genessia | ⚘(Video)⚘

[Uai employs his tact enough that he doesn't admit to finding that interesting. Also, troubling. It's one thing for him to have two forms, but he has a single consciousness between them. His desires don't change when he becomes a dragon.

It finally clicks with him why she finds the change so alarming.]

In that case, I'll stay. Sorry for asking something so strange. [He pauses, waiting until she's ready to walk. It would be polite to offer his hand, but Uai knows his touch is incredibly dangerous.] On that note. Have you been getting to talk to a number of people in Genessia? I'm sure you've found this place is full of interesting personalities.

(Amalthea is embarrassed enough by her outburst. Showing weakness as either a/the Unicorn or as a woman does not set well with her. She might feel divided against herself on other matters, but on this one, her mortal and immortal halves can agree!

She lifts her chin as if to pretend she is not moved one way or another, her slender hands smoothing over the front of her dress.)

They have been kind without reason. I do not know what they want from me.

[When Uai sees her straighten herself, he knows better than to giggle at her words. He holds himself together, remembering to treat her with respect. Even if he doesn't know many Unicorns, he can tell she expects them to be treated well.]

That's why it's called kindness. If they wanted something from you, we would call it manipulation. [He hums softly, then deciding to tempt fate as he adds,] I was originally thinking I would be kind to you, but now I think I'm in it for your company. Is that acceptable?

(Unicorns are terribly vain creatures. Being a woman is just...shameful. It doesn't take much to injure her pride these days and, truth be told, she is very lonely.)

One can become the other without warning. (She walks at his side, brow furrowing.) Are you lonely too?

That's true. It's something you'll unfortunately get used to. But kindness with motive isn't always bad. Unless you think it's a crime to want someone to talk to.

[That million dollar question was one he should have seen coming. Uai does his best not to flinch or look distressed. In fact, he gives himself no time to linger on it before answering.] Yeah, sometimes. I had to leave someone very important to me... But it was my choice, so I don't get to complain about it.

(If that is so, she is guilty of a crime. But manipulation isn't truly in her nature. She is blunt and if others think she is a mystery, perhaps it is because of what she doesn't say rather than what she does.)

Do I remind you of them? (She doesn't look at him, somehow sensing that the topic is fraught with difficulty. Her ability to sense human empathy is increasing.)

Edited 2018-07-13 07:52 (UTC)

A bit. But don't worry, I know you aren't the same.

[He begins fiddling with his braid like it's a lifeline. In some ways, it is all that connects him to home anymore.]

When you miss someone for long enough, you start seeing pieces of them everywhere. Sometimes the water reminds me of her too, or the flowers, or even the wind. Loneliness makes it hard to think straight.

[Uai shakes his head,] You're different in a lot of ways too. She's pretty clumsy and loud.

(She has never thought of herself as like another. The idea stings her pride, but it also soothes her heart. If she is like someone else - even a little bit - she isn't alone.)

Is it only loneliness? (Maidens who are virgins call to her and sing for her. They tell her of grand romances and the lives they wish to have. Men too hunt her, using golden rope to try to trap her. What a fine gift she will make for their lady! Of course she is never caught. They are too slow and too clumsy for her.)

I do not think I could be either of those things.

Right? I can't imagine you being either of those either. It's just me being lonely.

[He feels a bit attacked when she questions if it's "only loneliness." If she means feelings that cause one not to think straight, then Uai should be an expert. Since she asked he does feel he should answer, but it's a train of thought he treads carefully.]

A lot of strong emotions can cause someone not to think straight. Loneliness, anger, sadness... Even happiness and love. Loneliness and love are probably the ones that I know the most about.

[Uai taps his own cheek thoughtfully,] But if you really were alone as a Unicorn, do you feel those emotions very strongly? I imagine it's hard to feel anger when you're alone? And you don't need the same type of love as a human?

(Should she apologize? How can she amend her words when she feels she has done nothing wrong? While her human body is young, her mind is old. So old, in fact, that it borders on ancient.)

Unicorns can love, but I never did. I have not mated either or brought a foal into the world. We do as our natures dictate. If I need to eat, I eat; if I need to sleep, I sleep. I did not think about finding others of my kind until I heard a man claiming there were no more.

He spoke to his companion, saying... (She pitches her voice to mimic the conversation she had overheard.) “Why did they go away, do you think? If there ever were such things."

"Who knows? Times change. Would you call this age a good one for unicorns?"

"No, but I wonder if any man before us ever thought his time a good time for unicorns.”

Hmm... Seems like a pretty simple way to live. I'm sure there are many who would envy that kind of lifestyle.

[He's reminded of his mortal life, but tries not to get caught in those memories. Kami like himself were forgotten too, and had only recently been remembered. Likewise, he had grown up wondering what a 'good time' for Kami would be like.]

In my first home, Unicorns are symbols of purity. It's a sin to so much as look at one if you aren't pure of heart. So I suppose, what you're saying does line up with that. If you only do what you need to, then in theory, you never overindulge and you never sin.

Are you going to continue being pure as a human? [He should really learn to filter his awkward questions.]

Perhaps. (Her life had been simple and uncomplicated. It had never occurred to her to sin. She was as a child, watching the life around her come into the world, live, love and die. Now she is part of that cycle and it still doesn't occur to her to sin.)

I see no reason to overindulge; it will only hurt me in the end. (His question unnerves her. On one hand, of course, but on the other, why is that now a choice? Why can humans choose their natures so easily? How can anything they do or say ever be trusted?)

