6826/Hearts of Glass: A Study In Reflections

Hearts of Glass: A Study In Reflections
Date of Scene:	04 September 2019
Location:	Lordran
Synopsis:	Mikoto comes to visit Lezard, but not for the reason most might think she is...
Cast of Characters:	Lezard Valeth, 7002
Tinyplot:	Hearts of Glass

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Lezard Valeth has posed:
    The Archives are precisely as they were every other time Mikoto has visited them. There is an air of inertia about them, an unchanging weight that comes with the massive stacks of tomes present. She can feel things in the shadows watching her as she arrives, though nothing makes itself apparent, nor is she accosted.

    Lezard himself is out on the balcony looking over the forest below the Archives once more, a repetition of another meeting that he has had, complete with a book of Forbidden Lore that he pages through casually, a tea set prepared with a place set for Mikoto herself.

    "Welcome back. Please, sit. I suppose this visit was somewhat inevitable. Enjoy yourself and speak when you wish." His attitude seems to be caught between amused and resigned, resulting in a somewhat casual flippancy.

Mikoto Shimizu (7002) has posed:
There was a different air to Mikoto this time around.  Before was desperation.  The fear of being hopeful in the face in inevitability.  She was, in short, running from her problems and doing anything she could to fix it.  When faced with this, instead of crumbling she...took it in stride.

She accepted her mistakes, accepted what would need to be done about it, and was here not to throw recriminations on Lezard, but to speak with him.  Sure, her FRIENDS might, but...well, she wasn't them, as she said earlier.  Right now, there was a tone of resigned acceptance, but not defeat or fear.

She does sit, plopping down as she runs her hands over her dress to look across right at Lezard.  There is a pause, as she considers the situation, the mood of the room.  

"I was serious, by the way, on the radio.  We're here because of me, and nobody else.  Lilian, while a complete bitch, is right.  The others, except Majima, don't get it.  I hope you get what you wanted out of this because I have another favor to ask."

She watches his reaction to this, before following it up.  "I want the ability to do the ritual on my own so that I can personally choose...and also restrict what I can take.  Not as a crutch either, but as another way to try and keep me out of the game that the rat put me in.  I refuse to play it on his terms...so I'll play it on mine.  If that means dealing with people like you who see others as pawns in their own game.."

She shrugs, "So be it, the price of doing business."

Lezard Valeth has posed:
Lezard does not seem particularly concerned with Mikoto arrives, though he does seem to glance past to see if anyone has in fact deigned to follow her in.

Oh yes, he is quite aware of the half dozen heroes wanting to 'have a talk' with the Necromancer. More importantly, he seems to have noted the change in attitude of the magical girl before him. "She is only right because she has been trained and positioned to be right." Lezard states. "I do not believe she actually has the kind of moral and ethical core she pretends to. As you well witnessed with her habits of tormenting those who she deems lesser. But I suppose that does not matter for now. Simply beware of using the woman as any kind of compass. Majima, while highly... irregular, is a much better option."

    For whatever that is worth coming from a blatant Evil Wizard. "As for what I want... I am getting enough to make it worthwhile, one supposes. We will see what happens. After all, it is not over, is it?" He smiles a little at that.

    The request, however, causes his expression to fall, the man frowning for a moment. "You wish me to teach tou how to treat yourself? That is..." He pauses. "Mmm. Such a thing is of course possible. But that kind of knowledge not only is incredibly rare, but carries its own risks. I suppose I could assemble a variant of the procedure that you could perform. But there is one important matter."

    He gestures. "What benefit do I receive out of this?"

Mikoto Shimizu (7002) has posed:
Mikoto rolls her eyes, "Of course she is.  She gets off on it, apparently, or just really unaware of how she comes across.  Probably the first, because of how she acts and isn't surprised by the responses she gets, just various degrees of hate."

Mikoto thinks on this for a moment, "I mean she is not wrong in her assessment.  The LAST person I want to be is her."

