heartofthestar | Labyrinthium Inbox

[Argos disdains what he perceives as weakness -- not enough that he refuses to acknowledge Maruki, but having it advertised so obviously makes him let out a canine huff and trot forward, to walk on the far side of Venat.]

[Venat, well aware of what her familiar is thinking, shakes her head as she reaches out to pat Argos's.] Now, do not be like that. Maruki's strength lies in his heart and mind, not his body, and in those I daresay he's a match or more for most everyone you've met in our time.

[ No self-deprecating jokes around the best of all familiars, got it! Also?

FLUSTERED. Any redness in the cheeks that may or may not be present now has nothing to do with the hike. ]

Hah– wow, don't talk me up too much, Venat-san, I don't know if I'll be able to live up to all of that. You're too nice to me by half...

[A little bemused, Venat turns her smile on him now.]

Considering the calling you have taken on, I am confident I speak nothing but truth. Have I not made clear how much I respect and admire that? You have mastered something we 'phenomenal cosmic beings' never did, nor would.

No, you've made it very clear...

[ That's the trouble. Somnius is, by and large, full of people who are skeptical of his work at best, resentful of it at worst. Maruki is used to defending what he does. But it's quickly becoming a bit of a pain point. ]

I appreciate it more than I can say. Your belief in me means a lot.

[ Understatement!!! ]

You know... I keep encountering the same question as I talk to others here. Maybe you could help me try to figure out an answer that will make sense to them.

Perhaps. I would be happy to try, at the very least. [She slows her striding pace slightly, the better for Maruki to both talk and not lose his breath as they push on up the trail.]

[ Thanks a million, Venat. Maruki adjusts the satchel over his shoulder and tightens his grip on the walking stick, measures his breaths as best he can as he dives right into the heart of the matter. It's always easy to do around Venat. ]

People want to know why I'm so invested in helping them, or anyone else. I can understand that question, of course... I know that my profession didn't exist in most people's realities.

[ But it goes beyond that. ]

And I think it speaks to how little value some people put in themselves. Why would a relative stranger genuinely care about them? Why should they matter?

[ In dreams, in reality. People he's just met and those he's been counseling for nearly a full month. The question never changes.

Maruki looks over at her, serious. He means every word of this. ]

Everyone matters to me. Everyone. That's not conditional of anything. It's so... foundational, I guess. Without that, nothing else I believe in has a leg to stand on. So explaining it in a way that will sink in for others is...

[ He sighs, gestures vaguely in the air before them as they continue ever onwards. ]

It's proving to be a challenge.

[ And with that, he'll shut the hell up and try to catch his breath. ]

[As Venat hears his words, he can practically see the spark deep in her eyes as her mind catches each one and tosses it into the pile to be whirled around and attacked from every angle. Naturally, her response takes barely any time at all.]

That is a challenge. I have several ideas, all of which I will be glad to share with you.

[Her steps slow again as her gaze turns to the sky, because the first one is the simplest, the truest, and therefore most likely the least useful of all her ideas. But nonetheless.]

Ever have people cried out for the answer, "why?" Why are we born, only to suffer? Why exist at all, if we are destined to die? And so they seek out the answer, their source of meaning. Their light in the darkness, their strength when all strength has left them. And this is yours. This is your meaning, your answer, to that question.

[ It is incredibly refreshing for a guy who is expected to have all of the answers to meet someone else in the same position. Maruki doesn't expect her to actually have any viable solutions for what is, at its core, a purely subjective problem.

And yet, she jumps right into them. ]

Ah... Yes, I've tried to get that across to people. It's more than a job, it's my purpose. But saying that only invites more questions.

[ He doesn't expect anyone to be like him. He wouldn't wish that on anyone, actually. Yet hearing so many people say they would never put themselves in a position of being of selfless service to others does sting. What good are any of them to each other if they don't at least try to help? ]

There's always the question of what I get out of it. Explaining that it's not about that, it's just my meaning, doesn't seem to be a sufficient answer.

[Venat lifts a finger in his direction.] But you do gain from it. Satisfaction. A sense of purpose, a reason to keep going against your own troubles, and a feeling of meaningful accomplishment when you do help. I guess here, so pray forgive if I go astray, but I daresay that it provides you with a feeling of control, or perhaps, as if you are battling back against the suffering that we all must face? Perhaps compare yourself to a healer, who does with physical wounds what you do with mental ones -- are they not often driven by a desire to stand steadfast in the face of suffering, and oppose it with all their might?

[Venat does not have all the answers. But most firmly, and most assuredly, she has her answer.]

[ At a feeling of control, Maruki's head whips toward her. He stares at Venat so intensely as she speaks that by the time that final question is posed at him, he actually trips over a stray root. ]

Oh–!!

[ Clumsy as ever. The walking stick helps him not totally eat shit, but it's not a dignified stumble by any means, and he's sure Argos thinks he's pathetic.

Maruki straightens back up, tries to regain some composure, and glances at her again with a sheepish laugh. ]

No, you... you didn't go astray. You hit the nail directly on the head, actually. Several times.

