Scene #6956: P:WtWM - Thought and Memory

Owner	Pose
Janine Liberi	The clearing that serves as the assembly point for what was once Die Reisende is well-occupied on this day. At the centre of attention is the kindly on man sitting upon a tree stump. Clad in tarnished golden armor, the upper right quarter of his face has crumbled away to reveal a dark void within his skull. Upon his shoulders are two ravens, and a spear is slung over his back. Also in the clearing are Seigfried and Brynhildr are also here. The massive warrior is sitting on the ground, the horns on his helmet poking through the canopy above. The valkyrie is looming in the darkest shadows, her green eyes glittering dangerously. The White Pig is here also, snoozing contently at the feet of the golden man. Beside the Pig is the Pale Wolf, also sleeping contently. Spriggins Jack, the little hero in forest green is here too, at the old man's side. But that's not the most surprising presence. "What the hell are you two doing here?!" Janine exclaims with a point. For a large, black horseless carriage with blue ropes and curtains occupies the space also. Sitting before it is a balding, long-nosed man with a large grin, a hunched posture, and too-long limbs. Standing at his side is a kindly old woman in a dark blue and black equestrianism outfit. "I was wondering too. I've been seeing them in my dreams," Spriggins Jack says. The long-nosed man only smiles wider and says, "This is an important meeting, dear contractor. We only wished to help mediate it." To everyone else who doesn't know him, he introduces himself. "I am Igor, master of the Velvet Room. And this," he gestures at the old woman. "Is my assistant, Agatha." She offers a polite bow. "Well, if we're doing introductions..." says the old man on the stump before clearing his throat. "I am Wotan. The embodiment of humanity's collective drive to become what they must. Their self-actualization drive, so to speak. As you can see, my appearance reflects how much modern humans care about that." He laughs, and then coughs. "Now, time to get down to it. Before we begin, I'd like to draw a promise from everyone gathered. Swear that violence will not intrude on this meeting between humans and archetypes. I think we can all agree that a bloodbath would spoil matters." He smiles at Janine, who glowers at Seigfried and Brynhildr. The old man nods, and turns to look at them both. "I swear," grumbles the warrior. "I understand. No violence," the valkyrie concedes. Both the Pig and the Wolf mumble assent in their sleep. "I swear I won't kick any butts!" says Spriggins Jack. "Fine, I swear," says Janine, before looking to everyone she brought with her.
Big Boss	There is a man in the clearing. He is an older man, in his late fifties, in a greatcoat and beret, two black gloves on his hands, long-sleeves, and a rifle on his back. A pistol is at his side, and he's currently smoking a cigar. As everyone makes their promises, the commander speaks. "I swear." It's a diplomatic meeting, and Big Boss understands that better than anyone, you're never the first to break truce. Just because he's armed doesn't mean he's going to fight. Especially not with this many powerful forces on the field.
C	Taking in the imagery of the various 'archetypes' around him, Crow hums in curiosity. This was hardly his first foray into the bizarre, but even so, the idea of concepts forming whole beings ... well, it was rather interesting. And topical to /her/ goals, but, that could be shelved for another time. If she wanted to get on his back about not gathering enough information, well, that was for the Crow of the future to deal with. Trapper Crow didn't really have the time to get into uniform before coming here, but he is wearing the coat of his Outer Heaven fatigues over his Thors slacks and button up, tie hung loosely around his neck. Two handguns of a sort could be seen poking out from shoulder holsters. "What, you mean I /can't/ turn this place into a shooting gallery? Bummer. Don't worry, I swear." The white haired, bandanaed teenager leans up against a tree, arms crossed.
William Pauwel	"I swear," William Pauwel says, crossing a sign over his heart. "I think we've all had our fill of blastin' holes in the collective consciousness for at least long enough to have a nice talk. Though--" He looks to the Pale Wolf, his expression twitching into a somewhat tense smile. "Didn't expect to see you here, pardner." Or the guy with the great big nose, for that matter. Or the older woman accompanying him. Though that's entirely because Will has never actually met them before, in all the time he's spent here. Are they more Archetypes? Clearly, Janine is familiar with them. "Nice t' meet you, mister Igor, missus Agatha, mister Wotan. The name's Will, it's a pleasure!" The question then is... What exactly are they here to discuss? There's a sense that something of vital import is going to be revealed here.
