[After a moment of silence, she noticeably goes tense again. Right, of course the other person here is the one guy who has any idea of who Oz is. Is that why this happened?
Echo look at Altius.]
This...was—
[Her eyes drift to the ground.]
It looks like something that was given to me by Lord Oz once. It is...strange to see it here.
[The shade of bright red her face turns probably answers that question. She buys herself some time by standing up. Echo places the feather in her upturned palm and stares at it.]
It was not exactly mine to possess. But, it was...
[What was it about talking about the first time she was happy that made her feel so uncomfortable? Heart pounding, face hot... Actually, it was fairly similar to what she went through when she was happy. But she's definitely not. Echo knows these things.
After the awkward pause, she finally looks at Altuis again. It's almost like she's only looking certain ways to avert her gaze from other things...]
[With that flustered response—or at least, it's flustered in terms of Echo's reactions—a knowing smile comes to his face and he places a hand on her shoulder.]
Well—it seems to be yours now. Would you like me to put it in your hair?
[Oh, this outing is turning out to be more entertaining than he expected. Bless you, Echo. He lifts his hands briefly in a placating gesture.]
Alright, alright. That's reserved for a special someone, then. [And for all he knows, it might be St. Bridget's Day! He certainly stepped out of January into October in this place.] But it does seem to suit you.
W-Well, it's not really reserved. I am not anticipating— [She doesn't even know how to talk about never speculating about herself in a romantic relationship, so she trails off and moves on.]
The symbolism behind the story of the festival is the what matters. That's why you should not just casually hand them out.
[Wait, it's finally dawned on her.]
Although St. Bridget's Day would not be until late next month by this calendar...
Consider me informed. It's an early summer occasion? I admit I haven't given much thought to holidays from separate worlds...
[Except for during Christmastime, when he found himself vaguely annoyed that no other winter holiday was apparently being acknowledged, out of all the possibilities?? But then he never takes vacations so—]
I have seen various festivities ever since I found myself in another world. Many of them seemed to be essentially the same in practice, however, even St. Bridget's Day. I also heard of one from some place that involved giving people compliments.
[Or she just misunderstood somebody's post in Trench, but what's done is done.]
This egg-based tradition is new to me.
[Which should have been obvious, but she states it anyway.]
Compliments. [Huh.] Sounds pleasant enough. But that is odd, given the number of holidays in various cultures on my own planet alone...
[Trapped in a world with people from other universes and he doesn't even get to enjoy different cultures? Honestly, this place continues being horrible.]
Where I'm from, this sort of thing is part of a celebration for a prominent religion's messiah. But more importantly than that—why don't we see what else we can find?
[He turns to look around as he says this. Perhaps closer to the town center...?]
[Her's had the unspecified religion with their saints/angels and at least one cult.]
A messiah with colored eggs... [Probably some chicken?] There are strange customs in every world, it seems.
Ah, y-yes. It did sound as though they expected us to find more than one. Where else might a child search?
[Instead of joining him in looking, though she looks at the hair clip in her hand again. Echo's not sure if she should try to put it in her hair or stow it in a safe place in her jacket.]
All culture is strange to those who aren't used to it.
[Though he looks about for a few seconds and considers mentioning a shed he can see a few yards away, Echo's lack of movement catches his eye and he turns back to her. After a moment:]
... There's nothing that says you can't put it on yourself, is there?
[Echo stiffens. She hadn't meant to be that obvious about how much she's still thinking about the feather.]
N-No, I suppose there isn't...
[Pointedly looking away from Altius, Echo slowly and gingerly places the clip in her hair. She's blushing, though she's really not sure why. Once it's fixed, she starts scanning the area as though this little diversion had never happened.]
[With a quiet chuckle he briefly puts a reassuring hand on her shoulder, then gestures towards the shed he saw, near a bit of old, abandoned fishing equipment. It seems like a good place for children to think secrets would be hiding.]
How about over here? I've heard people have picked up a few useful prizes out of these; tools, seeds, that sort of thing.
[If Echo wants to move on from the clip, he'll let it happen. That doesn't mean he's going to forget all this, though.]
[Of course he's not... Why does she manage to embarrass herself in front of people with good memories?
Echo nods and begins strolling in that direction.]