[ Has he told her his analogy about physical wounds? He wracks his brain, doesn't think he has. It's uncanny. Exactly what he told Akira. ]

That's all correct. More correct than I can possibly tell you in words. It's, ah...

[ Battling back against the suffering that we all must face.

It's killing him, not being able to express how being seen so plainly by someone who understands the depth of statements like that makes him feel. He does his best to impart it in the soft smile before he turns his sights back on their trail. ]

That is how I feel, you're right. I can try to give that explanation next time, though I can already foresee how it'll go over.

[Not that long ago, she had been speaking with much the same thing with Izutsumi. Why Venat helped other people in the course of her adventures. Why she put effort into reaching out. Venat's answer had been somewhat simpler -- because she enjoyed it -- but if she were to break it down, she might come up with much the same things as she'd suggested for Maruki.]

[But more than that, she'd ever long thought about humanity's purpose, its goal. Its answer. Why people did what they did, why they chose the purposes they chose. And so often, the answer was related to something they'd endured. Some pain or hardness, that made them stronger. What better reason to choose a path of healing, than to defy that darkness?]

If there were one answer that would satisfy everyone, I would give it to you. I doubt there is. But I think perhaps people will feel more comfortable, if you can explain how you benefit as well. It can hardly be selfish if you gain from it, can it?

This next part grows steep, I warn you.

[And, since the stick had done very little to help him, Venat extends a hand to him instead.]

Oh, is it going to get steep now? Thank goodness, this was too easy for me.

[ Easy, blithe sarcasm. Maruki shifts the walking stick to his other hand so he can take hers.

It's a friendly, helpful gesture on a difficult path. But maybe he won't let go. ]

You're probably right, though. People raise an eyebrow at the altruism more than anything, so if I'm more honest about my side of things, maybe that'll– hah, help–

[ Okay, yes, he's a little winded. ARGOS DON'T LOOK AT HIM HE'S SPENT HIS WHOLE LIFE COOPED UP INSIDE READING BOOKS ]

I'll try it and let you know. Thank you, as always.

[Venat's strength is more than enough to keep him upright and moving, though she's mindful not to pull him about or do much more than steady him. Argos's judgment might also be some motivation.]

No thanks necessary, but you're ever welcome. I appreciate these conversations, more than you might know. Though I cannot say I was precisely lonely for my time in the aetherial sea, a good conversation partner was no common occurrence down there.

[ Seriously, it's spooky how strong she is... ]

I'm glad to hear it! I haven't exactly had many people to talk with like this either.

[ He's getting a stitch in his side and his lungs are starting to burn. Hiking is a curse. ]

Or– well, I said many, but I suppose I mean any.

[ God, where is the fucking summit of this cliff. ]

Can I tell you something? I think I'm more honest with you than anyone.

[ HE'S DYING ]

I'm glad we can– have these sorts of talks. For both our sakes.

[..goodness. He's in worse shape than she thought. She might have to apologize for her choice of venue later.]

[Well, at the least, she can pause and take in the environment, giving him a chance to rest without being obvious that she's doing that instead of admiring the view. The view is worth admiring, though, so it's a pretense with some substance.]

Full well am I glad to hear that. You need someone to be open and honest with. As do all people, but you especially.

[ Incurable nerd! Indoor kid! Has been cooped up in lecture halls and research labs and counseling offices for years!!! He doesn't mean to be so out of shape. It's very embarrassing.

The break is highly appreciated. Maruki sighs heavily with relief, stretches to crack his back.

It really is something to see. He has few kind thoughts to spare about Somnius as a place on most days – city boy to his bones – but, to Venat's point earlier, a perspective from on high does tend to change things.

He's still catching his breath as they take in the view. Still holding her hand, and he runs his thumb idly over her knuckles. ]

I could say the same about you, easily.

[ A beat. ]

I've thought a lot about the last story you told me. The true nature of your 'religious figurehead' and 'retirement' euphemisms.

[ Light and playful, with a small teasing smile directed at her when he says it, but what comes next is nothing but earnest. ]

It must have made it extraordinarily difficult for you to have people in your life who treated you as a whole person, rather than– you know, a deity.

Very much so, yes. Some days I consider it miraculous that I remember how to speak to people, after twelve thousand years alone in the aetherial sea.

[She breathes out a sigh, but not a sad one, nor a weighty one; nor does her smile flicker in the least. If anything, it speaks of a deep weariness more than even a shallow despair.]

But I held fast to my core, throughout it all. And you must remember that we are a very long-lived people. Though it was indeed a long time, it may have perhaps been... [How old is he, anyway? Her eyes flick over him, she makes a quick guess (and one too young by a few years), then quickly maths out the comparison.] ...three hundred seventy? Naught more than four hundred years, if you compare the time in isolation to that of the life before. Still no small amount, but I daresay you can see how the difference matters. So I think myself far better off than you would expect.

[Though she cants her head slightly, eyes brightening even if her smile can't.] But should I be wrong, I have a skilled and knowledgeable friend to help me discover that, and for that too I am very glad.

Hah! No, you're extremely well off, considering.

