Scene #1657: Eldritch Invasion

Owner	Pose
Hastur	Things are pretty quiet at Heaven or Hell for once. No sunken ship assaults or frozen undead dragon attacks or explosive disruptions of public peace. Just the usual frigid cold outside, and, for once, Hastur actually being awake inside. The Great Old One is dressed for the cold, bundled in a bright yellow knitted sweater and pajama pants in a similar garish shade. Of course, she's barefoot, but when isn't she? Nor is anything covering her short lavender hair, for once giving her the look of someone almost normal, aside from the unnerving, ethereal strangeness of her crimson eyes. The kitchen has been used and cleaned: Hastur now carries a tray in one hand, supporting a steaming bowl of beef and barely stew and a glass of scotch. Her path doesn't take her to her room or the couch, but instead sends her drifting over to Psyber's room. Her hand lifts, delivering three quick knocks to the door. "It's me," she calls primly, then waits. And, while she's waiting, carefully uses her telekinetic grip to test the doorknob to see if it's locked, assuming she's forced into drastic measures.
Guest Psyber	"Come on in," Psyber isn't hiding from the world, at least. So it hasn't gotten that bad. Instead, as the door to his room opens, he's sitting at the desk pouring over what looks like a very old book. "Oh, you brought me lunch. Thanks," He notes, looking up from his work and shutting the book after sticking a pencil in it to mark its spot. He yawns and rubs at his eyes a bit, stretching in his chair. A moment or two later, he's shoving aside papers and some books to make space for the meal. For his own part, Psyber is dressed pretty normal... mostly. He has a pair of jeans on and is wearing a football jersey over a white undershirt. It has the Super Bowl XLIX logo on the front with a big 11. And on the back it says 'Edelman' with another 11 under it. Casual outfit.
Hastur	Telekinesis is what pushes the door open. In some ways, Hastur's still the lazy deity she was when she first settled in. Once she steps into the room, however, she closes the door behind her with the same method, and as her arms fold over her chest, the tray of food floats down into the space Psyber's made for it. Hastur, for once, is looking rather sternly at the half-angel. "Beef and barley stew, made with a few special herbs and spices for flavoring," she remarks simply, eyes closing as she continues. "I thought it would be good for the weather. I can't have that ship taking over my role, in any case. At least I still have the advantage of particular ingredients." Her eyes open again, staring down at him with a faint and almost uncharacteristic look of concern. Her tone becomes slightly more gentle, too; not quite as full of herself as usual. "...you're also not quite as good at hiding how you're feeling as you think you are, by the way. You've been as readable as an open, large-print book for days now. What's going on?"
Guest Psyber	"I doubt Kongou wants to replace you. Or anyone," Psyber notes as the tray floats down in front of him and he picks up the spoon, twirling it between his fingers in a casual gesture as he looks over at her, "She can't, anyway. It'd be like if you thought Laine was trying to usurp you or something." "I'm not that bad," Psyber protests, though, continuing to twirl the spoon between his fingers as he watches her, "And it's nothing that major. It's just been a long few weeks for me." "Kongou sinking, Arthur's emotional compromise, Mizuki's problem, Homura's Node, my city getting attacked, repeated confrontations in relation to Elliana Fairchild, Haruno moving out," Psyber lists these off, "Anyone would be slightly stressed."
Hastur	Hastur's brow lifts, her skepticism obvious even with that slight gesture. Her sigh comes next, followed by lifting one hand beside her, the fingertips glowing a radiant gold. Her fingers weave a glyph in the air, and a chair of solid golden magic appears in the space beside Psyber. The Great Old One slips around to take a seat, then, one leg crossed over the other and her arms still stubbornly folded. "Very well," she states, more firmly, "you're not that bad. I must be incredibly perceptive, then, to be able to see through your stalwart defenses. The point stands." A frown starts to settle over her features as she stares at him, unflinching. "'Slightly' stressed is one of the most remarkable understatements you've made in the past month. One or more of those are digging into you more deeply than you care to admit, at least to everyone else. You haven't shut yourself off from the world yet, but how much longer is it going to be before you do? Another few long weeks? Maybe one?" She gives a short huff, huddling down into her seat as if determined to hold her ground. At least her tone gentles again. "...come now. Just because I'm no longer sharing your fate doesn't mean I can't tell when something is deeply troubling you. What's happening?"
Guest Psyber	"I dunno, what do you want me to really say? Nothing I can do changes much of anything any more," Psyber says in a flat tone, that spoon still twirling between his fingers in a casual, if perpetual, rotation, "Let's just analyze all the things I pointed out." "I am now responsible for a ship who, if she sinks, requires me to kill her by my own hand in order to restore her to herself, lest she be used against me like in an attack on my city. Arthur Lowell is slowly being crushed under the weight of his own guilt and I can't get him to talk about it. Mizuki's world persistently puts me through some of the worst emotional torture imaginable over the past couple weeks, though that at least made progress," A beat pause, "At the cost of nearly losing Arthur." "Haruno Sakura and Nathan Hall both continue to blast me up and down at every chance, Haruno more so, in relation to my personal desire to attempt to bring humanity to Elliana Fairchild. To the extent that Haruno left because I would not compromise this ideal. And I am growing so weary of battling my friends on the topic of that woman." He looks at Hastur flatly and says, "But I'm soldiering on because people need me as a support mechanism, whether they like it or not."
Hastur	Hastur is silent as he begins to speak, her expression settled into something more calm and reserved. She listens, thinks, and finally lets out a slow, almost relieved sigh. "...thank you for finally talking," she replies, resting one elbow on the arm of her chair so she can use her hand as a perch for her cheek. "That's about what I expected. Perhaps slightly worse. The price you pay for continuing to do what you do baffles and concerns me to no end, you know. But I also know that you're incredibly stubborn, for better or worse." She frowns for a moment more before she finds her voice again. Her words are carefully chosen; her speech may be slightly slower than normal, but it's clear she's doing what she can. "I could speak for ages about the lengths you go to and the choices you make building a reputation for yourself that is greater than any complacency you may show instead to the situations in front of you. I could address the fact that the work you do continues to be an unwavering support for a great number of people, and the choices you make are usually for the greater good. Somehow, though, I think you already know that, and I would, as some say, be 'preaching to the choir.'" "But..." She pauses for a moment, the word leaving her with a slow sigh. "...I think that's hardly what matters right now. Yes, it's for the greater good, but there is absolutely nothing there for your own good. Your strength is simultaneously proving to be your greatest weakness, and if I were to advise you to retract your hand for once, I doubt you would actually listen to me." Her frown returns as she continues to stare at the half-angel from where she sits. "Regardless, however, I want to. I want to tell you to stop taking every single task presented to you on your shoulders. I want to tell you to stop verbally battling Nathan and Sakura when they present this issue to you. I want to tell you to accept that Arthur, while essentially a child, still has a great responsibility that he has taken on himself, and which he will adapt to. Maybe you simply aren't the person to reach him. Is that such a bad thing?" "And Mizuki. I don't know /what/ it puts you through, but there must be some other way to address that situation. I know you feel the need to drive into everything head-first because you endure more than anyone else, but do you really think that's at all practical? And what of Kongou? Doesn't she have sisters, in a matter of speaking, who can do so themselves if it comes to that? Isn't there another way to restore her to the person who waltzes into my kitchen on a whim rather than destroying her repeatedly?" Hastur's frown grows slightly more severe for a second, as she fails to prevent some irritation from rolling to the surface. "It's intensely frustrating to sit around and watch you doing this to yourself over and over and over again. I know you're set in your ways after so many centuries, but if /I/ can adjust, surely you can too."
Guest Psyber	"This is the price and restriction of my existence as a Guardian Angel," Psyber notes to Hastur, sighing and sitting back in his chair to avoud her gaze as she starts to go at him about his many obsessions and his works. He scowls slightly, not at her for saying it, but at the fact she is right in some ways. "I fight the battles no one else is willing to, and that's why I can't rely on other people to pick up my slack so I can ease out," Psyber says to her seriously, crossing his arms in turn. That spoon is on the desk now. He picks up the scotch and sips it. "If no one stands up to Nathan and Haruno, no one will defend Elliana. They will offer a skewed viewpoint that will taint perception and undermine," He defends his battling of them both with a pretty serious look. He takes a deep breath and then exhales, "Though now more people are beginning to see my viewpoint, so perhaps I can lessen that front." "I've already got Riva dealing with Arthur now, she seems better to get around that. I'm just... weird Space Dad whatever, he can't TALK to me because of it," Psyber grouses again, looking over at her as if to prove his point that he's trying to divide this. "But Kongou, I wouldn't allow her sisters to do it. It's a hard call to make, but I promised to stand by as her ship's captain or Admiral or whatever they call me. That's a responsibility, Hastur. I have to help her that way," He notes, seriously, "I just can't give up on some of these." He doesn't address the Mizuki part, just because he's not sure what to say, "Mizuki has resolved itself, for the time being, at least. She is growing as a person and working towards a new resolution to her problems." Psyber doesn't know what to say to that last part, "I am trying to adjust. But I cannot abandon these causes and you know it."
Hastur	"And exactly how many people in the Multiverse claim to fight the battles no one else is willing to?" Frustration seeps through Hastur's tone for a second before she composes herself with a brief huff. Her tone gentles again, though she doesn't stop looking at him. "You aren't in your world anymore. Technically, yes, we are sitting in the Earth designated as 666, your home world. But has it ever really continued /being/ your world the moment you became - what is it now - Colonel of the Union, Multiversal superfaction? The moment you started dragging people from countless other worlds to meld into your life, as you become a part of theirs?" Her lips purse together for a moment as she considers how to continue. "...I'm not telling you to /give up/. I would be a fool to tell you to relenquish your strongest trait and tell all who rely on you to take care of themselves. With Nathan and Sakura, I'm not telling you not to defend Elliana. I am, instead, telling you to pull away from verbally debating with them at every opportunity they provoke it, and instead continue to argue with them in actions. Sometimes, yes, if they argue and it's in a venue that influences the opinions of others, go ahead and offer your opinion. But do you really have the energy to verbally fistfight them whenever this is brought up?" Her eyes close with another slow sigh. Her head sinks slightly, allowing her fingers to press into her temples as she thinks. "I do not want to demand that you abandon what you take on. What I want to ask, instead, is that you consider that you are not the only reliable one for these situations, that you do not need to fall into every battle that comes your way. What I want to ask is that you do not crumble into a pile of dust and ash as you perform the task you took upon yourself. That is the last thing I would ever want to see." Hastur's eye cracks open again, glancing sidelong at him. Her expression has settled, though there's an air of tiredness to her look and the sigh she speaks with. "I'm trying to adjust as well. Strangely, while you find yourself trying to adjust to caring less, I find myself trying to adjust to caring far too much. I wouldn't be here, now, otherwise. You helped me; at least allow me to find a way to help you, in turn."
Guest Psyber	"Many claim it, few let their actions actually show it," Psyber notes to Hastur in response. He can see the frustration she holds, but he feels very strongly about this point, "Many claim to be heroes, but few back their words with actions that perfectly uphold their ideals," Psyber notes, thinking very hard about this, "This is what I strive to be. Not a hypocrite." He sighs heavily and says, "But you are right. If I take too much into personal accountability, I merely defeat the purpose of my actions. If I do not pace myself so that I can see them through to the end, my actions lose all validity." He notes, looking down at the stew. He takes a spoonful of it and blows on it gently before eating it. The action giving him time to think. "In that fact you are correct." He admits to her with some tone of finality, staring down at the bowl in front of him as he stirs it with the spoon idly, "And I will need to simply prove to Nathan via actions, since he will always outclass me in words. This is also correct. I do not think anyone in the Multiverse could best him in a debate on this topic." "Thank you."
Hastur	Hastur is silent for a few long moments, staring, thinking, her expression unchanging even after Psyber thanks her. It's some time before she replies, and when she does, it's a soft murmur, gentle and thoughtful, an unwavering recitation. "The thought of our past years in me doth breed perpetual benediction: not indeed for that which is most worthy to be blest - delight and liberty, the simple creed of childhood, whether busy or at rest, with new-fledged hope still fluttering in his breast: not for these I raise the song of thanks and praise; but for those obstinate questionings of sense and outward things, fallings from us, vanishings; blank misgivings of a Creature moving about in worlds not realised, high instincts before which our mortal Nature did tremble like a guilty thing surprised..." She sighs softly, pushing herself up out of her chair. The seat dissolves like paper burning away in a fire, and she steps around to stand behind Psyber, her hands resting on his shoulders as she continues. "...but for those first affections, those shadowy recollections, which, be they what they may, are yet the fountain-light of all our day, are yet a master-light of all our seeing; uphold us, cherish, and have power to make our noisy years seem moments in the being of the eternal Silence; truths that wake, to perish never: which neither listlessness, nor mad endeavour, nor Man nor Boy, nor all that is at enmity with joy, can utterly abolish or destroy. Hence in a season of calm weather, though inland far we be, our souls have sight of that immortal sea which brought us hither, can in a moment travel thither, and see the children sport upon the shore, and hear the mighty waters rolling evermore." Carefully, the woman in yellow sinks down to wrap her arms around Psyber's shoulders in a gentle hug from behind, resting her chin on her arm. "...you aren't the only one who can quote," she mutters, a hint of good humor slipping into her voice. "These are just the inevitable trials of life. You'll make it. I'll do whatever I can to make sure you do."