Death Just Needs A Little Conversation [Open]

[fivemilesdeep]

Who: Ryo and Open (angled towards those with death powers/connections)
Where: ICP/Garden Car
When: Nebula 3
What: Ryo is coming to terms with the fact that he's kept his death-related Diagad powers, so now he's asking for help with them. (They're not what he's afraid they are, but he doesn't know that yet.)
Warnings: Probably a lot of death talk, but we'll go from there.
Notes: It starts as an ICP post, but he won't be replying on the network, only in person. Anyone is welcome to join in; he's just angling for people with Insight Into Death. (I'll also match prose or brackets.)

[Ryo looks...uncertain at best, but much closer to 'worried but trying not to show it' as the ICP flickers on.]

If anyone is connected to death, or has death-related powers, I could use your help.

[-wait that sounds bad-]

It's nothing crazy - I just have...questions.

[He can't quite bring himself to say what he's actually worried about, so instead it's just:]

I'll be in the garden car, if you wouldn't mind coming to see me.

[And the ICP flickers off. He's not planning on having this conversation in front of the train and everyone, so in-person it is. True to his word, he's sitting on one of the benches in the garden car with Lagos in his lap, holding the plush bird and trying not to let his fears run away with him. He may not be entirely succeeding. It may be obvious.]

Comments

[acapriciousthing]

[Well. That sounds like a job for her. It doesn't take her long to find herself in the garden car.]

One... might say I am connected to death.

[It's not much of a joke but still.]

[fivemilesdeep]

[He feels his Sense fold before she arrives - it's a fairly reliable early warning system for a powerful presence - so he's not too surprised when Death finds him. The joke, such as it is, gets a half-smile and a startled huff of a laugh. It helps, honestly. There's no real way to put him at ease with his fear weighing on him like this, but he appreciates the effort.]

One might.

[The smile fades, and he runs a thumb up and down Lagos's back, trying to think and simply going in circles instead.]

And now that I've done this, I don't think I know where to start.

[At the beginning, he guesses. It's as good as any.]

Did you keep your Diagad power?

[acapriciousthing]

It took a while for me to realize it, but I did.

[To be fair, her Diagad power is fairly innocuous]

I'm guessing yours has something to do with all this?

[fivemilesdeep]

[She doesn't offer what her power is, and he doesn't ask. Instead, he nods, and tries to keep his voice steady, and-]

I...I could drain life energy on Diagad. I could kill someone by touching them.

[-doesn't succeed. His voice wavers, and he holds Lagos a little tighter and tries to keep himself together. Tries.]

I don't want that.

[zombiemessiah]

[Murphy doesn't even reply on the network. He just shows up with two wine-cooler level drinks and holds one out to Ryo.]

Death powers, huh?

[He sits down beside him. He may not be invited in particular but 'death powers' is basically all he's got going for him. Besides the ability to have some kind of fun with his lot in life, that is.]

[fivemilesdeep]

[He accepts the drink but doesn't take drink any yet. He's honestly not sure if Murphy is confirming what he was asking or asking if he himself has death powers or what, and...it's Murphy. Murphy, whose world is full of revenants and who is essentially one himself. Murphy, who asks tough questions and pushes and leaves just as easily if tough questions get directed at him in turn. That Murphy.]

[And yet here they are, tied together by the same string of Fate. More than one, probably, if he's right about what he thinks is happening to him.]

[So why not? This is what he asked for, isn't it?]

Yeah. I'm worried I kept mine.

[zombiemessiah]

[Yup, that Murphy. That Murphy that's always done what he wants no matter the circumstances. Freedom, incarceration, running his mouth during experimentation, various forms of captivity. That Murphy, and all the problems that come with him.]

[But his big bonus here? He wasn't a guy born with his powers, or purposefully learned them. He also had them dropped in his lap and had to make the most of them. He's also a guy who can't decide if he fully loves them or fully hates them and refuses to make up his mind on it.]

What exactly are yours? [He asks as he opens his bottle with a hiss. It has a little Aquifir logo on the side, proving where some of his coins went.]

[fivemilesdeep]

[He's quiet for a few moments, considering the drink before setting it down next to the leg of the bench. On his lap, Lagos warbles - you know you don't have to talk to him, right?]

