[ Then the call cuts out. When Allelujah arrives at the entrance, Henry would already be there - but in casual clothes. No uniform this time, he needs to be undercover (sorta). ]
[ As promised, it only takes Allelujah a short while to swing a coat on and get his Carrier to heel by his side, then head downstairs. He doesn't favor the uniform anyway, and is similarly dressed down. ]
Good afternoon, H. I hope everything's well.
[ Judging from his tone it is, but he might as well ask. ]
[ Henry greets his friend with a smile once they come within speaking distance, immediately setting down the street towards the place he had scouted out. ]
Yes, everything is fine. Rather - I think, it's an appropriate time now for me to tell you something. It can't be done here since there's still too many people, but - I found a place that might be suitable.
[ That, and he's looked into muffling magic. He's no way as good as what the other ranks could achieve, but at least he has a reasonable grasp that he thinks he can accept. ]
Remember when we first met, I told you only my code name? I wish now to change that. There's a reason why people from my world tend to need to hide their names, but that's not in all circumstances.
[ He trusts the other enough with this information, basically. ]
[ Allelujah responds with a nod once they start off. That initial exchange will likely stick with him forever, how stark his given "name" had seemed in contrast to this man's kind, thoughtful nature. Assassin. It's a concept he understands, perhaps better than anyone, but still found shocking to be on the other side of. ]
I do remember. [ Hands in his pockets, he looks upwards. Skies gray with abated storms stretch overhead, though they don't dull Caissa's vibrancy. ] I've only ever known one other person who's like me. I can't forget knowing that we're not alone.
[ And even so, the next bit of information visibly surprises him, making his gaze cut sideways. To want to share such a thing with him, to have that kind of trust pushed into his palms? Allelujah may be surprised, but also overcome with the instinctive urge to fold his fingers over it, to protect it. ]
Secrets aren't unfamiliar to me, either. It — your name, will be safe.
[ With that, he can be patient as they navigate the streets a short ways to the café Henry picked out. Being seated and ordering is a fast affair — coffee, for him — and Allelujah laces his hands atop his knee, thumbs interlocked thoughtfully, as the waitress leaves. ]
[ Henry's first response is just a nod and a smile - it's not an easy decision to make, but he feels that Allelujah and his alter ego would be the best fit if he had to tell it to someone. The two light halves have respect for each other, and so do the alternate ones - even if Edward's opinions towards Hallelujah are much less straightforward. There's grudging respect for the other's fighting abilities, some sort of unbidden fascination - but above all, the acknowledgement of someone else as an equal where an equal had previously been thought impossible.
For the first time in a very long while, the two Servants are of the same opinion. Edward is very much awake, but he's invested enough in Allelujah to not try and give Henry debilitating control problems.
Henry gets tea, and as the waitress returns to the counter he recites a sort of barrier spell that would mute their conversation from the outside. It's hopefully long enough to hold until she comes back with their drinks. ]
The reason people like me have to hide our names is because we're relatively well-known back in our homeland. I'm not human, [ but Allelujah already knows that ] I am a Servant. There are a few of my comrades here in Caissa as well - we are figures immortalized by our renown amongst humanity. The legendary heroes of old, gods and kings - we are preserved after our deaths to be summoned again as spirits. One good example is Gilgamesh of Uruk. He featured in legends from one of the earliest civilizations, and thus humanity's collective consciousness remembered him.
[ Pausing here to organize his thoughts, now: ]
We retain traits that we had while we still existed. A Servant's weaknesses can be inferred directly from their legends, and in battle that can give them a lethal disadvantage. Because of this, most of us hide our true names and go by our class names. Mine being Assassin, and his being Berserker. [ A double-class Servant. ] For weaker Servants like me, giving someone else our name is - well - it means I consider you a trusted friend.
[ Maybe for Henry, that is the case. And for Edward, Allelujah is a notable rival. ]
I'm only agreeing to this because you're interesting enough. Now you, the other you - don't go waving this around, or I will turn around and fight you to the death.
[ For once, their transition doesn't seem forced - his voice switching fluidly from Henry's to Edward's low drawl. But then it shifts back again, for the two of them exist in rather stable balance. ]
It'll all make sense, if you know who I am. I am Henry Jekyll, and he is Edward Hyde.
