Lesson Two [vP19]

[00:26] <Nathanial> [With a faint look of apprehension, you read over the neat, careful writing on the note in your hands. Your brows are furrowed, but you stretch, limbering up your body again. Two nights have passed since your thorough beating by Bash, and you've spent your time recovering your Pluck and practicing with your weaponry, displeased with the somewhat poor showing you brought to the table.]
[00:26] <Nathanial> ["Yeah, he was God Tier, and had experience on me, but... eugh." you confide in redpandasprite, your sword on your back, your hand on the hilt, as you walk to the Gate leading to Bash's Land. "I wonder what Em wants, though..." and you shake your head as your guide shrugs.]
[00:26] <Nathanial>  [You get the feeling that she might want to teach you how to fight herself... it seems like something she would do. But is she really capable of doing that with her injuries? You suppose her future selves might have a hand in it... your readings about her from earlier surface in your memory, and you furrow your brow more.]
04[00:29] <@Emmara> [The arena's been cleaned up and looks ready for another fight. You're already waiting there, seemingly in full health and with no cast on your leg. Running your hand over one of the snake patterns on the buildings.]
[00:33] <Nathanial> [You step into the arena, your excitement from the other day now replaced by curiousity and some small sense of trepidation. Unerringly you head over to Em's position, and lean against a nearby wall, humming quietly. "You called?" you ask politely, tilting your head.]
04[00:37] <@Emmara> [You turn and smile. "Hi Nath. And yes. I heard you did decently against Bash, and I figured now is a good a time for any for another lesson." The first being about not letting your past control you. Your smile disappears as you start talking in ernest. "You're still new to replaying, but its better you hear this from me than learning it the hard way. The Game itself is dangerous, yes, but the most dangerous thing in the Game is not underlings or denizens or anything like that. Its any coplayers that might have lost it, or decided they don't like your species or your voice or the way you look at them."]
[00:41] <Nathanial> [Your uneasiness vanishes, and you frown slightly, fingering the wrapped hilt of your sword. "Is that a thing that happens often?" you ask, releasing it, and relaxing against the wall - but you keep your Sight up, inspecting Em herself, just to make sure that she is, in fact, her future self as you expect.]
04[00:44] <@Emmara> [You are a future self. You tap a finger against your lip considering. "It happens often enough that I'm going to be sure you're prepared for it once you leave this session. Now the sparring you and Bash were involved in is just that, sparring. Any actual fights against coplayers are going to be short, brutal and will often be decided before the first blow is struck."]
[00:50] <Nathanial> [You listen carefully, and lower your eyes a touch. "I see," you murmur, inviting her to continue. For some reason, you expect her to prove her point, and so your keep your Sight running, wary for any ambush or trickery - or maybe you're just being paranoid, or wound up from the last time you were here. Nah.]
04[00:54] <@Emmara> ["Hey." You walk over and give him a half-hug. "Its one of those things where I hope it never happens for you. But on the chance it does I want you to survive it. Okay?" You give him a solid squeeze before continuing. "The thing that gets most people killed trying to deal with this is that they try and do it with honour." You give a smile with no warmth. "Honour gets you killed. Honour has no place in it. If they can be killed quickly and cleanly, do it. The risk to others and yourself isn't worth anything else."]
[00:59] <Nathanial> [You listen, and lean into the hug with closed eyes. "And if you don't want to take a life?" you ask, after tugging away. "If you can... disable... erff." you sigh, and fold your arms. "Honestly, Em... I know this in theory, if not practice. Rayth was an... extremely practical person, in the doomed timelines where he decided to take us out... I don't think there was a single splinter where I beat him first."]
04[01:04] <@Emmara> ["Time players will always have an edge in any combat against other players. Don't feel bad." You wrap your other arm around them. "If theres any problem with other players, tell the Time player. Its their responsibility to make sure things stay sane."]
[01:07] <Nathanial> [You shake your head. "You misunderstand. I was the Time player." and your lips are pursed, your teeth biting gently into the lower one. "He was a Prince of Void. But... even after I was a fully realised Mage, I couldn't stop him, so... how do you turn your emotions off?" you shoot the question at her. "If you went berserk, right now, I wouldn't be able to take your life."]
