dissonates | [Voice/Action] backdated to Day 1 of the event until the end!

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[Voice/Action] backdated to Day 1 of the event until the end!

[Asch will be leaving a single message on the journal network on the evening of the first day, his voice flat:]

[Voice]

I know that the village is being its usual mad self this week, but Guy Cecil's gone back to his world. With the recent departures, Good Spirits is shorthanded.

[....oh, right.]

Also, considering the bar is in the area where alcohol is apparently prohibited, thieves have been after the stores. Most of the remaining supply's been hidden, but I could use help guarding it.

As far as I know, the journal network has always been for our eyes only, so if you want any for yourself and the staff doesn't recognize you, try to come up with something only one of us would know.

[After that, he won't be doing much exploration. Asch is having none of this silly experiment business; he woke up wearing this, and since his closet seems to be full of clothes either like it or much worse, he just rolls with it. He's been around the block before. He'll be staying in the bar pretty much 24/7 (besides food runs and emergencies) to make sure the collection doesn't get completely depleted; he may be a recently returned staff member himself, now, but the bar was important to Guy, so he can at least protect it for a while. Alcoholic drinks will be served through the back door to villagers only, so if you want some booze, better figure out a way to act convincing.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I suppose that's the mainest difference, then. Me? I never...had a unit. Not like a unit-unit.

[ she had friends; she misses them. ]

You worked solo?

[Truth be told, he really doesn't know that much about her beyond her skills in combat. Apparently this lack of knowledge goes both ways.]

For a while. And then...not, for another while. [ and now she leads an army. how on earth did that happen? ]

Solo is kind of the point, when you're a Slayer.

I remember that, very vaguely. It seemed like a pointless rule to follow- a single person having a unique power isn't necessarily better.

[It's admitted somewhat grudgingly; years ago he'd have argued the opposite, but age and maturity have at least made him realize he couldn't have done alone what he and Luke had accomplished together with hyperresonance.]

Trust me -- [ she breathes out an impatient sigh. but her impatience has little to do with asch and more to do with the whole damn problem ] -- you're preaching to the choir. You know what they say about sharing, right?

...Not really.

[Sharing is not a thing that is actively encouraged where he grew up- which is surprising, considering it's a church.]

It's...caring. Sharing is caring. That's what they say.

I can't say I've ever heard that slogan before...

[Well, not exactly. But there is something familiar about it.]

It makes sense, though, I suppose. Depending on what exactly it is that's being shared.

In this case? The power. The responsibility. The...soldierness of it all.

Not sure I'd call that caring, either, but having the power to defend oneself is a valuable asset.

So you were able to pass on the power somehow?

[ a thoughtful nod. ]

Magic. It made it possible to activate the potential of any girl who could be like me. Like how I am. A Vampire Slayer.

Let me guess. Fate, your gods, the world itself- whatever's in charge where you lived chose to give that power to one person despite others being capable of using it- for no reason?

Edited (lmao my account literally just expired) 2012-12-30 05:35 (UTC)

The men who made us -- [ her answer was suddenly terse. quiet. ] One weapon is supposedly easier to control than a drawerful.

...That makes sense.

[It's the sort of logic that people with power by way of position rather than physical strength and ability use; it's how most of them seem to stay in power for as long as they do, after all.]

Is that why they chose a woman, as well?

...Probably. [ and how sad is that? ] Not that it did them much good, in the end. But it's not just about women. It's girls. Young girls. I started when I was barely fifteen.

I'm not sure I can really criticize that, since children can enter into the service of our religious military at a much younger age than that.

Wait-wait-wait.

Religious military?

Right now the only religion in Auldrant revolves around the Score, an ancient, absolute prophecy that covers the future of the entire world, covering everything from the daily weather to the results of world wars. The church that polices and distributes the Score is called the Order of Lorelei, and their military is the Oracle Knights.

Is it even remotely accurate? The Score? Because I've met a few vague prophecies in my time.

That depends. Most of the Scores given to people are self-fulfilling prophecies- if the Score says, "eat spaghetti on Remday", devout believers will eat spaghetti, but those who don't aren't penalized for it.

The Closed Score is different. It's meant only for the highest ranking church officials and world leaders, and dictates how the world should be run. The way I understand it, the Score is written into the subatomic structure of the world itself- attempts to deviate from it are either seen as futile or outright blasphemous, because it goes against the very nature of the planet and those living on it. Still, it's not unavoidable. Certain people who should have died one year were still alive in the next, the last time I was there. It's a broken system.

Prophecies always are. [ her eyes narrow. all her attention, now, is tied rapt to him. ] That's the trouble with writing things down, I guess.

[Her sudden interest is noteworthy- experience, maybe?

Well, it's not like he's untouched by prophecies, either.]

The people of Auldrant were tied to the Score, though, because it's all they've ever known. It's so much easier to let yourself be led through your own life- you stop worrying.

But...I'm assuming the Score tells tales of bad things about to happen too, right? And they just swallow that pill?

[ do you swallow that pill? ]

[Asch snorts faintly, glancing away.]

Depends on how bad. If it's something like a farmer's prediction of a bad crop, they'll usually accept it. But if the Score predicts someone's death, they aren't told about it, because they wouldn't be able to live peacefully up until the day they pass. In the eyes of the Scorers, it's better to let someone die than to risk them preventing their own death.

What about you? What's better in your eyes?

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