† 1st Mystery; Arrival

[alethiological]

Characters: Willard H. Wright, Whoever else makes the mistake of speaking to him
Setting: Room 1-18, Cafeteria, Library
Format: Brackets as starter, but I can switch to whatever.
Summary: The usual new arrival crap, you know how it goes.
Warnings: Old cranky angels are rude as hell

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[Room 1-18]

[The first thing done upon regaining movement is a slow, glance-over of the letters, except they're tossed aside in record speed in favor of freezing in place for a minute or two, eyes closed.

No contact. Great.

Then it's like a switch is hit and all the slow movements are switched to a snapping efficiency, slamming open the trunk and digging through the clothes to land on - something.

A frightening stack of six-hundred plus papers that gets pulled out and flipped through quickly while crouched, then - just as quickly as the energy appears - it goes out. Back to apathy with a sigh and a shut of the trunk.]


[Floor 1]

[Alright whatever, so apparently one of the things you have to do is eat the stupid oatmeal. Whatever. There's worse things in the world to deal with.

So after getting dressed and maybe punching a wall or two, there's a deadpan mountain of a person slowly reading through a pile of papers and tapping against the bowl in a manner that can only be defined as distracted.]


[Floor 3]

[Obligations completed, the next thing on the list would be exploring the tower and taking mental notes.

Except the third floor was a library.

Okay, mental map of the tower can happen later. Now is the time to hide out in the mystery section for hours and hours and hours on end. At least he keeps to himself.]

Comments

[justiceerror]

Mmm...

[battler thinks for a few moments, a hand on the table, and his finger taps gently on top of the surface as he grows quiet.]

Isn't that something... and yet we have plenty of reasons to be afraid of the living. [what humans can do, what they have done, and what other living creatures might do...]

Uncertainty breeds fear, does it not?

[alethiological]

[He gets a ghost of the expression the normal Battler would get - that one that makes it painfully obvious you're an idiot and he's judging you for it - but he doesn't make any move to explain why.

Instead, he sighs.]

It's less 'uncertainty' and more 'unknown'. [There is a subtle difference in these words that really only matters to writers. What a nerd.] As for breeding fear... then yes. But that's why humans face their fears and conquer them. Courage overpowers that unknown.

[justiceerror]

[smart ass.]

You really do know all... but then what overpowers uncertainty?

[since they're apparently so different, unknown and uncertainty.]

[alethiological]

[asshole.]

'Uncertainty' is a feeling. It's different for each person. What works for me wouldn't work for you.

[justiceerror]

And yet I have a feeling you won't tell me what works for you...

[for he doesn't exactly understand a lot of feelings anyways.]

[alethiological]

Faith.

[With the light shrug afterwards of someone who could honestly not care less about keeping a secret, and also that his reason is exactly why it wouldn't work with Battler.

It's because the solution for him is Angels Are Stupid.]

[justiceerror]

....Faith?

[what even. battler is definitely having a hard time even wrapping his head around that.]

Care to explain?

[alethiological]

What's to explain? You asked how I defeat uncertainty.

[But this is one of Bern's pieces, so it's possible he legitimately can't fathom what the word means.]

To me, uncertainty is a weakness in willpower. So I overpower it with a stronger will. 'Faith' is belief. I believe in a cause greater than myself, where even Death couldn't make me waver.

[justiceerror]

[..............belief.]

Faith has no weight.... there is only power, and whoever has the most has most control.

Hehh.... [maybe he's just not suited to understand something like faith.]

[alethiological]

What happens if someone defeats you?

[Then you can no longer rely on power, you're no longer in control, your reason to persevere is gone.

Unless you do a shounen training montage, but they're from the mystery genre. No montage for you.]

[justiceerror]

...Such optimism. [he's far too strong for that, no one has ever been able to do that, and if he would lose, of course he would blame this tower for toning down his powers. bern had made a far too powerful piece.]

Then revenge... yes yes, strike the one that defeated you and make them suffer.