#dov4hs1l

[caepaecaesurae]

> CC + DS : Talk?

CC: WVhy do you change your name so often, anywvays? DS: d1d s41d r3s34rch 1nvolv3 th3 4rduous t4sk of 1nputt1ng my url to troll14n? DS: 4lso: 1'm p1cky. CC: I had to remember wvhat your url wvas. CC: And figure out that you wvere something newv, and not just offline. CC: WVhy change your name to something you wvill not like later? DS: 1 l1k3d my pr3v1ous urls. just not for 4s long 4s 1 thought 1 would. DS: th1s on3's 4 k33p3r. CC: Surely, this time shall be different. DS: undoubt3dly. DS: th3y'll un34rth my blog thous4nds of sw33ps from now, 4nd f1nd 1t w1th th3 v3ry s4m3 url. CC: It's cheating if you make an entire newv one to avwoid renaming the old one. DS: th4t sur3 1s 4 lot of unn3c3ss4ry 3ffort 1'm not go1ng to. CC: Fair enough. CC: Anywvays, howv's the evwening? DS: unr3m4rk4bl3, for th3 most p4rt. DS: not h4v1ng docs fuss1ng ov3r m3 3v3ry hour 1s pr3tty gr34t. DS: yours? CC: I didn't much like the doctor phase, myself.  They gavwe me twvo patches so I wvouldn't look around and accidentally movwe the one they wvere trying to savwe. CC: The evwening seems to havwe its ups and dowvns, as do most of late. DS: you would not b3l13v3 wh4t 4n 3ffort 1t w4s to conv1nc3 th3m not to try r3p41r1ng m1n3. DS: pr3tty sur3 th3y c4m3 th1s clos3 to st1ck1ng m3 1n 4 m3nt4l w4rd. DS: wh4t'v3 you b33n up to? CC: If they had, I am certain you wvould havwe enjoyed a daring and immediate jailbreak by your clade. CC: I havwe been remembering my life. CC: I havwe learned some fewv parlor tricks, of the aspect powver vwariety. DS: 1f 1 could conv1nc3 mt not to 4gr33 w1th th3m. h3 w4sn't fond of my 1ns1st1ng 31th3r. DS: wh4t k1nd of tr1cks >:? CC: It is the nature of a moirail to be particular, in such cases, as I understand it. CC: I can create items, change my appearance, heal myself of injury, fly wvith more grace...  quite the collection of petty advwances. CC: My descendant and his alternates havwe taken to forming their aspect abilities after the wvizard's spells in a favwored book series. CC: Ancestor?  Dancestor.  WVhatevwer one wvould call him. DS: 4mpor43 4r3 4 bunch of dorks. DS: 4nyw4y, congr4ts. thos3 4r3 pr3tty 1mpr3ss1v3 4dv4nc3m3nts. DS: not ground-br34k1ng, sur3, but d3c3nt. DS: wh4t'r3 you work1ng on now? CC: Tisk.  I still don't knowv wvhat basis people havwe for that assessment. CC: My interest in expanding those abilities has stalled, I fear. CC: I suppose that I can continue searching them, but I havwe wvhat I wvished. CC: It is strange to knowv so much of someone's first life and third, but not their second. CC: Wvould you speak to me of the good nights, wvhat so evwer they may havwe been? DS: 1 don't know, m4yb3 th3 lot of you pr3t3nd1ng to b3 w1z4rds? DS: r34lly? sh4m3. you could b3 qu1t3 f34rsom3 w1th pow3rs l1k3 th4t 4t your d1spos4l. DS: wh4t good n1ghts would you sp34k of? DS: th3 r3c3nt, or th3 long gon3? CC: I am already quite fearsome; and wvould like you to tell me truthfully that you wvould not learn to breathe fire and fly, if the opportunity wvere afforded you. CC: I am curious of the long gone.  The wvorld wvas different then, and I am curious wvhat you made of it. DS: h3ll y3s 1 would. DS: 4lt3rn14? DS: funny th4t you sp34k of fly1ng 4nd br34th1ng f1r3, s1nc3 1 w4s l4rg3ly known for my lusus do1ng 3x4ctly th4t. CC: An interesting creature to be raised by.  I imagine it colored your wvrigglerhood. DS: 1'm f41rly c3rt41n 4ny c4v3rn work3rs who h4d th3 m1sfortun3 of s331ng h3r c4rry m3 off would h4v3 b33n sur3 1 w4s m34nt to b3 4 sn4ck. DS: 1 prob4bly f3lt th3 s4m3 w4y 4t f1rst. DS: Sh3 w4s 4m4z1ng. DS: 1 ow3 so much to h3r. CC: I sent my lusus to the emissary. CC: He wvas alright. CC: A bit prone to coddling, I think. DS: ov3rprot3ct1v3? DS: or just too 4ff3ct1on4t3? CC: Affectionate.  Not the wvorst sin, I suppose. DS: y34h, you could h4v3 gott3n wors3. DS: comp4r3d to m4ny, 1 luck3d out. CC: A large shadowv to livwe in. DS: you could s4y th4t. Wirrit: (( <CC> "Dragons are marvwelous hunting.  ...wvait -- wvait, no.. *backspaces furiously* )) Stormy: ((I am laughing so much, CC no)) Wirrit: (( When he runs out of smalltalk he immediately jumps straight to 'how does their lusus taste' )) Stormy: ((oh dear. I cant imagine dragon being a tasty dinner)) Wirrit: (( CC insists that the spices and cooking technique are vital )) Wirrit: (( and /really wishes/ that he'd gotten the recipe off this one guy )) Stormy: ((I can just imagine him saying that, about the recipe-- he is terrible in a magnificent way)) CC: You receivwed many special opportunities, due to her intervwention? DS: m4ny of 4 cool3r hu3 compl41n3d th4t 1 g41n3d f4vour sol3ly to h3r b31ng 4 pot3nt14l 4ss3t. DS: j34lousy 1s 4 p3tty th1ng. CC: I havwen't had much problem wvith people cooler than me. CC: I'd havwe to stretch my imagination I think. CC: Plenty of jealousy, but they usually blame the fins. CC: Rather than skills or assets. CC: Their logic sounds entertaining to perforate. DS: 4m4z1ng how th3 shortcom1ngs of som3 4r3 so qu1ckly bl4m3d on oth3rs, r1ght? DS: 1 1m4g1n3 m33t1ng 4nyon3 of 4 cool3r c4st3 would h4v3 b33n r4r3 for you. CC: Handful of times. CC: Pretty samey. CC: Only came in small and extra small. CC: I ended up a piece in some game betwveen her and her spade.  Didn't turn out so wvell. DS: sounds l1k3 3v3r so much fun. DS: c4n't 1m4g1n3 4ny such s1tu4t1on turn1ng out w3ll. CC: I'd thought she wvas more invwested in me. CC: It's a newv life nowv, though. CC: You spend a great deal of effort trying to do things right, once you'vwe decided there's need. CC: You care about your manners, wvhen they matter. DS: of cours3. DS: 4r3 you surpr1s3d, or just m4k1ng 4n obs3rv4t1on? CC: Some of both. CC: The other generation is rude, Kurloz cares only for actions and nevwer wvords, none of the rest of our group tend to bother anyone. CC: And are largely of an anti-establishment persuasion. CC: But you havwe manners and care for propriety.  WVhen rashness doesn't take you. DS: kurloz h4s tr13d words, t1m3 4ft3r t1m3. DS: 34ch t1m3, thos3 s4m3 words g3t shot down. DS: 1 h4rdly th1nk h3 1s to bl4me for scorn1ng words wh3n words g3t h1m nowh3r3. DS: 1'm go1ng to t4k3 th4t 4s 4 compl1m3nt, by th3 w4y, so, th4nk you for your obs3rv4t1on. DS: 1'd r4th3r not 3x1l3 mys3lf from p3opl3 4t l4rg3. CC: They wvould not get him nowvhere if he used them correctly, or shifted his image wvhen he needed to. CC: He does not knowv howv to be anything but fear itself, not to the public. DS: 4nd 1t frustr4t3s h1m 3ndl3ssly. DS: 1 c4n only hop3 h3 c4n y3t l34rn. CC: It wvould be of incredible use to him.  I do not knowv if he has it in him to bend so. DS: 1 don't know, 31th3r. DS: m4yb3 1f h3 d1dn't 4lr34dy h4v3 so m4ny old h4b1ts bur13d 1n h1s p4n. DS: 1f h3 b3nds, 1t w1ll b3 slowly. CC: There's some old saying about large trees and grass that probably applies here. CC: It is not imposible to change.  Time wvill tell if he manages. CC: I suspect that I am lucky that I forgot myself.  I do not knowv if anyone wvould listen to me any more than they do Kurloz, if I had not. DS: h3's r3s1st4nt to th3 1d34 of 4d4pt1ng. th4t w1ll h4v3 to ch4ng3 b3for3 4nyth1ng 3ls3. DS: wh4t of you? th1nk you'r3 on th3 p4th to b3com1ng 4s stubborn 4s h3? CC: Evweryone gets there evwentually.  The question is howv long you hold it off. CC: I am good at holding back the tide. CC: I also had the good fortune to be hatched later, in more civwilized times.  And died younger. DS: you'r3 mor3 4d4pt4bl3 b3c4us3 of 1t. good fortun3 1nd33d. DS: you s4y 3v3ryon3, but 1 doubt 1'll l1v3 long 3nough to 3v3r b3 cons1d3r3d 4 stubborn old troll. good fortun3 to m3, too. CC: Consider howv many of us havwe managed to godtier givwen barely a fewv swveeps. CC: Do you really believwe you wvill not manage, in ten times that?  A hundred times that?  Howvevwer much longer? CC: You may die of foolishness, but do not let your color wvorry you. DS: 1 don't know 1f 1 w4nt th4t to h4pp3n. luck1ly, 1 h4v3 pl3nty of t1m3 to m4k3 up my m1nd. CC: Howv many of us havwe intended to? CC: The tiger strikes wvhen it wvishes to. DS: wh4t th3 h3ll h4s 4 t1g3r got to do w1th 4nyth1ng? DS: 1s th4t som3 n3w-4g3 3uph3m1sm? CC: It is.  For some reason a fewv others refer to godtier as 'getting the tiger'. CC: I havwen't bothered to ask. DS: 1'm gonn4 1nqu1r3 4bout th4t on3. DS: 3ls3 1'll th1nk 4bout 1t unt1l 1 c4n't sl33p. CC: Good luck, I suppose. CC: I think I wvould havwe been more mild-mannered than Arlequin, evwen if our hatchdates and places had been exchanged. Stormy: ((has Cronus talked publicly about godtiering yet?)) Wirrit: (( oh heeeeck no :) )) Wirrit: (( Not directly at least. )) Wirrit: (( Sparks did make a post the day after, asking CC if he was okay, and mentioned in the tags that the screaming was concerning.  CC replied that he was fine.  