Protect those close to me...

[chosen_gigolo]

Who: Zelos and Duke
Where: Forest quadrant, Duke's tent
When: Wed, May 2nd, morning
Style: [action]
Status: Closed

[Zelos had once proclaimed the bubble to be full of prudes and virgins but after a conversation with Estelle, he'd decided to amend the statement. He'd been wrong. There was another type of person here.

There were mass murderers here.

Mithos notwithstanding (he was trying to handle that on his own), Estelle had shared some information regarding Duke. Regarding how he'd nearly wiped out every Human on their world. And now he's getting friendly with Zelda.

Fuck that.

It doesn't help that Zelos is still barely keeping afloat from the myriad of emotional traumas this past curse and days before it had dredged up. Their world in chaos even after being reunified, two years later to two thousand years later. Kratos and Mithos in the bubble. Having to tell Lloyd about his mother, having to endure the memories of his own, having Zelda meddle. Even in his dreams, his memories, always meddling. He can't take it anymore, he's afraid he might break. That all the carefully bottled up issues are starting to crack free and threaten to drown him. His rage is like a ship in that torrent, heading on a course straight for Duke's tent.

He's aware he's a hypocrite, aware that seeking out someone with that sort of power for the soul purpose of screaming at them is more than halfway to idiotic. He's also aware he doesn't really care.

When death isn't permanent, people have a lot more leeway to make stupid decisions.]

DUKE you effeminate bastard! Get out here!

Comments

[radiantwingedone]

.... Very well. [ Duke is.. vaguely aware that was blackmail. He's not certain how he feels about Zelda finding out, shame, probably, but he's also aware that "them" could mean anyone from Zelda, to the whole of Vatheon. And that .. would create more situations like this. Where someone thought they knew him because of one action.

But he's also a bit irritated that Zelos though he needed black mail. ]

.... Correct. I am a monster. Likely both of us are, strange mana or no.[ He's turning back into his tent now. ]

For are we not both human? [ Tent flaps can't be shut with much finality. They can't be slammed either.

But they do slide shut with with enough of it for Duke. ]

[chosen_gigolo]

[Zelos' anger turns to a tight ball of... something. He's not sure what it is, but it's cooler and heavier and simply sits in his gut like a stone. The entire encounter leaves a bad taste in his mouth, but at least Duke would listen. At least his friends would be safe.

Heh, friends. When had he come to use the word so freely? It's ...annoying. He should probably take a page from Duke's book and simply cloister himself but it's far too late for that. He knows people care about him, idiots who shouldn't, who have no real reason to other than their own misguided principles, but if he were to push them away now they'd only be hurt or refuse to go. At least Duke still had time.

The Chosen stares at the tent flap, rage boiled up and now settled in a silent calm, and turns to walk away.]

1/2

[radiantwingedone]

[ Duke spends a long moment staring at just.... nothing, not even two steps further into his house.. thing. He... doesn't like this. At all. He's... somewhat surprised to find himself feeling agitated by this situation. However...

Lashing out would only cause him more problems. It's better to just... Go.

So that's what he'll do. ]

2/2

[radiantwingedone]

[ Zelos, if you're paying attention at all to Duke's slow circling of mana, it has stopped. Just left to do what it normally does, until he draws it in.

This will be a test of just how many pieces he can split his magic into and still have it do what he wants. A bit more the way Zelda does magic, but kept within a loose guide of a formula for each bit. Perhaps if he does that.... he could be tired enough to sleep moderately well.

If Zelos pays attention to what Duke's doing, he can likely tell that Duke carefully gathers up what he expended... very shortly after he had done so. And he has a lot of magic. Perhaps its not too surprising how he would have been able to do something like erase all humans on a world by himself.

This is a lot more benign, however. His home is taking itself apart, layers of canvas freeing themselves and piling, folding, gathering together at one point while the supports of wood gather themselves in a bundle over in another. His blankets fold themselves on his desk, the chair flips over and collects his cooking utensils.

He steps off the canvas floor to move deeper into the forest, completely, purposefully, ignoring Zelos, and that too folds itself. Rings of pale green runes circle the middle of each bundle, holding them still, aloft, as he studies the place that had been his ... camp site. He can't claim to have a home. Or house. Those are more permanent.

A moment further of staring at nothing, and then another circling spiral of runes - red, golden, earthen, purple near white, green, purple near black, pale blue - leaves him and sinks into the ground in a slow spiral. That would remain, slowly feeling like Duke himself was circling magic about.

He's going to start walking off with his weird ducklings now. ]

[chosen_gigolo]

[Quite the display. It's a waste of mana, if anyone were to ask Zelos, but even he can feel Duke's presence remain as the albino retreats off into the wood.

Fine. Good. He can see Duke's reasoning here, that it'll throw people off his trail. That means his words are being heeded and he can relax a little. Maybe.

Right.

The Chosen walks the opposite direction of Duke, back towards civilization.]