Much more charming than he was, at least. [ there is still fondness anyway. they let him play with the yarn and lets his gaze wander, aware that these kinds of conversations can sometimes be overwhelming. they're patient, letting him take time and listening carefully. ]
... I hope he comes to visit. It would be nice for the two of you to be together and see more of the world out there. [ they get the idea, a little. in some lots in life, you are simply stuck no matter how much your heart protests. but they also pick up on the hint and they let the subject change easily to give him some breathing room. ]
To be honest, some of them are things I don't know I would believe myself if I hadn't been there. But I guess you could say we spent our time hunting for treasure. We were all dedicated.
[ that would be nice, wouldn't it? to see his little bird again. whether that bluebird returned or not, he doesn't explain - especially because that little morsel is like hooking a fish with a worm, and taair's whole expression brightens up with joy. ]
Hunting for treasure! Really? My, how exciting! Did you explore ruins or anything of the like? You must have experienced some marvelously exciting things.
[ let him have his bluebird friend back!! but it's fine, we will revisit his sad lore when it is not w0 and i can dig it out of him. they do not seem to mind sharing this little bit of information. ]
More like caves. My friends had been doing it for some time before we met, but... when I found out what they were doing, I wanted to come along.
Something that people thought had been lost to time. Or something people would sooner call a myth than reality. But finding it became someone's life work, and the rest of us followed him. His research spanned multiple files and maps and sent us all over the place, even just to get the smallest hint of a direction.
[ you ever get a tag that is just so violently coded to your character's interests that you have to make a new icon to cover the capacity of their expression. because this is the single coolest thing taair's ever heard of in his entire life. ]
That's - [ just utterly breathless: ] That's incredible, Zuriel...! To uncover the truths through the hunt for a treasure, to gather the pieces and parts to put together a mystery, and to do so all in the company of friends?! What a dream that would be...! Oh, I have so many questions, I barely know where to start!
There were a lot of truths to uncover. Some of them we didn't even know needed to be uncovered. But I don't think any of us wavered in our decision to follow our king. [ the way they say this is a little funny, like maybe king isn't the right word but it's the same vibe. ]
... for a time before I met them, I wanted more than anything to maybe meet people like me. I didn't think it would be them, but I can't imagine it any other way now.
anyway. taair is unaware of my mental breakdown - and in fact he listens to all of this, from the bit about truths to meeting people, to spending time with them, to finding the bonds between souls. it just speaks to every fiber of his being, and he sighs. ]
...How magnificent. [ from beginning to end, how magnificent. ] Perhaps those bonds are even more important than the treasure itself - though I suppose that may sound a bit sappy, those sorts of things are beyond measure.
[ well. yes. they very much feel the whole "the real treasure was the friends we made along the way" vibe. ]
It is sappy, but I think... I wouldn't want anything else. Or anyone else. They're mine, and I'm theirs. [ they seem very certain of this. to the question, there's a slight laugh. ]
Very non-literal. He isn't royalty in the slightest, even though his mother's a politician. But it's... he isn't the kind of person who would rule senselessly. He believes in what he believes in, and what he believes in is us. He's infuriating in several ways, and he doesn't always hear the way he talks and his privilege shows more often than I think he realizes, but... he's thoughtful. And smart. And he's much better to be around when he can be himself instead of who other people think he is. He's done a lot for all of us. It made sense we'd swear loyalty to him.
[ this is a little bit of embellishment to sell the point, but they also firmly believe this relationship is the most important in the world. ]
Very non-literal, yet... it sounds like a set of loyal knights and advisors, for a king.
[ ah... fond. it's like something out of the union, or, well. at least something out of the old stories taair loves as he studies the history of his country - though calling him infuriating makes him laugh a little, too. ]
Though the most loyal of knights I think, do point out when their king makes mistakes, even if that doesn't typically feature in the stories. [ fond... taair loves friendship... ] Thank you, for sharing that with me.
What you spoke of, you know - it spoke to me. Perhaps I can show you my own life's work, since I was lucky enough to find it with me my first day here.
[ taair shifts a bit where he's sitting, and reaches for the book holster on his hip. tucked in there is a fairly large volume, bound in red leather - he passes it over for zuriel's examination.
on the front of the book is A Chronicle of Iria embossed in gold, and under that in smaller writing, is Taair Khalisa Nasir. ]
I've spent several years of my life researching a hidden truth, myself.
