whisper in a dead man's ear; it doesn't make it real

[crouching_sin]

Characters: Naoya and OPEN.
Setting: Various floors.
Format: Actionspam to start, but I'll match you.
Summary: Naoya takes care of some daily tasks and some exploration, as well as taking some time for himself.
Warnings: Talk of death. Other than that I can't think of anything in particular.


[Floor Fourty-Eight]

[It's become a daily ritual for him - coming here and dusting off the tombstones. He takes special care on the ones whose names are worn out, as he knows all too well how a name can disappear from time.]

[Occasionally he stops, and when he can't see anyone he allows himself time to grieve. No tears are shed, but he sits next to a grave and allows himself to shake. So many lives… so many deaths. It hurts. It hurts, and there's no way anyone else can truly know.]



[Floor Thirty-Nine]

[Though he has a pretty good metabolism on his own, exercise is always important. Naoya steps onto the track, well aware that geta are not exactly ideal footwear, but he doesn't have any other options. He doesn't trust the track enough to simply go barefoot or in socks, so it's with his geta clacking that he starts walking the track. After a circuit, he starts running. The third he takes walking again, and the fourth he takes at a medium jog.]



[Floor Thirty-Three]

[He was an idiot to think that this would work. Naoya crouches at the end of the farmland, having taken some seeds of what looked like possibly pumpkins and planted them. The tiny patch he's claimed is choked by some kind of plant that is decidedly not what he intended to grow. He sighs, and digs his hands into the dirt, trying to pull up the thing by its roots. No sense in letting any of this grow and spread to the rest of the farmland.]



[Floor Twenty-Two]

[Naoya just stares, unimpressed, at the pictures that surround him now. He's well aware of each one - all of them depict the same thing.]

Heh… even now, I still am my brother's keeper…

[To release himself he had to use Abel again and again. The lamb, the sacrifice, the endless cycle of pain and fear and heartbreak on both their parts. He's well aware that he'd pretended not to care, but each and every time Abel is hurt it breaks his heart. He doesn't want to use his brother like this. But to draw God out, and to have the power to defeat Him, he needs to use Abel.]

[He turns, looking to see what else the gallery holds for him today.]

Comments

[lightofhumanity]

[chaos looks at the paintings and sighed. Cain killing Abel over and over and over again..]

It also seems that they have a twisted sense of humor. These might frighten someone.

[While chaos wasn't aware that this room showed you paintings of your past, he did think that seeing a murder over and over again might not settle well with some people.]

[crouching_sin]

Tch. Both of those things are normal around here. The tower administrators don't care about our feelings.

[He shakes his head.]

I do wish they'd be a little more creative in the pictures that appear, though.

[lightofhumanity]

That is what I've heard. However..while the Administrators have done some terrible, cruel things, they must have some kindness in them.

[After all, they had dragged chaos away from his universe. While that wouldn't stop it's destruction, it might delay it for some time. The fact that Wilhelm and KOS-MOS were here meant that an Administrator might be trying to find out alternative ways for the universe to survive.]

However..if they are trying to frighten others with these pictures, it would be more effective if they showed different fears. Perhaps they're trying to frighten just one person.

[crouching_sin]

Heh. Very little, I believe.

[He turns back to the pictures, which shift into different versions of the same scene.]

Hmph. They don't even look right. The skin color is off for one. Abel was hardly that blindingly white. And I'm not dirty enough.

[He worked the earth, of course he was dirty.]

[lightofhumanity]

Even a little makes a difference sometimes..

[Whatever small traces of a smile chaos was still wearing fell when he heard the man speak again.]

Sadly, most painters keep forgetting about the proper skin tone.

[chaos points for a moment at the crucifixion painting.]

Most think he was white, but in reality, he was rather tan, having walked for so long. Small details seem to escape them quite frequently as well..Cain.

[To be honest, it had been thousands of years since chaos had came upon those two brothers. However, even though his memory was faded a little, he still remembered the pair.]

[crouching_sin]

It does.

[He chuckles a bit. Good. He wasn't stupid.]

They prefer to cast those they like in an image similar to them, and those that they hate as looking different from them. In truth, neither are correct.

And I am as you say, though in this incarnation I'm known as Naoya. And who are you?

[lightofhumanity]

I imagine that some do that. Others may imitate out of ignorance or try to show the truth as best they can. Or show their own image, be it right or wrong.

[This incarnation..so this was a Cain that came from a world where reincarnation existed. So he could remember his past lives. That explained the weight chaos sensed.]

My name is..chaos. It is nice to meet you, Naoya.

[crouching_sin]

And it's... interesting to meet you.

[He could definitely sense something, but what it was remained to be seen.]

Difference makes people uncomfortable. It's not surprising.