04[01:14] <@Emmara> ["Ah." Whoops now you feel bad. "Its...not easy. Not at the start anyways." You sit down against the wall. "It should never be easy." You correct yourself. "The Heir will always make sure you never forget it either. For me, its, well..." You glance over at him. "I like living. It may not sound like much, but knowing its either you or them, it helps. And killing someone generally means that people who aren't bloodthirsty will survive longer. Pulling a weed so the garden does better."]
[01:19] <Nathanial> [You frown more, the lump of agitation in your throat being swallowed with some difficulty. Slowly you lower yourself into a sitting position next to your co-player, your legs crossed. "So," you say, after shoving thoughts about the Heir from your mind, and... take several deep breaths to calm yourself. "Sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. It's just..."]
[01:19] <Nathanial>  ["...Players shouldn't kill each other, and I don't like thinking about it. But... if..." you close your eyes briefly, "...if you say it's a thing I need to be wary of, I'lll watch out for it." and you look up, eyes bright, ready to learn- though with the air of someone with a mask on.]
04[01:22] <@Emmara> ["No, they shouldn't kill each other. But theres a lot of things wrong with the universe. And believe me, it may be the worst decision you ever make, but not making it will feel even worse." You stand back up and offer your hand to him to pull himself up. "I hope you never have to use any of this."]
[01:24] <Nathanial> [You allow yourself to be pulled up, legs bracing. "So... honour is out. I guess not many mass murderers are into duels." and your cards are out, not being drawn, just thumbed over and touched. It calms you down.]
04[01:31] <@Emmara> [You shake your head. "You'll get the occasional odd one who'll do it, but most of them won't care. Depending on...circumstances it'll generally come down to one of two archtypes. The first is most often from highblooded trolls that have bought into the propaganda. They'll believe they're invincible and that aliens and lowbloods deserve to die for no other reason than who they are. They're generally simpler to deal with. They'll use their spire and continue on as normal." You gesture for him to follow you into the building.]
[01:33] <Nathanial> [You follow, gently placing card upon card from top to bottom. "I met a few trolls on the IRC. One of them sent me a picture, but I don't know much about them. Highblooded... sounds like a kind of royalty. Like white people?" you frown, disliking the analogy.]
04[01:36] <@Emmara> ["Yes, but more...slave owners back two hundred years ago. They could do whatever they wanted, for the most part, simply because of the position they had." You enter the spire and gesture around. "They're easy because they're predictable. They'll continue to use their spire. If you're patient and careful, you can end the threat before they realize something is up." You gesture around the seemingly empty room. "Nothing here, right?"]
[01:39] <Nathanial> [You give her a look. "Now I know that's a trick question, so I'm not going to cheat and use my Seer abilities. Unless that's the point?" you give her a grin, and it's an honest one, but there's something about it that makes it waver. "But without them... no. There's nothing here."]
04[01:40] <@Emmara> ["Try with your Seer. Though generally any PKer with Seer or Sage will fall into the second category."]
[01:41] <Nathanial> [Your eyes close for a moment, your cards vanishing back into your sylladex. Your hands twisting as though you're laying them out before you, you open your eyes and cast your lightly glowing eyes around the room as you've been bid.]
04[01:43] <@Emmara> [If hes really careful and really observant, Nath might find a tiny camera, half the size of a penny tucked in the corner between two walls and the ceiling.]
[01:46] <Nathanial> [It takes you a rather long time, for despite your cards nudging you in the right direction, you misunderstand them. Eventually, after quite a while, you point it out with a faintly triumphant 'ah!' and then look a little sheepishly at your cards, slightly ashamed of yourself.]
04[01:47] <@Emmara> [You reach up and pull it down as well as a computer tablet. Showing the video feed from it. "And you were looking for it. Anyone else won't see it. Especially if they can't put together that people might be conspiring against them."]
[01:49] <Nathanial> [You nod slowly, furrowing your brows again. "I see. So is this standard practice for the trolls?"]