[ book? they lean forward, taking this book with both hands because, uh, it's kind of big. taair cannot see them clearly but he may get the sense they're juggling it a bit to get a better grip on it. they read over the cover, letting their fingers smooth over the engraving before carefully prying open the cover. ]
You wrote an entire book? [ that's impressive. ] What's it about? Is Iria a place, or a person? [ tell them everything. they will browse the pages themselves, but they want to hear it directly from him. ]
[ there is pride in his voice despite this, though, an undeniable, effusive warmth. not just for the book, but for its very subject as he props his chin in his hand to watch them look through it.
the book is mostly text, but flipping through it, they can see there are carefully hand drawn maps, and sketches and diagrams like these - everything you could imagine in a well-researched history book. ]
But, yes. Iria is a place - it is the place that I was born. My homeland. There is not a single comprehensive history of Iria that is accurate and truthful, unmarred by the influence of propaganda or the perspective of outside powers - so, years ago, I set out to create that history.
I had hoped to spend the next ten years interviewing Irians to fill out the book before I had it published, but... well. [ he gestures briefly out at the whole. Heaven thing around him. ] Such wasn't the case.
Quite a thing to dedicate your life's work to. [ mildly. they are still turning pages, though they take the time to look at the maps. ] But it makes sense. You have a personal interest and stake in it versus something you picked up because you felt like it. It always feels a bit different when it's something that's shaped your life.
[ or so they assume. ]
This is the kind of thing the king would obsess over for hours. Maybe even weeks, or months. [ because there's the mystery to it. there's a draw, something unanswered and rife with possibility. ] Is that the first thing you would do when you returned? Continue the interviews.
[ maybe it did shape it, maybe it didn't. who's to say! he seems pleased to even have someone looking at it, chin propped in his hands.
though... some of that aura does fade briefly, at the final question. ]
Well... continue is a nice word, but, 'start' is a better one. [ RIP. literally. ] Though... I don't know. Honestly, I had given my only copy of the book yet unfinished to someone else, because I had a feeling I would never get to do those interviews at all, and I wanted to make sure what I had done still made its way into the world.
It worries me a bit that I have it, here. I hope it is just a side effect of heaven, and not that something dear has been taken away from someone.
If you haven't started yet, maybe it came back to you here to serve as a reminder of what you once found important. Like a bit of motivation to work toward redemption. Time is still moving onward even in death, but God works in mysterious ways. [ in a bemused sort of tone. ]
I think wanting to find and spread the truth is a good thing. Don't let anyone suggest otherwise.
[ the last part has him smile again - there's conviction in his gaze when he nods. ]
Of course. And - I'm very glad to hear that you feel the same way, Zuriel! I don't think that I'll ever stop finding that particularly important, because it is the contribution I know that I can best make on my own.
[ not with anyone else's influence. not with the papal states and their marionette fingers, not with the reminder that came as he returned back to his cage. ]
It is something myself and your 'king' may have in common, I think. To unearth the unknown and bring it to light - to give voice to something that has been silenced. Even if I can just spread that truth to a single person who needed to know it, then... I can have an impact.
[ but that feels very heavy. there's a beat between it, reflective. ]
-- but! Until then, I can practice very much by interviewing all of you. I think I will try my best to chronicle the stories of the people here! I can't build a true history without multiple sources, but I can at least get started on something. Won't that be exciting?
That's also the important part, I think. Being able to do things for yourself. It shouldn't be under someone else's influence or someone else's money. If you have the means to, then... why wouldn't you? [ but of course there are some things that are impossible to reach simply because you don't have access to resources. they do not go into that though. ]
I think the king would pick anything he found interest in and decide it's a grand adventure even if it led us nowhere. [ vaguely fond, yet vaguely exasperated. ] He never cared if he was met with skepticism because he firmly believed in his truth. When you have a strong conviction like that... people will do anything for you.
But I think starting here is a nice idea. Some people may not be open to sharing right away, or at all, but the longer you're all here the more likely you'll find yourselves talking about the things you left behind and want to return to. The things that make you happy and the things you want. It would be nice to have them chronicled for memory.
[ ... being able to do things for yourself. it always comes back to that, in the end - even here, dead, there's a knot of guilt that feels heavy in his chest, one that starts with taair who deluded himself into thinking he could have freedom in the first place.
he doesn't let himself linger on it too much, though, listening patiently to zuriel, and when they're finished, he nods, smile soft once more. since it's affection week, he leans a bit to give them a slight nudge with his shoulder. ]
I hope you know that includes you as well, dear Zuriel. [ in terms of chronicling!! ] I'd like to take down your story, too.
You think? I don't know if my story's any more interesting than everyone else's. After all, some of the worlds I've heard of since you've arrived are beyond anything I could have thought of myself.
It is the same for me - but that doesn't make any story less precious.
[ like. wow!! people go to space! people are hundreds of years old! and yet. ]
History should not only be meant for the strange and spectacular, or for the noble and wealthy, or for the most powerful. It should be meant for all. Everyone leaves a mark on this world, one way or another, and if it is in my power to chronicle those things, to keep those marks preserved for others to learn from in the far flung future, then it is something I want to do. Learning is how we find commonalities with each other, after all.
