dear_mun | what is impulsive muse

[He has no idea what she's saying in her native language, naturally. He watches her cautiously, wondering if she even wants to see him. But he's already here, so...]

I don't suppose anyone can imagine how it feels.

[Maybe she'd tell him if he asked nicely.

Maybe.

She's definitely surprised that he even bothered to show himself to her, considering how things ended, and how long it's been, but...she can't say she's completely eager to walk away again. So Ziio's expression remains as neutral as possible.]

Including you?

Edited 2013-05-02 14:02 (UTC)

[He's just relieved that Ziio's not telling him to leave right now.]

My end was not quite the same as yours.

[He grimaces at the thought. And wonders if she somehow has the idea to blame him for her own, as Connor did.]

[What would be the point of pushing him away when their paths have long diverged already? Though their meeting now is something else altogether. Color her curious. Ziio's face remains impassive, but her eyes have a spark in them, as intense as it was years and years ago.] ]

I see.

[She pauses, studying Haytham like a hawk. She has much to say to him. Would their ends have been any different if she had enough power to keep his sights away from the darkness? Would he have allowed that sacrifice?

Was she right all along? That he would be consumed by the Templar's vision to the point where he could not see anything else? But these words and thoughts, she does not say. Instead, she says something simpler. Her tone is as ominous as her smile; there is no mirth, no warmth. Only fear. A little regret.]

You didn't find whatever it was that you wanted. [ "Again." Ah, how the past repeats itself. ]

Edited 2013-05-02 14:47 (UTC)

[Oh my god, is life really screwing with him now. This is unreal. This is...Oh...This should not be. It's not funny...]

...Mother?

[Ziio is only stunned into silence for a short while. When it comes to him, everything else comes naturally. A corner of her lips tugs up into a smile. Maybe there was an upside to this muse-mun business than she originally thought.]

Ratonhnhaké:ton-yen'a (my son.).

[He moves his hands behind his back, affecting a pose of deep thought, and gives a bitter smirk.]

No. Not in my lifetime. Connor saw to that.

[Unfortunately, he doesn't realize Ziio isn't the one who named him Connor, or that their son even has a different name. All in all, the amount he knows about both Ziio and their son is very little.]

[She notices his gray hair, and the subtle crows feet around his eyes. She knows that his journey has been hard on him. A lifetime indeed. Ziio silently muses on the things he missed. The things she missed.

But at the mention of an unfamiliar name, Ziio can't help but wonder some more. She places a hand on her hip, leaning her weight against one side.]

Connor. [A foreign name.] One of your people rose up against you? [You were bound to get school'd sooner or later, absentee daddy Haytham.]

Edited 2013-05-02 16:31 (UTC)

One of...

[The odd question startles him out of his thoughts. He's not sure what to make of it alongside his assumptions.]

No, not one of mine. He joined the Assassins, possibly because he thought that I had something to do with your death-- I didn't, I promise you. It wasn't my men who attacked your village.

[He speaks fast and worriedly, defensive from an accusation she didn't even make.]

[Two things strike her. She narrows her eyes after his hurried words flow out of him like an uncontrollable stream. Ziio circles him, her stony expression turning suspicious.]

[His reply unnerved her. First of all, who would want to join such a burdened Brotherhood for revenge against her dying? Second, why the anxiety? Why the hesitation? Ziio's instincts were going haywire. So she gets straight to the point. She was never one to mince words.

Ziio makes her way towards him, gaze aflame for answers. For the truth. And for now, she ignores the part about washing his hands clean from the responsibility of the destruction of her village, because something is telling her it's not important at the moment.]

Who is Connor, Haytham? [She doesn't miss a beat.] Who is the man that ended you?

Edited (omg so many edits, so sorry ;;) 2013-05-02 17:30 (UTC)

Ista? You're...

[Before he can stop himself, Ratonhnhaké:ton is giving her the biggest hug he can muster. As a teenager he's more or less the same height as her now, not that such a thing is even crossing his mind yet.]

...You're really here.

[She finds the wind knocked out of her lungs as soon as her son - how old is he really? - embraces her. But the confusion disappears just as quickly as it came, replaced by such overwhelming joy threatening to bring tears to her eyes. Ziio does not shed any however, because now is a time for reunions, for love. A time for healing, no matter how brief a time she is given.

She wraps her arms around him, and after a moment, pulls away. She leans her forehead against his, and speaks in their native tongue.]

I told you I would be with you, even if I could not hold you as I do now.

Edited 2013-05-02 17:56 (UTC)

It is not the same. Even if part of you is with me, the rest is gone to Karonhià:ke forever.

[He doesn't let go of her, hurt and anger in his eyes. Not anger at her, but anger because he couldn't save her, anger at the one who killed her, hurt at the unfairness of it all.]

I... I have missed you.

