hugtopia_logs | ♥ December Event Log

♥ December Event Log

December (Ranir) Event Log
The city of Havenwell is recovering very well thanks to your efforts, offworlders. The hole in the wall is sealed up and, while maybe not looking like new, it certainly looks sturdy and safe. The city itself has removed much of the rubble from the battles you fought, and the people are back to their regularly scheduled lives. They're eternally grateful that you continue to put in the time to rebuild this final bastion of civilization and are pleased to see that you enjoyed their festivals so far. As the weather of Ranir turns colder and the nights longer, some may even see snow dust the cobblestone and paved streets in the morning. The time of Rawna has come and with it...

❥ PROMPT I: At Least It's Not a Sweater

a pair of hands holding each other with a red ribbon tied around their wrists

Normally when a new season belonging to a god rolls around, the temple priests gear up and start with temple festivities. Seeing how this is Rawna's month, however, nothing much of the sort seems to be happening. In fact, it's almost as if Rawna's priests don't even care that their god's season has started. Rawna is, after all, chiefly the god of Apathy, so is it all that surprising?

What might be surprising is the sight of Ainea's priests in pairs out around the city in their stead. Each pair carries with them a single bright silver sash and they alternatively stand in broad daylight or hide in the shadows of the buildings. Walk by on your own and you'll be left alone, but when the priests spot two people walking even remotely near each other, they spring into action.

The two robotic priests zip around you and another person with surprising speed, tying the sash off around you - either around your wrists, your waists, your legs, whatever it takes to tie you to another person. With a triumphant buzz of excitement, they declare "Happy Ranir! Kindness comes in many forms!" and depart to find a new pair of ~~victims~~ patrons. As they leave, one of the pair calls out an additional clue for you: "Be kind to unwind!"

Good luck, everyone, you're now stuck with this other person. You can either wait until the sash naturally falls off in a few hours, or you can take the direction of the priests and be kind to the other person to encourage the magical knot to come undone. Each compliment, word of encouragement, or other act of kindness directed at your new partner seems to loosen the sash a little each time, so get to winning the Niceness War.

Oh, and in case you were thinking of blasting, teleporting, or cutting your way out? No amount of magic or physical force seems capable of cutting or removing the sash. Hopefully you went to the bathroom before they got you.

❥ PROMPT II: A Delicious Delight

After a long hard day of dodging Ainea's priests or just slogging through the colder weather around the city, what could be better than imbibing a seasonally festive drink? Well, the scientists in charge of Experiment 73 certainly think so! They've added a limited edition drink selection to all of the replicators and have some delightfully festive booths spread about the city staffed by a few robots wearing Rawna's colors in their sashes and hats. There are five drinks in total to choose from and you should certainly try them! They're only here until the end of the month and then the scientists say they'll be gone! The best things in life are fleeting, aren't they? The best things in life are also surprises, so when you take a sip of these exquisitely delicious (honest! For once they're good) beverages, prepare yourself for a little trick with your treat.

