ᴏɴᴇ ✝ ᴠɪᴅᴇᴏ

[maestermind]

[With a bowed head, the man on screen acknowledges his audience. His features are sharp, his smile disciplined, but however cleverly disguised his inner machinations, even on camera there is an unmistakable air of ostentation about him. How fortunate for those listening that he appears to have politely reined that in a little.]

I am Seymour Guado, a Maester of Yevon from Spira...a world that I suspect none among you are familiar with.

[Seemingly apologetic, Seymour shakes his head and offers a clear view of blue veins like a mask over his eyes and his very, very strange hair, a sort of blue-violet and horned. Behind him is the interior of his new home in Maurtia Falls, a temporarily spartan-looking abode that is also home to Luffy and Zoro.]

I cannot say that I'm pleased to find myself here as I've a great many responsibilities that require my attention where I come from, but I will nevertheless endeavor to help those in need, just as I would do back home. In fact, nothing would please me more—except, perhaps, the opportunity to become better acquainted with those of you sharing my circumstance.

[Here, he gestures towards the camera with one hand, large and manicured, with long nails barely visible for the billowy sleeve of the robe he's wearing.]

Might you introduce yourselves? And, should you have advice you wish to share, or questions that weigh heavily upon your minds, as I'm certain you must...please do not hesitate to ask. I will gladly answer to the very best of my ability.

[A final polite goodbye before, taking a step back and bowing his head above hands cupped together before him, Seymour cuts the feed.]

Comments

[maestermind]

Nonsense.

[If he accepts it now, it's only because it's more advantageous to him to at least pretend to be nice.]

I do not wish to boast, but I am an excellent judge of character.

[fistofthejoestar]

I've no doubt that you are, but I know myself well enough to be confident in the assessment. But I think it's all for the best; there can't be any truly strong bonds without a bit of friction now and again.

[maestermind]

[The corners of Seymour's mouth nudge upwards.]

Must friction implicate brutality?

[fistofthejoestar]

Not at all, but neither should it be excluded. Endings aren't beholden to the way that they began.

[maestermind]

No, they are not.

[Not always, at any rate.]

But it is premature to consider endings at all, wouldn't you agree?

[fistofthejoestar]

I don't believe so. Knowing that things may end someday makes the time before that all the more precious - and it isn't as if they exist in a vacuum. The closing of a chapter always opens a new one.

[maestermind]

[...not always.]

Ah, but to accept one's fate and to allow its impending nature to eclipse the bonds we may forge...these are two very separate things.

[Here, however, Seymour shakes his head apologetically.]

Forgive me, I do not wish to dwell upon the inevitable. Life is fleeting and made precious only by what we choose to do with it.

[fistofthejoestar]

[if this is my fate...then I accept it. well, they couldn't all be as noble as Baron Zeppeli.

Jonathan is just as happy to move away from potential heartache as Seymour is, and he readily takes the opportunity for a change in topic.]

Quite true. Have you decided on what you'll do here yet? There's a great deal to see in any one of the cities.

[maestermind]

What I'll do? It appears as though I'm meant to be arranging flowers.

[There are worse things. In fact, for the time being, being a florist is something he feels he'll find quite enjoyable. Seymour may long to destroy the world that wronged him, and perhaps even this one, but that doesn't mean he is without appreciation for nature.]

Perhaps something better suited to my skills will come along in the future...but until then, I would like nothing more than to absorb as much as there is to know about this world and its people.

[fistofthejoestar]

[an admirable trait for a villain, Seymour.]

They do seem to assign those jobs without much sense, don't they? Sometimes I wonder after the selection process.

[working in a flower shop sounds pretty nice, though. he wouldn't have minded something so pleasant - and so suited to his abilities - when he'd first arrived in this world. now, of course, he wouldn't trade any of his jobs for the world. it was funny how these things worked out.]

If this world is nothing like your own, I'd recommend spending some time in the libraries. The history here is quite fascinating.

[maestermind]

[Go Kars! Represent!]

Do not misunderstand, my talents may lie elsewhere, but the Guado are a people very close with nature. For now, the job they have assigned me is acceptable...and I suspect I will find some enjoyment in it.

[But perhaps not near as much enjoyment as he'll find in libraries, and at their mention Seymour smiles a little.]

As I cannot very well keep my promise if I remain ignorant, I plan on doing just that.

[fistofthejoestar]

[he'll probably enjoy it until prom season rolls around and he's stuck making six hundred thousand corsages, but neither of them has any idea about that. treasure the time before then, Seymour.]

You'll find them rather helpful in that regard, I think - although there do seem to be a few locations where they become rather despairing if you try to check out several armfuls at once.

[he's speaking the truth, but it's only related as a way to gentle poke some fun at himself. most of the librarians in his closest locations have finally just accepted that they're going to be missing entire sections whenever he walks in.]

[maestermind]

[Heaven help him when the time comes.]

I presume you speak from experience?

[Not that he's judging. On the contrary, while Seymour doesn't readily approve of most people much less like them, he can appreciate those who share his interests, particularly an avid love of reading.]

[fistofthejoestar]

[he laughs cheerfully, running a hand through his hair with an air of sheepishness. if they were being as accurate as possible, it would be experiences in the plural.]

I have a horrid tendency to dive into things headfirst. It must have been a bit daunting for them to see an entire bookshelf moving towards them at checkout time.

[maestermind]

Surely you exaggerate, but even so, I should imagine they would be pleased to assist someone with so earnest a love of learning.

[fistofthejoestar]

I believe that they're afraid I simply won't return any of them. It seems to be a common problem in this world.

[which is rude as fuck, but you know. that's how it is sometimes.]

[maestermind]

[There are some who believe that if you can't hold onto what's yours, Jonathan, you don't deserve to have it.]

I presume their fears were assuaged when you returned what you borrowed, of course?

[fistofthejoestar]

[these are the people whose noses he breaks, typically.]

After a few rounds of it, yes. I can only imagine how worrisome it must be to lend to a person who may very well disappear the next day.

[maestermind]

[Rude much?]

Ah, yes...that is the dilemma, I suppose, with the transitory nature of imPorts.

[fistofthejoestar]

[talk to the pavement????]

People do return on occasion, of course. It's really not as intolerable as others might lead you to believe.

[maestermind]

Of course, though I expect how tolerable that is may vary between individuals, both those leaving...and those left behind.

[fistofthejoestar]

[he hums thoughtfully]

It's a very human sort of trouble. We want to see the people we love again, but it's difficult to feel that way wholly without guilt.

[is it the best for those people to return? and could either of them withstand the possibility of an arrival with all memories of this world erased? they were things that crossed Jonathan's mind more often than he'd ever admit - it would only trouble his friends.]

[maestermind]

A human sort of trouble?

[Really now.]

[fistofthejoestar]

In the abstract definition of the word, yes. It's hardly a thing that only a single species has to contend with.

[I mean, in his world it is. but Jonathan's not going to exclude anyone just because the only other sentient beings on his planet wanted to arm wrestle the sun.]

[maestermind]

Of course. I imagine it must be extraordinarily difficult for all peoples unaccustomed to dealing with loss...but there must be someone present to assist imPorts with overcoming such tragedy, yes?