figlia_morbida | Ryslig

[It's a mutual mood boost: when Atem's greeted, his expression goes from taut and thoughtful to something much more open, something lighter and glad. She absolutely dwarfs him, but you'd never know it from Atem's posture: straight-backed, confident, entirely comfortable leading.]

Okay!

[He turns and starts to walk in the direction of the Cube, looking over his shoulder to make sure she's following all right.]

Don't worry. There's not a trick to getting in, or a cover or anything. It's open to everyone...

[He's just not sure how much longer it's going to be open to him. With the plans he has, he's likely to earn himself a ban from the location, or some other similar penalty.

So, he's got to take advantage of it while he can!]

[There's something inherently comical about a huge-ass bear trailing after a teeny tiny vampire, but there's no one around to witness them.

She follows him easily enough, in that she only has to take a single stride in proportion to several of his steps. It's like an escort mission, but with the speeds reversed, although if he wanted, he could out-speed her easily.

The Cube comes into view as he explains, and she trusts him and his judgment!!!

But she has to ask:]

I know you waited to see if there were any side effects, but I do wonder. You're not feeling any mysterious fondness for Elias, are you?

[He said he was being careful, but she assumes the worst of Elias and his tactics. Underhanded little bastard.]

If I were to ask for proof, I'd request a handy insult on his behalf.

Absolutely not!

[Atem's head is perfectly clear about that. And, to prove it, as they approach the door:]

Elias Liewen is evil, incompetent, or both, with schemes that never work and only cause trouble for the rest of us. He gets people to follow him by making them feel like heroes, like they're right to fight and resist, when doing that only makes monsters suffer more than they have to. He might be the second most powerful being on the peninsula, but he has no idea how to get us out, and acting like he might is pretty slimy!

[It's said without hesitation. It's not particularly creative, but it's honest: no embellishment to try to make it more convincing. Good enough?]

Believe me, if my feelings changed about Elias, I'd know!

[She was expecting something more juvenile, if only because she knows Atem hangs out with the other boys, but what he says is actually very thoughtful, and interesting.

Because it's his thoughts unfiltered, and she remembers how candid he was about Daniel's torture of him, in the interest of guiding them all forward. Bold too, coming out and saying that Elias probably doesn't know how to free them. He really is holding nothing back.

Already, she's learning more about Atem, and now they're about to go into an arena where they can control their surroundings. What else will he show her, she wonders?

For the moment though, she laughs.]

Yes, I'm more than convinced.

[She looks to the door, much more at ease now. If they can do something good with this bastard's technology, she's all for it.]

Care to show me how to go on a human-break, then?

[He doesn't get vulgar often, and when he does, it's usually in response to the company around him. With Trish, there's no danger at all of that happening.]

Yes!!

[He leads her into the complex, shunning the side with the fist logo above the door, indicating the combat area. (Or the NSFW side of things, if you're Flug and Black Hat. He'd never take Trish there. Instead, they hang a right, into the long karaoke-room-style hall, lit in neon, humming under their feet. Atem spots the nearest ajar door, and sticks his head into it, pushing the door open a little wider with his shoulder, to make sure the dark room behind it is really empty. Satisfied, he pushes it open all the way, and white light comes on, flooding the room in front of him.]

If you could go anywhere, where would you want to go? I could show you Domino, or Egypt...I hear Sardinia's beautiful, too, but I have no idea what it looks like, so I can't promise the room will get it right...

[See, this is why she likes Atem. He respects what his friends are and are not about and commits it to memory and practice! Some people would use such information for nefarious purposes, but not Atem.

She follows after him as she has been, glancing here and there at the layout of the facility. The Cube is certainly the more quasi-modern thing she's seen in some time, enough that she can see why some monsters would find everything Elias offers an immediate draw. Too bad he's a right bastard.

The neon room makes her blink from the bright colors, and this is where her companion chooses to stop, opening a door to a dark room that lights up as if on command. Whoa.

As for his question, she cocks her head to the side, fuzzy brows knit together.]

Sardinia?

[She knows for a fact she's never talked about that particular island with Atem. But then she remembers...]

Did you hear about it from Doppio?

[Meanwhile, she is heavily considering Egypt. If only because she has no idea what Domino is.]

[??? Does that island have a particular meaning for her? She is from Italy, but there's plenty of places in Italy she could be from. It'd be one heck of a coincidence, if she and Doppio have a connection to the same place...but then, in the other-Ryslig, Solido the sailor had known a Trish...]

