DUEL 003: The Bored Spirit At Play

[fluffydeathdealer]

[To say that Bakura's been in a good mood lately is an understatement.

Thanks to the thief king, he has the eighth key that he needs once he gets out of here. It's frustrating being trapped in this place, but he's spent so long with the Ring's imprisonment that it's easy to cope with this. It's just a waiting game. It always has been.

It's said that the greatest enemy of the immortal is boredom. For Bakura, that's an understatement. There weren't many duelists around, getting rid of people wasn't possible with the curse upon this place bringing them back, and the problem with letting his darker instincts out was that in this place, there was no way to get away with it without word spreading too fast, or his victims recovering. How tedious! Even if he took their souls, this place would probably return them to their bodies before long. He couldn't even pursue the remainder of his collection, with Shadi not being accessible.

So for now, he's sitting on the ground in the courtyard despite the cold, working with a much more mundane hobby. He's making a marionette.

It's not quite finished, but it might look familiar... It looks a surprising amount like a creepier version of a certain young boy with ridiculous hair. It's symbolic! And it isn't the only one there. Hanging over the nearest doorway, waiting to fall down on anyone who opens the door to come outside, is a slightly more intimidating one...]

Comments

[whiterosefoes]

Thanks for the advice. [Her voice drips with sarcasm. Of course she knows you can rip cards... it was figurative. Or something. She still looks tense even after he puts it away, but at least she has more control over her face. Her monsters are unsettled as well - she's never felt this much turmoil from them.

Except for once, it suddenly occurs to her. Though, this feeling is nowhere near that level of bad, but on the other hand it is only a card.]

And there's no need to apologize. That card is only a representation, after all, right? Even if I got goosebumps from touching it... I've faced down far worse. Though the feeling is eerily similar.

[fluffydeathdealer]

I was joking. I'd have gotten mad if you ripped it. I don't have a copy of this one. Not that it's any good to me. I've never even used it.

[Faced down far worse...? He doesn't get it. If she'd faced anything on Zorc's level, she'd surely be dead now.]

When the cards were recreated from the tablets, I doubt this was one of them. It's probably a coincidental creation, an image based off of the idea of him. I didn't think it'd have any feeling at all, despite Henry's reaction to it. It must be connected to the other world after all.

[whiterosefoes]

[Harriet ignores the first part, because honestly, she wouldn't care if he'd be mad. If she felt like she needed to rip it, it would have been done whether he liked it or not. Considering that the only thing more evil than that card she's met was a literal demonic god summoned to Earth, she thinks she's been quite gracious for handing it over.

The coincidental creation and the history is interesting to her, though. Perhaps there was some other reason for this card to exist... but there was no way she or Bakura could find out.]

Does it please you to know that?

[fluffydeathdealer]

That it's connected? Not really. I can't even communicate with it, let alone feel anything from it. It's just paper to me.

[The admission comes easily. It's not like it's a secret. There's no reason to hide it from her. And besides... it's a good way to make sure she doesn't turn entirely against him. He may be evil, to her eyes, but there's no reason to make her think he's entirely evil.]

[whiterosefoes]

[It is a good way... in theory. Though the claim is suspicious to her, because wasn't Bakura the one who taught Malik to summon on his own? So why is it only paper?]

My. Is that true?

[fluffydeathdealer]

[Sigh. He feels kind of awkward admitting this, but being accused of lying when he's telling the truth for once... it's kind of annoying.]

It's true! This is the only card I've had in my deck that I've never felt anything from. It's a pain! If this guy is supposed to be who I was working for, you'd think he'd try to tell me something, instead of letting me fumble in the dark.

[whiterosefoes]

... [Well, his frustration seems genuine. Harriet has no idea what it could mean, though. Surely, it was granted that certain cards wouldn't resonate well, but this didn't sound like that at all.]

Who knows? I can't say I've ever heard of anything like that.

[not that she'd really want to help him get in touch with his satanic master, though.]

[fluffydeathdealer]

Kh. [He sighs, going over to retrieve the puppet that she had so cruelly impaled.]

In the end, I guess it doesn't matter. I'm in this for myself. ...and for Malik. If he's angry about that, then he can go to Hell. I don't kneel for anyone unless it gets me something.

[...he can't repair damage like this. Being an amateur and all, it's probable that he'll have to start over. Carelessly, he tosses it aside.]

[whiterosefoes]

[She puts her hand on her hip, watching him as he inspects the puppet. Harriet might have apologized for that damage, but really, it was his own fault. And she certainly doesn't feel bad for impaling an effigy of that demon.]

You believe it's angry with you? You're getting off pretty easily, if so. The cold shoulder is something I'd expect from a scorned lover, not a demon.

Though I can respect the attitude you take toward it...

[fluffydeathdealer]

Hm... [He looks her over in an appraising manner for a moment. A smile creeps onto his face.]

He can't hurt me. The most he could have done was communicate. It's impossible to summon him into this world even if you train for a thousand years.

But I'm not afraid of him. If he's mad at me when I meet him, I'll go down fighting... and try to take him with me. If not, it doesn't matter.

[And if he can take the power that belongs to him before that happens... He won't have to fear Zorc's retribution anyway.]

[whiterosefoes]

I suppose not.

