The Fifteen Strangers Mods (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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15strangers2020-03-01 01:58 pm
strangerpeople) wrote in 15strangers2020-03-01 01:58 pm
Entry tags:
Isn't this where.....
[Living and dead have reunited. That is all well and good. However, all these trains and cars and starships mean nothing by themselves - many of you may be wondering precisely where they are headed, and the answer presents itself soon in the form of a yawning portal in the middle of space. Yawning, calm, so as not to be mistaken with the writhing and twitching of the wefts - it seems to belong, or at least to be accepted as a cosmic inevitability. And this is what all of the dubious spacecrafts sail into for now - it is just barely large enough for all of them to go in one at a time, and to come out on the other side of the wormhole.
That appears to be some kind of airspace. Those curious about the place they're going may want to open the stained glass windows of the trains to get a much better view of the scenery they're descending on. The landscapes are mostly gorgeous, looking from a distance as though they were painted with watercolors, although some may think it also looks a bit, well, haphazardly patched together. For the trains, there is a floating dock above the land that looks brand new, and an elevator to take down to the ground. All other ships can find an easy landing space in the meadow, like the weird UFOs they are. Nevertheless, there is a path to follow from there, leading to a castle in the distance. It is a path lined with wonderful flowers and trees... and also a chaotic smattering of other trees that don't look like they quite belong. Sheets of dry lasagna make up the bark of the spaghetti trees, their inexplicably cooked pasta hanging like a weeping willow as marinara drips from their meatball fruit. The smell is overpowering, but don't let that ruin the trip. "In fact, it would be better if you let it work up an appetite", the cheerful voice of 707 suggests as he leads the pack up the trail like a hyperactive boy scout leader.
Finally, the doors of the castle open up. The halls are full of doors, each glowing from within - some of you may recognize the names of your homes, and others may not. But going past them, there is an enormous arch that is named The Hall of the Beginning as indicated by the carvings on it. Inside is a table that will be familiar to one of the strangers. It is the table that the original 15 Titled met at the beginning of Nirn, and it's overflowing with a feast even more grandiose than the last time. All of the drinks and cuisine you've been missing for so long is here - from sugar-spiced coffee and bubble tea, delicious scones as good as an aunt's, ridiculously spicy takeout wok, popcorn, philly cheesesteaks and the most perfect star shaped peanut-butter-jelly sandwiches known to man, a big toblerone on a long silver platter, three types of ramen, beer, so many grapes, melon bread, something labeled "dead chicken" that is obviously just a regular roast chicken.... it definitely seems like there were too many cooks here, but cooks with their heart in the right place. Some other favorites of the strangers will also be among the chaos if they look hard enough, but certainly, somewhere, it was deemed that they should have a celebration feast.
But then, you are not strangers any more, are you? Everyone here is a familiar face now, and there are even more familiar faces waiting around the table. The ones who wrote the letter, 707, Halley, Maka, Alexis, and Cardia are already there coming and going, but occasionally many others will stumble through one of the many doors. People from the games who had not fallen to IT. People from home, people you love. What we have here is a nexus and a party all in one. Here, there will be as much time for goodbyes as you like - or, as the hall suggests, new beginnings.]
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...you know it turned out the dead were watching too when I said that, right?
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... It's not your fault, you know.
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It's not that I don't see where you're coming from... but, it doesn't matter if other people don't also see it that way. I might as well just get it over with.
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Also, Vita exists.
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And I can handle Vita.
[As much as Vita can be handled.]
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You really are just... like this.
It's amazing, really.
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[Especially in a world that's broken because he messed up.]
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[Hiyori really turns to Link, eyes curious.]
I feel like I'm thinking all the time about how everyone will see my actions, what they say they need - and I just make things worse, most of the time. But it can't be as simple as obeying everyone else all the time... Do you always have a duty to fulfill?
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It's... it's too much for me there, sometimes. So I just go quiet so I look strong. So I can bear what needs to be carried. ... But I don't know that it does, anymore.
But you have to listen first. Listen to what they need, and what you can give, because you can give a lot. Even helping with small things, like gathering eggs for an old woman who's feeling ill, or playing tag with a child so their mother can rest a moment. And you start small. Little things. Things that you might not think matter, but they do.
[He thinks for a moment, trying to come up with things more relevant to Hiyori.]
Grabbing a towel for your friend so they don't shiver when they get out of the pool. Taking a meal to a friend who's sick. Helping an old man in the store pick up something he dropped. It doesn't have to be big. You're not saving the world. But I've seen an entire town grow and thrive because people helped each other with the little things that grew into big things. And I have trouble with worrying about how people are going to see me, too.
... But when I'm not doing something directly connected to my main goal I try to remember that it's okay to look silly sometimes. You learn things that way.
[Like how to ride a tree like a rocket.]
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...like when Eric gave you the tie, so we took you that photograph.
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... You're really strong, you know. Fighting off ITs influence was one thing, but being brave enough to stand up to IT is another.