It looks like you and I are paired for the month. Do you need anything? [Avalon knows they should say something else, considering they have no idea who Angeal is, but their mind is blank. After a moment of staring into the camera, no obvious expression on their face, they cut the feed.]
[He does seem cooperative.] My name is fine. If you would like to meet in person, I can do that.
My job is to keep you from harming anyone. I have no access to your file, so this can be anything you want. [They see themself as more of a partner than a superior.]
I think I would. If we'll be working together for a little while, it's best to have each other's measure, don't you think?
[Something Avalon says seems to amuse him, but he hides the smile back under sobriety quickly.]
Unless I'm attacked, I'm not going to harm anyone willingly. I don't think I have access to my file either, so I can't offer it, but maybe I can answer any questions you have.
[They notice the flicker of amusement, but have no idea what caused it.] I think a common room would be a good place to meet. [They would rather not let a random person into their cabin, and immediately violating his privacy seems ill-advised.] Any level would work for me, though I believe one of the Level 5 common rooms has had its couch stolen.
Your permanent warden would be the one needing to look into your past, not me. This is only temporary, so I am more here for you than the other way around. For example, if you need something from home, I may be able to get it for you. [Rawne waited for them to ask for their powers back. They plan to do the same.]
I understand that you may not have arrived with access to everything you can usually do, but information about any abilities you have would be useful. [They end the video and make their way to common room.]
[It's a reasonably short trip for Angeal, so he's already there waiting; the addition of a video at least kept the guesswork out of wondering who's coming, and when Avalon appears, he stands (not that he'd been sitting long, not enough time for that) quickly, and offers a hand.
Are handshakes universal? He doesn't know.]
Angeal Hewley. How exhaustive a list do you need for capabilities?
Avalon has what looks like a large marble out when they arrive, tiny streaks of teal swirling over its surface. As they close the door behind them, they drop the orb back into the small bag hanging from their belt.
They approach Angeal and shake his hand, their grip firm enough. “Avalon.” They pause for a moment, considering explaining their lack of a last name, but decide against it. “I would like to know what you can do with your current limitations, since I cannot remove any of them.”
He'd heard of Warden items.. maybe that marble was one. It reminded him a bit of materia, but surely was not. "Hm."
So far, nothing seems out of sorts with this stranger. They seemed reasonable enough, and if they didn't want to give him any other names, then that was their right. "As far as I can tell, only my stamina and resilience remain intact by way of enhancements, but the Admiral has done nothing to curb my training. I've been well versed in combat for many years and specialize in hand to hand fighting. There are few foes I've faced that I can't handle barehanded; I know as many nonlethal means of subduing opponents, human and otherwise."
Like so many in the Barge, likely. "Before arriving here I was a career SOLDIER. If there's a weapon analogous to what exists on my planet, then I'll likely know how to use it, possibly repair it." His smile is brief and humorless. "I'm not likely to use any of it on anyone without express invitation or being attacked."
Their actual Warden item is clasped around their wrist and looks almost like a regular watch. The only difference is that, instead of a clock face, “Level 4 common room” is written on the bracelet’s panel.
“As I understand it, the Admiral can do nothing to curb your training. If you were to use it to harm someone, or if someone were to harm you, the consequences would be focused on physically preventing it from happening again.” They could make him unable to touch weapons, or make him intangible if he were to attack someone. His superhuman stamina and resilience could be removed if needed, but he does seem to be telling the truth about the likelihood of using his abilities for harm. He seems level-headed, and not in the emotionless way that Avalon was when they arrived.
“Would any of those enhancements have affected your mind?” In their world, almost every form of supernatural abilities also has negative effects on the person’s emotions. His world could have created something similar.
Maybe one day he'll find out. How secret were those items? There's no immediate response to Avalon's reasonable follow up question, rubbing the scruff of beard on his chin in thoughtfulness.
His mind was absolutely affected until arriving here, but was it the SOLDIER process, or what was done to him at conception? "No," is the slow conclusion, which does imply something else did. "I don't think so. Most SOLDIERs never have any trouble at all, and those who might tend to get washed from the program before they're enhanced. A certain level of strength of will and mind is a requirement."
