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Flickering through other's lives. - Zidane - 01-17-2020
As the darkness had fallen over the settlement he had steered his way towards Wordsworth books to perhaps find something new to read in the morning to come. He had already a wall of books at home but needed something new to read.. yet again. Besides he also needed to talk to Sam to start catching up with what was going on in the world now days. He had been at "rest" for way to long already and he had promised Amun to start involve himself a bit more, even though that was a thing that easily could annoy this Ascended man. He didn't like noises which was a damn curse considering noises where filling every world daily, so it was something he really needed to work on. Every time the volume went up the screaming of his sisters getting murdered filled his head mixed with echos from that night so long ago.
He reached the destination and opened the door then proceeded to walk into the wooden bookshop. The wooden floored creaked slightly as he walked over it until he stopped to see if he could spot Sam anyplace around.
RE: Flickering through other's lives. - Samuel - 01-18-2020
Sam had decided to reopen the bookshop after he'd been voted into the position of Natural Advisor; it had shown him that the people of Sanctuary had at least some faith in him as one of them, did not consider his Ascension a reason to cast him out. While paranoia still lingered at the edge of his mind, it had calmed his nerves around his position in the town enough that he'd felt able to turn around the OPEN sign once again.
It would not be a quiet first day; there was a lot of cleaning to do. Cobwebs lined the staircase and dust rested on every shelf, the fire place was coated in old ash of fires burnt months ago, before he'd been on his recent journeys. For a moment he stood and looked at the fire place, the burnt remains of a fire he'd had going while Remi had been here. After that thought, he'd had to go and stare at the wall for a moment.
Determined to have a productive day, he'd begun to mop the floor not long after, pushing away months worth of grime and dust along the floorboards. Mia bounced after the brush, occasionally pouncing at it - Sam smiled and rolled his eyes, kneeling down to scritch at her chin. It was then that the door opened and he looked over to see his first customer since his reopening.
He did not immediately recognise the man to name, but he knew he had seen him before; for some reason, he felt like he'd been around a long time, since he had been a child, but the man only looked to be about his age. Still, questionable ages aside, he was a customer indeed and Sam stood with a smile, holding out a hand. [say]"Hello!"[/say] (It really was a marvel, how far his confidence had come.) [say]"I hope you don't mind the water on the floor...I'm just cleaning. It's been a little while since I've been open; I hope you haven't been waiting too long for a book."[/say]
RE: Flickering through other's lives. - Zidane - 01-19-2020
As the cheerful greeting came his way he got almost surprised over the turn of events but still managed to reply with a fairly convincing smile upon his face. A nice greeting was always a good thing to run into after all even though Zidane's face muscles needed some training still (in a way), hell he barely ever smiled. But now that rusted smile lit up his face towards the other man that so cheerfully greeted him. He turned those bright eyes to the wet floor as it was mentioned before trailing back up at Sam. [say]"Hello back." [/say] He said calmly as he took a few steps closer to the book keeper, running his fingers over some books as he went forward, eyes fixed on the titles as he passed them. His demeanor was calmed and balanced without giving a sign over how messed up Zidane truly was inside. [say]"A good book is worth waiting for after all. Brings some light into this world during the sleepless nights one may encounter"[/say] Try like always since he didn't really sleep a lot, half sleep was the best he could wish for really considering what he really was and had been the past 20 some years.
[say]"You have been closed a while, all okay?"[/say] He then asked looking at Sam with a slightly furrowed brow. One never really knew what this world threw at you after all so a decent question about someone else's was the decent thing to do. Last longnight had after all been a tough one for many people and almost as many had perished from the monsters Zidane so despised. As a thick book graced his hand he looked down at it to investigate if it was a book he had seen before or not. Read the title of the book in a intrigued manner. By now he could probably open his very own bookstore from all the books in his home but he was a bit of a collector of them however so it was highly unlikely that he would sell his collection.
RE: Flickering through other's lives. - Samuel - 01-20-2020
Thankfully, it seemed this customer was going to be polite; Sam relaxed a little. Resting the mop on the wall he reached down to pick up Mia so she wouldn't take to attacking it while he was trying to maintain an air of professionalism. [say]"Yes, a book can be excellent company. What is it you are looking for? A novel? Perhaps something non-fiction?"[/say] He looked about the shelves; thankfully when he'd opened the store he'd had a great amount of reserve stock so his absence had not meant a lack of books.
