family wasn't anything special, well-off as any of their neighbors, but everyone had to work hard to keep their head above water. I did too, especially in school.
[ ... she did, poor elijah. always looking at the ground just ahead of her just so she didn't trip. when did she get to stop and look up at everything else? or had she caught sight of the flowers sprinkled around the nest and sat for a while, entranced by the vibrant, transient beauty they held?
malkuth thinks of burning, crimson red, and how easily it flares and fades. ]
So you could say I'm making up for lost time in that life, and atoning for what I did in my second.
No. The Library is in my third life -- the person I am now. My second life... was at the main branch of Lobotomy Corporation. There's a definite split between the two.
[ one she has to be very, very careful about speaking of, and she hopes it doesn't come off that way. she moves on, quieter as the bustle of the restaurant continues. ]
The Library isn't the best way to atone for things, but we're trying to make them right by completing what we'd set out to do in the first place: cure the disease of the mind that infects every one of the people in the City. I don't like that we're still hurting others. But I remember every name this time, and I always will. That's part of it, too.
[That bright light...the destruction of L Corp. And then, the Library.]
[Of course, they're connected. But how? Maybe only the Head knows the exact details. The Head, and this young lady, unassuming, with a web of secrets behind her.]
[He sighs, feeling like all of this is getting out of the reach of his understanding. Maybe he shouldn't bother. Maybe he should. It feels like a weight he wasn't meant to bear.]
[But she does, somehow. Many lives. One woman.]
If you had the chance to go back to your Library...would you?
[ it's not easy to answer. it should be, but her thoughts swirl with the liquid in her glass. ]
I know I should. [ she has things she needs to do. things to see through. people she misses so much, the facsimiles here doing nothing to stem her loneliness.
no, they're very the same as she ever knew. but it's hard, it's painful, and she tips the rest of her first beer back to get started on the second. ] If I was given the choice, I know I'd go. Because that's what's right, it's what I should do, there's things I need to see the end of...
[ ... ]
But I think... I would regret it either way. If I did, if I didn't. I'd feel guilty, or I'd resent myself. I'd like to do everything I can, completely satisfy myself, before that chance or choice ever arrives -- if it does.
[ elijah couldn't live either. it's partly for her, and partly for herself. malkuth doesn't think that line could blur... but only because she's being so careful about it too. it's only a slip away, using her name, her history as a cover. ]
If you'd asked me a month, maybe two ago how I felt about it, I would've said I hadn't thought a single thing about any of that. The only thing that was on my mind was making sure I actually died this time. [ her atonement, or what she felt would be appropriate, when really... ] But now I think that's just a form of running away. It's more painful to live with what you've done than to shrug it off like that.
It IS painful to live with what you've done. [He threads a hand through his bangs, eyes glimmering. His blood-filled sea. The end will be cold.] So that's the path you've chosen.
I did. It was the plan to die once we'd completed our work at Lobotomy Corporation, but that was stopped short. I still wanted to when I began working at the Library, I was frustrated beyond belief that it'd been stolen from us... but we weren't allowed -- I wasn't the only one who wanted to, either.
[ for different reasons, more than just herself had. the others on her level... all of them had thought about it, seen the phantom value in it, and ultimately rejected it.
she's glad they did. she'd like to see a future with them. ]
It's the path I would choose every time now. What's the point of helping to create a better future for everyone if you're not there to see it too?
[ to live, to remember, to take steps you need to ensure those mistakes don't pile up again... maybe she doesn't deserve to share in that future with the people of the city that she'd hurt. but she still wants to, and sketches the buildings shed like to see there too. ]
[She says it like death was another thing on her list of projects. It might has well have been, back then. See, this is what the City does. He wonders if she would be this blunt with someone who has never lived in that rotten hell. Probably not. He, of course, can understand it so well.]
[Her question makes him fall quiet. That dream of his, laid buried in his heart...that idealistic, reckless vision. That voice, that woman, had seen it for what it was, peeked into the stone cracks to see inside.]
