@humanprayers (continued from this because damn this is SPICY)
Too often did he remember Rebirth, some might say---particularly the more traditional members of the Pantheon, such as Moon, who thought him a FOOL for defying institution. Too often did he recall the intense unease he’d felt during their Trials, lying on Life’s floor tracing patterns on the wooden floor listlessly, the desperation that filled him when he saw them on that podium, fully realized, attention directed at him.
Yes, they had been in love---captivated by each other, pining for months. It was... unconventional. And every time Dima started to regret his past, he remembered some more. The short time they would have together, he’d always told Rebirth, would be worth it as long as they could spend it by each other’s sides. He would be ready for their death, he’d said to them. He wasn’t ready. He’d spent that evening weeping in agony, curled up under layers of blankets, Mop Dog nosing into him in an attempt to soothe him---but he’d been inconsolable, of course. And really, shouldn’t he have been ready?
Looking at Passion transported him back sometimes, but they were also entirely different---though they shared a soul with Rebirth, knew their memories, they were their own person. Dima smiled sadly at the notion (so many sad smiles, and forever without explanation), reaching out and twisting a platinum lock around his finger thoughtfully. “You ask too many questions,” he whispered, before releasing the strand. Passion could never stand still for long, prancing to the window to gaze down upon the greenery.
“Anyway... I don’t know,” the god admitted gingerly, palms pressed together like he could be praying. Rebirth’s laugh still sometimes flickered so tangibly in his mind, made something well up inside of him. “And I... don’t know why it was them of all the people in the world I could have fa---I mean, I just? I don’t know. It’s weird, having existed since the beginning of time and still feeling so... clueless, but the world is full of surprises.” His eyes stung abruptly with tears, without his realizing it.
“Admittedly... I don’t know how my methods work, and I’ve never claimed to. I’m impulsive, I guess... but know that I have never compared either of you, or searched for them in any other Oracle. No one could... be them. Be the same, I mean. With what we had... but I don’t want to talk about it any further. It pains me to, and besides, you’re here now. It’s time to focus on you, Passion, and what you want to accomplish. You’ll be family to me for as long as you’re alive.”
s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s
titsay
amandla