Ginger and Honey Tea: A hot, thoroughly warming drink with the bite of ginger and the sweetness of honey. Drink this and you'll be shored up against the cold, but also feel compelled to tell or blurt out the truth. Whether you're asked a question or trying to tell a little white lie, you find you can't say anything but the truth. This effect lasts for up to an hour after drinking the tea.
Strawberry Shortcake Smoothie: A cold sweet treat of vanilla smoothie topped with sweet strawberry pieces and whipped cream. At the bottom, you'll find a layer of sweet sponge cake cut up into pieces. Drink this with its own special thick straw and enjoy the taste of cake; and the effect of a personal miniature snow cloud that appears over your head. The cloud dusts you and your immediate area within a foot of you with beautiful multicolored snow - and that snow leaves splotches of color behind that last for up to an hour after drinking the smoothie.
Hot Cinnamon Apple Cider: A deliciously steamy beverage that tastes of apple and cinnamon and comes with a cinnamon stick stirrer for effect. This beverage smells as delicious as it tastes and the aroma wafts around the area more strongly than the others. Drink this penultimate holiday drink and you'll find yourself heating up so much that you'll want to stay cold by giving your heat away via holding someone else. You'll want to be everyone's personal heater for up to an hour after drinking the cider.
Gingerbread Latte: A nice piping hot latte with the hint of gingerbread threaded through the coffee, topped with whipped cream and dusted with gingerbread spice. Served in a tall red cup that seems to transfer the heat uncannily well through its thin walls, sip this and you'll find yourself painlessly sprouting an animal's appendage at random. You can have one functioning or non-functioning, cosmetic animal appendage like a cat's ears, a dog's tail, a duck's beak or whatever else you can think of for up to an hour after drinking the latte. They can replace your original body part (e.g. your ears become cat ears) or grow superfluously (e.g. you have regular ears AND cat ears). You can move the appendages or talk with them as if they are your own, but they don't confer any special magical powers with them. So you can fly with those griffin wings, sure, but you're going to need to put the effort into it.
Hot Mulled Wine (alcoholic): This one isn't for children - and in fact, under 18 people might find it hard (but not impossible, be industrious, little ones!) to get their hands on this drink. Red wine is heated with spices and citrus fruit over low heat for several hours - or it would if it wasn't all synthetically created. The effect is the same though, a delicious adult beverage that's a nice way to spend an evening with someone special. And you'll want them to be someone special because drinking the hot wine makes you inclined to get a little steamy with people. Kisses, both chaste and passionate, seem to alleviate the urge which you'll be under for up to an hour after drinking the wine.

❥ PROMPT III: Winter (VR) Wonderland

a wooden lodge at night, blanketed in snow

There isn't quite enough snow on the ground to allow it in reality, but in the VR Cafes anything is possible. This month, the VR Cafes are decorated with snowflakes in odd patterns and designs - holograms, naturally - that spin and change shape and color in a timed routine. Plug into the games and you'll find a new selection among the usual offerings: Winter Wonderland.

There are two modes to Winter Wonderland and each are fun in their own ways.

Snow Fight! Head out into the powdery snow where fantastic snow forts await and battle it out with snowballs to claim the most territory or just see who can hit the other side the most. You can choose Team Battle, Solo 1vs1, or Battle Royale. All magic, skills, and cunning are at your disposal. While the snow might not be falling outside, it's definitely going to be raining down on you here, so bundle up and have some fun. You earned it!

Ski Lodge But maybe you don't want to go flinging snow down someone's shirt and would rather cuddle up on a couch in front of a big warm fire, huh? Sure, we understand that. Welcome to the Ski Lodge, a cozy getaway up in the mountains where you can relax with a hot chocolate (or cider, or glass of wine even) and curl up on the couches and experience a lazy afternoon in thick fluffy sweaters. It's even better with a friend, they say, so why not create this private little getaway for the two (or three or four, we're not judging) of you? For people wanting a romantic lean, you can always slip out the back (and out of your clothes if you prefer) into the private jacuzzi on the wooden deck, too.

For people who want to have some fun tearing it up on the mountain-side though, we suggest trying Ski-venture! A year-round game that lets you ski or snowboard your way down the mountain.

❥ PROMPT IV: A Mysterious Gift [REGAIN EVENT]

Toward the end of the month starting from the 20th and on, some people may find themselves drawn to Rawna's temple late at night, when most of the priests are offline or elsewhere. The only native creatures you can see here are the fledgling rainbow dragons which watch you from their various perches all around the sanctum. As you approach the temple's altar, you realize someone else has been drawn here as well. In the quiet, dim lighting, the barest of candles still burning and the watchful eyes of the dragons, you feel compelled to unburden yourself to the other person. Tell your tale of woe or sorrow, relieve yourself of a secret you've kept hidden for too long, and listen to your companion as well. They say a burden shared is a burden halved after all.

