eighteen [action]

[imatreenow]

[Friday afternoon finds Mithos dragging a granite statue through the streets of Luceti. It will look familiar to those who can claim Aselia as their home world, carved adoringly in the likeness of a young man wielding dual swords. The figure is planted atop a base that bears a plaque engraved with the simple honor, "The Hero Lloyd Irving." All together, it stands at about three and a half feet, scaled down from the original model.

For Mithos, it's a bitter reminder of things that could never have been. Its sudden appearance in his house had been an elbow nudging him sharply in the ribs, an obnoxious stage whisper prompting, "Hey, remember that time all your hopes and dreams were crushed?"

Yes, yes he remembers.

Which is why he had to get rid of it. The first day, he dragged the statue behind the house, let it topple into the river, and watched the determined stony face sink below the surface. The next morning, it found its way back to his living room. Each day, he drags it farther away, and each morning it proudly comes back.

His route today takes him up from the south end of the village through the north end and into the woods. The farther away, the better.]

Comments

[winds_voice]

[He pauses at that, looking curiously at the figure on the statue Mithos had been pushing. He still hadn't asked who it was... or what its significance was in the first place. He seems to be mulling over something... Perhaps they shared some similar ground when it came to humans. He could divulge a few details.]

There was a time when I abandoned the humans of my world, save for a few who I took to the sky to nurture and grow in a way that I preferred. I ignored the world below and its people, and my own people learned that ground-dwellers were not to be trusted. They were dangerous and savage creatures.

Then someone showed me that my way of thinking may be wrong. It does not mean that I will forget the hurting and embrace humanity immediately... but I wish to observe them differently now. I want to learn about them and why they act the way they do.

Even so, there are both good and bad humans. I would not stand up for all of them.

[imatreenow]

Humans are selfish. They're hateful and destructive. Even if there are exceptions... [Exceptions? More than one? The plural had slipped out without him even thinking about it.] ...why look at the rest of humanity any differently? They aren't going to change.

[winds_voice]

Some of them are, yes. There are those who are cruel and selfish and will stop at nothing to get what they want. There are those who kill for a purpose or simply because they can. I am not saying that your hatred is misplaced towards those people. However, others do not deserve such hatred. Has every human that exists hurt you in some way? I doubt it.

[Eley senses that Mithos might have some 'exceptions' in mind when he says that. He watches him carefully - he seems interested in him and what he has to say.]

You would tar these exceptions with the same brush? Why? It makes no sense. It makes you just as cruel as the humans you hate.

[imatreenow]

I grew tired of disappointment a long time ago. If I judge all humans to be the same and keep away from them, I can't be disappointed when they inevitably betray me. They'll never get the chance.

An exception is just that - an exception, an anomaly. No good rule can have that many exceptions. [There's only one...she's the only human who is that kind and selfless and understanding. But memories of others rise in his mind like bubbles, quietly fizzling and letting him know it isn't as simple as he wants it to be.]

[winds_voice]

[The word 'betrayal' seems to sting the Spirit somewhat and he perhaps doesn't seem as sure of himself as he was before.]

I understand the feeling of disappointment and betrayal to some extent. I also know the pain of loss. I should not feel these things but now that I have had a taste of it, it is... sometimes difficult to accept humans... friends. Before coming here I only spoke to a select few. The others were lost to me. I still wonder though if that is the right way to act...

[imatreenow]

What's wrong with wanting to avoid getting hurt? [He's run out of escape routes from the pain, since the few people who cared about him left. But that's why he knows he can't handle getting hurt again, and he'll do everything he can to circumvent it.]

[winds_voice]

...

[Well, it was a valid question. And this time Eley falters somewhat.]

That is something I cannot provide an answer to. After all, I too tried to run away to avoid being hurt. It is... a logical thing to desire, I feel.

But do feelings of happiness not outweigh the chance of betrayal? This is something I want to know for myself.

[imatreenow]

[This person, this spirit, understands on some level, and it stirs a hauntingly familiar ache inside him. Do you know what it's like to be hurt too? He pauses at the last question. Because he's felt something like happiness here, with people he continues to hold close even though they've gone far away, and he knows every risk had been worth it for those rare moments. But...]

