silverking | ✖ IC CONTACT #3

... Isley.

[ This isn't strange at all, contacting him out of the blue. Shut up. ]

[Isley's initial reaction? Is to remark upon the peculiarity of Byakuya contacting him. Given the circumstances, however, and his recent resolutions, he decides against it. Instead his tone is moderate, and his words carefully chosen.]

Byakuya.

I hadn't expected to hear from you. Is there something I can help you with?

[ And he didn't expect the Abyssal One to actually respond. ]

I thought you were dead.

[ Quite plainly stated. ]

I see.

[So it is regarding that.]

As you can tell, I'm not.

[ . . . ]

I hope that isn't a disappointment.

[ Don't be so serious, Isley. He wasn't. Completely. ]

On the contrary.

[ He prefers Isley alive. ]

I am disappointed to find your presence has lifted from the city.

[Oh, he can't resist. His kind never was very good at holding out in the face of temptation, after all.]

Really, Byakuya?

I had no idea you were so aware of my presence.

Isley.

[ This is serious. And, don't think so highly of yourself. B| ]

Byakuya.

[Really? We gonna get into a name thing here?]

I can't imagine why you would be disappointed. Or is it poorly veiled concern?

[ Yes. ]

I did not attempt to hide it.

[ How about that, Isley. ]

Though my concern is not for your well-being.

[Not. Impressed.]

I find that hard to believe. If it were concern for yourself or the safety of others, why think to address me?

But I am not going to argue about those reasons. You have whatever answer it was you were seeking, yes?

If not, what's keeping you?

Because it is not my place to demand answers from you.

[ Byakuya respected him, as much as he could, with this man's personality. If something was wrong, it was likely personal. What right did he have demanding to know about it? ]

One can ask without demanding, Byakuya. If curiosity is what brought you here, why not simply say so?

You would be wasting less of both my time and your own.

[That said . . . ]

I had myself cut off from my yoki, and that is why you cannot feel it anymore. It is not permanent, but neither do I know how long it will last.

You might say it is an exercise in learning control.

[ If he thought he was capable of that, he would have done so. But it isn't simply curiosity and he refuses to admit that. ]

Control?

[That's what he said, Byakuya. Good listening.]

To put it simply, my resurrection and the events that followed made a series of things abundantly clear to me.

[He pauses . . . thoughtful for several moments.]

If it's something that interests you, perhaps I'll discuss it further. Otherwise, I would rather not bore you with details you might not want to hear. It's your choice.

[ He is patient. Somehow. ]

I would not have asked if I did not want to hear it.

[There is much Byakuya doesn't know, so Isley chooses his words with great care.]

Power is easy to take for granted, I'm sure you would agree. The difficult part in handling power of any kind is doing so with respect for one's self and surroundings, as well as doing so while exercising restraint. That is to say, never using more power than is necessary for any given task.

I shouldn't need to tell you I've done much the opposite since arriving in Anatole. I have lorded my strength over just about everyone, and in some cases . . .

[He sighs.]

It's led to others getting hurt. Once that might not have mattered to me, but things have changed. [As all things do, he always says.] I intend to correct that fault by cutting myself off from my yoki.

By doing so, I will also be able to face directly my aversion towards anything that leaves me feeling vulnerable, or in fact renders me so.

[In short, he will be able to confront both his bad habits and his fears this way. The idea is, as Remus once said, to "find freedom through restraint."]

I hope that answers your question.

[He's really not sure why he's telling Byakuya as much as he is, but the Shinigami has, in recent months, become much more than a passing interest to Isley.]

[ He does not respond right away, playing with the words in his head. Such drastic measures... ]

You seek strength...

[ Not in a blade, or power to hold dominion over anyone, but a strength inside that too many warriors forget they need, that Byakuya knows he does not have. To cut oneself off from their own power, to deliberately place themselves in a position they know will make them vulnerable... ]

I see.

[ Even Isley can surprise him. And as infuriating as the man could be sometimes, this explanation granted a new perspective and allowed for a new level of respect. ]

Yes, it did. Rather well, I might add.

And are you still disappointed, Byakuya?

[ Disappointed that he is finding he can't hate you as much as he would like? ]

No.

Good.

Then, unless there is something else . . .

[It's not that he doesn't want to talk—because conversations with Byakuya are amongst those he minds the least—but rather, he is not sure what there is to talk about.]

Are you keeping up with your studies?

[ ... he had to ask. ]

Of course. It is something that I enjoy doing, so keeping up with practice and study is quite easy.

Such diligence.

Very well. I will have more for you soon. It is time we moved on from random words and began connecting them. This is, if you are sure you are ready.

If you feel it's time we moved on, then I'd best be ready, hm? Besides, I'm in agreement. It's not good to linger too long.

Yes, you had. In the meantime, study hard.

[ There may be a test in the wings. ]

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silverking - 2012-06-24 15:13 (UTC) - Expand

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sakurabito - 2012-06-24 15:37 (UTC) - Expand