(no subject)

[will_be_god]

Who: Cyrus and Cynthia (I've wanted to write that for SO LONG)
What: THROWDOWN
Where: Library, Outside
When: Wednesday, 4th Wall Week, c. 2 pm
Warnings: Long-winded rambling speeches, pokémon battles

He'd been prevented from approaching the portal. This grated on Cyrus, though he didn't show it, because it meant he was unable to research it directly. Newcomers continued to come through and yet some force prevented him from coming any further to it than the doorway to the dorm that contained it.

So he'd been forced to watch indirectly, observing from the hallway. But there was almost nothing he could do without the proper tools. So right now he was in the library making notes on how to construct something to observe the bizarre vortex, thick books on everything from telescopes to electron microscopes open and spread out on the table in front of him.

And as always, he was talking, muttering to himself. "...observable universe, only obtainable through means once held as fantastic...how we change! And yet how much we remain the same, each advancement fought against bitterly, vows broken against the false gods of the universe..." and so on.

Comments

WHAT DO I GET FOR GRANTING WISHES?

[battledancing]

Cynthia had been in this strange new world for a few days now, enough to get reasonably acquainted with places and names. The initial shock (if it could even be called that by now, what with all of unwilling dimensional crossing she had been doing for the past years) had worn off, and she had secured temporary housing in the Pokemon Center. She was an adventurous one, so this would be just as fine.

Today, she had decided to drop by the library, both because she wished to learn more about the Academy and because Lucian's ways may or may not have rubbed off on her. Either way, there wasn't much else to do, so reading would be the perfect way to keep her entertained until something came up.

Or at least she thought it would, until she spotted Cyrus there. Boy, wouldn't that be fun.

Still, she seemed to have learned her lesson the last time, and instead of interrupting him, she went for the exact opposite approach, picking her book and taking a seat on the furthest end of the table. There, everyone was happy like that.

YOU GET A NIFTY THREAD

[will_be_god]

He sensed that someone was approaching, but didn't look to see who it was until she sat down across from him.

Cynthia. Of all people, Cynthia.

He'd avoided her for this long, through his fleeing to Final Destination, his brief return to Sinnoh, and even his second attempt at possessing the powers of the gods. Through all that he had heard nothing of her, and she had not interfered.

Yet now, when he was doing nearly nothing--at least nothing she could take issue with--she appeared entirely at random, surprised to discover him there. A creature who had taken on the guise of Giratina had appeared close in time, yet had said nothing of what it had done to him, how it had taken much from him including, for a time, his sanity. Perhaps it was no Giratina at all, or perhaps it had decided that Cynthia was best to deal with him.

He kept glancing at her every few seconds, checking her actions, and seeing what it was she was reading.

WOW I'M NOT THAT CHEAP also whoa this is already looking entirely wrong dhakjsd

[battledancing]

It would be hard not to have noticed him watching her; his was a piercing stare, uncomfortably so, no matter how fleeting. Cynthia herself couldn't help but steal the occasional glance at him as well, and then proceed to quickly avert her eyes the second they made contact with his. It was rare for her to find herself in a position where she didn't know how to react or what to do, but this was surely one of those instances.

Still, she could hold the book up as she went on with her reading, enough so he could see the title on the cover-- if he squinted, maybe. It was, of course, a tome on regional myths and folklore, surprise surprise.

Fine you don't want a thread? How about something a little bigger, like a chain? I have one in red..

[will_be_god]

As it was and ever would be. No wonder she would never advance. Though his aim had been founded in myth, he could not have pursued it to the lengths he had if he had studied only those.

He wouldn't say anything to her. She had to speak first, if she was to do so. But of course he continued to mutter to himself. "Something we cannot ignore. Something we must, for all sakes, demolish with all that we are..."

S C R E A M no you can keep your chains, tyvm

[battledancing]

If asked, she would give him a long-winded speech of her own, about how she was perfectly fine with studying what she loved and how she saw no need for further advancing. But no questions would come-- not from him, and most certainly not at this rate. Anyone else would be more quite all right with it, given the circumstances.

But Cynthia was not everyone else. She was incapable of remaining quiet in the presence of an acquaintance, friendly or not. And clearly incapable of listening to that tiny voice in the back of her head that said she was going to regret this, too.

