lucetilogs | MASS INTERACTION LOG

[Giles watches Helios carefully, indeed paying close attention. The thought bubble changes to images, lingering less than a second on each one. The fight with Frederic, the fight with the other Helios, before finally settling on an image of the two of them together at the library, Helios wearing a ridiculous pigeon costume.

All the fight goes out of Giles' body language. And he looks away, as well.]

So am I.

But it wasn't your fault. It's mine.

No it wasn't. [ Reading his thoughts, he tries not to but it's rather hard. Though the last image makes him smile a little, that costume how could anyone forget that. ] If it's anyone's fault it's the Malnosso. I just wish I could have stopped him. He's rather horrible isn't he?

[Giles laughs, a little hysterically.] Yes, ah, I'm afraid he is. Met vampires less appalling...

I'm, um, glad you're back.

[ Helios will laugh as well. But a small sigh will escape his lips. He saw those images especially the one involving Frederic. ] Frederic...wasn't the same towards you either? This whole experiment is rather confusing. Personality changes, teleportation, thought bubbles and alternate worlds...all of them occurred in the past but never together. [ He will turn towards the kitchen and back at Giles. ]

Would you, er, like anything? Tea perhaps? [ Since you are here after all. ]

Please? That would be wonderful. [Giles settles down in the chair he was using as a shield with a quiet little sigh of exhaustion. He waits until Helios turns away before he speaks any further - if the other man isn't looking directly at him, Giles doesn't have to fight so hard to clamp down on his thoughts.] Don't be stupid, don't be so, so sentimental, what if Frederic was right?

Frederic...wasn't the same, no. Helios, in this past week, I've met exactly two people in this whole god forsaken village who have made any sense whatsoever. [Images of Okita and Rachel appear briefly over his head.]

[ He might catch a small glimpse of it but he doesn't...want to ask, yet he knows he probably should. Frederic also told him that Giles wouldn't forgive him that he shouldn't keep people close to him that caused him pain. But...he was wrong about Giles. He goes into the kitchen and returns a few moments later with some hot tea and perhaps some other small cookies and whatnot. ]

He wasn't the same, and he said some things...but I didn't believe them. It wasn't him after all. [ A sigh. ] It's probably what he wanted; for us to second guess ourselves about the matter.

...Helios, I didn't mean...

Yes, I did.

I'm paranoid. I'm a basically paranoid individual, even since I've been here. You know that, and this week has only made it worse. I shouldn't even exist.

But I trust you.

[ He tries to look away to stop reading Giles' thoughts. ]

Ah Luceti will do that to you...and where you're from, I-I'm not surprised. [ He shakes his head his eyes widening as he reads that thought. He'll look away though trying not to pry. ]

You do? I wouldn't...be offended if you didn't after what happened. He is me after all, just more abrasive.

No, he isn't. You're not the same people. Trust me. I'm...in a position to know, at the moment.

I don't trust him. I don't like him. I find him to be a basically disgusting, objectionable human being.

But I trust you, Helios. And I'm glad you're back.

[ He only smiles and laughs actually. ] It seems we're the same in our opinions on him. I wish there was some way for him to change, but some people just don't seem to like to. [ He looks away because he remembers the other him mentioning her, mentioning Elise. ] And yet...we've both done objectionable things. [ A pause as he looks into the cup in his hand. ] I sometimes wonder if I would have turned out that way had circumstances been different.

You might have.

But they weren't, so you didn't. Anywhere other than Luceti, it would be as simple as that.

[Two images appear over his head. One is a man, evidently possessed, his face twisted and demonic and his flesh mutilated. The other image shows Buffy, although she'll look a bit different than Helios might remember.]

...remember our first proper conversation? I hope I do. I believe we were discussing something very similar to this.

Yes I know, you're entirely right Giles. I should just...not think about such things anymore. It's all hypothetical isn't it? [ He does note the images though and he honestly can't help asking. Because he is a bit worried given the contents of them. ] Yes I remember and we were. But Giles...those images just now.

Exactly. All hypothetical. You are who you are, and if he's in no hurry to claim a relation to you then there's no reason you shouldn't do the same.