Once you've both shared something, a pair of dragonlings crawl up into the altar's clawed hands. They wind around each other until an iridescent light shines from their scales. The light is blinding and you must look away as it reaches its pinnacle and releases a burst of rainbow light. When you look back, the dragonlings are slithering away and in their places are two objects - one familiar to you and one to your partner - so long as both of you have shared. It seems your tithe has been rewarded with something from home.

OOC: These items from home must be approved by a mod. They cannot exceed the Medium Item regain limit. It cannot be a power or other ability. It cannot be something your character did not own or have knowledge of in their canon or their CRAU. Please post your regain request in the Regain Request thread before threading out the receipt of the item.

This event will run from December 6th to December 31st. Click on each prompt's title to see the text. You are welcome to use this log, or create entries of your own! If you have any questions, feel free to direct them to the FAQ or to the Mod Question thread.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ ✔✔✔

She appears to be caught up in his answer, falling silent for a long moment afterwards, and it's enough that she stops in their walk again for her to turn to him. And then: ] That's a... wonderful thing to say. About--... time.

[ Yet he does not have a complete picture of it. Entropy always wins out in the end; or in her world it will, no matter what she does. But she can at least ensure that her world will exist until the end of that time instead of its life being cut prematurely...

Looking at him, she notes once more of how young he is; how his own life may have been cut short. Her free hand lifts, her fingers dust his cheek. ]

--But what.. of... possibly being created by them. What do you think of that?

[ Look at all them check marks.

For Somnus, that possibility just is. There are no thoughts of enlightenment to impart, so he glances in the direction of the temple instead. ]

I have never thought about whence I came. If that is how humanity came to be, I can only acknowledge the particles that form this body before looking forward.

[ yah how tf is he getting all these checkmarks, i want my money back

His answer... is both what she had hoped for-- for he ever looks towards the future-- yet it remains... hm. She doesn't know what she had expected, much less hoped for from him; for him to call the stars and their creation beautiful? Indeed, they are a thing of the past. Even their light is. So dutiful is he that he does not wonder more, or-- No.

She wonders if he will not allow himself to wonder more, if he deems it unnecessary. Much like comfort, much like a home. As for her thoughts on it, she cannot impart them; she would be biased. ] The future holds the destination of all particles, I suppose....

[ They are approaching the temple. ] Look. We're almost there.

[ All sales are final. No refunds allowed.

Now that they've started moving again, the temple draws nearer with every step they take. Her response is rather curious for how she trails off, but the topic has seemingly drawn to a close and he doesn't revive it. He lifts his head, and he's able to make out the temple's silhouette in the night.

When they pass the columns and enter, no one greets them. Somnus looks around. Nary a soul is there—not even the priests. Their footfalls echo in the temple interior, and no others join them; they really are alone. ]

[ karen would like to speak with the manager!

They are alone, they must be, but someone or something had the foresight to light the candles that adorn the interior of the temple. Their flames flicker with the faintest breeze, the flutter of the dragonlings' wings from wherever they have perched somewhere in the shadows. Called to the altar as she walks with Somnus in silence, their shadows waver behind them.

Once, she had asked him how to pray; he had responded that one offers their words or thoughts up to the gods, and it would be up to the heavens to consider them. Standing before him, she feels compelled to say something to him; not a prayer or petition, but a truth, a weight, a burden...

Her lips part. She is still. ]

[ His hand in hers twitches. This swelling urge to speak is as unnatural as the force that beckoned them inside the temple. On the first day, he resolved to maintain his silence before this very altar. Now, that resolve falters for reasons beyond his control.

What does Rawna stand to gain from loosening his lips? His affairs have no bearing on this world. Most of all, the secret that bubbles up his throat is one that should never leave his treasonous lips; it's his to carry with him to the end of his days, just like the truths that'll never be heard,.yet there's a desperate need to give it a voice here in the dim candlelight. Is this a trial of some sort?

The gods never did grant him the mercy for which he'd once begged and pleaded. With his gaze fixed on the altar, Somnus can't stop himself from making a confession. ]

I am naught but a monster.

