[ it's later in the night and crea's spending the night trying to clear his mind in the onsen. he's dipped his feet in, towel wrapped around him to not scare anyone.
he's alone, finally able to relax....or is he really? ]
Ah, if it isn't the old-fashioned hero who held my hand into the abyss.
[Waltaquin emerges, displaying no evidence of the propriety that attendants at the onsen party would have seen. She is quite boldly scarcely covered by her small towel, which she lifts one hand away from to wave in greeting.]
There's only the two of us here - it's private enough already, give that these are communal baths as far as I know.
[Unfortunately for him and perhaps fortunately for her, she's come into some new information about how best to make use of the facilities.]
I've been informed you're not to wear your covering into the water at all. [She claps her hands together.] Stupendous. That should make it easy to talk about any old thing.
I didn’t know that you were suddenly such a rule-abiding noble.
[ ughhhh. maybe she wants him to leave? is this her roundabout way of kicking him out? communal or not, he doesn’t want to cause unnecessary trouble for himself like this. ]
L-listen. I can leave you alone, if that’s what you want. I, uh, wouldn’t wanna be…uh… untoward?
[It's a shame the most intriguing place in this island is that one that has been so readily destroyed.
Since spotting one of Wei Wuxian's skeletons rising from the earth by the waterfall earlier today, Waltaquin has made her return in the wake of all the excitement. She hates the feeling of bashing herself repeatedly against a wall that will not give, which trying to find anything of use in this place has so frequently been for her.
As always, the crystals have her fascination - perhaps she'll find a chunk or two to bring back with her, even if they'll never be what she really wants. It's late enough that she expects to be alone, but when noise startles her, she doesn't react with the dread that this time of day, this place, and this scenario should really rattle in her.]
How wretched; I hope I've haven't drawn a monster compelled to protect its territory.
Eh? A monster? Been a long time since I've been called that.
[ or so crea says, his hoodie raised over his head as he approaches walt.
truth be told, he had only been going there to sit and think. even destroyed, he still wanted to see if there was something that could still be salvaged, if only the ambiance. but it's dark, there's not much to do, and she made a funny comment. he might as well take it and run with it. ]
Though you're brave enough to defend yourself, aren't you, Lady?
Hahaha...depending on who you ask, they'll tell you that it's the truth. I'd argue otherwise, though. Honestly, I don't like fighting.
[ he pulls back the hoodie, raising both arms in a display of nonaggression towards walt. if she wants to fight him, sure, but he'd rather not initiate it if possible.
a monster, huh... ]
But you're raring to go, huh? Have been? Or is it because of what happened to Wei Wuxian?
You don't? [That sounds so insanely incomprehensible to her that it seems she can't really even wrap her mind around it.]
I love a good bout. [A good slaughter, Rias might say.] I've been cooped up for far, far too long. [So, she's felt this way for a while.] This has only expedited things.
I don't. I've fought too long and to get nothing at the end of it. Really, things would be so much easier if we got along.
[ but that's the cruel life of being a hero. you fight and fight until the fight is suddenly over and... and then what? what happens after that, when the villain is vanquished?
well... ]
I dunno, I mean you could probably ask half these people to spar with ya. I've sparred with Xiao, he's pretty good, actually.
Hahaha, your kind nature is showing through, Crea. [Hopelessly optimistic despite having seen what is surely a cruel and unforgiving world.]
I saw it earlier, too. [And if the worst had happened with Wei Wuxian, what then? He would have seen that ugliness all over again.
Nonlethal combat may not be her style, but she's done her fair share of training where she wasn't allowed to go all out.] What I crave more than anything is the chance to go all-out. What you're recommending might do in desperate times - and believe me, I am becoming achingly unfulfilled... I'm not about to unleash any abnormally powered spells at the moment, either.
[ so many people have called him kind. so many people have praised his actions and demeanor as such— a kind and foolish optimist that wants to get along with others. a far cry from the population that would call him and sion monsters.
pushing his thoughts to the back burner, he tilts his head to the side, hands pocketed away neatly ]
Huh… you’re really raring to go for a life or death match. [ he really can’t understand the sentiment, but go off, queen. ] What’s keeping you from attacking someone and making them a sacrifice, then? [ a pause. ] Though don’t take it as me urging you to. Seriously.
