1391/A Meeting With Wrathborn

A Meeting With Wrathborn
Date of Scene:	22 January 2015
Location:	Terra Majora <TM>
Synopsis:	Psyber and Wrathborn have a meeting to discuss morality, philosophy, and Elliana.
Cast of Characters:	92, 253

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Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
    It isn't a pirate ship this time. No, this time it is a different kind of ship... a large starship, soaring through the depths of space. Only, the meeting place isn't inside the starship, but on the top of it, complete with a little stand that is offering tea and coffee.

    Wrathborn is there as well, of course. He has a stool to sit on while he waits, and is sipping a cup of tea that has a fruity aroma. He's dressed much more normally this time, though the sharp cut of his jacket is reminiscent of a uniform of some kind.

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Psyber is obviously going to show up. He wouldn't ask for a private meeting and then no-show. That would be immensely rude and make him look like a jerk. So he arrives, astoundingly alone with permission from Elliana, and slowly starts to walk across the top of the ship, "I appreciate the view. It's a pretty nice one," He notes, smiling a bit.

    He looks around slowly, sitting down across from his host, "So how do you wanna do this? You ask a question, I answer and ask my own question, go back and forth till we get bored?"

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
    "If you want," the man replies, gesturing to an upholstered stool nearby. "We can walk and enjoy the view, or just watch the stars go by. It doesn't have to be anything formal, no need to stick to turns." Surprisingly laid back about this... or maybe it isn't a surprise, given how he's been acting. "It's difficult to think about where to start, though. The best question I can come up with is... well..."

    He shrugs. "Have you ever thought about... NOT being a guardian angel?"

Psyber (253) has posed:
    "Sure, whatever works best," Psyber notes, looking up at the stars above them. He tilts his head and inquires, "Are these from some star system, or your imagination?" He wonders. No, that is not his question.

    He does takes a long moment to consider Wrathborn's answer, "Maybe. I wouldn't mind retiring, but it's also anathema to my nature not to help those I think need it. If the circumstances alligned to alleviate my necessity to many people, I might consider taking it and retiring. But it would be a difficult adjustment. Helping people like Ell or Homura is how I achieve a feeling of being worth something to the universe. I've begun to wonder if Psyber is less me any more, and more a duty I fulfill."

    He has a counter-question to Wrathborn, "Why did ask the other day if I thought you were evil? I'll answer that for you now, if you want, by the way."

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
    Wrathborn considers, while he answers the question about stars. "Mostly my imagination. Or Elliana's, maybe? I'm not really sure how that works, since I'm in a sense borrowing hers. I think. I'm not sure any more." He shakes his head and sits up, opening his mouth to answer, then closing it just as quickly.

    "I will answer that, but I think it would make more sense after you give an answer. It might be better with that context," he admits. "It's complicated, anyway. It's part of why I wanted to talk to you before I spoke to Elliana."

Psyber (253) has posed:
    "I will tell you what I tell most people who ask me if I think they're evil for their origin or their powers," Psyber begins, looking over at Wrathborn seriously. He wants to give as complete an answer as he can, after all, "I do not believe good or evil is determined by the origin or power of a person. I believe it is determined by the actions they take, the beliefs they support, and ethics they hold. I have seen dark powers used for great deeds. I have seen divine power used for unspeakable horror."

    "I do not view you as inherently evil. I believe you may have done evil things, I believe controlling Elliana was an ethically unsound action, but I also am aware you were a more primal being, then," He notes, rubbing a hand under his chin and sighing, "So. Your actions moving into the future will determine if I believe you evil, but as of now I cannot say I view you as a wholly evil being. I view you more as a newborn being, still figuring out your morality and actions as such things are foreign to you." He adds as a note, "Keep in mind, to frame this, I am also a man who believes Elliana to be a good and decent person while many disagree."

