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Post by cyansky on Jun 4, 2009 18:00:08 GMT -5
Syl nodded.
"Very well. I will do my best."
It then cleared its throat.
"'Much madness is divinest sense To a discerning eye; Much sense the starkest madness. ’T is the majority In this, as all, prevails."
"Assent, and you are sane; Demur,—you ’re straightway dangerous, And handled with a chain.'
I am curious to know what that specifically means in your opinion. I have my own interpretation of it, but I am curious of yours."
It watched Chains carefully, mindful that it was treading on thin ice. Chains wasn't happy, and Syl knew that it had made a mistake somewhere in their conversation. Considering its poor social skills, it was not surprising.
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Chains
Fleshling
Mistress Of Awesomeness
Posts: 133
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Post by Chains on Jun 5, 2009 15:51:43 GMT -5
Chains gave Syl another one of his intent but cursory glances. "For all your excellent inquires before, this one seems to have missed the mark. A strange, strange thing to ask me." He turned his attentions back to the bottle he held loosely between his palms, looking at the label but not really reading it. "It means exactly what you mean it to. That's the beauty of poetry, is it not? The multiple interpretations. My own may change over time. Why ask a question with various answers, hm? What's the point in that?" He raised the flask and took a more conservative swallow than his previous ones. His eyes never left Syl's face as he did so and when he set the bottle down, he appeared to have reached some sort of resolve. It showed in his expression and the way he sat. It showed in the gleaming hint of a smile he flashed its way. "There are so many more gratifying things to ask. For example. From where comes the Clockwork Angel, and why?"
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Post by cyansky on Jun 10, 2009 20:26:26 GMT -5
Syl smiled, looking at Chains intently. It paused for a few moments to think of a good answer, and then the words flowed out. Syl spoke smoothly and quietly, so that only Chains could hear.
“I disagree, Chains,” said Syl, looking at him straight in the eyes, “I think that this one is straight on the mark, although not necessarily in the way you think is. You ask what’s the point of asking a question with multiple answers, why I would do such a thing. The irony here is that even your question has multiple answers, or multiple ways the answers and the explanations and reasons behind them can be worded. Do you want to know for what I’m looking for by asking such a question? Do you want to know why precisely I asked such your interpretation of a piece of poetry to begin with? Do you, by asking me this, indirectly want to know how this ties in with everything that’s going on? There are a lot of ways to answer that, Chains, so I suppose I’ll give the best explanation I can.
“Simply put, asking an answer to a question with multiple interpretations and answers is asking for the more than one answer. When you ask a question, you want answers, Chains, and when you ask questions about poetry, it’s not one answer you’re looking for – it’s the multiple interpretations, it’s the possibilities, it’s how that piece of poetry ties itself to the real world. That’s why I ask: to know some examples of what interpretations there are out there, so that I may pick out the one that suits me most if it’s better than the one I have currently. That’s how interpretations work – you update them into order to keep up with the times. I suppose that’s why you say that it might change with time, although it might be by a whim as well.
“I am as aware as you are that interpretations might or will change over time… Well, suffice to say, the world is ever-changing, Chains. I don’t run Animus, I merely live here and thus I am caught up in those changes, the flow of time, like, symbolically, in the middle of a hurricane ravaging a sea-side town. It hits, the survivors emerge, they rebuild. For them, hurricanes are a catastrophe that may form the basis of their superstition. However, if such hurricanes fail to occur after a certain period of time, let’s say a century, then they might become what humans call an ‘old wives tale.’ The symbolism changes depending on the circumstances, some people may hold onto the old legends, for others they choose to believe in something else. Changing our beliefs and interpretations about the world is how we survive here. At times that tendency seems to exist not only in the real world but in poetry as well. As societies grow older values change. Different icons represent different things. Fire that may once have been seen as holy could for some reason symbolize destruction and pain. Birds that were once national symbols could become seen as pests. Everything changes, and when everything changes, it’s only natural that interpretations of poetry change as well, because the symbolism and values that it draws from may change as well.
