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[ Moving about the city, it's easy to get lost in the entirety of it. Faces kind of blurred together, that's normal in a large city, wasn't it? People weren't really recognizable, but he'd always been used to walking through a city's streets with full knowledge of any that were of particular import. Sure, he might not know them all, but he knew enough. Stygia -- being not the city he had been born in and died in -- was different. From the docks, further into Mirth, it was all a blur of unrecognizable faces. That wasn't new.

He doesn't even notice it, walking through his usual routine through the day, when someone tried to get his attention -- one of the younger types who'd he'd paid a few times for information. He'd seen someone wave to him, in the corner of his eye, but he hadn't even comprehended that it had been for him -- thought it was for someone past him -- but it happened again. Someone tried to meet his eye in the markets, and another when he'd been smoking in an alley.

To shake it off, he'd headed into one of the bars in Mirth, and ordered a drink, surly as he stared at the glass, a single eyebrow knitted in consternation, even though he couldn't put it together. Why were strangers waving to him. Was it something on his face -- other than... everything he already had? -- or something else? ]

[ Casual as anything, Jinx drops into the seat beside Silco and lifts her legs to rest her chin against her knees. She steals a straw from behind the bar and starts chewing on one end. When she speaks, it pokes out from the corner of her mouth like one of Silco's cigars. ]

I made a new prototype today. Submarine bomb. It sinks into the water before it explodes. I'm not sure yet if it'll kill the fish or just stun them but either way they'll be easier to catch.

[ The sensation has been happening all day. Seeing people that didn't seem to be all that familiar, despite the feeling that they were... someone he should know. The bartender had been like that too, although it was faint. Like swimming in a sea of vague familiarity, and Silco had kept the most of it to himself, because he could stumble through conversations easily enough, pretending that he knew who someone was. He could even use context, to fiddle out why some had approached.

Nothing had felt like this.

It's an overwhelming sensation, that felt like his brain had overcooked, like he was working into overdrive, because he knew that he knew this person. More than anyone he'd met in this place so far, more than any other face, he was struck like it was a board to his head. He should know this person.

So then why did their face look completely unfamiliar? Why could he not connect a face to the name?

It took him a moment, of odd searching, his eyes danced, trying to figure it out, before he looked back down at his drink, if just to get overwhelming sense of familiarity to stop. ]

Did you?

[ He asked, not really understanding if this was a good thing, or a bad thing. ] Are you trying to become a fisher?

[ He could play this off. Surely...? ]

[ A crease etches itself between Jinx's eyebrows. She looks back at Silco curiously, tilting her head from side to side. The straw bobs up and down, anchored between her bite. It was a weird question but maybe he simply didn't connect the dots. ] What? No. Just trying to make some coin without dying from boredom. Which is what would happen if I had to stand there with a stick and string.

Fair enough.

[ It's said, and there's a grunt of Silco's usual acknowledgement, but...

Is she talking to him because she knows him? He can assume so, given the way she seems familiar, but the reminder slipped through his fingers like sand. It's frustrating, and he ran a hand through his hair, as if that would jog his memory.

It doesn't ]

I thought the whole fishing "job" sounded rather demeaning, personally. I suppose, though a bomb would do the trick.

[ Nice. Perfect. See? He can do this. ]

[ It's because of Silco that Jinx has never had to work the sorts of demeaning jobs that most people in the undercity need to get by. He taught her that she deserved better, like all the people of Zaun. He gave her the support and resources to become something more. She had hoped he would be pleased to see her devising a way around the most demeaning parts of the job, and his words do say as much.

But that doesn't distract her from what his body language says; running a hand through his hair is usually reserved for tenser moments than this. She cocks her head curiously. ] What's got you all stressed?

[ Silco's hand paused, still held into his hair, before his head tipped towards this strange -- but so familiar -- girl.

Yes, Silco ran his hand through his hair only when he was stressed, or frustrated -- but how did she know that? It wasn't like he let anyone in, except for --

-- his mind slid right over the thought, that eerie, overwhelming sense of familiarity took hold again. He'd only noticed the feeling this morning, but...

Was this a part of being dead? His lips tightened, as he considered his words, but without knowing the significance of what he was saying, he said: ]

People I don't recognize keep talking to me. I'm not used to being so popular with strangers.

[ Jinx doesn't miss the implication. She would understand him making that gesture if it were anyone else speaking to him, but not her.