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
    A tilt of his head, and Wrathborn nods. "That's one way of seeing it. But your own definition makes things murky. My nature tells me to destroy, to tear apart. To twist and change. I have a burning need to murder my sisters. I WANT to." He sips his tea as he states that calmly. "At the same time, the logical part of me says this is a terrible idea. And in some ways I don't want to, because then I wouldn't have a world to enjoy. And... there are things I don't want to ruin, even if my nature demands. So in that way, by denying my nature, I am not evil? I think."

    He frowns. "But Elliana doesn't want to do the things she does... and she does them anyway. Does that make /her/ evil? Or does it make her capable of this 'redemption' you seek?" He spreads his hands, demonstrating a tiny bit of power by leaving the cup floating while he does that. Feh, physics. "Is it wrong to value the lives of some over others?"

Psyber (253) has posed:
    "Part of humanity and ethics is resisting your urges and base impulses for the sake of a morality system or your belief in what is right versus your natural instinct," Psyber notes, leaning back and crossing his arms as he thinks over Wrathborn's words, "To twist and change is not an inherently evil desire, though many may view it as such. Change can be for the better or the worse. It lay in how you change and what you change. In who gets hurt or helped by your change."

    "Elliana does not want to, but Elliana also believes her way to be the most reliable. She has forced herself to a set path because her origins and beliefs mean she cannot implicitly trust, so she believes a course in which she has the most control is ideal, I think," Psyber looks at Wrathborn, "It is natural to value some lives over others, but endangering innocent lives recklessly is not someone I agree with. It is an inherently touchy subject, I feel."

    "Morality and ethics are not... my strongest area, ironically. I just try to help people where I can." Psyber notes quietly, rubbing his hands together in a somewhat nervous gesture.

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
    "Mn." The man grasps his cup again and ponders that answer, then nods at last. "I don't think we have the same value system. I don't really... feel any connection to humanity. I don't really care about them. If anything, it'd be nice if they just went away." He stops and reconsiders his words. "I guess I don't have any desire to hurt them either, beyond the general urge to destroy. I just don't /care/ is all. Mostly."

    He sighs, "But Elliana does, and I don't want to have /her/ unhappy. I don't think that counts, and I'm not even sure if I should care if it does. That's why I don't know if I'm evil or not. Does caring about one person make up for the apathy toward the rest? I don't know." He shrugs again. "But your answer at least helps me realize that I don't have to be evil by nature. But by that extension, as you said, a 'good' being isn't good."

    He waves the thoughts away. "You had other questions?"

Psyber (253) has posed:
    "Well, I'll repeat my first one again," Psyber says, somewhat simply. He looks at Wrathborn and then adds, "But I did have a few others. Why did you want to know if I thought you were evil?"

    He takes a moment and then, before Wrathborn answers, he says, "Well. Some people don't think that way. I think it's important to have things you DO care about." He frowns a bit, "As for Ell, I dunno. Even if you're a part of her, I don't mind saying that sometimes I doubt if I'm doing her any good, or just... flailing around, so to speak."

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
    Wrathborn taps his cup a few times, then sighs. "I'm not sure. I think because I want to understand better what people consider evil. I know Elliana's thoughts - most of them - and many of her feelings... but not all of her. And..." He makes a face, looking grouchy for a second before turning away and shrugging.

    "I suppose I don't want her to think that she has to keep something horrible and awful inside her for eternity."

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Psyber gives Wrathborn a bit of a laugh, "I think if anyone knew all of Elliana's thoughts and feelings, she would have to kill that person out of fear of being hurt again," He says, couching a pretty true fact in a joking manner, "I think you should communicate your feelings with her, in terms of wanting to... you know... figure out who you are. Me giving you this advice will, I'm sure, inevitably bite me in the ass by unlocking some new power for her due to you and her reaching a more mutual understanding and symbiosis, but yeah." Another fear, couched in a joke.

    Psyber leans back a bit and then asks, "Do you remember far enough back to know what happened to some of the original hundred weapons?"

