The Keepers
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Post by Geata on Oct 24, 2016 15:24:59 GMT -7
Geata had only been to his destination once before, in order to provide his friend and ally quick transportation to the recent dragon fight. From what he understood, she hadn't exactly fared too well in the battle, and so he had far too many reasons to go and check up on her to let social etiquette stand in his way. He hadn't exactly been invited, though, so he opted against simply appearing inside her house. Rather, instead he opted for the more traditional approach. He used portals to get to the edge of the yard, and took a moment to get a look around. Stuff seemed pretty dead around the house, but things seemed fairly intact as far as the actual house went. He could easily imagine the neighborhood whispering about the house being cursed. Or haunted. He gave it another month, tops, before stupid kids tried to break in and stay there for the night on a dare. He somehow doubted that Unhallow would be too happy about that development. He wondered briefly if there was anything he could do to help prevent that, but he wasn't exactly known for gardening prowess. He'd bring it up to Unhallow and Azoth at some point. He made his way to the front door and knocked a few times. "Unhallow?" Geata called. "Are you home? I'd like to talk with you, if you'd be willing." Unhallow |
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Post by Unhallow on Oct 25, 2016 20:26:20 GMT -7
Unhallow had been living in their house for a few months now, and had been spending a lot of time in it. Their power had taken hold over the area for quite some time because of it. The overgrown yard had been tamed, but now looked more like a collection of dried husks. All things considered, they were probably more dangerous like this given how brittle and sharp they were. At the very least, the land mines scattered throughout the yard had been disarmed, so no one had to worry about accidentally stepping on those. The front door was still reinforced steel, and appeared to be in better condition than most of the house. To the right of the door a sign that read NO SOLICITORS with a subtitle of 'all solicitors will be shot on sight' was still displayed prominently. The house itself looked abandoned, between the dead plants and lack of lights.
Unhallow themselves was inside the house in complete darkness. They didn't need light to see, and they hadn't figured out how to get the power or water turned on yet. It was inconvenient, and as winter came, it was starting to become worse than inconvenient. It was bad enough that they couldn't keep any refrigerated food because the refrigerator had no power, but they also had no access to water, the toilets didn't work, and now it was getting really cold. Even their costume wasn't enough to keep them from shivering, and they had taken to keeping their helmet on at all times just to stop their ears and nose from freezing.
They were grabbing some cereal out of the cabinets when a figure suddenly entered their range. Unhallow dropped the box in surprise, but quickly realized this strange sensation meant it could only be one person. Why were so many people bothering them at their house now? That was one of the things they were looking forward to most when they no longer had to sleep in Happy World, yet nearly every single one of the people that bothered them there knew where their house was. Unhallow sighed. They supposed they shouldn't be too mean to him given his relationship with Azoth, but it was still really annoying. They shouted across the kitchen towards the front door while they picked up the cereal, but it was pretty far away. At this point they didn't care whether he heard or not. Despite that, their voice remained polite and cordial.
"Yeah, I'm here. What do you need?"
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The Keepers
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Post by Geata on Oct 26, 2016 21:09:51 GMT -7
Geata smiled slightly as he faintly heard Unhallow, even if it sounded like she was shouting across the house. That was good, and it meant he probably wouldn't have to come later. Then, remembering why he came, he sighed and composed himself. This was to be a serious discussion between them, as long as Unhallow was willing to humor him.
"Unhallow," he said, his voice a far more serious tone than he was accustomed to using anymore, like he was trying to negotiate a contract. He supposed that wasn't too far from the truth, though, so he continued without hesitation. "I'm intending on joining the Keepers and have been informed that I should perform tasks to earn the favor of the members of the faction. I have come here to discuss doing such a favor for you, if I might come inside to speak to you."
It hadn't been an easy decision for him to make, which faction to join, but the dragon had definitely helped him choose. Now that he had, he wanted to do things right, and what better place to start than with Unhallow? They were already technically allies, and Geata considered her a friend (which he was starting to come to realize didn't exactly mean much besides he held a positive opinion of the person). Unlike Azoth, he expected he'd actually have to do something of note for Unhallow; unlike Sin Eater, he doubted she'd put him in an undesirable position - although he still dreaded needed to go to Sin.
