riverview | Video; @theboneless There's a heartbeat and it never really died

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Video; @theboneless There's a heartbeat and it never really died

[The video turns on in a small room, a crib in one corner. It's getting dark outside and Ivar himself has the look of someone whose been a bit sleep-deprived lately. There's some quiet music playing in the background and it's a lot different then the usual metal that Ivar has come to enjoy. What can he say, he'll play whatever he can to get his daughter to go to sleep. She likes this stuff better than Metallica.

Winter's on the verge of falling asleep, but she's still in that state where she could potentially wake back up the minute he leaves the room, which has happened more than once. So he's stuck here until she's fully out like a light. So everyone else on the network can entertain him in the meantime. He stifles a yawn, looking thoughtful as he poses a question.]

If you got the offer to change yourself, permanently, would you take it? What if there was a trade-off, giving up something to gain something else, would you still do it?

[His eyes slide over to Winter's crib.]

And keep it down if you respond. Winter's still not fully asleep.

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Um... I guess if what you're getting is worth what you're giving up.

But a lot of people think what I did to my hair is weird. So most people probably won't want to give anything up.

Most people don't like to take risks. But I've found calculated risks are the ones that give you the most benefit at the end of the day.

[Ivar's mind was constantly working things out, looking them over from every angle, and trying to decide what would get him what he wanted after everything else was said and done.]

I think immortality would be worth everything else being given up.

That doesn't sound like a thing one can just get. It has to cost something.

But even if you could, being immortal means watching everyone you've ever known die. That's gotta be lonely after a while. Knowing that you'll outlive them the moment you meet them? Can't make things any easier on making new friends.

Apparently, it costs someone's soul. But I'm not sure I have one of those, so I doubt it would affect me the way it might someone else.

Who needs friends when you can have power? [He did, obviously, though he was hardly going to admit such a weakness.]

...I don't think that's how it works, either we all have souls or we don't. It's really just not something I've worried about too much.

Everyone needs friends, especially when they have power. Friends are who make the power worth it, and keep you from doing something really really evil.

Vikings don't have souls. We don't believe in them.

[The closest thing they had was a complicated set-up divided up into four parts, including spirits in the body and animal spirits outside.]

Lola, I've already done some things that would be considered really, really evil. [He hasn't told her half of what he's done, afraid it might scare her.] Think it's a little late for that now.

I've had people ask me this more times than I can count, and my answer is still probably not.

[Ivar would already know about his automail, even if Ed doesn't talk openly about it, so he doesn't specify what he means.]

There are pro's and con's to everything, no matter what you gain something is given up in return. Is it worth giving up what you'd lose?

I think it would. I've spoken about it a bit with the one who offered it to me. Losing a few things in exchange for immense power seems like a fair trade.

[At least for someone as obsessed with being powerful and strong like Ivar is.]

What does the person offering get out of it? What are you losing in exchange?

[Because your source is biased, Ivar.]

Honestly? I think for him it's companionship. He didn't come right out and say it, but I get the sense he's lonely being the only one of his kind here.

[Ivar's perceptive enough to pick that much up.]

As for what I lose, my soul, if I even have one, and a few other minor things.

[Yes, because losing a soul is such a minor detail.]

[Give him a minute Ivar, he might be having a stroke.]

You can't just give up your soul like it's not a big deal!

[He's careful not to yell, but the bite in his voice is clear. If anyone has a concrete reason to believe in souls it's an Elric.]

Vikings don't believe in souls. Can't miss something that isn't there. Plus, we talked, and it's possible I never had one to begin with.

[That's highly likely given the lack of remorse Ivar has ever felt about the terrible things that he's done. He's a true little psychopathic creature.]

You don't need to believe in something for it to exist.

[Your life force is a tangible thing, Ivar. Don't make the anti-religious boy explain souls to you. He doesn't want to have to explain the whole thing with Al, but he will if he has to.]

Your soul makes up who you are. whether you believe in it or not, it's still there.

And just because everyone else believes in something doesn't mean it's there either.

[So there, small bossy man.]

Where I come from, we believe there's four parts that make up the spirit of a man. So even I lose one or it changes, I'll have the other parts.

[And that's his version of logic.]

[He follows this logic, he's not even going to argue with it. His point still stands, because it could reasonably go either way. However.]

