[He laughs a little, well-meaning. Pats her on the shoulder amicably.]
Thanks, kiddo. [He nods though.] Sure we did. The one truly good thing to come out of that dust-up. Mike's a solid guy, optimistic but not naive about it. He was a good kid. Took too much shit from people like Henry, just because he was black. But I guess all of us were taking shit for something stupid.. Stuttering, being too fat, being too poor, too sickly. Being Jewish.
[He points a thumb at himself.]
Funny looking with a mouth than quicker than your brains or feet. Bad combination.
[pazu you can also throw in your memory whenever...unless she has more questions first.]
... I suppose it is not so different from Euchronia, in some regard.
[ discrimination everywhere you look, even when all people are of one tribe... it's kind of a bummer to think about.
but yeah!!! while they're talking, the mirrors shift and display a new scene!
You see villagers gathered before their chief, clamouring for action. There are intruders on the island, they say. Sanctists, come to steal the divine relics. They must be put to death. The chief tries to calm them, explaining that the outsiders have done no harm, but they will not be placated. This is but the latest in a series of disasters.
But the scene flips. Richie has to shake his head a moment, reorient himself. The change in milieu is drastic, and the scene itself is unexpected.
Look, he knew a little of her story. Not enough to guess at this. Offering her life as a sacrifice to a god (there's a part of him that longs to roll his eyes at the mention of a dragon, this place so tests his patience), and walking off cool with no bones about it. Not one ounce of trepidation at all.
He looks back down to her, shocked.]
Eupha...That's not how... [His brows come together in a worrisome knot.] You didn't go through with it, did you?
I had fully intended to complete it... but when I reached the altar where the Dragon God dwells, there was something else there. A malevolent entity, that had attached itself to our god as if it were a parasite.
I... well. I despaired. My entire purpose was to be an offering, and even that was denied to me.
... But then I heard a voice in my head, telling me to choose a path. And I decided... that if I cannot save my people in death, then I will protect them with my life. At that moment, I was granted a new power, and I used it to slay the human.
You saw it? [ her expression lightens a little at that. ]
Then you know of Archetypes. Yes, that was the power that awakened in me. Mine was the Summoner... With it, I gained the power to call monsters to fight by my side.
The role of a priestess is to give her life... in service, not in sacrifice. To take the Dragon God's power in hand and to use it to protect her people. This, I believe, was the original purpose of our ritual, and so it shall be from now onward.
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It seems you were able to make a new friend amidst that chaos, too.
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Thanks, kiddo. [He nods though.] Sure we did. The one truly good thing to come out of that dust-up. Mike's a solid guy, optimistic but not naive about it. He was a good kid. Took too much shit from people like Henry, just because he was black. But I guess all of us were taking shit for something stupid.. Stuttering, being too fat, being too poor, too sickly. Being Jewish.
[He points a thumb at himself.]
Funny looking with a mouth than quicker than your brains or feet. Bad combination.
[pazu you can also throw in your memory whenever...unless she has more questions first.]
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[ discrimination everywhere you look, even when all people are of one tribe... it's kind of a bummer to think about.
but yeah!!! while they're talking, the mirrors shift and display a new scene!
They are right. It is time to perform the ritual.
(also, the little particles in the air? you can 100% see those. they are everywhere.) ]
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But the scene flips. Richie has to shake his head a moment, reorient himself. The change in milieu is drastic, and the scene itself is unexpected.
Look, he knew a little of her story. Not enough to guess at this. Offering her life as a sacrifice to a god (there's a part of him that longs to roll his eyes at the mention of a dragon, this place so tests his patience), and walking off cool with no bones about it. Not one ounce of trepidation at all.
He looks back down to her, shocked.]
Eupha...That's not how... [His brows come together in a worrisome knot.] You didn't go through with it, did you?
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Oh, er...
... I... didn't. The ritual did not go quite as planned...
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A human.
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A human? What, a human like me?
[discrimination is right here with us...]
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N, no! One of the humans of my world... They are not people, but twisted monsters that defy nature and reason.
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[oh okay. Uh. still weird but you do you gang.]
Did you have to kill it, then? What happened?
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... But then I heard a voice in my head, telling me to choose a path. And I decided... that if I cannot save my people in death, then I will protect them with my life. At that moment, I was granted a new power, and I used it to slay the human.
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A sort of dream awakening.
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Then you know of Archetypes. Yes, that was the power that awakened in me. Mine was the Summoner... With it, I gained the power to call monsters to fight by my side.
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So you flipped the switch, then. Turned it around on your own terms and kept moving. Did things change for your people? No need to sacrifice, right?
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The role of a priestess is to give her life... in service, not in sacrifice. To take the Dragon God's power in hand and to use it to protect her people. This, I believe, was the original purpose of our ritual, and so it shall be from now onward.