kaisou | video; un: riftdancer

Entry tags:

amal vasiya

video; un: riftdancer

WHO: Amal and whoever!
WHERE: The network
WHEN: The last week of May
WHAT: Amal's long nap is finally over.
WARNINGS: Endwalker spoilers in some threads, if you care about that sort of thing. Mind the CWs on Zelos' thread too (abuse, indentured servitude).

[video]

[Amal is dressed a little differently today. Repping Thavnairian weave and a ribbon in his hair, he's seemingly conquered the incredible bedhead he's nursed for several weeks.]

Hey everyone! Did you think you were rid of me? Sorry to disappoint! Being exceptionally difficult to get rid of is one of my many talents, as it turns out.

My birds are acting like I was dead instead of asleep, when I don't even remember going to bed. But I remember a lot of other things—it was like I was home. Like I never left. Maybe... my body was here while my soul was there? I have no idea, but I'm awake now, and I have every reason to believe what I saw happen... uh, happened.

So. What'd I miss?

[A pause.]

Oh, and what's a BBL? I woke up to a bunch of texts from work asking if I'd 'recovered' yet.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Raha caught him in a lie, and he knows it. But he'll get to that part.]

Ah... Yes. That.

[He adjusts his camera, then pulls up the front of his shirt. There's a fresh, thick scar across his middle, a cut mirroring the viciousness of a reaper's scythe. It went deep.]

I would have preferred a tattoo that said, 'I Went To The End of the Universe', but this was the best he said he could do.

[Raha can't help but wince a little, because that looks beyond painful. He's... not surprised, exactly, given what little he knows about that world, but... his heart aches a bit, all the same.]

I suppose I should be thankful a brief coma was the worst of it. [But also seriously please try not to scare him like that again.] ...I'm glad you're still here, regardless.

[He lets his shirt back down, his point made. He just feels... bad. This whole situation feels bad.]

... I'm glad I'm still here, too. If you were going through all of this alone, I... don't think I could forgive myself.

[He takes a deep breath, steadying himself. He looks at his hands, anywhere but the screen.]

I knew this would happen sooner or later. No matter how much I played dumb, you'd figure it out... or you'd start to remember things from another life. Or both. You're the most brilliant man I know, and it's in your nature to put together mysteries, to find all the parts of the story.

You're a part of mine. The best part.

[Raha had thought he was prepared for this conversation. He's had a few weeks to let the idea sit with him, has already talked a little about it with Rhel and Rose both. But when Amal speaks, calls him the best part of his story, he finds that whatever words he had in mind are gone, replaced only with the creeping red blush making its way over his face.

His mind seems to go static for a moment before he forcibly clears it, though the blush is not near as easy to rid himself of.]

I will admit that it is a bit... strange. [Because how could it not be, really? Knowing people that know him so deeply, without any of the memories on his side of things. But still--] It does serve to explain a few things, though.

[Like how he's become so incurably attached to them so quickly. He can tell that, whatever else there is going on, that Amal is incredibly important to his other self. And he would be lying if he said that didn't seem to carry over.]

...Honestly, at this point I would like to remember a bit more.

[He thinks he can see a blush, but he doesn't think much of it. G'raha was given to embarrassment whenever he got attention, his wiggling ears and fidgeting being tellta(i)le signs.]

Of course it's strange. It's unbelievable. And it's weird and pushy to just—come at someone who's a stranger, and demand their attention and their friendship, and... so... I didn't want to push you away or scare you, so I decided to keep quiet about what I knew. Rhel and I both decided it was best to tell you when you started to ask questions.

[He breathes through his nose and lets it out.]

... I'm sorry. I should have been honest in the beginning—and I don't blame you if you're mad. I just hoped you'd understand...

I'll still answer your questions, if you like. Maybe I can help you put the pieces together.

I'm not mad.

[That's probably the first easy thing to talk about in this conversation, honestly.]

I think you made the right call. Not that it would have ruined everything had you told me, but it certainly would have been more awkward and more difficult to navigate in the beginning.

Really? You don't want to punch me even a little? I would let you, you know.

[Amal is a helper!]

Hah... that's a relief. [He totally wasn't having a breakdown over it.] After everything that's happened, I swore I wouldn't keep secrets anymore, but the situation... changed. Suddenly my best friend showed up here and he didn't remember a thing. It was like being back at square one.

[He looks at the camera again, smiling wistfully.]

But that's okay. You're more than just the person I remember, so I should get to know you all over again.

That would help nothing at all.

