[It all boils down that Machina doesn't trust himself anymore. He's scared and only just coming to realize how potentially wretched his decision to become a l'Cie can be. He was enticed by the power and didn't think of the consequences, and those are starting to come home to roost for him.
But Lady Lightning's reassurance helps immensely. It was all he'd wanted in the first place and then everything got out of hand. He looks up from the table and nods.]
I believe you.
[There's more he wants to add, more to the story than he's told her. But after opening and closing his mouth to start a couple of times, he just sets his jaw and nods again.]
I'll protect you all too. I won't let anyone hurt any of you.
[Lightning returns the nod, lifting the cup to her lips for a sip and keeping her eyes firmly glued to Machina with an expression that tries to convey that she has more to add to that.]
Our Eidolons are here to help us. We sometimes can't fight alone... So if you want to help protect us, don't stop Hope from summoning Alexander if he has to.
[Then maybe he'll see that they can be trusted not to destroy the entire island. With Alexander's size, it's definitely possible that he could wreak havoc if Hope wanted him to, but they aren't like that. None of them asked for this kind of life and none of them are going to ruin the bond with their Eidolons that came from it.]
[There's a slow grudging nod from Machina. Not that he wholly agrees for his own selfish and fearful reasons. But he can understand doing whatever it takes to protect himself and those around him.]
Alright.
[There's a quiet sigh from him while he internalizes what that agreement means. Maybe. He doesn't know. But then there's something else at stake that has been eating at him. He has to know.]
Is it true? That in your time, everything is gone?
[Lightning shifts uncomfortably in her seat at that. That little piece of information had been something she blurted out in the moment, her own anger getting the better of her and not intentional at all. Too late now, though.
She cradles her coffee between her hands, leaning forward and staring out the window.]
It's not gone. Not yet. ['Gone' is not quite the right word for what the Chaos has done to their world, or is in the process of doing from her point of view.] The Chaos does exactly what one might think -- destroys everything in its path. When Etro died, the gates of Valhalla opened and the Chaos flooded through. Bhunivelze created a new world for humanity to be reborn.
[A deep dread settles into the pit of his stomach, sick at the thought of something destroying all in its path. He's horrified to think of it and he's witnessed more tragedy than someone his age should have ever been privy to. Machina stares hard at the table, trying to process that information. Many of those names mean nothing to him which makes the understanding difficult. Except one.
His head shoots up, eyes going wide with shock.]
Etro's dead?!
[The kid's no theologian but he's been educated well enough that that name means something to him.]
[She's not going to get into all the details of her death, though. Noel's already been thrown under the bus enough times that Lightning doesn't want to tell that part of the story again.]
That's why our world's been destroyed. That's why I'm the savior – to guide humanity to the new world Bhunivelze's created for us.
[You can almost see the wheels turning in Machina's head. A lot of what she's saying doesn't quite make sense. For starters...]
Who's Bhunivelze? You mentioned her? him? twice now. Must be important.
[Still thinking. Half talking to himself while he parses the information. At least he's doing it aloud and not just churning it all in his head.]
And Etro's dead. But humanity is born from Etro's blood, so if she's dead, does that mean there's no new people? And there's Chaos destroying the world...
[He looks up at Lightning, studying her face, as he considers her entirely anew. Reaching a conclusion that might or might not be actuality but he's closing in on it.]
...and you're the Savior.
[Savior. Agito. At the end of time. Tempus Finis. The bridge between the seen and unseen worlds.]
[She simply nods at first, because all of this thinking and churning out loud he's doing is pretty much on point. Everything from Etro being dead to no new life to her being the savior.]
With Etro gone and the Chaos uncontained, no new life is born and life is not lost. The cycle of life and death is broken and our world became one with Valhalla.
[Lightning remembers traversing through Gran Pulse and seeing Etro's temple in the middle of it all, and for a brief moment, Machina might see a flash of the image, too, in an accidental crystal connection.]
When we awoke from our crystal sleep, Etro had passed on her blessing and removed our brands. We were no longer l'Cie, but I had to pay the price.
[And thus, Lightning's story became more convoluted.]
[Machina's thoughts settle on that brief image of a temple out of place surrounded by a wild and untamed land. Passages from the Nameless Tome that he's had hammered into his head come to recollection and he more mumbles it than actually expresses it:]
'Only the chosen may enter that land. The chosen will touch all creation, and obtain that which is truth.' '...when the seal of creation is broken...' I thought it was a gate but...what if creation itself were broken? Life and death...
[Machina shakes his head, realizing he's thinking aloud and spiraling in on the conclusion that Lady Lightning is Agito. Admiration lights his eyes, this time not at all related to her having once been a l'Cie. By her own admission she is the savior, even at a cost.]
That's not fair.
[What in the world ever gave Machina the notion that anything in life is fair? He knows better by now. But he blurts it out anyway as he is wont to do.]
[No, nothing in life is ever fair, Machina. Lightning's had that hammered into her own head time and time again, not by teachers or mentors, but by life itself. She hasn't had a day off before she came here. It was one thing after another and if it wasn't one problem, it was something else.
She drums her fingers against her cup, turning to stare out the window again.]