Yes.

Well -- strictly speaking, my double heard about it while talking to Doppio and his double, but I've got her memory of the conversation. Those two didn't agree on much, but they did both think Sardinia's coast was beautiful.

[Her understanding of Doppio is so small. She supposes he could be from Sardinia, just like Diavolo was, and that would go towards explaining how they know one another if not through blood.

She doesn't really like the reminder of the doubles, however, and brushes past it, saying:]

I don't know very much about Doppio, but his boss is also from Sardinia. As for me...I've only been there once, and not for very long. I guess it's reasonable to assume I'd know it too, since we're from the same world...but I could only show you one part of it and frankly, it's not a completely happy memory.

[Sardinia is where Abbacchio perished after all. It's also where Donatella took the fateful photo that led him there.

She glances to the white light of the room.]

If we wanted to share old homes, I'd be happy to show you Lacco Ameno instead, if you want to show me Egypt.

I understand...

[Even a beautiful place can have bad memories.]

I think showing each other old homes is a much better idea. I'll start, since I've used this place before...

[The walls are already shifting, panels flickering, scenery appearing in two-dimensions and then coming to life...it's a wide courtyard of brightly-painted stone, housing a garden with a large, artificial pond in the center. There's a cloth awning overhead, providing shade against the blue sky and merciless sun and directing a breeze down into the enclosed space, ensuring the temperature's not too hot. The walls of the courtyard are painted with even more plants, to give the impression that the green space is bigger than it is, and painted wooden doors are set in the stone at intervals.

Once the simulation starts going, Atem's appearance changes -- not to the tiny pharaoh, no more than ten, that Trish met in September, but a more-or-less grown one, sixteen, with an inch or two of height on Yugi-Atem. Gold gleams at his wrists, ankles, ears, forehead, and neck; the Puzzle around his neck isn't split into seams anymore.

The air smells like sunlight and flowers, and there's benches for sitting in the shade between trees. For not having air conditioning, it's a really pleasant place.]

All you have to do is wish for it, and it appears. Welcome to the family court of the palace at Waset -- that's Thebes -- around 1100 BC. Only the king, his family, and their closest friends were allowed back here...

[He looks back at her, to check. Now that the room's up and running, he's changed, and she should be, too...he'll kick himself if there's some reason he hasn't thought of that this won't work on Trish!]

[Trish watches with naked awe. Honestly, it's not often that this world offers a wonder that is purely...enjoyable.

Rare, so very rare.

The room changes, and changes, and it's warm, a blue sky appearing overhead, and stone wrapping them in its rigid arms.

Atem changes too. She's come to know him well as a vampire most of all, but she never forgot the little Pharaoh that sat with her in the kitchen that day. He was warm and alive when she carried him to safety there.

Now he's taller in general, but he looks so similar to the way he did then, a grown-up version of the baby Pharaoh for sure. He had quite a name too for such a little fellow, didn't he? It's not like she didn't believe him either, about Egypt or ka or the bad spirits chasing him, but seeing this? This is proof of memories he could only speak about, made tactile, made nearly real.

It takes her a second to join him herself, but she hasn't ever let go. Where there was a pink bear, there's now Trish as she was the week she was taken across Italy. She has her math symbol-print skirt, and while she's still taller than him, it's only just. She marvels at herself too, inspecting arms that are absent of pink fur, and she runs a tentative hand across smooth skin.]

I don't really match, do I?

[He fits this scene so well...it really can't be anywhere but his home.

A home long gone, too. Maybe not while he was living it, but she remembers what he said about being a ghost.

She peers up at the sky again, marveling at the quasi-feeling of cooler air wafting around them.]

I can hardly believe it...it feels real.

[And then she looks to Atem himself. Because as nice as it feels, she's not here to get lost in the moment. She's here to spend time with him.]

Tell me more about this place, won't you? About you, too. The you outside of Ryslig.

Even if your style is different from this place, it doesn't matter. You always look put-together, Trish!

[Yes, even as a bear. She has a Look going on, she's clearly a bear who cares about making an impression.

But he'll answer her question; Atem steps forward into the courtyard, spreading his hands, palms out, down by his sides.]

