Conversation Space III.

[powersthatbe]

A poured concrete floor and cinder block walls are lit by a single bare light bulb hanging overhead. Shackles dangle from brackets on every side, and the chair in the center of the room is clearly an electric chair. A tall glass sits on top of a stool made of what looks like pure gold - but the liquid inside it is almost definitely blood.

Comments

[leftbehindagain]

...How charming.

Then again, from the looks of Liminal Space, this was going to be a pretty somber combination regardless. Naoki's just glad that he knows who he's here to talk to. Before his company (host, more accurately) arrives, he decides he might as well try showing the network - if it works, great, if it doesn't, oh well.

"I'm starting to think I should have brought my own drink."

[callmemeibe]

After the small livestream on the psychic network, the man carefully adjusts his clothing, which Naoki can now see is a simple but nice black kimono, with all the formal trappings, his kimono crossed in the funerary custom of right over left. He stretches out a bony hand to reach for a thematic bottle, pouring a bit into the nearest glass for himself. The other glass, however, remains untouched.

"You can create your own drinks, now, yes?" He asks, motioning to the empty glass beside the empty metal chair.

[leftbehindagain]

Naoki cuts off the network broadcast with a quick goodbye as he sits down, just so he doesn't leave everyone expecting answers. His attention needs to be fully on this, after all, not split between it and half of everyone wondering how he managed to get through where no one else has.

"The long way, sure, but out of thin air... not so much. I don't have much left over from the last holiday party." There might still be a Divine Wind or two rattling around in the depths of his hammerspace, but most of what little he still has are Ragnaroks, and he doesn't much feel like melting his esophagus right now. Anything that'd leave him hoarse would probably be counterproductive.

[callmemeibe]

"I see," Death answers, before taking the skull-bottle once more into his hands and pouring just a little into Naoki's glass, making it more of a taster than anything. "I assume by now, you Travelers understand why we are bringing you here. I also understand you likely have many questions. Where would you like to begin?"

He replaces the skull bottle on the stool, and grasps his own glass, not drinking from it just yet.

[leftbehindagain]

"...You know, that's a good question." There are a few things he doesn't have to ask, simply by virtue of having landed himself in this particular chat thanks to his own choices. (Given the decor, he's especially glad for that part.) There's also pretty good odds he's the only one relatively happy to be here for a private conversation. As for some of what's come to light from other people's discussions, he'd rather chew on that on his own, for the time being.

Death wouldn't necessarily be a bad entity to ask about the lowercase version, but Naoki's pretty sure those questions will be better off in Naoto's hands.

"Well, I'm sure there are some things you think I ought to know about the general situation," he finally says. "And I don't know what I should call you, other than the obvious. How about we start with those two points and see where that takes us?"

[callmemeibe]

"Call me what you like," Death answers with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders. "I do not take pleasure in using any particular name. I've used Mortimer, this cycle; I've used many others before that. Death would also be acceptable."

He fixes his gaze to Naoki, then, steepling his fingers as he leans forward in the chair. "I expect my Chosen to follow my ideals in the coming phase. I understand you and your friends know the Arcana's ideals better than most. What I don't want is violent disruption. Sudden, calamitous change. That is Tower's domain, not mine... and I doubt you would be interested in letting Tower win this particular game."

[leftbehindagain]

Well, in that case, he'll figure out a name to use on his own.

"No, not so much. Individual people might need the kick in the ass every now and then, but that's not really such a good thing on a wider scale. Besides, if we can have more than a one-jaunt break from the damn fires, that'd be nice." Why does everything end up on fire all the time. Why.

On the other hand, that's not the most pressing question he's got.

"It doesn't take much observation to connect the stuff in these last couple Liminals to whoever's around to talk to people," he says, after a contemplative sip of his drink. "Nor that they've been in order. And given what's out there right now and how people are reacting to those computer terminals, that would suggest you had at least a partial hand in Moebius, which I have yet to hear anything pleasant about. Why?"