Zidane took a book from the shelves. One Sam had copied a few years ago now; he could see the leather of the cover was a little loose - now he could do better. Still, it was perfectly serviceable.
The question brought him pause and Sam was quiet as he tried to think of how to phrase the tale of his last months, the wild and distressing adventures he'd been on. [say]"I have been...busy."[/say] That was a mild way of putting it. [say]"With the new portal open, I recently visited Halo for a while. I have been..."[/say] He chewed on his lip for a moment, unsure if it was wise to mention his Goddess to this stranger...but he'd still been voted for the Adviser position. Perhaps people did not care as much as he wanted to. [say]"...Working for The Voice, rather a lot."[/say]
RE: Flickering through other's lives. - Zidane - 01-21-2020
The book wasn't of any kind he had read before which was welcomed and made him unable to put it back down right now. It was hard enough as it was to find a book he hadn't flickered through as it was since there wasn't to many book writers around in Caido, at least not to his knowledge. But how would he even know that really? He knew of at least a doussin different writers from both the hallowed grounds and the greatwood, even though it was way harder to get a book from the greatwood here at the grounds. As a answer to the questions he turned up that piercing gaze again towards Samuel which he had seen grown up from a child to the adult now standing before him. Time really did fly but he didn't mention this knowledge since he wasn't the type to be really open about being an Ascended to others then the Ascended themselves. [say]"I'm not quite sure this time around.. I enjoy a variety of books and right now i'm mostly looking for one that i haven't read before."[/say] A very tricky task it was since he tended to almost read a book a day. At least when he didn't have anything else going on.
He looked back down on the book in his hands to read the title "Sea to Shore - a way of getting home" and continued reading the smaller text stating "A tale at the sea's of Caido". Interesting.. He looked back up at Sam to show him attention as he talked and to tell him that he indeed was listening to him. Let him finish the statement turning out to be a bit nervously said which he indeed understood, not everyone admitted to be working for The Voice. So had that small child he seen in the city growing up gone and become an Ascended as well? Calmly Zidane started to speak in a way that was very relieving. No bad feelings towards the thing at all. [say]"Ah yes, something i myself have been failing at for the past decades. Starting to get back to the big picture however which tells me that we might run in to each other a lot more"[/say] It was weird that Zidane kept his mouth shut about the voice unless he found himself in front of another Ascended. He, perhaps, have had a slightly stranger reason of becoming an Ascended but he was loyal to The Voice none the less.
RE: Flickering through other's lives. - Samuel - 01-21-2020
[say]"One you haven't read before?"[/say] Sam repeated, thinking for a moment. While obviously he didn't know every book that had passed underneath Zidane's eyes, he knew what he had in stock that was brand new. Walking off to a shelf by the back, he knelt and looked to a low down level, where he pulled out a thin, white-leather-bound volume. [say]"It's not very long, but this is a book all about Sidhe Village, where the Fae live. Since we've been trapped for so long...it's new information for most people."[/say]
Handing the book to Zidane for him to look through, Sam paused for just a moment at the mans words, trying to parse them correctly. [say]"Oh...you are one of our family?"[/say] There were not many Ascended Sam wasn't aware of and he'd never met a Natural whom he hadn't known was one. [say]"It's wonderful to meet you, then!"[/say] Grinning with a bit of an awkward laugh he continued: [say]"It's a fantastic time to be helping The Voice. She has so many exciting plans."[/say]
RE: Flickering through other's lives. - Zidane - 01-22-2020
Zidane nodded as a reply to the repetition of his own words and he followed Sam's movements as he trailed off to a shelf to grab one of the thinner books residing there. Listened carefully to his words which indeed piqued an interest within him. He had not read all to many books from outside the hallowed grounds, sure; he had been lucky enough to stumble on to a handful during his existence but not much more then that sadly. It wouldn't hurt to learn more about the neighbors after all. He accepted the book and put it on top of the other he held to curiously flicker through the pages to investigate. It may not be a thick book but what he could see the text was satisfyingly filling each page, didn't leave much blanks which was something he indeed approved of.
