十 四 ; shí sì

[getsomesleep]

I understand that the voices following us all are not reliable sources of information; but still, I do wonder who, exactly, have I tried to kill with a forklift.


Smoke-jūn, may I meet with you sometimes this week? I'm in need of some advice that I think you are best equipped to give.

-- 火


[OOC: Sorry couldn't resist. ^_^]

Comments

Re: [offline~] 2/2

[getsome-sleep.livejournal.com]

[He did ask, and now Huo was content to listen, to let Smoke say however much he wanted or needed to in his own time. He had time, certainly. The crystal was not going anywhere, and neither was he.

Settling back down, he watched Smoke at the window, watched the gray trail from the cigarette wind shapes against the cold sky and listened to the words behind the words. He'd chosen the right man to ask. Smoke's world-weary perspective - whether was born of conviction or frustration - was, ironically, refreshing. And there was something he hadn't said but that Huo understood, anyway - there was no price to not using the crystal.]

Is that not a privilege we may not have? [He spoke quietly, without leaving his seat - without really moving much at all, almost eerily still.] Are we not obligated to know ourselves - so that if there is in us potential to do harm, it does not catch us unaware? [He knew that it couldn't possibly be called an innocent question, but the truth was that as his dilemmas went, this was the simplest one.]

Re: [offline~] 2/2

[inthecenterfold.livejournal.com]

[Smoke couldn't perceive much of Huo's thoughts save the fact that he was obviously still interested in what Smoke knew, or at least believed enough that it resolved itself as his own personal truth. That much he was happy about.]

Even if you could blow up the world back then, in your past life, if you've decided to be a pacifist here - does it matter in the end? Here, we don't know the difference between a pacifist with the power of hellfire and a pacifist with no powers at all.

Re: [offline~] 2/2

[getsome-sleep.livejournal.com]

Power is not the problem.

[Briefly he still looked down at the table, then shifted his gaze up to meet Smoke's eyes. His tone was clipped - almost challenging. This was not a subject to be waved aside.]

The problem is one of character. One who knows himself to be easily swayed by temptation, who is aware of his unscrupulous appetites, may control himself and do no harm. Yet without awareness, there is no control. And without self-knowledge, there is no safety.

[offline~]

[inthecenterfold.livejournal.com]

[Smoke shrugged]

Plenty of us aren't aware of our pasts. Our... characters change every day. Besides... [he smirked] Temptation's not always a bad thing.

Re: [offline~]

[getsome-sleep.livejournal.com]

[Huo responded with a resolute shake of the head.] One's essence is not so easily transformed. True virtue is the top of a great mountain, achieved only by effort, sometimes by great pain. In believing otherwise, do we not risk complacency?

[He paused then, glancing away.] Forgive me. You have come to give advice, and here I am, lecturing you. [Smoke's choices were his own. It was difficult to think of any choice as truly right.] I fear I'm not much for temptation.

Re: [offline~]

[inthecenterfold.livejournal.com]

Ah, no big deal. Get the feeling I'm used to being lectured. [He inhales from his cig again and taps it out over the window as he exhales.]

So aside from all that... any other questions this humble sinner can answer?