Senecio adn Tide II

[Mirach]

Senecio groaned, looking rather close to collapsing with exhaustion. "Yeah, that doesn't narrow things, like, at all. Maybe direction... when we danced on the pool, I felt it in the direction of the door. Which direction did you feel it from while sitting here? That might give us a rather accurate position. And if you could ask trustful people about who stood there... because I just... Can't. Can't deal with this anymore."

[VisAnastasis]

" I wouldn't really say it doesn't narrow things down." Alpha tied in idly and reassuringly." It isn't like with your position Tide and Hans only gains your enemies - you gain theirs. I think it is quite useful to know it was someone who holds more grudge to you, not someone in underground who wanted to get to them by hurting you. "

"I wanted to deal with this after you leave," Eros cut him off briskly, with some unusual contempt and annoyance at being called useless." Since I can feel emotions of past, I just have to walk around, and seek for males younger than forty that felt disappointed in last fifteen minutes. As long as he did not leave, I should find him. And if he already left, Hans gave orders to Beings of keen scent to act as doormen on all exits, to take note and look out for everyone going out and where, to make sure everyone makes it home safely, and to be able to check out if someone is suspicious - so we can check for people that left in last fifteen minutes. If you do not trust me to solve this, least you could do is trust safety measures Hans put in, for he put many, to protect you who is weakest of your group. "

[Mirach]

Senecio gritted his teeth, but then he looked at Eros seriously. "Okay, fine. I'll leave it to you. I won't think about it anymore. I can't think in this noise anyway."

[VisAnastasis]

" I am going to go investigate with him. " Hans said seriously, standing up, gathering his strength and his fragmented resolve again. " With my wits and Ero's perception, we have the best chances, anyway. "
" You are at your limits, you shouldn't go, " Alpha tied in, suddenly a touch more alarmed than before. " It's a miracle you're still standing, sugar, you must go rest. "
" I am not your sugar tonight, at best, I am pepper, " Hans said begrudgingly, even at Alpha, it seemed, when his weakness was mentioned. " I'll try to solve this quickly if not, Tide and Senecio can simply return without me. It doesn't matter. I won't be able to rest anyway. "
" Senecio shouldn't stay here much longer, " Eros just stated his case quietly. " He still doesn't know to focus on himself enough, so he must focus on something in meantime. Alpha, can you entertain him while we are gone? "
" Normally? No problem, " Being replied with a narrowed, colder, worried glint in his eyes. " But how can you bring Hans with you? He is in no state to exert his senses and mind. He put too much strain on himself already. "
" If you don't want him to dislike you, you should consider stopping walking all over his pride like that, " Eros only replied quietly, simply, as one would say that the sky is blue, without change to his tone. " Hans will not rest until he knows more now. I did not want to say this to him either and planned to search on my own, but now that he knows, his stay here is inevitable. There is nothing you can do to stop him. "

[Mirach]

"Could I try to focus on you or Hans?" Senecio asked. "Would you mind that?"

[VisAnastasis]

" Focus on me, " Eros said, confidently and simply, like before, as if speaking of some universal law. " Hans would rather prefer talking with you than for you to see him like this without having the context of his feelings. Focusing on me may be best for you - I reflect all feelings, but since I feel all of the world while I am awake, my own feelings are usually of quieter sound, because I am always fighting to keep my thoughts louder than feelings of other living things. It should be a good learning opportunity and more pleasant lower volume in this whirlpool of roaring sounds. "

[Mirach]

"Okay, thanks," Senecio nodded, carefully neutral towards Eros in bith words and feelings.

[VisAnastasis]

" You don't need to be self-conscious about this... I am trying very hard not to feel how you're feeling, but it is not something I can block much. Anyway...  I can't predict how you will end up feeling, but I give you permission to not think or feel highly of me, okay? I have taken upon many hates, I won't brake over little unpleasant uncertainties of a child I've continuously failed. You've earned the right to feel cold, so do it without hesitancy, okay? " Eros smiled, with a friendly but sad smile of someone who was used to being disliked and used to bearing weights of it. Still, unlike Senecio, he didn't try to hide his feelings before him - and they were strange, clearly not too alike normal human, feeling much more refined, almost too chemically balanced not to come off a little eery for someone who would first hear him. It was indeed a quiet voice among the roaring noise, and it was much fainter, peaceful and with pleasant soothing aura - as if it were a couple of bubbles floating up from the bottom of the sea to the calm surface. Yet, right now, in them, there were glistens of hope he won't disappoint Senecio at least this once and guilt - and love, not reflected one like he could sense before, love of Tide or Hans. This was Eros's love. It was as if the love of a neighbour who watches a child next door grow up, but never speaks to him, and knows he has no right to act lovingly to them, but the love is still there, even though he has to restrain to never act on it. And Eros watched the whole world so, him who felt familiarity with everyone who rightfully thought of him as stranger.