[ In the deafening silence, his voice permeates the temple hall. His face burns. For now, the secret is safe. ]

[ She knows what's happening the instant he speaks first, unbidden, unprovoked, and revealing something so very-- personal.

She understands. Never would she ever admit anything of the sort, lest she speak those words to someone who would care to reassure the contrary. I am a tool; I am a weapon; similarly, I am a monster. Admitting these aloud would only garner sympathy-- or worse, another wanting to help-- of which would be better spent on someone else. Best to remain silent, so no one has any suspicion or care. Best to remain silent, because that care has not been earned or deserved...

Now she knows, and it's awful; he's been forced to speak this to her. What is Rawna's plan in this? She has half a mind to hurriedly take him from this place, but it's as if she cannot move. The pull is too strong. ]

...Somnus. [ --And, of course, hypocritically, she is one of those people that affords that care. When he says he is a monster, she wants to know why, she wants to comfort. She dare not inquire further than his name, however, simply saying it cautiously, apologetically that he has confessed this. Suspecting that Rawna might evoke more for him to say, she quickly offers what comfort she can in the interim: ] Whatever you say here, I will not repeat it to anyone. You have my word.

[ Safe; she wants him to know that he is safe with her. ]

[ If this is what a god of Havenwell has decided, he can only submit. Pyra will be witness to his subservience, though that makes him wonder: will he be witness to hers, then? If so, be they weapons or monsters, they truly are equals before Rawna. All the more reason to relinquish his stubborn ego.

His thoughts shift to her words, and he glances at her. She neither scorns nor dismisses him. She'll keep his secret; something about that promise lifts the leaden gate from the earthen floor of his mind when it shouldn't.

One moment passes in silence, followed by another. Then he speaks slowly: ]

I look to the future. In doing so, I damn the past.

[ Cryptic words appear as if betraying his restraint.

Yet she doesn't understand. Surely he has not forgotten the past as he presses onto the future. His past must be heavy, ever-present; else, why would he dismiss even reminiscing and seek the path towards dawn so earnestly? Until now, she had believed that he hadn't condemned it in any way, only using whatever memories he had as posts to mark the future. ]

...What... do you mean?

There are others from my world here. [ She would know. She's met at least a few of them, to his knowledge. ] They come from my past; none, my future.

[ And he sees it: the seeds of dissatisfaction that place their Star at risk. Compassion can save the person in front of them, but it won't drive the darkness away. Thinking about what could or should have been will only create a bitter distraction, helping nobody. So long as no alternative exists, there's only one path to follow, no matter the pains. ]

But a king pushes onward. [ His gaze drops to the foot of the altar. ] I will not ask for their forgiveness.

[ He can't. And if they condemn him, that's just fair. ]

[ The locals who enter Rawna's temple offer their negative emotions and ask for solace in return, asking for their pain to be taken away. If Rawna can call them forth but not answer them, perhaps the god believes that they might be able to help each other with their pain, or alleviate it so that their burden is not shouldered alone...

She thinks to the network post; she thinks to Ardyn, she thinks to Noctis, gathering all that she's been told thus far. Somnus feels he is a monster because he pushes onward towards the future, dooming those to a fate already passed or set in stone. He will do what is necessary; but this does not mean he does not care for them or not love them. ]

...And what of their understanding?

[ She had attempted to explain her own position to Cor; he labeled her as an playing the Infernian's advocate. No understanding there. She had reassured Ardyn that his selflessness is admirable, all for the sake that he might continue to be selfless for the future. He had blasphemed against his god. For Noctis, she had urged him to believe in his want to help others, believing that he would do all he can to bring back the light. He had fled.

The future, the world is too precious to forsake for a few loved ones. ]

[ Those loved ones will know peace once dawn breaks. He, too, will be able to rest, knowing that his brother has found peace. Somnus keeps his head bowed. ]

I asked for it, once.