She yanks the straw from her mouth and points the bitten end at his face. Her heart pounds against her chest as if she already knows the answer. ]

You remember me, though. Right?

[ Hm.

Silco paused, because that overwhelming sense of familiarity is bordering on a headache now. The more he tried to make the connection, tried to force himself to understand what was going on, who this was...

He couldn't. It's like sand through his fingers. ]

I know I should.

[ He said. And raised a finger to rub at his temple. Who would even talk to him so familiarly? His mind is a jumble of familiar shapes but he can't bring their faces or names to mind, even when he tries. ]

There aren't many people who I look at and I know I should know, but you are one of them.

[ He knew who this was -- or he should? -- Why can't he place her face? ]

[ Oh.

Jinx doesn't know what's worse: that Silco claims not to know her or that he lied and tried to pretend he did. He let her go on like an oblivious fool. She jumps out of her seat and onto the bar, shoves into his personal space and clutches a hand tightly around his jaw. From her perch on the bar, she has the advantage of staring down at him, and she looks directly into his good eye for any sign of recognition. ]

Is this a joke? It's not funny, but I'll forgive you if it's just a joke.

[ Please let it be a bad joke. ]

Do I seem like the type to joke?

[ He asked, as if she already didn't know. He wished he'd had an answer that helped, or an insight into why this was happening. He had no idea, other than the fact that he couldn't remember anyone, no matter how hard he tried. No matter what he did, or how long he stared, he couldn't remember.

He reached up, to take her wrist -- he didn't know why he did it -- but he didn't tug her away. ]

I can't recognize anybody. I pride myself on knowing everyone and everything, do you think I'd joke about something this serious?

[ Did he look a little manic? He felt manic, certainly. A touch panicked. Why had he even said that much? ]

[ No, Silco doesn't joke, and he especially wouldn't joke about something like this. Not with her. But that was her last bit of hope, evaporated now as reality sinks in like a punch to the gut. He really doesn't remember her.

Jinx feels her eyes welling with tears and it makes her want to scream. Stupid, childish, crybaby— there's that voice again, the one that only started speaking out since she got here and pounces in her moments of weakness. ]

But I'm your daughter. [ She says in a small, pathetic voice, as if all he needs is a reminder. ]

[ It's like water over sand. Every time he tries to put it together, he can't. There's this overwhelming feeling, like static in his head, the all-too loud noise of rushing waves. No matter what he does, he can't put it together. There's a part of him, tiny, that's screaming that this person -- above all else -- should be known, but he can't put it together.

It's infuriating, and there's a moment where his hand clutched tight, like he's trying to force the memory, to try and put it together, even if it doesn't come.

She says the words, and he hears them? But it's like...static. Like the word itself is... gone? He hears it, of course he does, but the word doesn't connect.

What's wrong with him? ]

My --?

[ What? Why did this girl sound so... upset? Why did he feel upset by that? Why did that same overwhelming sense that this person was important? ]

I've upset you. [ He says. Yeah Silco, no shit. That sense that he knows her returned, and it's like a high-pitched whine -- the sound after a bomb goes off, where senses are at maximum capacity and overtaxed. His fingers shook, trying to place her. She was his --? What? ]

If I could fix this, I would. I don't even know how this happened.

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hexgem - 2022-12-07 16:59 (UTC) - Expand

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zauneyete - 2022-12-07 22:20 (UTC) - Expand

Ah.

[ Ares draws the word out as he takes his seat next to the scarred man. He settles into the seat and muses over how he will pay for his drinks. Turning his hand over, he stares down at his palm and think before taking in his accidental companion. ]

The best reason to drink is in celebration of a proper victory had, don't you think? [ In fact, he is thinking of having the bar experience that joy by filling the space up with malice. He isn't certain what his power will allow, but he longs for bloodshed even in this deathless place.

But he stops -- not out of any goodness in his heart, but to analyze the person sitting next to him.

Pinching his chin, he analyzes him -- there is something there; perhaps, it is the scarred face or the manner in which the man carries himself, but it is enough to give him pause. ] Wait, are you one of mine?

[ Silco has, in front of him, his usual glass of whiskey. An unfamiliar voice -- truly unfamiliar drew his glance up. It didn't come with the usual sting of overwhelming unfamiliarity, the kind of thing that felt almost close to face blindness, the way he hadn't been able to recognize them. This person was truly new.

