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. ]
[ pieces of a dream. fragments. somehow, that seemed infinitely more complicated than being devoid of any and all memories. but, he does sit in silence, just respectfully listening. ] Why did they call you that...? Was that some sort of title where you're from?
[ if that is the case, then somehow he can't help but feeling like it was bit regretful. less personal somehow, but he seems to shake that off. ] You were found, but there is no one who knows who you are... [ he also seems to be repeating these facts, as if trying to comprehend how this was possible. ]
Well ... it just stuck with people. It's no different from someone being called "traveler". Or ... well, "lady." It means nothing, really.
[ and there is a difference between not knowing and being known. ] ... perhaps the most worrying part is that people have known me. Or at least, knew of me and my peculiarities. It becomes a strange riddle, then, and I have to be careful of who is talking to me and what is being asked of me. Even what I uncover of my memories is unforgiving: the more I discover the less I know.
[ and of course, everyone has their own agenda, even if she has her own principles she sticks to. what she knows of herself and how people perceived her is always a riddle for her to parse through. ]
The ladies of the empire would cry to hear you say that.
[ since their ladyhood was likely just as important to them as any other title. granted, being dubbed "lady" also did have an implicit sense of respect behind it, whether from a title of nobility or an honorary one. regardless, he doesn't get into it. instead, just finding it a little amusing for what meant so much to others to mean so little to rover. ]
They know of you? Then you must have fulfilled quite the role before you had forgotten your memories. [ ... ] What do people normally request of you? [ he can readily fill in the gaps, at least, with what he suspects could be a possibility. rover clearly was strong enough to be recruited here (and ... well, he's felt it first hand), and so he can only presume what most would want out of her. ]
[ rover just laughs softly. ] How unfortunate for them.
[ she shifts in her cot at the question, rover's hands settling over her stomach while sighing gently. ] The request is usually to join one faction over the other to either assist or destroy Huanglong, the country.
... It is worrying to me. But the uncertainty is something I have to actively fight. I have to trust that I will continue to do what's best for everyone and myself, and that my intentions are always good.
To destroy an entire country? It isn't too late to commit to that. [ it's a joke, if just by his tone. yet, there's also something else embedded in there. as if he were suggesting some sort of half-truth. it rings a bit close to home, if just because in all his vengeance and spite, he may have considered a similar path even just in passing.
regardless, he doesn't focus on it for now. rather, he didn't believe rover capable of making such a decision. not without just cause at least. ] That is more than most do. At the very least, I would much rather trust in your judgement than the words of most the nobles I knew of in court.
[ while they haven't known each other long, he does somehow believe in her good intentions. outside of vr and sandcastles, at least. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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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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[ if that is the case, then somehow he can't help but feeling like it was bit regretful. less personal somehow, but he seems to shake that off. ] You were found, but there is no one who knows who you are... [ he also seems to be repeating these facts, as if trying to comprehend how this was possible. ]
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[ and there is a difference between not knowing and being known. ] ... perhaps the most worrying part is that people have known me. Or at least, knew of me and my peculiarities. It becomes a strange riddle, then, and I have to be careful of who is talking to me and what is being asked of me. Even what I uncover of my memories is unforgiving: the more I discover the less I know.
[ and of course, everyone has their own agenda, even if she has her own principles she sticks to. what she knows of herself and how people perceived her is always a riddle for her to parse through. ]
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[ since their ladyhood was likely just as important to them as any other title. granted, being dubbed "lady" also did have an implicit sense of respect behind it, whether from a title of nobility or an honorary one. regardless, he doesn't get into it. instead, just finding it a little amusing for what meant so much to others to mean so little to rover. ]
They know of you? Then you must have fulfilled quite the role before you had forgotten your memories. [ ... ] What do people normally request of you? [ he can readily fill in the gaps, at least, with what he suspects could be a possibility. rover clearly was strong enough to be recruited here (and ... well, he's felt it first hand), and so he can only presume what most would want out of her. ]
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[ she shifts in her cot at the question, rover's hands settling over her stomach while sighing gently. ] The request is usually to join one faction over the other to either assist or destroy Huanglong, the country.
... It is worrying to me. But the uncertainty is something I have to actively fight. I have to trust that I will continue to do what's best for everyone and myself, and that my intentions are always good.
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regardless, he doesn't focus on it for now. rather, he didn't believe rover capable of making such a decision. not without just cause at least. ] That is more than most do. At the very least, I would much rather trust in your judgement than the words of most the nobles I knew of in court.
[ while they haven't known each other long, he does somehow believe in her good intentions. outside of vr and sandcastles, at least. ]
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