((OOC: he's cool w it.))
Evan's stomach sank a little when Mizu named everyone else for dismissal. He supposed it would have been entirely too much to hope for that she'd be satisfied with that clusterfuck of a conversation, though. Like she said, he hadn't gotten out of explaining what exactly the goddess wanted, after all, which he had to admit was reasonable. Maybe she'd be satisfied once he told her that part, and all the details about his encounter with the goddess could go glossed over. Here was fucking hoping.
If nothing else, though, everything would be easier to talk about without Elaine and especially Blake staring on. Hell, Evan suspected Blake didn't even want to know the details, not really. Heh, though, then again, he could also imagine some mixed feelings stirring the pot beneath that cold exterior of hers. Disgust and curiosity could be quite the potent combination... Mmmm.
Wait, no, fuuuuck. Guhh, Evan straightened up slightly as yet another fucking shock hit him and got pretty fucking close to threatening to buckle his legs if he wasn't careful. The captain doubled down on his serious expression to keep another grin from tugging at his lips, and to hopefully offset any additional blush seeping in, especially as Blake started moving towards him on her way out. She still looked smug as shit and he fucking haaaaated it, but he tried to tell himself that this was his price for stepping out of line, and of course it was still worth it. Mizu had to keep the peace between him and Blake somehow, he knew that, it just fucking suuuucked.
Luckily for him, Blake was too concerned with propriety to gloat, at least in obvious ways. She sure did know how to make a deadpan expression look mocking as fuck, but then again, on some level, Evan could just be projecting into it. Regardless, the long-haired captain moved steadily past him without lingering, and Evan relaxed just slightly once she was gone. The conversation to come still wouldn't be a cakewalk, but here was fucking hoping it'd at least be less infuriating now that Evan's least-fucking-favorite person in the army would no longer be involved.
Evan turned his gaze to Mizu and swallowed, waiting for her to direct how she'd like to proceed.
Part 1 (Start Reading Here)
Moderator: On Dreams And Desire
Re: Part 1
After Blake, Elaine, and Trevor had filed out, Mizu gestured for Evan to take a seat opposite her at the map table. For whatever reason, and maybe it was the captain's own ridiculously rash behavior, Mizu was far less concerned with appearances when she was just speaking with Evan. The formalities, at least for the moment, could be set aside. Besides, she really needed him to be honest right now if she was going to continue to take him seriously, and lowering her own guard a little couldn't hurt.
"You make it really difficult sometimes to save your skin, you know that?" It was a rhetorical question, and Mizu took a breath before moving on. "I am not inclined to think you are lying, if I'm being honest, but I do need to know more about the security of the situation. I suppose, let's start from the beginning. What are the goddess' motives? What does she want from us?" Mizu looked at Evan with a serious and somewhat hopeful expression, subtle though it may have been.
"You make it really difficult sometimes to save your skin, you know that?" It was a rhetorical question, and Mizu took a breath before moving on. "I am not inclined to think you are lying, if I'm being honest, but I do need to know more about the security of the situation. I suppose, let's start from the beginning. What are the goddess' motives? What does she want from us?" Mizu looked at Evan with a serious and somewhat hopeful expression, subtle though it may have been.
Last edited by andrav on Wed Sep 18, 2019 5:11 am, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Part 1
Evan didn't have to be prompted twice to take a seat. He nodded almost gratefully and moved over swiftly, a very soft, brief sigh escaping his lips as he experienced some relief from the change in position and the assurance that, if Mizu hadn't already noticed his bulge, then at least she wasn't likely to going forward.
He kept up his serious expression when she spoke again, although a part of him wanted to smile. He'd been braced for further admonishment, but instead she started with an indication that she'd wanted to save his skin, which was relieving as fuck to hear right about then. It was also relieving as fuck to hear that, whatever else was behind the commander's persistent scepticism, it wasn't that she believed Evan was lying. He nodded again, his expression still quite serious, and answered his commander's questions.
"She's trapped, as things stand, and it sounds like Uranel's to blame. She's been looking for a human who can free her, which I guess the qualifications for that are a certain sort of tenacity and an uncomfortably-close call with death." Which, uh, he certainly had, but he didn't figure that needed to be said.