Rebecca Chambers	It's a familiar place from familiar times. One that Rebecca is familiar with quite well. And while violence may not be allowed here, the only reason Rebecca has her sidearm holstered is because it's a standard practice for when she's in uniform. She's made sure to conceal her holster to insure that no hostile intention is perceived from her. After everyone is introduced, Rebecca says, "Officer Rebecca Chambers." She gives a brief salute, and when the others swear to remain peaceful, Rebecca comes to attention and raises her right hand before saying, "I do hereby solemnly swear that no violence will intrude on this meeting between humans and archetypes." After doing that, Rebecca gives a glance to Crow which turns into a slight scowl between his comment about a shooting gallery happening here as well as the fact that his handguns are plainly visible, unlike Rebecca who kept her weapon concealed.
Tina Natsumi	"I swear. Ain't in the right state to fight right now, anyway" Tina chimes in with a chipper tone in her voice despite bandages bound around her neck and arm, purposely avoiding looking at Big Boss as she works on figuring out just who it is she's looking at. There's a few familiar faces here in Janine and that one guy she's not looking at, but the rest... There's a lot to process here. Igor's nose is particularly upsetting, but she's doinga decent job at not staring at it too much. Her phone, though... That's always recording. "Name's Tina for anyone that ain't familiar, by the way. So what's the whole... Uh." She gestures around at the gathering of strange figures and Elites. "This here?"
Tohru Adachi	There's a slow clap from the distance as a slightly disheveled man walks into the opening, an annoyed look clearly plastered on his face. While there's no visible weaponry on his suit, it's not hard to guess that he is very much prepared. Or maybe, he isn't, given how aloof he's acting. "Oh, goodie. More embodiment of humans nonsense. How exciting." There's a weird, aggressive bite in Adachi's usually cheery voice, on top of what is clearly sarcasm. His tone quickly changes though, and he's back to his usual cheery and goofy self. " Haha, apologies if I sounded less than thrilled. Aaaaanyway, since I'm here on someone else's terms, I definitely /swear/ I'll refrain from doing anything that might get your boxers in a bunch." The man smiles in assurance. It's a goofy, 'friendly' smile. The one you'd expect from a complete bumbling fool. Or a psychopath. But there's generally a fine line between those two things.
Rean Schwarzer	It's the mirror forest again. After waht happened last time, he was curious about what was going on out here. He'd never had the whole story about what happened with August, Janine, and friends, but maybe this would be a good chance to get a grasp on it. All the ...spirits? Embodiments of humanity? Are all intimidating, but he stands his ground, mostly. His gaze flickers over to Crow in his sort-of Outer Heaven uniform when he inroduces himself as Trapper Crow, and then returns to Wodan and the other Archetypes. "I swear." Rean says, one hand raised. There's still that tiny feeling that someone is going to say something stupid and a fight will break out /anyway,/ but either way things seem stable for now.
Janine Liberi	Wotan smiles that kindly old man smile and nods as everyone promises not to let violence intrude. Igor and Agatha spare a look at Adachi when he swears, but they also promise not to use violence. "Excellent, excellent. Now... let me begin at the beginning. Please everyone, get comfortable, this may get a little long-winded." Wotan claps his hands, and perfectly convenient tree stumps grow from the ground to serve as seats and tables. Upon the table stumps, snacks appear. Some kind of sausage, mugs of mead, and rye bread. "To begin, I shall explain the relationship between we archetypes, before going into how that all matters." He gestures to himself, the Pig, Siegfried, and Brynhildr clears his throat, and begins speaking. "When homo sapien was spreading across the world, they began to think. And because they thought, we all came into being. Perhaps not as we are now, but the templates were there. Courage. Cruelty. Cowardice. And Self-Actualization. We watched early man develop. But I took the first step, and approached them. Under my guidance, I helped them reach that lofty height that I embodied. Under me, they realised their potential, and a true civilisation begin to form. But the others here became jealous, for as I helped them, I became stronger." Siegfried grunts. "I wasn't jealous." Brynhildr cackles from her shady spot. "You were jealous. I just recognised a good thing when I saw it." The Pig just snoozes. "Anyway, they took some other tribes under their wings. Created harsh warrior cultures, crazed cultists, and lowly scavengers respectively. Clashes between our people were inevitable, but mine always came out on top. Brutal Courage and savage Cruelty fell in the face of superior weapons and training, both devised by those who found their calling in such things. The Cowards would attempt to steal things at times, but were foiled by superior defences." The other archetypes look rueful, but Wotan just rambles on like the old man he is. "But one day, they collaborated. Mime-the Pig, to you all-struck my people down with cowardice as the tribes under Siegfried and Brynhildr attacked together. It was a bloodbath. Few of my actualised humans survived. My wrath was terrible. I cursed Mime to bear the form of a pig until the end of time, and impaled the others upon their own weapons. Show them." The two look nervous, until Wotan speaks again. "Show them." Siegfried lifts his chainmail to reveal a massive scar going through his belly to his back, while Brynhildr opens the side of her dress and reveals a similar scar going through one side and out the other. Wotan turns and smiles at everyone again like nothing happens. "After that, we swore to let humanity be and went our separate ways within their collective unconsciousness. Millennia passed between then and now, and I noticed that my form was starting to fade with time. Humans devised material things, and conflated the collection of them with actual achievement. First it was land, then it was food, then it was money, and now we have 'Likes.' Few are the ones who strive to achieve what matters to them, everyone only seeks what their society tells them is important. Steady jobs, not careers that you live and breath. Wealth, not self-satisfaction. Accolades, not self-worth." He still smiles like your grandfather as he says, "That is when I decided that humanity must be wiped out."
