[This, too, is a lot to take in. These scattered bits of memories, these little broken pieces that make up the tragedy he'd already found so endearing even in just the short week he'd known him.
Knowing that Arthur is speaking words he wants to deliver to a person that he most certainly isn't, there's a little thread of something guilty in his chest.
He reaches out with Opal's hand, stroking the top of Arthur's depressed little head.]
I'm sorry. I'm not the one you want to apologize to... [Instead, he's just here fielding the words for a distant person in a distant place, who will maybe never get to hear them, even if he hopes that's not the case.]
I'm not who you want to talk to at all, but no one here is, so let's get you up, okay?
[Dahut is trying so hard. Arthur, however, is making it difficult for him, and not simply because he's confused by this Opal not hating him for what he's done.]
Up? I... I can't.
[To be fair, this is quite possibly true, because I did injure his legs I think.]
Well, this is fine. He will just continue being a wildly ooc Opal. CAN HE MANIFEST FIXED LEGS?? He'll try to do that first, even if this wasn't his intention.]
I meant you have to wake up, silly! But you should really stop being on the ground, too.
[Arthur glances at the cane, hesitating. You can read the tag so I don't have to copy everything, but I will for easy reference for actions.]
Why?
[It seems Arthur doesn't want to wake up. After all, he deserves to be punished for his failures; and even if he wakes up, what awaits is an existence filled with more of them. In his eyes, what good has he ever done?]
Dahut drops into a moment of quiet consideration at that, after a BRIEF MOMENT OF BEING SURPRISED BECAUSE HE DIDN'T EXPECT HIS ATTEMPT TO FIX HIS LEGS TO END LIKE THAT.]
Are you actually asking me that question? Or are you just looking for ways to justify staying here like this? Even if I give you really good reasons, you're going to keep coming up with ways to tell me I'm wrong and that you should just stay here and suffer, right?
[Given what Arthur is like, it probably comes as no surprise to Dahut that he doesn't quite answer any of his questions and responds only with—]
... You should be happier.
[Because he is a horribly sad and awkward man, and though it expresses itself in some very human ways, and some self-destructive ways, his is a heart that beats so much for others.
It is, perhaps, somewhat unfortunate that Arthur clearly does not realize he's speaking to Dopal right now.]
[NOT DOPAL. DOPAL IS ALSO DISTRESSED THAT HE DOESN'T REALIZE HE'S SPEAKING TO DOPAL!!!! GENTLY WHACKING HIM WITH THE CANE AGAIN.]
I'm telling you, I'm not the one you want to say these things to! There's a lot I have to say to you, but this isn't my conversation...! [He wants to reach out and SHAKE THIS MAN but he will resist the urge. FOR NOW. Instead:]
If you won't listen to me, I'm going to have to start making things strange again...
[POOR ARTHUR. And now he's just like my god, what NOW. WHAT THE FCK. He starts glancing around in the dreamspace like he's trying to see where said ominous presence is coming from.]
To her! [DOPAL POINTS AT HIS OWN FACE.] But also, I really think you should get up now...! If things become strange, I didn't do it!
[Arthur begins to say, but then—in the near distance, a beast emerges, a wolf-like creature with eyes not unlike Arthur's.
If anything gets to Arthur to act, it's apparently this. By his will, he reaches for his sword, and though there wasn't one there before, there is now. What will Dopal do, in the face of this threat that Arthur instinctively prepares to brace against?]
[Dopal manages to manifest a giant net that drops over the Beast. It roars, struggling against it. Unfortunately, unlike Luke previously, this Beast has claws, and thus it begins to use those to tear through the net.
But before it gets quite that far, Arthur stares.]
Ah.
What - was that you said about things becoming strange...?
[WHY CAN'T IT JUST BE LUKE!! Dopal turns to look at Arthur again, both baffled and harried. IS HE EVEN STANDING.]
...That one was me! [Pointing at the net that is fastly being shredded.] The thingy isn't!
[Presumably he is referring to the wolf... Anyway he'll try to summon a bow and quiver of arrows because he can't fight in close range?? So he'll just try to fire off some arrows instead. Dahut has now decided that his tactic is to make things as strange as possible to force Arthur into waking up, so a giant cake also drops from the sky following the net.]
[Dopal's arrows strike the beast, as it roars again in pain. It hasn't been stopped yet, though, as it continues to tear through the net.
