I Prefer A See You Later

[meatthefuture]

Who: The Strawhats
Where: Sailing Log, Legends of the Hidden Island 05/02-05/03, Sakura Drift 05/05-?
When: 04/26th-?
What: Sailing around, doing typical Strawhat type things
Warnings: None
Status: Semi-open. If you're around feel free to drop in


Date yer threads!

Comments

[thetruehistorian]

Is there a way to protect yourself from it? [Robin realizes she's fidgeting, almost with a start, then tucks the shard away.] Or... detect if it's happened in a subtle way?

[letteropener]

It depends on the nature of the effect.

Are you worried about the shards, then?

[thetruehistorian]

[Robin closes her eyes, inhales deeply, sets her jaw, and exhales slowly. There's a strong temptation to say that nothing is wrong, naturally. She's strong enough to overcome anything. There is no weakness in her mind or her spirit. But it's a lie. And Robin is the one who came to Celestia, after all.] Some of the texts on the subject have been... pervasive. I sometimes find myself considering courses of action that are not in keeping with my former convictions.

[letteropener]

Give me the shard and I will test something.

[Of course, the request is a test in and of itself. Items that influence minds usually influence said minds, first and foremost, to keep the item close.]

[thetruehistorian]

[It isn't the shard itself, so Robin passes the pale pink crystal over easily.] Cat has made it known that one way to awaken the shards is through a ritual which requires blood. There are some in the field who have fostered the belief that blood is more magically potent if taken directly from the heart. A person's life force also equates to power, so if the heart is still young, and still beating... Well, I've already implied as much publicly over the journals. The thing is, these texts assume a person's life is limited. That they'll mature, grow old, and die. I know of some who do not, nor will they ever, and that knowledge leads to... a certain curiosity... [Robin realizes she's staring intently at Celestia, and shakes her head to clear it, expression changing to one that might almost be guilt.] Naturally it's something only the most terrible minds would entertain. [Bereft of the shard, Robin begins sliding her fingers over a long strand of hair. She speaks softly, almost to herself.] All lives are precious.

[letteropener]

[Celestia isn't certain if that is magical influence speaking, or simply inevitable if macabre curiosity. Either is possible. She makes a show of examining the shard, her attention still held on Robin.]

Power is valueless without purpose, and the purpose you put power to defines what lengths you are willing to go to get it. So my question is, what purpose do you have for power?

[thetruehistorian]

To let people return to their own worlds if they wish. [That part, at least, she's sure of.] I want to find another way. But the only one I can find information on is... [Robin has a vivid memory of Hawtrey as he was just before his final death- a living corpse already, the flesh rotting on his bones, his eyes alight with that same envious green glow that accompanies Jones no matter where he goes. And just after that, finding herself face to face with Jones himself, demanding the shard in her ring. Will that be her inevitable fate if she keeps searching?] I don't know if other options exist. And I don't know if the feeling that there aren't any are mine, or if they've been put there by something else. I can sometimes feel a book's influence clearly and shunt it aside. But others have been more insidious. I don't catch them until later. But it calls everything into question then, doesn't it?

[letteropener]

And yet the legend never spoke of needing to awaken the shards, merely reassemble the gem. [Celestia speaks casually, treating the discussion as purely academic.] It may not be necessary. Nor have we explored this land in the depth it requires to rule out other options.

[thetruehistorian]

We don't have time for that!

[The outburst is unexpectedly loud, coming from Robin. She lowers her voice immediately, breathes deeply once again.]

It'd be foolish to ignore the things I have learned, simply because I don't like the truth.

Assuming it is the truth.

[She frowns, brows knotting together above her nose.]

If it isn't, then you're right, we need to explore more, dig deeper. But if it is, and this is the only way to master the native magic enough to challenge Jones's will, then delaying acceptance will only set us back. This is more than the legend we're given at the fountain. And even that is merely a fragment.

[Jump off a cliff, or keep walking along its edge, hoping to find a gentler slope down. A person might walk for days before finding what they're looking for, but by then it's too late to save the people drowning in the river at the bottom.]

Well. I suppose one way or another, if I keep searching I'll keep finding more. Be it another way, or more information pointing toward the shards.

[Robin nods to herself. That seems to be the best answer, for now.]

[letteropener]

[Celestia lets her vent as she needs, patient and serene, though a slight frown has crossed her face. When Robin reaches her conclusion, only then does she voice the concern that arose with her very first statement.]

Why do we not have time?

[thetruehistorian]

[It's back to this question again. An answer she couldn't fully articulate to Marco. Though Celestia's question is far less abrasive, communicating curiosity rather than arrogance.] Any one of us could be sent away tomorrow, but not of our own will. I can't simply publish all I've learned and expect people not to tamper with things, and ultimately wind up hurting themselves or others they hold dear. But the things I've learned are important for us as outsiders to be aware of. I need to complete the puzzle before I'm sent away again, so that I can make it known in full, and allow others to make informed decisions without leaving ripples that will pitch this world further into chaos.

[letteropener]

Then what you need is not to advance your knowledge, but to transcribe what you know. Whether or not you complete it is entirely out of your hands, but what you know needs to be left behind as a legacy.

It does nopony any good if you are almost there, yet disappear and all your knowledge is lost.