tvk | [Text/Action]

Entry tags:

archer (gilgamesh)

[Text/Action]

allsl oft you mothrels get down tio the barr drinking contest prize for hoofever lasts longfish

[ And true to his word, anyone who bothers to visit the Tavern tonight will be greeted by a crazy yet happily merry atmosphere. There's people singing, dancing, getting their booze on. Possible shoutings of CHUG CHUG CHUG and whatever else you would expect to find at the best night of drinking ever. For now, The King of Crunk has pulled himself away from the crowd and is chilling at the bar. Totally eating peanuts and sipping on his likely 30th pitcher by now. HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH A DRUNKEN KING? That's entirely up to you. ]

( ooc: Due to the nature of this post, THREAD-JACKING IS HIGHLY ENCOURAGED! Go insane, throw some glitter, make it rain. )

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Such insecurity is almost endearing.

Of course I find you interesting. I would not bother with you if I did not.

I know nothing of wars and soldiers, but you, personally are interesting to me.

And so I let you talk in a manner which is comfortable to you. That tells me more than questions ever could.

Edited 2012-03-17 05:45 (UTC)

I was not feeling insecure, merely curious. [ He looks down at her, and nods. ]

Would you be surprised to learn I come from about 30,000 years after this present point in time? Mankind has forgotten old superstitions and walks the stars, technology protecting him from the long dark.

I'm sure.

[She's not convinced but she'll still smile back up at him placidly.]

That way you talk, I assumed something similar. But 30,000 years? It's hard to fathom, really. I don't think it's a place I'd want to frequent, however given that man has forgotten his past.

We have reclamators and others who seek it out, but much of it was best left buried. We warred with each other for so long, so bitterly.

Best left buried? In your opinion, perhaps. I believe man must know his past or be doomed to repeat it. Man needs magic and superstition. It gives him hope. Whether you wish to believe it or not.

Your future sounds as though it is made of metal and death. Maybe that would not be the case if your people reflected a bit on what has already transpired.

Magic and superstition aren't hope, they are lies. We have seen behind the stars and there are no gods holding them aloft.

You do have a point about the past.... but what they unearth mostly are ravings and madness and vulgar things. There is merit in archeotech, to be sure, and in philosophy and history, but.... so much is obscured or debased. So much dross and bad data must be sorted from the Truth.

And that is the most important thing, you see. These shadows, these monsters in the warp, they aren't... they are things of deception. They cannot stay in the real world because of that, I would say.

I beg to differ.

[She'd press her hand gently on his chest over where his heart would be.]

Gods are not in the skies, but here, within men. With the fall of the gods and magic, so falls that which binds man to morality and nobility.

Think about the reason gods were created. They were explanations for those things man could not explain. The promise of their wrath kept him in line and their favor made him want to excel. Magic gave some control and others a humbling fear.

These shadows can exist as sure as you or I stand here. Until we understand the magic that brought us to this place, it would be foolish of us to decide what they are and what their aim is.

Our morality should not be based on fear. Obey me, or you shall be punished, is wrong. The Imperium offered a chance to join an enlightened society that brought betterment through rationality and scientific progress. We fought, and fought hard to bring compliance, but only against those who clung to superstitions or lashed out at us for offering peace and prosperity.

Nobility lies within the heart of man, in his moments of empathy for another. When you reach out to someone suffering, and comfort them, that is nobility. Not out of fear of retribution. That is cowardice! I...

[ He realizes her hand is on her chest. Worse, he realizes he enjoys the warm of her fingers against his shirt and chest. He reaches up to pull it away but stops, just holding her hand lightly by the wrist. ]

I am disconcerted by you...

If I follow your reasoning, forcing fear on someone is wrong unless done for the right reasons. In this, you are no better than the priest who commands loyalty from his congregation and demands excommunication for any behavior he finds unfitting.

Fear is as primal as lust. It is necessary. No matter how you extend your hand to your enemy, if he does not fear you enough to respect you, he will try to conquer you. Fear puts you on even ground and keeps peace between you.

No man is, of himself, noble. That is a trait that is taught through fear and self restraint. You learn to care for others, but your first instinct is to yourself. It always will be. Nature has designed it so.

[She'll glance at her wrist and then back to him, melting into a signature grin.]

You would not be the first.~

We are nothing like that priest. There was always a road to the imperium, to reason. We asked only that they join us, they could keep their kings and their power. We took only their gods from them, and asked only for loyalty. IN return we offered protection, knowledge, and brotherhood to the scattered scions of mankind.

Nature has not! Otherwise all animals would be loners instead of social ones..... ants, chimps, wolves, birds... people, we all come together. We bind ourselves to one another.