Hmm... Maybe it's that I'm not sure I'm strong enough to best anyone here. [This is such an obvious lie that it should be amazing she's telling it with a straight face, as if she thinks that her turning around saying this has any chance at veracity.] Do you think I'm the type to ambush someone for a death match?
What about you? [The way he's reacted so far is very interesting.] Have you done something here that makes you feel like a bad person?
[ listen, he's definitely not the brightest of this group, but he's not that easily fooled. he does find it funny, however, that she would try to make that excuse, considering her personality. he genuinely finds it amusing, and it's difficult to keep the smirk from his lips. ]
I think you'd challenge them up front, and then go all out and kill 'em. In that sense, you'd be kinda like a coworker of mine.
[ he shrugs. ]
I haven't done anything bad here, aside from threatening to break every bone in Lobelia's body. But for what it's worth, the only thing I regret about tryin' to do that when that's exactly what he wanted.
[ the last thing that crea wanted to do was give that man what he wanted. ]
You're right. He would have been thrilled - though I imagine you'd have been a sight harder to put back together than Beel. [So Crea's regret may also end up being the thing that saved him, if only because he didn't go through with it.]
Would I challenge someone up front? I certainly think that would be much more engaging than scurrying about in the dark. According to Lobelia, his kill was the same.
Probably. I can’t go dying yet…not when I have stuff to return to.
[ his eyes grow dark at the thought of having to compare her to lobelia and teiba… truly, even if he feels little towards the latter, he is a far cry from whatever that freak was… ]
Teiba’s a decent guy, despite the fact that he’s, well, a seasoned criminal. Always wants to pick fights and always lookin’ for a stronger opponent to fight ‘n kill. Short temper, sometimes irrational.
[ he shrugs. ]
I mean, if that doesn’t sound like you, then you don’t have to take me seriously. I don’t know ya as well as ya know yourself.
Well, I certainly don't have a short temper... [She dwells on this a little, one of her cheeks puffing out slightly.] Short attention span, maybe. I can't help it when things become dreadfully boring.
Hehe... Let's call it "poor impulse control"? I'm a woman of instinct.
[But whether that answers the question of which she resembles more...that's anyone's guess.
Well. She will simply have to try not to let it bother her.]
Case in point... [She gestures at the waterfall.] I've returned here yet again, like a ball on a string. What brings you to this place?
[ he looks at the waterfall, destroyed as it is. his expression is thoughtful, as if he hadn’t expected the question. ]
I guess it was the same. I was drawn back to it like a ball on a string. [ he smiles wryly. ] The future has less nature, you know? There’s enormous cities made of steel, and hardly any forests. So in a way this feels a bit closer to home.
memshare for crea, cw: rioting, illegal use of force, murder. tbh.
((Here is the link again, to around 2:16:30. Since we already talked about the vid!!! you're getting a little summary just so we can maybe actually write this.))
[This entire affair has been boring and wretched, the most frustrating demand placed on your power since you joined the Foxes in the first place. Drunk with darkness off the tail of your fateful encounter with Zakariah and the skeletal dragon artifact, there's nothing more insulting than playing babysitter for a bunch of sulking ants who do not know their place.
Iscarion, as always, pities the plight of the lesser man, mealy and unimportant as an apple. He thinks you'll take orders from him.
Even with the fear of the revered Blue Foxes, it is an arduous task. Things would be over much faster and show no signs of swelling again if something more interesting would happen. You'd get yourself off the hook from handling some dozen more of these incidents popping up instead of looking into the Duke's obvious misappropriation of jade.
You are right, of course. You kill ten men, and it isn't even fun, the way they fall so easily, the way you watch their weak souls with their weak convictions fade. The precipitous climb of the Blue Foxes cools, as does Andrias' fervent disposition.
