The... person, creature, whatever you want to call them, pauses, as though in surprise. They stare at Alexander for some time, studying him, then reach out again - this time not to take his hand, but simply... reach for him.
Birdity takes Emet's hand in both of his, still seemingly a little stunned by the acceptance and affection... then words pour out of him, still unintelligible static-y birdspeech, but there's a lot of emotion behind them - pleading, desperation, relief, sorrow, apology. But still... not a word to be understood.
Birdity seems to realize that after a while. He looks down at their joined hands, then steps closer, almost shyly, to rest his head against Emet's shoulder.
Emet sure can pick up Birdity! Who makes a surprised and flustered noise, but does cling to him - first for balance, then wrapping his arms around Emet's neck in a hug. But it doesn't quite last.
He sighs quietly at the offer, putting a hand to his heart.
And, by way of explanation... he plunges a hand into his own flickering form, slowly pulling out a gently glowing something--a fragment of a crystal, feebly pulsating with the colour of Hythlodaeus's soul.
Birdity freezes, shocked - then tenses terribly, hands curling into fists, shape flickering even more. How can you say that? How can you call him whole when he's so obviously flawed, broken, wrong?
One hand digs its fingers into Emet's clothes - and strangely even when it changes to a wing the hold stays, and the steel feathers don't seem to pierce Emet as they should by mere laws of physics.
Bird-Levity makes a sound between a sob and a laugh.
god your gay. like friendgay but still that's gay!!!
That reply doesn't seem to be what Birdity expected. He curls up in Emet's arms, clinging tighter, starting to cry in earnest, warbling out those not-words inbetween sobs. It's impossible to understand what he's saying again, but there's just - sadness, desperation, that kind of hopeless anger that comes with being told he matters when he himself does not believe it.
He wraps his arms around Emet, clinging tightly, like to a lifeline. Even if it was possible to understand him, he's not quite in the state to speak, his sobs choking him. But he manages to whisper something out:
Because I love you, Hythlodaeus. Levity. Whatever name you prefer. If everything I have lived through has not changed that by now, well, I doubt anything will.
He curls up some more, letting himself cry for a time. In some strange way, it's a heavy and scary thing to be loved, especially by Alexander and Cosmo, especially despite the imperfections Levity sees in himself. But it's something he yearns for, too.
Eventually, he pulls back slightly, taking one of Alexander's hands in his own, placing the shard he's pulled out of himself onto Alexander's palm.
Surprisingly enough, one of the entrance doors seems to be open a crack! It seems that the first floor is still intact, at least. And given how unreliable distance and physics is within a heart, well, maybe it's possible to ascend it still.
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"h̨̧̝̺̲͊̇̂͛͘ạ͓̹̩͛͋͗͠d͙̖͍̰͇̈́͂͊̄̔̅̔͜͢e̥͙̬͗̊͠.̡͓̠͇̩͎̆̔͊̏̐̉̕ͅ.̫̫̞͂͑͡.̧̗̣̜͚̊̐̐̇̇ ̮̣̯̋̉̔ş͔͌͊̀ͅ?̯̞̍̚"
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I am here, my friend. You need not shoulder this alone.
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Birdity seems to realize that after a while. He looks down at their joined hands, then steps closer, almost shyly, to rest his head against Emet's shoulder.
"ṗ̝͙̺̮̮̠͒͂̊͡͝l͇̥̥̲͇̹̎͐͑̐̍͠ẻ̹̟̥̲̰̗̳͙͌̃̈́̽͌͘͠a̢̛̪͎͉̯̠̎́̋̃͗͜͡s̜͔̱͚͒̍̔͡ē͖̠̟̩̆̓̅.̛̗̳̜̤̤́̈̎̚.̧͚̖̞͉̪̺̈̆͐̈̀̐͡.̞̆ ̢̫̬̌́͊h̨̦̘͉͖͌̿͋͌͂ò̖̫̭̮̜̘̗̭̙̀́̔̏́͑͂͡m͚̗͕̳̼͌̎̏̌͡ĕ̢͓̰̪͚̖̥̟̾̊͒̿͑̕͠.̮͕̖̼̗͗̈̆́̀͋͢"
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Close your eyes and give me control and perhaps some of your aether. I can create you an image of it.
And we will get there. Home. Ever do we strive for it.
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Emet sure can pick up Birdity! Who makes a surprised and flustered noise, but does cling to him - first for balance, then wrapping his arms around Emet's neck in a hug. But it doesn't quite last.
He sighs quietly at the offer, putting a hand to his heart.