When the gates open, the Chaos pulled me through into Valhalla. A dying goddess... she needed someone to protect her. And so, that was the price I paid and I failed her. She died, and the gates opened and the Chaos devoured everything. Five hundred years of being at its mercy and I woke up as the savior, thirteen days before the end.
[It not really a question. He's echoing the words because it strikes him as no mere coincidence. Admiration floods his face and where there was a surly teengaer, there is now one very animated fan.]
You're Agito.
[He's convinced. Although Machina is a little surprised he hasn't completed his Focus. Maybe that just means there's something else he needs to do first to make room for her. Maybe he's a little disappointed to figure out that he's not it after all, but this truly is the next best thing.]
[Hello, this is Machina Kunagiri being polite and reverent. Bad attitude is banished. He will never ever blow his stack in Lady Lightning's presence again. Ever.]
There is a prophecy that at the end of time, Tempus Finis, a savior will arise and save the world. Agito, the Savior.
[There's a sourness that crosses her expression, her nose crinkling ever so slightly at that. The savior, a prophecy... Lightning's never liked the idea of her fate being decided for her – that she was prophesized to be the savior before she ever got the chance to say no. She tries to wash down the bad taste in her mouth with the coffee, but it tastes more bitter than usual.]
[Machina is calmly assured of that. He's got faith in her. More than he realized until just now. That's a trickle of a smile manifesting on his face, even.]
[She doesn't need reminding or the reassurance, but it's appreciated all the same and Lightning doesn't let that gratitude slide. Machina might be a brat sometimes, but there's no doubt he genuinely cares. That much is obvious to her.]
I don't like leaving things unfinished. When I get back, I will.
[Do you hear that conviction, Bhunivelze?]
In the meantime... You stay the hell out of trouble.
[Yeah well... now he's convinced she's Agito. Which means he is absolutely not going to disrespect someone who's supposed to save the world. Especially when he knows his Focus is tied to Agito somehow... even if he doesn't fully understand it.]
Uh, sure I could get something. I finished working for the day.
[Ah Lightning, you underestimate the bottomless pit that is a teenage boy's stomach. Fortunately Machina is not that impolite to clean out half the menu.
He takes his time looking it over, however. So many choices! So many delicious things he hasn't seen at school in ages. And being on his own financially, he doesn't spring for expensive meals here either.]
Meatballs. We haven't had those at Akademia for months. ...is that okay?
I give you free reign to pick whatever you want and you go for meatballs.
[It's kind of endearing in a humbling sort of way. Lightning rummages through her pockets and lays out enough sylvs on the table to cover for it and her coffee.]
I offered, didn't I? I could always take back the offer.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2017-11-10 03:38 am (UTC)But Lady Lightning's reassurance helps immensely. It was all he'd wanted in the first place and then everything got out of hand. He looks up from the table and nods.]
I believe you.
[There's more he wants to add, more to the story than he's told her. But after opening and closing his mouth to start a couple of times, he just sets his jaw and nods again.]
I'll protect you all too. I won't let anyone hurt any of you.
no subject
Date: 2017-11-11 05:58 pm (UTC)Our Eidolons are here to help us. We sometimes can't fight alone... So if you want to help protect us, don't stop Hope from summoning Alexander if he has to.
[Then maybe he'll see that they can be trusted not to destroy the entire island. With Alexander's size, it's definitely possible that he could wreak havoc if Hope wanted him to, but they aren't like that. None of them asked for this kind of life and none of them are going to ruin the bond with their Eidolons that came from it.]
no subject
Date: 2017-11-20 03:52 am (UTC)Alright.
[There's a quiet sigh from him while he internalizes what that agreement means. Maybe. He doesn't know. But then there's something else at stake that has been eating at him. He has to know.]
Is it true? That in your time, everything is gone?
no subject
Date: 2017-11-21 02:18 am (UTC)She cradles her coffee between her hands, leaning forward and staring out the window.]
It's not gone. Not yet. ['Gone' is not quite the right word for what the Chaos has done to their world, or is in the process of doing from her point of view.] The Chaos does exactly what one might think -- destroys everything in its path. When Etro died, the gates of Valhalla opened and the Chaos flooded through. Bhunivelze created a new world for humanity to be reborn.
no subject
Date: 2017-11-21 02:39 am (UTC)His head shoots up, eyes going wide with shock.]
Etro's dead?!
[The kid's no theologian but he's been educated well enough that that name means something to him.]
no subject
Date: 2017-11-22 06:56 pm (UTC)[She's not going to get into all the details of her death, though. Noel's already been thrown under the bus enough times that Lightning doesn't want to tell that part of the story again.]
That's why our world's been destroyed. That's why I'm the savior – to guide humanity to the new world Bhunivelze's created for us.
no subject
Date: 2017-11-23 05:25 pm (UTC)Who's Bhunivelze? You mentioned her? him? twice now. Must be important.
[Still thinking. Half talking to himself while he parses the information. At least he's doing it aloud and not just churning it all in his head.]
And Etro's dead. But humanity is born from Etro's blood, so if she's dead, does that mean there's no new people? And there's Chaos destroying the world...