[Especially since he would feel bad for punching him. He gives him a little smile.]

In some ways I would have to be. But you all seem to have a better than average grasp on me, for sure.

[Rose has already called him out....]

[The lines of Amal's shoulders sag with relief. He really did think Raha would hate him.]

I can't speak for the others, but for me, you've always been an easy read. It's an entertainer thing.

That's why you robed up when you wanted to really hide your identity. But even then, you were a terrible liar with a guilty face. I had a strong feeling you were you, but I stayed quiet because I couldn't figure out your reasons.

[He smiles again, but this time it's more than a little devilish.]

Don't tell your past self this, but your ears sometimes still showed up under the hood...

[Almost none of that makes sense to him- he has no memory of a particular reflection, after all.]

I can't quite tell if this is a story you should tell me or I should wait to remember for myself or not.

[Which isn't to say he has no questions.]

...My ears? [what kind of hood was this???]

[Amal chuckles to himself as if he just thought of a joke.]

I'd hate to spoil the surprise for you. The consequences could be quite... catastrophic.

Amal!

[oh he's whining now.]

[He's the worst. This is what you've signed up for, Raha.]

Why don't I tell you about those striking eyes instead? No one else has anything else like them—and there is reason for that.

You might think mine are a similar shade at first glance, but they're more orange-red, while yours carry a light all their own.

Edited 2022-05-29 07:41 (UTC)

[please stop semi-complimenting his physical features he doesn't know how to handle that.]

I-- I had assumed they would be considered natural in your world. Are they not? [is he wearing magic contacts or something.]

[ n o ]

They're a mark of your bloodline—diluted, perhaps, but ancient and storied all the same.

The tale, as it goes, involves a princess who loved her people but didn't quite approve of her family's tyrannical decisions. She kept a former slave as her closest companion, after all, and she had many like-minded friends in many places. Her vision of the future was sharp but she knew she wouldn't live to see it, so she arranged to have the special eyes passed down through ancient techniques, no longer bound to the dying royal line. It isn't just the eye color you've inherited, of course—there are memories and knowledge and some kind of guiding wish. It's the proof of hope in a bygone age.

If you ask me about all of this... I think it's very likely that the princess and her dearest had a thing. But there's no historical record of this, obviously. It all just seemed very romantic to me when I heard about it.

[Raha doesn't respond immediately, because once Amal tells him, he feels like he remembers this. Knowing this without knowing how, standing beneath a towering crystal structure. Though without the city (or ruins therefore) that he saw in the other realm... more to think on later. Right now there are other concerns.]

Please tell me you did not describe me as a prince to me when you were first telling me about your world.

[he definitely did]

Edited 2022-06-07 12:14 (UTC)

[Amal reddens all the way to his ears.]

That's the thing you're stuck on? Gah, I was hoping you'd forgotten...

[So he likes to talk Raha up a little.]

It's all true, though. Every word.

You made it sound very impressive.

[Of course he remembered that! Even though he can't help but think Amal talked him up too much.]

Are you able to explain more of that to me now?

[seriously 'newly ascended space wizard' was also in there and he has QUESTIONS.]

I can.

[He pauses.]

All the same, it might be better to talk about it in person. There's a lot to cover, and it's not entirely a happy story, as you might imagine...

Yes, I think I can.

When would be a good time to talk? [He does also need to meet Ghaleon at some point.]

Now is fine, if you like. I don't have to work tonight.

[Small mercies. He's not sure he could dance with his whole heart after everything he just experienced. Also he still hurts a bit.]

Alright. I'll be over in a moment.

[And if Amal doesn't think he's going to fuss over him like a mother chocobo when he sees he's still hurting he is sorely mistaken.]

[Amal starts some tea, because this is definitely a "tea" kind of thing. And while he has a moment to himself, he lays face first sprawled out on their fancy almost-futon because WHAT A DAY.

Just give him a minute to compose himself and scream a little internally and externally. He'll be OK. This is part of his promise to himself not to internalize everything anymore.]

[It doesn't take Raha long to get there, and if the door's unlocked he'll knock before peeking in. He can imagine Amal is probably tired, even if from this side it seems like he's been sleeping the whole time...]

Hey. How are you doing?

[The door is in fact unlocked. The sound of Raha's voice makes him leap up to attention, but this also has the effect of... making him wince openly. He rubs at his stomach.]

H-- [fuck that hurt] Hey! I'm uh, I'm... Doing. Surviving. You know.

[He is so bad at this.]

Tea?

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