Rebecca Chambers	Making herself comfortable at the table, Rebecca nibbles at some sausage and rye bread, but when she sips the mead, she makes a face that indicates it's a bit strong for her. She looks away to avoid coming off as being rude or inconsiderate. After a moment, she shrugs and looks ahead again, intent on listening to what is being said. Normally, she'd smile a little at the brief thing between Siegfried and Brynhildr, but in this case she's not showing the slightest hint of a smile, as she knows this is a very serious matter they're dealing with here. As the story is told, Rebecca leans in closer, trying to take in more and more of the story while trying to process it simultaneously. When she sees the scars on Siegfried and Brynhildr, she winces a little and grits her teeth. "Wow, that looks painful," She comments, looking a little uneasy about that. Rebecca tries to shift back into her normal listening mode and continues listening to what is being said. When Wotan mentions the part about humanity being wiped out, Rebecca's eyes widen and her mouth hangs open a little bit, a mixture of horror and shock going through her mind which leaves her completely at a loss for words.
Big Boss	Big Boss doesn't partake in the food. He's busy smoking. He does take a seat, however, and listens. As Wotan talks about the archetypes, as the two show their scars, even as Wotan says that he will end the human race, the soldier is stonefaced. At the end of it all, when there's an opening to speak, he does so, after a long drag. "I see. When do you plan to begin?" This is not support. It's a simple question - a thoughtful one. "Those here will oppose you. But you must already know that, or you would not have this meeting. So why /did/ you have it? Is it to convince? Or simply a matter of fair play?"
C	Crow chooses not to partake in food or drink, smirking back at Rebecca when he'd noticed her sending an untoward look. However, rather than needling her -- or anyone else for that matter -- he kept his mouth shut for story time. It was funny, how many parallels could be cut between what this Odin was saying and the forgotten history of his own world. A deific figure guiding the primeval people of the world into the cradle of their civilization, only for them to fight and kill one another until their guardians departed for the unknown. At least Adachi wasn't making too much trouble, even if those two weirdos -- Igor and Margaret, he idly recalled -- seemed somewhat familiar with him. Given that Big Boss was asking the questions he'd already been thinking of, he waits for them to be answered before he opens his mouth. And when he does, it's only for an abrasive comment. "What a load of garbage. The ideals that gave you form are fading ... and that's your response? You really are just like humans, aren't you..." After trailing off in his own thought briefly, he resumed. "Well, maybe I shouldn't be so quick to judge, right? After all, our worlds are totally different. For all I know, the humans of your home aren't worth the dirt on my boot. So let's cut to another real question, yeah? Why? Your very essence is tied to humanity. You're not just killing yourself, you're killing every entity like you. Do all of you agree on this? If so, why are you willing to die for it? /I'm/ dying to know."
Tina Natsumi	Tina's not going to say no to free magical snacks. She does have to pause at the mead, though, glancing over at the older members of their group. All two of them, anyway. Neither Big Boss nor Adachi look like the sort to be snitches, at least, and their hosts wouldn't just give them this as a test. She's just overthinking things. "Thank ya kindly. Now... Yeah, I was hopin' to get a better grasp on all this actualization business." She listens intently, wincing at the scars being displayed, and shifting uncomfortably when Wotan goes into the importance (or lack thereof) or material things. Especially when it comes to 'likes'. She's got a lot of those, so of course she'll bristle at that! "You know we're not just gonna kick back and let that happen, so..." She nods towards Big Boss. "Right. I don't think I'd even buy it if you said you wanted to convince us. Plus..." She gestures towards Siegfried, Brynhildr, and the Pig. "Why have them stick arund knowin' that they might not be on your side, either?"
