[ there are weird phrases here and there; free us seems to be the loudest and most common one, but it all falls on deaf ears. whatever reaction sariel might have given the broken NPCs earlier on is now replaced with a single-minded focus that has him following dutifully after his creator. his steps are quiet, almost unnervingly so, like he's a shadow that can easily blend in with the darkness.
when stone blends into grass, the structures all around them become less familiar. there are tall trees amongst tall pillars, dense underbrush along broken rocks. there's a quaint cottage off to the side that sariel thinks he's seen somewhere before, but it's not important. the trail of ants on the ground are what matters most, a part of him relieved when lucilius doesn't step all over them. ]
Yes. I wanted to see the soldier ants.
[ that's the simplest answer he can give, even if it's a repeat. having conversation has never been his strongest suit either. ]
It was always quiet when I came to see them. [ there are no screams. there's no one pleading to be spared. ] However... it's not so quiet right now.
[ and he has no idea how to fix that, short of burying everyone around them. ]
[ As solitary as he was, Lucilius is used to being flanked by angels, whether they're just fluttering in and awaiting orders or hovering about to protect him from his ever-growing pool of enemies. It doesn't rattle him any; he'd be more annoyed if Sariel wasn't falling in step anyway.
But even with 2000 years and the world deteriorating and rebuilding around them, Sariel is tractable as ever, and things between them haven't changed a day. Except for these... insects. That's the real irregularity here, not a bunch of glitchy landscapes; he pays them no heed, no nostalgia lost on the familiar scenes anyway.
His voice cuts through the rest. ]
Silence is a state of mind—it will be quiet again if you ignore them.
[ It's easy to tune out the eerie whispers and cries building around them when they keep repeating the same, pointless mantra. (It's not like freedom comes to those who whine the loudest, anyway.)
His one-track mind takes them near the convergence of several ant pathways, clearly heading into a nest. He opts to ignore Canaan and all his labs falling apart around him in favor of the humble ant. ]
...Well? [ Enlighten him on why they're here, Sariel. ]
[ maybe it's a good thing that sariel's presence doesn't rattle lucilius because the louder the mindless chants get, the closer he sticks by him just in case someone gets any funny ideas. he has nothing to say when lucilius tells him to ignore them, bright blue eyes closing for a second to contemplate that notion.
there were many days when he wished for it to be that easy, and he doesn't think the past two thousand years had made it any easier. to set aside cries for help and pleas for mercy as if they were nothing.
not that he would ever say that out loud. ]
Yes. I understand.
[ dutiful as ever. a tool like him isn't built to dwell on feelings of guilt, even if this tight feeling in his chest doesn't want to go away.
they come to a stop right where the ants have gathered; right by a familiar tree, just like he remembered. lucilius' inquiry hangs in the air around them for the longest time before he remembers himself. somehow, he might appear to be a little sheepish. ]
[ Sometimes—if rarely—his own creations surprise him. Most of the time, they're about as predictable as anyone else. He should've anticipated that Sariel is still the same way he's always been, obedient and needing to be directed at a target, or even guided simply through conversation.
It's undeniably useful, but maybe he'd hoped for new answers at the end of a pointless trail of insects. Perhaps Lucilius would have preferred to be surprised.
...He'd thought for a moment that Sariel's limiter might've come unscrewed with this seemingly new interest, but likely not. Either way, he's in no rush to reaffix it, sighing softly as he crouches besides the simulation line of ants, mostly because they're the only creatures that aren't going to start begging for death. Already the other Astral figures around them glance towards him with oozing faces, their features melting in a way that'd give most anyone else nightmares.
