V

Nautilus may seem like a Sisyphean scenario beneath the strange rain of its reality storms, and the Wakened who come and go, but the City of Change is not named solely for its superficialities. Many of its occupants have changed (and in significant ways) since arriving: V is one of the many. While breaking character remains unthinkable, absolutely out of the question, his public persona has softened slightly. The man who never stops smiling has not only adjusted to, but grown accustomed to, regular contact with other people.

At first, the most regular contact was a result of the opportunity to build, more than break. The first few friends he made (Rion Steiner, Tony Stark, Crawford Sands, among others) would prove excellent examples, if still present. There was nothing really remarkable in coming to enjoy their company (or that of any of a dozen other absent friends---Pepper, Wheeljack, Manuela, Mikaela, Starscream, Mitham, William Jesse, Wreckgar, Orihime, et al,) but getting used to it was a significant shift despite the ease (apparent even within weeks of his Waking) with which V navigates social situations. That ease is in part the result of seeing others as an audience, and knowing he's an actor capable of concealing anything he has to, though natural confidence contributes to it, too---and is buttressed by a knack for getting by by brazening. He still sees any other as an audience, and will not cease his theatrical affectation... but interaction has become less of a production.

V isn't as guarded as he once was. This is evidenced in an increased willingness to open his home, as when informing Rose of the Shadow Gallery, or inviting Amalthea to see it, or, if the thread unfolds appropriately, inviting Sabine to stay in it a time and in being a little less secretive---if not about his history, his experience. In speaking to new acquaintances, he's remarked on his own death much earlier than he once would have; he's joked about his own age; he's admitted, in unlocked exchanges, to emotional reactions he once would have revealed only to a trusted few. This is not to say V has grown incautious, as his trusted few remain few and he himself remains calculating, ready to blur authentic affect into affectation should he have cause---he may not deign to lie, but he'll equivocate to no end, and make great use of misdirection. This is to be expected, given his Fawkes-face, though he'll seldom say so for preferring to imply. That said, the style of his speech also illustrates he's adjusted to having other people present; some stage-dressing persists, but he now communicates in much more straight-forward fashion than he had. Shakespeare and Auden are still inevitable, but requests for clarification are more reliably met. The novelty of being able to stop and speak on a city street during daylight has faded, though he remains fond of the streets, and of the city itself, which is well---friend after friend returning to Sleep has left V feeling a little lonely from time to time. There was once a time he wouldn't've believed he would, or could, be lonely again, being inured to isolation... but with few friends remaining, V has made more, not just for the opportunity to learn, or for the fun of a shared interest, but to enjoy companionship in and of itself.

The companionship he has has created a curious sort of echo through V's time in Nautilus. He has both friendly and familial relationships; he has his work (now on, as opposed to in, but still) at the theatre; he is entrenched as a resource, and available to a fair few for advice, or other aid---as he once was in his old identity, and as he began to be with the Wakened who had occupied Nautilus years ago. The length of his stay is another point to the end of ascension, but there's more to it than that---the man has motive. He feels the stewardship of worlds Cyrus had hoped to see should be sought, and remains appreciative of the Call to Wake as it was issued, with all the opportunities entailed, but word that something of Isis remains has pushed him to again pursue potential. He's warred for worlds and for will before, and means to be ready for any encore.