17; video/action

[asea]

[There's a dissipating shower of purple flecks behind Walter, this time with more black and belts, when the feed comes on. More than that, half the trademark severity from his features has gone—he's clearly not in the mood to punch someone's lungs out. Which is new.]

Vatheon—[he grasps the cloth wrapped around his hair and pulls it off, suddenly seeing no point in it. His tone is softer from its usual guttural gruffness.]

. . . What's a soul?

action;

[After a moment of waiting, Walter cranes his neck to the side. He hasn't come to the abandoned village in months; the area's about the same as the images his memories convey him. And now, he's a little more keen about disregarding appearances to dig around.

He slides in and out of the broken buildings, taking a moment to wander each interior before moving onto the next. His hands are smeared with grime in minutes, and he rubs the flat of his fingertips against his thumb at a juncture. It's all so familiar in a way, yet he feels nothing more than . . . apathy.

People lived here, once. Probably.

Outside, he leans against what remains of a wall and looks up, his arms crossed.]

Comments

[zelda_hylia]

[Zelda had promised to create a spot on the island where people could stay temporarily, just in case the experiment Kid wants to run goes badly. Though she ended up falling asleep not long after making that promise, she plans to make good on it this week - and with Hylia's memories, she has the tools to do so.

She's been walking through the village slowly, playing a somber song on her harp and turning back the years on some of the buildings. Others she'll clean up or repair in a less heavy-handed fashion, but some of them are just beyond repair. When she notices Walter she stills her hand, looking at him quietly for a moment before speaking.]

Hello, Walter.

[asea]

[In the quietness of the abandoned village, save the quiet noise of the surrounding nature, the song rings in his ears rather clearly. Gaze traveling to the direction of the source, he unfolds his arms and peels away from the wall.]

Zelda.

[Not where he'd have expected her to show up.]

That song . . .

[zelda_hylia]

[Generally she doesn't spend all that much time up here, but there are exceptions to the rule.]

Yes, this is the Song of Time. The flow of time will eventually wear down all things, but with this melody one can choose their viewpoint. What you see here is part of this village, before it was left to the ravages of time.

[She gestures back towards a restored building, bright and cheerful. It looks like someone might still live there, but she's only restored the building itself.]

[asea]

[He glances toward where she gestures, taking in the restored building. The difference is so obvious that it looks out of place, but he supposes that she'll handle the rest as she goes. Choose their viewpoint, huh . . . ]

Is it permanent?

[zelda_hylia]

As far as the concept of permanence extends, yes. Eventually these buildings will be worn down again, but they will not simply transform back to their previous state suddenly if that is what you're asking. The coral has continued to weaken. I believe it is prudent that we prepare for the worst.

[When she'd awoken that morning, Zelda was initially relieved. A curse should mean the coral stabilizing, after all. Unfortunately, it's still continuing to drop in power.]

[text]

[replicatedcourage]

[Sola doesn't know Walter at all. He usually doesn't respond to people he doesn't know, but that question...]

having a soul makes someone a whole person

[He would have made this anonymous if he could. In fact, he tried but failed miserably and sent it anyway, hoping Walter wouldn't feel sorry for him or tell him he's fine without one or he's wrong and has one and just doesn't know it or that it doesn't matter. It's all those reasons that he couldn't ask anyone to help him make it private because they would see the message, and the same reasons that drive him to send it in the first place.

What if Walter doesn't have one either?

What if he'd actually understand?]

[text]

[asea]

[Typing is not something he's done often in his stay at Vatheon, but it would be inconsistent to continue responding in video. The nature of this mode of communication allows more room for thought anyway. And the answer, already, is a heavy one, if simple.

Perhaps fortunately for Sola, Walter doesn't so much as glance at the identity of the person who's responded—yet.]

What proof is there of its existence?

[text]

[replicatedcourage]

i dont know if you can tell if you do have one but you can if you dont

[There's a long pause between messages while Sola figures out how to explain.]

it doesnt feel like you belong and when you die-

[Another long pause. This is hard.]

when you die you stop being anything

[text]

[asea]

Isn't that the meaning of death?

[Because that's what it sounds like to him. Death is nothingness.]

