Post by Value on Dec 4, 2016 19:10:51 GMT -5
If there was one thing that Takua hadn't done, it was support his own race. Now, as he looked out across the fledgling attempts to restructure and rebuild after Obsession's last hurrah, Value felt a faint sense of disquiet. He hardly begrudged his past self's opinion on the matter, but it didn't reflect how he felt now. And right now...
The young Transcendental looked out across the dome, ignored by the inhabitants of the plane, a faint frown starting to form.
Well. Right now he had to wonder how long it would take before the next truly great Hollow would rise. If he wanted to be blunt? Currently they were fucked. It shouldn't take too long of course—Hollows evolved at a pace second only to mortals, but the fact remained that they were incredibly weak at the moment. None of their champions were really much of anything. If the Takua that had come back and killed Severance found this land now, he could have become King immediately...and not a single one of them would have had the power to stop him. Not even their current Queen.
Value's frown deepened, a twinge of emotion running through him evading his attempts to pin it down for a moment. But only for a moment. Once he had it in his hands...
He blinked. The corner of his mouth twitched, curling upward before he gave a short, richly amused chuckle. Of course it would be now that he would feel the desire to nudge a few of these Hollows in the right direction. It was a little late to pass on the gift that had been given to him years ago, but late was better than never. In other ways, of course, it was the perfect timing.
Another thought followed on the heels of its brother, but he discarded it instantly. It wasn't the first time he'd considered it, but his reasoning hadn't changed. Truth had already shown why a Transcendental ruling over Las Noches was at best a temporary measure, a stopgap only useful in the most extreme of circumstances. And that just wasn't what was needed. Value becoming the King just wasn't worth it. In the end, it was better if he simply gave a few people the nudge they needed. These people would control their own destiny, just as they always did. They did not, he reflected quietly, need any of his people to rule for them. And hopefully they never would.
Besides. He still had hope for the current Queen. Green eyes sparkled as he considered her, looking at the ruler's castle quite as though the stone walls weren't in the way. He'd have to drop by and take care of her some time soon, but not right now. She was dealing with the business of ruling right now after all.
Value snapped his fingers just like any cheesy street magician, and his view of the endless night and cold crescent moon overhead was replaced by granite and quartz walls. They swept upward, curving into a dome that met thirty yards overhead, looking down on an arena dotted with pillars of wood and stone. Some of them...well, Takua would freely admit that in the process of using the place the décor had suffered a bit. Stone was warped and split, wood had grown in impossible ways, and all in all it looked like a madhouse down here. He grinned at the sight, reminded of happier times with a good friend, and took a brief look around. There were a few scorch marks here and there, easily done away with a moment later by the judicious application of (somewhat paradoxically, he did admit) even more fire. When he was all done, the cracked pillars were fused again, the overgrown wood trimmed back to where it should have been. And with that and the quick and easy addition of a totally normal office desk and chair, he was ready—or he should have been.
The thought struck him while he was in the middle of admiring his work. He was forgetting something. He knew he was forgetting something. Value paused, head turning this way and that as he tsk'd lightly. It had to have been the easiest thing in the world to remember, and he knew it. But some some reason it was escaping him. The trick was just coaxing it back up into his conscious mind.
Oh. Well that was one way to feel like an idiot. He'd forgotten the most important thing!
He waved open a small rift in space and reached through, rummaging around in the blackness of the void until he found what he was looking for. A gaudy plastic toy sword in bright red and orange. He put it on his side of the desk as he sat down, facing the closed double doors that provided entry to this place.
Now he was ready.
He reached out with a thought and an understanding. Reality agreed. It was as easy as that.
The doors opened. But instead of where they should have gone, the current Segunda Espada found the door to his sleeping chamber opening quite unexpectedly. This was his smallest trick, but also one of the flashiest he could use on a regular basis. Besides, this was far more fun than just some boring Garganta.
