Day 222 - Theory of Happiness

[four_quarts]

Who: Ghaleon and any passerby.
Open: Yes.
When: Day 222, night
Where: Edge of the Bastion.
What: A certain mage thinks about the past.
Format: Whatever you go with.
Warnings: Likely discussion of dead friends and family. Also Ghaleon himself.


[For all that this place is still new and strange in so many small ways, it's the moon that Ghaleon finds he cannot get used to. The others all seem to treat it as if its presence in the night sky is normal enough. From a purely technical standpoint he agrees; for there to be a moon and a planet drifting through the aether together is only natural, however broken one might be. No, the part that is strange to Ghaleon's eyes is that it's the planet their little community happens to be stationed on.

Seated on the edge of the Bastion and staring up at the pale sphere, he can't help but think that it looks more barren and lifeless than even the Frontier or the Blue Star had. He vaguely wonders if the view of Lunar had once been the same as this from the Blue Star all those ages ago.


Depending on how a passerby's timing is, they might overhear him humming a tune he clearly knows by heart, or perhaps small comments to people long gone.]

Comments

[bulletofhope]

[ Well, Naegi's out again due to sleeplessness - it was becoming too common for him to wander around the Bastion due to insomnia; he was hoping this was only a temporary thing...

He's actually getting ready to head back when he hears Ghaleon's humming, curious enough to wander over and just listen to him for a moment since he didn't want to interrupt... ]

[four_quarts]

[At first it seems that the older man hadn't heard him, continuing to stare up at the moon for a time even after his humming ceases. After a long moment though, he asks without turning:]

Out for a late night stroll?

[bulletofhope]

... yeah. Couldn't sleep.

[ Naegi can only shrug quietly, giving Ghaleon a lopsided smile should he turn around to face him. ]

Is it the same with you, as well?

[four_quarts]

[Ghaleon does turn around, because really, it's rather difficult to hold a conversation when facing in opposite directions.]

I suppose you could say that.

[By which he means this really isn't that far off his natural sleep schedule.]

I don't believe we've met. I am Ghaleon.

[bulletofhope]

Ah... my name's Makoto Naegi. Nice to meet you, Ghaleon!

[ Does he shake hands? Naegi's going to offer his hand for a handshake if he does. ]

... what tune was that? It was... really pretty.

[four_quarts]

[As a matter of fact, no, he is not accustomed to shaking hands; he will however, humor the boy with one.]

"Wind's Nocturne." I'm told the song has two sets of lyrics, but I don't believe I've ever heard the supposed second version. It's just as well; I prefer songs of self-discovery to romance.

[bulletofhope]

[ Yay for awkward handshakes? ]

I see... it's a lovely name for such a beautiful song. It's unlike anything I've ever heard before...

[four_quarts]

[What's awkward about shaking hands with a 6'8" monster person?]

I'm hardly surprised. We are from different worlds, although I imagine the song's age helped.

[bulletofhope]

[ . . . good point. :|; ]

How old is it, if you don't mind me asking? I can safely assume it's more than just a few years old, right?

[four_quarts]

Try a thousand.

[bulletofhope]

... w-wow, that long ago?

[ Naegi looks at him in surprise, but his expression soon becomes one of awe as he nods quietly, a small smile forming on his face. ]

And it's survived down to now... it must be a very cherished song if it's survived down to the day...

Though I can understand why. From what I heard of it, it sounds like such a joy to listen to...

[four_quarts]

Music was very important to the people of my world, and very much tied into reverence for the Goddess Althena. The song commonly referred to as "Althena's Hymn" is the only song I know of that is older than Wind's Nocturne, and is so ancient that I may have been the last to remember it had words.

[Now you've done it Naegi. Now he's going to music geek at you until he finally gets tired.

...And Ghaleon may have dated himself a bit there with that last little bit of trivia.]

[bulletofhope]

[ It's okay. Naegi's not going to notice that dating bit just yet, instead focusing on the music discussion himself.

... it's too bad Maizono weren't here with him. He's fairly sure she'd be interested in this discussion. ]

The Wind's Nocturne and Althena's Hymn... they both sound like they'd be very beautiful.

... do you mind if I ask what those words are?

[four_quarts]

For the Nocturne or the Hymn?

[This is important, because one of them is kinda long.]

[bulletofhope]

. . . perhaps the Nocturne, first, since it was the song you were humming earlier.

[ He's quite curious, can you tell? ]

Figured I might as well use the actual scene the song is from.

[four_quarts]

Very well then.

[And because speaking the lyrics of a song simply won't do, Ghaleon gives a proper performance.]

\o/

[bulletofhope]

[ Naegi pauses, closing his eyes to listen and soon finds himself smiling despite himself as he nods. ]

... that's really beautiful.

[ There's a pause as he frowns in thought. ]

... honestly, I feel like I relate to the song in a way, considering our situation.

[four_quarts]

...It's never easy waking up one day to find the world you knew is gone, and in its place is something strange and new.

[Kind of the same difference between the Bastion and being semi-conscious and entirely incorporeal for just shy of a millenia in that respect, he thinks to himself.]

[bulletofhope]

Mm-hmm... it really isn't.

Sure, you can settle in and become used to the things in the new world after a while, but you never really forget, especially if you encounter something that reminds you of what you lose.

[ Naegi sighs quietly, more to himself, as he closed his eyes in thought. ]

... though it's not impossible. It's just... much easier said than done.

[four_quarts]

In my eyes, it's important not to forget. Yes, we must make peace with the past, but forget it entirely? No. To forget is to pretend that those who are gone never existed in the first place; something as a former priest - as a person - I cannot abide by.

[He doesn't mean to look quite so stern, but this is something he considers very important.]

[bulletofhope]

Ghaleon...

[ Naegi looks at him, struck speechless at the strength of his tone as he looks at him with a mild expression of surprise on his face.

... he was definitely right, though. Naegi himself had told Kirigiri that, after the first trial, he'd carry on he memories of his fallen friends. Maizono, Kuwata, Fujisaki, Oowada, Ishimaru, Yamada, Celes... they'd already lost so many, but he'd told her then that he'd never forget. And he intended to keep that promise.

... but now that Ghaleon mentioned it, he was rather troubled by the implications that set in, especially now that things were as they were here in Bastion. The fact that pretty much everyone and everything he knew was gone... was he so numbed to their predicament that their memories were starting to slip away from him now? The thought bothered and terrified him more than he was willing to admit.

He pauses for several moments to let this realization set into his mind before he finally nods in agreement. ]

... yeah. There've been painful things that happened to me before I ended up here that I still feel like I need to reconcile, but... you're right. To forget it ever happened in the first place... it would be a disservice to their memory, right?

[ He pauses in thought as he closes his eyes, frowning. ]

How do you... not forget? What do you do if you feel like you might be starting to forget?