INFERNO - A Intermission [Passing Assassin]

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[image description: A anthropomorphic dog woman in a jagged void between two fragmented surreal landscapes. She is postured as if you caught her in the middle of something, her expression silly but directly acknowledging the reader. She holds a book in her hands with a spread showcasing the alchemist symbols for The Sun, The Earth, and Pluto aligned. The borders of the artwork seem to be cracked open, allowing her shadow to extend past it.]


???: Hello! Seems like you've slipped down here too. The way back up isn't too hard to find, given you're willing to think outside the box.

???: Me? I'm usually down here I suppose... I'd offer you a cocktail, or some tea if we were a little closer to my spot... I'm Dolce Durante. (Dohl-Shey Duu-Rahn-Tey)

Dolce: And you...?

Dolce: Ah.. not quick to reply? Then I think that pins down who or what you are exactly... I wouldn't worry though, it's enough to separate guest from foe and that's a tad important lately.

Dolce: You're the former in case you're wondering, if you were the latter I wouldn't be taking so kindly to being given the quiet treatment. That said I should really give you chance to speak, can only gauge so much from silence. Hmm..

Dolce: You're fine by the way just.. I figure you know the rules by now. To engage with those outside your domain is to bind yourself to the rules of them... though now that these borders are cracked I don't know how long that will last. For now.. a game? One that might be a bit familiar. Let me just get a spread going and...


Dolce: Pick a card, tell me whatever inclines you toward it. I promise you there's no such thing as stupid questions or wrong answers.


(0) The Fool: The Fated Pilgrim, The Envoy of the Beginning
The proof of how far we've come, A Reminder of how much we've left behind.


(XIII) Death: The Ferryman of Change, The Path that Ends Suffering
All Good Things must come to a End, All Wounds will heal with time


(XXI) The World: The Journey's End, The Soul's Final Form
The Fruit of all life's labors, The truth that living is futility

[dediles]

Death. things need to change, I can feel it. We cannot be stuck in this limbo forever.

[skinstealer]

death, i want to believe it desperately, even if it's completely foreign to me. surely there must be an end to this.

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[image description: A hand holding a Tarot card with the image of a pale woman with a rose for a head wearing a dress with a skull. She is in the middle of walking to the left. There is a flag, a tower being struck by lightning, and a tree holding a boot in the background.]

Death, its time for things to change. Even if it foreign, there surely must be a end...

Dolce: Oh? That's a little dramatic, no? I suppose that's fitting though...

We can't be stuck in this limbo forever... surely there must be a end to this..

Dolce: ..You just got here though, didn't you? Suppose there's a chance we've just missed each other repeatedly I guess... I guess that does give me a little insight..

Dolce: ...You look a little disappointed though. Suppose you expected one of those wretched phantoms to show up for your troubles? It isn't that simple...

Dolce: People find themselves attached to these cards as a means of forging your own path. Given infinite possibilities to create true form, most people get massively overwhelmed. By giving them a smaller pool of options you're guiding their choices but still giving them a sense of freedom.

Dolce: And with cards like these? They're perfect. A spread of three is more than enough for most people. Back in the day people used to use the whole tarot deck but when your options are a sword, two swords, and 10 cups well.. it becomes a new kind of overwhelming. Now its too abstracted..

Dolce: I think people like choices to be meaningful even if they're limited. And that... makes them easy to control sometimes. A king who's unchallenged is the result of people not knowing their full options...

Dolce: Now most people who pick this card seem to be fond of that idea, being the natural change even those with the highest thrown can't avoid. But... Death is not picky. It is neither friend nor enemy, and eventually when it comes for you it will ask you if you wish to go with dignity..

[image description: Dolche's finger pokes a chess piece shaped like a dog on the nose. The chess piece has a angelic halo, eyes with star shaped pupils in the center, and a red cloak covered in star patterns. Its difficult to distinguish the piece as either a knight or a pawn off its shape.]

Dolce: And Death goes hand in hand with Judgement. Look at this little guy, cute right? Now unlike Death, Judgment is completely controlled by the bias of the winner. To some they might be a hero but to others? Absolutely wretched, a destroyer of worlds unprecedented.

Dolce: And if that sounds off well... the crack we're in right now is nothing more than a result of that bias. Granted, I think all things considered we're overall at a net positive so.. I will spare him. For now anyway, I owe my freedom to him so I suppose I have a bias myself..

Dolce: And that brings me to ask, where do your biases lie? You certainly have someone you fight for, and one look at those eyes make it very clear you absolutely have a picture of the worst kind of person in your mind. So....

Dolce: I'd like to know. And in exchange, you're free to ask questions as well. It's only fair after all.