un: eudaimonikos; video

[eudaimonikos]

Hello, Trench! Boy, that's a fun name for a city, isn't it? Trrrrrrench. Sounds...about like what it is, I guess.

So! [He claps his hands together.] Who's here from Deerington? Man, it must've been at least a century since I saw you guys! How's it been? Oh - oh, and look! Eleanor made it too!

[He reaches off-screen to fling his arm around the neck of what, when he pulls it over in front of the camera, proves to be an enormous dappled grey Warg. Her teeth are huge. She's still wearing her enchanted leather war-armor, which really just makes the optics here worse.]

This is my dog, Eleanor! Also, I'm Michael, for all the new folks. I was in the nightmare city before this one, and then I went home for a little bit.

So - what's everyone up to? And what's with the new phones? Are we all using weird, smoky first-generation birds as phones now?

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video; un: diarmuid

[thenovice]

Hello, Michael!

I cannot tell if you mean it when you say it's been a century!

[He holds up a hand and waves it eagerly, his robe's sleeve flapping about.

... Yes, that's a perfect reunion with friends! Nobody can say otherwise!]

[eudaimonikos]

I do! Probably - time's different in the afterlife, but it comes out to about that much. How've you been, Diarmuid?

[thenovice]

I've been well!

And apparently a sea squid for a time.

But...! I have been fortunate enough to find my cabin and my rabbit, and many of my friends, so I suppose I can't complain, can I?

[eudaimonikos]

Ha! Yeah, boy, that was weird, huh?

[Let's never discuss it again!!!]

I heard about people finding their houses, too. Still looking around for mine. Where'd yours end up?

[thenovice]

Mine ended up on the outskirts of Shiver — by the Waystation the Dog Keeper lives at? It's a bit of a walk, but that just means not much has changed for me, I suppose. Everything's... just as I had left it, too.

Perhaps my cabin was offended I'd moved on without it.

[eudaimonikos]

Oh! Is Doug here?

[thenovice]

... Oh! Yes, 'Doug'! Right.

I do believe it is — truly Doug. Isn't that wonderful news? He lives among us!

[eudaimonikos]

Oh, that's great! That guy really - he was a good dude. I should go see him sometime. Did...is...are any of the other folks around?

[The people like Doug, anyway - not the Sleepers.]

[thenovice]

... You mean... Ah.

[He rubs a hand across his face, thoughtful.]

I think... Cynthia is here amongst us, too. Not as we knew her, but it is her presence nonetheless.

[eudaimonikos]

Ah. Well, that's...good. Good for her. I'd hoped she'd...figure something new out.

[Though it's awkward, because...well, that's the exact logic he'd followed in destroying Julia's egg, too.]

[thenovice]

[... He had heard of such unfortunate things, yes.

The destruction of the eggs, it did not go quite as everyone had... hoped...

But-]

Better than being trapped within herself. She had been so unhappy, in Deerington.

Now at least, she may have some purpose. More than just... being a tired mother.

[eudaimonikos]

Mmmmm.

[He still sounds a little depressed; thinking about Julia always brings him down. But...]

Yeah. I'm big on immortals spending time with mortals, but I guess it didn't end that great for her.

[thenovice]

So it seems.

Do you enjoy it? Being with mortals? It must... be a little strange. Or perhaps there isn't as much difference as one would think between the two?

[eudaimonikos]

...no. No, it's different. But in a good way. I prefer it, honestly, I've only got one immortal friend back home. And even she's...well, she's a lot younger than I am. It's not really the same.

[thenovice]

Ah.

Then we are like babies to you!

[eudaimonikos]

Ha! [Michael barks out a laugh.] Sure, I guess. Though we don't have those, that's a mortal thing. Or maybe just an organic being thing, I don't know.

[thenovice]

That seems so unpleasant, to be without children at play... though I am one to talk; I was the only child in a group of monks, many already gray! So what do I really know of children playing, when I was the only one to participate?

Still... I do wish I could have had someone younger to look after.

I think it would have made me very happy.

[eudaimonikos]

Huh. I mean...I like taking care of humans? Just regular ones. Kids would be fine, too, I guess...it just doesn't come up as much.

[He means he likes making things nice for adults, which might be a totally different thing from taking care of kids, but he's trying real hard to connect to this.]

[thenovice]

It's certainly very different to care for adults compared to children.

They've got very different ways of being, do they not? Children need more help and may frustrate you, but they are refreshing in both their honesty and liveliness.

[eudaimonikos]

They...cry a lot.

[Thanks, buddy.]

Some of them, at least. Others take finding out that they're dead surprisingly well! Better than the adults!

[thenovice]

... Finding out that they're dead?

[Sorry, he's a little slow on the uptake.

Maybe a touch caught off-guard by the talk of dead kids, you know how it is.]

[eudaimonikos]

I'm...from the afterlife. Not a lot of chances to run into live ones.

[Look, he knows that humans find dead kids in particular off-putting, but - for whatever it may say about him - he never has. It's just a fact; there's an awful lot of them. With his new perspective, he does think it's a shame that they got so little time on Earth, but he could say the same of all humans.]

[thenovice]

R-right. Afterlife.

That's — it must be very disorienting, to be in a place where nobody stays dead.

[eudaimonikos]

[Michael shrugs.]

Not really. Never had much experience with people dying in the first place. Everyone I knew before humans was just immortal - I never really even knew anyone to get retired.

[thenovice]

Oh, I suppose that must be so.

Then if anything, it is disorienting to be in a place where people are dying around you often.