Haha. So you're basically on house arrest too. I guess I understand it. Even if it is a little frustrating for you, too, I'm sure.
[ workaholic that he knows maxima is, a little. ]
It... means a lot to hear that. I would be a liar to say I wasn't at least a little worried that you might. Not that I'd blame you. [ he was correct, though. His anxieties... burn off a little. ]
There's a particular tea shop I like, up topside. My treat? I'll send along the address.
I'm starting to understand the reason for the insistence. [How to put it into words...] ...People aren't machines. Just because all the pieces are back where they belong doesn't mean everything will function smoothly.
[He keeps forgetting, until someone reminds him. Shockingly, Garlemald never taught anyone about mental health or recuperation after trauma.]
That sounds lovely. I'll meet you there.
[He'll start making his way toward the surface, figuring that Wriothesley will send the address well before he gets to the point where he's actually navigating streets.]
[It's disarming, really, to see the sharp-eyed Duke, this capable and clever warrior, choosing to be surrounded by cats and even letting one of them settle onto his lap. Maxima smiles a little as he makes his way over, although the sad tension hasn't faded from his eyes entirely.]
I don't mind. I...never really had time for pets before coming here.
[He couldn't guarantee when he'd be home, if he'd ever come home. Couldn't guarantee that anything, even as small as a cat, would be safe at his side.
He settles into the chair opposite Wriothesley, and extends a hand for a curious tabby to sniff as it leans toward him from a nearby climbing tree.]
I've heard of places like this, but never made the time to stop in. How charming.
Haha. You too, then? Me either. I always thought keeping pets down in Meropide was cruel, given it's a high-security prison in my world. Not being able to let the creatures out easily would have been cruel. Not to mention it's hard to trust pets around criminals...
[ but that's neither here nor there. He'll offer Maxima a menu as he sits down. ]
I find it easy to relax here. It's quiet and I don't have to interact with many people.
[ ...well. ]
I'm not a very... social person. I believe such came out in a very extreme way during our visit to the Carnival. And I wanted to apologise to you about that. I fear you got it from me quite severely.
Mm. ...And if the government had caught onto the truth of my beliefs and my activities, they wouldn't have stopped at locking me away. Not a situation to bring innocent lives into.
[...Has he actually told Wriothesley what it was he did at home, before the refugee work? He can't remember. He doesn't talk about it much, but it's so much a part of who he is that he takes it for granted, too.
But he'll take the menu and peruse it, offering an understanding smile.]
I won't pretend it didn't sting at the time. I've always taken comfort in like-minded companionship, on the occasions it was available. [Too rarely.] But I understand. I also wasn't handling things at the best of my own capacity, or I'd have remembered not to take it personally.
[ wriothesley is looking the menu over as well--as if he needs to. He already knew what he was going to order before he'd even walked in, but you know. He's feeling a bit anxious, and toying with something with his hands help. ]
...Ah. If there's something worse than having a pet trapped in a place with no natural light. It's leaving a pet alone. I'll admit, more than once, I've gone into the homes of recent convicts to see that their pets get properly rehomed or taken care of while they served their sentence.
[ it was a clause he'd added to the paperwork alongside notated family relations--pets and dependents. fortunately, neuvillette didn't question it at the time. ]
...I am a naturally withdrawn person. I won't lie, I've always had trouble trusting people. Keeping everyone at arm's length is a habit, probably to protect myself.
But the people in Kaisou have been tearing down the walls I've built for years. You're part of that, too. I like your aid in the Fortress. As well as your companionship. Your drive to see things done, your compassion for others.
Last thing I want is to make it seem like it's something I could throw away on a whim.
...You must understand, it's that sort of kindness that makes it so that those near you can't help but want to reciprocate.
[His smile has taken on an edge of rueful perplexity, one eyebrow raised as he tilts his head.]
What you offer others as a matter of course is far above and beyond what any of us would dream to ask for. ...Of course we want to find ways to reach out to you in turn, to learn what you need and offer back that same support.
[The praise has him turning bashfully to fuss with his own menu, grateful in turn to have a reason to break eye contact.]
I'm...unaccustomed to long-term stability. Anything could change, anything could be lost, at a moment's notice, especially things that were gained unlooked-for in the first place. ...I've learned not to rely much on the praise or scorn of others when choosing my course.
In other words, the things I do for the Fortress, I would be doing with or without your approval; but working together makes all of it far easier than otherwise.
[ ....He ... considers Maxima as he communicates his point. It makes sense, of course--people reciprocating kindness is normal. Offering support will always come back with some sort of thanks--but it's always been so Normal for Wriothesley to put his effort into something that he'd expect nothing in return for. It's the fallacy of running a society that doubles as a prison.