Tohru Adachi	Adachi doesn't partake in sitting down, or the food. He simply stands and listens, occasionally adjusting his tie in boredom every now and then as his eyes Igor and Agatha. When everyone has said their peace though, he clears his throat and prepares to... Laugh. Adachi laughs. it's a genuine, heartfelt laugh that slowly devolves into something less pure. A laugh of agitation, of disgust. The kind of laugh you'd hear from someone in an asylum. He takes a bit to calm down, and when he speaks, he's basically dropped all pretenses of wearing his usual goofy persona. "What is it with Gods deciding what to do with humanity? Like we even wanted your damn help to begin with. But I'll give you credit, society is shit. An awful cesspit where normal people have to struggle day to day to make ends meet, while those born with talent and money just coast by through life. There's no fairness, no real justice. We'd be better just wiping the slate clean..." There's a pause as Adachi seems to be agreeing with Wotan. He takes the moment to collect himself yet again, his voice becoming more whimsical once more. "But I don't think humans need the likes of your types deciding where and when we die. We're perfectly capable of wiping ourselves out without your divine intervention. You dig?"
William Pauwel	Free food is not something that Will is in the habit of ignoring, especially when it's definitely not going to kill him. He briefly wonders whether or not eating food conjured in the collective unconsciousness is actually going to do anything to fill him, but soon shrugs and decides that it's probably immaterial. Even if it doesn't fill his belly, this stuff is almost certainly... brain food. One way or another, the fact that his mouth is full of mead and sausage plays a considerable role in keeping Will from interjecting in the middle of Odin's myriad revelations. The shifting expressions on his face tell a complete enough narrative of his internal monologue anyway: Shock, distress, then eventually resolve. Will swallows, and in the process of making sure he doesn't choke to death, Crow and the Boss ask poignant enough questions as-is. "Just 'cause people aren't living like you think they should... Doesn't seems like a decent reason to just up and wipe them all out. I'm not sure what the point of it all is, either-- seems to just be... You know, a waste? Like spittin' on everything what's come before just 'cause the present state isn't one that appeals to you." Something else is bothering him, though. Something that's been on his mind for a while. "This whole thing, though, all this fightin' and Persona-summonin' and having us go through the rigamarole of the Woodsman and the Wolf and the Black Queen... What's been the point of it all, if you were just going to wipe all of humanity out anyway?"
Rean Schwarzer	Rean sits down at the table, and takes a bite of some sausage as the story goes on. All of them gave different things to humanity- or rather, humanity gaining those things created them. And Self-actualization, or reaching one's full potenial, was something that he at least sort of believed was possible, even if there were a lot of obstacles in the way, or things to distract from the path, as noted. So when 'wiping out all of humanity' comes up, Rean stands up, slamming his hands on the table. "What?!" That definitely consituted 'something stupid,' but even with the brief moment of cynicism, that's definitely beyond what he was expected. He looks over at Crow and nods. "Right. Wouldn't destroying humanity just remove your power even further? You'd just vanish completely, instead of it waning."
Janine Liberi	"It is," Siegfried says to Rebecca. Not was. Is. "Oh, it is already in motion," Wotan says to Big Boss. "Plan A fell through thanks to the effort of her and hers," He nods to Janine here. "So plan B it is." Crow and Adachi interrupt, one refuting Wotan, and the other agreeing in some ways. The old man just smiles kindly and replies to them. "Of course we are alike humans, we are formed from them. And it is a gamble; either humanity dies and we die, or some drag themselves up from the ashes and rebuild. They actualise. But if they cannot, I would prefer a quick death over wasting away over more centuries. Have you ever had to watch yourself flake away, piece by piece, Crow Armbrust? It is far from a pleasant and happy experience." Adachi agrees, something that widens the smile on the old man's face. "You are right, they are already racing towards self-destruction. I don't think my interference will count for much. I will perhaps save us a couple of centuries of time." He smiles at Tina, and everyone else who says that they will stand against him. "Oh, I expect as much. Converting some of you to my cause would be a blessing, but my realistic hope is that I can convince you all to let me do it. August was my biggest concern, but he has taken his family and fled. That is exactly what I hope for." A nod to Will. "Allow me to explain how it all went. My Plan A involved convincing Brynhildr to act in my stead. I framed it as a way for her to get one on Siegfried. They never liked each other." Right now, it looks more like the two don't like Wotan even more. My strength is waned, so I opted to reserve it, just in case. By unleashing Changelings-twisted mirrors of real humans-upon the world, I aimed to infiltrate the upper echelons of society. From there, they would work on causing a systematic downfall of society. It would be precise and measured, giving humans the best possible chance of rising up once more, taking their lives and society back into their own hands." He sighs, and shakes his head. "Little did I know that they would do just that, but not in the way I expected. Siegfried, believing this to be entirely Brynhildr's plot, sought the help of humans to seek her out while he contended with the Wolf. He drew in humans, and granted them the power of Persona. And with their Persona, they derailed the plain entirely. By casting the concealed Brymhildr off the Black Throne, their connection to her was severed. They are now rogue agents, acting entirely on instinct. Plan A failed..." Wotan folds his hands under his chin. "So now I must revert to plan B. Tell me everyone; what do you think happens to forgotten things? This Forest is the unconsciousness of humanity. So what happens when something is entirely forgotten by them?"
