[closed] babysitting duties

[endworld]

Who: Seren (endworld) & Natalia (poised).
When: Evening-ish??? idk
Where: ViViD
What: Seren's that one kid you told not to get a pet but went out and did it anyway, and Natalia has to deal with the consequences.
Rating/Warning: None.

[Hopefully Natalia's enjoying this lovely, artificial day in ViViD, doing whatever it is she's doing, while all is peaceful and quiet... before there's the sound of running. Running that's approaching her, in fact.]

Ah, wait—ack, Natalia, watch out!

[BECAUSE OTHERWISE THERE'S A WEREWOLF BALL (THAT PROBABLY LOOKS VERY FAMILIAR) MOVING TO TACKLE HER with Seren chasing after it, not so far behind—]

Comments

[poised]

[Well, it's ViViD. So Natalia is naturally equipped with her bow and the second there's the sound of running, she's already notched an arrow and looks entirely ready to strike down the monster--

Except the monster is a familiar werewolf ball.

And chasing after it is Seren.

She can't kill Seren's pet, she just can't. And so she hesitates, which is time enough for her to end up losing grip on her arrow and bow and being tackled by the werewolf ball.]

Oof!! Seren...!!

[endworld]

[Please don't kill his pet...]

Ah, sorry, sorry! I'll get it off of you now...!

[Once he catches up to them, he moves to pry the werewolf off of Natalia. It may or may not take a couple of strong tugs, because it sure is holding onto the best of its ability, but with a "And... now!", Seren manages to get it off.

Admittedly, he then falls backwards, still holding onto the squirming werewolf ball.]

Oof!

[poised]

[Wow, they're a mess.

Still though she's sighing now and sitting up, trying to smooth out her clothes and wipe off the werewolf slobber from her face. They're still way too friendly.....

Though now she's just... sighing. And shaking her head.]

Truly Seren, you're still impossible.

[endworld]

[Still trying to stop the werewolf from wriggling out of his arms—]

Huh? How?

[poised]

[ . . . . and she just gestures blankly to the werewolf.]

I still can't believe you own one now!

[endworld]

Why not? It's cute! And it's not like it's really a threat to me unless Shuu tries to kill me with it again...

[poised]

[Listen she was ready to keep going with that line of questioning but-]

Shuu? As in - [how does she.... even describe him....] Amber hair, very hyperactive Shuu?

[endworld]

Sounds about right!

[Hyperactive, psychopathic Shuu who's made vague threats against Seren's life...]

[poised]

He threatened you....?! Why?

[someone sounds displeased]

[endworld]

Hmm...? Oh, yeah! He tried to suffocate me when we first met, since he wanted to see if I'd die or not. I'm not sure if he knows how to talk to people without threatening them. He seems to have a really warped view of the world!

[Seren sounds... pretty chill about it, since while he realizes that there's something very wrong about that picture, he's determined to inject (normal) happiness in Shuu's life through vicious befriending even if it kills him (and it probably will, whoops).]

[poised]

[WHY.

She looks properly horrified, a hand pressed to her chest in her surprise now.]

To suffocate-- and you allowed him to do that?! Seren, how on earth do you ever expect him to learn how to treat people kindly?!

[endworld]

Huh? Well, it's not like I just stood there and took it, if that's what you're suggesting... I wasn't expecting it, and once I got the creature off of me, I did tell him that that was mean, so it ended well.

[Though can you imagine Seren scolding someone? Spoilers: it really wasn't much of a reprimand.]

And I'm hoping that if I treat him kindly, he'll become happier and stop doing that kind of thing! It feels like he hasn't had many friends in his life.

[And meanwhile the werewolf ball continues to wriggle in his arms... Do you worry any less about Seren's well-being now, Natalia—]

[poised]

[ . . . . . it was mean. Natalia looks at him in a mix of awe and concern - he reminds her distinctly of Ion. Far too forgiving.... though even Ion has Anise as his keeper, to make sure that no one even gets close to suffocating the Fon Master.

Still though, she just frowns faintly....]

Seren, I admire your optimism - but please... do take better care of yourself. I care for Shuu as well, but it's unacceptable for him to treat people so harshly.

You don't deserve that kind of treatment. I hope that you'll try harder to keep it from happening in the future.

[endworld]

[He probably shouldn't mention that one time he died (for reasons unrelated to Shuu), should he...]

Well, he hasn't tried it again! [Though he did say he might save it for another day...] And I don't plan on dying [again], so no need to worry there. Besides, I'd say we're getting along pretty well.

[poised]

[Probably not.

