"Is story succession sort of like what Nirvana did?" Jung Heewon wondered, looking curiously at the screen.
Kim Dokja hummed for a moment. "In terms of inheriting something, yes, but not the rest of it. Think of story succession like making a deal with a constellation to just use their story and the powers associated with that specific story without them being your sponsor."
"I see," Yoo Sangah said as she nodded. "I suppose that from the constellations' perspective, it could be something like a company hiring an external contractor?"
That actually worked pretty well, if he was being honest. The contractor wasn't an official employee, but they cooperated in one specific aspect.
[a few constellations are contemplating the words of the incarnation 'yoo sangah'.]
Gesturing in the direction of the banquet hall, the dokkaebi explains that space has been made for them on the first floor, and that only historical-grade constellations are present on that floor. Scenes of the hall are then shown, which look slightly comical as the vast majority of the historical-grade constellations are in their symbolic forms, which means that the hall is filled with an eclectic set of items. At the same time, Dokja recalls that incarnations can inherit stories of constellations who aren't their sponsor - allowing the incarnation to use and spread that story, and granting the constellation more influence. This is the true goal of the Constellation Banquet—networking.
As the incarnations start to walk out, the constellations begin to speak and gossip, seeming more like people meeting their favourite celebrities than higher beings meeting pitiful mortals. One comments on Selena, complimenting her performance so far. Another calls out to Iris, calling her adorable. This comment makes her look over her shoulder at Dokja, clearly smug, and Dokja grimaces as he recognizes what her gaze is trying to convey. The moment he walks out, the previous chatter immediately goes silent. The camera then turns to show that nearly all the screens present in the hall are playing different clips of him.
Sweating, Dokja wonders if he's not popular as the reaction of the constellations make Iris attempt to hide her large smile behind her hand. Her amused expression soon drops when cheers and claps break out as people begin calling out his name, titles, and the unfortunate mispronunciation of his name from Peace Land.
Lee Jihye perked up immediately upon hearing that the first floor had historical-grade constellations. "Hey, sponsor-ahjussi, do you think you'll be there too?"
[the constellation 'maritime war god' is hoping that he will be.]
It would certainly be nice to have a few constellations he could count on, so Kim Dokja hoped for the same thing. Admiral Lee was quite fond of him, after all.
The kids giggled as the hall appeared on the screen, especially considering all the strange objects floating around. Without the context of the symbolic forms, it definitely looked pretty ridiculous. At the very least, they were finding it entertaining, and Kim Dokja wasn't about to stop them from enjoying themselves even a little bit.
[many constellations are agreeing on the importance of networking.]
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is lamenting that networking is boring.]
As the constellations turned from respectable figures to something more similar to a crowd of fans at a red carpet event, Lee Hyunsung looked utterly baffled. It was pretty strange seeing them all act like this, even for Kim Dokja. Seeing their opinions expressed through indirect messages was extremely different from speaking to them face-to-face, especially because there was a limit to what could be sent in an indirect message.
"I wasn't expecting this at all," Lee Hyunsung whispered to Jung Heewon, unable to tear his eyes away from the screen as Selena and Iris began walking into the room. The level of enthusiasm was unprecedented, especially considering that they had never met these incarnations before and had no concept of what they had already accomplished.
When a constellation called Iris cute, however, Yoo Mia scoffed. "Hmph. She's not cute at all."
Without wasting a second, though, she looked up at Yoo Joonghyuk with wide and pleading eyes. "Oppa, I'm much cuter than her, right?"
The protagonist's lips curved upwards slightly as he nodded. "Of course."
She was also a menace, but Kim Dokja knew that Yoo Joonghyuk was incredibly biased.
[constellations who like children are agreeing that the incarnation 'yoo mia' is very cute.]
Still, Kim Dokja had to hold his breath as he watched himself step into the hall and everything fell silent. That was either a really good sign, or a really terrible one.
Han Sooyoung, naturally, snorted. "Fuck, the dokkaebi did say that your reputation was pretty shitty. Did Persephone invite you specifically to piss someone off?"
… As much as Kim Dokja wanted to deny that, he really couldn't rule it out as a possibility.
