[The secret—is that what it is? Not really—is out, and he doesn't feel better about it. Talking about it never feels good. He lingers by her ear, feeling his heart thump heavily against his chest, before he pulls back with an uncharacteristically mild frown that borders on hollow.
His voice is low, subdued.]
. . . It was my fault. After all the kindness they showed me, I consigned them to oblivion with a simple mistake. I only survived, because I wasn't there when it happened.
[she's quiet for a few more moments, just... shifting to sit closer to him. touch week back at it again.]
...a mistake is exactly that, a mistake, but whether they were what we meant to happen in the end or not-- the consequences are what we live with. There's never any changing what we've done, only... doing what we can, afterwards. Trying to resolve the fallout of our decisions.
[sharing what he has-- that's enough. she isn't going to push him for more, but she is quiet for a few more moments.]
... but I do owe you an exchange, then.
[if she had her way, she wouldn't breathe a word of it to anyone-- but she's not going to find out if the consequences would be worse.]
I should... explain a little more, first. The things the Bureau exists to protect the world from are-- they're seven extremely powerful artifacts known as the Grand Relics, and it would not be an exaggeration to call them weapons of mass destruction. Their power is-- immense. Enough to perform impossible feats of magic, to destroy entire towns if misused, and the corruptive power they hold means that they invariably are.
[she pauses for a long moment there, but-- then she leans in to whisper, her voice quiet.]
...I regret helping to make those relics, and-- everything that came of putting them into the world.
[It's easier to turn away and think about something else. If he does that, he doesn't have to think about the crushing guilt. Guilt is the word that comes to mind, though, when Lucretia whispers her regret and Sieghart draws back with a pensive mien.
He gives them a moment for the words to settle in the silence. Regretting the consequences of one's actions is a torturous type of guilt; this, he understands.
If only—]
. . . I see the need for secrecy now, and why you have to be in charge.
That's a part of why, yes. We knew the plan was dangerous, that these items would be a risk, but we had no idea what the true extent of their powers would be.
[they didn't realize just what they were dooming their world to, in their attempt to save it.]
... but they all thought that it was the best chance we had. I never wanted to create them, but I didn't-- I couldn't go against their decision.
They are. The power they have is-- it's a compelling thing. They want to be used, they call out to people, they encourage their power to be mishandled-- these relics need to be needed. It's why we had to set them loose in the world to begin with.
...I've found that the people who made them are the only ones capable of resisting that thrall. Every reclaimer I've ever tried to hire, everyone I have ever sent after these relics and allowed to get too close to them, they've all inevitably suffered from their corruption.
[Leaning back against the couch, he lifts his gaze to the ceiling. Given the magnitude of what they're discussing, it isn't surprising that the consequences would be that drastic.]
. . . In the end, only a parent can reel in their unruly child.
[Rather, it's a parent's responsibility to do so.]
[she exhales a sigh, and then as he leans back, she just. shifts a little. she's stayed close thanks to it being touch week here, and almost without thinking about it she leans against him, head resting on his shoulder.]
[Blinking at the contact, he angles his head toward her—but doesn't otherwise move, much less shake her off. Even if none of this is probably their own doing, his impression of her now is that she must be tired. The least he can do is let her stay.]
[it's more comfortable than it should be. that's likely just the way things are, this week, but this is-- relaxing, honestly, so she doesn't pull away either.]
Incredibly close. We just retrieved the last of the relics, not long before I was brought here, but I was... interrupted, by this place.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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His voice is low, subdued.]
. . . It was my fault. After all the kindness they showed me, I consigned them to oblivion with a simple mistake. I only survived, because I wasn't there when it happened.
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...a mistake is exactly that, a mistake, but whether they were what we meant to happen in the end or not-- the consequences are what we live with. There's never any changing what we've done, only... doing what we can, afterwards. Trying to resolve the fallout of our decisions.
Do you regret surviving, Sieghart?
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[He falls quiet. He has many a regret of that time. Indeed, surviving when everyone else perished has to be one of them.]
I don't want to talk about it.
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[sharing what he has-- that's enough. she isn't going to push him for more, but she is quiet for a few more moments.]
... but I do owe you an exchange, then.
[if she had her way, she wouldn't breathe a word of it to anyone-- but she's not going to find out if the consequences would be worse.]
I should... explain a little more, first. The things the Bureau exists to protect the world from are-- they're seven extremely powerful artifacts known as the Grand Relics, and it would not be an exaggeration to call them weapons of mass destruction. Their power is-- immense. Enough to perform impossible feats of magic, to destroy entire towns if misused, and the corruptive power they hold means that they invariably are.
[she pauses for a long moment there, but-- then she leans in to whisper, her voice quiet.]
...I regret helping to make those relics, and-- everything that came of putting them into the world.
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He gives them a moment for the words to settle in the silence. Regretting the consequences of one's actions is a torturous type of guilt; this, he understands.
If only—]
. . . I see the need for secrecy now, and why you have to be in charge.
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[they didn't realize just what they were dooming their world to, in their attempt to save it.]
... but they all thought that it was the best chance we had. I never wanted to create them, but I didn't-- I couldn't go against their decision.
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[There's much and more to this story; Sieghart, however, chooses not to ask. He's only here to listen—not to intrude nor cast judgment.]
. . . It's as you've said. What's done is done. All that's left is to live with the consequences of our actions.
[And isn't that the most unfair part of it all? That they should get to live, while others don't.]
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[she glances to her staff, there. not hard to guess what hers was.]
But-- in this case, living with those consequences means trying to fix them. Removing the relics from the world, so they'll never kill anyone again.
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[His gaze drifts to the staff. Funny, how something that looks so harmless can be so harmful.]
Are they that difficult to get rid of?
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...I've found that the people who made them are the only ones capable of resisting that thrall. Every reclaimer I've ever tried to hire, everyone I have ever sent after these relics and allowed to get too close to them, they've all inevitably suffered from their corruption.
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. . . In the end, only a parent can reel in their unruly child.
[Rather, it's a parent's responsibility to do so.]
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[she exhales a sigh, and then as he leans back, she just. shifts a little. she's stayed close thanks to it being touch week here, and almost without thinking about it she leans against him, head resting on his shoulder.]
But it's-- it's been working.
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How close are you to removing them?
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Incredibly close. We just retrieved the last of the relics, not long before I was brought here, but I was... interrupted, by this place.
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The end of a long and arduous quest, broken up by a cruel world—he would've been beside himself with rage.]
. . . Once we leave this dimension, you'll be able to finish what you started.
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[her voice is quiet, but no less determined for it.]
I know how to save our world, I just-- I just have to get back home and do it. I'll save all of us.
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You will.
[She'll save everyone. She will.]
This dimension can't stop you. I won't allow it.
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[she turns her head to give him a little grin in turn, still not moving away.]
I'm sure I'll make it out of here myself, if I have to, but-- I'll be counting on you to help, then, Sieghart.
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Just don't work me too hard, or I might die of exhaustion before we go anywhere.
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[she huffs out a quiet laugh, there. i, teej, hate this tag HE IMMEDIATELY DIED, JAE.]
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I'm not one for busywork. As long as it's not that, I should be fine.
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