Video: UN - Runeseeker

[onerthes]

[Vira-Lorr was not doing well. On the surface, it wasn't going to be obvious. The omni showed her on the shoreline of Trench, bundled up and watching out to the iceflows of the winter. There were, in the background, greeters tending to the last steps of the arrivals. The beasts from the ocean weren't breaking out of the ice right now, and it was past the usual time for sleepers to wash up, so the winter festivities were being closed up. Everything was safe. She just looked like she was finishing up a vigil. Anyone who knew her knew that she did this every month. She was usually waiting for a few people in particular. She just ... didn't publicize it like this.

Her eyes were rimmed red. It was clear that she'd been crying, but she wasn't doing it currently. Instead, she was smiling, though it was a distant and pained thing. One hand reached up to rest on her shoulder, to feel where the mark had been placed.]

I... don't need to tell some of you this. You will know. You always do. This is for other people in town who might care.

[Usagi would know. She didn't name Serenity, but she knew that she would know that a Senshi had departed, and if she knew then Makoto and Hotaru would know very quickly afterwards. Either by connection, or being told. This message wasn't specifically to tell them that Venus had gone home, though she would appreciate hearing from her friends. It was for the ones who weren't connected like they had been, like she had been.]

My wife, Minako Aino, is fine. She has safely returned to the sea. I felt the distance as it progressed, and ... I know that nothing caught her amongst the monsters below. She's safe. She will be safe in her home. I ... I want all of you who care about her to be certain of that.

[Her lips quivered a little and she sighed. She'd dealt with this before. How many people had she lost since the nightmares? How many had she tried to love? To get close to? Only to lose them too. She'd lost Minako twice now this way. She could handle it. Yet, this time was different. In so many ways it was different because deep down, she knew there was a chance Minako did not remember her where she was going. Usagi, Makoto, Hotaru, they would be reunited one day, but they might all forget her. It hurt.]

I'm fin... no, I'm not. I'm not going to lie. I'm not fine. My wife is gone, and I will come back every month to see if she returns to me, to us. I'm a patient woman. People have come back to me before. I have centuries to wait. My race gives me that luxury. but today hurts. A lot.

[There was a momentary pause and she sighed.]

I could probably use some company over the next few days. I'll be running the shop to help get my mind off of it, so if you need a reading, I just won't be a hundred percent is all. I've been very moody lately. Not sure why, but this is not helping.

Comments

[onerthes]

The company would be appreciated. Food is good... but I think the knowledge that someone I care about is here with me will be helpful.

[She wasn't going to insist he eat with her, but she did kind of want him to stick around a little longer. The people coming by had at least eased some of the pain.]

[eudaimonikos]

Yeah - yeah, of course.

[He steps inside.]

Don't worry about eating in front of me. I'm not always in the mood. The stuff in your mouth, you know...

[onerthes]

mmmm. I can heat it up in a little bit. It'll be helpful this evening one way or another. You... aren't always used to some of the things mortals take for granted are you?

[as she walked into the kitchen to stow away the soup? She was all too willing to focus on other topics. Something that took her mind away from this. A bit of escapism, true, but she'd always been that way.]

[eudaimonikos]

Not really.

[He follows, idly looking around at the place.]

I'll eat at a party or whatever - to be sociable. But the entire process is sort of gross. If I have to do a mortal thing, it might be sleep. Don't like that either, but they say it helps with corruption.

[onerthes]

You know... I could admit it's a bit messy in a way. So much about us can be just a trifle bit messy can't it?

[She took a seat after putting the soup away and rested her hands on her lap.]

So much of mortal existence is inherently a little messy isn't it?

[eudaimonikos]

It is. All the biological processes.

[He'll take a seat as well! If not the metaphor!]

[onerthes]

You're... more of a spiritual entity who holds a body only out of necessity, aren't you? It must be a very surreal experience at times.

[Sighing and seating herself as well, she shook her head.]

It's not nearly as disgusting for mortals, but we're also very used to them.

[eudaimonikos]

Yeah, it can be weird. I've had this shape for a long time now - I'm used to the whole...body of it all.

[Gesturing broadly to himself.]

But I don't use all the parts all the time. Like the digestion.

[onerthes]

In some ways, I suppose it's more accurate to say you ride in the body that you wear at this time. It is able to go through the things mortals do, but you aren't required to?

