I. I Can Only Blame Myself [Alexei isn't sure why this is what his mind has chosen to show him.
He isn't surprised that it's the sea; there's a part of him that was always going to be there, he suspects, and it's really of no consequence now. What strikes him, however, is how calm it is, how the water glimmers and shines with all the colors of the aurora, and how his gaze takes to the sky and no matter how he seeks out the things that should be there (the things he knows won't be there, no matter how much he seeks them out) everything remains deepy and blissfully unfamiliar.
It's a lot to take in, really.
After a while, however, he'll move; his clothes aren't really suited for any of this but eventually he'll find himself thigh-deep in the surf, long coat wicking up water like no one's business and this entire thing is going to be cold and troublesome later but for the time being he doesn't care, this is almost too much for him as it is and while his expression is distant, it's in a vague, vacant sort of way that implies that his body is here, but his thoughts are not.
He isn't unaware of anyone approaching him, though; when he speaks it's just as distant as his expression, but at the very least it's acknowledgement.]
It's almost overwhelming, isn't it? The beauty of it...
I've never seen anything like it.
II. You Can Only Blame Me [There are people who are troublesome, and people Alexei isn't particularly certain what to do with anymore. The one who's following him now seems the latter.
He's remarkably quiet, actually, the near-silence both tight and respectful; his back is straight but his head is bowed, brown hair falling into his face and covering his eyes. It's a familiar stance, and one Alexei isn't sure he cares for; the first time he addresses the figure it's almost flippant, a sardonic tone that doesn't quite suit him creeping into his voice, coloring his words.]
And here I thought you were someone else entirely nowadays. Are you here to just abandon your post yet again? You've proven surprisingly adept at doing that, after all.
[The figure doesn't respond, nor does he flinch; he just shifts a bit and settles his left hand over his heart for the briefest of moments before shaking his head, the meaning clear. No.
It isn't precisely unnerving to Alexei, knowing that this person is here; it's the notion that he's always there that's striking him as odd. Simply waiting for orders like the puppet he's turned out to be, staying close to his side like he did back in Zaphias, never questioning and never drawing away.
He hasn't done that for years, not since- ]
You can consider yourself dismissed for the time being.
[It's clipped but it isn't harsh, there's a hardness to it that's undeniable but he isn't raising his voice; it's very much an order, and he doesn't know what to do with the response when it eventually comes.
This is what you wanted, isn't it?
That gets him to pause in what he's doing - he's been trying to get a feel for the place, to re-orient himself a little more, to...not face him and Alexei still isn't facing him now, he's standing stock-still on this godforsaken beach and he can feel his hands forming fists at his sides, body shaking tightly for a brief moment before he forces himself to stop.]
...Yes. Yes, of course.
[It's a more subdued reaction than one would expect; he's gone stock-still, eyes closed for a moment, still giving his back to one of the few people he knows for a fact won't bury a blade in it.]
Alexei Dinoia | Tales of Vesperia
[Alexei isn't sure why this is what his mind has chosen to show him.
He isn't surprised that it's the sea; there's a part of him that was always going to be there, he suspects, and it's really of no consequence now. What strikes him, however, is how calm it is, how the water glimmers and shines with all the colors of the aurora, and how his gaze takes to the sky and no matter how he seeks out the things that should be there (the things he knows won't be there, no matter how much he seeks them out) everything remains deepy and blissfully unfamiliar.
It's a lot to take in, really.
After a while, however, he'll move; his clothes aren't really suited for any of this but eventually he'll find himself thigh-deep in the surf, long coat wicking up water like no one's business and this entire thing is going to be cold and troublesome later but for the time being he doesn't care, this is almost too much for him as it is and while his expression is distant, it's in a vague, vacant sort of way that implies that his body is here, but his thoughts are not.
He isn't unaware of anyone approaching him, though; when he speaks it's just as distant as his expression, but at the very least it's acknowledgement.]
It's almost overwhelming, isn't it? The beauty of it...
I've never seen anything like it.
II. You Can Only Blame Me
[There are people who are troublesome, and people Alexei isn't particularly certain what to do with anymore. The one who's following him now seems the latter.
He's remarkably quiet, actually, the near-silence both tight and respectful; his back is straight but his head is bowed, brown hair falling into his face and covering his eyes. It's a familiar stance, and one Alexei isn't sure he cares for; the first time he addresses the figure it's almost flippant, a sardonic tone that doesn't quite suit him creeping into his voice, coloring his words.]
And here I thought you were someone else entirely nowadays. Are you here to just abandon your post yet again? You've proven surprisingly adept at doing that, after all.
[The figure doesn't respond, nor does he flinch; he just shifts a bit and settles his left hand over his heart for the briefest of moments before shaking his head, the meaning clear. No.
It isn't precisely unnerving to Alexei, knowing that this person is here; it's the notion that he's always there that's striking him as odd. Simply waiting for orders like the puppet he's turned out to be, staying close to his side like he did back in Zaphias, never questioning and never drawing away.
He hasn't done that for years, not since- ]
You can consider yourself dismissed for the time being.
[It's clipped but it isn't harsh, there's a hardness to it that's undeniable but he isn't raising his voice; it's very much an order, and he doesn't know what to do with the response when it eventually comes.
This is what you wanted, isn't it?
That gets him to pause in what he's doing - he's been trying to get a feel for the place, to re-orient himself a little more, to...not face him and Alexei still isn't facing him now, he's standing stock-still on this godforsaken beach and he can feel his hands forming fists at his sides, body shaking tightly for a brief moment before he forces himself to stop.]
...Yes. Yes, of course.
[It's a more subdued reaction than one would expect; he's gone stock-still, eyes closed for a moment, still giving his back to one of the few people he knows for a fact won't bury a blade in it.]