"Open access to whatever data that is relevant to your research from those I need to devour.  For starters," She says, calmly.  "Second, I can keep those who would want to have words with you off your back.  As long as they know we're in a positive business relationship, that should keep them off.  I would like to keep it that way," She says, firmly.

"Third, you seem the type who likes ruining the plans of things who think themselves, gods, right?  Well, those Rat things seem pretty full of themselves.  They definitely feel god complex to me," She shrugs, "Fourth, as this would cause you to have a vested interest in me, I too would have to have a vested interest in yourself.  I do not plan on being divested of my rightfully owned influences for long."

"That may go a long way in your research if what you seek are things from my world.  While it may not be EXACTLY what you are looking for, they are...at least tangentially related, correct?  You don't seem to be the kind to do all that you did for me out of the kindness of your heart."

Lezard Valeth has posed:
    Lezard hums to himself as he considers the offer. "You do understand that they will not listen. They will think I have swayed you, regardless of the truth of the matter. They will believe that I have some grip upon your heart. Regardless of the truth of the matter, they will come for me, especially when they see that you are performing the ritual on your own."

    Lezard sighs, then, and sets aside the tome he was idly flipping through, instead picking up the teacup and lifting it to hie lips. He tapes a sip, and pauses, a dissatisfied expression on his face. He sets the cup aside and gestures. A table moves into view, shambling on a dozen legs as it carries over a bottle of wine and some glasses. Lezard pops the bottle open and pours, making a silent offer to Mikoto with a gesture. As he takes a drink of the wine, he sighs, more satisfied.

    "I am interested in learning of the nature of the creatures who you made a deal with. They might or might not pretend to godhood. You make some reasonable offers. But I will tell you what I will be most concerned with."

    There is a dark gleam in his eye. "One day, I will marshal an army, and we will undertake war upon the gods of my world. It will be Ragnarok... Not by the hand of Surtr, but by mankind. If you truly wish to repay me, become powerful enough to stand by my side on that day."

Mikoto Shimizu (7002) has posed:
"Sounds like a blast," Mikoto says, not completely surprised by the offer, nor was she seemingly overly CONCERNED about it.  Besides, she heard those Norse gods were REAL assholes.  So she could get behind knocking them down a few hundred pegs.

"Also, wasn't Loki the one responsible for Ragnarok?  I mean, traditionally, not with your version of it?" Mikoto wasn't too knowledgable on that angle, she admits.  She was sure, at least on this, it was Loki, not Surtr.  Then again, might be the multiverse effect, as she calls it.

"As for the others...yeah maybe.  I wonder if I even tell them that it was by my own choice that they'd listen to me.  I mean, I am sure Majima-san would because he's not stupid.  Rean might listen EVENTUALLY...he's thick though.  Touta does whatever Touta does, so..." he shrugs, "And I am sure Staren is just looking for a reason to throw his power against yours in a way he thinks won't get him into trouble."

A beat, "And I like Sarra, but well...we both know that she doesn't have the stomach to do what is necessary to take you down.  Like, not even talking about the power divide there, she just can't even begin to do what would be necessary to beat you.  I mean, it's part of her charm, but...yeah, completely realistic there."

Lezard Valeth has posed:
"Oh, it will be." Lezard promises. "They might even be some spoils in it for you if you can manage to pry them out of their dead fingers." Lezard says, smiling slightly at the thought. "As far as the details, they will not be relevant at this point. Exposure to the Multiverse will either warp the prophecies beyond recognition or simply ensure they come to pass in the most ironic manner possible."

    He shrugs at the rundown of her current set of allies. "Staren and I are diametric opposites. We are meant to conflict. Both of us seek to reshape the Multiverse in our own image, but we have different goals and ideas on how to go about it. As for Sarracenia..." He gestures idly. "She is no more dangerous to me than any of the would-be heroes who infest the Multiverse. I am not concerned with her, I take amusment in testing her resolve."

