[At least one piece of the puzzle suddenly falls into place - Ozpin's immortality explains why he can do magic when it's exceedingly rare in his world. He must have been born before humanity in Remnant lost the ability.
It's a disturbing prospect, though. Willow's spells backfiring in Deerington, and how much the use of them taxed her took something of an adjustment when she first arrived. She can't imagine a whole population trying to figure out how to get by without any magic at all.]
Huh... So what changed? Do you know?
gently makes this vague to avoid breaking timelines lmao
[Ah. There's the rub. He knows, of course, but...not yet. He doesn't lie, but the answer glosses over...a significant amount of the details.]
Yeah. It was pretty much a temper tantrum from the Gods. Like flipping over a game board and starting over because you didn't like how the game was going.
[Huh. That... sounds like the making of an interesting story. She doesn't press for more details, though. Instead, she remembers how she had wished her own magic could be removed, until being reminded that it isn't possible without potentially killing her, and is grateful that's not a risk from the gods of her own world.]
That sounds, uh, pretty wild. Even for my world. There's gods and stuff I can call on at home for spells, but for the most part, most of them won't interfere otherwise. We did have a hell god once, though, who was trapped in our dimension and tried to break down the barriers between worlds to get home. That was, um. Well, it was pretty bad. But we stopped her.
[Stopping the gods. That sounds nice, Qrow thinks, in that way people think "winning the lottery would be nice". Knowing the truth about what will happen when the Relics are brought together terrifies him down to his bones. Qrow doubts there will even be a planet left to save if Salem manages to summon the gods back to it for her revenge or whatever the hell it is she wants with them.]
Ours destroyed our moon and abandoned the planet. Supposedly, if they ever come back? They'll judge whether humanity's worthy of continuing to exist and if they don't think we are, they'll destroy the rest of the planet once and for all.
[Willow's eyes widen and she's silent for a long moment as she takes in Qrow's words about the Sword of Damocles hanging over the head of all those back in Remnant.]
They destroyed the moon? That sounds honestly pretty frightening. I'm sorry to hear it.
[She smiles a little.]
The people from your world, though, from what I've seen? They're pretty brave. And stubborn. I bet if it comes down to it, you'll figure out a way to stop the world from being destroyed.
[Qrow's still terrible at taking compliments, even generic ones directed at his whole planet, so he mostly just grunts vaguely at it, the verbal equivalent of a shrug.]
Mm, well. Here's hoping we never find out if we can or not.
I hope not too. If it's any consolation, they kind of get easier to stop after the first one?
[Or at least after the first one, you're not shocked by the concept and the weight of the world trying to end and it gets easier to focus on finding the solution.]
I guess technically there might be a spell that would let us do that. It would probably be hard to pull off, though. Besides if we left, who's gonna save the world?
I guess it's possible. That would be a pretty complicated and intense spell, though. I don't think I'd be able to do it by myself even if I wanted to. Even just teleporting one person a little ways is really draining.
[She shrugs.]
It might just be easier to keep stopping apocalypses. Besides, like I said - after the first couple, you kinda get the hang of it.
...It doesn't freak you out? The responsibility of all of it.
[The weight of trying to persist in their unwinnable war has felt near to crushing ever since he found out the truth. In Deerington, he's dreaded the thought of having to go back to it.]
Sometimes. My best friend died - twice - preventing them.
[She follows it up quickly so not to worry him.]
It's okay, she got better both times. And the one that was starting when I got back, it's, um. I dunno if we can beat it. We're facing the entity that's the source of all evil in the world. It's supposed to be unkillable. So I dunno what we're gonna do there. But if we don't do it, who will?
Qrow feels vaguely sick upon hearing that, and it's an effort not to let the spike of anxiety show. She's dealing with the same thing that they are, then. Or maybe a more literal version. He's not comfortable talking about Salem with her just yet, but the gutpunch of her words nonetheless kicks up his respect for her several notches.
All the same, the last part of what she says troubles him.]
Someone will step up. There's always someone like that. [Like you goes unspoken.] Why does it have to be you and your friends specifically? What if your friend doesn't...[his mouth twists in something akin to distaste as he repeats it] get better, next time? What about the people she'd be leaving behind?
...At least the transportation spell would be possible.
[He is maybe dealing with Some Stuff here, possibly, just a little bit,]
[At home, there's no one she can talk to about these things outside her immediate circle. Buffy's identity as the Slayer is not something that gets shared to keep them all from becoming a target. There doesn't seem much harm in talking about it here. Buffy is home, there's no one else here from her world, and Willow has given up on on the idea that that will change.]
It has to be us. Our friend - the one who died? She's destined to fight evil - she's chosen. She's my best friend, because it has to be her, it has to be us too. I don't think - even if we could make a spell like that work - I don't think we'd ever convince her to leave. It never even really occurred to us to think about it before.
It's probably kind of a unique situation. You know, all things considered.
[Chosen. Just like Oscar, like each of Ozpin's new reincarnations. Just like those born with silver eyes. He'd like to say it's not as unique as you think, but he's not prepared to get into it. And yet, it hurts. I don't think we'd ever convince her to leave. He doesn't think he could ever convince Ruby and Yang not to go home, either, if he were ever to try.
He wonders what it means that she died twice and someone else wasn't chosen. Is the role stuck with her until she is truly dead and gone? Is it a reincarnation situation, like Ozpin's? If she were to leave...would that mean there would never be another chosen? He can't help but think of how Oz can only die if it means surrendering to Salem and letting the rest of the world die with him. There is a deep cruelty to this idea of chosen ones, he thinks.]
We have something like that, in Remnant. Those born with silver eyes are said to be fated to lead a warrior's life. My niece has them. Her mom did, too.