As he awaited an answer, nervousness started to creep in. He hoped he wasn't being rude by just showing up where she lived and making requests, but at the same time it wasn't like he knew of any better place he could regularly find her. He just had to wait and see what sort of reaction she'd have.
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The Keepers
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Post by Unhallow on Oct 27, 2016 18:56:22 GMT -7
Unhallow picked up the box and set it back in the cabinet. They didn't respond for quite awhile. This was a serious matter and required a lot of thought, plus stuff like this was never their strong point. They furrowed their brow, frozen for a few minutes, before shaking their head and heading towards the door. The kitchen wasn't too far from the entrance, but Unhallow still didn't dare run. On some level, they didn't care if they kept him waiting, but they were still trying to force themselves to be reasonably polite for Azoth.
There was a broken piece of the back deck hooked up to some spider webs and twigs laying on the floor. Unhallow picked the wooden piece at the end and swung her arm around in a wide arc, twisting the vault-like panel on the door so it could open. The door slowly creaked open, with Unhallow several feet away from it. The inside was pitch black, save for a little bit of light coming through the front door. The inside was completely barren; they didn't have any pictures on the walls, any furniture on the ground, the only thing lining the floor was a thick layer of dust that desperately needed to be cleaned at some point. The inside was colder than the outside because the inside wasn't being warmed by the sun during the day.
"I guess, but I don't think there's much point in coming inside. If you want a more private spot to talk, the backyard might work better." Plus, it would give Unhallow a few more minutes to think of something somewhat intelligent to say. "What made you change your mind? You were fairly additament about not joining when we first met."
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The Keepers
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Post by Geata on Oct 31, 2016 23:46:13 GMT -7
Geata was perfectly fine with waiting a little bit. It was a big deal, probably more so to the actual Keeper. He understood needing a few minutes to prepare a response. That was why, when Unhallow opened the door, he was less surprised by an actual response to his statement and more the condition she was living in. He looked around the area visible to him and felt the chill escaping the house, and he was appalled.
He needed to focus, though, on the matter at hand. He could understand why Unhallow suggested the backyard instead, and he nodded in agreement. Perhaps it would be for the best to talk somewhere where he could see. The question took him a moment to understand, but it still didn't distract from the lack of necessary heating inside. Still, it was an important question and it needed an answer. And a correction.
"I think you're meaning 'adamant', Unhallow," he said lightly. "And, if I remember correctly - which I very well might not - I wasn't being adamant about not wanting to join. All I remember saying was a reason why certain members of the group might not want to join the Keepers. Me, personally, I believe I was considering it, but it wasn't the most likely option to be taken at the time. What's changed since then is my goals. Back then, what I wanted to accomplish was something personal that didn't require outside help. Now, it's bigger picture. I want to be able to keep my friends alive, and the best way I can think of to do that is to learn as much about dragons as I can. What better way to do that than as a Keeper?"
He gave his answer a thought before giving in and asking his own question. "Unhallow, is your power out or something? Do you need a hand with anything like that? I'm happy to help, won't count it as a favor or anything."
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The Keepers
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Post by Unhallow on Nov 8, 2016 16:54:34 GMT -7
"Th-that's what I said," Unhallow said defensively. "I'll just meet you back there!"
Unhallow swung the door shut, still from a distance, and folded their arms once it was closed. Normally they would escort people back there so they could avoid the worst of the garden and the landmines (even if they had been disarmed at this point they swore that occasionally they came back to life), but Geata didn't need any of that because of his power. They figured he'd just teleport directly into the yard instead of looking around for the gate, so he'd probably be fine. Unhallow made their way back through through the house in order to keep their distance, and muttered under their breath. That was exactly what they said when they first met, and Unhallow couldn't tell if Geata was being patronizing or not.
