melodiesofeternity | A Starlight Carol

... No, I didn't. I honestly had nowhere else to go, and anyone else I would have stayed with woulda been in danger too.

[He shrugs a little.] I was lookin' for someone too. So I couldn't stay in place too long anyway.

Oh, uh, aside from Earth, yeah. Vaikuntha's the fourth. Sorta? I got dragged to this place called Exsilium first. It was Earth, but in the far future. Scientists screwin' around with time machines. Whole bunches of us got dragged there - the year 3300-somethin'. At one point while there, we went up to the moon. So that's gotta count for half a point, I guess.

[...You know what, sure. Okuyasu accepts this. Shit's weird.]

Man, how come you get to life like you're the protagonist of an action movie? All I did was go to school and go after some assholes in my town. I never got to fight on the moon! [Why is Johnny this cool?]

What an... interesting pair. He spends a few seconds mulling it over, a bit unsure what to make of 'em. On one hand, the charisma! The bold statements about dark powers! It's undeniably cool. On the other hand... brutality. Very much brutality. That this Niles fellow seemed to enjoy the idea of pain so severely was cause for alarm.

But anyone can be a good person! Even if they have... intense tendencies. But then, Undyne and Mettaton both have their moments. So is it really so different? Ultimately, Papyrus lets out a little chuckle and cracks a small smile.

"THEY CERTAINLY SEEM LIKE COLORFUL CHARACTERS! I CAN'T SAY I AGREE WITH THEIR... TORTUROUS WISHES, BUT I LIKE THE CHARISMA! AND DARK POWERS DO HAVE A COOL, ANTIHERO-ISH EDGE..."

Ah, how interesting! This was sure to be a fascinating battle. "BUT TO THINK THEY'D PLEDGE THEIR LOYALTY JUST LIKE THAT. YOUR FAMILY MUST BE ONE OF TERRIFIC ESTEEM!!!"

[His lips twitch into a half-smile. He knows the words are Ravus' way of offering comfort and he loves him for that - for offering what he can without lying to his face. That honesty is something he values even when it hurts.]

I don't. It... sucks sometimes, our pasts being what they are, but I wouldn't change a thing about you.

[Gladio gives Ravus a true smile then, small but genuine.]

I should be comforting you, Ravus. But I honestly can't think of anything beyond 'I'm sorry' and that's nowhere near enough.

Castor approaches the rubble, sparing a glance over Corrin's shoulder. She's far too distracted by the distant roar. She can't see it NOW, but that doesn't mean this couldn't turn against them quickly; better to remain vigilant.

[Ravus huffs out a breath.]

I'm not some weeping child. It is no duty of yours to comfort me.

[He crosses his arms over his chest.]

You are here, and you understand. That is enough. It is not a problem to fix; it is a reality to endure, and that is all that can be done about it.

[And that is as sappy as he will allow himself to get.]

Come, we are leaving.

Just a little! She's pretty hot, ya' know. I'd 've done her -- can't judge.

[He wouldn't hold the past too heavily, though. He'd had his own history. Johnny had already seen some of it. And, when push came to shove, as uncomfortable as it would be, Reno didn't want to keep anything from his partner. He felt like it would be lying.]

[Not that he was going to sit Johnny down and detail all of his escapades because that was no good. But if he was asked, he wouldn't avoid the truth.]

[Instead, Reno wrapped an arm around Johnny's waist and held him close.]

I'm not worried... [He paused, then jokingly asked,] You think she'd be down for a three-way?

Action movie? Dude, it was a goddamn nightmare most of the time. Gettin' chased by demons and murderous angels on Earth, livin' in nuclear winter with genetically-engineered super soldiers tryin' to wipe ya out, and managing to make it through one goddamn apocalypse only to be thrown right in front of another oncoming one! [Thanks, Vaikuntha.

Johnny waves a hand at the scene of New York.]

I thought I had it bad back then. But shit had barely gotten started. And it wasn't even ten years ago!

[Johnny rubs his eyes. He likes to think he's Totally Over everything that has happened and will happen to him, but he's not. And there's no end to the madness in sight.]

It's just... I'm tired, Okuyasu. Fuckin' tired.

[Okuyasu wasn't much of a comforting person. Even if he liked Johnny, it wasn't like he was his best friend and knew exactly what to say. Being too empathetic when living on the streets would make things only worse for his older brother. He scratches his cheek.]

It's not like it's always hell. Downtime's the best way to find somethin' good, even if it's basic shit like a warm dinner or sleepin' in. It's a hell lot better for me now, even if life ain't gonna be easy.