But having it be just one person....can't imagine having it all on your shoulders like that. It's hard enough to keep the people around you safe, let alone....the entire world.
[It's technically a true statement. He can't really imagine what it's like to be Oscar or Ozpin, or how much heavier the weight of going back is when you have to bear it for the rest of eternity. He can't imagine how this friend feels, either. But it seems so terribly unfair--not just to her, but her loved ones as well. The inevitability of having to bear that grief, because she happened to be chosen.]
[She recognizes the description of the girl with silver eyes at once. The girl at the hotel who was riding the out of control luggage cart and helped Willow find her room after they narrowly escaped crashing the cart into the wall. The lost room had been frustrating at the time, but Ruby's appearance injected some much needed humour into the situation, and the search seemed to go much faster and much easier with a second set of eyes.]
Yeah... I can't imagine doing it alone either. Buffy's not alone, though - she's got us. As far as we know, she's the first one who's ever had help. Usually Slayers work alone, and in secret - no friends, no family. Just them and their Watcher - the person that trains them. She's lived the longest, though, so we must be doing something right.
Ruby's your niece, isn't she? I met her a couple months ago, at the hotel.
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It's a disturbing prospect, though. Willow's spells backfiring in Deerington, and how much the use of them taxed her took something of an adjustment when she first arrived. She can't imagine a whole population trying to figure out how to get by without any magic at all.]
Huh... So what changed? Do you know?
gently makes this vague to avoid breaking timelines lmao
Yeah. It was pretty much a temper tantrum from the Gods. Like flipping over a game board and starting over because you didn't like how the game was going.
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That sounds, uh, pretty wild. Even for my world. There's gods and stuff I can call on at home for spells, but for the most part, most of them won't interfere otherwise. We did have a hell god once, though, who was trapped in our dimension and tried to break down the barriers between worlds to get home. That was, um. Well, it was pretty bad. But we stopped her.
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Ours destroyed our moon and abandoned the planet. Supposedly, if they ever come back? They'll judge whether humanity's worthy of continuing to exist and if they don't think we are, they'll destroy the rest of the planet once and for all.
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They destroyed the moon? That sounds honestly pretty frightening. I'm sorry to hear it.
[She smiles a little.]
The people from your world, though, from what I've seen? They're pretty brave. And stubborn. I bet if it comes down to it, you'll figure out a way to stop the world from being destroyed.
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Mm, well. Here's hoping we never find out if we can or not.
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[Or at least after the first one, you're not shocked by the concept and the weight of the world trying to end and it gets easier to focus on finding the solution.]
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Brothers. If we somehow stop this one I hope I'm long dead before another one comes up.
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[Yes. She has to pause and think about that.]
Seven, I think?
1/2
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...You couldn't take everyone else with you? Magic is weird.
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I guess it's possible. That would be a pretty complicated and intense spell, though. I don't think I'd be able to do it by myself even if I wanted to. Even just teleporting one person a little ways is really draining.
[She shrugs.]
It might just be easier to keep stopping apocalypses. Besides, like I said - after the first couple, you kinda get the hang of it.
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[The weight of trying to persist in their unwinnable war has felt near to crushing ever since he found out the truth. In Deerington, he's dreaded the thought of having to go back to it.]
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[She follows it up quickly so not to worry him.]
It's okay, she got better both times. And the one that was starting when I got back, it's, um. I dunno if we can beat it. We're facing the entity that's the source of all evil in the world. It's supposed to be unkillable. So I dunno what we're gonna do there. But if we don't do it, who will?
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Qrow feels vaguely sick upon hearing that, and it's an effort not to let the spike of anxiety show. She's dealing with the same thing that they are, then. Or maybe a more literal version. He's not comfortable talking about Salem with her just yet, but the gutpunch of her words nonetheless kicks up his respect for her several notches.
All the same, the last part of what she says troubles him.]
Someone will step up. There's always someone like that. [Like you goes unspoken.] Why does it have to be you and your friends specifically? What if your friend doesn't...[his mouth twists in something akin to distaste as he repeats it] get better, next time? What about the people she'd be leaving behind?
...At least the transportation spell would be possible.
[He is maybe dealing with Some Stuff here, possibly, just a little bit,]
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It has to be us. Our friend - the one who died? She's destined to fight evil - she's chosen. She's my best friend, because it has to be her, it has to be us too. I don't think - even if we could make a spell like that work - I don't think we'd ever convince her to leave. It never even really occurred to us to think about it before.
It's probably kind of a unique situation. You know, all things considered.
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He wonders what it means that she died twice and someone else wasn't chosen. Is the role stuck with her until she is truly dead and gone? Is it a reincarnation situation, like Ozpin's? If she were to leave...would that mean there would never be another chosen? He can't help but think of how Oz can only die if it means surrendering to Salem and letting the rest of the world die with him. There is a deep cruelty to this idea of chosen ones, he thinks.]
We have something like that, in Remnant. Those born with silver eyes are said to be fated to lead a warrior's life. My niece has them. Her mom did, too.
But having it be just one person....can't imagine having it all on your shoulders like that. It's hard enough to keep the people around you safe, let alone....the entire world.
[It's technically a true statement. He can't really imagine what it's like to be Oscar or Ozpin, or how much heavier the weight of going back is when you have to bear it for the rest of eternity. He can't imagine how this friend feels, either. But it seems so terribly unfair--not just to her, but her loved ones as well. The inevitability of having to bear that grief, because she happened to be chosen.]
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Yeah... I can't imagine doing it alone either. Buffy's not alone, though - she's got us. As far as we know, she's the first one who's ever had help. Usually Slayers work alone, and in secret - no friends, no family. Just them and their Watcher - the person that trains them. She's lived the longest, though, so we must be doing something right.
Ruby's your niece, isn't she? I met her a couple months ago, at the hotel.