Scene #2298: Answers for Old Questions

Owner	Pose
Arthur Lowell	Arthur's home is just as Kyra left it. Well, no. It's still a titanic suburban house-spire on top of a massive stone earthspire far above an ocean planet, and its interior is still strange and saturated with too many stairs for any vertical structure, but it's been all cleaned up, and once Kyra gets down from the Warpgate dozens of floors high to the two-story-tall alchemy chamber that occupies the fourth and fifth floor, she might see the gift Riva left here on the ceiling. Arthur himself invited Kyra on over today, since she'd asked to visit again, primarily because she said she had an answer for his question! He's heard a little bit on the radios, and he's ready to hear the whole deal. There's some leftover cake from something or another out on the table, but he's also got half a pizza still warm for no readily apparent reason here too, plus some sodas, out on a table in front of the couches. He's currently passing time playing some game on his phone, waiting for her to get here...
Kyra Hyral	This time Kyra shows up in an entirely different ride. A small, bus-sized spaceship in the vague shape of a shark exits through the warpgate. It is the MSV Rafflesia, which Kyra happily sets to idle at the base of the massive earth-spire. She's still going to enter through the front door like a polite guest should. Kyra immediately notices that Arthur's house has finally been cleaned up from the drone attack. Hooray! The next thing she notices is the massive mural that Riva has painted on the ceiling of the alchemy chamber. She doesn't get the reference left by the imagery but: "Holy shit, that looks awesome." she exclaims when she sees it. "HEY ARTHUR!" she greets energetically, unshouldering her (adorably moogle-shaped) backpack as she catches up with spacegod. "'sup! I see you got some interior decorating done!"
Arthur Lowell	"Rivs got me a WELCOME BACK PRESENT! God DAMN did she go all out." Arthur says, hopping up on his feet and swaggering on over to Kyra, grinning widely and full of energy! "Yeah girl yeah, gimmie dat skin." He immediately and insistantly does his usual silly combination of daps, pounds, handshakes, fives, and similar. They're really disorienting and nearly impossible to keep up with unless you practice a lot. "So I've been on my VACATION and shit after almost falling into UN-TIME, what's the haps for YOU?" He says, immediately heading back to sit down on the couches, wordlessly and without a gesture inviting her to do the same, and immediately downing a bunch of soda after he says, "Heard you got an ANSWER for the BIG QUESTION."
Kyra Hyral	"She sure did. /Wow/. I'm gonna take a picture of that because it's awesome." As she nears him, Kyra is prepared for the onslaught of coolkid secret handshakes. Sort of. Since this is her third go at it, she's had some time to get used to it and clearly showed marked improvement. "Oh, yeah, after the dream stuff Riva was involved with too. I'm pretty glad you continue to exist." She plops down on the couch and sets her bag, and the CURE-ALL of course, next to her. "So a lot of shit has gone down since you've been out and it's kind of serious. But I'll go into that in a sec. First things first, I've given it a lot of thought and I figured it out. Who I /am/." Kyra stands up suddenly, jabbing a finger into the air, "And that is Kyra, the Multiverse's most AGGRESSIVE SUPPORT! When I get the healer aggro, /I AGGRO BACK/!" Satisfied, she plops back down on the couch.
Arthur Lowell	"Yeah, trust me, EXISTING is like, shit, somewhere in the top FIVE things I love doin'." Arthur says, laughing in a good-humored way. "Yeah, RIVA had my back on that shit with MIZUKI." And then he sees she has her answer, and listens attentively. When she's done, he stands up immediately, forcefully, planting one foot on the coffee table in a way that jostles all the soda and food and slams a fist into the opposite palm, his grin wide and energized. "There you go!" He says, now pointing at her dramatically! "You've got it! You've got the start of it anyway, you've got the foundation. Needs a little... Refining, y'know, drop the fuckin' je ne sais quoi up in that motherfucker right? But you've got the foundation." He's pumping a fist. "But you got an answer, and that's the important thing here! You got something that /fits/, something that's /you/. You're picking your own identity and /being/ it." And with one fluid motion he plops back down on the couch. "So good work. You seein' any improvement there?"
