[ her questions back, including how apologetic she was over details of his life she clearly had no part in... felt a bit strange. is this the sympathy he desired? he's not sure, but it's one of the rare times he ever received this sort of comfort. as he oscillates between settling on several different emotions, he instead, types— ]
1. Perhaps, there is no meaning it is at all. However, how else am I to live and survive, my lady? There is no path for me, but to be the emperor. Do you simply act on attachment? I very much doubt that. 2. What would you choose for yourself? 3. I did not tell you for you to apologize. You could just cry tears for me? My soldiers did at least that much for me when I told them tales of my childhood.
[ ignoring 3a. he is faultless? despite being more self-aware than he lets on... that doesn't mean he's particularly repentant, either. self-reflection is overrated. ]
4. I think the spice covers up more than just the poison. It is the poison. Of course, that isn't to state my tolerance can't be built up. Being as proficient as I am, I would consider it easy work. But, is there no room for anything else in that head of yours? Do you have no other foods you are fond of? 5. If you mean what you say then do you not believe actions speak louder than words?
i was like ah bijou fell asleep ... goodbye pt 2 tag ....
[ and it's one of the things that rover's been pondering on, which is that does it even matter if anyone of them, outsiders all, comes to this place with a history and crime and unfinished business? to rank such atrocities seem to her trifling and childish, to ignore it seems unfair and dangerous. a balance of which LILITH cares very little for: everyone who stays has decided to do the work and here they are.
her views of callisto are changing. a better picture is formed as opposed to just a rather pompous and arrogant prince. but that's to be expected; she didn't know him well before, and she hadn't bothered. now she has, and she finds him interesting.
not that she'll ever tell him. ]
1. You're right. I haven't considered such problems. [ rover typed that and realized she's giving him too much praise lately. she has to go back to bullying him again to balance the goodwill she gives him. ] 2. You can be rather gentle at times. [ a trap of her own making. she'll take the L. ] 3. How ridiculous! I will not cry for you. [ noting the absence of 3a. obviously it means she's correct. ] 4. This only reinforces my suspicion that I am dealing with a man who has the palate of a child. 5. If you can guess when my birthday is, I'll give you a gift. [ don't do it. say no. ]
[ it's not false, and so he finds no actual reason to refute her statement. instead, he views it with a sense of irony. it wasn't at all his desire to more infamous than anything, but it isn't like his title as a warmonger didn't have its own benefits. at the very least, no one dared to look down on him, and it's a bit funny, how all that could be subverted the second he "glitches" into a new realm.
but, what choice did he have but to take it in stride. in that sense he is reminded a lot of when he had asked her about her life before, and the principle in how she's decided to live moving forward. she has a certain resilience. a natural desire to survive, maybe. ... in that sense they aren't too dissimilar since he wasn't the type who believed in remaining stagnant.
even if she may take offense to that. ]
1. What is your goal in life? What would you accomplish that you think would genuinely make you feel fulfilled? 2. Gentle...
The nobles eyes would pop out of their heads if they heard you say that. But, what of your best trait? 3. That's a shame. I was looking forward to it. 4. Are you that against choosing another delicacy? 5. Perhaps, my guess would be you are born sometime in winter? The harshness of the season fits you perfectly.
1. That is a more altruistic dream than I expected. I didn't anticipate you to be the type for charity all things considered. [ aka, he's petty and never her live down her few sins. ] 2. Your ability to remain yourself. [ to accept others, and to formulate her own opinions. while it doesn't seem like a lot, it's more than callisto was accustomed to. if he had to say, he feels she had a strong sense of self. ]
3. You also want rather peculiar things from me, my lady. 4. Do you not think we would be better off finding a proper chef? 5. December 21st? [ he wants to question if it isn't unfair to guess out of 365 days, but he decides not to question it. ]
1. It suits my personality a lot better than yours. There's nothing else to it.
[ at number 2, the response goes back and forth from (typing ...) to just blank to (typing ...) and finally, it stops, as rover ponders how to respond to that. mostly because it's funny, but also ... very sad. she can't really say she knows what that means given her circumstances. but it's nice that she projects a strong sense of self that someone is able to note and be impressed by. it means a lot to her.
after a pause, where one could be forgiven to think that she had forgotten to respond, she finally says, ] 2. That's kind of you. 3. I don't believe it. 4. Another flaw of yours, to be incapable of cooking for a lady. 5. Wrong on all counts. [ and what's wrong with making him guess from all 12 months and all 365 days? ]
1. Perhaps, but do not think you are being a bit hasty in concluding that?
[ after all, didn't she just call him kind? ] 2. I did not say it to be kind. Does that mean you had a different response? 3. Then do you expect everyone to play in your virtual prison? 4. Then are you going to be camping in the wilderness with me? [ that is his last cooking experience. ] 5. I am beginning to think there is no correct answer. However, someone here did speak to be of the importance of stars. In that case, perhaps your birthday falls on the summer solstice?