CC also, around that time, sent DH a few asks wherein he said that he remembered everything. )) Wirrit: (( ..past that, nothing direct. )) Wirrit: (( Latula is clever; she can think whatever you like based on whatever of that evidence she happened to see :)  And I can dig up links if desired )) Stormy: ((thank you! actually, if you're sure it's alright, links would be great-- I'm musing on what she would/wouldn't see based on that she hasn't been on all that much)) Wirrit: (( I believe this also started basically the day after, so the relevant posts would all be on her dash.  Not any new ones since then, but... )) Wirrit: (( Beginning search! )) Wirrit: (( DH: http://devotedharlequin.tumblr.com/post/83438688720/my-thoughts-still-gather-but-i-remember    http://devotedharlequin.tumblr.com/post/83441441500/yes-caepaecaesurae )) Wirrit: (( first post of convo with GD: http://geminidoomed.tumblr.com/post/83348528270, and the last post so you can use the links to go backwards through it: http://caepaecaesurae.tumblr.com/post/83354081174/geminidoomed-caepaecaesurae-nah-2hould-ii )) Wirrit: (( Most of the GD convo was in the tags )) Stormy: ((thank you very much!! i need to cook lunch so i'll be inactive a bit, but i'll get to it once that's done)) Wirrit: (( I'm in and out myself, so that works well :) )) DS: m4yb3. gu3ss w3'll n3v3r know. CC: Likely not.  Fewv alternates are similar enough to mean anything, evwen if wve met some that had been exchanged in that wvay. DS: b3for3 w3 drop th3 subj3ct 3nt1r3ly, wh4t do you know of godt13r1ng, 1f you'r3 w1ll1ng to t3ll m3? DS: of th3 proc3ss, 4s 4 whol3? CC: There's twvo wvays, and only one matters anymore. CC: You practice your aspect powvers until it just happens on its owvn. CC: Seems to like happening wvhile you're using your powvers. CC: I'm not sure if there's a pattern. DS: th4t's 4ll? r34lly? DS: 1 thought th3r3'd b3 mor3 to 1t th4n th4t. DS: 1f on3 w3r3 to 4tt3mpt 1t, do you h4v3 4ny 3st1m4t3 on succ3ss r4t3? DS: 1 m34n, c4n 1t f41l? mort4lly? CC: Don't do anything that you'd need it to savwe you from, and you'll be fine. DS: gotch4. DS: th4nks for th3 4dv1c3. CC: I figure wve all wvill evwentually. CC: WVhenevwer it's our time. DS: m4yb3 so. DS: 1'm not sur3 of my own f33l1ngs on th3 m4tt3r, y3t. DS: 1n th3 long run of 1t 4ll, p3rson4l d3c1s1ons m1ght not 3v3n b3 of 1mport4nc3. CC: I decided to institute Orphaning. CC: A choice can change a wvorld. CC: Most people don't stick to their guns long enough to stop the big things, though. DS: 1t c4n. DS: 4nd 1f, 1n th3 cours3 of th1ngs, w3 4ll m4n4g3 to g3t th3 t1g3r, w3'll 4ll h4v3 4n 3qu4l ch4nc3 4t m4k1ng h1story. DS: t4lk 4bout turn1ng th3 sp3ctrum on 1ts h34d. CC: More like ignoring it entirely. DS: p3rh4ps 3v3n l34v1ng 1t b3h1nd. CC: Good. CC: It may not stop the fish jokes, but at least evweryone wvill stop being so pissy about it. DS: 1'm pr3tty sur3 th3r3'll 4lw4ys b3 f1sh jok3s. 4mongst oth3rs. DS: 1f w3 outgrow t34s1ng on3 4noth3r, w3'll outgrow fun 4ltog3th3r. CC: Teasing's one thing. DS: f1sh jok3s 4r3 4noth3r? CC: I'd say so. CC: If it leads to presumptivwe morons trying to flay or eat people evwery so often, it's probably a problem, near as I can figure. DS: th4t sounds l1k3 4 probl3m, 4lr1ght. DS: w1th luck 4nd l4wful r31nforc3m3nt, not on3 w3'll h4v3 h3r3. CC: Good.  Suppose I'll only be hearing it on tumblr then. DS: 1 don't suppos3 blogg1ng w1ll 3v3n b3 1n f4vour for most of us 4ft3r 4 f3w sw33ps. DS: 1 could b3 prov3n wrong. CC: Depends howv set in our wvays wve get. CC: There wvill alwvays be other univwerses. DS: th4t's 4 g1v3n. DS: 1f 1t h3lps, th3r3's 4lw4ys th3 poss1b1l1ty of oth3r un1v3rs3s wh3r3 f1sh jok3s 4r3 1ll3g4l. CC: Nowv there's a thought. CC: One that sounds suspiciously like trying to be nice, evwen. CC: Is this wvhat a rapport is like?  I'vwe heard of those. DS: 4h, th3 myst3r1ous r4pport! w3 f1n4lly s33 1t 1n 4ct1on. DS: 4m4z1ng, huh? CC: Indeed so. CC: It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance once again, Ms. Pyrope. DS: pl34sur3's 4ll m1n3, mr. 4mpor4. CC: This seems a good place for a 'seeing eye to eye' joke, but I find I cannot quite muster the effort. CC: Shall wve consider this a successful experiment, and speak again some night? DS: you'll h4v3 pl3nty of t1m3 to th1nk up 4 good on3. DS: 1t w4s good t4lk1ng to you. 1 wouldn't m1nd do1ng 1t 4g41n som3t1m3 1f you'r3 down. CC: Sounds wvorth trying. CC: Until then. DS: t4k3 c4r3. -- dovahSil [DS] ceased trolling caepaeCaesurae [CC] -- It went a little smoother than the conversations that had led to eye loss. It was progress. Wirrit: (( and end scene? :) )) Stormy: ((sounds good, thank you!!)