This was our base of operations in Upper Egypt. Lower Egypt was to the north, where the Nile meets the sea, and we spent a lot of time there, too...the whole court went wherever we needed to go. Whether it was mining in the south or enemies in the north, wherever our attention was needed most...that's where we'd travel to. But I only remember up to the age you saw me at...

[He turns around to look back at her, the gold and lapis-lazuli at his ears swaying gently back and forth with the movement.]

I've been told things got more difficult, after that.

[That earns a faint smile from her. She'd like to believe that about herself as much as he seems to.

Still, it's nice to hear, and she murmurs:]

You're sweet, Atem.

[Trish listens as she moves to flank him, inspecting the courtyard with rapt attention. It's opulent and masterfully crafted, this place...and then she glances his way, meeting his eyes when he turns.

He...only remembers when he was a little boy? Oh, he was such a polite boy too. It's easy to see how he grew into the young man he is now, someone fascinated by the world around him and eager to sift through everything it has to offer.

But then he's saying something so solemn, and she watches him carefully.]

Oh...I didn't mean to bring up an unpleasant topic.

[Her question was innocuous on its face, but Atem is someone she really...doesn't know anything about. She likes him and trusts him, but it's an evergreen problem with her and the people around her, isn't it?

And maybe she's a little more wary of treading on uncertain ground, after everything.]

We can talk about something else, if you want.

Ah, I don't mind! It's not a secret, but...I'm probably not the best person to tell the story, since I've only heard it secondhand.

[He lightens up, gives a shrug! Atem crosses to the pool, kicking off the stylish shoes on his feet, and sits down at the edge, letting his feet dangle in the water. A few ducks swim away, giving him a wider berth, retreating to the blue-white-yellow water-lilies that are floating on the surface.]

Actually, I wanted to ask....

....is "cervo" a word in Italian? I'm afraid I don't speak it, but it seems to mean something, to someone I know...

Then I won't ask further.

[She says simply. Not unkindly, but more in the sense of a friend brushing aside anything that would threaten a pleasant time.

Trish follows Atem to the pool, then, watching him get comfortable. It's a little more effort on her part, but she takes off her own stylish boots before joining him at the water, dipping her feet in. She hasn't felt water on her bare skin in so long...and this is a facsimile, she knows, but it feels real enough she savors the sensation.

The ducks are a cute touch too, and she's of a middling opinion on them, usually, but right now? It's a nice addition to this perfectly idyllic picture.

At Atem's question, she tilts her head. First Sardinia, now "cervo"?]

You mean Doppio again, don't you? Unless you've managed to get close to his boss. I know you were looking into the two of them.

[Way back during the investigation of Steve's murder. She still has the deadman's switch he gave her, kept close to her laptop at all times.]

"Cervo" means deer in Italian. In Sardinia, there's a resort called Porto Cervo. I suppose it's possible Doppio has been there, since he worked for the mafia. It's a place attended only by the obscenely rich. I can't imagine his boss ever going there, anyway.

[Although she has no clue what Doppio would do in such a place. Be an embarrassment, maybe.]

Ah!

[He sees. He sees....he thinks he gets it.

Cervo is a creation unique to Ryslig. A little like Adam, and Ankhsunatem. He's quiet a moment -- until Trish goes on, pulling him out of his rapidfire conclusions.]

Yes, it's about Doppio. I've been looking into him, and his boss -- but you should know that it's got nothing to do with Giorno!

I've known Doppio for about a year, now...he was one of the first people I met, here. And, thanks to one of the things that happened, it feels like I've known him for a lot longer...

[She's too busy indulging in the scene he's created to notice the gears of his brain spinning so rapidly behind his eyes. Otherwise, she'd wonder more about his questions about "cervo" in particular. This is a term which may come up one day, unbeknownst to her but familiar to anyone who regularly deals with Doppio.

Although she does look to him at the mention of Giorno, since she and Giorno aren't speaking to one another at the moment.

And...she remembers Atem's interest in Doppio back during her early months here as those of a concerned neighbor, but it sounds like there's more to it. When she thinks on it...]

Yes, I remember. You were curious about him. Trying to understand him, right? I know Giorno's not interested in that, so it's certainly not on his behalf.

But you do bring up something I've wanted to ask after.

[She leans back, resting her weight on her palms.]

When you say you've known him longer, is it because of the "dream" you all shared some time ago?

No, it wasn't that.

[Quietly, thoughtfully, taking his time:]

Did I tell you about the other world? The one Daniel's sacrifice took us to, instead of Felfri.