[ there's something about the memory that leaves crea with a disgusted taste in his mouth. watching it occur from her eyes, crea's able to feel her boredom and unwillingness to give these innocent people any mercy. perhaps they were not 100% innocent, but they were civilians. to kill them is unfair and cruel.
but it works. so when the memory ends, crea can't bring himself to denounce waltaquin's actions immediately, because he knows that they had the desire effect. but he knows that couldn't be everything to it, and he's about to speak up...
when the world distorts again and, waltaquin too, can see a certain memory ]
[ crea's out of the cabana early, by the beach. maybe he didn't sleep at all. who knows? who cares. he's spaced out, staring at the water with a stony expression...
but his attention is not so far from him that he won't turn to face the person approaching him. ]
Waltaquin. [ he smiles, trained and mild. ] Good morning to you.
Not Waltaquin either, that's for sure. Since she's been committing sleep crimes more frequently lately with her late nights, maybe that isn't too surprising.
She recognizes Crea as something in a cage.] It isn't, is it? But you're going to try to keep your promise.
[She pauses for quite a long moment for the recall.] Haha, yes... that's right. You hate killing and fighting. You don't like doing it. But to avoid it sometimes means killing that impulse within yourself.
[Crea's words might not have been phrased like an oath, but what is everything spoken but a promise that can be broken later?]
[ crea raises an eyebrow, mildly confused why she would take those words as a promise. his gaze hardens slightly as he tries to gingerly try to probe further. ]
That wasn't a promise or a vow, it's just how I want to see the world. [ but sometimes, the world simply isn't like how he wants to see it. in those times, he has to adapt. ] If you're mad about me threatening Lacus, quit it. I don't feel bad about that. She threatened my friend.
I see. [ he pauses, tilting his head as he considers the question carefully. ] I lost two of my friends. I don't think that I could call myself okay. I guess I'm still mulling over the trial.
But who could really say if what drew her toward him was friendship or something else entirely, the way a cat feels about a fern blowing in the wind? Still, it isn't as if she didn't feel pangs of longing for his company before.]
Hah... me too. It's been in my head since. I just can't stop feeling like the end is coming ever closer and closer.
[ it's not really the end, after all. perhaps it is for those that have passed, with no real way to bring them back to life, but for those that survive...the story goes on, doesn't it?
crea sighs, heavy and tired. ]
What about you? You must be excited to go back home.
[Though she speaks it clearly, her thoughts seem to stutter over the word for a second, as if it is, however briefly, defying definition.]
Actually, there's... an exhaustive amount of political faffery awaiting upon my return. I suppose I could always do my best to move the pieces faster on the board... Hahaha, the theater of war is just a puppet show, after all.
[A colony of ants screaming after drowned in boiling water.]
Maybe if I could convince Rias to come chase me once he's finished putting his pawns in place.
[But one has to wonder... is this still what she wants? Will it make her happy? Will it appease her on the other side of this? She feels as though she's beyond that game, in some ways.]
[ that doesn’t seem like a good time to crea. actually, from the look on his face, it’s obvious that he considers it the total opposite of a good time. ]
Who can say? I've never thought much about it before. If I want to continue my research as well, I'm sure the Church would have me on their side in a heartbeat, knowing what I know.
[Of late her fascination of pulling Rias back into her orbit has been all-encompassing, though she must admit she's worried about getting tangled up in the drab politics of it all again.]
Well, there is someone else who said they may have a mystery worthy of my attention... one day I'll see if that's still on the table.
Yes, I acquired my powers there in the first place.
[She would agree with him, if only she could read his thoughts. She does look at him for a moment as if she is trying to.]
She didn't say, but the next time our paths cross, perhaps I'll ask her. If we ever meet again... [She trails off. There's no such thing as a guaranteed meeting, unless one has a hand in orchestrating one.]
[Waltaquin feels no guilt or remorse for the memory Crea experiences, even after he's been put through the paces of witnessing it. There's simply...nothing to be sorry for, whether that's because she cannot see her actions in any other way or because she has no associated feeling with the memory or some third more twisted reason.
What she sees in return, however, is only somewhat surprising. She thinks she sensed some part of it within him along, a similarity that made it so much more enjoyable to run her fingernails underneath the seams to see what might pull up.