"I see you haven't had much luck, either." She said, without moving from her seat in the least.

no no, I think it would suit you very nicely

[will_be_god]

At her words, he stopped mid-sentence and glared up at her. "I have come closer than ever before, even closer than I had been then."

There, it would be her task to inquire.

Not... too... sure... (unsure)

[battledancing]

"Have you?" She shot right back, all too nonchalantly. If he had hoped that glare would have any effect on her, he had another thing coming. "I was not aware you had been studying this very particular portal back then, though."

No seriously let me place it around you

[will_be_god]

"Of course. Does it not pique your curiosity? But we have discussed this."

His sight turned back to his book, though he knew she would speak again.

But I don't look good in red................. (unsure)

[battledancing]

Yes, of course she would speak again. This is Cynthia we're talking about here, after all. "As far as I know, the deities were your one goal, back in Sinnoh. But by all means, do share."

You are going to regret this, you are going to regret this, you are going to regret this...

You will look divine in it.

[will_be_god]

"They remain my one goal. Yet the path to godhood involves far more than simply obtaining power." He stared off, somewhere in her direction but past her. "To create an eternal universe where there is no strife, there must be first an entire understanding of things. One must know the rules in order to break them. Or in this, to create an entirely new system of rules."

/quietly... steps... away.... (unsure)!!!

[battledancing]

"And by creating a new system of rules, I suppose you mean crossing dimensional boundaries like this portal has done, am I right?" Her eyes turned their focus back to the book she had picked earlier, idly studying the cover. It served as a good reminded of why she had engaged in this roundabout conversation.

[will_be_god]

"Such a thing falls under the current set of rules, otherwise it would be unable to exist in the present universe."

Her lack of understanding always frustrated him, and dealing with her left him with what he supposed was a drained sensation. And yet he continued, insisted on it.

"We have looked to the stars from the beginning, seen them as objects of wonder, and that wonder has not abated with our scientific advancements. Yet what do we truly see upon viewing them? Do we see, in our minds, new worlds to be taken?" This wasn't meant for her, though he knew she could hear.

[battledancing]

Frustration was a two-way street, as Cynthia, too, felt rather disheartened trying to understand that man - or making him see things the way she did. How strange it was that neither would fully give up on the other; obstinacy was perhaps one of the very few things they would ever have in common.

"The universe is much bigger than you and I could have ever imagined," She begins again, closing her eyes as though to help her retrieve memories from those places she visited prior to arriving here. Telling him straight out he was wrong likely would not have worked, she figured. "There are many more worlds out there, worlds where the deities had no power over. They are parallel dimensions, coexisting without ever interfering with one another."

A pause and she glances at him again, from the corner of her eyes. "A portal like this means the rules of our current universe, as it was supposed to be, have already been broken. It has changed, even if not in the way you wanted."

[will_be_god]

Bigger than she could imagine, maybe. It only showed the dramatic limits to her comprehension. So far beneath him...

Of course he knew about parallel dimensions. He was stuck in one for several months, but even before then he knew of them. They were simple science, common knowledge even among children. She was baiting him, attempting to call out ignorance he didn't possess, on subjects he was very knowledgable in.

"Or perhaps," he would give, "the rules have simply reached their exceptions. Many discoveries have pushed the boundries of science past previous understanding, even in our lifetimes. We must never forget that even the most basic of things were once considered impossible to our limited minds. Thus we cannot dismiss anything as a breaking of rules without the facts to support it."

She would say that the very presence of the portal was fact enough. How foolish.

[battledancing]

Much on the contrary, perhaps he was the ignorant one. His knowledge was based on the written word and limited observations, whereas she had witnessed it all by herself: lords of time who could change history in the blink of an eye, alternate dimensions with doubles of people, wormholes and scientists who could easily break the most basic rule of the universe - the one that said the dead could not return to life. But she didn't even need to mention any of that.

His own words had shown how convoluted and flawed his logic still was, after all.

"If nothing can be dismissed as impossible without proof, and if proof can be refuted in a time ahead of ours, then there is no way to tell for sure that anything you do is actually changing the rules," She starts, somehow managing to keep her cool despite the memories. "There could be a world out there where emotion does not exist. There could even be a world where there's another of you-- one who wouldn't mind feelings nearly as much."

