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Perhaps some do...perhaps they do not.
[He shrugs one shoulder, tracing his claw along the rim of a now-empty glass.]
I just feel that we would all be better off as a collective. There are so few of us as it is, and it is us against this world. Never mind the fact that we all share the common trait of having lived a past live on these very grounds.
[He shrugs one shoulder, tracing his claw along the rim of a now-empty glass.]
I just feel that we would all be better off as a collective. There are so few of us as it is, and it is us against this world. Never mind the fact that we all share the common trait of having lived a past live on these very grounds.
What does a Phoenix do, Kiera? [Surely she remembers. They'd spent so many hours in the chapel together. They'd sung hymns together. He'd regaled her with stories and old legends, time and time again. If anyone knew the Aurelius legacy better than one of its own, it would be her.]
What do we in Renova revere!? What do we hope for upon death?
[He doesn't give her a chance to answer. In one instant, his free hand — the one that hasn't been shoving her, flies to his throat. There's a corkscrew there, hidden from her and obscured by his repeated assaults. He's quick, and he knows where to strike. The pain would last only a few seconds. The mess would be more of an issue.
Only it doesn't happen. In one second, his hand is flying forward. In the next, a faint gout of flame shoots forward. It singes the span of his throat just barely. More importantly, though, it causes him to drop the weapon.]
Why?! [He hisses his words not to Kiera, but to something else. He places a hand to his head, wincing as another voice calls to him, audible only within his mind.
(Do not flaunt my powers when you know not if they work.)]
What do we in Renova revere!? What do we hope for upon death?
[He doesn't give her a chance to answer. In one instant, his free hand — the one that hasn't been shoving her, flies to his throat. There's a corkscrew there, hidden from her and obscured by his repeated assaults. He's quick, and he knows where to strike. The pain would last only a few seconds. The mess would be more of an issue.
Only it doesn't happen. In one second, his hand is flying forward. In the next, a faint gout of flame shoots forward. It singes the span of his throat just barely. More importantly, though, it causes him to drop the weapon.]
Why?! [He hisses his words not to Kiera, but to something else. He places a hand to his head, wincing as another voice calls to him, audible only within his mind.
(Do not flaunt my powers when you know not if they work.)]
[burn, the back of her head offers.
then luca moves, too quickly for her to react. she sees all of the movements, but luca stops himself before she can. the phoenix stops him.
her jaw drops.
a phoenix burns, then rises from the ashes.
and luca... luca, she's fairly certain, just tried to fatally wound himself, just to prove a point.
the next words out of her mouth are pitiful, quiet, trembling with emotion and fear. she hates every moment of it.]
Luca, what happened to you?
then luca moves, too quickly for her to react. she sees all of the movements, but luca stops himself before she can. the phoenix stops him.
her jaw drops.
a phoenix burns, then rises from the ashes.
and luca... luca, she's fairly certain, just tried to fatally wound himself, just to prove a point.
the next words out of her mouth are pitiful, quiet, trembling with emotion and fear. she hates every moment of it.]
Luca, what happened to you?
I died. [He holds a hand up before they can say more.] I don't know how many times. I have lost track of the "whys" and "whens." Some were my own doing. Others came at the hands of a stranger.
Every time, I have come back. Every time, the Phoenix reminds me that it is not done with me. And if I had been allowed to take the blade meant for me, it would have done the same.
[Luca doesn't have realize his eyes have begun to burn until it's too late. Dampness traces its way down over the round swell of his right cheek.]
He did not need to die. If the Phoenix had only told me it were possible, we would not have needed to be afraid. He would still be here.
[Behind them, that familiar spirit flickers in and out. Has his trademark charismatic smile faded in the slightest? Perhaps.]
Every time, I have come back. Every time, the Phoenix reminds me that it is not done with me. And if I had been allowed to take the blade meant for me, it would have done the same.
