IC Inbox

[noblerise]

If contacting his personal number or via Libra:

"You have reached Jusis Albarea. I'm busy. Leave a message."

If contacting his work number:

"You have reached the office of Jusis Albarea, Esquire. I'm not available at this time, so please leave your name, number, and a brief message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Thank you."

Black Order Inbox and Class VII Group Chat for reference.

Comments

[lapislazily]

[He's not expecting that, and looks a little surprised at the idea. Then thoughtful... He glances down into his empty teacup, and thinks about divine timing.]

... You may be right. Perhaps this is something I must do with the strength I wield, without borrowing his.

[He smiles faintly, though it doesn't quite reach his eyes.]

Had I all the powers of a god with the trappings of a prisoner, my journey up until now would have been quite perilous. He was insistent on stepping down back then, and he only intervened when necessary. Long have I felt that he would have wanted me to be free... so I tried to live my life accordingly, until I could no longer run from it.

Yet if one spends their freedom running, in all things one is still bound by that which they refuse to face. True freedom is far more difficult to attain.

[noblerise]

[He listens to the old man as he thinks aloud. After a while, Jusis gives him a nod.]

Until you know freedom in truth, and how to live with his dogma without hurting yourself with it. Perhaps that's the lesson he's trying to impart. Though I can't claim to know the mind of a god, let alone the person he'd been in that life, with how much focus you've put into protecting people... I simply can't imagine that he wouldn't try to protect his future incarnation as well.

[lapislazily]

[He's silent for a minute. He can't disagree, really. His own thought process had plodded along this trajectory before. The nature of freedom was an ever elusive thing for him, difficult to quantify, like feelings of friendship in a contract. It just doesn't work. It's the opposite of his very nature.]

... I accepted that position not for want of power or resources, but for the sake of my people. Liyue had a very lengthy past; most of it was turbulent and untenable, even in brief moments of peace. Gods and abominations allied and attacked each other on a whim. They tore the battlefield apart and killed countless people in the process, heedless and uncaring of the suffering they inflicted to humanity.

Those desperate souls looked to me for protection. Though I was far from the divinity they deserved, I knew that no one else would be able to help them if I faltered. I couldn't disappoint them, and I couldn't let that era of gods and monsters continue unabated.

I walked alongside the people of Liyue for thousands of years. The fondness I felt for them then—for humanity—is not so easily ignored.

[He may be the one who parts the chaos and brings order, but the root of all he has ever done in service of others... is love.]

I was born and raised as a human in this life. It feels so distant now, but you've reminded me that duty to protect would have applied to myself as well.

[noblerise]

[Jusis crosses his arms as he listens. At least in this, he's been able to help Zhongli gain a different perspective and hopefully some closure.]

Sometimes, a different pair of eyes on a situation can give you the view you've been missing. I'm glad I could help in my own small way.

[He smiles slightly.]

Should you find yourself with divinity again, you'll still be welcome in my home for tea and conversation. Though, I hope you don't expect to be free from my honest thoughts even as a god in full.

[Jusis has a healthy amount of respect for a god, but it still isn't enough for him to curb his honest opinion if they're open to it. Which Zhongli, unfortunately/fortunately, is.]

[lapislazily]

[He doesn't expect to get treated differently by Jusis if he should get his divinity back, but having the confirmation is nice... and a little funny. He chuckles warmly.]

I wouldn't ask for anything else. The thought of being worshiped is strange to me in this life; I would much rather have friends and family than devotees.

[That's kind of what the tradeoff was, now that he thinks about it.]

[noblerise]

You shall have that, certainly.

[Jusis definitely gets the sense that Zhongli prefers to have people speak their minds freely. He's had that sense for a while, but it's different when one considers the fact that the brunet was once a god.]

Is there anything else you wished to discuss with me?

[lapislazily]

[He smiles a little, enough to make the corners of his eyes crinkle for a moment.]

No, that is all. Thank you for hearing my request.

[He gets to his feet.]

We shall see this through, wherever it ends.

[noblerise]

[Jusis returns the smile.]

You're welcome. I'll keep you informed as best I can.

[He stands as well to escort Zhongli to the door like the polite man his mom raised him to be.]

Indeed we shall. At the very least, we will have give it our all to change things.