Day 19 - Lunch.

[_sixth]

Time for lunch

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[soulofdiscord]

She knew the look in the eyes, when she had someone's full attention, and she nodded slightly as she continued. "Years passed, and the lands slowly grew sick. The planet and the heavens were estranged, and the dead no longer wished to remain as they were. With such calamities befalling the world, the faith of humanity in the will of the heavens faltered. It was then that the Mother struck... and yet she was still foiled."

A gesture, broad and sweeping and indicating the sky, emphasized her point. "The Forest Shadow, and her minions, continued to protect the Forest with all they had, striking down the Mother's children whenever they ventured forth from the safety of the Pilgrim's Rest... and yet, despite the Shadow's best efforts, and despite the dictates of the heavens, her children remained strong, eking what living they could and never compromising with those who would destroy them. In time, they knew, the Mother would grow strong and the Shadow would grow weak... and they were rewarded for their persistence."

"A wandering sage happened upon the Pilgrim's Rest while traveling to the Imperial City, and that same sage heard both sides of the argument. The Forest Shadow argued that the destruction and imprisonment of the Mother and her children would be their rightful place in the Pattern, and implored the sage to act in accordance with that will. The Mother, contrariwise, proclaimed that her time would soon be at hand, and that she would reward those who allied with her and crush those who stood against her, no matter how long it took."

"The sage was pleased with the tenacity and strength of both the Mother and her children, and slew the Forest Shadow on their behalf. With that one blow, the forest was free for their control, and the sage urged them to hold to that strength in their hearts and to remember all of the grievances they held. Even to this day, those who do not bear the Mother's favor can only travel through the forest at the risk of their own life, and when last I heard of them, they had slain the humans responsible for maintaining the Shadow's dominance and were poised to expand ever further."

There was a slight smile on her face as she looked at Kadaj, wondering if he could look further into the matter. "As a sign of her approval, the sage too was marked with the Mother's Touch. Even to this day, the sage draws strength from the tenacity and indomitable will of the Mother's children."

[soulofdiscord]

"...it is difficult to say." She considered the man a bit coolly, wondering if he had truly managed to miss the unstated point. Well... that was to be expected. He was hardly a scholar, after all. "Is it not better to see with your own eyes?"

It took effort, honest effort, for her to make the markings show. She had been 'blessed' by that creature, and while she was in no danger of becoming a cannibal herself, the markings would still remain if she forced them to appear. Her skin became greyish, almost deadening, her teeth sharpening just a bit, unholy resilience being showcased... and then gone, in an instant, as though they had never been there in the first place.

"You merely asked for a part of my story, as payment for your own and to show that I am not entirely human. What you wish to do with that information is entirely your own concern."

That Kadaj had straightened himself, and seemed to be a bit more on the right track, was at least a start. If Ling was lucky, he would throw himself headlong into a situation that was too great for him and face the fate of the real children of the Mother. The story, after all, did not end there... not that he needed to know this.

[soulofdiscord]

A bit of a shrug at that, Ling deciding just as Kadaj did that he was a bit of a bother, and therefore not sure if he was worth knowing.

"I'm not sure if you would believe me or not. I have command over life and can deny death to whom I would prefer to stay alive; compared to that, what else would I care about?"

She said this completely nonchalantly, as though mentioning her ability with the zither or her extensive knowledge of acupuncture. For her, it was no longer really a novelty; and as such, she fully expected Kadaj to reject it. In this case, bluntness truly was the best course of action; if he rejected it, then he was weak and deserved no further consideration. A pity that would be, but not one she'd be surprised with.

[soulofdiscord]

Amazing. It seemed like the man was honestly intrigued by her abilities, and moreover seemed further intrigued by the possibilities. Such a strange laughter, though; oddly high-pitched, almost childish. Nothing at all like what she would have expected.

About that other question, she simply smiled. "As I said, what more would I care about than that? If you wish to learn more of myself, you must give me a reason to share such information. Thus far, you have mentioned only what you can not do in this place; why would I wish to aid one such as that?"

[soulofdiscord]

A blade... yes, that had the Scholar's attention, though it didn't show on her face as she considered it. If she could get something like that, oh the advantage she could have! They would be nothing to Flawless or the Crimson Tears, but weapons were made for the warrior, not the warrior for the weapons. With her skill, even improvised hams and table legs were lethal weapons. Something like a real blade would be only better.

