♫ contractors

[falsehymn]

❝But I tell you, do not swear
an oath at all:
either by Heaven, for it is God’s throne;
or by the earth,
for it is His footstool;
or by Jerusalem, for it is the
city of the Great King.
And do not swear by your head,
for you cannot make even
one hair white
or black.
All you need to say is simply 'Yes' or 'No';
anything beyond this comes from
the evil one.
—Matthew 5:34-37

Comments

[trollophoroi]

[ Fandaniel turns to stare at Solomon. Well, at least he knows he's still capable of hate, because wow, he hates seeing that face. ]

Why would it matter to you?

[impacter]

[Nice to see you too, jackass.]

Well, you're not jumping for my throat, for one thing. Given our circumstance, shouldn't I be concerned if you're not acting yourself?

[trollophoroi]

[ He's silent at that, silent... silent... then, a laugh, though it's a sorry one. There's nothing mad or wild or a mockery of good cheer about it. ]

He made me take it back.

[ And then he's getting up to lean across the bar and snag a bottle at random. Whatever it is, he does not care, although he'll find it to be whiskey once he opens it. ]

[impacter]

[...

Ah. He remembers pieces, from that wild and manic rant. Had Fandaniel been sent back into his emptiness once more, lost with his tether to something driven?]

Did he withdraw from your agreement as well, then?

[trollophoroi]

[ Hoo boy, is Fandaniel drinking straight from that bottle. ]

Yes, and why shouldn't he? Better to send me back to the aetherial sea to suffer than offer me even an ounce of peace.

[impacter]

You were rather out of your mind about the subject, if I recall. And it's not as though he's a patient sort of man.

[trollophoroi]

So I was. It felt rather like being in love, and it has been... how long since I last felt anything of the sort? Four thousand years? Five? I wonder.

[impacter]

[Mm.

He stays quiet for a moment. But he does fish over the top of the counter for a glass.]

It's a gutting sort of thing, isn't it? Moreso, when it's never returned.

The world becomes a very cold place.

[He'll hold out the empty glass for a second. Pour him some if you're gonna just sit here and be miserable over this particular topic.]

[trollophoroi]

Such fleeting feelings are not meant for the long-lived, I suppose.

[ Fandaniel will actually be polite enough to pour out a finger of whiskey for Solomon. Will his new depression era ever cease to amaze? ]

It was foolish of me to ever think differently.

[impacter]

[says a lot about how he's feeling right now when he flat declines a drink just outright from Sika but lets Fandaniel pour him one instead.]

They're beautiful when they arrive. Like something deep inside you that was barren soil suddenly thrives with life again, only for its nourishment to be drowned and leave nothing behind but bittersweet longings.

Men have hardened their hearts for much less.

[trollophoroi]

[ Better a drink from a bitter enemy than a drink from the devil, is it? ]

I could do without the longing. I left my heart in Allag, buried with the rest of the empire. That is where it should stay forevermore.

[impacter]

[idk man have you ever gone clubbing with asmodeus

He chuckles humorlessly, bringing the glass to his lips.]

Look at you, sounding like a hopeless romantic.

...

Before Dalamud, do you think? Or was it later, that you felt you missed it?

[trollophoroi]

[ A scoff. Does he, truly? Disgusting. ]

After. Dalamud would be my final gift to my emperor. It would power his great tower and let him rip open the portal to the void, so that he could end all life.

[ haha what the fuck ]

It would never come to be, however.

[impacter]

...








I'm sensing a rather consistent theme with you.

[trollophoroi]

[ don't even pretend to be surprised solomon ]

Why, of course. T'was my beloved emperor who inspired such desolation within me. I would never have broken from my title's required role were it not for him.

[impacter]

[he's SO TIRED please he needs to gather all of you that just want to blow everything up and send you into a very deep pit to beat one another to death]

Title? What title?

[trollophoroi]

[ look at least xande is gone you don't even gotta worry about him anymore ]

Fandaniel has never been a name, Solomon.

[impacter]

Ah. I see.

[He cocks his head, idly swirling the drink in his hand.]

Do you prefer it that way?

[trollophoroi]

It has always been such a thorn in my side to share a "name" with the original Fandaniel, so to speak, so no. I do not care much for the title itself.

[impacter]

What would you prefer, then?

[trollophoroi]

[ What would he prefer? While he does pause to consider, he already knows there is but one answer. ]

My own name. Amon.