westwhere | I told myself that I was not at all alone

Indeed, though Archeval was apparently in the middle of squinting at another Sa-Hareth tome and scribbling out notes about the language in a corner of the parlor, when Eleven walked in to find him the other young man had stilled his pencil and was already staring straight over El's way. It probably wasn't a surprise to find the Dark Lord keeping late hours.

The question appeared to come as a bit of a surprise to him, though; he gave a blink before his gaze flitted off to one side.

"Ah-- well enough," he murmured. "I imagined you would've seen, but -- suppose you've been busy the last little while, hm?" He didn't exhaustively track Eleven's movements, particularly not with Hendrik around, but he'd certainly noted seeing less of El than he was used to just recently. "I did take careful notes, I assure you. They've-- leafed out, started getting a bit taller--... Even after we vacate this place I think they might have a chance at sticking around."

He looked vaguely awkward somehow as he gave the report -- perhaps even a little bit shy.

"...but. Ah. Hello?" He ran a hand through his bangs as he tried to collect himself, glancing back El's way with a raised brow. "I imagine that surely can't be all you're here for, this late...?"

Edited 2021-06-15 04:08 (UTC)

Eleven wandered closer, head tilting. Archeval rarely sounded anything but utterly sure of himself.

"No," he admitted with a small smile. "Though I'm glad to hear it."

He took the seat opposite Archeval with a quiet sigh. "I don't mean to bother you for long, but I received another forging request this evening." He stifled a yawn; sitting down probably hadn't been his best idea. "A man named Slick said you referred him to me."

"Indeed I did." Arche nudged his book to one side to give El his full attention, his glance a little amused now as he noted that instant tiredness. Well, it wasn't like Eleven hadn't been working hard.

"More specifically -- I told him I wasn't sure if we had spare metal on hand, but you'd be the person to check with. Our bad luck for someone like that to be dragged here without his own weapons," he reflected with a sigh. "One singular blaster rifle would go a long way on this rock, I imagine. Do you think you can provide for him? If not I will see what else I can do, but--..."

Eleven hummed shortly, as though he had any idea what a blaster rifle was.

"Well, I've promised him a knife already. I really don't have much metal to spare after finishing Wei Wuxian's sword today, and the mines are rumored to be more dangerous now, but Five paid me enough for his weapon that I can afford the bit of extra material without too much concern."

He ran a hand over his head. "Ideally, I think Slick would likely be best served with a pair, but.." He shrugged, not quite certain he wanted to voice the underlying concern about coin aloud- at least not when he wished to sleep with relative ease in preparation for another day in the citadel. "Anyway, I was wondering if you'd mind overly much or could spare the time to accompany me tomorrow."

That he was asking in part because it was Archeval that referred the man went largely unsaid.

"Of course I can make the time." Arche nodded in easy acquiescence, glancing over at the nearby book he'd just abandoned for a moment with an irritable sigh.

"I half made you the errand anyhow, and honestly I could use the break from intellectual conundrums for a day or two. Whether this place's language or trying to wrap my head around Mingyu's theory of alternate dimensions." He gave a grimace. "Suppose that's a whole other story, though. But if you think you can scrounge up the material with enough funds, I still have some put away -- I could simply pay for all this? Two knives, you said?" Stars knew that Archeval's own talents and level of scruples were far more suited to simply stealing what he might need from the good people of Sa-Hareth than Eleven's were, so if one of them had to be left running short on credits it really should be Arche.

"It should certainly be a priority to get that one as outfitted as we can manage. The Republic army trains up very effective soldiers." Considering the number of them he'd run through by now, he was quite familiar indeed.

It was an unexpectedly generous offer Eleven found himself sorely tempted to take him up on. One knife would provide decent defense, but two could make him far more effective- a proper threat to the undead.

"You're familiar with his background?" he asked, surprised. He hadn't asked many questions of the man himself- he'd known enough. Another refugee in need of supplies with passing familiarity to two people he was already well-acquainted with.

"Is he from your- well..." he waved a hand, blanking on the correct term. But in Archeval's case, he knew 'world' didn't quite encompass where he was from.

The meaning was clear regardless, but -- still Arche gave a bit of a grimace again as he stopped to stroke his chin a little.

"He..... might be? We haven't figured out the whole story yet. We're just almost speaking the same language, but his dialect is wildly different from mine-- not unheard of out in the wide galaxy, but it usually doesn't happen to quite this extent... and some of the most very basic facts like the galactic calendar seem to be different where he comes from. It's perplexing to say the least." He threw up his hands for a moment with another sigh.

"I won't bore you with further little details, but suffice to say he seems to come from almost the galaxy I'm familiar with, just a meter to the left. I admit, it's been hard to know how to take this development. Did you ever notice any such -- odd discrepancies when speaking with Hendrik...?"

It was a confusion he understood the ring of, if not the specifics.