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
    The joking gets a half smile, but only half. "Not so easy. I really don't want her to view me as a child. I want to be my own person. Even if I... probably can't survive as such outside of her anyway." He sighs and sets his cup down.

    "I don't remember much of the hundred weapons, no. I wasn't really... the memories from back then aren't very clear, because of what I was like. I remember pain, and something a little like anger. Along with..." He seems to search in the air for the right word. "Horror? No, that isn't quite right. Disgust? There's something very strange about those weapons. Even Backbiter, after I twisted it, isn't really... I don't know." He trails off, then shakes his head. "I can tell you that some were destroyed. It IS possible, but there's something about that impression that makes me think there's a big 'but' there."

Psyber (253) has posed:
    "I'll make you a deal," Psyber says, looking at Wrathborn from across the table, "You don't have to talk to Elliana now. And it's clear you care for her well-being, and you've admitted as much yourself. If you agree to help me with Elliana where our beliefs allign," He's careful to phrase it that way, "And try to help me keep her from ruining herself... I will use my autonomy to research if Terra Majora has any way to allow you to manifest a more autonomous form without losing your connection to her. It's in both our best interest, since if she keeps on her current path she will force Nathan's hand inevitably."

    "As for those weapons..." Psyber furrows his brow a bit, deciding whether or not to tell Wrathborn much of his personal project, "I'm trying to track down Sovereign. I want to research one of them to find out what makes them tick. This is only reinforced by your statement that they function strangely."

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
    "Soveriegn... Majestic's twin," Wrathborn murmurs. "That's been lost for centuries, but it's Elliana's by blood, supposedly. Probably still in Empire lands. Toward the midwest, I think. That's all I can tell you." He turns around again, spreading his hands once more. "I can't help you much more than that, concerning the weapons. Ask something else, I guess."

    Though he's at a loss, the man does have his own comment. "I don't want Elliana to ruin herself either. If you have some thoughts, I'll do my best to help, if I think it would be in her best interest. I don't even care about hav- no, that's a lie, it would be nice to have a body of my own, but that isn't what I really want. I just want to have a purpose beyond the nihilistic. Maybe it would have been better if I'd been sealed completely like my brother. None of this consciousness to worry about."

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Psyber scowls a bit and then says, "I would rather you weren't sealed. For the trouble you have caused, you still seem... decent. A long time ago, in the Twin Towers, you said you were unsure if we would be friendly were you in my head. If you were as you are now, I think we would be." Psyber looks down at the table as he says this. It's hard for him to admit he has an amount of respect and, if faint, desire for friendship with Wrathborn. Internally he wonders why he is always drawn to what seem like the worst causes.

    Taking a deep breath, he lifts his head and smiles a bit, "I think Fairchild needs to find people she can trust. People she can not be in control around. Her intellect, demeanor, cunning brutality and political saavy are all defense mechanisms. I've seen her let down one, even two at a time. But never completely relax."

    "My naive idea of redemption is just to see her get to be a girl instead of... whatever you can call her now. The self-appointed Messiah of a world."

    He does have one more question for Wrathborn. It's an interesting one, "Do you regret not killing me when you had control of Elliana's body?"

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
    "I tried to give her that, and it was rejected," Wrathborn points out. "My motives weren't pure in doing so, but the effect should have been the same. She got her childhood back... at least for a little while." He sighs, "I thought she wanted family. Maybe I was wrong."

    He frowns, "Regret? I don't... I don't really feel things the way you do. I want you alive right now, I suppose? So I don't, I suppose, regret not killing you. And I think... if we're to get any idea of what she wants..."

    Wrathborn steps forward. "If you could pick a group that you could trust to know Elliana's most deepest, darkest secrets, who would you pick? Small group. Four, five at most."

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Psyber is given a fairly hard question. He looks at Wrathborn and then slowly says, "Me, Mordred, Himei, and Amalthea," Psyber notes seriously, "Maybe Nathan, but I can't be sure he won't abuse it, for all that he is a close friend of mine." Despite the brevity, it's an answer he thought very hard about and people he chose incredibly carefully.

