[ It had already been a terribly confusing few days. Jophrey had at first believed that he'd never seen this place before, but as time went on he was struck by a growing sense of maddening familiarity. He could even have sworn there were looks of recognition on some of the faces he he passed, though none had called out to him.
When the memories did come back to him, they came all at once in a disorienting rush. Avalon, kings and wizards, the magic so different from his own, the familiars...
He glanced at the gaelicat he now remembered he'd named Cid, napping in a sunny spot well away from the water and humidity of the baths. Jophrey, for his part, sunk lower into the water, trying to relax away the ache in his head and...well...the ache everywhere else.
He painted a bedraggled picture, his white hair too long and falling into his eyes, his cheeks coated with several weeks worth of beard, and he moved with the stiffness of an old man. His skin bore a fresh new coat of black and blue, a souvenir from his final confrontation with Zenos. It was accented with the pale red of many, many freshly-healed scars. He sighed, tilting his head back and resting it on the cool stone of the bath's edge. ]
By the Twelve, I am getting too old for this shite.
[ In light of everything that has happened recently - the dragon attack, the golem's destructive rampage, and the decimation of Celliwig - Emet-Selch finally caves to Hythlodaeus' nagging that he visit the Red Spring for a reprieve. He doesn't expect to see anyone familiar there. He has few friends, and those few he does know are likely to remain in the city while everyone else visits the Elphame.
And thus he stops completely dead when he hears Jophrey's voice, dampened somewhat by the steam rising off the baths.
The Ascian has stripped down, wearing only a thick bathrobe. He had picked a time, he thought, when most had already retired to their rooms. ]
How...? [ He cuts himself off and takes a half-step back. Maybe it's not too late to leave. ]
[ Too late. Jophrey turns his sleepy gaze toward the familiar voice and sits up in surprise, his wince at the sudden movement eclipsed by a warm smile. ]
I'm afraid you'll need to be a touch more specific, Hades.
[ Another wince and a grunt of pain as he shifts over to give Hades some room. ]
Pray forgive me for not seeking you out yet. The chirurgeons were most insistent I stay until I was no longer ah..."catastrophically unfit for travel," I believe they said.
[ It's not as if he was almost dead or anythi--okay, he was. But that's basically a typical Wednesday night for a Warrior of Light. ]
[ He stands there. Silent, staring, a turmoil of emotion in his heart choking in his throat. Felih is gone - but here is another of the Warriors of Light returned from oblivion. One whom he had assumed he would never see again. Memories come flooding back: of hate given and hate returned, of rebuffed attempts at reconciliation, of unasked kindness.
Is this some sort of jest? Why does Fate give and take in this obscene way? ]
...Why are you here? [ His voice is low, tight, brimming with something that feels like anger if not for the way it burns his eyes. ] Why are you here when Felih is not? Where were you? How dare you show your face now, of all times--!
[ He starts a bit at the outburst, then looks away, stricken. Felih is gone, truly? ]
Ah, I...I see.
[ Slowly and gingerly he climbs out of the water and sits on the edge of the bath, his legs still dangling in the warm water, and drapes a towel over himself for modesty. He takes a steadying breath before continuing. Apparently, Hades wasn't the only one who was close to Felih. ]
'Tis little comfort, I know, but I had no choice in leaving Avalon, nor in returning. And I know not why this place saw fit to make such a poor trade. I'm sorry.
[ He seems to take no offense to Hades' anger; he remembers well how close he and Felih were. ]
But...I do return with news.
[ He pauses as he struggles through the tale in his mind. Twelve, where to even begin? ]
We saved Etheirys from the Final Days, Hades.
[ His eyes are wide, and his tone quiet and awed, as if he can't believe it himself. ]
I don't mean just myself and the Scions, or the peoples of this star. I mean you and I. None of it would have been possible without you and Hythlodaeus.
[ His eyes are shining now as he looks directly at the former Emet-Selch, barely containing the rising flood of emotion. ]
[ He stares down at the mage, a curious lump in his throat. The other man looks so joyful, and yet he doesn't understand why. The Final Days? So long as Zodiark remained indefinitely in Hydaelyn's prison, the aetherial currents should have held steady.
His lips part. He feels numb as he responds. ]
Hythlodaeus sacrificed himself to our god. What in Zodiark's name do you mean 'we' helped? He couldn't possibly have helped anyone, not even himself.
Hydaelyn bid me go to Elpis in your time, and thence find a way to avert our extinction. 'Twas there I met you and Hythlodaeus both.
[ His mouth quirks in a wry smile. ]
And I know all too well how absolutely mad that must sound to you right now. I wouldn't have believed it myself if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. Hells, you didn't believe me either.
[ He gestures to the water around him. ]
But I've kept you from your bath long enough. 'Tis a long tale, and those are best heard while comfortable, aye?