"Yes," he breathed, straightening, attention successfully diverted from the original matter at hand. "At first, I thought there must be something wrong with my memory- maybe due to the Void.. He's experienced things I haven't, though he said I was there for them. I still don't understand it- how or why it's happened- but in our case at least, it's time. He's from a future I haven't experienced yet."

Which, said aloud, sounded far more ridiculous than his understanding of it.

Arche apparently didn't find it ridiculous at all, though -- quite to the contrary, the idea seemed to ring a bell with him, as his eyes narrowed with a look of recognition.

"...hm. Is that the commonality? Mingyu and Fox described something quite similar to me -- that one was from their past and one from their future..."

He reached up to scratch his head again with an irritable sigh, grimacing.

"And here I had really hoped this whole thing was simply a matter of managing to fire a few transmissions offworld to get a ship to come pick us up. If we are all of us truly from different points in spacetime, then that takes us back to only one known method for getting out of here."

He crossed his arms as he sat back for a moment then, though, the annoyed look giving way to another thoughtful hum.

"...a future you haven't experienced yet, hm. Suppose Sergeant Slick might well be the same, or... even that I might be from his future?... What a mess."

Eleven nodded, keenly feeling Archeval's weariness with the idea. It was yet another phenomenon they had little control over, and was yet shrouded in unfathomable mystery.

He turned a curious look on the man, fingers tapping idly along the arm of the chair. What were the chances? But he may as well ask.

"In Erdrea," he volunteered, "There are small, white spirits called Tockles that safeguard the flow of time- history, in other words. I haven't seen any of them so long as we've been here, but I wonder if there's anything similar in your.. galaxy?"

"...spirits that control time?" Arche scratched his head a little again, frowning with a faintly perplexed look.

"Can't say I have heard tell of the like, no. If you'd asked me whether time travel was even possible before first coming here, I would've said probably not. The Force is capable of astonishing, even godlike feats in the right hands, but -- even the most powerful Sith sorcerer in the galaxy can't change the flow of time, so far as I'm aware. At least, if he can then I'm astonished as to why he hasn't simply gone back in time to murder several of us at birth. Would be well within the man's wheelhouse," he reflected wryly.

"...the strange discrepancies between everyone's stories only continue to grow, it seems. Suppose I owe Mingyu an apology for dismissing his theory out of hand. Ah, he's going to be insufferable." Arche shook his head with an irritable grimace and a long-suffering...perhaps faintly fond sort of sigh.

"Safeguard time," he clarified, but elected not to get into the rest. If Archeval hadn't heard of them before, then it was further Luminary Business that was tiring to contemplate let alone explain given his own partial understanding. As it stood, his various theories about them in relation to their arrival here held little water.

Eleven huffed an amused breath. He hadn't spent much time speaking with Mingyu himself, but it seemed Archeval was familiar with him. "It doesn't feel like anything makes much sense."

He shrugged. "I can only guess Unhalad didn't have a great deal of precision when it came to summoning us to this world if he wanted us for our strength."

Arche gave another expansive sigh.

"I really do hate unanswered questions, and it feels like we add five more around here every week." He shook his head as he turned another wry look in Eleven's direction.

"Before I let my tongue get away from me on some sort of rant, though--... Was that all? If we have someplace to be then I suppose I should probably pack up for the night."

Was that all? Eleven blinked back at Archeval, abruptly feeling as though he was forgetting something. But the man had already agreed to accompany him as he'd asked..

"No," he said after a moment, "I believe that was all."

Eleven shifted up and out of his seat, but lingered a moment.

"Aside from... all of that," he gestured with a vague wave, "You're all right?"

Edited 2021-06-16 02:12 (UTC)

For a moment, that just garnered a noncomprehending blink from the Sith, Arche glancing down at himself with mild confusion at the unexpected question.

"Do I... look ill or something? I'm feeling decent enough given the circumstances. Why?..." The phrasing seemed quite on-the-nose, but just perhaps Eleven had only meant to ask after how he'd generally been, since stars knew El was given to social niceties like that and they'd both been occupied with other things in recent days that hadn't provided much opportunity for chatting. Ever since -- the day of the execution, as a matter of fact.

"I'd sooner turn the question around on you, if I'm honest," he said back in a murmur, with one raised brow as he shifted to lean his cheek against the back of his hand.

Edited 2021-06-16 02:35 (UTC)

Nerves spread rapidly through his stomach, not quite anticipating the turnaround. Maybe it was his own uncertainties bleeding through that led him to ask after the man. He did look well enough, after all- it was only something niggling beneath the surface that pressed him to make sure.

I'm okay, would be that terribly prevalent lie he couldn't stop telling himself or others, and Archeval at least, didn't deserve them. He drew in a halting breath.

"I guess.. we never did get to talk, before the meeting. I worry about the group splitting up." And Goddess-damned Winnie and her utterly baseless accusation that not one person would care, like she knew anything about him or his connections here.

He rubbed a hand over his face and shook his head. He'd planned not to talk about this tonight, but now it was out there. He dropped the arm with a sigh. "..Does it seem likely to you?"