He's not expecting a complete answer, as such. That'd be hoping for a lot. But he can't help wondering why any of them would think Groundhog Day Torture Hour was a good place to send people.

[callmemeibe]

Mortimer scoffs, but it is an amused scoff, as if it rings too true. "Thankfully, my turns have been more fireproof than most."

He takes a long time to consider his answer, his deep and sunken eyes clearly showing his calculated efforts. When he finally does have an answer, he sits up, properly, to look more the authoritative figure. But his bony hands are tightly clutching the armrests, and his face is dangerously grim.

"That, at least, is a simple answer: because it wasn't meant to be pleasant. It was meant to punish." He lets that sink in for a few seconds, before adding, "I assume you now have more questions."

[leftbehindagain]

"There is that." He's still a little impressed they got through January without more than a couple of discontented rumblings.

And then the answer takes Naoki somewhat by surprise, as much for its candidness as its content.

"Expecting all of these things to be a walk in the park would be a bit much. The sorts of issues that seem to draw your attention - well, some of them were always bound to be messy. I definitely can't help wondering what called for that level of intervention, though."

[callmemeibe]

Death gets angry, then, his blue eyes hard with cold fury. "No, I never expected you to complete each Jaunt successfully. There are always stumbling blocks in the beginning. But I certainly did not expect to have to be the ones to punish you for a rebellion the likes of which was not in Fortune's rules. Furthermore, I never expected Moebius to be a walk in the park. In fact I never wanted a capital punishment for you lot. It is only by happy accident that you Travelers didn't descend into psychosis after the fact. The collective memory loss of the veterans is the only blessing to come from that round, a round which I despise having my name attached to, frankly."

He rubs a bony temple, then, his anger slowly dimming to irritation. "You know my kind better than most. You know what makes me tick better than most. Do you think I wanted any of that to occur? Do you think I revel in that kind of butchery?"

[leftbehindagain]

"Hey, I'm coming at this from a position of relatively good faith." And, admittedly, the luxury of not having been anywhere near the jaunt in question. "Of course you wouldn't have wanted it to get that bad - I can only think of two who would, maybe a third by way of her alliances, and I made a point of avoiding them. I'm just trying to understand as best I can, which is... more than a lot of people seem willing to do, lately. That was more a reflection on what half the Travelers seem to expect than ascribing anything to you yourself."

The explanation as it stands wouldn't be good enough for Yua, but then, Naoki's not sure anything would. Whether it'd satisfy anyone who actually went through Moebius is an open question, but she was the one he talked to the most, before she disappeared.

Is it enough for him to live with? Possibly. In any case, he wouldn't have made this choice, as much as any of the Travelers have had the ability to, if he thought Death was a bad egg.

[callmemeibe]

"Indeed. October and Matthew are not so eager as you," he answers, quirking an eyebrow. "But our kind have always been seen a bit... different, for those in your world."

Death scoffs. "Alliances indeed. Psyche - Miss Arrows - is not to be trusted either. But that is only a guess on my part. I certainly don't trust her. Regardless... I cannot let her win. Nor the other two you mentioned. The Travelers deserve better than that."

[leftbehindagain]

"I'd been wondering about Matthew-san, but actually asking him would have done less than no good, all told." The circumstances aligned too perfectly for Naoki to ignore it, after Kanji pointed out the information packets, but considering their last... argument about their hosts, well. "Otherwise, I can't say that I have much idea of who you had your eye on."

Toby's not entirely surprising, from what little he knows about her, but that was hardly enough for him to make an educated guess.

"What is it you have in mind for the end of this?"

[callmemeibe]

"All of you were to be Chosen eventually. That was never much of a secret." He shakes his head a little, frustrated. "But I like to think I have been more forthcoming about my offers than some of the others."

Mortimer raises an eyebrow, before adding, "Precisely the end of this."