Should he mention the underworld? Probably, if he was giving Mizu all of the data - which he did want to do, sans the more explicit shit - but he knew it sounded next-level crazy, and he didn't want to pile too much on Mizu too fast. He certainly understood all of this being... a lot, to say the least. Still, he was pretty sure the crone had mentioned that bit at the meeting the other day, and perhaps it'd bear repeating. After a short pause, Evan decided he should give it a go... perhaps after some prep.
"I know this all sounds cazy, but at this point I don't want to hold things back just because I know they're had to swallow. And believe me, I know. But I'm telling you I've experienced a lot of undeniable shit the past couple days." He furrowed his brow slightly, his expression shifting to something softer - almost pleading. He needed Mizu not to shut down here.
"The task she's asking for is for a human who can cut it to travel to the underworld for her, and remove barriers that Uranel placed there which prevent her from fully travelling to this world, as well as to the, uh, other celestial realms, I guess. The intention she's communicated to me is that once she's free she'll just pop into our world long enough to see to it the king is good and fucking dead and then she's gonna just go do whatever the fuck gods do in the upper realms."
During that last sentence, an excited grin did start turning up, and Evan let it, because of where he wanted to go next.
"The one thing I wish you could've seen from the summoning was just how righteously her anger at the king burned. She expressed interest in getting Ponderance on the throne, to boot, though she's certainly less invested in the ultimate outcome of the war than she is in the king's death. Still, she has at least some interest in working with us to that end."
He kept up his serious expression when she spoke again, although a part of him wanted to smile. He'd been braced for further admonishment, but instead she started with an indication that she'd wanted to save his skin, which was relieving as fuck to hear right about then. It was also relieving as fuck to hear that, whatever else was behind the commander's persistent scepticism, it wasn't that she believed Evan was lying. He nodded again, his expression still quite serious, and answered his commander's questions.
"She's trapped, as things stand, and it sounds like Uranel's to blame. She's been looking for a human who can free her, which I guess the qualifications for that are a certain sort of tenacity and an uncomfortably-close call with death." Which, uh, he certainly had, but he didn't figure that needed to be said.
Should he mention the underworld? Probably, if he was giving Mizu all of the data - which he did want to do, sans the more explicit shit - but he knew it sounded next-level crazy, and he didn't want to pile too much on Mizu too fast. He certainly understood all of this being... a lot, to say the least. Still, he was pretty sure the crone had mentioned that bit at the meeting the other day, and perhaps it'd bear repeating. After a short pause, Evan decided he should give it a go... perhaps after some prep.
"I know this all sounds cazy, but at this point I don't want to hold things back just because I know they're had to swallow. And believe me, I know. But I'm telling you I've experienced a lot of undeniable shit the past couple days." He furrowed his brow slightly, his expression shifting to something softer - almost pleading. He needed Mizu not to shut down here.
"The task she's asking for is for a human who can cut it to travel to the underworld for her, and remove barriers that Uranel placed there which prevent her from fully travelling to this world, as well as to the, uh, other celestial realms, I guess. The intention she's communicated to me is that once she's free she'll just pop into our world long enough to see to it the king is good and fucking dead and then she's gonna just go do whatever the fuck gods do in the upper realms."
During that last sentence, an excited grin did start turning up, and Evan let it, because of where he wanted to go next.
"The one thing I wish you could've seen from the summoning was just how righteously her anger at the king burned. She expressed interest in getting Ponderance on the throne, to boot, though she's certainly less invested in the ultimate outcome of the war than she is in the king's death. Still, she has at least some interest in working with us to that end."
Re: Part 1
At first, when Evan began speaking, Mizu began to furrow her eyebrows slightly, still not quite sure what to make of the tale. But, more than his qualifications or his concern that it sounded crazy, Mizu found herself beginning to believe when Evan described the goddess' fury during the summoning. The fact that the goddess mentioned Ponderance in and of itself felt like a detail Evan wouldn't just add in if this were all an elaborate lie. In fact, it sounded altogether too unbelievable to be made up in a strange and uncomfortable way.
Which meant that Mizu had to face the reality of what was happening.