That last bit is said with half a chuckle. If there was a Cyrus like that somewhere in their vast, vast Universe, she certainly would like to meet him.

[will_be_god]

"Interesting. You present a scenario in which you acknowledge an emotionless universe as natural. This contradicts your entire opposition to my goal, in which you claim that such a thing violates natural law."

He wasn't even looking at her, but writing down something from his book, something he'd known for decades and yet wrote down anyway just to avoid her direction.

"Even assuming the idea that you speak only of this world, you still contradict yourself in the view that anything outside common occurance is an abnormality in the laws of the universe. Any scientist must keep an open mind towards the expansion of their knowledge, regarding any future discoveries. But then..."

Now he did look at her, just for a moment. "You are not a scientist."

[battledancing]

There were several ways to go about replying to him: she could point out all she ever did was to point out she rather like their world the way it was and therefore stood in his way; she could note that human studies such as archaeology were scientific fields in the same way his research was; she could even go as far as stating the obvious as to tell Cyrus he was very much contradictory, himself. But it would all lead to more yadda-yadda and endless yapping from him, and she wasn't particularly in the mood for that.

So she takes the fun route instead.

"And here I thought imagining an emotional version of you was enough expanding!" She says, and her smile borders on a smirk even through her chuckles.

[will_be_god]

He glared, staring down at his book. What she said was, in fact, entirely possible, but they both knew she only brought it up to irritate the present him. "What do you believe such a creature would demonstrate?"

I used 'point out' twice in a row /shoots self

[battledancing]

Not irritate, no; tease him, perhaps, but it was mostly a way to make the conversation less of a perpetual bucking of horns and more of a... well, an actual conversation. Or something resembling that.

"He would be much happier, for one," It comes out almost without thinking, and it's completely honest, too. It wasn't as naive as it was hopelessly optimistic of her, but all Cynthia ever wanted was pretty much that - a world where everyone was smiling. "He might not be an incredibly warm person, or even show affection easily, but he would have close acquaintances and people to call his friends. His world wouldn't be perfect, but it would be good enough."

*manipulates time, un-shoots you*

[will_be_god]

"Nothing short of perfection is 'good enough'," he bit back, irratation seeping into his tone--because as much as he claimed emotionlessness, it was still present, and he couldn't conceal it as much as he wanted to. "Anything else is settling for ruin. You ought to understand that, knowing as much of the ancient world as you do, and yet you disregard it in favor of your own sentimentality."

He sighed, heavy with frustration. "...but I do not suppose that means anything to you. What I say falls on willfully deaf ears. All I have tried to teach you..."

THAT GLARING MISTAKE IS STILL THERE /shoots self again

[battledancing]

By her turn, Cynthia is more sad than frustrated, and it's something even her endless heaps of optimism can't avoid. She wouldn't give up, of course not, but it would certainly take a lot of work.

"Nothing is ever perfect," It takes her a moment to speak again, her tone much quieter than it was not too long ago. "Not the world, not people, not anything. And that's exactly what makes everything so interesting-- what makes everything so challenging."

SO YOU ARE SAYING YOU WANT ME TO UNDO MORE TIME IS THAT IT?

[will_be_god]

Interest was often cited by those who opposed him. They claimed the world would be boring if people acted only on duty. How egocentric! That they would put their own selfish interests ahead of the greater good of society!

He was used to hearing it, and it no longer infuriated him. It just...saddened him. Sadness, at least, wouldn't show up in his expression or tone.

"That is exactly it. Nothing is perfect. We and everything were created by a flawed god and thus exist in an imperfect world."

NO I'M SAYING YOU SHOULD JUST LET ME DIE MY HONORABLE DEATH

[battledancing]

"But there are no perfect gods, either," Her eyes fall back upon the book she had been reading, as though she was unconsciously trying not to look too upset. "Even so, I'm sure this world was created this way for a reason. It was so everyone would have something to motivate them, something to push them forward and make them strive to become better. Not perfect, but the best they can be."