The backyard didn't look any better than the front yard. All the plants were dead, the trees had long since turned gray, and there were even a few areas of just dirt with absolutely nothing there; not even grass. The back door of the house opened up to a large wooden deck that was clearly showing signs of age. Despite that, it still looked safe to stand on barring splinters. The deck had absolutely nothing on it, much like the inside of the house, and was covered in a thin layer of dust. A few yards from the deck was a metal hatch that lead to the underground bunker Unhallow spent most of their time. The hatch looked like it was starting to rust again, and most of the patches completely devoid of life were around there. The entire area was eerily quiet. There were no signs of insects or small animals, so the only sound of nature was the sound of the wind blowing through the husks of the plants.
Unhallow continued moving until they reached one of the patches of dirt in front of the hatch. They didn't turn to face Geata, but that was more out of habit than rudeness. They could see him regardless of which direction they were facing, so it already felt like they were looking right at him. Normally, they'd be happy have more advice on how to get the power on, but it was just wrong here. They couldn't let themselves be in a position of inferiority, not here. They had to be strong, and maybe even a little intimidating. The hard part was figuring out exactly what to ask. Even with the few minutes alone they had, they were at a loss about how to figure out whether Geata was trustworthy or not. Azoth seemed to think he was, but she'd been making a lot of bad decisions lately. It was something they were doing to have to figure out alone ultimately.
"I-It's fine. There's nothing wrong," they shook their head and stood up extra straight to try to use their height advantage over Geata. "I am indifferent about favors. The imperative..." Unhallow paused for a moment trying to think a good word. "concept is whether you are trustworthy and will expidiate the goals of the organization. What do you intend to do if you're allowed to join?"
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The Keepers
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Post by Geata on Nov 18, 2016 10:10:54 GMT -7
Geata was originally tempted to go searching around for a gate or something. When Unhallow disappeared back inside, though, he simply walked through a portal. Once there, he took a look around and sighed. If the front yard looked bad, the backyard looked like Death had decided to specifically target each and every blade of grass around. If Unhallow was able to absolutely drain the life of the yard, Geata was curious about the specifics of her power. It wasn't quite something he was eager to figure out from personal experience, but he was going to be paying more attention when he encountered Unhallow out in the field.
The refusal of his offer was met with a shrug; if she said things were fine, he wasn't going to argue. He made the offer, so his part in that was done if she said so. He decided he'd offer again if he came back over and things were still in need of light. Until then, though, it was probably better to focus on one task at a time.
Geata gave the question a moment of thought. He couldn't exactly just say that he was intending on giving away any and all information he found with a few exceptions, obviously. When he spoke, his tone betrayed his lack of certainty. "I'll, uh, mostly focus on figuring out anything and everything out about dragons that I can. Other than that..." he trailed off, suddenly coming to a realization. "You know, I don't think I've ever actually heard if the Keepers have any goals besides murdering dragons effectively. Do they?"
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The Keepers
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Post by Unhallow on Nov 19, 2016 19:35:21 GMT -7
Unhallow's nostrils flared and the only thing stopping them from folding their arms disapprovingly was that they tried to keep everything as far away from their chest as possible. He really had no idea what he was getting into did he? More than that the complete lack of respect for such an ancient and venerable organization was unacceptable. Did he even know what would be expected of him if he wanted to get in, or did he seriously think bribing people would be enough? It was far more complicated than that, and there was a lot more to being a Keeper than pretending to be friends with everyone.
"The Keepers seek to guide the world and lead it to true prosperity. Obviously making sure it's not destroyed by dragons is an important part of that, but in the end it's a really small piece of it. Did Azoth not tell you anything? You couldn't even answer what you wanted to do without stuttering! Do you even know what you stand for?"
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The Keepers
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Post by Geata on Nov 19, 2016 21:26:02 GMT -7
Geata chuckled nervously as Unhallow gave her response. It was hard to tell what she was feeling because of the voice changer, but the words used made it clear she wasn't happy. Disappointed, sad, or angry were all on the list of potential emotions. Geata was betting it was more disappointed or mad, though.