[He looks up at Lightning, studying her face, as he considers her entirely anew. Reaching a conclusion that might or might not be actuality but he's closing in on it.]
...and you're the Savior.
[Savior. Agito. At the end of time. Tempus Finis. The bridge between the seen and unseen worlds.]
no subject
Date: 2017-11-24 12:10 am (UTC)With Etro gone and the Chaos uncontained, no new life is born and life is not lost. The cycle of life and death is broken and our world became one with Valhalla.
[Lightning remembers traversing through Gran Pulse and seeing Etro's temple in the middle of it all, and for a brief moment, Machina might see a flash of the image, too, in an accidental crystal connection.]
When we awoke from our crystal sleep, Etro had passed on her blessing and removed our brands. We were no longer l'Cie, but I had to pay the price.
[And thus, Lightning's story became more convoluted.]
no subject
Date: 2017-11-24 01:26 am (UTC)'Only the chosen may enter that land. The chosen will touch all creation, and obtain that which is truth.' '...when the seal of creation is broken...' I thought it was a gate but...what if creation itself were broken? Life and death...
[Machina shakes his head, realizing he's thinking aloud and spiraling in on the conclusion that Lady Lightning is Agito. Admiration lights his eyes, this time not at all related to her having once been a l'Cie. By her own admission she is the savior, even at a cost.]
That's not fair.
[What in the world ever gave Machina the notion that anything in life is fair? He knows better by now. But he blurts it out anyway as he is wont to do.]
What's the price you had to pay?
no subject
Date: 2017-11-25 02:09 am (UTC)She drums her fingers against her cup, turning to stare out the window again.]
When the gates open, the Chaos pulled me through into Valhalla. A dying goddess... she needed someone to protect her. And so, that was the price I paid and I failed her. She died, and the gates opened and the Chaos devoured everything. Five hundred years of being at its mercy and I woke up as the savior, thirteen days before the end.
no subject
Date: 2017-11-26 05:40 pm (UTC)[It not really a question. He's echoing the words because it strikes him as no mere coincidence. Admiration floods his face and where there was a surly teengaer, there is now one very animated fan.]
You're Agito.
[He's convinced. Although Machina is a little surprised he hasn't completed his Focus. Maybe that just means there's something else he needs to do first to make room for her. Maybe he's a little disappointed to figure out that he's not it after all, but this truly is the next best thing.]
no subject
Date: 2017-11-26 09:37 pm (UTC)I'm sorry, who?
[Something in his expression tells her that this person is real important.]
no subject
Date: 2017-11-26 09:55 pm (UTC)[Hello, this is Machina Kunagiri being polite and reverent. Bad attitude is banished. He will never ever blow his stack in Lady Lightning's presence again. Ever.]
There is a prophecy that at the end of time, Tempus Finis, a savior will arise and save the world. Agito, the Savior.
You're the savior at the end of time.
no subject
Date: 2017-11-27 02:49 pm (UTC)I'm no Agito, whoever this person is.
[Lightning – she's just Lightning.]
I haven't saved anyone. Not yet.
no subject
Date: 2017-11-30 11:55 pm (UTC)[Machina is calmly assured of that. He's got faith in her. More than he realized until just now. That's a trickle of a smile manifesting on his face, even.]
no subject
Date: 2017-12-01 02:50 am (UTC)[She doesn't need reminding or the reassurance, but it's appreciated all the same and Lightning doesn't let that gratitude slide. Machina might be a brat sometimes, but there's no doubt he genuinely cares. That much is obvious to her.]
I don't like leaving things unfinished. When I get back, I will.
[Do you hear that conviction, Bhunivelze?]
In the meantime... You stay the hell out of trouble.
no subject
Date: 2017-12-02 05:47 am (UTC)[Not even said snidely. He respects the hell out of her already, and now triply so.
Crush? What crush? Oh you mean the one that's getting bigger?]no subject
Date: 2017-12-03 12:58 am (UTC)[Her eyebrow twitches upwards, subtly, because she doesn't remember him being so obedient and not without being huffy while he's at it. Whatever.]
You wanna grab something, or you got somewhere you gotta be?
no subject
Date: 2017-12-03 07:37 am (UTC)Uh, sure I could get something. I finished working for the day.
no subject
Date: 2017-12-03 05:25 pm (UTC)Pick whatever and put it on my tab. My treat.
[Just this once.]
no subject
Date: 2017-12-05 05:42 am (UTC)[Ah Lightning, you underestimate the bottomless pit that is a teenage boy's stomach. Fortunately Machina is not that impolite to clean out half the menu.
He takes his time looking it over, however. So many choices! So many delicious things he hasn't seen at school in ages. And being on his own financially, he doesn't spring for expensive meals here either.]
Meatballs. We haven't had those at Akademia for months. ...is that okay?
[Genuinely not trying to spend too much.]
no subject
Date: 2017-12-06 01:24 am (UTC)I give you free reign to pick whatever you want and you go for meatballs.
[It's kind of endearing in a humbling sort of way. Lightning rummages through her pockets and lays out enough sylvs on the table to cover for it and her coffee.]
I offered, didn't I? I could always take back the offer.