But it's not a prison here. The people who lived here were... ....they were all warm, wonderful presences who wanted nothing more than to cultivate community. The Fortress had gone from being that cold space meant to reform those living inside it to a warm and welcoming, flourishing community. People came and went. There were animals and decorations everywhere--facilities that never existed back in Fontaine... ]
You are right about that. The... bit about 'anything being able to change;' there are some days where I expect a secret sect of the Black Order jumping out from inside Yggdrasil to ruin everything for the city.
Long term stability should be something you can get used to, though. I know you're like me. From another world, living here while being completely out of what we're used to, but.
This world is ... a good one. Due to a mishap with Furina a few months ago, I'm not sure if I could ever go home.
But if I'm honest.
I think you're suited to this world. And I'd like you to stay as long as you can. ...As long as you're comfortable.
In many ways, I think I'm more adapted to coming here than most otherworldly transplants. The concept of other worlds isn't wholly new to us, and the particular society I came from is only decades behind this one in terms of technological capacity, rather than centuries. We have trains, radios, automobiles, firearms. And we've encountered more advanced technology left behind by ancient civilizations that fills in some of the gaps: although the internet is new, I understood the basic functions of a computer before arriving, and the concept of linking a network of them wasn't a great leap to make.
[At the mention of staying, he looks uncomfortable. Guilty, even.]
...But this world is much kinder than my home. I...can be comfortable here, yes. I am comfortable here. ...And that's the problem.
The situation I left behind was a tragedy. My own home, the city I grew up in, the whole nation I grew up in, is in ruins after a series of disastrous events. I was helping with the rebuilding.
I can't feel comfortable with being comfortable here, when I remember how many people are still living in the cold with minimal infrastructure.
[ ....what a heavy burden that is. Wriothesley can't imagine it. His own life in Fontaine was certainly that of restructuring and maintaining a system for people who were disadvantaged, sure, but Wriothesley had always been of the mind that his job isn't *so* difficult that anyone could take the wheel after him. (regardless of how untrue that might be.)
But for this man... the way he speaks, the way the weight of what he left behind weighs even on his brow...
He can imagine how it feels to wake up in a strange world knowing that work you'd been doing has gone abandoned without you. A world that needed the help you had to give it after a huge crisis, sure. Fontaine had gone underwater. But the big difference...
But the biggest difference was that Fontaine was prosperous. it would heal because it's people were strong and had resources. It sounded like Maxima's home didn't. A ruins that needed all the help it could get.
And now a big part of that help was here. Trapped in a world that would see him comfortable, warm and cared for. While the thought of his home and its people suffering weigh on him... ]
Your position isn't an enviable one. I think I understand how you're feeling. Before coming here, Fontaine was subject to a flood that devoured the entire nation. ....But.
The difference is. My land has so many resources, recovering won't be a big deal.
You mentioned your city being in ruins.
...
And yet you mention things like advanced technology existing. It... it can be fixed, then? There's a chance for your nation to recover, even if brought to knee by a 'series' of events that left it without anything?
[That question makes his eyes widen a little in surprise. For a moment, he seems thoughtful, and then his brow crinkles again in worry.]
...They will. Even without me there...they are beginning to find their way toward physically rebuilding. Forming the agreements they'll need with the few nations whose people wouldn't revolt over trading with us...
[Which requires more explanation. If he's going to keep being friends with people from Teyvat, someone should tell him about the Fatui one day - it would save him a great deal of time.]
Food resources have always been scarce. There are things we have no hope of growing ourselves, living on the tundra as we do. [He hangs his head slightly, not meeting Wriothesley's eyes.] ...But the decades before our nation's collapse were spent waging a war of conquest against anyone outside our borders that we believed we could best. While a few factions from those former enemy nations were willing to send us help to stem the immediate crisis, in order to prevent it spilling over into their own lands, long-term trade agreements will be controversial with the commonfolk who have lost relatives to our armies, to say the least. So our sources for the things we cannot provide ourselves will be thin and slow to build.
More than that, I...I do fear that in my absence, my people might rebuild as they were before, rather than seeking a newer and more peaceful path.
[ he considers it. He doesn't want to offer the cold and unkind suggestion that they would manage without just one person--because he knows better than that. Just one person can be ALL the difference between the world falling apart and coming together. The Traveller taught him that much, even if he's blind that he was in a similar position.
His fingers touch his chin as Maxima describes the people of his lands. The harsh and unkind tundra. The desperation of a people with a history of conquest and collapse...
