vatheon | Secret Sharing

Entry tags:

Secret Sharing

Who: Serph and his adopted family, aka Rinoa, Signless and Squall
Where: At the lake on the island.
When: Monday after the curse is over. At some time after these three messages.
Style: [Brackets], please!
Status: Closed!

[The last week had been... troubling. While his own experience with the curse had been somewhat liberating -- he'd been a human. A human that has emotions and doesn't hunger for flesh -- it was obvious most of the people who had gained an Atma didn't feel so lucky.

It's getting more and more difficult to hide the needs of their demons. More people outside the Tribe are learning of their need to devour. And he's certain the last two living members of the Embryon will eventually come to Vatheon. With five people who need to devour weekly, Serph isn't certain how much longer they would be able to keep their hunting a secret; it's already difficult with three. The coral's unpredictability just adds another dimension they cannot prepare for, as the last week had demonstrated.

...But it's not time to reveal their secret to Vatheon. Not yet.

However, it's not fair to keep it from the people he's welcomed into his Tribe and family. So he leaves messages -- all at different times -- to organise a meeting with each of them individually. It's cool by the lake on the island, but not unpleasant, and the sky is clear.

And so he waits.]

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[Um. Secrets... He's pretty open about everything else, so Serph shakes his head.]

I'd appreciate it if you kept this to yourself.

[But he does add a little more to that statement.]

Squall already knows.

Yeah, I definitely will. Don't worry. [Even the chatty Rinoa knows that's not something you go around gossiping about.

But she tilts her head to the side when Squall is mentioned.]

So you're talking to the whole family then, or at least those who don't already know.

[Serph nods.]

Thank you for understanding.

[He briefly casts his gaze over the lake, before returning it to Rinoa.]

When it is time, I will speak of this to Vatheon. But not now.

To everyone in Vatheon? You sure that's a good idea?

[...To be honest, he isn't entirely sure. But...]

There are still more of us yet to arrive.

[He says it like he's certain they will arrive in Vatheon. And he is; there's nowhere else for them to go. Or so he believes. And with more arrivals, no matter how careful they are, the chances of them being found out get higher and higher with every person arriving.]

There will be less panic if people hear it from us rather than someone who stumbles upon us and doesn't understand why we must devour.

[And silencing them isn't an option--]

[It's quite an assumption, but Rinoa has to agree; it's very likely. With Sera having just arrived and them having a few of their members here already, a preemptive measure was likely the best one.]

Yeah, that does make sense. I'll support you guys no matter what you do though.

[S'what families do, right?]

[Well, Serph wouldn't know if that's what families do but he's grateful for Rinoa's support. He nods, accepting.

Since there isn't much else he has to tell Rinoa, and she doesn't seem to want to ask further into the specifics of their needs...]

Did you have other business to attend to? I don't wish to keep you unnecessarily.

Edited 2012-06-29 07:36 (UTC)

Not particularly. I work tonight, but that's not for a few hours. I was just going for a walk when you called.

[Well then! Let's go have that walk now. It's a good time to catch up with Rinoa, anyway. Serph nods.]

I'll join you.

[And he starts walking.]

Where are you working?

[jdslfjsfkljs He's up and going. Rinoa quickly gets to her feet and follows Serph.]

I don't know if you know someone named Johnny? He opened a tavern in the Lower District recently. I'm a waitress there.

[Ah... yes. Serph nods.]

Johnny is a good friend.

[It's probably not a surprise Serph knows him, at this point. ...Though he didn't know Johnny owned a tavern whoops.]

Do you enjoy it?

He's very nice. Tried to insist he was a monster, even though I refuse to believe it. I mean, he drinks people's blood and you and the Embryon eat people. Doesn't make you monsters. [Clearly that conversation, or at least Johnny's insistence still bothered her.]

I do, actually. Johnny is a good boss and people here are friendlier, so waitressing and dealing with customers isn't as difficult as I though it would be.

[H-hey, he never believed himself to be a monster! At least, not now. In the beginning when he didn't have control over his Atma.

Serph nods. It's good to hear that Rinoa's enjoying her job. ...But. Serph tilts his head.]

Does it bother you that he calls himself monster?

[Well, no! But Johnny and the Embryon both have unusual eating habits, so that's why she made the comparison.

There's a long, thoughtful pause, which mainly consists of Rinoa staring at the ground and watching her footsteps.]

Yeah. From what he said, it's the common perception in his world. People shouldn't be judged solely by their actions and their nature. Shouldn't intention and how that person feels matter, too?

[Monster doesn't quite have the same weight to Serph as it would for others. Ruca had defined the term for him, something that attacks everyone in sight.

There's a pause before Serph replies, but the answer comes easily.]

I don't think people should be judged at all.

Not even bad guys? [There are some truly crazy, horrible people out there, and Rinoa's run into a few of them in her time.]

[Serph shakes his head.]

What makes a person 'bad'?

Well, I guess it varies from person to person, but I would consider those who slaughter people needlessly - because they want to or just because they can - as bad. I know of people who take joy in killing others, or who just didn't care if people died.

[Heat takes joy in killing people, but Serph wouldn't call him a bad person. And while he'd rather avoid killing people... well, flesh tastes good.]

They're still people. [A pause. He takes no offence in Rinoa's words, but he adds--] We were like that, once.

But your world is war-torn, isn't it? I remember some of what you told me about it. I'm not saying those who are bad aren't people, it's just...

[She's seen a lot of battles, too many. And she's just not cut for it like Squall and Serph.]

I'm not a soldier or a warrior like most of the Embryon and SeeD. So maybe I just can't see things like you do. Maybe that makes me bad.

[Ah, perhaps he should have chosen his words a little more carefully. He listens to Rinoa. Isn't that how it is, though? That everyone has different perspectives. Having a view that's different from someone who's lived as a soldier or a mercenary doesn't make it wrong.

There's a stretch of silence before Serph replies, quiet.]

Is that what you truly believe?

[That she's bad? Serph remembers the nightmare she had two months ago, so...]

[A part of her is wondering how the heck this conversation got to be so serious. But that's how people grow, right? Through these conversations. At least, that's one way to.

Still, Serph's question unnerves her a little.]

I... hope not. I don't know everything, and I'm not as worldly as some people are. [She's 18, though. She has yet to realize she's not supposed to be at that age.] But I have something bad in me, or something that could turn really bad.

[Serph tilts his head.]

What do you mean by 'worldly'?

Well-rounded, experienced. Been out in the world a lot. Something like that.

[Right. Okay. Serph shakes his head.]

Does anyone know everything?

[Doesn't everyone have the potential to do 'bad'?]

Even knowing everything in one world... there is Vatheon, where things are different.

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sorcery_fledgling - 2012-07-09 17:57 (UTC) - Expand

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