nexus_crossings | (no subject)

(no subject)

While lots of human-style furniture is understandably meant for bipeds and little else, there is a K'da poet-warrior who is appreciating the chance to test out one of the chaise lounges in the Plaza, its cushion long enough to allow the entire length of the tiger-sized creature to stretch out comfortably, hanging his forepaws over the side.

Perhaps it's frivolous to spend his time this way when there are other things he could be doing, but he's been in the Nexus many times and never had reason to ask a question. That is no longer the case.

"Have you ever had cause to uproot yourself from your home and travel to places unknown, with no intention of returning? Did you encounter any difficulties that you had not expected?"

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Micolash perks up, remembering as well now. "Oh! Yes. Yes! Wondering if one has left one's home without intent of return, was it? I certainly have a great deal to say on such matters, should you care to hear it."

Not that he pauses long enough for Faris to inject if he'd rather not. Instead, Micolash straightens up and tugs his tattered scholar's regalia to rights. Making sure he looks presentable in his dirty, ragged clothing and towering iron cage, of course. "I made extensive plans to leave most literally everything behind in Yahar'gul. My belongings, my school, my very body. All for the hope of traversing to the higher planes of the Nightmare. And arrival went exactly as planned with...a few. Oversights. And...unplanned developments." Micolash's droning speech slows as he plucks and picks his words carefully. Musn't make anything sound like it was out of hand.

Well, droning speech or not, this is what Faris asked for, and it's better than being poked at like some kind of zoo animal. Not that he understands everything, of course, but enough to get the basic idea.

"You wished to discard your body?" That's the part that makes the least sense, at the moment.

Micolash tilts his head with an expression bordering on patronizing. Because from his point of view, that part is the most obvious and lacking need for explanation.

"Of course! You may not share the sentiment but only because you're not human. The limitations of a mortal shell are maddening! Positively maddening. The human mind can only be expanded so far before it has reached its highest potential; an upper threshold that is nowhere near what is required for ascension. Not enough eyes, no, no. Nowhere nearly enough..."

"Ascension?" It's the one word Faris doesn't recognize, having not covered it in any of his learning of the language, and he can't figure it out from context, confused and disjointed as that is.

Micolash laughs lightly, right hand reaching upwards to point. Originally with just one finger, indicating the direction itself, but halfway through his explanation, his hand flattens. At the same time, the other arm soon lifts as well, holding itself out straight at a 90° angle of the first.

"To rise up, to reach the higher levels of existence, of course! To adopt the form of the Great Ones and become their kin, to achieve the ability to traverse the planes, to untether the spirit from the body and roam as you will."

He doesn't even seem to notice the odd position he's gone and put his arms into, as if the gesture was unconsciously done.

A ritual gesture, perhaps? It makes as much sense as the human's words, which is to say, very little. But Faris suspects that asking more questions will probably lead to answers that are just as confusing.

"I see," he says instead. He doesn't, of course, but it seems the best response he can make.

Micolash remains oblivious to the sheer confusion he's causing, just as he has all the other times here in the Nexus he's baffled someone. To him, this place is quite lovely with all the people who are so interested in what he does or follow his explanations so readily with phrases like 'I see' and 'of course' and 'sure'. This place is wonderful for the scholarly-minded!

Faris IS astute regarding the gesture, though. A guess that ends up right on the money.

"So I'm sure you understand now why a mortal, physical body is...less than ideal."

Micolash's arms are still being held in that position, likely still without thinking. Ah, but at last he's lowering the one that's raised. Or...no, nevermind. In one slow, fluid motion, the raised arm now lies outstretched from his shoulder and the left is now the one pointing upwards. Simply trading spots like turning clock hands.

He doesn't, of course, but there seems to be something inconsistent about it. "You are in a physical body now, yes?"

Oh, there. Finally the arms both drop, flopped to his sides as his face falls in confusion as well.

"...Technically? Unfortunately. I am not clear on how this happened, I'm afraid."

"One of your 'unplanned developments.'" That much is clear to see, though Faris doesn't remotely understand what this strange human meant to do or what possibly went wrong. Perhaps his desires were impossible to begin with, and only madness made him believe otherwise. The K'da will likely never know.

"Oh no. No, no, I reached the Nightmare with physical body left in the waking. Everything I'd intended reached fruition on arrival. Though I'd predicted more...mm, survivors. I'd not conducted the Mensis Ritual alone, of course. That's likely impossible.

"But in the interim of leaving the Nightmare for this dream, my body...It's quite the puzzle, isn't it. My body was left behind in Yahar'gul and awakening should have doomed me to return to that discarded shell. But I've simply transcended to another plane entirely? Perhaps I am still more phantasm than living blood? That would be ideal..." He trails off.

