vatheon | Living in hope

Who: Sola and anyone
Where: Plaza, in front of the coral
When: After his network post
Status: Open to all

[Sola isn't stupid. He's naive and gullible, yes, but he isn't plain stupid. Somewhere, deep down, he knows that sitting here in front of the coral and wishing or hoping or even praying won't bring Link back. It hadn't brought Ion back, or any of his other friends who'd been tossed back to their own worlds.

But what if, this time...?

He'd sat with Darkleer for a time before, watching the coral, and not too long after Signless had returned. He'd sat in front of the coral for days after waking up and finding Johnny had died and his matesprit had come back to him. There's just as much of a chance that Link could return.

Right?

He has to hope. Because without hope, what else is there? Maybe he's stubborn, maybe he even knows it's futile, but he has to hope.

So here he is, sitting on the ground in front of the massive edifice of undersea polyps. Waiting. Watching.

Hoping.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Waiting? That sounds boring.

[He makes a bit of a face.]

Why would that be an afterlife? I thought it was supposed to be where bad people get punished and good people get rewarded and you get to be all peaceful and happy.

Not everyone's just good or evil. Limbo's supposed to be the place for people who weren't good enough or bad enough for either of those options. As far as I could learn, anyway.

Sounds like a punishment to me. You shouldn't be punished just for being a normal person.

Well, no one said most people had forgiving gods, back in my world.

Ours are, mostly. I think.

[If you're a person... He's pretty sure he doesn't count for the Goddesses seeing as he doesn't have a soul. They wouldn't bother with him.]

They made everything and sent the fairies to protect everyone, even Din who's closest to Master Ganondorf still tries to protect the Gorons and everybody. But they can't really do anything directly. I don't think gods are supposed to.

[Though that begs the question why he's praying if he doesn't think the coral, if it is a god, can intervene directly. Faith is strange like that.]

Might depend on the god.

[He pauses for a moment.]

Or the definition of a god.

Isn't a god just someone with really incredible power that made the world or controls how the world works or something like that that people can't do?

[He was pretty sure the definition of god was straight forward, but maybe not. Dirk does tend to know a lot more than he does, so he's willing to listen.]

In most classic definitions, yes. But I earned the title of a God back in my universe. Does that actually make me a deity? Hell no.

Do you mean God Tier like Jade? Because I don't think that's the same thing.

[Though now he's wondering what animal part you got, Dirk. Jade got dog ears so... Sola looks him over conspicuously, even leaning back to check for a tail.]

It isn't, but it's still close enough to the definition of a God to be able to use the word in the name, isn't it?

[He will explain that animals don't have to be involved in it, if Sola ends up asking.]

I don't think so, not unless you can create whole worlds.

[A beat.]

...can you do that?

I wish.

[He grins, but shakes his head.]

Nah. That's not my God Tier. More like Jade's.

Jade can make whole worlds?! Maybe it is like being a real God, then.

[Geeze, but Jade seems so... normal. Well, y'know, normal with dog ears. He looks at Dirk curiously]

If you can't make worlds then what can you do?

She could make a planet, anyway. Not so sure about the whole world thing.

[He shrugs]

I'm a Prince of Heart. According to my sources, that means I'm a destroyer of souls. I haven't exactly been experimenting with that.

Destroyer of--!!

[Sola actually rolls to his feet and takes several steps away.]

Why would that be a power?! That's terrible!!

[Wow, that's a stronger reaction than he was expecting. He understood it when Kid reacted that way, after a bit of an explanation, but this is kind of over the top even compared to that.]

Because that's the way our universe works. I'm not saying it's something I chose, or that I've used it. Jesus, bro, calm down.

Sorry...

[He looks down, rubbing his neck awkwardly.]

Just... I mean, I don't have one, and I just think... it's terrible to take it away from someone. I-I don't think you would! It just really scared me for a minute when you said it. A soul is really important. It's what makes a place for you in the universe. Having a soul means you're supposed to exist and that you go somewhere when you die and maybe get another life after that even if you look different. If you don't have one then there isn't a place for you and when you die. You don't go to heaven or hell or limbo or anything.

[He glances at the coral, vividly remembering his own revival when it had brought him back from death and the subsequent non-existence. It had been like forcing himself back above water while still being held down. The world didn't want him back. The coral had to force it, and it had done it twice now.]

You just don't exist.

[Someone give Dirk a medal, he is clearly the best at cheering people up.]

For a person without a soul, you're doing a damn good job of existing. Hell, of living.

[Dirk gets to his feet to approach Sola, and gives him a gentle tap on the shoulder with a fist, a sort of light shoulder punch.]

And I bet your friends did too, no matter what happened to them after they went back to their worlds.

[He's been told this before. By Johnny when he's upset, by Signless when he'd tried to explain, but something about Dirk saying this to him now, not coddling him but just talking like he's an equal, it hits home more than all the other times. He doesn't refute it, even acknowledges it, and moves past it instead.

Sola can't think of anything to say. Instead he just throws his arms around Dirk and hugs him in gratitude.]

[Dirk goes awkward and stiff for a few moments, at first. There are very few people he's used to getting spontaneous physical contact from. Sola isn't exactly one of them.

But he can get what the hug is for, so he puts an arm around Sola briefly, before letting go and stepping back.]

You good?

Uh-huh.

[Sola lets Dirk stand back, rubbing at his eye briefly even though he totally wasn't crying at all, not one tear.]

Thanks Dirk.

No problem, bro.

[Not crying, of course.]

Living in hope

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