[Ziio is smaller than him, so much younger than him now that she's close to half his age, but when she rounds on him her intensity causes him to step back without thinking about it.]

Surely you haven't forgotten our son. Or do you still mean to keep his existence from me? It is a little late for that.

[She feels the tremble in his bones, and Ziio can only hush him gently as she strokes his hair. It seems that no matter how hard she tries to keep him away from the darkness, it would always come to haunt her beloved son. Ziio dare not look at his eyes, for she can feel how much pain her passing has caused him.

Has it haunted him for this long?]

And though my journey to the Great Spirit is far from over, we will be together again, Ratonhnhaké:ton. [She closes her eyes, and wills the shadows away from him with a tighter embrace.] We are together now.

[After a while, Ziio takes a step back and places her hands on his shoulders.]

Look how you've grown. [She smiles with pride; she smiles with sadness at how much of her son's life she did not see.]

[He buries his face against her shoulder, but he stubbornly refuses to cry, or to let any kind of emotion get the better of him. He wants to show her that he's become strong. He's no longer the hysterical little boy trying to pull her from the burning wreckage, but a warrior.

When she takes a step back to look at him, he lifts his chin a little in pride.]

And I will continue to. [In more ways than just the body, now he has a mentor.] I have made a vow to keep our village safe. I will do everything I can to protect it.

[Ziio's not quite sure which came first. Was it the numbing feeling of fear freezing her in place? Knowing that she has failed in protecting Ratonhnhaké:ton from the dark hunger she couldn't bear seeing in Haytham's eyes? Or was it the paralyzing guilt of inadvertently leading him on a road which may not have an end? Which may very well kill him?

Her own son killed his father. Her son -]

[She does not break eye contact, but she does follow Haytham's lead and takes a few steps back herself.]

Ratonhnhaké:ton became an Assassin. [Ziio speaks as if saying it out loud would make any difference. Maybe it would convince her. For who? For her? For the village? Did he know? Should she have told him about Templars and, and -]

[Ziio retaliates. Her mama!wolf instincts are coming out.] Between the both of us, I would be the least likely to forget about our son. [She frowns rigidly.]

[Ah, there it is. That need to spill blood, that desire to see the right in a world full of wrong. Ziio is somewhat happy that he has taken on such a noble cause. Very few of their people are aware of the impending dangers the so-called New World is bringing in its wake. He is their defender, and she knows Ratonhnhaké:ton will not hesitate. This is his mountain to climb. This is his road to travel.

Yet Ziio fears for him. As she always has. As she always will. But no matter what, she will stand by him, for whatever he decides. So she continues to smile at him, and meets his pride with her own.]

Do you know what it truly means to fight for our people, my son? Are you prepared for what is to come?

Edited 2013-05-02 19:15 (UTC)

Radoor-- Rahong--... [~~Oh my god Haytham why do you even try.~~ His tongue immediately trips over the name, but thankfully he stops attempting after a moment and just frowns.]

...I see. Achilles must have changed his name.

[After Connor Davenport, no doubt. Haytham knows about Achilles' family, because they were a token he used against him when he exterminated the rest of the Colonial Assassins. But those are not details he is going to share with Ziio.]

I never saw him when he was a boy. But you will be pleased to hear that he grew into a strong and noble pain in the arse.

[A little bit scornful. ...And a little bit proud.]

Yes. I may not be ready yet, but I will be when the time comes.

[Said with all the confidence only a teenager can have, one who doesn't quite realise yet the immensity of the task he's set himself. And even if he did, he wouldn't let it deter him.]

A spirit came to me in a vision. She showed me what would happen if I fail to act, and told me to seek out Achilles for training. [A pause.] For our people to be free, we must fight not only the settlers, but the Templars... All of them.

[Was this really a mirage? After so long...Connor maybe finally saw a perk too with this whole RPing thing. Seeing his mother here...smiling.

Connor...Ratonhnhaké:ton said nothing for now.

He went to embrace Ziio.]

[There were far too many things running through her mind that Ziio found herself lost on what to say next. Achilles taught him how to be an Assassin? Ratonhnhaké:ton sought his father out not because he wanted the truth, but because he wanted revenge for her death? Which apparently the Templars had no hand in?

And if only they were in the past, where he could make snide jokes and she would roll her eyes and counter with a quick rebuttal of her own. A strong and noble pain in the arse? Of course. He would have gotten the strong and noble part from her, and the other half of that from him. He'd smirk, and she'd shrug her shoulders, and they'd share something special in the silence that followed. If only she had enough patience to entertain jokes about her son, her son who killed him, presuming that Haytham retaliated --

Ziio sharply turns her head away from him and holds up her hand in a gesture of silence. She keeps her gaze on the ground, her voice a soft yet intense rumble coming from her chest.]