[Luca doesn't have realize his eyes have begun to burn until it's too late. Dampness traces its way down over the round swell of his right cheek.]
He did not need to die. If the Phoenix had only told me it were possible, we would not have needed to be afraid. He would still be here.
[Behind them, that familiar spirit flickers in and out. Has his trademark charismatic smile faded in the slightest? Perhaps.]
Edited 2024-03-11 05:43 (UTC)
[for far too long, kiera continues to simply stare, slack-jawed. any semblance of composure, of coolheaded aloofness, is out the window. she's a child again, terrified that great harm has come to her little-big brother. (it has.) the horror and despair is as plain on her face as any emotion was when she first learned from luca and cyrus and giselle and everyone that it was alright to show them.
of course she thinks of cyrus, bleeding out and choking on poison from the blade intended for his heir. but she also thinks of luca, fighting a castillan agent to the death and losing. luca, murdered in his sleep. luca, so alone and lost and anguished that he takes his own life.
luca, completely alone in the world, while kiera spent their life taking advantage of their position, drunk out of their mind, chasing every pleasure they could find in an effort to block out the pain that they probably could have eased if they'd only tried to face it.
luca, living in this grief and this guilt for nearly ten years.]
Luc... [kiera isn't crying, but their eyes are misty, and their voice quivering.] You didn't know. You couldn't have known. It wasn't your fault.
of course she thinks of cyrus, bleeding out and choking on poison from the blade intended for his heir. but she also thinks of luca, fighting a castillan agent to the death and losing. luca, murdered in his sleep. luca, so alone and lost and anguished that he takes his own life.
luca, completely alone in the world, while kiera spent their life taking advantage of their position, drunk out of their mind, chasing every pleasure they could find in an effort to block out the pain that they probably could have eased if they'd only tried to face it.
luca, living in this grief and this guilt for nearly ten years.]
Luc... [kiera isn't crying, but their eyes are misty, and their voice quivering.] You didn't know. You couldn't have known. It wasn't your fault.
[Their silence is not wholly unwelcome. The longer she keeps her mouth shut, the less likely it feels that they'll run their mouth, say something stupid. He has opened himself up in his moment, flayed skin and peeled back ribs to expose a part of him that's been scarred again and again. He's vulnerable, and in a way he doesn't know he can trust Kiera to deal with properly.
By some miracle, what they do eventually find in themselves to say... isn't too far off how Luca feels. He knows they don't mean it in that regard, which makes him almost scoff. So close to the truth, but missing it entirely. It isn't like them, but how could they be expected to understand the full gravity of Luca's own situation.]
You're right. [He says it with a strange finality, one that runs counter to the broken chords of his voice just a few seconds prior.] I could not have known. It was not my fault.
[His hand settles above his chest. His fingers clamp down, nails digging through the fabric. If not for the second band over his chest, he might have even broken the skin.]
The Phoenix could have deigned to tell the truth years ago. It could have saved him. Instead, it sat idly in my mind until it was forced to act. [He shakes his head.] It doesn't care. Not for its scions. Not for its people. All it wants is pawns to act in its stead.
No more. I'll rip it out if I have to. And then I can finally rest.
By some miracle, what they do eventually find in themselves to say... isn't too far off how Luca feels. He knows they don't mean it in that regard, which makes him almost scoff. So close to the truth, but missing it entirely. It isn't like them, but how could they be expected to understand the full gravity of Luca's own situation.]
You're right. [He says it with a strange finality, one that runs counter to the broken chords of his voice just a few seconds prior.] I could not have known. It was not my fault.
[His hand settles above his chest. His fingers clamp down, nails digging through the fabric. If not for the second band over his chest, he might have even broken the skin.]
The Phoenix could have deigned to tell the truth years ago. It could have saved him. Instead, it sat idly in my mind until it was forced to act. [He shakes his head.] It doesn't care. Not for its scions. Not for its people. All it wants is pawns to act in its stead.
