"I agree, this place's ice cream is a bit too sweet. It'd be perfect if they halved the sugar." Alaric said, unfazed by Will's sudden appearance, casually sharing his opinion.
He'd never been fond of overly sweet things, unlike Klein, who had a notorious sweet tooth.
Will frowned, considering for a moment before countering, "A third less would do. Halve it, and it's not sweet enough. Unsweet ice cream has no soul."
"In my view, for desserts like this, the best compliment is 'not too sweet,'" Alaric replied, taking a sip of his coffee with a smile. "By the way, their coffee's pretty good."
"Heretic!" Will muttered, clearly disapproving of Alaric's taste. He took a sip of his own coffee, then nodded. "The coffee is good, though."
"Looks like we disagree on some tastes but agree on others." Alaric said, smiling at Will. "That means we've got some compatibility, don't you think?"
"Compatible? I'd say our tastes are worlds apart." Will huffed, puffing out his cheeks like a hamster before scooping a large spoonful of ice cream into his mouth.
Clearly, they weren't just talking about food... they were circling around something deeper.
"Another point of disagreement, huh? Well, eat up if you like it." Alaric said with a grin, pushing his untouched ice cream toward Will. He watched Will eat with the curiosity one might have for an intriguing little creature.
Will glanced up at Alaric but didn't refuse the gesture. After finishing both portions of ice cream, he wiped his mouth with a napkin, letting out a satisfied burp.
It was clear he genuinely loved ice cream.
"I thought you'd avoid me." Alaric said, breaking the silence.
Will's movements paused. He seemed to grit his teeth, then gave Alaric a slightly exasperated look. "I wanted to, but fate told me dodging you would only lead to a worse outcome."
Alaric raised an eyebrow, mulling over what might happen if Will avoided him. There were two likely scenarios. First, Alaric's stubborn streak could kick in, making him determined to track Will down, and if he caught him, Will would face all sorts of trouble. Second, Alaric might give up on Will and throw his full support behind Angel of Fate Ouroboros. In that case, Will would likely end up in dire straits, with Ouroboros tearfully claiming the spoils.
"You made the right call." Alaric said, nodding in approval. He smiled. "So, can I assume we're partners now?"
Will rolled his eyes. "What about laying out our terms? Shouldn't we discuss what we each want and what we can offer?"
"Of course we can talk details, but that doesn't mean we can't agree to work together first! Besides, if you weren't open to partnering up, why would you eat my ice cream?" Alaric said with a teasing smile, glancing pointedly at the empty ice cream cup in front of Will.
Will choked on his response, then took a big gulp of coffee, muttering, "That's the most expensive ice cream I've ever eaten."
"Or maybe the best deal you've ever gotten!" Alaric countered with a grin. He sipped his coffee and continued, "Alright, let's get to your favorite part: laying out our terms. Let's talk about what we each want and what we bring to the table."
Setting down his coffee cup, Alaric looked at Will and got straight to the point. "I can help you accommodate the Uniqueness of Fate."
Will's expression showed no surprise. "Maybe I can find the right moment on my own."
"Pfft…" Alaric couldn't hold back a laugh. "Are you serious, Will? Do you have some misconception about your own luck?"
Will's face darkened, but he didn't argue. Instead, he studied the table's patterns, clearly frustrated.
Accommodating the Uniqueness of Fate typically required one of two methods. The first was finding the "right moment" in the flow of fate... a deceptively simple condition that was, in practice, maddeningly vague. What counted as "right" was so ambiguous that even if you thought you'd found it, you could be wrong. And you couldn't rely on Beyonder abilities to pinpoint it, so it all came down to luck... fitting for the Fate pathway, but utterly infuriating.
The second method was having a Pillar or Quasi-Pillar suppress the Uniqueness of Fate for you, allowing you to accommodate it.
Will had long held the Uniqueness of Fate but had made no progress toward accommodating it. The "right moment" eluded him entirely, and seeking help from a Pillar was out of the question. The only Pillars back then were the Outer Deities or the Ancient Sun God, and with Angel of Fate Ouroboros already by hir side, Will wasn't about to walk into that trap.
So, despite possessing the Uniqueness of Fate, Will hadn't been able to use it. Far from being an asset, it had become a burden, weighing him down and making him question his luck.
Am I really an angel of the Fate pathway? How can my luck be this bad?
"It's normal." Alaric said, reading Will's thoughts with pinpoint accuracy. "True luck isn't about wild swings of fortune... lucky one moment, cursed the next. How could someone like that be called fate's favorite child?"
Alaric's words cut deep. "Take the God of Steam and Machinery, for example. That's a true child of fate. If he'd walked the Fate pathway, I have no doubt you and Ouroboros would've both fallen, clearing the way for him. Then the seal on the Western Continent would've cracked in no time, the Key of Light would've fallen from the sky, and a new Great Old One would've been born."
It was an exaggeration, but Alaric genuinely believed it. The God of Steam and Machinery's luck was absurdly good. He hadn't even fully digested his Sequence 1 characteristic before stumbling upon a Sequence 0 potion, ascending effortlessly.
When he struggled to digest it, Roselle, the gods-sent ally, appeared to help him through it. He backed the right side in the War of the Mysteries, avoiding years of setbacks. And when the apocalypse came and countless others fell, the God of Steam and Machinery was still thriving, even taking time to "study abroad." Truly, fate's golden child.
***
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