![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
[When Luna enters the pool, she finds that it's...empty? No, wait, there's a red and gold figure lounging backward from the top of the water slide, peering idly her way. Or, maybe it's idle? Hard to tell with that expressionless mask.]
You didn't even bring me anything?
You didn't even bring me anything?
[Good thing she's used to expressionless masks. These things happen when robots lose their outer shell; so she's perfectly comfortable peering up and up and up.]
Oh, yes. Indulgence, is it? Would you like me to indulge you?
[It's not as though she has many possessions as of yet, and it seems odd to bring the gods offerings from their own structure. All the same, she can see where offerings might be had, from what she's seen of the place. For now, she gently raises the little blue bouquet she has. It's down to a few flowers, but they're still just as perfect and dewy as they were the moment she arrived.
For now.]
Oh, yes. Indulgence, is it? Would you like me to indulge you?
[It's not as though she has many possessions as of yet, and it seems odd to bring the gods offerings from their own structure. All the same, she can see where offerings might be had, from what she's seen of the place. For now, she gently raises the little blue bouquet she has. It's down to a few flowers, but they're still just as perfect and dewy as they were the moment she arrived.
For now.]
Always, dollface.
[Indulgence hooks an arm around the railing leading up to the top of the slide, and in a dramatic whooshing of fabric swings their way down. When the god's toes bounce against the tiled floor, they jaunt their way over, plucking one of the flowers from the bouquet and twirling it between two fingers.]
Cute. Quaint. Annnnnd now you want something from me. That's how these things go, after all.
[Indulgence hooks an arm around the railing leading up to the top of the slide, and in a dramatic whooshing of fabric swings their way down. When the god's toes bounce against the tiled floor, they jaunt their way over, plucking one of the flowers from the bouquet and twirling it between two fingers.]
Cute. Quaint. Annnnnd now you want something from me. That's how these things go, after all.
[Dollface is an excellent moniker for her, really.
Once Indulgence comes sweeping down in fabric and flamboyance, Luna gently dips her head a little in acknowledgement as they pick from her bouquet. She doesn't seem particularly bothered that it's getting smaller and smaller.
That's what bouquets are for.]
If there's anything else you prefer, just let me know.
[She's already learning a lot, out from her little bowl lake of a home. Dealing with other beings somewhere on or above her level is interesting.]
I just wanted to meet the one I offered my allegiance to, and understand this place a little better.
Once Indulgence comes sweeping down in fabric and flamboyance, Luna gently dips her head a little in acknowledgement as they pick from her bouquet. She doesn't seem particularly bothered that it's getting smaller and smaller.
That's what bouquets are for.]
If there's anything else you prefer, just let me know.
[She's already learning a lot, out from her little bowl lake of a home. Dealing with other beings somewhere on or above her level is interesting.]
I just wanted to meet the one I offered my allegiance to, and understand this place a little better.
Anything that makes you think, rich, powerful, handsome, charming, and totally groovy...that's basically what makes me tick.
[You know. Luxurious things. Good...good luck, Luna.]
Temple, bunch of gods, what's not to understand? Everyone wants that big shiny seat at the top of the leader board, but the fact to be faced is that it's always been mine by design. With your help, I'll get my rightful place as supreme ruler, etcetera etcetera, aaaaand then it's back to being my bad, beautiful self! This whole...
[The god makes a groaning noise before hooking their fingers in air quotations.]
warring gods thing is really putting a cramp in my style. You dig?
[You know. Luxurious things. Good...good luck, Luna.]
Temple, bunch of gods, what's not to understand? Everyone wants that big shiny seat at the top of the leader board, but the fact to be faced is that it's always been mine by design. With your help, I'll get my rightful place as supreme ruler, etcetera etcetera, aaaaand then it's back to being my bad, beautiful self! This whole...
[The god makes a groaning noise before hooking their fingers in air quotations.]
warring gods thing is really putting a cramp in my style. You dig?
Something fitting for someone like you, then. I will keep that in mind.
[Of course that's going to be a little more difficult with her skillset, but not necessarily impossible. There are many, many talented people here, and quite a lot of resources. It's not at all new to her to indulge those she works with, after all. It's just that normally they ask for something more personal.
She waits patiently through the grandiose proclamations and the dramatic groaning, nodding quietly.]
It's difficult to be indulgent in times of war, isn't it? It is something I know well. But there was something more specific about this place that I wanted to question. About myself. [she gestures down at her all of her] Something changed in me when I came here. I want to confirm the nature of the change, and its reason.
[Of course that's going to be a little more difficult with her skillset, but not necessarily impossible. There are many, many talented people here, and quite a lot of resources. It's not at all new to her to indulge those she works with, after all. It's just that normally they ask for something more personal.
