Some day we'll put it together and we'll get it all done

[empyreancatastrophe]

Who: Joshua (empyreancatastrophe) & Clive (firebrandish); Joshua & Kazuya (bellheir)
Which: Closed Log(s) – Mini catchall
Where: Joshua’s home (guest starring his desk)
What:
- Clive is getting married to Jill, and Joshua has started turbo planning. Clive asks him a very important question.
- Kazuya is coming for a friendly visit (and to chat more about what happened at their sparring match a few months ago) where he uncovers something Joshua is hiding.
Warnings: FF16 spoilers maybe? Will add as necessary




Finding the best man for the job

[Joshua sits at his writing desk, a flurry of activity surrounding him as he meticulously organizes piles of parchment filled to the brim with neatly scrawled annotations—and that’s the only sign of tidiness within his vicinity. Whatever documents or lists aren’t placed into haphazard piles lay crumpled on the floor surrounding his seat. His brow furrows in concentration as he reviews his latest endeavor, his quill resting against his cheek.]

[Tap tap.]

[Tap tap.]

[Tap.]

[Then, a heavy sigh. As determined as Joshua is to help make this wedding a success, a celebration worthy of his beloved big brother and his soon to be sister-in-law, there are certain stressors involved. He enjoys planning. Excels in it. Thrives, even. For some reason, however, the stakes seem and feel higher now than with any espionage mission or war strategy he’s partaken in.]

[Still, this is an important moment. One that Clive and Jill will remember forever. He can’t afford to slack or to fall prey to trepidations. Everything will work out, because he will be there to make sure of it.]

[With a decisive nod, Joshua scribbles down a few more notes before reaching for another document.]



Snoopy isn’t just the name of a dog

[Joshua stands outside his treehouse, the crisp air marking winter’s end enveloping him as he takes hold of Alder’s reins. He’d invited Kazuya over for a hangout, hoping to catch up with his friend amid the welcome chaos of his family’s arrival, but his chocobo had other plans. The steed was entering his adolescent months, chock full of rebellious tendencies and endless energy. While Joshua was waiting for Kazuya indoors, Alder saw it fit to cause a ruckus in his stable. And so, Joshua ran outside to help quell the latest in what’s sure to be a string of rambunctious antics.]

[As Alder trots beside him, his feathers ruffled and his demeanor restless, Joshua can't help but feel a twinge of frustration. He'd been looking forward to spending time with Kazuya, and now his plans were derailed by his unruly chocobo. He reminds himself that, intelligent as they are, chocobos are still animals. He can hardly blame the bird for whatever instinct is driving him.]

Easy there, boy.

[Joshua’s tone is soft as he gently tugs on the reins.]

What’s gotten into you?

[Alder lets out a squawk in response, his beak snapping at the air as if he's eager to be free of his constraints. Joshua sighs, knowing that Alder's energy needs to be expended somehow, or else he'll continue to act out. Disappointment aside, he has a responsibility to take care of.]

[It’s at that moment that he notices a familiar figure coming close, and Joshua waves.]

Comments

[empyreancatastrophe]

Either way, the decision you stand to make involves a nigh fatal caveat.

[Not entirely unacceptable, but close enough, and as many suggestions as Joshua may have as a solution, they'll all fall short. Whether due to lack of information and complete context or because there is simply no entirely correct answer. The latter is true far more often than he likes, than any leader likes, really, but that also makes one specific solution more viable.]

Have they expressed to you their own desires on the matter?

[belheir]

They were waiting for me to come back.

[ Yuzu, perhaps, most of all. Not that Atsuro wouldn't want him gone for too long either, but waiting is just what they have to do. And as for that sort of situation... ]

They wouldn't want me to leave them, no matter what. They were both willing to follow me into the Demon Realm, despite the fact no humans can survive there. But that doesn't mean that staying with them is necessarily the right choice, either.

[ No, it's still a difficult situation regardless of what they want. Regardless of what he wants. ]

I know Yuzu wouldn't want me to do anything by force. Atsuro would stay by my side, no matter what choice I made. And Naoya... I don't think he'd care either way, though he'd list the pros and cons to each pretty succinctly.

[empyreancatastrophe]

If they are the ones who will be in the most danger, then 'tis only right they are the ones to choose.

[Free will and all that, but Joshua also understands that giving that kind of power to someone who may not have the entire perspective of a volatile situation is, in itself, terrifying. That doesn't deter his philosophy, however. They deserve the freedom to truly make that decision for themselves.]

Speak with them. Give them not only the facts as Naoya would lay them out, but your feelings on the matter, as well. Then, allow them the time to deliberate and come to their conclusions.

I understand the latter may be a luxury, but do whatever must needs be done to grant them that. It is the least they deserve.

[belheir]

They both know me as well as I know them. I already know what choice they would make. They'd want me with them, regardless of what danger it put them in.

