datadiving | ???-1: THE AFTERMATH

???-1: THE AFTERMATH

In the ruins of the city of Lust, a small creature roams the hollow streets. Though the husks of the damned still wander, any seeking easy prey are quickly convinced to seek their sustenance elsewhere by the sting of Hell Energy. Any creature that can hold energy orbs in its palm is a threat to be avoided.

A strange being. It wears concealing clothes, already marking it as an oddity, its face almost entirely concealed save for the two glowing eyes that peek out from under its hat. The style and fashion of them is direly outdated, a human affectation gifted to it long, long ago, even by the standards of Hell.

It's raining again, Vivi thinks to himself, since there's nobody to say it to. His siblings are somewhere else in Lust, if they haven't delved down to the lower levels, seeking their favored prey - machines, husks, anything that they so wish that sates their desire for violence.

Once they were meant to be....he doesn't recall, exactly, what they were meant to be. Were they meant as hope? A tithe to Heaven? A soldier that served the souls of humankind, rather than Hell? Something else altogether?

Minos is dead now, truly so. He had felt the loss in his awakening, that he was not there to greet them.

But still, they were truly free now, with no purpose at all. That meant something, didn't it?

Vivi wanders the empty city, sheltering from the rain under a rotted awning, just watching. Waiting for something interesting to happen. If he strains his senses, though, he almost thinks that he can feel the presence of something that came from Heaven...

Surely, though, that's a mistake. The last time something from Heaven had come down here, the world had ended, at least this small part of it; he had felt the rupture.

But there's nothing left here to end. So he must be imagining it.

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He could probably spin it as being something noble. Not wholesome or anything but definitely noble! Hell, he even believed it himself as long as he didn't think about it too hard, wasn't it noble to desire to die on his feet in battle against a worthy opponent? Absolutely nothing deeper to it.

Nothing at all.

"Of course. This sweep of Lust is but a temporary, necessary diversion from my true goal. It falls upon me, to excise these machines from Hell and restore some semblance of order, and I shall see this duty through." Hell was massive, every inch of it swarming with mechanical invaders. Gabriel wasn't necessarily being entirely truthful, when he said he intended to avert their tide... There was only one he really cared about personally stopping now.

"You keep laughing, I don't understand what the comedy here is. Are your siblings really that funny?"

Fortunately for Gabriel's air of nobility and dignity, Vivi has no mind-reading powers and cannot divine even a little of what's going on in Gabriel's head.

"You just remind me of them. That's all. It's funny, cause...we're not made the same way you are. You know? I can't even imagine what it would be like to be an angel." Not necessarily funny in itself, but funny to imagine that there could even be a commonality point between them, two beings as far away from each other as heaven is from hell. It would only be funnier if they were demons.

"If I learn to defend myself better, can I come...? I've never been to the other layers. I want to see them."

"I'm not going to lie, it was really cool." Being an angel, that was. The past-tense verbiage of the statement flew over Gabriel's head entirely, the subconscious whirlwind going on between his ears leaking out just a little bit. Explain himself? No.

"Your siblings sound acceptable, Vivi. I hope their hunt is plentiful and successful." It was really hard not to sound at least a little bitter... Which was why he didn't even try, he sounds so bitter about that. Oh boy he wished he was out murdering everything, wouldn't that be fucking nice-

"... Why would you- The depths of hell is no place for a baby." Oh he's back on that shit again. "You'll be shredded to pieces in the blink of an eye, spattered across the gore slicked floors of Hell without mercy. ... I applaud your courage, though." Hey, he had to reward positive behavior, right?

"What was it like?" He does not comment on the past tense. Whether that's because he didn't notice or he's carefully not saying anything about it is unclear.

"There's no place for me anywhere," Vivi says simply. "I guess I could just stay here and be safe, but I've passed lots of time like that." He doesn't really know what he wants, but surely this empty city isn't all there is.

He wants to believe that, at least. Besides, he's sure his siblings won't mind if he goes exploring. Maybe he can tell them about the other layers, if they don't get there first.

(Really, he is simply lonely and curious. And Gabriel is the first new thing he's seen in a while. He's the promise of, at least, something interesting.)

"And if I can defend myself better, you can go and hunt machines in the other layers, right? So it'll work out."