Value grinned. Cazador was currently sleeping, but it wouldn't take long for the Hollow's sense of danger to recognize the change and wake him up. And then the game could start. Sounds faded out all around the sleeping Espada, the universe seemingly fading away, until all that was left was the open door and the room he was in now. Any look out a window could dispel that illusion, but it would be enough.
The young Transcendental looked out across the dome, ignored by the inhabitants of the plane, a faint frown starting to form.
Well. Right now he had to wonder how long it would take before the next truly great Hollow would rise. If he wanted to be blunt? Currently they were fucked. It shouldn't take too long of course—Hollows evolved at a pace second only to mortals, but the fact remained that they were incredibly weak at the moment. None of their champions were really much of anything. If the Takua that had come back and killed Severance found this land now, he could have become King immediately...and not a single one of them would have had the power to stop him. Not even their current Queen.
Value's frown deepened, a twinge of emotion running through him evading his attempts to pin it down for a moment. But only for a moment. Once he had it in his hands...
He blinked. The corner of his mouth twitched, curling upward before he gave a short, richly amused chuckle. Of course it would be now that he would feel the desire to nudge a few of these Hollows in the right direction. It was a little late to pass on the gift that had been given to him years ago, but late was better than never. In other ways, of course, it was the perfect timing.
Another thought followed on the heels of its brother, but he discarded it instantly. It wasn't the first time he'd considered it, but his reasoning hadn't changed. Truth had already shown why a Transcendental ruling over Las Noches was at best a temporary measure, a stopgap only useful in the most extreme of circumstances. And that just wasn't what was needed. Value becoming the King just wasn't worth it. In the end, it was better if he simply gave a few people the nudge they needed. These people would control their own destiny, just as they always did. They did not, he reflected quietly, need any of his people to rule for them. And hopefully they never would.
Besides. He still had hope for the current Queen. Green eyes sparkled as he considered her, looking at the ruler's castle quite as though the stone walls weren't in the way. He'd have to drop by and take care of her some time soon, but not right now. She was dealing with the business of ruling right now after all.
Value snapped his fingers just like any cheesy street magician, and his view of the endless night and cold crescent moon overhead was replaced by granite and quartz walls. They swept upward, curving into a dome that met thirty yards overhead, looking down on an arena dotted with pillars of wood and stone. Some of them...well, Takua would freely admit that in the process of using the place the décor had suffered a bit. Stone was warped and split, wood had grown in impossible ways, and all in all it looked like a madhouse down here. He grinned at the sight, reminded of happier times with a good friend, and took a brief look around. There were a few scorch marks here and there, easily done away with a moment later by the judicious application of (somewhat paradoxically, he did admit) even more fire. When he was all done, the cracked pillars were fused again, the overgrown wood trimmed back to where it should have been. And with that and the quick and easy addition of a totally normal office desk and chair, he was ready—or he should have been.
The thought struck him while he was in the middle of admiring his work. He was forgetting something. He knew he was forgetting something. Value paused, head turning this way and that as he tsk'd lightly. It had to have been the easiest thing in the world to remember, and he knew it. But some some reason it was escaping him. The trick was just coaxing it back up into his conscious mind.
Oh. Well that was one way to feel like an idiot. He'd forgotten the most important thing!
He waved open a small rift in space and reached through, rummaging around in the blackness of the void until he found what he was looking for. A gaudy plastic toy sword in bright red and orange. He put it on his side of the desk as he sat down, facing the closed double doors that provided entry to this place.
Now he was ready.
He reached out with a thought and an understanding. Reality agreed. It was as easy as that.
The doors opened. But instead of where they should have gone, the current Segunda Espada found the door to his sleeping chamber opening quite unexpectedly. This was his smallest trick, but also one of the flashiest he could use on a regular basis. Besides, this was far more fun than just some boring Garganta.
Value grinned. Cazador was currently sleeping, but it wouldn't take long for the Hollow's sense of danger to recognize the change and wake him up. And then the game could start. Sounds faded out all around the sleeping Espada, the universe seemingly fading away, until all that was left was the open door and the room he was in now. Any look out a window could dispel that illusion, but it would be enough.
