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I... I don't know.

[ He drops his head into his hands, staring at the snow-laden ground. He's starting to go numb from the cold but he doesn't care. ]

I don't expect their forgiveness, or their understanding. I would make the same choices because that is all I-- all we could do in the moment... Try as I might, I cannot see another way to save our star. If all they would give me is their hate, then I suppose I will have to make peace with having lost them for good.

[Closure, then.

For the first time, Rhea'li hesitates. He knows that when he clashed with Emet-Selch, it was ultimately over whose will to save the star they so loved was stronger, who had the strength to be the caretaker of the star; the ancients who loved with all their immortal lives, or the short-lived mortals who warred and loved alike. Just... Emet-Selch's version of the star existed in the past, while his existed in the present. And as far as Rhea'li was concerned, one should trouble themselves with the now rather than turn back the hands of time.

Mayhaps because he oft wondered about that time G'raha had come from that he could not fully accept that it had been destroyed in the efforts to save his life.

His next words come out slow and careful, gaze levelled at the same patch of snow as Hades' stare.]

I learned something interesting when I came to this land. I met Thancred... and he did not recognise me, for the Warrior of Light who arose as Hydaelyn's champion in his world was not I.

[He raises his head.]

There are other Etheirys in existence. [His voice lowers, as if entrusting Hades with a secret.] Mayhap there is one whose fate can be averted with knowledge from another world.

...Even if that were so, it won't be the world that I know. Nothing can reverse death. True death. I know that better than anyone.

[ After aeons of toiling in the name of his people, can one begrudge him some measure of selfishness now? The happiness of some other him in another world does nothing for he who exists now, in this present situation. ]

Not that I was in a state to care at the time, but I suspected as much when the Exarch did not vanish upon your changing the fate of the First. He is an anomaly that should not have existed. In his time, we Ascians must have succeeded for him to venture on such a foolish and reckless trip through time.

[ Under his breath, he mutters: ] The hypocrite.

[Rhea'li is not here to debate hypocricy, for he knows all parties involved would do all in their power to save the star they love. If the chance to save it lay before them, then they would grasp it.

And that is why he continues--]

For Azem... the Final Days has yet to occur. When the scientists have resolved the time loops mayhap the knowledge gained from the Etheirys I fought for could avert the Final Days of their time... should you all choose to return.

[ He lifts his head up just enough to stare at Rhea'li blankly. ]

...I suppose. It hardly matters to me now. Do as you please.

[ It is perhaps not the best time to be trying to rally his spirits with the hope of what could be. Hades is too practical to believe in something unproven. ]

[Rhea'li lets out a quiet huff, breath misty in the cold, before letting a small smile curl at the corners at his lips.]

Well... There is little sense in moping out here in the cold. Join me for food?

[He asks it like a question, but there's a gleam in his eye that won't take no for an answer.]

No matter how dire the situation, one always feels better with warm food in their belly.

...Something tells me you won't accept 'no' for an answer.

[ Call it his... 'Azem sense', if you will. He reluctantly stands, brushing away stray bits of snow off the seat of his pants. They're cold and wet but he welcomes the numbness right now. ]

Fine.

[Rhea'li has a place in mind, so he strides confidently back to town through the snow. Most places were making moves to close as the snow begins to build but there is a rather lovely yakiniku establishment that he's grown quite fond of.

It's much warmer inside (of course) and the smell of sizzling meats is quite strong in the air. Rhea'li leads them to an empty table in the corner.]

Have you eaten at an establishment like this before?

[ He casts his gaze about, listlessly at first, but makes visible effort to take in the establishment after a lungful of the heavy aroma of cooking meat. ]

I have seen past civilisations with a similar practice... Grilling meat is a fairly common invention. That and...some manner of bread. Soup. Noodles. Pastry.

[ He quickly realises that he does have an appetite and swallows. He slowly takes a seat cross-legged at the table. ]

[Rhea'li simply smiles before flagging down one of the waitstaff and ordering a plate of meat for them to grill. No, Hades does not get to choose.]