[But...he's not going to get anywhere if he doesn't, is he. Still, he's not looking at Murphy when he speaks - he's looking down at Lagos.]

When I was on Diagad, I...could drain life energy with physical contact. I could kill with a touch.

[There's a reason he's terrified the powers came out of the illusion with him.]

[thawed_pride]

[Ryo remembers Vexen's swirling portals of darkness, right? He's stepping out of one now, though the effect is probably less ominous with him wearing a white coat instead of a black one.]

I am not a skilled manipulator of death magics, but rather the opposite. I thought I might offer my expertise with revival spells should your...questions go awry.

[fivemilesdeep]

[Honestly, those portals are hard to forget, and Vexen's sudden presence in his Sense is also hard to miss.]

[What's really surprising is the offer, and for a moment he just stares.]

...they're just questions.

[What exactly did you think he was going to do, Vexen]

[thawed_pride]

Questions often lead to experiments. Unless whatever you are wondering about lies purely in the realm of theory, it is always best to have precautions in place when seeking to study dangerous powers.

[fivemilesdeep]

[The sad thing is, this makes a terrible amount of sense.]

[He continues staring for a moment or two, then gives a long, frustrated sigh and leans heavily against the back of the bench, letting his head hang backwards over the top.]

There aren't going to be experiments. I'm not going to ask for volunteers so I can test whether I have the power to kill them!

[He's said too much, and worded it incredibly poorly, but his filter is the least of his worries when fear and anxiety are eating him alive from the inside out. He doesn't want to kill anyone, he's terrified he's going to, he doesn't know how to figure it out without putting anyone in danger, and he refuses to do that.]

[controlsthedie]

[ A bell toil and burst of darkness and starlight fills the Garden Car as soon as Ryo's message ends. Why didn't Ryo come to ask him? He's Death Incarnate. He is Death. One of them. A broken, incomplete Death whose absence has likely brought the end of all mortal life on his world.

... Maybe Ryo didn't come to Thanatos because he has been a mess and felt like he couldn't. Thanatos stands awkwardly, fully knowing that Ryo is aware of his presence, before he decides to go forward with his initial summons instead of returning to where he came from. ]

Ryo, what's going on?

[fivemilesdeep]

[...well he'd planned on sitting down after his message; instead, Thanatos's abrupt arrival has him damn near jumping out of his skin. He should be used to this by now, and he did just call for people with connections to death, but his head had been too wrapped up in his own anxieties to put two and two together and get Thanatos.]

[So there is a very awkward pause in which Ryo catches his breath-]

[And then he takes a seat on one of the benches and pats the seat next to him. He doesn't want to stand right now. Come join him.]

[Still, it's another few seconds before he can gather the words to explain. Just because he thinks Thanatos will understand doesn't mean talking about it is easy.]

I think I kept my Diagad powers.

[controlsthedie]

[ Thanatos takes a seat on the bench and puts Mort on his shoulder instead of within his hood.

What had Ryo's power been in the illusion? Right, there's was something about death with it. Thanatos hadn't seen Ryo do anything with his power in the illusion (for good reason), so he doesn't know the full extent of it. The god stares at Ryo a bit, searching. ]

I don't sense death upon you. Nothing more than previously, I think.

[ There are so many others with a stronger connection to death that Thanatos can sense. ]

What makes you say that?

[fivemilesdeep]

[He reaches into his satchel and places Lagos on his lap, keeping a hand on him. It might not be the best of ideas, given that Lagos can get mouthy around Mort, but he wants him here for now. Holding on to Lagos helps.]

Well, I'm not dead.

[Because that's what Thanatos would pick up on, right?]

[It takes him a few moments to put his thoughts together before he speaks again.]

It looks like a lot of people who were on the Diagad mission kept their powers, and my Sense has been acting weird. Around you, and Danny, and...well, people who haven't exactly been shy about their connections to death. I can't ignore the possibility that I kept mine.

[He falls quiet, and his voice is barely above a whisper when he speaks again.]

I don't want them.