And ah, she knew that look on Kadaj's face. If her face wasn't as inscrutible as a porcelain mask, she would have been laughing in his face. 'O Spinner of Webs/Fat spider/You are ensnared in my strands/Bound to me/And realize it now?' It was so much more amusing, more of a testament of strength, to get one over someone who was aware of it. Though Kadaj was proving a sad lack of such challenges.

"Whether a weapon can be forged for me is dependent upon the other, though your introduction would tide the matter over. Tell me of your own world," here she let a smile cross her face, a slight one that hinted at her complete confidence in herself, "for the information I can give is of no small worth."

[soulofdiscord]

...Ling was very, very, very glad that she had obtained the knowledge and notes of Lord Lao before the deity had escaped from her clutches. It was only because of his 'conductor' that she had the vaguest clue as to what electricity was, and the idea that souls could be used to power it... now that was a fascinating idea. They had so much power already, after all.

But at the same time, she had guessed the difficulty with that problem before Kadaj mentioned it. Souls were not an infinite resource, at least not yet; they were reborn again and again, or they were bound and kept in one form, but they were not infinite. Spending them on such a trivial matter was beyond idiocy. Looking only to the short term benefit was against the truth of the Way.

Using souls to power magic, however? That was a truly fascinating possibility. The fragments that remained of broken spirits- the technique she had termed 'The Broken Wheel'- could be used to enhance her own spirit... but this was something else entirely. Something beyond her first exploration into the matter. Perhaps, she could learn to use it for herself...

He had certainly earned a small amount of information, and Ling's usual smile remained in place. "I need no such material to utilize magic. Instead of using its power in a crystallized form, I could control the very stream itself, if I were to so choose." Again, she was not boasting or making idle conversation; she could seize that power with her own hands, and the possibility of using all of those souls, all at once... there had to be some way of getting to that world. Some way to break through the Heavens and proceed beyond the bounds that had been placed around her...

[soulofdiscord]

"All I have to do is die and 'get directly involved'? Or would it be a simpler matter to simply bind the 'Cetra' to my will, and force it to give me control of the Lifestream? For that matter, why could I not simply force the Lifestream into one place, and crystallize it through force of will? Where is the difficulty?" She sounded almost bored now; that was nothing new to her, and it seemed like such a simple thing.

Still... she slowly looked at the man, undertaking once more to educate him. "Regardless, a remnant such as yourself might not be able to understand such matters; you are limited by your lack of vision. Should you see your Mother again, inform her that you had the chance of controlling the Planet and threw it aside in a fit of spite. I am certain that she will be so pleased with you."

[soulofdiscord]

"...you poor, sad, ignorant child. Do you truly think that I am constrained as you are? Do you think that death can stop me? Do you think it did, the last time I perished? Tell me! Why was I not spun again on the Wheel of Life, why did I not obey the Celestial Dictates and be reborn in another life? Do you think that anything- even the will and power of gods- is beyond my reach? Do you honestly believe that I am limited, that I can not stand in defiance of what is considered 'impossible' and achieve my will? Do you not think that I can drink the power of souls like wine, that I could set my mouth to the stream of life and drain it dry? Child! When you have been educated in what true power means, then you shall see the truth of what I speak. Until then, go back to your small dreams and your pathetic whims; power such as mine can not be comprehended by those who are too weak to seize the opportunity when it is presented."

She was done with him. He was a puppet, a mere remnant of someone who might have been worth knowing. But he saw only the obstacles, not that her power was greater than anything he could possibly have known. Ling's current knowledge said that she was still the greatest source of power here, power that most individuals there simply could not understand. Kadaj thought that he was inhuman? Ling had left her humanity behind long ago; she was more now, and Kadaj was unable to grasp just how greater she was than he.

A tragic waste, but a waste nevertheless. So she left him behind, not giving him another thought. This 'Sephiroth' he had mentioned, that might have been someone worth knowing. Or even his 'Mother', might have been worthwhile. But speaking to Kadaj was not unlike speaking to a guard when the emperor was gone; of no use to her.

When she caught a sight of an Outlander, though, her spirits lightened. Perhaps a bit of a break would be in order...

((Flouncing off to here. ))