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( closed ) life like the unplumbed sea;
WHO: Elysium & friends(?)
WHAT: This is now just a catch-all for everything
WHERE: Everywhere
WHEN: 2024
WARNINGS: Blanket warning for possible explorations of dark themes in general, please tread at your own risk. I will, however, endeavour to include specifics in headers if applicable.
WHAT: This is now just a catch-all for everything
WHERE: Everywhere
WHEN: 2024
WARNINGS: Blanket warning for possible explorations of dark themes in general, please tread at your own risk. I will, however, endeavour to include specifics in headers if applicable.
no subject
But yes, should people not always strive to be the best versions of themselves? It's a good thing she doesn't vocalise the thought or she'd get this exact answer. Either way, the question itself doesn't bother him; there were all sorts of Catastrophes and if context helped with her sense of urgency, all the more for it.
(Except, it really should be basic knowledge and it should trip him up—still, priorities, priorities.) ]
Looking like a two-parter in an earthquake and an incoming storm. Originium levels in the atmosphere are about to see a sharp increase, so remember to keep yourself covered and tell others the same!
[ He says, with his whole ass wound out there. But anyway. ]
If we split, we'll be able to cover more ground. You don't need me to hold your hand, do you?
[ this is not what he would say to the nice shopkeeper and he, too, is veering off script. but, it somehow feels right to, and the power of a dream is that it wouldn't matter, would it? ]
no subject
earthquakes and storms are common enough, sure. but originium must originate (heh) from elysium's world, and it'd be awkward to ask about it now when she's supposed to blend in his memories like she's always lived here. he told her to cover herself so that means... whatever it is, it's airborne? sorry, her honor-student mind is working overdrive here. ]
N-No, I should be fine.
[ it's an ordinary rescue mission. just escort whoever needs saving to a safe location. should be easy enough for a fixer like her. for now, she should definitely cover herself up with a jacket or something that's probably lying around here... ]
Where would you like to meet up after I gathered everyone else?
no subject
The fountain in the centre of town! After that, leave it aaaaaaaaall to me!
[ so here we arrive. at the fabled wall of text so we can get on with our post-mem cr……
The scene cuts there, and Ishmael will lose control of the body again, though not before hearing the last few exchanges of it—how Elysium's a fool for coming back, but also how he self-proclaims that he's an expert at surviving in the wilderness and will see to it that everyone makes it out alive.
The next time colour bleeds from black, Ishmael will find herself as a spectator this time, made privy to Elysium's own feelings. His arm burns for a reason that isn't exactly festering, and yet he continues to smile and calm people down, offering them words of comfort through it all. Although she's once again thrust in the midst of it, there are plenty of people around chattering; she'll be able to piece together the following information: Elysium had found them this underground shelter, they have supplies to last a few days, and that they're undeniably safe from the Catastrophe. But as origin stories often go, things aren't that easy. One particular vibration later, their way out gets blocked.
Time passes by quickly like this. The days go by and people become antsier. They take it out on Elysium: he was the one who'd lead them to the shelter, after all, and the transmission signals he sends out remain answerless despite his promises. Whether they'd stayed up there or came down here, it's possible the latter was the worse of the options for not offering a quick pass. His wound seems to have worsened, too, with blood continually seeping through despite how many times he's redressed it. But Elysium remains focused, even if he's started coughing for it. From hereon, his pain becomes hers—a constant, searing ache that persists for several days that spreads and eventually envelops her entire body, compacted in however much time it takes to dream it.
'The wound's swollen, maybe festering, and I'm hurting all over, like that time I got run over by that contraption in Rim Billiton... worse, actually.'
'My Arts are getting more powerful, though it aches when I use them.'
'Is this how it feels to get Oripathy?'
'Looks like I won't get to use those meds after all.'
… Time flits. She's once again above ground. It's indeterminable how much time has passed exactly, but now, after Elysium's gone through this memory a second time, he's looking directly at her, the other townsfolk shadowy figures against their vibrant background. ]
… And who might you be this time?
[ That doesn't sound like it's a part of the script?? ]
no subject
it's a futile effort, of course. if ishmael was tasked by a higher-up to save civilians, she'd do her best to carry out her task as efficiently as possible - but there's no guarantee that they will all come out of it in one piece, at least in the hellhole that is the City.
not that the world elysium came from is any better, either. she watches silently as the crowd starts to blame elysium for basically leading them into a death trap; she observes the wound that he keeps redressing over and over, noticing the way it hasn't stopped bleeding if at all. then the pain hits her, and all she can do is grit her teeth and bear it. it's a different kind of pain, yet the way it burns within her is familiar, and she flashes back to all the times her body had almost dissolved into liquid, only to be either brought back to life or rescued in the nick of time.
for elysium, there was no turning back. she watches him use... magic? she thinks he's using magic, and her surroundings shift once more and she blinks at who seems to be the present elysium in the midst of a washed-out landscape. ]
...Call me Ishmael.