It... reminds him of something. (11) He absolutely will be reminded of a certain set of Harbingers, and the nation they stood for. ]
...I'm reminded of the Fatui, from my own world. They hail from Snezhnaya, a frozen tundra, and unkind nation in my world. They act in a way that is received unfavorably by the rest of the world, their acts often causing crises before anything immediately helpful. Their reputation is to seek practical, gainful path at the price of peace, most often times.
...
With a proper guiding hand and people with a heart for peace, they could do good. They've been seen to do good. But most of the time...
I can understand, then. Exactly why you feel you being here is unfavorable, despite its comforts. You could be the hand that tips the scale. And you're painfully aware of it.
[Maxima nods along with the explanation, his expression lifting just slightly in surprised recognition.]
They sound very similar, yes. ...So you do understand.
[Perhaps it's not so strange. There are cultures in this world that seem to mirror ones from Etheirys, why not in other worlds as well?]
There are others who could do the guiding from within, and pressures from without, that I hope can keep them on a better path. ...But few of those who remain have as much authority, or years of experience in arguing for kinder solutions. ...They could be all right without me, but what if they aren't?
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
[ workaholic that he knows maxima is, a little. ]
It... means a lot to hear that. I would be a liar to say I wasn't at least a little worried that you might. Not that I'd blame you. [ he was correct, though. His anxieties... burn off a little. ]
There's a particular tea shop I like, up topside. My treat? I'll send along the address.
no subject
[He keeps forgetting, until someone reminds him. Shockingly, Garlemald never taught anyone about mental health or recuperation after trauma.]
That sounds lovely. I'll meet you there.
[He'll start making his way toward the surface, figuring that Wriothesley will send the address well before he gets to the point where he's actually navigating streets.]
no subject
When Maxima arrives, Wriothesley will already be sitting inside, and he's taking his time with the menu.
There's already a little white cat sitting on one of his thighs, too.
when Maxima enters, wrio will give him a greeting, a wave with two fingers. ]
I should have asked if you'd be fine with a place like this.
I'm a... pretty big fan of animals. I couldn't really keep them, before, in Fontaine.
no subject
I don't mind. I...never really had time for pets before coming here.
[He couldn't guarantee when he'd be home, if he'd ever come home. Couldn't guarantee that anything, even as small as a cat, would be safe at his side.
He settles into the chair opposite Wriothesley, and extends a hand for a curious tabby to sniff as it leans toward him from a nearby climbing tree.]
I've heard of places like this, but never made the time to stop in. How charming.
no subject
[ but that's neither here nor there. He'll offer Maxima a menu as he sits down. ]
I find it easy to relax here. It's quiet and I don't have to interact with many people.
[ ...well. ]
I'm not a very... social person. I believe such came out in a very extreme way during our visit to the Carnival. And I wanted to apologise to you about that. I fear you got it from me quite severely.
no subject
[...Has he actually told Wriothesley what it was he did at home, before the refugee work? He can't remember. He doesn't talk about it much, but it's so much a part of who he is that he takes it for granted, too.
But he'll take the menu and peruse it, offering an understanding smile.]
I won't pretend it didn't sting at the time. I've always taken comfort in like-minded companionship, on the occasions it was available. [Too rarely.] But I understand. I also wasn't handling things at the best of my own capacity, or I'd have remembered not to take it personally.
guess who's stupid and missed notifs this crab
...Ah. If there's something worse than having a pet trapped in a place with no natural light. It's leaving a pet alone.
I'll admit, more than once, I've gone into the homes of recent convicts to see that their pets get properly rehomed or taken care of while they served their sentence.
[ it was a clause he'd added to the paperwork alongside notated family relations--pets and dependents. fortunately, neuvillette didn't question it at the time. ]
...I am a naturally withdrawn person. I won't lie, I've always had trouble trusting people. Keeping everyone at arm's length is a habit, probably to protect myself.
But the people in Kaisou have been tearing down the walls I've built for years. You're part of that, too. I like your aid in the Fortress. As well as your companionship. Your drive to see things done, your compassion for others.
Last thing I want is to make it seem like it's something I could throw away on a whim.
no subject
[His smile has taken on an edge of rueful perplexity, one eyebrow raised as he tilts his head.]
What you offer others as a matter of course is far above and beyond what any of us would dream to ask for. ...Of course we want to find ways to reach out to you in turn, to learn what you need and offer back that same support.
[The praise has him turning bashfully to fuss with his own menu, grateful in turn to have a reason to break eye contact.]
I'm...unaccustomed to long-term stability. Anything could change, anything could be lost, at a moment's notice, especially things that were gained unlooked-for in the first place. ...I've learned not to rely much on the praise or scorn of others when choosing my course.
