esoteric_rose | Record: 1

Absolutely not.

[That came out a bit louder than he meant it to. He lowers his voice and flushes slightly.]

You had only good intentions. I was...not there. It was me and it wasn't, and I know that sounds strange, but I am still fully responsible.

[His gaze falls as well.]

I know what drove me to that lack of sanity, and I know what I did that got me...[his hand goes to his heart unconsciously] I deserved it.

And I come to ask your forgiveness.

[Her eyes snap back up at his loud declaration. She listens as he continues after lowering his voice, waiting until he finishes before she says anything.]

I... believe I may understand what you mean. Perhaps not entirely, but a little.

[She briefly considers continuing the argument that she is also to blame, then decides it will get them no where.]

In any case, to say you deserved it is a bit harsh, Juliet.

[Fred smiles again. The smile looks more real this time.]

I shall only forgive you if you sit here and keep me company for a bit. And... do you know anything about the Mona Lisa?

In what sense?

[He smiles back softly.]

Of course I will.

[He sits, and thinks.]

La Gioconda...that's her other name. She is one of Leonardo da Vinci's famous works. He started, then left her be until right before he died...she was studied intensely, so many had viewpoints on her, from virtious femme fatale to nothing more than a tart.

[Fred frowns faintly.]

I'm... not certain. Being yourself and someone else at the same time... it strikes a familiar cord in me. But I'm not sure why.

[She tugs gently at a stray thread hanging from her sling.]

So... it is a painting by da Vinci. [Her voice lowers slightly as she starts talking half to herself.] But why was I on Earth? And why Paris? Sometimes memories seem to be more frustrating then they are helpful...

Possibly you'll learn in time.

[He listens to her spoken thoughts. Did she have memories not of Earth?]

They can be so, especially when given in pieces and you are forced to examine them, hoping to dredge up meaning. And then they refuse to close a nagging gap...

Hmmm, yes.

[And perhaps someday she would also learn more of the planet she did remember. A dream of orange skies and red grass, while very pretty and quite distinctive, gave her very few real answers.]

[She looks at Juliet again suddenly.]

Did you know it could do that? Your... weapon. And... did you see it? It seemed different from the memory I got from the crystal. Like strips of film.

[He waits a beat before answering]

Yes, to both questions. My scythe...it has the power to invoke memories like that...and anyone around can see. I know this from both memories and...personal experimentation.

[She thinks about that a moment.]

Interesting... I had no idea that there was any way to retrieve our memories aside from the crystals. All the same, I think I shall avoid this method of getting them in future. The 'punishments' we get from the crystals generally seem to be less painful.

[She smiles to take the sting out of her words and changes the subject.]

Did it surprise you to learn I was not a human?

It isn't the most pleasurable way of retrieving information, that is certain.

There's also the fourth floor...though that's another story.

[He smiles back]

No. Seeing as I'm not one myself.

The mysterious fourth floor? That has something to do with memory retrieval? [She thinks about that for a moment before adding,] I suppose that would have something to do with why I have never been able to exit the lift on that floor.

[Fred looks a bit taken aback. She stares at Juliet for a moment, then blinks and shrugs her right shoulder.]

I don't know why I am surprised, really, but you are not of my kind. I would know if you were. Whatever force governs Edensphere clearly selects the residents of this place at random.

It's quite a strange thing...I've been sent there twice. Time seems to flow slower...a few hours there is a few days here.

[He closes his eyes briefly, then opens them.]

Yes...your signature is definitely not human, now that I take the time to separate it out. And unlike mine. It really is random...

Just a question, do you know exactly what you are?

[That feeling again, when Juliet talked of time. Strange.]

So you can sense my... mental pattern? Or is it more like an aura? I could sense Storm in that manner, his mental pattern, but he has been the only one I have been able to sense so far.

[Speaking of Storm, where was he? She had heard nothing about him one way or the other... it was a bit worrisome, frankly.]

I have no clue, save that I seem to be rather interested in time, and its function and flow. And I have two hearts, which I gather is quite different from most residents of Edensphere.

[Fred wondered what visiting the fourth floor would feel like. Would she even be able to feel anything out of the ordinary? It would be quite interesting to find out.]

Similar to an aura...the spiritual signature. Everyone's differs, but alike entities share certain patterns. It's how I was able to tell that Tybalt wasn't human, more akin to myself but not quite the same. No one has a signature close to mine. Yours is radically different from a human's-think of it like someone playing two different piano pieces in different keys.

[Storm-he doesn't recognize that name.]

Two hearts...that is unusual, but not an impairment in any sense.

...Regardless, yours sound like a happier kind than mine.

[She listens to his explanation with interest.]

Fascinating. You can feel everyone like that?

I'm sure my people had a reason for evolving this way. Who knows the ways a 'spare' heart might come in handy?

[She looks a bit uneasy at his last statement.]

...perhaps.

Yes...the people I know best are the ones whose signature I can pick out almost instantly. But I can feel when others are around, it's very hard for me to be caught by surprise.

[He sees her discomfort.]

...I'm sorry.

No need to apologize.

[She shifts in her seat, adjusting the way her arm sits in the sling slightly.]

I wish I knew more about my people. Perhaps then I would know why I feel... uneasy about them.

[He listens, nodding slightly.]

I understand, in a sense. I..do not judge my kind, and I know why we take the actions we do, but it's a dangerous thing to be.

[Fred hesitates a moment before she asks her next question.]

You may feel this is a personal question, but... do you know what you are?

[He nods, trying to frame it in the best way.]

I am...a shinigami.

[He is silent, then very softly adds:]

...Translated, that means "death god".

Shini... gami. [Fred rolls the word around in her mouth as if she were tasting it.] That is an Earth language, correct?

[She pauses for a moment, digesting his words and trying to think of the best way to reply to them.]

I assume the name is somehow reflective of what your kind does?

I was told it is part of a language known as Japanese.

[He answers calmly, trying to keep composure.]

It is more like a job...we are sent to judge humans and decide whether they continue to live or pass on.

[Fred almost wants to ask more about Juliet's... kind? Species? But the man seems a bit uncomfortable talking about the subject, so she doesn't press him.]

Hmmm. That sounds... rather a difficult job to do. I do not think I could make similar decisions, myself.

...There is a way that we can decide. It's not simply looking at someone and saying "This person should live", we have to do...review.

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