3775/The Guardian of the Mason King

The Guardian of the Mason King
Date of Scene:	07 February 2016
Location:	The Archipelagos
Synopsis:	The Pantheon reaches out. Auron, as one who has dredged hope from despair, is approached by Lemaign.
Cast of Characters:	236, The Kid

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The Kid has posed:
    Hope and Despair exist in the hearts of all, balanced against each other like a scale. Occasionally it tips more one way than the other, but it tends to swing back. Having an equal measure of both is vital to proper functioning. Enough Hope to have faith in the future, but enough Despair to be pessimistic about it, and take appropriate precautions.

    Few would know this better than Auron, the former unsent and legendary guardian who played a huge role in shaping the circumstances that led to the fall of Sin. He's had more than enough Despair and yet he clings to enough Hope to live, to function.

    It is little wonder he draws the eyes of Lemaign.

    Auron is dreaming. Somehow, he is keenly aware of that fact. Certainly a very different dream that what he might be used to. No reminiscing on either of the pilgrimages he was on, no memories of harsh failures. Instead, he stands in a grey void, silent... until a voice rings out.

    "Sir Auron... that is how people address you, correct?" It's a stately voice, one fitting a leader, deep and booming. Should the samurai turn towards its source, he would be confronted with a giant king. His face is stern and bearded, all hair a shining gold, his eyes a watery blue. He is clad in elegant robes of those same colours, and he sits upon a throne that seems to be shaped from a city on a hill. To his side is a giant hammer with a golden head and wrapped in blue cloth.

Auron (236) has posed:
    Auron's used to being a spectator in his own dreams. He's taken lucid dreaming to a high art, practically. He has walked unseen next to his younger self while he relives moments of his life from a spectator's perspective. That's a common theme for him, in fact... to be a dark, shadowy, unseen presence in his own dreams. He's grown so used to walking at the side of another that when shorn of one to walk alongside, he walks beside himself or the dream versions of Braska and Jecht.

    And so it's less that the shadowy gray void surprises him, and more that being directly addressed surprises him. He turns quickly, gaze of his single remaining eye fixing on the king in surprise. It's a moment before he speaks; part of him is still convinced that someone else is being spoken to. But when he sees no other version of himself here, he realizes that no, it is himself that's being addressed.

    In the moment he takes to register this, he manages to collect himself. And so he returns with a somewhat wry note in his voice, "Less 'Sir' these days." But despite the quip, he does recognize that he's in the presence of a being that probably desires respect. So he bows respectfully. But it's not low enough that it could be considered one of acquiescence.

The Kid has posed:
    The Mason King peers down at Auron. Not in a disrespectful way, like he was peering at an insect. More like he was attempting to measure the man. In the presence of this being, Auron may find himself reflecting on moments in his life where his Hope shined brightest, such as watching Yu Yevon crumble... as well as when his Despair pulled him down, like as he confronted Yunalesca, and was struck down.

    The being chortles as Auron's show of humility. "Such behaviour does not suit one who has done great things. I am Lemaign, the Mason King of the Pantheon. God of Hope and Despair. You, Auron... you have captured my interest."

    He stands, towering. Upon his city throne, a light comes on in a window at the base. And then another, and another again. Should Auron peer into these, he would see scenes from his past playing. "A man who helped in bringing great Hope to his world... but at the expense of his own sinking Despair. A Despair that should have dragged you into the grave. But your Hope shone so bright, you lingered as a shade, to bring Hope again. Impressive..."

Auron (236) has posed:
    Auron has known more despair than hope in his life. And so reflecting in the presence of Lemaign is on a great deal of that. Acceptance that Sin would always be a part of Spira. The realization that Braska would not be swayed from his course to be a Summoner, and that he would surely die. Watching Braska Send the many souls claimed by Sin during their Pilgrimage. Realizing that Braska was throwing away his life for nothing for the Final Aeon -- and by extension, so too was Jecht, when he volunteered to become Braska's Fayth.

    And yes, the confrontation with Yunalesca, where his despair was the greatest. Impulsive in his grief, he didn't realize until later that, deep down, he didn't expect to survive that confrontation. He had forgotten himself in that grief, forgotten that he had made promises to both Braska and Jecht that needed to be kept.

