Totally commonplace, [ Matt agrees, with a hint of wistfulness. He'll never forget watching as Sebastian conjured the Atharvaveda for him from the shadows, right out on the street. People didn't so much as stop to look. ] But in your case, was the mixed perception because people who couldn't use the Arts didn't understand them, or because people used them badly and gave them a bad reputation ...? Or a little of both?
[ He isn't trying to avoid talking about home on purpose. But maybe he wants a little more time before he delves into it. ]
[When it comes to the topic of her own home, Gavial tackles it with the same matter-of-fact ease as she’s always had. Though perhaps it’s even easier when it’s Terra as a whole being discussed, rather than Acahualla specifically.
She tilts her head from one side to the other for a moment, looking thoughtful before she punctuates it with a slight shrug.]
Little bit of all of it, I guess. I’m sure there are people out there who’re bitter about not being able to use ‘em themselves. [Which could maybe account for a small amount of it, but frankly most people living normal lives don’t even know if they have the aptitude for it.] Arts in certain contexts are sorta commonplace, but it’s kinda… how do I explain it?
[A thoughtful pause as she scrunches her brows in thought, then she’s reaching one leg up to nudge the end of her staff hanging off the edge of the table with her foot.]
Back home, anyone capable of using those skills has gotta have a certain kind of focus, I guess you can call it, to be able to channel the Arts. Like my staff. The only exception to that are people who’re infected with this disease we call Oripathy. Means they’ve got this magically conductive and volatile mineral spreading through their systems, which lets them cast Arts as freely as they want. And since the Infected are kinda demonized in most societies…
[Well, people who are ostracized gotta fight back sometimes, thus the mixed views.]
[ Matt follows the movement of Gavial's foot, intrigued as she nudges at the staff. He'd assumed it was magical in nature--he's used similar tools himself, though if he has a spellcasting focus now, it's probably his own body. ]
Oripathy, [ Matt repeats curiously. He hears it like gold, and thinks unavoidably of alchemy. The ancient alchemists believed in transformation of more than lead. They were doctors, philosophers; they believed in perfection of the body and the soul. ] That's ... not totally unlike how people view magic back home. Preternatural types in general. They see it as like, there's all these people wandering around with largely unexplained, definitely volatile, seemingly unlimited powers, and there's a lot of suspicion, to put it nicely.
[She’s nodding as he touches on what he’s seen of things in his own home, because that sure as hell sounds real familiar to her too.]
Yeah, that sounds about right. People are always way too quick to jump to fear when it comes to the unfamiliar, especially when they’re convinced it’s something that puts them at a disadvantage.
[Something that is, in her opinion, really dumb. But human nature is human nature, and that seems to transcend worlds and universes the more she learns about places other than Terra. It’s part of why the idea of something completely new to build upon ended up appealing to her in the end. Maybe a better foundation could be laid.]
There was a lot of that suspicion back home on Terra too. Throw in that terminal sickness plaguing a lot of people capable of those sort of skills on top of it all…
Right, [ Matt agrees immediately, though so vehemently he sounds exasperated. His grip on Gavial's hand tightens a moment in emphasis. ] I don't understand why people have such a thing about sickness--
Okay, no, I do. It's fear of death. [ He huffs a sigh. ] But grow up, you know? We're such bullies as people. We have our little fears and we let them steer us until we take them out on people who ... usually have less than us, objectively. Like werewolves weren't even allowed to have credit cards in my country until like the 1970s.
[ He's thinking something similar to Gavial, though he doesn't realize it. He admits and agrees there's a lot about the universe he can't possibly understand, but literally what positive purpose does prejudice serve? It comes from something inherent to people, something good--the ability to form bonds. But he hates the idea of throwing up his hands and saying it's just the way things have to be. It leaves so much suffering in the ledger.
After a moment, though, he realizes he's holding onto her a little too tight. He relaxes his grip with a sheepish sigh, more breath than laugh. ]
So, you know. I want to use my powers to help people back home. But they don't really want help from people like me.
[She lets her head fall back onto the sofa cushion behind her, a scowl on her face and an agitated flick of her tail alongside her for emphasis. There’s a moment in which she give his hand a brief squeeze in return, because, yeah. She gets it.]
Place I worked for was dedicated to helping out the Infected. And it’s not like they were the only ones we helped, but since so many of us there were also sick… lotta healthy folks reacted real bad to getting a hand from us.
[To be somewhat fair, a lot of the flak Gavial got came from her, uh, abysmal bedside manner, but the fact that she’s Infected too and not all that fussed about hiding it didn’t help matters.]
Almost hate to say it, but giving a world a clean slate away from that sorta thing is kinda part of why I ended up sticking to things here with Zenith. Wish fixing those kinds of problems was as easy as knocking some sense into people.
[Yes, she means that literally. Sometimes it could be that easy. But it’s not a simple problem to solve, and that certainly wasn’t the right tool for the job. Outside of Acahualla, at least.]
[ Matt sighs: sympathy, exasperation on her behalf, understanding. A hint of wistfulness. It's a lot to ask of one exhalation, but Matt's an old hand at channeling through his breath.
