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Perhaps it's lucky for you that death seems to be rather less permanent here than it is in most other places. Unlucky for those who'd like you out of their dreams, though.

Really, though? I suppose that makes sense. Does it apply to written statements taken in person via your powers of compulsion, though? Can you command someone to write something down, or are the answers you receive from people always verbal?

[Lucky. Right.]

If it's written, it doesn't matter.
And I haven't tried to compel someone to write anything down.
My powers work differently with that.
If I ask someone to write it down in person, or if they're around me, it helps them?
The Statements are eloquent, detailed.
They have an easier time remembering and organizing everything.
I'm not actively doing anything for that, though.

Fascinating. All of this in service of, what? Gathering stories? There must be more to it than that. You speak as if these powers are not something you sought out intentionally, after all.

[Zexion is not a person he wants to explain any of this to. Ugh... why did he apologize again?]

They're not something I sought out.
My Institute, the Magnus Institute, is a place of power for an entity called the Beholding.
It's a creature on some other plane of existence that influences our world and feeds on fears in it.
Or engenders them.
Or both.
The Beholding thrives on Knowing too much.
Seeing everything.
Illuminating the Dark.
Knowing the Unknowable.

None of this was particularly mentioned in the head archivist position I applied for a few years ago.
My employer wasn't terribly forthcoming about it, either.

[ Well, that clears things up, doesn't it? Not least of which one of the mysteries Zexion's been dwelling on since the incident that sparked all of this. ]

And the lighter was a gift from your patron, then?

I suppose you can sympathize with my position more than I'd previously thought. [ At least when it comes to being a creature of Darkness in the service of a shadowy, secretive organization. ] Why continue to serve them here, though? Your employer isn't in the city as well, are they?

The lighter?
No, that's not from the Beholding.
It was delivered with a table from the Web to the Archives.
It's just an old lighter.

[It is just an old lighter. Isn't it?]

Why would I be that attached to it?
I've never thought about it.
It's just an old lighter.
I think?

[And now he's starting to panic a little, but it is just a lighter. The table had been the main thing with that delivery.]

It's... probably nothing.
Never mind.

What were we talking about?

[He goes to re-read Zexion's message, and his eyes just sort of... glaze over on the first question.]

I don't have much of a choice in the matter.
Something happened, and I'm not human anymore.
I need the Statements to survive.
As I said, I don't particularly want to die.
And even if Elias isn't here, the Beholding is.
It's watching me.

[ Well that's... an interesting sequence of un-rationalization and re-rationalization he just witnessed. There's not really much more to say on the matter, but he makes a mental note of it in case it ever becomes relevant again later. ]

I see. That's quite the conundrum, isn't it? I can't say I envy you.
Do your statements have to be about anything in particular, or can they be stories about anything? [ Something has just occurred to him, though he's not certain if it will work or if he wants to take advantage of it just yet. ]

Incidents involving the supernatural as defined by my own world.
Which is to say most people don't know magic is a thing and think it's all fairy tale and ghost story nonsense.
The more horrific, the more... filling they tend to be.

Interesting that it's defined by your world's parameters rather than the standards of the person doing the telling. It must be convenient being surrounded by so many people for whom magic and monsters are everyday.

You know, you're being awfully forthcoming. Why the sudden change of heart, if I may ask?

[Convenient... problematic... many things, certainly.]

I was apologizing to other people.
It was simply convenient to do it all at once.
And one of my assistants encouraged me to be more... personable.

[ Zexion considers pointing out that it's possible to apologize without answering every question leveled at you by a near stranger, but this is working out in his favor so far, so he decides against it. ]

How many people other than myself have you taken statements from? They can't have all provoked you by breaking into your house, unless Eros bears a particular grudge against you.

[Well, he's not being that forthcoming.]

Enough to warrant multiple apologies.

Understood.

It occurs to me that I have a great many stories that could suit your needs. If what you say about written statements is true, I'd be willing to donate them to the cause, as it were.
In exchange for a favor.

[...]

What sort of favor?

[This is a very bad idea.]

I'd like to hear about any particularly interesting cases you come across. As I told you before, I'm a scholar of magic, and studying the contrasts between differing systems of it is a particular interest of mine.

You don't have to give me any identifying details or even share anything that was not given freely with express consent to be shared, if you value confidentiality, but I'd like to propose an exchange. One story for another.

[Access to the Archives?]

Define 'interesting.'
I only take interesting Statements.
I could be amenable to the arrangement.
But I need to know specifically what you're looking for.
Just things to do with different magical systems?

Honestly, if it's interesting to you, chances are it's interesting to me. But specifically, I'm most interested in the kind of magic that has apparent structure and rules. All magic does, ultimately, just as all forces of nature do, but some make it more immediately apparent than others.

[ He pauses. Something else occurs to him. ]

If you have any statements about possession, corruptive curses, or poisons of the blood, though, I'd be particularly interested in those.

[ Not that he thinks he'll be able to do much about Xehanort from here, but it could help him make some sense of the situation to have more examples - and there may be something in Jonathan's archives that could help Neria with her curse. ]

[Hmm... This isn't as bad as he thought it might be. No worse than letting Melanie make use of his credentials for the Institute's library, really. And he had said he'd entertain other people without the appropriate credentials.

One last detail, though.]

Are you trying to curse someone and looking for ideas or trying to break a curse?

Can I not simply be curious?

I'm looking for cases similar to what people I know are going through in the hopes of finding something useful, yes. My variety of magic doesn't lend itself terribly well to curses anyway.

[Well, you can, but that's a good way to draw the Beholding's attention. And Jon's trying to do a little less of that, especially when he already has two dreams from Zexion.]

I'll agree to it, then.
You'll have access to the public archives only.
And I'll let you know if any of the Statements I receive are something in that vein.
You might actually be interested in one we had recently from a Mr. Li.
Corruption influences.
I expect that ought to suit for your needs.
When you have a written Statement for me, bring it in and I'll show that to you.

[He's not offering up what he has until he's absolutely certain of Zexion's veracity in the matter.]

I agree to these terms. I'll bring you your statement within the next week. Hopefully this will prove to be a beneficial arrangement for the both of us.

Very well.
I'll see you then.

[Should he thank him? No. That seems odd in this instance. Jon just leaves it there.]

Duplicity IC Contact

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