[caepaecaesurae]

> Cronus : Feel satisfied

> With that out of the way, your ass is officially covered.  You totally told somebody, you weren't there when the eye was lost, you didn't order anyone to do it, and it's definitely completely legal and not your fault.

> And she's down an eye.

> And she's apparently the kind of troll that very seriously feels bad about what she did.  She might have terrible judgement in Cronus's eyes, but at least she tries.

> Life is good.

> As long as she doesn't bleed out.  That would be embarrassing.

[caepaecaesurae]

> Face to Face and Eye to Eye

-- It took Cronus over a minute to get over the initial startlement, at least enough to manage the brief, tart reply. He didn't block her yet, though. Her explicit request amused him at least enough to stay his hand a few moments. -- -- > Latula: Drop your quirk. This is too serious a talk for such a thing. -- IG: I need to see you. In person. IG: I owe you a face-to-face apology, and that at the least. IG: If you're willing to do this, we'll do it your way. IG: Bring Kankri. And/or someone stronger to stand with you, or between us. Whatever you need. IG: I'm not expecting your trust. I'm willing to be at disadvantage. IG: What say you? CC: Face to face meetings havwe gone so wvell for us thusfar. -- Bitter sarcasm was working for him so far, and he didn't feel like abandoning the tactic so easily. ...he was also not entirely comfortable with the idea of being near her again; she was fast enough to get in a first strike too easily. -- IG: As said. If we do this, it'll be on your terms. CC: WVhy should I bother givwing you the chance? IG: To right things. IG: I'm not going to insist, but I want to discuss with you what I can do to repay you for my wrongdoing. -- > Latula: do your best to keep your tone neutral. What little anger you have at the troll simmers inconsequentially far below the cautious respect you have for him, after hearing from Harlequin about the wrongs already done to him. -- CC: You didn't seem terribly uncertain about it before. Quite the change of heart. -- Cronus was still uneasy about the idea of meeting her in person, and covering it with irritability while he mulled it over. He preferred to think of himself as offended, and not the slightest bit afraid. -- -- The injury to his /ego/ was /obviously/ the only reason he'd be reluctant to give her the time of day. Definitely. -- IG: I spoke to Arlequin. IG: To Mituna, as well. IG: Their words gave me reason to change my thoughts. CC: WVhere mine did not. CC: You havwe growvn into a stubborn wvoman, Latula. IG: I was too angry to listen to reason. IG: I regret it. CC: WVith fewver healers, I wvould havwe lost the eye. CC: A great part of me wvishes to reject your offer. CC: I wvill need time to decide if that wvill be the wvay of it. IG: Let me know when you've made up your mind, and on what terms. -- iusGladii [IG] gave up trolling caepaeCaesurae [CC] -- CC: ...She earned a few points for that. He did not like her right now, but he could at least respect trying to do things the right way. CC: Cronus seriously considered demanding she wear something ridiculous or demeaning to this meeting, if he did accept the offer. Because fuck her. ... That was not the nicest nor most reasonable impulse. He probably needed to talk to Kankri. IG: Latula closed the conversation with a resigned grimace-- he was unreadable, and there was no way of knowing how this would pan out. Still, it had to be done, and beyond this, all that could be done was wait. ML: Kankri thought he should demand she wear something where he could tell she wasn't carrying any weapons. CC: And what of strife decks? ML: Make her leave it behind CC: Did Kankri think Cronus should go through with it? It was fairly clear he was looking for excuses to chicken out, but couldn't think of any good ones. ML: Kankri is feeling better since he got to punch her, let her make it up to him, or hang herself. CC: The unfortunate choice of words almost earns a laugh. It turns out as a brief unpleasant smile instead, followed a bit later by some industrious face-rubbing. CC: Does Kankri think that, if he came along, he'd be able to keep it from going bad? He'd suggested that once, if this were ever to come up again... ML: He could certainly try although he warns that she made him quite angry and she may be cross at him for punching her. CC: Cronus had to think on it for several days, before coming to any conclusion. When he did, -- finally -- he would contact her via trollian. (( Do we want to play out the trollian part, or summarize? )) IG: ((summarise for the sake of simplicity maybe?)) CC: (( *thumbs up* )) CC: Cronus was still largely unreadable, though more businesslike. He saved the sarcasm for answers to direct questions at least, rather than allowing it to seep throughout the majority of his dialogue again. He requested she dress plainly in a way that could not conceal weapons, and come completely unarmed. He would meet her in a small park, directly across the street from a guard barracks on Derspit. ...Alone. CC: He'd made sure to choose a park that happened to have a public transportalizer in it. IG: Latula agreed to wear clothes that didn't allow for concealed weaponry, to bring no other weaponry, and with no strife deck-- reasonable requests, with nothing too difficult, at least. IG: She made her way to the specified location at the specified time-- or, rather, a scant few minutes before, dressed simply as requested. Once there: if Cronus was there and detectable, she would raise a hand in simple greeting, but leave it to him to approach at first; if he was not, she would stand in plain view and keep a lookout for him, with an occasional idle glance to the guard barracks. IG: Really, she was just relieved he got back to her and allowed for it to be planned out. At first, it seemed like a doomed idea. CC: Cronus himself was fashionably late, just two or three minutes. He'd let Kankri know about the plan, although not the exact location. He promised to message with coordinates, if there was trouble. CC: He arrived on the transportalizer in The Full Ensemble, from the distinctive violet cape down to the gaudy and provocatively-cut violet armor. Apparently this is what he wore to formal occasions. It looked as much like jewelry as it did any kind of garment. His posture perfectly straight, his expression grim and neutral, he quietly scanned the park until he spotted her. CC: He flicked a fin, once, reflexively, before turning and starting to approach her. He stopped fifteen feet away, and took the opportunity to frown