"... It was glorious. The feeling of divine power, the righteousness of your every action, every word and motion a direct manifestation of The Father's will upon the world. To walk in the light of God was to remove all doubt of the virtue of your actions, for your reason of existence was to carry out His word." ... But it was... so stifling. Again his mind drifted to Heresy, to his battle with The Machine. For the first time in his entire life he'd finally tasted something so intoxicating, that even the will of the Lord could not hope to challenge it...

There's no place for me anywhere. The sentence struck something in him, sitting in his gut like a lead weight. The words resonated in a way that sounded too familiar, fit in a way that made his heart twist.

"I suppose I could bring you along for a little while. If you improve your combat abilities, anyway. I will accept no dead weight with me, Vivi, the road ahead is long and arduous and I cannot guarantee your safety." Some part of Gabriel hoped perhaps this would scare him, he was a child after all. Granted, one that had shown a commendable amount of stoicism thus far but a child nevertheless.

Something told him however, that this meager little warning wouldn't be nearly enough to dampen the curiosity.

"But that doesn't frighten you at all, does it?"

Edited 2025-05-12 06:23 (UTC)

"Being made for a purpose...it sounds good, as long as you do what you're told." He doesn't know what his purpose would have been. He was the prototype, after all. Maybe he wouldn't have had a purpose.

That's all gone though, buried in the ash and destruction of the city. Nothing remains, nobody to give him direction or tell him what to do.

Faced with so little, he wishes to expand his world. He has always been curious. He tasted a little more of that, recalls a little more of the voices of the sinners who had created him. And perhaps the yearning for freedom many of the damned souls carried was in him as well.

(Perhaps the ideals Minos had embodied, perhaps a little fragment of his departing soul, had wedged in an empty space somewhere deep inside. If that was indeed how souls worked.

If he really reaches deep into himself he can pull out memories - fragments - shards of the dead, recalling Minos' voice and face. All those who had dwelled here had loved him.

But he has no memories for himself. If they are there, they are buried deep in the drift of time, sunken in his sleep.)

He turns it over in his mind, seriously considering it.

Then, he simply shakes his head. "It's scarier to be alone," is all he says to that. And perhaps it's not just for his benefit; he has his siblings, after all. They will return in time, when they've sated their urge for violence. Their time together is consistent, if fleeting.

He doesn't think this person in front of him has anyone.

"Yes, obedience is a virtue." The words came mechanically, automatically. To obey was to show love, after all. Questioning His Word was blasphemy.

Questioning their word, maybe. "Or... So I've been told." He doubted very much now that Vivi would blindly take anything he said as gospel, as irritating a thought as that was, but it still didn't feel right to tout that as fact. It was certainly for the child's sake nevertheless though, he certainly didn't need it refuted.

"I suppose it is." He could argue the opposite perhaps, if he could put his finger on exactly why the thought caused a spike of discomfort. Because he had to take the life of another into account? That had to be it, right? It seemed correct enough, it was if nothing else a large part of it... No, he wouldn't ponder on it any longer. It felt right enough, as ever the thought of leaving Vivi to his own devices here was nothing short of repulsive.

Atonement shouldn't be easy.

"Ahem... Well I haven't seen anything promising thus far, Vivi. I fear you may be correct that there's no one left here."

"Virtues matter more to angels, I think. I don't know if I've gotta worry about those..." Vivi has an only scattered idea of virtue; his knowledge base, such as it is, is made of the fragments of sinners. It's merely one of many new and novel ideas to him.

"I didn't get anything like that when I was made. Like asking for obedience or anything. I think they just wanted to make me to see if they could."

His footsteps echo through the deserted streets. Gabriel's light is an effective deterrent for most things, though he keeps an orb in his palm just in case.

"I hope there's some...I hope they come back. I'd like to meet them." There's a strong wistfulness to his tone. He doesn't make an attempt to hide or stifle his emotions; it's part of what gives off that childlike impression. "But I guess...if I haven't seen any before, it'll take a long time for me to see any."

"Virtues should matter to everyone, regardless of their creation. To live a virtuous life is to live a good life, with patience, humility, temperance and justice." There were... a few of those he just listed that maybe he could uh... work on somewhat. Perhaps. But that wasn't the point here.

For as corrupt as the Council had been, that didn't diminish the goodness of Heaven, nor indeed the virtues he'd once believed the Council had stood for. It wasn't just for angels... If Minos and Sisyphus had, belatedly, been any indication. "I... I believe your creator knew this. They're not something only able to be upheld by angels, anyone can embody them."