[He had been tempted, then.]
[But he could not love himself enough to pull away from that ideal completely.]
It's a long painful road you travel, Miss Weiss. It's the type of road that could tear up your soul. [His voice is more hoarse.] Do you still wish to follow that flow? Even if you may not succeed?
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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[He opens his mouth. Closes his mouth. He really isn't used to direct compliments - and a genuine one, he's far too used to the flattery from fans he could care less about - and he's hiding his awkwardness by taking another swig to finish off his beer.]
[She's...just being nice. Of course.]
Your break? [He finally says, feeling satisfied to latch onto anything not giving him a weird churn of feelings in his stomach.] Ah, Miss Weiss...I'm worried about you. Are you a masochist?
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It depends who you ask. [ haha. ] I think my employees would've called me a sadist, while my boss definitely would call me a masochist. So I guess both?
[ she took it seriously... and she's also pointing her chopsticks (rudely) at him. ]
But don't treat yourself like a punishment. That's insulting to the person who wants to spent their time with you, Mr. Gaze. [ to her. ] Even if you think they'd be better off doing anything else, don't forget it's their choice.
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[A sadist....huh........]
Well, you said it yourself. [Using his chopsticks to poke hers away, that's RUDE!!!] I'm a grumpy old mean man. I'm just saying it how it is.
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I've met more aggravating old men than you. Though I guess he isn't too bad when he's not talking in circles.
[ .... which is like never, but still... hokma is okay. she understands his feelings, a little. ]
Here's a hard question for you: what's been your favorite part about being here? For me, it's all the new experiences.
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Favorite part...
[He really...hasn't thought about it, given his pause.]
Mm. I suppose...not having to interact with people on a strictly professional level, perhaps.
[Not to say he's not responsible but...also its nice to be detached from that.]
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So you do want to just chitchat with people.
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I didn't say that. I said it before. The title comes with its own weight. Even an old guide like me needs a break sometimes.
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You should be more honest! I think it's fine to admit that you'd like to talk to others just as... yourself, and not someone people think you are. Though I don't know any of the stories they might say about you anyway.
[ they're probably fairly accurate, if embellished. just like the red mist. ]
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What if I don't want to be honest, though...
[Just saying............]
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Well, it's not like I can force you to be. But I appreciate honesty, so I'd like it if you were with me.
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.....
Talking to others is....
Fine.
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See! That wasn't so bad, was it? You didn't keel over or anything!
[ look at how happy you've made her. she's beaming.
... they really are just gonna be left with the beers at the end of this, and then they'll have to part. malkuth seems satisfied with her questions too at the very least. if only vergilius was nice enough to indulge her all the time... but she know he's only doing this for some answers. it doesn't embitter it or anything, she just hopes he's been able to relax a bit. ]
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[Her smile is so bright.]
[He instinctively looks away from it, like he's staring at the sun.]
[...]
You... [He starts, stops, rethinks his question.] You said you'd answer my questions after drinks. Is this satisfactory...?
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... Yeah, it is. Thanks for playing along with my silly wishes, Mr. Gaze. I'll tell you what you'd like to know. What was it again...? If I've died before?
[ and whatever else she might be able to answer, within reason. ]
This is my third life. But I didn't really die in my last life, just my first. The second time... was more like being put to sleep. So just once in a traditional sense.
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[He says, a little quietly. But ah, she's already moved to start to answer, so he listens, eyebrows furrowing as he stars a bit into his drink.]
Are you trying to make up for your previous lives then?
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Something like that. In my first life... I [ elijah ] was frustrated by everyone being so preoccupied with blacks and whites, rather than the color that could be found around them. But in the end, the only thing I [ elijah ] saw was black and white myself.
[ herself. ]
You know how Nests are. The affluent can get by pretty easily, but the lower you go the harder you work. My [ her ] family wasn't anything special, well-off as any of their neighbors, but everyone had to work hard to keep their head above water. I did too, especially in school.