If he asks, they might tell him. As far as they know, the items are neither a secret nor a regular topic of conversation.
Avalon picks up on the implication behind Angeal’s response, but his explanation seems to complicate it. “Did anything happen after you were enhanced?”
They should avoid digging too deeply into this, but they could be able to help. And without further explanation, they have no way of knowing if it would be their place to do so.
There's another pause as he considers the answer; honesty never hurts with even a temporary warden but thinking about it all too long was ... upsetting. "Possibly. I was born with ... certain ... vile abilities that cause degradation, a rot in body, soul and mind if used."
And that, by tone and bearing, is very much uncomfortable to dwell on. "I've been cured of it, near as I can tell, but it's possible the process damaged my mind at the time as much as it did the others. I can't say in retrospect how many of my actions before I was killed were because of degrading or ... purely my own decisions. I've assumed til now that it was likely, and thus why I was offered this chance instead of simply forced to be here."
They recognize his discomfort, even without trying to reach into his mind to feel it in more detail. “If you would like confirmation of being cured, I can ask the Admiral or someone in the infirmary. At least one of them should have the ability to check that.
“Being here as an inmate means that your decisions have hurt others, and you can change something about yourself in order to avoid going down the same path. I think that people who would recognize that are more likely to be given a choice. The same goes for people who would desire redemption of their own accord. Understanding that you need help is a good start.”
Confirmation of being purged of the alien DNA or still stuck with it ... did he want to know? What if he wasn't as free as he hoped, and it was merely suppressed? "I'll think about it. If I'm not, I'll need to start .. setting up contingency plans."
The sort of thing a warden was for, weren't they? But maybe not, not when it's temporary. That'd be more of a burden than someone deserved.
He definitely hurt others, and for a moment there's a mix of pain and guilt on his face before it's buried beneath schooled neutrality save the pinch of furrowed brows. "I know what needs to change to make certain it never happens again," he says slowly, unsure that's something he really should be venturing at all, "But it's not something I have a say in."
If he wants help with this, getting confirmation is the best starting point that they can think of. “The Admiral may be able to help you with contingency plans as well.” They could be promising too much, but they doubt the Admiral would be unable to do anything about it. And if he is unwilling to help, then that also gives them information. Even if this is only temporary, their job is to watch Angeal and help in any way they can.
They notice the shifts in his expression, their own remaining neutral. “What needs to change, and why do you not have a say in whether or not it does?” They believe that he believes he has no say in it, but if he knows what needs to change then he would not be here unless he could do something about it.
"Is that something inmates are offered? Is it not part of the burdens we're expected to bear for our crimes?" He genuinely isn't sure how any of this is meant to work, but it made sense to him. He caused his own problems, he should be expected to fix them himself.
Avalon's job is to help, and Angeal's not making it easier. He should probably stop dancing around it at some point. "Biology." It wasn't something he could change. "The Admiral's able to alter it here, obviously, which I am grateful for, but if it can be permanently removed then ... well, I might be living a lie but at least it's a safe one."
“Whether the Admiral would be willing to help seems to depend on your situation. Something like permanently altering your DNA would require a deal.” Avalon reaches into their pocket, pulling out their orb. As they touch it, its surface shifts to a deep pine green, swirls of black twisting deeper inside it. “Something like this could be done with a request.
“I lack the ability to feel emotions the way humans do, and I spent most of my life thinking that I had no feelings at all. The physical and mental pieces of them are separate for me, like my mind and my body are disconnected. The reason I have the orb is because I asked my Warden if the Admiral could give me typical human emotions, and it was not something he could do. I may be able to use my deal to get emotions, but I could not simply request them.”
They put the orb away. “Whatever change you need to make to graduate will be more than altering your biology. I needed to learn why I had hurt others and how to make different choices. Developing the ability to recognize the emotions that I had helped me do that, but I still needed to make changes on my own. If you need an aid, that can be requested, but permanently altering your DNA would require a deal and learning how to avoid causing harm in the future is something that you need to do.”
A deal is out of the question, and thus put aside as a near impossibility, and is waved off briefly with a small negating gesture. Whether or not it was potentially possible, it's out of reach and not to be dwelt on for now. Better to focus on what he can do.