He was gradually sinking lower, his feet a mere several inches off the ground. It was just easier to hear from this position, nothing more, of course.

"In the absence of direction, there is nothing left but to find your own. You've been given a rare chance, Vivi. Not many in your position could claim to harbor their own free will." Free will was a flaw, the words echoed through his head but clashed so terribly with what he'd felt, wild and free as he lost himself not to duty but to the whirlwind of beautiful violence in Heresy. It wasn't a flaw.

It was nothing short of sublime.

"So you've never met any still sapient sinner from Lust? You have truly been asleep for this entire time?"

"Oh. Really?" He's digesting all this. If nothing else, he's a good listener.

"Is free will not that common?" He seems a little..not disturbed, but almost startled, as if the thought had never occurred to him.

That next question, though...his eyes scrunch up. "I met some, I think...but that was a long time ago. The memories are really far away. My siblings were still asleep when stuff, um...happened." He's squinting into the darkness, half because he's trying to see further ahead, and half because he's trying very hard to remember.

It hurts his head if he thinks back too much.

"We were mostly...still being worked on then. But we were kept quiet cause they didn't want to attract any attention from up there...I remember that much." Creation is an act of God, but we can't be God, they had said like a mantra, a prayer, a blessing over their sleeping forms. Vivi had never quite understood it.

Edited 2025-05-13 01:00 (UTC)

"So I've been told." He'd worked occasionally with Minos, prior to the Prime Soul's execution. Gabriel had kept him at a distance of course, strictly professional, and he could never have claimed to know him as well as the people he so cared for. But he remembered, now more than ever, how the King had responded when Gabriel descended to end his life; he'd never raised a hand against him, only his voice.

It was less than an execution, it was nothing short of murder. A murderer.

The thought was buried frantically, not allowed to speak any further.

"For mortals, it is. All of them possessed it once, before they became these mindless husks. But for beings such as you and I it's... complicated." The answer should have been no. But the blood slicked floors of Heaven's senate would be a grim and violent suggestion otherwise.

"Ah... Yes, Heaven wouldn't have- Well, if the Council had been aware of..." Why did he keep running into these fucking awful goddamn mental walls?! No he would not be reckoning with them right now, fuck this!

"It's no matter, there's nothing you need fear from 'up there', as it were, I can promise you that." He finally, finally touched down again, walking in step with Vivi. "It appears that this street is empty as well..." This really wasn't looking good for the prospects of potentially locating any still human souls, was it?

A shifting in yet another darkened alleyway drew his attention... And despite their hopeful search, his hand still drifted immediately to Justice's hilt, his back straightening.

"Or, perhaps not..." He raised his voice, calling out to the vague black shapes he could just barely make out moving in the shadows there, "Identify yourself immediately or be-"

... Let it never be said that he didn't receive a prompt and informative response. Gabriel wouldn't finish that demand, frankly he couldn't, and really didn't have to, as from the cluttered alleyway burst a veritable goddamn torrent of gibbering, drooling, twitching filth and strays, stinking of blood, with some even dragging along the scavenged remains of machines that had fallen afoul of more dangerous husks.

His response may as well have been automatic for how quickly he positioned himself in front of Vivi, both blades practically flying into his hands in the blink of an eye as the angel swore a goddamn fucking blue streak.

He should have picked the fucking kid up he should have been flying this whole time.

"We're just different...that makes sense, I guess. We were made for a purpose, so I guess people thought we might not need it."

The bloody crackle of demonic presence registers in his subconscious mind before conscious thought even crosses that threshold. What ignites in his cupped palms as a response is not the controlled, habitual worry stone of before, but pure white-hot energy. It pours forth in a blazing torrent as he pulls his hands apart, splitting the projectiles so they curve neatly around Gabriel to tear through groups of husks. Surprisingly little blood comes forth, but only because that energy seems to burn like a cauterizing flame.

Despite appearances, talking and thinking come to him only because he has spent a great deal of time doing it in his short life. Using his powers for combat, however, is an instinct that runs bone-deep.

Humans had never been able to master the control husks had over hell energy, but he is not a human. He was made for this, whether he likes it or not.

The angel only stiffened briefly as Vivi's attack snaked past him, making quick, clean work of the first wave of hell-blasted interlopers. The air stank of burned meat, the scent as familiar to Gabriel as the weight of his own sword. The fact that this came as a result from something the same general size and shape of a child though was...

