Argenti's Palace

[beautifulknight]

The stage is set they say;
They don their masks and shields,
Shadows creep and cover their minds;
Now, what beautiful role shall they play?

𝓜𝓮𝓵𝓾𝓼𝓽𝓪𝓷𝓲𝓷 𝓒𝓪𝓼𝓽𝓵𝓮


♫

Comments

[bloodandstars]

[ She's beginning to adjust to the idea that — unfortunately — these places don't always offer the prospects of an immediate battle. Or even an appropriately ominous target to turn her suspicion towards. But the walk through the ruins is almost disconcertingly quiet, with Maika glaring in random directions half expecting to feel eyes on them at any moment.

It's almost going too smoothly, isn't it? A light that tells them where to go, and all of them following meekly into what would be the world's easiest trap. But apparently what awaits them is far more sinister. ]

...Is this a riddle, or philosophy?

[ She's honestly making both of them sound like swear words as she glances around at the others. If she had a concept of TV shows, she'd be asking to use her lifeline here. Someone else please... ]

[kandata]

I believe it might be more aimed to philosophy than to a true riddle. We may be asked to justify our answer.

[kirumi better start thinking how to justify her answer of 'fine china' because really girl that was not the best answer ever]

[bloodandstars]

[ Yeah, girl, on that note... ]

So... what were you thinking with that one?

[kandata]

It is to narrow down the purpose of the question. Objectively, it is close to Argenti's rational of beauty, in a material sense. If it does not cause any reaction, then the answer it seeks is more metaphorical.

[And in Kirumi's opinion, this is likelier to work on this sense than 'oxidized copper', sorry Eli!

can you tell i pulled this all out of thin air like four seconds ago

maybe i am decent at improvising after all]

[bloodandstars]

[ Honestly? That's an incredibly good hustle, and Maika is convinced by that nat 20 roll for persuasion. ]

That's not a bad idea. So what else do we know he likes? Flowers? Idrila? Sparkly shit?

[ Well, scratch the last one. The "tarnish" sort of nixes that. ]

[kandata]

Idrila. I would dare say that is an option. Argenti has never been timid about talking about Idrila.

[Can you imagine if the answer is something he never talked about and we're locked out of the palace forever because of that]

[bloodandstars]

I bet if we could impersonate her, this door would open right up.

[ Maika proposing mild war crimes, news at 11...

Also I think if Argenti had to live with these 13 unruly cats scratching at the front door of his mind palace for the rest of his life we might all badend ]

[goei]

I mean it's Red, didn't he say something before about bein' a "Knight of Beauty" or some shit?

[A lot of what Argenti says feels like white noise but he's pretty sure there was that.]

[bloodandstars]

Bringing the light of Beauty back into people's lives by dealing with their problems. So they can "embrace the Beauty of Idrila."

[ She's kind of envious that he doesn't remember, honestly... ]

How the fuck did you manage to tune that out? He repeats it like a broken signal.

[goei]

I didn't tune that out! That's why I brought it up! Just that everything he says about that doesn't make any goddamn sense.

[vogelfrei]

"Beauty" is more of a philosophy of life to him than what one might consider the traditional definition. It's the essence of what keeps someone going, the principle that makes the universe worth living in.

[ SAYING THIS TO MAIKA AND VERY MUCH NOT TO IZOU. ]

[goei]

[WHATEVER UR EYEBROWS ARE UGLY ANYWAY BINCH]

[kandata]

Could 'beauty itself' be a valid answer?

[If it's that one, we so have to make it a speech]

[vogelfrei]

How would beauty be tarnished to begin with? That does feel like an oxymoron to me.

[kandata]

I am not certain -- but Argenti would be the kind of person who adheres to the philosophy that even beauty that has been sullied in any way is worth beholding.

[I'm flying by the seat of my pants since this palace started, wow]

[vogelfrei]

He certainly does believe in starting over and trying again.

[ Unless you're Fuyu, in which case, get fucked. ]

[bloodandstars]

That's philosophy for you. Pretty sure there's dozens of poems about exactly that.

[ Ugh... ]

What you were saying before, though. It's more about the will to live even if you have to trudge through the mud to do it.

[vogelfrei]

"Beauty is the light within one's soul." That's what he told me.

[ He's staring somewhere into the middle distance rather than looking at anything or anyone for the next part: ]

So that would be my answer. The soul.

[goei]

[LOUDLY ROLLING HIS EYES SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE MCGILLIS SAID IT.]

[vogelfrei]

[ Suck it, Izou. His eyebrows are handsome. ]

[bloodandstars]

[ Yeah, that's pretty persuasive. She supposes on the offchance this thing really is waiting for an answer from all of them, she'll have to cast her vote accordingly. ]

Heart, soul. Same thing. Then I'm going with that.