deernet | Video; un: lothrat

[Ezra has a Sword of Agency laid across his lap when he flips on the camera to his Omni. The very observant might note he's in one of the safehouses Ruby clued him into. He looks thoughtful.]

I've had enough time travel and other weirdness going on in my life for the last year that I wasn't sure how far off my count of subjective days might be. But I woke up to this sword, which gives off some pretty interesting vibes. So either my Blessed Day is a really random day, or it's my birthday.

I'm going with it being my birthday. Nineteen.

I've always pretty much hated my birthday, as long as I remember. Some of it's personal, but even the personal stuff is tied to the fact that the day I was born, the galaxy where I'm from changed, and not, in my estimation - and a whole lot of other people's - for the better.

There's no, like, cosmic or destined implications to the fact I was born that day, by the way. Not as far as I know. Just cause and effect, maybe. Stress can lead to early births, right? I'm just a kid from a backwater planet in a big galaxy. My parents weren't anyone important.

But sometimes my birthday felt like a curse.

None of that baggage came from here. I'd like to try to put some of it down, you know? [He peers towards a window.]

It's looking bad out there, but if you want to brave it, I've got a big pot of mushroom stew on, and I think I'm gonna see if I can get this thing to project a movie. Not exactly a dazzling party, but it's more than I usually celebrate. Some company would be great. Or just talk to me on here.

Any suggestions for a must watch?

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Thank you, Ezra.

I... well, if you do have questions, I don't mind answering, the least I can do for making you have to keep another secret on your birthday.

[He debates, for a breath, whether to take her up on that offer.]

I'm sure it's complicated.

[And painful. If the dream of Serenity is true, even metaphorically somehow - that's a lot of pain. Which is why he wants to be careful what he asks.]

Can you...do you mind explaining how you're both Usagi and Serenity? That's more than a matter of an alias, I can tell that much.

Ah. [She inhales.]

I can... it's sort of... a long story...

But I suppose the short version is that I am Usagi and Serenity, both. I am the reincarnated body of Princess Serenity.

The longer version...

The... war you saw, it did happen. It wiped out the entire Lunarian population. The humans were almost destroyed too, the damage was so great it wiped out their kingdom and they had to start anew, a dark age of sorts, and there were so few survivors, the war wasn't even a myth or legend it was just... forgotten. The thing is... there was a sole survivor of the Lunarians from that war, except it wasn't me. It was my mother.

With the last of her powers, she sealed away the great evil that had caused the war and allowed me and the others to be reborn.

I was reborn on Earth, thousands upon thousands of years later, I and the others had been reborn as humans, hoping that life as a human would give me... would give ALL of us a chance to be happy this time, to live away from war and strife and the power struggles between Lunarians and humans, to live out our dreams.

But with my rebirth... the ancient evil, her seal was thinning. And then, about when I was 13 or 14, it was broken by an old enemy who had been reborn, too.

Because Metalia's seal had been broken, she sought out the power of the Lunarians once more, to rule the entire planet once more, I also had to be awoken to defend myself and to take up the royal duty as Earth's guardian and protector.

Rather than sealing the evil, I killed her. I also restored my kingdom, that part of the dream was true too. And I was given the choice: rather than go about rebuilding the Moon Kingdom as her new queen, I chose to remain on Earth with my new family and precious people.

So I am both Usagi Tsukino and Serenity, you see.

Edited 2022-03-14 00:32 (UTC)

[He's quiet a moment, as he tries to sort through what is, to be fair, a lot of information.]

You have some of your mother's memories? Or was that just....dream logic?

What do you mean?

[She isn't sure how he got to her mother's memories regarding all this.]

You said it was your mother who was the sole survivor of the war. But it was you standing in the ruins of it, in the dream.

She was the sole survivor, but I returned to the moon before I restored it after I was reincarnated. Only a computer program hologram of her remained by the time I got there.

Those ruins are as much mine as they were hers.

[He is no way, shape, or form, going to argue with that - especially as one of the few inheritors of the legacy of the Jedi. He regards her solemnly.]

I understand.

Thank you for telling me all of that, Usagi-san.

[A small nod.]

Thank you for not demanding answers.

We've gotten way off track from your birthday.

Edited 2022-03-26 18:39 (UTC)

...not so far, in some ways.

Like I said in the dream, the Jedi Order was dying, while I was being born. That's true for Luke, too - we were born like a day or two apart, at most. Although I don't know when he might be celebrating his birthday. I'm basing mine on my subjective age.

Figuring out what to do with that legacy - what to do with it, and ourselves, here, away from its origins.

[He spread his hands.]

I can't speak for Jedi, I don't know their ways, but I'll ask you these questions and you can decide for yourself, as a Jedi, if that's what is being asked of you.

Would they want you to only focus on the tragedy of what happened, to get to this day and only ever think of what was lost?

Would the legacy the Jedi want you to have been one of misery and suffering?

No. Never.

I think they'd say: Grief is natural, and pain is part of life. But you shouldn't cling to it. It can become an attachment that warps your intentions and clouds your judgement.

They'd say to let go.

Then I guess I'll let you decide what to do with that answer, Ezra.

[He shifts his Omni, so he can give the screen a bit of a bow, with a hint of teasing glint in his eyes.]

Thank you for that lesson, Usagi Tsukino.

[Then he breaks into a grin.]

And the birthday wishes, of course.

Uuuh why are you bowing?

But also, you're welcome.

....old fashioned Jedi manners. [He rolls his eyes at himself.]

I was trying to be a little funny about it. [He'd thought she might get the joke, but nevermind.]

Oh. [She's glad he's not chalking it up to her being... well... royalty.]

Sorry I didn't get the joke.

[Good news, Usagi - Ezra's never bowed to royalty just because they're royalty once in his life, and it's a streak he has no particular interest in breaking.

He grins helplessly.]

No, it's fine. I'm a dork.

A cute dork though, so you can be forgiven.

Have a happy birthday, Ezra.

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