probe | Audience: Harrowhark Nonagesimus

[She's not exactly sure what to say, because 'I'm not angry' is a little bit of a crazy oversimplification, and also seems irrelevant? She considers it for a second.]

. . . It was good advice. Fight for what's yours.

[He did tell her not to expect to get out of here without a fight.]

It usually is. For the small things, and the big things.

[he tilts his head.] I assume you intend to.

I do. And I assume you intend to, as well.

[And if they both want different things, there's little to do about that.]

But I thought I would talk to you about what you're doing here; what you've been trying to do. Perhaps it will help me make sense of things, and that may or may not help either of us but I don't think it can hurt.

[he nods.]

I'm here to bring Gwen back to life. To give my crown to someone else. [he says this flatly.] That has been my goal from the start. She is the most important thing to me, other than my daughter.

I will do whatever it takes to bring her back. It wasn't enough, the first time. But the creature has not gone back on its promises yet.

Yes. [He did tell her that, so. She knew it wasn't something trivial.] And I cannot fault you for that.

What is the basis of your certainty that it will work? [. . .] I am not so much expressing skepticism. I don't think you're the type to trust blindly. But from what I understand, you have not seen it work yet, exactly?

[a longer pause.]

I haven't seen it work, no. [and for the first time, he's... uncertain.] But it has completed deals. Maybe not always in the way we expect, but it does.

I can't be sure that it'll follow through this time, but I have nothing else to lose. And I refuse to die. Not after everything.

And you believe it will likely only complete your deal when we're all dead?

When it gathers enough power.

I don't know that all of you need to be dead. I'd assumed so, considering there were nine of us left originally, and it hadn't grown enough then.

Edited 2021-03-30 22:32 (UTC)

Hmm. But it didn't start over growing when we began this round, did it? It was already partially grown at the start?

[he nods at that, with a sigh.]

It was partially grown, yes. [...] So I don't know that all of you need to be dead. Could just be that we leave the dead and the rest get what they want.

But I can't imagine you'd be fine with that. And this is all hypotheticals.

Well.

[She chews on her lip, considering. Some of the dead. . . are such assholes.]

I'll be frank. Saving the dead was never particularly what I was here for. I've focused on keeping those who are important to me alive. If you'd asked me a week ago, I would have said if we could leave with what we want, if we could save Aoi, if Mollymauk could use his wish for Beauregard, that would have been more than sufficient for me. I would have been very happy.

But things have progressed, now. I don't know that I find that outcome satisfactory anymore.

Besides the four of you, you all have killed any of the people I may have preferred to see get out of this alive.

[:T]

And what outcome are you looking for now?

[Lol awkward. Well, she doesn't regret it. Childe sucks, Law, eh.]

I want to leave with what I was promised, and I want everyone else to leave with what they were promised, and I want to stop this from happening to anyone else.

[So no big deal.]

Obviously, that's a considerable list of demands, and I have no evidence to suggest it's possible. But I don't find the outcome of killing enough to get what we want and leaving realistic. [. . .] I don't buy that this thing is going to have its fill and stop.

. . . And we're all from different worlds, or nearly all of us. And yet, again and again, it has brought people we know. In some cases, multiple people we know. Is there an explanation for this? Because it doesn't seem coincidental.

[that's a big list...]

I would imagine it was easy for the thing to take people from a familiar place. Couldn't tell you. I don't know how it works past the surface level. Not a fan of getting close to it.

It doesn't worry you? That it will let you go, only to take someone else from you back to this place?

[...]

Don't see why it would, if it was strong enough to do whatever it wanted. Wouldn't need more bodies. [but it's clear he hadn't, uh. thought about that.]

It wouldn't need more, but won't it want more? It enjoys toying with us.

[he brings a hand up to rub at his forehead. headache...]

Maybe.

It isn't as though I know, either. [Like. She's not trying to manipulate him by scaring him or something.] But it is part of the reason simply trying to leave feels like a fraught choice.

Not my problem if other people have to deal with it after me.

[except like, it IS his problem if it decides to yoink someone he cares about here. ugh.]

Fuck. [gaaaasp idk who i'm gasping it's not like harrow doesn't say fuck, but. he's frustrated enough to let one drop.]

Fuck.

[Agreeing, because she does say fuck.]

[he falls silent, staring up at the roses.]

... So what do you plan to do, then? To get your outcome.

I don't know, particularly. I would love to have a plan.

[She sighs.]

I suspect we need to understand why it works the way it does and redirect it somehow. The method of conversion of indulgence to outcome wouldn't seem to intrinsically require a creature that eats souls to fuel it. You obviously need some method that converts the indulgence into power that is specific to this situation, and it likely requires a great amount of energy to work. So - two options to refocus it. Devise a method that replaces the creature as the conduit, or devise a method that replaces the power source the creature draws from.

Mm.

Seems complicated. [thanks pride]

[Yeah, she knew as soon as she said this that this was a conversation to have with nerds, and not Pride.]

Yes, yes. I know. But I'm a necromancer, and this is how I think. I don't really think it will be as simple as fighting it or something.

(no subject)

probe - 2021-03-31 02:26 (UTC) - Expand