[ The reason for his split personality, his history of playing a game and paying the ultimate price. He is no Heroic Spirit, instead an Anti-Hero. ]
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. [ Allelujah repeats, having listened to Henry's story with rapt interest. Heroes, spirits memorialized by the virtue of their legends. It would seem a concept too vast to properly understand had he not believed, because — ] I am... familiar with you.
[ Allelujah is well-read. He knows the story, and briefly, he wonders what part he'd ever have to play in the collective consciousness of humanity. A concept that has new meaning to him, in this moment. Hallelujah doesn't make an appearance, not like the smooth progression of one personality to the other that the man across from him displays. But he is there, coursing, thudding as a heartbeat does. Committing Allelujah's memory down to the finest electrical impulse necessary to create it.
Interesting. I gotta give it to him for originality, huh?
Though he's somewhat still, allowing that information to sink in, Allelujah finds his expression warming. He is often genuine, if not guarded in his gentleness, but this time, there is a certain sincerity that reaches his eyes at the level of trust being shown to him. At being called a friend. Henry has bared his throat, so to speak, and Allelujah thinks — he will guard it with all that he has. ]
Now I understand why it is that you'd go by such a name. It shocked me, at first. But secrecy is a good first order of protection, for those of us who have to fight. There may not be freedom in it, but there is safety, for us and those like us.
[ He shifts now, tilting his head in deference. ]
I'm glad I can call you a friend, Henry. And I'm glad to know about Edward, too.
[ Being given the names, he can't help but try them out. Around them, the barrier begins to dissipate, just as the waitress returns to set their drinks on the tableside. Allelujah's gaze is thoughtful, and he looks up, catching Henry's eye. ]
Can you cast that spell again? [ He only needs a moment. ] I have a title, too.
Allelujah does know. He knows of them, knows of their story - one that teaches as much about the morality of man as the duality of light and dark that exists within each individual. Some would call him foolish, others call him a cautionary tale - but he knows that he had made a terrible mistake.
A secret game of sin. ]
I'm glad, too.
[ Allelujah doesn't leave him, even after knowing his true form. In order to attain the ultimate kindness, an equal price must be paid of ultimate evil - and in the face of that, he still stays. Much like how his friends at Chaldea have done, how his Master has done. Maybe this is another step towards atoning for what he's done in life. ]
I've always kept myself away from people, because he takes delight in hurting those I care about. Others leave of their own volition, either out of fear or disgust. But you have not left me, even after all this. For that, I thank you.
[ He thanks the waitress for her service before returning his attention to his friend - and when Allelujah makes the offer, it's met with surprise. But that surprise is quickly resolved into determination, because he intends to keep the same promise that the other has done for him. ]
I can. And - don't worry. I'll make sure he doesn't tell anyone.
[ Unlike Hallelujah, Edward is much less inclined to keep promises. However, there is a way to go around that, and he's willing to take it even if it means voluntarily putting himself at risk of death. ]
You're familiar to me in more way than one. [ Allelujah states the obvious, but he does so as a way to allay that retrospective fear of this. That people will see what a monster they're capable of becoming, and shun them as a result. Allelujah questioned it. He questioned it until his brain ached with the possibility of actually wanting to do the things that Hallelujah was capable of, that he enjoyed. ] Because of that, I don't have the fear you're thinking of.
[ At least, not of him. Patiently, he waits for the barrier to reconstruct, reaching forward to curl his hands around his coffee mug. ]
I was given the title of Meister. [ Master. ] It was in relation to a weapon beyond anything that the world had seen. It played a part in a plan I was also entrusted with, one that had been kept a secret for three-hundred years, until the time that operations could be mounted. With that plan, and those weapons, my comrades and I took on the responsibility of changing the world.
[ Allelujah looks into his cup, at the rising steam patterns. ]
We declared war on it. A war to end war.
[ A lofty, impossible, contradictory goal. Hypocritical, even. Allelujah doesn't sound proud of it, but he believes wholeheartedly in their mission, even today, even sitting here in Caissa, so far from home. His last memory of it was protecting the newborn peace they achieved from a threat even greater than they all imagined. Allelujah would still fight for it, if necessary, even if his disposition doesn't speak to such a violent goal. ]
Under an oath of secrecy, we were hunted. [ He has to release a breath he's unconsciously held. ] And even now, it's difficult for me to talk about.
[ It still presents a risk to him, to all of them. ]
But I felt like you should know... that I've committed sins I can't find a way to atone for, too.
