esoteric_rose: (recollection)
Juliet (Grell Sutcliffe) ([personal profile] esoteric_rose) wrote2011-01-27 10:43 am

Record: 51 /Radio Memory


[begin transmission.]

The ticking of a clock, the soft rustle of paper, and a sigh.

A man's voice, not anyone in Edensphere. "Sutcliffe...yet again you disregarded every rule there is to the book. This is the forty-fifth time that you have been cited for breaking regulations, what do you have to say for yourself?"

Juliet's voice. "Not every rule, William, only the ones which shouldn't be rules."

"Do not be ridiculous, every rule in the rulebook has a reason to it. Contacting humans for personal reasons is forbidden, you are wasting time and we're already short on staff." There was a slight click, as if someone tapped metal to metal.

Another sigh, from Juliet. "You told me at least a dozen times." Her voice became a mockery of the other's. "'We can't afford to fall behind. Remember your place, Grell!'"

Those with sharp ears would hear a rush of wind, more metal clicking. "Yet none of my warnings leave a lasting impression on you. It is not part of reaper code to encourage interactions with others outside of our race. It is our job to only gather souls silently and judge whether the souls are destined for heaven or hell. That is all."

"Where's the joy in that idea? Becoming racist, are we?"

More clicking. "This has nothing to do about being racist, Sutcliffe, it is about being a proper reaper. Your irreverence is why I am always going into overtime. Do not waste my time and effort in reciting every rule you've treaded on."

Juliet chuckled. "Irreverence, that's new. You always mention being a proper reaper, but you never say what makes you one."

William sighed. "I will only humor you this one time, Grell. As a reaper, you must claim every soul and pass judgement with a complete and utter lack of emotions. Human emotions only cloud our judgement; the repercussions of making an error as large as sending a soul to the wrong section are too severe to think about."

"So you say." Her voice got serious. "But if you truly have no emotions, wouldn't that make it impossible to decide where to send the souls?"

"No. Lack of emotional attachment makes it perfectly clear. If you so happened to make a friend on Earth and you had to collect their soul, you would be biased and try to send them to heaven, or if you became jealous of someone you would reap their soul and send them to hell."

Her voice rose, a touch of agitation evident. "If you lack emotions, you can't care about their actions! Are they right or wrong-feeling tells you that! Are good and evil now defined by textbooks?"

"Right or wrong feeling?" William's voice betrayed his stress. "This is exactly what I mean, Grell, you cannot judge it all based on feeling! All actions are strictly based on what upper management deems morally correct. You cannot judge their souls on a whismy or gut feeling instead of what is strictly written down."

"Hah! So am I to chain my heart to words spoken by those recorded ones? If you had to kill to live, a life for a life, the regular code doesn't apply!"

"Thoughts like that are what keep you from moving higher in the work force. You must follow ever rule that is written down."

"Maybe I don't mind not moving!" A loud sound, like someone had just slammed their hands on a desk. "Are they so old they're blind? It doesn't make sense! Living however long to mindlessly follow...I can't accept that!"

"You must accept it! It has has been written down and you must follow it!" A sliding sound, like a chair sliding out. "Perhaps a punishment would help enforce the rules inside your thick skull."

"Tch. What do you have in mind? I'm not afraid of you."

[end transmission.]

[[ooc: This is revised audio from this memory.]]

No worries XD

[identity profile] esoteric_rose.livejournal.com 2011-01-29 05:45 am (UTC)(link)
I've never heard that saying, but it's a rather charming little rhyme. If it means what I think it does, I'm still not averse. I know how to defend myself.

Or is it that you are the one averse?

[identity profile] esoteric_rose.livejournal.com 2011-01-29 07:09 am (UTC)(link)
Makes sense. I promise I don't bite, hit, or scream. I'll meet somewhere public, if you want.

[identity profile] man-genius.livejournal.com 2011-01-29 07:19 am (UTC)(link)
Oh. Good. On the biting that is.

I--geez. Screw it. Let's do it. The Bazaar?

[identity profile] esoteric_rose.livejournal.com 2011-01-29 07:28 am (UTC)(link)
Sure. What time works for you?

QL?