04[01:53] <@Emmara> ["For some. Most will have either been converted by the Game or killed when they didn't. But sometimes you can get those that survive." You captcha the tablet and camera again. "And its not just trolls. You have some humans too. Anyways. They're easy, because you can use explosives to do the job. You see them enter their spire, and once they're not expecting it you can detonate explosives to kill them, and on the off chance they survive that, it brings the Spire down on them."]
[01:55] <Nathanial> [You frown again, but this time thoughtfully. "That's not quite true. All three of us would survive out spires blowing up because of our Aspect abilities. Coraline I'm not sure about, but then again I haven't seen her at all since the Game started. And what about setting them up in the first place?" he doesn't mention his lack of explosives, considering his deck.]
04[01:59] <@Emmara> ["If we know its coming. Yes. We could survive. If we were sleeping though?" You shake your head. "And thats what the camera is for. You're out for hours when you go out questing for the day."]
[02:01] <Nathanial> [You nod again, relentlessly shoving the thought that you're talking about /murder/ from your mind, but your face is getting a little pale. "And if they've gone God Tier?"]
04[02:03] <@Emmara> ["You only go after someone who will deserve the 'Just' death. Its not much, but it makes me feel better about it."]
[02:04] <Nathanial> [You nod again, and shake yourself. Of course that was going to be the answer. "Ok. So. Murderous asshole troll killed your family, so you blow them the fuck up with cameras and magical playing cards." you clarify, biting your lip again.]
04[02:06] <@Emmara> ["Or poison, or a trap or anything else." You say softly.]
[02:09] <Nathanial> [Your ears prick, and you squeeze your eyes, tight shut. "You kill them." you say, your voice brittle and low. A moment, and you do your best to relax again. "You just... they just die. Efficiently." and your arms cross by your chest, cuddling yourself gently.]
04[02:11] <@Emmara> [You offer a hug. "I don't want to see you die." You say sadly. "You may hate me for this, but if it saves your life it'll be worth it."]
[02:13] <Nathanial> [You lean into Em's arms, furiously blinking away tears. Keegan won't have someone to teach him this. You force the thought from your head. "And the second type?" you pull back, your voice almost steady, though your eyes are hot and painful.]
04[02:18] <@Emmara> ["The smart ones. Or the lucky. The ones who realize that people will come after them. The ones who pretend they're normal." You squeeze him hard. "They're rarer, and much harder to spot. You won't realize somethings wrong until someone goes dark, or somethings visibly wrong and theres no explination. Sessions will turn against each other if you're not careful."]
[02:22] <Nathanial> [You lower your eyes again, your breath short and choppy. "What do I do about them?" you murmur, "I... guess, just play to my strengths. T-Take them out. Wait, no." you look up. "I did go all out against Bash the other day, and he beat me effortlessly. He let me lay traps, meet him hand to hand, helet me set the battlefield, and he still won. W-What am I supposed to do then?"]
04[02:24] <@Emmara> ["Talk with people. If something is going wrong, get everyone together. They prey on people who are alone. If the session is together they can't do anything without forcing their hand. You then work with your Time player or any Tacticians you might have to figure out whats been happening."]
04[02:25] <@Emmara> [Your voice on the other hand is devoid of emotion. Like your reading off a grocery list.]
[02:29] <Nathanial> [The emotionlessness of your co-player isn't helping your ability to stay calm. Your cards are back out, your hands like claws as you shuffle them, over and over. "I see. Ok. Tactition. That's my job." you mutter, "So I guess if Coraline goes insane, I can be helpful." you didn't even mean to say it, it just slipped out.]
04[02:34] <@Emmara> [You frown a little, your mask cracking. "You don't need to worry about this session. Both because I'm here, and because I don't think anyone will be cracking." Well, other than you. "With the second group, they're only dangerous because they're anonymous." You pause, you don't /want/ to give him false hope, but he needs something. "If you have a Heart player, and you capture them, it is possible to...change them."]
