realityshifted

Perhaps but I have more important things to clean up than a kitchen usually.

Dolmades. [And then it occurs to him that Li might not know what that is.] It's a greek thing, rice, vegetables and meat wrapped in a leaf.

I suppose you do. How is it going with your temple, by the way? Do you have to rebuild it by yourself?

[Curious now because no, he doesn't know what that is, so he takes one out and takes a tentative bite. Then his eyes widen in surprise.] This is really good.

Competent stone masons are not easy to find. The Sanctuary is sacred ground as well, not just anyone may set foot within its barrier. I've been clearing the area gradually physically and with telekinesis, the foundation is still sound it won't take as long as I thought to rebuild.

[Grins at the complement.] Things that I can do I do well.

[Goes to adjust his scope's focus.] ...I wish I could help in some way. I feel partially responsible.

[And Hei starts snarfing them. He does so love a free meal.] It's funny, Mu says that his version of you can only really make baklava. Not that baklava isn't an accomplishment in itself...

It's my temple. Whatever happens to it is my responsibility in the end. Until I die or find a successor anyways.

[watches Li for a minute, almost curious. Since he's never used a telescope himself.] It's a bit hard to tell where everything is in the middle of this space. [He looks up with a slight frown.]

...we seem quite different. Me and the Milo that Mu knows. I've never made Baklava. I don't particularly like sweets.

Mu mentioned something about that. So not all Saints take on students, huh. [Smiles vaguely.] Though you don't seem the "teaching" type.

[Peering through his scope again.] It's interesting. I don't recognize even half of these constellations. And so many deep space objects are so close by, but others are at the usual distance...

[Long pause.] You're from different versions, though, aren't you? Different circumstances, I suppose...

Mu is obligated to train a cloth smith for the next generation if nothing else. But you're right I'm not the teacher type. Gold Saints may take on students for silver or bronze cloths but it was never required of me.

[Milo closes his eyes.] I'm accustomed to the skies of Greece. There I can feel each constellation, here it's difficult to even feel my own. [He reaches a hand out, glowing faintly for a moment.] I have to consciously search for it. [He points into the far distance somewhere beyond sight.]

I still find it rather odd that he'd be capable of baklava and nothing else. Considering where he must have trained it would have been rather impractical. [Milo is grinning slightly as if he finds it amusing.]

I see.

[Wordlessly, Hei turns his telescope towards where Milo is pointing. He fiddles around for awhile, making adjustments and looking through the scope periodically. Eventually he looks up again.] I think I found Antares. [Smiling,] Want to see?

Oh? Where must he have trained?

[Arches a brow but then shrugs, why not. He peers into the scope.] Know where that'd be on your body?

Antimilos, Erimomilos...it has several names. It's just a small uninhabited island near Milos. Nothing but goats and volcanic rock there. Not really the kind of place that encourages you to make pastries covered in honey.

Edited 2008-04-05 04:03 (UTC)

[Shrugs.] The heart, I suppose. It's called the Heart of the Scorpion because of its red color.

[Chuckles, because the image of Milo surrounded by nothing but goats just popped into his head.] No, I imagine it wouldn't. Though maybe he'd just had too much of goats.

No actually. [reaches over and taps Li's abdomen, towards the left side above his stomach.] There actually. Though it would indeed be a fatal blow in a fight.

[laughs softly as well though for a different reason.] It's hard to picture someone going through the same training, living in a similar environment would turn out so drasticly different.

Edited 2008-04-05 04:59 (UTC)

[Hei lays a hand over the spot, and he's not going to say anything about how he already knows all the vital points on a person's body. So he's silent awhile before he speaks again.] Why do you call it "Antares", though?

[Goes back to his scope.] Maybe he made different choices. Even small ones. [Pauses and smiles a little.] I suppose there must be other Li Shengshuns out there. I hope I never meet them.

It is as you said the Heart of the Scorpion but I'm not exactly shapped like a scorpion, am I? The every constellation can manifest on a human's body, on every body I can place the 15 stars of Scorpio. [He taps Li's left leg, above his knee towards the inside of his leg.] That would be Leschath. The stinger of Scorpio.

Honestly I'm almost morbidly curious. I can't begin to see what choices he could make differently...probably because I don't believe in regrets.

[The poking is starting to get to him, so Hei shifts just slightly out of the way and goes for another dolmade. There's not many left, though.] And that kills people, when you do it?

Neither do I. But...I don't think I could stand it, to see how my life could have been. [Never mind that any other Hei who met this one would probably kill him immediately :D]

No. Not immediately. First it inflicts immense pain. Then gradually you lose your senses. Your sanity goes. And when you think you're going to die soon there's nothing you can do but beg for death. [His eyes are closed like he's remembering how each moment felt. He's also smiling the masochist freak.]

Are you afraid they'd have done something better or something worse than you? [It's okay, Milo totally thinks he's better than Mu's Milo. Well not really...he kind of figures that Milo's probably healthier mentally. But he doesn't envy him.]

[Hei watches him with his characteristic blank expression.] Lovely. I'm surprised you have enemies at all. It doesn't really make much sense, going against people as powerful as the Saints.

Both. [Looks upward, inhaling the last dolmade.] There could be a Li out there who lives in a world where the Gate never even appeared. [Closes his eyes and smirks bitterly.] Imagine that.

Saints aren't the only warriors chosen by a god. What do you think we're waiting for? An army of normal humans, crusaders to knock down our pagan goddess?

There's a Milo out there that didn't lose most of his comrades yet. [He shrugs indifferently] But either way he'll still be surrounded by empty temples. Some things don't change.

[Shrugs.] I guess that makes sense. I heard Hades mentioned once or twice when I was there--is that the other god?

[Silence as Hei starts fiddling again with his scope to hide the fact that he's thinking about all the other Heis that might exist.] What exactly happened there?

...yes. One of them. But perhaps the most important one, the battle against Hades is what is known as the Holy War.

[And Milo talks because...he's not too keen on thinking about Mu's reality. Though as he tells the story his voice is flat.] Athena was born 13 years ago. Someone killed the Holy Father...Athena's representative, and took his place. When Athena was reborn he tried to assassinate her but was stopped by Sagittarius Aiorus who took the child Athena and fled from the Sanctuary. He was tracked down and almost killed but he managed to protect Athena and left her in the care a Japanese man and gave him his Gold cloth as well.

The fake Holy Father continued to control the Sanctuary until Athena reappeared. He sent assassins to kill her and to retrieve the Sagittarius cloth. He sent assassins to kill anyone that might be a threat to his power within the order. Athena and the Bronze Saints that protected her came to the sanctuary to confront the Holy Father. She was attacked when she arrived and to save her the Bronze Saints stormed the twelve temples to reach the Holy Father beyond us. His identity was exposed and Athena was revealed to all the Saints again. Many Saints died. [He has left out many details because it is long and because it's ~~none of Hei's business~~ not something he likes to remember too much.]

Does that make things clearer?

[Listens quite intently until Milo stops talking, and even then he's still silent for awhile. He can't really think of what to say, so he just says,] It does. Thank you for telling me.

You're welcome. Return the favour sometime.

[He gets up and leaves, probably to hang out with Mu or something.]

[Hei watches him walk away, feeling kind of like crap, and then without even really thinking about it he speaks again, probably too quiet for Milo to hear at that distance.] My sister...

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