[ .........Okay, and that wasn't the kind of new information Link was expecting either. For the first time, a certain thought flashes through his mind: is Tezcatlipoca... bad? Is he a bad person? An evil god, just like the other god of war in Kenos?
As reserved and unaffected as the little Hylian normally is, he can't help but wear his surprise on his sleeve in this moment, blinking rapidly as he tries to keep up. ]
...uh, yeah. Right.
[ Clearing his throat and still clearly distracted, he looks away, averting his eyes back out to the moonlit floodwaters. This feels... weird, now. He wants to ask, but he doesn't know if it's right for him to ask. And what if he doesn't like the answer? Should it even matter, anyway? Every Zenite has thrown aside their old world, their old lives, to some extent. He's got along well with Tezca so far — that's what's important, isn't it? ]
I wonder if, uh... there's any logic to when it tries to pop out and get people. I was standing on the water when it crept up on me, so... is that it? Did it see I was vulnerable?
[ He pauses, thinking, and then reaches up to unbuckle the strap that goes across his chest and over his back, which all equipment is hangs from. His shield, sheathed sword and bow drop to the damp sidewalk with a loud metal clang. The quiver laying against his lower back is taken off a bit more carefully, as to not have the arrows spill everywhere.
Now completely unarmed, he turns back to Tezcatlipoca. His neutral affect is back to normal. ]
[ He doesn’t need to be looking at Link to guess at the kind of questions that have to be running through his head. Some of them are even pretty close to accurate. He’s someone that speaks in vague terms over absolutes, but it’s all for a reason. He prefers people question and make their way to their answers on their own merits rather than through his guidance. He knows it’s powerful, after all, especially to someone with the real kind of respect towards divinity that Link has.
So, like he didn’t say that at all, he just looks back to Link curiously as he starts to take off his weaponry, but it turns into a pleased smile. ]
That’s the kind of commitment I like to see. Think it’ll work as good as anything, considering we’re huntin’ for somethin’ new in the first place.
[ Tezcatlipoca bends into a deep crouch, but then shoots up in an elegant, strong leap that has him land on one of those balconies above. A black smoke gathers in his hand to produce that same strange, black mask that he’d been wearing in the woods of the Beyond, which he puts on. ]
You might not see me, but I’ll be close by. [ He looks down to Link, but of course his expression and therefore what he’s thinking are impossible to guess now. ] You wanna stay in touch through Communion or just go for it?
[ Seeing Tezcatlipoca smile at him like that is oddly reassuring — and Link realizes he actually doesn't know what he's supposed to say when someone praises him. But before it can turn into another awkward moment, Tezca makes the decision for him to focus on the task at hand. With an impossibly high jump, he ascends high, high above, and the pair is already moving on. ]
Okay. [ Craning his neck back to talk to him, Link gives him a stern nod. Surely there is no need to remind Tezca that his life is in his hands, as that unspoken fact feels understood already. ]
...Let's talk like this, so we don't scare it off, [ he answers over Communion, as he turns away and begins to walk along the water's edge. ] But not so much that we get distracted.
[ The area known as "Yima's Tears" is eerily quiet without any conversation. Peaceful and beautiful too, but not enough to override the unnerving atmosphere. ]
Can I ask you something? What do you mean, that Oblivion is part of your domain? [ pause. ] Does that have something to do with... Daybit wanting your help to end your world...?
[ Tezcatlipoca does at least wait for Link to start to head out before he indeed gets much harder to keep track of. There will be an occasional squeak of wood bending under weight or a light footfall against the roof, but otherwise, Tezcatlipoca seems to disappear seamlessly into the shadow. It’s a natural skill of the king of jaguars. ]
Eh, yes and no.
[ He answers easily, but there’s a definite benefit to Communing with Tezcatlipoca over simply talking to him—his emotions are much clearer. He’s glad that Link is asking, for one, but for the topic itself, his feelings are more mixed than his outward affect might imply. It’s a strong sense of duty, but there’s a cool, dull sadness underlying it too. ]
I mean it literally, so far as I have an idea of what it is. I am the night wind, Yohualli Ehécatl, and that’s a concept that covers the invisible. What can’t be seen is what I preside over. So, darkness, providence, magecraft, destruction and conflict, they’re all under that umbrella. And a shitton more. Ain’t braggin’ to say that I’m the central god of my pantheon.