"So in other words, world domination," he mumbled to himself. "Yeah, figures I'd be trying to get myself involved in mess of that scale." He wondered briefly about why Unhallow decided to join them and if she knew about that beforehand, but it was pretty clear what her stance on that was now. It seemed she had been completely cultified, ready to believe that the faction was doing what they wanted for the greater good. As far as Geata was concerned, you could make it sound as nice and sunshiny as you wanted - world domination was world domination, simple as that. Luckily for nobody, he didn't really care too much about that particular goal.
He turned his attention back to his friend in black and smiled apologetically (forgetting momentarily about his mask). "Sorry, I simply hadn't heard. Azoth probably thought I had, or was otherwise distracted, so don't blame her. As for me, I thought the eradication of dragons would've been a lofty enough goal and the thought of there being more to it didn't even cross my mind."
The comment about his stutter stung a little. It was probably for the best that she never met him as Tristan, if she was going to be rude and point out a little slip like that. Still, she asked a question and it would've been weird for him to get pouty over that and refuse to answer given how he came to bother her.
"That's a considerably easier question than what I intend to do," he said, making extra sure not to slip up again. "I stand for making sure that everyone stays safe. I can't protect absolutely everyone the way I'd want to, so I'm trying to figure out the next best thing. Dealing with the biggest threat to their survival sounds like a good place to start to me. I'm joining the Keepers to protect the people I care about. I'll do what I need to accomplish that, and if that helps other people with their goals then great. If not, oh well, I'm sure I'll end up making it up to whoever when the time comes. I'm not particularly interested in World Conquest, one way or another, personally. I'll lend a hand with it if given reason, but otherwise I'm gonna try to steer clear. I don't think I'd be too good at being in charge of anything, let alone the entire world in any capacity."
He went slightly off topic, but he supposed that'd probably be fine. It probably worked as a better answer to Unhallow's previous question. He was tempted to ask her what led to her joining the Keepers, but he was starting to feel like he was talking too much. He'd simply wait for another opportunity.
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The Keepers
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Post by Unhallow on Nov 20, 2016 2:41:22 GMT -7
He was doing it again. Unhallow's frowned deepened under their helmet. He was still treating this whole thing so casually and not like he was asking to have a part in the ultimate fate of the world. It was annoying. They had to put so much work into being a part of the Keepers, and this guy was going to be able to waltz right in without even understanding the first thing about the organization? How could he be expected to further their goals when he knew next to nothing? Worse than that, he was outright insulting all the work that they put into protecting the world and guiding it towards a better path. The entire thing was infuriating, and they had half a mind to kick him out of their house right now, but given his relationship with Azoth they felt obligated to see everything through.
"You say that like better control over the world wouldn't directly aid in your stated goal. Unless you meant you only want to protect the people close to you, in which case you might as well just take them to the middle of nowhere since dragons typically only attack places with lots of supers. Your power would make them relatively easy to evade. If you really meant everyone then why would you object to the easiest way to get peace and prosperity? The amount of wars and violence in the world has gone down and a lot of it has the Keepers to thank. Their careful stewardship has brought the world into a new age and the effects are really obvious if you look at the richer countries in the world. Are you really going to throw aside what you believe in just because something sounds bad? How do you even expect to get into an organization like the Keepers with something so flimsy?"
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The Keepers
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Post by Geata on Nov 20, 2016 21:07:01 GMT -7
Geata decided to take a seat in a patch of dead grass. If this was going to become an in-depth ideological conversation on the Keepers and their goals, he was probably going to be there longer than expected. That also meant being under the influence of Unhallow's powers for longer, but he could deal with that. She was the first person to actually try and explain what the Keepers were actually about, and he was genuinely interested to hear her opinions on the matter. She may have been brainwashed, but if she adamantly believed that the faction was right then she probably had her reasons. He may probably disagree with those reasons, he realized, but he still wanted to know them. He was nothing if not a creature of curiosity, after all.
