conflictresolution

[She has no commentary to give on the whole emotional pain part. It's obvious enough for him to comment on it, so is there really anything more to say? Granted, she would definitely blame it all on Chiyo, but she'd rather not potentially jinx the shrine's caretaker to appear by uttering her name.

Aside from the sounds of the exfoliation process, Dara remains quiet for a moment. She had been treating Gogol too well, hadn't she? Going so far as to not immediately giving away the existence of their contract. The network post of them "making up" certainly left out a lot of information...]

Oh, I already imprisoned and tortured him. Physical harm didn't feel like enough, so I did something equivalent to what he put me through. Now I have control of his soul.

[Her voice is dead serious while looking straight at Silco.]

Still don't like him, but at least I made it quite clear that I'm not playing around.

Do you? Apparently he is still making connections, but I suppose that's good for you in the long run.

[He wondered if she intended on letting that little fling cultivate, though likely the pair of them couldn't muster an emotional connection deep enough to fill a cigarette filter. Still, one had to have connection to appreciate them being taken away or threatened. Fear was part of any good revenge tale, and why not? Dara was probably in no hurry as long as this place persisted.

He reached up and stroked his fingers down the scarred side of his face, considering as he watched her ongoing routine as if it were a perfectly normal activity.]

What is it that you are capable of with a soul? [Colour him very interested. He wondered what it would cost him for her to snatch another pesky one...]

[Gogol & Sha-Ming having a blossoming relationship so that she could set fire to it all later? Honestly, not something Dara would think of, but heck, she'll let him run with that notion without correcting him!

...Well, technically she did verbalize a plan to order Gogol to murder Sha-Ming repeatedly for months on end. So Silco isn't that far off.]

Complete control.

[The god's six arms continue to stay active in their cleaning, but controlling them all at once doesn't seem to distract her from the conversation or tracking the motion of his fingers against his face. It reminds her of her own scars beyond the slashes in her cheeks, simply hidden by divine regeneration.]

There are a few limitations as to what I can do, but hardly enough to get in my way. It has its advantages and disadvantages compared to straight up eating the soul.

[Wasn't that just a wonderful notion? Still, he would be paying closer attention to those two idiots now aside from keeping track of some of their conversations. It would be an interesting show when they eventually self-destructed with or without Dara's assistance, and it was about time someone else in this place received that kind of drama beyond those from his world.]

So he's your puppet. That's nothing to be scoffed at.

[As a normal human with nothing extraordinary about him, he could imagine what such control would be like but it wasn't in the cards for him. He didn't care; he had his own down-to-earth methods. Still, it was a fun momentary fantasy.]

It's a wonder you haven't simply taken over now that the Council is absent and their control on us is so limited.

[That last bit has Dara halting all movement. To her, it feels out of nowhere until she considers who is talking. Is this how businessmen think? Just aim for the top? The notion of becoming actively involved in many people's lives makes her squeamish. Too much of a hassle! Although she probably shouldn't judge given that gods don't necessarily have material needs.

...But she sure is judging behind that slightly perplexed look thrown at Silco.]

Sounds like a giant waste of time. What do you think I'd gain from something like that?

[Okay, maybe the god is a little curious about how he views her. The whole "complete control" bit may have skewed things.]

[He made note of her pause, tilting his head a little as he tried to read her body language to understand the change. Perhaps as a being of extraordinary abilities - and suffering - didn't trifle quite so much with the struggle of power and control. He had spent far too long of his life struggling for existence that his world view was that power was to be used for control, for a life-goal. Of course, he was in the twilight of his life as well, so that changed some of the urgency of his own goals.

He had also spent years of his life being judged for his opinions and drive forward, and he had long ago learned to ignore it.]

Control. We're play things here, pushed around and nudged in this direction and that. If this place fails, we either go home or cease to be or perhaps transition to something worse.

[Dara gives a hum in return as she takes a moment to contemplate the picture he's trying to paint. It feels........very human. She can understand the desire for control, has obviously practiced it herself by ensnaring Gogol's soul, but she also fails to empathize.]

What difference does it make if I control the Chosen? I'd become another force that does the pushing and pulling while still suffering it myself. It sounds like a way to put a target on my back for people to take their frustration out on.

[As if to emphasize her point, the water surges when the serpentine tail shoots up from the depths to coil around the base of Silco's boulder. Just enough of a distraction for Dara to suddenly be looming just a few inches from his face. A single finger traces along the scar there while her expression remains neutral.]

A curse is retaliatory. I put Gogol in his place because I sought retribution. I am a curse god, and he needed to learn that actions have consequences. But towards other Chosen like yourself, there's no need for me to act unless provoked.

[Dara retracts as quickly as she intruded upon his personal space as her tail slips quietly into the water again. She then shrugs:] I'd prefer being alone in the woods anyways...Although I can't say I'm completely immune to desiring interactions with others.

I don't care for you to control us but this place and bring those who are destroying it in line. Some people require carrot and others require all stick to see the path ahead of them.

[However, it didn't seem that Dara had the interest or the will to do the necessary action to bring the few wayward Chosen to face the same direction. That was expected; there were very few that seemed to have a vested interest in seeing this to the end that was beneficial to most - or maybe more him as he was one of the few that would stay. That was fine.

Gods, cursed or not, were never the answer. With all of their powers and meddling, they hardly seemed to be driven enough by worldly goals to do much of anything but brief displays of power for retribution or kindness or to stroke their own egos. It was why he didn't care much for the idea of gods; it was a fact that humanity would simply be left disappointed.

He regarded Dara evenly, unfazed by her moving into her personal space, unafraid of her despite knowing that she was capable of doing terrible things to him. Even as she touched him, he didn't withdraw nor did his expression change. Weakness was how poor men died scared and humiliated.

His mismatched gaze followed her once she withdrew back to the pool of water.]

A curse is retaliatory. [In that, they agreed. It's why he would ask her someday soon to employ one against someone he thought deserved retaliation.] No one is immune to the desire for socialization and acceptance it seems. Loneliness eats away at integrity.

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