imperious | (no subject)

(no subject)

[let's say this is Emeraldy shenanigans. Peony has arrived in London, although he looks about ten years younger because crazy unspeakable horror aliens have no regard for taking people from the same point in time. This means Peony's not wearing emperor clothes, but snow surfer dude type clothes like when he first arrived in Grand Chokmah. Right now he's looking around a market like a certain other noble kid who was locked up for his own good. Peony is knowledgeable enough not to steal apples though, so he's got that going for him.]

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[Peony gives Jade a look, but doesn't say anything. He notes that Jade used the past tense when talking about Saphir. It reminds Peony once again that this Jade is a foreign element]

Where do you live?

[his interest in fonons is now zero]

Is it with those people I'll eventually meet?

[the paranoia that is part of the city isn't helping Peony's anxieties about Jade at this moment, and he's almost tempted to take off, but he does his best to play it cool]

It would be irresponsible for me to allow these particular guests to wander off. Their tendency to get into trouble aside. [SIGH, NATALIA AND ION.] I also share the residence with two people from another world. Will and Lion Ushiromiya. [He glances at Peony.] If you want to run off, you're free to do so. The atmosphere has psychological effects, an ambient madness that takes different forms in every person. It's only natural.

[Jade hesitates. His voice becomes quieter, though not softer. It's a reserved tone, because he is saying something he doesn't really want to say.] While I'm spared from paranoia and moodswings, even I am afflicted with nightmares. And... at times, it's an effort to remember a very important lesson that I learned.

[And he stops in front of their house, but he waits for Peony.] Well, Your Highness? I'm sure you've been instructed not to follow a monster into its territory.

[Peony still looks unconvinced. He hesitates before following Jade into the house, looking around it curiously but still remaining guarded]

It's weird to think of you willingly living with so many people.

[Military things don't count]

I've changed, Your Highness. Regardless of the wishes of humans, time does not stand still.

[He walks to the kitchen to make them both tea.]

[Peony stares after Jade, startled by how emotionally honest that seemed, before following Jade into the kitchen. He takes a seat at the counter, watching Jade make them tea]

If you keep being so formal and calling me that I'm going to puke.

[it sounds halfhearted, but he's making an attempt to try to get comfortable around this Jade]

I would hate to cause Your Highness any illness.

[He sets a tea cup in front of Peony.] Ask whatever you want. I'll give you the choice whether or not you want to learn about the possible future. Since you know the Score and what it has meant for your own life, I think you understand the potential consequences.

Edited 2012-02-07 04:35 (UTC)

[he looks down at the tea but doesn't drink any yet]

We can't even be sure our two futures are the same. You said it before. Time doesn't stand still and people change. Just by being here right now I'll probably be different than the Peony you knew who didn't come here.

It's certainly a possibility. I can come to no conclusions with any certainty. As I said, You Highness. The choice is yours. [And if it isn't fair to shove that onto a child, Jade doesn't really notice. It isn't a child. It's his walking, talking, obnoxious blond royal conscience. He defers to his judgement by default.]

[this is tempting and weird and he doesn't know what to do, but the temptation is way too much] If it's only a possibility it wouldn't hurt to know a few things.

How about those other people that live here? How will I know them?

One is the Princess of Kimlasca. The other is the Fon Master of the Order of Lorelei. How you came to know them should be self-evident. [There's a slight smile as he says it. Jade still hates explaining, so did Peony think he'd actually get much? I HOPE NOT.]

The Princess of Kimlasca? Seriously? Huh, so we actually managed to come to a truce with them.

[either that or they took her prisoner in some capacity, which Peony would rather not think about]

[He sips his tea before prompting Peony.] Would His Highness like his humble servant to outline the possible dangers involved in learning this information before this conversation continues further?

What's with those lines of yours and where the hell is this humble servant you're talking about?