Kyra Hyral	"Whoah, guess what! Existing is /also/ something I'm totally into. We could form a club." Kyra joins in the laughter, clearly trying to be light-hearted about it if only because she wasn't seriously involved with the heavier part of the incident with Mizuki. Kyra watches Arthur's reaction and right away, she sees the signs of approval, becoming downright giddy herself. "I figure that'll fill in more as I grind rep in the Multiverse. Earn some titles, get known for things, stuff like /that/." She looks thoughtful. "Oh yeah, there's been some improvement. Like there have been longer stretches of time between incidents. Still some have happened but they've not been as severe. Except for the Doomtrain thing..." Kyra gets quiet all the sudden. "So a week ago I pretty much broke up with my parents. They hellbanned me from the family and the religion. It wasn't as satisfying as I've expected and it's actually caused problems for some of my friends since they have to associate with a heretic now."
Arthur Lowell	Arthur was getting less loud, and more somber. This is /serious/ business and not the place or time for him to be loud and brash. "You really did it, huh? Man." He shakes his head. It's not disapproving, but it does seem like it's meant to clear his mind. "Yeah. I remember what you told me, the... Plan. Mmmh. Well, shit, I guess that's a problem. But," He gestures broadly. "Guess I'll ask the important thing." "Was it worth it?" He says. "And I don't mean that in the condescending way where I'm just implicitly saying 'it wasn't worth it', 'cause it totally could be worth it, and I ain't gonna judge if it was worth it or not. But problems are always easier to deal with, you know, kinda easier to grapple with it if it was... Worth it, to do something important. Sounds like, I guess, you kinda got what you wanted out of it, getting distant from them. So if you're seeing this problem now, but it was worth it to do something important, you ought to be thinking about it the right way."
Kyra Hyral	For those first few moments, Kyra's not sure what to expect. She's experienced both sides of the spectrum when it came to approval and disapproval. The disapproval stung but the reasons they chose were things that had been thought through carfully. "To be honest, I'm not entirely sure yet. Right now, it feels like it was worth it but because right now I haven't felt the effects yet. But the freedom...that's nice. Knowing I can continue doing what I do in the multiverse? Feels great. At the same time, people who have been through similar things with their families tell me that I'm going to regret this and miss them. I pretty much don't miss them right now, or I just guess, not yet." She frowns, "I didn't think this decision would hurt my friends the way it has, though. I could have done without that."
Arthur Lowell	Arthur taps his chin. "Yeah, I know exactly what kinda feeling that is. Doesn't hurt right now, but you're kinda bracing, right? For retrospect to hit. Well, way I see it, you did what was worth it in the moment, and you've thought it over and it still seems like the right thing to do. Shit, that's about the best you can hope for." He shrugs casually, with plaintively open palms. "So, looks like that was the right way to go." Then he leans forward, nodding while his face takes on a more wise sort of look, even moreso than just before. "Yeah, the friend stuff, that's tougher. Look, here's basically the only thing I can say there, to make that better. If you go to them all and apologize? Like if you go to the people getting hit hard by this, apologize to them, tell them they don't have to put themselves through any shit on your account," He leans back, looking up and from side to side. "I mean, let's be honest, you're not gonna see a lotta people jumping ship. But it'll be a lot less weight on you. I think there's a bit of guilt you're feeling about dragging your friends into this. Giving them a chance to get out, even if they're not taking it, that'll ease it up."
Kyra Hyral	"Yeah...yeah. It's exactly that. Like I half expect me to just randomly break down now as I realize what I've done. But I also wonder that if there's...something wrong with me if I don't do that?" Kyra nods evenly, encouraged by Arthur's take on this so far. "Before I went all in someone gave me the advice to focus on the goal. Which was to get my freedom from extremely overbearing parents. So success!" Her cheer sobers just a little bit, though, returning to the matter of friends, remembering the words that Landon had for her decision. "It's kind of complicated there, actually. One of my friends is Landon al-Cid. He's a Judge and a Prince and /totally/ in the clutches of politics. He's promised he'll be able to work something out that doesn't mean he has to stop being my friend forever or leaving the Light Warriors. But...yeah, you're right, I should probably apologize to him. He's the one that's hit worst by this because politics and I definitely didn't think about him. Even though his best friend Dominic was involved in all of this too." Kyra stealthily omits the whole 'Dating Dominic' thing to not set off Arthur's FATALITY FACTORY triggers.