Yeah, and where I come from my brother was nothing but a soul for four years. That's all the proof I need that they exist.

[If he wanted to get even more complicated, there was the whole dynamic of homunculi being soulless humans and thus not who they were or should have been with a soul. Seriously, he's well versed on this topic.]

As everyone keeps liking to point out to me here, different worlds have different rules. So I'm really not that worried.

[Which would make being turned into a vampire probably all the more complicated when different versions of what one thought as a soul ended up colliding.]

[Yeah, Ed's on that.]

I'm guessing if you don't believe in souls and this guy says you need to give your's up that you're also dealing with different worlds, here. Might not turn out as expected if you can't give up the price since you don't have one to give up in the first place.

[As in: this is stupid, stupid, stupid.]

Perhaps. According to Spike, it didn't really seem to matter if I had a soul to begin with or not. It's not like it was meant to be a bargaining chip, just part of the process of being turned. Just the end result is what mattered.

[Which was immortality and all the advantages that came with it.]

According to one account of how this works in a world you're entirely unfamiliar with.

It doesn't matter if the soul is a bargaining chip or not. If part of the process is the loss of your soul, and there's no soul to lose it could make things unpredictable. Things might not turn out for you the way they do normally.

[He's not even going to argue Ivar has a soul, different worlds and all that. Ed's running with Team this is a Very Bad Idea, no matter how you try to slice it, though.]

You sound like an old, nagging woman.

[Which makes it all the less likely that Ivar is going to pay attention to what Ed has to say. He can get very pig-headed when told not to do something. In fact, he's much more likely to do the opposite.]

[Ed knows that feeling well enough to recognize it, so he just shrugs at Ivar's words. If it was an attempt to insult him, it wasn't going to work - not with Edward's upbringing.]

Suit yourself. If it backfires you're not the one that's going to suffer most for it.

[Don't screw over your kid, Ivar. If Ed knew the circumstances of Letha's departure he might have chosen a different response, but he's more concerned about Winter not having a father than Ivar's own choices.]

Yes, yes. [He waves a hand in a flippant manner.] I'm sure you'll be the first to say 'I told you so' if it ends up happening that way.

[But the indirect mention of Winter does get Ivar's attention back on track.]

I'd never do anything to put my daughter at risk. Never.

Actually, I'd offer to help if I could.

[Wow Ivar, what kind of asshole do you take him for? He's not fifteen anymore.]

Well, it sounds like you're already aware of the risks, then.

[He's not going to argue his point any further, the information and thought process was out there. Ivar could do what he wished with it.]

You did ask for an opinion. I gave you mine.

That I did.

[Just because he disagrees with Ed's point of view doesn't mean it wasn't a valid one.]

We'll have to see what the future has in store.

[Maybe becoming a vampire is in Ivar's future. Maybe not. Only time will tell.]

I mean it, you know. If you need help.

[Because he doesn't think Ivar's taking that offer seriously.]

If I go through with it, I'll consider asking for your help.

[Consider and nothing more. Ivar already thinks he knows everything.]

I'm not talking about that.

[Tunnel vision, much?]

Just in general. If you ever need anything, you know.

[He doesn't think Ivar's actually going to come to him for help, ever, on anything. Even if Ivar did, by some miracle, determine he needed someone's help.]

Even a simple repair.

[He's probably still the best on the moon in that department, at least.]

We'll see.

[Ed had the measure of the young Viking already. He was a proud and arrogant fellow. Moments he decided that he needed help were far and few in between.]

...Are you thinking what I think you're thinking? [ Yuri keeps his voice low and soft, mindful of Ivar's words- of Winter, no doubt sleeping in the background. ] You should bring her over for another movie soon. Or we can go to Otabek's. Maybe not let her play with the kittens, but- Taza's a calm cat, she'll like Winter. [ Potya has probably already cuddled with Winter, if Ivar's been over with her to Yuri's place at Eddie's. She's a good cat; calm and sweet tempered. ]

Anyway, I mean. I can't really talk. they gave me the opportunity to shift into a tiger sometimes and I took it. ...I still think it's really cool. [ And Yuri lets his ears slide in, black stripes spreading out over the pale skin of his cheeks as his whiskers grow in, his nose changing shape slightly- his teeth elongating to fangs as he grins, twitching one of his fluffy white ears for emphasis, before focusing hard to go back to his full, normal human self. ] So I guess what it boils down to most is... what do you want, Ivar? Would it make you happy?