"That's stupid, ahjumma," Lee Gilyoung protested vehemently. "Hyung is awesome, and if those stupid constellations can't see that, then they're even more stupid than I thought!"
Gilyoung-ah, as much as Kim Dokja appreciated the defense, it probably wasn't a great idea to come out and say something like that.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is snickering.]
Thankfully, before Shin Yoosung could join in too, the constellations finally erupted in cheers and enthusiasm. Kim Dokja's shoulders relaxed as he realized that they had just been stunned, and not plotting his murder or something.
He really could have done without hearing someone calling out for 'Kim Dogeza', though.
A jolly stick floats its way forwards as a kind voice identifies the stick as 'Bald General of Justice', prompting a large statue to move forwards and introduce himself as 'King Heungmu the Great'. Others then rush towards him as Iris looks around, shock evident on her face. One constellation even remarks that he's not as ugly as they thought he'd be, and Dokja even has to wave back at constellations calling out to him in an attempt to get them to calm down.
Soon after Dokja's turn, Joonghyuk comes out, causing many constellations to turn to him as some even ask for him to join their nebulae. As Dokja mentally sighs, he's unsurprised by Joonghyuk's popularity. What is slightly surprising, though, are the cheers from the second floor where the higher-ranked constellations are sitting—though Dokja isn't sure how to feel when he hears the name of [Eden] called out as well.
"Oh, there are some constellations we recognize," Lee Seolhwa said in a relieved tone as the constellations approached Kim Dokja. It was good to see Samyeongdang there, especially because he had supported them for a long time too.
[the constellation 'bald leader of the peasant's army' is exceptionally pleased.]
[the constellation 'king heungmu the great' is looking at the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
Kim Dokja could do without being stared at by that guy, though. He had asked for Kim Yushin's help once, but he wasn't particularly keen on forming any long-term links with the guy.
Shin Yoosung laughed to herself, trying to hide her grin behind her hand. "Serves her right, she gets to see just how popular ahjussi is!"
Admittedly, it did feel pretty good to see Iris looking surprised like that, especially after all the insults from earlier. His smile did falter somewhat when a constellation remarked that he wasn't actually that ugly. No shit! He wasn't ugly at all!
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is scoffing at the constellations who couldn't see the beauty of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
Of course, the protagonist still had to make his entrance, and Kim Dokja had to sigh. Yoo Joonghyuk was as popular as ever, it seemed, and any attention that had been on Kim Dokja had been instantly stolen by the adonis of a man.
The Yoo Joonghyuk sitting next to him, however, looked rather irritated about the whole thing. Clearly, he wasn't interested in joining any nebula, and it was obvious that he'd rather not be there at all.
"Just put up with it for now, Joonghyuk-ah," Kim Dokja whispered. "This is going to suck for both of us."
Yoo Joonghyuk's gaze slid over to him for a moment before he let out a half-sigh and looked away again. Apparently that was all the agreement that Kim Dokja was getting for the moment, but that was fine—he hadn't expected much anyway.
[the constellation 'lily blooming in aquarius' is shaking her head in exasperation.]
"Huh? Who's on the second floor, ahjussi? Why are they cheering so much for Master?" Lee Jihye wondered, pointing at the screen as the cheering erupted. Kim Dokja noticed Yoo Joonghyuk's brow twitch somewhat as someone called out something or other about Eden, and he really hoped that Uriel had nothing to do with it.
"The fable-grade constellations are on the second floor," Kim Dokja told her simply. "The ones who are the next rank up from historical."
Her eyes went wide and she made a noise of understanding before a wide grin broke out across her face. "Master is just that amazing!"
Well, that was certainly true.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is extremely excited for the event.]
As he pulls out his chair to take his seat, a much shier and quieter voice then calls out to Dokja, causing him to turn and see Iris standing there. She looks down, fiddling with her fingers like a child who knows when they've done something wrong, and he knows that she's about to apologize. Calmly, Dokja cuts her off and gives her advice: "If you want to survive, then don't act rashly."
Suddenly, a screen nearby begins playing the scene from the waiting room, causing the girl to get incredibly embarrassed. As Dokja thinks that she's naive for thinking that it wouldn't be broadcasted, the screen then decides to further put her embarrassed face on blast by projecting it to the chuckling constellations. Dokja casually pats her on the shoulder and advises her to do well next time before walking away towards some of the historical-grade constellations.
