It is indeed a pointless distinction, and one you are foolish to entertain. If you love this creature enough to intend to wed him, should you not be able to accept and acknowledge and appropriately prepare for all parts of his current nature? Including the part that relishes your pain and blood? There is a beast inside his chassis, which might not be there by dint of his creator's efforts but is there now, and the beast cares not for bonds or relationships or love. Is this truly the first time he has harmed you significantly?
I doubt it. Every time we cross paths, you have some new serious injury or barely healed wound.
[It takes a while to write it out, bit by bit, in a way he hopes actually resonates. If death is a genuine problem and Emet-Selch thinks it should be taken seriously, then this should also be taken seriously. It is beyond ridiculous that an Ascian should be taken down by a rabbit.
But there was a pattern, and one that even he could see.
Already he's certain it will fall upon metaphorical deaf ears, as if being mangled on the regular is somehow normal and proper and expected, and Emet-Selch hadn't bothered to learn one damn healing spell in the doing to render any of it more reasonable. It's just a matter of how quickly it'll be dismissed.
All of it he already applies to himself. Take precations, prepare, always prepare, for the beast could not be trusted..
But the way he writes it is carefully chosen in the hopes that it would be listened to. Or at least weighed for longer than an instant and maybe even be remembered later. Of all the things that could be questioned about the Ascian now deformed in body as well as soul, his dedication to his people wasn't one of those questionable things. He still strove for what he felt was best for continued survival ... for any kind of happiness, even if he didn't personally agree with it. In this case, didn't agree at all. But it wasn't something he saw as a zero-sum game. Survival could be had.. and so could this relationship Emet-selch seemed to value so intensely.]
You need not care for him less. Acknowledging the beast doesn't mean throwing out the entire creature, it means preparing for what can't be helped. I suspect neither of you have bothered, convinced of invincibility or the idiotic idea of 'the power of love' to stop his violent games from going too far. If you can't do it for yourself, too afraid or too unwilling to accept it and plan accordingly, then do it for your bond, for presumably he has the programming to care for you in return and may not do well in your absence, knowing it was his beast unchecked that made it so.
A monster cannot be trusted to maintain control. This is not the same as not caring for him. If he can't, and it is obvious this is in fact an ongoing problem, then it is up to you to do so for him and in doing spare him the misery of knowing the next time there might not be helpful Mirrorbound to scavenge your ragged corpse. There will be a next time. You already know this.
In light of the Warrior of Light proving utterly useless and your other bond now gone, I suggest taking your third bond to someone responsible enough to actually attend when something goes wrong, with the skills and desire to interfere if you prove once more incapable.
Elidibus is a much better fighter than when last I saw him take to the field, he understands the usefulness of shields and conjury, and is unlikely to dismember your rabbot for the dire insult of killing you. Having one bond which is NOT a beast should be an aid to you beyond merely keeping you from being butchered again.
[He doesn't offer himself. There's no point to it, and it would be counterproductive besides. One more monster is one more untrustworthy beast waiting for an opportunity to strike. Witches don't have that problem, and there's only one he trusts.
And now there was no excuse of maintaining a bond with some helpless, useless mortal in their stead. As much as it stung to know for certain he'd simply be rejected regardless, surely Emet-Selch didn't indulge in the same casual provoking viciousness with Elidibus that he did with Lahabrea. Elidibus was the obvious, better choice. A mage to balance out the beasts.. to balance out the insidious tendrils of Hydaelyn's influence.]
[Zodiark save him, Emet-Selch reads all of that and mostly just feels exhausted. Sighing heavily to himself, he carefully, slowly begins to type out a reply, one painstaking letter at a time.]
There was a kindness there, whether you believe in it or not. Connected to his soul as I am, I would know. Recognizing it doesn't mean I'm not conscious of the rest. Of the result.
This 'beast' cares much for bonds, relationships, and love. Besides, 'tis a part of him now, no matter what he was before. A few added inclinations, and a potential for ferality- it changes nothing of who he is underneath it. Alongside it.
Not all the scars I have are his, Lahabrea. Most are not. [Though this current round was starting to even the scales there.] And of the marks I do carry, the vast majority are welcome, and the remainder I don't resent. If I misliked them, don't you think I would have learned to heal them?
That our... inclinations carry risk is something we're both aware of. The unintentional scars are lessons to us both.
Not that I imagine that there will be much biting regardless in the near future. I do intend to marry him, and as dying would delay our plans further, you could say there's incentive not to, on top of the physical discomfort. Neither of us have any desire to go through this again.
[The last suggestion, this offering up of Elidibus as a Bonding partner- doesn't entirely come as a surprise. As soon as he'd mentioned the loss of one Bond, he'd suspected this might occur.