It depends. There are races that are able to call upon their soul. Others can't.

...so now that she can't talk i think these two might actually get along better

[tsundyne]

[Yukari's been relying on her SFC fairly heavily for communication since she lost her voice . . . so it's easy for her to catch Walter's video feed. It comes as a surprise for obvious reasons: most notably the gentle look he has about him, and the fact that he's even reaching out in the first place.

Who would've guessed he even knew how to use the darn thing?

Even though she can't tell exactly where he is, it isn't like there are too many abandoned villages around here. She kind of spends some time wandering, until eventually she finds the place; having already forgotten, at least for the moment, what his video was about.]

. . .

[She sees him wandering out of one of the buildings. She hasn't quite kicked the habit of opening her mouth to talk, but when no words come out, she just shuts it again . . .

Crap.]

yeah that's right, now go to the kitchen—

[asea]

[Though his paranoia has dulled, his senses are still sharp and Walter stops when he exits. He feels it immediately—the way the air doesn't seem so empty anymore, how telling it is that there's another presence here.

He sees Yukari and doesn't move, half expecting her to say something first.

Except . . . ]

You're quiet.

[She'll realize that it's said with the same gentleness as before. There's no scorn in his tone.]

you'll regret it if she does

[tsundyne]

[She definitely notices. If she thought it was her imagination before, it's definitely being confirmed now that it wasn't -- unless she still happens to be dreaming. Rather than contemplate that, though, she simply stares at him for a moment, hand gripping her SFC tighter as she thinks about a response.

. . . She doesn't give one yet.

She simply breaks eye contact with him as she looks off to the side in slight embarrassment; and she brings her free hand up to her throat, rubbing at it with a tired expression.]

what a fail housewife

[asea]

Your throat?

[She must be unable to speak. Whether it's the curse's doing or a natural flu, he doesn't bother to find out. Point is, she won't talk, and he gets it.

Walter glances off to the side, indicating the area around them.]

Why are you here?

video;

[spiria]

[ She's not sure what pings her about the question, but something does. So, she responds. ]

Soul ...?

[ We didn't say she was going to respond well to it. ]

video;

[asea]

. . . Kohaku.

[ That was her name.

Considering the last time they spoke, her deadpan response is a drastic change. Come to think of it, why was he so angry? Despite the sour note they'd left off on, Walter finds himself unable to grasp at even the slightest animosity when he's faced with Kohaku now.

. . . especially since she's not even her usual nosy self. ]

Yes. What do you think?

video;

[spiria]

[ Had she been normal, she would probably make a comment about him using her real name. ]

Think ... What do I ... Think ...

[ You're probably not getting a straight answer out of her, bro. ]

video;

[asea]

[ . . . that isn't normal. Should she even be using this? ]

. . . You don't have to answer now.

[Video]

[dontsaymyname]

[ Barry's leaning forward a bit so his hairs falling over his otherwise naked chest. The curse took away his clothing, so he's at a bit of a disadvantage, but it doesn't stop him from asking questions of his own. ]

Why do you ask?

[ Not that Barry really had one of his own, being an incubus and all. ]

[Video]

[asea]

[ . . . This person is shirtless, but that's not his business. Walter deigns to think nothing of it. ]

Curiosity. It's an arbitrary subject.

[Video]

[dontsaymyname]

[ Barry smiled sweetly. ]

It may be that, but it's a complicated question. Did you lose yours?

[ There was a lot of loss going around lately. ]

[Video]

[asea]

[ He shakes his head. ]

It's a matter of comparison. Some races have a finer grasp of what a soul entails than others.

[ video ]

[beauchevalier]

A soul is supposedly something inside all of us or so the priests at the abbey taught me. When we die, we go to be with the Goddess.

[ video ]

[asea]

What of the worlds without the Goddess? [ . . . the Abbey wouldn't cover something like that.] Who is the Goddess?

[ video ]

[beauchevalier]

Worlds without Goddesses? I've heard of those existing. [Though he pauses briefly then continues.] The Goddess is said to be our creator and brought the world into existence.

[ video ]

[asea]

[A creator of human beings and the world . . . ]

You said that a soul is something supposedly inside all of us. Is there no way to see for certain?