For a moment, he focuses on their hands. On his original intentions for Gavial. He feels the whisper of Zenith between them like cool beams of moonlight, and sits back satisfied. ]
I was told with ... a pretty compelling level of certainty ... that it's an abomination to change the world the way Zenith wants to, [ he says. ] That the only way mortals can make change is the usual routes--slow, uncertain, collective action based. Something about autonomy. [ His lips quirk. ] The precise mechanism is a little vague, but I do agree I'm too limited to create a system as complex as a world.
I just also have such a hard time thinking about leaving everything as it is. Having the potential to unlock a power like that, and then turning around and going back to the devil I know.
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[ He isn't trying to avoid talking about home on purpose. But maybe he wants a little more time before he delves into it. ]
Or something completely different.
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She tilts her head from one side to the other for a moment, looking thoughtful before she punctuates it with a slight shrug.]
Little bit of all of it, I guess. I’m sure there are people out there who’re bitter about not being able to use ‘em themselves. [Which could maybe account for a small amount of it, but frankly most people living normal lives don’t even know if they have the aptitude for it.] Arts in certain contexts are sorta commonplace, but it’s kinda… how do I explain it?
[A thoughtful pause as she scrunches her brows in thought, then she’s reaching one leg up to nudge the end of her staff hanging off the edge of the table with her foot.]
Back home, anyone capable of using those skills has gotta have a certain kind of focus, I guess you can call it, to be able to channel the Arts. Like my staff. The only exception to that are people who’re infected with this disease we call Oripathy. Means they’ve got this magically conductive and volatile mineral spreading through their systems, which lets them cast Arts as freely as they want. And since the Infected are kinda demonized in most societies…
[Well, people who are ostracized gotta fight back sometimes, thus the mixed views.]
no subject
Oripathy, [ Matt repeats curiously. He hears it like gold, and thinks unavoidably of alchemy. The ancient alchemists believed in transformation of more than lead. They were doctors, philosophers; they believed in perfection of the body and the soul. ] That's ... not totally unlike how people view magic back home. Preternatural types in general. They see it as like, there's all these people wandering around with largely unexplained, definitely volatile, seemingly unlimited powers, and there's a lot of suspicion, to put it nicely.
no subject
Yeah, that sounds about right. People are always way too quick to jump to fear when it comes to the unfamiliar, especially when they’re convinced it’s something that puts them at a disadvantage.
[Something that is, in her opinion, really dumb. But human nature is human nature, and that seems to transcend worlds and universes the more she learns about places other than Terra. It’s part of why the idea of something completely new to build upon ended up appealing to her in the end. Maybe a better foundation could be laid.]
There was a lot of that suspicion back home on Terra too. Throw in that terminal sickness plaguing a lot of people capable of those sort of skills on top of it all…
[And, well, it was a powder keg.]
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Okay, no, I do. It's fear of death. [ He huffs a sigh. ] But grow up, you know? We're such bullies as people. We have our little fears and we let them steer us until we take them out on people who ... usually have less than us, objectively. Like werewolves weren't even allowed to have credit cards in my country until like the 1970s.
[ He's thinking something similar to Gavial, though he doesn't realize it. He admits and agrees there's a lot about the universe he can't possibly understand, but literally what positive purpose does prejudice serve? It comes from something inherent to people, something good--the ability to form bonds. But he hates the idea of throwing up his hands and saying it's just the way things have to be. It leaves so much suffering in the ledger.
After a moment, though, he realizes he's holding onto her a little too tight. He relaxes his grip with a sheepish sigh, more breath than laugh. ]
So, you know. I want to use my powers to help people back home. But they don't really want help from people like me.
no subject
[She lets her head fall back onto the sofa cushion behind her, a scowl on her face and an agitated flick of her tail alongside her for emphasis. There’s a moment in which she give his hand a brief squeeze in return, because, yeah. She gets it.]
Place I worked for was dedicated to helping out the Infected. And it’s not like they were the only ones we helped, but since so many of us there were also sick… lotta healthy folks reacted real bad to getting a hand from us.
[To be somewhat fair, a lot of the flak Gavial got came from her, uh, abysmal bedside manner, but the fact that she’s Infected too and not all that fussed about hiding it didn’t help matters.]
Almost hate to say it, but giving a world a clean slate away from that sorta thing is kinda part of why I ended up sticking to things here with Zenith. Wish fixing those kinds of problems was as easy as knocking some sense into people.
[Yes, she means that literally. Sometimes it could be that easy. But it’s not a simple problem to solve, and that certainly wasn’t the right tool for the job. Outside of Acahualla, at least.]
no subject
For a moment, he focuses on their hands. On his original intentions for Gavial. He feels the whisper of Zenith between them like cool beams of moonlight, and sits back satisfied. ]
I was told with ... a pretty compelling level of certainty ... that it's an abomination to change the world the way Zenith wants to, [ he says. ] That the only way mortals can make change is the usual routes--slow, uncertain, collective action based. Something about autonomy. [ His lips quirk. ] The precise mechanism is a little vague, but I do agree I'm too limited to create a system as complex as a world.
I just also have such a hard time thinking about leaving everything as it is. Having the potential to unlock a power like that, and then turning around and going back to the devil I know.