[ He stares at the steaming water. Any desire he had to relax had quickly fled in the face of what the mage has told him. Time travel again...using the Crystal Tower, no doubt. Just the thought of being able to return to that peaceful time causes a mirthless chuckle to bubble from his lips. The chuckle turns into helpless, hysterical laughter which echoes dully in the humid air.
When the Ascian finally gets a hold of himself, he looks...lifeless. ]
[ He flinches at Hades' not-question. That reaction he was prepared for, but it still stings to be the bearer of bad news. He nods solemnly, not quite looking him in the eye. ]
...Aye.
[ His gaze drifts to the ceiling, as if he could find the answers there. ]
I was told that the Sundering was to give us some measure of protection from the Final Days' return. Our...enemy...was a creature who had vast power over Dynamis. Your people couldn't hope to defeat her unsundered; it was only through Dynamis that she could be overcome.
[ A long sigh. It's a bitter pill for even Jophrey to swallow, despite everything. ]
And that's your qualified opinion, is it? [ he snaps. ] That my people were doomed no matter what we tried, that our end was inevitable? We did not surrender to our fate then and whatever this...this dynamis is that you speak of, we would never have bowed to it!
[ Mention of Hydaelyn only incenses him further. He turns away, striding to the farther end of the pool. There, he flops on to the tiled floor, barely noticing the slight chill as it meets what skin isn't covered by his bathrobe.
Yes, he may have acknowledged the mortal races, but that didn't mean his own loss still didn't sting. ]
You cannot possibly know for certain, [ he mutters angrily. ] You cannot.
[ The water at his feet begins to churn and froth, as if responding to his anger. ]
Do you think I don't know the lengths you'd go to save your people even then? Do you think I'm that blind?
I told you everything, because I hoped...prayed...that with my warning you and Venat and Hythlodaeus could have prevented the Final Days and the Sundering both. And we came so bloody close.
[ A storm churns in the pool in front of them, and Joph continues, oblivious. ]
Hermes had sent an army of familiars to find the meaning of life on other stars. They found only death, and it drove them mad. They joined together with the despairing souls of hundreds of worlds, and gathered a enough Dynamis to obliterate a star. Our star. They called it a mercy.
[ He closes his eyes. ]
Kairos was no accident. Hermes wiped your memory so Meteon could join her sisters and usher in the Final Days without your interference. Venat and I would have shared the same fate had you and Hythlodaeus not covered our escape.
You bade me not to squander the legacy you gave me, and so I saved all that I could. 'Tis not your world, and...I'm sorry.
[ There is a gap in his memories. He has brushed it aside for so long, thinking it to be nothing. What were the loss of a few days to an endless life after all? It hadn't seemed important then. But now...now Jophrey's words itch.
He still can't remember. He doubts he will until the aetherial sea rinses his soul clean, as his people once theorised. It is preposterous though. Impossible. Even with the knowledge of how the Exarch's time-travel was made possible, the amount of aether needed would be obscene, with no guarantee that the traveller would be tangible at the end of it.
He sits there on the tiled floor, slumped over, hand gripping his wrist tightly. ]
You cannot possibly know those names. Meteion's accidental destruction left Hermes in a fugue for moons, even after he accepted his tenure. How...? How?!
[ His brow furrows in thought for a long moment before he answers. ]
He must have erased his own memory as well. 'Tis the only explanation I can think of.
[ After all, shouldn't Fandaniel have recognized him all those years later, even after so long? ]
As for how...'twas Elidibus. He used the Crystal Tower to send me back as a phantom, unseen and unheard save by a pair of distinguished visitors with extraordinarily keen aetherial senses. And 'twas one of them that lent me enough of their aether for a proper body.
[ He ducks his head and smiles. ]
Much like you did in Duplicity to save me from the pull of the Abyss. Strange how history repeats itself, aye?
I remember none of this. I travelled to Elpis on business for the Convocation and henceforth recall nothing until I came staggering out of the testing site with Hermes and Hythlodaeus. His damned construct wiped our memories, yes. He had a familiar called Meteion, yes. It all fits rather conveniently. Except for the fact that I am sure I would recall seeing someone as outlandish as one of you there.
[ It is difficult to believe that he could have forgotten something so vital. Or rather, it is difficult for him to accept that Hermes had willingly participated in thejr world's end. ]
I refuse to accept this... I refuse to believe one of our number would be so foolish--!!
[ He grunts in frustration, biting back the urge to snap back. Even after everything, it's still far, far to easy to fall into anger no matter what his original intentions are. ]
Gods above, and people say I'm stubborn. Of course you don't remember me! That was the whole point of activating Kairos in the first place!
[ His shoulders slump as he sighs. ]
And I don't know why Hermes did what he did. He seemed to think that my warning gave you...some kind of...unfair advantage against extinction? It seemed more like madness to me, not mere foolishness.