[She shook her head.]

I honestly can't say I'm jealous even though I'm sure there's times it's helpful. I rather like some of the disgusting.

[eudaimonikos]

I've noticed that. People always get very attached to the grossest parts. But, I guess you have to be. It'd really suck if you were walking around feeling the way I do about it, all the time.

[Like, at least he can just opt out.]

[onerthes]

mmm, it really doesn't hurt when you always know the gross parts that you will find ways in which to enjoy them. they're part of who you are. For you? It's something that you take the form of. from time to time.

I suspect even the amount of time we've known each other is rather brief for you, isn't it?

[eudaimonikos]

Yeah, it is. But it's...different too, I guess. Like, if I'd known another demon for this long, that's nothing. With you guys, it's short, but it's not nothing.

[.....]

And with Paimon, I mean...you know, the immortals from my world.

[onerthes]

That's a good way to think of it. You understand that there's a difference when dealing with mortals. Even ones as long lived as myself. It is fleeting in the face of eternity.

What is it like, you and Paimon? You have that in common after all.

[eudaimonikos]

Well, he's...a bit different. Has his own stuff going on, you know?

[Michael honestly isn't sure how much of Paimon's issues with that cult Vira knows about, and he doesn't really consider it his place to spread that around. Everyone knows Paimon has Stuff, Generally anyway!]

It's funny, actually. I sort of think of him as a younger demon. I don't know if he literally is, but that's not really a real thing anyway. Even if we hadn't all come into being at the same moment, we don't go through any kind of development or maturation like most beings - not physically, anyway. We're basically at the adult level from the start. Emotionally, that's probably a different story...but we're not like humans with the brains that take a quarter of our lives to even start working right.

[onerthes]

[She knew... some of it, but sshe'd made so many assumptions during their conversations that she wasn't really sure she fully comprehended his situation.]

He does have a somewhat less mature attitude at times, does he not? It's hard to say exactly. With a spirit so long-existing it can be very difficult to tell what exactly is the case. I sometimes wonder how that maturity varies, because as you hinted? It doesn't seem to be based upon the actual age of the person. It's more their personality.

[Congrats, Michael, she is very distracted. both intentionally and unintentionally.]

[eudaimonikos]

Yeah, that's true. I was a childish asshole about a thousand years back - way before I met any of you guys. Our society doesn't always encourage being mature in the first place. I don't know exactly what it is...maybe, we're just never gonna run out of time, so why get our shit together?

[onerthes]

I... can see that. Maturity in mortals relates to the idea of being able to use our time in the most sensible of ways. To not waste precious resources or to think only of oneself. But when you have infinite time?

There's very little to waste, except relative to mortals you know. It's why elves who live among humans have different perspectives.

[eudaimonikos]

Infinite time and resources, really. I mean, we don't need anything. That sounds like it would set us up for a utopia, but -

[He waves a hand idly.]

Just became about status instead, I guess. Getting one over on each other. [.....] Yeah. Being with mortals is different. Everything feels like it matters more - it's more immediate.

[onerthes]

A complete lack of need can also make for a lack of motivation to do anything. It is not necessarily a utopia. Most of those concepts are built upon a motivation towards improvement.

[She coughed.]

But yes, I think I understand. As you said, everything a mortal does has a much more immediate importance. It's driven, the shorter their lives, the less their time.

[eudaimonikos]

Driven! Yes! [He snaps his fingers, like finding the right word.] Man, you would not believe how lazy so many of the other guys back there were! No work ethic!

[Which Michael has always had in spades! Even when he didn't see things from closer to a mortal perspective...well, you still have to do something with your time, don't you?]

[onerthes]

[Blink blink. Oh! She snorted a little and smirked.]

I could see it. I could see how they could end up that way. They have all the time in the world to accomplish a thing. It might even make it hard for them to worry about getting it done in the first place, yes?

[eudaimonikos]

Yeah, I guess. But there's a satisfaction, to getting stuff done!

[Preaching to the choir, he knows - or, at least, to someone who isn't one of those guys from back home.]

[onerthes]

Well, bear in mind that just because I understand them? I definitely don't think they're right to be that lazy. As lazy as I am... it is good to keep on your toes and actually do something. I'm sure you'd agree.