[PP-KE-F7] Dharma and Baldur (Opal)

[Baldur 0]

Baldur sat there in silence, his steel blue eyes riveted on Opal as he hung on her every word. He was learning so much about her, her past, and her morals. He wasn't sure that he could disagree with her current choice. He had hoped that she would give him something that he could latch on to, and use it to pivot the direction of her thinking. That perhaps she had committed some grievous flaw in thinking and he could persuade her back into the fold. He saw no such opportunity. Sure, he could argue certain points with her about Justice and the utility of morally praiseworthy actions, but those were not arguments that would sway someone who had seen evil up close and persona, and wanted to smite it without mercy. She had gone over the edge in a way that he could not verbally convince her. Only actions would sate her desire for revenge. He didn't delude himself, what she was searching for wasn't Justice, it was revenge, but she was taking it out on the world instead of the one who inflicted it upon her.

"I... see..." Baldur said the two words slowly, as if unsure of how they would taste on his lips. She at times seemed empassioned, and at other times she seemed vulnerable. Which was it? Which was the real her? Perhaps both. People are nothing if not a mish-mash of contradictions.

But where would he start? What could he say to someone who had been hurt, and had the strength to back-up everything that she had said?

"I understand where you're coming from." Perhaps she didn't see it herself, but assuming she had told him the truth, it all made sense to him. What was there to do now? He had the information he had sought to meditate on, but he was no closer to coming to a decision on her.

I have a question, if I may. You said that if I don't kill orange players before they kill again, I may as well be responsible for those deaths, but if I kill an orange player, I am a murderer and you will come for me, as you will eventually judge yourself as well." Baldur gestured to the world around them. "How am I to act then, if I am worthy of death either way? Isn't my path of harming no one, but doing everything I can in my power to get everyone out of here, and leaving the revenge, the justice, to you, the only righteous way?"

Normally, Baldur would be trying to catch her in a logical trap, but that wouldn't work on Opal. Instead, he had shifted to how he could try to operate with, and around her. Oikawa, his friend, was a murderer, even if it had been orchestrated by the woman sitting before him. Baldur had had to come to terms with that, and he did so by judging his friend's remorse, state of mind, and path of repentance. Justice was not served by executing Oikawa, it was served by pointing him at floor 100 and saving as many lives as they could. Once they were out of this castle, then Oikawa could be judged for what he had done.

Perhaps he could convince Opal to find a better judge and jury than the Laughing Coffin.

He had wanted to give Opal the same change to explain herself as Oikawa was given, but now he had to figure out how he would judge her as well.

[Opal 0]

He understood where she was coming from? Really? Opal's thoughts were pretty much scattered and she shook her head at the comment. No one knew where she was coming from, that was just something people said to satisfy another or in attempt to do so. However, this did not for Opal. Instead of berating him further as she would have normally done, she stopped to listen to what else he might add to this conversation. 

The woman laughed at his question, her black making that trademark smirk like she was some Big Shot Know-it-All. Brushing the snow strands from her face from a constant on coming wind, the woman shifted and looked at him, "I would not touch a hair on your head should you decide to seek justice against an Orange Player. If that were the case, I would have had Calrex assassinated by now for being a murderer as well. Unlike you, he took up his sword and made his statement with his blade spilling the blood of a player that deserved more than just death. But in the end, Calrex had shown me he had the stomach to slay such infidels, however, that fool also is a selfish human being. He still finds Tearye's soul to be something that can be redeemed. I think not, not after the many uncalled for deaths under her belt. She is such a loose cannon, she needs to be stopped and vanquished. Either under my blade or someone else's." 

Opal shrugged her shoulders, "Some people say they wanna save the people and they are admirable for wanting to do that. It's a hero's dream to want and save everyone. But not everyone wants to be saved, and not everyone is deserving. I could care less if you call it revenge or justice. Your words and what you call my ideals are trivial to me. I know my path and I know how to walk it. I am a Murderer. I know I have taken life, and I will take as many as it takes. I follow a corrupt brand of justice, I know I do. But does that mean I care? That I have regrets? No. It takes a strong person to do what I do and to keep moving forward." 

