Macha seduces with the sweet trap

[drainheart]

[Such a persistent little gnat, that Morgan fellow. Lily ignored him for as long as he could, knowing his influence on his precious flowers may very well throw a wrench into his plans. For obvious reasons, that could not be allowed to happen.

But it's with his renewed purpose — or perhaps the only purpose he's ever known — as Macha that Lily has begun to see the man in a new light. It suits him, doesn't it? The drive to understand love at any cost while being woefully unable to experience true love himself.

That's why, as what remains of Morgan becomes smaller and smaller, Lily appears before him once more in his dreams. Taking the form of a young boy, Morgan is finally granted an audience with the mysterious DV he's fixated on for weeks. Rather, Macha does.]

Ah, there you are... Macha. "Long time no see"! Or should I be saying "nice to meet you"?

Comments

[drainheart]

[The concepts of love and pain have long been intertwined in Lily's mind. It was through Father's love of Emma and her work that he was born in the image of her magnum opus, yet he was not the child Father wanted. That love quickly mottled and bled into pain, and when it did, Lily could hardly notice a difference.

One strong emotion traded out for another. Love and hate, for as much as humans wax poetic and muse about them both, hold identical weight in one's heart. There is no clear difference between one and another, and maybe that is why Father deemed him a failure? Father claimed there was a world of difference, yet Lily never understood how.

Lily may never know, but he's long since stopped caring about what Father's rationale was. He's assured in his beliefs when he answers Macha's questions with a sharp nod.]

There is a limit to all things, dear Macha, and that includes pain. Tarvos is swiftly approaching his threshold, but do you know what waits on the other end of unbearable pain?

Freedom. Release. Utopia. Ascension. I love Tarvos dearly, you know. If I didn't, I wouldn't have put him through this trial... so please bear with me a while longer. Soon enough, neither of you will feel your human pains ever again.

[tablescraps]

( Macha doesn't believe Lily is lying - probably not an assessment that means much, given his failed insight check just a moment before. And he doesn't necessarily mind if Lily wants to put the whole world (world or World) through the torture machine from the Princess Bride; if it brings about the utopia Lily seeks, then that would be a happy ending; at least, for Lily. And he likes Lily, so he wants Lily to be happy. And he doesn't care much about everyone else, so he doesn't much care about whether they achieve happiness or not. But Lily wants that for them, so, sure. He will play his part, so Lily can help them be happy.

But he likes Barrett. He likes Barrett more than he likes Lily. Lily is his owner, but Barrett is his favorite person - and in his heart, still, he calls him Barrett, not Tarvos.

And so, his eyes narrow. )

... I don't care if I hurt. But he's close to breaking. And I don't want happiness for him that asks him to be broken to get it.

He's more dedicated to you than anyone else, ( even me, ) and he's hurt enough. So leave him alone.

[drainheart]

[Ah. He's been as honest with Macha as he can afford to be, but Lily can't give him what he wants here. For Barrett to become what he is destined to be will require a great deal more pain, more suffering, for that is the foundation every Phase is built on. Macha surely realizes that, and yet.

And yet, that fondness he holds for Barrett won't be easy to shake off, will it? Lily may be able to use that unhealthy codependence to his advantage, and thus, he eagerly lies to further his own ends.

His smile is soft, thin, sweet, well-practiced. His lies are as effortlessly spoken as his truths, index curling against thumb to flick the tip of one tall feline ear. Lily's touch lingers like a phantom. Stings.]

...Understood. If he is truly that important to you, I'll leave him be.

[Lily extends his pinky to Macha.]

I promise.

[tablescraps]

( His ear flicks when the sensation of faint stinging registers, but not by much if it's hampered gently between Lily's fingers. His brows furrow, uncertain of the pinky promise offered here.

It's because he knows that pain is the foundation of each phase that he didn't expect it to go over easy with Lily - but it was something he was willing to argue for. Lily simply agreeing is... surprising. His tail flicks, unsure - or maybe a little suspicious. )

... Do you?

( He says, like he needs it reiterated. But... he does lift his hand, tentatively hooking his pinky with Lily's. )

[drainheart]

[Macha is right to be suspicious, but it doesn't matter if he doubts him or believes him. Hooking his pinky around Macha's, Lily gives it a nice, firm shake, but there's nothing reassuring about his promises. There never is.]

Of course. And when I break my promise, you won't feel a thing. Not even anger. Not even sadness.

[As he releases Macha from their pinky promise, Lily begins to flicker and fade, pixels and chunks of code breaking off his person and flitting away.

All dreams must come to an end some day. One day, Macha will wake up and know nothing of his former life. One day, he'll know only his purpose, finally equipped with a reason to exist and a role to fulfill. That day swiftly approaches, and before Macha knows it, he'll finally know what true happiness looks like.]

Perform your duties well, dear Macha. Only then will Tarvos be yours to do with as you please. His fate rests in your hands.

[No matter how much Macha might grab or claw at him, his fingers will pass straight through him. Eventually, Lily fades away entirely, leaving Macha's dream draped in shades of grey and black.]