GODLY AUDIENCES: RAY

[divus]

Comments

Week 1, Wednesday

[divus]

[Well that was fast. When Ray enters the parlor, he'll find a fairly tall masked figure seated in a high-back chair, right leg crossed over the left at the knee and holding the rose between their fingers. Twirling it by the stem, they cant their head to gesture toward Ray.]

Welcome, Ray-kun. Care to join me? [Mostly because there's a spread with tea, desserts, and little snacks on a table in front of them.]

[selfimmolates]

[thank god he didn't get cursed again]

... I can see why you get along with Senri.

[but unlike with senri, ray will join them without a fuss (namely because senri is safer to clash with than a god...).]

[divus]

[There's a cheery little laugh at that even as Ray settles in. Please help yourself, the mask is stuck to their face just like the other gods.]

Did that influence your decision to come here today?

[selfimmolates]

[THEN WHY DO YOU HAVE THE FOOD HERE.]

I was originally planning on waiting until next week when the new rule ends, so that I could decide on an offering, but since Senri said that the rose would work...

[read: he was afraid of getting cursed especially since he heard beauty gets insulted easily??]

[divus]

[BECAUSE BEAUTY WANTS TO BE GRACIOUS!!!]

He's correct. I asked him to help me reach out to people this week considering the circumstances. [They sound pleasant enough at least, so no cursing today.]

How are you doing? [So far with this week, in general, both. They don't clarify.]

[selfimmolates]

[well, he still has glitter and feathers on him, so that's already telling. dang it, disorder.]

Fine. It's nice to eat a proper meal for the first time in a while.

[divus]

[The glitter's a nice touch. ]

I hope everything is to your liking. We try to keep everything in stock, but if you have suggestions perhaps arrangements can be made.

[selfimmolates]

I'm good for now. You're probably better off asking someone else that.

[divus]

I suppose I will. [They move again, hand propping up their head. ]

So you had your own motivations in mind before coming here. May I ask what they are?

[selfimmolates]

Well, I've already heard a bit about you, but I wanted to hear it from yourself. What's your stance on murder and what kind of world do you want to bring forth—if you don't mind answering?

[divus]

[They aren't at all surprised by the question and seem to have an answer prepared.]

I'd rather avoid murder as an option. If the first instinct is to harm another person in order to ensure their own survival when there's another option, that's cowardly intent. There's nothing brave or noble about taking that route.

[They know it's a two-part question, but they're waiting for Ray in case he wants to grill them on that.]

[selfimmolates]

[he nods.]

Senri said something like that. Then, what would you do if one of your followers did take that route?

[divus]

[...]

I would take full responsibility since that would mean that I've failed them.

[selfimmolates]

[he raises an eyebrow.]

That's an interesting answer.

[he was kind of expecting another "well, guess i'll just live with it."]

[divus]

Is it? [They can't deny that, but it's an invitation for Ray to explain why he finds it interesting.]

[selfimmolates]

Why would you have failed them? And what does taking responsibility mean in this context?

[divus]

I believe that should anyone under my leadership commit such a crime it would simply be because they truly felt there wasn't any other option. And if they felt that, it means I didn't reach them in a way that they felt they had another choice. Naturally I would be disappointed in them, but moreso in myself.

[...] As to the rest, I cannot say yet. But I believe you'll see soon enough.

[selfimmolates]

[ray has, like, no reference for leaders other than his fellow 12-year-old sibling, so he has no idea if this is a good or bad quality to have just yet, but.]

... Ominous, thanks.

[divus]

I wish I could tell you, but I'm sure you know by now that we're under divine oath as well. [They sound regretful at least, and a hand comes up to touch the edge of their mask.] The same oath that's bound us to these temporarily. But you're rather bright. You'll understand what I mean soon enough.

[selfimmolates]

[that's not helping the ominousness at all.]

All right. Then, the second question...?

[divus]

Ah, yes, the world. [Well. Ray's probably going to hate this.]

As for the world...a world where those in it can break free of chains they've been tied to due to their birth right or circumstance. I'd like to see a world where people can pursue their dreams and their goals, where hard work is acknowledged as much as positions of power. [Hm.] ...the world doesn't have to be filled with people who are independent and alone. If I can create a world where even one person can find another and help them expand their world and experience new things? I'll be satisfied.

[selfimmolates]

[oh god this is too soft for him]

... I see. [mentally puts this next to piety's veiled criticism of beauty being naive. yeah.] I'm assuming you'd hate it too if someone like Ruin won.

[divus]

You can't tell me you'd be satisfied if they did. [Also yes Beauty is soft, sorry. However:] They say that there's still beauty in tragedy. True, or false?

[They're also not giving any tells to which they believe yet.]

[selfimmolates]

[...]

Tragedy is just tragedy. It's a pretty story only when it's not happening to you.

[in his eyes, there's nothing beautiful about what he and family have gone through—a tragedy of its own in the making, but one he's determined to rewrite.]

[divus]

Then you have my answer about Ruin's end. [Hell no.]