Feb 08 13:08:57 <Morty>	It's a bit later on that night, and Morty can't get to sleep at the inn, so he wanders downstairs~
Feb 08 13:09:38 	Odes is in almost the same spot he was in the dwarven village - tucked away in a corner with a glass of cider, being very quiet and not drawing anything even close to the kind of attention he did last time.
Feb 08 13:10:24 <Morty>	This is going to be a recurring pattern, isn't it? Oh well, Morty doesn't mind! He strolls over to Odes and plops himself down into a chair at the table.
Feb 08 13:10:31 <Morty>	"Hey, Odes, kupo..."
Feb 08 13:12:03 <Odes>	"Mmm?  ...Hey, Morty."  He doesn't seem unhappy or anything, just his usual lost-in-thought self.
Feb 08 13:13:08 <Morty>	"I couldn't sleep... if you don't mind, I had a thing or two I wanted to ask, kupo." :<
Feb 08 13:13:31 <Morty>	"What did you mean earlier, when you said... you could become a monster?"
Feb 08 13:14:13 <Odes>	"..." it makes Odes grimace for amoment, then he sighs and comes up with an answer.  "...How much do you know about blue mages, Morty?"
Feb 08 13:16:05 <Morty>	"They cast spells that monsters know?" His ears tilt.
Feb 08 13:18:48 <Odes>	"That's... about what most people know, yes.  I think... hold on, I'll give you a metaphor." he starts digging around until he produces a capped potion bottle, and sets it on the table.
Feb 08 13:19:27 <Odes>	"...I mean, it won't be the best, and there's a lot more to it than this but... I think it'll get the point across and then you'll get your answer."
Feb 08 13:21:36 <Odes>	"So... yeah.  Anyway.  The bottle.  Think, for a moment, that the bottle itself is a person's body, and the actual potion's your... soul, or anima, or whatever version you believe in.  Your 'you'."
Feb 08 13:22:49 	Morty nods, not quite sure if he follows this.
Feb 08 13:23:20 <Odes>	"When you die... the bottle's shattered and your spirit gets out and that's it.  But otherwise, it's sealed nice and tight in there and won't go away on its own, right?"
Feb 08 13:23:58 <Morty>	"Mhm..." Tiiilt head.
Feb 08 13:24:44 <Odes>	"...For us blue mages, what we do is pop the cap off the bottle, kinda.  We pick up monsters by... basically picking up bits of their essence, their soul, and adding it to our own in the bottle."
Feb 08 13:26:27 <Odes>	"It's great.  If we do it right, we keep that in us, and then we can call on it and use it like parts of ourselves.  Thing is..." he sighs.  "...It's kinda like doing alchemy without any clue what you're actually putting into the bottle."
Feb 08 13:26:44 <Odes>	"Or even how big the bottle is, for that matter."
Feb 08 13:27:45 <Morty>	"So you're afraid it's going to spill over, kupo?"
Feb 08 13:28:17 <Odes>	"Well, that'd be nice.  It just spilling over might not be so bad, but... usually, it's more like... something that goes into the bottle doesn't like something else that goes in, and it starts a reaction, and..."
Feb 08 13:28:27 <Odes>	"...pretty much destroys us from the inside."
Feb 08 13:29:00 <Morty>	D:
Feb 08 13:29:27 <Odes>	"And when everything starts fighting inside... the part that gets shoved out is our humanity, and we become monsters.  Amalgamations of the magic we've picked up, nothing left of who we were."
Feb 08 13:29:47 <Odes>	He bites his lip, trying to stay as calm as he can when he says that.
Feb 08 13:30:30 <Morty>	"So that magic jabba thing..."
Feb 08 13:32:45 <Morty>	"It's supposed to help stop that somehow, kupo?"
Feb 08 13:33:53 <Odes>	"Yeah.  It's like... I mean it sounds silly, but the garb functions almost like an extra container.  Like we put our bottle into another.  If we get kicked out of the first... we're still there, and can get back control."
Feb 08 13:34:22 <Morty>	"...I don't want you to turn into a monster, Odes." :<
Feb 08 13:34:37 <Odes>	"...I don't want to finish turning into one either.  That's why I'm doing this."
Feb 08 13:34:51 <Morty>	"And I'm gonna do everything I can to help, kupo!"
Feb 08 13:35:06 <Morty>	"I mean, I was anyway but this is more serious for you than I thought..."
Feb 08 13:36:50 <Odes>	"...It is, especially in its current state.  I wish I could even do some research, but so much about blue mages is just hearsay and even then I've never heard of anyone in my position specifically, so..."
Feb 08 13:37:05 <Odes>	"...Oh, right.  I guess I did leave out a part." he adds as an afterthought, sighing.
Feb 08 13:37:35 <Morty>	Eartilt?
Feb 08 13:38:25 <Odes>	"...Well, the part about things going nuts?  It sort of... already happened, kind of.  I'm... still trying to piece it together."
Feb 08 13:38:55 <Odes>	"But suffice to say I'm... only half human anymore.  ...Well, maybe about three-quarters human is more accurate, but..."
Feb 08 13:40:15 	Odes shakes his head clear.