The ball makes a return, and when it's explained, the burly SOLDIER's brow furrows, perplexed. He's not stupid by any means, but this sort of thing isn't in his realm of experience. "...So what does it do, exactly? Does it let you feel things?"
He's still thinking of the ball when he considers the rest. "If it's not something I can hope for for now, then I'll worry about it later. So long as powers and abilities remain locked away, both I and everyone else are perfectly safe." Which is ... all he really needs.
Talking about the deals has Avalon considering their own for a moment, but the thought gets pushed aside quickly. They have a general idea of what they want to ask for, and the details can wait.
“I have some emotions, but the pieces of them tend to happen separately. If I were to feel happiness, I might feel it mentally one time, but my body would feel neutral. The next time I felt it, I might feel nothing mentally, but my body would be activated.” Activation was what one of the library books had called it — intense or detached physical activation, and positive or negative emotional valence. “The orb changes color based on the emotions that match the components I might be feeling.
“Your permanent warden will know more about your situation and will be better equipped to ask for an aid if you need one. They can help you manage your abilities when you get them back.”
Angeal gives a brief laugh, though it sounds a touch self-reproachful. "I can't begin to guess what that's like." All he can do is GUESS. Would it be like having a jolt of adrenaline without knowing why? Did happiness have a physical feeling? Fear did. Anger did. "It sounds hard."
He'd have to try to remember to focus on it when he next felt it, if he ever deserved it.
A permanent warden might be a ways away, he'd have to find out how they were picked so he'd have time to figure out what to address and what not to. "I'd rather not get them back if it's all the same." He's fine the way he is now. "..As a temporary warden, are you able to make any requests in my stead at all? I've a minor one I wouldn't mind having but it can wait."
“It might be like feeling physically hungry, but not wanting food, or vice versa.” Shaw had described her emotions as being like hunger. “It became much easier once I understood it and knew to look for pieces rather than a whole.”
Rawne had been able to restrict their abilities before they were permanently paired, so, “I can make requests for you, but there are limits. I could be able to get you something from your world, depending on what it is. I would not be able to restore your abilities.”
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
timeasmymeasure
Video
Date: 2024-07-17 02:31 am (UTC)It looks like you and I are paired for the month. Do you need anything? [Avalon knows they should say something else, considering they have no idea who Angeal is, but their mind is blank. After a moment of staring into the camera, no obvious expression on their face, they cut the feed.]
no subject
Date: 2024-07-17 02:51 am (UTC)[Angeal doesn't know many at all onboard and Avalon is a completely new face. Maybe it'll be a relief that he seems perfectly willing to cooperate.]
no subject
Date: 2024-07-17 06:13 pm (UTC)[He does seem cooperative.] My name is fine. If you would like to meet in person, I can do that.
My job is to keep you from harming anyone. I have no access to your file, so this can be anything you want. [They see themself as more of a partner than a superior.]
no subject
Date: 2024-07-17 06:19 pm (UTC)[Something Avalon says seems to amuse him, but he hides the smile back under sobriety quickly.]
Unless I'm attacked, I'm not going to harm anyone willingly. I don't think I have access to my file either, so I can't offer it, but maybe I can answer any questions you have.
no subject
Date: 2024-07-18 11:16 pm (UTC)[They notice the flicker of amusement, but have no idea what caused it.] I think a common room would be a good place to meet. [They would rather not let a random person into their cabin, and immediately violating his privacy seems ill-advised.] Any level would work for me, though I believe one of the Level 5 common rooms has had its couch stolen.
Your permanent warden would be the one needing to look into your past, not me. This is only temporary, so I am more here for you than the other way around. For example, if you need something from home, I may be able to get it for you. [Rawne waited for them to ask for their powers back. They plan to do the same.]
no subject
Date: 2024-07-18 11:19 pm (UTC)[And he's already making the assumption that it won't be a problem, because it sounds like he's already leaving.]
no subject
Date: 2024-07-22 03:11 am (UTC)I understand that you may not have arrived with access to everything you can usually do, but information about any abilities you have would be useful. [They end the video and make their way to common room.]
no subject
Date: 2024-07-22 01:08 pm (UTC)Are handshakes universal? He doesn't know.]