She supposed she was surprised that, assumedly, Uranel had had not only the audacity but the power to shut a goddess out of the human realm, and for a moment, Mizu wondered if the king hadn't done it to protect his people. But, the king's behavior over the last decade had never registered to her as any act of kindness to his people, and malicious though this deity may be, she and Mizu did have the same enemy at the end of the day. Which, granted, made Mizu uncomfortable. Did she really want to be siding with this kind of a goddess? And didn't Blake call her the Demon Queen? By becoming allies with this "goddess," was Mizu making enemies with other gods? It was not something she ever imagined the council she was creating with these captains would ever need to contemplate. Mizu didn't know the first thing about strategic decisions involving gods.
But, if the goddess could be shut out of the human realm, then she wasn't all powerful. Which meant that each (and maybe even all) of the gods had vulnerabilities. Plus, if the goddess could be swayed by the concept of company with the likes of Evan, then surely she herself was flawed in some way.
"Do we know when exactly the king bound the goddess? Or why?" If they could nail down a timeline, Mizu thought that might explain the king's change in behavior. Hell, she could certainly understand seeing the world in a different way if a man thought he could control a god, not that she approved of that line of thought. Not to mention how he could have been afraid of her escaping this entire time and making irrational decisions to avoid that end. If she was as angered as Evan indicated, then it was likely that Uranel knew she would viciously seek revenge if the bindings were not adequate.
Which meant that Mizu had to face the reality of what was happening.
She supposed she was surprised that, assumedly, Uranel had had not only the audacity but the power to shut a goddess out of the human realm, and for a moment, Mizu wondered if the king hadn't done it to protect his people. But, the king's behavior over the last decade had never registered to her as any act of kindness to his people, and malicious though this deity may be, she and Mizu did have the same enemy at the end of the day. Which, granted, made Mizu uncomfortable. Did she really want to be siding with this kind of a goddess? And didn't Blake call her the Demon Queen? By becoming allies with this "goddess," was Mizu making enemies with other gods? It was not something she ever imagined the council she was creating with these captains would ever need to contemplate. Mizu didn't know the first thing about strategic decisions involving gods.
But, if the goddess could be shut out of the human realm, then she wasn't all powerful. Which meant that each (and maybe even all) of the gods had vulnerabilities. Plus, if the goddess could be swayed by the concept of company with the likes of Evan, then surely she herself was flawed in some way.
"Do we know when exactly the king bound the goddess? Or why?" If they could nail down a timeline, Mizu thought that might explain the king's change in behavior. Hell, she could certainly understand seeing the world in a different way if a man thought he could control a god, not that she approved of that line of thought. Not to mention how he could have been afraid of her escaping this entire time and making irrational decisions to avoid that end. If she was as angered as Evan indicated, then it was likely that Uranel knew she would viciously seek revenge if the bindings were not adequate.
Last edited by andrav on Wed Sep 18, 2019 5:12 am, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Part 1
"I don't know why," Evan offered the response he had at the ready, and shook his head gently while he contemplated the first question. He didn't believe he had an exact timeline on the binding, but he did have a hunch...
"Or precisely when, but I have a feeling it has to do with his decision to destroy her temples. That was... what, 9 years ago, maybe 10?"
He was quiet for another moment after that, searching for other data he had related to the topic at hand.
"She did say he betrayed her. I could try to get more info about that tonight."
"Or precisely when, but I have a feeling it has to do with his decision to destroy her temples. That was... what, 9 years ago, maybe 10?"
He was quiet for another moment after that, searching for other data he had related to the topic at hand.
"She did say he betrayed her. I could try to get more info about that tonight."
Re: Part 1
Mizu contemplated what Evan had said and tried to remember an instance when the king had ordered the destruction of the temples. It did seem in line with his character back at that time, which was, in fact, around the time the king first started acting strange. Interesting. She didn't have a recollection of that specific set of events, but it struck her as true, and at this point, that feeling was going to serve her just about as well as any other in this highly illogical situation.
"If you knew about the destruction of the temples," Mizu started to say while narrowing her eyes slightly, "you must have known about the goddess ahead of time. What are the myths about her? What are we up against here?"
"If you knew about the destruction of the temples," Mizu started to say while narrowing her eyes slightly, "you must have known about the goddess ahead of time. What are the myths about her? What are we up against here?"