That would make this a less strange tradition. I cannot imagine a such a thing lasting if it involves searching for a hidden object only to receive something purely superfluous.
[Altius raises his eyebrows briefly at the sentiment, even though he himself is largely interested in the practical outcomes for the current situation.]
You'd be surprised, then. People need enjoyment and "superfluous" things in their lives, my dear. That's why festivals and holidays exist.
So I have been told, yes. I have yet to fully understand it, however. People will use such things to take advantage of others or to...engage in questionable activities. Or, perhaps someone does not know what they enjoy.
[That's a normal thing that happens, right?]
There must be something useful for anything to be sustainable.
Someone is always capable of learning. That's another part of it; you can't know what you like if you never take the opportunity to try.
[More to Echo's apparent perceptions, though...]
You might think of it as morale, if you'd find that easier to understand. When people only have hard work ahead of them and nothing nice to look forward to, it's difficult for them muster up the willpower to do more than they absolutely must, at best.
[Echo comes to a halt after he finishes his explanation. She's silent for a moment, and while her face is its more typical hard-to-read self, it's a safe bet that she's thinking about this carefully.]
That...is true. I was only meant to do what was required of me. But when I was forced into another situation, something became...different.
[She unconsciously runs her hand over the hair clip.]
[She didn't mean to be vague; she doesn't know how to explain it.]
That's right. By the end, I could act of my own free will even when it should not have been possible. I could not have done it alone, but I don't believe that changes its significance.
[There's a slight pause.]
Maybe I didn't consider it alongside unnecessary things due to its importance.
[Echo seems a bit surprised by the question, if only because she realized what she'd said to him. She still didn't always realize when she was saying something that might jump out to a person as being very strange. She closes her eyes to collect herself.]
Simply put, I was meant to be a temporary personality that acted solely according to the will of my creator. I only existed through its power, and was supposed to fade into nothingness when it was done with me.
[She takes a moment to decide what she can tell him without getting into the extremely complicated details he hadn't asked for.]
When that time came, I had support that allowed me to stand back up. And once I had destroyed it, I was able to linger in this body.
[Well, then... a mild look of surprise crosses his face, but it soon turns to something contemplative. Although "Altius" wouldn't know anything about these kinds of powers, it's not outside of the realm of possibility in his world, he would think. Either way, her explanation is reasonable enough that even the businessman alone could understand it... and its implications.
He wonders what happened to the non-temporary personality, but—that doesn't particularly matter at this point, does it? At least not in terms of what she's experiencing now.]
That explains a few things, [he eventually replies.] I'm glad you had that support. No one deserves to be used and discarded like that, regardless of origin.
[He's a hypocrite for saying so, but he nevertheless believes it.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
expiationmods) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
expiationlogs2025-04-13 10:48 pm
no subject
Something you're familiar with?
no subject
Echo look at Altius.]
This...was—
[Her eyes drift to the ground.]
It looks like something that was given to me by Lord Oz once. It is...strange to see it here.
no subject
[Hmm... Through his magic senses, it looks harmless—much like his own "gift" was.]
I wouldn't worry about the how of it. Is it something you're fond of?
no subject
It was not exactly mine to possess. But, it was...
[What was it about talking about the first time she was happy that made her feel so uncomfortable? Heart pounding, face hot... Actually, it was fairly similar to what she went through when she was happy. But she's definitely not. Echo knows these things.
After the awkward pause, she finally looks at Altuis again. It's almost like she's only looking certain ways to avert her gaze from other things...]
...n-not...bad.
no subject
Well—it seems to be yours now. Would you like me to put it in your hair?
no subject
N-no, you cannot! The...the blue feather. On St. Br-Bridget's Day— from a male to a female...i-it signifies—! L-lord Oz did not know...!
[That was still a pretty embarrassing part of it. She'd just been happy because it was the first time someone treated her like a person. That was all.
Echo's also forgotten that it's not actually St. Bridget's Day, even if it were celebrated here.]
no subject
[Oh, this outing is turning out to be more entertaining than he expected. Bless you, Echo. He lifts his hands briefly in a placating gesture.]
Alright, alright. That's reserved for a special someone, then. [And for all he knows, it might be St. Bridget's Day! He certainly stepped out of January into October in this place.] But it does seem to suit you.
no subject
The symbolism behind the story of the festival is the what matters. That's why you should not just casually hand them out.
