IkeAshera: Contest Entry

Ike/Ashera C

Ike: Figures. I thought you might still be hanging around here somewhere.

Ashera: …

Ike: Yune’s still alive, I told myself. And they’re two sides of the same coin. Neither can exist without the other. So she’s still alive, somewhere.

Ashera: …

Ike: I don’t understand. Why not just help Yune? You lost, fair and square. You might as well try to help us out now.

Ashera: …

Ike: I can see you behind the pillar, you know.

Ashera: …Bah.

Ike: I doubt the church would like it much if I told them their great goddess was cowering behind a stone pillar.

Ashera: I do not cower. I was merely attempting to… To… It is no concern of mine what mortals think of Me. I am your Mother. That is all you need to know.

Ike: My mother’s name is Elena.

Ashera: It is the principle of the matter.

Ike: I’m not a philosopher. And Yune says you didn’t make us. You… found us.

Ashera: Yune is chaos. She is instability, lawlessness, anarchy. Hardly the most trustworthy witness.

Ike: She’s you.

Ashera: …You are a very impudent worm.

Ike: You can’t even begin to imagine how many men I’ve killed whose last words were “Why you impudent dog prepare to fall in the name of argh argh ow ow”.

Ashera: I can.

Ike: Why? You weren’t there.

Ashera: I am… everywhere.

Ike/Ashera B

Ike: Why are you following me everywhere?

Ashera: I am not following you everywhere.

Ike: I go someplace, and then I look back, and you’re going there too. This happens all day. I think that constitutes following. It’s also slightly creepy.

Ashera: …I do not know My way around your camp. You are the leader. You do. Thus, I use you as a guide, much as a mortal man might use a mule to lead him down a treacherous pass.

Ike: So, I’m a donkey.

Ashera: Yes. In essence.

Ike: Thanks. I thought you knew everything, anyway.

Ashera: …Some of My power departed when I was defeated. It is of little concern. It will return soon enough.

Ike: And then?

Ashera: …?

Ike: What will you do then?

Ashera: I… It is none of your puny concern.

Ike: If you’re planning to wipe us all out again, then I sort of think it might be.

Ashera: …

Ike: Do you even know?

Ashera: …

Ike: I never thought I’d see you, uh, You flustered. You really don’t know where to go, do you? Yune’s off helping people and watching over everyone, just like you always wanted, and you can’t even swallow your pride and go join her.

Ashera: I have no wish to-

Ike: There you go with your wishes! People have died for you, you know that? Wars have been fought over you! Begnion’s had people tortured because of you! For centuries people have been praising you and doing great- and terrible -deeds in your name. On the other hand, we all thought Yune was some kind of horrible demon, and now she’s dedicated herself to helping us.

Ashera: I never asked for this! It is right and just that mortals would expunge sin from themselves, but it was never My intention to have them fight and kill others for it! That is your own instinct! It is why I wished to start anew! Do you ask me to repent for the sins your people committed in My name!?

Ike: No. But you have a duty to everyone that’s died. They suffered for you. Maybe you can suffer for them a little.

Ashera: …

Ike: Even if you aren’t what we all thought you were, well, maybe you can still try to be. Yune’s doing it. You can too.

Ashera: …It is… too late. Too late to start over.

Ike: It’s never too late to try again. Yeah, everyone’s mad at you for turning them to stone. They were mad at Yune too. Now look at how they feel about her.</i>

Ashera: …Yune… You, Ike… Do you really think that people could… forgive me?

Ike: I think they’d be sort of relieved to.

Ashera: …

Ike: Just… think about it.

Ike/Ashera A

Ike: Did you think about it?

Ashera: …!

Ike: Hmm? What are you doing?

Ashera: …It is none of-

Ike: My concern, yeah, I get it. Seriously, what is it? …Huh? Mice?

Ashera: …Rats.

Ike: Why are you playing with rats?

Ashera: I was not playing with them! This one… its leg was lame. I decided to fix it. That is all.

Ike: Hah!

Ashera: You dare to laugh at-

Ike: No, no, it’s not that. It’s just… You hesitate to help people, but you gladly do nice things for rats. I’m sure there’s a metaphor in there somewhere.

Ashera: Rats are easy. A rat doesn’t do anything to anybody.

Ike: They carry disease.

Ashera: And that is no fault of theirs. It is simply how they were made. They cannot help how they were made.

Ike: Heh.

Ashera: …?

Ike: The irony is going right over your head, isn’t it?

Ashera: I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.

Ike: Never mind. But, hey, you know… Maybe this is the way you can go about it. Start small. Don’t immediately run into the big things, like helping nations and all that. It’s been too long for you.

Ashera: You are telling Me to… pace Myself?

Ike: Well, yeah. I think… I think you were too hasty, last time. You’ve been asleep for too long. Everyone gets cranky in the morning.

Ashera: …

Ike: You can’t just tell yourself you’re going to fix the world in one day. It’s just like swordfighting. You can’t just challenge the strongest warrior in town and think you’ll win. You have to train first. Start small.

Ashera: Start… small?

Ike: Little things. Helping a village with its crops. Heal a sick kid. Resolve some domestic dispute. And, hey, maybe even smite a little.

Ashera: I do enjoy the smiting.

Ike: Just where it’s needed.

Ashera: Yes.

Ike: In very small doses.

Ashera: Indeed.

Ike: And then, when you think you’re ready… You can go find Yune, and the two of you can do a lot of big things.

Ashera: …Work together… I… Ike…

Ike: I believe you can do it.

Ashera: …Thank you, Ike. I will do this. For a mortal, and quite a simple-headed one at that, I believe you are… very wise. In your own way.

Ike: Thanks?

Ashera: I suppose… this is where we part ways.

Ike: Uh… You don’t have to leave if you don’t want. Helping people is really what we get paid to do. You could stick around for a while, if you wanted. I doubt the others would mind.

Ashera: You would… accept a goddess into your ranks?

Ike: Sure, why not? It’d be great for business.

Ashera: Yes. I will do this, also. Thank you… Commander Ike.

Ike: Heh. No trouble at all, Ashera. See you in the morning.

Ashera: For a mortal, he is… very interesting. Very interesting indeed. If even a few of them are like him, then perhaps… I was wrong after all.

…

What an irregular emotion…