at her until she spoke. IG: Cronus appeared, only ever so slightly late, at the transportaliser; he was dressed to-- impress? Intimidate? Confuse, like a fish shining bright natural lights at potential predators? Latula found herself unable to divine. Nevertheless, there he was, and whilst he stopped short of being actually face-to-face with her, he was at least close enough to speak. IG: And frowning as if she'd just insulted his lusus. It's... a start. IG: She took a moment before speaking, to choose her words. IG: Finally: "... I'm glad you came. Thank you." IG: Her tone was one of neutrality. CC: "I try to be fair." he allowed reluctantly. He was wary and displeased, his anger a shield against betrayal or subterfuge. ...it looked like someone had healed his eye; and taken the scarring away with the injury. It focused only barely slower than the other, as though its use was still being learned. A second pair of eyelids, semitransparent and white-tinted, were closed and guarded. CC: The Orphaner maintained direct eye contact, and clearly did not trust her even slightly. IG: His eye was healed-- recalling what Mituna said about being proud of the other scarring, this was a small relief to Latula. (Even though it would have been kind of cool-- no, stop that train of thought. This is serious.) IG: She made sure to keep still, with her hands in plain view by her sides; she carried no weaponry, or anything else for that matter. IG: "You came alone?" IG: The tone was questioning. She'd expected to see at least Kankri by his side. CC: "Until such time as others are needed. This is betwveen you, and I, alone." CC: "Their anger has no place here." And now he was making the 'I am judging you' face. IG: That judgmental look spurred the tiniest urge to snap at him-- a, thankfully, easily ignored urge. IG: "For what it's worth, I'm unarmed, and I'm not going to attack you. You're probably not going to believe that, but there it is." IG: The lack of others being there was something of a relief. If she went through with this whilst feeling like a cornered squeakbeast, her words might not be so calm and even. CC: "Maybe I'll believwe you after wve're done. WVe'll see. I'm not planning to do anything but talk, myself." He was definitely in poor temper, but he held it in the best check he could. Cold anger was better than hot anger, right now, and that was the best he could manage. IG: Luckily for her, it seemed he was able to suppress the anger that ran in clear undercurrents through his voice. Well-- in front of guards, it would do neither of them any good to start a fight. It was an enforced neutrality. IG: She took a deep breath, and let it go. Her words, when said, were carefully thought over. IG: "...I was wrong to seek you out and injure you." CC: "I wvarned you that, at the time. I'm glad you agree." It at least meant that he wouldn't have to worry about her doing it again, as much. Not over that particular incident anyway. IG: "I saw Arlequin the way he was. In anger, I thought a wrong was done to him. I gave not him nor you the chance to properly explain." Her words were slightly rigid, at first-- briskly, tersely spoken. She herself was tense. "I was-- thinking of protecting him, as well as avenging. I wanted to scare you away from him more than anything." IG: As she accustomed herself, slowly but steadily, to giving words to the thoughts which had run repeatedly through her pan, the flow of said words became more natural. IG: "I know, now, that that was unnecessary, and I believe you would keep your word without my interference. ...Arlequin talked to me, and I have his reasoning for why he went to you, and why you did what you did. The scales were balanced thereby, and..." IG: Slight pause. IG: "...I owe you, as well as an apology, my gratitude for sparing his life. No matter your reason, I'm-- thankful that you let him live. You were stronger and wiser than many would have been." IG: As much as she expected those words to taste bitter in her mouth, they did not. They were sincere. CC: The seadweller's lips thinned slightly, and he considered her in silence for a few long seconds as he tried to absorb that, and decide where even to begin. CC: "WVhen it wvas clear that you sought revwenge alone, and wvere shielded from all reason, wvhy did I let You livwe?" CC: "...Answver me that." CC: "WVhen you took my eye, wvhy did I raise no hand against you?" CC: He had slapped her across the room, but that was mostly a surprise reflex. CC: He tended to remember things how he intended them to go, rather than all the pesky details. IG: She gave a good moment to thinking that over. The one parting "slap" of energy he'd sent after her hardly counted as a real attack-- he most certainly could have engaged her once the initial pain and shock had worn off, or even before, if said pain had been channelled into adrenaline. IG: Plausible reasons ran through her mind. He was incapacitated by what she'd done? He stilled his hand for Arlequin's sake? He simply knew better? IG: "...I'd just destroyed your eye. You were in no condition to." IG: Then again, she wasn't so sure of that. CC: "Gunkind. Try again." IG: "You didn't want to fight, and risk further injury? Or, mayhap, you would rather not respond in kind, for the sake of not stooping to pointless revenge?" IG: The moment the second guess left her mouth, she winced slightly, acutely aware of how well it described her own actions. CC: "I am no cowvard, /Latula/. Nor am I shy of justice, wvhich is wvhat it wvould havwe been." ..his eye ached a little. Which was stupid. He ignored it. "But Pointless? Yes, I'vwe little interest in that." CC: "WVhat I am interested in is the future, and being Right. And if I had to let you kill me to accomplish my goals? So be it." CC: "But my feud wvith Arlequin is ended, and I wvill not let you stoke those fires." IG: "I have no wish to. What is between you and he is-- or, was-- not what I had right to interfere with." IG: She wondered-- what could he possibly hope to accomplish in death? That discussion, though, if it were to happen at all, was for another time. It was doubtful that he would want to discuss it at length, in any case. IG: "If you and he consider it over, then it's over. What's left is this, and I want to make what amends I can: between you and me, not him and you. ...You have my apologies, and my regret." IG: Pausing for a moment, she bowed her head briefly, before re-meeting his gaze and continuing. IG: "I did wrong by you, by the law, and by the scales. What has been wronged must be righted, and I will repay you by any means you deem correct." CC: He eyed her, gaugingly, still frowning, for a while longer. CC: "You realise the sorts of things I asked of the last person to say that." CC: It was almost, but not quite, a question. It was also rather flat, and he was still gauging her. IG: "I am aware." She held his gaze unflinchingly. He seemed to be searching out a reaction-- nervousness? resentment? something else entirely?