No more. I'll rip it out if I have to. And then I can finally rest.
It might be nice to know.
[It also might be terrible. He tries not to think about it either way.]
But that's besides the point. I'm going to need to put up a sign that says "no heavy conversation" beyond these walls. [He's joking. Probably.] How's your head?
[It also might be terrible. He tries not to think about it either way.]
But that's besides the point. I'm going to need to put up a sign that says "no heavy conversation" beyond these walls. [He's joking. Probably.] How's your head?
[they should have realized this before. maybe it can be chalked up to them not being quite so emotionally distraught over anything in... just about eight years. which they'll likely beat themselves up over later, but right now...
all they can think of for the moment is how much they owe the phoenix. it welcomed them into its home despite their working for its enemy. eventually, its love for them burned so bright that the butterfly's influence was charred away entirely. after being reared to praise a beast so cruel, they found warmth and solace in a god that valued them as they were. kiera had come to love the phoenix with all their heart.
... but that was all a lie, too, they're realizing for the first time. the phoenix doesn't even care for its own blessed beyond his usefulness to it. why the hell would it care about them?]
So they are all the same. [they murmur, quiet, after a long moment of shock. and yet... the last thing luca says sends a shiver up their spine.]
What are you getting at?
all they can think of for the moment is how much they owe the phoenix. it welcomed them into its home despite their working for its enemy. eventually, its love for them burned so bright that the butterfly's influence was charred away entirely. after being reared to praise a beast so cruel, they found warmth and solace in a god that valued them as they were. kiera had come to love the phoenix with all their heart.
... but that was all a lie, too, they're realizing for the first time. the phoenix doesn't even care for its own blessed beyond his usefulness to it. why the hell would it care about them?]
So they are all the same. [they murmur, quiet, after a long moment of shock. and yet... the last thing luca says sends a shiver up their spine.]
What are you getting at?
Edited 2024-03-14 15:47 (UTC)
[Wrapped up in his own grief as he is, Luca doesn't really consider what Kiera might be going through. He can't, when he isn't so privy to her thoughts. He'd watched her come around to the prospect, recalled her voice eventually joining his in the hymns they sang. But the war she'd waged to get there? The grief she might feel?
It's all hard to process, considering his own feelings.
Admittedly, he does catch her words, but he doesn't have the inclination to ask about them, not just yet. He is more occupied with her current question. And while he can't know the journey she's gone through to accept the Phoenix, he knows with some certainty that she's amongst its faithful.
Which means she won't like what he has to say.]
I plan to kill it. At any cost.
It's all hard to process, considering his own feelings.
Admittedly, he does catch her words, but he doesn't have the inclination to ask about them, not just yet. He is more occupied with her current question. And while he can't know the journey she's gone through to accept the Phoenix, he knows with some certainty that she's amongst its faithful.
Which means she won't like what he has to say.]
I plan to kill it. At any cost.
I could. [There's something in his tone that implies that he won't. Why do I always play the characters that won't let themselves have nice things.]
Don't you have your own things to worry about? Your headache is going to be terrible if you do not drink more.
Don't you have your own things to worry about? Your headache is going to be terrible if you do not drink more.
[He gives a short, curt nod. His "kindness" can only go so far, after all.]
It's my job. You need not thank me for it.
[He sets to cleaning up the used glasses, though occasionally his gaze flicks upward to confirm that Sesa isn't wobbling too much as he leaves.]
It's my job. You need not thank me for it.
[He sets to cleaning up the used glasses, though occasionally his gaze flicks upward to confirm that Sesa isn't wobbling too much as he leaves.]
[When Wolfwood makes his announcement about the bookburning, Luca's thoughts not go to the bonfire, but to the Church itself. He thinks of a certain Gargoyle, perched at his chosen spot, and can't help but wonder what he might have to say of all of that.