He hates killing, surely, perhaps more than anything else in the world. She herself cannot understand it, hating that thrill that sparks every time, perhaps no more than he can imagine not loving the friend onto whom he's pinned his entire heart.
But it's the thing he's the very best at, too.
When the exchange has ended, Waltaquin can't bring herself to speak at first, either.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wednesday, week 3
he's alone, finally able to relax....or is he really? ]
Who's there?
no subject
[Waltaquin emerges, displaying no evidence of the propriety that attendants at the onsen party would have seen. She is quite boldly scarcely covered by her small towel, which she lifts one hand away from to wave in greeting.]
It's only me.
no subject
[ crea relaxes just slightly, raising an eyebrow with a slight smirk on his lips. ]
What brings you here?
no subject
You don't mind my company? [She can be very distracting! She is certainly aware of this.]
no subject
Shouldn't I be saying the same to you? I would have thought that you would have needed some privacy.
no subject
[Unfortunately for him and perhaps fortunately for her, she's come into some new information about how best to make use of the facilities.]
I've been informed you're not to wear your covering into the water at all. [She claps her hands together.] Stupendous. That should make it easy to talk about any old thing.
no subject
T-the towel?!
[ he has a bad feeling about this. ]
no subject
Is that not all right with you? I'm only trying to observe the rules. I've not got a knife under here or anything of the sort.
[Which she has been... so concerned about following before.]
no subject
[ ughhhh. maybe she wants him to leave? is this her roundabout way of kicking him out? communal or not, he doesn’t want to cause unnecessary trouble for himself like this. ]
L-listen. I can leave you alone, if that’s what you want. I, uh, wouldn’t wanna be…uh… untoward?
wednesday, week 4
Since spotting one of Wei Wuxian's skeletons rising from the earth by the waterfall earlier today, Waltaquin has made her return in the wake of all the excitement. She hates the feeling of bashing herself repeatedly against a wall that will not give, which trying to find anything of use in this place has so frequently been for her.
As always, the crystals have her fascination - perhaps she'll find a chunk or two to bring back with her, even if they'll never be what she really wants. It's late enough that she expects to be alone, but when noise startles her, she doesn't react with the dread that this time of day, this place, and this scenario should really rattle in her.]
How wretched; I hope I've haven't drawn a monster compelled to protect its territory.
no subject
[ or so crea says, his hoodie raised over his head as he approaches walt.
truth be told, he had only been going there to sit and think. even destroyed, he still wanted to see if there was something that could still be salvaged, if only the ambiance. but it's dark, there's not much to do, and she made a funny comment. he might as well take it and run with it. ]
Though you're brave enough to defend yourself, aren't you, Lady?
no subject
[Waltaquin pulls herself out of the tragic mess that was the best feature of this island.]
I prefer a solid offense. I'm just about erupting from my skin as is...all I need is a reason, really. And preferably at least one shieldguard.
no subject
[ he pulls back the hoodie, raising both arms in a display of nonaggression towards walt. if she wants to fight him, sure, but he'd rather not initiate it if possible.
a monster, huh... ]
But you're raring to go, huh? Have been? Or is it because of what happened to Wei Wuxian?
no subject
I love a good bout. [A good slaughter, Rias might say.] I've been cooped up for far, far too long. [So, she's felt this way for a while.] This has only expedited things.
no subject
[ but that's the cruel life of being a hero. you fight and fight until the fight is suddenly over and... and then what? what happens after that, when the villain is vanquished?
well... ]
I dunno, I mean you could probably ask half these people to spar with ya. I've sparred with Xiao, he's pretty good, actually.
no subject
I saw it earlier, too. [And if the worst had happened with Wei Wuxian, what then? He would have seen that ugliness all over again.
