I think it does. [Which...might imply the answer is somewhat complicated or at least in the middle of the road. At the very least, nothing in Cantarella's tone implies that this is either fine or good.]
My family is very traditional, and our commitment to Imperator is absolute. So has it been for centuries. [She tilts her head.] What's driving your curiosity?
[ Most people may be content to carry on, but considering her family is now being brought up, he considers the inquiry in return reasonable. ]
There's a logic to getting to know a little bit about one another.
I won't go ahead and dig up your entire past, if that's what you're concerned about.
[ ...Anaxagoras doesn't really think it will help if he does anything other than say the truth. He hasn't really spoken much to Cantarella before this, and he has heard of different, unknown concepts, so... he has decided to ask. ]
[Fair play. The deep, sea-dark sapphire of her eyes twinkles a little, and Cantarella's posture relaxes a bit.]
You might have to bring a sturdy shovel if you were going to try that. Thirty-six generations is very far to dig. Tell me, if most people aren't even aware that something is missing, do you suppose its absence is a problem, or can the afterimage sustain?
[ A question that makes him wonder just the same. He personally never had prestige that went so far back in the first place. When it comes to lineage, anyway.
Ironically, the question asked is one he had been pondering on himself. But, now he might have an answer. ]
Very far indeed.
...it depends on what is "missing". A tree will not notice if a single leaf is plucked from one of its smaller branches, continuing on as it were.
Eventually, that leaf will regrow in the place of the previous left behind.
Now, if a small branch is similar plucked, it can be more noticeable. Over time, it can be forgotten, as the tree itself can recover that very branch.
However, what happens if you take away a part of its roots? Something so integral to the livelihood of the tree can cause it to stagnate and decay. Even if it might have forgotten how it lost it in the first place.
Ergo, the afterimage sustaining successfully depends on "what" the absence is in the first place.
[It's as she said...The Fisalia family is very traditional, and those traditions have very deep roots.]
Like most plants, trees can still be grafted onto nearly anything that's been purged. The rest grows in as if nothing was ever removed, but the tree is changed forever. [The metaphor only extends so far, and she can really only say so much.]
Before you distract yourself too much with that puzzle, I'd also like to know a little bit more about you.
[ The roots must indeed run deep, but at that point what can be said of their identity as time goes by?
Well, that can be a common question for even any long-lived folk - though, particularly any lineage that so happens to extend far enough that changes have been vast and incomprehensible.
He'll willingly take a pause on that regardless. ]
Very well. I'll leave the puzzle aside for now, and return to it later.
[It's possible for just about any question to lift the corner on something tender, but it isn't her intention to do that. Right now, she's only seeking to add more strands to the threads that connect them all.]
While I could listen to more about your favorite creatures, [she teases, winking,] I'll save it for another time when it might not be like complimenting yourself. Where would you like to live, if you could choose anywhere?
[ ...that is fair, getting back at him for his Dromas-obsession, while keeping in mind his current appearance.
Anaxagoras lets out a small sigh at her reaction to it in the first place. ]
...My preferences as to where I'd like to live would be somewhere reasonably warm. Where the sun shines regularly, and seasons are pleasant all year round.
Oh, and of course, somewhere the stars can usually be visible at night. What is the point of a sky if you can't properly see most of it?
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no subject
My family is very traditional, and our commitment to Imperator is absolute. So has it been for centuries. [She tilts her head.] What's driving your curiosity?
no subject
There's a logic to getting to know a little bit about one another.
I won't go ahead and dig up your entire past, if that's what you're concerned about.
[ ...Anaxagoras doesn't really think it will help if he does anything other than say the truth. He hasn't really spoken much to Cantarella before this, and he has heard of different, unknown concepts, so... he has decided to ask. ]
no subject
You might have to bring a sturdy shovel if you were going to try that. Thirty-six generations is very far to dig. Tell me, if most people aren't even aware that something is missing, do you suppose its absence is a problem, or can the afterimage sustain?
no subject
Ironically, the question asked is one he had been pondering on himself. But, now he might have an answer. ]
Very far indeed.
...it depends on what is "missing". A tree will not notice if a single leaf is plucked from one of its smaller branches, continuing on as it were.
Eventually, that leaf will regrow in the place of the previous left behind.
Now, if a small branch is similar plucked, it can be more noticeable. Over time, it can be forgotten, as the tree itself can recover that very branch.
However, what happens if you take away a part of its roots? Something so integral to the livelihood of the tree can cause it to stagnate and decay. Even if it might have forgotten how it lost it in the first place.
Ergo, the afterimage sustaining successfully depends on "what" the absence is in the first place.
no subject
Like most plants, trees can still be grafted onto nearly anything that's been purged. The rest grows in as if nothing was ever removed, but the tree is changed forever. [The metaphor only extends so far, and she can really only say so much.]
Before you distract yourself too much with that puzzle, I'd also like to know a little bit more about you.
no subject
Well, that can be a common question for even any long-lived folk - though, particularly any lineage that so happens to extend far enough that changes have been vast and incomprehensible.
He'll willingly take a pause on that regardless. ]
Very well. I'll leave the puzzle aside for now, and return to it later.
What do you want to know?
no subject
While I could listen to more about your favorite creatures, [she teases, winking,] I'll save it for another time when it might not be like complimenting yourself. Where would you like to live, if you could choose anywhere?
no subject
Anaxagoras lets out a small sigh at her reaction to it in the first place. ]
...My preferences as to where I'd like to live would be somewhere reasonably warm. Where the sun shines regularly, and seasons are pleasant all year round.
Oh, and of course, somewhere the stars can usually be visible at night. What is the point of a sky if you can't properly see most of it?