[ To have the same form of trust extended to him - it's more than what Henry could have ever expected to receive from anyone else. There was always that risk, the risk of his other side breaking oaths of secrecy on just a whim - but if Allelujah is willing to take it, then Henry would defend it. Edward knew of his resolve, and hopefully it would prevent that from happening.
It ought to, especially when he resorts to the most drastic of measures - threatening suicide. ]
A war to end all wars... I'm familiar with it too. We had a task that was similar in difficulty and risk.
[ Given the paradoxical nature of Allelujah's own mission, it might suggest something else entirely - but he feels that this is the best way to describe it. A mission to save humanity; and judging from Allelujah's presence here, it would end well. But the time taken for it to end would be another question altogether. ]
We're both people with hefty duties, then. I took on mine as a way to try and atone... but it feels like it'll never end. My sins are engraved in the collective memory of many others. But that won't stop me from trying.
[ It's a little poetic, if not ironic. ]
It's all the more we should return home. Thank you... for keeping me company while we're here.
[ In many ways, Allelujah isn't surprised to hear that Henry's task is on par with his own. It's something that Allelujah believes in, against all odds, and all hopes. Despite the way he's cursed the world for his situation, he simultaneously believes that everyone around him fights a battle worth protecting and honoring. There is much Allelujah cannot forgive, but for all of that, there is also no place in him for hatred. ]
If we have to fight a war that's not our own, I want to trust my allies. [ Allelujah can't necessarily pick them, but his wording is deliberate. ] Peace is something that I believe shouldn't be achieved for the few, but for everyone. Because of what I am, what I was made to be...
[ Allelujah's gaze flickers up, pointedly. He lifts a hand to his left eye, over the soft grey. For a moment, it's as if the visible gold catches fire — torrid and unkind and bright. ]
I can't stop trying either. However many times the world around me changes, or what has to be destroyed to achieve what I believe in.
[ To that end, he hopes he won't be feared for his limitations, or lack thereof. Dropping his hand, he smiles. ]
I meant what I said. You can call on me anytime, and I'll be there.
[ For the most part, Henry listens in silence. Allelujah has seen his own change, the way his eyes flicker from green to red when he's unstable - but for the same thing to be shown to him in such a trusting environment...
... it's almost a honour too high for him to deserve. But if his friend has chosen to tell him, then he will accept it with confidence. ]
I feel like I can't thank you enough. But... I hope we can live up to the kindness you've given us. I"ll try my best.
[ Edward is... another question altogether. But Henry will try his utmost to rein him in. ]
You have my thanks, too. [ Allelujah speaks with heart. If he does, if what he believes in carries his strength of will with it... ] Because of that, we'll both come to protect what's important.
[ That's another well-guarded secret of his. Hallelujah's violence, for all of its precision, falls in line with what Allelujah wants. At one point, it was a tremulous balance, rife with heartbreak. But Allelujah has come into his own since then, and Hallelujah now falls into step with him. Well, mostly. Something that hasn't changed is that an ally is an ally, a friend is a friend. Trust extended to him doesn't blunt Hallelujah's fangs so much as it turns them on whatever might threaten them.
With that, he picks up his mug and extends it over the table. Cheers. ]
This is different for me, so I'm not sure how to put it either. I'll do everything that I can also.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
I know of a cafe in the quieter districts. How about we meet outside the Hall and I take you there?
no subject
[ In fact, there's a brief shuffle over the line as if he's already gotten up. ]
no subject
[ Then the call cuts out. When Allelujah arrives at the entrance, Henry would already be there - but in casual clothes. No uniform this time, he needs to be undercover (sorta). ]
no subject
Good afternoon, H. I hope everything's well.
[ Judging from his tone it is, but he might as well ask. ]
no subject
Yes, everything is fine. Rather - I think, it's an appropriate time now for me to tell you something. It can't be done here since there's still too many people, but - I found a place that might be suitable.
[ That, and he's looked into muffling magic. He's no way as good as what the other ranks could achieve, but at least he has a reasonable grasp that he thinks he can accept. ]
Remember when we first met, I told you only my code name? I wish now to change that. There's a reason why people from my world tend to need to hide their names, but that's not in all circumstances.