Last edited by andrav on Wed Sep 18, 2019 5:12 am, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Part 1
At that, Evan started to regain some blush, and cast his gaze to the side.
"I mean, Blake got at the gist of it..." he said, his voice not quite a mumble, but certainly much less confident than it'd been the moment before. Gods, talking to Mizu about this felt weird.
He closed his eyes briefly and shook his head, bringing up one of his hands to rub at his hair a bit. He reminded himself how fucking awkward Seth had felt when Evan was asking him questions but that he'd still needed to know what he asked; and that he likewise still needed to give Mizu information, no matter how much red it put in his skin.
"Admittedly, I don't really know all that much about the religion proper, but I definitely heard stories. Mostly just, like..." ughhh so awkwarddd, "Various retellings, of how she kidnaps men and has her way with them. Some stories are more cautionary; some are more..."
The captain trailed off uncomfortably as he searched for a word that was both true and not unnecessarily uncouth. But before he found it, he found memories of some of the stories he'd fixated on earlier in life, many of which the goddess had drawn to the surface during her summoning, and his expression winced briefly as his body reacted and the goddess' band made fucking sure he was aware. Thank the gods he was sitting behind a table now, at least, but damn his pants were really starting to feel tight.
"Nng, lurid?"
With a soft but clearly frustrated sigh, Evan moved his hand over his face briefly. A part of him couldn't fucking believe he was having this conversation with Mizu of all people. At least Blake he wouldn't mind making uncomfortable - would arguably even enjoy. But he really fucking wanted Mizu not to be weird after this, and he wasn't sure if there was a path to that. Or, maybe - thinking optimistically, here - Mizu's uncanny composure would actually extend to this sort of thing too, and he was worried about nothing. Ugh, here was hoping... Evan felt pretty grimly about it, but forced himself to move his hand from his face and cross his arms over his chest, as he returned his gaze to Mizu with a, yes, blush-filled but very serious expression.
"As far as I can tell, she matches up with the stories I was exposed to. Which, isn't really a bad thing, honestly. We'll have to keep our guard up, for sure, but we should be capable enough of giving her what she wants that she's willing to play ball."
That'd be pretty convincing to most people... but someone familiar enough with Evan's expressions and who was paying close enough attention could likely pick up on an undeniable anxiety he was pushing down beneath his show of confidence - which was of course to say nothing of the amount of embarrassment he was experiencing if the redness of his face was any indication.
"I mean, Blake got at the gist of it..." he said, his voice not quite a mumble, but certainly much less confident than it'd been the moment before. Gods, talking to Mizu about this felt weird.
He closed his eyes briefly and shook his head, bringing up one of his hands to rub at his hair a bit. He reminded himself how fucking awkward Seth had felt when Evan was asking him questions but that he'd still needed to know what he asked; and that he likewise still needed to give Mizu information, no matter how much red it put in his skin.
"Admittedly, I don't really know all that much about the religion proper, but I definitely heard stories. Mostly just, like..." ughhh so awkwarddd, "Various retellings, of how she kidnaps men and has her way with them. Some stories are more cautionary; some are more..."
The captain trailed off uncomfortably as he searched for a word that was both true and not unnecessarily uncouth. But before he found it, he found memories of some of the stories he'd fixated on earlier in life, many of which the goddess had drawn to the surface during her summoning, and his expression winced briefly as his body reacted and the goddess' band made fucking sure he was aware. Thank the gods he was sitting behind a table now, at least, but damn his pants were really starting to feel tight.
"Nng, lurid?"
With a soft but clearly frustrated sigh, Evan moved his hand over his face briefly. A part of him couldn't fucking believe he was having this conversation with Mizu of all people. At least Blake he wouldn't mind making uncomfortable - would arguably even enjoy. But he really fucking wanted Mizu not to be weird after this, and he wasn't sure if there was a path to that. Or, maybe - thinking optimistically, here - Mizu's uncanny composure would actually extend to this sort of thing too, and he was worried about nothing. Ugh, here was hoping... Evan felt pretty grimly about it, but forced himself to move his hand from his face and cross his arms over his chest, as he returned his gaze to Mizu with a, yes, blush-filled but very serious expression.
