001 (jan. 27) / video.

[dissenter]

[good afternoon Death City. hope you aren't tired of new arrivals yet because here's another one.

it's hard to tell where exactly this particular old bespectacled man is recording from because most of the screen is taken up by the biggest hat in the cosmos. don't be intimidated, though! he seems friendly enough, though his attention constantly flickers from his unseen audience to a point just beyond them -- as if he's almost more interested in the communicator itself than who's behind it. the quiet muttering doesn't help.] A mirror, eh? Curious choice...

[right, he's supposed to be talking to people. whoops! he blinks, starts, and smiles apologetically, refocusing.] Ah-- greetings. My name is Qilby, and I am an Eliatrope.

[an awkward, expectant pause as if he's hoping that by some stretch the term should be familiar to someone out there. or maybe he's just hesitant to address his next point.] ...I don't suppose I'm the only one that finds it rather tragic that by bringing us here and giving us these new abilities, they've stripped us of our powers that arguably could have been more useful to help end this conflict. And now we must figure out how to harness an entirely new set of skills... Well. They say you can't teach an old boowolf new tricks, and I doubt I'm an exception. [and his smile at his own "joke" implies that he is a very old boowolf indeed.]

That aside, I'm more than willing to try and learn. Tell me, how have people's experiences been? I'm afraid I haven't had to fight a war in a long time.

[and at that, he looks very tired.] A very, very long time.

Comments

[dissenter]

That's comforting to know...

[nod nod.] Thank you again, Selendis. I look forward to (hopefully) fighting by your side.

[dissenter]

[that coaxes a surprised laugh out of him.] Why-- there's no reason they shouldn't, I suppose.

But if even gods can bow to a ruler, surely there's something even higher than the highest of the gods-- and something higher than that, and so on. Does it ever end? It's a little hard to fathom.

[dissenter]

[he stares, speechless for a moment, then laughs.]

If you were speaking to any other Eliatrope, you'd probably make them question a lot about themselves...

No, I'm quite sure. Our eggs are relics, left behind after our births, for our energy to return to upon our deaths. We're special in that we're constantly reborn from our original source -- it's how the Yugo you know can be thirteen years old today, and can have saved my life ten thousand years ago.

Not to mention if we were born of birds we should have beaks, or feathers, or something... [what a horrible thought]

[dissenter]

No rush at all. I'm sure you're a very busy man.

[a gracious smile.] Until later, then.

[thewarisover]

Take care of yourself, sir.

[pawned]

That sounds rather interesting, if I may say. [But now that they're all dead... what do you watch over for all eternity?]

[tilts his head to the side, thoughtful expression on his face. He's considering it seriously, at least.] I enjoy stories and wisdom. [chews on his lower lip.] I'm still experimenting on balance, and of course, your own adoption of the weapon will be unique based on how you've adopted to the lack of an arm, but... I don't mind. It would benefit me to train with someone, too.

[kill_some_time]

[He smiles. There are indeed two beings that are cosidered as 'divine' and 'on a whole other level' than the gods. Were he not here, he would be one of them.]

It ends and begins with me.

[socialbutterfly]

[Minato can feel that social link. Even if the jokes were terrible, making someone feel good makes him feel good.]

Someone back home liked the same kind of jokes... You look very similar, so I wanted to know if it was more than that.

[dissenter]

[qilby beams. everyone here has been so friendly and helpful!]

I'd be indebted to you.

[oh man, he finally realises:] But, Goddess! Where are my manners -- I don't believe I've asked you your name yet.

[pawned]

[amused] Itou Kamotaro. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. --?

[dissenter]

[he beams!] My, are we that much alike? It sounds like we could have got along well, he and I.

I don't suppose he wore a hat like mine, though... [so really, they couldn't have looked that similar.]

[dissenter]

Qilby, and the pleasure's mine.

Can I look forward to meeting you to train someday, then?

[socialbutterfly]

He didn't... but everything else is similar. Sometimes we get different versions of who would be the same people on other worlds...

[dissenter]

[this is kind of exciting...]

I've been to different worlds, different dimensions-- but the concept of different versions of the same people existing separately in these other places is one that I haven't explored, much less considered. [like there's the interesting matter of the two dragons men named date masamune, to cite one example.] This city, thanks to BREW, seems to have become a nexus for these multiple worlds, on a scope I hadn't imagined possible.

In all my time travelling, I've not met anyone quite like me. But I suppose there has to be one out there, and perhaps he's in your world.

[pawned]

Very soon, I hope. At the moment, I'm in something of a crisis in employment, which I hope to resolve in a few days' time. Say, on the 30th?

[dissenter]

Sounds like a plan.

[oh boy oh boy it's so nice to be doing things again...]

[starfruitfrog]

So they're not really even eggs then, de arimasu. They sound more like some kind of cloning device, de arimasu. Although I don't understand how the memories carry over. Some kind of special technology? Like how we can reboot...?

Eh?

I never said anything about you actually being born of birds, de arimasu. I was just saying that your parents might have had habits like a certain species of bird on Pekopon.

[want_the_world]

[If Mello were in charge, he'd find some way to convince people to fight.

But he'd argue strenuously against anyone trying to compel him to fight. He chose it because it suited his purposes. If someone said he had to, he'd be likely to resist just because. So the conclusion he's reached is...]

You can't force people. If you do, they'll just half-ass it.

[dissenter]

[thank goodness, he doesn't know what he'd do if his parents were birds.]

Our memories don't carry over, ah, save for mine. [le pause.] I... Am a special case.

But-- are you saying that your people are reborn in a similar way?

[dissenter]

[lightly...] It's not our place to force them, in any case.

I can only assume BREW judges how well-equipped or well-intended its city's defences are, and... Adjusts its collection of people accordingly. [why else would it bother sending people home...?]

[pawned]

It does, it does. [agreeably] If not on that day, then the day after. In the mean time, I would recommend long walks around the city -- properly insulated, of course, it's still quite cold -- and whatever you like to do to build stamina.

[want_the_world]

I'm not convinced there's rhyme or reason to how BREW chooses people. It's not random, but I wouldn't attribute prescience to it. It's a tool like any other, and not immune to design flaws.

[dissenter]

I find it hard to believe someone capable of creating a device with powers like BREW's wouldn't consider giving it some sort of logical processes... That's not merely flawed design -- that's reckless design.

But perhaps I'm speaking from bias. My people had an artefact of similar capabilities. Later models, of my own invention, developed the ability to think for themselves. [it was really interesting, in fact, and he wished he could have studied them further...]

[dissenter]

[his smile's slightly abashed -- yes, there was the matter of properly outfitting himself... it's been a rather chilly past few days for qilby -- but he nods.]

I'll be sure to do so.

And, ah-- thank you, Itou.

[socialbutterfly]

[Maybe.]

Are you also a scientist, Qilby-san?