FOOLISHNESS THEN WE WOULD NOT GET TO THE BATTLE PART

[will_be_god]

That was exactly his point, that even those divine beings were flawed. She had stated it as if it was unknown to him.

"And I dream of giving them the ability to become truly the best."

It was, as she well knew, highly unusual for him to stop talking after just one sentence.

I'M NOT GOOD AT WRITING BATTLES ANYWAY

[battledancing]

The thing is, she wasn't talking about the existing deities only. Cyrus himself wasn't the best he could be, and very far from perfect; even if he did ever become a god, his creation would still be flawed. Be it in this world or any others, perfection would always be relative.

Still, she had spoken enough of her mind for the day, and there were other things she should be focusing on at the moment.

"I suppose we'll have to agree to disagree, then," There was a 'for now' hidden somewhere in there, and perhaps he could tell. But Cynthia, being Cynthia, would not just let it die without one more uplifting attempt. "Ah, I still have to wonder if that other you would be this difficult!"

... uplifting, tormenting, it was all the same.

And I will be late tagging so you know but I will tag in due time! I need Dialga for this...

[will_be_god]

"It stands to reason that he would be far more difficult. Any creature who does not attempt to alter a corrupt system serves only to contribute to it. Thus, he would be an irritatant towards any sort of progress."

At this point he was almost playing her game, though he would deny doing so, despite being unable to resist adding a jab at her. "I simply wonder what your counterpart would be. Would she be akin to I as I am now, if the me that exists there is closer to you?"

Totally fine! Next week will be 4th wall time for me so I'll be all over the place |D

[battledancing]

If you ask Cynthia, almost playing her game pretty much counted as totally playing her game, coming from this guy. Even his attempt at a jab was amusing to her, all things considered.

"To be honest, I don't think any version of you could ever be conformist," She starts, her tone cool yet much more cheerful than before. "He would likely still try to change the state of things, only in ways that were not as extreme." Which is to say, still an idealist, but without a god complex. Yes, that didn't sound nearly as difficult as this Cyrus.

"As for the other me," There's a very brief pause before she chuckles at her own thoughts. "The only thing I know for sure is that she would still be as stubborn and pushy as I am!"

I will need to get in on that action.

[will_be_god]

"So in short," Cyrus concluded, turning a page in his book, "she would be me."

It starts tonight! Though I think I'll only post tomorrow or so

[battledancing]

If he was trying to get a reaction out of her, then he had better been expecting amusement. Because that's all he's getting.

"Not necessarily!" She lifts her index finger, as though to make a point. "In the same way you wouldn't ever be a conformist, I don't think I could ever have an issue with emotions. So that's one thing I'd be stubborn about!"

Haha you'll have to link me since you didn't say which game~

[will_be_god]

((You're in more than one, right?))

Getting a rise out of her wasn't his intention, but it was something he knew would happen. Not as if he cared, although it did once again prove his point that she was addicted to possessing emotion.

"And yet you would still force the world to conform to your will. How poisonous."

Of course, she would call him out on doing the same, and that she couldn't understand the difference between them was yet another sign of her inferiority. "Of course, to permit emotions to exist is to let a terminal illness remain uncured. The difference between us, Champion, is that I view the big picture. A universal scale. Nothing less can be given. And you, in that case, would give nothing of the sort."

Oops, that would be Discedo! I sent you a PM with the link o/

[battledancing]

Yadda yadda yadda, back to being a broken record; for a genius, he didn't seem to quite grasp the meaning of agreeing to disagree. Oh, well. Time to try a different approach, then.

"I see having a remotely normal conversation with you is nigh impossible," A small sigh wells forth, though she's far from being defeated. "It's a shame, really."

Unbeknownst to him, her free hand is fiddling with the set of pokeballs attached to her belt, a new idea gaining shape. There was one other way of getting to know a person that she was quite fond of employing, and she might just have to resort to it.

It was, thankfully, one that required very few words.

[will_be_god]

Of course, the only form of communication she fully understanded.

He noticed what her hand was over when he stood to reach for another book, which he immediately set aside.

They would let their skill speak for them. Of course, any outcome was unimportant. It was what their actions would reveal that was vital.

He nodded knowingly, turning towards the nearest exit.