[ But is Jophrey really surprised when Hades, even back then, had refused to believe his tale? ]
Foolish man...
[ The Hermes he had known had been a gentle soul. Prone to melancholy but possessed of a deep empathy for all living things that had reflected in his care for Elpis. Ironically, that same empathy made him ill-suited to having direct control over the area. Hades had been relieved the man had accepted the offer to ascend. ]
I don't believe you. [ He shakes his head furiously, jaw set. ] The shards of him we raised have ever been prone to brooding, but he never desired to end the world. Granted, the memories we imparted would not have covered something we were never aware of...
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branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2021-12-10 07:57 am (UTC)When the memories did come back to him, they came all at once in a disorienting rush. Avalon, kings and wizards, the magic so different from his own, the familiars...
He glanced at the gaelicat he now remembered he'd named Cid, napping in a sunny spot well away from the water and humidity of the baths. Jophrey, for his part, sunk lower into the water, trying to relax away the ache in his head and...well...the ache everywhere else.
He painted a bedraggled picture, his white hair too long and falling into his eyes, his cheeks coated with several weeks worth of beard, and he moved with the stiffness of an old man. His skin bore a fresh new coat of black and blue, a souvenir from his final confrontation with Zenos. It was accented with the pale red of many, many freshly-healed scars. He sighed, tilting his head back and resting it on the cool stone of the bath's edge. ]
By the Twelve, I am getting too old for this shite.
no subject
Date: 2021-12-12 04:42 pm (UTC)And thus he stops completely dead when he hears Jophrey's voice, dampened somewhat by the steam rising off the baths.
The Ascian has stripped down, wearing only a thick bathrobe. He had picked a time, he thought, when most had already retired to their rooms. ]
How...? [ He cuts himself off and takes a half-step back. Maybe it's not too late to leave. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-12-12 11:33 pm (UTC)I'm afraid you'll need to be a touch more specific, Hades.
[ Another wince and a grunt of pain as he shifts over to give Hades some room. ]
Pray forgive me for not seeking you out yet. The chirurgeons were most insistent I stay until I was no longer ah..."catastrophically unfit for travel," I believe they said.
[ It's not as if he was almost dead or anythi--okay, he was. But that's basically a typical Wednesday night for a Warrior of Light. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-12-14 07:28 am (UTC)Is this some sort of jest? Why does Fate give and take in this obscene way? ]
...Why are you here? [ His voice is low, tight, brimming with something that feels like anger if not for the way it burns his eyes. ] Why are you here when Felih is not? Where were you? How dare you show your face now, of all times--!
no subject
Date: 2021-12-14 09:24 pm (UTC)Ah, I...I see.
[ Slowly and gingerly he climbs out of the water and sits on the edge of the bath, his legs still dangling in the warm water, and drapes a towel over himself for modesty. He takes a steadying breath before continuing. Apparently, Hades wasn't the only one who was close to Felih. ]
'Tis little comfort, I know, but I had no choice in leaving Avalon, nor in returning. And I know not why this place saw fit to make such a poor trade. I'm sorry.
[ He seems to take no offense to Hades' anger; he remembers well how close he and Felih were. ]
But...I do return with news.
[ He pauses as he struggles through the tale in his mind. Twelve, where to even begin? ]
We saved Etheirys from the Final Days, Hades.
[ His eyes are wide, and his tone quiet and awed, as if he can't believe it himself. ]
I don't mean just myself and the Scions, or the peoples of this star. I mean you and I. None of it would have been possible without you and Hythlodaeus.
[ His eyes are shining now as he looks directly at the former Emet-Selch, barely containing the rising flood of emotion. ]
Hades...you saved our star.
no subject
Date: 2021-12-16 10:18 am (UTC)His lips part. He feels numb as he responds. ]
Hythlodaeus sacrificed himself to our god. What in Zodiark's name do you mean 'we' helped? He couldn't possibly have helped anyone, not even himself.
no subject
Date: 2021-12-18 08:32 pm (UTC)[ His mouth quirks in a wry smile. ]
And I know all too well how absolutely mad that must sound to you right now. I wouldn't have believed it myself if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. Hells, you didn't believe me either.
[ He gestures to the water around him. ]
But I've kept you from your bath long enough. 'Tis a long tale, and those are best heard while comfortable, aye?
no subject
Date: 2021-12-23 03:19 pm (UTC)When the Ascian finally gets a hold of himself, he looks...lifeless. ]
But my world is still dead, I take it.
[ It's not a question. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-12-27 02:13 pm (UTC)Erm...are you going to be all right?
[ He flinches at Hades' not-question. That reaction he was prepared for, but it still stings to be the bearer of bad news. He nods solemnly, not quite looking him in the eye. ]
...Aye.