[say]"She does indeed.. At least what i have heard. I feel very warmly towards her which perhaps isn't so surprising in it self. But i haven't really been involved much with other Ascended except my close friend. I guess he and The Voice have gotten all the attention while the rest have faded a bit to the sidelines for a while. I am however planning to change this."[/say] He stated, curiously watching Sam's eyes without stearing his sight away from them. Eyes told him a lot after all.
There was even some descriptive images here and there which would make an interesting read. The voice of Sam reached his ears and he replied calmly. [say]"Indeed. Have been around for quite a while by now, i even remember you playing on the streets as a child.. Time flies by quicker then you would imagine, sometimes its a struggle keeping up."[/say] He stated as he closed the book and let it stay on top the other book as a signal he would indeed get that one as well. As the genuine expression of joy over meeting him came Zidane couldn't help to feel a bit baffled, but then again people did sometimes surprise even him. He didn't comment on it however but it was clear that he felt surprised as his brow furrowed a bit in surprise.
RE: Flickering through other's lives. - Samuel - 01-22-2020
Zidane took the book from him and began to flick through, seemingly satisfied with whatever it was he found within. Sam listened politely to the man speak and found himself wondering immediately who this 'friend' was - as far as he knew, there were not that many older Ascended, at least not since 108 had died. [say]"Your...close friend? Who might that be?"[/say]
Sam was not very good at eye contact; as Zidane tried to hold it, he almost immediately broke it, casting his gaze to the ground.
[say]"Oh, you...may be thinking of my sister. I never did much playing."[/say] He quietly corrected; his childhood had been spent hiding in corners and finding books to escape into, sometimes staring out the window at the children lucky enough to go out into the streets. [say]"If you've been here so long though...may I ask how old you are? Do you remember a time before the barrier?"[/say] It seemed unlikely, but it was possible.
RE: Flickering through other's lives. - Zidane - 01-28-2020
Zidane closed the book he was going to trade for, noticing the other man had a hard time meeting his gaze. Something could tell him Sam was shy but he was sure it was a bit trickier then that. More like a lack of confidence was something he would put a bet on, it there was bets that is. As Sam asked him who his close friend was Zidane didn't respond instantly. It wasn't uncommon that he avoided answering personal questions after all but since Sam was an Ascended as well he saw no harm in sharing. So after a bit he replied to the question at hand. [say]"His name is Amun."[/say] He said honestly and calmly as he kept looking at him with those bright eyes that almost seamed like they pocessed the power of X-ray.
As Sam stated that he probably had seen his sister he felt it was unlikly but still not impossible. For all he knew they had been siblings looking very much alike. As he and his one sister actually had looked alike in their youth. As the next question came at him he couldn't help but to raise a brow, not sure how he would take that question. Some may be offended when someone stated they where over 300 years old while another portion perhaps would have been proud. He however was a bit on a middleground there. He already was far behind in the development part of his existence considering his age but would indeed become offensive if he were 300 years old and still as low trained as now. [say]"Well.. i am not 310 years old yet.. so sadly i have no idea. I am however 50"[/say] He stated as his normally calm voice had a trace of annoyance in it. Not towards Sam however, more over himself procrastinating for all to long.
RE: Flickering through other's lives. - Samuel - 01-29-2020
[say]"Oh, Amun. Yes, I know him. We travelled in Halo together, briefly."[/say] Not that it had been a particularly happy conversation along the Sea of Glass (a very odd one, actually), but at least they had someone in common. [say]"I suppose now next time we have somewhere to explore you might come with us?"[/say] More feet on the ground would mean a swifter mission and a more connected family. Sam finally looked up to meet Zidane's eyes as he asked the question, finding his unrelenting gaze more than a little unnerving and unable to keep it for long.
It seemed he had struck a slight nerve asking for Zidanes age; admittedly the question was a little rude, but Sam had thought it relevant enough with their shared Ascended past to be excusable. [say]"I see. Fair enough. I have only known one Ascended who lived before the barrier...I mean, except The Voice, of course."[/say] He laughed a little at his own omission.