[ He was denied then, and then he was given something like it here. Even if the rest of him is written off as pretense, he has this. And he'll abuse that understanding by continuing to be the cruel disappointment. For that reason, he speaks with a measure of audible weariness: ]

I dare not ask again.

[ Head bowed in confession, he won't see her reaction, but he will hear it in the sharp, quick inhale. "I dare not ask again," as if he is resigned. From what she knows, the entire family and then some are tied up in a fate. One of his world claims that the conductor of this fate has plans to destroy; Somnus himself argues that the plan is to save it.

Her other hand cups over his. Those of his world that are here want better for those they love. Seeing the guilt and grief written upon his face, clearly Somnus loves his family as well. Yet-- beautiful, he had called the world beautiful. Put in a position between the his family and the world, it seems the resulting choice has made him call himself a monster. This is understandable; she is sure others would paint him as the villain all too easily; from the outside, it may seem as him nothing more than him sacrificing his own blood, cruel, for the sake of the world.

He will not ask for forgiveness, and he does not want to ask for understanding again; it's as if he asks for nothing. He is not even defending himself-- "I dare not ask again"-- from his own labels of inhumanity. She wonders, does he want someone to understand, to listen to him as well? ] Somnus...

[ "I dare not ask again."

Suddenly overcome-- she steps forward, and her hands unlink from his to wrap around his back to bring him into an embrace. She doesn't know if this will help, or if it would make a difference at all to him as an outsider, but she speaks again anyway: ] I... understand. I understand.

[ Moving her head to the side, she draws in another breath, shaky. He is human, he had been born with emotions. He should have all the rights to feel them as any other, to want as any other, to want better for his family as any other, without guilt. Fate has decided otherwise for him, and that is the greatest cruelty for him. He should ask for that understanding again, he should want for that understanding, empathy, for others to consider whatever terrible fate his family has from his perspective instead of dismissing it-- enough that he dares not ask again. But how can she put this all into words? ] ....What you feel, how you feel... it matters. You matter.

[ How much does she know, he wonders while she embraces him. Whether or not she knows about the prophecy's blood price, she understands the tragic necessity of sacrifice.

His mind treacherously shifts to the past. She's offered that understanding before. She's also said those things about his feelings in the world before this one. When he awakened in Aellyn, he resolved to prevent that conversation from happening again. Looking back, perhaps that was too arrogant of him. (Perhaps he should confess.)

His eyes wander to the side as he looks over her shoulder to another spot on the floor.

The gods made a monster out of his brother through the Scourge; they made a monster out of him through his envy. His ugliness is intrinsic, and the reason why his words fall on deaf ears. His reasons and feelings don't merit that privilege. Even now, that ugliness persists for the sake of the future. ]

Upon leaving this world, his sentence will begin anew. Once again, my brother will be bound to his curse.

[ Having heard a portion of the story from Ardyn himself, she knows enough to put a few more of the pieces together. He had called their family favored by the gods. He had said he was given a power to protect their star, that he was tasked with this, only for his god to “allow their chosen savior to be cast out and forgotten”— chosen savior— taking the darkness’s into himself. She supposes, then, that he must be one of those whose fate Cor (and others on that network post) wish to change, sacrificing the future of others.

Choosing the future over his own blood relative and feelings, tone subdued, laced with grief and remorse for his brother’s circumstance, Somnus appears still resigned to see whatever terrible fate he and others have through to the end. If it means the world will be saved from the darkness, so be it. This is why he calls himself a monster, she suspects; this is why he grieves: for as sorrowful as he is for their fate, he will not fight to change it so long as it is necessary to save his world.

She remembers she had once asked, ”...To what lengths will you help this world?"

To which he replied, “Such a length cannot be measured.”

His meaning is revealed: that length has seen him to sacrifice his personal feelings, his family, and perhaps more for all.

Softly, her hand moves to rest upon his upper back, continuing the embrace. ]

[ Pyra closes her eyes. Necessary; the god of his world has deemed it necessary to keep Somnus after his death. (She is no better— Look how he is suffering. There is no choice. For the sake of the future, this is necessary. What she is doing is necessary.)

