Sermon Two

[withoutasign]

[Signless has chosen his location carefully; when he turns on the video function, there's a wall of water behind him, and a school of brightly colored tropical fish swimming past. He's very clearly in the bubble again.]

My friends, today I want to talk to you about fear.

[His voice is low and soothing, his story-telling voice.]

I have known great fear in my time. In my world, the color of my blood was a source of fear, something that drove me into hiding for a long time. Then, when I dreamed of the world that could be, rather than the world that was, I was afraid again... afraid that I would never see what I knew we were capable of come to pass. I was afraid to speak out, afraid to make a ripple in the still, stagnant waters of our society, and tried instead to live my meager little life underneath the notice of the highbloods.

But then I saw what my silence was doing, what those in similar positions were suffering, and I knew I could not stay silent. I could not sit idly by while our world rotted away from its very core, while its corruption bled away the talents and very lives of so many trolls who had done nothing beyond being hatched the wrong color. I could not wait for another to come along and demand change, or I would wait the rest of my life. I needed to cast aside my fear, to find a reserve of strength within me, and rise to what my world needed me to be.

[His voice falls, becoming hushed and soft, almost painfully honest, and he looks down, his cloak hiding his eyes.]

I was terrified. Casting off fear is one of the most difficult things I have ever done. Fear is something I knew, its cold comfort as familiar to me as my guardian's face. It would have been... easy to live my entire life in fear, I thought.

[He looks up then, and his eyes are burning, his voice strong once more.]

I thought that fear was a cloak to hide me, but it was a chain I wore around my neck. When the fear was gone, when I made the decision to cast it aside, I have never felt so free in my entire life. It was how I imagine it must feel to wake up one morning with wings, and look out the window into an endless sky. When the fear was gone, I could breathe a deep breath for the first time in my life, and look to the future not as an ominous, foreboding thing, but as a path bathed in light and redemption.

I am not afraid any longer, Vatheon. This is my home now, and it is worth fighting for. I will not be driven out of my home again. I will not let fear control me.

Comments

[privatejack]

[aim_exorable]

D --> Just ignore her, Miss Nepeta

[privatejack] pretend it's darkleer in the icon

[bestestfurrend]

:33 < oh hi darkl33r!!
:33 < did you know her back on alternia then??
:33 < i saw your other confursation
:33 < equius and vriska used to be furrends back there too
:33 < well, sort of furrends
:33 < they liked backstabbing each other a lot ://

:33 < do you think i should stop talking to her? :||

[privatejack]

[aim_exorable]

D --> Yes
D --> And yes

[privatejack]

[bestestfurrend]

:33 < that doesnt expurrlain furry much :||
:33 < or anything really

[privatejack]

[aim_exorable]

D --> It explains enough
D --> Yes, I knew her
D --> And yes
D --> I think you should stop talking to her
D --> There really is not that much to explain

[privatejack]

[bestestfurrend]

:33 < are you furrends??
:33 < is she safe or are we going to have to stay away furom her too?

[privatejack]

[aim_exorable]

D --> I wouldn't go that far
D --> We knew one another as children.
D --> She broke into my hive

D --> I'd advise staying away from her as well
D --> She tends to be rather manipulative
D --> And her abilities are ones that would not bode well for lowblooded trolls like yourself, Miss Nepeta

[privatejack]

[bestestfurrend]

:OO < then what happened??

:33 < yes i know what she can do if its the same as vriska
:33 < thats how tavros broke his back
:33 < she made him walk off of a cliff
:// < so now we have to be even more careful if we efur get to go back down to the bubble
:33 < *ac sighs*

[privatejack]

[aim_exorable]

D --> There was something of a scuffle
D --> And she then absconded with a good portion of my food
D --> She did the same thing when I restocked
D --> Repeatedly
D --> That was generally the basis of our childhood relationship
D --> Her repeated and successful efforts breaking into my hive
D --> Despite all precautions taken to keep her out

D --> Well
D --> If it is any consolation
D --> I would say she is generally less dangerous than the Grand Highblood
D --> If only because she is a bit more predictable

[privatejack]

[bestestfurrend]

:33 < hmmmm

[She's not sure what to think of this; if it was Equius trying to keep someone out she's pretty sure he'd manage it if he really wanted to. Or maybe Mindfang is just sneakier than even Vriska is.]

:33 < no its not really :||
:33 < but at least unlike him she purrobably wont be targeting da...
:33 < targeting signless
:33 < right??
:33 < what about you will you be okay with her here??

[privatejack]

[aim_exorable]

[It's a mixture of both. Yes, Darkleer was a bit desperate for company at that age... but really, Mindfang is just really good at finding her way into things.]

D --> Likely not
D --> At her age
D --> Signless had not even been born yet
D --> She has little reason to be interested in him

D --> To be frank
D --> I'm not sure

[privatejack]

[bestestfurrend]

:33 < okay thats a relief!
:33 < so shes furom a long time in your past then?

:(( < what can we do?
:33 < and dont say nothing beclaws were going to look out fur you whether you like it or not mister XOO

[privatejack]

[aim_exorable]

D --> Yes
D --> A very very long time ago
D --> She's still only eleven
D --> Only a couple of sweeps after I had first joined the Archeradicators

D --> And
D --> Well
D -->
D --> Nothing, really

[privatejack]

[bestestfurrend]

:33 < that really is purretty young fur a blueblood
:33 < i guess it can make things compurrlickated...

:33 < darkl33r :||
:33 < do you n33d us to come back to the hive?
:33 < or you could join us on the island

[privatejack]

[aim_exorable]

D --> Quite

D --> No
D --> You should stay where it's safe
D --> No matter what this absolutely insane optimist is preaching
D --> As for myself
D --> I must stay here

[privatejack]

[bestestfurrend]

:33 < dont say that about signless! :||
:33 < being optimistic isnt a bad thing efur
:33 < and he told US to stay put where its safe too
:33 < hed nefur put us in danger darkl33r

:(( < well if youre sure
:33 < but purrlease take care of yourself
:33 < and let gamz33 and equius know youre okay beclaws they worry about you a lot

[privatejack]

[aim_exorable]

D --> It's best we simply disagree on the subject of a certain overly optimistic mutantblood
D --> Because I can assure you, Miss Nepeta
D --> My opinion is quite the opposite of yours

D --> I will
D --> Don't worry
D --> I've been doing my best to keep in touch

[privatejack]

[bestestfurrend]

:33 < *ac sigggghs*
:33 < you really are just like equius sometimes
:33 < or i suppaws hes just like you

:33 < thank you darkl33r :33
:33 < i know itll make them f33l a lot better
:33 < and uhm
:33 < i wouldnt mind hearing that youre doing okay too

[privatejack]

[aim_exorable]

D --> Oh?
D --> Well
D --> I suppose I can see what I can do
D --> I'll be sure to send you a message regularly then

[privatejack]

[bestestfurrend]

:33 < thank you X33
:33 < thatd be furry nice

[privatejack]

[aim_exorable]

D --> I am glad it pleases you then
D --> Stay safe

[privatejack]

[bestestfurrend]

:33 < i will!
:33 < you too
:33 < *ac curls up on darkl33rs lap and purrs to him*

[privatejack]

[aim_exorable]

D --> ...
D --> I'm still not quite sure what I am to do in response to that

[privatejack]

[bestestfurrend]

:33 < you can say that youre petting my head fur instance!
:33 < ear scritches are good too

[privatejack]

[aim_exorable]

D --> But I'm not there