[identity profile] man-genius.livejournal.com 2011-01-30 08:25 am (UTC)(link)
Anytime. I'm free now.

For the record this is totally weird. For me I mean. This whole week is just--bizarre.
Edited 2011-01-30 08:25 (UTC)

Sure~

[identity profile] esoteric_rose.livejournal.com 2011-01-30 07:21 pm (UTC)(link)
Pretty sure everyone's thinking the same.

I'm the redhead with long hair and glasses.

[And she gets up to go find this "Genius", going to the entrance of the Bazaar. You can see a lot of people from here, hopefully he would see her.]

Writing to QL!

[identity profile] man-genius.livejournal.com 2011-01-30 10:00 pm (UTC)(link)
Yeah.

I'm the guy in blue plaid.

---



Ah, hello?

QL

[identity profile] esoteric_rose.livejournal.com 2011-01-30 10:12 pm (UTC)(link)
[She has been contemplating how to handle his questions, how best to explain that science and her realm coexist in closer contact than would seem obvious. And Genius, he seemed nervous about meeting her, which she couldn't fault him for. He'd just heard that she was a reaper.

The familiar voice pulls her out of reverie.]


Hello. You're Mr. Genius, aren't you?

QL

[identity profile] man-genius.livejournal.com 2011-01-31 12:11 am (UTC)(link)


Just Genius.

So you're Juliet? Ah. Hi. Nice glasses. So we ah, gonna talk somewhere?

QL

[identity profile] esoteric_rose.livejournal.com 2011-01-31 12:23 am (UTC)(link)
I should really learn to drop the formality, it's getting to be a useless habit. [She nods.] Genius then.

Mmhm, I'm Juliet. [Said glasses were adjusted as they threatened to fall off her face.] Thanks. Yes, you can choose whereever.

QL

[identity profile] man-genius.livejournal.com 2011-01-31 01:01 am (UTC)(link)
Not too many people insist on it, yeah. Makes me feel old.

I don't usually do the whole 'chit chat' thing but I know its traditional to go for a cup of coffee. If that's alright with you.

I'm guessing we want a place that's not too quiet and not too noisy. If you get what I mean.
Edited 2011-01-31 01:01 (UTC)

QL

[identity profile] esoteric_rose.livejournal.com 2011-01-31 01:07 am (UTC)(link)
Coffee's fine. I think I know just the place.

[She began walking to the cafe that Rabbit and her usually visited, it fit both those criteria, served good coffee, and had donuts.]

QL

[identity profile] man-genius.livejournal.com 2011-01-31 01:22 am (UTC)(link)


So ah...you been here long? Er--here. In ES.

Hey I know this place. Nice.
Edited 2011-01-31 01:22 (UTC)

[identity profile] esoteric_rose.livejournal.com 2011-01-31 01:30 am (UTC)(link)
[She takes a moment to count.] If I make it to May, it'll be two years.

[She laughed a little.] One of my friends comes here all the time, I think it'll work for talking.

[identity profile] man-genius.livejournal.com 2011-01-31 04:32 am (UTC)(link)
...Oh. Funny. I've been here for a year and three months.



So. Ah. Reapers. I don't even know what that means exactly. I mean--you don't look you go around in a black hood and a scythe.

[identity profile] esoteric_rose.livejournal.com 2011-01-31 04:37 am (UTC)(link)
Congratulations.

[She folds her hands in her lap at his question, sitting up straight.]

You're right, I don't. But thinking of the Grim Reaper, you're on the right track. The best way to put it is...reapers are a race that have the collective job of the Grim Reaper.

[identity profile] man-genius.livejournal.com 2011-01-31 04:55 am (UTC)(link)
Yeah I don't know if that's an accomplishment I can take credit for but thanks anyways.



Ok. Say I believe you. Which, BTW, is still incredibly hard for me, but as my brother says, my best man friends can walk on water, my pet is a hairball with giant teeth and my best chick-friend has two hearts and is a very human looking alien, so I have to kinda just suspend my belief at some point.

If that's all true and you are what you say, as a grim reaper...what do you collect? What is a soul?