    "There is a pause as Lezard ponders for a moment. "When I performed the ritual, did you pay heed to the words I spoke?" He asks, curiously.

Mikoto Shimizu (7002) has posed:
Mikoto holds her hand up and waves it a little in response to Lezard's question about the words.  "I could probably repeat most of them, but not in the right order.  There were other things on my mind at the time...that and well let's be fair, I wasn't in the mindset of learning, but escaping."

"I will be paying attention this time around."

Lezard Valeth has posed:
    Lezard chuckles. "The words would not help you. They are a mnemonic device that helps me focus my power in the proper manner in order to create the effects... But they are a reminder of the nature of this power."

    Lezard leans back, taking another drink of his wine. Slowly, he incants,

    "If to serve this purpose I shall be despised, my body scorched and blackened, so be it."
    "If to serve this purpose I must command forbidden magicks, so be it."
    "Though my body may be tainted, though my soul may be tainted, I imbue thee with thought."
    "I swear as the gods swear, and breathe life into the void."

    His recitation ends, and he nods to Mikoto. "Even the rudimentary version of the art of Soul Transfusion that I would teach you is a powerful thing. There are worse fates than becoming a Witch. At least, perhaps, in their own worlds, they might find a form of happiness. But you... Your body will be tainted. Your soul will be tainted. You must be prepared to be condemned and hated, loathed for what you do even if it is to survive.

    "For now, I have conveniently carried some of that with your associates. But with this there would be no hiding what you are doing. There is no guarantee that you will be any kinder to those you feed on than those who have come before. Are you prepared for this?"

Mikoto Shimizu (7002) has posed:
This causes Mikoto some pause.  It would be a completely stupid, headstrong person to push along even with all of this thrown at their feet.  She crosses her arms for a moment, closing her eyes and thinking.  What did they want?  Most of all...

The survive.  She had to survive.  There would be a cost, there is always a cost.  The cost of her wish was this situation...the cost to survive would be others.  There are no guarantees that she could hold back or prevent a grim fate from those that didn't deserve it.  

"You know, Staren asked me last night what it was I wanted.  He wouldn't take the truth, so I gave him a line.  The reality is...I want to live.  I want to survive, and I want to do it on my terms and not the rabbits.  In order to do that, I need to have all of the options at my disposal.  Besides, it keeps me from becoming a witch.."

"Right now I am probably more dangerous as a witch than I was before the unification.  Falling is something I can not afford.  Period," She says, with a breath.  "So yes, I'm prepared.  They may hate me, despise me...but it's something I was already prepared for."

Lezard Valeth has posed:
    Something of a gut check, perhaps. Is Lezard testing her even now? Perhaps. Does it matter? If nothing else, at least he's being completely open about everything this time instead of kind of feathering the edges.

    "Lying to Staren is something you will probably do a lot in the future. He is not really prepared to deal with the reality of things. He would attempt to stuff you into one of his golem bodies and pretend that would solve things when he has no concept of what it means to have to deal with a marked soul."

    Lezard tips the glass back and drains it as Mikoto states her decision and reasoning. He places the glass aside and smiles. "Very well. Today, you will learn one of the forbidden secrets, something even the gods shy away from." He looks upon the magical girl intently. "I do hope you are ready to study, it will take some time."

Mikoto Shimizu (7002) has posed:
"Yeah, I was afraid of that..." She sighs and stretches a bit to work out some of the stiffness, she leans forward and thinks about Staren for a moment.  "Yeah, he can try.  He hasn't realized that I'm not afraid of him, nor am I afraid of hurting him.  If he comes for me, I will put him on the ground."

She says, calmly, and without an ounce of remorse.  He DID get in her way once, it might happen again, but there will be a point where she stops accepting it.  Where her strength will allow her to get what she wants, and he'll have to eat his words as she force-feeds them to him.

"Yeah, I'm ready."