Fascinating, no? That cultures of all kinds, even those of different stars, would invent the same things. Yet all with their own little variations.

[It doesn't take long for the meats to arrive. There are a good variety of lean cuts and fatty cuts, as well as less common ones like liver and animal ears. Rhea'li picks up his chopsticks -- he spent enough time in the Far East to learn to use them properly before his arrival here -- and places some of the meat onto the grill, the scent of cooking meat and fat immediately wafting up.]

Don't hold back. This one's on me.

[ He narrows his eyes briefly at Rhea'li, expecting more commentary. When it isn't forthcoming, he drops his gaze back to the grill. Rhea'li has ordered quite a generous spread. Well-travelled though he is, the more unusual parts like ears are not something he is used to seeing cooked.

Eventually, he picks up a set of tongs and starts putting some of his own choices on the grill. As they wait for the meat to cook, his thoughts wander again. He can trace the origin of so many things back to those invented by his people. Not just the beasts which survived the calamity but traces of culture, food, art and music. Many of the stories told echo ones crafted by notable creatives of his time. To him, all these things are familiar. To someone like Rhea'li, or Azem, they're novel.

He sighs quietly, feeling the weight of an entire world pressing down on his shoulders again. It ruins some of his appetite - not enough, however, to stop his stomach from growling as he removes a fully cooked slice of meat and drops it on to his plate to cool. ]

[Unlike Hades, Rhea'li is less patient. While he does puts some slices of meat on his plate to cool, he blows on the slice he holds in his chopsticks to cool it faster before eating it. A moment of blissful chewing, before he swallows.]

We are on a completely different star and yet much of this reminds me of my time in the Far East.

[His gaze drops to the grilled meat on his plate. He recalls so many bridges being spanned through the sharing of food and drink. The essentials of biological life...]

I wonder, sometimes...

[His stare drifts towards the other customers, many distinctly not human, expression thoughtful.]

...how one would find common ground with those who do not even share such basic needs. The omicrons who conquered the dragonstar, the ea who eschewed physicality in the end...

...The Omicron would not be interested in common ground. The Ea, on the other hand, would likely enjoy the company of your scholars.

[ He chews slowly. Even Hades is unable to deny some small pleasure from their meal. ]

All questions we could have explored, [ he mutters ] if Fandaniel hadn't taken it upon himself to doom us.

[Rhea'li adds a few more pieces to the grill -- chunkier ones that will take longer to cook -- and watches the sizzling meat carefully.]

I wonder about that...

[He still thinks about the echoes of the peoples at Ultima Thule... and the shades created by Hades in the Tempest. That recreated Amaurot was likely to fade in time but would the dynamis keep those in Ultima Thule in existence? One would think that such soulless creations are not worth any time or effort, but... Alpha had gained one in the end, had he not?]

Omega still exists [Incredibly, after the thrashing he gave it.] albeit in tiny toy form.

[He illustrates Omega's new size with his hands.]

I suppose that makes it the last of the Omicrons.

[ Ah, yes, that thing. Even the Allagans had not been able to completely decipher how Omega functioned. All they could do was point it at a target and let its programming take over.

Hades chews slowly. Swallows. He slowly sets more cuts of meat to sizzle on the grill. ]

The Omicron are machina. Unless they were obliterated during the Meteia's journey to seek and spread despair throughout the universe, I wager you could re-awaken any lost units with careful work.

[ A small, humourless huff here. ]

Although they may very well immediately resume attempting to conquer other stars, so mayhap that is not such a good idea.

[Likewise, Rhea'li also chews slowly.]

Mayhaps Omega could steer them in new directions, after all it has learned here. If it was able to return.

[Omega had wanted to go home... and it would know where that is if it had the strength to traverse the stars again, would it not?]

For now, it appears to be content to travel all over Eorzea. If one such as it can change from its experiences, the others could also.

[He continues to place more meat on the grill before leaning an elbow on the table.]

Of course, being trapped in a tiny toy body does make conquering stars rather difficult. It was quite upset at being made to climb hundreds of stairs, if you can imagine that.