    But he clawed hope out of despair -- only because he was Unsent could he find Tidus in the first place, and watch over him. He had resigned himself to merely watching Tidus grow up and become a man, and then letting himself go on to the Farplane. But when Sin -- Jecht -- came to the Dream again, Auron realized he had one chance. And here again he took hope from despair. The Dream was wrecked, but he could bring Tidus to Spira. To truly live. And because Jecht was Sin, they knew him well enough to calm him, to go in and sever his connection to Yuu Yevon.

    Really, most of his life has been dragging hope out of despair, hasn't it?

    He sees these scenes through the windows as well, when he looks. Always despair before hope. Always taking hope from what should be despair. Even at the end, looking upon finally returning to the Farplane as hopeful. But something Lemaign says draws his attention. 'Impressive'? Auron shakes his head. "If it had been 'impressive' we would have been able to stop Sin the first time." He refers to Braska, Jecht, and himself. "I only did what I had no choice but to do."

The Kid has posed:
    The Mason King examines Auron curiously as he relives his past through those windows. His fingers drum on the handle of that great hammer. When Auron denies how Lemaign described his actions, the god only laughs. "Success and failure are all in the mind. When you were young, you were too entrenched in the idea that the cycle could not be broken to see a way out of it."

    He kneels down, bringing his face much closer to Auron. Here, his watery blue eyes can be seen up close. They swirl with images of sudden deaths at the hand of... something instant, destructive. The Despair of the fallen. "Even if you deny it, you have garnered my interest. I am curious... what is your limit? When would your Hope falter? At what point would it be crushed by Despair?"

    He grins. It's not cruel or malicious, in spite of his words. More... challenging. Oppositional. "I intend to find out."

Auron (236) has posed:
    Auron does admit to that much, being too mired in it all to see the exit. "True," he admits. "But we all were. Yunalesca's false hope was echoed in everyone." As much as he hadn't wanted to, he'd had to play on Yuna's kindness to get her to find another way out. Even during the confrontation with Yunalesca, one that would be his second, he hadn't known how they were going to end it. But knowing that the cycle couldn't go on. His words come back to him -- and may be heard through one of those windows...

    "Now! This is it! Now is the time to choose! Die, and be free of pain... or live, and fight your sorrow! Now is the time to shape your stories! Your fate is in your hands!"

    He does take a step back when Lemaign kneels down. Though he does meet the Mason King's eyes, gaze of a single amber eye meeting that of watery blue. And the brow of that remaining amber eye raises as Lemaign makes his intent known. "For what purpose, might I ask?" Remembering his respect, Auron does not make demands of Lemaign.

The Kid has posed:
    Lemagin glances towards that window, letting out a tiny chuckle at how verbose Auron was in that moment. But as he asks why the Mason King is doing this, he grimaces.

    "I find myself lacking ardent followers. The world I originated in has recently met with disaster. So I, and other gods of the Pantheon, am searching for those who best exemplify our domains." He stands up straight again, and takes a seat upon his throne, those light snuffing out.

    "But we of the Pantheon do not believe in coddling our followers. Mortals grow through challenge and adversity, and we grant them such things, so they can become strong, worldly. Only then may we consider blessing them."

Auron (236) has posed:
    That brow stays quirked. "I'm not particularly religious," Auron replies. That wry note is in his voice again. "Swore off it when the last god I worshipped turned out to be a giant magical tick with no trace of humanity left in him." Yes, he is indeed capable of seeing the humor in it, now that Yuu Yevon is gone.

    Coddling? "I can see that," Auron agrees. "I've heard of societies falling because their patron deities coddled them. So long as it doesn't go too far the other way." He's talking about it like he's not about to experience it. That's how he copes, by casting himself outside it. Though he knows what Lemaign has planned...

The Kid has posed:
    Lemaign laughs! "I don't need your prayers, your faith, or your offerings. Only your Despair and the Hope you use to counteract it. Simply live as you have. You may feel my influence time and again... if you falter? Well, now you know your limits. But if you overcome, again and again... I will be very impressed Auron. Then perhaps, you might call on me."

    It is at this point that the dream ends. Auron awakens, with nothing to indicate it was real. No brands, markings or anything... maybe it was just a dream?