[Yes, they are the same messed up person in so many ways so they will never press the other about personal topics even though they'd both be willing to share. I accept this about them.]
I don't think all information is worth any cost. No one ought to be. . . boiling their own blood just to see what happens. It's a matter of assessing whether the danger is worth what we get from it.
[There's a scold there, but it's gentle; she knows their intentions were good and the risk seemed worth it in this case, it's just - ever since she learned the Avatars can get more information but will tend to pay a price for it, she's been fairly skeptical of his ability to not overdo it in particular.
She is curious, but she also saw something on Thursday in him, a more fragile core he's protecting with all of the authority and pragmaticism he projects. It did change something about the way she saw him, that he needed her to bark orders at him until he was able to pretend he wasn't in shock, and she feels a little fiercely protective about it. If he would prefer not to have to acknowledge it and would rather wear his armour again, she wants him to be able to.]
It was. You may correct me if I misunderstood anything I was told. The four of you went to investigate the places we've been disappearing to.
From what I understand, you were separated and shown illusions of a personal nature. In some ways, this all started because the four of us who vanished that first week somehow encountered an illusion of a person dear to Pride in there. He saw her, too, but was able to confirm she was only an illusion.
For the most part, it sounded as though what you encountered had no higher purpose except to be traumatic and violent. [Gross. She sounds offended on their behalf!] But Pride mentioned having a "theme," overcome with an emotion that sounded like Envy. It would tie in with ours having a theme of gluttony and the other having a theme of greed, both concluding with a test. But Pride did not think you four were being tested, just toyed with.
The difference, of course, being that I wouldn't boil my own blood when it's very clear what the results would be. [that's hardly helpful. and he gets her point. it's a matter of assessing dangers before heading into them, but what happens when you think you have a general idea of the danger you're running into? or, rather, what happens when you realize you need to know and that need is greater than anything else?
you lose your eyes, that's what.
it's...humiliating to think about the fact that he was so openly exposed to so many people, including people he actually likes and respects. miles edgeworth has never been good at outwardly showing emotion (tears of frustration as a child aside) and so to be left in a position where he was vulnerable...in a way, it makes it feel as though it doesn't matter anymore. let them ask questions.
but there are still things that are unsettling to him.]
That's correct. Gluttony and I have been doing our own research, and Pride wanted to try and see if he could find his daughter. Envy tagged along for his own reasons.
We arrived in the same place, but upon entering the door we were quickly separated. Illusions were inflicted upon all four of us, but even knowing that...we proceeded anyhow.
[there's a pause.]
In a sense, I felt that only my goal mattered. My goal was just as important as everyone else's, and they shouldn't get to have theirs while I didn't get mine. Abandoning the others made sense. After a time it seemed that I should only be working for myself. So, after reflecting upon it, I would agree it was a thematic sort of envy.
Likewise, I would agree with Pride. It was very clearly a means to mock us rather than test us.
Yes, that's similar to what Pride described - a feeling of preoccupation with what others had, not wanting to lose anything.
[Ugh.]
I am glad you decided to try to investigate it, considering how dangerous these have been - though notably Mollymauk was spit out before he was killed, and although we were killed it was with an immediate resurrection. The hostile reaction to the four of you in particular I suppose ought to be taken as a message that these are meant for us, not for you.
I wonder what you did to find a way there? Is that something you can explain?
That part's the same then. There are differences as well, from what I've heard, about what we experienced. I can only assume the house was meant to target us specifically rather than an overall sense of torment.
[ugh, indeed.]
...I'm not sure about that, Harrowhark. It may very well be both. I lost my eyes before I was ever killed.
[so yeah. sometimes you lose your eyes and are left running blind until you're apparently shot to death.]
I don't believe we did anything specific other than set out with the intent of finding a way in. Yet we were all caught by surprise and whisked away without warning, similarly to what happened to you.
Yes, I realize. And I don't like leaving it to all of you. So we are at an impasse when it comes to our feelings on the matter, and must go with what is logical.