[02:39] <Nathanial> [Finally, unable to stand the emotion any longer, you walk over to the window, shivering, slam on of the Major Arcana, XIV - Intergration on the wall next to it, your hands shaking. Colour blossoms onto the wall, and it slowly picks itself apart, widening the window more and more, allowing fresh air to billow in. "You said the word 'change' oddly." you accuse, not looking at her.]
04[02:41] <@Emmara> ["Do you know what Heart does?"]
[02:42] <Nathanial> ["No." you shake your head. The Breeze moves around you, already doing a lot to calm you, but you still refuse to look at Em. "We never had a Heart player."]
04[02:44] <@Emmara> [You sit down in the middle of the room. "Heart. Heart is the companion Aspect to Rage. Like Life and Doom, or Mind and Fate. Rage imposes your will on others, Heart will help people who want to change. It allows you to see, and eventually, manipulate someone's Shiny. Another word for it is someone's soul."]
[02:45] <Nathanial> [The Breeze stops dead. "Define soul."]
04[02:47] <@Emmara> ["How they think. Their memories, their beliefs, who they are." The last three words said with emphasis. "It can't change someone who doesn't want to. But if someone really wants it, they can reform that way, and it should stick."]
[02:51] <Nathanial> [You stare out at the other buildings, not really seeing them, for an extremely long time. Unmoving, unblinking, unseeing. Thoughts run like a hurricane about your mind, and it takes a very long time for them to clear. When you turn back, you're calm and collected. "So... someone could, theoretically, help Trashie with his... mental problems?" is all you ask.]
[02:51] <Nathanial>  [You don't even consider Rayth. He would never agree to changing an aspect of himself... unless he was the one doing the changing.]
04[02:52] <@Emmara> ["He could do it himself if he rolled Heart." You're sitting cross-legged on the floor still.]
[02:56] <Nathanial> [You consider this, briefly. "I..." you start, but close your mouth, instead walking over to sit by Em. "...I don't know why, but that makes me feel better, knowing that." and you do seem a lot calmer. The colour on the wall spreads, knitting itself into pictures of birds. You breath out slowly. "I'm sorry, Em."]
04[02:59] <@Emmara> [You shake your head. "You don't need to apologies. This is one of the hardest things to learn about replaying, and I've dumped it all on you today in the hope that, should it ever become relevant, it might save you." You look tired, and you look...old. Like theres years more weighing on you right now. "Theres a reason that so few survive past ten sessions."]
[03:01] <Nathanial> [You nod, and rest your head on her shoulder. "So... how long until you're up and about?" you ask, politely, sparing a glance to her very much cast-free leg. "I take it by the fact that you exist that present you doesn't get too behind on everything."]
04[03:02] <@Emmara> [You give a small smile. "Spoilers."]
[03:03] <Nathanial> [You would be upset, and indeed a wry smile does cross your features, but you said the exact same thing, in the exact same tone, to your nosy co-players last session. "Fair enough." you grin.]
04[03:06] <@Emmara> ["Can't tell her about this either. She'll come when its time." You glance out the window, Skaia-wards. "It won't be long though."]
[03:07] <Nathanial> [Your smile vanishes, and you return your bright, peircing gaze to Emmara's future self, dropping all pretenses. "Do you remember the mess with Bash?"]
04[03:08] <@Emmara> [You nod.]
[03:12] <Nathanial> ["You won't remember, because you were out cold on your Quest Bed, but I did a reading for you." you lower your eyes. "You've been absent in our part of the timeline because if we interact with you, or any of her other future selves, something that's meant to happen, won't. Something bad, about you. I couldn't understand the answer, but... you get forced into action. Am I right?"]
04[03:15] <@Emmara> ["More or less. Its...complicated." You shake your head. "I can't say any more."]
[03:16] <Nathanial> [You sigh, gently. "Does it affect us? And is there any way I can help? Or prepare?"]
04[03:17] <@Emmara> [You shake your head. "Not directly, and no. Its a very...personal thing."]
[03:17] <Nathanial> [You lean into her again, slipping a hand underneath her arm to cuddle it softly. "I understand. One more thing?"]