Enough. You will tell me everything that I ask for. [No buts.] Leave nothing out. I will know.

Edited 2013-05-03 14:18 (UTC)

[And she welcomes him with open arms, adjusting to the incredible height difference between them - even the shortness of her arms compared to the width of his torso surprises Ziio. She smiles and revels in their bittersweet reunion.

Ziio hopes that time has been at least somewhat kind to her son.]

[She speaks in their native tongue.]

One moment, I see you as a boy no taller than my knee. And now, you are a man that sees far beyond what I can.

You must have captured the attention of the women in the village, Ratonhnhaké:ton. [She jokes dryly, yet with all good humor intended.]

[Ziio hides her concern well. She lets Ratonhnhaké:ton speak, and as passionate as he is upon taking the mantle he has, she has never felt such worry for her son as she does now. Especially when he mentions "spirits in visions..." She can't help but take a step back from Ratonhnhaké:ton, placing hand on her hip. With a subtle tilt of her head to the side, Ziio regards him carefully.

While she did promise to be with him, to support him no matter his endeavor, Ziio would also like to offer him her counsel if she sees that he is being misled. His heart is too pure, to devoted. And she has to protect that as much as she can.]

Ratonhnhaké:ton. [Ziio frowns.] Not all spirits that come to us wish us well. Did you consult the Clan Mother? Does she know of the vision you saw?

Edited 2013-05-03 15:18 (UTC)

[Haytham opens his mouth, closes it, stiffens his shoulders defensively. He is rarely speechless, but Ziio had always been impossible to talk back to, and it leaves him unsettled. Part of her charm that had drawn him to her, really.]

...Very well, then. What do you wish to know?

[He is reluctant. He had lost her so easily before with so little insight into his Templar motivations. He has no desire to enrage her now, especially after what had happened. He hadn't seen her death, or even known of it until decades after the fact, but the image was haunting all the same, and the last thing he wants to do now is fight with her. But she also deserves the truth, or at least some of it.]

[Without hesitation, Ziio begins the interrogation. ~~That's what it certainly seems like, at least.~~]

You said that Ratonhnhaké:ton became an Assassin because he blamed you for what happened to me. [Pause. Ziio turns to Haytham with an unreadable expression. She is quieter this time, with less intensity and more...anxiety.]

Was he right? [Ziio would take her son's word over Haytham's any day, but if anything, she was fair, and she would hear him out if only to give better perspective to Ratonhnhaké:ton's answer.

And maybe she asked this first for her own peace of mind. Between trying to save as many people as she could while being buried underneath a pile of burning wood, she didn't quite get the chance to glimpse at the perpetrators.]

Edited 2013-05-03 15:53 (UTC)

[Face it Ziio, your little boy is a man now. He was so happy right now that he was sure that he was still dreaming a little.

How long had it really been? He was only four when she was ripped from his life. He also switched to his native tongue.]

Yet you do not look like you have aged a day since then.

I really missed you.

[Painfully missed you. And then he was painfully reminded. Despite her joking with him, it hurt a bit.]

...Many years have passed, Mother. The village...life had went a bit differently. I had not remained.

I never asked him exactly why he took up the Creed. It may have had much to do with his recklessly disproportionate love of freedom.

[He sighs, lifting a hand to pinch the space between his eyes, exasperated by memories.]

He blamed me, but he was wrong. I never ordered them to-- they never... it was George Washington. Edward Braddock's officer. Do you remember him? I think you might... you knocked him from his horse and held him down with a knife to his throat.

[That little thought he can't help but subtly smile at. It is a shame she didn't kill him and save the both of them all this trouble later on, but the memory of her smashing the handle of her knife into his face gives him some satisfaction.]

[He feels somewhat stung that she would question his cause, misinterpreting her worry as doubt of him, but he quickly tries to cover that up.]

Yes. I showed her the symbol I was told to seek, and she told me where I could find it, releasing me from the village. [A pause.] Achilles warned me to be careful of the spirit as well, but...

[But there was a lot he didn't understand, not about what the spirit said nor about what Achilles tried to explain. He shakes his head, as if to clear it.]

It does not matter. I feel like I was meant to do this, Mother. I am getting the training and knowledge I need to protect our people. Who else will if I do not?

[She listens intently, catches every word and every breath and every pause in his speech. Ziio takes a moment to glance up at his eyes, and she finds a certain strain of sincerity she is all too familiar with. Perhaps this was the truth. What reason did he have to lie?

Yet Ziio is not satisfied. Her arms go rigid, hands balling up into closed fists by her sides.]

You would do well to hold your tongue when you speak to me about my son. [Needless to say, she's not very happy with how bitter you sound whenever you talk about him. :/]

[But she does admit, she is caught off-guard by the sudden rush of memories. It was a better time than what they were left with. Fighting side-by-side, one learning a little bit from the other.] I remember.

