[He'd almost suspected that she wouldn't know, but it's odd to realize that. How couldn't she know? Everyone does by now - even the people on Paradis, but this woman isn't from Paradis. Idly, he wonders if she might be from an entirely different universe...]
[Why wouldn’t they? Thought dismissed with a forceful blink. She’s not eager to slide the answer across the figurative table, either—but there’s no godforesaken point in lying.]
I’m the Commander of a growing city. Piltover. [A beat.] “City of Progress.”
[There’s some dryness to the quote, but her thoughts are churning elsewhere. Conceivably, any nation in Runeterra might take a political prisoner—yet nowhere, to Caitlyn’s awareness, with anyone called Eldians. If the man doesn’t recognize the name she’s offered, either, then…]
[He doesn't, but his face doesn't betray the same surprise and confusion that Caitlyn's did. He wouldn't know the name of some random city...
[He doesn't look disengaged, though. His brow is pinched, lips tugging slightly like he might snarl, though he doesn't. His right hand curls on his wrist.]
That's our commonality, then.
[No, he's not a Commander by name, but he thinks he ranks as a significant enough political prisoner that he can simplify things a bit.]
[Impression revised. He never did answer her last question....]
There may be others.
[Caitlyn has been stiff throughout this talk, but she straightens especially now. It’s a more even, still stern but less aggressive regard—soldier to soldier.] There must be more to this than sand.
[If it has anything to do with those paths - the ones his father wrote about, and the ones he saw when he kissed Historia - then, as far as Eren understands it, Caitlyn would have to be Eldian. That still isn't impossible, but there exists a clear disconnect. They need to figure out how deep it runs...]
Let me ask you something.
How likely do you think it is you and I are from the same place?
You didn't know that word - Eldian. That's strange.
You don’t know Piltover. [Neutral statement, not an accusation.]
In the past several years, the hexgates put us on the map. We’re [were.] a global center for trade and commerce. [It does sound rehearsed. There’s no real enthusiasm in it.]
It’s unlikely that you’ve never heard of us, even in passing.
[There's a long silence. Eren assumes they're both using it to try and come up with some idea of just what the hell is going on. Eventually, he shakes his head.]
I've heard of reality being manipulated where I come from, but not like this.
You have? [More a subdued exclamation than a question, surprised. Now this is progress.
[She lifts a hand, as if taking an invisible piece of evidence and pinching it in her forefingers. Focus sharpens, but not on the man.] [some number which canon leaves ambiguous] months ago, the creator of the hexgates and a member of our Council went missing. Every effort to find them has turned up completely—
[Eyes back to him. Not an accusation—a potential connection.] —blank.
Not to… impose more demands, [and she does manage to make that not sound dry,] but if you share more about how your reality’s been manipulated, we might be able to get somewhere.
[Eren sees the respect he shows her. It goes a long way, and he's able to relax his shoulders just a bit; at his side, his right hand jerks on the wrist, popping the joint, then stills.]
I'm sorry. I don't know much more than that.
[He's heard of the paths which are said to connect all Eldian souls. He knows that, eventually, he'll use the Founding Titan's power to manipulate Eldians through those paths, but...on the one hand, there's no way he can tell her any of that, and on the other, he still doesn't actually know how it all works...
[He has to give her something. Not because he owes some stranger his allegiance, but because they're two prisoners trapped in the same cell. He looks at Caitlyn.]
That power I mentioned - the one that the royal bloodline possesses. Some say that it can displace the souls of a certain race - Eldians. They're brought somewhere else. It exists outside of time. It isn't part of the world we know. But...
[Caitlyn is quiet for a moment, watching that hand jerk, shifting focus past him. To have one’s soul displaced on someone else’s whim—
[It’s impossible as being trapped in empty sands with a stranger.
[When she does speak, it’s slow, careful; the question deserves a weight that the reality Caitlyn knows can’t give. In the wrong mouth, it’s a condemnation. Ironic that, in this space, the Kiramman is left trying her damndest to convey otherwise.]
[Eren nods. He might not have been eager to reveal so at first, but it's something he doubts he'd be able to hide for long. Aside from that, he really does believe that Caitlyn doesn't know what an Eldian is. If that's true, she can't hate them...]
That's right. It's why I asked you too. If we were both Eldian, at least we'd have the connection to that power to blame...