He spells his question out, like he should have from the start: ]
What did you hope to find here, Sariel.
this tag... was in my spam folder I'M SORRYSDFSDLKF
[ this is entirely a scene ripped straight out of a surrealistic horror flick, but despite the oozing faces all around them, sariel is hardly bothered by them. if anything, what makes him more nervous is not knowing how to answer lucilius' question at all. what did he hope to find here? isn't what he said earlier enough? that he merely wanted to see the soldier ants?
they march along to an unheard but steady rhythm, heading straight for the anthill that leads to who knows where. sariel doesn't crouch next to lucilius, wasn't really given the permission too; it's so unlike those warm, sunny afternoons he spent with belial where the two of them are side by side. right now, he's a few steps behind the astral, minding his space and distance. ]
I—
[ he hesitates on speaking up, ponders if his choice of words will even make sense. maybe... maybe it might be easier to just be honest. even if it'll make lucilius mad. ]
I just wanted to see them. [ a pause, and then - ] We don't have to stay.
[ it's probably better they get a move on anyway. before the projected astrals converge on them after being ignored for so long. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
when stone blends into grass, the structures all around them become less familiar. there are tall trees amongst tall pillars, dense underbrush along broken rocks. there's a quaint cottage off to the side that sariel thinks he's seen somewhere before, but it's not important. the trail of ants on the ground are what matters most, a part of him relieved when lucilius doesn't step all over them. ]
Yes. I wanted to see the soldier ants.
[ that's the simplest answer he can give, even if it's a repeat. having conversation has never been his strongest suit either. ]
It was always quiet when I came to see them. [ there are no screams. there's no one pleading to be spared. ] However... it's not so quiet right now.
[ and he has no idea how to fix that, short of burying everyone around them. ]
no subject
But even with 2000 years and the world deteriorating and rebuilding around them, Sariel is tractable as ever, and things between them haven't changed a day. Except for these... insects. That's the real irregularity here, not a bunch of glitchy landscapes; he pays them no heed, no nostalgia lost on the familiar scenes anyway.
His voice cuts through the rest. ]
Silence is a state of mind—it will be quiet again if you ignore them.
[ It's easy to tune out the eerie whispers and cries building around them when they keep repeating the same, pointless mantra. (It's not like freedom comes to those who whine the loudest, anyway.)
His one-track mind takes them near the convergence of several ant pathways, clearly heading into a nest. He opts to ignore Canaan and all his labs falling apart around him in favor of the humble ant. ]
...Well? [ Enlighten him on why they're here, Sariel. ]
no subject
there were many days when he wished for it to be that easy, and he doesn't think the past two thousand years had made it any easier. to set aside cries for help and pleas for mercy as if they were nothing.
not that he would ever say that out loud. ]
Yes. I understand.
[ dutiful as ever. a tool like him isn't built to dwell on feelings of guilt, even if this tight feeling in his chest doesn't want to go away.
they come to a stop right where the ants have gathered; right by a familiar tree, just like he remembered. lucilius' inquiry hangs in the air around them for the longest time before he remembers himself. somehow, he might appear to be a little sheepish. ]
... Head Researcher?
[ translation: he has no idea. ]
no subject
It's undeniably useful, but maybe he'd hoped for new answers at the end of a pointless trail of insects. Perhaps Lucilius would have preferred to be surprised.
...He'd thought for a moment that Sariel's limiter might've come unscrewed with this seemingly new interest, but likely not. Either way, he's in no rush to reaffix it, sighing softly as he crouches besides the simulation line of ants, mostly because they're the only creatures that aren't going to start begging for death. Already the other Astral figures around them glance towards him with oozing faces, their features melting in a way that'd give most anyone else nightmares.
He spells his question out, like he should have from the start: ]
What did you hope to find here, Sariel.
this tag... was in my spam folder I'M SORRYSDFSDLKF
they march along to an unheard but steady rhythm, heading straight for the anthill that leads to who knows where. sariel doesn't crouch next to lucilius, wasn't really given the permission too; it's so unlike those warm, sunny afternoons he spent with belial where the two of them are side by side. right now, he's a few steps behind the astral, minding his space and distance. ]
I—
[ he hesitates on speaking up, ponders if his choice of words will even make sense. maybe... maybe it might be easier to just be honest. even if it'll make lucilius mad. ]
I just wanted to see them. [ a pause, and then - ] We don't have to stay.
[ it's probably better they get a move on anyway. before the projected astrals converge on them after being ignored for so long. ]