[ …Which probably also makes that outward affect all the stranger. He’s not exactly what anyone would imagine for a god with that kind of importance. ]
…So, yeah. Kind of. He has his own perspective on ending the world, and we don’t necessarily agree on it for every detail. But when it came to our world, I can see all possible futures. And what he wanted to achieve wasn’t crazy. Just thinkin’ on a scale bigger than a whole planet. There’s plenty out there in the universe, and if one world gets eaten up to save the rest, that ain’t so bad.
[ There's something nice about Communing with someone of a neutral Aspect — most of the people Link associates with (and, has to deal with against his will,) seem to fall under those Aspects that either blast him with way too much personal, intimate information or blast him with Discord. Tezca, on the other hand... in comparison, it's just normal. Like carrying a normal conversation, but with thoughts instead of voices.
Link meanders quietly along the edge of the water. Whatever this path is that he's walking on, it wasn't the original sidewalk from before the flood. It looks like there had been an attempt to construct a new walkway along those buildings on this street that hadn't been completely flooded — some of their higher floors still managing to tower above the water level. But, perhaps, the problem was that the water level is not consistent enough. If he were to take too many steps outward, he'd begin sloshing through a few inches of water... and plummet into the channel proper once he stepped beyond the edge of this path, unseen below the reflective surface of the water. ]
Can you see the future here in Kenos, too?
[ He didn't know what to say in the wake of all that, so he simply says the first thing that pops into his head. But once he does, he feels like he has to explain. ]
...I mean, I guess probably not. This world is different from yours, so...
[ If he did still have that kind of power, it would be a lot easier to hunt. Whether it be game or mysterious shadow manifestations. ]
If you'd ended the world like you wanted, what would have happened to all the people living in it?
[ The question sparks immediate pleasure, because he’s truly glad he asked. It’s a detail that people could skip over, because they just get to the conclusion that Link expresses before they ask. So. The answer is surprising, most likely. ]
Yeah, probably. It’d take more effort than it does normally. And pretty sure I’d only get a little bit before the World beats me back. But I could. I already get… inklings, I guess you could call ‘em. This world may not be mine, but omniscience and omnipotence are a hell of a thing to try and cut out.
[ And ironically, that’s the easier part of Link’s questions. There’s a pause for the second, but there’s a sense that it might also be because he’s paused to observe something with sharp attention. It relaxes, however, since it’s not a shadow like they’re looking for. ]
What else? They die. [ There’s a humor and cold flippancy, but with a mental sigh, he does elaborate a bit more. ] But you gotta understand, my world was breathin’ its last for complicated, unrelated reasons. You could count the number of people left in it on your hands.
[ Minus the Lostbelts, but. Tezcatlipoca personally thought that scheme was doomed to fail. Considering he and Daybit oversaw the very last one, he was sure of it, even. ]
Link doesn't even notice the brief pause or the danger that could have caused it. He's murmuring Walk on Water to himself again, and then very carefully, testing the surface of Yima's Tears with one foot. It pushes down on the liquid but does not submerge; it feels like stepping on loamy, wet soil. ]
I see.
It mustn't have been too upsetting to learn that your world is gone, then... if it was already pretty much destroyed anyway.
[ But although Link says that... it should be true for Hyrule, too. When he first came to Kenos, the remaining Hylians were only barely surviving. The other races of Hyrule had essentially forgotten about the old kingdom and were operating independently. So many countless thousands had died, and even after a hundred years, the population still hadn't recovered. And although they'd start to recover after Calamity Ganon is defeated, based on what he saw in the Timestream... what hope did it have without the Princess? And what hope would it have now, with the Master Sword lost forever? ]
...My world wasn't that empty, but it was struggling, too. All because we weren't able to save it when we needed to the most. It's a long story... but I think, because I was trying to save it for so long, it was still hard for me to let it go.