If she is right in her assessment... it makes this all the more tragic, and him all the more admirable. How wise his god is, to pick someone like him in part of grander designs. It is not his piousness, but his selflessness, she believes, that has made him blessed. She, too, would choose him to save the world, for surely, surely he would do what is needed for all others to have a bright future...

Even still, she wishes he and others did not have to suffer for the sake of their world; she is sorry that their world suffers as well. But it always will be the future for which she strives, and she will not be the one to tell him he should not sacrifice for its future.

Yet he reveals his guilt, and it is heartbreaking for it sounds as if-- is he ashamed to admit this, that he shouldn’t even be entertaining these thoughts, having them, let alone speaking them aloud? He sounds pained. Hurt. Hurt for having these feelings, but from where does this pain stem, she wonders. For feelings them, or for believing that he shouldn't feel pain at all, when he is damning his brother when Ardyn must have a far better life here? ]

It... is not a sin... to not want to see those you love be hurt, to want better for those you love.... even while keeping the future in mind.

[ To want, to wish, to hope, but not to act in this case. Not when there is too much at stake. ] You... you can want that. Please, want that. Those feelings—... they are yours. They are beautiful, because they are yours.

[ And he can have them, he should have them. ]

Edited 2019-12-24 06:19 (UTC)

[ They are his, but the only one to call them beautiful is Pyra. As far as those from Eos are concerned, the reason all this came about is because of him. This isn't false; the prophecy demanded an envious king, and in becoming one he delivered the Accursed unto the world. Even if the Accursed's undoing will cure the world of darkness, what right does he have to mourn his brother's fate?

He decided long ago that he would neither expect nor ask for forgiveness. He was young then, willing to forgo his precious values and utterly ignorant to the bottomless reaches of remorse. Upon receiving his calling from the Draconian, he learned what it meant to be truly powerless, fell to his knees in spite of renouncing the gods months prior, and begged them for mercy—mercy for himself, his brother, and those who would come after him. Yet pleading did nothing just as all those years before, and he's been left to nurse a heart awash with regret since.

Pyra is the daughter of the Architect. In all the time he's known her, he's only ever heard her express her sympathy for his house's tragedy, uttering nary a word about challenging the fate that's been doled out to them: "You can have both. You can protect the world and you can have those feelings."

No. No, there was something else. With her hands gathered at his back in a gesture meant to comfort, he recalls an old wish and his conditioned response to it.

"I wish I could somehow help your line. If only there was another way to defeat this scourge, than the gods sacrificing your family."

"There is no other way."

He lifts his head to gaze upon the cupped hands carved into the altar, his hands hanging limply at his sides. This has always been his shortcoming. ]

What I feel is that and nothing more. My sins lie in my actions.

[ In the hypocrisy of apologizing and expressing his remorse, only to turn around and insist upon the bloody path that promises the world's prosperity. He submits to his brother here, yet he plots against him all the same. Somnus' sin rests in his capitulation to the Draconian's revelation, because he sees no other way to salvage their Star—because, faced against a preordained reality and a sickness that trounced even the gods themselves, he didn't dare overreach when the kingdom was in need of a king.

The regret recedes from his tone as it hollows out. What's done is done. Foremost is his duty to the world. As of now, only the prophecy and the True King can restore the Light. ]

And I will continue to sin if I must.

[ Not knowing more of the scourge or what it is, she can only defer to what she's been told thus far, that it seems to be a power beyond mortal control.

She draws away from the embrace, her arms releasing his back, only for one to reach for his. ] ...Yet your actions with these hands... continue to strive for that future.

[ Yet he suffers. Sinning. Monstrous. He's committed the former, he believes he's become the latter for the future. But she knows he is a king, the founder. She's heard from Noctis that he created Lucis, essentially; that must not have been any simple task. Does he not see it? He's given the chance for others throughout millennia and beyond to be better brothers to each other. ]

There is nothing greater that you have built, than ensuring that others might see the dawn.