Nonlethal combat may not be her style, but she's done her fair share of training where she wasn't allowed to go all out.] What I crave more than anything is the chance to go all-out. What you're recommending might do in desperate times - and believe me, I am becoming achingly unfulfilled... I'm not about to unleash any abnormally powered spells at the moment, either.
no subject
[ so many people have called him kind. so many people have praised his actions and demeanor as such— a kind and foolish optimist that wants to get along with others. a far cry from the population that would call him and sion monsters.
pushing his thoughts to the back burner, he tilts his head to the side, hands pocketed away neatly ]
Huh… you’re really raring to go for a life or death match. [ he really can’t understand the sentiment, but go off, queen. ] What’s keeping you from attacking someone and making them a sacrifice, then? [ a pause. ] Though don’t take it as me urging you to. Seriously.
no subject
What about you? [The way he's reacted so far is very interesting.] Have you done something here that makes you feel like a bad person?
no subject
[ listen, he's definitely not the brightest of this group, but he's not that easily fooled. he does find it funny, however, that she would try to make that excuse, considering her personality. he genuinely finds it amusing, and it's difficult to keep the smirk from his lips. ]
I think you'd challenge them up front, and then go all out and kill 'em. In that sense, you'd be kinda like a coworker of mine.
[ he shrugs. ]
I haven't done anything bad here, aside from threatening to break every bone in Lobelia's body. But for what it's worth, the only thing I regret about tryin' to do that when that's exactly what he wanted.
[ the last thing that crea wanted to do was give that man what he wanted. ]
no subject
Would I challenge someone up front? I certainly think that would be much more engaging than scurrying about in the dark. According to Lobelia, his kill was the same.
Am I more like him or your coworker?
no subject
[ his eyes grow dark at the thought of having to compare her to lobelia and teiba… truly, even if he feels little towards the latter, he is a far cry from whatever that freak was… ]
Teiba’s a decent guy, despite the fact that he’s, well, a seasoned criminal. Always wants to pick fights and always lookin’ for a stronger opponent to fight ‘n kill. Short temper, sometimes irrational.
[ he shrugs. ]
I mean, if that doesn’t sound like you, then you don’t have to take me seriously. I don’t know ya as well as ya know yourself.
no subject
Hehe... Let's call it "poor impulse control"? I'm a woman of instinct.
[But whether that answers the question of which she resembles more...that's anyone's guess.
Well. She will simply have to try not to let it bother her.]
Case in point... [She gestures at the waterfall.] I've returned here yet again, like a ball on a string. What brings you to this place?
no subject
[ he looks at the waterfall, destroyed as it is. his expression is thoughtful, as if he hadn’t expected the question. ]
I guess it was the same. I was drawn back to it like a ball on a string. [ he smiles wryly. ] The future has less nature, you know? There’s enormous cities made of steel, and hardly any forests. So in a way this feels a bit closer to home.
memshare for crea, cw: rioting, illegal use of force, murder. tbh.
[This entire affair has been boring and wretched, the most frustrating demand placed on your power since you joined the Foxes in the first place. Drunk with darkness off the tail of your fateful encounter with Zakariah and the skeletal dragon artifact, there's nothing more insulting than playing babysitter for a bunch of sulking ants who do not know their place.
Iscarion, as always, pities the plight of the lesser man, mealy and unimportant as an apple. He thinks you'll take orders from him.
Even with the fear of the revered Blue Foxes, it is an arduous task. Things would be over much faster and show no signs of swelling again if something more interesting would happen. You'd get yourself off the hook from handling some dozen more of these incidents popping up instead of looking into the Duke's obvious misappropriation of jade.
You are right, of course. You kill ten men, and it isn't even fun, the way they fall so easily, the way you watch their weak souls with their weak convictions fade. The precipitous climb of the Blue Foxes cools, as does Andrias' fervent disposition.
It was worth it.]
no subject
but it works. so when the memory ends, crea can't bring himself to denounce waltaquin's actions immediately, because he knows that they had the desire effect. but he knows that couldn't be everything to it, and he's about to speak up...
when the world distorts again and, waltaquin too, can see a certain memory ]
sunday morning, pre execution
but his attention is not so far from him that he won't turn to face the person approaching him. ]
Waltaquin. [ he smiles, trained and mild. ] Good morning to you.
no subject
Not Waltaquin either, that's for sure. Since she's been committing sleep crimes more frequently lately with her late nights, maybe that isn't too surprising.
