ataraxion | 1st incision ♠ VIDEO

[ Nigel isn't a luddite in any way, shape or form, though he's never been fond of technology in any strong sense. For a young man who liked to spend his time wrist-deep in the insides of once-living things, far too often technology and all of its trappings struck him as too clinical, too detached. Too bloodless. And so, it's with a fair amount of fiddling that he finally manages to get his communicator to work, choosing the video options after scrolling through one and then the other, weighing the benefits and drawbacks of each.

When the image clicks on, the Network is greeted with a young man in his late teens — strong-jawed and handsome, tidy and in a jacket and tie, his bangs pushed across his forehead in a damp swipe of dark hair. He looks, for all intents and purposes, perfectly harmless. And when he speaks, his voice is surprisingly low and oddly lulling despite the way it seems to lie flat over certain phrases. ]

Hello, Tranquility, [ the young man says simply, revealing himself to be English and with quite good diction. ] I've questions and it seems there are some of you who may provide answers.

So.

Where might I inquire about the dead?

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[ There's the briefest of pauses, before it clicks. ]

You're one of them, aren't you? For all you know, you could be the only one.

[ That smile of Nigel's does not so much as waver though he blinks, his eyelashes flickering, in some sort of silent tell. He would very much like to believe he is, in some way special. Though he'd never admit to it so readily in mixed company. There could be heretics about. ]

It's a possibility, yes. But I'm hardly as self-centered as that. To think that I'm unique in any way.

[ Oh, it's a lie if ever he's told one. ]

Chosen.

[ These two might just be two of a kind. Loki's pretty good at reading signs, so maybe he notices that flicker. But if he does, he doesn't say anything. ]

But you were brought back from the dead. How could you not be?

[ Nigel's used to being dismissed, being ignored and set aside, being kept from the things he knows and does best and — as a result — he's grown up strange. The outlets he's chosen in order to make himself special are by no means good, but delusion goes a long way to convince him otherwise.

That someone would appeal to his ego for once is very strange to him, but Nigel is nothing if not easily manipulated. So long as the hand that wields knows which way to twist the words just so. ]

That way, hubris lies, [ he says, his smile threatening a grin. ]

[ Well Nigel, you're in luck (or not), for there is no better manipulator and word-twister in the Nine Realms than Loki.

And that's exactly what he's doing now. To what end, he's not sure yet; perhaps just his own amusement. ]

Failure to recognize your own importance can be just as toxic as imagining importance where there is none. Do not hesitate to embrace it.

[ It's a situation that Nigel has found himself in once before. His best friend had been a boy named Alex — an unprincipled man, a knave and a rogue, an agent of chaos if ever there was one; and he'd used Nigel for his own amusement, just as much as Nigel had used him for his own validation. Oh, and the mischief they'd made in the process.

So amuse away, Loki. He's used to it. There is a part of him that arguably likes it. ]

And how is one to know the true value of their own importance? Is it self-realized or is it something that can only be earned through the acknowledgement of others?

[ Nigel poses the question, though his town flirts with hypothetical. He knows what his destiny is. And it's great, indeed. ]

No, never wait around for the acknowledgment of others or you will be waiting a lifetime. Others are too foolish, too idiotic to recognize true greatness.

[ Totally still talking about you here, Nigel. Boy. ]

If you are meant for greatness, you will know it. Perhaps one day others may acknowledge it, but remember that they do not decide your importance.

[ Why is he giving so much to this kid he doesn't even know THE WORLD MAY NEVER KNOW but whatever he's doing it. Just try and stop him. You won't. ]

[ For a young man who can come off as wholly detached at times, there is an occasional earnestness that takes hold of his face. What this earnestness looks like is equal parts pride and condescension, desperation and entitlement; it's passion mixed with self-suffocation. It's madness of the most elaborate kind, but madness that requires complicity in order to flourish best. ]

Only through great perseverance can one hope to accomplish great deeds, [ Nigel recites in agreement, the words his own personal mantra. His eyelashes flutter; his voice is oddly distant but yielding. ] Spoken like a true man of vision.

A rarity in the world.

[ It's fascinating, really, being able to see all of that through this little screen. Makes him wish they were face to face in person, but it's safer this way. At least for now. Goading and manipulating at a safe distance, though it is harder without the use of tone and inflection to insinuate his words and plant them in the mind through the ear.

However, he makes do. ]

Ah, but it seems you already had knowledge of these truths. And yet, something appears to hold you back. What is it...?| Fear of others? Fear of yourself?

Edited 2012-01-26 16:47 (UTC)

1st incision ♠ VIDEO

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