Arthur has elected to ignore the cake, stabbing at the Beast. Perhaps his next response isn't surprising, knowing the kind of man he is, as he glances at Dopal.]
Please - please go. You don't have to be here.
[And then, finally, the Beast breaks free, before moving to swipe its claws at the nearest person, aka Arthur.]
[Dahut can do all of these things! Dopal is now on the ground with Arthur, with a giant chasm between them and the Beast.
The first thing Arthur does on instinct is pull Dopal away from the edge, so that she doesn't fall in.
Except then—as mist rises, more monsters fly out from the chasm. Various kinds, like the types you'd find in myths or storybooks. Certainly more than Arthur should be forced to handle alone, but Dahut will understand that Arthur has fought alone for a long, long time now. At this point, it seems that he doesn't know how to do anything but carry it all by himself.]
[He doesn't get paid enough to deal with all of this, goddamn.
Well. It really will start raining cakes now!! EAT CAKE, MONSTERS. Giant flaming cakes and also bowling balls, though none of them will fall around Dopal or Arthur. While this insanity is happening, he idiot sandwiches Arthur's face between his hands.]
I'm not Opal, so don't worry about me, okay? I can fight, but we don't have to! You don't have to. Stop tormenting yourself, Arthur Starling. If you have regrets, wake up and carry them, even if they're heavy. Don't you still have unfinished business?
[Dahut's words strike true, even though Arthur is very, very confused right now. Even though Arthur's heart is heavy, the truth that remains is that he'll always choose others before himself, if it comes to that. Dahut is right, and he must return.
He has unfinished business, after all. Just as Dahut does, even if theirs might be of a different nature. The road to get here has been painful, so utterly painful, and they might both long for a time when things were simpler. When their family was still alive, and they were unburdened by those they failed to save. That doesn't change what the present is, though, so all they can do is keep shouldering this weight.
Should Dahut peer into the chasm, he will see that past the monsters trying to come at them (still battered by flaming cakes and bowling balls), a blue flame flickers. Despite any instincts he might have against this, he intuitively understands that he should take Arthur's hand and jump into the fire.]
[imagine i just say he doesn't peer into the chasm because he's too busy idiot sandwiching arthur's face
No, he'll look, and fortunately (or unfortunately??) he doesn't have any such instincts that would tell him to not just jump into a fucking monster chasm fire. With the monsters on their way up, he doesn't want to delay things any more than necessary...
All the same, he wants to make sure that Arthur is the one to make this most important step. He moves to the edge, holding a hand out.]
I'm sorry. I know that it hurts and it's really hard and lonely... But I'll hold your hand, okay? I won't let go until you're wide awake. Are you ready?
[Into the fire they go! As Dahut will feel, the flames only lick gently at Arthur's (and Opal's) skin, warming him like an embrace rather than burning him.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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Knowing that Arthur is speaking words he wants to deliver to a person that he most certainly isn't, there's a little thread of something guilty in his chest.
He reaches out with Opal's hand, stroking the top of Arthur's depressed little head.]
I'm sorry. I'm not the one you want to apologize to... [Instead, he's just here fielding the words for a distant person in a distant place, who will maybe never get to hear them, even if he hopes that's not the case.]
I'm not who you want to talk to at all, but no one here is, so let's get you up, okay?
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Up? I... I can't.
[To be fair, this is quite possibly true, because I did injure his legs I think.]
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Well, this is fine. He will just continue being a wildly ooc Opal. CAN HE MANIFEST FIXED LEGS?? He'll try to do that first, even if this wasn't his intention.]
I meant you have to wake up, silly! But you should really stop being on the ground, too.
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[Arthur glances at the cane, hesitating. You can read the tag so I don't have to copy everything, but I will for easy reference for actions.]
Why?
[It seems Arthur doesn't want to wake up. After all, he deserves to be punished for his failures; and even if he wakes up, what awaits is an existence filled with more of them. In his eyes, what good has he ever done?]
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Dahut drops into a moment of quiet consideration at that, after a BRIEF MOMENT OF BEING SURPRISED BECAUSE HE DIDN'T EXPECT HIS ATTEMPT TO FIX HIS LEGS TO END LIKE THAT.]
Are you actually asking me that question? Or are you just looking for ways to justify staying here like this? Even if I give you really good reasons, you're going to keep coming up with ways to tell me I'm wrong and that you should just stay here and suffer, right?