[wewillwewill]

[Elidibus has a lot less structure to his shadowy teleport method than Vexen. It's more of a cloud that he steps out of before it disappears. But here he is in the garden car. He's courteous enough to not appear right next to or behind Ryo; having had experience with the alarm several other passengers have had when he did so in the close confines of the train. No need to startle the youth.]

You are Ryo? I've some experience with the cycle of life and death. Do you still seek assistance?

[He won't immediately remark on Ryo's condition, choosing instead to look at the state of affairs. After all, others might have already been by.]

[fivemilesdeep]

[Just because Ryo hasn't talked to Elidibus before doesn't mean he doesn't know who he is. There's a very short list of people who can utterly flatten Ryo's sense just by existing, and for reasons Ryo doesn't yet know, Elidibus is definitely on it. Regardless of Elidibus's intentions, a god - or something close to it - teleporting directly into Ryo's space is always going to make him startle.]

I- yes.

[From a godly stranger, but sure, he could use assistance.]

What do you mean, you have experience?

[wewillwewill]

[Poor Ryo. There's a good chance however that the mortal body Elidibus... ahem, 'borrows' shields somewhat from the effect at least. Once he's recognized as present, the Ascian takes a few steps forward.]

My apologies if I startled you. As to my experience, my kind have long been able to witness the cycle of life and death. At least how its laws are written upon our Star.

[He's definitely studying Ryo and appears a little curious but mostly trying to determine what state of mind the youth is in.]

Long ago I ascended above the mortal cycle for the sake of a duty. Over those millennia I have helped others sustain themselves outside their mortal shell. For all intents, they died to achieve that state.

[He offers a faint smile.]

I can't promise my knowledge will help answer your questions. But I have an abundance of it to offer, if nothing else. And I am willing to listen.

[schrodingersghost]

[Danny was a little uncertain about coming. His powers weren't exactly death powers? But he figured he might as well see if he could help.]

I have ghost powers, if that counts.

[fivemilesdeep]

[He looks up as Danny arrives, offering him a faint smile.]

You're actually part of the reason I started figuring this out. I can Sense your connection to death, and I couldn't do that before.

[schrodingersghost]

"I kind of feel like I should apologize for that?" He shrugs a little uncomfortably. "I probably feel really weird, if you're starting to sense death stuff."

He wasn't even completely sure what he was, let alone what he feel like to other people.

[jingyeets]

( It's less about really responding to Ryo's call out on ICP, asking for people with death-adjacent powers. Jingyi doesn't think of his own that way, though yes, he's trained to deal with souls and passings and energies and can, given time or access or inclination, use his own energies to try and help heal or destroy: but these are not the ways he chooses to fight, aren't his first inclinations. So it's odd in a way, knowing Ryo and his healing and how inimical it is to him, to have him talk about death powers and connections, because in a certain sense, Jingyi already assumes he has them.

Two sides of the same coin, right? Knowing the capacity for death and killing, and knowing the capacity for life and saving, and being on one side while aware of the other side. Heck, Ryo's healing had its own inherent danger.

Either way, he was already planning to head to the garden for the new lighting of incense, having worked through most of his elective schedule for the day. He slightly detours to pick up one of the teapots and tea from the kitchens, a silent thank you and bow of his head to his elders who've been so kind to start supplying these beautiful necessities to the train's population, and so when he does see Ryo, he sets down a tray with tea and cups. )

Been getting the help you've asked for?

( In no way was he particularly fast coming out this way, given the leaping around the train by transgate that's required to be here, there, then back again, so he expects a number have started talking with or already been by. He's curious, dressed as he is in train uniform for the day, but he's also here to tend to the dead and the lost. )

[fivemilesdeep]

[It's been a long day so far. He looks up as Jingyi arrives and greets him with a tired smile, Lagos still on his lap but currently silent.]

Kind of. Everyone's got a different opinion, and I'm not exactly sure what to do yet.

[Aside from take them all in, mull them over, and discard the ones he doesn't trust or can't do. It's...a lot.]

[jingyeets]

( With a subdued swish of his tail, he cants his head, lifting his brows. )

Anything you want to talk about?

( Sometimes it helps, sometimes it doesn't. He has no idea which way it works for Ryo, but that's where the offer comes in. He can listen, or he can not be involved, whatever's helpful. )