[Byleth was initially wary at the unknown contact - his usual gut reaction at being tapped first in Communion - but his guardedness eased at the polite introduction and the explanation. While he had never spoken directly to or even interacted with Jonathan, he had never heard anything overtly bad about him either (unlike, say, Silco). He was essentially a complete stranger asking for assistance - and Byleth was always compelled to lend a helping hand to those.]
I'll be happy to help. What sort of information are you seeking?
( it's a wariness that john understands — that he likely would have emulated if their positions were reversed. he does what he can to diffuse it by remaining as perfunctory and polite as possible. though, that having been said... there is something bizarre and inexplicable about the man's presence in Communion that is unsettling, unnerving. it's almost like, though it doesn't seem to emanate from john himself, there is something else in the metaphysical space surrounding them that's staring and prying into him.
unfortunately, there's not much john can do about that.
that having been said, he seems surprised by how ready byleth is to help. ) Oh, um. Thank you. ( pleasantly surprised? but still surprised. )
Mr Andor spoke at length about the route you took and the things you encountered. I'm specifically interested in the creature — the one that appears to have been a former Shard-Bearer — that you met. If there's anything you remember about it or trying to speak with it or how the experience made you feel that wasn't mentioned previously, I would appreciate it.
In addition, if you would be willing to give me whatever information or... a map or anything you can regarding the path you took, I would be grateful.
I'm not sure if the results will be any different, but I want to try to find one of these creatures and see if my abilities allow me to communicate with them any more clearly.
[Byleth found most Communion unsettling, so fortunately (?) the uneasy, off-putting sensation that emanated from their connection was brushed aside as just the usual discomfort he normally felt during Communion. In turn, Byleth's presence cast its own oddity, feeling almost akin to an eclipse - like he himself was concealing something deeper within, slumbering far out of view.]
I see. May I ask a question first?
[John's proposition intrigued him, but at the same time Byleth recalled the creature's terror, its pain, the bone-deep yearning it had. His Shard had almost scorched with it, and even now he felt a profound empathy thinking back to that moment. He didn't want to lead others to it if it was just to satisfy their own idle curiosity, potentially distressing it further. If they were to reach out to the creature once more, he wanted it to be with the intention to truly understand it, in a way that it could be helped or comprehended.]
Why do you wish to communicate with it? What are you hoping to learn? Our interaction with it, however brief and one-sided, caused it considerable distress. Would your abilities be able to mitigate that?
( the situation of john's own psychic presence is, of course, very similar, even if it manifests itself very different in metaphysical space — however distantly, the Eye seems to pick up on these tiny threads of similarity, straining itself even further.
it gives him the beginning of a headache. )
Of course. ( said immediately. he would think byleth foolish if he didn't, perhaps.
he pauses for a long, thoughtful moment before answering. )
I will be frank with you, Byleth. My abilities are typically not the type to prevent or soften distress. ( as a half-mumbled aside: ) ...Quite the opposite, really.
But.
It's not my intention to harass these creatures. The only ability I will be using is one which facilitates my being able to communicate with anyone or anything, if in the pursuit of the unknown. And if that fails... well, I do have something I can try if that's the case, but I assure you. The only one who will be suffering as a result of that will be myself.
( as for why:) It seemed to me from Mr Andor's report that whatever the creature you encountered wanted to tell you all, it didn't seem able to. Or, at least, not in full. Would you agree with that assessment?
[Byleth paused before answering:] I agree with that assessment.
[The creature had reached out to them first, it was true. It had clearly desired to communicate with them, to impart something upon them - but for whatever reason, it had spooked and retreated, and though Byleth had thought back to the moment repeatedly, he couldn't put his finger on what, exactly, had terrified the creature. What had it sensed? Had it been them? An idle thought? Or something else that had been preying on them unseen in the background?
If it wouldn't harm the creature, then maybe...]
It reached out to us first - eagerly. It imparted a lot of information, but it was disjointed and difficult to parse... if it had been building up to something, we never got to witness it, as it fled from us without warning. Whether it was us or something else that terrified it, I cannot say. It happened too quickly.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
I'll be happy to help. What sort of information are you seeking?
no subject
unfortunately, there's not much john can do about that.
that having been said, he seems surprised by how ready byleth is to help. ) Oh, um. Thank you. ( pleasantly surprised? but still surprised. )
Mr Andor spoke at length about the route you took and the things you encountered. I'm specifically interested in the creature — the one that appears to have been a former Shard-Bearer — that you met. If there's anything you remember about it or trying to speak with it or how the experience made you feel that wasn't mentioned previously, I would appreciate it.
In addition, if you would be willing to give me whatever information or... a map or anything you can regarding the path you took, I would be grateful.
I'm not sure if the results will be any different, but I want to try to find one of these creatures and see if my abilities allow me to communicate with them any more clearly.
no subject
I see. May I ask a question first?
[John's proposition intrigued him, but at the same time Byleth recalled the creature's terror, its pain, the bone-deep yearning it had. His Shard had almost scorched with it, and even now he felt a profound empathy thinking back to that moment. He didn't want to lead others to it if it was just to satisfy their own idle curiosity, potentially distressing it further. If they were to reach out to the creature once more, he wanted it to be with the intention to truly understand it, in a way that it could be helped or comprehended.]
Why do you wish to communicate with it? What are you hoping to learn? Our interaction with it, however brief and one-sided, caused it considerable distress. Would your abilities be able to mitigate that?
[That was more than 'a' question, Byleth...]
no subject
it gives him the beginning of a headache. )
Of course. ( said immediately. he would think byleth foolish if he didn't, perhaps.
he pauses for a long, thoughtful moment before answering. )
I will be frank with you, Byleth. My abilities are typically not the type to prevent or soften distress. ( as a half-mumbled aside: ) ...Quite the opposite, really.
But.
It's not my intention to harass these creatures. The only ability I will be using is one which facilitates my being able to communicate with anyone or anything, if in the pursuit of the unknown. And if that fails... well, I do have something I can try if that's the case, but I assure you. The only one who will be suffering as a result of that will be myself.
( as for why: ) It seemed to me from Mr Andor's report that whatever the creature you encountered wanted to tell you all, it didn't seem able to. Or, at least, not in full. Would you agree with that assessment?
no subject
[The creature had reached out to them first, it was true. It had clearly desired to communicate with them, to impart something upon them - but for whatever reason, it had spooked and retreated, and though Byleth had thought back to the moment repeatedly, he couldn't put his finger on what, exactly, had terrified the creature. What had it sensed? Had it been them? An idle thought? Or something else that had been preying on them unseen in the background?
If it wouldn't harm the creature, then maybe...]
It reached out to us first - eagerly. It imparted a lot of information, but it was disjointed and difficult to parse... if it had been building up to something, we never got to witness it, as it fled from us without warning. Whether it was us or something else that terrified it, I cannot say. It happened too quickly.