Worthy Core

Despite herself, Xenia can't seem to stop her lips from trying to smile in the presence of Bill's extrovert energy. Part of her wonders if it's something supernatural, like how he surely wasn't quite so massive or colorful back when he lived on Earth, but there's certainly one easy way to find out more about him. "Haha, okay, easy man. Maybe we can do a little something later, but first, how about introductions? It seems like you're pretty famous around here, but I don't know much about you myself."

The tall man brushes it off with a sheepish smirk. "Chaw, ain't so much to tell, really. Used to be in a band back in the day, right? Singer, lead guitar, you know the gig. Was doing this outdoor show one night and it started to rain, but me and my boys, we ain't about to quit out halfway through a rockin' performance! ...Also we didn't exactly have the green to be passin' out refunds, heheh. Well anyways, got hit with a bolt of lightning right in front of everybody, and when I woke up I was here, totally ripped, sportin' a new hairstyle, and totally in the buff in this natural mountain spring full of bodacious elf babes. And the rest, as they say, is history."

Xenia pauses briefly as she tries to imagine the scene. "That's...better than pretty much all of my landings have gone, I'll give you that."

"Yeah, the Big Lady told me you done this a bunch of times, right? Even worked for her as a tree this one time? Wild shit, mos def. Good to know the ol' blue marble's still spinning in the twenty-twenties, though."

She has to chuckle a little at that. "Oh, it's way past that, even. Ran into some guys from around like, the twenty-two-hundreds on one run, sounds like it's gone totally sci-fi. Moon bases and everything. Probably wouldn't recognize the place if I ever got back."

"Whoa, no shit? Well, they probably ain't got fine demon babes back there, so I ain't too sore about missin' out." He scans the room again, and his eyes roam over Lollyp. "Or hot slime girls, neither. You know, you look just like this girl I knew back in the day? She was yellow though, and didn't wear wizard hats."

Lollyp responds to that with a raised eyebrow. "So...you're saying you knew a slime once."

"Totally, just like you! She used to give me that look all the time, too."

Trying not to let his face sink into his palm, Sincere attempts to move the topic along to something resembling business. "So...you're here to assist the dungeon in times of need, yes? Is there anything we need to arrange in order to set that up?"

Xenia takes charge of answering, before Bill can get a chance to derail the topic once again. "I would like to give Billy here the dungeon tour to get him familiar with the place, so that if we do need to call you in an emergency, you're not completely lost with how the place is laid out. Maybe cover what people's skills are, too? Top-level summary, at least. Also - Opal, I've already set up a room for you on Floor Five along with a bunch of the other staff. Bill, since you're not going to be living here I haven't reserved you the space for an apartment, but if you do ever want to stick around for a night you're free to use any of the inn's rental rooms."

"Been hearin' about this 'inn' of yours, too!" There's a gleam in the man's eye as he speaks. "Gonna be included in the tour, yeah? Cause you know, if you're makin' the gossip rounds in heaven, you know it's gotta be something special for real."

"We...might end the tour there, yeah, just to get all the, uh...'boring' stuff out of the way first." Xenia narrows her eyes a little. "Also, uh, I ain't one to judge for sure, but...ain't you married, dude?"

Bill chuckles as he waves off that concern. "Oh, big time. I got, uh..." He stops to count on his fingers. "...Twelve wives? Not countin' the mermaid. I mean, you can't just spring it on a dude with a 'you surfed with me so that means we're married', that shit ain't count. Most of em are chillin' with me in Kahlia's paradise these days, though there should be a couple of em still kickin' it."

Taly has to try hard not to laugh at his serious expression, even as she asks a follow-up. "Lot of kids, too, yeah? That's how you got Kahlia's attention?"

The man nods eagerly. "Thirty-four, apparently, which totally rules. I mean, I only knew about like, twenty of em, but turns out the Big Lady likes keeping score on that sort of thing. Even managed to get that slime chick preg, which apparently is damn near impossible from what people tell me. Course, it did take a lot of tryin', if you catch my drift."

"Jesus." Xenia takes a moment to pinch the bridge of her nose before refocusing. "Alright! How about we do that tour, yeah? Opal, you'll be wanting to see this too. Anyone else, up to you if you wanna come along."

Kahlia's divine champion shoots her two thumbs up. "Bitchin'! Let's see these digs!"

With no Challengers attempting the dungeon this late at night, the tour of the various floors went smoothly enough. A few of the guardians did give brief demonstrations of their abilities, or the special features they had for their boss arenas, but promises of spars had to be reserved for a later time. Xenia did bypass the public inn portion of the tour, as she didn't want to deal with managing the stir that would surely arise from marching a literal legend through the place. They did bring Bill to the more exclusive lounge though, although the tour group had dwindled to Trush, Lollyp, and Taly by that point. Even Xenia found herself begging off with the excuse of showing Opal to her new apartment. Hanging around with the boisterous man was both entertaining and aggravating in equal measure, and while she did have a few other topics on her mind she'd like to discuss with him at some point, for now she needed a bit of a break.

Once she finds herself alone in a room with Opal however, Xenia begins to realize things may have just gotten a great deal more awkward. "So! Room layout's been pretty standardized for most of our guardians at this point, but if you got requests for changes in the details or anything, let me know. Got a living room, kitchenette, washroom, bedroom, a general purpose room for whatever else you might need..." She turns to face the Valkyrie as a realization occurs to her. "Hey, do you actually got like...body concerns, like food and...plumbing and that? Dungeon monsters don't, eating's just a recreational thing, but I don't know about your whole deal."