1. Not at all. What's good for me isn't the same for you - I feel the path of a prince with many titles has more complicated demands on your kindness.
2. No.
I appreciate you saying it, nonetheless.
3. I feel like if anyone else played with me, they wouldn't view it as a prison. You had my full attention during that time, isn't that enough?
[ now granted, he was in jail, however - ]
4. ... do you truly not know how? [ ... she wonders just how far removed he is as a royal from doing menial chores. perhaps the military life taught him some skills, but he's still a prince and therefore kept his privileges? ]
5. Again, be specific. There's plenty of months and dates to choose from.
1. Lady Rover, that is a funny way to imply me to be heartless. I'm hurt you would take this route to diminish the kindness I have shown you. 2. Then I am glad we have come to an agreement. 3. Do you believe it a compliment when a prisoner has the attentions of their warden? 4. In case you have forgotten, I do not flaws. Cooking would be easy work. [ would it, though... ] 5. June 20. [ how many dates are you going to have him guess, rover???
1. If you wanted to truly be heartless, there's still some time to disappoint me. 2. That we can be kind to each other is a nice agreement. You did comfort me on the way to Seoul, and I'm grateful for that. 3. I must be the kindest warden, then, so I don't see it as a problem. 4. I'll need a demonstration. 5. Wrong. I suppose you won't be getting a present after all.
1. There's no need to bother with that. [ if she becomes disappointed, there was little more or less he could do. ] 2. If that much can be considered comfort, I could prove you much more. 3. Kindest is a bit of an exaggeration. Though, I have never been imprisoned until now. 4. Your lack of trust in moments like these astounds me. But, very well. 5. ... And what, pray tell, is the actual answer? You said there would be no prize, but was the present not the answer all along? [ isn't that the way these riddles worked? ]
[ somehow, she is talking to him more often than her other friends, and this bizarre turn of events is rather unusual to her. ]
1. Noted. 2. I'm looking forward to it. 3. Do I hold that honour? Next time, I ought to make a dungeon for myself, for all the silly men I imprison. 4. Another thing to look forward to. I will remind you of these, Callisto. 5. You don't get the real answer, if you failed to guess it. That's not how this works.
You may ask a friend, if you want. [ if he has other friends! ]
3. And who are these "other men" you speak of? Your lips are quite fickle if you are stringing more than just me along in your prison endeavors. [ the "you know other men" meme... ] 5. Lady Rover, this is feeling more dishonest by the second. Is there a reason you must hide it so carefully?
3. And why would I tell you their names? You don't have a right to my dossier. What if they end up in your own dungeon, instead of mine? What a poor warden I'll be. [ little does she know ... ] 5. You were simply unlucky. That's all.
3. Do you believe that I just imprison anyone at the mere drop of a hat? Just so you are aware, I am a busy man. [ but, not busy enough to not torture elysium, yeah. ] 5. Do you not have one, by chance? [ he had encountered someone here who had not recalled their memories beyond a certain point in their travels, and so the idea just kind of sticks with him. all the more, if just because it's someone in callisto's close proximity here. ]
5. While I am sure you posed this question to see me guessing endlessly, are you not also going to tell me the story behind it? You see, you've already peaked my curiosity.
[ the gift is obviously an appealing prospect coming from her, but he can't deny that he also just wanted to know a little more. ]
at his other response, rover just sighs. she's resting at the moment, laying down awkwardly at their makeshift cot in their temporary base. she can't really sleep.
so in a few minutes, callisto will receive a call. ]
[ it takes him a moment to navigate from the menu of her message to receiving the call. he's just sitting in the woods in the dark, so maybe it's great that it isn't on camera. ]
[ he's about to comment on how complicated it could possibly be, but then she throws him off entirely by her words. it's a truly odd sensation. it isn't the first he's been wished a happy birthday, but it's different for those to say it out of obligation, or in an attempt to weasel their way into his good graces...
so he makes a sound that easily quiets down to silence, before he opens his mouth again. ] You're late, but I will accept your birthday greetings. [ the mood over the line does seem a bit more soft or lighthearted somehow, before: ]
[ "a lady is never late," is what rover was about to say before she ended up yawning instead. nevermind that. ]
... sorry.
Anyway ... I suppose it's not quite accurate to say I don't have a birthday. Everyone does.
But I can't remember mine, because I've lost all of my memories.
[ she's rather calm in admitting this to him. or maybe it's just that she's tired right now, and can't really muster her anxieties about the topic on hand. ]
[ is it right to call it that. while he can't exactly speak to another person's issues, he seems to mull her words over for a moment before: ] Is there anything you can recall? [ ... and he supposed it would be important to note from where do they begin? ]
[ rover sighs. ] What I remember of my life before - Jinzhou, and everything else ... they come to me in fragments, like pieces of a dream. I can't tell what's real and what isn't.