[leftbehindagain]

"And that would be why I wanted to go into it with my eyes open, as much as possible. Better than being caught off guard by it. Who else did you pick up?" Normally he wouldn't ask, but denying the curiosity's there would be a little silly.

"...Ah." It's an endgame that makes sense, all things considered, but Naoki's still quiet for a while. "Not the sort of end where we forget it even happened, I hope."

[callmemeibe]

"I have five Chosen, including you. The others are Yosuke, Malik, Matthew, and October."

He gives a small sigh of relief when Naoki seems to understand his meaning. "You know me better than most. Come now, think for a minute. I am all about entering into a new state of being, not staying trapped in the old."

[leftbehindagain]

Okay, Malik makes some sense, from what Naoki knows of him - but it's the first name on the list that trips him up. "Hanamura?"

...Excuse Naoki while he cracks the fuck up, but at least the smile when he finally stops laughing is genuine. "God, we really do have more in common than either of us want to believe, don't we."

They've reached a point where having to work together won't be a total disaster and may in fact go pretty well. And in a way, it's really not a surprise.

"I thought it was worth double-checking, but... good. An end where I lose everything I've gained so far isn't one I can accept."

[callmemeibe]

"Well, you can't have it all. Giving you the power to float back and forth between Liminal Space and Inaba freely would defeat the purpose of an ending."

[leftbehindagain]

"Well, no, I wouldn't expect that much." Some of his friends might be less than thrilled with the idea of the whole enterprise ending, but that's neither here nor there, right now.

"And that's not really what I meant anyway. I've changed too much. Grown too much. I can't turn my back on all that. Perhaps more to the point, I don't want to. Forgetting it even happened... no."

[callmemeibe]

"Indeed, but one mustn't stay caught in the past. I believe you know that better than most. You still have plenty of room to grow, to change."

Mortimer steeples his fingers, silently contemplating. "Do you have further questions of me?"

[leftbehindagain]

"The point's been thoroughly made by now, yes." And the fact that he's here at all says he listened to the lesson.

"Your... fallen colleagues. Can they be revived?"

'Should they' and 'would you' are natural subsets of the question, but that's the easiest place to start with it.

[callmemeibe]

Mortimer sighs, clearly displeased with the question as worded. But nonetheless, he tries.

"I see no harm in restoring our number to twenty-two, if only because of some of my other colleagues' stances on it. It's easy to tell, for some of us - Three and Four have not exactly been subtle in their wishes on the matter, particularly regarding Seventeen. And for others... well, take Zero. It's impossible to tell what that bastard's thinking, since he's always thinking of Nothing. And I don't think Fifteen or Sixteen will be happy with anyone's return. Sixteen might actively oppose it."

Then, Death frowns. "It is... not impossible. But that does not mean it will be easy, nor does it mean it will be successful. From a practical standpoint, it would take far too many variables in far too specific an order to return them as they were when they died. There are some other methods which could be attempted... but one must decide whether the payoff would outweigh the risks involved."

[leftbehindagain]

Well, of course the archetypal parents would want the whole family back together. And of course Devil and Tower wouldn't be happy with the idea, probably for different reasons. But those are things Naoki can ponder later.

(Perhaps the real surprise is that distaste for Fool. Beginnings without change, maybe?)

He nods. "I'd guess that when you're dealing with archetypes there's only so much change that can happen, but that doesn't mean it wouldn't be tricky. I mean, if it were easy some of your number would've already done it, from the sound of things."

[callmemeibe]

It doesn't seem to be vehement dislike, but a mutual bewilderment. Regardless...

"If it were easy, then we wouldn't have had to end the trip to Boston so suddenly," Death answers with a sigh. "But that is neither here nor there. The simple answer is: it can be done, but it is unclear whether it should be done, for many of us."

[leftbehindagain]

So one of them was in danger on that jaunt, but didn't end up dead. Interesting. But Naoki doesn't really know enough about that to pursue it.

Something to think on later, then, alongside the matter of Star.

"Why would it be unclear?"