"ņ̢͈͑̌̈ỏ̜̜̌͆͟.̱̟̀̿.͉͚̟̾͞͝.̨̖̟̪͍̪̤́͋̊̒̑̄́̚͜ ̨͖͉̮̿̍͒͛͘͜a͈͎͓̮͗̿̈͂e͖̦͔̗̙̲̿̾̅̐͝͠ť̞̭̩͖̗͓̦̈͊͌̀̉͐̈́͟ḧ̘̼́͊è͇̳̙͍̹̭̗͊̓̓̿̚͡r̛̩͎̀.̨͚̍͌̓͟ ̯̒͘͢͝ͅn̝̅o̧̫͓̬̒͐̆͢͞͡ ͕̤̮͋̈̓c̜͕̙͕͉͙̀̈́͆̇̾̓̚͟ơ̺̱͔̯͈̙̘̑̌́̏͞͡ṋ͎̦̝̬̫̾̓̄̆̀̅͘ͅ.̯̺͕̘̙̎̈́̂̓̕.̡̱̺͖̯͂͂̇̊̃̚͢.̜͖̩̳͎̫̐̾͂̆̽́ ͓̮̙͉̞͗̎̿̿͠t͈̞̑͘r̻̺͕̰̐̀͘͘͟͡o̹̘̪̼̎̏̌͡l̨͍̘̤̻̦̓̀̓̀̚̚.̡̢̦͂̀͘"
And, by way of explanation... he plunges a hand into his own flickering form, slowly pulling out a gently glowing something--a fragment of a crystal, feebly pulsating with the colour of Hythlodaeus's soul.
He is nothing more than a shard.
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He shakes his head.]
That you have memories of Amaurot proves you are whole.
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Hythlodeaus? What is the matter?
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Bird-Levity makes a sound between a sob and a laugh.
"i̢̙̱͖̫̅͋̄̏͞ ̨̼͗̒a̢͞m̟͒̔ͅ ̝̹͔̿̎̊̚͟n̳͂͞ͅö͚̠̼̲́̀̍̄̕͜ţ̣̠̫̾̍͊̔.̣͕̻̊͒̄.̥̳̝̦͒̉͐̃.͉̣̬͗̄̅ ̳̆h̘̤̓̚͟͞i̟͍̪̇̄̏m̠͊!̢̫̭͉̖͒͛́̃͠"
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[Truthfully, he wouldn't care if they did pierce.]
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That reply doesn't seem to be what Birdity expected. He curls up in Emet's arms, clinging tighter, starting to cry in earnest, warbling out those not-words inbetween sobs. It's impossible to understand what he's saying again, but there's just - sadness, desperation, that kind of hopeless anger that comes with being told he matters when he himself does not believe it.
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What did you fear, my friend?
[Not that he expects an answer.]
You will always be my dearest friend. All parts of you. I have no intention of picking and choosing certain parts.
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"ẅ̢́h̪̤͚̠͓͛̓̍̃̕ÿ̲̝͚̳̊̆̆?̹̯̗͎͐̐̿͠.̹̊.͓̅̌ͅ"
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[He kisses the top of his head.]
Because I love you, Hythlodaeus. Levity. Whatever name you prefer. If everything I have lived through has not changed that by now, well, I doubt anything will.
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Eventually, he pulls back slightly, taking one of Alexander's hands in his own, placing the shard he's pulled out of himself onto Alexander's palm.
"s̠̥̟̭̲͑̽̿̚̚ļ͙͉̾͑̈e̠̮̩͐̌̀̄͢ḙ̢̆̿̓͟p̬̽i̙͆ǹ͔̩̂ģ̼̲͗̕͡,̙̀ ̫͖͚̌͊̅in̲̒ ͔͚̩̇̆͡t͜͝h͈͔́̊e ̪̻͌͂͗͒͜͢t̢͓̱͌̒̀̚͢o̟̪͎̜̅̀͒̐w̪͔̫̿̓́̓͢͜͠ë̗̟̤̳́͊͘͝r͑͜.͙͓̟̞̩́̓̑̔̕.̹̩̇̔.̘̦̼̹̑̀̔̅ ͇̺̈́̋b̭͚̻̠͊̔̚͠ŗ̖̈́̒i̟̥̺͋̎̔͆͜n͍̟̣͓̄̂̊̀̏͟g̬͂ ̙͉͛̂mē̖,͕̜͊̂ ̹͓̐̄t̟͙̭̑̈́̊̐͟o̲͚͙͙͂̾̈́͠ ̨̻̪̪̊̇̾͡h͚̹̭͐́̕͝ͅi̖̩̙̲͙̊̍͑̓̑m̧̠̋͞.̩̻͖̪̍́̉͠"
It's like being asked to orchestrate a little Rejoining, but with less murder!
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Of course.
[He does then look up at the bisected tower and its sections. How does one go about getting in that?]
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"t̡͍̗̘̄͋̇͌h̭̣͍͎̿̐́̎an̬̪̘͆̇͘͟͢͡͞k͚̖̯̈͂̑.̞̝̓̋.̟̼̀̋.͖͚̄͝ ̝̣̀̈́͂ͅy̡̯͖̘̋̐̏͘͟͠o̟̗͓͑́̒ů̥̼̓.̡̱̭̟̻̒̿́̂̏"
In Alexander's arms, bird-Levity gives him one last hug, slumps against him... and then fades away, dissolving into the aether of the crystal shard.
What now?
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And it's definitely possible to squeeze through!