First breath

[22:05] Ethan thought for a few moments, eyes narrowing upon the bottle before him before he took a small swig from it. His lips parted soon after, though nothing else was said. With Sors being around they would have to take care of that before focusing on angel, yeah?
(Ethan Hawke)
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[22:06] Satsuki takes a particularly long swig.
(Satsuki Shimasu)
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[22:06] Satsuki Shimasu says, "Thera's solutions are much the same as my solutions. She'll have my support."
[22:07] Reito Shimasu says, "But shouldn't we confirm more things about it? "
[22:07] Reito Shimasu asks, "Or am I worrying for no reason?"
[22:07] Satsuki Shimasu asks, "...Confirm?"
[22:08] Reito Shimasu says, "What if it was... Not even real? Or, if it was, where they are, what they're planning."
[22:08] Reito Shimasu asks, "Why the entire family blacked out practically at the same time?"
[22:08] Satsuki Shimasu says, "The shared vision is in and of itself troubling. Most omens are silly things - but I think that is... something that should be prepared for, in whatever way we can."
[22:09] Ethan Hawke says, "..."
[22:09] Satsuki Shimasu asks, "Are- any of them harmed?"
[22:09] Ethan Hawke says, "That probably goes with what I wanna talk about."
[22:09] Satsuki Shimasu says, "Beyond mentally. Emotionally."
[22:09] Satsuki says those two things like they don't matter in the slightest.
(Satsuki Shimasu)
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[22:10] Reito Shimasu says, "Thalia was mostly shaken about being alone. But physically she was fine. She said she felt sick, but that was it."
[22:10] Reito Shimasu says, "Thera was drinking."
[22:10] Ethan Hawke says, "I didn't see any marks."
[22:10] Ethan Hawke says, "On either Cal or Sima."
[22:10] Satsuki Shimasu says, "Ah- speaking of which."
[22:10] Satsuki driiiiinks.
(Satsuki Shimasu)
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[22:10] Reito hesitantly drinks a bit. She made a face in response.
(Reito Shimasu)
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[22:12] Satsuki Shimasu says, "Have you ever had one-hundred-year-old Herizun wine hidden beneath the floorboards of a wrecked tavern before? It- is an experience. Anyway, go on, Ethan Hawke."
[22:16] Ethan drinks, too, allowing for the subject to flow out and for the course of the conversation to switch over to the very reason he wanted to speak to Satsuki. Or rather, that he wanted to speak to someone who could remotely bring him the same kind of guidance that Eiphraem often had.

"I don't know if you've heard, Sats, but one of my daughters got kidnapped by Sors. I fought with him during an attack but I wasn't... I couldn't bring him down. It's been about a decade since I last fought seriously, but back then Eiphraem helped me control myself— control my occult madness. I can't track him down right now, though. I thought about tryin' to find his 'mother', too, but no luck there as well.

I figured they'd know of a way I could step it up."

This was silly, wasn't it? How would Satsuki even help him with that? This was no better than a random child coming and asking for training. Still, Ethan added something that showed a bit of determination. Perhaps a spark of sorts, opening the door to a whole new world.

"I came real close to taking him down, but my body couldn't follow."
(Ethan Hawke)
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[22:24] "Sors Ultovex," she muttered to herself, taking another long sip from the bottle. It was, audibly, already empty. "I suppose I am to blame, on some level," she added quietly. "I spent so much of my life tracking a long-dormant vampire instead of ignoring a far more pressing, far more... growing threat."

She took a sip of absolutely nothing.

"Something that... Insatiable would have doubtlessly found to be a more enticing opponent, at that."

Perhaps she rambled as a way to divert the topic from what seemed to be Ethan slowly preparing to ask for a training montage, or perhaps she simply rambled on and on as was her nature - with the reason for that odd feeling she picked up from Wisdom now known, she felt more at ease and could actually devote her attention to things.

It spoke volumes about Satsuki that she found "fallen angels are probably going to attack Agartha" a more comfortable thought than "Wisdom said that something was going to happen but not what."