"First, if I may," he said, his voice apologetic yet cheerful, "I'm sorry if I'm coming across the wrong way. I'm not trying to be rude or anything, it's just the first time I'm hearing most of this so I'm just trying to process the new information in my own way. Second, I feel the need to make clear that you're one of the people that I care about. With that in mind, would you really appreciate me just dropping you in the middle of nowhere against your wishes? I may want the people I care about to be safe, but I also want you all to be happy. Taking matters into my own hands and deciding things tends to not lead to people being happy." He knew this from personal experience and wasn't exactly willing to try such a maneuver again. Especially not if it involved Aurora as grabbing everyone he'd want to would.
"Third, yes I meant everyone. If I didn't give two shits about John Doe down the street I wouldn't try my hardest to keep from killing people. Life would be a lot easier if I didn't care, but oh well. As for a new world order making everything safe, it's very possible that it could. That's exactly why I wouldn't be going out of my way to stop it. It's also very possible that bad people could try and take over and use the world as a personal plaything. Global conquest seems like the sort of the thing that would attract the wrong crowd more often than not. I'll... probably rethink my position on that subject if I meet someone in charge who strikes me as a trustworthy fellow, but other than that I'm not entirely sure what all would be taken to convince me. And, honestly, it's something that sounds way too above my pay grade for me to involve myself with and expect good things to happen. That's why it's probably in everyone's best interests for me to just worry about gathering information and other grunt work."
"Anyway, if it's not too much to ask, would you terribly mind informing me of any other important details of a similar magnitude such as that revelation? So far you're the only person who's apparently thought that I might be interested in hearing about these things, so I'd appreciate it if you're willing." He was still slightly sad about the jab at his stutter, but other than being mean Unhallow had proven to be very helpful and informative so far. As such, he was actually in an overall good mood, even as the seriousness of what he was trying to get himself involved with was starting to sink in.
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The Keepers
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Post by Unhallow on Nov 21, 2016 21:00:30 GMT -7
"If peoples' opinions are enough to get you to change your mind or hold back it's not much of a guiding principle. They don't take just anyone. It takes a lot of inner strength. It's part of why so many Keepers fight each other so much."
It was a disappointing fact, but an unavoidable one. Sometimes things got really heated and Unhallow couldn't quite make sense of it. They could understand being annoyed or upset when people had to compromise, but sometimes the others just seemed so hateful and a lot of conflicts seemed so pointless. Some of them got more violent or vindictive than they really needed to as well. It was like everyone forgot that they were all supposed to be on the same side sometimes. A strong belief was absolutely necessary though, and it was something that held Unhallow back at first too.
They weren't going to hold his hesitance to want to rule the world against him. Unhallow didn't consider it their place either, they were a weapon and little more, so it was only natural that they leave the governing to the people that could do that. However, that didn't seem to be the main reason he was objecting. It was a complete lack of faith in everything he was supposed to be fighting for should he join the Keepers in the first place. It was rare for anyone to actually meet the leaders, their influence was obvious enough to anyone who cared to look for it. It was then that they realized the inevitable conclusion of this conversation and that they would just start talking in circles soon enough. Unhallow's frustration waned a bit, and their voice sounded more relaxed and matter-of-fact.
"You're not ready."
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The Keepers
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Post by Geata on Nov 22, 2016 16:28:38 GMT -7
"It's less that people's opinions are holding me back or anything," Geata said, trying to figure out the right wording as he went along. "It's more that I'm aware that it would be wasted effort. If I were to drop a sizable group of supers in the middle of nowhere and they didn't want to be there, me on my own would be hard-pressed to keep them there. Especially since a few of them are stronger than I am. It wouldn't work well, or at all, really. It's a smarter use of time and resources to just try and figure out the next best thing."
Inner strength and infighting sounded important and all, but he knew trying to get into a conversation over those probably wouldn't go too well. Mostly because he thought if a group's goal was so unimportant to the group that there was room for infighting then he shouldn't be scolded for not knowing it. Clearly it wasn't the prospect of global conquest with a group of close friends that attracted the bulk of the faction. He kept his mouth shut, though, only to be told about how he wasn't ready.
The first thing that came to mind was to point out that he never claimed to be ready in the first place and that getting ready was what he thought the whole ordeal with the favors was about. However, instead of trying to handle it rationally and actually explain himself, Geata decided to discuss the second thing that came to mind.