    "Me for obvious reasons. Mordred is obvious as well. Himei because she knows what it means to do monstrous things for a greater good. Amalthea because she understands being wounded." He then asks, "Why do you ask?"

    And a final question, delivered in a very flat tone, "Do you think I can help her? Does she have a capacity to trust, to open up, to love, hate, and feel other emotions openly? Or has she shut herself off permanently?"

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
    Wrathborn looks back and nods slowly at the choices. "That's who I would have chosen, too. And I ask because I don't know the answer to your question. Sometimes I get the feeling that she desperately needs someone to talk to. She talks to /me/ of all people... but I'm a captive audience, aren't I?" He stops and rubs his chin. "I probably shouldn't tell you this, but I don't think she trusts anyone in the Confederacy. There are a few that she... has something like a distant friendship with? The closest that anyone comes to trust is probably... Charity and Mordred. In the Confederacy, anyway."

    He sighs, and points off in the distance. It wasn't there before, but that giant Gate looms off in the starry sky. "There. I uh... can't actually go there myself. We don't want to go there yet, though... I think it's best saved until you've seen at least a little more of her more solid dreams. But I think we might need to go through the gate if you want the answer to your question."

    He stops again, and adds, "For what it's worth, I think she can. I think she /wants/ to. You'll need to do something spectacular to do it... and not JUST you."

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Psyber looks towards the far off gate when Wrathborn points it out, heaving a heavy sigh. He really wants a cigarette right now, but he's polite enough not to introduce such a concept to Elliana's subconscious. He simply looks off into the distance, "I see. I assume that is her most locked off area. True feelings, heart's desire."

    Psyber looks over to Wrathborn and simply gives him a smile, "Spectacular is my middle name. Well, not really, it's..." He pauses, realizing he almost gave that out, "Unimportant."

    "Nathan and I are working hard to help her fix her world, I want to get to the bottom of her parents death. I'm trying to dig up lost artifacts," Psyber lets out a genuinely forlorn sigh, "I'd tear down the sky for that woman if I could find a handhold. I just wish she'd realize it."

    Psyber then... blows a raspberry, "Bah, look at me, getting all sentimental. Sorry. Anything else you want to ask me? I think I'm out of questions, myself."

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
    Surprisingly, Wrathborn shakes his head. "No. Well, yes, it probably has that, too. I'm not sure what's in there. I can't get in, but what I've felt is... chaotic. Half-formed, mostly. I don't know exactly what you'll find in there. It might not even be important or understandable at all."

    Any other questions? Wrathborn hesitates at first, then goes ahead and asks. "I'd like a private meeting with Nathan, if you can manage it. I'll understand if you can't." He holds out a hand. "I've thought about what you said. I don't think I can be human, but I don't think I need to be. I'll... consider the rest."

Psyber (253) has posed:
    Psyber says, "I'll relay that. I don't think he'll let personal pettiness turn aside the perceived tactical benefit of meeting you for discourse. It shouldn't be too hard to frame it enough to pique his interest," Psyber turns to Wrathborn and then grips his hand tightly when he offers it, "Good, let's make sure we protect her, then. I appreciate the meeting and... all that. I really just wanna help Ell however I can."

    "You know, if you aim for independence, the first step could be picking a new name." He adds as a final, if joking, note.

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
    The hand is shaken, and Wrathborn nods, "We both do, I think. More than you'd know." He releases the shake and starts to let the dream fade, but stops when the joke is made. "You think? I thought about it, but Wrathborn seems like it would inspire trust and confidence. I guess it could be a little more dashing though. Maybe something that people can look up to and feel comfortable with. 'Thrasher Bloodtide' or something..." Shrug. "I'll think about it."

    As the dream fades, Psyber MIGHT pick up the sudden grin that flashes over his lips.