The elf shakes her head. "I am dead, I no longer worry about such concerns." She runs her hand along the back of a couch before turning to face Xenia more directly. "The design choices for your various floors and sections seem rather...diverse. But having seen your lounge, I can certainly say you haven't lost your taste for debauchery."

There's an impression that the woman meant it as an insult, but it's hardly one Xenia can deny. "I suppose that's been a consistent trait of mine, yeah." She goes silent for a bit, chewing her lip, before asking a question. "Hey, so...can we talk? If you'd rather chat later that's fine, I know it's been a busy day, or...if you'd rather talk never, I'd understand, though we do need to at least work together."

"I take my duties seriously, and I would not risk this divine task due to an inability to cooperate on my part." Opal looks away briefly before taking a deep breath. "I would like to ask you a question first, however?"

"Yeah? Shoot away."

"Your...companions. Do they know your history? The sins that you say weigh upon you?"

Xenia nods. "Not in fine detail, but I've told them the basics, yeah. Well, Parker's new, he probably still needs more of an update, and Deylia's been a lil out of the loop, too. It all got kicked off, too, cause apparently some demons around here can, like...smell it on me or whatever, though the number of dungeon outsiders who really know is...well, probably just the one. They were probably watching our little chat together, now that I think about it."

"Hmm. It's just...very difficult for me to reconcile. Your companions, they seem like brave, valorous people. And yet they seem so casual around you, happy even. Around you, who hurt so many? How can they stomach it?"

Xenia frowns, especially at the thought that this might be an insult towards her guardians. "Look, Opal - "

She's quickly interrupted. "Brightsky, if you would, or Valkyrie Brightsky. We are not on a first name basis with each other."

"...Valkyrie Brightsky. Look, I know you saw me at my worst, I ain't gonna deny any of what I did or how bad it was. But I need you to believe that there's more to me than that, okay? I've had friends, I've loved, I have tried to do the right thing more often than not. I won't make any excuses, but I want you to see me as being more than just an evil prince."

The elf sighs a little as she looks Xenia's avatar up and down. "Like your demons, I too can also judge the quality of a soul these days. And...well, to be honest, you rather hurt to look at. All of your lives, twisted together, overlapping...that's not how a soul ought to look. Even so, certain colors still shine through. As much as I want to deny it, I can see the valor in you as well. We Valkyries are trained to look for such things in particular, the souls we gather are not always judged based on how...ethical their owners may have been. Yet we Valkyries are also unlike the restful dead in other ways - we feel more strongly, particularly our anger. It will not stop me from working with you, but I need you to know - I hate you. I hate you so much it makes me almost want to shake in your presence."

The dungeon master can't help but wince at the expression in the elf's yellow eyes. "Can...would it be alright if I asked what happened to you? After you were hiding out in the tower library?"

Opal crosses her arms as she considers whether or not to answer, but eventually nods. "That first Fallen Hero of yours - Peter. After you turned him to your side and eventually gave him his own territorial command, you allowed him to take a fraction of your staff and soldiers to serve as the foundation for his power. One of his lieutenants must have mentioned me, and as I was not serving a vital purpose in your employ, I was included in his retinue." Her eyes narrow. "He did not recruit me for my skills as a priestess or a librarian."

Xenia winces again. "God, I am so - "

"If you tell me you are sorry I will slap you right now." By this point Opal really is nearly vibrating, her muscles tense.

Seeing her mood, Xenia can only nod. "And...you became a Valkyrie somehow? My knowledge of the religions in that realm was not exactly in-depth, but that's not something that happens to just anybody, yeah?"

"Indeed. After two years in the Sword Champion's 'service' I finally had enough, and stole myself a dagger. I slew five of his guards before I was boxed in, and threw myself from a castle tower to avoid being captured once again. For my bravery in battle, as well as my lifetime of service to him, Lord Theolif saw fit to make me one of his own."

Xenia nods again. "You've grown strong, I can see that. I...I ain't gonna deny you any of what you're feeling. You've more than earned that hate. But I want you to know - this deal Theolif and I have worked out? This means more to me than just...making the numbers balance out on some cosmic ledger. Even after we've helped set your realm right, and even if I do gotta smack around a few realmwalking grandkids or something, that doesn't mean I'm counting it all fair and square. I just...hope one day we get to the point where I can say the words to you."

Opal's lips twitch a few times, but when she speaks, Xenia suspects it's not the first words that came to her mind. "Thank you for the tour, dungeon master, and the apartment. While I do not technically require sleep, it has been a long day, and I would like to rest. Perhaps we can speak tomorrow on the details of me fulfilling my duties here?"

"...Sure. Talk to you tomorrow then, have a good night's rest."

The pair exchange nods before Xenia flickers out, teleporting her avatar back into her own apartment. Sensing her mood though, she's not alone for long, as Guy comes by to check on her. "Everything alright, ma'am? It certainly seems to have been a rather tiring day."

Summoning herself a glass, Xenia takes a moment to take a long drink, just to enjoy the taste. "Ain't even the half of it, Guy. You know...officially, Theolif only gave me two tasks to do. But...partnering me up with Opal, specifically? Of all of his Valkyries?" Xenia has a long sigh. "I don't think that was an accident, and that part of it's probably going to be the hardest task of em all..."