I meant if you'd... done anything to try and get over everything. [ Echoing Merlin's phrasing with some small humor. ] But I'm glad you're feeling better.
There wasn't anything to get over. [ Thankfully you can't hear shrugs, but his voice is flat enough that it doesn't sound like he's lying. There's no intonation to say otherwise. ]
Alright. [ He says it naturally enough, though internally, he's a little surprised. People died out there. The room with the mirrors, the mechanical creatures, slowly starving, friends suffering from the mask effects...
Did no one close to Merlin suffer? Was he simply lucky? Or... was he just not affected by it? What does that say about the kind of person he is? No matter how he looks at it, it seems like it has to be the latter, and it makes him wonder. Merlin seems like a nice person - not at all like someone who doesn't care. So why...
... hm. ]
Have you been managing to eat? A friend of mine got sick because he ate too much too quickly.
[ Well considering the mirrors... he was more worried about other peoeple. Everything he's gone through are things he's passed. He has no idea anyone died, no one he knew did anyway. He fought off the mechanical creatures and got away unscathed every time. He didn't starve. He broke Athena out of her mask effects, and Rapunzel still helped him.
Maybe it's luck. Maybe it's the fact that he's too used to life being hell.
Maybe it's because he can't and won't let anyone die from hunger or thirst. No one who stuck with him suffered that. ]
[ Now that actually does manage to surprise him, enough to make him pause for a beat of time. No one he knew managed to find any food that they hadn't accidentally managed to bring with them, that wasn't luckily scavenged from the terrain, or ... hunted from the disgusting monsters in the cave systems below. None of those options were good or reliable, or enough to really sustain anyone. ]
My magic is from the Old Religion, it's deeply cemented with the earth, everything being connected. That place was pretty devoid of life though, so I have to pull from outside of that, from myself.
No? If anything like this ever happens again, you're welcome to travel with us, Merlin. No one should have to be alone, especially not in circumstances like that.
Yeah, of course. But I was actually referring to something specific. I had a conversation with Mosley-san yesterday.
... that's fair. If you ever need it, though, the offer's there. [ There's a smile in his voice. ]
That's right, you might not have spoken to him. He works for CERES, doing public relations. He's a valuable source of information, if you ask the right questions. [ A beat, and somewhat ruefully: ] That's the challenge, of course.
...Thanks. [ He does appreciate it, but other than Lancelot he hasn't really worked with other people too often. Shigeru probably is starting to count but... it's a huge issue in that he isn't used to being open about his abilities, even if he can be a show off here now he can live more freely. ]
I haven't, only heard him on the announcements I think. I wouldn't know what questions to ask though, I barely know what a microwave is nevermind anything else.
He's not hard to talk to. It's his job to speak with us, according to him. [ A beat. ] What I meant before is that he told me something. This universe that we're in actively reacts to our code in ways CERES can't predict. According to him, that's what causes many of the strange events that happen to us.
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It was just tiring.
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Did no one close to Merlin suffer? Was he simply lucky? Or... was he just not affected by it? What does that say about the kind of person he is? No matter how he looks at it, it seems like it has to be the latter, and it makes him wonder. Merlin seems like a nice person - not at all like someone who doesn't care. So why...
... hm. ]
Have you been managing to eat? A friend of mine got sick because he ate too much too quickly.
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Maybe it's luck. Maybe it's the fact that he's too used to life being hell.
Maybe it's because he can't and won't let anyone die from hunger or thirst. No one who stuck with him suffered that. ]
I had food while I was there.
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You did? What did you find?
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I created it. Food. Water. I asked Viridi to help anyone who stumbled upon her hiding place too. But you should have heard that.
[ From the telepathy... thing. ]
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I did. About Viridi, anyway. I didn't know about your powers. That's incredible.
[ He says it quietly. There's no particular inflection to his voice, but in actuality, he's stunned. To have that kind of power... ]
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[ ...Then sheepishly: ] I passed out a few times.
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... ]
I'm just glad it's over. As nice as it would be if these things stopped happening, it doesn't seem like we'll be that lucky.
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Still, it's better things are better than then. Though I doubt it will last. Enjoy the time we have and all that, right?
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Yeah, of course. But I was actually referring to something specific. I had a conversation with Mosley-san yesterday.
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Mosley-san? [ He only heard from him when he arrived and he's........ already forgotten since then okay. ]
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That's right, you might not have spoken to him. He works for CERES, doing public relations. He's a valuable source of information, if you ask the right questions. [ A beat, and somewhat ruefully: ] That's the challenge, of course.
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I haven't, only heard him on the announcements I think. I wouldn't know what questions to ask though, I barely know what a microwave is nevermind anything else.
[ Catching up is Hard ]
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He's not hard to talk to. It's his job to speak with us, according to him. [ A beat. ] What I meant before is that he told me something. This universe that we're in actively reacts to our code in ways CERES can't predict. According to him, that's what causes many of the strange events that happen to us.
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I... don't really get what that means. [ Well, at least he can admit that to someone like Yu. ]
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When you use magic, do you use spells?
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Sort of. It doesn't feel any different, anyway.