Nope. Even when it was bleached in the first place and left it what it was, didn’t feel too much. It’s the fifth one I’ve seen destroyed, and the only one I ever mourned was the first.
[ There’s a lull in the conversation, though it’s brief overall. It’s clear that Tezcatlipoca is considering what to say, and he’s mulling over Link’s story too. If it were in his power, he could have been the one to extinguish that world personally, at least if he’d heard this kind of sentiment. It’s not a plea, exactly, since surely Link wouldn’t have wanted it answered. But if it’s hard to let go and move forward, then Tezcatlipoca would be the brutal force that would remove any other option. That is the kind of conflict that he stokes. He is transformative change, and that process is rarely easy.
…And yet. He doesn’t send people to face down conflict without the tools he believes they need. ]
Dunno if you need to hear it from me, but you weren’t wrong for tryin’ to save it and not wantin’ to give up. I wanted to save that first world too. And lettin’ it go meant destroyin’ it with my own hands. But destruction and sacrifice is part of the way of things. Eventually, you gotta let a world go. But that’s what creates the fertile soil for what comes next.
[ There’s a gentility in those words, the kind of softer sentiment that makes Tezcatlipoca a god that’s, well. A bit perplexing. But that softness doesn’t last, since with a laugh, he’s back to flippant. ]
’Course, that’s what’s fucked up about this whole Meridian and Zenith thing. If this was some war that gods were fighting, sure, normal day, normal stakes. [ it isn’t, but, ] But gettin’ mortals like you involved in cosmic stakes? Fucked up! That’s exactly why gods exist! We’re supposed to be doin’ all that kinda bullshit work so that the people can just live their lives, afterlives, whatever the fuck.
[ The mercurial extremes of Tezcatlipoca's tone would be enough for Link to chew on. The rest of it is like shoving an entire pack of gum into his mouth at once. It's like the god can't stop saying things that alight the little Savant's natural curiosity. ]
Huh... really? That's not how it worked in my world at all.
[ With slow, casual steps, Link walks a few paces out onto the water. Each impact of his feet sends countless ripples out across the water, distorting its reflection of the stars and moons. ]
The legends say that the three Golden Goddesses created the world and then left it. They don't interfere. The fourth Goddess, Hylia, was their arbiter... The envoy between heaven and mortals. But when the first demons appeared, in order to help save us, she sacrificed her divinity, and her lineage became the Royal Family of Hyrule.
...so, it was always mortals who had to take care of that stuff. The Goddesses couldn't. It's more like they set it up to be that way, I think...
[ It sounds like Link might say more, but a prickle suddenly travels up his spine. His muscles tense, the world around him seems to grow silent. A hunter's instinct, maybe, or the culmination of multiple lifetimes of life-threatening adventures — but he gets a sense that being this far out on the water is a bad idea. So, turning on his heels, he walks with mild urgency back towards the half-flooded walkway. ]
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no subject
As reserved and unaffected as the little Hylian normally is, he can't help but wear his surprise on his sleeve in this moment, blinking rapidly as he tries to keep up. ]
...uh, yeah. Right.
[ Clearing his throat and still clearly distracted, he looks away, averting his eyes back out to the moonlit floodwaters. This feels... weird, now. He wants to ask, but he doesn't know if it's right for him to ask. And what if he doesn't like the answer? Should it even matter, anyway? Every Zenite has thrown aside their old world, their old lives, to some extent. He's got along well with Tezca so far — that's what's important, isn't it? ]
I wonder if, uh... there's any logic to when it tries to pop out and get people. I was standing on the water when it crept up on me, so... is that it? Did it see I was vulnerable?
[ He pauses, thinking, and then reaches up to unbuckle the strap that goes across his chest and over his back, which all equipment is hangs from. His shield, sheathed sword and bow drop to the damp sidewalk with a loud metal clang. The quiver laying against his lower back is taken off a bit more carefully, as to not have the arrows spill everywhere.