[And just as fast as that moment came, it was replaced with the return of her incredibly inquisitive gaze. Her tone, hardened once more.]

Does he know this? Did you tell him? [She sounds almost accusatory.]

[Ziio pulls back from their embrace and touches her son's cheek with a gentle caress. As much as it pains him to see her like this, stuck in time, knowing that she may very well be as good as a ghost in the world they left behind...it is worse for a mother who cannot be with her son.]

My "mundane" tells me it is because she took me from a specific time, but I thank the Great Spirit for a chance to see you again, Ratonhnhaké:ton. Even if we come as limited as we do.

[And this, she knows. From Haytham no less. Speaking to him earlier has given her an even greater desire to be with her son. To aid him, to guide him as much as she can. Ziio's next words are said with somberness.]

I know. [She inhales deeply, then switches her language back to English.] You are Connor now, aren't you?

[She feels the disturbance and moves to touch his hand, grasping it with her own. Ziio gives it a firm squeeze, as if to reassure him that she has and will always remain by his side; his eternal ally in the battles he chooses to wage.]

Do not fret, Ratonhnhaké:ton. I only fear for your safety, but not out of doubt of what you can do. [Ziio offers him an encouraging smile.] Because I know you will do great things.

["Just tread carefully." Is what she might have said too.]

[She shakes her head, a slight smirk on her face. She pulls him along with a firm tug, and they take a walk as they speak.]

So you are Achilles' new pupil. He is good teacher. Strict, but good.

Edited 2013-05-03 19:03 (UTC)

[Haytham does not like where this is going, but he endures Ziio's interrogation and judgement without moving from his spot, waiting now for the inevitability of her ordering him to leave and never approach her again.]

Yes. Washington himself admitted it to him, with a little pressure. It was the only way to furnish proof to Connor. If I merely told him myself, he would not have believed me.

[There was really no winning with that information. He waited until he had proof, and Connor hated him for delaying it.]

[And he braces himself with a grave frown, because he suspects he knows where her line of inquiry will go next.]

Edited 2013-05-04 01:39 (UTC)

[He allows himself to be tugged along without protest, taking comfort from the gesture, still feeling somewhat dazed she's really here. As tough as he wants to appear, she's still able to make him feel like a child again. He'd almost forgotten what that felt like.]

The Old Man took time to convince, but I was persistent. [i.e. not getting the hint and getting off his lawn when told.]

[...Oh it was that. No wonder she looked so young.]

I have witnessed this in my time being one of her "muses". In my time I have seen my father older and younger.

[He knew not of what she would look like older. Well. In Tyranny she doesn't look any older so. But then when she said she KNEW...he looked at her curiously.]

You do? I-

[And then she called him by that name. Okay we're doing English again. Seemed appropriate now that she was referring to the English world name.]

Yes...how did you come to know of that?

what is impulsive muse

impulsive muse is the best muse

but it is also very scary :(

the sight of a Ziio delights me so much you have no idea

a-aahh, i'll do my best so as not to disappoint!!! ;~; /NERVOUS FIRST TIME AC ROLEPLAYER

my heart is hurting so good

mama bear will kiss the boo boo away ~

it is impossible to disappoint me, also he'd be sooo painfully shocked if he saw her outside DM /sob

there would definitely be a lot of "wtf's" passed around, that's for sure xD AND LOTS OF FEELS.

so many heart-breaking feels ;;

THIS CONVERSATION IS GOING TO BE PAINFUL FOR THEM BOTH, AHAHAHAHA

omg ziio ;;

so many versions of her sons, oh god her heart

its okay mom sssh :(

I'm surprised you're new because your Ziio is so perfect already

bb boy, you need a haircut bb boy :'(

achilles tells me that all the time. so much pouting rn :(

oh my god how humbling, thank you so much :'( asdfgk; if i missed something though, please tell me!

she only slightly approves of the name he gave you, rahdunhagaydon is so much better okay

do you have any plans for her outside DM? /chinhands

what's wrong with being named after his dead kid tho

he's totes a mama's boy

no plans right now! not sure if i have the qualifications to app her anywhere yet @_@

never stop, your papa likes charles lee more than us :(

very subtle, achilles. but it's okay, you were connor's pseudo-daddy <3 she appreciates that!

I'd be happy to at least play with you more in memes or something :>

I'd love that as well! ;) just link me up or whatever <3 i'm super enjoying our threading!

i made the executive decision that my dad sucks >8C

and you can link me up as well o/

he was a better daddy than haytham ever was :'|

out of curiosity, are you in a game right now? :3

he's just jealous because you have a ship

momma makes the right friends <3

mohawk_tomahawk and I are in SmashAcademy, and I'm also in Zodion

that she does ^

he's the worst backseat driver did you know?