“That is how I believe that when you ask about poetry, you ask about the symbolism and values involved – how it changes, the possibilities, different angles of seeing it and so on and so forth. Symbolism is not set in time, Chains, I am well aware that it is created by culture, which is in turn created by a collection of people coexisting in a certain environment and circumstances. Because a civilization is organic, dynamic and ever-changing, as I said before, what used to considered heinous would now be accepted and commonplace.
“Like another type of question that involves multiple interpretations: pretty much anything relating to human politics and anything they deem as important or personal. Humans won’t lie like you ask them if the sky is blue. They’ll lie if they’re in possession of something they shouldn’t have taken, if they’ve murdered their children, what they did the previous day, who they hate and who they don’t hate… I could go on for a long time, but I suppose you get the picture, hmm? It’s all about image, it’s all about lies. Personally, I resent humanity for pulling me into that – for nothing is purer than the full truth. Whenever I speak with them, I think that it’s only one lie after another, a game that I find myself forced to play for survival. Humans are perplexing to me – especially since I have to figure out if they’re saying the truth or if, as you say ‘desperate men say desperate things’ – that they’re lying. Lies are tricky, Chains; truths not as much. Yet, that’s one thing that I find so fascinating about them – what really goes on in their heads while they’re putting on that darling act, hmm? Remember what I said in the theatre? That politicians are like actors? Well, when you deal with humans, their actions can be interpreted many ways as are their words. Just like poetry. Just like the symbolism that it draws from, eh?
“Hence, if you say that your interpretations change, so be it – I don’t mind at all, and I know why. As I’ve just explained, questions with multiple interpretations are everywhere, everywhere from myths, legends, beliefs, poetry, superstition, human politics and most likely more. They change so often it’s ridiculous. Yet, I am unwavering in my curiosity about the world, even if the answers may not be what I hope for, even if my interpretations are ‘off the mark,’ even if I must deal with accursed human politics, an art with oh so many interpretations, like poetry but more unpleasantly so. I deal with questions with multiple answers on a near-daily basis. It’s how I survive. It’s how I learn. It’s partly how I satisfy my curiosity… or try to. If everything had one answer, the world wouldn’t be anywhere near as interesting, hmm? It would be quite… bland… in my opinion.”
Syl let out a short chuckle before continuing on.
“Asking about how a person interprets poetry is the beauty and purpose of poetry itself, Chains. Why write such poetry if no one will have any interpretation of it? How a person interprets something is a reflection of who they are; in some way, it does provide an insight into their psyche, even if it may be easily misinterpreted. Innocents, fore example see everything in a positive light. Tortured souls are much more bitter and pessimistic, and hence have a darker interpretation. That, and the changes that I observe as time passes, are what I like to look for even though my conclusions may be wrong, even if I may already know what to expect in a way. I know that you are unsavoury, so I’m guessing that you have a fairly dark interpretation. Then again everyone’s different; they all have their take on madness. I’m sure yours will be unique and surprising to me.
“Hmm, why am I asking you your interpretation on that piece of poetry? Curiosity, and because drawing interpretations from others is what reality and life is all about – everyone does it all the time, whether they know it or not. I find it interesting to listen to other people’s interpretations and draw my own interpretations from that. Besides, if you’ll tell me your interpretation, I might as well tell you mine. It’s only fair, and I think that you’re curious about me just as I am curious about you.
“As for ‘the more gratifying things to ask’ just as ‘where comes the Clockwork Angel’ comes from…’”
Syl imitated Chains’s words as it said that, although not as well as Chains did before in the theatre. It grinned.
“I’d personally love to know, so long as it doesn’t come with a catch I can’t handle. The last time I asked someone a personal question such as on his powers or past, he threatened to kill me. Taught me that asking personal questions such as that is a bit dangerous with some of the more unsavoury characters here. Then again… I’ve been thinking about something…”
It paused for dramatic effect.
“I’ve heard humans say ‘curiosity killed the cat.’ Well, I disagree. Curiosity may kill the stupid cats, but it prevents the rest from going insane from boredom. Such as myself for instance. Curiosity keeps me occupied really. Well, I guess I’ve spoken for long enough. Would you like me to elaborate more?”