Sweeping the snow colored hair from her face once more she turned her body around, her back now facing him as she stood in the glory of the low casting light as the sun would soon begin to fade over the horizon, "I remember our talk, you and I, at the Festival. Perhaps under different circumstances we could have been friends, perhaps if I was blind as the rest of Aincrad I could turn the other way. But when you see the [censored] I see, and you feel your heart beat with such a passion. Then you can't unsee what your eyes have seen from this world." She looked at over her shoulder, a sliver of a smile on her face, "Try to survive if you can. Should you happen to fall from grace, I will come find you and kill you myself. Leave the player killing to me...Go and help save us from this so called Hell. Perhaps in the end, I will take my own life...but until everything is finished I will slay all the wolves." 

[Baldur 0]

Baldur opened his mouth to speak, no, he opened his mouth to lecture her. Fresh on the tip of his tongue was the parable of the shopkeepers. It had been a lesson of morality that he had forged over years of meditation. He had cast out other ideas for not being useful enough in determining what he should or shouldn't do, and what was or was not right. But his lecture wouldn't help her, it wouldn't sway her, and he saw that when she turned away from him.

"You're not wrong about Teayre. That's something that is frequently on my mind. In spite of my words, if she were to kill again, I would probably blame my inaction for not stopping her sooner."

Baldur slowly pushed himself to his feet like he was suddenly an old man with more aches and pains than he could count.

"But we are not all of us solitary works of art in a museum, where each can be judged on their own. We're more like..." Baldur paused as he sought an analogy, "like... a giant, chaotic dominos line. We knock out Zelrius and Ssendom because they deserve it, but they're not the only ones who are effected, so other dominos fall as well. We knock out Teayre, because she can't be controlled, and still more dominos which aren't her fall. Perhaps one of those is Calrex. And tell me, if Calrex falls, either into despair, or death, or becomes orange, what do we do? He had me promise him a while back, that should that ever happen, I would be the one to take his life."

Baldur found Opal's eyes, his normally steel blue eyes seemed slightly faded and pained.

"I do not want to kill my friends, Opal. Calrex trusted me with this task because he believes in my judgement. Teayre trusted me with this sword because she believes in my incorruptibility. But I am just another man. I have no desire to take any life, least of all those I call family, but do not mistake my reluctance and kindness for weakness or cowardice. I will fight to death for my friends and family, be it my life ends, or that I end another's."

Baldur let out a steadying breath.

"Calrex believes Teayre can be saved. I don't know if redemption is possible for her, but I do believe a penance is better than an execution. I believe that turning Oikawa and Teayre towards the goal of risking their lives to save as many as possible is more just and useful than summary judgement. I also believe in a... sword of damocles."

He paused, and then reached a hand out for her, as if to try and placing it comfortingly on her shoulder, but he stopped and withdrew it. She would not welcome his touch.

"I believe everyone deserves a chance to make right what they have wronged. I had hoped that I could maybe convince you to try, but I do understand where you are coming from now, and why you do what you do. It is a terrible burden you have taken on yourself, I just wish you didn't insist on wearing that mantle alone."

[Opal 0]

"Alone? Do I have a choice in the matter? Certainly you would not lift a finger to help. That's your problem. If you think this exchange was about convincing me to stop what I was doing, then you best save your breath." The woman flipped her hair, like removing dirt from her shoulder. Much like this conversation, she was done with it as well as this player. That time at the festival was just a one off. She had to show her face there, it was the Vice Commander's duty to be present at social gatherings like that. The time for hiding who she was had come to an end, she was Laughing Coffin now.

With her arms hugging her body, she remained steady as she sought out the colorful horizon. Her violet eyes dazed and lost in the mix of hues that had offset one another as night was preparing itself. It had begun to get late now and soon it would be more dangerous going after her bounty mobs. She sighed and shook her head, "There goes my day...what a waste." she said under her breath. She twisted her body around, there was no expression on her face but a simple stare at his figure. 

"I think we have come to what is called an impasse. There is no more need for talking about this. We both have our own ideals. I am not one who can be saved or wishes to be saved. I have my duty, I have my work. You will survive so long as you stay out of me way. Should you fall between me and my target at any point, I will mark you an enemy. I would not want that, but I will not show you any mercy should you feel like stepping on my toes." 

Unless there was anything else to say Opal had dropped her arms from her body and turned on the ball of her feet, with a hand in the air she waved, "If that is all you wish of me tonight, I will be going now." 