Carrying that love and worry, and not worried about concealing himself, as if it didn't matter, Eros took Hans under one arm gently, enough so they appear like companions, and not like Spirit is weaker for it - and walked away firmly.

[Mirach]

Senecio indeed couldn't help it but be annoyed with the attitude that made him feel like a little child that was just adding to a stoically carried burden of an adult. He still tried to focus on Eros to not perceive the noise that much. It was hard at first - he could find him if he focused hard, but it took took much effort and he couldn't keep the focus, losing Eros's feelings in the cacophony of others.

[VisAnastasis]

Alpha, who stayed with him, watched him seemingly idly for a while, with some dose of interest. After a moment, he filled him a glass of wine, took away the alcohol in it, and then, offered him glass and an advise.
" You should be able to learn to focus more in dept on certain feelings like Eros, not just general feelings, sugar," he spoke finally. " How about instead of pesky Eros, you try to focus on something specific that can calm you? I am not the one to preposterously guess, but you already know Beings here love Tide dearly. If you try to focus on that specific feeling, it won't exactly be spying, now, would it, sweetcakes? " He seemed to weave some concern in distraction."  Eros probably will hesitate to tell you until you learn when to block and when to use the seanse, but by learning to focus on specific feelings in the present, it is possible you could learn to focus on specific feelings in someone's past. He probably is hesitant because he judges you would feel it is too much and may not even want to master your power to such extent, but I thought it would be more interesting if you know...  "

[Mirach]

Senecio downed the wine quickly. "I can't even focus on what I perceive with normal senses, that might be the problem," he murmured, trying to indeed focus at least his eyes as the glass seemed to swim in a haze in front of him. 

[VisAnastasis]

" You are at your limits no less than Hans too, I get it, sugar, I am barely giving you information for future reference. After all, it would be boring if all you tried to do was block your new sense. It is more interesting if you tried to struggle some more with it these days, and refine it into something more useful, " despite his playful nonchalant words, in emotions behind it was idle warmth. He was indeed more casual than most Beings, and he supported Senecio's hand from the side, as he gracefully refilled his glass with another one of his arms. " By the way, what Eros said before, about you Being weakest of the group... don't listen to him, sugar. It's only in technicality. Sage and Tide have waterbending, Hans can still escape through layers in case of trouble, but you are Hans's and Tide's weak spot. It doesn't mean you are useless, though - is it a fault of strong glue that it isn't wood when it is the one that holds those wood pieces together? " he spoke sweetly and calmly to him. " Even if you choose to actively block your skills from now on, I will still find you interesting... I am only personally biased in my suggestion that you don't. I think the burden of Hans's shoulders would lessen if you could help him perceive the bad intentions of people around him. You did surprisingly well right now. I wouldn't dare say cheesy things such as making me proud, for you didn't choose this for Hans, but I am thankful in his stead. He deserves reliable people like you at his side...  "

[Mirach]

"Weakest in technicality... got it," Senecio murmured. "I actually thougt he meant right now... 'cause that's valid. And that's what I actually thought at the beginning, you know? Before it went downhill with moral dillemas. I thought 'neat, I can sense who might want to harm us. Hans and Tide will be glad that we can be safer...' Didn't really think through all consequences, did I?" He downed another glass and then laid his head heavily on the table. "Thanks... at least I can pretend I'm drunk."

[VisAnastasis]

" I can give you more so you can pretend you are extra drunk, " Being promised mischievously, though it still put a hand on actor's shoulder supportingly. " And if it counts, well, I can't see the future, but I do believe in your peculiarities. You're surely going to be of help to them - once you master your power. But now, you feel everything happening, and it can scare people. Hell, if I had a secret crush on you I didn't want to act upon out of respect for Tide, instead of only thinking you are adorably cute human, I'd be terrified of being misunderstood and ruining our fun, " Being spoke with a pleasant calm grin that could be felt in its soft starlit voice. " It's no wonder Tide is insecure as a first response, unlike me, per se, who has nothing to be embarrassed over. But you're not going to give up, are you, you cuddly mister marshmallow? Once you refine your ability and are able to steer it to see only what you wish to see, then it becomes a tool, not hindrance. Hey, did you know Listeners are born able to hear everything, but then slowly their mind learns to instinctively block the listening to the level that won't drive their minds insane? That's why they usually cry annoyingly more compared to the rest of you bunch when they are babies... "

[Mirach]

"Come on..." Senecio groaned into the table. "Why does everyone act like I wouldn't be able to see the difference between feeling and intention? So what if someone would have a secret crush? As if I wouldn't have crushes..."