Still though, she just frowns.... Shuu has never been particularly rough toward her, but he's been openly malicious toward humans. It saddens her to think that Seren was on the receiving end of that treatment - even having it concentrated on him.]

Your luck is uncanny....

[Though at that point she'll look to the monster in his arms and shake her head. Then reach out and scratch behind the monster's ear.]

Does he have a name?

[Perhaps she'll give in just this once.]

[endworld]

That's true—I've always been really lucky!

[Or at least he tries to look on the bright side of things. Better to consider yourself lucky than unlucky, right?

Though at Natalia's question, Seren's smile takes on a softer notch.]

... Shenna. It probably doesn't suit him, but that's what I've decided to call him.

[poised]

[ . . . . she hums softly even as she continues to pet the wolf pup. It's really rather soft and friendly. She supposes that if it hasn't harmed Seren so far, then it's fine....]

I think it suits him.

Does the name mean something?

[endworld]

[...]

It's the name of my best friend from back home.

[poised]

Ah.... so you're homesick too, Seren?

[endworld]

Hmm... that's one of the reasons, yeah!

[There's another reason he named the creature why he did, though that one's perhaps a bit more sobering.]

[poised]

[Well, it manages to earn her curiosity regardless.]

Oh? Is there more to it still?

[endworld]

... It's kind of a bittersweet story and probably more unique to me. I'm not sure if you want to hear it.

[Seren doesn't really have any problems talking about it, per se, but it's probably not a very happy topic for Natalia to listen to.]

[poised]

[ . . . . well, in truth-] I don't know much about you, Seren....

If you would be willing to trust me with the story, I most certainly would like to hear it. Regardless of what it entails.

[The combination of being curious and fearless is a dangerous one to be honest.]

[endworld]

Oh, I trust you, Natalia! It's not about that.

[It really doesn't take very much for Seren to trust someone.

He hums thoughtfully for a moment, before—]

... What would be your greatest fear if you could live forever?

[poised]

[ . . . it's a question that catches her off-guard. She blinks for a moment and chooses to show her respect for the inquiry but being quiet for a moment.

Hm.]

.... Perhaps.... that I would have to watch my country fall into the wrong hands and deteriorate.

[Obviously coming from the place of a Concerned Citizen only.]

[endworld]

[Seren looks thoughtful for a moment—it's not an issue he's ever really considered, since Gypsum'd been doing fine for the last thousand years and he's hoping that he'll be dead before another thousand pass—but he supposes it's a legitimate concern. Still, he'd like to think that the position of High Priest would continue to be passed onto someone who deserves it...]

Wow, you're a really responsible person, Natalia! I hadn't even thought of something like that.

[Which maybe makes him selfish, he thinks, as most of his fears have revolved around his own person.

Though now that he's thinking about it, he supposes that he's worried about Gypsum losing to Graphite—]

[poised]

[ . . . . . is she responsible? She smiles faintly at that before shaking her head.]

It's.... well, it's troubling, isn't it? If you live long enough, you might be able to recognize patterns - to the point of thinking that you can predict outcomes. I'd hate to live forever because I know I'd want to tell people of these patterns and keep them from repeating past mistakes....

[It's just how she is and she can admit that. But at the same time, isn't that entirely what she had wanted to avoid? Isn't that why they abolished the Score?]

But people should be allowed the freedom to make choices. I think I'd just... be afraid to watch their choices. Especially since I love my country above all else in the world.

[endworld]

[Seren lets go of the werewolf, allowing it it go and frolic elsewhere. Focusing on keeping it restrained right now would be rude.]

Yeah, I get what you mean... Well, though I love my country a lot too and I don't wanna rule over it, it sounds like yours has a lot more political things going on in it. Or maybe I've just always been unaware... but like I said, you're really responsible, Natalia! I don't think most people would think of something like that at first.

[poised]

[ . . . . that's true, isn't it. Most citizens would look after their own livelihood first. They didn't really involve themselves in politics matters right up until an unjust execution was about to happen (aka hers). So she seems contemplative for a moment before she figures she can... admit-]

You can say that when I am home, I'm in a position that requires me to think about my country. I don't think it's something that makes me more or less responsible than anyone else - it's just part of my role in the grand scheme of things.

[endworld]

[Honestly, Seren comes from a theocracy, so his first thought isn't that she's royalty—the idea occurs to him, but there are a lot of positions that that could apply to, really.]

Well, to be honest, I'm not really good at considering my role in the grand scheme of things—I'm a pretty short-sighted guy—so I still think it's really impressive!