[ as always. she limps a little, stretching out her legs in an attempt to shake out the fire in her body somehow. ]
What... What happened after that?
no subject
[ His smile remains inscrutable, but there's a brief moment in which something in his eyes flicker as if he's determining what to say, what to do. That brief moment is all there is before he glances towards the same shadowy figures, and the scene will slowly transition to the memory going off much like a beaten play, with Elysium and Ishmael removed from it entirely.
The group is saved, Elysium is quickly taken in for treatment. Time once again elapses for an odd month as Elysium is treated both by medicine and Arts alike—magic, in his world, with crystal growth that hadn't been on his body before now crossing certain sections of his body. If the fire could escape his body, it would, and Ishmael might have the thought that she might literally explode until it abates and wanes; it's easy and feel that he could've very well died if the rescue group had been any later than they were.
Unlike before, Elysium cuts the memory short, because she doesn't need to know about Terra's persucution problems. ]
You aren't going to feel sorry for me now, are you? [ Threading his hands behind his back, he leans forward and cants his head over to her direction now that credits play. ] I'm well and fine. Just a little hiccup on the road of life, as it goes——I did get to be pretty cool, though, so I'd say it was well worth it. [ The same placid smile. ] … If you had to take on the pain, sorry about that. But it really doesn't hurt that much anymore.
no subject
the crystal growths on his body was... staggering. reminds her of rodya's rime shank E.G.O corrosion. but this isn't about her right now, and she narrows her eyes at the candid way of speaking -- though that could be his own way of coping from his own experiences. can't really blame him for that. ]
Anymore? So that means it's still inside you.
[ she huffs. ]
The last thing you want is pity, I bet. What's done is done. [ she crosses her arms together. ] That said... Was it really worth exposing yourself to Originium to save those people when they were blaming you for saving them? I don't get it.
no subject
Well, yeah. [ It's not something he can hide forever, so he rolls up his right sleeve to expose a neat row of said crystals. ] Outside, too. But they're quite the adornments when they aren't being troublesome, don't you think?
[ He twists his arm to and fro. They catch light and shine, much like body jewelry. ]
Haha. I don't need their validation to know I saved their lives. … As long as I'm doing what I can, when I can, that's all that matters to me. Besides, they're good people. They really did want me to stay after I got treated.
[ One could argue that it'd be out of a sense of pity, but Elysium doesn't think that far. Smiling, he rolls back up his sleeve to rest his hand on his hip. ]
… The last thing I'll do is blame someone for wanting to survive.
no subject
yeah, that's going to stick with her for a while. all she did for most of her life was survive, after all. the body jewelry is pretty, but they're even more eye-catching than the freckles and scars that adorn her body. he didn't have to go through that.
but of course, he doesn't want pity like any self-respecting person out there and she's not about to give any to him now. it's just... ]
You still have other places to explore. I get it. [ she does. back home, her own journey was only beginning. ] But... you still need to rest your wings at some point. You can't keep flying forever.
no subject
But Elysium isn't really paying attention to her reaction; he avoids her gaze as he showcases it. The Originium crystals on his body could catch as many objective compliments as it could, yet it still wouldn't erase all the negative connotations and baggage it's associated with. Easier, then, is to dress it up with superfluous words and think nothing of it in the first place.
(Roland voice) This is this, that is that. ]
We only get one life to make the most of it. [ a beat. a turn of his expression into something more wistful. ] I don't think it's wrong to want to know just how far my wings can take me.
But until then——there are things I need to do before I can. So, yeah, I guess you're right.
[ In the way his 'forever' has already been cut short, but that's fine. It won't stop him from dreaming. Given they're getting awfully close to a complex he hasn't spoken to anyone, ever, he keys up the smile and offers her a wave. ]
Thanks for the talk, Ishmael. [ damn, the 'miss' only lasted for like half a month. ] It's high time to get you going on your way. Here's to our journey together going more smoothly from this point on, yeah? I promise not to give you too much more trouble.
[ off she goes—— ]
no subject
but wtf, he's cutting it off here now? the frown makes a comeback, though this time it's a lot less heated than her usual ones. he's getting flustery at her overstaying her welcome here, she gets it. ]
Somehow I reaaaally doubt that.
[ she knows your type, elysium!!! guys like him will never stop being annoying. but ishmael must be getting softer these days because normally she wouldn't tolerate that kind of behavior. that's just the kind of guy he is.
that's that and this is this, indeed. ]
Fine, I'm going. But it's going to take more than that to get you off the hook, you know.
[ in other words, she's still going to be a hater :/ but she can't really stay too mad at him forever. he's probably the only one who understands her wanderlust around here, after all.
and with that, she goes. see you on the flipside, weirdo ]