But his remaining Bonds still ached, on top of the dull void where one of them should have been. Inserting another soul into the mix was distinctly unappealing. But Emet-Selch also knew that these were states that would recover, that his remaining connections would feel healthy and secure, and the emptiness would fade. And with no other commitments at hand, it was harder to justify an outright refusal.
And he'd taken a witch for a Bond before, and he knew the benefit to his magic it provided, with his monster-needs well met. Personal compatibility had been the problem before, rather than a connection to another witch.]
And what would Elidibus say, of your offering up a Bond to him in his stead...?
I'll think on it.
[After a few minutes, there's a short, somewhat sulky message added.]
I hope you appreciate the effort it took to respond to this in my current state.
Is that so? Not even most of those scars are his? If you can truthfully tell me every single injury he's inflicted up until now, loving or otherwise! Has been cosmetic only, mere marks of 'affection' that only left skin damage and nothing more, then I will leave off the matter and accept that your current host's biology is merely wired poorly.
Yes, it has all been completely harmless, or no, it has not been.
If you cannot truthfully say it has all been innocent marks on skin and naught more, then mayhap you need to consider who precisely should be appreciative someone else is taking time to respond.
[That in spite of everything, in spite of all he sees as relentless scorn and rejection and ongoing petty cruelties - Lahabrea's still even bothering to be concerned about Emet-Selch's survival. Not just his survival but any measure of happiness at all if he'd blatantly NOT suggested Emet-Selch cut Mettaton loose entirely. Quite the opposite, in fact, he had in his own fashion encouraged keeping it.]
Of course, I have no truth spell to use and you may lie as you please, and I will not know the difference; but foolish as it may be, I would like to think I don't have more faith in you than you do in me.
The few that look like bites are his, and they hinder me not at all. Until now, it's been nothing but indulgences of... my host's faulty biology, if you like.
[There was the matter of the impaling of his hand, but... there was nothing of Mettaton in the object that had stepped on him. It was only a shell, as impersonal as a cart running over him. It was his poor luck alone that had left it in harm's way. And if the problem was Mettaton's feral nature risking him, then this instance especially was completely irrelevant, and Emet-Selch sees nothing wrong with omitting it.
There was also the time he bit his neck hard enough and drew enough blood to cause him to fall unconscious, but... Mettaton hadn't known at the time that this could be an issue, and he knew better now, and the resulting scar was purely cosmetic, so it was also fair to omit that.
That Lahabrea hadn't jumped already to demands that he rid himself of a dangerous puca- is something he notes, and is a little surprised at. And while he can't quite be grateful for it (not interfering in his personal life is what he expects from everyone), he can appreciate it in a way, even if he's not sure why Lahabrea would hold back. He certainly had opinions, both on Mettaton, and on himself.]
I would have hoped you would have better faith in me yourself, if you think I would so readily lie to you. Whether you believe me or not... my fiancé has inflicted no harm to me unwanted, and provided greater solace to me than I've known before.
[It seems Lahabrea's faith in Emet-Selch is indeed misplaced, as the Architect chooses to lie.
Chooses to lie, and then goes out of his way to try shame Lahabrea for questioning whether or not he would to begin with, as if he hadn't just blatantly chosen deception moments before. But Lahabrea has no truth spells, as he'd said, no way to know that Emet-Selch has decided to play at being offended for the implication this might have been the result while actually doing what Lahabrea thought he might.
He knows it's possible. But he chooses to believe that Emet-Selch wouldn't do such a thing, knowing precisely how foolish such a decision really is. His faith has been misplaced before, it's a lesson that should have sunken in by now but hasn't. His conditions had been clear, and dancing around them on purpose didn't make it less of a deliberate deception. Lies by omission are still lies, conveniently neglecting to mention the times that Mettaton did indeed cause considerable harm to fit the narrative being built.
But faith is a choice, not an accident, and Lahabrea does at the very least maintain his own word as sacred.]
Very well. If you claim he has never caused any harm beyond the cosmetic, then I will believe you.
Such a misstep on his and your part as this stupidity with the Cwyld will not be forgiven again, Emet-Selch. If you truly care for this machine as you say you do, and all it implies, then see to it that it never happens again. I - and I dare say we, for I know Elidibus will not take kindly to it either - will not let pass an 'accident' or 'he didn't know' or any other such potential excuse that might be conjured up. Beyond us, the Coven will not be looking kindly on any such 'accident' a second time.
Love your bond enough to take the necessary steps to ensure a long life together.
[In his mind, there were no lies at all. Emet-Selch considers his own word no less sacred, and his words were chosen with intent. He'd said nothing that wasn't entirely true, to him. Truth is malleable like that.
And the more-than-implied threat to his Bonded should some dangerous circumstance arise once more- only lead him to be more certain that he was right to not trust Lahabrea with a more detailed picture.]