He almost breathed a sigh of relief, but caught himself, when the man continued to speak.

One eye narrowed, and he tipped his head, curious in the way he worded it. He certainly hadn't agreed to anything. Why would he belong to someone? ]

I don't remember agreeing to belong to anyone, but my memory is a bit...sparse these days. [ His smile is tight, his hands spread, palms up. ] Perhaps you could... enlighten me on what you mean?

That is unfortunate to hear, and I shall hope it is not an ailment I will suffer.

[ There is a dismissive tone about lacking in memories. It comes from being uncertain if the man is being serious or not. So, he airs on the side of caution and decides to treat it as a joke -- even if it is not. ]

But you ask me what I mean... in all places, in all realms, there is war. [ A laugh follows. ] Strife, hatred, jealousy... all the things that some would say that make men no better than beasts; I say that it shapes them into something greater than what they could ever hope to be if they lived in peace and prosperity.

[ Ares smiles. ] I am the god that rules the realm of battle and destruction. Though, there are some that have guided more to the realm of the dead than I can hope to ever send... I still am quite pleased with the lot I have slain.

[ An appreciative stare. ] You have the feeling of one that has seen war and so... I must ask again, are you one of mine?

[ Silco listened to the way he described it. He had never been one for the fight, for war, not like others in his life had been. He was a man of numbers, logistics, and words.

That did not, however, mean that he did not understand or use bloodlust to his own devices. He had prepped to wage war on the very city that subjugated him. He had let shimmer run in his streets as thick as blood, and built monsters from what he'd produced. He'd drowned them in it, and made them fear what they could do.

So no, Silco didn't need to fight, to understand that. Understand what war was, or what it could do. He used war, and therefore, perhaps this man recognized something like that in him. His lip curled, slightly. ]

I don't know if I am one to fight in such things, but... I understand it. I have changed men into something greater and more terrifying than mere humans, and made my enemies tremble so much, they were willing to give me what they wanted, just to keep me from marching on them.

[ If only he would have given up one thing. Which he wouldn't have done. ] I had planned on razing them to the ground.

So I suppose, you could say I am, in a way.

[ Good thing he's met other gods of a sort by now, or else this would be an awkward conversation about how he was an atheist. ]

[ His head cants to the side; the word 'disappointing' is present, but it is not in a cruel or dismissive fashion. It is more like someone who has partaken in something truly delicious and sad to hear their companion hasn't tried it themselves.

But his eyes soon shine with excitement and approval. It is always nice to hear of the ways that walls are being built up and torn down by men. The inevitability of destruction is a topic that he could drown himself on for days.

His fingers interlace, and he rests his chin on top of his knuckles, thoroughly invested in the story of conquest. Because it does sound as though it would have been a blood and violent affair. ]

Shame that you were not able to do so, my friend. From what you say, it would have been a truly spectacular sight to behold. But that is all right; you have told me a wonderful tale already of death and destruction. [ His chin still propped on his hands; he points to him. ] I can only hope you are able to fell some whilst you are here.

But most importantly, if you say you are, then you are. I, Ares, welcome you.

[ Silco's lips curled in a half-smile. He certainly wasn't this man's friend -- just because he was dead didn't mean that he had lost everything that he was -- but he didn't correct him, either. He only tipped his head, in acknowledgement. Because he said something that Silco felt deep in him -- something that was a part of the man as much as the scar, the eye, and everything else about him. ]

I can assure you, it would have been quite the war.

[ He'd dreamed of it plenty of times. Of razing Piltover from below in the fissures, letting his men drink shimmer until they'd had their fill, and then march across that damnable bridge, and across the river, to the gleaming towers and high spires. To burn the academy, their precious knowledge, their seat of power. He wanted to watch them cry, scream, and run the other direction. He wanted to watch them fall for their folly, and he wanted them to know that it had been their overreach that had done it.

Of course, that wouldn't happen, and Silco had no way to tell if it would, given... well.

His untimely death. ]

If I have the opportunity, I can assure you, I'll make plenty of...disruption. I intend to do so, when I have the resources.

[ Upset the hierarchy, mostly. ]

It's a pleasure to meet you. [ He said, with a tip of his glass. ]

Ah, it is always sad to hear that war did not take place.

