Reviving old muse for plans

[infinitelight]

It's been a while, hasn't it? I'm glad you decided to let me out again, after all those years, but wouldn't it be better to canon review first? You said you don't remember much about my story, or what I did and how I acted, so...

O-of course, I'm not complaining or anything! I'm really glad about this, I am!



...what do you mean, I shouldn't be glad...?

Comments

[paradoxist]

Considering the place you're probably being sent has been affectionately nicknamed "murderschool?" I'd be worried.

... Who knows, though, if this goes well, your mun might start pulling you out for other things.

[infinitelight]

W-wait, murderschool??

[Okay, his face is going a little green at that. Do they teach people how to murder there, or do people get murdered there?]

If this is what she wants to pull me out for, I think I'd be better off getting forgotten in her mind...

[paradoxist]

Hey, maybe she can start pulling you out for other things. [A shrug.]

I'm not going there myself, but my mun's sending someone...

[infinitelight]

I guess...

[He doesn't have high hopes for his future though, judging by the mad giggling of his mun.]

...who is she sending?

[paradoxist]

This chick named Natalia? She's some kind of princess apparently...

[infinitelight]

Oh...

[Well, now he was nervous. He was going to be sent to a 'murderschool' and get a chance to meet with a princess?? Two events that incited reactions on the opposite ends of the emotional spectrum, and all he could do was try not to flip out from the butterflies in his stomach.]

W-well... I guess that's one good thing about going to that 'murderschool'...

[paradoxist]

If anything... the place says plenty about the idea of fire-forged friends, I think.

[There's the beginnings of a fond smile. Fire-forged friends... it's something he's had experience with himself, huhuhu.] The friends you make there will likely be friends for life.

[infinitelight]

[Friends for life...]

That sounds nice...

[Except for the fact that it'd be occurring at a murderschool. But... now he's mumbling to himself a bit.]

[paradoxist]

... Circumstances aside, the friends you make during a crisis are friends you know will stick through anything with you.

[... Provided you don't die BUT THAT IS NOT THE POINT--] Either way, maybe this can be a prelude to going better places? [For this kid's sake, Tatsuya certainly hopes so.]

[infinitelight]

Yeah... I know what you mean.

[He had Marta, and Tenebrae, and... he had a lot of people, actually.]

I hope so, but my mun's laughing isn't really inspiring any hopes for that.

[paradoxist]

... yeah, that's pretty normal for muns in general, I think.

[A long pause.] ... Tatsuya, by the way.

[infinitelight]

[Oh! Right, they hadn't introduced themselves to each other.]

Emil Castagnier. Nice to meet you!

[paradoxist]

Nice to meet you, too. I was actually considered for that place your mun's planning on sending you to, but... well, my mun's already told your mun why the princess is going instead.

Apparently participants get titles... did your mun pick yours out already?

[infinitelight]

She hasn't. She forgot about that, actually. I wasn't supposed to go there, originally, so she didn't think about it.

[What would be a good title for him though?]

What do they usually base the titles off of?

[paradoxist]

Usually it's a skill you have, but sometimes it's stuff like what you are...

[... He's not sure if he should say what the mun was planning on his being.]

[infinitelight]

[Well.... Emil's sure he doesn't have any skill that would qualify (maybe swordsman? He wasn't the best but he could hope for that.) Which left... what he was. And well...]

...

[Yeah that's a look that says he doesn't have high hopes for a good title.]

[paradoxist]

... If it makes you feel any better, mine would've been "Super High School Level Paradox".

[He sounds so enthused.]

[infinitelight]

[...Ouch.]

The ones my mun came up with aren't that bad... w-well, the second one isn't. The first one...

[Well, it's still not as bad as Tatsuya's, but wouldn't the second one apply better to Ratatosk?]

I'm sorry.

[paradoxist]

It's no big deal or anything, not when the reason I'd have the title in the first place is kind of my fault...

[infinitelight]

It's... your fault?

[What do you mean by that?]

[paradoxist]

... It's complicated.

[infinitelight]

[And he didn't want to talk about it. Okay, that's totally fine! Emil will switch the topic for him then.]

Well... the ones my mun came up are "Super High School Level Summon Spirit" and "Super High School Level Knight"...

[paradoxist]

[It's not that Tatsuya didn't want to talk about it, it's that he wasn't sure Emil would believe him...]

Knight sounds pretty cool... and it sounds like the first one has an interesting story behind it.

[infinitelight]

Interesting... isn't exactly the word I'd use.

The second one is because I'm a Knight of Ratatosk, so my mun thought it would be logical.

[paradoxist]

[Blink blink.] Ratatosk? [He's run into a kind of demon with a similar name before--Ratatoskr--maybe the same namesake?]

[infinitelight]

He's a summon spirit that controls the flow of mana in my world. I was... chosen to guard Marta, who was holding Ratatosk's core.

[Except that was a total lie, because he was Ratatosk. Or an aspect of him, at least.]

[paradoxist]

Sounds like a pretty important job.

[infinitelight]

...yeah, it was.

[Would be if it hadn't been an entire farce.]

[paradoxist]

[... he's getting the feeling that now would be a good time to change the subject.]

What's your world like, anyway? You mentioned mana, but I'm pretty sure my world doesn't have anything like that.

[infinitelight]

It's... well, it could be better. My world was... split into two for a long time, and was merged recently. The difference in the two halves have caused a lot of problems though.

Still, I like my world. There are a lot of good people in it.

[paradoxist]

Split into two? [Jeez, kid, what kind of world are you even from?

... Then again, Tatsuya comes from a world where eldritch abominations can allow rumors to become reality and people fight demons with manifestations of their personality, so maybe he can't really say much in that regard.

And also, you know, his world kind of got obliterated thanks to the rumors becoming reality thing eventually, so uh, there's. That.]

[infinitelight]

[Really, Tatsuya, why do you sound so surprised?]

Yeah. It sounds ridiculous, but it really happened.

[acuate]

Lemme guess- must be time for a pity party!

[infinitelight]

A pity party? Why would it be time for a pity party...?

[acuate]

'cause that's what everyone does.

[acuate]

'Oh no, my life's gonna suck.'

[acuate]

'Why're ya gonna send me off to m'doom?'

[acuate]

'What if they don't like me.'

[acuate]

Get with the program! I just figured you're kinda wishy washy, not stupid.