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Chains
Fleshling
Mistress Of Awesomeness
Posts: 133
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Post by Chains on Aug 8, 2009 21:50:18 GMT -5
"Oh no," Chains replied, laconically because he was distinctly amused-casually because causality hid the severity of what was to come. "I think you have cleared up that issue quite magnificently. That issue and several dozen others." He smiled to show that he was teasing his new-found conversationalist, but it was not a wholly pleasant grin. "My dear Syl, I have yet to find someone with such a great love for the spoken word as you seem to foster. If I had more of an inclination to debate, then you and I could very easily be locked in a verbal battle for all eternity. But I don't. And so we shan't." He took another sip from the bottle, contemplative and almost condescending now. "Syl, Syl, Syl, Syl, Syl." Another small sip. "Of your prowess for words and ingenuities of speech, I have no doubt. But sometimes, something more is required. Can you listen as well as you speak? I'm almost certain of it. But can you listen without comment, without debate, with overwhelming and total silence and offer not a single thought on the matter? This I do not know. And, my dear Syl, I would so hate to trust you, only to have to remove you of your tongue sometime later because you could not cease it from wagging. Are we on the same proverbial page? Do you understand me?" He leaned back in his chair, back into the shadows of the bar, and waited for an answer.
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Post by cyansky on Aug 8, 2009 23:06:48 GMT -5
"Of your prowess for words and ingenuities of speech, I have no doubt. But sometimes, something more is required. Can you listen as well as you speak? I'm almost certain of it. But can you listen without comment, without debate, with overwhelming and total silence and offer not a single thought on the matter? This I do not know. And, my dear Syl, I would so hate to trust you, only to have to remove you of your tongue sometime later because you could not cease it from wagging. Are we on the same proverbial page? Do you understand me?"
Syl looked away, putting a fist below its chin, obviously thinking. After a few moments silence. It turned its gaze back to Chains and spoke once again.
"Honestly? Actually understanding something is very different than believing that you understand something," replied Syl quietly, "I may interpret your words in a fashion different from you. It all really depends if you want me to give my input on something, or if you would like me to remain silent. I'd rather not have you gouging out my tongue due to misunderstanding whether you would prefer silence or speech. Concerning my listening skills, Chains... well, I do my best."
It paused momentarily.
"That said, yes, I do believe that we're on the same 'proverbial page' as you so aptly put it. "
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Chains
Fleshling
Mistress Of Awesomeness
Posts: 133
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Post by Chains on Aug 8, 2009 23:43:25 GMT -5
"Excellent, excellent." But I'm not entirely convinced... He cursed himself mentally for ever bringing the subject up but he found as he did so that he had no regrets whatsoever about it. They were edging onto a topic that carried serious implications, perhaps even danger, and Chains felt only amused at his own subconscious to have dredged it into the light. Yes, wonderful. But if you were so eager to talk, and let's be honest, you know you've been longing to tell this tale since it first started to form, but a wall would suffice for an audience. A deaf mute would be marginally more acceptable. A corpse couldn't talk. So why this one, this oh-so-verbal-one, and nothing safer? Are you that keen to have...what? A sentient audience? Is that it? Or are you just dying to prove to yourself that no harm will come in the telling? Mm? But although he grilled himself, it was a half-hearted kind of anger and he had no answers he saw fit to give. "But not entirely convincing. I'll tell you what, my eager little orator. Let's play a game, hm?" With a final long pull, Chains finished the bottle and leaning over, set it down carefully at his feet. He straightened, steepled his fingers, and set his hands down on the table in front of him. "A game of questions. You have two. I will answer those two with as much clarity as I can or as I deem proper. The two will not be composed of multiple parts, nor will you ask why I chose two and not the more conventional three. When I have answered your two, we will not return to this subject for a very, very long time. So." He stared at it, predatory eyes gleaming in the gloom. "Ask your first question, if you will."