[VisAnastasis]

" Yes, yes, sure, " Alpha snorted playfully. " But, hey, what if Tide had the ability to sense feelings like that, and would see his gorgeous boyfriend having crushes and feeling attracted to people left and right? That would totally be no source of any insecurities for you guys, I'm quite sure. Come on, pumpkin - I am sure you yourself in your thirty or so years have seen a lot of examples of love growing cold with time as people drift apart, and people falling in love with someone else. Now, imagine that, multiplied by centuries of experience in Being's life. It is completely reasonable to expect someone as gorgeous as you could have many opportunities to find great partners, but it's one thing to imagine it might happen, and another to fear it might be happening with your every crush. Feeling feelings of others is not something everyone can take. In a way, it's cool, in other ways, it sucks because it gives you extra doubts to worry about.  "

[Mirach]

Senecio just grunted affirmatively without raising his head from the table. He tried to focus on Eros again, partly seeking some relief in his quieter feelings and partly from curiosity about how they are doing in the search.

[VisAnastasis]

( OOC: I was thinking how to work on this part, and it would be cheap if they right away caught the culprit, but there's also no way Hans, with his overzealous concern over any possible dangers, didn't put whole dozen of security measures, so I threw dice to see how fast they'd progress, and it got 4, so I think it should be effective but a bit slower )

By this time, Eros and Hans were completely immersed in the task. There wasn't any panic to his actions, as if he was decisive to find the source of the concealed resentment, whether it takes him whole night of looking more deeply into feelings of everyone in the city, falling into the task naturally, like he naturally fell into whatever task was given upon him that night, going with the flow of it. Arrangements and people Hans put in charge of various things were detailed, comprehensive and orderly, so it felt like they were, while acting casually, systematically going through them, and it took them a bit since they didn't act right away back then, but after a while, they caught a fresh trail.

[Mirach]

(OOC: they only need to learn his identity now, for anything else they need evidence)

The trail led them to lord Barian, a long-term patron of the theatre who was just dancing with a noble lady.

[VisAnastasis]

( OOC: Yes, definitely, neither of them would do something more drastic or accuse him with no evidence, and definitely not go as far as to kill someone just because he was disappointed with Senecio being alive, such decision would always be made based on one's actions - so right now it's most important to learn who it is so they can decide further :)

They found the man and after mildly inquiring from people around, they managed to find out his name, and a little bit about him. Since Eros was in a different city, he never met him, and since Hans was not into theatre world before he met Senecio, he didn't know him personally either, but he made a remark to find out more tomorrow, picking one of the his Beings present and giving him a task to go to the second layer and spy on the lord in the next day, just in case there was something suspicious in his activities tomorrow, making a deal for it with the Spirit who was in question.

As for Eros, while Hans talked with the Spirit, he was hesitant, as if pondering and deciding something - Senecio could feel the weight his ability put on him, who had no choice but to perceive the world so deeply, and who always struggled to perceive as less as he could in given moments, constantly wearing down his mind by as much restraint as he could, in try to make people around him more comfortable and less pried upon. But this was important, and although he had to struggle to convince himself its alright, he stole a quick glance deeper into the unfamiliar lord, looking into what kind of feelings bound him to Senecio in the past, feeling it backwards, from disappointment now, towards the past, hoping he could find some clue that would help him understand the situation, or, more true to his feelings, hoping to find something that he would be able to tell Senecio to calm him, without prying into someone's past too deeply.

[Mirach]

There wasn't much connection with Senecio in the man's past, but following the trail of feelings, Eros could see a connection to Guilamo. It wasn't quite friendly or deep, but it seemed there was a mutually profitable relation between them.

[VisAnastasis]

Especially after all that happened today, Eros didn't feel like looking much longer, feeling like one clue is enough and pushing for more would be improper, as this wasn't someone they knew for sure did something awful enough to justify a closer look into someone's personal life. That's why he decided to stop there, and when Hans was done making the deal, they returned to Senecio's and Alpha's table to inform him of what they found out.

[Mirach]

Senecio was quite successfully pretending to be passed out from too much wine, while in reality he was almost passed out from exhaustion.

[VisAnastasis]

Hans shook him by the shoulder lightly, trying to get his attention.
" Hey... you alive, slowpoke? We found out who it is, " he said, trying to convey the most important information in simple terms, not without some tenseness. " But he doesn't have some strong feelings of hate or anger toward you, so it's not a direct threat right now, as it doesn't seem personal. I assigned someone to tail him just in case, and I will figure out the rest, so you have nothing to worry about... "

[Mirach]

Senecio grunted and raised his head just a bit. "Yeah? Good..." he murmured.