bindsthedead | Ximilia inbox

Itachi? [Sabriel's momentarily surprised for a moment- and then she smiles. So he did remember the offer.]

Come in. I'll get some tea ready.

[Perhaps not black tea, given the hour, but she has some herbal varieties as well. Sabriel motions for the small table in the room- one she hastily clears of papers, and books.]

（ he steps inside the room at her prompting. there is no sense of awkwardness to him existing in her space — he lacks the strong association of places belonging to people for that to trouble him.

he sets the tray down on her small desk, and while she busies herself with tea: ）

I have received a book from my world, on healing. I do not think its techniques would serve you, but I thought you may wish to take a look at it. I cannot leave it here, but should you be interested in more than a once-over, I can upload its contents to the network for you.

（ when you have a photographic memory, transmitting content via thought is alarmingly easy. ）

[Sabriel selects a sweet smelling blend of lavender and chamomile, adding it to the pot along with water from the sink, before turning to Itachi.]

I would like to look at it, yes. If only to gain a better understanding of how healing techniques might vary.

[Although at the mention of not leaving it here...]

Are you planning on studying it yourself?

Yes.

（ he slides the book across the desk towards her. ）

Given the nature of our assignments, I felt it best to increase my knowledge in areas which I am deficient.

Well. All of us have had to learn new things, and hone skills we might have otherwise neglected.

[Sabriel opens the book, flipping through the pages, looking for what's familiar- and what isn't.]

（ she'll find the book is full of detailed information on chakra pathways, utilizing one's own energies to heal others, the processes and precision required to do it safely. it emphasizes a medic's duty as remaining out of the fighting as much as possible to ensure their ability to heal their teammates.

the medic, it says, should always be the last member of a team to die.

while she is busy with that, itachi takes it upon himself to pour them both tea. ）

This is true. I am not accustomed to thinking of myself as part of a team of nearly five dozen individuals. It has resulted in a paradigm shift of my strategies.

[It's interesting- Sabriel's used to thinking of healers as those who stay out of the thick of battle, waiting on the sidelines. The author of this book seems to view such a situation as ideal, but not entirely realistic. The discussion of chakra pathways bears some similarity to the circulatory system, and the discussions she'd read in some of her fathers books about how the flow of blood might be used to diffuse a spell throughout the body.]

I was... also used to working alone, or with a few companions, before this. Now there are many of us, and it's been- something of an adjustment.

Is being Abhorsen a solitary pursuit by nature?

（ he sits at last, with poised elegance in the chair opposite her, taking one of the small biscuits from the tray. ）

[Sabriel takes a sip of her tea, careful not to spill it on the book.]

Yes. For some parts of it, we can call on assistance- there are Charter-Spells to combat the Dead in Life, and in both the Old Kingdom and Anelstierre, there are those with some knowledge of how to combat the Dead.

But we're the only Charter mages who are also necromancers, who can walk in Death, and we are called upon when such knowledge is not enough. And I never knew my father to travel with any companions for his work.

（ he cants his head faintly. then: ）

You have mentioned other necromancers — they are considered free magic sorcerers and not charter mages, yes?

Yes. They reject the Charter, and see it as a restraint on their own desires. They see the Dead as a path to power, and will happily sacrifice the living in the process- to feed their servants, or because they want fresh corpses to house spirits. Or they want weak spirits to enslave, if they're unable to find any lingering in the area.

[Necromancers meant that Death in the Old Kingdom did not always promise an end to slavery and suffering.

Sabriel grimaces, even as she swallows another sip of her tea.]

（ he has learned not to be surprised by areas in which their worlds experience overlap. he knows that the sandaime died against edo tensei, and orochimaru would certainly stop at nothing to gain power. the deaths of others mean nothing to him.

(he should have killed him in akatsuki, the first time he ever made a play for the sharingan.) ）

There is a man like that in my world. I killed him shortly before my arrival here. It seems that such behaviour is commonplace.

Good riddance.

[People like that... Sabriel is not, by her nature, an unforgiving or vengeful person.

But threats are threats, and need to be dealt with. And everything she's seen of Itachi suggests he's not a stranger to violence.]

Are there many others like him, in your world?