[ He can hear them say as much so clearly in his head. Yuzu had already left him once, and he knows that guilt eats at her. And Atsuro, who thought maybe he had made the wrong choice, had stuck by him no matter what, even in the most tumultuous hours before his true awakening as Overlord.

If it hadn't been for Atsuro, he wonders if maybe he really might have thought proving his might through violent means the best way to save people. The needs of the many, and all that. It's hard to say.

Kazuya gives a small, humourless chuckle. ]

They'd never let me leave them.

[empyreancatastrophe]

Because they love you, and you them.

[There’s the threat of a wry smile, but Joshua holds it back. Kazuya is allowed his various coping mechanisms and expressions for his situation. An outsider like him, no matter how close or well-meaning, is not.]

[He thinks about how love makes him do the stupidest things for his brother, and vice versa. How despite their mutual idiocy, that love has buoyed and strengthened them so that regardless of their methods, their outcomes always served towards good. Sacrifice means everything and nothing to the Brothers Rosfield, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.]

Your said that your human heart is your weakness, and I do not disagree.

But it is also your greatest strength. Theirs, as well. As idealistic as it sounds, that love you share with and for your friends will help you choose how to protect them.

Your newfound power makes you their servant just as much as someone who has the ultimate say in most matters. That is a truth that many leaders forget.

Let their wishes guide you true, but let your final decisions be your own. Then, accept the consequences thereof knowing that you’ve done your best with what you have and respecting those you care about along the way.

[belheir]

[ It's sort of funny, the things that Joshua is saying. He says them so earnestly, so wholeheartedly, that it makes him feel a little better too.

The only people who can help him make his decisions, who can help him make the best choice, are his friends. It makes sense, as Joshua says it. He's fretting, and he can't help it. It's in his nature to want to have all of his options and the information thereof laid before him, so he can make the best possible choice.

It's why he became the King of Bel in the first place.

Awkwardly, Kazuya tenses for a few silent moments, then relaxes, letting his body fall to lean ever so slightly against Joshua.]

I think you'd make a much better king than me.

[ He chuckles, and this time there is a little humour in it as he closes his eyes. ]

[empyreancatastrophe]

[Joshua, in turn, relaxes his arm to allow Kazuya a comfortable spot before he tightens it briefly around his shoulders in a brief, but heartfelt, hug. It's a gesture that's become more natural over the months, and one that he relishes. He's not sure if he could ever get used to such shows of affection. He's not sure he wants to, if it means losing the way his heart flutters in a pool of warmth.]

[This is what Clive experiences every time Joshua so much as bumps against him. That protective, loving, brotherly instinct that, although shared regardless of who is older or younger, changes in subtle ways based on that role. Joshua is grateful to now experience both.]

To be fair, I've been training for the role since I was a boy.

Archduke rather than king, but there are enough similarities between the two.

[He pauses for a moment.]

If there is aught I can do to help, you need say only a word, and my time is yours.

[belheir]

I think ruling demons is a little different from ruling humans.

[ He laughs this time. Not something that's small, fledgling and awkward, but a real laugh. ]

"Might Makes Right" is the demon way of thinking.

[ Far less applicable or appealing to humans, who more desire order, though still not to the extent angels do. ]

I appreciate it though. I'll keep you in mind if I ever have to stage a plan for world domination.

[empyreancatastrophe]

It is not too different than some humans' way of thinking, either.

[For the most part, people desire more amenable rulers who are willing to take action that's only as violent as necessary, but Joshua would be remiss not to acknowledge that there's a little bit of 'demon' in everyone, even if the ones who voice it the loudest are in the minority.]

But I understand. Promise me a position in your inner circle, and the world is as good as yours.

[He's kidding.]

[Like 99% kidding.]

[The other 1% is the terrifying reality that if Kazuya ever did somehow manage to get Joshua on board with the idea, the world could be theirs in a matter of weeks.]

[belheir]

You'll have to fight Naoya for the spot. [ But Kazuya pauses, seemingly dramatically. ] I think you'd win though, between me and you.

[ Maybe Joshua's mind isn't as sharp as his brothers, but Joshua isn't stupid either, and he's fairly certain he could hold his own. ]

I don't actually want to rule, honestly. Politics aren't really my thing.

[empyreancatastrophe]

I would prefer not to fight him. However, if it is necessary, then I will do my best.

[It's a joke. Clearly, what with how Joshua says it with a genuine smile and a soft chuckle.]

[And that, in the business, is what we call foreshadowing.]

There is a common colloquialism that those who do not wish to wield power are precisely the ones who should. I think you'll fare far better than you think.

Unfortunately, you cannot avoid the politics.

[belheir]

Bleh.

[He says, sticking his tongue out petulantly at Joshua's words of wisdom. The King of the Demons, everyone.]

I guess the first thing I'll have to do is find new protector demons to restore the barrier between the human realm and the demon realm, since I broke it.

[To become King of Bel, and all.]

Not that it's too urgent... Demon's won't attack humans as long as I have a say, but I think it'd probably help my PR if I at least brought that back in-line.