I am who I am.

And I'm certainly not suggesting you change that. Whoever you are now is someone I'm happy to have met.

[He looks ahead, noting that they're reaching the edge of the forest. Fortunately, his apartment borders the forest: It's hard to tell if the structures were built around nature, or if the trees reclaimed this space.

Uai points ahead, but continues the current conversation.] I pray you don't lose yourself, regardless. As someone else who loses their preferred form, I sympathize. If you need anything to feel like yourself, you can let me know. [Smiling at his selfish and bad joke, he adds:] As long as it doesn't involve leaving you alone forever.

(Uai will be surveyed, closely, critically. She isn't naive enough to accept his seemingly kind words. He is the one that told her of manipulation, after all. What does he want? Company? Well, they both want that and he is interesting to talk to - even if she feels a little uncomfortable in his presence.)

I do not find it disagreeable that we met. (Her posture shifts upon seeing where he lives; she dips her head back and stares at the canopies above.)

If you do not wish to leave me, might I move to this place?

[He pauses at that. It does seem like a simple solution. The only concern he has is the awful rent here. Trees and elves are apparently very cruel landlords.]

I don’t see why not. I’m sure we can work something out to get you in here. [Uai hums thoughtfully again, his bird-like habits slipping in with a soft chirp.] The truth is... I have a dragon staying with me right now. A cute, fluffy dragon named Hana. Like you, she has a human form she doesn’t like staying in. But hers is a choice.

[And he understands the stereotype that Unicorns and dragons don’t get along.]

Otherwise, I’d say you two could just take over my room. My body doesn’t require sleep, so I just use it to store my musical instruments.

(She is above money, Uai. What is any world coming to when it makes a Unicorn pay for rent? They should be glad they have her! ...or so she thinks.)

Yes? (The answer is belated and it seems almost like she is responding to his chirp rather than his words.) I have slain Dragons. It is natural for my kind to do so. But if she is no threat, I would not harm her. She is a magical creature - like me - and I respect her.

(It's the unspoken, unwritten word between immortal beings.)

I would not mind.

Then we should talk to her about it. It would be more convienent... and I can’t imagine a Unicorn working a nine to five.

[And it might be good for Hana to have another friend who understands her situation.]

Let me show you around first? I can show you the apartment and the hot spring.

Nine to...five? (Since he said "working", she presumes he means her getting a job. Since she is doing spectacularly by simply walking on two feet, that seems like a far cry.)

I will follow you. (And maybe some day soon, she will be herself again. Then he will see why this body is such a prison to her.) ...Uai.

Ah, right. You wouldn't know that term. Most jobs are worked from nine in the morning to five at... hm. Actually, you probably don't have clocks in the forest, do you?

[He gladly leads the way, using his keys to let them into the complex. Having a guest is a strange sort of fun, as Uai usually goes out of his way to stay alone. He only lets himself be around her because he knows she won't touch him and get hurt.

When she says his name, he pauses to look back at her.]

Yes? Did you need something?

Edited 2018-07-14 09:03 (UTC)

(She shakes her head and glances at the sky. That is her clock; she follows the rising and falling of the sun and moon.)

Humans feel the need to measure and calculate everything. It takes the mystery out of existing.

(No, she avoids touch, afraid to let even the lightest brush occur. He is not the reason for her fear. Being a woman, rather, is to blame. As a Unicorn, she felt she had some power to protect herself. As a human, she is woefully weak and vulnerable.)

Your nature puzzles me, but I do not think meeting you was a mistake.

Humans are also at the mercy of time, right? So of course they would want to at least pretend they control it.

[Is his reasoning, anyway. Uai isn't bound by time anymore, but that's because he ruined the mystery for himself.]

I get that a lot. I'm happy you think that way. I don't get you either, but I like you. [It's easier to help her if she thinks decently of him. Unlike with Azura, who has other people looking out for her, he hasn't heard Amalthea talk of other friends. He's too worried to cut off ties... But if he can get her and Hana to become friends, he'll be able to back of from them both.]

...it seems maddening to count down the barest of moments.

(She doesn't need a clock to feel her mortality. Death is never far and when she sleeps, she dreams of her previous life.)

I accept that you are mysterious to me; that does not make me like you less. (He will find it hard to shake her. She may not trail after him or walk by his side as she does now in the future, but she will be watching him. Watching over him.)

To some, I’m sure it is. When you think your time is limited and you can only watch it get away from you, you’re bound to lose some sanity.

Very few humans reach a point where they can control time. When that happens, it only gets more frustrating.

[The way he cannot change the past without causing a mess is it’s own kind of maddening.]

You’re mysterious yourself. I can’t imagine how you live... But I guess I don’t need to either. [He pauses to open a doorway for her: Towards the hot spring first.] After you~.

There is something to be said for not being in control, I suppose. (She shakes her hair from her eyes and tucks the rebellious strands behind her ears.)

What about it is complicated? My nature is simply different from yours.

(She watches him before slipping through the doorway delicately. Once they are indoors, she seems to give off her own light, glowing like the moon.)

[He observes her faint glow, amused by it. Hana always talks about 'The Shadow' that she worships back home, while Amalthea seems to be light itself. This Unicorn and Dragon could not be more opposite.

Following after her, he motions to the stairs that lead down to the hot springs.]

Different is interesting. If I could understand more, then maybe I could change myself. Something like that. [Uai brushes off his confessed mission in favor of pointing at some rising steam.] The hot spring is down this way. Be careful.

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