cancry | Avaritia Arrival Log

If it's anything, I would imagine you're aiming to repair the Cogs on the lowest level. That would allow us all to pass on and leave Purgatory behind.

Am I correct?

Yes, that’s right. In order to let reincarnation happen again.

So all we actually need is to be able to pass through Avaritia and onto the next layer. That’s it. You wouldn’t have to give up your authority - you just need to let us pass.

[ Greta nods to herself. ]

I see. That's a very reasonable request.

[ She smiles at him. ]

I refuse.

[ He sighs. Well no one can say he didn’t try. ]

Of course it wouldn’t be that easy...

May I at least ask why?

[ He has a feeling it’ll be much the same as Esme but he wants to hear regardless, since he struggled to fully understand Esme’s stance (even when the others did). ]

Edited 2021-03-07 20:11 (UTC)

Because your plan is to unclog the stoppage preventing us from passing on – or so you say. And I'm afraid I have every intention of remaining here.

[ She smiles at him and spread her hands gesturing to the theater – and everything outside of it as well. ]

Why would I want to leave such a wonderful place?

[ So much the same as Esme then.

He regards her carefully for a moment, before crossing his arms and tilting his head, eyes on the rest of the crowd. The rest of this “wonderful place”. ]

Is it so wonderful, though? I wonder about that...

[ He looks back at her. ]

You know that staying here too long eventually turns you into a monster, don’t you? And I mean that literally, not figuratively.

[ Is the one telling these authorities this conveniently leaving that information out or do they all just not care? He could either at this point.

Later on he might wonder why “monster” came so easily out of his mouth instead of “revenant” and why all this makes him so uneasy. ]

So you say. [ I probably don't need to tell you that her tone at this point is verging on condescending, but just in case... ] The ones who lose themselves to Purgatory might turn, but I know very well who I am. I don't intend to lose anything ever again, so your concerns are appreciated, if unnecessary.

[ Oh honey. Two can play that condescending game.

He smiles again, but this time it’s full of barely hidden contempt. ]

Oh, do not be mistaken. You’re not the one I’m concerned for. You clearly have none for your fellow specter after all, so I won’t waste mine on a selfish child.

[ Normally he would never say anything like that to someone so much younger than him but his demeanour has completely shifted. The affable and fatherly gentleman he presents himself as most of the time has given way to the kind of... thing he used to be. The ancient being he saw in his memories, the monster who had to learn to be human, the false deity who functioned much like a guard dog protecting his herd and smiting any threats. He talks as that person now, the beast he was, not as the Beast he became.

Again: you wanna do the condescending game? Let’s go kid, he remembers being old as clay now. ]

You’ll have to forgive me though for failing to understand why you would even want any of... this. [ He mimics her actions earlier, gesturing around the theatre. ] As an old man with a few thousand years under his belt, staying stagnant in a place like this forever sounds like an absolute hell, so to speak.

[ At least with it being just him right now he can speak more frankly about this sort of stuff. ]

[ Greta doesn't respond right away but behind her glasses, her eyebrows raise and the lenses flash in the light just for a second, rendering them opaque. She's still smiling, somehow even smugger now than she was before. ]

I'm afraid if you don't see the appeal, then I would never be able to explain it to you. But this place holds a great deal of importance to me and I don't intend to lose it, Executor.

Perhaps another few thousand years here will change your mind?

[ Beast’s own smile drops into a glare. He knows she’s goading him and trying to get under his skin, but the ease of which she throws out the number like it’s nothing bothers him. The idea of that much time in purgatory really doesn’t phase her. It’s kind of disturbing to him.

Mortals are so fucking weird, man. ]

You really do mean to stay forever then.

[ A great deal of importance, huh... he wonders what kind of story there is here, if it’s anything like what Esme’s turned out to be. But he gets the feeling this is as much as he’s going to find out for now. He doesn’t know when the others are going to come back and he would rather not expose them as well.

...That and he can feel his own temper getting the better of him the longer he talks to her. ]

Well, I highly doubt my mind would ever change and I certainly don’t intend to find out. So then I suppose we really will have to butt heads, won’t we? A shame, honestly. I know the majority of us would rather talk things out than fight when it comes down to it.

[ He thinks back to how Mona felt after the first confrontation with Esme... and feels like he should probably apologize to her later when he tells everyone about this. ]

Edited (Didn’t like some sentence structure) 2021-03-08 18:07 (UTC)

I see. It looks as though we're at an impasse. If that's how you feel then I won't waste any more breath trying to convince you. But if you truly wish for us to 'butt heads' as you say...

[ Greta flashes him an unpleasant smile. ]

I'd like to see you try.

[ His own bitchface smile is back as well. ]

Oh we will. Until then, I shall take my leave and let you enjoy the show.

