Glamour Failure

[animusmods]

Characters: any
Setting: all around the Tower
Format: any/party-style
Summary: A general mingle log for the reaction to the beginning of the Idealism event.
Warnings: PG-13; please include any more detailed warnings in your threads if necessary

Comments

[oathshackledbird]

[Diarmuid presses his finger to his lips, or as close as he can with his body like this.]

While it sounds like the tower is well and truly shut down right now, I will not risk some things even so. They have cameras watching us everywhere and I do not trust that they are down just because everything else is. Please keep your voice down and your words vague.

[puppy_lancer]

I will.

[He whispers.]

By the way, how was your meeting on the beach the other day?

[Yep, he had gotten settled in enough to ask questions of that sort.]

[oathshackledbird]

Thank you brother.

[There is gratitude in his voice. It would be on his face as well if it could be. However, that fades as his brother keeps talking. Once Cu Chulainn stops, Diarmuid bows his head to him.]

Forgive me for this...

[He then punches him in the face.]

[puppy_lancer]

[Lancer goes toppling backwards from the force of the impact.]

OW! WHAT THE FUCK!

[Hissing in pain, he gets up, showing that there's purple liquid trickling down the lower half of his face.]

[oathshackledbird]

[Diarmuid frowns when he sees the purple liquid or he would have if he had a face to do it with. He hadn't meant to his his brother quite so hard, but apparently he had been angrier than he thought. Still, he steadies himself. He should have had this talk with Cu Chulainn a while ago.]

I know you are trying to make me happy, brother, but you have to stop doing things like this! You are upsetting and hurting others and I can't stand for that! Please understand!

[puppy_lancer]

[He rubs at his nose.]

...Am I?

[Wouldn't the people he set up on those dates be happy to find love?]

Sorry about that then. But you're right, you know. I do want to make you happy.

[Lancer always was a selfish hero. As long as those he wanted to protect were safe, everything else could just fall by the wayside.]

It's because I don't wanna see you crying like that again...

[oathshackledbird]

Yes...

[He reaches out to wipe some of the liquid from his brother's face.]

I know you probably didn't know, but Claudia had a history with the version of me from her world. Well...not me so much as my master. We've talked now, but...the talk is something that probably should happened under much different circumstances.

I know you don't mean to hurt them, but I need you to just not do this anymore.

[Diarmuid's voice suddenly drops very low.]

Besides, I think there is someone I like. I don't think she feels the same way, but...I am not ready to give up on her yet. I don't want to be with anyone else.

[puppy_lancer]

[His mouth drops open.]

Whoa! Really?

[He notices how loud he has gotten in his excitement and quiets down.]

T-that's awesome, Bro. Who's the lucky girl?

[He moves to give Diarmuid a big hug.]

[oathshackledbird]

[Diarmuid accepts the hug as he debates on whether or not he should tell his brother her name. Normally, there would be no question, but right now knowing that she doesn't feel the same way, he fears that his brother might try to push her into something she doesn't want to do.

He sits back from the hug so he can do his best to look his brother in the eyes. It's a little harder with their forms as they currently are.]

I need you to swear to me on the thing you hold most dear that you will not do anything to pressure her if I tell you her name. I have reason to believe she loves someone else and I won't come between people again, brother. I won't repeat what happened before. If I must love her from a distance, then that is what I will do. It is better than not having loved at all.

[puppy_lancer]

No!

[His hands clench into fists.]

Brother, you're tell me to sit back and watch you suffer from unrequited love. I-I can't let that happen! Not after...not after everything that happened!

[Setting Diarmuid up with one person after another was his apology, in a way. He can't love Diarmuid himself, so he'll set Diarmuid up with some who can love him. And now the same thing was happening, only Diarmuid's love wasn't directed at Cu Chulainn himself.]

[oathshackledbird]

I won't see Cecil unhappy just so I can be happy! I--

[Diarmuid's words cut off when he realizes he just said the name of the person he cared about without meaning to. If there was any color to his face besides violet, it would be draining away right now.

