Felt like writing a one-shot. It's (relatively) short and (relatively) sweet. A story from a perspective not often heard from...
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"You're staring again." A hand, black and lustrous, tapped the similarly lustrous black cloak. The figure in the cloak turned to the slim, genderless figure of the golem that had stirred him. "You've grown rather lazy since you've developed this obsession, Mi'lord."
"Can't help it, One. It is my home, y'know, n' home's where the heart is, or some crap like that." Kain pulled back is cloak and stared down at the plane of Aeria, complemented by a starry background sitting atop it. "No matter how many trips a'take, it'll never be the same as livin' there.. bein' my old self, so on, so forth, y'know." This was accompanied by a sigh and a gesture of his right arm to several twinkling dots in the sky. "It's all well n' good that we got these border-forts runnin', but heck, One. This place ain't natural t'me- this ain't how Humans work." Redwell slowly turned back to face the beautiful landmass before him. "That. That down there is what home's s'pose t' look like. If a'could, I'd make my own an' only invite m'friends. 'Til then, I'm stuck with that chunk'a mud down there."
Number One stared at his back. He made a dull, metallic hum, pondering upon Kain's thoughts. "I think you're going insane, Master Redwell."
"Eh? How d'ya figure that, One?"
"Well," a metallic clearing of the throat followed, mostly for show "insanity can be defined as the act of repeating the same process and expecting a different result. What I am observing, and forgive me if I am incorrect, is your continual desire to be reunited with home, which draws you to stare and await your reunion.. and this yields no result, yet... you continue." The black Golem, somewhat large, shifted nervously after openly stating his thoughts. He was met by Kain's stare, and thus, lowered his gaze. "A-... am I wrong, sir?"
"How the hell did you get so smart? I didn't make you this smart. Damn it, did Oghma start messin' with you, too?" Kain approached the Golem, appearing very suspicious of the creature.
"N-No, sir, I s-s-simply read s-some of your b-books-" The golem backed away as Kain approached. Eventually, Kain stopped his joking suspicion, attempting to lighten the mood with a short chorus of chuckles. A bittersweet grin lead him back to his position at the edge of the room, staring out the darkened window, down onto the world. "U-uh.. sir?"
"You're not wrong, One. Just not entirely right, either." He ran a finger across the transparent barrier. "I'm-... I'm jus' tryin'a find somebody." Ambiguity lead One to question Kain again.
"Somebody, sir? I imagine this is a specific somebody?"
"Obviously... It's strange, ya know? Lookin' down at the world, knowin' there're billions'a people down there, all different n' special in their own way, an' you can only choose one t' be with ya. Heh. Ao help ya if they refuse..." He sighed, setting his forehead against the window. "...This kind'a life is torture on a guy, One. Hopeless loneliness. Insanity jus' comes naturally after a while."
"I... see, sir." One uncomfortably shifted away from the figure of the brooding mortal. "I shall continue my rounds, then, sir."
"Yeah, sure..." Kain gave him the ole handwave. "Just make sure everythin' works, n' don' bother me otherwise." A curt nod from the Golem, and then, it left in a hurry. Kain continued to stare down at the world.
"So.. who're ya lookin' fo', mate?" Ka'zaull slowly approached Kain, emerging from the shadows.
Kain barely acknowledged him. "Just a beautiful woman, stuck in the back of my head. You know how it goes."
"Last, a'checked, mate, y'had a few'a those in mind. Narrowd it down now, have ye?" The red-skinned Tiefling approached the window, catching Kain in a buddy-buddy shoulder hold. "C'mon, tell yer old buddy, eh?"
"...I have, yes. But I don't fit in with her anymore. Haven't for the past six years. And would you stop doing that?" Kain shook him off, dusting his cloak afterward. "It bugs my focus. This's the only place in the world where you can look down and see every single detail, all at once." He, again, returned to his gaze. "This is all I can do to look for her."
"A'don' get it, mate, what 'bout ye family?" Ka'zaull folded his arms and leaned his back against the glass. "Heck, y'know, a'd kill t'get some kin'a family goin'- actually, me n' this one lass got a lil' too close one time, hehe." He took a finger to his mouth, casually checking the sharpness of his teeth. "Eh, y'get what I'm sayin', don' ye?"
"Okay- first off, stop with the stupid accent... Second, I'm really not fit to be a father until I actually start and maintain real family. My 'daughters' are old enough to care for themselves now. Dad's just some guy that tried be to nice, got too involved, and left too many disappointments... You can't raise a family with a record like that."
Ka'zaull raised his brow, taking on an air of seriousness for once. "..So, what... you think that by starting over, starting anew, you can make up for past mistakes? I don't think that kind of thing exists, Kain. It just sounds like a fairytale, no offense. Sure, you've got some nice idealism, but that's just not how the world works..."
"You're right. That's just how it ought to work." He tapped a finger to the glass. "While I'd love to be the one to fix the world, doing it properly requires a clear head, and it's hard to think clearly when you've got a growing obsession." He turned and casually thwacked Ka'zaull. "And persistence nuisances, to boot."
"Ow- 'Ey!" The Tiefling promptly introduced Kain to his middle finger. "Well, maybe you ought'a grow a pair n' go get what you want! You don't have to be a fucking selfless messiah or some shit all'a the time." He watched Kain go, and humphed as he left. "Where are you goin', anyway?"
Kain waved goodbye as he began to round a corner. "Taking your advice. I'm gonna go get what I want."
"About time. 'Ey, if she's got sisters, introduce 'em to me! Maybe 'er friends?" No response came. "Widowed mother'll do, too! 'Ey, Kain- Don't be so stingy. Sharing is caring, ya know!" A small ball of blackness promptly thwacked Ka'zaull in the head, with a note attached. It read: "
Just showing that I care."
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A little introspective, a little wistful, a little comedic if you think I'm funny (
no one likes my jokes), and a little revealing to things not normally addressed, and characters that rarely speak up.
Number One may make a debut appearance as a real character, if I feel like it.