Now completely unarmed, he turns back to Tezcatlipoca. His neutral affect is back to normal. ]
There. Now I'm defenseless.
no subject
So, like he didn’t say that at all, he just looks back to Link curiously as he starts to take off his weaponry, but it turns into a pleased smile. ]
That’s the kind of commitment I like to see. Think it’ll work as good as anything, considering we’re huntin’ for somethin’ new in the first place.
[ Tezcatlipoca bends into a deep crouch, but then shoots up in an elegant, strong leap that has him land on one of those balconies above. A black smoke gathers in his hand to produce that same strange, black mask that he’d been wearing in the woods of the Beyond, which he puts on. ]
You might not see me, but I’ll be close by. [ He looks down to Link, but of course his expression and therefore what he’s thinking are impossible to guess now. ] You wanna stay in touch through Communion or just go for it?
no subject
Okay. [ Craning his neck back to talk to him, Link gives him a stern nod. Surely there is no need to remind Tezca that his life is in his hands, as that unspoken fact feels understood already. ]
...Let's talk like this, so we don't scare it off, [ he answers over Communion, as he turns away and begins to walk along the water's edge. ] But not so much that we get distracted.
[ The area known as "Yima's Tears" is eerily quiet without any conversation. Peaceful and beautiful too, but not enough to override the unnerving atmosphere. ]
Can I ask you something? What do you mean, that Oblivion is part of your domain? [ pause. ] Does that have something to do with... Daybit wanting your help to end your world...?
no subject
Eh, yes and no.
[ He answers easily, but there’s a definite benefit to Communing with Tezcatlipoca over simply talking to him—his emotions are much clearer. He’s glad that Link is asking, for one, but for the topic itself, his feelings are more mixed than his outward affect might imply. It’s a strong sense of duty, but there’s a cool, dull sadness underlying it too. ]
I mean it literally, so far as I have an idea of what it is. I am the night wind, Yohualli Ehécatl, and that’s a concept that covers the invisible. What can’t be seen is what I preside over. So, darkness, providence, magecraft, destruction and conflict, they’re all under that umbrella. And a shitton more. Ain’t braggin’ to say that I’m the central god of my pantheon.
[ …Which probably also makes that outward affect all the stranger. He’s not exactly what anyone would imagine for a god with that kind of importance. ]
…So, yeah. Kind of. He has his own perspective on ending the world, and we don’t necessarily agree on it for every detail. But when it came to our world, I can see all possible futures. And what he wanted to achieve wasn’t crazy. Just thinkin’ on a scale bigger than a whole planet. There’s plenty out there in the universe, and if one world gets eaten up to save the rest, that ain’t so bad.
no subject
Link meanders quietly along the edge of the water. Whatever this path is that he's walking on, it wasn't the original sidewalk from before the flood. It looks like there had been an attempt to construct a new walkway along those buildings on this street that hadn't been completely flooded — some of their higher floors still managing to tower above the water level. But, perhaps, the problem was that the water level is not consistent enough. If he were to take too many steps outward, he'd begin sloshing through a few inches of water... and plummet into the channel proper once he stepped beyond the edge of this path, unseen below the reflective surface of the water. ]
Can you see the future here in Kenos, too?
[ He didn't know what to say in the wake of all that, so he simply says the first thing that pops into his head. But once he does, he feels like he has to explain. ]
...I mean, I guess probably not. This world is different from yours, so...
[ If he did still have that kind of power, it would be a lot easier to hunt. Whether it be game or mysterious shadow manifestations. ]
If you'd ended the world like you wanted, what would have happened to all the people living in it?
no subject
Yeah, probably. It’d take more effort than it does normally. And pretty sure I’d only get a little bit before the World beats me back. But I could. I already get… inklings, I guess you could call ‘em. This world may not be mine, but omniscience and omnipotence are a hell of a thing to try and cut out.