"I feel as though you... know my opinion on the matter," she continued on. "Occult madness is not something that can be 'controlled,'" she said, "Not really. I believe it merely... waits. Waits for... weakness, waits for- the right moment. Eiphraem Kang would have been a more suitable mentor for that reason alone. Perhaps given some time I might be able to formulate an idea, but- what... are you looking for, specifically?"
(Satsuki Shimasu)
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[22:33] Reito was silent, allowing the two to have their time. She drank more, slowly getting over the taste of the rum itself as she took her time.
(Reito Shimasu)
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[22:34] There it was. The grim reality of things hitting him at once with Satsuki's question. The kind that warranted a long drink from his bottle, turning it completely empty before it was brought down atop the table. Emerald eyes laid upon Reito briefly, as if to make sure she was following, still, before he looked at the virtue of Wisdom and answered.

"I have no idea. I just... want a solution. A decade ago it was different. Ethan Hawke from ten years back fought the Ghoul King head-on and dealt the finishing blow despite my whole arm—" His right hand shifted to his left sleeve, pulling it up and revealing something very few had seen before. Besides those who had been there for its application the world was left in the dark when it came to the Wayfinder's tattoo.

An idle, subtle red glow emenated from the Ouroboros: the snake wrapped around his arm eating its own tail. The nature of the ink itself would be incredibly familiar to the pair. After all their own arms were tattooed with the very same components, though his was busy holding, imprisoning the foul influence of death magic. To this day it had yet to die off.

"— being rotted to nothing. I had... will. Desire. I could stand back up even when I wasn't supposed to. I... kinda - almost did it against Sors, too, but that whole second breath didn't last for long at all.

I don't know what the answer to what I want is. I'm not even sure of what I want, but... there has to be a way, yeah?"

Vague at best. Though the concept of one's undying spirit wasn't one people were unfamiliar with, it still felt odd to talk about it and think about even training that ability for humans to break the limits of their own physical shell.
(Ethan Hawke)
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[22:42] As always, empathy was not Satsuki's strong suit. She hadn't even acknowledged the reason Ethan fought Sors to begin with; as always, she got caught up on what she considered the "meat" of the issue, to an almost relentless degree.

Her gaze trailed down to Ethan's tattooed arm and tilted her head to the side just before he pulled up his sleeve, reacting just a little bit too early for a normal human interaction. "Auy ylleir ire ne tuodo," she muttered in flawless Sarradian, "...Death magic- unmistakable. I suffered from... the same thing. For... decades, even," she told him. If he was hoping to hear a solution or an estimate for just how long he'd have to live with that, he would be out of luck.

Satsuki offered nothing.

"I... healed myself beneath Jiuweihu's light," she offered. "Otherwise... well." She rose her hand and gestured to the Ouroboros.

"If you... do not know what you want, then I would be hesitant to suggest a path. I... prefer to avoid choosing other people's fates, these days. However! I... do have ideas - or will have ideas soon, once I... mull it over and figure out how to put them into words."

She did, however, note: "Second winds are meaningless, Ethan Hawke. It's better to make the first one count - and I think that is something to focus on. Do you... not agree?"
(Satsuki Shimasu)
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[22:46] As Ethan pulled up his sleeve and revealed the intricate tattoo and the explanation for such, Reito's ears flattened against her skull, horrified, even in her slightly tipsy state. But those thoughts of hers were quiet, as she drank to a greater degree.

As Satsuki pinpointed what had happened precisely, Reito shook her head. Death magic. He had gone this long without even complaining about it? Given the tattoo, and the ink used she had a guess as to who had done the work to save his arm. She closed her eyes briefly and sighed, trying to relax for once.

The alcohol was helping, certainly. Finally, she spoke but her words came out sluggishly. Reito was a light weight, and given she never really drank, it was revealing itself.

"... She's uh - …" She trailed off for a moment before continuing, "Right, you know... The first fight is allllll that matters!"
(Reito Shimasu)
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[22:51] "I was never really that good at winning those first fights, but—"

In the midst of drunken stupor and with an idea that pushed up against his mind that's when Ethan realized something. This wasn't about getting your second breath under control and all, no. This was about making sure that first breath lasted longer than it had any purpose to. To make the first one count. Satsuki may have inadvertantly managed to guide Ethan down the path he oh-so-needed to find.

He wasn't too sure how he would even practice that, but he knew what he had to focus on now. This will, grit, and guts that his younger self had wasn't something he had lost. Even against Sors he stood back up, but getting down once had been the problem.

He needed to focus that will, this heart, all of it...

.. Into the first breath.

".. Thanks, Satsuki." The old man finally said, offering the woman a wide grin.
(Ethan Hawke)