[ He can't help but click his tongue. The sound not necessarily directed at the man to his side, since it seems the two of them are of like minds. Both of them desire to see blood run in the streets -- just the reasons for why differ between them. ]

I have had to, unfortunately, back down from time to time. It is never an experience that I find particularly enjoyable. [ Indeed, he takes a moment to sympathize with his companion's plight. His head bows slightly; he attempts to share a look of dismay. ] There are some things that can only be changed with piles of bodies, but what do I know? [ He opens his hands in surrender at his rhetorical question.

And then he pauses. ]

Resources. Meaning tools and power, yes?

[ The greeting -- comment of being a pleasure to meet him -- is met with a smile, but then he has been smiling for most of the conversation save just that moment before. ]

[ This Ares of War is astute enough, that he understands how such things happen. That Silco's war didn't happen is not something he wants to speak on, of course. That he would never see the war that Zaun had been prepped to take on is even worse, but... he hoped that it wouldn't matter -- but since Jinx was here, who knew? ]

Yes, precisely. Such things take time, of course. I do not think I'll have a lifetime to acquire the sort of power and influence I once had, but I do not doubt that I will get as much as I need, with time.

[ He had his sights, after all, on becoming a thorn in the Hierarchy's side. ]

It's a process.

So it is.

[ Yet another nod follows before he holds out his hand, palm up. ]

I do enjoy helping these sort of processes along. [ His fingers curl as he muses on this point to himself. Silco does not seem to be a demigod so will only be able to accept one boon from him -- pity. He would have liked to see what he did with it all.

There is so much potential just in the way the man speaks. He has heard many a general, a king, and so forth speak; they all gave such good promises buried deep within what they said and how they acted.

Ah, well. A little is better than none at all. ]

So, to that end, I shall bestow upon you some of my power -- with the only promise you must give to me being that I shall see you make your enemies bleed with it.

[ It's almost a surprise.

Silco hadn't been expecting it, and his head tipped, almost in curiosity. It's the sort of thing that would have happened in books with flights of fancy, or something unattainable by "dirty little things" like them in Zaun. He almost thought it a joke -- perhaps a hurtful sort of thing -- something that would leave him feelings like he was promised something, only to tug it away. Not unlike the promise of a free Zaun, before they asked for him to give up that which he could not -- would not. The nebulous thought skittered across his mind, but for the life of him, the fact that he could not remember the face of his daughter in that moment was like sand through his fingers -- like it wasn't unusual that he couldn't in that moment.

He instead focused on the here, and the now. This unusual creature -- god? -- and the offer of power.

And oh, Silco had never once said no to power. After all, if he is given the opportunity, how could he do anything but take it? Especially in a place like this, with such power necessary? ]

I make my enemies bleed regardless. It's not a steep request. [ He said, but there's a note of amusement, there. ] Is it really just enjoyment, of the fight, that you get?

Ah--

[ His hand lifts as he appears that he is about to spout of what exactly is the reason for why he enjoys blood so much, but he abruptly stops.

Instead, his expression hardens as he sneers and loses the pleased expression that he has been sporting through most of the conversation that he has had with Silco. The warm appreciation that he has had toward the man's ambition and desire for bloodshed are gone. ]

-- no. There will be no more bloodshed.

[ There is a firmness in his voice as he seems to not be talking to the man in front of him -- not quite. ]

War has lost its power in coming here. Peace has a chance to exist without anything disrupting it. To bring about such malice and wanton destruction, it would besmirch the name of the gods that I call my kin.

[ He shakes his head once; his hair whipping back and forth in denial. ]

I do not care for blood and death. I will not see anymore spilled and sorry for have gotten your hopes up.

[ Silco blinked a single eye -- his mouth open.

Hm.

Well, he would say that was weird, but hadn't he been dealing with his own...out of control statements, things that he never would have said? His own admittance, secrets, and little nuances that he kept hidden -- suddenly out in the open? He'd been seeking a resolution, although it seemed as if the only option were the soul mates that the Hierarchy had promised, but Silco still didn't believe in.

His lip twitched. ]

Right, well, I was going to do it anyway, so...

[ He shrugged. ]

You change your mind, I'm sure I'll be around plenty.

[ Just in case it was the shadow. Silco was used to having the rug pulled out from under him, though. ]

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criesofhavoc - 2022-11-27 08:43 (UTC) - Expand

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Ⅱ - Stygia - During the Full Moons

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