"As far as I can tell, she matches up with the stories I was exposed to. Which, isn't really a bad thing, honestly. We'll have to keep our guard up, for sure, but we should be capable enough of giving her what she wants that she's willing to play ball."
That'd be pretty convincing to most people... but someone familiar enough with Evan's expressions and who was paying close enough attention could likely pick up on an undeniable anxiety he was pushing down beneath his show of confidence - which was of course to say nothing of the amount of embarrassment he was experiencing if the redness of his face was any indication.
Re: Part 1
Now that Mizu understood the nature of Evan's blush, she had to suppress a slight smile that was tugging at the corners of her lips. It was somewhat amusing, actually, to see Evan so flustered about this. But, all things considered, she did suppose he was essentially admitting to having done...something... of an assumedly sexual nature with a god whose very existence was still somewhat in question, so she couldn't blame him, really. Her mind briefly wandered to wondering what would have happened if she had been in Evan's position, decided that she would have agreed to a great deal for the sake of having an additional ally assuming the celestial politics would not present a problem, and moved on from the thought gracefully.
Again, a smile tugged at her lips when Evan said "which isn't really a bad thing," and the corners of her mouth did turn up slightly this time. He really was enjoying this on some level, and hell, given the situation they were in, was that all that terrible? She reminded herself of the seriousness of it all, though, and still felt unnerved by the lack of access to direct information about the goddess. Mizu regained her serious expression and met Evan's gaze again.
"If this goddess is a reality, does this mean other gods also exist? Do you think allowing her to roam the upper realms will come back to haunt us? And, all that besides, do we actually trust that she's not going to interfere in our realm after she is released? I don't want to have another dilemma of this nature to worry about once we take power if we can avoid it."
Again, a smile tugged at her lips when Evan said "which isn't really a bad thing," and the corners of her mouth did turn up slightly this time. He really was enjoying this on some level, and hell, given the situation they were in, was that all that terrible? She reminded herself of the seriousness of it all, though, and still felt unnerved by the lack of access to direct information about the goddess. Mizu regained her serious expression and met Evan's gaze again.
"If this goddess is a reality, does this mean other gods also exist? Do you think allowing her to roam the upper realms will come back to haunt us? And, all that besides, do we actually trust that she's not going to interfere in our realm after she is released? I don't want to have another dilemma of this nature to worry about once we take power if we can avoid it."
Re: Part 1
Evan wasn't entirely sure how to feel about the slight smile tugging at Mizu's lips. On some level, it was somewhat relieving, but on another level...
He was glad when Mizu's expression returned to fully serious, and he contemplated her questions for a moment before replying.
"At this point, I assume other gods exist, though she hasn't mentioned any. I also assumed that if anything we're returning things to their previous state before the king started going off the rails. If he's the one who trapped her, we're just undoing his nonsense. I suppose, she does still seem interested in the company of men, which could be meddlesome, but I believe we can find a suitable equilibrium...." he trailed off just briefly, his eyes momentarily glancing to the side as he contemplated whether to fully finish the thought.
"... Especially given her willingness to trade time with men she's forcefully enthralled for time with me."
He didn't even mean it pridefully - or, maybe he did, just a bit, but mostly, he meant a volunteer. But, gods, it was strange projecting out this far. It had been strange enough when he'd offered to see to it her temples were rebuilt - that was abstract, and sterile; erecting buildings was a far different question from orchestrating... worship, for lack of a better word. Evan's fingers gripped at his bicep to keep his arms anchored over his chest, embarrassment wanting to tug his hand to his face again. A part of him was mortified at how ready - willing, eager even - he was to serve this goddess, whatever that looked like. But, then again, no - not whatever. He'd have his terms. Not that he'd entirely figured out what they'd be, but he'd have them. Now here was just hoping that she'd be as amicable as he was projecting.
"... I need to go talk to the crone again before tonight anyway; I can probably ask her more about some of these things."
He was glad when Mizu's expression returned to fully serious, and he contemplated her questions for a moment before replying.
"At this point, I assume other gods exist, though she hasn't mentioned any. I also assumed that if anything we're returning things to their previous state before the king started going off the rails. If he's the one who trapped her, we're just undoing his nonsense. I suppose, she does still seem interested in the company of men, which could be meddlesome, but I believe we can find a suitable equilibrium...." he trailed off just briefly, his eyes momentarily glancing to the side as he contemplated whether to fully finish the thought.