[ And ironically, that’s the easier part of Link’s questions. There’s a pause for the second, but there’s a sense that it might also be because he’s paused to observe something with sharp attention. It relaxes, however, since it’s not a shadow like they’re looking for. ]
What else? They die. [ There’s a humor and cold flippancy, but with a mental sigh, he does elaborate a bit more. ] But you gotta understand, my world was breathin’ its last for complicated, unrelated reasons. You could count the number of people left in it on your hands.
[ Minus the Lostbelts, but. Tezcatlipoca personally thought that scheme was doomed to fail. Considering he and Daybit oversaw the very last one, he was sure of it, even. ]
no subject
Link doesn't even notice the brief pause or the danger that could have caused it. He's murmuring Walk on Water to himself again, and then very carefully, testing the surface of Yima's Tears with one foot. It pushes down on the liquid but does not submerge; it feels like stepping on loamy, wet soil. ]
I see.
It mustn't have been too upsetting to learn that your world is gone, then... if it was already pretty much destroyed anyway.
[ But although Link says that... it should be true for Hyrule, too. When he first came to Kenos, the remaining Hylians were only barely surviving. The other races of Hyrule had essentially forgotten about the old kingdom and were operating independently. So many countless thousands had died, and even after a hundred years, the population still hadn't recovered. And although they'd start to recover after Calamity Ganon is defeated, based on what he saw in the Timestream... what hope did it have without the Princess? And what hope would it have now, with the Master Sword lost forever? ]
...My world wasn't that empty, but it was struggling, too. All because we weren't able to save it when we needed to the most. It's a long story... but I think, because I was trying to save it for so long, it was still hard for me to let it go.
no subject
[ There’s a lull in the conversation, though it’s brief overall. It’s clear that Tezcatlipoca is considering what to say, and he’s mulling over Link’s story too. If it were in his power, he could have been the one to extinguish that world personally, at least if he’d heard this kind of sentiment. It’s not a plea, exactly, since surely Link wouldn’t have wanted it answered. But if it’s hard to let go and move forward, then Tezcatlipoca would be the brutal force that would remove any other option. That is the kind of conflict that he stokes. He is transformative change, and that process is rarely easy.
…And yet. He doesn’t send people to face down conflict without the tools he believes they need. ]
Dunno if you need to hear it from me, but you weren’t wrong for tryin’ to save it and not wantin’ to give up. I wanted to save that first world too. And lettin’ it go meant destroyin’ it with my own hands. But destruction and sacrifice is part of the way of things. Eventually, you gotta let a world go. But that’s what creates the fertile soil for what comes next.
[ There’s a gentility in those words, the kind of softer sentiment that makes Tezcatlipoca a god that’s, well. A bit perplexing. But that softness doesn’t last, since with a laugh, he’s back to flippant. ]
’Course, that’s what’s fucked up about this whole Meridian and Zenith thing. If this was some war that gods were fighting, sure, normal day, normal stakes. [ it isn’t, but, ] But gettin’ mortals like you involved in cosmic stakes? Fucked up! That’s exactly why gods exist! We’re supposed to be doin’ all that kinda bullshit work so that the people can just live their lives, afterlives, whatever the fuck.
no subject
Huh... really? That's not how it worked in my world at all.
[ With slow, casual steps, Link walks a few paces out onto the water. Each impact of his feet sends countless ripples out across the water, distorting its reflection of the stars and moons. ]
The legends say that the three Golden Goddesses created the world and then left it. They don't interfere. The fourth Goddess, Hylia, was their arbiter... The envoy between heaven and mortals. But when the first demons appeared, in order to help save us, she sacrificed her divinity, and her lineage became the Royal Family of Hyrule.
...so, it was always mortals who had to take care of that stuff. The Goddesses couldn't. It's more like they set it up to be that way, I think...
[ It sounds like Link might say more, but a prickle suddenly travels up his spine. His muscles tense, the world around him seems to grow silent. A hunter's instinct, maybe, or the culmination of multiple lifetimes of life-threatening adventures — but he gets a sense that being this far out on the water is a bad idea. So, turning on his heels, he walks with mild urgency back towards the half-flooded walkway. ]