She waits patiently through the grandiose proclamations and the dramatic groaning, nodding quietly.]
It's difficult to be indulgent in times of war, isn't it? It is something I know well. But there was something more specific about this place that I wanted to question. About myself. [she gestures down at her all of her] Something changed in me when I came here. I want to confirm the nature of the change, and its reason.
I am able to sense when something in me has changed -- that is a part of my makeup. It's not always possible for me to confirm or analyze the full nature of the change myself. But I've felt this sort of change before.
A fundamental change in what I am. I need more information.
[She seems slightly less relaxed about this, curling an arm around her midsection and directing a steady stare at the god.
There's a lot she'll put up with, and a lot that she can deal with, but as for this matter...]
You may know, but my blood and my being are special. I also noticed that most of my existing skills aren't listed on my statue. What can you tell me?
A fundamental change in what I am. I need more information.
[She seems slightly less relaxed about this, curling an arm around her midsection and directing a steady stare at the god.
There's a lot she'll put up with, and a lot that she can deal with, but as for this matter...]
You may know, but my blood and my being are special. I also noticed that most of my existing skills aren't listed on my statue. What can you tell me?
[She seems to relax slightly, her fingers digging less into her arm, but there's still a certain unhappy tightness in her expression. Being changed without her knowledge isn't a good time, y'all.]
An even playing field... Yes, I suppose I can see why the change had to be made, even if I'm not sure I would be playing if I had known. The presence of death is... something I don't want to tolerate.
[But then, her particular definition of death is interesting. It's still something that the world requires, and much as she's going against the whole world, she's also somehow pragmatic enough to recognize its constraints while they exist.
That is partly why she's here.]
So, what you're saying is that all skills that aren't listed on my statue are temporarily out of the scope of this game. Correct?
An even playing field... Yes, I suppose I can see why the change had to be made, even if I'm not sure I would be playing if I had known. The presence of death is... something I don't want to tolerate.
[But then, her particular definition of death is interesting. It's still something that the world requires, and much as she's going against the whole world, she's also somehow pragmatic enough to recognize its constraints while they exist.
That is partly why she's here.]
So, what you're saying is that all skills that aren't listed on my statue are temporarily out of the scope of this game. Correct?
I'm sure there are those who would enjoy the challenge.
[She's tucking herself back together, all her jagged edges and pieces in a slow-motion furling. She manages something of a smile, thinking of all those who do take such mortality as a challenge, always and at every hour.
Mortality and robots had been strangers for so long where she came from.]
I will see what I can do. [if not to enjoy it, then to live (haha) with it, sure; perhaps even to use it to her advantage] As for the borrowed skillset...
[Do they actually know what their skillset is.]
[She's tucking herself back together, all her jagged edges and pieces in a slow-motion furling. She manages something of a smile, thinking of all those who do take such mortality as a challenge, always and at every hour.
Mortality and robots had been strangers for so long where she came from.]
I will see what I can do. [if not to enjoy it, then to live (haha) with it, sure; perhaps even to use it to her advantage] As for the borrowed skillset...
[Do they actually know what their skillset is.]
Aaaaand you don't consider yourselves one of those people?
[Indulgence laughs.]
Hey! You chose me, didn't you? Learn to live a little! Hell, I'll even help. Stick with me, and you'll never have a dull moment for the rest of your life.
[He waves a careless hand.]
Yeah, powers on the alter walls? Whichever one you want, its yours starting Monday when the broad with the yin-yang getup announces the tally.
[Indulgence laughs.]
Hey! You chose me, didn't you? Learn to live a little! Hell, I'll even help. Stick with me, and you'll never have a dull moment for the rest of your life.
[He waves a careless hand.]
Yeah, powers on the alter walls? Whichever one you want, its yours starting Monday when the broad with the yin-yang getup announces the tally.
I did choose you, and for good reason -- I'd rather not have dull moments in my life, it is already long enough.
[Long enough to really find better ways of doing things, she means, though she really would like to get rid of the dull things as fast and as cleanly as possible. Like cauterizing a wound or slicing off a gangrenous limb.
Anyway.]
I assume you mean Patience. These are such curious powers. I think I would prefer one that allows me to gather information, even as I work to interfere with my opponents.
[Time to become a reverse Disney princess.]
[Long enough to really find better ways of doing things, she means, though she really would like to get rid of the dull things as fast and as cleanly as possible. Like cauterizing a wound or slicing off a gangrenous limb.
Anyway.]
I assume you mean Patience. These are such curious powers. I think I would prefer one that allows me to gather information, even as I work to interfere with my opponents.
[Time to become a reverse Disney princess.]
I did.
[She stops and gives a small nod -- this is their second meeting, but today of all days she doesn't feel the need to stand on ceremony. Certainly, a great deal has happened this weekend and she's here to sort it out.]