She recognizes Crea as something in a cage.] It isn't, is it? But you're going to try to keep your promise.
no subject
I suppose. Beel had... his reasons, at the time. I've no reason to be mad at him.
[ he's forgiven far worse, when his friends are involved. ]
Unless you're talking about something else?
no subject
[She pauses for quite a long moment for the recall.] Haha, yes... that's right. You hate killing and fighting. You don't like doing it. But to avoid it sometimes means killing that impulse within yourself.
[Crea's words might not have been phrased like an oath, but what is everything spoken but a promise that can be broken later?]
no subject
That wasn't a promise or a vow, it's just how I want to see the world. [ but sometimes, the world simply isn't like how he wants to see it. in those times, he has to adapt. ] If you're mad about me threatening Lacus, quit it. I don't feel bad about that. She threatened my friend.
no subject
Hehe, Crea, can't I feel the same? Can't I want to make sure my friend is all right?
no subject
I see. [ he pauses, tilting his head as he considers the question carefully. ] I lost two of my friends. I don't think that I could call myself okay. I guess I'm still mulling over the trial.
no subject
But who could really say if what drew her toward him was friendship or something else entirely, the way a cat feels about a fern blowing in the wind? Still, it isn't as if she didn't feel pangs of longing for his company before.]
Hah... me too. It's been in my head since. I just can't stop feeling like the end is coming ever closer and closer.
no subject
[ it's not really the end, after all. perhaps it is for those that have passed, with no real way to bring them back to life, but for those that survive...the story goes on, doesn't it?
crea sighs, heavy and tired. ]
What about you? You must be excited to go back home.
no subject
[Though she speaks it clearly, her thoughts seem to stutter over the word for a second, as if it is, however briefly, defying definition.]
Actually, there's... an exhaustive amount of political faffery awaiting upon my return. I suppose I could always do my best to move the pieces faster on the board... Hahaha, the theater of war is just a puppet show, after all.
[A colony of ants screaming after drowned in boiling water.]
no subject
[ …
he still remembers the memory. it sends an unpleasant shiver down his spine, and he lets out a sigh. ]
Right. Would that sate the itch that you told me about, though? That craving to fight to the death?
no subject
[But one has to wonder... is this still what she wants? Will it make her happy? Will it appease her on the other side of this? She feels as though she's beyond that game, in some ways.]
Hyeh... I'd have to do something quite drastic.
no subject
[ that doesn’t seem like a good time to crea. actually, from the look on his face, it’s obvious that he considers it the total opposite of a good time. ]
Is there really nothing else that you want?
no subject
[Of late her fascination of pulling Rias back into her orbit has been all-encompassing, though she must admit she's worried about getting tangled up in the drab politics of it all again.]
Well, there is someone else who said they may have a mystery worthy of my attention... one day I'll see if that's still on the table.
no subject
[ crea's mildly surprised, though it quickly washes away as he remembers that religion has never meant anything morally worthwhile. ]
Hm... what kind of mystery is that?
no subject
[She would agree with him, if only she could read his thoughts. She does look at him for a moment as if she is trying to.]
She didn't say, but the next time our paths cross, perhaps I'll ask her. If we ever meet again... [She trails off. There's no such thing as a guaranteed meeting, unless one has a hand in orchestrating one.]
crawls sheepishly back toward memshare
What she sees in return, however, is only somewhat surprising. She thinks she sensed some part of it within him along, a similarity that made it so much more enjoyable to run her fingernails underneath the seams to see what might pull up.
He hates killing, surely, perhaps more than anything else in the world. She herself cannot understand it, hating that thrill that sparks every time, perhaps no more than he can imagine not loving the friend onto whom he's pinned his entire heart.
But it's the thing he's the very best at, too.
When the exchange has ended, Waltaquin can't bring herself to speak at first, either.
So she laughs.]
ME THINKING I REPLIED TO THIS OH MY GOD
crea...
feels irritated. bitterly, he grins, eyes sharp as ice. ]
What's so funny, Waltaquin? Hm?