...Nothing can guarantee that happiness will last, while pain is guaranteed to never go away.

[winds_voice]

[That simple statement seems to strike something deep within Eleytheria and he pauses a moment, reflecting on it. Reflecting on what had happened to him in the past and what would inevitably happen in the future. And with these newfound emotions... maybe pain was something that haunt him again and again.

He's not sure if he'll get an answer, but he still has to ask.]

What exactly happened to you?

[imatreenow]

[He hesitates, because he feels like this person he just met already knows too much about him, and the less anyone knows about, the more distance there is shielding him, and that is always better. But he can't help but be curious about this spirit in human form, who seems like him in some ways... ]

I was once foolish enough to trust in people, because I thought they could change. They proved me wrong, over and over again.

[Then he turns his eyes away, focusing on the snow-frosted branches of a nearby tree. A quiet exhale.] Then I found people here who I could place my trust in, but they've all gone back to their worlds.

[winds_voice]

I see... that must have been very hard for you.

[And it made him think of the possibility of that happening to him. That he would be without the people he had somehow grown close to... and how that would likely affect him now that he knew of pain and sadness.]

I am sure you have not been forgotten however. And while you are still here... perhaps you should seek new friends. There is no guarantee they will not leave again or hurt you, but would you not hurt from loneliness if you passed them by?

[imatreenow]

[He can't even begin to put into words how difficult it was, how it doesn't get any easier as each day crawls past him. His eyes narrow at the spirit's advice - he should have expected those tired, useless words.] Do you honestly think it's that easy?

[winds_voice]

[He shakes his head.]

I did not say that it was easy... Even I falter at times. If your pain runs deep, then I can understand why you would think it impossible to find trust in people again. Still... I would encourage you to try, no matter how long it takes. It is no wonder you are exhausted if you have no support.

[imatreenow]

[The last sentence coils tightly around him, seeps into his pores to wind through all the empty places inside him. Because every word is apt - for months he's felt ready to cave in on himself at any moment. He shakes his head.]

Trying would be a waste of energy. [And he doesn't want to hope that anything can come from it. Hope is another waste of what little energy he has.]

[winds_voice]

Some may argue that constantly pushing people away would be a greater waste of energy. What is the point of a life lived alone in exhaustion? You have had friends, therefore it is not impossible to make them. The fact you are speaking to me must mean something. You do not wish for isolation enough to shut yourself away completely it seems.

Am I wrong in my dealings with people? Should I also separate myself from them? At home it would be easy for me but in Luceti we are all in the same situation. We should help one another.

[imatreenow]

[What is the point? He's asked himself the same question many times, and he doesn't think there is a point. All he can do is wait and vacillate between hoping that his sister will return and hoping that he can return to what used to be his world, where he can finally rest.

Suddenly, he regrets revealing so much to this stranger. He's tired, he's exhausted. So he'll shut down his end of the conversation, to prove that this doesn't mean anything.]

You believe what you will, but don't tell me to believe it too.

[winds_voice]

... [Why does that statement hurt him? Was it really that hopeless to keep trying to convince someone who had apparently been through so much already? Eley was beginning to feel that way. Perhaps now wasn't the best time to keep pushing.

He gives a nod.]

Well... perhaps we will meet again one day. Do you have a name?

[imatreenow]

[The suspicion that had colored his expression at the start of this encounter hasn't gone anywhere. But he also can't push away the quiet scratching at the back of his heart that tells him they aren't that different, and he doesn't know what to think about that.

He won't give his first name - it is a sign of trust that he grants to few - but he'll tersely answer.] ...Address me as Yggdrasill.

[winds_voice]

Yggdrasill...

[He tests. And since he offered, albeit tersely, the Spirit supposes he owes him a name in return if nothing else.]

You may call me Eleytheria. I hope that should we meet again, it might be in better circumstances.

[imatreenow]

[Mithos has nothing to say in response, because he isn't sure if he wants to cross paths with him again. When it comes down to it, he doubts that this spirit, Eleytheria, is any different from anyone else in this wide, cold world.

A dismissive hm will signal the end of the conversation. He turns back to the statue he'd been dragging along and quickly rubs his hands together before taking hold of the chilled granite again.]