[Young Johnny was older than he or Keicho were when they left home. Could be that he actually has memories of a better time.]

I dunno, man, I don't have words of wisdom that'll fix all this.

Edited 2019-01-17 20:07 (UTC)

It's the second time Uendo has stumbled in on one of Okuyasu's memories and they never seem to be very happy ones. At least this time the real Okuyasu is present and they won't have to get through to him, but...

"...Okuyasu?" He's hesitant to pry into what's clearly a painful memory, but the only other option would be just standing in silence and that really wouldn't be helpful. "What happened here?"

"The culprit... was caught in the end." Which doesn't answer Okuyasu's questions at all. Uendo grips his knees shakily. "I..."

He's interrupted by music -- the beat of taiko drums marking the beginning of a show, followed by polite applause. On the TV monitor still sitting at the doorway, memory-Uendo is seen entering the stage and kneeling down on the cushion before bowing to the audience.

Anyone who's ever seen Uendo perform -- or even practice -- can immediately tell that something's off. The jokes fall flat. The lines are all there, but poorly timed, poorly acted, met with nothing but stony silence from the audience. Uendo himself looks like he wants to sink through the floor.

The real Uendo isn't feeling much better. He turns away from the monitor, trying his hardest to tune out the sound of his own voice.

"The person who killed Shisho... was Geiru Toneido. My elder sister disciple."

[EYE ROLL]

...Am I really?

[Because yes, she had some serious beef with her sister when she was younger. And some of it was still there, though a good amount had gone away after she had disappeared. When she realized she had spent more time fighting and hating her sister than she should have and now...now she was gone.]

You know what; I'll take that as a compliment. [Elena smirked in return.] I'm glad I'm not as serious bitchy as she was. Though...sometimes I miss that. Miss her.

Edited 2019-01-19 19:32 (UTC)

Okuyasu was about to ask if past Uendo was okay - but it's obvious from the lack of effort put into his performance that he isn't. No one who just saw their mentor murdered would be. Uendo was so focused on being onstage that he swallowed his feelings, even if it didn't work. There was something admirable but pitiful about that.

"Shit, I'm...sorry." He knew his family wasn't normal - most people don't have older siblings that kill others on a regular basis or a monster for a dad - but that doesn't mean Okuyasu didn't get how bad this situation was.

"Why'd she do that?"

"Yeah." A reason that didn't matter. "He wanted to kill our dad and put him out of his misery."

That was dumb if you didn't know the full story. Okuyasu didn't like explaining it, but Papyrus needed that so he'd avoid asking any more questions.

He took a breath. "Someone turned him into a monster that's hard to kill."

Okuyasu clenches his fists and shakes his head. The two other boys can provide all the silence Uendo needs.

"Check out the window. On the wires," he mutters, refusing to looing at him. While the sky is darkening, Keicho's charred body by the telephone pole, face frozen in his final emotional state: pain and fear.

[Johnny chuckles. You're ridiculous, Reno.]

Apollo? Probably. [Johnny leaned into Reno with a nostalgic sigh, though.] Y'know, things kinda got better in Exsilium for awhile, when this change happened, until it all got, like, infinitely worse. Til the universe literally started fallin' apart. Holes opening up. People just disappearing right 'n left. Even if the locals in this new place didn't take too kindly to guys who didn't look human. It was... peaceful. No more goddamn soldiers, no more nuclear winter.

[He feels like he needs to sum it all up somehow.] Anyway, if I never take up Time Mage, you know why. Though, I had in Crystallis. And then never fuckin' used it if I could help it.

Yeah man, I know. Don't worry about it. Sometimes ya just gotta... vent, I guess.

[He can't argue with the idea of things better in Vaikuntha, even if there was some heavy stuff hanging just past the horizon.]

Trust me, I totally can appreciate those lazy Sundays 'n good meals. I just hope that we can save this place, when the time comes. So far my record for helpin' with saving the world is 1-1, so I don't know how confident I can be yet. But fuck, I'm gonna try again. And as many times as I gotta, I guess.

"The "dark powers" are mostly just a show on Odin's part anyway." Corrin explains with a small laugh. "He enjoys his theatricality. I don't understand it myself, but he's got a good heart where it counts. He'd have to; I doubt Leo would have employed him otherwise. Niles too. We took great care in selecting our retainers, you see. Not just for their strength in arms, but also their strength of character." Though admittedly that could be hard to see in some cases (mostly Peri's). "They've never let us down." Though they could be...eccentric, they were hardly alone in that regard.