[ A pause, and then, she attempts to give him a smile. ] But from what I know of your descendant, your kingdom and family come as close seconds. [ These three things, a family, a kingdom, and a future: he's given these gifts to the world. ]

Edited 2019-12-24 08:15 (UTC)

[ He sees it, of course. Giving the rest of the world a future is the reason he committed those very sins. Houses Caelum and Fleuret have their parts to play, and in doing so their Star will see the coveted dawn. The future will be paid for by the blood in their hearts and bodies.

That doesn't resolve him of what he's done. Even if the world is saved and his brother, freed, he's killed more people than he can count and exploited his loved ones. With no other alternatives, he continues to pull his brother and grandchildren toward their grisly fates. His sins will remain as they are, weighing heavily on his heart.

From the corner of his eyes, he just makes out the attempted curl of her lips. Pyra's face is a blur in his unfocused gaze. Somnus' own lips are parted in silence; his eyes, glazed; his hands, slack. But with another upward tip of his head, his eyes regain a sheen of conviction as he lays a hand over Pyra's.

His kingdom is no more. He, his children, and his brother will be no more. Greatness means nothing to him. But the future will be there, and this is all that keeps him going. ]

I am one of the future's many wards. We will see it come to pass—no matter the cost.

[ "No matter what the cost"....

But the cost is high for him, and for those who are victims of it. He had sounded so distraught, and now his tone, his expression has returned to a cold resolve. She knows this look well: this duty, this future, and perhaps his belief that the end will bring peace to his family, may be all he has to push himself forward to see this through.

Yet this resolution seems to be, to her, him defaulting back to his norm, a way of returning to the shackling comfort of fate, something he's known for thousands of years, rather than admitted it before Rawna's alter. If they don't pull through this, they might be here all night. ]

....Somnus. [ She says quickly, urgently, as if she can bring him back from sinking into that haven of defeatedness. She repeats again, ] --Somnus.

The future.... does not need to cost you your-- humanity. [ Rather, what he believes to be his humanity. She may say that he's not a monster, but that won't help him here. He has to believe it. She attempts to search his expression for any clues; she finds none but his mask, a cover. ] What you feel. What you want, what you think... these things, you can have too.

[ He does want, she knows. He does hope. But she is not foolish: there is something wrong; he never smiles, he never laughs, and his eyes are mirthless. More than that, has she ever seen him do anything for himself? All this time, all this time she's been holding his hand, has he ever even wanted that for himself? Has he sought anything for himself this entire time? How could she have been so blind to this--

What is making him believe otherwise, that he should not feel more? His god? Yet his god could have literally crafted him into an emotionless tool, she believes. Is he denying himself, for the sake of doing what needs to be done? No, no, that can't be right; one can save the future and smile, laugh, cry, and be happy with those one loves in the interim. It is not necessary to forsake humanity to protect that which one loves. She had said emotions are beautiful, that his emotions are beautiful, and to see him like this is...

She squeezes his hand; this tears her tone apart as more of her own emotions, grief for him leaks into her voice. She wonders if these questions will hurt him more or help him, but they need to push through this. ] ...Who, or-- or what is making you believe that you can't or... or shouldn't feel or want? [ Why is he dismissing these feelings, why is he denying himself? ]

[ This time, the call of his name draws his gaze. Their eyes lock, and he gives her nothing to see.

Myriad voices, all of them painfully familiar, come back to him at once:

"You were my brother, no crown or kingdom was ever worth that to me. But it has ever been clear to me that sentiment was never shared."

"Do you even care? Did you ever care?"

"You expect me to believe any of this is more than elaborate performance, some twisted game to get back in my good graces now that you no doubt think I could strike you down this time?"

"I thought you better than all of this, reason or motive be damned."

"I don't think you care in the slightest to hear a single word I would have to say."

"The only thing I desire is that you at least act like you care about what you did to me."