This place is where all human tragedies become dinner for them. Though they may be cheering, all of them are the true enemies that I have to fight against in the end.
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is pleasantly surprised by the actions of the incarnation 'iris rebezova'.]
Huh, so even she had enough tact to apologize? That was unexpected.
Yoo Sangah seemed rather pleased by the whole thing and she smiled gently. "I'm glad that she realized that she was wrong about Dokja-ssi. It's rude to judge a book by its cover, after all, and she shouldn't have said such things."
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is agreeing with the words of the incarnation 'yoo sangah'.]
"Dokja-ssi, I am curious why you cut her off, though," Jung Heewon said as he stopped her from apologizing. At that, Kim Dokja just sighed.
"Think about it—this whole event is run by the dokkaebi," Kim Dokja said flatly. "Not a single thing can happen in this banquet hall without it getting caught on at least one stream."
As though to prove his point, the scenes of her earlier outburst began to play right in front of her. Damn, that was pretty harsh, but Kim Dokja didn't really care. She was reaping what she sowed.
Looking down at the kids sitting with him, though, Kim Dokja's expression softened somewhat. She might be annoying as fuck, but Iris was still just a kid, in the end. It wasn't really all that surprising that she was trying to deal with her own nerves and insecurities by trying to make herself seem more confident than she was. Maybe this would serve as a good life lesson to her, or something.
[a few constellations are eyeing the incarnation 'kim dokja' with suspicion.]
Kim Dokja looked up at the starry ceiling and tried to hold back from smirking. Even though his plan was getting revealed, their hubris wouldn't let them believe that they could actually fall to a 'mere incarnation' until it was too late. Besides, maybe it would be better for them to spend too long second-guessing and missing his actual actions.
Or, more likely, they'd focus too much on him and end up completely missing Yoo Joonghyuk's sword coming for their necks. Wouldn't that be a sight?
Dokja then looks from the objects on the first floor to the shadowed figures of the fable-grade constellations on the second floor. He then thinks back to what Dionysus said right before they separated.
I have to make the correct decision here. Right now, I have to find someone I can use, not someone I can trust.
Suddenly, some constellations call out his name, and a stick, crown, statue, and eyepatch all come flying over. Looking at the stick and crown, he accurately identifies them as 'Bald General of Justice' and 'Lady of the Sleeping Brocade' which seems to make them quite happy. The eyepatch, which Dokja guesses is the 'One-Eyed Maitreya', mentions how glad they are to meet him, but they never expected it to be this way.
When another constellation calls his name, Dokja turns to look at them only to come face to face with a giant 100 won coin. He takes on an absolutely bewildered expression as his mind races while trying to figure out who it is, and when he finally decides to ask, the constellation seems disappointed that Dokja doesn't recognize them. However, they give the hint that Dokja put their stigma to good use right as he recalls just who is featured on the 100 won coin. When the coin turns to show an old man's face on the other side, it's revealed to be the 'Duke of Loyalty and Warfare', Lee Sunsin. Seeing the admiral's 'face', Dokja is overcome with emotion—despite internally remarking that his patriotism is close to zero—as he thanks the admiral before asking why he's in this form.
Han Sooyoung groaned in an exaggerated fashion. "And, to the surprise of absolutely fucking nobody, this asshole is looking for another victim to scam!"
"Not like you'd be any better," Kim Dokja retorted with a scoff and a roll of his eyes.
The author just grinned in a cat-like fashion. "Never said I would be."
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is cheering on his incarnation.]
[the constellation 'lily blooming in aquarius' is reminding the incarnations that scamming is immoral.]
Good thing that Kim Dokja didn't particularly care, then.
However, Yoo Sangah frowned somewhat. "Dokja-ssi, I'm not entirely sure that's what Dionysus was saying, but I understand why you think that. I think you do have some people you can trust there, though."
"Yeah, yeah!" Lee Jihye said eagerly. "Like my sponsor-ahjussi!"
That was true. He couldn't be completely sure about Persephone's intentions, but if Eden really was there, then he could at least be confident that Uriel would be trustworthy enough.