My most concrete memory is that I woke up in a valley, presumed dead by a Ranger who found me. That's my earliest memory. [ rover pauses, curling up in her cot as she listens to the never-ending rain pour, and she wonders if callisto was warm or keeping himself warm in the mountains. ] 'Rover' is just what they called me.
[ perhaps now it makes sense why rover had that odd comment when he complimented her sense of self: whatever it is that callisto felt was admirable about her, rover's just relieved that it was something she'd pieced together well enough to be called a sense of self. kind, because he didn't know then. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
omg how did dw not load my second parter...
1. Perhaps, there is no meaning it is at all. However, how else am I to live and survive, my lady? There is no path for me, but to be the emperor. Do you simply act on attachment? I very much doubt that.
2. What would you choose for yourself?
3. I did not tell you for you to apologize. You could just cry tears for me? My soldiers did at least that much for me when I told them tales of my childhood.
[ ignoring 3a. he is faultless? despite being more self-aware than he lets on... that doesn't mean he's particularly repentant, either. self-reflection is overrated. ]
4. I think the spice covers up more than just the poison. It is the poison. Of course, that isn't to state my tolerance can't be built up. Being as proficient as I am, I would consider it easy work. But, is there no room for anything else in that head of yours? Do you have no other foods you are fond of?
5. If you mean what you say then do you not believe actions speak louder than words?
i was like ah bijou fell asleep ... goodbye pt 2 tag ....
[ and it's one of the things that rover's been pondering on, which is that does it even matter if anyone of them, outsiders all, comes to this place with a history and crime and unfinished business? to rank such atrocities seem to her trifling and childish, to ignore it seems unfair and dangerous. a balance of which LILITH cares very little for: everyone who stays has decided to do the work and here they are.
her views of callisto are changing. a better picture is formed as opposed to just a rather pompous and arrogant prince. but that's to be expected; she didn't know him well before, and she hadn't bothered. now she has, and she finds him interesting.
not that she'll ever tell him. ]
1. You're right. I haven't considered such problems. [ rover typed that and realized she's giving him too much praise lately. she has to go back to bullying him again to balance the goodwill she gives him. ]
2. You can be rather gentle at times. [ a trap of her own making. she'll take the L. ]
3. How ridiculous! I will not cry for you.
[ noting the absence of 3a. obviously it means she's correct. ]
4. This only reinforces my suspicion that I am dealing with a man who has the palate of a child.
5. If you can guess when my birthday is, I'll give you a gift. [ don't do it. say no. ]
was it a dif. tag, we will never know now
but, what choice did he have but to take it in stride. in that sense he is reminded a lot of when he had asked her about her life before, and the principle in how she's decided to live moving forward. she has a certain resilience. a natural desire to survive, maybe. ... in that sense they aren't too dissimilar since he wasn't the type who believed in remaining stagnant.
even if she may take offense to that. ]
1. What is your goal in life? What would you accomplish that you think would genuinely make you feel fulfilled?
2. Gentle...
The nobles eyes would pop out of their heads if they heard you say that. But, what of your best trait?
3. That's a shame. I was looking forward to it.
4. Are you that against choosing another delicacy?
5. Perhaps, my guess would be you are born sometime in winter? The harshness of the season fits you perfectly.
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2. What would you choose? [ flipping it back to him. ]
3. You want the strangest things from me.
4. Are you going to make it for me if I tell you?
5. Be more specific.
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2. Your ability to remain yourself. [ to accept others, and to formulate her own opinions. while it doesn't seem like a lot, it's more than callisto was accustomed to. if he had to say, he feels she had a strong sense of self. ]
3. You also want rather peculiar things from me, my lady.
4. Do you not think we would be better off finding a proper chef?
5. December 21st? [ he wants to question if it isn't unfair to guess out of 365 days, but he decides not to question it. ]
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[ at number 2, the response goes back and forth from (typing ...) to just blank to (typing ...) and finally, it stops, as rover ponders how to respond to that. mostly because it's funny, but also ... very sad. she can't really say she knows what that means given her circumstances. but it's nice that she projects a strong sense of self that someone is able to note and be impressed by. it means a lot to her.
after a pause, where one could be forgiven to think that she had forgotten to respond, she finally says, ] 2. That's kind of you.
3. I don't believe it.
4. Another flaw of yours, to be incapable of cooking for a lady.
5. Wrong on all counts. [ and what's wrong with making him guess from all 12 months and all 365 days? ]
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[ after all, didn't she just call him kind? ]
2. I did not say it to be kind. Does that mean you had a different response?
3. Then do you expect everyone to play in your virtual prison?
4. Then are you going to be camping in the wilderness with me? [ that is his last cooking experience. ]
5. I am beginning to think there is no correct answer. However, someone here did speak to be of the importance of stars. In that case, perhaps your birthday falls on the summer solstice?
