paradisalost | 046 - From up Here the City Lights Burn.

Entry tags:

vergil

046 - From up Here the City Lights Burn.

[Private]

Twins are no where to be found, but I figured they would flee. I keep telling myself that thats the reason I'm up here but...

Damn this place. I never wanted this. I never had or needed anyone before. No friends or...or people that I... care about. And all it took was four months. Four insignificant months for this place to rip apart what I had come to accept as the purpose of my life.

This place will burn for it. Before I leave...if I ever do...it will burn.

[/Private]

Change. All things will, have and shall again. Do we ever truly accept it, or just kid ourselves into believing we do.

[Filtered to Setsuna]

Rooftop.

[/Filter]

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I'll be there soon.

...Hn.

[Time-skip to Setsuna arriving on the rooftop, still with no idea what to say to Vergil.]

[A deep, elongated breath before he turns his head and stares at Setsuna over his shoulder.]

I suppose...

[A pause. He's not so sure how to say what he wants to.]

You read how I had broken down after you had...succumbed to your illness?

Yes, I did.

[Face flickers a bit, before the frown disappears into a stoic facade.]

I...feel like I failed you. I've had people telling me that there was nothing I could do over and over again, yet I still felt as though I failed.

[Turns head away, and just stares at the surrounding city.]

I hate it when I fail. Especially when I fail people that I have come to...[Trails off, never finishing the sentence]

I swore that I would never be so weak that I would fail someone. That I would never be so powerless. At any cost. And yet...

[A look of mild surprise, fading quickly, then a very long silence.]

They're right. There was nothing you could do.

I know they are. I've always known that they were right. I've just...I didn't want to accept it. Or rather, I didn't know how to accept it.

[A deep breath]

I believed and continue to believe that those with power, true power, can do what is needed, be it an act of destruction, liberation or...protection. I believed that from the day I could first understand it.

To me, the fact that there was nothing I could do doesn't release me from the responsibility, it just shows to me that I still lack the power necessary to do something. That nothing has changed since then.

[Silence as she really doesn't know what to say to any of that.]

[A deep sigh, and Vergil seems to shrink a little bit.]

I'm sorry, Setsuna. I'm truly sorry.

[She's back to actually looking at him now and he's only making her feel more guilty over dying]

There is nothing to apologize for.

[A long silence, and Vergil turns to look at Setsuna, suddenly feeling very ashamed and guilty himself.]

I know.

[A deep breath. His mouth sort of hangs open for a moment before shutting again. His next words are spoken as determinedly as possible]

I won't let you die again. I promise.

Feeling thoughtful today, hmm.

Quite.

It's been a thought provoking day, Mhenlo.

It definitely has. I take it you've noticed Setsuna has mysteriously returned.

Yes, I have.

[A rather heavy silence follows.]

Good.

I take it the castle has some means of ressurection magic.

Indeed.

It appears so. The power of this place continues to fascinate me. Among other things.

Yes, I must agree. Fascination among many other things.

Everything changes? Really?

Yes. Even the tiniest, most insignificant thing will change with time.

...Then that means that some day we'll be in charge, and the humans will be slaves? I'd like that.

Perhaps so. It's hard to say.

You might find that, instead of your scenario, your world simply ends, or a race is eradicated from existence.

That wouldn't be so nice. Unless it was the humans that went away. That would be almost as good as making them be the slaves for once.

Humanity, it seems, retains its nature despite the world they are from. Yet I think you would find that the departure of humans from your world would be a bad thing.

Unless it was an act of nature, forcedly removing a predominant race of creatures from a world could cause it to spiral endlessly downwards until it is destroyed. Even if the creature in question tends to resemble parasites.

Thinking about change is hard, but in this place everything is always changing so much.

I quite agree.

It's hard not to let one's mind wander to it while staying here.

It's probably weak of me... but I try not to think too much at times...

Thinking on things one rather wouldn't is not a weakness. It's a part of their nature.

...Mm.

Thank you.

You're quite welcome.

[softly]

Change is the only constant in the universe.

How are you, Vergil?

A very comical statement. The fact that it's true makes it all the funnier.

...That seems to be a difficult question for me. At least, most of the time it appears to be.

Doesn't it? One must learn to find amusement in these things.

...I know how that feels. Emotions can be very difficult to parse. [a pause, then quietly] Particularly those you're not familiar with.

I concur. It makes life that much easier to tolerate once you do.

[A light chuckle, and then an elongated sigh]

There seems to be quite a few of those emotions for me. I suppose I've only the course of my life to thank for that.

Indeed. I've been told my sense of humour would be the death of me, but I think it was quite the opposite.

[wry, gentle]

Would you be angry with me if I said you sounded like the Master?

I'm sure. At the very least, our sanity would be at risk in the absence of a sense of humor.

[Dry chuckle]

I'd be more angry at myself for sounding like him.

More than it already is, you mean?

[softly]

I wouldn't say there's any need to be, in this case.

Touche.

Perhaps. Would you care to elaborate on how I sound like him right now?

I'm an honest person.

[Vergil]

...He's not used to them either, these sorts of emotions. He's gone a very long time without anything of the sort.

I would expect that to be a hard principle to live by. Especially when your very long lived.

[Five]

I see. I suppose I do sound like him in that regard. In a way, I can relate even.

[chuckles] Yes. I do value truth quite a lot, but I don't always tell the lot of it.

[Vergil]

The two of you are rather alike. Though you're more...stable than he is.

One should. It's quite a rare thing to come across now. One can not always speak the truth, of course.

[Five]

I'm really not sure how to take that.

There are truths that people deserve to know, and others that they needn't.

[Vergil]

Not quite a compliment, nor an insult?

And then there are truths they should never learn, for their own protection.

[Five]

Quite. Something that simply is.

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046 - From up Here the City Lights Burn.

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