[lightofhumanity]

It depends upon the person. While some might feel uncomfortable, others may embrace those differences. Others may not care at all.

[chaos speaks from experience here, having dealt with all those reactions to his odd abilities during his life.]

[crouching_sin]

On the whole, I've found people are more likely to shun those that they find strange. There are some exceptions, but humans tend to cling to what they know.

[lightofhumanity]

Strange. I've found, that even if you are strange, as long as you are polite and courteous, people don't seem to mind. Or they even forget about that strangeness.

[crouching_sin]

Heh. Well, I was cursed to be a wanderer among the earth. That I've not found much acceptance is understandable, I suppose.

[lightofhumanity]

I suppose wandering around the world and ruining farmland doesn't help one's reputation or help one get accepted. However..hopefully you'll accept my acceptance.

[While chaos's memories of the brothers were groggy, he remembered that he did feel a little sorry for Cain and that he would have liked to have been his friend, if things hadn't gone so wrong.]

[crouching_sin]

Save it. I don't need it from you or anyone else.

[Well. Perhaps with one exception. But Abel's always been the exception to everything, in all of his incarnations. Every time he encounters a fragment of his brother's soul living in someone else, it always changes things.]

[lightofhumanity]

I see..I'll save it, for now anyway. How about your brother? Is he reincarnating as well?

[If so, that would be an utter tragedy..but in Naoya's world, this would probably happen.]

[crouching_sin]

The broken shards of his soul are finding hosts in various human souls, yes.

[lightofhumanity]

I am sorry to hear that. Hopefully those shards will all come together one day.

[crouching_sin]

One day, perhaps. We'll see. My concern right now is breaking my own curse.

[lightofhumanity]

And how can you break it, if you don't mind my asking?

[If possible, chaos was thinking about helping Naoya.]

[crouching_sin]

Killing God, of course. He was the one who cursed me in the first place. Remove Him, and it breaks.

[In theory, at least.]

[lightofhumanity]

[In chaos's world, 'god' and 'U-DO' were the names they gave to the entity watching them from the Upper Domain. If Naoya's world was the same-and it could not have-then his plan was doomed, or it might even hurt him and Abel.]

I'm not sure what sort of universe you live in..but if it functions like mine, then what you are planning to do is not only impossible: it will hurt you, Abel, and anyone else you decide to throw in your path.

The better plan might be to show that you feel regret for your actions.

[chaos said this all as gently as he could. He wasn't trying to anger Naoya, and he did feel a little sad for them.]

[crouching_sin]

[... Those were not the words he wanted to hear. His expression darkened, and he chuckled, the sound strained and painful.]

Regret? I owe nothing to Him in terms of regret. As for showing regret to Abel... I've done all I could. I would never put him in danger if I could help it. Every life I can I've watched over him. Every single waking moment I have I can't help but feel as though I've failed my brother utterly, and you have the audacity to suggest that.

Do you think I would not give anything to go back and prevent that from happening? Do you think I am not honestly baffled by the idea that my brother still claims to love me? I do not deserve his forgiveness, but yet he still loves me. For that I am grateful, but I do not know why he gives it.

But to suggest that I do not regret what happened is a far worse insult than many could deliver. God is the one at fault here. I was a child, and I did not know what else to do other than to offer Him what he wanted - blood. If I could have found a better way I would have. Do you not think I loved my brother? That I still love him, even now, and that it pains me to see him in such a fragmented state? Do you really imagine that I would not give anything to restore him to wholeness, knowing it was me who shattered him in the first place? I would give anything to keep him safe - but safety takes second place to doing what's right. God has kept a grasp on humanity for too long - and on my own soul for even longer. It's only natural to want freedom from such a troublesome and oppressive dictatorial god.

[lightofhumanity]

[chaos sighed in his head at Naoya's expression. This was probably painful for him to hear, and while chaos's advice may not have applied exactly, he still wanted to help, not hurt.]

Your brother still loves you because, despite all that's happened, he can't hate you for it. He doesn't want to watch you to suffer either.

How do you know if that is what your god wanted? Perhaps, when you were young, you misinterpreted what it really wanted, and, as a consequence, have been suffering ever since, along with everyone else that has gotten involved. It may be best if you look at everything with your eyes unclouded by hate and then decide what to do.

As for killing your god..it may be possible, however inhuman he may seem to you, that he is helping you from an even worse fate.

[crouching_sin]

This is the same God who threatened to take away human free will if they did not follow exactly the kind of world He wanted. I don't think He really cares about anyone.

[lightofhumanity]

[So this universe was a bit different from his. Or perhaps the higher entity there was less willing to be an observer. It was hard to say for certain without being in that universe for a moment or two.]

..When did this god make that threat? Or, if you did not hear it from his mouth, where did you hear it from?