She points to Silas. "Silas will swear his fealty to me after this battle." She explains. "And later on, a Hoshidan ninja named Kaze will defect to our side after he decides my attempt to forge a new path of peace for Nohr is a worthy one. Before too long I end up taking him on as my second retainer as well." Of course, Silas eventually became more than just her retainer...

In the memory, Corrin, still riding horseback with Silas, and Jakob keeping pace not far behind them, charge towards Flora and the other Ice Tribe soldiers. Flora raises the staff she was handed earlier, and its tip glows with light. Suddenly, Silas' horse screeches to a halt with a panicked whinny. Silas and Corrin only barely manage to avoid being thrown off by the sudden stop.

"Come on, girl...ha! Ha!" Silas yells, trying to get the horse moving again, but it remains frozen; unnaturally so. He shakes his head. "Sorry, Corrin, she's frozen solid."

"A Staff of Freezing, milady." Jakob notes, having caught up. "If we move quickly we should be able to get to her before she has a chance to use it again."

Corrin nods, and swiftly dismounts. "Silas, stay here." She orders. "Guard your horse, join us when you can. Niles and Odin should be here presently." She nods to Jakob. "Come on, I need to speak with Flora."

"Understood, milady." Jakob replies crisply and they take off.

As they charge towards Flora, she drops the staff in the snow and quickly produces a knife from her sleeve. The tribesman beside her; a warrior, shirtless save for a metal harness and little else in the way of armour save headgear, an armour skirt, gauntlets and leg-guards but seemingly untroubled by the cold-charges towards them brandishing an axe that glistens with frost as he swings it. But Jakob is swifter, and as he charges produces a dagger of his own, and tosses it with a precision throw to the unarmoured part of the warrior's leg. He gasps and stumbles, and before he's recovered Corrin is on top of him, slamming the hilt of Yato down on his head, dropping him into the snow. He's unconscious, and down for the count.

She comes to a halt a few feet away from Flora, who regards her with a sad look in her eye.

"I'm sorry, Corrin." She says with regret. "Not for my actions, but these unfortunate circumstances. Milady, as your servant I understand this is tantamount to treason, but my family...my tribe...we have suffered too long under Nohrian rule. We can bear it no longer."

Corrin's response might be surprising; it's simply a smile of understanding. She nods her assent. "Flora, there is no need to apologize." She says kindly. "I am the last person to ever begrudge you your loyalties, my friend." Yato comes up in a defensive posture. "But I must do all I can to end this rebellion, my way. Are you ready?"

Flora steels herself and readies her dagger. "I will do what I must."

"I'd have it no other way. Jakob, stay back. I'll handle this."

Jakob hesitates, and the look Flora gives him is truly one of anguish. But he merely nods and steps back, sheathing his dagger.

Flora seems surprised by this. "To fight alone is not the Nohrian way, milady."

"You're right, it's not. It's mine." She charges and Flora lets fly her dagger. Corrin twists out of the way just in time, but a small cry and a splash of blood reveals the dagger having nicked her cheek as it passed her.

Flora is already producing a second dagger, but the window of opportunity has closed. Corrin strikes her arm, causing the dagger to fall from her grasp, then another slash to her leg just as with the warrior; painful, but not fatal, and enough to take away Flora's ability to fight.

Disarmed and helpless before Corrin in the red-stained snow, Flora stares at her in shock. "J-Just finish it!" She hisses. "No point in showing mercy now..."

But Corrin sheathes Yato and shakes her head. "I told you Flora, I'm ending this rebellion my way." She glances over to the discard Staff of Freezing, which Jakob has already collected. "Stay here. I'll have you looked at after I've spoken with Chief Kilma."

"I won't let you kill-"

"I didn't kill you, Flora. I won't kill him, I promise you that. But I do need to get him to listen to me."

By now Silas, Odin, and Niles have joined Jakob, the effect of Flora's staff having worn out and Leo's two retainers having apparently successfully completed the mission she dispatched them on. Corrin looks out across the lake and sees very few Ice Tribe soldiers-but she does see Elise and her retainers making their way along the shoreline. Only a small group of troops remain, grouped around the large group of lights that is Chief Kilma's manse.

"I hope we have a chance to speak after this is all done, Flora." Corrin carries on. "I think there are things we should discuss before I return home, my friend." She kneels down in front of Flora, who looks...confused, to say the least. "You are still my friend, Flora. Please know that." She says quietly.