[ He trusts the other enough with this information, basically. ]
no subject
I do remember. [ Hands in his pockets, he looks upwards. Skies gray with abated storms stretch overhead, though they don't dull Caissa's vibrancy. ] I've only ever known one other person who's like me. I can't forget knowing that we're not alone.
[ And even so, the next bit of information visibly surprises him, making his gaze cut sideways. To want to share such a thing with him, to have that kind of trust pushed into his palms? Allelujah may be surprised, but also overcome with the instinctive urge to fold his fingers over it, to protect it. ]
Secrets aren't unfamiliar to me, either. It — your name, will be safe.
[ With that, he can be patient as they navigate the streets a short ways to the café Henry picked out. Being seated and ordering is a fast affair — coffee, for him — and Allelujah laces his hands atop his knee, thumbs interlocked thoughtfully, as the waitress leaves. ]
no subject
For the first time in a very long while, the two Servants are of the same opinion. Edward is very much awake, but he's invested enough in Allelujah to not try and give Henry debilitating control problems.
Henry gets tea, and as the waitress returns to the counter he recites a sort of barrier spell that would mute their conversation from the outside. It's hopefully long enough to hold until she comes back with their drinks. ]
The reason people like me have to hide our names is because we're relatively well-known back in our homeland. I'm not human, [ but Allelujah already knows that ] I am a Servant. There are a few of my comrades here in Caissa as well - we are figures immortalized by our renown amongst humanity. The legendary heroes of old, gods and kings - we are preserved after our deaths to be summoned again as spirits. One good example is Gilgamesh of Uruk. He featured in legends from one of the earliest civilizations, and thus humanity's collective consciousness remembered him.
[ Pausing here to organize his thoughts, now: ]
We retain traits that we had while we still existed. A Servant's weaknesses can be inferred directly from their legends, and in battle that can give them a lethal disadvantage. Because of this, most of us hide our true names and go by our class names. Mine being Assassin, and his being Berserker. [ A double-class Servant. ] For weaker Servants like me, giving someone else our name is - well - it means I consider you a trusted friend.
[ Maybe for Henry, that is the case. And for Edward, Allelujah is a notable rival. ]
I'm only agreeing to this because you're interesting enough. Now you, the other you - don't go waving this around, or I will turn around and fight you to the death.
[ For once, their transition doesn't seem forced - his voice switching fluidly from Henry's to Edward's low drawl. But then it shifts back again, for the two of them exist in rather stable balance. ]
It'll all make sense, if you know who I am. I am Henry Jekyll, and he is Edward Hyde.
[ The reason for his split personality, his history of playing a game and paying the ultimate price. He is no Heroic Spirit, instead an Anti-Hero. ]
no subject
[ Allelujah is well-read. He knows the story, and briefly, he wonders what part he'd ever have to play in the collective consciousness of humanity. A concept that has new meaning to him, in this moment. Hallelujah doesn't make an appearance, not like the smooth progression of one personality to the other that the man across from him displays. But he is there, coursing, thudding as a heartbeat does. Committing Allelujah's memory down to the finest electrical impulse necessary to create it.
Interesting. I gotta give it to him for originality, huh?
Though he's somewhat still, allowing that information to sink in, Allelujah finds his expression warming. He is often genuine, if not guarded in his gentleness, but this time, there is a certain sincerity that reaches his eyes at the level of trust being shown to him. At being called a friend. Henry has bared his throat, so to speak, and Allelujah thinks — he will guard it with all that he has. ]
Now I understand why it is that you'd go by such a name. It shocked me, at first. But secrecy is a good first order of protection, for those of us who have to fight. There may not be freedom in it, but there is safety, for us and those like us.
[ He shifts now, tilting his head in deference. ]
I'm glad I can call you a friend, Henry. And I'm glad to know about Edward, too.
[ Being given the names, he can't help but try them out. Around them, the barrier begins to dissipate, just as the waitress returns to set their drinks on the tableside. Allelujah's gaze is thoughtful, and he looks up, catching Henry's eye. ]
Can you cast that spell again? [ He only needs a moment. ] I have a title, too.
no subject
Allelujah does know. He knows of them, knows of their story - one that teaches as much about the morality of man as the duality of light and dark that exists within each individual. Some would call him foolish, others call him a cautionary tale - but he knows that he had made a terrible mistake.
A secret game of sin. ]
I'm glad, too.