As I said before, neither of us have any intention of allowing the other to die another time. It's unpleasant, and fatiguing.
Naturally, should any threats arise to that long life, neither will they be forgiven.
You were terribly creative once, I'll leave it to you to put it to use in determining ways to adapt and prevent any such disaster you will be too dead to do anything about.
If she is unaware, you may wish to tell your dear Warrior of Light of your current complications.
Rest.
[Nothing else is forthcoming, nor likely to. He did say he wouldn't address it again, after all.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
timeasmymeasure
and suddenly, a wall. It'll probably take a while to write.
Date: 2021-02-22 10:37 pm (UTC)I doubt it. Every time we cross paths, you have some new serious injury or barely healed wound.
[It takes a while to write it out, bit by bit, in a way he hopes actually resonates. If death is a genuine problem and Emet-Selch thinks it should be taken seriously, then this should also be taken seriously. It is beyond ridiculous that an Ascian should be taken down by a rabbit.
But there was a pattern, and one that even he could see.
Already he's certain it will fall upon metaphorical deaf ears, as if being mangled on the regular is somehow normal and proper and expected, and Emet-Selch hadn't bothered to learn one damn healing spell in the doing to render any of it more reasonable. It's just a matter of how quickly it'll be dismissed.
All of it he already applies to himself. Take precations, prepare, always prepare, for the beast could not be trusted..
But the way he writes it is carefully chosen in the hopes that it would be listened to. Or at least weighed for longer than an instant and maybe even be remembered later. Of all the things that could be questioned about the Ascian now deformed in body as well as soul, his dedication to his people wasn't one of those questionable things. He still strove for what he felt was best for continued survival ... for any kind of happiness, even if he didn't personally agree with it. In this case, didn't agree at all. But it wasn't something he saw as a zero-sum game. Survival could be had.. and so could this relationship Emet-selch seemed to value so intensely.]
You need not care for him less. Acknowledging the beast doesn't mean throwing out the entire creature, it means preparing for what can't be helped. I suspect neither of you have bothered, convinced of invincibility or the idiotic idea of 'the power of love' to stop his violent games from going too far. If you can't do it for yourself, too afraid or too unwilling to accept it and plan accordingly, then do it for your bond, for presumably he has the programming to care for you in return and may not do well in your absence, knowing it was his beast unchecked that made it so.
A monster cannot be trusted to maintain control. This is not the same as not caring for him. If he can't, and it is obvious this is in fact an ongoing problem, then it is up to you to do so for him and in doing spare him the misery of knowing the next time there might not be helpful Mirrorbound to scavenge your ragged corpse. There will be a next time. You already know this.
In light of the Warrior of Light proving utterly useless and your other bond now gone, I suggest taking your third bond to someone responsible enough to actually attend when something goes wrong, with the skills and desire to interfere if you prove once more incapable.
Elidibus is a much better fighter than when last I saw him take to the field, he understands the usefulness of shields and conjury, and is unlikely to dismember your rabbot for the dire insult of killing you. Having one bond which is NOT a beast should be an aid to you beyond merely keeping you from being butchered again.
[He doesn't offer himself. There's no point to it, and it would be counterproductive besides. One more monster is one more untrustworthy beast waiting for an opportunity to strike. Witches don't have that problem, and there's only one he trusts.
And now there was no excuse of maintaining a bond with some helpless, useless mortal in their stead. As much as it stung to know for certain he'd simply be rejected regardless, surely Emet-Selch didn't indulge in the same casual provoking viciousness with Elidibus that he did with Lahabrea. Elidibus was the obvious, better choice. A mage to balance out the beasts.. to balance out the insidious tendrils of Hydaelyn's influence.]
no subject
Date: 2021-02-24 09:37 am (UTC)There was a kindness there, whether you believe in it or not. Connected to his soul as I am, I would know. Recognizing it doesn't mean I'm not conscious of the rest. Of the result.
This 'beast' cares much for bonds, relationships, and love. Besides, 'tis a part of him now, no matter what he was before. A few added inclinations, and a potential for ferality- it changes nothing of who he is underneath it. Alongside it.
Not all the scars I have are his, Lahabrea. Most are not. [Though this current round was starting to even the scales there.] And of the marks I do carry, the vast majority are welcome, and the remainder I don't resent. If I misliked them, don't you think I would have learned to heal them?
That our... inclinations carry risk is something we're both aware of. The unintentional scars are lessons to us both.
Not that I imagine that there will be much biting regardless in the near future. I do intend to marry him, and as dying would delay our plans further, you could say there's incentive not to, on top of the physical discomfort. Neither of us have any desire to go through this again.
[The last suggestion, this offering up of Elidibus as a Bonding partner- doesn't entirely come as a surprise. As soon as he'd mentioned the loss of one Bond, he'd suspected this might occur.