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Post by cyansky on Aug 12, 2009 20:43:08 GMT -5
Syl looked at Chains impassively, with all the emotion of a gray, ordinary rock on the hilll side. It sat there in silence for a short while, thinking. A game? It piqued Syl's interest, and this was one great opportunity to help satiate its curiosity and ask questions that Chains might not answer as readily as normal. Immediately, one question came to Syl's mind, and yet another... well... at the moment Syl could not come up with a second good question. It always had questions (always), but the none of the candidates for the second were very good. Syl would not stand to ask a trivial question to someone like Chains... it wanted it to be a good question.
It wanted this game to be worth it, but wondered on Chains's honesty and the likelihood of it getting through this without aggravating Chains. He was a cold-blooded murderer and sadist... and even while he did not think like a human, Syl was wary. With good reason.
Syl clasped its hands on top of the table, watching Chains steadily and impassively. Its voice was just as devoid of emotion, completely and utterly unfazed by Chains's predatory gaze.
"Very well. My first question is... what is your past life, Chains?"
It then sat still, unmoving, while it waited for Chains's answer. If Syl wanted to know who Chains is or was, the past would be a good place to start. A person was generally shaped by his or her past, which helped determine who they are currently and perhaps in the future... That concept probably applied to Chains as well. Even if Chains was less willing or able to answer this in as much detail as Syl would like, it wanted that shot at trying to get to know him better, even being as dangerous as he was.
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Chains
Fleshling
Mistress Of Awesomeness
Posts: 133
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Post by Chains on Aug 14, 2009 1:04:39 GMT -5
Chains blinked owlishly, as if surprised. "What is my past life, you ask? Why, Syl, I thought that obvious. My past life is the life I led before coming here. Alternatively, I could state it is a life filled with blood, fire, and ash, and that would suffice as well." He smiled, as if to say Surely you can do better than that? and seemed to consider it a fair answer to a rather vague question. But just when it appeared he would speak no further on the subject, he reconsidered, and (for the first time in a long time) relented. "Some say people are born, and then made- shaped by how they act, what they do, all that they see, all that they say. I. I was the opposite. I was made, then born. It was with absolute purpose that I was manufactued, shaped into form and tempered in the divine fires of will. Hm." His smile grew. "It would seem such flames are neither as hot nor as savage as they were acclaimed to be. Nor the hammer as powerful, the craftsman as omnipotent. Because like a rather brittle blade, I shattered. And that shattering shook the world itself. You should have heard it. No. You should have seen it. It would have Opened your Eyes."
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Post by cyansky on Aug 19, 2009 12:59:31 GMT -5
Syl listened to Chains's 'story' in complete and total silence, a blank expression on its face.
Excellent, thought Syl. It cast two spells at the cost of one.
Syl had probably gotten more out of this than Chains might have realized. Even if his story was vague and very much open to interpretation, Syl now had a clearer picture as to who he was and what he was. What he was? A type of construct for sure, but what type specifically Syl could not identify. This might explain his penchant for logic and lack of a human-ish way of thinking… as far as Syl could tell, his thought processes was closer to that of a machine than that of a human, but with a touch of malice and sadism to it. How perplexing. How fascinating. Indeed a masterpiece conversation-wise, thought Syl, albeit with a touch of sarcasm, if only he was more amiable. That way he would be more approachable. Ah, but you can’t have everything in life. I may as well manage as best I can.
Who he was? Ah, that was complicated. A weapon of war gone bad? A construct was created by sentient hands, that broke away from his intended purpose, swept away by fate, leaving a trail of death, human entrails and blood behind him. Classic. Syl could imagine how his creators ended up. Sure it had no proof and no evidence, but it saw nothing wrong with venturing a guess.
It nodded at Chains, acknowledging his answer, but remained silent. It gaze never left the table, looking at writing at appeared there as if by magic. Kiel’s writing. Syl wondered if Chains could see it, but it saw no reaction on his part when the writing appeared… probably a hallucination.
