winds_voice | 19 - [Video] - Backdated to Thurs 9th Jan

19 - [Video] - Backdated to Thurs 9th Jan

[Whoever's watching the feed right now can probably tell that something's not quite right. Not only does Eley look blackened and sore as if he had been scorched somehow, but the tree behind him also looks as though it has met a similar fate, with shattered branches and charred bark.

And in his hands, he's holding some remnant of what might have been a scarf at one time, though right now it looks like nothing more than a rag.]

Why would anyone do this? How could they... enjoy such a thing?

[He sounds tired, disappointed, though that quickly turns to bitter anger.]

Edmundo the Blade has made an enemy of me. He has shown nothing but disrespect. I should not have let him get this far. If only I was not so complacent, so tied to the path of peace, this would not have happened. My tree...

[Yes, he's more concerned about the tree than he is about himself right now.]

If anyone knows a way to repair the damage, I would be grateful to you.

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[When Saleh arrives he'll likely find him fixated on the small blackened rag in his hands. As he approaches however, the Spirit looks up to his friend.]

Ah, I am wounded... but I will heal.

[He has noticeable burns on his body but doesn't seem to want to pay much attention to them despite the pain.]

But my tree... it is broken. I failed to protect it.

Hmm... Let me heal you first.

[In fact, he will insist on it as he bring out his staff over Eley and releases the blue healing magic over him.]

[He wasn't going to ask for his help outright, but he wouldn't protest against it either. He allows Saleh to do his work, watching the strange blue light as he feels the stinging pain lessen over time. It was soothing, and would perhaps help the Spirit to refocus his attention on other things.]

Thank you, Saleh... You have been a good friend to me. I am... sorry that your first visit to my tree had to be during such a troubled time.

Mhm.

[Saleh nods in acknowledgement of the thanks, and then stands to gaze up at the ruined tree.]

So, someone came and damaged your tree with no remorse?

[It's the sort of things that angers Saleh the most, that people can show such disrespect to other people or their property. Despite this being the first visit to Eley's tree, Saleh can feel himself getting angry for Eley. He lets out an exasperated sigh, shaking his head.]

Unbelievable... This is like the sort of thing a bandit would do.

If not for his strange mannerisms and attire... I would say that he would no doubt fit in with bandits or renegades. He was a terrible man, a man who lived only to flaunt his power over others. If only I knew where he was now...

[What? What would he do? Deep down, he knew that he didn't want to harm others anymore. He wasn't even sure if he could go as far as to kill someone. But someone like him... would he not deserve it? Would it not make Luceti a safer place?]

He has caused me great confusion.

Hmm. There are people like that, unfortunately...

It sounds like he will need to be put in his place. I would not worry about pursuing him. The people of Luceti will no doubt deal with him.

[They've dealt with far worse, so one man shouldn't pose a problem. The damage done can be repaired.]

I am sure they will... even though that likely means they have reason to themselves. Who was he? Where did he come from? If he is a New Feather, I believe he is the first one I have met that I would not give a warm welcome to.

Saleh, I... feel personally involved with this. He insulted me and my friends by ruining what they had built for me. I... I wish him dead.

[Eley wishes him dead. That's certainly a first, at least since Saleh has known him. But it's a sentiment he just can't agree with. Saleh fixes him a serious look.]

...Death will solve nothing, especially in this place. I would not condone this behavior in the least, but seeking his death would only cause us to stoop to his level. I'm afraid I just cannot share that sentiment.

I am truly sorry that he has done this to you.

...I used to believe that, but now I am not so sure.

[After all, he had become terribly guilty over the many he had killed in an attempt to purge Agkelos of outsiders. That was one emotion he had come to understand. He had pledged a path of peace for both himself and his people... something he wished upon all of Aether.

Yet... was there a way of being peaceful without becoming too complacent?]

If he had killed me, how would you have felt?

[He had to ask, didn't he? Saleh's all too familiar with what he would feel...and what he has felt for his past failures. His failure to protect Myrrh, for instance.]

I would have been angry...plagued with guilt. It is a feeling I know all too well.

...enough to take action? Could you truthfully live with those feelings, knowing what has happened and avoiding such a clear solution?

[That being to destroy whatever had caused those feelings in the first place. Eley knows he's probably going too far now, but he has to wonder if even someone like Saleh could be shaken enough to confront another. To take their life.

Was this another part of humanity?]

[It is possible for Saleh to take lives, but revenge isn't it.]

...Would it truly be a clear solution? You would be revived, whether or not I were to kill him. Or even if you were not revived, killing him would not bring you back. Then I would only live on with blood on my hands. That is another form of guilt in itself.

And yet some humans seem to gain satisfaction from it. What if... I ended up feeling the same way?

[What was he saying? None of his kind had ever gotten to the point where they simply enjoyed killing others, at least not that he was aware of. Eley didn't like where these thoughts were going. He shook his head as if trying to dislodge them.]

I am not certain which would be the correct path in the end.

That they do. That is a sad fact.

[Saleh doesn’t like where Eley’s thoughts are going either.]

...I’m not certain if there is a “correct” path. You just do what you can to overcome the dark tendencies within you. People do that in different ways. I practice Valega, for example.

Yes... Valega... meditation... all are good ways to focus your thoughts.

Mmm, perhaps I have not reflected enough of late. Yet I feel that this incident has ignited something within me. Were it a friend in danger, being troubled by another, I am not sure if I could trust myself to hold back as I did here.

[He was already aware of Moro's return and while he had not encountered her yet, he couldn't imagine how me might react to that first meeting after what had come to pass.]

Indeed. I would not hesitate if someone tried to harm someone dear to me either. Such an impulse has already cost me my life once. Since then, I had told myself that I wouldn’t let it happen again...and yet I can’t let a moment’s hesitation stop me either. So, there is no guarantee that it will not happen again...

...cost you your life?

[It's then Eley realises there are still things he doesn't know about Saleh. He hopes he didn't resurface any painful memories for his friend.]

I was once asked if I would die for someone. Normally, such a question would not even occur to me. I would have said no. Now... I am not as certain about the matter.

It's...not something that you will have time to think about under pressure. When something occurs, you react. If you stand and watch...you may regret it.

[The discussion does indeed spur some significant memories, when he had given his life for his friend those years ago. If he hadn't, she would have died.]

So whether you hold back or not, it is up to you. Painful consequences may come either way.

Edited 2014-01-18 14:23 (UTC)

And yet... could you not also regret that action, no matter how instinctive it may be?

Yes... you are right. Perhaps there is no wrong or right way to go about it. Perhaps neither path will lead to good things in the end.

Even so, I must find a way to divert these ill-feelings.

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19 - [Video] - Backdated to Thurs 9th Jan

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