...what we saw in there was not something anyone else should see. If we can prevent another group from disappearing somehow, that would be our best course of action. I don't care what it, whatever it is, wants.
I didn't particularly enjoy it either, no. It tried to force us to murder a child in the most terrible manner I can imagine.
But if it is part of the key to understanding what is happening here. . . [Hmm.] When you say you expect we'll get to the end of this and have time to fulfill our indulgences and leave, what is your basis for thinking so?
Call it an innate understanding. The end is when there's enough indulgence for those of you left to split and use to obtain the power to change what you wanted to change. How long that takes is up to you and how much you're indulging as it is.
It is only that. . . other conversations I have had have suggested greater urgency. Insinuated rather than said outright, I admit, but your certainty on this matter comes as something of a surprise to me.
Very early on, I asked Despair about time limits, and he said there would be no challenge if we could simply take our time.
More recently, Gluttony. . . hmm. It was a cryptic and circuitous conversation, but they prompted me to consider that we receive a new floor each week. When I said Sloth, Wrath, and Lust's floors remained, they suggested this assumption was mistaken, somehow - that there were either fewer or more.
Since Yuel saw only seven rings when she left the ship, my assumption was therefore that there was one floor two few. I suppose it was not a given from there that the end of new floors would be the end of our time here, but it seemed to me as though it was. . . building to something significant.
Despair is correct on that. Without a challenge, people wouldn't indulge as much I suppose.
Gluttony is always cryptic. [asshole.] Seven rings is not entirely significant to the number of floors, but I suppose reaching the highest point you can go would create a sense of urgency in you.
[what are you saying, greed?]
...you may, in theory, take as much time as you'd like. But this place may force your hand sooner or later.
[no one hates how longwinded and pretentious miles can be more than i do, actually.]
It's another thing I'd like to find an answer to. If I can find out anything more to understand the timing...it would be far more beneficial than what we've been doing now. But I do often wonder if it's meant to be out of our hands anyhow. You can see the dilemma.
Yes, I do. And this is why I do what to understand what that place wants from us. I do not assume it to be irrelevant to the overarching thing that this place wants from us.
Surely we have been brought here for some purpose other than fulfilling our own desires.
Perhaps so. [which is troubling on its own.] Then I suppose now you need to create a better idea of how to find what that purpose is and if anything can be done about it.
I have been thinking of it in terms of energy generation. Perhaps due to my own biases, given necromancy is itself a form of energy generation. Our actions are somehow charging a power source which can be used to fuel our desires - but perhaps they are fueling something else, as well.
What I would do would depend on what it is doing. If I could take what I came here for and go - there are some things I could accept in exchange for that and some I fear I could not.
[So. Hmm.]
My suspicion would be that it is fueling the existence of this center itself. Or perhaps. . . whatever the pink eyed anomaly outside of this place is.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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I don't think all information is worth any cost. No one ought to be. . . boiling their own blood just to see what happens. It's a matter of assessing whether the danger is worth what we get from it.
[There's a scold there, but it's gentle; she knows their intentions were good and the risk seemed worth it in this case, it's just - ever since she learned the Avatars can get more information but will tend to pay a price for it, she's been fairly skeptical of his ability to not overdo it in particular.
She is curious, but she also saw something on Thursday in him, a more fragile core he's protecting with all of the authority and pragmaticism he projects. It did change something about the way she saw him, that he needed her to bark orders at him until he was able to pretend he wasn't in shock, and she feels a little fiercely protective about it. If he would prefer not to have to acknowledge it and would rather wear his armour again, she wants him to be able to.]
It was. You may correct me if I misunderstood anything I was told. The four of you went to investigate the places we've been disappearing to.
From what I understand, you were separated and shown illusions of a personal nature. In some ways, this all started because the four of us who vanished that first week somehow encountered an illusion of a person dear to Pride in there. He saw her, too, but was able to confirm she was only an illusion.