"—you pretend to have sympathy—"

"Now that, I don’t believe for an instant."

"—at least pretend to care about all that you did to me—"

"Don't you dare."

"Perhaps nothing you say or do would be worth anything."

Paltry apologies are all he has, and he'll give them for as long as they're wanted. But if what he says or does only causes more suffering, why say or do anything else? His feelings, wants, and thoughts are worth nothing. Better to don the mask bequeathed to him by the gods and spare the others from gazing upon his inhumanity as he pursues the future. ]

Humanity is another word for compassion. It no longer has a place in the gods' revelation.

[ --No. No, no no. That expression, that mask-- he's shutting down again. ]

Somnus, don't-- please--

[ She's listening. She's here. Rawna is here, he called the both of them here. He wanted them to speak; to tell truths. Humanity and compassion do have a role in-- everything. She believes this with all of her heart. He does not believe this is true, otherwise he would not be able to say it, bu

Is she doing the right thing. Should it truly have been her standing with him before this altar, or someone of his family instead, who would have better known him, better been able to help him? She feels as if she's not helping him, although she's trying, she's trying.

Her hand reaches out to his chest, lying over his heart. Alive again. Warm. She looks up at him. Hair, dark; eyes, deeply blue... but hollow.

"In a word, he seemed very human. Protecting his heart with a mask of lies," she had once said of humanity, dismissive. How foolish she had been back then to callously regard them, but she had been right on one count: these masks are for protecting what is vulnerable beneath, hearts so precious they are worth more than any crown or throne.

She is a stranger, but she had made a promise to him. Yet she feels she needs to be insistent here, or they won't leave. ] I... am not of your world... but allow me to see you. Hear you. I-- I won't hurt you. I promise.

[ Please, what?

His heart beats slowly and steadily beneath her palm. Having unburdened himself of what ails him the most, he no longer feels compelled to speak. Whatever Rawna wanted, he's given it.

Promises are broken all too easily. People lie and cheat; they manipulate others to suit their needs. And though Pyra isn't human as much as she resembles his kind, a divine being doesn't owe a mortal her word. Just look at him: he's been lying to her all this time. What right does have to accept her grace? ]

My hurts are of no concern to you.

[ What... can she do for him. Or can she do anything for him? Him shutting down again, dismissing her, she feels powerless to help him. She had dared as an outsider to offer consolation, for him to be able to speak with someone, and this is the result.

She had asked his descendant if it would be better if Somnus lived with his family instead of her. He had disagreed. She had asked Somnus himself, and he had seemed content with their current arrangement. She wishes for what's best for him, but is she actually helping him? Or is she hurting him? She can only believe that he will indeed tell her when she is.

Pyra thinks further: such needless suffering. He needs someone to help him, but who? His family, perhaps, but there's clearly issues there aside from Noctis. Another outsider, then? Emet-Selch? She doesn't know, but she hopes that he will receive all the care he needs. She hopes more will reinforce what she's told him here, that his heart matters, what he feels matters. Perhaps they will do better than what she could ever do.

Her hand falls from his chest; back to holding his, it is. ] When you love someone, you do not want to see them in pain. [ This is true for him to his family. This is true from her to him and all others that she loves. Because of those emotions, they are her concern.

This is her truth. ]

[ The weight of remorse is his to shoulder. More importantly, he's meant to be the arbiter of power. No judge allows himself to be overcome with emotion. Somnus resolves not to slouch before Pyra again, and he stands tall as a paragon of authority must.

His fingers close around her hand as he deliberates over her words. Watching someone in pain is never easy; for the likes of Pyra, it's probably nigh unbearable. Perhaps he's been too complaisant in this city. Boundaries have to be set for both their sakes.

That's right. There was that promise. ]

You have not hurt me.

[ Thus, there's no pain to observe. ]

jae i am dying of laughter

how am i to tag you now when you've died??

bring me back to life feat. evanescence

looking at the lyrics again, "breathe into me" reminds me of cpr

just give me a lung transplant!!

or just perish

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