-- but she showed nothing of the sort. CC: Latula was either remorseful and changed, a different troll than she'd been only weeks previous -- or she was one hell of a fanatic to whatever her ideals were at any given time. In the Orphaner's experience, the latter was far, far more common....although you could never be completely sure. CC: He decided whatever he'd been trying to gauge in her, and with that decision, some of the hostility changed. Cronus was still angry -- catastrophically angry -- but she was not his enemy. Not on purpose at least. She was not a malicious force bent on his destruction, not actively, not right now. He believed her at least that much. A careless maiming wasn't much better than a malicious one, though. CC: He scoffed, finally glancing away for a moment, and then back to her. The seadweller eyed her another moment, before straightening his back slightly, and continuing. "Before scales can be righted, one must choose wvhich scales, for there are many." CC: "There is that wvhich wvill ensure it nevwer happens again, there is that wvhich makes it equal, and there is that wvhich returns that wvhich wvas broken to howv it had been." CC: "I do not knowv wvhat wvould make you a cautious troll, wvilling to /listen/--" the word had a bite to it, "--to those wvho knowv Better, for I do not think you havwe that in you. I knowv wvhat wvould make the crimes betwveen us equal, although I find I wvould not care enough to bother wvhen wve could simply avwoid one another for the rest of your life instead." CC: "Do you care for my opinion of you, or for the scales alone?" IG: Latula listened to the troll speak. His words had a particular intonation to them-- one word was specifically sharp-- harsh, but evenly toned. Still, he gave her a choice, and one she gave solemn thought to before deciding on an answer. IG: "You're free to ignore me for as long as you please, and as far as it's practical, I would stay out of your way, but that would not balance anything, nor would it give you what you deserve as whom was wronged." IG: With a slight pause, "I care for-- ..both." IG: It was, at that moment, hard to say as much, if only for that he was sure to scoff. But, there it was. IG: "I care to at least make a start to righting things between us. I want to balance this, not run away from it. I don't expect you to forgive me immediately nor entirely, but if I can at least pay what's due, I will." IG: It sounded, perhaps, like a sudden, perhaps even whimsical change of heart, to him-- it was, however, brought on by thought hard and ceaseless, by a biting knowledge of what right she had done wrong by, and a vigilant sense of needing to put it right. Not to mention, that quiet respect for him which had slowly, cautiously fostered and begun to put to rest her fury at him for maiming her mate. CC: He did not scoff, although one of his fins flicked. He hadn't honestly expected her to give a damn what he thought as a person, rather than as a wronged party. CC: "I can think of no wvay to undo wvhat has been done, for that is not the wvay of time, and nor am I a troll capable of spiteless forgivweness. ...but your eye wvould make me smile, wvhen I should be angry, and earn your forgivweness." IG: His suggestion came unexpectedly, and produced at last a visible reaction-- a widening of the eyes, a stiffening of the posture. It was not a welcome thought at all, and her first inclination was to argue against it-- but then, it would, in his terms, earn forgiveness. IG: An eye for an eye. The thought almost gets a wry smile. It was no less than equal. IG: "And would you be taking it yourself?" IG: Her voice remained surprisingly steady, spiting the pit of dread the thought pooled in her stomach. CC: "No." The denial was calm and even, as steady as his eyes. ...Cronus was calming; his tone almost gentle. "You are the expert, here." IG: That would prove to be difficult, to say the least. Latula swallowed against a suddenly dry throat-- the first outward display of nervousness. IG: "I have no weapon with which to do so." CC: The far-too-reasonable voice was soft. "...then allowv it to wvait until the time, and place, of your choosing -- so long as you do not allowv its replacement for the span of at least a perigee thereafter." CC: "And do not speak to me, until it is gone." CC: She had forever, if she wanted to take it. CC: But... IG: That allowed her a momentary reprieve from the creeping fear-- Cronus' voice had changed tone rather drastically, she noticed belatedly. He sounded as far appeased as a meowbeast given the king's share of squeakbeasts. It was both assuring and unnerving. IG: Taking a deep breath, she let it go slowly, and nodded. IG: "As you wish." CC: "Havwe wve more to speak on?" CC: Her expression, and the dread she hid, were apparently astoundingly soothing. CC: (( Cronus is so mean sometimes... )) IG: ((i'm just giggling at the thought of him contenting himself with her discomfort-- he actually is reminding me of a vengeful cat)) CC: (( incredibly accurate )) IG: "...No. That's all." IG: Latula was, it would seem, a little preoccupied with thinking of the task before her. CC: "Then let us be done." IG: "I'll let you know when the deed is done." IG: Awfully casual words for such a thing. Latula chose to leave first, and turned to make her way to the nearby transportaliser, doing so in such a way as to not indirectly approach Cronus on the way. IG: Not another word was said to him as she sent herself back to the palace. IG: It was done-- well, that is to say, the hardest part was yet to come, but speaking to Cronus was, indeed, done. CC: Cronus watched Latula go, head following her movements, but making no sign of approaching her, no threatening moves of his own. He was not the threat to her : She, herself, was. CC: Something in his shoulders relaxed, just slightly, when she was gone. His instincts tried to insist that now was when well-meaning friends of hers would strike, but his mind knew... ..hoped... not. CC: This part, the roughest for him, was over. Time would tell. CC: He waited a good minute before heading to the transportalizer himself, to go find Kankri and collect some moirail time. He could do with a good laze.

