Purpose
Tony had been particularly quiet during the burial, which for him was saying a lot. ((OOC: *ba-dum ching!*)) Still coming down from the adrenaline of the fight -- the adrenaline of finally feeling grounded in reality -- he'd been completely blindsided by what they'd found deeper in the cave. At the carnage, the half-eaten corpses he didn't bat an eyelash, but the rest.... The sane ghost surprised him. At first he'd wondered why Brady even wanted to speak with it, for the same reason he'd been reluctant to mention that particular power of his when they were having their little pow-wow earlier that day. In Tony's experience, ghosts were unquiet, insane things, full of incomprehensible ramblings and clamorous nonsense. Better to be avoided when at all possible, lest they get back inside his head, those voices once again stirring the pot that had only just started to settle. He hadn't known that such a thing as a sane ghost even existed.
And then came the strangest thing -- perhaps also the most innocuous -- the thing that was spurring Tony's grave silence as he worked, a thing he knew would stay with him for a long, long time. The ghost called him "brother." Just that one simple word, that was all, but somehow it was everything. He stood staring at the cairn for a long time, trying to sort out mixed feelings about his family, his life and purpose, all things that kept shattering and reforming in different ways as the word "brother" crashed into them in its endless bouncing through his head.
The only family he'd ever known stopped wanting him when he became inconvenient. Called him crazy and had him committed. Said it was for his own good, but that wasn't true at all, was it? It was for their own good that he just disappear, never for him in the slightest. It was hard to think of his mother that way....but not as hard as it had been a moment before, or a moment before that. "Brother" was wearing her down, and he would win.
Tony looked up away from the cairn, his gaze focused on the setting sun. He did have a family out there, and they were important. More important now than ever. Because if they were all killed, if their father could be killed -- that would destroy the natural order indelibly; the universe itself would collapse, it would be the end of all existence.
"Evan."
Tony knew what he needed to do, and knew he needed help. There were other Scions of Huitzilopochtli out there -- there had to be, he couldn't be the last. Not yet. Somehow he had to find them. And protect them. That was his mission now.
And then came the strangest thing -- perhaps also the most innocuous -- the thing that was spurring Tony's grave silence as he worked, a thing he knew would stay with him for a long, long time. The ghost called him "brother." Just that one simple word, that was all, but somehow it was everything. He stood staring at the cairn for a long time, trying to sort out mixed feelings about his family, his life and purpose, all things that kept shattering and reforming in different ways as the word "brother" crashed into them in its endless bouncing through his head.
The only family he'd ever known stopped wanting him when he became inconvenient. Called him crazy and had him committed. Said it was for his own good, but that wasn't true at all, was it? It was for their own good that he just disappear, never for him in the slightest. It was hard to think of his mother that way....but not as hard as it had been a moment before, or a moment before that. "Brother" was wearing her down, and he would win.
Tony looked up away from the cairn, his gaze focused on the setting sun. He did have a family out there, and they were important. More important now than ever. Because if they were all killed, if their father could be killed -- that would destroy the natural order indelibly; the universe itself would collapse, it would be the end of all existence.
"Evan."
Tony knew what he needed to do, and knew he needed help. There were other Scions of Huitzilopochtli out there -- there had to be, he couldn't be the last. Not yet. Somehow he had to find them. And protect them. That was his mission now.