Pretty relieving actually, that took a load off his mind.

"Oh, you were actually really serious about that self-defense thing, huh." Sick, he can relax a little bit now thank Christ. A good thing too, since that really had been only the initial attack, as it became immediately obvious that the silence that had followed the two of them through the city before had only been the case because all of them were right here. No he didn't care if that was hyperbole, it felt enough like it and that was all that mattered.

A tightly packed collection of filth, having learned zero lessons from the grisly demise of their front line, pushed inward towards the pair, and this time it would be Gabriel that would retaliate. Justice and Splendor swung forth, each sword eviscerating the pack in a single strike in a spectacular, theatrical spray of brilliant red blood.

And then he kept going, pushing forward in an effort to force the hungry, enraged mob away from Vivi. ... What, the kid was ranged, he needed room to work!

This doesn't feel familiar, exactly, but it is a tactical formation and so Vivi's hindbrain, such as it is, responds. His role is to keep firing and little more than that, so he plants his feet and keeps drawing energy out, dragging it from his surroundings and condensing it into power.

Gabriel forges ahead, no longer staying still, and he changes his tactics accordingly. Anything not within range of Gabriel's sweeping arc is bombarded with brilliant fire; the occasional straggler that manages to stumble forward after being cut with his swords doesn't get far. Vivi's eyes are wide in calculation, but it's a distant look, as if he's not really seeing what's in front of him and conscious thought is taking a back seat.

(Surely they have to run out at some point. He hopes so, anyway. It doesn't feel good to kill them, knowing they were mortal once, even though they're so far gone that destroying them is letting them rest in some modicum of peace...probably.)

So too does Gabriel adjust with the horde, sidestepping and slashing whenever one thought it might be able to sneak around him. One particularly motivated stray even tried a wild leap past Gabriel, its eyeless face locked on the delicate caster behind the angel. Perhaps it might have even made it a few more feet before Vivi would have unceremoniously demoted it from 'ambulatory menace' to 'smoldering grease stain', but that potential would remain a hypothetical as Gabriel gestured sharply, barely even bothering to look at the thing. With a wet SCLUTCH, flesh and bone split as a gleaming, light-forged axe materialized and spun through the impudent husk, leaving it neatly bisected like a hideous, man sized, gurgling flesh book.

Unlike Vivi however, Gabriel was far less conflicted. With brutal ease and cold, unthinking efficiency, without a single care in the world, he cut down beast after shambling, scrambling, screaming beast, his golden armor spattered with blood, the blue of his wings shifting to a brilliant and gleaming gold.

Were there more? He hoped not, but the deluge was not abating... and time was ticking down.

"These insipid abominations bore me." The heat in those words betrayed only a fraction of the seething rage that bubbled just beneath. He was wasting his fucking time, this was a waste of the precious few goddamn hours he had on this dead, wretched planet-

He surged forward with a snarl, his motions growing ever faster and more wild as bloodlust sparked in the back of his brain, threatening to burn like the fuse of a bomb all the way down to the powder keg he could just barely refer to as his psyche.

"Can you cast anything bigger?!" MORE.

MORE DAKKA.

He barely registers the words, but he can, in fact, do bigger, and so he sinks further down, pulls more energy up.

The torrent of bolts relents, but only because something larger is building up instead.

Hell is alive, thriving, a giant organism in itself, and even his greatest efforts barely tickle its veins. He dips his hands in pure energy as if scooping water from a wellspring, and is dimly surprised his fingers do not simply melt from the heat. It's more spiritual than physical, though often in Hell these two things are the same. Greed's hot sand scorches the manifestation of the soul, creating physical pain that is also spiritual pain.

But it won't give up its bounty for any mindless creature, any simple ask. Hell curls around his patchwork soul and whispers What will you give me?, and Vivi falls deep into the cavernous unmapped depths of his own uncharted heart.

What do you feel?
Abandonment, loneliness, guilt...all bitter tastes, but not the right ones for heat. But he knows heat, behind those emotions, usually tempered by logic, by the struggle to understand:
Why was I left behind? Why did you leave me incomplete, without purpose, without guidance...

What am I supposed to do now?

A brilliant, scouring light blasts forth, indiscriminate and wild. To Gabriel there is no pain, only a strange warmth; it simply passes through him, leaving the ashen taste of Vivi's deeply hidden emotions, that resentment and anger and deep-held pain, to linger for a moment before blowing away in the faint breeze of the energy's passing.