Angeal Hewley. How exhaustive a list do you need for capabilities?
-> Action
Date: 2024-07-23 04:26 pm (UTC)Avalon has what looks like a large marble out when they arrive, tiny streaks of teal swirling over its surface. As they close the door behind them, they drop the orb back into the small bag hanging from their belt.
They approach Angeal and shake his hand, their grip firm enough. “Avalon.” They pause for a moment, considering explaining their lack of a last name, but decide against it. “I would like to know what you can do with your current limitations, since I cannot remove any of them.”
prose time~
Date: 2024-07-23 04:58 pm (UTC)So far, nothing seems out of sorts with this stranger. They seemed reasonable enough, and if they didn't want to give him any other names, then that was their right. "As far as I can tell, only my stamina and resilience remain intact by way of enhancements, but the Admiral has done nothing to curb my training. I've been well versed in combat for many years and specialize in hand to hand fighting. There are few foes I've faced that I can't handle barehanded; I know as many nonlethal means of subduing opponents, human and otherwise."
Like so many in the Barge, likely. "Before arriving here I was a career SOLDIER. If there's a weapon analogous to what exists on my planet, then I'll likely know how to use it, possibly repair it." His smile is brief and humorless. "I'm not likely to use any of it on anyone without express invitation or being attacked."
no subject
Date: 2024-07-23 08:07 pm (UTC)Their actual Warden item is clasped around their wrist and looks almost like a regular watch. The only difference is that, instead of a clock face, “Level 4 common room” is written on the bracelet’s panel.
“As I understand it, the Admiral can do nothing to curb your training. If you were to use it to harm someone, or if someone were to harm you, the consequences would be focused on physically preventing it from happening again.” They could make him unable to touch weapons, or make him intangible if he were to attack someone. His superhuman stamina and resilience could be removed if needed, but he does seem to be telling the truth about the likelihood of using his abilities for harm. He seems level-headed, and not in the emotionless way that Avalon was when they arrived.
“Would any of those enhancements have affected your mind?” In their world, almost every form of supernatural abilities also has negative effects on the person’s emotions. His world could have created something similar.
no subject
Date: 2024-07-23 09:07 pm (UTC)His mind was absolutely affected until arriving here, but was it the SOLDIER process, or what was done to him at conception? "No," is the slow conclusion, which does imply something else did. "I don't think so. Most SOLDIERs never have any trouble at all, and those who might tend to get washed from the program before they're enhanced. A certain level of strength of will and mind is a requirement."
no subject
Date: 2024-07-25 04:47 pm (UTC)If he asks, they might tell him. As far as they know, the items are neither a secret nor a regular topic of conversation.
Avalon picks up on the implication behind Angeal’s response, but his explanation seems to complicate it. “Did anything happen after you were enhanced?”
They should avoid digging too deeply into this, but they could be able to help. And without further explanation, they have no way of knowing if it would be their place to do so.
no subject
Date: 2024-07-25 07:42 pm (UTC)And that, by tone and bearing, is very much uncomfortable to dwell on. "I've been cured of it, near as I can tell, but it's possible the process damaged my mind at the time as much as it did the others. I can't say in retrospect how many of my actions before I was killed were because of degrading or ... purely my own decisions. I've assumed til now that it was likely, and thus why I was offered this chance instead of simply forced to be here."
no subject
Date: 2024-07-27 07:02 am (UTC)They recognize his discomfort, even without trying to reach into his mind to feel it in more detail. “If you would like confirmation of being cured, I can ask the Admiral or someone in the infirmary. At least one of them should have the ability to check that.
“Being here as an inmate means that your decisions have hurt others, and you can change something about yourself in order to avoid going down the same path. I think that people who would recognize that are more likely to be given a choice. The same goes for people who would desire redemption of their own accord. Understanding that you need help is a good start.”
no subject
Date: 2024-08-02 07:42 pm (UTC)The sort of thing a warden was for, weren't they? But maybe not, not when it's temporary. That'd be more of a burden than someone deserved.