He curses in Ancient Gaelic under his breath and reaches out, grabbing his brother by what would be the collar if they looked normal.]

I swear to you. I will kill you myself if you hurt her because of this! Let things be!

[puppy_lancer]

[He actually recoils when he hears his brother issue those threats. This is the angriest that Diarmuid had gotten at him since that time.]

[And it makes anger stir inside Cu Chulainn as well. As if someone had picked a healing wound wide open.]

[One hand goes to grab his brother's wrist.]

Let go.

[His words are a cold hiss. One that he usually reserves only for his enemies.]

[oathshackledbird]

[Diarmuid is tempted to ignore the order. To keep a hold of his brother and shake him until he promises he will leave Cecil alone. He doesn't, though. The anger in his brother's voice is enough to shock him out of it and he does let go, sitting back away from Cu Chulainn.

Why are they fighting? Why are they doing this now when there are people out there who need them?]

Brother... I... We...

[puppy_lancer]

[Cu Chulainn looks from his brother's face down to his own hands, recalls what happened, and then recoils in horror.]

I'm sorry! I-I shouldn't have...

[oathshackledbird]

It's all right. Please, take a moment and just calm down.

[He reaches out and places his hands over his brother's.]

I think we both need a moment to calm ourselves. Even if we feel like we are taking all this change well, it's still messing with our emotions on some level.

[puppy_lancer]

[He nods, and then takes a deep breath.]

It's...it's still not fair. No matter how calm I am, it pisses me off thinking about it. Why do you have to suffer over unrequited love?

[oathshackledbird]

[Because I was the fool who fell in love in the first place when I should not have? Diarmuid thinks this, but doesn't dare say it out loud because he knows it will only upset his brother again.]

I know you feel it's unfair, but it would be just as unfair to force my love on her brother. It would be just like if my curse affected her and you know that is not what I want. I need the love to be given freely and if it doesn't happen...

[Diarmuid shrugs and lets his words trail off. It will hurt, but he has been hurt before. He will find a way to survive.]

[puppy_lancer]

...What does her brother have to do with any of this?

[Was he the person that Cecil liked?]

TMW a punctuation error leads to an ironically funny assumption! X.x

[oathshackledbird]

Her brother?

[Diarmuid pauses for a moment and then breaks out laughing. It's a laugh he sorely needs.]

No, no. I'm sorry. I should have been clearer. Her brother has nothing to do with this. I don't know if she even has one. But the person she cares for...he's from a version of her world. Surely, he will be better able to understand her than I will.

[It's logical...even if it hurts.]

Re: TMW a punctuation error leads to an ironically funny assumption! X.x

[puppy_lancer]

I...

[What can he say? It's a logical assumption.]

Yeah...but...does he know she loves him?

[oathshackledbird]

I...don't know.

[Diarmuid shakes his head, his expression uncertain.]

I do know that they grew up together and are very close because of that. I...there is so little I know about her and her world. Why do I feel this way?

[He runs a hand over his 'hair.']

This doesn't make sense.

[puppy_lancer]

...Sometimes love doesn't make sense.

[It sounds trite, but it's true.]

Besides, what are you in love with? Her or her world?

[oathshackledbird]

I know, but how can I understand her if I don't understand her past or where she is from?

[Diarmuid shakes his head.]

I don't even know that it is love. What do I, of all people, know about real love?

[puppy_lancer]

[He grins, and then reaches over and pokes his brother right on the tip of the nose.]

Oh come on, it's you. And you know enough about love. After all, you were a good husband and a good father and a great brother as well.

[Far, far better in that respect that Cu Chulainn had been.]

[oathshackledbird]

Hey! What was that for?

[Diarmuid can't help but laugh at the poke.]

Thank you. It does mean a lot to hear you say that, but I am still unsure. This really isn't the time to be thinking about it either. We should go find our friends. Most of them aren't like us and used to this whole 'being just a soul' idea. They are going to need a steady hand to help them calm down.