... Though, I thought you said you didn't remember anything about him. So how do you know all that? Did you learn it when pursuing your 'mission?'

[She kind of wants to know more, herself. And if the Thief King was the one who gave him the information, then he just jumped a few more notches up on the threat ladder as well. This Zorc is seriously reminding her of the boss level, and even if it's unlikely she'd see it in the Campus, she and Bakura are from ostensibly the same timeline (once she returns home), and if there's even a 1% chance of encountering something like that again, she doesn't want to be in the dark.]

[fluffydeathdealer]

...It's written on a tablet at Kul Elna.

[His voice turns serious as he sits back down on the ground with his legs folded beneath him, gesturing for her to join him. Story time, Harriet!]

Kul Elna is where the Items were stored when not in use. Not all at once... there's no fool on Earth who'd do that. After all, they have nothing to gain by opening the door. But on that tablet... I've seen it.

"The young Pharaoh and the six High Priests gave their lives to seal the evil power inside the Holy Door. I pray that the evil power is not resurrected along with the Pharaoh's memories."

[He recites the words from memory with ease.]

Power in itself has no alignment... so it must be referring to someone. That Thief King claims to be after the Pharaoh, and that I 'failed' to end up sealed in this. So if Zorc is his Master... then that 'evil power' must be him... don't you think?

[whiterosefoes]

[After a brief pause, Harriet complies to sit with Bakura - it's a very small price to pay for information, after all. Taking in what he says, she looks thoughtful.]

I must agree... though I'm a bit confused by that message. I mean, they're just going to break the seal anyway and hope he stays down? But as you just said, no one would do that. I'd ask what the hell the ancient Egyptians were thinking, but they've at least got a better track record than the medieval English.

[fluffydeathdealer]

The Pharaoh is going to break the seal, on his quest for his lost memories. The one Malik wants to kill. It's his destiny... to face down the enemy he sealed away, and regain the right to pass on to the afterlife if he succeeds. Nobody can pass on to the afterlife without knowing who they are. It's the law of the Gods... They need a name, written down for the ages, if they don't want to wander the darkness of eternity forever.

[Resting on his hands, he flashes her a slightly malicious grin.]

So it comes down to this. Either the Pharaoh unseals him and presumably destroys him... or fails, and the world is cast into darkness. Or the Pharaoh's destiny is shattered like a rock, and the seal remains intact for another three thousand or so years. The world hangs on a knife edge, with the Pharaoh unwittingly playing with the blade.

[whiterosefoes]

[Harriet tilts her head, meeting his gaze when he leans back on his hands.]

... Sounds like a riot.

[All of this afterlife shit is far beyond her, and destiny... she's already fulfilled hers, hasn't she? If it was ever hers to begin with. The Pharaoh's destiny? He can have it. Though, it does bring her attention to the other puppet Bakura was making. The Pharaoh that looked like Henry. And there was a little boy that looked like him too.]

That would explain this puppet as well... I thought it looked a bit too creepy to be Yugi.

[fluffydeathdealer]

...

It is Yugi.

[Bakura pouts without meaning to. Jeez, way to shit on his work, girl.]

[whiterosefoes]

Oh.... [She stares between Bakura and the puppet for a moment. Don't show it to Yugi. You're going to give him self image problems! So she thinks, but when he's pouting like that, all she can say is,] ....Sorry.

[fluffydeathdealer]

[Well, this is awkward. If this were a movie, there'd be tumbleweed rolling past right now.]

...I suppose it's only natural. There's not many ways to tell them apart.

[That is a begrudging "Oh fine", Harriet, roll with it.]

[whiterosefoes]

[She will absolutely roll. She already destroyed one of his puppets physically, what kind of person would she be if she destroyed the other one psychologically?]

Ah, that's right. With so many look-a-likes, there's bound to be mistaken identities. Especially when you add in "artistic expression!"

[fluffydeathdealer]

...heh. [Good enough.] It's not meant to be an exact recreation, anyway! It's a bitch making puppets look exactly like people. They lose all their charm.

[Yes, he does in fact think the utterly creepy puppet has charm.]

[whiterosefoes]

Well, I do agree...

[But only because the uncanny valley dictates that if he'd made it exactly realistic, it would be even creepier.]

[fluffydeathdealer]

Heheh! You've got good taste.

[Yes, he totally took that the wrong way.]

I'd make one of you, but I don't make toys of people that I have any reason to keep around. Besides, Malik would probably kill me.

[He'd have way too much fun being like "Maaaalik, give the puppet girlfriend a kiiiiiss~"...]

[whiterosefoes]

[1. Her very own puppet monstrosity? Her inner voice is screaming. No thank you!!

2. He's "keeping her around?" The fuck does that mean? And why would that make a difference anyway?

3. Why would Malik care what is even going on-]

Um... back up, I've missed a few implications here. Exactly what do these toys mean to you?

[fluffydeathdealer]

Mean? Nothing at all. Puppets are just bodies without souls. It's not worth being invested in them.

[He looks at her as if she grew another head. Seriously, girl, what's wrong with you?]

[whiterosefoes]

[-Hey, don't look at her like she's the unusual one!]

Then why all the weird conditions? And what would Malik care?

[wait.]

... Not that I'm arguing in favor of you making me a puppet, of course. You needn't go to any trouble, I'm only trying to make sense of you.