The crowd of slavering husks is simply annihilated in the face of it. As light and fire fades, Vivi sits down hard, forcibly thrust back into himself and dizzied by the force of it, but there are, at least, no more enemies to worry about.

The street in front of them is soot-black, any details now scorched beyond recognition.

Anger was an emotion he was all too familiar with, and indeed the traces of it carried on the wave of that odd, warm energy only served to fan the flames higher. Had it not been for the other two, he'd not have noticed anything particularly strange about the spell at all, aside from the sheer unmitigated power behind it, of course.

For a moment, Gabriel turned his head to just watch the seemingly winded boy, whatever was going through his head perfectly obscured by the helm of course. Nothing was said, and nothing was immediately done, as something was clearly being turned over and over mentally.

It lasted only a few seconds, before the angel turned entirely, briefly scanning the area for something to wipe his blades on.

"Yes, something like that, that was perfect." There was a glow in those words that had been absent before, something approaching the warmth of a pleased mentor. He approached, and then knelt before Vivi to examine him closer, just to ensure the boy hadn't managed to damage anything during that honestly really fucking sick explosion.

"Are you alright?" The concern wasn't powerful, but it was still very much there. Oh, someone just developed a bit of newfound respect for his charge, it seemed. "Vivi, you may simply nod or shake your head, if you must."

He rubs his eyes, feeling that strange hot tingle in them even though nothing's wrong with his vision. It takes him a moment to respond to Gabriel's words; the outside world trickles in slowly as he wakes from his trance, like blood, or rain.

"I'm...okay. Just tired." He wobbles to his feet nevertheless, testing out his range of motion - he still has some reserves left, that's good. He feels emptied out, like a cup without liquid, but the cup is still there and real and solid.

(He turns towards the warmth like a flower towards the sun (if flowers do indeed still exist anywhere, in Hell or otherwise). He isn't immune to positive reassurance, to being told he's doing well.)

"It's not too bad...I'm only a little drained."

"Do not overexert yourself. The danger is gone, you must take time to rest." It was as if he'd simply flipped a switch, all the rage and battle fervor gone in the blink of an eye, replaced with a tone as even and soft as a prayer. Where all that emotion had gone, well... Chances were good it was never actually gone to begin with.

But for now, for a moment, the angel actually embodied that once so plentiful love it was said The Father once had. Perhaps He did, but the memory of His glory was so clouded and faded now, he couldn't quite be sure if this too had only been so much propaganda.

"Just for a moment." Just to be sure. As much as he would have liked to have told Vivi to stay here until he felt whole again, he couldn't be sure how long that would be. And truly, truly, the last thing he wanted was to flicker out and die here in Lust upon an empty street, before the greasy remains of lowly fucking vermin.

"Okay."

He sits down again, for a moment. A few minutes tick by before he stands up again, this time much less wobbly. A faint shimmer, like a heat haze, surrounds him as he continues to draw power from his surroundings simply to rejuvenate his internal storage.

He's built durably enough, at least. Though no doubt a sword or the claws and projectiles of demons could tear through him much like paper.

"You're in a hurry, right? We should go. I don't...think I'll find anything here." He seems saddened by that admission, but he seems determined not to let it get to him.

Gabriel was more than familiar with the idea of sacrificing defense for offense, after all Heaven too contained their fair share of glass cannons. It wouldn't be the first time he'd entered combat with such, so whatever annoyance that might have conceivably existed at the idea of playing 'baby sitter' was promptly thrown away at the realization that so long as Gabriel was mindful of Vivi's limitations... He could almost be considered 'indispensable' now.

It certainly helped elevate the little guy from 'atonement' to 'companion' in a matter of seconds, roughly as long as it took for Vivi to cast that all consuming fireball.

Of course it was noted the precise amount of time it took for Vivi to regain his strength (impressively short, extremely efficient), and that information was neatly filed away for later.

"I am running on a bit of a tight schedule, yes. And it seems you're correct; I don't think there's anyone else left to find here." There was, if nothing else, a slight note of sympathy in his voice that did well to soften the tone and diminish what would have otherwise sounded abrupt and pushy. He was trying.

For as little as he actually may have felt for most of the souls in Hell, Vivi clearly didn't share that sentiment. There was no reason to be unnecessarily cruel.