She rises and turns to her troops. "This way." She says, pointing towards the mansion with Yato. "Follow me!"

And they take off, leaving a very confused Flora alone in the snow. As they charge towards the mansion, the image around them begins to fade.

"Ah...I suppose we're finished, then?" Corrin asks, turning to the ghost.

"That's part of being a child, isn't it? At least, from my perspective. That's the age where you're allowed to make mistakes...and it looks like this one worked out pretty well for you."

At least, based on where this memory is going. This Santa seems like a delight, so caring and jolly and just looks like the kind of person who'd happily greet you with a hug. That seems to fit the bill for Santa, really.

"And...it wasn't me who saved Santa, no. My...adoptive family did and they introduced me. My friend, Madhuri, my father and their companions did save him as well, much later on; I only heard about it from them."

Pap raises an index finger, ready to comment when a familiar name catches his attention. "OHO!!! SO YOU'RE FRIENDS WITH MADDIE? NYEH HEH HEH! EXCELLENT. SHE TRULY IS WONDERFUL, ISN'T SHE?"

Why yes, that sure is a big, dorky smile. It's enough to distract him from the memory going on, as Santa continues to comfort the smaller skeleton, even offering to guide him home. Something that brings tears to his eye sockets.

Happy tears, though.

Which brings his thought process back to the original point. "AH, RIGHT, BUT... SAVING SANTA IS INCREDIBLE, REGARDLESS OF WHO DID IT!"

"Can't say I saved the whole world before, but it's gonna work out somehow. I've been in some tight spots before, but somehow we all made it through in the end." Such as literally dying but deciding not to go into the light. If he can come back to life, there's a hell's chance that anything is totally impossible.

"At least we won't have to worry about rent if there ain't no houses anymore."

"That's true. Santa's such a wonderful person; from what Maddie told me, he and my father worked out their differences as well." A pause. "It's...a long story."

And maybe something that should be explained another time; there's a far less awkward topic to go over.

"And...yes. Madhuri's one of my best friends. We met during a festival back home; we've completed a few quests together and learned that we have a lot in common. I've been able to confide in her since and she...means a lot to me."

The statement is met with a hand to her cheek as she considers the thought.

"It sounds like she's worked her charms on you, too."

"NYEH HEH... I THINK IT WAS MORE OF A. MUTUAL CHARMING." Oh, and there's a blush. Somehow. "WE DECIDED TO... WELL, THAT IS, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, CONFESSED MY FEELINGS, AND IT WAS A MUTUAL ARRANGEMENT!!!"

Yes. Simple enough. He lets out a small sigh, lost in one of those goofy, twitterpaited dazes. All this, while the scenery shifts from the woods to a town adorned with many a christmas decoration- even a great big tree.

There, "Santa" and the little Papyrus proceed to hand out gifts.

Elena watches the children as they approach the gravestone, her own steps slow, calculated as she follows suit. She didn't want them out of arms reach in case of the worst case scenario. Her attention moves momentarily to the other woman as well, giving the barest of nods. Trust her, she was honed onto whatever that was.

Though, she does steal a quick glance at the gravestone and the nearly snorts. To think that her death would have such an impact was almost laughable. Back home, her death wouldn't even make the news and would be mourned by less than 5 people.

Oh, but that didn't look good. When the girl reached out to the offering hand, Elena moved forward with a quick step, putting a hand on the girl's shoulder as if to pull her back and away from the ghost. Instead, she found herself in an entirely new area, leaving the others behind.

She was going to need a drink after this.

Elena paused, full of questions. But she was new here and didn't have the full grasp of the severity of the summoning beyond what she already understood of the creature itself. But there was hope. There always was. And she listens closely to what the girl has to say, absorbing. Memorizing.

Kneeling next to Frisk, Elena gave a gentle squeeze of the girl's shoulder. A signal meant to be of comfort and support.

"Can you tell us who you are?"

And just like that, another grimace took hold. A monster that's hard to kill...

His mind flashed to the dark lab. Dripping. Moans and screams. He shook his head. No, not now. This isn't about him!

"I... CAN UNDERSTAND. TO A DEGREE. I STILL WOULDN'T GO OUT OF MY WAY TO KILL, BUT... I TAKE IT HE WAS SUFFERING IN THAT STATE."

Shoot, this is all so personal. It feels wrong to push the topic. "GAH, BUT THIS ISN'T MY BUSINESS! I REALLY SHOULDN'T BE SO NOSY..."

A Starlight Carol

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Bad Times

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i love that icon!

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So sorry for the lateness

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