Thirty-Second Issue - Remorse and Regret

[decibel_chamber]

[After Jono's rather embarrassing tenure as a Heavy Metal Warrior, Jono had retreated to his room and locked the door, not wanting to be seen or heard from until it was all over. Now that he felt himself again, Jono had gone into work, hoping to avoid the castle as a whole from embarassment. Today, he can be found onstage, indulging in a set he

Comments

Jonothan

[inafadingcrown]

You did no lasting harm, at least on my part.

Galadriel

[decibel_chamber]

Tried me best t'fight...whatever it was that was messin' with me. Guess th' others who'd been affected as I had didn' like that much.

I feel like such an ass, Galadriel. You've no idea.

Jonothan

[inafadingcrown]

You have already done more than many by seeking to make amends.

Galadriel

[decibel_chamber]

I's like...this wasn' one o' those losses where I can jus' pretend I didn' know what was happenin', it was me...but at th' same time it wasn't, y'know?

I wouldn' be able t'live with meself if I didn' at leas' try t'make it right. Despite th' mission I've put meself on, I'm still th' same as I've always been.

Jonothan

[inafadingcrown]

I understand. It speaks well of you.

[And a pause.] Mission? May I ask?

Galadriel

[decibel_chamber]

S'funny. Seems I was one o' th' only o' the "bad guys" t'come t'his senses as I did.

I'm...uhh...I've decided t'keep an eye on that great bleedin' dragon, Deathwing. A close eye. We're a lot alike, he an' I. I've already spoke ta Yuan about it, an' he gave me th' go ahead.

Jonothan

[inafadingcrown]

[There is a long pause and her tone is decidedly more serious when she answers.]

Jonothan. I have spoken to him at length, during both his previous stay at the castle and upon his arrival here. What do you know of him? [Because, in a lot of ways, he reminds her of Morgoth.]

Galadriel

[decibel_chamber]

[Her tone, though not unexpected, makes him cringe a bit.]

I know that he's an incarnation o' death. Someone who's been so corrupted by what's inside him that he hates everythin' an' everyone who reminds him o' what he is.

Like I said, he an' I are a lot alike. Only difference is I don' aim my hatred fer what I am at other people, but at meself.

He coulda killed me, Galadriel, but he didn't. I can use that. Maybe give him back a little o' what he's lost.

Jonothan

[inafadingcrown]

He is also one who has killed countless innocents.

I knew one much as him in my own world. A being of light once, before he succumbed to darkness. Melkor was his name before his fall, but Morgoth he was called ever after- "Black Foe of the world." He smeared the ground with the blood of my kinsmen and set about centuries of war. If you truly believe what you have said is the only difference between you, you know not of what you speak.

Hope there may be for him, I will not deny that. Yet the chances are slim.

Galadriel

[decibel_chamber]

I've known blokes like him too, Galadriel, remember? I'm bloody descended from someone like that. En Sabah Nur's not a name I'm ever likely t'live down.

I know he's killed folks, folks who didn' deserve it, but have y'ever considered why he does it? The pain he feels, I've felt it meself. He knows it, too.

[The page blackens as though burned for about a half a second before returning to normal.]

I'm still th' same bloke I ever was, but i's gettin' harder t'deny that there's somethin' dark in me. I've been fightin' it a lot longer'n anyone knows.

Jonothan

[inafadingcrown]

Mayhaps you should ask his victims what they know of his pain. [It's biting. Probably a little more than she meant it to be, but she feels the danger of this very keenly. She quiets, though, for a moment when the page blackens and it's a much calmer Galadriel that continues.]

I cannot forbid you from any action. Nor will I attempt to dissuade you from speaking with him, as I have done so myself and will continue to do so. I speak only out of concern for you, for I know all to well how easy it is to fall into darkness. I have come close myself.

Galadriel

[decibel_chamber]

[He flinches again, Galadriel being really the only person who can scold him.]

I'm not makin' excuses for him, Galadriel. He's a monster, an' I know it. Thing is, so am I. A different sort of monster, perhaps, but a monster all th' same. If I can do somethin' t'keep him from wipin' us all out on a whim, I'll do it. Even if it means I've gotta face a part o' my life I hoped'd stay buried forever.

I 'preciate your concern, Galadriel. Under th' circumstances, i's well-founded an' entirely bleedin' necessary. I may need people t'pull me back if I start losin' meself t'that monster.

Jonothan

[inafadingcrown]

I know well your intentions and they are admirable, but still I fear.

[There's another long stretch of silence.]

I have been forced to raise my hand against those I care for before. Do not make me do it again. [She's not sure she could take it.]

Galadriel

[decibel_chamber]

Trust me, so do I. This whole bleedin' thing terrifies me, but i's gotta be done. Better t'put someone well-intentioned inta th' confidence of a monster, than someone who'll jus' encourage him t'do as he likes.

I'm not that easy t'manipulate, Galadriel. Castle buggery aside. If I become an enemy o' th' castle, you know I'll have fought 'til me last breath t'stop it.

Jonothan

[inafadingcrown]

[She's still uneasy about this whole thing and she won't pretend that she isn't, but she does trust him.]

I should thank you for telling me of this.

Galadriel

[decibel_chamber]

Wasn' my intent t'keep it from anyone, but I'd rather Deathwing think my desire t'be friends with him's completely genuine. I mean, it is, but obviously my intent's not entirely altruistic.