[Hymn #47] [Movement] ~One Who Would Seize Glory~

[nightcrossed]

[For all technical purposes, Tear has made herself scarce. She is taking the rest of the week off from work and has informed no one about it save the manager. That doesn't mean she's impossible to find, however. Rather predictably she is sitting near her flower garden at the Hakurei Shrine, rolling an apple between her palms that she snagged from breakfast this morning and hasn't taken the first bite of. There's a lot for her to mull over, and she can't do that unless she has some time to herself. Auldrant has never seemed so far away, but she has no idea where to go from here, and she still has so very many unanswered questions.]

Van...

[OOC: Cherry's mean, but I need to get some of this heavy crap out of the way at some point. 1% on Absorption Gate, mainly concerned with dialogue; the battle itself; and Van, like all good Disney villains, falling to his "demise". AND THAT VAN SRSLY PLAYS HIS OWN BGM ON THE ORGAN. We'll worry about the other cast members and all the technical Sephiroth (not that Sephiroth) stuff at another time, so assume she doesn't know anything about lowering the land or where the heck all this drama is taking place. That makes 12% with 2% left. She'll go back to work next Monday.]

Comments

[deusexblastia.livejournal.com]

What can I say. I'd like to keep things simple, even as everything grows more complicated. Even when I really know it's something of an impossible task to do that.

Sorry to hear that. The loss of life is never something easy to deal with.

[a-severed-fate.livejournal.com]

I suppose no one can stop you from trying. It's a good thought, even if nearly impossible to put into practice. I wish I could keep things simple, but at this point, it'd be a losing battle.

I guess it wouldn't be easy, but then, death itself is a part of life. In order for things to reach a sort of closure, for wars to end, for kingdoms to expand, for technological progress to be made... there are always sacrifices.

[deusexblastia.livejournal.com]

...I truly wish that were the case.

[a-severed-fate.livejournal.com]

...it seems like something's bothering you, too.
I may not be an adult yet, but I have survived my own share of hardships. Perhaps I can be of some help.

[deusexblastia.livejournal.com]

I just wonder if death is always the closure people make it out to be. I don't agree.

[a-severed-fate.livejournal.com]

Hmm...

[She mulls on this.]

In death, my brother was unable to complete what he had set out to do, yet he surrendered himself to it. He likely has subordinates who will continue on in his absence, but he will not see the results should they succeed. As for those who defeated him, now that Van's gone, those people will never receive the answers they wanted from him. Either they will have to search for those answers elsewhere, or they will never find them. And me? It doesn't seem like he's really dead, like he could even die.

So then... in your opinion "there's nothing to do but to keep on living". You make it sound like a chore... And now you're saying that death lacks closure. The more you keep talking like that, the more it seems like you think both are overrated.

[deusexblastia.livejournal.com]

[And explaining was a much larger order than he was going to obey. Time for a related change in subject.]

If you could bring your brother back, would you?

[a-severed-fate.livejournal.com]

...

[A long, long pause.]

No, I wouldn't.

I didn't agree with what Van was trying to do. By allowing him to live, I'd potentially be putting hundreds of thousands of people at risk, and besides, I was one of those who fought him. I saw him die.

[deusexblastia.livejournal.com]

Heh. Guess ol' Raven didn't see that one coming. That complicates matters a bit.

[It was funny. Calling himself Raven there sounded hollow to him.]

[a-severed-fate.livejournal.com]

[Honestly, it bugged Tear to think that she was partially responsible for her own brother's death. It was one thing to say it was her duty to kill Van, another entirely to know she had done so. Well, she was a soldier after all. Sometimes you had to take lives, even if you didn't enjoy it or particularly want to.]

Like I said... It's far from simple.

[deusexblastia.livejournal.com]

Everything's far from simple. After a while, you just wish everything was.

[a-severed-fate.livejournal.com]

Right... You're right.

[Tear was thoughtful for a moment. It didn't seem like Raven had any desire to delve into whatever he had (she guessed) remembered. She wasn't about to push it. Perhaps he'd speak with someone else about it, since it was obviously none of her business.]

You implied earlier that you've gained wisdom over the years...

Hypothetically, suppose you were trying to gain someone's trust. Is there a way you'd go about that, or anything you'd avoid doing?

[deusexblastia.livejournal.com]

[Raven laughed. Not his usual exuberant laugh, or even the chuckle he reserved for teasing people. This was a resigned, potentially forced laugh that said the only reason it was here was because it was necessary. If there was ever a time Raven genuinely sounded like a tired old man, this was it.]

Tear, Tear, Tear. I've been in this business long enough to know hypothetically is anything but.

Unfortunately, there's little I can do for you here. Gaining someone's trust is one of the hardest things to do, simply because so little of it depends on you. Sure, you can be as friendly and trusting as anyone else in the world, but if they just aren't the trusting sort, it's a wasted effort.

Past that, general advice on the matter is oftentimes useless. What works for one person might push another away. I'd almost say it were more of a talent than a skill.

[a-severed-fate.livejournal.com]

[She had expected him to catch that. Naturally it wasn't hypothetical. Tear thought his laugh seemed a bit odd, but it wasn't her place to call him out on it. Perhaps it would be best if she just let him be. He seemed worn out.]

You're right, it isn't. There are at least two people on this island whose assistance I require. It seems dishonest, but I need to gain their trust or else they'll continue to be suspicious of what I have to say, and they'll continue being deceived.

I suppose...

[deusexblastia.livejournal.com]

I'm going to go out on a limb and say they've remembered something that, correct or not, puts you under light of suspicion. If that's the case, working to gain their trust is the last thing you want to do. If the attention is on you, the more effort you expend, the more suspicious they get.

[a-severed-fate.livejournal.com]

Not particularly, no... It's more a case of someone hero-worshiping the very individual they should be most wary of.

Although, that I have said this outright may indeed make me seem suspicious.

[deusexblastia.livejournal.com]

Well, the damage seems done in this case. If they're willing to listen, you might have a chance, but if all you do is build up trust just to hammer the same point home, then perhaps they've got every right to suspect you.

Let me try a different angle, then. Do you consider either of these people a friend?

*we have no idea why Tear is spilling her guts*

[a-severed-fate.livejournal.com]

[After a few minutes she answers reluctantly.]

One of them.
But he's an idiot. But we don't always get along. He listens, yet I don't imagine he takes a word of it seriously.

Remember what I said about my brother? He may be gone now, but there's still the possibility that he's already planted seeds within other people. This "friend" is the person I'm most concerned about. Back when we were fighting Van, Van refused to acknowledge him. Even so, it was as if this person was pleading with Van to tell him the reason for his own existence. He doesn't seem to accept that my brother's capable of doing terrible things because he believes that Van's the person who understands him the most.

However, it's not just about my own goals. From what I remember, it seems like we traveled together for a considerable amount of time. At one point, this person was someone I had faith in. I can't say I feel that way right now, but it's not something I wish to completely ignore. And besides, this person has a lot of monsters that he'll have to face; I'm not sure he can do that all by himself. I'm not even certain I could do it.

[It sure didn't seem like she was talking to "Raven" anymore. Her voice trailed off, and it was obvious she was withholding information. Well, you couldn't expect Tear to explain everything clearly.]

As for the other person, I do know that my brother had an interest in keeping his plans a secret from him, but not much else...