[ He glares a bit at her grin, and lets go of her hand. He doesn't shrug away from it, thought. ]

You speak as though they had a choice. In your eager desire for a cookie-cutter world, you took from them their reason for living; their guidance and left them only what you could use to grow your empire.

That's like removing someone's heart and asking them to continue walking.

You make this campaign seem so altruistic, but it is in fact cruel. You're no better than I am.

Moreover, why do you believe these animals cluster together? They join because there is safety in numbers. They join to protect themselves. All of these animals would eat their brethren whole if it meant saving their skin. Nature is as cruel as we are.~

You sound just like the king of Sixty Three Nineteen... He asked us if we could not have left them alone? And I considered it... I had hoped, until he sprung his treachery upon us. He was not the King, or their Emperor at all, but an impostor, and he tried to slay my Liege Lord Horus Lupercal with a trap.

[ His eyes grow very distant, and somewhat pained. ]

And then we went into the hills to continue the compliance campaign there. What we found justified everything i have said about the dangers of gods. We found Fanes to their.... spirits. The brought daemons out into the world, turned my battle-brothers against one another, killed my men, killed the remembrancers, and almost killed me.

War is cruelty, Mamzel. We cannot refine it. But it was cruelty with a goal towards the betterment of all. We were trying to save them from Old Night.

.....

But darkness spread anyway, our leaders were seduced and tricked into falling to sorcery and worship of these False Gods themselves, and in so doing they betrayed us all, betrayed humanity, and betrayed the Emperor. The burned the galaxy, and committed the greatest act of treachery in recorded human history.

[ His eyes refocus, returning to the present moment. ]

Nature may be red in tooth and claw, but there is more than just safety in numbers. Gatherings of humanity have created more than just tribes and wars. Art, culture, books, science. These things were made with empathy, to help one another.

Did it ever occur to you that if, perhaps you left these men to their own devices, and had not tried to push your forced utopia on them, that they may have just lived out their days peaceably? They did what they thought was right as much as you did the same.

You've killed for your cause, have you not? They fought for their way of life. You claim that empathy is so important but you lack it in anyone your superiors say do not deserve it.

As I told you, he who controls the will of the gods can summon fear. Your leaders fell not to sorcery and false idols, they fell to their fear.

And you're moving beyond base creatures, now. As I said, nobility is learned. Man can group together in peace if they are disciplined in that manner. Wild animals have no such structure and as such, depend on self preservation. Men without structure are no different.~

I did think of that, but when I saw the evidence of what they were trucking with, I knew it could not be.

It was similar to seeing a child drowning from the shore, and going to save them. Even if they resisted me, it was better to take the pain and drag them to the shore than let them drown. The voices in the void would have damned them forever, we spared them that, painful though it was.

[ THe question of his empathy and his superiors triggers something, for he half-turns away, pulling from her touch. ]

You know nothing of me... of the choices I made, of the peace we almost had, if not for treachery.

And my leaders knew no fear. That is the nature of Astartes, and even more so the Primarchs. We were created not to feel it at all.

[She'd struck a nerve. Normally that wouldn't silence her, but she's a skilled judge of the amount of suffering one man can take. There was no sense trying to show him the error of his ways at this point. He was far too swayed by an opinion he lived by his entire life, wrong though she felt it was. She'd reach her hand out to rest on his forearm.]

But you do feel, don't you?

[A sigh.]

Perhaps we've had enough political debate for one night, hm?

[ He puts his hand over hers, and guides her back to the seat. ]

Yes. Tell me of books you enjoy, art that you admire, and what you like to eat and drink. We have spoken long enough of philosophy and power, let us move now to things that represent the best of humanity.

[She'll follow along in silence, waiting until she's seated before breaking it with a slight giggle.]

Well, as far as books go, I like reading mysteries. The bigger the twist, the better. In art, I tend to appreciate the Baroque period. It's so lush and striking. I have an awful sweet tooth. I love ice cream and macarons. I drink wine, but my true weakness is a good cup of tea.

Are those adequate answers? I wonder if a soldier even likes reading and art.

You would be surprised. [ Garviel smiles a little, but doesn't elaborate, letting her push him for information, for once, instead filling his glass of wine, as well as hers, once again. ]

Oh, is that so?

[She'll take a sip of that glass graciously.]

Do surprise me, then.~

I shall [ He drinks quietly. ]

Allow me to ask properly.~

What books, art, and foods inspire such a dutiful man~?

History, ethics and philosophy.... the baroque period, and I enjoy all food.

Oh, we have something in common, then. How shocking.~

I never took you to be the type to like such an illustrious art style.~

You should have seen my old armor, then.

I'm sure it was a sight to behold. I never took armor to be artistic, however I could be swayed it if were based off of such a style.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject