[if april showers bring may flowers, then july showers bring. . .?]

[sevenhorrorsmods]

Who: everyone!
When: July 31st throughout the day
Where: outside, but also wherever you want to be!
What: a general all-purpose mingle with flavor
Warnings: nada

[Today, for the first time since your arrival, dark and angry clouds gather in the sky above to block out the sun. It is sweltering outside, so when those clouds eventually open up in the early afternoon, showering everyone with cool rain, rolling thunder, and a few flashes of lightning. . . it probably feels good!]

[It seems to be normal rain, for the most part. Look at it from the wrong angle and some if it may seem to be tinted red, like blood. And sometimes, when a drop spatters against the ground, a spider lily suddenly blossoms in its place. The flower dies almost immediately upon springing to life, its petals dissolving into dust that is quickly washed away by the rest of the water]

[dwbi]

[. . . things have been awfully quiet since your arrival. It feels almost a bit like the calm before the storm, doesn't it? Are you still waiting for that other shoe to drop. . .?]

[What else are you up to today!]

Comments

[presgarddihellis]

[smiles. he's been smiling this whole while. it's been the same sort of smile he's been smiling in most of their conversations, even.]

Seer. Clown. Magician. Faceless. Marionettist.

What do these have in common?

[ordimame]

[it's this conversation that has him seeing that smile in a brand new light]

. . . trickery. Right? Sleight-of-hand. Subterfuge.

Some kind of element of falsity.

[presgarddihellis]

Performance, also.

An act is no good if there isn't anyone to observe the show. Or to acknowledge the one performing.

[ordimame]

[. . .]

Are your marionettes used to confound your audience, then?

[presgarddihellis]

They can be.

Sometimes they're convenient when the Marionettist can't go too far in their real body. At the lower Sequences, there's a limit to the distance. But the higher one gets, the less that factors into it.

[ordimame]

[. . . . . .]

[quietly, but with feeling]

. . . that's pretty fucked up, Smith.

[but at the very least. . . he also knows that Smith understands that]

Why are you telling me this now. . .?

[presgarddihellis]

Because.

You seem to think I'm being metaphorical when I say "it feels like I'm not really here to appreciate it".

I'm not.

And... I need someone. To understand that.

I don't see any strings. I can't hear the prayers. I've been limited, and I can't... tell. Which it is. And it's dangerous... when a Marionettist can't keep track of if he's the master or the puppet.

The act is that I am myself, of course, but...

[ahaha Beyonder dangers all the time 24/7 welcome to the reality of What Is Going On Inside His Head even just a LITTLE BIT.]

[ordimame]

[that]

[actually kind of takes him off guard, his shuttered features cracking just a little bit with a slight raise of his brows and parting of his lips]

You need someone to understand, and you chose. . . me?

[presgarddihellis]

A Spectator would be most ideal.

... but that type of person is difficult to come across.

Besides... you understand this Pathway intrinsically.

1/2

[ordimame]

[. . . . . . . . again]

[he feels his hackles raise, the hairs at the back of his neck standing on end, gaze narrowing. again, Smith pokes and prods, as though trying to dip his fingers underneath Edamura's public-facing persona. to peel it aside and reveal that which lies underneath. it's gentler than his ribbing back at Katsumori, and yet. . .]

[. . . Edamura is silent for a few long, inscrutable moments]

[ordimame]

[and Puck's reply is deceptively casual]

You don't know me well enough to say that.

[which is the only response he gives before moving on--]

What makes a "Spectator?" And. . . why is it so important for someone to understand?

[presgarddihellis]

... the Spectator is another Pathway. It's one which specializes in observation... not interference. Or not interference perceived by others. They're subtle.

Psychiatrist is one of the Sequences of the Spectator Pathway.

[ordimame]

[. . . so his psychiatrist is a lot more than just a listening ear. a grounding force, maybe? he can only imagine how adrift Smith feels without her at his side. a little bit like--]

[. . .]

[no. he is not going there. to compare their experiences would be conceding to Smith's point. and doing that would mean revealing more about himself than he wants. more than he is comfortable with, at this point in time]

[quiet again, gaze dipping down, staring at a puddle of water forming in front of the lobby's entryway]

. . . I want to help, you know. [that sentiment, at least, is very genuine] So I don't mind. . . "spectating," if that's what you need.

But I still don't get why it's necessary. Why it's so important for you to have someone-- see you?

[why the puppeteer needs to be certain he is still in control, and not guided by someone else's strings]

[presgarddihellis]

[he was almost there...]

You asked "Why?" earlier, right?

The answer is "because the more inhumane the acts, the less of a grasp of humanity one has". When one is going down the path of the divine, there are certain balances to strike. Humanity. Divinity. The scope of the divine is too large for humans, for the most part.

... but... there are ways. To get around it. If one's clever enough, if one's determined enough, holding onto humanity, that difficult wire act...

I've only made marionettes of insects, animals, monsters, murderous pirates and other unsavory types.

[pauses, looks down at the book in his lap.]

An old colleague. She would have lost control. Lost her humanity before she died. So I...

[ordimame]

[it's barely perceptible, but his fingers curl tightly around his arm]

. . . so you took her, too. To save her from that fate.

[quiet. a bit softer than his white-knuckled grip might otherwise suggest]

[presgarddihellis]

... I let her strings go when she was gone.

And... it's not that I need or want you to understand everything. You wouldn't be able to. And I wouldn't want you or others to, either. Even Miss... Miss Psychiatrist couldn't fully understand. That's not how Spectating works.

[clearly being careful with names even though said person is not even in this school.]

1/3

[ordimame]

[. . . . . . . . .]

[ordimame]

[after a few more silent moments. . .]

[Puck pushes away from the wall to approach Smith, reaching out to plant both of his hands on either sides of his cheeks. he leans in close (but not too close), catching that gaze with his own, leveling his fellow captive with a steady, even look]

[ordimame]

[and then he smooshes those cheeks together. FISH LIPS]

[lightly!]

Has anyone ever told you that too much stress is really bad for a guy?

1/2

[presgarddihellis]

[. . . the utter disrespect happening here. the Tarot Club would have never--]

2/2

[presgarddihellis]

[grabbing hold of those hand's wrists and pulling them away from his face]

Has anyone told you it's very rude to just grab someone's face like that?

[ordimame]

[HE AIN'T A MEMBER OF THE TAROT CLUB!!]

[allowing for his hands to be pulled away, but he looks genuinely amused]

Yeah! But it looks like it worked, so does it really matter?

[briefly. momentarily. a tiny distraction!]

[presgarddihellis]

[... pushing the hands away from him now, looking away.]

You're the one who was asking questions.

[ordimame]

[heh. lets them drop back to his sides. this feels like proper payback for the number of times Smith has subtly called him out]

Yeah. I guess I'm a little nosy, huh?

[hm. . .]

. . . but I'm going to keep doing it. That way, I can at least understand everything I am capable of understanding.

Hope you don't mind!

[presgarddihellis]

[no. go back to being a hissy kitten. that was funnier.

this is not funny.

being without his usual Fool act isn't funny?

...






siiiiighs... a kind of weary exhalation.]

I have maybe... said a little too much...