Besides. There is nothing I want more than to learn the stories of my dear friends. These sorts of bonds used to be a far off dream, for me, and I treasure them even more for it.
I wouldn't say that's a wrong way to think of it either. Some people aren't interested in history. I can't say I always am either... not when I care more about the future. But at the same time, how do you shape a future without your history anyway?
...you've really never had the chance to meet people like this? Did you have family at all? Anyone but Hope?
[ a little bit of a smile, with that - he doesn't seem especially pained by it. it's an old grief, now. ]
I was raised by someone, though, yes. Lady Caris was very kind to me.
[ there's something...empty, in the way he says that. a politeness like a void compared to the genuine warmth of his normal conversations - something perhaps most people might not notice were it not familiar. ]
But... beyond my tutors, and the guards, that was it. I have been out once - but only once, for a short amount of time. [ and just like that, the veneer is gone, replaced with his normal warm demeanor once again. ] And it was a wonderful time, but a brief one.
Oh. [ it's an old grief, but they seem to be reflective on that anyhow. ] I'm sorry to hear that. I'm glad you had someone though. Were you close before she took you in?
[ because they do hear that bit of unease, perhaps. neutrality. it comes from being a person who observes people closer than you'd think. they have questions, mostly because why were there guards? but... ]
Tell me about your day out. What did you get to do?
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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... I hope he comes to visit. It would be nice for the two of you to be together and see more of the world out there. [ they get the idea, a little. in some lots in life, you are simply stuck no matter how much your heart protests. but they also pick up on the hint and they let the subject change easily to give him some breathing room. ]
To be honest, some of them are things I don't know I would believe myself if I hadn't been there. But I guess you could say we spent our time hunting for treasure. We were all dedicated.
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Hunting for treasure! Really? My, how exciting! Did you explore ruins or anything of the like? You must have experienced some marvelously exciting things.
[ sparkle sparkle sparkle ]
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More like caves. My friends had been doing it for some time before we met, but... when I found out what they were doing, I wanted to come along.
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but!!! oh!!! this is so exciting. he scoots a little closer, placing his cheeks in his hands. ]
What sort of treasure were you looking for?
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That's - [ just utterly breathless: ] That's incredible, Zuriel...! To uncover the truths through the hunt for a treasure, to gather the pieces and parts to put together a mystery, and to do so all in the company of friends?! What a dream that would be...! Oh, I have so many questions, I barely know where to start!
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There were a lot of truths to uncover. Some of them we didn't even know needed to be uncovered. But I don't think any of us wavered in our decision to follow our king. [ the way they say this is a little funny, like maybe king isn't the right word but it's the same vibe. ]
... for a time before I met them, I wanted more than anything to maybe meet people like me. I didn't think it would be them, but I can't imagine it any other way now.
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anyway. taair is unaware of my mental breakdown - and in fact he listens to all of this, from the bit about truths to meeting people, to spending time with them, to finding the bonds between souls. it just speaks to every fiber of his being, and he sighs. ]
...How magnificent. [ from beginning to end, how magnificent. ] Perhaps those bonds are even more important than the treasure itself - though I suppose that may sound a bit sappy, those sorts of things are beyond measure.
...Your king, you said. How literal is that...?
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It is sappy, but I think... I wouldn't want anything else. Or anyone else. They're mine, and I'm theirs. [ they seem very certain of this. to the question, there's a slight laugh. ]
Very non-literal. He isn't royalty in the slightest, even though his mother's a politician. But it's... he isn't the kind of person who would rule senselessly. He believes in what he believes in, and what he believes in is us. He's infuriating in several ways, and he doesn't always hear the way he talks and his privilege shows more often than I think he realizes, but... he's thoughtful. And smart. And he's much better to be around when he can be himself instead of who other people think he is. He's done a lot for all of us. It made sense we'd swear loyalty to him.
[ this is a little bit of embellishment to sell the point, but they also firmly believe this relationship is the most important in the world. ]
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[ ah... fond. it's like something out of the union, or, well. at least something out of the old stories taair loves as he studies the history of his country - though calling him infuriating makes him laugh a little, too. ]
Though the most loyal of knights I think, do point out when their king makes mistakes, even if that doesn't typically feature in the stories. [ fond... taair loves friendship... ] Thank you, for sharing that with me.
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Maybe I can tell you more a different time. I'd like to hear more about you instead. Other things you like, or things you wanted to do before.
[ their profile does say listening is a skill. ]
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What you spoke of, you know - it spoke to me. Perhaps I can show you my own life's work, since I was lucky enough to find it with me my first day here.
[ taair shifts a bit where he's sitting, and reaches for the book holster on his hip. tucked in there is a fairly large volume, bound in red leather - he passes it over for zuriel's examination.
on the front of the book is A Chronicle of Iria embossed in gold, and under that in smaller writing, is Taair Khalisa Nasir. ]
I've spent several years of my life researching a hidden truth, myself.
