[a heart.]

[antreegonist]

There's a moment of nothing but light and sensation. Someone's looking you over and the scrutiny prickles and burns – it's nearly a physical pain, like fine little hooks digging past your skin, into the very meat of you. I know who you are, it says, and I know what you are, and that you don't have any business here --

“But you do,” says Mithos behind you. He's a tired, steady voice in your ear, a light hand on your shoulder. “I don't know what Dream's thinking, but everyone is welcome here in my heart; just keep in mind it's a real mess right now.”

Your vision clears.

((assume your characters wandered in here through a dream. also join #ihateyouihateyouiwanttocuddle on irc if you can!))

Comments

Re: [past - mind]

[brotagonist]

But— there's so much more you can do!

Re: [past - mind]

[antreegonist]

The party's getting to the top of the cliff.

"Is there? Is there really anything humans won't trample down in the end? I don't think so."

Re: [past - mind]

[brotagonist]

I know you've been disappointed and betrayed! But look at them there— every person in that group except the one who's gonna kill Martel is hoping the same things along with you! Even back then, it wasn't just you against humans! You were never alone with your dreams!

Re: [past - mind]

[antreegonist]

"I told you. It all comes to nothing."

Re: [past - mind]

[brotagonist]

You'd call your pacts with the summon spirits nothing? You'd call meeting Kratos and Yuan nothing? When Yuan agreed to let you prove your ideals to him, when Kratos believed in you — those don't mean a thing to you now, huh?

Re: [past - mind]

[antreegonist]

He's silent.

Re: [past - mind]

[brotagonist]

That's what I thought. I'm sorry you were betrayed. But I know that's not how you really feel! You're tired, and you feel alone, but there are still things that're important enough to you to get back up for...! And you can find more of them!

Re: [past - mind]

[antreegonist]

"I ..."

His fingers twitch a little.

Re: [past - mind]

[brotagonist]

Don't hide from them. Come on out here.

Re: [past - mind]

[antreegonist]

Very slowly, very reluctantly, he half-stumbles, half-crawls out of the Great Seed.

Re: [past - mind]

[brotagonist]

[takes his hand]

There. I knew no matter what you talked yourself into, you wouldn't really give up on caring that easy.

Re: [past - mind]

[antreegonist]

He's fading as he moves . . . he turns away a little, hiding his face.

Re: [past - mind]

[brotagonist]

. . . hey. . . look at me. . . you don't know me, do you?

Re: [past - mind]

[antreegonist]

"No . . ."

He won't look.

Re: [past - mind]

[brotagonist]

Come on, please. . . I'm Lloyd. The reason I know you that well is 'cause. . . we're friends. And we've got a lot in common. The stuff we care about, what it's worth to us in the end. . .

Re: [past - mind]

[antreegonist]

FINE HE LOOKS UP A LITTLE THROUGH HIS HAIR JEEZ LLOYD

Re: [past - mind]

[brotagonist]

[what!! squeezes his hand.]

Re: [past - mind]

[antreegonist]

He fades away completely, just as the background memory plays the attack on Mithos, Martel taking the blow . . .

And after a few seconds, that fades too.

Re: [past - mind]

[brotagonist]

[. . . sighs and scoops up the box.]

Re: [past - mind]

[antreegonist]

What hits you when you touch the box is a crushing sense of defeat -- all you want to do is sink to your knees and curl up in a ball and die.

Re: [past - mind]

[brotagonist]

[nn...ngh. waits it out, then takes out another little leaf out and thinks about Mithos sharing a memory with him in this thread up to "me too"; his deep recognition of the drive Mithos felt there as he shares the experience, remembering the soaring determination in his own memory of fighting Kratos as he talks to Mithos about it, the genuineness of returning Mithos's sentiment. We're a lot alike. I'm glad we know each other.

...slips it into the box and closes it.]

Re: [past - mind]

[antreegonist]

Ah.

You're now in a large round chamber with a cloth hung all the way around the walls. It's raised a little to leave room for the doors (one on the left and one on the right). A great deal of the cloth is still bare, but parts of it, at intervals, are thick with colourful embroidery.

The top of the chamber is open to the stormy sky.

Re: [past - mind]

[brotagonist]

[. . . goes over to look at the embroidery more closely. . .]

Re: [past - mind]

[antreegonist]

You recognize this.

The embroidery is a visual timeline of Mithos's memories, detailing his history in Aselia. More than ninety-five percent of it is blank.

There is a large cluster of embroidery near the beginning, some small blips and one biggish blip around the middle, and another large cluster near the end; the end itself is blank.

Re: [past - mind]

[brotagonist]

[. . . rests a hand on that blank space.]