Rebecca Chambers	Even though Siegfried confirms that the scar still hurts, Rebecca doesn't react at all. She's too busy listening in on what is going on here, disbelieving that they actually plan to eliminate all of humanity. Not only because it's too extreme for words, but also because Rebecca's heard that claim many times and how it's failed so hard. After a few moments, Rebecca mentally slaps herself to get herself focused again. She knows she has to stay calm and keep her eyes and ears open on everything. Initially, Rebecca can't think of anything to say until Wotan asks the question about forgotten things. She wants to respond about the part of heading towards self-destruction, but decides to keep quiet on that topic for fear of possibly opening something far worse than, say, a can of worms (for want of a better term.) Instead, she simply responds as best as she can by saying "To be honest, I never thought something could be completely forgotten. Sometimes, things come to us when we're not expecting it, and sometimes we can remember things if we try." Rebecca pauses for a moment as her medical expertise kicks in again, and she bites her lip as something comes to her. After a moment of contemplation, Rebecca then adds, "Yes, it's true that as we get older, sometimes we tend to lose our memory. But I believed that was something completely different from actually 'forgetting' about someone or something. I mean, yes, it's true that things can be forgotten but I didn't think it was possible to forget something entirely?" The last sentence is said with a bit of uncertainty as if Rebecca is trying to delude herself into thinking that this can't be possible while at the same time feeling like she's not quite grasping the situation entirely.
Big Boss	Big Boss listens to the explanation, to the reasoning, to the motive, to the method. It's all thought out. This isn't random destruction. Wotan knows what he's doing. But it's unacceptable. "I refuse to stand passive. The calculus doesn't add up. There is no gain - nothing is nothing. There is everything to lose - valuable resources, allies, creative works." Big Boss stamps out his cigar, a brief look of displeasure on his face as he takes it out of his mouth. "It ceases to exist. If this is the unconsciousness, tell me. Are you going to strike at memory itself?"
Tina Natsumi	While she samples the offered food and drink, Tina has an opportunity to get a better look at Adachi. It's not a trusting look to say the least, but the last thing he says gives her at least some sense of relief. Sort of. "Pretty bleak way of lookin' at it, don't you think?" She still snickers after that, but there's definitely some unease there. Soon after, though, Wotan explains himself again and his first plan. Siegfried and Brynhildr both get deadpan looks from the faux cowgirl, not unlike someone going 'really?' and totally judging the shit out of them while ignoring the likelihood of doing something just as dumb themselves. Tina's not dumb. Really. "When you forget stuff, it gets lost in your head somewhere. Or... Out of your head. But since this is everyone's heads in a sense, I'm guessing..." She clenches her fist, then open it up. "... Poof. So... What. Are you worried people are going to forget about the four of you?" A beat, and then she strokes her chin. "... Or the ideals you embody?"
C	Crow frowns at the use of his full name, raising one hand from his chest to uncomfortably rub the back of his head. That did sound like torture, really, yet ... Ultimately his response to Odin's query regarding memory is a much more simple one, but spoke of a kind of experience. "If humans .. and even the world forget, did it even exist in the first place? It's not death or decay. Something without a past has no anchor. Who can say? But I get the feeling that question was more rhetorical, wasn't it?" Crow goes back to crossing his arms, giving Adachi and Big Boss a look. It seemed they'd all come to a conclusion of some kind, leaving Crow with a look on his face that said, 'it can't be helped'. Pushing off the tree, Crow moved to stand next to Rean.
William Pauwel	Will listens for as long as Wotan is willing to rant like some kind of halfway-senile grandfatherly type. He looks to Brynhildr and Siegfried when they're mentioned, his brow furrowing thoughtfully. Something here doesn't add up. Something that doesn't quite make sense. "I don't think it's much of a surprise," he says, as the Watch comes to an agreement, "That you ain't going to find us to be a very sympathetic audience." The gunman shrugs as the question of memory comes up. "This is the Collective Unconsciousness. If everyone forgets about something, completely and totally forgets, then it'll probably disappear from here, I'd wager. I wonder if that works the other way around, too? If the unconsciousness is destroyed, then..." Will's hands unfold as if miming an explosion. "One thing I'm really wonderin' about, though, is why you bothered callin' us all here to begin with? Sure. You want us to not stand in your way. Fine. But all y'all had to do for that is to make sure we didn't notice. Do it fast enough, quiet enough, and you might just have gotten away with it. But now you've got a bunch of folks who'll fight tooth and nail now that they know yer face." "I almost think," he finishes, canting his head inquisitively, "That y'all /want/ us to fight you. Pursuit of somethin' that one must, that's what you said you are, right? If it's a matter of life or death, then fightin' for survival- the overwhelmin' drive to become somethin' that can /beat you/- is the strongest self-actualization there can be."
