Conversation Space: The Ultimate

[powersthatbe]

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

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Comments

[smokeandcarbs]

"I was told a little about your competition." he chews on the biscuits thoughtfully. "But why me? And why you and me?"

[callmemeibe]

"I value self-control, patience, compassion, stability, perseverance. Kindness, gentleness, softness, serenity, comprehension, discipline, inner strength. I find many of these things in you."

[smokeandcarbs]

That's all very flattering, though Jean finds it hard to believe that even half of those adjectives could be used to describe himself. Besides, kidnapping people with very specific personality traits to win a competition seems to be such taxing work.

Not very different from seeking like-minded companions.

"...Were you feeling lonely?"

[callmemeibe]

Her eyebrows furrow a little bit in concern as she places her teacup down. "I do not understand the question."

[smokeandcarbs]

The lady is a strange one. And it's not just the arms.

"Sometimes our own company is not enough. We need people who think and act a little like us to feel happy."

[callmemeibe]

She may be strange, but at least she's friendly.

"Choosing you was not an act of loneliness. It was an act of partnership. Imbuing a like-minded individual with my trust. With my hope and power, too. That is the way Fortune transformed Synodiporia."

[smokeandcarbs]

Friendly is always a good thing. Probably.

Jean doesn't know much about the tarot, but he has a good memory at least.

"Do you mean the Wheel of Fortune? One of the other arcana?"

[callmemeibe]

She nods, then hesitantly adds, "She is dead."

[smokeandcarbs]

He puts the tea cup down, trying to read the meaning behind that pause on her face.

"I'm sorry. May I ask how?"

[callmemeibe]

"You may, but it is... difficult to answer." She clearly is frowning, saddened by the loss of one of her own, but she keeps her posture stoic and, most importantly, stable. Strong.

"She was a dear friend, Fortuna. I liked her very much. But her round has been fraught with troubles. And one such trouble claimed her life."

[smokeandcarbs]

Jean can understand both the poetic and philosophical implications of Fortune and Strength being close, or so he believes. Still, there is something he would like to know for sure:

"What round was that?"

[callmemeibe]

"This round." She answers, her expression troubled. "We lost four. It is a tragedy we've lost so many. So many..."

Strength seems to consider something for a moment, then she adds, "And I was almost the fifth."

[smokeandcarbs]

He doesn't believe in any of this. Not even the horror stories about the last Jaunt. At least not completely. Not yet. But the information she volunteered seems to demand only one reaction:

"What can I do to help you avoid becoming endangered again?"

[callmemeibe]

"I am fine; I recovered fully. Newport was... good for me." She nods to herself, assuredly. "I will tell you if it happens again. I am willing to trust you, my Chosen. But for now, I am well."