[He gives a slightly guilty start at the mention of the images - god, he's starting to hate this. Giles takes off his glasses and starts cleaning them.]

...that was Buffy. As I remember her. Not as I should remember her, unfortunately. It's all a bit complicated. When I said "I'm in a position to know" with regards to your unfortunate doppelganger, I meant it.

I...don't think I'm actually the person I was last week. [More images, this time showing four people, about the age of Buffy, Willow, and Xander. None of them will be familiar to Helios, however.]

Then you're...an entirely different Giles from the one I and your friends know. [ He looks a bit sullen and then takes another long sip of his tea before taking off his own glasses and rubbing his eyes. ] You must've been rather confused, I'm sorry. This week has been absolutely dreadful in terms of complicated.

[Giles' voice and thoughts sounds equally sullen.] I've been hearing that all week, and I'm not.

We first spoke on my first day here, in the forest.

Then at the fountain. That was the first time we actually met, face-to-face, although I wish it could have been under better circumstances. We talked about the futility of wanting to change the past.

The next time we spoke, I was at the clinic.

And then a few days before Halloween.

You helped me after I got chased out of my apartment, and then we met up later on and...it was my idea to go through the mist. We spoke at the ball a day or so later, and decided to figure out how to combat hallucinations. We met up at the library a while later, and you lent me this to study. [He holds up Helios' ring.] You can have it back, by the way.

Is any of that actually correct? Because if it's not, what the hell is?. I'm not the same Giles you all know, no. He's probably a decent human being, or so Buffy tells me, but in whatever reality I come from I still consider you a friend and you've never given me any reason to doubt that.

[ He listens intently finally nodding as the other finishes. ] No that's all correct actually. You've retained your memories of this place, yet your own past is different. [ And then he blinks looking at the ring ]

Ah! Thank you I almost forgot about that. [ He'll take it back and begin to roll it in his palm. A few moments later he stops in his mulling and simply looks at the ring with a smile. ] For what's it worth Giles I think you're a rather decent human being as well. Especially to be able to put up with the other me for even a short amount of time! I'm grateful for what you did at any rate. [ He laughs. ]

So Buffy tells me.

...I think I'd prefer another past, actually, so I'm almost looking forward to the end of this. I've heard about this other Sunnydale before, and it's certainly better than mine. [This thought bubble is...fuzzy. There's impossibly bright light, and three running figures, and there appear to be cracks in the sky. The image abruptly cuts to black.]

[Giles sighs at Helios' encouragement.] I used your other self as a battery. At best, that's incredibly bad manners.

Honestly I rather have his power be used for something other than what he had in mind, whatever it may have been. The fact that he even had his powers...well-- [ he sighs. ] he wasn't even supposed to have them. I sealed them permanently but Luceti has it's ways I suppose.

Luceti has its ways. And I appreciated getting the means to stop bleeding, certainly. I'm very bad at healing, myself. [A bridge. A misty night. A knife. Blood.]

But I certainly wasn't blameless in that fight, when all is said and done. I will never do as much to you. I promise.

Well let's hope you won't ever have to again, hm? [ Because honestly he somewhat remembers the pain as odd and impossible as that many seem. ]

[Giles was afraid of that. And he's been honestly trying not to think about it, especially since the fight with Frederic.] I w-won't. Never. After all, n-normally I can manage on my own.

But I was panicking and I wanted him to stop talking.

Ah--I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't bring up such things. You've been through enough this week as it is. [ He looks a bit guilty. ]

Mm it's over and done with at any rate and hopefully that'll be the last we see of him. [ Because he'd rather never see the other him here again. ]

You're very kind, Helios. How the hell do I always wind up with kind people? And why the hell am I about to ask this?

...I need a favor, i-if you can. While I'm here.

[ He laughs sheepishly waving the other off. ] Oh no. You've had a terribly hard week I just thought it'd be best to put such things behind us, is all. [ He will look at the other questioningly. ]

A favor?

How are you with healing? I'm not entirely certain when I'll be able to get to the clinic, under these circumstances.

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