Tohru Adachi	"It ain't bleak kiddo, it's just straight up facts. That said I think our friend here needs to take a moment to use what's left of his head and understand that while I'm agreeing with him, I'm telling him to /get out/." Adachi finally takes a moment to use one of the stump seats that were provided, sitting down as he kicks his feet up on table. It's very blatant that he does not respect Wotan in the slightest, especially when he removes the revolver from his suit. He doesn't point it at anyone though, nor does he even prime it.He just casually spins the chamber as he continues talking. "You keep on going on about your plans, ya know? And honestly, they're pretty boring to the point where I stopped listening part way through. But just know that you smiling like you won me over pisses me off, because if Gods like you ever paid attention, you'd realize I never liked you from the moment I got here. So, consider ol' Adachi as one of the heroes, I guess. Even if it is mostly out of spite."
Janine Liberi	Wotan offers a smile to Rebecca. "You are correct actually. Nothing is ever truly forgotten. It simply ceases to dwell within the Forest." He smirks, and points towards the Pale Wolf's section of the woods. "There is a cave over there. The cave is endlessly dark. Within it, you are cut off from everything. You stand truly, unbelievably alone, removed entirely from the Forest. And should you survive the cave, you come to an empty plain. It is there that forgotten things go. Every single thing forgotten by humanity dwells there." Wotan takes his spear and slams the base of it against the ground. "Plan B is to lead these forgotten things in a Wild Hunt. They will surge through the Forest, every forgotten thing, like a plague. And humans will be driven out of their minds. Some may die instantly. Those that do not will frenzy. Brother will turn on brother, mothers and fathers on their children. Your world leaders will launch their weapons indiscriminately. It will be bloody, savage. The end of humanity, all in one go. This is why it is Plan B. There is no assurance that anyone will survive." He looks to Will now, and nods. "And finally, we reach the reason I invited you all here. Janine Liberi. Tina Natsumi." Wotan stands up, sinks to his knees, and places his forehead to the Forest floor. "I beg of you. Flee this world. Take your families, and any who you deem worthy. Your Persona will shield you from the Wild Hunt, but they will need to be restrained or sedated. And when the Hunt is over, return. Return, and guide what remains. Only the likes of you are worthy to do this." He raises his head, and looks to everyone else. "The rest of you, please guide and support them. Once the Hunt is over, everything left is yours to use. Every resource this world has will be yours to command. Together, I know that you can learn from the past, and bring about a golden age for all. That is why I called you here; to beseech that you do all you can to survive, so you may rule what is left. I do not care what you think of me. You may hate me, despise me. If you wish to kill me, I will let you. I only ask that you allow me to lead the Wild Hunt." Silence dominates the clearing. Igor and Agatha say nothing. Janine says nothing, only stares at the old man kneeling on the dirt before her.
Tina Natsumi	"... Hate to say it, but I think I agree with you and the feller over there." Tina chuckles again, shrugging at Adachi and glancing over at Big Boss for a moment before listening once more to wotan speak. She looks over at the indicated section fo the woods. She listens, and she furrows her brow. "That's... You left out a detail there. What about those that enter the cave and don't survive to see the other side?" She's purposely not answering Wotan's question to her and Janine immediately, the discomfort evident in her expression. "If someone... Or something's forgotten and dies in the cave or gets lost, then what? She stalls further by turning to Janine, pacing around for a good minute before finally speaking up. "Not a bad deal, right? Keepin' our folks and our friends safe, clearing away all the useless junk, becoming leaders of the world... Could be a pretty sweet gig. And our other option would be.. What." She turns back to Wotan. "We fight the... Embodiment of humanity's self-actualization or summat?" Tina inhales slowly, shifting uncomfortably while taking another mug of the mead to chug that down, potential snitches be damned. "... Shit. Why the hell do we have to make this kind of decision?" Tina raises her mug, looking ready to hurl at the ground in anger, but stops herself at the last moment to set it back down. "But no... Yeah, no. Janine's right. She ain't a leader. I ain't a leader. "Havin' support to fix up the world would be a freaking boon, too..." The faux cowgirl adjusts her hat, then takes a seat on the table and smiles. "... I'm afraid I'm gonna have to turn down your offer. I got a whole lotta fans expectin' more of me, and like hell I'm gonna disappoint 'em by getting roped into playing an eye-are-ell game o' Civ for the rest of my life." The smile grows wider. It looks convincingly confident. "Besides, it'd be one hell of a show either way. I ain't gonna deny people that."