"Aren't you the one who just said that if I'm wanting to be a Keeper then I shouldn't let people's opinions stop me? So, following your logic, shouldn't I be the one to decide if I'm ready or not?"
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The Keepers
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Post by Unhallow on Nov 23, 2016 20:42:13 GMT -7
"I didn't say anything even close to that and you know it," Unhallow huffed. "Your friends have nothing to do with the Keepers. Their opinions have nothing to do with the Keepers. Protecting them has nothing to do with the Keepers as long as you are not one. If protecting them was the most important thing, you would do what you needed to make sure they were safe, but you're not, so it's not. You're not ready, and it sounds like there is nothing left to discuss. If there is, I will listen, but otherwise it doesn't sound like there's much point in continuing to talk right now. Come back in a few months."
For once, Unhallow actually felt confident in their words and their judgement. They weren't trying to keep him out because of any past interactions, but because he really didn't seem to understand anything let alone have the ability to be fully committed to what he needed to do, and they were getting more confident with that judgement the more the conversation went on. That said, they were still going to give him the benefit of the doubt because of his other connections and wait to see if he needed anything else. They were also more than willing to give him another chance once he learned more and thought about what needed to be done. They weren't going to be petty and let other opinions get in the way of that.
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The Keepers
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Post by Geata on Nov 26, 2016 0:17:45 GMT -7
Geata sighed. He was going to have to spell everything out to Unhallow, apparently, which was a monumental hassle. He wasn't good at spelling things out. He wasn't very good at spelling things out; his reasoning was usually a weird mix of gut instinct and logic that was difficult to put into words. Add in the fact that she was right overall about how he wasn't ready, and it was likely a pointless task. And yet, for some reason, he felt the need to explain anyway.
"Protecting my friends isn't what I said was the most important thing to me. Like I said before, I care about everyone. Besides how useless it would be to drag a group of supers into the middle of nowhere when they don't want to be there, it would leave the unpowereds of the city largely lacking in protection if, by some miracle, I pulled it off. I have put an absurd amount of time into figuring this out, Unhallow. I have tried to look at it from every angle imaginable, and the only somewhat long-lasting solution I can come up with is that my friends need to fight against the dragons. That would mean they'd probably die trying to save the very people that some of them are desperately trying to fight against. And, you know what, that's a problem for me. So I am doing what it takes to keep them safe, because they're a high priority of mine too. I'm joining the Keepers, not because I want to rule the world or anything, but because figuring out what I can about dragons is the best way to keep everyone alive. Hell, it's the only workable solution. I honestly don't want anything to do with conquering the world. The odds are that some shady puppeteer type is the mastermind behind the Keepers and things will go less than great. That doesn't matter, though. It's simply something that I'm going to have to deal with in order to do what I have to do."
He took a deep breath as he paused, having went on more of a tirade than expected. He looked up at Unhallow and resisted the urge to sigh again.
"You're right, though. I'm not ready. If I was absolutely ready for this, I'd be better at convincing myself that I'm being unreasonable and that things really will work out and joining the Keepers is unquestionably a good thing. But... I can't afford to wait until I'm ready. How many lives might be lost in the time that it takes? How many of those people might be friends or family? It's too many. I can't afford to waste time trying to tell myself that 'it'll be better in the long run'. I can help best as a Keeper, and that's the only important detail as far as I'm concerned."
A portal opened behind Geata as he climbed to his feet. "I'll... I'm gonna think it over for a little while, see what I can figure out in the meantime. I'll see you again once I'm sure I'm Keeper material, okay?" This was, surprisingly, the truth. Not the whole truth, of course, though. He was going to do more research, and he was going to wait until he was Keeper material to see Unhallow, but he had been told about the acceptance ceremony. He knew if Unhallow wasn't there, she didn't have a say in his membership, so he was going to ask Azoth to give Unhallow something to do that day.
As he stepped through the portal, he smiled wistfully. He was pretty sure he was already more of a Keeper than Unhallow realized, and was definitely more of one than he wanted to be.
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