[Wait, it's finally dawned on her.]
Although St. Bridget's Day would not be until late next month by this calendar...
no subject
[Except for during Christmastime, when he found himself vaguely annoyed that no other winter holiday was apparently being acknowledged, out of all the possibilities?? But then he never takes vacations so—]
no subject
[Or she just misunderstood somebody's post in Trench, but what's done is done.]
This egg-based tradition is new to me.
[Which should have been obvious, but she states it anyway.]
no subject
[Trapped in a world with people from other universes and he doesn't even get to enjoy different cultures? Honestly, this place continues being horrible.]
Where I'm from, this sort of thing is part of a celebration for a prominent religion's messiah. But more importantly than that—why don't we see what else we can find?
[He turns to look around as he says this. Perhaps closer to the town center...?]
no subject
A messiah with colored eggs... [Probably some chicken?] There are strange customs in every world, it seems.
Ah, y-yes. It did sound as though they expected us to find more than one. Where else might a child search?
[Instead of joining him in looking, though she looks at the hair clip in her hand again. Echo's not sure if she should try to put it in her hair or stow it in a safe place in her jacket.]
no subject
[Though he looks about for a few seconds and considers mentioning a shed he can see a few yards away, Echo's lack of movement catches his eye and he turns back to her. After a moment:]
... There's nothing that says you can't put it on yourself, is there?
no subject
N-No, I suppose there isn't...
[Pointedly looking away from Altius, Echo slowly and gingerly places the clip in her hair. She's blushing, though she's really not sure why. Once it's fixed, she starts scanning the area as though this little diversion had never happened.]
no subject
How about over here? I've heard people have picked up a few useful prizes out of these; tools, seeds, that sort of thing.
[If Echo wants to move on from the clip, he'll let it happen. That doesn't mean he's going to forget all this, though.]
no subject
Echo nods and begins strolling in that direction.]
That would make this a less strange tradition. I cannot imagine a such a thing lasting if it involves searching for a hidden object only to receive something purely superfluous.
no subject
You'd be surprised, then. People need enjoyment and "superfluous" things in their lives, my dear. That's why festivals and holidays exist.
no subject
So I have been told, yes. I have yet to fully understand it, however. People will use such things to take advantage of others or to...engage in questionable activities. Or, perhaps someone does not know what they enjoy.
[That's a normal thing that happens, right?]
There must be something useful for anything to be sustainable.
no subject
He shakes his head at her conclusion.]
Someone is always capable of learning. That's another part of it; you can't know what you like if you never take the opportunity to try.
[More to Echo's apparent perceptions, though...]
You might think of it as morale, if you'd find that easier to understand. When people only have hard work ahead of them and nothing nice to look forward to, it's difficult for them muster up the willpower to do more than they absolutely must, at best.
no subject
That...is true. I was only meant to do what was required of me. But when I was forced into another situation, something became...different.
[She unconsciously runs her hand over the hair clip.]
no subject
A good different, hm?
[How poorly was this girl treated...? Oh, if only he could reach into other worlds.]
A different where you get to decide what you're "meant" to do. With the occasional advice, perhaps.
no subject
That's right. By the end, I could act of my own free will even when it should not have been possible. I could not have done it alone, but I don't believe that changes its significance.
[There's a slight pause.]
Maybe I didn't consider it alongside unnecessary things due to its importance.
no subject
If you don't mind my asking... what do you mean by shouldn't have been possible?
no subject
Simply put, I was meant to be a temporary personality that acted solely according to the will of my creator. I only existed through its power, and was supposed to fade into nothingness when it was done with me.
[She takes a moment to decide what she can tell him without getting into the extremely complicated details he hadn't asked for.]
When that time came, I had support that allowed me to stand back up. And once I had destroyed it, I was able to linger in this body.
no subject
He wonders what happened to the non-temporary personality, but—that doesn't particularly matter at this point, does it? At least not in terms of what she's experiencing now.]
That explains a few things, [he eventually replies.] I'm glad you had that support. No one deserves to be used and discarded like that, regardless of origin.
[He's a hypocrite for saying so, but he nevertheless believes it.]
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)