mid-week 11; un: monday

[vogelfrei]

[ With the regression of the city, working at Sunset Theater has quickly become less enjoyable than it used to be. Though the cast remembers the rapport McGillis had built with them, even if they're more standoffish now. And it's not as though McGillis had placed much stock in his interpersonal relationships to the random citizens, but... the shift in atmosphere serves as a tangible reminder. That this is temporary. That this world is susceptible to insane levels of mind manipulation. That he wants to leave.

Leave and... do what? That's the question that has haunted McGillis for weeks now, and the countdown is mercilessly continuing. Soon Braphine will release them from her hold, one way or another. Soon, he'll have to know. And so will everyone else. ]

Just a little over two weeks until we're free from this, if Braphine really keeps her word and the God of Conflict doesn't swallow up all her power. Until then we'll doubtlessly face a number of additional challenges and hassles, but while we're still in the quiet before the storm...

Are you going home to your own worlds after this? Or will you take Braphine up on her offer and come along with one of your 'bonds'? What is your world like? What is making you return? What is making you abandon it?

And if you're like me and cannot return to where you came from no matter what, maybe the answers can give you some perspective.

Comments

[vogelfrei]

How lucky that all my favourite people will be there, then.

[cirquedesang]

[...Okay, while the mental image of McGillis babysitting a gaggle of teens and the lovebird knights is very silly, the combo hit of Mafuyu's comment with the "favorite people" implications is enough to get him to relent. A bit.]

We couldn't leave you to suffer in such a peaceful world alone.

[vogelfrei]

[ Yeah. There certainly was an implication there - McGillis was just coming around to using the 'friends' category again, but then they all just had to go and burst out of it and become something different yet again. This is as close as McGillis can currently get to putting words to it. ]

I was counting on it, yes.

[ He'll go with the three of you, and sit under a tree in the bright afternoon sun. He'll look at each of them properly, this time. ]

[cirquedesang]

[If this is as close as he can get to putting words to it, then so be it - it's not a terrible selection of words by any means, and likely the same ones Celeste would have chosen himself. 'Friends' wasn't enough, certainly.]

Good. Perhaps you and I will even learn to relax. 😲
Or allow ourselves... downtime...! 😱

[He's dragging himself, too, but... it does genuinely sound nice.]

[vogelfrei]

Well, now you're just getting ahead of yourself.

[ He's not including any emojis, but it's hopefully easy enough to guess that he's smiling. ]

[cirquedesang]

[If McGillis started using emojis, they'd really have to worry about him.]

Maybe I am.
You'll have to forgive an old man his fancies~

private suddenly;

[vogelfrei]

You know... I was not going to ask because it seemed impolite, but now my curiosity is overflowing: how old are you exactly?

[cirquedesang]

[It seemed impolite........ oh that's cute.]

98... at least. We all seem to have come from different dates, but according to the calendar of this place, I'd be 99 by now, actually.

[He may just now be realizing he skipped a birthday in all the chaos, whoops.]

[vogelfrei]

[ 99...? Well. A little bit older than his father but not the oldest person he knows. That's basically fine then. ]

Oh, happy birthday then.

Do you usually celebrate?

[cirquedesang]

Thank you~

I celebrate turning anywhere from 22 to 35 depending on how old the humans around me believe me to be.

[So that's a no, but he presents as young enough that people will celebrate for him.]

[vogelfrei]

And once it's 13 years in one place, it's time to hit the road lest they grow suspicious?

[cirquedesang]

Give or take... The longest I'd be willing to stay would be 20 years. Acrobatics is a young man's job, after all.

[And being able to still do things on par with younger performers without serious injury would be where the suspicion would come from.]

[vogelfrei]

It's a decent chunk of time at least.

Did you ever run into trouble with legal IDs?

[cirquedesang]

It is.

Perhaps surprisingly, no. Some do, of course, and there are many of us whose whole business is creating new identities for one another, but my sire is very old and very well connected, so I've never had personal difficulty... and he's only ever had to step in when the excuse of moving countries under duress hasn't worked entirely. It is surprising how many people will believe that one.

[~Oh noooo I don't have any official documents, take pity on meeee~ has served him very well.]

[vogelfrei]

As a former auditor of authorities handling international security, I weep for your world's security.

As the former owner of a trading company that was essentially a front for supporting a rebel paramilitary in smuggling an important political figure, I tip my hat to you and your ways.

[cirquedesang]

Well, in cases of others manipulating ordinary humans into accepting falsified documents, the potential for the use of mind control certainly helps.

And in my own case, it is much easier to sell a sob story if the one feeding it to you happens to be the prettiest man you've ever seen, no?

[This is only a liiiiittle bit of vanity.]

[vogelfrei]

I have a hard time imagining you look undignified enough to appear sincerely under duress.

[ He'll let you have the prettiest man bit, it's not exactly wrong. ]

[cirquedesang]

You would be surprised~ Ah, though I do have some supernatural leverage of my own.

[The prettiest man bit may be helped along by that, too.]

[vogelfrei]

Of course you do.

But the thought of committing serial identity fraud with nothing but crocodile tears at your disposal is more amusing.

[cirquedesang]

Aha~ Perhaps next time I will employ only crocodile tears in your honor.