You have reached Festival, king of entertainers and entertainer of kings. I'm fairly certain this device will allow you to leave a message. Best of luck with that.
More good than bad that I've met among our company thus far. Though the bad ones do their utmost to make up for it.
I ought to have known better than to go exploring. Things ended rather badly the last time something unusual happened and I took it upon myself to go on a search as well.
That was my first event, so I went into it expecting...
Well, not what happened. I figured dinner and some blustery bullshit about the great City and its rulers, and then going home. But no, that would have been too easy.
And I've met quite a few decent people here so far, but then again, I've also heard about serial killers and vampires and all sorts of other things, so it's hard to say.
I've seen surprisingly little trouble from the vampires, though perhaps I ought to be more concerned. It's the serial killer who's soon to be released back among us that concerns me. There's nothing at all stopping him from doing it again.
Usually, vampires are one of those things you just leave alone, in my world. They're dangerous but they mostly keep to themselves.
[He lets his breath out slowly between his teeth.]
Yeah, I keep hearing about that. I can't believe he was only locked up for a couple of months? Even considering death doesn't stick here, that's...pretty horrifying.
At least he's identified as a killer now. People can watch themselves, and keep an eye on him. Make sure he doesn't get away with anything more.
[Bitterly:] Resurrection doesn't erase the pain and fear of death. He'd be put to death himself if this were Boywold, and certainly not brought back from it.
New people arrive all the time. He's yet another thing to warn them about.
Those who choose redemption can change. Others the world is better off without.
Let me put it this way: I believe in happiness and freedom. No one can be free to be happy when they fear for their lives and the lives of their loved ones.
Sometimes it's like a rabid animal. There's no coming back from that kind of atrocity, so the only choice you have is to make sure it can't hurt anyone else.
[There's a faint flicker of a smile, though weary. He's had to pass that judgment before. It's never easy, but sometimes it's the only thing that can be done.]
[And sometimes...well, a few of the monsters he'd been saddled with had surprised him. But several had very much not. He brightens a little, though his smile is wistful.]
It's--I'm the only one of my faith here, as far as I know. But it's not so difficult a faith to follow. The Drunken Hero asks that we welcome those in need, that we make ourselves and others merry, that things be made...well, fair. I try to live by that.
[Rhys has met humans who were every bit as much a monster as the werewolf or vampire down the street. He's also executed said humans. With some regret, but little hesitation when it was called for. It's what's in your soul, not your skin.]
I definitely like that.
My faith is pretty simple, too. I don't follow a god, more...a path. Be kind to others. Revere and respect nature. Appreciate the pleasures we've been given. Embrace love where you can, accept the end of things when they come.
[Why yes, Rhys is a druid with a little hedonism thrown in, why do you ask.]
I like that...though I must confess I'm a man of the city and I'm not terribly good at accepting endings. But love and pleasures? They're what the mortal plane is for.
[Druid with a little hedonism, meet hedonist with a little holiness.]
I'm a city boy, too, but the woods, the fields and rivers...it's peaceful for me, it's where I feel at home. Wherever there's sky and green, I feel a connection.
Of course, the city has its own pulse, too. All the living people that make up a city, the lives they lead and the imprints they leave, creates its own thing too.
[He chuckles.]
I've been around so many different places in my life, I've learned to find something in all of them.
I'm not great traveler--the few times I left the city of Boywold I was in the retinue of the king and had duties to attend to. Not much chance for exploring under those circumstances.
It's got its good sides and bad, like anything. Some of the time I was moving around, it was because I had no place else to go, so that wasn't great, but I managed to make the best of it most of the time.
Made me good at adapting to different situations, that's for sure.
Hanging around royalty, though, that must have been something?
I won't pretend I didn't enjoy a great many privileges denied to others of my birth station. But it was work--a great deal of my time was devoted to the work. Though thankfully I was important enough to be kept on, but not usually important enough to figure into petty politics within the court.
Sounds like you dodged the bullet, not having to deal with politics. It's bad enough when you have to deal with it as part of your job, worse when you're sucked into the middle of it.
[He makes a sympathetic face.]
Always good to find a balance. Especially with something as necessary as a job.
Bullet. It's a little metal piece that guns fire. Same idea as an arrow, but moving a lot faster.
[He feels fairly secure using that comparison.]
That's a good knack to have. Good company can be hard to come by, and people who genuinely enjoy making other people happy, that makes the world better.
[He might be getting a little philosophical but there's worse times and places for it.]
You're not the first to tell me that. I like to think it's true...I have always believed it to be true of others, but I suppose I sometimes find it difficult to believe that the entertainment I provide is so impactful as all that.
I think it's always a little difficult to believe that we make a difference. Even in small ways, but I know I feel better, more worthwhile, when I see someone smile because of something I've done. If I've made their pain a little less.