It's strange, how his thoughts always seem to go to said Gargoyle. Stranger still is the way his stomach seems on the verge of twisting into knots. He has to focus his mind to keep from dwelling on it, lest he start acting like a boy with a crush.
He isn't. He doesn't. Or at least that's what he tells himself even as he marches over to the Church. Normally, he might sit below the building and call up to its resident. However, with Wolfwood and his companions busily prepping for that evening, he opts for something a little more private. And so he hefts himself up to the rafters, and then carefully exits through the hole in the ceiling.]
Zahilya. [He clears his throat.] You know, this is a rather difficult place to regularly visit you at.
It's strange, how his thoughts always seem to go to said Gargoyle. Stranger still is the way his stomach seems on the verge of twisting into knots. He has to focus his mind to keep from dwelling on it, lest he start acting like a boy with a crush.
He isn't. He doesn't. Or at least that's what he tells himself even as he marches over to the Church. Normally, he might sit below the building and call up to its resident. However, with Wolfwood and his companions busily prepping for that evening, he opts for something a little more private. And so he hefts himself up to the rafters, and then carefully exits through the hole in the ceiling.]
Zahilya. [He clears his throat.] You know, this is a rather difficult place to regularly visit you at.
[Zahliya, as per usual, is doing the male Miqo'te sit on the roof, because when is he not doing that. This is how you monitor the world from on high, obviously. Turns out Gargoyles are just cats—
He hears Luca coming, climbing up the rafters, but doesn't register that it's him at first. He merely thinks either the good Father is trying to chase the pigeons out, or that Elsword's back in there, or maybe someone else is just fucking around. Then, he hears Luca's voice, and he tilts his head back and grins.]
It's good for you to climb. It keeps the upper body strength up. [Not that Luca needs it, really.] Did you come to watch with me? Everyone seems excited about this. I have to say, I like the thought of getting rid of the False God's things.
He hears Luca coming, climbing up the rafters, but doesn't register that it's him at first. He merely thinks either the good Father is trying to chase the pigeons out, or that Elsword's back in there, or maybe someone else is just fucking around. Then, he hears Luca's voice, and he tilts his head back and grins.]
It's good for you to climb. It keeps the upper body strength up. [Not that Luca needs it, really.] Did you come to watch with me? Everyone seems excited about this. I have to say, I like the thought of getting rid of the False God's things.
I am going to choose to not be offended by the implication that I need upper body strength. [He says it with something close to a grin. It's the sort of expression that's almost exclusively been offered to Zahliya and Zahliya alone. Luca and Kiera have gotten closer again, but it would still take some time to repair the damage done to their relationship.
But that's not why he's here. Luca sits beside him, and yes I mean actually sits. Save the Miqo'te posing for the Garg, thank you.]
I was actually coming up to see if it would bother you. You might be made of flame and stone, but hours of smoke in your eyes is bound to get irritating. [He clears his throat.] If... it grew to be too much, you're welcome to take refuge with me.
But that's not why he's here. Luca sits beside him, and yes I mean actually sits. Save the Miqo'te posing for the Garg, thank you.]
I was actually coming up to see if it would bother you. You might be made of flame and stone, but hours of smoke in your eyes is bound to get irritating. [He clears his throat.] If... it grew to be too much, you're welcome to take refuge with me.
It's true, I don't like things getting in my eyes. Normally it's blood and not smoke, though. [hello????] I do have to watch over the people here, but...
[He glances over at Moder in the distance. That old moose has never seemed bothered by things getting in her eyes, considering how hidden away they are in the first place. Zahliya had, in the past, tried to take them out... it was difficult. That was when she was corrupted, of course.]
...do you think Moder has it handled? She's the omnipotent one, not me.
[He glances over at Moder in the distance. That old moose has never seemed bothered by things getting in her eyes, considering how hidden away they are in the first place. Zahliya had, in the past, tried to take them out... it was difficult. That was when she was corrupted, of course.]
...do you think Moder has it handled? She's the omnipotent one, not me.
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