Arthur Lowell	"Eh. The dudes who don't wind up regretting it don't talk about it, so you hear one hundred percent of the people doing this sort of thing regretting it 'cause the people who don't regret it never told you." Arthur shrugs, and gives a soft sort of smile. "Not everything in life is all about regret. Sometimes you do something, sometimes it hits badly, and you're just... Lucky enough that you don't really regret it, you know? I think that's good. Let it go the way it's going for now." A couple somber nods. "Yeah. Like I said, most friends won't jump ship. But it'll clear your conscience. 'Cause now you know they actually do wanna tank the heat and stay by your side. I think that's important to know in a time like this." Arthur says, fussing with his hand on his chin in a contemplative way.
Kyra Hyral	"Really? Hm. That would explain why Ainsley and Toph wanted to talk. Though Ainsley and I go back with some other stuff too." Kyra kind of just assumes Arthur knows who those are-Ainsley would at least be recognizable from Heaven or Hell. "We'll see. Like how I told that Sarah kid, I think I'm keeping too busy to regret things." She looks distant, "I'll give 'em that out if they want it. I know most of the Light Warriors well enough that they're definitely not going to take it." Her thoughts drift back to that 'club hiking trip' that Kamon called after the bad news hit. Certainly no efforts to split there. "So when you put it all that way, Arthur, yeah. I think it's all worth it, political shitstorm and all." Kyra finally breaks into a wide, saucy grin.
Arthur Lowell	"Huh? Oh, yeah, the whole dragonball thing." Arthur says, and then makes a face, sticking his tongue out. "Bleh, that bullshit. You got sucked into that bad, but, I mean," He gestures, doing that open-paled shrug again, kind of a plaintive, helpless, "whelp" sort of gesture. "You don't hold it against them, right? That's how it works." And then he smiles. "Yeah, you got a good team there. You'll go far. All that, that's all just... Y'know, clearing your mind, clearing your conscience. It'll deal with some unsettled bits." And then he leans back, just sort of relaxing and staring up. "Honestly," He says, "I'm not gonna judge if what you did was right or wrong, 'cause fuck, you're dealing with some heavy shit. Like, really heavy life-defining shit, trying to suss out your identity in a storm of people wanting to pick what you should be or what you shouldn't be. There's only one thing that oughta matter." He puts his finger up. "And it doesn't even have anything to do with my opinion. Only thing that matters is if it was worth it. You made your choice with the info you had and the pressures you had, and if the choice was worth it, that oughta be good enough." He chuckles. "Thinkin' about this a lot, huh? You seemed like you were trying to, I dunno, unjustify it. Look," There's a series of flighty, dismissive gestures. "None of that matters. All that matters is if it was worth it. You clear up anything that gets in the way of figuring that out -- stuff like the problems for your friends -- and the only thing left that really matters is if it was worth it to you. Consequences you gotta accept after, benefits you get for it, that all comes together in that one question." "And you answered it. It was worth it. That's all you gotta say if it comes up. 'It was worth it to me.' That's how this shit works. Only judgement that matters, and you're the only one who can make the judgement."
Kyra Hyral	"That sure was a thing, yeah." Kyra's eyes go half-lidded. "I'm kind of angry at Serori for deciding that I somehow was a good target for extorting a dragonball from the Union. Though I'm also glad that it failed to be the case so I'm not gonna get direct 'fed aggro now. You know, that's actually the incident that /really/ made my parents come down on me. They wanted me to give up the Union and stay in Galianda." She huffs angrily, crossing her arms over her chest. "Lute, I guess I really can't stay mad at him but I can't exactly trust him either. We agreed to not bring it up anymore." Slowly, she nods, "...yeah, I can't help but think about it. Though uh, I don't mean to /unjustify/ it. There's no going back on that decision! This is it." She smacks one hand against the other, then waits a few moments. No...no pain of loss or anything like that. "I like this not being judged thing, that means a lot to me, Arthur." Coming from someone friends with two Judges, it's definitely sincere. "Cool. Well case fuckin' /closed/!" She falls silent, changing tracks entirely. "So whatcha think of this new group of kids from Afterus?"
