[ OPEN? CLOSED? ] as you die, you will understand.

[passio]

WHO: dextera + others! i’m open to anyone but please tell me by PM or at pavaal if they haven’t had at least like, one conversation.

WHAT: dextera forces himself to face all the people he bailed on after dying.

WHERE: the town!

WHEN: forward dated to late june, and probably the 1st and 2nd of july.

WARNINGS: death death death

[ for the first time, dextera wakes up from death to a sky that isn’t red. it’s all as grey as the world around him, and slowly, the memories return to him—the bogeyman, his brother, the feeling of his very soul being taken from his body. then, there’s a long expanse of nothing. now, his consciousness has returned.

he keeps out of the way at first in this sketchy body, staying private, staying safe with a friend he’s sure won’t tell—there are things he’s not ready to talk about, and faces he’s not ready to see. after a few days have passed, though, and his features reform, color returns, and his voice continues to stay just out of reach, he can finally be seen around town again.

he saw the post. he knows guren announced his death. he’s just hoping that no one will ask about it, if they see him. ]

...

[ as ever, he's silent. ]


( i'll be posting closed prompts in the comments for people who want them, otherwise... go HOG WILD. )

Comments

[passio]

…

[ dextera is quiet—his kind of quiet—for a moment, when zelda outright admits to praying for them. he had assumed she was the type, but it’s still… important. special. it would be flattering, that someone would take time to pray for him, if he didn’t think it was a lost cause. ]

Thank you, for praying.

[ he signs that carefully, sincerely. ]

I woke up—different.

[withwisdom]

[ she nods to his thanks - she would do the same for any. it isn't a lost cause to her, regardless of anything else. ]

Different, hm. You don't look any different to me though. Do you mean internally? You're not feeling fatigued, or weak are you?

[passio]

[ dextera shakes his head. ]

No color. Nothing at all.

[ now, he looks fine, but only because days have passed to restore him—when he first woke up from his unfortunate death, he was as blank as a ghost, or a forgotten sketch on a piece of paper. ]

[withwisdom]

[ no... color? so just like the world around them... it sounds dreadful. she nods, understanding, and not wanting to press the issue. she thinks of how she would feel and doesn't think she can fathom how frightening it could be. ]

Do you... mind walking with me? For just a few minutes. I want to give you something.

[passio]

[ it gets worse!! he hasn’t even realized that death makes people forgotten. ]

…?

[ when she gently proposes her question, he’s confused—but not distrustful. zelda’s presence is peaceful, like going to listen to eliza, or even the soft voice of a mother he doesn’t remember. ]

Guide me.

[withwisdom]

Right this way.

[ and she'll lead the way, intentionally going slower than normal just in case dextera is having trouble moving around. she has no sense of how this resurrection has taken place, or the repercussions of it, and she wants to be mindful as best as she can.

luckily she was already on her way to the well before running into dextera, so they don't need to go far. by the ground three small sets of flowers, each bundle tied together by string, sit at the foot of the well. she picks up one bundle - the one she had laid out for dextera specifically - and holds it in her hands without turning around to him. ]

The powers that govern this realm are curious, aren't they? People go missing without explanation, and now they can also be returned from their ends. [ she looks over her shoulder and smiles smally. ] Not that I'm complaining. It really is good to see you well again.

[passio]

[ he appreciates zelda’s words—everything she’s doing, really. she’s a kind person even if they’ve only spoken a few times now, though he gets the sense she would do it for anyone who was in pain. that kind of selflessness is something he’d like to learn, but maybe it’s innate. impossible, for someone like him. ]

…

[ he doesn’t return her smile, but his eyes soften in something like it. ]

God. Or gods. Fickle.

[withwisdom]

Very fickle.