He definitely hurt others, and for a moment there's a mix of pain and guilt on his face before it's buried beneath schooled neutrality save the pinch of furrowed brows. "I know what needs to change to make certain it never happens again," he says slowly, unsure that's something he really should be venturing at all, "But it's not something I have a say in."
no subject
Date: 2024-08-04 09:44 pm (UTC)If he wants help with this, getting confirmation is the best starting point that they can think of. “The Admiral may be able to help you with contingency plans as well.” They could be promising too much, but they doubt the Admiral would be unable to do anything about it. And if he is unwilling to help, then that also gives them information. Even if this is only temporary, their job is to watch Angeal and help in any way they can.
They notice the shifts in his expression, their own remaining neutral. “What needs to change, and why do you not have a say in whether or not it does?” They believe that he believes he has no say in it, but if he knows what needs to change then he would not be here unless he could do something about it.
no subject
Date: 2024-08-05 11:49 pm (UTC)Avalon's job is to help, and Angeal's not making it easier. He should probably stop dancing around it at some point. "Biology." It wasn't something he could change. "The Admiral's able to alter it here, obviously, which I am grateful for, but if it can be permanently removed then ... well, I might be living a lie but at least it's a safe one."
no subject
Date: 2024-08-06 12:20 am (UTC)“Whether the Admiral would be willing to help seems to depend on your situation. Something like permanently altering your DNA would require a deal.” Avalon reaches into their pocket, pulling out their orb. As they touch it, its surface shifts to a deep pine green, swirls of black twisting deeper inside it. “Something like this could be done with a request.
“I lack the ability to feel emotions the way humans do, and I spent most of my life thinking that I had no feelings at all. The physical and mental pieces of them are separate for me, like my mind and my body are disconnected. The reason I have the orb is because I asked my Warden if the Admiral could give me typical human emotions, and it was not something he could do. I may be able to use my deal to get emotions, but I could not simply request them.”
They put the orb away. “Whatever change you need to make to graduate will be more than altering your biology. I needed to learn why I had hurt others and how to make different choices. Developing the ability to recognize the emotions that I had helped me do that, but I still needed to make changes on my own. If you need an aid, that can be requested, but permanently altering your DNA would require a deal and learning how to avoid causing harm in the future is something that you need to do.”
no subject
Date: 2024-08-09 05:55 pm (UTC)The ball makes a return, and when it's explained, the burly SOLDIER's brow furrows, perplexed. He's not stupid by any means, but this sort of thing isn't in his realm of experience. "...So what does it do, exactly? Does it let you feel things?"
He's still thinking of the ball when he considers the rest. "If it's not something I can hope for for now, then I'll worry about it later. So long as powers and abilities remain locked away, both I and everyone else are perfectly safe." Which is ... all he really needs.
no subject
Date: 2024-08-09 10:44 pm (UTC)Talking about the deals has Avalon considering their own for a moment, but the thought gets pushed aside quickly. They have a general idea of what they want to ask for, and the details can wait.
“I have some emotions, but the pieces of them tend to happen separately. If I were to feel happiness, I might feel it mentally one time, but my body would feel neutral. The next time I felt it, I might feel nothing mentally, but my body would be activated.” Activation was what one of the library books had called it — intense or detached physical activation, and positive or negative emotional valence. “The orb changes color based on the emotions that match the components I might be feeling.
“Your permanent warden will know more about your situation and will be better equipped to ask for an aid if you need one. They can help you manage your abilities when you get them back.”
no subject
Date: 2024-08-11 06:41 pm (UTC)He'd have to try to remember to focus on it when he next felt it, if he ever deserved it.
A permanent warden might be a ways away, he'd have to find out how they were picked so he'd have time to figure out what to address and what not to. "I'd rather not get them back if it's all the same." He's fine the way he is now. "..As a temporary warden, are you able to make any requests in my stead at all? I've a minor one I wouldn't mind having but it can wait."
no subject
Date: 2024-08-12 01:11 am (UTC)“It might be like feeling physically hungry, but not wanting food, or vice versa.” Shaw had described her emotions as being like hunger. “It became much easier once I understood it and knew to look for pieces rather than a whole.”
Rawne had been able to restrict their abilities before they were permanently paired, so, “I can make requests for you, but there are limits. I could be able to get you something from your world, depending on what it is. I would not be able to restore your abilities.”