[caepaecaesurae]

> Cronus : Dignity. Dignity so hard.

CC: One upon a time, Cronus sits in the diningroom, fussing with his computer and waiting for the robots to refill some particular side-dish for him. Today is a cheesy potatoes day, and he will accept nothing less. ML: Kankri was near at hand, with a warm tea pot and two mugs for them both. As long as it wasn't atrocious his moirail did not seem to care what it was they were drinking, and he was a good guage of a casual drinker to try out new blends on. IG: Latula was making an attempt to search out Mituna. This, usually, would not take long, but as fortune (misfortune?) would have it, her chosen starting point was the very same dining room that, unbeknownst to her, housed Cronus and Kankri. IG: The sounds of activity from said room was obvious to her, but not the identity of its occupants-- at least, until she stepped through the doorway in the midst of speaking. IG: "Mitch'--?" IG: Oh. No, that was not Mituna. Not at all. Just sort of... pause in the doorway momentarily. CC: Cronus had been playing with his computer, only barely registering the footsteps at the door -- an excellent sign of progress, he'd been on edge since he lost (and regained) the eye. ..but then, the voice. His fingers squeezed the edge of the tablet slightly, his expression staying the same and his back barely straightening. ..but a small white spark of Hope-lightning flicked along his horns, just above the fins. CC: ...Right after she revealed her presence, and mentioned a psychic. CC: Cronus : Startle yourself, flail like a motherfucker, slam your tablet into the table with a -CRACK-, and topple-dive abortively to the floor, tripping over both your seat and your cape.