But his remaining Bonds still ached, on top of the dull void where one of them should have been. Inserting another soul into the mix was distinctly unappealing. But Emet-Selch also knew that these were states that would recover, that his remaining connections would feel healthy and secure, and the emptiness would fade. And with no other commitments at hand, it was harder to justify an outright refusal.
And he'd taken a witch for a Bond before, and he knew the benefit to his magic it provided, with his monster-needs well met. Personal compatibility had been the problem before, rather than a connection to another witch.]
And what would Elidibus say, of your offering up a Bond to him in his stead...?
I'll think on it.
[After a few minutes, there's a short, somewhat sulky message added.]
I hope you appreciate the effort it took to respond to this in my current state.
no subject
Date: 2021-02-24 03:09 pm (UTC)Yes, it has all been completely harmless, or no, it has not been.
If you cannot truthfully say it has all been innocent marks on skin and naught more, then mayhap you need to consider who precisely should be appreciative someone else is taking time to respond.
[That in spite of everything, in spite of all he sees as relentless scorn and rejection and ongoing petty cruelties - Lahabrea's still even bothering to be concerned about Emet-Selch's survival. Not just his survival but any measure of happiness at all if he'd blatantly NOT suggested Emet-Selch cut Mettaton loose entirely. Quite the opposite, in fact, he had in his own fashion encouraged keeping it.]
Of course, I have no truth spell to use and you may lie as you please, and I will not know the difference; but foolish as it may be, I would like to think I don't have more faith in you than you do in me.
no subject
Date: 2021-02-24 04:18 pm (UTC)[There was the matter of the impaling of his hand, but... there was nothing of Mettaton in the object that had stepped on him. It was only a shell, as impersonal as a cart running over him. It was his poor luck alone that had left it in harm's way. And if the problem was Mettaton's feral nature risking him, then this instance especially was completely irrelevant, and Emet-Selch sees nothing wrong with omitting it.
There was also the time he bit his neck hard enough and drew enough blood to cause him to fall unconscious, but... Mettaton hadn't known at the time that this could be an issue, and he knew better now, and the resulting scar was purely cosmetic, so it was also fair to omit that.
That Lahabrea hadn't jumped already to demands that he rid himself of a dangerous puca- is something he notes, and is a little surprised at. And while he can't quite be grateful for it (not interfering in his personal life is what he expects from everyone), he can appreciate it in a way, even if he's not sure why Lahabrea would hold back. He certainly had opinions, both on Mettaton, and on himself.]
I would have hoped you would have better faith in me yourself, if you think I would so readily lie to you. Whether you believe me or not... my fiancé has inflicted no harm to me unwanted, and provided greater solace to me than I've known before.
no subject
Date: 2021-02-24 05:45 pm (UTC)Chooses to lie, and then goes out of his way to try shame Lahabrea for questioning whether or not he would to begin with, as if he hadn't just blatantly chosen deception moments before. But Lahabrea has no truth spells, as he'd said, no way to know that Emet-Selch has decided to play at being offended for the implication this might have been the result while actually doing what Lahabrea thought he might.
He knows it's possible. But he chooses to believe that Emet-Selch wouldn't do such a thing, knowing precisely how foolish such a decision really is. His faith has been misplaced before, it's a lesson that should have sunken in by now but hasn't. His conditions had been clear, and dancing around them on purpose didn't make it less of a deliberate deception. Lies by omission are still lies, conveniently neglecting to mention the times that Mettaton did indeed cause considerable harm to fit the narrative being built.
But faith is a choice, not an accident, and Lahabrea does at the very least maintain his own word as sacred.]
Very well. If you claim he has never caused any harm beyond the cosmetic, then I will believe you.
Such a misstep on his and your part as this stupidity with the Cwyld will not be forgiven again, Emet-Selch. If you truly care for this machine as you say you do, and all it implies, then see to it that it never happens again. I - and I dare say we, for I know Elidibus will not take kindly to it either - will not let pass an 'accident' or 'he didn't know' or any other such potential excuse that might be conjured up. Beyond us, the Coven will not be looking kindly on any such 'accident' a second time.
Love your bond enough to take the necessary steps to ensure a long life together.
no subject
Date: 2021-02-24 07:05 pm (UTC)And the more-than-implied threat to his Bonded should some dangerous circumstance arise once more- only lead him to be more certain that he was right to not trust Lahabrea with a more detailed picture.]
As I said before, neither of us have any intention of allowing the other to die another time. It's unpleasant, and fatiguing.
Naturally, should any threats arise to that long life, neither will they be forgiven.
no subject
Date: 2021-02-24 07:09 pm (UTC)If she is unaware, you may wish to tell your dear Warrior of Light of your current complications.
Rest.
[Nothing else is forthcoming, nor likely to. He did say he wouldn't address it again, after all.]