Arche crossed his arms at that with a thoughtful hum as he gave the question serious thought for a second. He'd stayed quiet through most of the meeting, content to sort through the intelligence others had presented and not hearing any suggestions so outrageous they'd needed to be stepped on. He was a bit surprised Eleven hadn't approached him then, but he'd slipped out early enough perhaps there just hadn't been time.

"Well, it's not impossible. I myself have considered breaking off before if the other beings here couldn't seem to prove amenable to reason at all. But I think if such a thing were to happen it would surely be a couple or a handful going their own way, perhaps finding a little success or -- just as likely realizing how few allies and resources we all truly have here." He raised his brows at El again with a wry look.

"I suspect most of this group is united for one reason and one reason alone -- that we mutually realize our best resource is one another. For as long as that remains the same, it will be in the best interest of the majority to stick together, even if they must make some uncomfortable compromises to do so. There are quite a few strong personalities in this group, some more annoying than others," he said with a little snort, "but contention and arguments are natural in building any kind of coalition." He spread his hands in a shrug just then as a faintly amused look passed over his face.

"At least no one's tried to kill anybody else yet. By Sith standards, that is a rousing success."

Eleven tried not to smile. It wasn't funny, really, but it was just enough levity to prevent the worst of his worries. That amusement slowly faded as he thought over the rest of what he'd said.

"Uncomfortable compromises," he repeated, eyes lowering. His fingers trailed along the edge of the desk, then pressed with intent as his voice grew impassioned.

"I can't- we can't, with Unhalad. We can't." As though he needed to convince Archeval. "If it came to that, I... I really don't think I could go along with it."

"I don't expect that is really in any danger of happening," Arche shrugged back. There was a hard glint in his eye as he spoke the words.

"I have not noticed anyone that eager to shack up with the one who planned to make a meal out of all of us in the first place. And in my personal opinion, the practicalities of pretending to do so in order to double-cross him are quite beyond this group. Political backstabbing requires subtlety, discretion, and a good knowledgeable read on the surrounding situation. We have, for the most part, none of those things," he observed with another wry glance.

"There's no real reason to even consider it. If even one person drops the ball in a game like that, then the deception is revealed for all of us, and in a group this large someone is going to have a moment of butterfingers. I imagine anyone who takes a moment to think about it would come to this realization sooner or later. It's a tactic that could work well for integrating a lone operative, not so much a large motley group of untrained half civilians."

Perhaps it would perturb Eleven to hear the other man object mainly on logistical grounds, but then they'd spent enough time around one another by now for El to know something of what Arche was like. The Sith looked fairly calm about the whole idea, apparently confident that their little group was going to come to the right decision on this in the end.

"I truly think there is nothing to worry about. Majority rule, in this specific case, will lead us to the outcome we all agree upon -- that no one here wants to be friend to our kidnapper."

Eleven's brush of temper waned, the suffusion of cool logic steadily settling his heart rate. It was a stupid idea, he known it was a stupid idea, and Archeval had a bulleted list of pointed reasons why beyond even the potential risk factor.

He breathed, straightening, and withdrew his hand. "That's good to know."

And it was. He could trust that Archeval would be prepared to shoot down any such notions with far more effectiveness than he could manage himself. There would be no ill-conceived alliance with Unhalad. They would be fine.

"Thank you."

Archeval gave another blink, looking a little surprised once again by the gratitude. He cocked his head slightly at Eleven and paused a moment to simply take El in again before he spoke.

"...You're welcome," he said slowly at last.

"Though I don't know if it needs a thanks. Those are simply the facts of the situation. Perhaps you should be getting to bed soon?..." He frowned as he reached over to start gathering up his things.

"Not that I'm running you off if you still had some question, but you seem more fatigued than I'd expect, and I don't relish having to play nursemaid again because you were pushing yourself too hard." He gave a little sniff as he pointedly met El's eyes again. Arche did not, as a rule, seem to express concern for others out loud very often, so perhaps El could take the familiar line of grousing in the spirit that it was intended.

Edited 2021-06-16 04:45 (UTC)

They were friends; that hadn't changed. They still stood on the same side. The tension in Eleven's shoulders eased. He yet had a number of allies. There was plenty of strength in that. He could take heart even Archeval's thinly-cloaked concern.

His smile shone softer now, more genuine.

"That was months ago," he returned lightly, stepping back. "But I suppose I never truly promised otherwise. I'll take my leave then- if only to avoid your bedside manner."

He turned away just before his expression broke into a grin, though Archeval had surely seen it waver. He stifled a laugh even as his voice bled amusement.

"Good night."

"You think I haven't seen you around here? I'm fully confident in your ability to get in over your head a second time even with someone right on your heels at all hours." The dryly humorous drawl followed El across the room as he turned to go, Arche shaking his head at the other's retreating back.

"Until the morning then."

Edited 2021-06-16 05:25 (UTC)

I told myself that I was not at all alone

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