goldenglasses | Filtered to Terra 80% Unhackable

No, I don't mind. It is personal, but...at the same time, I would rather have the truth about Kefka be known. We could meet at the fountain and go from there?

Edited 2009-12-29 09:12 (UTC)

I appreciate it; really. I'll be happy to meet you at the fountain. [And he shall!]

Edited 2009-12-29 12:35 (UTC)

[And there she is, moments later! Terra pauses before him and nods.]

Hello.

[Vash smiles rather awkwardly because he's been going over this in his mind... and yet he can't figure out a way to start this without being totally awkward.] I really appreciate you coming to talk to me about this.

[Terra smiles a little in sympathy, though is a little awkward herself. Still, she isn't chickening out.]

You're welcome. Um...did you want to go inside somewhere, perhaps one of the shops? This might take a while and I don't want you to freeze...though I suppose we could just walk, too. Whatever you like.

Inside might be good; I'm still a bit new. So I'm not sure where the best place might be. [Translation: He's not sure where she'd feel most comfortable talking about this.]

[Terra thinks for a moment, forcing herself to make a quick decision so that she doesn't keep him waiting.]

...the bakery. It's very close by.

[With that, she leads the way. Silent for a moment, she glances over.]

What do you know, so far? About him....

[It would help to know where to start.]

[He's quiet for a bit.] Well... basically all I know is that he's a master at illusions and very dangerous. And that... [Trails off for a moment as his jaw tightens.] I don't understand. I just don't understand why he-anyone would kill... [His jaw loosens as he sighs sadly.]

[She nods, downcast.]

I wish that no one here needed to know about him and why he's so dangerous.

[About to say more, Terra pauses and opens the door to the bakery, holding it open for him. And though the prospect of talking about Kefka drains her appetite, she orders hot cider since at least it's warm. She waits to see if he wants anything before taking a seat.]

I'll tell you what I know and have seen, and maybe when I'm done you'll see why I can't be objective about him. I know too much....

[He'll order hot cider as well. Hot seems like a good idea. For a second he almost orders a donut as well but changes his mind as he just has no appeite. Not even for donuts.] I understand. [He sighs] Thank you again.

[She takes a sip of the cider, lacing her fingers around the cup and staring into for a moment before forcing her gaze to meet his.]

Magic had been lost to my world for a thousand years, ever since a terrible war between three goddesses ended. During this war, any human caught in the magic they unleashed was transformed into an Esper, a being of magic. After this war, the goddesses asked the Espers to seal them inside stone statues and in return, the statues created a special land for the Espers, so that they could live away from humans that might want to exploit them.

[There's an attempt to keep her voice neutral as she speaks about what happens to the Espers next, though sorrow and fury cause it to tremble here and there. Those slips in composure never last for more than a brief moment, as she has prepared herself to talk about this.]

The Gestahlian Empire was bent on world conquest and to that end, they sought more sources of power, especially this lost magic. They found it when they breached the Land of the Espers, capturing many before the Espers on the other side of the gate sealed it away again. The Empire began to experiment on the Espers they captured--slowly and torturously draining them of their life force and infusing it into humans. Through this, the enhanced humans could gain magic.

Kefka was the first experiment. He was a member of the military, and volunteered for the process as soon as it was available. However, the infusion process was imperfect. Though it gave him power, it slowly drained his sanity and any semblance of conscience that he might have had--but I'm told there wasn't much to begin with. He was given the title of Court Mage and with his newfound power, he furthered both his and the Emperor's ambitions.

[She pauses to let that sink in, though there's obviously more to come.]

Edited 2009-12-31 20:41 (UTC)

[He sits quietly. Hand clenching tightly around his glass at the mention of draining the espers life force; but he doesn't interrupt. He also doesn't like where this is going so far but he nods for her to continue.]

(ooc: Oh! And mun has played FF6 so don't worry about spoilers and if you wish to shorten things. I should have mentioned that sooner... but something about replying to tags first thing in the morning before work and right after work left my brain a little dead.)

[ooc: Thanks, that's good to know! Sorry about the brain deadness, but no problem on my end. It's all good. :)]

[Her next words are extremely reluctantly given, but she knows the full story is important. There's no point in telling Vash about Kefka if she can't give him as much relevant information as possible.]

Kefka's cruel deeds in the name of the Empire were many, but I'll tell you about those that I know. He built a device called the Slave Crown...which is exactly what it sounds like. He controlled my mind with it for a time, making me his weapon. Its power was such that upon removal, I had no memories at first. Even now, there's a lot I don't remember.

