Conversation Space: The Ultimate

[powersthatbe]

You feel as if you've stepped through a door.

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[fridgeninja]

Souji considers that in sober silence for a long moment. Callous as the logic is, unpleasant as dying is, she has a point he can't casually brush aside. After a moment, he decides he agrees. The real point of contention isn't about the Travelers, it's about whether to put the natives or the Arcana first.

"What are your goals?" he asks, changing the subject a little, and offering her the next spoonful he retrieves from the container as a diplomatic gesture.

[cupidand]

She actually smiles, if only for a brief second, before licking the ice cream sensuously from the spoon. "Now? Keep watch over you, I guess. It's pretty much all I've got left as stake in the game. I didn't even manage to get clear of the special qualifying round. And Elphie fell out of ambit, which is about the worst possible thing for poor Zak." She shrugs. "Maybe help where I can for who I can. It's only cheating if you get caught, right?"

[fridgeninja]

"I don't think we ever got a clear enough explanation of the rules to recognize cheating," he says, smiling at her smile, and at something that sounds a little more like empathy from her. He'd like to encourage that.

[cupidand]

"Well no," she says. "You're game pieces. A bishop doesn't need to know all the rules of chess, just that it moves diagonally."

[fridgeninja]

"But if another player tries to illegally promote a piece to gold general, if I knew about it, I might be able to stop it - and help your goals."

[cupidand]

"True," she says. "Okay. So. In the broadest terms, any interference in rounds not your own is considered cheating. And during round two, claiming Travelers when it's not your round to claim is also cheating. Oh, and half of anything ROSE does is cheating. Basically, if it ends up with Penuel making a face like they're sucking a lemon, it's cheating."

[fridgeninja]

Souji nods steadily. All right, he understands most of that, and it sounds relatively straightforward. "And what happens if someone is caught cheating?" he asks. "It seems like usually, they get away with it..."

[cupidand]

"Well yeah, for now they do," Lovers says with a shrug. "Punishing people would require a quorum and there's enough of us who see it in our interests that cheating isn't punished. But that's now, when we're all relative equals. When the World is achieved, the Arcana that gets it could punish people." She makes a face. "And will, probably, if Penuel's the one. It's according to their idiom, but they make it very obvious that the five of us have been judged and found wanting. Uh, that's Mei and ROSE--and me and SAGE and MALBOLGE."

[fridgeninja]

Souji pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose, thinking fast. Empress had shown an interest in the baby outside her proper turn, and the rest were all involved in the Grid - he can put those pieces together pretty straightforwardly, he thinks. The weddding might also be laid at PSYCHE's feet...

"Does anyone get punished if we win?" he asks, gesturing back and forth between the two of them with his spoon. He assumes cheating would be less of a consideration, but there's her grudge against SAGE to consider, and he's not sure who else that might spill over to.

[cupidand]

"We can't win," she says--and she angrily spoons a large chunk of ice cream into her mouth. "I can't even play for real. I lost the qualifying match, after I'd worked so hard to get back in. If we had--I dunno. 'S not like I could kill SAGE without creating another imbalance and I'd like some time to enjoy my victory before we did that again. Maybe stick him somewhere where he can't run away and hide. That would serve him right. And it'd be kind of tempting to mess with Penuel a little too..."

She sighs. "It doesn't matter. Ugh, and I'd had such great plans for what I was going to do with the World if I got it. I was gonna make a nice planet for everyone with all that stuff mortals like, like chairs and beverages and winter dances and object permanence and staying with the people you love--and then I was going throw open all the dungeon doors and pull everyone out of ambit back in so they wouldn't be left behind--and then you'd all have a nice home together and you could keep all the important bonds and relationships you made here." She scoops up another chunk of ice cream and shoves it in her mouth.

"It could have been great," she says, a little muffled.

[fridgeninja]

So. She'd been planning on keeping them imprisoned forever, as her private soap opera. That... was a little disappointing, but not a surprise. And it didn't particularly matter, now that it couldn't happen.

"I suppose I meant... will you be helping MALBOLGE or one of the others to win now? Is there a new goal?"

[cupidand]

She nods, spoon in her mouth. She takes it out to say, "And if xie doesn't work out... Mei, probably. Me and Mei, we're fond of each other. Otherwise, I guess maybe Cairbre would do. I mean, Cairbre is Cairbre. It's kind of a dope, but it's a friendly dope and doesn't hate anyone. I just need to make sure that jerk SAGE doesn't win. Or Penuel."

[fridgeninja]

"I think it would be easier to persuade Travelers to support Mei or Cairbre," he volunteers after a moment of thought. "They've both made a good impression on a lot of people."

[cupidand]

"We'll go with Mei first," she says. "She's a sweetheart. Me and her used to have a thing together, you know."

[fridgeninja]

"It doesn't surprise me to learn," he says. He hadn't known, but it would never really surprise him to learn Lovers-san had a relationship, no matter who it was with. Except Hermit.

[cupidand]

"Mm. Then she and Hakan became an item for real and not just symbolically and that was that. He's fine with her dallying with mortals, but not the rest of us."

[fridgeninja]

"I'm sorry it happened that way," he says, diplomatically. "For someone like you, that can't have been easy."

[cupidand]

"Yeah," Psyche says, with a sigh. "It wasn't. She was so soft, you know? MALBOLGE is great, but xie's hard. You kinda need both. So yeah, I miss it. A lot, really. A girl has certain drives and all and it's not like there's all that many of us that understand recreation reproduction. Mei, Hakan, MALBOLGE... Lune, sort of, though she's more into being romanced and vamping for the sake of vamping. If she actually goes to bed with you, it's less for the sex and more because she's trying to screw with you a bit." She snickers. "Pun accidental."

and here's where the musebox thread will dovetail

[fridgeninja]

"...I understand," Souji answers. "Mm. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get permission to help you with your recreation. Since it would hurt my partners' feelings, that's not something I can do to them... I'm sure you understand."

I see!

[cupidand]

Psyche looks disappointed, slumping against the loveseat. "Yeah. I kinda figured it might be like that. You've got cute girlfriends, but they're kinda jealous." She looks at him. "Do I at least get a kiss?"

[fridgeninja]

Souji considers a moment. As a one-time thing, apology or consolation, that ought to be all right. At least, it isn't a transgression on the same scale. "One kiss is something I could explain," he concedes, nodding, the faintest of smiles briefly on his lips.

[cupidand]

She leans over, then, and cupping his cheek with her hand, begins a long and leisurely kiss.

[fridgeninja]

Souji kisses back, not shy or impersonal, but not encouraging either, taking the kiss for what it is, and putting genuine, if restrained feeling into it; the end of this chapter of their story deserves nothing less.

I GOT THE THREADS MIXED UP

[cupidand]

Finally she pulls back. "Guess I can't have another," she says, ruefully. "It's too bad. You're a good kisser. I'm glad to have you on my team."

[fridgeninja]

"I'm glad to be on your team," he says, honestly, offering her a smile. "We have some differences, but considering everything, I still think we're suited for each other. I hope we can keep finding ways to work together, and learn more about each other."