Nothing is as it seems. ~ Love, Kiel Syl ignored it, still remaining silent, its face still blank, without the slightest trace of emotion. Pain welled up in its abdomen, once suppressed by Syl’s interest and uncaring attitude of pain, now returning with a vengeance. The digestion… of that foul concoction… that Chains had given it… was NOT going well. How could it have forgotten about it? While Syl showed no sign of pain on its face or in its movements, it took all of its concentration to prevent it from becoming overwhelming. Syl soon pinpointed the problem as being a reaction in its stomach. That foul concoction had caused a chemical reaction in it, resulting in an overproduction of acid. Not good.
Syl couldn’t speak, because its body was devoting as much of its resources as possible to figuring out a way to neutralize it. As a result, Syl’s eyes took on a glazed appearance and its body stopped moving, aside from for faint breaths. Was Kiel referring to Chains, or its ‘indigestion?’ Or both?
Wait a moment, thought Syl impassively, I have to figure out what's in me before trying to drown it in acid. Diagnostic operations started.
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Chains
Fleshling
Mistress Of Awesomeness
Posts: 133
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Post by Chains on Aug 20, 2009 14:50:34 GMT -5
Almost as if Chains had picked up on Syl's discomfort, he raised an elegant eyebrow in mock concern. "My, my, so quiet. I would have thought such revealings would have triggered an outburst of words from you. But, I can't say I don't enjoy your rapt attention. It seems I underestimated your capacity for silent listening...who would have thought?" He flicked his eyes to the bar, as if considering rising and getting something more to drink. Then looked away as if it wasn't worth the time and effort. "I am aware it is a vague answer, but it is really the best I can do. I am not the kind of spell things out, to paint the obvious for all to read. I could supplement my original answer with a title, but I doubt it would do you good. Still," he pretened to consider for a long moment, "you might as well know it, since it is an ancient thing and covered in dust." Chains smiled. "Once, I was called the Clockwork Angel."
He un-steepled his hands, placed his palms on the wood of he table and stood. "Come. Let us continue outside. I fear the overall cloying nature of this place has not been improved by those two words, and like stones cast into a pond, they do create ripples. Which would, naturally be wise to avoid."
Although he had consumed almost an entire bottle of his preferred drink, Chains still moved with his usual lethargic grace. If there was a bit of unsteadiness to his actions, only the extremely astute would have noticed. He crossed the room without looking to see if Syl was following, but when he had pushed the door open with a hand, he stood and waited for his audience of one, to catch up to him. He still wore his smile, but it was a little half-smirk, as if he amused himself.
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Post by cyansky on Aug 20, 2009 15:34:17 GMT -5
Syl nodded.
"Of course."
Syl smoothly rose to its feet, nodding once more to Chains. That was curious. Very curious. Syl didn't expect much more than a cryptic answer, and quite frankly, it got better than it initially expected - A three sentence vague answer. It didn't have any ill feelings towards Chains for being vague - quite frankly, if Syl was asked the same question, it would have been vague too!
Chains's most recent revealings were interesting too... the 'Clockwork Angel.' As much as Syl wished to, it didn't know what that title meant. It was a mystery, and Syl knew that it had a love/hate relationship with them. One one hand they were fascinating, especially to think about and (attempt) to unravel. On the other hand, Syl valued knowledge, and mysteries left things open to interpretation, which may be very, very wrong, even if it was based on fact.
Still, Syl watched Chains carefully, observing his body language like it did with everyone else's. Despite not knowing what it was getting itself into, it followed him anyways and nodded as Chains pushed open the door with one hand and waited for it. Syl gave him a small smile, even after realizing now that he had served it.
The diagnostics had concluded by listing a large number and quantity of poisons, especially arsenic, various acids and an obscene amount of alcohol. Not wonder why Syl had indigestion, and why it burned its throat! It made Syl hope that Chains wouldn't get it to drink that foul concotion too often... While Syl could drink things humans couldn't, there was a limit as to how much it could take. That concoction, if taken regularly, could have some adverse effects on Syl. Syl walked outside and waited near the bar, leaning against the building, looking back at Chains quietly.
"Where would you like to go now?" it asked in its usual, impassive tone.
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