Arthur Lowell	"Yeah, pro'lly best. Just kinda let it lie, consider it if it's relevant in the future, don't make too big a deal about it otherwise." Arthur takes on a casual sort of "what are you gonna do about it" posture, and then laughs. "Yeah, the white mage aggro is real, right? We had our Sburb crew get our healer stabbed to death 'cause she was our healer. Shitty times, man. Gotta not let it get you down, gotta keep pushing." he also gives a bright, happy sort of look when Kyra says she likes his non-judgementalness. He's been working HARD at not being a Bad God, and so that means a lot to him! The smile is surprisingly saturated with a feeling of authenticity where other smiles were more forced. It's kind of out of left field. Oh, but then the new kids! "Well, they got a SOLID CHANCE of DYING, so there's THAT." He says, with a frank sort of tone of voice that's getting back into the emphasis. "I'm kinda STAYING OUT of it. Not 'cause I don't like gettin' my HERO ON, obviously, I mean SBURB tends to REACT WEIRD. So I'm just sorta... Keeping my DISTANCE. They seem alright. Not WORSE OFF than we were, you know, we were some real fucking CRAZIES. Suppose I'll form a BETTER OPINION some other time, a FIRMER kind. Seems like they got some more RELEVANT things to be DIVIDED on though. Might SPLIT THE PARTY a bit. Suppose that's all I think about it."
Kyra Hyral	"It's not like I can really do anything about Serori anyway. She's...uh. Strong. And well-liked amongst the Confederacy by the sound of it." Kyra looks distant for a few seconds before waving the thought away. "Oh yeah, it's super real. Totally unfair too. They don't even act like you exist until you start dropping heals on the dude punching their face in. Which....which one was your healer?" Oh hey, a REAL SMILE. Kyra can notice the difference. Kyra listens to Arthur's expert assessment on the extremely lively little crew that joinrushed the Syndicate. "Ah, cool, I wanted your take on it since you're kind of the 'beating meteor apocalypse death game' expert here. Well along with Summer and the other players." She steeples her fingers together, "I was thinking of taking them for a test run somewhere outside Afterus. See how they handle. Just curious and all."
Arthur Lowell	"Huh? Oh, that was CROWRAVEN." Arthur says, pointing a finger up as if saying something insightful. "GREAT girl, think you'd LIKE 'EM. Or maybe not. EH! They handled our HEALING, anyway. STOLE life from SHITTY MONSTERS, GAVE the life back to US. BAM! Aggressive healing's BEST HEALING." He then laughs a bit, and begins to falter. "Christ," Arthur says, leaning over and finishing off the faltering laugh while he puts a hand to his face. "When the hell kind of shit did I get into where /I'm/ the mature wise expert on some shit on something." He shakes his head to clear it, and then nods a few times. "Yeah, gettin' OUT AND ABOUT like that, THAT'S good. Doesn't fuck with GAME DIFFICULTY. You wanna get 'em some TEST RUN HELP, you go RIGHT AHEAD, it'll make the WHOLE THING easier. Saved my fuckin' LIFE back when I played it." He spends a few moments after that just sort of... Zoning out in a thousand-yard stare.
Kyra Hyral	Uh oh, looks like Kyra triggered the Sburb Flasbbacks. She can tell by the look on his face and his random lapse into serious business speech. "...OH. I should have caught that earlier? She did talk about stealing life at one point and said that's why her planet is a wasteland. So I guess Life anything means healer in death game Jobs. Aggressive healing is the BEST healing." Grinning, she taps her fingers together, "Oh, great, then if I have the wise and mature blessings of the spacegodd, I think I'll take 'em out for some fun this week. See how they do at the whole teamwork thing, hehehehe."
Arthur Lowell	"Yeah, it's KINDA..." Arthur scratches his head. "Well, not EXACTLY, like 'PRINCE OF LIFE' would be ANTI-HEALER, but it's..." He shakes his hands and his head rapidly, dismissively waving both hands. "Shit, who gives a FUCK about any of THAT noise. Anyway, yeah. Cool girl." And then he seems to settle in. "YEAH, the TEAMWORK's the important bit. But so's gettin' LINKED UP with people, you know, MEETIN' and MAKING FRIENDS. Shit was LITERALLY A LIFESAVER for us. You get 'em out doin' THAT, and that'll be the REAL GOOD SHIT." He nods with a sense of finality.