garregmach | (no subject)

A mist settles in over the monastery.

Is it morning? Night? Who can say? Today, the day feels endless. The sun is nowhere to be seen — or had it been at all? Instead, a curious green glow engulfs Garreg Mach, like an eternal twilight settling in. Time seems to be paused almost, though the wildlife in and around the area continues to act as though nothing is wrong. As though this is perfectly normal. As though it is natural for the skies to be dark, with not a single star in sight, and for the sun to be forgotten in the mist that lingers. The paths are at least lit by small orbs of light, fireflies flitting about.

However, should one come into contact with one of those fireflies, a memory of the past will be projected for all in the close vicinity to see. Joyous occasions, tragic events — they don't seem to discern one way or another. Perhaps it would be best to watch your step for now, though.

Of course, after lingering for about a day, the strange ambience will fade into what appears to be a normal night at Garreg Mach. It's as if nothing had happened at all. Did it? Or was it all simply a shared hallucination?

[ ● MEMSHARE POST. Coming into contact with the fireflies will share a memory of your character's with those around them. You can top-level with a memory to start out or have people tag you and determine it then, whatever. I don't make the rules (except I do and I say yolo). Have fun with it!
● Open posts like this one are flipping to a two week schedule instead of a weekly one.
● Because of the above, the last bit is there for people who'd maybe like to play out aftermath threads later on but don't want to wait for a new post or make a new one.
● Settings have been slightly updated. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Who’s to say.

[ The remark is said with apparent disinterest, but… Felix would very much like to see Ingrid and Sylvain once more, without the horns of war drowning out their voices. Though he was present in the Gronder Field battle, he only caught glimpses of his former friends in the distance. Perhaps that is for the best; should they have met face-to-face, he would have had to cut them down. He still doesn’t understand why they followed Dimitri so blindly to their deaths that day. Maybe he never will. ]

The boar prince from my world…he was described like a rapid beast, chomping at the bit for a chance to have Edelgard’s head.

[ He manages, with some effort, to keep his tone cool. For the time being. ]

And yet here you are, playing at man once more. What changed?

[He really doesn't understand, does he? Dimitri does not begrudge Felix for it, but it saddens him nonetheless. Considering his words, he shifts his weight in his chair, lid lifting again while he thinks it over.]

I am not pretending. I know that nothing can ever wash away the blood that stains my hands. My sins are indelible. I have no doubt that I was every bit as rabid and monstrous in my own timeline as the Dimitri that you knew. Even then, though, I was never only a monster. I am both a man and a beast. What changed is that I have learned to accept that instead of cloaking myself in rage to shield me from everything else. And...

[His head lifts as well, gaze settling on Felix's face whether he chooses to look back at him or not.]

I have learned that the best way to honor those who died in my place is to live.

[ His body is tense with anticipation, as if Dimitri’s words are an oncoming blow he sees coming and yet does not dodge. How can he? Felix invited the other man to explain. But at the same time, he fears how that explanation might challenge their already precarious relationship. Nevertheless, Dimitri speaks and he listens intently. At one point, he opens his mouth to argue – only to stop and force himself to be silent until the blond finishes. When Dimitri does, Felix meets his gaze directly and holds it. ]

We all are, [ he admits quietly, a confession of his own. ] Both man and beast, that is.

[ Throat tight, Felix looks away – directing a thousand-yard stare at nothing in particular. ]

Whatever brought about your change… I’m glad for it.

[ There’s so much more he can say, so much more he wants to say, but he’s never been one to discuss his feelings to any extent. ]

It was the professor.

[Dimitri smiles to himself, though it's bittersweet.]

Even before coming here, I knew that I almost certainly would not have survived without them — now I know it without question. That person has the power to change fate. Did they teach the Blue Lions in your timeline, Felix? Or was it another house?

[A question he already knows the answer to, deep down, but he would like to hear it all the same.]