Rebecca Chambers	Rebecca is not liking this one bit. The only thing visible from her right now are folded arms and a narrow-eyed scowl. She is pretty angry right now, and she's so angry that she apparently doesn't want to say the wrong thing. She's just staring with a defiant look.
Janine Liberi	Janine is breathing loud, through her nose. The kind of breathing that would usually precede a meltdown, an onslaught of feelings. Her hand grasps the hilt of her sabre as she begins to talk. "I don't fucking get it. I only ever cared about my family. I don't give a shit about the world, especially now. It's all just people who dump you once you're inconvenient and governments that step on you to get what they want. This should be the easiest choice in the world." Her hand leaves her sword to wipe her face. "So why can't I just say 'sure?' I can just say 'I don't want to clean up your mess,' or 'I'll put them to the sword myself, I don't need you to do it.' But it runs deeper than that. I don't..." She sniffs,and wipes her eyes one more time. She stares down at Wotan with a look of fury. "I don't want to let August down. Or my mom or dad, or grandma, or my brothers and sister. A lot of people put a lot of misplaced faith in me. And even though I wish they hadn't, I'm gonna do my best by them. I'm gonna do what I couldn't do last time; I'm gonna save the world." One last long, wet sniff through the nose before she spits on the ground before Wotan's face. "Get stuffed. I don't want to rule the ashes you leave behind."
C	Crow taps his foot as they bicker back and forth. He'd said he'd leave the decision up to those two as well, given that this wasn't even his own world, but ... well, he was getting antsy. The idea that they'd really just roll over and let this happen didn't sit well with him. Of course, it was plain to him that the reason he was making /them/ choose was because he believed they'd be the most likely to concede. Ultimately, though ... Everyone finds the resolve within themsleves to stand against Wotan. "Wow, that was lame. I thought speeches like that were Rean's thing? Well...still, it wasn't so bad." he teases Tina. Adachi, Rean, William, Tina, Janine and himself ... this feeling of soldarity felt nice, though he wouldn't admit it. "This world of humans is immortal, old man. If you think otherwise, well then we're more than happy to prove you wrong." It was a lot of inflammatory bluster. It was the kind of hero talk he usually laughed at others for, but -- just this once...maybe just this one time, he could do it too.
Big Boss	Big Boss stands as Wotan moves to the ground and begins begging. He steps back behind Janine and Tina. He listens. He says nothing. When Janine and Tina make their refusal clear, he finally speaks. "I believe that all but concludes our meeting. You will not convince those like these that easily." Wotan might get the impression, barely, that Big Boss was actually sorta interested in them /agreeing/. But he didn't truly care. "What happens from here?"
William Pauwel	So, that's it. Let the world end, let whoever dies go ahead and die, and then whoever is left can sort out the rest, led by the chosen few who possess the power of Self-Actualization. Will stares at the man with the hollowed-out face, his face frozen in a chilly, dead-eyed stare. "You know what you're asking, right? You're actin' like you're promisin' the world, but what world will be left when you're done with it? Said it yourself, all of humanity's weapons will be launched at random. What the hell will be /left/ to rule!? Self-actualized kings of a hole in the ground, that's the surest thing you're promisin'." "And what about the rest of you?" Will growls, glaring at the assembled Archetypes. He sweeps an arm toward Janine and Tina, who both have made their choice, and in doing so may have inadvertently stoked the fire burning in the scifi cowboy's belly. "Are you going to sit back and watch this happen? Set everything on fire and let the dice sort it out?" He looks to the Archetype of Courage, fixing his stare on that one in particular. "Are you all so scared of one old man?" He says it, knowing full well just how scary one old man can really be. Especially THIS old man. And even so, /even so/ he has to put on a brave face. "I might've come into this whole business partway through," Will tells Tina and Janine, then, "But you've got me to the end. For the both of you, and August too." He clenches a fist tight over his chest, "And... For Panzerkatze, too."
Rebecca Chambers	Watching and waiting carefully to see what Janine has to say, Rebecca still has her arms folded and a scowl on her face. She seems to say the words that Rebecca wanted to say but just couldn't find within her. Once she's finished speaking, Rebecca nods as well. "I'm with her!" Rebecca says angrily as she stands up and steps by Janine. "I won't take part in a situation that allows such destruction to occur!" She widens her eyes briefly at Janine spitting on the ground, before continuing. "Let's just say there could have been a better solution to all of this, but since you all seem intent on allowing such a destructive end..." Rebecca sticks out her right hand with her thumb pointing down at the ground. "Forget it!"