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You wrote an entire book? [ that's impressive. ] What's it about? Is Iria a place, or a person? [ tell them everything. they will browse the pages themselves, but they want to hear it directly from him. ]
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[ there is pride in his voice despite this, though, an undeniable, effusive warmth. not just for the book, but for its very subject as he props his chin in his hand to watch them look through it.
the book is mostly text, but flipping through it, they can see there are carefully hand drawn maps, and sketches and diagrams like these - everything you could imagine in a well-researched history book. ]
But, yes. Iria is a place - it is the place that I was born. My homeland. There is not a single comprehensive history of Iria that is accurate and truthful, unmarred by the influence of propaganda or the perspective of outside powers - so, years ago, I set out to create that history.
I had hoped to spend the next ten years interviewing Irians to fill out the book before I had it published, but... well. [ he gestures briefly out at the whole. Heaven thing around him. ] Such wasn't the case.
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[ or so they assume. ]
This is the kind of thing the king would obsess over for hours. Maybe even weeks, or months. [ because there's the mystery to it. there's a draw, something unanswered and rife with possibility. ] Is that the first thing you would do when you returned? Continue the interviews.
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though... some of that aura does fade briefly, at the final question. ]
Well... continue is a nice word, but, 'start' is a better one. [ RIP. literally. ] Though... I don't know. Honestly, I had given my only copy of the book yet unfinished to someone else, because I had a feeling I would never get to do those interviews at all, and I wanted to make sure what I had done still made its way into the world.
It worries me a bit that I have it, here. I hope it is just a side effect of heaven, and not that something dear has been taken away from someone.
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I think wanting to find and spread the truth is a good thing. Don't let anyone suggest otherwise.
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Of course. And - I'm very glad to hear that you feel the same way, Zuriel! I don't think that I'll ever stop finding that particularly important, because it is the contribution I know that I can best make on my own.
[ not with anyone else's influence. not with the papal states and their marionette fingers, not with the reminder that came as he returned back to his cage. ]
It is something myself and your 'king' may have in common, I think. To unearth the unknown and bring it to light - to give voice to something that has been silenced. Even if I can just spread that truth to a single person who needed to know it, then... I can have an impact.
[ but that feels very heavy. there's a beat between it, reflective. ]
-- but! Until then, I can practice very much by interviewing all of you. I think I will try my best to chronicle the stories of the people here! I can't build a true history without multiple sources, but I can at least get started on something. Won't that be exciting?
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I think the king would pick anything he found interest in and decide it's a grand adventure even if it led us nowhere. [ vaguely fond, yet vaguely exasperated. ] He never cared if he was met with skepticism because he firmly believed in his truth. When you have a strong conviction like that... people will do anything for you.
But I think starting here is a nice idea. Some people may not be open to sharing right away, or at all, but the longer you're all here the more likely you'll find yourselves talking about the things you left behind and want to return to. The things that make you happy and the things you want. It would be nice to have them chronicled for memory.
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he doesn't let himself linger on it too much, though, listening patiently to zuriel, and when they're finished, he nods, smile soft once more. since it's affection week, he leans a bit to give them a slight nudge with his shoulder. ]
I hope you know that includes you as well, dear Zuriel. [ in terms of chronicling!! ] I'd like to take down your story, too.
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You think? I don't know if my story's any more interesting than everyone else's. After all, some of the worlds I've heard of since you've arrived are beyond anything I could have thought of myself.
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[ like. wow!! people go to space! people are hundreds of years old! and yet. ]
History should not only be meant for the strange and spectacular, or for the noble and wealthy, or for the most powerful. It should be meant for all. Everyone leaves a mark on this world, one way or another, and if it is in my power to chronicle those things, to keep those marks preserved for others to learn from in the far flung future, then it is something I want to do. Learning is how we find commonalities with each other, after all.
Besides. There is nothing I want more than to learn the stories of my dear friends. These sorts of bonds used to be a far off dream, for me, and I treasure them even more for it.
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...you've really never had the chance to meet people like this? Did you have family at all? Anyone but Hope?
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[ a little bit of a smile, with that - he doesn't seem especially pained by it. it's an old grief, now. ]
I was raised by someone, though, yes. Lady Caris was very kind to me.
[ there's something...empty, in the way he says that. a politeness like a void compared to the genuine warmth of his normal conversations - something perhaps most people might not notice were it not familiar. ]
But... beyond my tutors, and the guards, that was it. I have been out once - but only once, for a short amount of time. [ and just like that, the veneer is gone, replaced with his normal warm demeanor once again. ] And it was a wonderful time, but a brief one.
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[ because they do hear that bit of unease, perhaps. neutrality. it comes from being a person who observes people closer than you'd think. they have questions, mostly because why were there guards? but... ]
Tell me about your day out. What did you get to do?
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