It makes no logical amount of sense that Faris can puzzle out, and he's not sure he wants to know. Either way, this human doesn't seem inclined to clarify, or tell the story in a more straightforward manner. Perhaps he cannot. A K'da that chases his own tail accomplishes nothing, so Faris decides that it might be a better idea not to ask about details and be led in circles.

The human's strategy is... vague, but somewhat understandable. What doesn't make sense is why. "What did you hope to accomplish? Why do this... ritual to achieve ascension?"

Micolash sighs, as if he IS being asked to again clarify something he's already done. It never occurs that he's NOT being clear, taking his own self-familiarity for granted.

"Ascension should be self-explanatory, shouldn't it? True understanding of the workings of the cosmos cannot be comprehended by beastly human minds. We lack the eyes, we lack the Insight. One must transcend our physical limits if we are ever to truly understand these matters."

"But to what end?" Faris persists. "What use did you plan for this knowledge? What purpose would it have? Knowledge for the sake of knowledge is of no use if not shared."

"Ahh, I would have agreed with you once upon a time, but with the ascension of the Vacuous Rom, one must pause. A great Bergywerth student who was chosen to ascend and holds knowledge of every ritual but divests none? Who am I to doubt the judgement of one now so far above me? She withholds for reasons I know not.

"And while I have always acted for the eventual, collective betterment of mankind, what blame is there in simply wanting to know for the sake of knowing? I have never been able to abide by a mystery going uninvestigated..."

"A mystery is not solved if the solution is never revealed," Faris points out. It's against his nature to be selfish, and while he knows that other creatures have no such restrictions, it goes against everything he believes in.

Something about this particular debate seems to have woken up the normally dozy Micolash, at least to some degree where his eyes aren't constantly out of focus or half-lidded, or his posture no longer slouching. This conversation is exciting!

"But the evidence of one who's clearly solved it becomes reason to spur others," he retorts, holding one finger up. "One must be willing to pursue self-enlightenment on their own merits. How else do we prove we are worthy? "

Faris can see the change in body language and posture, and can only hope that it's a good thing. He's still uncertain what to make of this bizarre human, though by now he's somewhat assured that there will be no more prodding hands in the immediate future. Still no reason to get closer, but enough to relax his guard to be merely alert.

"Who decides what is worthy?" he counters easily. "If someone needs to be worthy to learn, then how did you learn enough to do your ritual in the first place? Knowledge is still the base of the house that is built, regardless of how grand; what makes one more worthy than another?"

"Anyone is worthy! We as humans all have the innate potential for greatness. But seeing who thinks only on the basest of planes and surrenders themselves to beasthood, and who elevates their thoughts to transcendence, there is the test. It is evolution at its finest; who will push themselves to become more, and who will languish in their beastly idiocy and never leave the pond?

"And in the case of Rom, sometimes...somehow. Someone is exceptional enough to catch the notice of the Great Ones and lifted up to join them. Magnificent."

Faris has not forgotten that this conversation began with accusations of 'beasthood' being thrown at himself. "And what would happen if every human did this?"

Yeah, the use of beast and beasthood is pretty telling. At least he was interested because Faris is a beast who can speak?

"We'd be human no longer. We would be a transcendent new race fit to travel time, space, all planes that are open to the Great Ones. Able to shape the Dreams and Nightmares as they do. And that still isn't the end! There is always more to strive towards. Even the Great Ones ache to become as Formless Oedon himself. A being so high above us that he exists only as voice and will.

"The notion makes me shiver with eagerness. Doesn't it you?"

Edited 2017-08-02 02:52 (UTC)

Faris stares at him, uncomprehending. "No."

What a very, very odd human this is.

Micolash looks openly confused. "Why? Is it because you are not human? You aren't subject to our limitations, after all..." That MUST be it, how could anyone not feel this way about such powerful knowledge and potential?

If this was any other conversation, Faris might try to get this human to think about why his assumptions are that everyone else should be like humans - or rather, hold the same values as this particular human. But he's not certain that's even possible, given how long it took to get across to him to keep his hands to himself.

He has limited time here, after all. It'd be a shame to use it all up in circular arguments.

"My peoples care for each other, working for the good of the entire group. A selfish focus on oneself with no intention of benefiting anyone else is not in our nature."

"You think me selfish?" The man looks a sleepy mix of wounded and perplexed, a hand resting on his chest. "I only came to fuller understandings of my goals and the inner workings of the universe when I went to the School of Bergynwerth! Surrounded by like-minded peers. And I founded Mensis with the same in spirit; to continue our collective research.

"Working alone only came about under..." there's a conspicuously long pause now, Micolash looking to mentally drift off for a time, eyes frozen wide and unblinking. Recalling something, perhaps. There's a few twitches of individual fingers along with the silence. "...unforeseen circumstances. I'd thought the rest would be coming with me in more...serviceable form."