[ Maruki does the math himself. A little less than 400 years sounds horrific when looked at on its own, but when put into perspective of her lifespan, it's–

Hilariously, about as long as he'd spent entirely alone back in Tokyo.

A quiet hum, a squeeze of her hand. The deep exhaustion in that sigh was not lost on him. He thinks about it all the time: How to help her allow herself to rest, how to show care for someone who has, by her very nature and position, only ever been expected to give it. ]

Even outside of that isolation– even here, I still wonder if people holding you in a high regard can make it difficult for them to genuinely connect. Our positions aren't on remotely the same level, but it's something I can empathize with.

[ Then he inclines his head to look her in the eye, just a hair taller than him, and grins back. ]

Who knows, maybe I'm wrong. You'll have to introduce me to that friend of yours, he sounds like he could sort me out.

[Venat has to cover her mouth with her free hand, never mind that hiding her smile and her laughter is impossible.] I think you'd like him. He's quite extraordinary.

[Returning the squeeze, to acknowledge it, Venat then lifts her head slightly to consider his words. Her times here flick past in her memories, like sparks shattered free from a fire with a log freshly tossed upon it.]

Were I to judge, I would say that what regard people hold me in is in part because of my physical appearance, in part because of my manner of speaking and tone of voice, both of which I daresay sound more formal than what most are accustomed to, and in no small part because I have a great deal of experience and the attitude hencefrom. The latter one is what I am accustomed to in any case. Did I tell you the meaning of these robes, at some point in our conversations?

[ OH JUST KNOCK HIM OVER WITH A FEATHER, VENAT. Retaliation for how cute that was will be forthcoming, just you wait. ]

It's definitely all three parts and then some! But no, you haven't. Here–

[ He's more than caught his breath, and the summit can't be too far off. Hopefully. And, most importantly, he wants Argos to respect him, despite being a weakling mortal who hasn't run a mile since high school phys ed.

Maruki adjusts his satchel again and gently tugs along to continue up the path. ]

Let's press on, I'm good. I'd love to hear your explanation of the robes.

[Oh, now he's trying to take the lead? Venat and Argos share a look, along with expectations of just how this will go -- though the dog is exasperated, and the woman only amused.]

I may have mentioned this, but if so, I reiterate. Black robes and masks were the common fashion of our society. [She touches the mask that hangs in front of her robes. Not once has she donned it since coming here, but then, she never favored it to begin with.] White robes are the mark of an advisor, one pledged to impartial judgment and trustworthy advice. I was granted them when I stepped down from the seat of Azem -- whereas the vast majority in my place would have returned to the star, feeling their purpose fulfilled.

[ It's a pretty foolish idea, isn't it. He's a foolish man! And the sooner they get going, the sooner the worst part of camping (hiking) can end and the best part (chilling underneath the stars) can begin. ]

Ah, that makes sense – the work is never done, after all.

[ The robes have always made him wonder – it's a little funny that she still wears them in a place like this, but they suit her to the point that he can't imagine anything else. ]

Do you still feel that you play that advisor role here?

[Wearing something else has literally never occurred to her. As well-adjusted and capable as she is, she nonetheless possesses faults, flaws, and oversights in her mentation as anyone else would. Most of them relate to how very, very long certain things have been just that way for her.]

[To answer his question, Venat shares a conspiratorial smile.]

I take joy in helping others, too.

[That ought to explain it, yes? Her role is less formal and less defined than his, but it still can set her apart. She is still an advisor, a source of strength, a mentor, or in a strange case or two a mother figure. A certain sort of distance, certain sorts of lines, exist in that role to maintain it. His contract specifies what remains implicit for her, but still.]

[ on god girl we're getting you a home and some normal clothes

Or not, honestly! Maruki hasn't really adapted to the way of life in Somnius and doesn't expect anyone else to. Medieval style clothes? No. A hobbit hole without simple modern conveniences? No!! They are equally set in their ways in opposite directions. ]

Do you? I had no idea.

[ The conspiratorial smile is returned, his eyes bright with mischief. ]

That much is obvious, at least to me. It's– hah, forgive my sentimentality, but it's a light that you couldn't put out if you tried.

[ And then, quickly, to cover up his own flush at that: ]

So it stands to reason that you get a satisfaction and sense of purpose out of it too. And suddenly, I see where your advice for me came from!

We walk different paths. [Although no sooner does she say that than Venat glances down at the path which they are quite obviously both walking, and shakes her head.] No, we travel the same path with different paces. I find myself taking on the problems that show brightest on the surface. Lost children in caves, people in agony or misery, dangerous monsters, suchforth. While you take to the depths, plumbing the hidden secrets and drawing them to light, fixing countless personal cracks rather than several ones of broader scope.

My purpose is to help mankind. Yours is to help people.

[The sky is gone now, lost behind the thick foliage overhead. The forest's enclosure feels comfortable in a way, well-suited to talks like this.]

To my mind, your work is the more difficult, more dangerous, and more grueling. That is why I admire that you undertake it, and admire even more your ability to do so.

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"what gives you the impression i've played p5r" THIS YOU MENACE

She's just GOOD AT THIS (besides that would be metagaming if I had and did this!)

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