It was Piety, I think, who advised us to talk to our patrons, but I had some more questions for you regardless. I'm sure you're all very busy in the wake of the trial.
But I feel as though these tasks, as well as their relation to all of you, will be something important for us all to understand going forward.
[She stops and gives a small nod -- this is their second meeting, but today of all days she doesn't feel the need to stand on ceremony. Certainly, a great deal has happened this weekend and she's here to sort it out.]
It was Piety, I think, who advised us to talk to our patrons, but I had some more questions for you regardless. I'm sure you're all very busy in the wake of the trial.
But I feel as though these tasks, as well as their relation to all of you, will be something important for us all to understand going forward.
[Indulgence could possibly be considered busy if he wasn't so damn self-important. But he rolls over to face her, absolutely not posing at all like a french girl.]
Piety-schmiety. I have all the time in the world for my devout following, so ask away while the asking is hot.
Piety-schmiety. I have all the time in the world for my devout following, so ask away while the asking is hot.
[There's the briefest of smiles, darting across the conversation like a small, cold fish -- there and gone again like a shadow.
Maybe it's at his words. Maybe it's at the posing. She hasn't decided yet, what exactly she thinks of her funny and fickle god.
That's a little of why she's here, after all.]
All right. What did you think of the trial itself? Are you satisfied with the conclusion?
Maybe it's at his words. Maybe it's at the posing. She hasn't decided yet, what exactly she thinks of her funny and fickle god.
That's a little of why she's here, after all.]
All right. What did you think of the trial itself? Are you satisfied with the conclusion?
Edited 2019-03-01 10:22 (UTC)
Well, I didn't--we didn't do anything, and didn't get thrown under the bus, so I'd call that a pretty happy ending, wouldn't you?
[He laughs, stretching his arms over his head.]
'Course, floating by isn't going to be good enough forever. Not in our best interests.
[He laughs, stretching his arms over his head.]
'Course, floating by isn't going to be good enough forever. Not in our best interests.
A pity. I am very good at floating by.
[At least she's self-aware.]
But no, one does not win a competition simply by playing the bystander. All the same, many of us are still learning the details of this particular contest. Rules and guidelines only take you so far.
For example: what are the types of tasks that we would usually carry out? I imagine it isn't always murder.
[At least she's self-aware.]
But no, one does not win a competition simply by playing the bystander. All the same, many of us are still learning the details of this particular contest. Rules and guidelines only take you so far.
For example: what are the types of tasks that we would usually carry out? I imagine it isn't always murder.
'Course not! I'm not a dictator.
[Allegedly.]
Figure out the alignments of others, sway people to my favor. Or, if you can't sell me specifically, convince people to defect away from popular teams. Right now, Love and Sincerity are practically uncontested, but there are still a handful of others who can't hold a candle to us, either. Even if members of those two teams are reasoned into joining a god with only two followers, that brings us into an easy lead.
[Allegedly.]
Figure out the alignments of others, sway people to my favor. Or, if you can't sell me specifically, convince people to defect away from popular teams. Right now, Love and Sincerity are practically uncontested, but there are still a handful of others who can't hold a candle to us, either. Even if members of those two teams are reasoned into joining a god with only two followers, that brings us into an easy lead.
[Somehow it seems natural to find Justice here, even if this is the first time she's seen them in this context. Luna pauses to observe the little dogs before coming closer to perch on the table next to them.
She tends to sit wherever it strikes her fancy here. There's little rhyme or reason to the way the science types use the space, so she's as likely to be in the way in a space meant for sitting as not. Justice gets a brief smile.]
It seemed fitting. I thought you might like to spend time with more rabbits.
[The right now goes unsaid.]
She tends to sit wherever it strikes her fancy here. There's little rhyme or reason to the way the science types use the space, so she's as likely to be in the way in a space meant for sitting as not. Justice gets a brief smile.]
It seemed fitting. I thought you might like to spend time with more rabbits.
[The right now goes unsaid.]
It is not only dictators who murder, I'm afraid.
[She doesn't seem otherwise put off by the mention of dictators. These things happen more often than you think.]
But -- I see, it is something like what I was thinking. Cutting down on numbers through brute force may be efficient, but I don't believe it's the best overall strategy for the long term. The most important thing is influence, after all, not just mathematics.
However, there's another omission I'm curious about. How is it that the followers of each god aren't aware of each other?
[She doesn't seem otherwise put off by the mention of dictators. These things happen more often than you think.]
But -- I see, it is something like what I was thinking. Cutting down on numbers through brute force may be efficient, but I don't believe it's the best overall strategy for the long term. The most important thing is influence, after all, not just mathematics.
However, there's another omission I'm curious about. How is it that the followers of each god aren't aware of each other?
Page 1 of 8