[Baldur 0]

Baldur's heart broke slightly at where this had ended up. She was right, they were an at impasse, and there was nothing more that he could say or do to sway her. If this was indeed it, then he had his answers, however painful and sad they were. She was refusing to be saved, and no matter how powerful he became, he could do nothing if she didn't wish to change her ways. She was the keeper of her own life and the guide of her own destiny. She was making her choice.

"I don't want to be your enemy, Opal."

Baldur said as he drew the red blade at his side with a red silk handle. The blade itself was black and silver, a sharp contrast flowing down the length of the hamon. He took the blade and he drove the point into the earth between them.

"But should you come for the life of anyone who is not in the act of murder..."

Then he took and drew the sword with the blue silk hand wrap and the steel dancing with the dying light of the sun, reflecting the world around them as the blade seemed to occasionally spark with energy. This sword he also drove into the ground, leaving the demonic <<Muramasa>> at his side still.

"Or who is under my protection."

Baldur drew a bottle of sake from his inventory, and pulled the cork out of the top with his teeth. He had hoped to share this with her some day. He had planned to pour it out for their fallen friends, and the forgotten. Now it had another purpose. Sake was used to purify a blade before seppuku.

"Then I am your enemy."

He poured the sake slowly over <<Fudoshin>>, covering the handle and the blade. Then he poured more over <<Raijinken>>, the blade sparking and crackling under the clear liquid as Baldur purified it. Then Baldur took the bottle and threw it at a nearby rock, the bottle shattering into hundreds of polygons as the rock was covered in the last bit of sake. The rock Baldur had chosen was the best of those around them to work as a headstone.

Sad, hurt blue eyes met Opals as he looked up at her from behind his wall of swords. He took up <<Raijinken>> and sheathed it, then he took up <<Fudoshin>> and sheathed it. Then he took a calm, steadying breath and sheathed the sadness that he felt for her on her terrible, lonely journey.

"If you want to turn back." His eyes were a hard, steel blue once more. "Then do so before I see you kill again. If you want another chance, to try another way, then I will fight for you. But if you want to take another life and pretend that you are serving a higher purpose, then go look at the lower floors. You haven't scared people away from being orange, you've validated their path, and no matter how hard you try to put the evil back inside the box, once opened...." For a moment, Baldur's eyes flickered to sadness again, but only for a moment.

He turned his back to her.

"The Frontlines are off limits. Cal and I will be there to ensure that. If you pull what you did again with Zel and Dom, you might as well kill everyone on this tower regardless of green or orange."

And then, with his broad shoulders firm, he walked away. He walked away so that she couldn't see his eyes.

<<Baldur exits the thread>>

[Opal 0]

Opal had stopped in her tracks, violet eyes shot over her shoulder as he began to speak once more. She did not turn around for him but she was witnessing what he was doing from the corner of her eye. She took a heavy gulp, watching the event unfold before her. She was unsure of what he was doing or why he was doing it. But after his words, like a spear they had pierced her soul and her heart. Such words, that rarely anyone could say to her to make any kind of impact. He was indeed a one of a kind guy. Hearing the shatter and her eyes slowly dipped down, still turned away from him, she brought her hands up and over her body once more to hug herself. She stood there lost in contemplation of her own mind wondering if this path of hers, after everything she had said and done was truly the path she had to take. 

Baldur was giving her an out, a way to come back. He said he'd protect her, fight for her. But his words were hallow to her, sad of course, but hallow. He claimed to understand, but he did not. If he did, then he would never say such things. He would let it go, but perhaps he fought so hard because he wanted to help her, have her realize what she was missing out. 

But her mind was a complex thing, and complexity caused confusion. Violet eyes darted to the ground, she could not say or do anything. She did not know how long she had been like that, the minutes getting lost in her thoughts as the words sank into her mind. If she turned back now, the lives that were taken by Zelrius, the lives taken by Dom, the lives taken by the  numerous other orange players, they would be lost to this world without an Avenger. The names that had been crossed off the Monument of Life, the innocent ones, what do you tell those people when you say you give up on them?

"Baldur I..." she had turned around, but he was gone. Her hand was out to reach for him, but there was nothing but the notes of the wind playing around her. Violet eyes sank and she closed them, a bitter look then slowly stoic, "No. Justice demands answers and blood." With a billowing snap of her cape, she headed in the opposite direction of the player. Her eyes stern, focused, without falter. No more. 

[Baldur 0]

Thread Complete

1 SP to Baldur

1 SP to Opal

200 Cor to Baldur

5250 Cor to Opal

1 Material to Baldur