（ he cants his head. his attention drifts to the book he'd brought, what it means to the shinobi world that they functioned nearly a thousand years killing each other with chakra and only really began utilizing it for healing within the last seventy.

are there many others like him? the technique to resurrect the dead was created before a medical application of ninjutsu. it was meant to find value in the loss of your forces, because such losses were expected. in the last great war, the average life expectancy of those in active service was roughly three months.

it is always said to be wary of shinobi who grow old. ）

The technique to revive the dead has been deemed a forbidden jutsu — which means it is not taught, and any notes or knowledge of it is said to have been destroyed. （ his tone suggests he is skeptical of this claim. no one with that knowledge would willingly discard it. ） The ninja villages of my world are in constant conflict with one-another, and I believe there are a significant number of individuals who would gladly use such a thing if it was made available to them.

（ he does not speak much on his own world, but he is feeling... circumspect, perhaps. ）

However — I believe we would view such a thing differently than you do.

So the knowledge probably wasn't as... thoroughly erased as might be hoped. And if people know it's possible... even if they don't know any of the details, they might try to reinvent it.

[As it always is with forbidden knowledge. Particularly if, like Free magic, it requires relatively little training, and more will and knowledge that it's possible.]

Especially since... your world isn't troubled by the Dead, they might not even see such a thing as dangerous, and people might not so thoroughly revile someone who did such a thing.

[Which is... hard to wrap her head around.]

It would almost certainly be dangerous, and the jutsu is reviled enough among those aware of it...

（ there is a clear however in his tone.

his body will have many uses after his death, but he is not destined for a peaceful rest no matter what becomes of all the disparate parts of him. to be brought back and held in thrall would simply be more of the same for him. he has always bent his head willingly to the yoke, obedient and submissive to control. he studies the scars that wind around his right hand and arm like a band, the pink flesh is raised and shiny with newness, and the ring glints in the light. he turns it with his thumb so it is properly straight. ）

However — like any other technique in my world, it is a tool. Intent matters when wielding it.

Edited 2021-12-31 18:17 (UTC)

I admit, my perspective is... strongly shaped by my experiences, but I can't see how such a tool could be used with good intent.

[Perhaps not entirely malicious intent, if the Dead in question had no need to feed on the living, but still.. Every instinct that's been trained into Sabriel since she first touched that core of Free magic power inside of her recoils at the thought.

So she frowns, glancing down at her tea, and Itachi's hands, before looking up to meet his eyes.]

And in the Old Kingdom, there are some forces that are corrupting, even when used with the best of intentions.

If you are defending the civilians whose safety is your responsibility, and you are losing the battle — is it better to allow them to be slaughtered, or to resurrect your shinobi who were willing and did already die for that same cause?

（ it is a purely philosophical question. he can understand both sides of it without issue. but he enjoys debating such things with her, to see where her clever mind may carry her. ）

This is assuming that said resurrection will not revive them as creatures who will pose an equal threat to said civilians, if not carefully controlled?

[Which is, really, the core of why necromancy is banned, why it's reviled. The Dead need to feed on Life in order to remain in Life, and if left to their own devices, are not picky about where said life-force comes from.]

I could see why someone desperate enough might see it as the right choice, but I don't think I could ever bring myself to do it.

No. There is no ferality associated with this jutsu. Those brought back in this manner have their personalities intact, but they are under the control of the one that summoned them.

（ he has never seen it done personally, but spies have an alarming tendency to learn things they shouldn't. he knows how hiruzen died. what he died doing. ）

But it is natural to hold opinions based on your own world. You are remarkably open-minded about it, despite all you have seen and known as Abhorsen.

I see. Then using it only to revive allies seems advisable- even with a short leash, given control of their faculties and sufficient motivation, one bound could easily make themselves distinctly unhelpful.

[She's absolutely thinking of Mogget as she says this.]

（ it's like she's reached directly into the future and saw itachi being a fucking shit about edo tensei or something... he made it as difficult as (in)humanly possible for kabuto to do anything, because he's Just That Asshole. ）

Presumably. I doubt I will ever encounter this technique directly in my lifetime, and stories told about it tend to... obfuscate the details.

For understandable reasons. With magic that's forbidden... stories tend to obfuscate how it's done, although that can also lead to misunderstandings regarding the true nature of things.

[At this point, Sabriel's sure that no one living could tell her the true nature of Mogget, or his binding. Possibly not even Mogget, even if he wanted to.]

Mm.

（ and, moving right along and changing tack — ）

What is your opinion on those who are brought back from death by the powers of this place? Or those whose regret involves overturning deaths?

（ he's not exactly #askingforafriend but he is curious, given her aversion. ）

Well, those being revived are being restored to true life- and thus, not my problem. As for overturning deaths... I'd be a hypocrite if I objected, given my own regret.

[Given that she's doing this to undo the deaths of her friends.]

action;

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