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... You should be happier.
[Because he is a horribly sad and awkward man, and though it expresses itself in some very human ways, and some self-destructive ways, his is a heart that beats so much for others.
It is, perhaps, somewhat unfortunate that Arthur clearly does not realize he's speaking to Dopal right now.]
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I'm telling you, I'm not the one you want to say these things to! There's a lot I have to say to you, but this isn't my conversation...! [He wants to reach out and SHAKE THIS MAN but he will resist the urge. FOR NOW. Instead:]
If you won't listen to me, I'm going to have to start making things strange again...
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Who... else would I be saying them to...?
[Though as this happens, Dahut will feel an ominous presence approach—in the illusion, that is. Hell is fine, or as fine as Hell gets.]
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To her! [DOPAL POINTS AT HIS OWN FACE.] But also, I really think you should get up now...! If things become strange, I didn't do it!
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[Arthur begins to say, but then—in the near distance, a beast emerges, a wolf-like creature with eyes not unlike Arthur's.
If anything gets to Arthur to act, it's apparently this. By his will, he reaches for his sword, and though there wasn't one there before, there is now. What will Dopal do, in the face of this threat that Arthur instinctively prepares to brace against?]
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Woah—!!
[Can. Can he drop a really big net on it.]
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But before it gets quite that far, Arthur stares.]
Ah.
What - was that you said about things becoming strange...?
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[WHY CAN'T IT JUST BE LUKE!! Dopal turns to look at Arthur again, both baffled and harried. IS HE EVEN STANDING.]
...That one was me! [Pointing at the net that is fastly being shredded.] The thingy isn't!
[Presumably he is referring to the wolf... Anyway he'll try to summon a bow and quiver of arrows because he can't fight in close range?? So he'll just try to fire off some arrows instead. Dahut has now decided that his tactic is to make things as strange as possible to force Arthur into waking up, so a giant cake also drops from the sky following the net.]
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Arthur has elected to ignore the cake, stabbing at the Beast. Perhaps his next response isn't surprising, knowing the kind of man he is, as he glances at Dopal.]
Please - please go. You don't have to be here.
[And then, finally, the Beast breaks free, before moving to swipe its claws at the nearest person, aka Arthur.]
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Ah—!!
[What if he tries to will a giant fucking hole into the ground between these two. What if he also tackles Arthur over at the same time.]
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The first thing Arthur does on instinct is pull Dopal away from the edge, so that she doesn't fall in.
Except then—as mist rises, more monsters fly out from the chasm. Various kinds, like the types you'd find in myths or storybooks. Certainly more than Arthur should be forced to handle alone, but Dahut will understand that Arthur has fought alone for a long, long time now. At this point, it seems that he doesn't know how to do anything but carry it all by himself.]
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Well. It really will start raining cakes now!! EAT CAKE, MONSTERS. Giant flaming cakes and also bowling balls, though none of them will fall around Dopal or Arthur. While this insanity is happening, he idiot sandwiches Arthur's face between his hands.]
I'm not Opal, so don't worry about me, okay? I can fight, but we don't have to! You don't have to. Stop tormenting yourself, Arthur Starling. If you have regrets, wake up and carry them, even if they're heavy. Don't you still have unfinished business?
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He has unfinished business, after all. Just as Dahut does, even if theirs might be of a different nature. The road to get here has been painful, so utterly painful, and they might both long for a time when things were simpler. When their family was still alive, and they were unburdened by those they failed to save. That doesn't change what the present is, though, so all they can do is keep shouldering this weight.
Should Dahut peer into the chasm, he will see that past the monsters trying to come at them (still battered by flaming cakes and bowling balls), a blue flame flickers. Despite any instincts he might have against this, he intuitively understands that he should take Arthur's hand and jump into the fire.]
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No, he'll look, and fortunately (or unfortunately??) he doesn't have any such instincts that would tell him to not just jump into a fucking monster chasm fire. With the monsters on their way up, he doesn't want to delay things any more than necessary...
All the same, he wants to make sure that Arthur is the one to make this most important step. He moves to the edge, holding a hand out.]
I'm sorry. I know that it hurts and it's really hard and lonely... But I'll hold your hand, okay? I won't let go until you're wide awake. Are you ready?
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Yay! Wake-up time!
[JUMPING IN.]
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Finally, Arthur wakes up.]