[Alright. Then it’s another dead end—but eliminating false leads is still getting somewhere. Caitlyn nods, accepting his answer. It can’t be a comfort; a potential displacement inherent to his blood, and now this…]
I think we should move. [An offer, not a command.] There may be something identifiable out here.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
pantheraliam) wrote2030-03-12 03:03 pm
no subject
Forget that.
Instead, tell me...
Why would someone want to detain you like this?
no subject
[Why wouldn’t they? Thought dismissed with a forceful blink. She’s not eager to slide the answer across the figurative table, either—but there’s no godforesaken point in lying.]
I’m the Commander of a growing city. Piltover. [A beat.] “City of Progress.”
[There’s some dryness to the quote, but her thoughts are churning elsewhere. Conceivably, any nation in Runeterra might take a political prisoner—yet nowhere, to Caitlyn’s awareness, with anyone called Eldians. If the man doesn’t recognize the name she’s offered, either, then…]
no subject
[He doesn't look disengaged, though. His brow is pinched, lips tugging slightly like he might snarl, though he doesn't. His right hand curls on his wrist.]
That's our commonality, then.
[No, he's not a Commander by name, but he thinks he ranks as a significant enough political prisoner that he can simplify things a bit.]
That, and our enemy.
no subject
[Impression revised. He never did answer her last question....]
There may be others.
[Caitlyn has been stiff throughout this talk, but she straightens especially now. It’s a more even, still stern but less aggressive regard—soldier to soldier.] There must be more to this than sand.
soldier to soldier...cute, somehow
Let me ask you something.
How likely do you think it is you and I are from the same place?
You didn't know that word - Eldian. That's strange.
war criminal to war criminal <3
You don’t know Piltover. [Neutral statement, not an accusation.]
In the past several years, the hexgates put us on the map. We’re [were.] a global center for trade and commerce. [It does sound rehearsed. There’s no real enthusiasm in it.]
It’s unlikely that you’ve never heard of us, even in passing.
that too--
What about the nation of Marley?
no subject
[Head shake. Negative.]
no subject
I've heard of reality being manipulated where I come from, but not like this.
no subject
You have? [More a subdued exclamation than a question, surprised. Now this is progress.
[She lifts a hand, as if taking an invisible piece of evidence and pinching it in her forefingers. Focus sharpens, but not on the man.] [some number which canon leaves ambiguous] months ago, the creator of the hexgates and a member of our Council went missing. Every effort to find them has turned up completely—
[Eyes back to him. Not an accusation—a potential connection.] —blank.
no subject
[A potential connection...]
no subject
[Precisely. With a nod, takes a step forward, shaking the “evidence.”] What do you know of this?
no subject
It's nothing like that. No one's ever disappeared.
no subject
[Shit.]
Not to… impose more demands, [and she does manage to make that not sound dry,] but if you share more about how your reality’s been manipulated, we might be able to get somewhere.
no subject
I'm sorry. I don't know much more than that.
[He's heard of the paths which are said to connect all Eldian souls. He knows that, eventually, he'll use the Founding Titan's power to manipulate Eldians through those paths, but...on the one hand, there's no way he can tell her any of that, and on the other, he still doesn't actually know how it all works...
[He has to give her something. Not because he owes some stranger his allegiance, but because they're two prisoners trapped in the same cell. He looks at Caitlyn.]
That power I mentioned - the one that the royal bloodline possesses. Some say that it can displace the souls of a certain race - Eldians. They're brought somewhere else. It exists outside of time. It isn't part of the world we know. But...
That's all...I know.
no subject
[Ah.
[Caitlyn is quiet for a moment, watching that hand jerk, shifting focus past him. To have one’s soul displaced on someone else’s whim—
[It’s impossible as being trapped in empty sands with a stranger.
[When she does speak, it’s slow, careful; the question deserves a weight that the reality Caitlyn knows can’t give. In the wrong mouth, it’s a condemnation. Ironic that, in this space, the Kiramman is left trying her damndest to convey otherwise.]
Are… you Eldian?
no subject
That's right. It's why I asked you too. If we were both Eldian, at least we'd have the connection to that power to blame...
no subject
[Alright. Then it’s another dead end—but eliminating false leads is still getting somewhere. Caitlyn nods, accepting his answer. It can’t be a comfort; a potential displacement inherent to his blood, and now this…]
I think we should move. [An offer, not a command.] There may be something identifiable out here.
no subject
There's nothing else to do.
[He'll even let her lead the way, although he does nod - directly forward.]