Magna City Shining Congress – Main Lobby

[Namohysip]

"As you say, lad. Anyway. That brings me to the third prong of the trident, as it were. Ahaha. There's this novel notion that both Radiance and Shadow are, how might you put it... 'Fundamental energies'. We've made some fascinating observations about their use, especially in combination with each other. Quite the phenomenon, both energies in a single personage."

A keen eye would notice that Mhynt's expression had darkened significantly. She suddenly seemed more closed off and cold, slinking to the background even as the conversation had moved forward.

Mhynt, Owen said gently. Mhynt, we're here. It's Owen.

Mhynt silently held her breath. Her claws dug into her arms, but only for a moment.

This is Forlas. You're in Forlas. It's sunny outside.

Sunny outside. It's sunny outside. Mhynt let out her breath. Let in another. Then returned to a more careful, even stance again. Zena had, thankfully, had the foresight to bubble her way between Mhynt and Arthur, keeping her out of direct line of sight. Perhaps to others less familiar with her, it simply seemed like Mhynt was thinking deeply about something.

"Shadows and Radiance coming together," Mhynt said, "is unstable. You will lose yourselves before finding it. And that is the best outcome."

 

[Jackie Cat]

"I prefer to think of it less like negligent divinity and more like... nature being sick. [...] The world's fabric is frayed.

"[...] f you ask me, the fact that interventions are disproportionately strong relative to this world's inhabitants is part of the problem. So, us pushing harder and harder is more likely to blow things up than fix anything."

"Shadows and Radiance coming together is unstable. You will lose yourselves before finding it. And that is the best outcome."

"How interesting," murmured Arthur. "You've had some experience on that front, I take it?"

Laura coughed lightly into her paw, and swallowed hard. "Y-yes." (Shit, what did she call this guy? Just 'Arthur'?) "We've seen their potential to make people lose their minds, or cause serious harm. We've seen visions of past events, where massive Radiance caused artificial natural disasters. Everyone we've met with experience has warned us about how dangerous these energies can be, one way or another."

Arthur nodded gravely. "Well, we'll just have to be all the more careful. We are, of course, taking every sensible precaution already." He peered from beneath a prominent brow at the Wayfarers. "I must note that you all do not turn away from using these powers in battle."

Laura's ears flicked back. "Well, we keep each other in check. And our time here is... only temporary."

"Unless it isn't," replied Arthur, inclining his head cannily. "Are there none among you who might not leave Forlas, in the end...?"

 

[Ambyssin]

"I will die shortly upon returning home," Nova said. "And despite that, I intend to go back."

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

Steven's eyes darted to Arthur in surprise. Did... did he know? Is that why he'd asked that? Could Arthur be so powerful a psychic that he could read what he was thinking? Feeling? That that was currently the thought tumbling over and over in his head? Steven spared a nervous glance towards Laura. She knew about his life, or lackthereof, upon returning to his reality. But did she know that he'd been planning to stay, even before the whole Forgemaster debacle? No, she couldn't have, right?

And even now, he wasn't so sure of his decision... Not after what Wallace said at the forge... Would he stay, like he'd been planning? Like he stupidly promised? Should he?

The room suddenly felt a lot smaller, tighter. Like he was being squeezed just by standing there.

He glanced towards Arthur again, preparing to say something-- because he should admit to it, right? Even if he had no idea if it was the right thing to do-- when Nova's words cut through his thoughts like a knife. He stared, wide-eyed at the Type: Null's admission, and suddenly a rush of shame poured over him.

Caught running from your problems again, Stone? Taking the easy way out, like a coward?

He couldn't admit to wanting to stay, now. Not in front of everyone. Laura. Odette. Whatever he was going to say died on his lips, and he clamped his proverbial mouth shut, opting to stare at the floor instead.

 

[Jackie Cat]

Arthur looked straight at Steven. Patient, composed, even a little sympathetic.

"Is anything the matter, Steven?" he asked, gently. "I can't help but think this subject may be... something you're conflicted over?"

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

Steven hadn't noticed Arthur's gaze until he heard his name spoken aloud. He jerked, startled, and swore to himself because of course Arthur had been privy to everything he'd mulled over in his head. Probably heard that curse word just now, too.