[poised]

[Impressive? The surprise is clear on her face and then she seems quite visibly pleased. It's a high compliment, even if he doesn't fully understand what it entails.]

Do you... That's sweet, Seren, thank you.

[IT'S A REALLY NICE THING even though it's probably normal to other people. But anyway-]

Your short-sightedness can be a hassle at times but.... it is refreshing. I don't think there's anything wrong with it. Just being yourself is enough, isn't it?

[endworld]

[...]

Thanks! I'm happy to hear you say that.

[He wonders, sometimes, if he's made a lot of bad choices for it. Summoning the Amaranthine, for starters—in the end, it was probably the right thing to do, but it was something that he hadn't thought through and could've gone horribly wrong for him and Shenna.]

That's all anyone can really do, right?

[poised]

I believe so.... I recall recently that someone had told me that regardless of your circumstances, so long as you act morally and worthy of grace, that's what's truly important.

[Paraphrased a bit.... because well, the original statement doesn't apply much in this scenario. Seren's probably not a false princess.... but regardless, she shakes her head faintly.]

Why did you ask your original question? What would you be concerned with if you could live forever?

[endworld]

[He pauses for a moment, before smiling softly.]

That over time, the memories of my loved ones would become fuzzy and unimportant to me. I mean, of course I'd like to think that I'd still treasure those memories even years from now, but... in practice, I wonder if you can really feel that way hundreds of years later?

['God', at least, couldn't continue to feel that way, and the fact that it became unbearable for her... Well, that's how Seren got into this entire mess to begin with.]

[poised]

[ . . . . it's a surprising answer. Idly, she wonders if she could feel the same. She's held onto a promise for however many years.... but after a hundred, would she still feel so strongly?

Though even then, she seems to come to an answer:]

You could... couldn't you? I believe it's the same thing as looking at a portrait of someone important - even though they're not there, aren't the fond memories that you have of them still lingering?

Of course it's impossible to know yet if you're so concerned about it.... isn't that sign enough that your loved ones are truly important to you? I believe that you're the type of person to cling stubbornly onto things after all, Seren.

[endworld]

[Seren is silent for a while, pondering her response, before he smiles again.]

Thanks! I hope so.

[He looks over at where the werewolf is frolicking, a hint of fondness in his face.]

If even little things like this—naming pets after my friends—can help me remember, then I'll do it! Shenna would probably be a little offended that I named this after him, but... oh well, right?

[poised]

Well, if you're as fond of the werewolf as fond as you are of Shenna, isn't that fine?

[ahaha what, what's so unfortunate about a monster sharing your name, she doesn't get it

emperor peony does it]

[endworld]

Shenna would probably argue that he's more dignified than the werewolf, but he's really not!

[remembering Shenna's dumb face... ah, good times, even if it makes Seren wistful—especially considering the last major conversation he had with Shenna was on the topic of Seren's newfound immortality and the inevitable end of their friendship when Shenna died.]

[poised]

[That much manages to get Natalia to laugh.]

I would at least hope that he's able to control his slobber.

[endworld]

Oh, he's got that down, at least. His memory's probably not much better, though!

[poised]

[ . . . . a soft, dainty laugh.]

You do speak of him as old friends are wont to. I take it that you were very close then?

[endworld]

I've known him since forever! We've been training together as priests since we were kids.

[poised]

Oh! So you're a priest, Seren?

[WELL SHE'S NOT SURPRISED, AT LEAST]

[endworld]

Mm-hmm! Do I seem stuffy enough for one?

[poised]

[That manages a laugh from her before she shakes her head and admits easily:] Not in the slightest.

... However, you do possess the kindness required of one. I suppose that's why it doesn't shock me.

[endworld]

Really? Thanks! It's true that I've met a lot of kind people in the church, though. Everyone really wants to do their best for the world.

[Even if that means most of them probably want to keep him locked up potentially for life... Eh, minor details.]

[poised]

[Natalia just sighs in relief at that, shaking her head faintly.]

Oh.... I'm quite relieved to hear that. It's very fortunate to have a clear-minded clergy.

[she says because there's one person in her world's religion that she wouldn't mind crushing into the ground]

[endworld]

Isn't it? The High Priest is a good man, especially now that we're getting along better! I feel like there's nothing to fear for my country as long as he's around.

What about your home, Natalia?

[poised]

[ . . . . . aha.]

I fear that I do have to fear for my country so long as one of the Grand Maestros of the Order of Lorelei continues to act out.

[But she shakes her head.]

However if nothing else, I do trust the Head of the Order.