[identity profile] esoteric_rose.livejournal.com 2011-01-31 05:46 am (UTC)(link)
The soul.

[She has to think for a while, to phrase it right.]

A soul is you, in the purest sense. It remembers everything about you, even if you forget, it is linked to the conceptual heart and mind. If you are born with one, and lose it, you will die. Medicine may keep the body alive, but the soul is its own domain. It is both energy and a void, knowing and unknowing. Each soul is unique, shaped by the person it belongs to and everything they've ever done, said, experienced. Certainly it's capable of being corrupted or purified, so it's also like a substance...How best to draw an analogy...the best one I can think of is that water is to physics as the soul is to metaphysics.

You asked me how one world can have science and another reapers. The truth is that they coexist easier than you would think.

[identity profile] man-genius.livejournal.com 2011-01-31 07:18 am (UTC)(link)


The purest...you? I don't understand--what does that mean? And how can be both a void and an energy? Specifically one that science can't trace. At least in my world...maybe in your world, what you interpret as a soul is something that doesn't exist in my world. Like chakra. Gai and Bell have told me that they can't sense me or Derrick in the same way they can sense others from their worlds.

I'm beginning to think that the only ones who don't coexist is me and Rick.

[identity profile] esoteric_rose.livejournal.com 2011-01-31 07:51 am (UTC)(link)
It's all of you, without words or form to get in the way. And about sensing it...I'm not sure. Maybe it's something in the blood, the brain, the physical makeup of reapers combined with the supernatural? I know we're the only ones I've seen with these eyes. Maybe my science is going a different direction from your science. If I could figure it out, show you rather than try to put words to it, I would.

I think you do coexist. You just feel different because you're of different worlds.

[identity profile] man-genius.livejournal.com 2011-01-31 06:49 pm (UTC)(link)
If you're the only one that can see it, then what does it look like? The purest self I mean. Can you tell if that purest self is good or bad?

There's so few people here that are just normal. My definition of normal of course. No powers, no magical senses. Just...normal. It's lame.

So I'm guessing if you can see a soul then you can take a soul, as a Reaper. Can you do that here?

[identity profile] esoteric_rose.livejournal.com 2011-01-31 11:08 pm (UTC)(link)
The way we judge whether a soul is good or bad is by memories. We can access them, watch them, and decide from them where they go. The saying that one's life flashes before their eyes at death, that comes from reapers. You've heard my feelings on the matter of emotions in the job.

[The waitress returned with their order, and she waits until they're left alone again to continue.]

Normal's...a lucky thing to be, really.

[She took a sip of the coffee, thinking.] I never tried taking a soul here. Doubt it would go over well with anyone, you can't just walk up to a person and ask if you can attempt to take their soul. But I can still access memories, that I know for certain.

[identity profile] man-genius.livejournal.com 2011-02-01 02:34 am (UTC)(link)


Memories. So you're another person that thinks the soul is connected to experiences.



So what, do infants get a free pass? The mentally ill? What gives a reaper the right to make a call of what's good or bad, huh?



You'd think so. 'S not.



I think I should...go. I ah...have ah...a food...in...the oven. And I'm late. For...food.

Edited 2011-02-01 02:34 (UTC)

[identity profile] esoteric_rose.livejournal.com 2011-02-01 03:06 am (UTC)(link)
[At the mention of all three of those put together-any of them would have hit her hard-she flinches, as though she was struck. She shrinks, unable to move, her mind bringing up her own memories. She could normally act, but this...this goes beyond her ability.

No. He can't go. He can't. He's not listening and damn it all she doesn't want someone else to not understand!]


Genius. [The tone is not the polite one of before, it's almost shaking, a plea. It takes her a moment to get the next part out, with a bit more stability. She hopes he will stay and listen.]

Didn't you hear what I was telling him in the memory? I argue that there are special circumstances, many of them, that inflexible rules are wrong. He's an uptight slave to form, I know this because I saw him before, and who knows when that was? Progress could have easily been made since then.

Children cannot be judged like adults, no one's morality is black and white, those whose minds betray them but they still try shouldn't be treated as though they meant to do the things they did. Because they don't...

I said the soul records experience. Not that the soul is made from them.

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