04[03:18] <@Emmara> [You hug back. "Mmm?"]
[03:19] <Nathanial> [The something. The cards seemed to... imply that it's... eugh..." you huff, awkwardly. "It's hard to put into words. Like, it's meant to have a name, or a capital letter. Something... standardised. What you went through. Do you... know what I mean?" you look hopeful.]
04[03:20] <@Emmara> [You smile. "Tactician's Folly."]
[03:20] <Nathanial> [You blink. "...Maybe. What's that?"]
04[03:22] <@Emmara> ["Its why we get the tactician class. We believe we know best, we know everything. And without fail, theres something that happens to bring us back to Earth. This is mine."]
04[03:22] <@Emmara> ["Or it was."]
04[03:22] <@Emmara> [You shrug.]
[03:24] <Nathanial> [You frown slightly. "I'm a Tactician." you point out. "Does... that mean I'm going to go through... a thing like that too? Or, have alre- I mean, am already... eeugh..." and you stick your tongue out. Time is difficult when it's not your Aspect.]
04[03:25] <@Emmara> ["Spoilers." You gently ruffle his hair. "But yes. All Tacticians do it."]
[03:26] <Nathanial> [You bite off a spirited swearword. "Alright. I guess it's... interesting if two Tacticians go up against each other, huh... hell, do we even have a session left in the future?" you grin faintly.]
04[03:31] <@Emmara> [You laugh and give him a small kiss on the forehead. "Theres still a session. Promise."]
[03:34] <Nathanial> [You nod, leaning into the kiss softly. "Alright." and with a crook of your finger, you recall Intergration to your deck. The colours, however, remain, having twisted and curled themselves around the entire room.]
04[03:39] <@Emmara> [You hug him tighter. "You going to be okay?"]
[03:41] <Nathanial> [You tense for a moment, then nod. "Yeah. It's... something I hate thinking about, but... I'll remember what you've told me, and I'll..." you breathe out, slotting the card back in with the others, "I'll defend myself, and my non-asshole co-players." and then you grin slightly. "Not gonna lie, I thought you were gonna show me how much of a better fighter than Bash you were."]
04[03:41] <@Emmara> [You laugh. "I still can if you want?"]
[03:43] <Nathanial> [You snort. "I'd love to, but... not today. Today I need to process." and then your grin grows wicked. "Though I'd pay good Boondollars to see you and him going at it."]
04[03:45] <@Emmara> ["Heh. I can tell you now, I'll win."]
[03:47] <Nathanial> [You raise an eyebrow. "Speaking as someone who was on the recieving end of it, you sure about that? Space powers are broken, yo." you rub your arm, remembering the cold chain brushing against it. "And he really knows how to use his Strife deck."]
04[03:47] <@Emmara> [You raise an eyebrow back. "I've got more than twice his experience, and I'm on /the/ most broken aspect for PvP. He won't last ten seconds."]
[03:49] <Nathanial> [That shocks a laugh out of you. "Who's ten seconds? Also he's God Tier!"]
04[03:50] <@Emmara> ["His, and yours. And doesn't matter if he's godtier or not. He can move between places instantly. I can /be/ in both places simultaniously."]
[03:52] <Nathanial> ["Unless he crams your alternate selves into a box." you counter, and then put a finger on your lips consideringly. "How about both him and I? Or Coraline?" you pause. "I don't know what Coraline does. I've even forgotten her Strife kind. I've looked in on her, she's fine, but..."]
04[03:52] <@Emmara> ["I could probably take all three of you at once. That'd make it fair."]
04[03:53] <@Emmara> ["Well, mostly fair."]
04[03:53] <@Emmara> [You lean in and whisper. "I'd still win."]
[03:55] <Nathanial> [You snort again, place a hand on your friend's face, and push faintly. "Oh, she's not arrogant at all!" you cry, laughing. "Next thing you know she'll be telling me she doesn't need help with the Black King! Though," you add, "with a red panda plushie in the mix, he'll be a goddamn pushover."]
04[03:56] <@Emmara> [You place a hand over your heart. "That hurts! I've done it before, several times! With more prototyping too!"]
