perfectmatch | week two

[ he turns his chin just slightly, sightless golden eye resting more pointedly on Rom. ]

I hide mine nature true from thee even now, Rom.

[ his circumstances are different, he imagines; Rom's curse is not so wretched as his own. Does he enjoy living while hiding it? No. But, he imagines, the alternative would be worse. It's been proven to him before that the truth will turn those he trusts on him. ]

[ Rom meets that golden stare evenly, in his usual slightly uncanny way. ]

... of course. I should have known.

[ No mercy, huh. Well, it's not like he thought this would be an easy conversation in the first place. Maybe he should just consider himself lucky that he's managed not to upset Messmer so far. ]

Wouldst thou claim thyself different? Thy wan smile yet concealeth plenty from me.

[ he's sure there's plenty about himself that Rom isn't sharing, too, despite how unhappy living an act might make him. Maybe this was a ploy to try and get him to share some details about his inner life, for whatever reason. ]

Thy spirit-speak is not all that defines thee.

[ His smile thins a touch. ]

I believe it defines me enough.

[ Before he lets his gaze drift over the scenery around them. It really is a nice area that the staff have brought them to, even if it's marred by the usual ghastly stray spirits and ghosts that he's used to seeing everywhere. It's a pity he can't seem to make the mood anything Messmer might enjoy more. ]

But couldn't the same be said for yourself, then? Your true nature.

[ he lets his eye fall shut, apparently resigned. ]

I should pray that it doth not.

[ he struggles against it every day. How much worse would it be if he let it define him? If it weren't for the light of Grace, what would become of him...? He doesn't want to know the answer. ]

[ Wrong move. Sounds like he hit a sore spot. This truly is difficult.

But those thoughts don't reflect in his demeanor as Rom smiles up at Messmer -- mimicking the cadence of his voice just a little as he drawls, ]

Then, thy true nature is not all that defines thee, my lord.

[ Maybe that's a little tactless? But he's never been much for tact, unfortunately. Rom chased up that impression with a little wave of the hand. ]

At any rate, I believe this would answer what I'm sure you wanted to ask. [ This has really not explained much so far. ] You wanted to know what I meant by things we might have in common, yes?

[ his nose wrinkles just slightly in distaste at the mimicry of his speech, perceiving it as mockery. But he's sure that a reaction is exactly what Rom is looking for, and, ultimately, Rom was agreeing with him, tactless as it might have been. It doesn't define him - he won't let it. ]

I did.

[ they're reaching that nice lookout point now, and Messmer doesn't seem too winded by the walk - it's not much compared to the marches he'd once led. The scenery from high up is quite idyllic, but he finds himself looking expectantly at Rom instead. ]

Surely thine answer extendeth beyond an abnormality of birth.

No, it's just that.

[ Maybe it's bold saying so much, and with his usual opaque smile, straight to the face of someone as imposing as Messmer, given how this conversation's been going so far. But if Rom has confidence in anything, it's in his ability to keep a straight face no matter the circumstances -- in some ways, it's the only thing that's kept him alive this long, after all.

Rom continues walking so he can also get a good look at the view, even as he elaborates: ]

It's partly just a gut instinct, admittedly. But I'm pretty confident in my intuition, Lord Messmer. And I'm sure you wouldn't want me to assume more about you than you've already told me. So that's all I can say for certain so far ... -- wow! Look at the view, my lord! This really is a prime spot they've brought us too! [ Yes he is absolutely going to spend a shameless moment interrupting himself to admire the view before abruptly looking back over his shoulder to Messmer. ] Oh, right. But I do believe we might be similar in how this show views us. That's important. So I thought choosing you as my match partner might one of the best choices to save us from the possibility of disaster.

Edited 2025-06-14 02:08 (UTC)

[ the view is very nice, objectively. Were he younger, he might have been moved by it. Now, it stirs nothing in his exhausted heart besides a vague yearning for home. Nature is beautiful, but it isn't enough. Nothing ever is.

At least Rom is enjoying it. Maybe. It's still hard to tell how much of him is genuine. ]

... Such a simple thing thou wouldst stake thy chances on.

[ The comment isn't dismissive, merely bemused. Rom seems well-educated about this world's technology, its culture - all of it is far beyond Messmer, much too far for him to even attempt to comprehend, and so maybe Rom is right about "how the show views them." ]

Thou fearest assumptions. Then shall I test thy intuition?

[ He briefly considers arguing against the wording -- pointing out that he doesn't fear making assumptions, and that it's simply a strategic choice. But it doesn't feel like the sort of thing that would make a significant difference to Messmer.

'Lived a long life,' Wei Wuxian had said. And that he sees the world in a different way than most. A factor that he thinks holds promise, thought finding the right angle to broach it from remains a problem. So for now -- ]

A test? How scary. That's quite the intimidating thing to propose, you know. [ So he says, but his demeanor and delivery remain unchanged, even his posture staying lax as he meets Messmer's eyes. ] But I suppose it would be anticlimactic for the audience if I were to refuse, so -- I'll do my best to meet your expectations.

[ he'd tell Rom to relax, but he's pretty sure Rom is already relaxing, in spite of his words to the contrary. ]

It is thine own expectations thou'rt to be compared against.

[ his "true nature" is his burden to bear, but Messmer has no reason to conceal his variety of other problems; he may as well throw another data point into Rom's unexpectedly simple comparison. ]

I am the son of Queen Marika, the Eternal - the goddess who doth keep our homeland under the protection of her Golden Order and the boughs of the sacred Erdtree. Through it, all things are harmoniously conjoined. Yet there remaineth forces beyond even Mother's salvation. Blasphemies of chaos and ruin that entwine not with Grace - that would threaten its very roots. [ he holds out one hand, palm upwards, and a small orb of fire appears out of thin air there - slightly different from a regular flame, with dark red-black embers that lick in serpentine coils. ] Such flames are sin against the Erdtree. Yet from my birth they hath burned through my veins as surely as my mother's grace. What tree giveth seed cursed by nature to one day fell it?

[ Moments like these, he's almost grateful for the decades of practice he's had in keeping a straight face while confronted by horrors on a daily basis. Otherwise, he's pretty sure he would have already flinched back -- if not from the sudden appearance of those flames, then from the gravity of what Messmer is saying.

But at a glance, Rom appears perfectly at ease with everything he's being told, only giving a placid blink at that finale of a rhetorical question. And there's only a moment's pause, a slight tilt of the head, before he responds: ]

Ahhh~ that would explain it. I was wondering what I was seeing in you, Lord Messmer! Now it makes a little more sense.

[ Truth be told, this isn't a tactic he's used often. Acknowledging a malicious spirit in this manner is just asking for trouble, after all; it's simply not in his style to go head to head with something(/someone?) this powerful that he hasn't been able to research beforehand. But strange circumstances call for unorthodox solutions, and he's not one to tuck tail and flee. His delivery remains impressively calm as he continues, casual, as if they're talking about a peculiar item of clothing Messmer's been wearing. ]

These two forces -- chaos and ruin, you said? Even they're not particularly at ease with each other, are they? There's quite a lot going on in there. -- aah, I don't mean to understate what you're going through, of course! I do apologize if it sounded that way, but I'm glad to finally get to know you a little better, my lord. ... it sounds like your circumstances truly are remarkable.

week two | dates

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i feel it... the legendary fumbler is fumbling again.........

NOOOOO i believe in you messmer .........

😔

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1/2

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