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2. No.
I appreciate you saying it, nonetheless.
3. I feel like if anyone else played with me, they wouldn't view it as a prison. You had my full attention during that time, isn't that enough?
[ now granted, he was in jail, however - ]
4. ... do you truly not know how? [ ... she wonders just how far removed he is as a royal from doing menial chores. perhaps the military life taught him some skills, but he's still a prince and therefore kept his privileges? ]
5. Again, be specific. There's plenty of months and dates to choose from.
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2. Then I am glad we have come to an agreement.
3. Do you believe it a compliment when a prisoner has the attentions of their warden?
4. In case you have forgotten, I do not flaws. Cooking would be easy work. [ would it, though... ]
5. June 20. [ how many dates are you going to have him guess, rover???
this is cruel and unusual punishment. ]
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2. That we can be kind to each other is a nice agreement. You did comfort me on the way to Seoul, and I'm grateful for that.
3. I must be the kindest warden, then, so I don't see it as a problem.
4. I'll need a demonstration.
5. Wrong. I suppose you won't be getting a present after all.
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2. If that much can be considered comfort, I could prove you much more.
3. Kindest is a bit of an exaggeration. Though, I have never been imprisoned until now.
4. Your lack of trust in moments like these astounds me. But, very well.
5. ... And what, pray tell, is the actual answer? You said there would be no prize, but was the present not the answer all along? [ isn't that the way these riddles worked? ]
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1. Noted.
2. I'm looking forward to it.
3. Do I hold that honour? Next time, I ought to make a dungeon for myself, for all the silly men I imprison.
4. Another thing to look forward to. I will remind you of these, Callisto.
5. You don't get the real answer, if you failed to guess it. That's not how this works.
You may ask a friend, if you want. [ if he has other friends! ]
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5. Lady Rover, this is feeling more dishonest by the second. Is there a reason you must hide it so carefully?
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3. And why would I tell you their names? You don't have a right to my dossier. What if they end up in your own dungeon, instead of mine? What a poor warden I'll be. [ little does she know ... ]
5. You were simply unlucky. That's all.
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5. Do you not have one, by chance? [ he had encountered someone here who had not recalled their memories beyond a certain point in their travels, and so the idea just kind of sticks with him. all the more, if just because it's someone in callisto's close proximity here. ]
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And I don't believe you're busy. Busy with what?
5. ... correct.
I suppose you'll be getting a gift, after all.
[ what an awful combination, rover thinks with a smile as she sends her message. at once frustrating and insightful, when he really wanted to be. ]
1/2
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[ the gift is obviously an appealing prospect coming from her, but he can't deny that he also just wanted to know a little more. ]
- audio.
at his other response, rover just sighs. she's resting at the moment, laying down awkwardly at their makeshift cot in their temporary base. she can't really sleep.
so in a few minutes, callisto will receive a call. ]
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Did you miss hearing my voice that much?
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[ rover's voice is soft, trying to make sure to keep it down to be respectful to everyone resting around her. ]
Also, [ and this is probably the most important thing for him to hear, as far as rover's concerned - ]
Happy birthday.
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so he makes a sound that easily quiets down to silence, before he opens his mouth again. ] You're late, but I will accept your birthday greetings. [ the mood over the line does seem a bit more soft or lighthearted somehow, before: ]
So, what is this "complicated" story?
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... sorry.
Anyway ... I suppose it's not quite accurate to say I don't have a birthday. Everyone does.
But I can't remember mine, because I've lost all of my memories.
[ she's rather calm in admitting this to him. or maybe it's just that she's tired right now, and can't really muster her anxieties about the topic on hand. ]
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[ is it right to call it that. while he can't exactly speak to another person's issues, he seems to mull her words over for a moment before: ] Is there anything you can recall? [ ... and he supposed it would be important to note from where do they begin? ]
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[ rover sighs. ] What I remember of my life before - Jinzhou, and everything else ... they come to me in fragments, like pieces of a dream. I can't tell what's real and what isn't.
My most concrete memory is that I woke up in a valley, presumed dead by a Ranger who found me. That's my earliest memory. [ rover pauses, curling up in her cot as she listens to the never-ending rain pour, and she wonders if callisto was warm or keeping himself warm in the mountains. ] 'Rover' is just what they called me.
[ perhaps now it makes sense why rover had that odd comment when he complimented her sense of self: whatever it is that callisto felt was admirable about her, rover's just relieved that it was something she'd pieced together well enough to be called a sense of self. kind, because he didn't know then. ]
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