In the future, I come to greatly respect and admire Your Imperial Highness. Why, I devote my every waking hour to your service and dream only of how I can bring you happiness. [♥]

[Future weirdness or not, that kind of dickish retort was just so easy. Jade couldn't pass it up.]

Dude, when you say things like that you sound way too much like Saphir. Now I know what you must feel like after all these years.

[Jade grins a little.] Your Highness has always been so empathetic.

[Then he leans back and folds his arms.] There are a handful of possibilities. One possibility is that you will be returned to your timeline without any memories of this place, in which case there is no issue. Another possibility is that you will never be returned to your world, in which case we have no issue, though it's clear you must be from a timeline that is not my own.

If you are returned with memories, then you will have knowledge of the future, akin to the Score. You will have the choice to follow this knowledge or to turn against it. Following that knowledge is unlikely to cause any ill-effects, though there is a danger in assuming that any prediction of the future is the best possible course. It would likely be safer for you to simply not act on that knowledge, but of course, you can't not know what you know. You would essentially be left with the choice of what to do when given access to the Closed Score.

If you turn against knowledge of the future, then current scientific theory leads to a handful of possibilities. You may create another timeline, in which case there is no problem. Alternately, you may be from a different world than mine, which also presents no problem. If we are from the same timeline, then you changing the future with knowledge I gave you creates a temporal paradox: by changing the world, you have removed from me the knowledge that I have given you to change the world, so I would not have that knowledge, so you would not change the world, so I would have the knowledge, so you would change the world--and so on. To deal with a paradox, the universe or collection of universes may be trapped in the loop. Alternately, they may be destroyed completely as the fabric of time twists past breaking point. A third possibility is for our two existences to be erased entirely, creating a new timeline free of the paradoxical elements.

There are too many conditionals for us to be certain of the situation we have been presented with. There is a small experiment we could try, but the repercussions are uncertain and potentially significant.

[The thing that throws Peony more than the technobabble is the last thing Jade says, the hesitation because of the consequences]

What happened to Saphir?

[because he hasn't gotten past that use of the past tense still, and his mind is jumping to conclusions that he'd rather have made perfectly clear, far less concerned with the consequences at this moment than Jade is]

[Jade's voice becomes slightly more annoyed, because. Well. Dist.] He's alive and in perfect health, if that's what you want to know. He's still tenacious as a cockroach.

That does make sense for that guy. Look at all those times he should've drowned or broken his neck when we were kids. He always managed to come out of it all right.

Man, even death tries to steer clear of him and his runny nose.

[Colonel Killjoy speaks pleasantly and politely.] If you're done reminiscing, it may suit Your Highness to consider the mildly important issues I've lain out before you. Your decision will decide the range and depth of information I'm able to give to you over your time here. However, if you'd like to continue with to focus on trivialities, I wouldn't dream of admonishing the choices of of a highly respected Crown Prince.

Edited 2012-02-07 21:35 (UTC)

[Peony makes a face. Jade isn't supposed to lecture him. He's not even supposed to be older than him. There is a definite imbalance here and it's annoying]

It doesn't suit me. None of this suits me and you're not helping anything.

[frustration means acting like a brat]

[Jade's specialty may not be multiversal physics, but he certainly has more than passing knowledge of dealing with brats. You could say he's got a lot of EXP. So he gives his answer.] My most sincere apologies, Your Highness. How would you like me to serve you?

[Peony stares at Jade, completely unamused. He almost swears at Jade, but doesn't.]

[Peony has always wanted to get out on his own and do things, maybe this is his chance. He doesn't need this old man who says he's Jade. He was fine before he ran into him, he'll be fine without him. ~~Well, he was too busy being confused and wide eyed to really take in his situation, but he's sure he would've been fine.~~]

[Screw this noise.]

[so he gives Jade a dirty look, as he stands up to make his way out of this stupid house and get away from this uncute guy.]

[Jade drinks from his tea and remains where he is. He is far too old to be chasing children across the city.]

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