[ His gaze drifts to the ceiling, as if he could find the answers there. ]
I was told that the Sundering was to give us some measure of protection from the Final Days' return. Our...enemy...was a creature who had vast power over Dynamis. Your people couldn't hope to defeat her unsundered; it was only through Dynamis that she could be overcome.
[ A long sigh. It's a bitter pill for even Jophrey to swallow, despite everything. ]
And 'twould seem Hydaelyn spoke true.
no subject
Date: 2021-12-27 04:11 pm (UTC)[ Mention of Hydaelyn only incenses him further. He turns away, striding to the farther end of the pool. There, he flops on to the tiled floor, barely noticing the slight chill as it meets what skin isn't covered by his bathrobe.
Yes, he may have acknowledged the mortal races, but that didn't mean his own loss still didn't sting. ]
You cannot possibly know for certain, [ he mutters angrily. ] You cannot.
no subject
Date: 2021-12-28 10:34 am (UTC)[ The water at his feet begins to churn and froth, as if responding to his anger. ]
Do you think I don't know the lengths you'd go to save your people even then? Do you think I'm that blind?
I told you everything, because I hoped...prayed...that with my warning you and Venat and Hythlodaeus could have prevented the Final Days and the Sundering both. And we came so bloody close.
[ A storm churns in the pool in front of them, and Joph continues, oblivious. ]
Hermes had sent an army of familiars to find the meaning of life on other stars. They found only death, and it drove them mad. They joined together with the despairing souls of hundreds of worlds, and gathered a enough Dynamis to obliterate a star. Our star. They called it a mercy.
[ He closes his eyes. ]
Kairos was no accident. Hermes wiped your memory so Meteon could join her sisters and usher in the Final Days without your interference. Venat and I would have shared the same fate had you and Hythlodaeus not covered our escape.
You bade me not to squander the legacy you gave me, and so I saved all that I could. 'Tis not your world, and...I'm sorry.
no subject
Date: 2022-01-02 04:40 pm (UTC)He still can't remember. He doubts he will until the aetherial sea rinses his soul clean, as his people once theorised. It is preposterous though. Impossible. Even with the knowledge of how the Exarch's time-travel was made possible, the amount of aether needed would be obscene, with no guarantee that the traveller would be tangible at the end of it.
He sits there on the tiled floor, slumped over, hand gripping his wrist tightly. ]
You cannot possibly know those names. Meteion's accidental destruction left Hermes in a fugue for moons, even after he accepted his tenure. How...? How?!
[ Is that what truly happened that day? ]
no subject
Date: 2022-01-06 11:06 am (UTC)He must have erased his own memory as well. 'Tis the only explanation I can think of.
[ After all, shouldn't Fandaniel have recognized him all those years later, even after so long? ]
As for how...'twas Elidibus. He used the Crystal Tower to send me back as a phantom, unseen and unheard save by a pair of distinguished visitors with extraordinarily keen aetherial senses. And 'twas one of them that lent me enough of their aether for a proper body.
[ He ducks his head and smiles. ]
Much like you did in Duplicity to save me from the pull of the Abyss. Strange how history repeats itself, aye?
no subject
Date: 2022-01-09 03:57 pm (UTC)I remember none of this. I travelled to Elpis on business for the Convocation and henceforth recall nothing until I came staggering out of the testing site with Hermes and Hythlodaeus. His damned construct wiped our memories, yes. He had a familiar called Meteion, yes. It all fits rather conveniently. Except for the fact that I am sure I would recall seeing someone as outlandish as one of you there.
[ It is difficult to believe that he could have forgotten something so vital. Or rather, it is difficult for him to accept that Hermes had willingly participated in thejr world's end. ]
I refuse to accept this... I refuse to believe one of our number would be so foolish--!!
no subject
Date: 2022-01-11 03:44 pm (UTC)Gods above, and people say I'm stubborn. Of course you don't remember me! That was the whole point of activating Kairos in the first place!
[ His shoulders slump as he sighs. ]
And I don't know why Hermes did what he did. He seemed to think that my warning gave you...some kind of...unfair advantage against extinction? It seemed more like madness to me, not mere foolishness.
no subject
Date: 2022-01-16 08:51 am (UTC)Foolish man...
[ The Hermes he had known had been a gentle soul. Prone to melancholy but possessed of a deep empathy for all living things that had reflected in his care for Elpis. Ironically, that same empathy made him ill-suited to having direct control over the area. Hades had been relieved the man had accepted the offer to ascend. ]
I don't believe you. [ He shakes his head furiously, jaw set. ] The shards of him we raised have ever been prone to brooding, but he never desired to end the world. Granted, the memories we imparted would not have covered something we were never aware of...
[ His fists clench. ] Utterly preposterous.