lunaecalamitas | this day should be for me

It was just a hunch!

I heard rumors, but that was all!

Edited 2024-06-26 08:19 (UTC)

Rumours you say? Your hunches based on wagging tongues and half-baked ideas?

[Now Ithaqua comes up. In his hand, he's manifested another icicle, this time the length and thickness of a knitting needle, but pointed. Dangerous. And he twirls it around and around his fingers.]

Where did you hear such rumours from, then? Or did you visit the castle yourself and hear the chatter from the guards?

I—I dunno! Some of the other officers, I guess! I overheard the Southern wizards were back during the ball, and when I heard there was a new barrier around the castle I wondered!

[ He pounds his fist against his thigh. ]

I didn't care if I was wrong, because I was going to prove to the army that I was valuable anyway!

Yet more guesses-- unfortunately, that is not enough for a proper conclusion, especially when you came to one yourself and assumed Oz was in the castle solely because of the presence of my barrier.

You did not even consider that it might have only been the prince inside, hm? Or even the thought of the guards and officers, the royals.

[Then he leans in, black eyes wide, grimace large enough to bare his fangs.]

You who cares so much about your own kind, they would have been the one killed by your own hand if you had stormed the castle. I wonder... where's the value in that?

[ The man is clearly terrified by Ithaqua's threatening display. He whimpers when Ithaqua leans in, and he would be trembling if it weren't a warm night. ]

You—you don't understand! [ Nevertheless, he stands his ground like a fool. ] Central aren't our friends! The demise of Central would mean a Western era! And, and if I thought I could be the vanguard of that era, then...I would be a hero...

I see. [His voice is a growl, coming from deep within his chest and bubbling up through his throat and past his teeth. He believes these delusions of grandeur, yes, but he still knows that a proper response to how did he know for certain that Oz was in the castle is still required.]

This was all political, was it. Putting yourself on a pedestal... Perhaps even at the head of this so-called Western era?

Or someone else.

[ Tatara hears the growl and he just looks at Ithaqua, measured.

He's watching. Try not to stab him. ]

[He sees that look. He raises a finger to Tatara, as if to say one moment. Repay some of Ithaqua's trust with trust in turn, hm?]

[ Trust! ]

Me... Me!

[ His cry is almost pathetic. ]

I would be indispensable... Everyone would know me and what I did!!

Yourself? The man who would have killed the sage, his wizards, and all of the royals? No, no.

No one would have trusted you, especially when you blubber and cry, and you haven't anything but cotton fluff between your ears.

I think... given your waning conviction right now, you're believing that less and less. [He's just digging now, until he can get a proper answer. Because honestly, the man is stupid. Too stupid to be cautious, hence why he did all of this. But stupid. He cannot have made this machine all on his own. Devised all these plans on his own.

So, who helped him?]

Edited 2024-06-26 09:37 (UTC)

If you'd let me you would've seen it! I would've singlehandedly made wizards obsolete and Western technology would have obliterated the calamity singlehandedly!

[ His voice rises as he tries to argue his dignity, a bit of the furious fire that was in his countenance to begin with slowly returning to him. ]

Let you? [Ithaqua releases a loud, nasty cackle, the kind a hyena would make, made worse with the horrible expression on his face. It's long and awful-- and only half forced.]

Power is not given. You have to take it for yourself.

Did you take your power for yourself? Or did someone give you the illusion of power?

It was mine! Mine!

[ Ithaqua's laugh only spurs on his anger. ]

I came from nothing and crawled my way to the top! I'm a genius mechanist and made it up the ranks because I deserved it! And I would've gotten even farther if it wasn't for— If it wasn't for...!

[ With a shaky finger, he points wildly at everyone present. ]

You!

Edited 2024-06-26 11:23 (UTC)

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[ ...Well, as long as Victor doesn't actually get hurt then it's fine to let the potential future (fate) of being stabbed with an icicle just dangle in front of him, Day figures. ]

I was about to say, yeah. Surely you wouldn't be boastin' like a rooster 'bout nabbin' the strongest wizard's power on just a hunch? Or you're dumber than any of us thought.

I'm—I'm sorry!

[ whimper, whimper ]

[ Serenely, which perhaps just means this is still terrifying: ] Apologizin' ain't an answer.

[ But he hears the mention of the officers to Ithaqua, so, hmm... ]

"You guess" it was the other officers? [ Kind of a vague answer, though Day has a pretty good guess himself. ]

[ IT ISN'T AND HE'S SCARED AND THAT'S WHY HE'S APOLOGIZING "please don't kill me" is written all over his face ]

It was at work, somewhere! Something I heard in passing! I knew—I knew his vanishing was my fault, so... So...

[ ...He'll be giving the others a Look, like he's letting them decide for themselves if Victor is being honest. ]

So...? [ Go on. ]

[Honey pls be nice--

He's definitely listening closely to all of this, though.]

So I couldn't help overhearing! And then it was all I could think about, and then I felt worse...

[ Hm. Felt worse how, Day wonders. Feeling sorry for himself? ]

...So, was the bone-headed idea of killin' Oz always your plan, or did you get that genius idea when we were tryin' to put your damn machine down?

When...

[ mutter mutter ]

When you were trying to put my machine down...

[ ...Gods, this man really is just a dumbass, isn't he? ]

And look where that's gotten you. Did you nab it from the army? [ And add on other things, from what little Day could figure out from its appearance. ]

That was my creation.

[ He's firm on this.

... ]

—Made with parts I helped myself to when I was let go.