[ her feelings are complicated toward them. the blood of the mortal goddess hylia runs in her veins, but they put her through so much suffering as a test of her worth. it feels like a cruel joke more than anything, but even so she continues to pray to them. sometimes she wonders why. ]

They test our devotions to them constantly, and ask if we are worthy of their blessings. You're lucky to get an answer, even if they hear us. [ a sigh. ] Still, I've never heard of them reviving someone. The gods of this realm must have a certain purpose for us.

[passio]

[ it’s strange, that her gods don’t revive people. he supposes that his doesn’t either, but she’s (She) so wholly convinced of his individuality and consciousness that there’s no way she would let him die. even when she kills him, he returns. it’s a strange relationship, to have with the deranged deity.

he sighs. ]

They always have a purpose.

[withwisdom]

You would think they'd share it with us. Instead we wander blindly, hands out, trying to figure out what we're reaching for.

[ she turns around to face him proper now and offers the small bundle of flowers. irises, in a shade of dark purple, tied together by a colorless string. ]

But at least we're together there. It's why we must take care of each other.

[passio]

…

[ it’s a moment.

dextera takes the irises, his expression mildly stunned by the gesture, even if he could have anticipated that she was going to hand him something. the petals are a vibrant, deep purple—and knowing what he knows now, about this town, it must have been something wonderful that brought this color back.

his fingers tense around the stems, and he nods, wordless in both hand and voice. ]

[withwisdom]

[ she watches him take the flowers, silent as ever, and then a thought occurs. ]

Dextera... forgive my curiosity, but I wanted to know - are you silent by choice or not?

[passio]

…?

[ dextera looks up at her, surprised by that too, and then a frown pulls at his mouth. it’s not her. she didn’t do anything, it’s just—

he shakes his head. the answer is most definitely not by choice. ]

[withwisdom]

[ hm, she suspected as much, but confirmation helps. ]

Growing up, one of my dear friends never spoke either. His was a matter of choice, as he felt too burdened by the weight on him to open up to others. But even in silence, he had much to say. ...I think of you the same way.

[passio]

[ dextera has a voice. it’s in there, and he can make sounds—it’s just his communication that’s been taken from him, given to god in exchange for this power that he never even wanted.

he wants to return to her, and take it back. ]

…

[ he shakes his head. ]

Your friend sounds nobler than I am.

[withwisdom]

You shouldn't say that about yourself. I doubt it's true.

[ pointed and a little blunt, but self-deprecation seems to be a common trend in this town. ]

[passio]

[ zelda has so much faith in him, but she doesn’t know—she can’t know. he doesn’t want her to know. ]

If your friend is noble at all, it’s true. [ but then he pauses, straightening up a little. remembering these flowers in his hand, and the way she mourned for him. it’s… cruel, to act like that’s a waste. ] But I want to do better.

[withwisdom]

[ she pauses to consider his response, wondering what the source of this could all be? it doesn't feel right of her to pry however. some things cannot be asked of. ]

When I was growing up, an important lesson was imparted on me: the knight who protects with a sword is no more noble than the farmer who gathers hay with a pitchfork. "Nobility" does not come in a single form. It is defined by the actions and character of the person.

[ she smiles a little and touches a finger to one of the flowers she handed over to him. ]

All we can do is our best. Don't push yourself too hard, and don't lose spirit. There are too many people who care for you to do that.

[ though she doesn't know how many, she saw how people reacted on guren's post. that seems evidence enough. ]

[passio]

[ could dextera ever really consider himself noble, though? whether it’s a pitchfork or a sword in his hand, he’s the one who killed the world. he’s the one who destroyed everything, and yet…

zelda grieved for him. all these people in town grieved for him. she’s right, even if she doesn’t know the whole story. ]

…thank you.

[ that’s all he can say, honestly. he’s grateful for her words. ]

[withwisdom]

You're welcome.

[ even though it feels trite to say it, because she would do it for anyone. not out of thanks, but because it's the right thing to do. no one should be forgotten. ]

Now then, be sure to put those flowers into a vase of water. They won't last for very long, but you should keep them as decoration while you can.