[A smile flickers across his features.]
There are bigger things, but some days it's the best you can do. It's still something, it still matters.
[Bigger things...even the bigger things haven't always felt like enough. No matter how powerful he becomes, he's always felt like he was stumbling his way through someone else's story.]
It's...good to hear that. And you know it's true for yourself as well--yes...?
[His question is interrupted by a yawn; he hasn't held a conversation this long since the mansion.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
I ought to have known better than to go exploring. Things ended rather badly the last time something unusual happened and I took it upon myself to go on a search as well.
no subject
Well, not what happened. I figured dinner and some blustery bullshit about the great City and its rulers, and then going home. But no, that would have been too easy.
And I've met quite a few decent people here so far, but then again, I've also heard about serial killers and vampires and all sorts of other things, so it's hard to say.
no subject
no subject
[He lets his breath out slowly between his teeth.]
Yeah, I keep hearing about that. I can't believe he was only locked up for a couple of months? Even considering death doesn't stick here, that's...pretty horrifying.
At least he's identified as a killer now. People can watch themselves, and keep an eye on him. Make sure he doesn't get away with anything more.
no subject
New people arrive all the time. He's yet another thing to warn them about.
no subject
[He pauses, realizing he should clarify.]
In my world, people don't come back from death. Ghosts are a thing, but once you're dead, that's it, you're dead.
no subject
no subject
[He lets out a long breath.]
I'm not usually the guy cheering for eye for an eye, but sometimes there's monsters that have to be dealt with.
[Is he worried for himself? A little bit, even though he's got tricks up his sleeve.]
no subject
Let me put it this way: I believe in happiness and freedom. No one can be free to be happy when they fear for their lives and the lives of their loved ones.
no subject
Sometimes it's like a rabid animal. There's no coming back from that kind of atrocity, so the only choice you have is to make sure it can't hurt anyone else.
[There's a faint flicker of a smile, though weary. He's had to pass that judgment before. It's never easy, but sometimes it's the only thing that can be done.]
And those are good things to believe in.
no subject
[And sometimes...well, a few of the monsters he'd been saddled with had surprised him. But several had very much not. He brightens a little, though his smile is wistful.]
It's--I'm the only one of my faith here, as far as I know. But it's not so difficult a faith to follow. The Drunken Hero asks that we welcome those in need, that we make ourselves and others merry, that things be made...well, fair. I try to live by that.
no subject
I definitely like that.
My faith is pretty simple, too. I don't follow a god, more...a path. Be kind to others. Revere and respect nature. Appreciate the pleasures we've been given. Embrace love where you can, accept the end of things when they come.
[Why yes, Rhys is a druid with a little hedonism thrown in, why do you ask.]
no subject
[Druid with a little hedonism, meet hedonist with a little holiness.]
no subject
Of course, the city has its own pulse, too. All the living people that make up a city, the lives they lead and the imprints they leave, creates its own thing too.
[He chuckles.]
I've been around so many different places in my life, I've learned to find something in all of them.
no subject
no subject
Made me good at adapting to different situations, that's for sure.
Hanging around royalty, though, that must have been something?
no subject
[He gives Rhys a rueful smile.]
I won't pretend I didn't enjoy a great many privileges denied to others of my birth station. But it was work--a great deal of my time was devoted to the work. Though thankfully I was important enough to be kept on, but not usually important enough to figure into petty politics within the court.
no subject
[He makes a sympathetic face.]
Always good to find a balance. Especially with something as necessary as a job.
no subject
[There's one he hasn't heard. What it means to have dodged the bullet seems clear in context, but what's a bullet?]
I always had a knack for making myself wanted where I found myself. Well, almost always.
no subject
[He feels fairly secure using that comparison.]
That's a good knack to have. Good company can be hard to come by, and people who genuinely enjoy making other people happy, that makes the world better.
[He might be getting a little philosophical but there's worse times and places for it.]
no subject
You're not the first to tell me that. I like to think it's true...I have always believed it to be true of others, but I suppose I sometimes find it difficult to believe that the entertainment I provide is so impactful as all that.
no subject
[A smile flickers across his features.]
There are bigger things, but some days it's the best you can do. It's still something, it still matters.
no subject
It's...good to hear that. And you know it's true for yourself as well--yes...?
[His question is interrupted by a yawn; he hasn't held a conversation this long since the mansion.]
no subject
[A small smile plays on his lips, before he leans forward at Festival's yawn.]
Hey, we've been talking for a while. I should let you take a break, maybe get something to drink.
[Hydrating is important for recovery.]
no subject
A nightcap, eh? That does sound nice.
[He chuckles. He knows that's not what's meant.]
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)