[ Allelujah doesn't leave him, even after knowing his true form. In order to attain the ultimate kindness, an equal price must be paid of ultimate evil - and in the face of that, he still stays. Much like how his friends at Chaldea have done, how his Master has done. Maybe this is another step towards atoning for what he's done in life. ]
I've always kept myself away from people, because he takes delight in hurting those I care about. Others leave of their own volition, either out of fear or disgust. But you have not left me, even after all this. For that, I thank you.
[ He thanks the waitress for her service before returning his attention to his friend - and when Allelujah makes the offer, it's met with surprise. But that surprise is quickly resolved into determination, because he intends to keep the same promise that the other has done for him. ]
I can. And - don't worry. I'll make sure he doesn't tell anyone.
[ Unlike Hallelujah, Edward is much less inclined to keep promises. However, there is a way to go around that, and he's willing to take it even if it means voluntarily putting himself at risk of death. ]
no subject
[ At least, not of him. Patiently, he waits for the barrier to reconstruct, reaching forward to curl his hands around his coffee mug. ]
I was given the title of Meister. [ Master. ] It was in relation to a weapon beyond anything that the world had seen. It played a part in a plan I was also entrusted with, one that had been kept a secret for three-hundred years, until the time that operations could be mounted. With that plan, and those weapons, my comrades and I took on the responsibility of changing the world.
[ Allelujah looks into his cup, at the rising steam patterns. ]
We declared war on it. A war to end war.
[ A lofty, impossible, contradictory goal. Hypocritical, even. Allelujah doesn't sound proud of it, but he believes wholeheartedly in their mission, even today, even sitting here in Caissa, so far from home. His last memory of it was protecting the newborn peace they achieved from a threat even greater than they all imagined. Allelujah would still fight for it, if necessary, even if his disposition doesn't speak to such a violent goal. ]
Under an oath of secrecy, we were hunted. [ He has to release a breath he's unconsciously held. ] And even now, it's difficult for me to talk about.
[ It still presents a risk to him, to all of them. ]
But I felt like you should know... that I've committed sins I can't find a way to atone for, too.
no subject
It ought to, especially when he resorts to the most drastic of measures - threatening suicide. ]
A war to end all wars... I'm familiar with it too. We had a task that was similar in difficulty and risk.
[ Given the paradoxical nature of Allelujah's own mission, it might suggest something else entirely - but he feels that this is the best way to describe it. A mission to save humanity; and judging from Allelujah's presence here, it would end well. But the time taken for it to end would be another question altogether. ]
We're both people with hefty duties, then. I took on mine as a way to try and atone... but it feels like it'll never end. My sins are engraved in the collective memory of many others. But that won't stop me from trying.
[ It's a little poetic, if not ironic. ]
It's all the more we should return home. Thank you... for keeping me company while we're here.
no subject
If we have to fight a war that's not our own, I want to trust my allies. [ Allelujah can't necessarily pick them, but his wording is deliberate. ] Peace is something that I believe shouldn't be achieved for the few, but for everyone. Because of what I am, what I was made to be...
[ Allelujah's gaze flickers up, pointedly. He lifts a hand to his left eye, over the soft grey. For a moment, it's as if the visible gold catches fire — torrid and unkind and bright. ]
I can't stop trying either. However many times the world around me changes, or what has to be destroyed to achieve what I believe in.
[ To that end, he hopes he won't be feared for his limitations, or lack thereof. Dropping his hand, he smiles. ]
I meant what I said. You can call on me anytime, and I'll be there.
im' v late but this gave me SO MAY FEEL
... it's almost a honour too high for him to deserve. But if his friend has chosen to tell him, then he will accept it with confidence. ]
I feel like I can't thank you enough. But... I hope we can live up to the kindness you've given us. I"ll try my best.
[ Edward is... another question altogether. But Henry will try his utmost to rein him in. ]
no subject
[ That's another well-guarded secret of his. Hallelujah's violence, for all of its precision, falls in line with what Allelujah wants. At one point, it was a tremulous balance, rife with heartbreak. But Allelujah has come into his own since then, and Hallelujah now falls into step with him. Well, mostly. Something that hasn't changed is that an ally is an ally, a friend is a friend. Trust extended to him doesn't blunt Hallelujah's fangs so much as it turns them on whatever might threaten them.
With that, he picks up his mug and extends it over the table. Cheers. ]
This is different for me, so I'm not sure how to put it either. I'll do everything that I can also.