[ At what point does an oyster become aware of the pearl weighing upon its softest parts? Viktor watches Hades - is it still Hades or is he already donning the mask of Solus? - take no pleasure in eating, listens to his harsh suppositions, and the smoothing of his voice, his brow, as he wrests calm from beneath an impossible amount of tension. This does not feel so different from where they'd left off yesterday, before a bath had distracted them. He watches, without reaction, as Emet-Selch sets out instructions for him and feels a bit like a little dog. Something fragile; treasured, appreciated, certainly, for how pretty it is, for the warmth it affords. And tolerated when it is annoying.
Doubt, cold and heavy, makes a rock of itself in the pit of Viktor's stomach. He can no longer force himself to eat, and so he sips his tea, instead. Tucks those thoughts away for sometime later, when he does not find himself discussing the hypothetical deaths of an unknown number of children. ]
Aye, I will. And you- try not to plan so far ahead that you close doors to better ends, alright?
[ Viktor sets the cup down, but keeps his hands wrapped around it. In a soft, steady voice, he navigates to his point with care. ]
At best, they are children. Neither boons nor banes. At best, they are bright, hopeful, capable as Ryne and Gaia, as Alphinaud and Alisaie. They are, in all likelihood, f-frightened, displaced by these s-strange powers they possess. [ His hands loose from their place as he speaks, eyes searching the room while his fingers flutter, all animation. It is his own experience he draws from, painting a new landscape from his own childhood memories. ] Their home is held at the brink of something t-terrible. Their friends, their families struggle. They are ruled over by a- an... impotent little tyrant. And they want to fix it - aye, perhaps this is what they believe their lost Paradise is, for want of the truth.
And mayhap that has brought them to terrible, dangerous ends. [ Viktor shrugs, gaze settling on Emet-Selch once more. Whatever his reservations for his own role in Hades's life, whatever mask the man wears now, Viktor knows that there is kindness, brilliance, patience enough in him to find a peaceful path here. ] Or. Perhaps, those children are about to find themselves in the presence of a suitable teacher, one who might help them to feel truly understood, in spite of how much it might delay him.
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Doubt, cold and heavy, makes a rock of itself in the pit of Viktor's stomach. He can no longer force himself to eat, and so he sips his tea, instead. Tucks those thoughts away for sometime later, when he does not find himself discussing the hypothetical deaths of an unknown number of children. ]
Aye, I will. And you- try not to plan so far ahead that you close doors to better ends, alright?
[ Viktor sets the cup down, but keeps his hands wrapped around it. In a soft, steady voice, he navigates to his point with care. ]
At best, they are children. Neither boons nor banes. At best, they are bright, hopeful, capable as Ryne and Gaia, as Alphinaud and Alisaie. They are, in all likelihood, f-frightened, displaced by these s-strange powers they possess. [ His hands loose from their place as he speaks, eyes searching the room while his fingers flutter, all animation. It is his own experience he draws from, painting a new landscape from his own childhood memories. ] Their home is held at the brink of something t-terrible. Their friends, their families struggle. They are ruled over by a- an... impotent little tyrant. And they want to fix it - aye, perhaps this is what they believe their lost Paradise is, for want of the truth.
And mayhap that has brought them to terrible, dangerous ends. [ Viktor shrugs, gaze settling on Emet-Selch once more. Whatever his reservations for his own role in Hades's life, whatever mask the man wears now, Viktor knows that there is kindness, brilliance, patience enough in him to find a peaceful path here. ] Or. Perhaps, those children are about to find themselves in the presence of a suitable teacher, one who might help them to feel truly understood, in spite of how much it might delay him.