When he felt an intense stare on the side of his head, Kim Dokja glanced over at Yoo Joonghyuk questioningly. The protagonist was looking at him with narrowed eyes, and his lips were curved into a slight frown—the very picture of displeasure.
"Joonghyuk-ah? What is it?"
Seriously, he was acting weird. It was kind of freaking Kim Dokja out, if he was being honest.
"I am there," Yoo Joonghyuk said firmly, narrowing his eyes further. "There is no need to trust anyone else."
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is feeling faint after witnessing such a potent display of companionship.]
Oh. Well.
Kim Dokja felt completely disarmed as he stared at Yoo Joonghyuk for a moment—possibly a moment too long, considering the way Han Sooyoung coughed very unnaturally. His face reddened and he looked away as quickly as he could, unsure of what to say to something like that.
"Right, yeah," he said quickly, hoping that the protagonist wouldn't continue the conversation. "Thanks."
Apparently that pacified Yoo Joonghyuk enough that he seemed somewhat satisfied, but it was so utterly baffling that Kim Dokja didn't know what to make of it. His heart thudded in his chest and he did his best to pretend he couldn't hear it or the ungodly noise that Lee Jihye was making.
At the very least, he distracted himself by scrutinizing the constellations who approached him, though he found himself a bit baffled by the coin.
"A coin?" Shin Yoosung asked in a confused tone. "Who's that?"
Uh… who was on the 100 won coin, again? Why was it that Kim Dokja could recall most TWSA trivia in mere seconds, but he couldn't remember what a single coin looked like?
[the constellation 'maritime war god' is laughing good-naturedly.]
Ah, shit, right. "It's Jihye-ga's sponsor."
Lee Jihye, naturally, looked thrilled by this news and cheered excitedly. It was a pretty funny way to eventually meet your sponsor, so he couldn't even blame her for it.
[the constellation 'maritime war god' is happy to properly meet the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
As they speak, Dokja doesn't notice that, although Joonghyuk's seated form is surrounded by many constellations, his eyes are locked firmly on Dokja's conversation.
The constellation explains that they don't choose their symbolic forms themselves. He then directs Dokja's gaze to a 1000 won bill, introducing him as the 'Founder of Hangul', King Sejong the Great. Lee Sunsin then explains that their symbolic forms are created according to what is the constellation's most well known symbol. Dokja then side-eyes the admiral, wondering why he's not a turtle ship instead.
When a few fable grade constellations laugh in mockery from the second floor, Dokja notes that they're all in 'humanoid forms'.
Only the historical-grade constellations who had difficulty bearing the huge probability costs were in their reduced symbolic forms to decrease them.
Jung Heewon snickered and traded a glance with Yoo Sangah when the screen focused on Yoo Joonghyuk looking over in Kim Dokja's direction for a moment. Kim Dokja really didn't understand what the big deal was—Yoo Joonghyuk was probably just trying to make sure that he wasn't doing something that he thought was stupid again.
[the constellation 'bald leader of the peasant's army' is smiling widely.]
Whatever, it wasn't his problem.
Lee Gilyoung looked pretty entertained upon realizing that there were other constellations stuck as currency too, and Kim Dokja was honestly in the same boat.
Lee Hyunsung laughed awkwardly. "Well, it makes sense to me. We see money all the time, so it's easy to remember their faces from that."
Fair enough. It would have been so much cooler for the admiral to be his signature boat, though.
[a few constellations are looking enviously at the constellations on the second floor.]
"That's unfortunate," Lee Seolhwa sighed as she saw the fable-grade constellations laugh mockingly at the symbolic forms below them. "They may have less power, but at least they have more class."
Kim Dokja did everything he could to avoid snorting out a laugh, but thankfully Han Sooyoung and Jung Heewon had no such scruples. It was pretty stupid for those constellations to be mocking the historical-grades for being unable to take a humanoid form when they could very easily end up in the same boat if they used too much probability or if their stories fell out of favour.
The Star Stream was a fickle place, after all. Not even the constellations were safe.