That depends. What do you think I'm thinking? [Ivar hasn't yet spoken of the offer Spike gave him of being turned into a vampire to anyone. It was a rather personal thing, considering being turned into a supposedly soulless monster that would be eternally young and strong. Giving up something like not being able to walk in the sunlight was a small price to pay.] I'll bring her over soon. Just don't let her hold onto the cat too long. She tends to drain animals without really meaning to.

[Ivar considers Yuri's question carefully.] Happiness is nothing. [They're not his words, but Ragnar's, designed to make sure his son would reach his full potential.] It's fleeting and never lasts. Power that lasts, and the ability to get what you want, that's what really holds my attention.

Nothing I have of any value is worth giving up.

[ The answer comes so easily to him, really. He considers that the things he has of value are his friends, family, and his few skills and passions. Sure, he'd like to change about himself, but nothing that he wouldn't just prefer to work for, rather than be forced to give up something value. ]

At least not for myself.

[Ivar snorts at the answer as the song choice switches to another soft rock tune.]

You're boring.

[Sorry, Otabek, but he thinks that there's a lack of imagination going on right there.]

A bit.

[ He's not even insulted. ]

But I'm happy. And you can't give up that if you get it.

[ He's sure Ivar knows why after all. It's not that Otabek's ever been unhappy, but he's never had the sort of happiness that he has now. That's why he won't give it up just to benefit himself. Even just a little. ]

At least not willingly.

That's the problem with happiness. It never lasts, no matter how you try to hold onto it.

[He learned that lesson a long time before coming to Riverview, though losing Letha had just reinforced what he believed. He'd tried to be happy and only ended up getting hurt in the process. It was easier to hold onto his anger. At least that was something that he knew could be easily sustained.]

Maybe. I still wouldn't give it up on purpose, though.

[ No. He can't imagine doing that. He's very determined to hold onto his happiness as long as he is allowed. ]

You may not get a choice there.

[He's not necessarily being difficult, just pointing out the obvious. People disappeared from the city all the time without so much as a word of goodbye.]

But why would you if you had the choice, then?

Happiness is temporary. But power, real power, that lasts.

[As every great leader touched by madness had thought during the course of history.]

Maybe, maybe not. I'm not into power.

Once again, you're boring.

Maybe for you.

That would depend, I think. On what was being lost or gained, in any particular instance.

[Change was a part of life, a part of nature -- but changes made artificially always had consequences; that's something he's seen entirely too many times from those who tried to use mushi for their own ends.]

It would be power gained, mostly. As to what was being lost, just a few things that wouldn't be missed all that much. Just a soul and the ability to go out in sunlight.

[He mentions the loss of a soul very blithely. It's no big deal to Ivar to lose something most people might consider to be very important.]

"Just" a soul.

[His eyes narrow a bit, and his tone dips about 2 tones frostier, though it might be hard to tell if you're not paying close attention. He's not saying he's judgin but.]

[Ivar's observant and he can tell a disapproving tone when he hears one. He just can't figure out why.]

Not everyone believes in such a thing, you know. Where I come from, we don't.

[Vikings didn't have a traditional concept of a soul the way other cultures did. There was a complicated set-up involving four different parts, all of them much more malleable then what most people considered to be a soul.]

[Souls are very much a Real Thing in Ginko's world, though. It's the main thing that sets humans apart from mushi, for one thing. And he's....seen, what happens when a person is deprived of their soul. Even an artificial one couldn't nearly compensate.]

You're willing to trade away something without even being sure what it entails?

That's if I have one, which I don't think I do. And if I lose it, it clearly hasn't had a great affect on my life thus far, so I clearly won't miss it.

[When he had spoken with Spike on the matter, they had theorized Ivar might not even possess one, due to his psychopathic nature, and lack of remorse for deeds most people would consider to be evil.]

If you don't, there isn't much of a bargain in the first place, is there.

[oooh son. u do not want to mess around with higher entities. ur gon lose.]

Something capable of stealing souls isn't likely to take kindly to someone trying to deceive them.

I've seen how it affected the one I spoke to. He's not the most charming person in the world or easy to get along with, but he doesn't seem that bad off otherwise.

[It wasn't like Ivar was going into this completely blind. He had spoke about this at some length with Spike.]

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