In other words, the things I do for the Fortress, I would be doing with or without your approval; but working together makes all of it far easier than otherwise.
no subject
But it's not a prison here.
The people who lived here were... ....they were all warm, wonderful presences who wanted nothing more than to cultivate community.
The Fortress had gone from being that cold space meant to reform those living inside it to a warm and welcoming, flourishing community. People came and went. There were animals and decorations everywhere--facilities that never existed back in Fontaine... ]
You are right about that. The... bit about 'anything being able to change;' there are some days where I expect a secret sect of the Black Order jumping out from inside Yggdrasil to ruin everything for the city.
Long term stability should be something you can get used to, though. I know you're like me. From another world, living here while being completely out of what we're used to, but.
This world is ... a good one.
Due to a mishap with Furina a few months ago, I'm not sure if I could ever go home.
But if I'm honest.
I think you're suited to this world. And I'd like you to stay as long as you can. ...As long as you're comfortable.
no subject
[At the mention of staying, he looks uncomfortable. Guilty, even.]
...But this world is much kinder than my home. I...can be comfortable here, yes. I am comfortable here. ...And that's the problem.
The situation I left behind was a tragedy. My own home, the city I grew up in, the whole nation I grew up in, is in ruins after a series of disastrous events. I was helping with the rebuilding.
I can't feel comfortable with being comfortable here, when I remember how many people are still living in the cold with minimal infrastructure.
no subject
But for this man... the way he speaks, the way the weight of what he left behind weighs even on his brow...
He can imagine how it feels to wake up in a strange world knowing that work you'd been doing has gone abandoned without you. A world that needed the help you had to give it after a huge crisis, sure. Fontaine had gone underwater. But the big difference...
But the biggest difference was that Fontaine was prosperous. it would heal because it's people were strong and had resources. It sounded like Maxima's home didn't. A ruins that needed all the help it could get.
And now a big part of that help was here. Trapped in a world that would see him comfortable, warm and cared for. While the thought of his home and its people suffering weigh on him... ]
Your position isn't an enviable one. I think I understand how you're feeling.
Before coming here, Fontaine was subject to a flood that devoured the entire nation. ....But.
The difference is. My land has so many resources, recovering won't be a big deal.
You mentioned your city being in ruins.
...
And yet you mention things like advanced technology existing. It... it can be fixed, then? There's a chance for your nation to recover, even if brought to knee by a 'series' of events that left it without anything?
no subject
...They will. Even without me there...they are beginning to find their way toward physically rebuilding. Forming the agreements they'll need with the few nations whose people wouldn't revolt over trading with us...
[Which requires more explanation. If he's going to keep being friends with people from Teyvat, someone should tell him about the Fatui one day - it would save him a great deal of time.]
Food resources have always been scarce. There are things we have no hope of growing ourselves, living on the tundra as we do. [He hangs his head slightly, not meeting Wriothesley's eyes.] ...But the decades before our nation's collapse were spent waging a war of conquest against anyone outside our borders that we believed we could best. While a few factions from those former enemy nations were willing to send us help to stem the immediate crisis, in order to prevent it spilling over into their own lands, long-term trade agreements will be controversial with the commonfolk who have lost relatives to our armies, to say the least. So our sources for the things we cannot provide ourselves will be thin and slow to build.
More than that, I...I do fear that in my absence, my people might rebuild as they were before, rather than seeking a newer and more peaceful path.
no subject
His fingers touch his chin as Maxima describes the people of his lands. The harsh and unkind tundra. The desperation of a people with a history of conquest and collapse...
It... reminds him of something. (11) He absolutely will be reminded of a certain set of Harbingers, and the nation they stood for. ]
...I'm reminded of the Fatui, from my own world. They hail from Snezhnaya, a frozen tundra, and unkind nation in my world. They act in a way that is received unfavorably by the rest of the world, their acts often causing crises before anything immediately helpful. Their reputation is to seek practical, gainful path at the price of peace, most often times.
...
With a proper guiding hand and people with a heart for peace, they could do good. They've been seen to do good. But most of the time...
I can understand, then. Exactly why you feel you being here is unfavorable, despite its comforts.
You could be the hand that tips the scale. And you're painfully aware of it.
no subject
They sound very similar, yes. ...So you do understand.
[Perhaps it's not so strange. There are cultures in this world that seem to mirror ones from Etheirys, why not in other worlds as well?]
There are others who could do the guiding from within, and pressures from without, that I hope can keep them on a better path. ...But few of those who remain have as much authority, or years of experience in arguing for kinder solutions. ...They could be all right without me, but what if they aren't?