[ semi-open ] and sometimes we sing to the dawn

[accordance]

Who: Lord Light, a couple of people (closed threads in toplevels within), and you.
When: April 12-15, thereabouts
Where: Around Capablanca
What: A useless old man ponders the meaning of his existence. And also builds some things on the side.
Rating: PG+ for Adra's mouth

one;

[ Contrary to first impressions, there is indeed peace and quiet to be found in Capablanca. As one walks along the beaches further and away from the town center, the number of establishments dwindle one by one - until the last ice-cream parlour marks the end of built shoreline. The stretch of untouched sand may be quite small compared to the rest of the beach, but it's still sizeable. Sizeable enough to provide a place of relative silence for Heroes to meditate properly.

It is here, upon the sand, that he draws. Detailed, complex images are sketched into the beachside, a little away from the shoreline so that they would be untouched at low tide. It takes him hours to complete a single drawing, but he doesn't complain a single bit - merely one figure with white hair bent down close to the ground with a single branch in his hand.

At night, high tide washes them away, but he returns for at least an hour every day to add one or two. At other times he builds perfectly regular rings out of shells and other materials lying around, all without a single word. A few locals come to watch, but even then their curiosity wears out as he continues, focused on his task.

If anything, the art is pretty. But what could they mean? ]

two;

[ On an afternoon when the sun is not as harsh, he climbs Ventoso Hill alone. Once he's reached the top, he elects to stand and watch the scenery - he's so still that he might have been mistaken for a statue, if not for the fact that his hair moves and flutters in an opportune breeze.

After a while, he shifts his stance to one more regal, and he begins to sing with a voice much younger than his speaking intonation. When he finishes, there's the slightest hint of a smile on his expression - but it will fade away as soon as he is approached, returning to his normal calmness.

His voice resumes its usual pitch, too. ]

Can I help you with anything?

three;

[ In the mornings, he can be found near the piers - or more specifically, where the seabirds frequent. He might be seated on the jetty or walking along the beach with a small bag of breadcrumbs, and after a while seagulls will start to flock to his location. He feeds them with a rather distant expression (more distant than usual, that is), letting them land on his shoulders and arms.

However, if you express interest in what he's doing, he'll look up with a much more focused countenance. ]

Hello. Would you like to feed them as well?

wildcard;

[ hit me with anything and I'll roll with it! or if you'd like a specific starter, feel free to pm me or contact me at eonflamewing, we'll work something out! ]

Comments

[accordance]

[ Living for himself, creating a new identity for him to represent. It sounds easy to speak of, but... ]

You are correct, I need to 'create' a physical identity, something new. I realize that I think similar in ways to a machine. I analyse, I consolidate, and I think. This takes time. Before this, I had an eternity, due to not having a physical form. Now, that has changed. I will need to think on a human, living timeframe.

[ There's a long pause here as his eyes grow distant , gold-flecked irises focused vaguely three feet to Adra's left. ]

I wish to be of use to the people here. That could be a starting point. What is your opinion for this?

[hymnals]

[ Is he really sure that he isn't a machine? Maybe he's just not aware of it. Adra paces on the sand, arms folded behind his back. ]

I can't tell you what to become or how to become it. I can tell you this, though: analysis is not compassion. Logic is not love. You won't truly be of 'use' unless you grow closer to mortality. Not just learning it, but being it. Feeling something, even if it's not rational. Wanting something, even if it's painful. That's what living means for the rest of us down here.

[accordance]

[ There's a short silence while he turns over Adra's words in his head. He can understand them, he can simulate the thoughts that goes on behind them - but truly feeling the intense emotion that had no doubt gripped the elf still falls outside his ability.

There is only so much logic can do, after all. ]

Emotions. [ This he says, after the pause. ] That is the key, I take it?

[hymnals]

Yes. Have you ever had any desires? Any at all?

[ He seems incredulous, but also a little envious. How peaceful it must be, not to want. ]

[accordance]

[ Has he? ]

No. Not on a personal level. I desire a peaceful way of living for my people, to work to help them achieve that. But I suppose that does not count.

[ He needs very little, only people whom he could help, peace and quiet where he could think. This is a partial reason why he has so little material possessions. ]

[hymnals]

[ Adra groans. ]

I wouldn't say that doesn't count, LL. Let me put it another way. Have you ever wanted something just for the sake of wanting it? Not because it would benefit another person, but solely because it would make you, personally, happy.

[accordance]

[ There's a pause, a much longer pause as he thinks. ]

I had wished for peace and quiet to meditate, a few times. I am not sure if it would be filed under making me happy. It made me think more clearly, which was the effect I intended to achieve.

[ That's more of a 'no', really. ]

[hymnals]

[ Yeah, that's definitely a no. Adra rakes his hand down his face. ]

That's ... not quite what I mean, LL.

[ Is it even possible for LL to feel as Adra's describing? To want, to the point of pain? To be irrational, to be stupid, to be anything other than absolutely logical? And if so, what could possibly trigger such behavior? How do you make a machine into a man? ]

Have you felt anything shift in you since coming here? Besides physically, I mean.

[accordance]

[ There is a silence, a long one, as he tries to contemplate giving the answer Adra wanted to hear. ]

... I have learned about small things. Perhaps it was because I did not have the opportunity to do so in my homeworld, but - I feel it easier to speak to others. Not as a deity, but - as a person. One-to-one.

[ Without the regality and formality that came with it; and most importantly the ability to predict what they would say.

[hymnals]

[ Adra doesn't want to hear anything except the truth. ]

Well, that's a start.

[ He spreads his hands in an 'I don't know' gesture. This situation is new territory for him, too. ]

We'll just have to see how far you can go, my friend.

[accordance]

[ It is in new territory that new things are learned.

So he nods. ]

Thank you. I appreciate speaking with you. It helps greatly.

[ He's smiling, a little. ]