For the most part, it sounded as though what you encountered had no higher purpose except to be traumatic and violent. [Gross. She sounds offended on their behalf!] But Pride mentioned having a "theme," overcome with an emotion that sounded like Envy. It would tie in with ours having a theme of gluttony and the other having a theme of greed, both concluding with a test. But Pride did not think you four were being tested, just toyed with.
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you lose your eyes, that's what.
it's...humiliating to think about the fact that he was so openly exposed to so many people, including people he actually likes and respects. miles edgeworth has never been good at outwardly showing emotion (tears of frustration as a child aside) and so to be left in a position where he was vulnerable...in a way, it makes it feel as though it doesn't matter anymore. let them ask questions.
but there are still things that are unsettling to him.]
That's correct. Gluttony and I have been doing our own research, and Pride wanted to try and see if he could find his daughter. Envy tagged along for his own reasons.
We arrived in the same place, but upon entering the door we were quickly separated. Illusions were inflicted upon all four of us, but even knowing that...we proceeded anyhow.
[there's a pause.]
In a sense, I felt that only my goal mattered. My goal was just as important as everyone else's, and they shouldn't get to have theirs while I didn't get mine. Abandoning the others made sense. After a time it seemed that I should only be working for myself. So, after reflecting upon it, I would agree it was a thematic sort of envy.
Likewise, I would agree with Pride. It was very clearly a means to mock us rather than test us.
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[Ugh.]
I am glad you decided to try to investigate it, considering how dangerous these have been - though notably Mollymauk was spit out before he was killed, and although we were killed it was with an immediate resurrection. The hostile reaction to the four of you in particular I suppose ought to be taken as a message that these are meant for us, not for you.
I wonder what you did to find a way there? Is that something you can explain?
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[ugh, indeed.]
...I'm not sure about that, Harrowhark. It may very well be both. I lost my eyes before I was ever killed.
[so yeah. sometimes you lose your eyes and are left running blind until you're apparently shot to death.]
I don't believe we did anything specific other than set out with the intent of finding a way in. Yet we were all caught by surprise and whisked away without warning, similarly to what happened to you.
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. . . Do you have any sense of the source? I know some of you have said this place does things on its own, almost as though it has its own intentions.
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We're still tracking the source. This was a set-back, but not a deterrent.
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And you feel that this is the most logical step because?
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But if it is part of the key to understanding what is happening here. . . [Hmm.] When you say you expect we'll get to the end of this and have time to fulfill our indulgences and leave, what is your basis for thinking so?
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Why don't you tell me what else you've heard? Perhaps we can make better sense of it.
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More recently, Gluttony. . . hmm. It was a cryptic and circuitous conversation, but they prompted me to consider that we receive a new floor each week. When I said Sloth, Wrath, and Lust's floors remained, they suggested this assumption was mistaken, somehow - that there were either fewer or more.
Since Yuel saw only seven rings when she left the ship, my assumption was therefore that there was one floor two few. I suppose it was not a given from there that the end of new floors would be the end of our time here, but it seemed to me as though it was. . . building to something significant.
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Gluttony is always cryptic. [asshole.] Seven rings is not entirely significant to the number of floors, but I suppose reaching the highest point you can go would create a sense of urgency in you.
[what are you saying, greed?]
...you may, in theory, take as much time as you'd like. But this place may force your hand sooner or later.
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It's another thing I'd like to find an answer to. If I can find out anything more to understand the timing...it would be far more beneficial than what we've been doing now. But I do often wonder if it's meant to be out of our hands anyhow. You can see the dilemma.
[hateful.]
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Surely we have been brought here for some purpose other than fulfilling our own desires.
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And what would you do with that power source if such a thing existed? What else could it be fueling?
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[So. Hmm.]
My suspicion would be that it is fueling the existence of this center itself. Or perhaps. . . whatever the pink eyed anomaly outside of this place is.
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I can assure you that what Miss Monroe and Miss Lillie saw is of no importance. It simply exists.
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[There's some strange pink eyed being but. It's fine?]
The bodies in the life support room. Something is consuming us.
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