ML: Kankri reached abortively for his moirail. oh dear, oh gosh fuck, is he okay, do not laugh at him, focus on the concern. IG: Latula: Just kind of... stare blankly for a good moment, stationary in the doorway. That most definitely was Cronus flailing all the way from his seat to the floor. Once the situation is processed, make a valiant attempt to keep a straight face and manage nicely to do so. CC: The complicated tangle of Cronus, Cape, and Chair were holding very very still at an odd angle while what just happened percolated through. CC: ... He reached a hand up, placed it flat on the edge of the table. Good start. CC: Slowly levered himself upwa---the table overbalances and flips on top of him, and he falls from half-sitting back to laying flat on the ground with one leg over a chair, wrapped in his cape. CC: His arm sticks straight up for a few seconds, then slowly .. slowly ... sinks to lay against what is now the top of the table. IG: Latula: badly-choked-back snort-laugh. Nope, it cannot be contained. Stay put, though-- approaching might make him fall through the floor at this rate. CC: The hand slowly shifts to press against where his face would be, if there was not a table in the way. CC: ..he finally takes both edges of the table in hand, and just...holds it down. He's not coming out. You can't make him. CC: Cronus Ampora produces the most disgusted little whinging wheeze in paradox space. IG: Badly concealed laughter intensifies in the background. That was magnificent. ML: Kankri snorted through his nose and tried to help his poor moirail up. CC: He maintains hold on the table, and produces a rather put-upon little growl. IG: Latula: Manage to calm the laughter, after a valiant effort. There is no Cronus, there is only table. ML: Once he was certain his moirail was fine except for his Dignity, the Signless rose to his feet and moved around the table, this was the first time hes seen Red since she attempted to half blind Cronus. CC: Cronus and the chair seemed intact. Dignity was less fortunate. IG: Seeing Kankri rise from aiding the table monster, Latula quickly put on a straighter face. Okay, laughing with his 'rail present was probably a bad move. CC: The laughter stopped, and Cronus lost his best way of keeping track of where Latula was without looking. ...he considered peeking out, but was reluctant to. He could just listen to Kankri's footsteps instead. ML: Kankri walked peacefully over to where she was, the lady who had Cronus jumping at shadows and always waiting to be attacked, and unless shes quick to block hes slugging her across the jaw. Hes been wanting to do that for a while. IG: Latula did not expect that at all! The hit connected, and sent her staggering backwards and to the side with a pained grunt, connecting with the wall and promptly using it not to fall. With an alarmed hiss, she quickly steadied herself into a defensive stance, barely stifling the instinctive urge to hit back. CC: And Cronus had apparently missed something. He reluctantly, slowly moved the table just a bit aside, so he could peek over at the doorway. It sounded like they were both far away enough it would be safe. ML: He observed her for a moment then turned his back on her and went back to his moirail. She could press charges for assault if she wanted to, he did not care at the moment, he had a distressed moirail hiding from the lady in the doorway. CC: Cronus's fins were back, and he wasn't entirely sure what he'd just missed. CC: ...his eyebrows slowly raise after a second, glancing between the visibly wary Latula and rather prim Kankri. Fins still back. IG: Once the initial reaction of defense had settled, it was replaced by shocked anger. IG: "Kankri--" IG: He'd already turned his back on her. She could take a swing at that point, but hasty reactions had gotten her nowhere good. Besides, it would be two against one, and her jaw already hurt like hell. IG: Latula lingered only a moment longer, before turning on her heel and leaving with tellingly brisk footsteps. ML: It hurts more from someone whom you trusted to never do such a thing ML: He doesn't even look back at her, He settles himself beside his moirail and strokes at his hair soothingly. ML: His. His moirail. No touchy. CC: ..her reaction was mild salve for bruised dignity. CC: Cronus blinked up at Kankri, not even sure what to say. ... Maybe a hug would do, that would be fine. He could put the table away now. CC: ...and kick the chair away, after three tries, and tugging his cape away from his leg. ML: A soft huff laugh, and he helped him get untangled. He was fine, it was fine. CC: froWN,,, CC: Nothing was funny, nor would it be allowed to be funny for at least half an hour. This was the sulkiest fishman. ML: oh poor grubby, come on lets figure out what happened to that tea. CC: A robot brings out some cheesy potatoes to refill one of the side-dishes at the buffet. CC: And life goes on? ML: so it seems!