[ He favours Rhea'li with a single raised eyebrow. ]

I can imagine that. Just as I can imagine someone pulling me over the waterfalls of Lethe despite being explicitly warned not to.

[ His short stint in the aetherial sea has recovered more than merely the important memories, evidently. ]

[Rhea'li's ears twitch. Ah. He remembers that? One would think, with so many thousands of years of memories, that that moment would be easily forgotten...

Rhea'li gestures with his chopsticks in Hades' direction with exaggerated defensiveness. ]

I simply took the shortest path available. You chose to follow.

[But the corners of his lips are curled up, like he is trying to restrain a smile.]

[ Perhaps in erasing all of their memories, Fandaniel really had only seared those days more deeply into their souls.

Hades sniffs disdainfully in response. However, when he next drops his gaze to their meal he seems a little less tense, the frown upon his brow a little less heavy. ]

I would have liked to have been able to research it more. Allag could have advanced to such great heights using its technology.

[Rhea'li lets out a quiet snort.]

If it would allow you to do such a thing.

[Rhea'li pokes at one of the pieces of meat, flipping the ones he deemed cooked enough over.]

You know Omega tried kill me, no?

[Probably not, seeing as Hades hadn't met him back then. Unless...?]

[ He pauses, halfway to taking more food for himself, and gives Rhea'li an unimpressed look. ]

I did not. But I am starting to believe nothing can - not any man or living creature, not pestilence, not even Death itself.

[ He resumes eating. After a bit of silence, he adds: ]

If it had managed such a miraculous feat, perhaps the Rejoining of the First would have succeeded.

[Rhea'li doesn't say anything for a long time, eating in silence. After all, there was a time where he had been slain by Black Rose and the Rejoining of the First successful. And there is another version of the star where he seemingly doesn't exist at all (at least, in this role.)

Eventually, he simply opts for-]

I had help.

[Meat continues to sizzle on the grill as Rhea'li plucks some of the more cooked pieces onto his plate.]

Why did you invite me to Amaurot?

[Hades could have simply left him to turn into beast and so return the First back to its path of destruction. And yet he had invited Rhea'li there, an invitation that would lead to his own downfall. Rhea'li had been aware of his own mortality since he was thrown into increasingly dangerous battle, but never did it feel it so keenly until he was sick with the Light. And then again, at the edge of the universe.]

[ He swallows his food past a painful lump in his throat. He has had time to wonder that himself, to berate and to regret. Though everything has since been settled and the star is in no immediate danger of being destroyed, Hades sometimes finds his thoughts drifting into 'what-if' scenarios.

What if he had ignored the Warrior of Light and the Scions and reaped the inevitable consequences of their Lightwarden slaughter?

What if he had simply quietly killed the Warrior of Light the moment he saw them leaving Eulmore, or even fleeing to Il Mheg?

What if, what if, what if...

In the end, he cannot change the past. Unlike a certain Exarch, there is no do-over for him. There is nothing left but to accept his choices and their consequences. ]

...Every creature deserves a measure of dignity in their final moments, [ he mutters. ] No matter how monstrous they appear to be.

[ Somehow, it doesn't seem like he's talking about Rhea'li. ]

[Rhea'li remains silent for a long moment, mulling over those words as meat sizzles alongside them. He had wondered about the kindness Hades had shown him in the end that lead to his own undoing... whether it had been a roundabout way of trying to die.]

No one deserves to be alone and in pain.

[He lets out a quiet breath.]

Even your grandson...I stayed at the edge of the universe for him until I could not any more.

[Though it nearly cost him his life to do so.]

And so...

[Unthinkingly he holds out his free hand to Hades, feelings of 'you don't deserve to be alone' flowing through their bond, oblivious to the yakiniku grill beneath.]

'Great'-grandson, [ he corrects absently. He looks up to see the hand, but rather than take it, his eyes immediately fall to the end of Rhea'li's sleeve. ]

[ He immediately slaps the hand away. He doesn't even think about how that might look to any neighbours idly eavesdropping on their conversation. ]

Roll up your sleeves before you reach over a fire, you fool!

Edited 2023-04-06 08:58 (UTC)

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