[Putting it delicately, like he usually does. As though the sacrifice hadn't been partly him.]

[The frustrating thing about Ryslig is that so much happens, and when you're a newer sort, there are details that remain unclear until they come up again, and over time, they become better defined.

Atem was tortured. That came first.

Then it was: Atem was tortured by Daniel. And now it's: Atem was tortured by Daniel, out of what were ultimately deeply misguided sentiments on Daniel's part, fueled by desperation that abetted an unimaginable amount of cruelty. But she remembers the base fact most vividly. It was one of the first things she learned about Atem, which is a hell of a way to be introduced to someone.

The fact Atem was candid about it was half of why she found him so incredible.]

...You hadn't, no.

I'll admit I'm unclear on the difference between Felfri and the other world. So to clarify: Felfri was the dream world, and Daniel's was something else entirely?

Not quite. Felfri is a different Ryslig, one where everyone has powers but no one's allowed to fight with them. It's one where the Fourth God has the controlling power, instead of the Fog. Monsters visited it two years ago...it's where the Cube came from.

At least, that's how I understand it. It was before my time! The dream world -- at least, the one I experienced -- was a shared consciousness phenomenon that happened in June because of some evil trees. And then, Daniel's place...

Daniel's place was a Ryslig where all of us from other worlds had actually been born and raised here. For a week, we became those people...we had memories of whole lives, here. As humans.

The "me" in that world...Adam...he knew that world's Doppio.

[Trish's eyes widen at that. So there's more than one Fourth-controlled space, which makes sense, but it's still interesting to hear. Atem really is an inch high private eye, sniffing out this world's secrets for himself...

Her face goes on an interesting journey then, when the term "evil trees" leaves his mouth. Of course, why wouldn't there be sinister plant life?

But it is nice to have clarification that there was a dream world and...she's not sure what to call Daniel's creation. A fake life? That sounds like a dream too, but the fact it left them with lifelong memories that felt real enough that it bled into Atem's feelings toward Doppio now...it's interesting. Revealing.]

In what capacity? I'm led to assume you were at least friends in that fake life.

[More importantly:]

Is that why you've been looking into him? I don't want to accuse you of being sentimental, but I doubt the Doppio you knew there is anywhere to be found in the Doppio here.

[He keeps his feet in the water, looking out over the pond.]

He was different. His name was Solido...he was a sailor. He knew my -- that is, Adam's -- father. My father and I would get away from Bavan, sometimes...we'd go to Vandare, and I'd play cards with the sailors in the bar. And, when that man died...I have memories of Solido being there for me.

[Adam had been eleven, when it had happened. He'd cried.]

I know we're not the same people. But it's hard to stop caring completely, when you have memories like that, even when they're not entirely yours. I think he feels that, too.

[Take it from him. He felt the same way about Jounouchi and Anzu...people Yugi remembered, that Atem wanted to protect.]

I suppose, if he'd been cruel to me afterwards, I could have let go, but...he hasn't. The impression I've gotten of him since is of someone whose whole world is one person...

...and when your world is one person, it doesn't matter what you do to others, if it's for that person's sake.

[Again, his tone suggests, believe me, I know!]

The way to stop that is to have other people in your life who matter, too. To be yourself, instead of someone else's protective shadow. So, I'm not willing to stop trying to be his friend, even though he's done terrible things. Because, even if it's not the same as how he cares about his boss, I think he cares about me, and I doubt there are many that can say that.

[Here, he looks up at Trish, and offers a small smile.]

I want to help him be a Doppio that's more than just the don's underboss. And I think I have a chance.

Edited 2022-04-14 13:36 (UTC)

[Trish is quiet as Atem explains, watching the ripples in the water, their shifting reflections warped and stretched on the water's surface. That which is not real and can never be real, while Atem talks about something that was just as illusory, but felt so real to him he's still holding fast to it when the grain of truth that inspired it has yet to be proven otherwise.

And...she bites the inside of her cheek to hide any visible reaction, but there it is again. That name Doppio shouldn't have, but does. Solido. That almost certainly makes Doppio's ties to that name much stronger, doesn't it? Even in a dream world, he was called Solido. When he was a little boy, he was called Solido. Just as Atem fell into old memories to recreate the little boy he used to be, that means it's true, isn't it?

Solido is Doppio's name, not Diavolo's.

Something prompts her to look up, some movement in the corner of her vision, and she meets Atem's smile with an expression that is both thoughtful and torn.]

...I think so too. Doppio isn't a good person, but he has the capacity to be better. Giorno doesn't believe that, and I don't blame him for feeling that way in the least, but I'm like you. I've seen a glimpse of Doppio when he's better.

[She offers Atem a tentative smile.]

Just like you have a lifetime of memories where he was nothing but kind to you. Though I also have to ask...doesn't it bother you to have fake memories dictate how you feel?

[The false memories...she wonders how many people found a connection with others through Daniel's other world. Was Giorno one of them? He must have been.]

I'm sure they must have felt real, but I'd struggle when the person I thought I knew is only a little like the one I grew close to.

[Atem looks down, when she points that out.]

Not really...

...even if the memories aren't real, the feelings can be. Even if that person isn't exactly the same, I've struck up friendships starting with less! It's an okay place to start, as you get to know their other self.

[Atem's tone turns dry as he goes on:]

...do you know, Giorno asked me to spy on Doppio, when he found out I had a connection with him? I refused, of course...and he accepted my refusal. But it was pretty gutsy, to assume I'd agree to something like that...

Even if Doppio and Diavolo are a bigger threat than the average monster, which I'm not sure is true...that threat can't be neutralized through force or fear! Not in Ryslig. You can't make another monster behave differently. You can only hope to reach their heart, and help them choose something better for themselves.

[There's a lot of people Atem wants to reach, to support, to help them choose something better. Doppio's one. Javert's another. Daniel seems to be trying, but Atem can't be the one to reach out to him...and then there's Ryou, too.]

[That's not something she's ever considered, not once. Memories aren't real, but the feelings can be...? Is that how it works in a place that warps bodies and perception as readily as clay begging to be molded? Trish supposes...the person at their core, and the feelings therein, that's all they can really hold on to in place like Ryslig.

But it's hard, because she wants stability, something tangible and stable.

Atem is a clever person, eminently flexible...where she sees something too good to be true, too suspicious to really trust, he sees opportunity. And he's sentimental too, she knows. Sweet and understanding. His heart is big enough she can see how he wouldn't hesitate to let people in if they showed they only meant well, or the potential for it.]

Is that so? I think you're simply the type of person that draws others to you. You make friends easily.

[She believes that more than anything. She has to admit she's been drawn too.

As for Giorno...Trish frowns. To Atem, it must have seemed really invasive and ultimately unkind with no context to back it. As if Atem would betray a friend's trust like that.

And what he says resonates with her. It's what she's decided on too, as someone who can't fight...her only strength is espousing reason and showing kindness as much as she can. She's verbally strong-armed Doppio, sure, but she likes to think he could see her logic, even if he didn't want to admit it.

Trish pulls her feet out of the water, then, but only to tuck her legs against her body, wrapping her arms around her knees and curling up.]

...I had no idea Giorno reached out to you. [Said softly.] Doppio and Diavolo wronged us deeply back home, and I know he can't forgive that. Neither can I. But I...

I don't think fighting them is the answer anymore. So if you can reach Doppio's heart like you say, then I'm with you, Atem. I want to see you succeed.

However, I don't know how much Diavolo will allow that. If there's anyone that can ultimately sabotage you, it's him.

Heh!

[He keeps being told he makes friends easily...honestly, it surprises him to realize, and to know. In his mind, Yugi's the one who's better at making friends -- it's hard to shift from his perception of himself a year and a half ago, where Yugi had friends and Atem protected them from the shadows -- but it's clearly not the case anymore, and he has to admit it. He puts a light, gentle hand on Trish's upper arm, just for a second. He sees her curling up into herself, and it's to reassure: it's okay.]

He said something similar -- that he hoped I succeeded, and that if anyone could do it, it'd be someone like me.

As for the other guy, though...I have to admit, he's still largely a mystery to me. He's not like anyone I've ever met before...he's clearly used to being powerful, but he also seems like he's afraid to exist...I can't quite figure him out!

WELCOME TO YOUR PRIVATE CHANNEL, TRISH UNA. FOR SECURE COMMUNICATION, USE 867.53.099.99 * Zigazigah has joined 867.53.099.99 <Zigazigah> Don't talk to me. <Zigazigah>** Thanks.

action!!

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I LOVE ATEM SO MUCH....sweet boy, murderous ghost...sweet murder ghost

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