[ “Show” here having a double meaning. ]

Have a pleasant evening, Lady Greta.

[ He’s going to try and take his leave now, unless she has anything else to do or say? ]

Edited 2021-03-08 19:04 (UTC)

[ Nope! He's free to tap out and head to their seats if he likes. ]

[ Okay cool so... as soon as he’s far enough away from her and blended back into the crowd he takes his phone out— oh.

Okay well. Good for him he DEFINITELY forgot to shut the recording off before. Technical incompetence coming in handy!

He stops the recording finally and makes a note to share this with everyone else later (hopefully the audio isn’t too fucked but whatever this is roleplay, we’ll do whatever’s most convenient). For now though he very quickly goes to message Chiron and the kids, hoping that they at least have their phones on vibrate or something. ]

The Authority is here.

[ That’s all he says before starting to head to his seat. It’s all he really needs to say. He’s not going to bombard them with notif sounds until they respond or he sees them in person. ]

[Oh ho ho! So Beast was successful on his hunt~ Chiron doesn't text a response; if Some Shit goes down, he'll know and go to the rescue. As it is, he returns to the seating, a few casino chips richer, and gives Beast a mild wave of greeting.]

This bit of theater is entertaining, though I have to wonder if your guest is in on it as well. That dastardly rapscallion certainly hasn't pulled anything off alone~

[ Beast just barely raises his arm to wave back. He has his cheek propped up on his other hand and his leg is jittering at a mile a minute. He’s clearly a bit agitated and riled up after that encounter. Now that he’s had a moment to actually sit and stew on what happened the full weight of his actions and their conversation has caught up with him and left him with his feathers all ruffled.

Even as Chiron joins him he finds himself making a quick look around to make sure he isn’t being watched. Probably just paranoia considering how smug she was, but after Esme’s little poison attempt he’s not taking any chances with these Authorities. ]

I wouldn’t be surprised if she were. She seemed just as convinced that the whole thing was part of the show... like she was having a personal chuckle over it all.

Someone's helping the dear thing write their menacing speeches. There's a dressing room, however rushed and stashed away. Some who run this place are seeming to be involved, but...I can't say I see how it fits together. Deliberately inviting the richer of everyone to get them talking... Merely to drum up admission, mayhap?

[He settles in with a sigh, patting Beast's bouncing leg.] And what was she like, hm? As fake as Esme?

[ The pat gets his leg to chill out at least. He sighs as well and realizes in that moment that the tension he’d been holding in his wings since she called him Executor had only just now released. ]

No, not that bad thankfully - though I am unsure how much of her true colours I saw just then. She didn’t seem as hostile either, but she was somehow even more infuriatingly smug.

...What she has most in common with Esme though is a staunch refusal to let us pass through here.

Hm, hardly a surprise. She'll put up a fight, unfortunately. But now we've a little better idea of how to go about it rather than gun for a fight right off the bat.

[........Hm. He glances...around...]

I suppose the children are still trying to catch our mystery figure.

[ He had been reaching into his pocket for his phone, intending to show that he had managed to record the conversation, but then Chiron brings up the kids and he goes dead still. ]

...They are?

[ He had been... so worked up that the fact the kids still weren’t back hadn’t even crossed his mind as something to be worried about until just now.

Now all that tension is back in his wings. Now ALL THE WORRY is rushing in. ]

Y... You don’t think anything’s happened to them, do you?!

If something happens, I'm sure they have all the skills to be fine. [EXECUTORS, Beast!] Gods know with their size and potential stealthiness they could have gotten anywhere by now.

[don't! make him worry! stop that!]

[ He looks down at his phone still in his hand and back at the stage then back at the phone several times over, as if mentally debating whether it’s worth it to call Rei a kajillion times or if that would be too risky to do with them possibly still sneaking around. His whole body seems to vibrating as his legs starts anxiously bouncing again. ]

I... I suppose... they could handle any danger themselves... Goddess knows Rei can fight better than I can...

Beast, my dear. [Hand on leg. Again. He's keeping that hand there!] If they're on the prowl for someone slippery and not easily caught, I do not think having a phone ring in the middle of a hunt is going to do them any favors. Hm? Let's give them some more time.

[ It’s not as immediate this time but it does stop soon enough with Chiron’s hand there again. Beast looks away from his phone and at the hand for a few seconds before sighing again. ]

You’re... You’re right.

[ He leans back in his seat, his phone hand resting limply in his lap. ]

I apologize... running into the Authority has left me on edge. Especially after what happened last time with Esme.

Edited 2021-03-09 09:09 (UTC)

Understandable. I'm not sure how our mystery person relates to...all of this, but I believe they might simply be an actor or somehow simply part of the show.

And if not, they are capable of asking for help.

Not that we aren't also perfectly capable of going to help ourselves.

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