"No! I mean, yes. I mean--" He stumbled over his words before halting with a sigh. "It's... something I had been considering. Remaining in Forlas, that is," he added quietly.

He found himself peeking first towards Laura, then Odette, with a guilt-laden expression. Laura, because she'd just outlined how terrible of an idea it would be to have Wayfarers remain here with their increasingly volatile powers, especially alone, and she'd know exactly how selfish of a decision it was. And Odette, because he hadn't even had had the chance to tell her anything yet about why he'd even choose to do such a thing in the first place.

He very much did not want to make eye contact with Nova, after all that.

 

[Namohysip]

Mhynt gave Steven a careful look, but then shook her head.

"I intend to keep my promise to this realm," she said. "I'm not seeking an exception. And while I would have appreciated, in some small way, that blight be kept in this world and imprisoned so he wouldn't cause trouble back home... there's a certain pride in being able to have a hand in killing him a second time on his own turf."

"We have homes to return to," Zena added. "But I do wonder if too many of us remaining here would result in instability. We don't really know what that means, or how our presence qualifies as an instability."

Now that I think about it, Owen wondered idly, I think Gerome was getting gloomy about something related to this recently... Wonder what's up with that.

 

[Shadow Serenity]

Gods, that was a lot to take in.

Arthur not only more-or-less confirmed their intent to replace Saints (or, at least, augment their ranks with their own, presumably more obedient, artificial ones), but gave examples of their previous attempts in Sage and Bee. She could understand Arthur's desire to see Forlas protected, especially once she and the rest of the Wayfarers departed, but surely there had to be better ways of seeing that come to fruition...

Kimiko stayed quiet as the subject shifted to the tangent of Radiance, Shadow, and the blending of both in one vessel. She herself had only dabbled in them both up to this point for various reasons, not the least of those being her fear of what such power could do if she lost control of it. The others were better suited to speak on that subject, although she intended to go back to the topic of artificial Saints before the night was through.

Meanwhile, the topic shifted again...

"Are there none among you who might not leave Forlas, in the end...?"

"No! I mean, yes. I mean--" He stumbled over his words before halting with a sigh. "It's... something I had been considering. Remaining in Forlas, that is," he added quietly.

"We have homes to return to," Zena added. "But I do wonder if too many of us remaining here would result in instability. We don't really know what that means, or how our presence qualifies as an instability."

Without meaning to, Kimiko hesitated at the question. She’d never seriously considered staying; it simply was never an option. Between leaving her team and her friends and her sister and (well, previously) Alex back home waiting for her, and the fact that their presence here was a direct threat to the very fabric of reality on Forlas (whatever that eventually meant), the idea that any of them might want to stay never even crossed her mind.

But she hesitated. What if she did? If they managed to save this world, staying would mean she wouldn’t have to go back to that ghost-infested wasteland and their insane cult of followers. In coming to Forlas originally, Kimiko saw a reprieve from her own problems. And with the suggestion of remaining now at the forefront of her mind, she instead saw an escape.

But when her allies began to speak in the following silence, as she glanced over at Odette hovering by the… ghostly horse-looking ‘mon (when had he come in?), a small feeling of sadness rose up inside - and she knew then that staying was just as impossible as ever. All other things aside, she would be leaving too much behind.

And so it was a surprise when Steven announced (or rather, was coaxed into admitting) his intention to stay. How many of them could stay?

"Zena's got the right of it," she said with a hint of a restrained sigh. "We don't know exactly how drastically our presence here is affecting that instability, only that it is - like, was it just the sheer overwhelming volume of having thirty of us popping up all at once? Would our arrival not have messed with things had it been gradual, only a few of us at a time? Or is it a cumulative effect of all the previous off-worlders who have come here and have yet to leave, and our arrival only hastened the inevitable? We don't know."

She shot Steven a quick side-eye, hesitant to meet his gaze directly. "It might not be possible, or even safe, for any of us to remain here in the long run. Which, may I add," she said, this time turning her head towards Betel, "is an important factor to consider for your future security."

Her tone of voice shifted, giving an undertone of resignation. "And, on a personal note... while I have no regrets about coming here to do what I can to assist, I've left too much behind with too much unsaid or done to not go back and finish what I started there."