Dokja then notices the only historical grade constellation in 'human form', a soldier armed with a sword sitting on the stairs and drinking wine. Quizzically, he asks the admiral who he is, especially after noticing how some fable-grades are looking at the man with contempt.
He doesn't look like he's a fable-grade, but he's able to maintain his human form….
The admiral explains that he's the top historical-grade constellation in the Korean peninsula, and probably the most powerful historical-grade constellation overall due to the stories he's accumulated rather than relying on fame in later years. Seeing Dokja's surprise, he introduces the man as 'Goryeo's First Sword'.
Before Dokja can be too surprised, however, inky black figures materialize on the stairs as the Underworld Judges appear, telling the historical-grades to move aside. With the path cleared, they walk straight up to Dokja and deliver their message. "The queen has been looking for you."
"Wait, there's a person on the first floor," Yoo Mia pointed out, frowning as she looked at the man curiously.
[a constellation who likes swords is laughing jovially and declaring that this banquet is getting interesting.]
Wait, 'a constellation who likes swords'? A historical-grade constellation powerful enough to have a human form? He couldn't be—
[the constellations of the korean peninsula are looking at a constellation who likes swords.]
Kim Dokja's jaw dropped as his suspicions were confirmed, and he had to sit and breathe for a moment as he realized just who had been watching all this time as well. Fuck, Korea's greatest swordsman had absolutely seen him fumbling around with a sword at the start of the scenarios. This was humiliating.
"He looks pretty cool," Jung Heewon remarked with a grin. "A swordsman, huh? I wonder if he'd be willing to give me any tips…"
[a constellation who likes swords has revealed his modifier.]
[the constellation 'goryeo's first sword' is commending the incarnation 'jung heewon' for being proactive.]
Thank goodness for Jung Heewon distracting the constellation so Kim Dokja could die in peace. Anyway, before he could get too far into that, the Judges appeared and walked up to him.
"Oh, right," Kim Dokja muttered. "Persephone invited me."
It would be pretty awkward if he never went and greeted her, despite coming as the incarnation that she had invited. He'd rather keep his relationship with the Underworld on the good side for now, if he could.
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is looking at the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
Lee Sunsin quietly remarks that Dokja is popular, but that he wasn't expecting that someone would be sent to bring him to the second floor. Before he follows, however, he looks around for Joonghyuk. Thankfully, he quickly notices the other man being led to the second floor by a different constellation's servants, and isn't surprised by this at all. As Dokja begins to follow the Judges, he notices Iris looking at him enviously, and he realizes that she probably came to inherit a historical-grade constellation's story.
When the historical-grade constellations gather to see him off and tell him to take care, Dokja nods before ascending the steps. As he passes 'Goryeo's First Sword', the man speaks up in a disappointed tone. "... So you too, were pathetic in the end. To think you'd bow to those second floor bastards."
At his words, the Judges stop and ask him for clarification, and even wonder if he wants to die. With a harsh look, the man stands, claiming that he's ready to die at any time. As he turns to face them, Dokja notices how absolutely massive the constellation is—but also realizes that it's not really his size that's huge, but rather his Status. Still angered, 'Goryeo's First Sword' spits out that they shouldn't be arrogant due to being close to fable-grades, calling the judges lowlife parasites.
"Ah, well, I have to at least say hello," Kim Dokja replied, smiling to cover up any of his previous thoughts or intentions. He still had no idea what the goddess wanted with him, and he wasn't sure he was ready to find out.
At the very least, thanks to his future self looking around like that, Kim Dokja had the confirmation that he wouldn't be alone on the second floor if something went drastically wrong for whatever reason.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is thrilled by this turn of events.]
By Yoo Joonghyuk walking up some stairs? Maybe she was planning on talking with him, if she was there. That seemed pretty on-brand for her, honestly.
"Ugh, that bastard is always so popular," Han Sooyoung scoffed. "I should have been invited to this shit."
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is telling the incarnation 'han sooyoung' that the banquet is boring so he doesn't go.]
Yeah, that checked out. The dragon hadn't shown up for many of them at all, even in TWSA. Right now, he was probably the only constellation who was that invested in Han Sooyoung, so it made sense that she wouldn't get an invite—not even taking into account the fact that the dragon would probably throw a temper tantrum if she did try inheriting stories from any other constellations.
