commune | ♉5

[ Tavros is not feeling festive or interested in capturing beasts. he has not felt like this for several days. and after spending these several days by himself, thinking Deep Thoughts, he has finally emerged to speak on the communicator regarding them, opting for video despite how much harder actually talking is versus typing. he just gives the camera a long look, fumbling for words, before speaking. ]

Uhh, so, there's a matter which has, I guess, come to my attention, recently, and I was thinking about it a lot, and wondering some things, that I couldn't really figure out an answer to, so, I guess what I was wondering is if anyone that's, uhh, here, could maybe help me with the figuring out, that I mentioned, regarding this topic. ...which is that I was wondering about... uh. Individuals who, previously, as in, before they got here, to Johto, when they were at the place they originated from, that were in a state of being, uhh. Not. Alive, anymore.

[ a pause, frowning thoughtfully. ]

It's probably sort of obvious that they're not in that state of un-alive, like I said, now, but, I was wondering if maybe they knew about it when they got here, or... uhh, well, I don't really know exactly, what I'm asking for, I just. It's kind of bothering me, I guess.

[ he starts to say something else but ultimately decides he's staggered through his sentences enough and fumbles uncomfortably with the 'gear before turning it off. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[...well, that was a large amount of information in one go. Despite whatever he had seen previously, he's currently speaking to someone non-human - oddly enough this is not the strangest thing he's dealt with, as Things That Look Human But Are Not are something he, er, specializes in handling, so to speak - but as it stands, the answer to the actual question is a bit more jarring than anything else.]

No, no, we define age in the same way - we refer to it as 'years' as opposed to 'sweeps.' However, if that's what you're referring to...well. That would make you very young, yes.

Yes, so, I think that most likely the situation that I described probably wasn't a natural one, but, I can't really imagine what would happen that would cause that. Besides falling down stairs, I guess, because I heard that I do that a lot, but that's not really, uhh, unusual.

[ no Tavros, you do not die from falling down the stairs. and he seems to be blissfully unaware of all the Science he is providing, probably because he's still really caught up on the UHH DO I DIE thing. ]

[Although you technically could die from falling down the staaaaaoh what waitwaitwait]

So you have some foreknowledge of your death - you're certain it's going to occur so soon?

[Well, look at that, we may finally be on the same page. Or if not the same page, at least within the same book, as opposed to different sections of the library entirely.]

Not certain, uhh, but somewhat convinced is probably a better way to say the way that I'm thinking of it, based on some vague clues that I think I picked up on.

[ vague vague vague. it's all so vague, just like his very own speech patterns. ]

[Rather vague indeed, yes.]

It seems as though this concerns you - you mentioned the fact that it bothers you, earlier. I see no sense in being concerned about while you're here, however; no one has found a way to leave this place through their own will, from what I understand, and as long as you're here you continue to live on.

I've long stood side-by-side with death myself; from my experience, it isn't something to be feared.

You have?

[ the way he worded that sounds so... so brave! it's the kind of thing he wishes he could do or say or even just think about in a confident manner, so his attention is pretty rapt right now. ]

[His thoughts on battle. Let him tell you them.]

Conflict is my life's work. I've been a soldier; I suppose in some ways I never stopped being one. The will to survive is a beautiful thing, especially when challenged, and even in failure; the world, as I understand it, adheres to the principle of Equivalent Exchange - and so with each new death comes change in the world, for better or worse. Whether you believe life itself has any value is irrelevant; those who exist in the world stand a chance to change the world. The battlefield is the ultimate example; it's where this clash - strength against strength, will against will, life against life - reveals its purest, rawest potential. I've simply made the world my battlefield.

I couldn't evade death forever; in the end, I was defeated. But then, that was to be expected, and there was no point in fearing the inevitable - as I've said, all that live are pursued by death; what else can one do when pursued, except move forward?

[ if he's quiet for a little bit too long it's because his mind was blown by this intensely brave and confident speech. this guy is a hero. he could never be that tough or cool...! although he's not sure that constant battle is his cup of tea, but it sounds pretty boss, in theory. ]

Wow, uhh, yes, I guess probably everything that you just said makes sense, about the pursuing and the other thing, too. But, it sounds like you weren't really afraid of it, any of it, I mean, which is a pretty brave way to be like, and, I don't know if I'm, uhh, in that manner of being, also... or if it's a thing that I could learn how to be.

And why would you say that? Because if it's due to the presence of fear...well, true fearlessness is idiocy, flaunted about by those who wouldn't know self-preservation if it bit them.

Bravery is the suppression of fear, not the absence of it. There's quite a difference, you know.

♉5 - video

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