RE: Flickering through other's lives. - Zidane - 01-30-2020
Samuel stated he knew Amun which actually didn't surprise Zidane as much as one would think. Why? Well they were all Ascendeds after all and to his knowledge there wasn't to many of their kind around. They tended to stick to each other and since Amun was WAY more active within their circuits then he was it wasn't very surprising at all really which made him just nod as a reply to the notion of Sam knowing Amun. The question made him however hesitate slightly. He still wasn't very active yet within their community but then again he had told Amun it was about time to change that fact. He was a man of his word after all.. So with that thought in his head he gave off a small nod. [say]"A high possibility, looking forward to it."[/say] He said with a neutral facial expression. It was true that Zidane didn't have the most healthy psyche and if one was truly observant you could see traces of it in his face. The only one he genuinely smiled with was his friend Amun, otherwise it almost never happened.
Zidane wasn't really upset over the question but maybe he should be? Who knew but considering them all being preserved as the age they had turned at, it would be hard to really see how old someone of their kind truly was. No harm, no foul. How would he show he wasn't upset though? Well.. lets just see. [say]"Ah yes.. Well i feel quite fondly towards the voice. Without her i would either already be dead or an older man which wouldn't help the mission i have with my existence. It's a slow process but i have had a few.. issues to deal with up until now."[/say] He stated honestly before he met up with Sam's avoiding gaze again. [say]"If i may.. why did you decide to ascend?"[/say]
RE: Flickering through other's lives. - Samuel - 01-30-2020
[say]"Good! The more of us the better."[/say] Sam smiled warmly at him, glad to have more in their ranks. The Voice would surely be pleased too, that one of her flock had returned to her (and returned whole, unlike some of her older experiments).
As one who would also have been likely dead without The Voice (how many times now had she saved him from certain doom?) he nodded appreciatively, finding it wonderfully refreshing to have a positive conversation about their Goddess without having to seek it out. Zidane's question, though, was one that was a little awkward for him to answer. Sam opened his mouth then closed it again, pausing before he could reply.
[say]"Well um..in short, I didn't. It was forced upon me by my parents, when I was younger and they wished me to be more than I was. They...considered it a failed experiment."[/say] As had he, until relatively recently. Uncomfortable now Sam held his arm and sighed, looked up to Zidane to try and finish off the story on an at least somewhat nice note: [say]"Now, though, I am grateful for it in a way. Not that it was forced on me, but that it happened. I love being one of The Voice's children."[/say]
RE: Flickering through other's lives. - Zidane - 02-03-2020
Well.. true. The more the merrier right? Or what was it they said? Anyhow he couldn't help but to feel surprised over how glad the Ascended seam to be as he returned to them. This far nobody had been pissy about it which indeed surprised him. He had yet to run in to someone that blamed him, disliked him and so on. Weird. He couldn't help but to wonder however how the voice truly felt but he hadn't gotten something said about the whole ordeal yet at least. Was she happy? Annoyed or simply just glad to have him back? He hadn't really talked to her alone yet after all.
Forced? Though Sam seamed pretty happy about it still.. He had never met an Ascended that had been forced to ascend. Not even he himself even though it had been kind of a desperate attempt for vengeance. He almost felt bad that he didn't have any other plans than to avenge his family's deaths. As far as he concerned he would happily die off the day when it was all completed, unless he found something new to fight for that was. He highly doubted it sadly though. [say]"Well i'm glad your forced choice turned up happy in the end, it's not very often that such a thing happens after all. Usually if you are forced into something it ends up badly."[/say] He said with that neutral face he almost contantly owned. His piercing eyes looming in the grasp of depression and loneliness. When would that trait of his disappear? Would it ever do that?
[say]"We all have our goal in this existence, and i'm glad to see someone having a easier time with it all then myself."[/say] He said truthfully. Wished he himself would have some better goal in life but maybe that would come after his mission was done, maybe he could finally feel some sort of happiness and calm for the first time in 30 years.
RE: Flickering through other's lives. - Samuel - 02-03-2020
[say]"It did go badly, for a long time.."[/say] Sam mumbled, also finding himself smarting a little at the idea that he was having an 'easier' time than anyone else; Zidane knew nothing of his life, had not been present for the many difficult missions that had been undertaken by the Ascended. Still, he did not mention it, not wanting to alienate a customer.
With a polite smile he looked back into his shop, wondering if he had anything else to do. [say]"Well, you needn't pay me anything for the book. A gift, for my new opening and your coming to our family. Can I help you with another?"[/say]