[And that's the first time she's voluntarily mentioned it to anyone, complete with awkward pause and staring at the cider as though it were the most fascinating thing in the world. Anyway, moving along....]

At one point, Kefka destroyed an entire kingdom by poisoning their water supply, after General Leo refused to use this tactic. He collaborated with the Emperor in a ruse, making supposed overtures of peace to the Espers, only to lure them out of hiding and kill them, absorbing their powers. When General Leo protested, Kefka tricked him through use of his illusions and killed him.

Unfortunately for Emperor Gesthal, Kefka's greed for power exceeded whatever loyalty to the Empire he might have had. Kefka eventually turned against even the Emperor and killed him, during that time also moving the statues out of alignment, destroying the balance and provoking a world-wide catastrophe. Thanks to this, the world's topography drastically changed and many lives were ended. He absorbed the statues' power, becoming akin to a god himself. I don't know much about after that point, because I'm from a point in time when that just happened.

Edited 2010-01-01 00:58 (UTC)

[If Vash squeezes his glass any harder it would shatter. He waits for you to finish but he can’t hold his tongue any longer than that.] A whole kingdom? All those people… he’s really killed that many? But for what? Why!? What purpose does killing have!? [What should I do Rem? How do I stop someone who has apparently gone mad?]

[Terra shakes her head slowly, meeting his gaze again. She wishes she didn't know Kefka's mindset or have to explain it to someone, but....]

For Kefka, any actual purpose is secondary to the joy of destruction. If he can serve the Empire -or later, himself- with it, then all the better, but in the end, he does it simply because he can. This is why he's so dangerous; there's nothing he values more than suffering, so negotiating with him is impossible. Even if he makes a pretense of otherwise, it's just a ruse to back-stab someone, like he did with General Leo and the Espers.

Appealing to reason doesn't work, either. He lost his sanity a long time ago, after all. If his doom was imminent, I'm sure he would be happy to take everyone down with him rather than do something that would benefit us.

Just… for the joy… [He takes a long slow breath. Just thinking about that makes him sick. He’s going to take a minute or two to try and settle himself.] He is a dangerous man. I really appreciate you talking to me about him. [A pause] Does he have any weaknesses?

[There's a sympathetic look, as she well understands his disgust. She thinks a moment, then gives a cautious nod.]

His strengths are heavily weighted in magic, and so he isn't as skilled physically. If you can get past his illusions and other safeguards, it might be possible to harm him. Might. If you have some way of absorbing magic, even better. Since he's from the period of time past where he gained power from the statues, it's better to assume that there's no guaranteed method of destroying him. Otherwise, the other Returners and I would have done so already.

I understand. Don't worry - I have no intentions about going after him myself. [A pause as he debates how much he feels he has the right to share.] But he's been talking to a friend of mine... and if he tries something - I'd rather be informed.

[Terra looks alarmed at that.]

You friend is better off cutting off all contact. Kefka doesn't have it in him to befriend anyone. If he's being friendly for any reason, it's because he wants something. The moment he gets what he wants...well, you now know his record. People don't have long lifespans around him, and I doubt this will change.

She knows. I think for now she's being cordial just because it would be better to play along than to upset him.

Edited 2010-01-01 12:26 (UTC)

...that's a good point, as long as she's careful about what she says to him. Anything to do with magic or gaining more power here is bound to get his interest.

If you still need more information on Kefka, Locke could tell you more. He is from a later time than mine, so he's had more familiarity with what Kefka can possibly do now. I can ask him, but I'm pretty sure he wouldn't mind sharing information. Kefka isn't our favorite topic, but...we know that the more people who know about him and his deeds before arriving, the better.

As far as I know she’s being real careful with him and any information about possible weaknesses and things to watch out for will always be helpful. I really appreciate you talking to me about all this. I’m sure it will help.

[There's a warm smile in response.]

Then it's worthwhile. I don't like to talk about the past -for obvious reasons- but it's more important that people know about him. If any or all of that story will help convince someone, then by all means, please share it.

Then I may share it with my friend.

And if possible we should get together sometime and talk about nice things.

Yes, that's fine.

[She nods to that last part, a little shy but warming up to that idea. Vash seems nice, after all.]

I like that idea, very much. Are there places in town you visit often? Maybe we'll run into each other, too.

Actually; this is one of my favorite spots! They have great donuts here!

Filtered to Terra 80% Unhackable

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