Two - Video

[secondborn]

[Despite the snow and cold, Alastair is outside. He's more used to being out and about in the cold anyway, and it's really not that bad, especially with a good coat.]

I know not everyone will care about this, so feel free to ignore it if you're not interested in... other people's worlds.

[He sighs, running a hand through his hair.]

With that out of the way, I was just wondering... I realize we're all from different places, and many of them are vastly different from each other, but I keep being surprised, mostly because something that is so completely fundamental where I come from seems to just... not exist anywhere else.

It's... well it's the Balance. [He rubs his forehead a moment before continuing.] I've explained this to a few people already, but where I come from, the Balance between life and death, creation and destruction, and time... it's all essential to how the world works. If the Balance is upset, things... go badly. [He frowns.] That's a bit of an understatement. But that's not important.

The Balance is guarded by the Keepers, one for each aspect of the Balance. Each Keeper rules a land that is associated with that aspect of the Balance, and in the land there are a few gifted on one side of the Balance or the other. So in the land associated with life and death, there are some gifted with life, and others with death. Only the Keeper has the power of both.

[He sighs. Is he saying too much? It feels like he's talking too much.]

I'm sorry, really the point of all of this is... I'm wondering if anyone comes from a place with a Balance. Or anything like it, really. It just... it seems impossible to me that it exists nowhere else.

Comments

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[diviner]

Don't really know, I never experienced it. It happened a long time before I was created. I only hear about it in stories people tell me.

[secondborn]

What do the stories say?

[diviner]

It was... quieter, I guess. More lively. Humans cared about each other, and apparently men and women were equals. Things like that.

[secondborn]

I take it things are not like that anymore.

[diviner]

Haven't been that way for centuries.

[secondborn]

[He knows that feeling, though it's been far less than centuries for him.]

...I'm sorry.

[diviner]

[Here's the thing, though- she's not really that offended by the change, or the loss. That's just how things are.]

Why?

[secondborn]

[Well that surprises him.]

Because a world where people don't care about each other is not a good world to live in.

[He speaks from experience.

[diviner]

It's just how things are. I can't change that.

[secondborn]

You can care. It might not seem like much, but someone should. And maybe others will follow your example.

[diviner]

If you care, you get noticed. If you get noticed, they watch you. And if they start watching you, you're screwed, because they'll probably do what they can to get rid of you as quickly as possible.

They don't want things to change. They don't know how to change. That's why they don't.

[secondborn]

[...wow okay that just makes him angry and depressed and he can't even begin to figure out how to reply to that.

So there's a pause before his response comes.]

I'm sorry.

[Then, after a moment,]

I suppose it would be impossible for someone to teach them how?

[diviner]

[What is it with people apologizing and saying they're sorry. Why the fuck are they sorry? This is how things are for her, this is her world, why do they care so much to apologize for it. It's confusing and mind boggling and she doesn't understand at all-

But she does pause in her response back to him. He reminds her. Reminds her of her responsibility back home as a Seer. How it's her job to save the scumbag hellhole of a planet she lives on from impending doomsday, to let the people who have no sense of free will go on about their lives like this is a normal and acceptable way to live.

But it's her home. And if she doesn't do this, doesn't find the ones she's looking for in time- everything will burn. Even Derik.

She won't let that happen.]

It's not impossible. Not everyone is a hormone-induced douchebag back home.

[A pause, then-]

Those are the people worth fighting for.

[secondborn]

[...well that's encouraging.]

There's always something. Or someone.

[diviner]

...yeah. Once in a while.

[secondborn]

Who knows when any of us will get to go back but good luck whenever that happens.

[diviner]

It'll take more than just good luck.

But thanks.

[secondborn]

It's all I can offer. I'd help more if I could.

You're welcome.

[diviner]

So here's a question for you.

Why do you offer help, even if you know you can't? I guess humans in general do it a lot too. Why do you try?

[secondborn]

A way of expressing sympathy, maybe.

I would help if I could, though. I don't like not being able to help when people need it.

[diviner]

I don't get it. There's no logic in that. Why risk so much for a bad outcome?

[secondborn]

Because sometimes it's worth the risk.

[diviner]

Like when?

[secondborn]

I may be the wrong person to ask about that, I tend to think helping people is usually worth the risk.

[diviner]

Then give me a time when it was worth it. Back home, it never is.