Tohru Adachi	"That's right. Tell em kids. He ain't you. He's just another shitty adult telling you what you should do." Adachi continues to spin the chamber on his gun for a bit, before leveling the barrel at Wotan's face. He primes the hammer and smiles. "Looks like you're better off just being forgotten. Bummer. Well, when you end up in Hell, mind saying 'hello' to that bitch Izanami for me?" He pulls the trigger at the end of his sentence, but nothing fires. Either the gun was never loaded, or he unloaded it at some point during the conversation while nobody was looking. With nothing more to add however, the criminal stands up, adjusting his tie one more time before leaving towards where he initially entered. "Well, I got better things to do than to continue talking with dead men, so I'll leave the rest of the talking to you guys."
Janine Liberi	Wotan stands. He looks disappointed, but not surprised. "A shame. As for what happens now... well, I would make for an awful archetype of self-actualisation if I did not encourage you to reach for your dreams." He looks to Tina, and taps his head. "You asked a good question; what happens to those who lose their way in the cave? Well... they are truly forgotten. So I will pose that to you all as your final challenge; brave the cave, and meet me on the other side. I will wait for you, and bring my full might upon you, along with the Wild Hunt. With any luck, I will succeed, and you will be forced to pick up the pieces of the world anyway." Wotan turns to leave, but for the first time, Igor speaks. "Allfather Wotan, a moment. Would you mind if we took Spriggins Jack under our wing?" The young boy blinks in surprise, as does Wotan. "Oh yes, the young archetype. I have yet to figure out what he represents. Perhaps the likes of you would be more suited. As you like." And with that, Wotan vanishes from sight. Spriggins Jack seems surprised, but takes Agatha's hand as she extends it. Igor smiles that wild smile at everyone. "You have chosen the road that leads to the last stop on this long and winding journey, our contractors. Whether it be for weal or for woe rests entirely on your shoulders." "You are fools," says Siegfried, to everyone, but mainly in response to Will. "Wotan is the mightiest of us. He will crush you into the dirt." "it's what you deserve!" Brynhildr says before dissolving into a mad cackle. The Pale Wolf says nothing, but quietly pads away back between the trees. The Pig is still asleep. "I guess we're going through a cave and fighting another god," Janine says. "Not today. Everyone go home and prepare if you meant what you said just now. Bring your A-game next time."
Tina Natsumi	Crow's teasing gets a more genuine snicker from Tina. "Hey, now. It sounded alright in my head!" That gives her a bit more time to process Janine's response, breathing a sigh of relief at not having to do it alone. There's also some guilt in that sigh, if anyone can even detect that sort of thing. Would it have been easier to take the offer? Perhaps, but it's too late to back out now. Just as well, since even Big Boss is on their side despite her own misigiving about him, and Adachi's visibly threatening Wotan even if his gun proves to be unloaded. William gets an acknowledging smirk and a grin, and then she turns back to Wotan and Igor when he's vocal once again. "Hey, come on. Don't make us reconsider after psyching ourselves up." She chuckles, the anxiety and uncertainty evident on her face once more... Until Brynhildr and Siegfried shit all over them. That gets Tina's defiant face on, and she actually sounds genuine. "Psh.. As if! It'll be a hard fight, but I'll be damned if that ain't gonna a buttload of clips by the time we're through!" Spite is a great motivator. "I'll be ready. And... Thanks, everyone. Me and Janine here might talk a big game, but we're gonna be counting on y'all for the last stretch of this."
Rean Schwarzer	Janine and Tina are given the chance to escape with their family and friends, while their world is consumed by the things that lurked in the dark corners of humanity's lost memories. "...It's your home. I know what I'd say, but..." Rean says. He didn't blame them for considering it. But it didn't seem right, allowing all this destruction to happen. Were it his world in jeopardy, it'd be a sound 'no', perhaps out of some belief that given the proper chance humanity could move forward. But...it wasn't his choice. All he could do if they said yes would be to maybe warn as many people to get off world before the flood came. Or, well fight them into changing their minds, but...Alone, well, he probably wouldn't accomplish much. He grips the edge of the table tightly, not sure where this will go. Luckily though, Janine and Tina decide not to go through with it, deciding to try and stop Wodan instead. Everyone else seems to be on board, too. Rean nods. Guess he didn't need to worry about that after all. "I'm in." Then Crow makes a comment about speeches like Tina made being more 'his thing', and Rean laughs, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. "I wasn't sure if now was a good time..." The Archetypes fade into the distance, and Rean stands up straight, stepping away from the table (if it's still there.) "Right. Let's show him what humanity's made of. It'll be hard, but we should be able to make it through together. We HAVE to." Oh, he did it anyway. Oops.