Unfortunately for Kim Dokja, he couldn't think much more about that because of the constellation insulting him on his way up the stairs. He flinched, not knowing what to say. It wasn't like he was intending to inherit any of their stories in the first place, so how was he 'bowing' to them?
Yoo Sangah took a deep breath and pulled out her HR smile yet again. "Constellation-nim, I assure you that Dokja-ssi is not the kind of person to do such a thing. You have seen it for yourself throughout this scenario, too."
[the constellation 'goryeo's first sword' is greatly entertained by the incarnation 'yoo sangah'.]
However, while this one might have realized that Kim Dokja had no intention of accepting any offers, his future self was very pissed off. And also very massive, apparently.
"Um, what's a status?" Lee Hyunsung wondered, looking at Kim Dokja carefully after he realized that the constellation's oppressive presence was more because of his status than his imposing height.
"It's sort of like an aura of power," Kim Dokja replied. That wasn't exactly a great explanation or anything, but it would suffice for now. "The larger a constellation's status, the more powerful they are."
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is agreeing with the words of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
Despite that, it wasn't looking good. Goryeo's First Sword was absolutely antagonizing the Judges, and Kim Dokja really didn't want to end up caught in between them if things went further south than they already were.
Not taking any sides, Dokja does mentally note that 'Goryeo's First Sword' isn't entirely wrong as the Judges only maintain their fable-grade status because they're borrowing Persephone's fables.
"I don't know why you all gathered at this lowly place," the man growls out, beginning to draw his sword. "But you'd better not act too pompous just because the creator deities of this world have taken their leave."
This entire debacle begins attracting attention from both floors, and the constellation's words are definitely beginning to piss off the fable-grades who won't take this kind of disrespect from a mere historical-grade. Right as Dokja begins to worry that the constellations will begin fighting, someone stops it before it can begin.
[Enough!] A familiar voice calls out, instructing the judges to not start conflicts while reminding 'Goryeo's First Sword' to be respectful. At the top of the stairs, Persephone—dressed in a modern deep green dress with Greek influence—looks down on the squabbling constellations with disdain before she smiles fondly. [It's been a while, Kim Dokja.]
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is admitting that the incarnation 'kim dokja' is correct.]
It wasn't that big of a deal, really, but he could understand why the constellation was getting pissed off because of it.
"The creator deities?" Han Sooyoung wondered, her eyes narrowing suspiciously. "Who the fuck is he talking about?"
Kim Dokja had to hum curiously as well. It was always possible that he was speaking based on his own beliefs in Korean mythology, or perhaps he was referring to something that Kim Dokja hadn't even heard of. It wouldn't be the first time that he'd been forced to learn that this world was alive and rife with secrets that he had never known.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is contemplating this declaration.]
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is getting excited for a fight.]
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is wondering if something exciting will happen]
"Ah, shit," Kim Dokja muttered with a grimace. If the constellations really started fighting seriously, it would pretty much guarantee that any incarnations here would die. There was no way in hell he was going to let that happen—not if Yoo Joonghyuk might be forced to regress.
"Kim Dokja," Yoo Joonghyuk said tensely, "do not interfere."
… Did the protagonist think that Kim Dokja was stupid enough that he'd try and mediate something like that? Fuck no! He'd just try to solicit protection from someone who actually liked him and hope for the best.
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' is passing out more wine.]
Thankfully, before anything could come to blows, Kim Dokja could relax once Persephone appeared to stop the fight. He gave a slight thankful nod to the ceiling, and he just hoped that she had received it alright.
"Whoa," Lee Jihye whispered, "she looks so pretty!"
Though she still looked like Yoo Sangah, the different demeanour, outfit, and hairstyle made Persephone seem very much unlike his former coworker at the same time. Yoo Sangah didn't look entirely comfortable despite relaxing after realizing that the goddess was interfering on Kim Dokja's behalf, but she didn't seem as stressed as before either. Maybe it was because the outfit was far less awkward and far more appropriate this time around.
Regardless, Kim Dokja just hoped that she'd be okay—especially if the memories of what happened last time were popping into her head unprompted, just like they were for him.
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is smiling fondly at the incarnations.]