Feb 08 13:41:04 <Odes>	"The point is, I'm already in that transformation process.  It's normally really... very sudden.  I thought when it happened to me I'd be gone for sure, but... maybe I'm just lucky.  Or was."
Feb 08 13:41:47 <Odes>	"...I'm developping magic, however, that most certainly isn't my own, and picking up things I don't even remember trying to.  I've reason to believe it's started progressing again."
Feb 08 13:42:30 <Morty>	D:
Feb 08 13:42:35 <Odes>	"...Sorry, that probably confused you.  The short form is... I'm on a countdown I can't see."
Feb 08 13:42:45 <Morty>	"That's terrible, kupo!"
Feb 08 13:43:45 <Morty>	"But... I think you're more than the sum of your parts, Odes. I believe you can keep it together, until we get the stuff we need to save you." he nods, confidently.
Feb 08 13:44:27 <Odes>	"...yeah.  That's the plan."  It seems to bring a bit of a smile back to his face at least.  "I mean, it's not like I intend to just give in."
Feb 08 13:44:40 <Morty>	"I'd be disappointed if you did!"
Feb 08 13:44:58 	Odes laughs a little
Feb 08 13:45:12 <Odes>	"Well, hopefully I won't disappoint you, then."
Feb 08 13:45:44 <Morty>	The moogle smiles cheerfully. "Like I said, I refuse to believe in a world where everyone can't win."
Feb 08 13:46:02 <Morty>	"I intend to see that dream through, no matter what, kupo!"
Feb 08 13:46:37 <Odes>	"...That's your dream, huh?  ...Heh... heheheh... ahahaha..." something apparently is quite funny about this to him.
Feb 08 13:47:09 <Morty>	"What, you don't remember me talking about it at the volcano, kupo?"
Feb 08 13:47:27 <Odes>	"I do, now that you mention it.  I was... busy trying to calm myself at the time, but..."
Feb 08 13:47:41 <Morty>	"In any case, I'll fight to make sure you can enjoy a world free of the dangers of the Rift, kupo." he nods.
Feb 08 13:47:58 <Odes>	"...It just surprises me.  I remember thinking that kind of dream was childish."
Feb 08 13:49:11 <Morty>	"People try and write off dreaming the impossible dreams as 'childish' or 'naive', kupo. And maybe they're right... but I intend to prove otherwise."
Feb 08 13:49:37 <Morty>	"Maybe they just say that because they haven't been able to, themselves..."
Feb 08 13:51:13 <Odes>	"...Hm, that's one way to look at it.  Or... we just lost sight of things in the way."
Feb 08 13:52:38 <Morty>	"With the wind at our backs, and a heart full of dreams, not even the sky is the limit, kupo!"
Feb 08 13:53:14 	Morty stands up on his chair. "This story, it's going to have a happy ending for sure!"
Feb 08 13:53:42 <Odes>	"Haha... well, mortality's sure a limit.  ...But once I know I'll live... I'd like to help you find those happy endings."
Feb 08 13:53:52 	Morty seems... fiercely determined as he says this! The same look gets in his eye as when they fought the Zu and the Wamoura.
Feb 08 13:54:00 	Morty nods.
Feb 08 13:56:12 	Morty reaches out and puts a hand on Odes shoulder, smiling. "We can do it, kupo."
Feb 08 13:57:38 	Odes smiles back.  "Good.  I want to live--" his voice cracks at the end of that, surprising himself, and it takes him a few moments to speak again.  "...so I can do something for others, including you guys."
Feb 08 13:58:11 	Morty nods.
Feb 08 14:00:49 <Odes>	"It's good you're here, Morty.  Not sure I could keep my spirits high without you around, honestly."
Feb 08 14:01:17 <Morty>	"Really, kupo? I dunno, I've just always found it easy to look at the bright side of things..."
Feb 08 14:01:23 	Morty hops down.
Feb 08 14:03:12 <Morty>	"I'm glad I can keep your spirits up, though! You always seem so down..."
Feb 08 14:03:53 <Odes>	"...Hard not to be in my place, I'd think," he shrugs.  "But... I guess, now that at least one of you knows... I can relax a little."
Feb 08 14:04:16 <Morty>	"Were you scared we'd be afraid of you? Or angry?"
Feb 08 14:04:19 <Morty>	He tilts his ears.
Feb 08 14:05:07 <Odes>	"...Afraid, yeah.  I was terrified of myself at first, y'know."
Feb 08 14:05:37 <Morty>	"You're still 'Odes' to me! And that's what really matters!"
Feb 08 14:08:06 <Odes>	"...Yeah.  Thanks."
Feb 08 14:09:01 <Morty>	"Anyway, we got some kind of big journeys ahead of us in the coming days..."
Feb 08 14:09:07 <Morty>	"You'd best get your rest, kupo!"
Feb 08 14:09:36 <Odes>	"Yeah.  You too.  Though I can't imagine you as anything but full of energy..."
Feb 08 14:10:10 	Morty just grins and starts to head upstairs again. "G'night~"
Feb 08 14:10:25 <Odes>	"Night, Morty~"
Feb 08 14:11:30 <Morty>	And the moogle heads back up to bed. Was his cheerfulness infectious enough? Only time will tell.