"... Especially given her willingness to trade time with men she's forcefully enthralled for time with me."
He didn't even mean it pridefully - or, maybe he did, just a bit, but mostly, he meant a volunteer. But, gods, it was strange projecting out this far. It had been strange enough when he'd offered to see to it her temples were rebuilt - that was abstract, and sterile; erecting buildings was a far different question from orchestrating... worship, for lack of a better word. Evan's fingers gripped at his bicep to keep his arms anchored over his chest, embarrassment wanting to tug his hand to his face again. A part of him was mortified at how ready - willing, eager even - he was to serve this goddess, whatever that looked like. But, then again, no - not whatever. He'd have his terms. Not that he'd entirely figured out what they'd be, but he'd have them. Now here was just hoping that she'd be as amicable as he was projecting.
"... I need to go talk to the crone again before tonight anyway; I can probably ask her more about some of these things."
Re: Part 1
Mizu raised an eyebrow at Evan when he mentioned what his "suitable equilibrium" would be, but after a moment of silently criticizing his pride and wondering how to knock him down a few levels, she understood that he simply meant it would be possible to compromise with the goddess. She could not help imagining a line of men solemnly waiting to become the next tribute, and the thought did manage to make Mizu shiver with discomfort. Willing or not, it was strange and terrifying to think that she--and the council she was on--might need to "sacrifice" subjects in order to remain in power.
But... maybe that was looking too far into the future. If they could secure a place in the goddess' good graces now, perhaps she could be convinced to leave their kingdom alone. As much as Mizu didn't like the idea of pawning off problems--particularly supernatural ones--onto neighboring kingdoms, she had her own people to think about first and foremost, and the only kingdom they currently owed anything to--assuming they actually offer troops--was the Shel'ti's.
And, in the meantime, having Evan discuss matters with the crone seemed like it could be fruitful. Hopefully now that Evan had firsthand experience with the goddess, the crone would be more straightforward with answers to their questions.
"I'll accompany you to save you the trouble of relaying the information back to me," Mizu said, nodding almost below notice. She certainly didn't want to create yet another situation where she did not have direct access to information. The goddess was bad enough, and as of yet, there was no guarantee that Mizu would ever get an audience.
She didn't really know how to approach the only other question she could think of at present, especially given the sensitive nature of the topic. It wasn't something she usually did, but given the circumstances and considering that Evan really was putting himself on the line here... "But, are you..." it was a rare moment when Mizu stumbled over her words. "You're actually all right with this? Taking on these risks?" She remembered how tired and unlike himself Evan seemed when he first barged into her tent that morning, and a part of her grew worried despite herself. Evan had been a captain in her army for a long time, and more than many of the others, it felt like they had been through a lot together, if only for the constant need to chastise him and put him in his place.
But... maybe that was looking too far into the future. If they could secure a place in the goddess' good graces now, perhaps she could be convinced to leave their kingdom alone. As much as Mizu didn't like the idea of pawning off problems--particularly supernatural ones--onto neighboring kingdoms, she had her own people to think about first and foremost, and the only kingdom they currently owed anything to--assuming they actually offer troops--was the Shel'ti's.
And, in the meantime, having Evan discuss matters with the crone seemed like it could be fruitful. Hopefully now that Evan had firsthand experience with the goddess, the crone would be more straightforward with answers to their questions.
"I'll accompany you to save you the trouble of relaying the information back to me," Mizu said, nodding almost below notice. She certainly didn't want to create yet another situation where she did not have direct access to information. The goddess was bad enough, and as of yet, there was no guarantee that Mizu would ever get an audience.
She didn't really know how to approach the only other question she could think of at present, especially given the sensitive nature of the topic. It wasn't something she usually did, but given the circumstances and considering that Evan really was putting himself on the line here... "But, are you..." it was a rare moment when Mizu stumbled over her words. "You're actually all right with this? Taking on these risks?" She remembered how tired and unlike himself Evan seemed when he first barged into her tent that morning, and a part of her grew worried despite herself. Evan had been a captain in her army for a long time, and more than many of the others, it felt like they had been through a lot together, if only for the constant need to chastise him and put him in his place.