[03:57] <Nathanial> ["But none of them with the fearsome might of a cuddly red thing! Beware!" you chuckle, rolling onto your back. You stay there, grinning. "So what's the hardest final boss you've had to go through?"]
04[04:00] <@Emmara> ["Hmm." You lean back, propping yourself up on your arms. "Toss up between a fourteen prototyped monstronsity back in my..." You think for a second. "Thirteenth. Eight of us went in, three came out. Either that or my ninth. Solo kill on an eight player King."]
[04:01] <Nathanial> [You stare. "What. How the hell did you beat an eight times Black King by yourself? What Classpect were you?"]
04[04:02] <@Emmara> [It looks like you're internally wrestling with something. Before saying, with some difficulty, "Heir of Sand."]
[04:03] <Nathanial> [You frown thoughtfully. "Steven was an Heir, but of Light. I've not heard of Sand." you note the hesitation, and fold you arms, looking a bit bewildered.]
04[04:03] <@Emmara> ["You generally won't."]
[04:05] <Nathanial> ["I... see." you have an inkling of what's going on, but shrug and let it go - you're too eager to tell your own story. You flick your deck out of your sylladex again, and spread it, showing your co-player all the cards in your hands. "So, you've seen these, right? How they work? How powerful they are?"]
04[04:07] <@Emmara> [You nod. Apparently glad to get off the topic. "Yeah?"]
[04:11] <Nathanial> [Just for emphasis, you place IX - The Hermit, on the floor. Immediately, the colours created by Intergration shatter and vanish, leaving the room a great deal darker. "Try giving every single card to the Black King, to use however the hell he wants. Some of them are useless in combat, but most of them aren't. And that's just /my/ prototyping." you sniff. "I am never letting these go anywhere near a Kernelsprite again.]
04[04:12] <@Emmara> ["Ah, yeah. Generally anything that has a large range in what it can do is a bad idea."]
[04:14] <Nathanial> [You grin, unable to do anything but look proud. "I know. It's kinda amazing how none of us died, but..." you nestle into Em's side again.]
04[04:15] <@Emmara> [You wrap an arm around them. "Better to be lucky than good. But its better still to be both."]
[04:16] <Nathanial> ["Mm..." is all you say, closing your eyes a little. Hopefully, should any PKers arise in future sessions, you'll be both.]
04[04:17] <@Emmara> [You rub your arm up and down their back. Kissing the top of their head. "You made it. Which is better than most."]
[04:19] <Nathanial> [Your eyes close all the way. A few moments pass, and then you murmur, your voice amused, "I know you and Bash refer to me as a kid." and just leave the comment hanging there, like an apple on a string.]
04[04:21] <@Emmara> ["Well you kind of are. Atleast you're a good one. Bash on the other hand decided to ignore me when I said we weren't having kids." You're clearly not serious about it.]
[04:23] <Nathanial> ["Mm, I'm a good kid. Does that mean I get a reward?" your voice is beginning to get a shade sleepy.]
04[04:23] <@Emmara> ["Maaaybe. Did you have something in mind?"]
[04:24] <Nathanial> [Another amused chuckle. "Nuh-uh, s'your job to think of the rewards. What do you think I'd like..."]
04[04:26] <@Emmara> [You laugh. "Lets just call me a bad parent then. I'm really not sure."]
[04:28] <Nathanial> [An evil snicker seeps out of your mouth. "You've got time to figure it out." and you curl up slightly, seemingly fully intending to at least have a rest, if not a full blown nap.]
04[04:29] <@Emmara> ["Is it a pillow? I can get a pillow."]
[04:30] <Nathanial> ["A pillow might be nice." you admit quietly, but you shuffle around so your head is in your lap. "You don't have anywhere you need to be right this second, do you..."
04[04:31] <@Emmara> [You idly run your fingers through his hair, light scratching his scalp. "Nowhere that can't wait."]
[04:37] <Nathanial> ["Good..." you murmur sleepily, and soon you're off in a doze, hands clasped against your chest.]
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