"The entrance to the next level isn't far, if you can fly anyway." Which, you know... One of them here was clearly better suited to that than the other. Look, time was of the essence and he really didn't want Vivi wearing himself out trying to keep up in the air when he could be using that energy to nuke things.

"I can of course carry you easily. Time is of the essence after all and walking is time consuming." Emphasis on the consuming bit. It was almost a question! Almost 'may I carry you'! It effectively was if... lacking in any indication that he would take any other answer.

... Sorry Vivi.

It's clear that Gabriel doesn't show as much sentiment for the denizens of Hell as he does; he thinks that makes sense. He's an angel, after all. Heaven and Hell are separated for a reason.

They make a strange pair, he can't help but think. A creation of Hell's sinners, protected by someone made in Heaven. The world has turned upside-down in more ways than one. But he's not ungrateful for that respite from the cruelty and pain he's been born into, a pulsating, malicious realm that delights in punishment. It's a small, bright taste of kindness. He can't help but want to give it back tenfold.

"You want to carry me?" He blinks, clearly startled by the offer but not particularly offended. "Um, if it's not too much trouble...I don't mind." He's quite light, after all.

"I won't get in the way of your swords or anything, right?"

Most would call this kindness 'scraps'. Meager, meted out like a miser trying to hoard pennies. It would have been a somewhat correct statement, if only because those hungry little scraps were only what he could manage to scrape together. Sharing those little pieces of empathy when he could manage it. Perhaps it wasn't surprising that the creation of a sinner would still find himself fed by it, after all, it'd still been more than enough for the Ferryman. Hell was cruel, kindness so often nothing more than a distant dream or a bitter joke.

Even crumbs were better than nothing. Gabriel knew this. It was all he had to give Vivi, and he did it without hesitation nor second thought. The boy deserved at least that much.

"I wouldn't make the suggestion if I didn't." The tone was unintentionally brisk, and it contrasted with the relative gentleness that it was spoken with. In a rush, but still trying to show a manner of patience.

"Of course it isn't too much trouble, I don't even need my swords for most of profane trash that wanders here. ... Present company excluded." Granted, if they came across another hoard of that size he'd certainly have to put him down.

Somewhere with a good vantage point over the battle field specifically, he'd plenty of plans to ensure a safe and most importantly, swift arrival at whatever level V1 had managed to progress to. He knelt, gesturing towards himself. No he wasn't going to just snatch him up, he wasn't quite that rude.

Though granted, the instant Vivi might accept that offer, the sudden upwards motion of the angel taking flight might be a little, kinda, maybe obscenely fast. No, really, he wasn't kidding about that tight schedule. He was holding on tight to Vivi, with the absolute expectation that Vivi would do very much the same, sooner rather than later.

Even if it's a mere crumb, those crumbs are real, real enough to matter to a soul as starved as Vivi's. Those brusque scraps of kindness and consideration are his siblings' method of showing care as well, like Vivi is some strange baby bird they're not quite sure how to take care of but feel some responsibility for.

Vivi obediently clambers onto Gabriel, holding on tightly to his armor and making sure his hat can be pinned by at least one hand. He knows enough about being flown around that it makes things easier if he clings to the sturdier parts, though he wonderingly notes that Gabriel is nowhere near as frail-feeling as his siblings are. Heavy materials would make it harder for them to fly, after all.

But angels are built differently, it seems.

In acceleration, too. It's faster than he's ever been flown before. He can't help but squeak in alarm, initially, as the angel takes off incredibly fast.

He really must have somewhere to be.

It would not be the first time Gabriel had carried someone, though the diminutive size of his cargo was something new. He braced a hand against Vivi's back when he heard the little noise, ensuring now that both arms would be firmly holding the boy. Reducing speed wasn't an option after all, but he could always adjust his grip.

The city sped by like a blur, one might almost imagine they were less flying and more shifting through the entire level of Lust. Somewhere in the howling wind of it all, Gabriel had seen fit to tuck his head down just a little.

"Close your eyes." He wasn't slowing down. And he knew what kind of effect that might have on someone unused to it. Cruelty was, as ever, pointless, and he couldn't just allow himself to keep going without attempting to offer some kind of assistance.

"We'll be arriving within the next layer soon, and I fear our destination lies past that. The shift between these realms may prove uncomfortable for you witness at these speeds."

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