[ ... she did, poor elijah. always looking at the ground just ahead of her just so she didn't trip. when did she get to stop and look up at everything else? or had she caught sight of the flowers sprinkled around the nest and sat for a while, entranced by the vibrant, transient beauty they held?
malkuth thinks of burning, crimson red, and how easily it flares and fades. ]
So you could say I'm making up for lost time in that life, and atoning for what I did in my second.
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[Malkuth still dreamed, but in the end, a duck can only paddle as hard as it can against a moving stream.]
...
[Don't they all have things to atone for...?]
Atoning for what? The Library?
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[ one she has to be very, very careful about speaking of, and she hopes it doesn't come off that way. she moves on, quieter as the bustle of the restaurant continues. ]
The Library isn't the best way to atone for things, but we're trying to make them right by completing what we'd set out to do in the first place: cure the disease of the mind that infects every one of the people in the City. I don't like that we're still hurting others. But I remember every name this time, and I always will. That's part of it, too.
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[That bright light...the destruction of L Corp. And then, the Library.]
[Of course, they're connected. But how? Maybe only the Head knows the exact details. The Head, and this young lady, unassuming, with a web of secrets behind her.]
[He sighs, feeling like all of this is getting out of the reach of his understanding. Maybe he shouldn't bother. Maybe he should. It feels like a weight he wasn't meant to bear.]
[But she does, somehow. Many lives. One woman.]
If you had the chance to go back to your Library...would you?
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[ it's not easy to answer. it should be, but her thoughts swirl with the liquid in her glass. ]
I know I should. [ she has things she needs to do. things to see through. people she misses so much, the facsimiles here doing nothing to stem her loneliness.
no, they're very the same as she ever knew. but it's hard, it's painful, and she tips the rest of her first beer back to get started on the second. ] If I was given the choice, I know I'd go. Because that's what's right, it's what I should do, there's things I need to see the end of...
[ ... ]
But I think... I would regret it either way. If I did, if I didn't. I'd feel guilty, or I'd resent myself. I'd like to do everything I can, completely satisfy myself, before that chance or choice ever arrives -- if it does.
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[He nods, a little dimly. Caught between a rock and a hard place.]
You want to live, don't you? Properly. Outside the weights you've been carrying all your life.
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[ elijah couldn't live either. it's partly for her, and partly for herself. malkuth doesn't think that line could blur... but only because she's being so careful about it too. it's only a slip away, using her name, her history as a cover. ]
If you'd asked me a month, maybe two ago how I felt about it, I would've said I hadn't thought a single thing about any of that. The only thing that was on my mind was making sure I actually died this time. [ her atonement, or what she felt would be appropriate, when really... ] But now I think that's just a form of running away. It's more painful to live with what you've done than to shrug it off like that.
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[He frowns, suddenly.]
It IS painful to live with what you've done. [He threads a hand through his bangs, eyes glimmering. His blood-filled sea. The end will be cold.] So that's the path you've chosen.
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[ for different reasons, more than just herself had. the others on her level... all of them had thought about it, seen the phantom value in it, and ultimately rejected it.
she's glad they did. she'd like to see a future with them. ]
It's the path I would choose every time now. What's the point of helping to create a better future for everyone if you're not there to see it too?
[ to live, to remember, to take steps you need to ensure those mistakes don't pile up again... maybe she doesn't deserve to share in that future with the people of the city that she'd hurt. but she still wants to, and sketches the buildings shed like to see there too. ]
normal dinner conversation.jpg
[Her question makes him fall quiet. That dream of his, laid buried in his heart...that idealistic, reckless vision. That voice, that woman, had seen it for what it was, peeked into the stone cracks to see inside.]
[He had been tempted, then.]
[But he could not love himself enough to pull away from that ideal completely.]
It's a long painful road you travel, Miss Weiss. It's the type of road that could tear up your soul. [His voice is more hoarse.] Do you still wish to follow that flow? Even if you may not succeed?
malkuth vc this isn't the kind of conversation you have before a drink or two
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