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Entry tags:
TDM #2
TDM #2
DREAMING (new characters)
At first, there is nothing. You are nothing. Whatever existed before ceases to be if for a moment. Then, bit by bit, you start to become aware. Where there was not even darkness now is a dim haze, gentle and almost mist-like. You have limbs again and beneath your feet lays a path of light reaching out like limbs of a great tree beneath you, twisting and climbing out into the horizon.You take a step forward for what else is there to do? As you walk you begin to remember what it was you were doing before the nothingness; maybe something as simple as chatting with a loved one or close friend. Maybe you were just beginning a great journey or facing off against an old foe. Whatever it was, you get the distinct feeling that wherever and whenever that was, it is not here. Not now.
The path of light twists off into different directions. When you look up you can see that it is not a sky above you but the sky of everything, a grand cosmic tapestry littered with not mere stars but galaxies and clusters of galaxies that gleam like crystals against the velvety backdrop of space. Admire it for a moment, if you will. You don't know how long you will drift here, but you are not alone. Other wanderers will come and go as you bask together in the vastness of creation.
It seems to you that there are two paths to walk in this place, the light and dark beckoning in turn.
❖ THE LIGHT AT THE CENTER
One leads you to the center, splintered fragments folding together and colliding until only one thing remains: a light that speaks to you with the voice of all there is and has ever been. It greets you simultaneously as an old friend and as a lost child, both rejoicing in and mourning your arrival. You remember it too, somehow, with a feeling of complex nostalgia, as if returning to a place recalled from your distant childhood.
You’ll feel the same of the other wanderers that join you in the light; you know their faces, their voices, and as you reflect upon the world of your birth, you may witness fragments of theirs as well. You feel a comradery, then, a synchronicity of thought and emotion. Are the lives of others truly so different from your own? Or are you simply two hands of the same, greater being? Though some individualistic part of you may resist, the longer you spend in the light, the more you will find yourself becoming one with it.
Despite this welcoming call, no matter how eagerly your pursue its embrace, before you can fully submerge yourself in this oneness you will find yourself being torn away. As if seized by the impossibly long, cold arm of a creature unseen, you are plucked from the edge of fulfillment. The last thing you will remember is the sensation of your world, and all the others your experienced here, collapsing into nothingness.
❖ THE DARK OUTSIDE (CW: deep despair, ego death)
The other leads towards the outside, where the splintering becomes so great that the vestiges of reality can do nothing but collapse back into the abyss at the end of everything. As you wander to these barren outskirts, your thoughts will not be drawn to familiarity and oneness, but instead to memories of discontent and waste. The darker the path becomes, the more you find yourself dwelling on life’s disappointments and injustices, of the things about yourself and your world you find wanting.
If you see others here, at first they will feel frightening or contemptible, as if representing to you the worst experiences in your life. Even if they are someone you’re certain you know, that familiarity and affection will be stripped away in the face of the great emptiness before you. In the end, you were all the same. In the end, none of this was worth it. If you approach the end together, you may even form a kind of kinship around this acknowledgment, as the need for paranoia and hatred fades.
Slowly, the darkness encroaches, and you can see it devouring all the things you once knew. Memories of your home, of those you loved, dissolve into nothing, and you can only reflect on the barren emptiness in your heart as you see it happen. In your final moments, though, you feel peace with it all, knowing that there was no other way. You step from the edge of the last dwindling fragment of being and are greeted by silence.
❖ THE END
No matter which way you go, you are left with a single impression: you feel the world you came from die. It's a realization that transcends logic or sense; it weighs on your heart and leaves the vestiges of dark memories dancing in your thoughts like motes of ash. It's a memory of your home crumbling away into nothing as if consumed from within by rot. Returned to the void, all that's left to you is to be reborn.
REBIRTH (new characters)
In a new time and place, you awaken. Stirring within a capsule of warmth and isolation your senses will slowly return, only to observe that you are trapped. Your body, as it wakes, is tangled in close, yours eyes unable to open, as if still within the womb. You are held tight in the embrace of something unyielding, so smothering that at first you only have the strength to struggle for moments at a time. Yet, as you persist, the pressure begins to relent in turn; it may take hours, but eventually you will find the purchase to push, to claw, to fight, and it will all give way.The chrysalis surrounding you bends like flesh and cracks like glass. It tears as you force your fingers through, finding liberation one inch at a time, until finally you have emerged. As if having undergone metamorphosis, you feel old and new all at once. You are weak, piteously so, but the markings and scars of your previous life remain. As you slump down upon the smooth cavern stone, you realize that you've just wrenched yourself free of gigantic crystal, though its hollow, shimmering form is now in pieces on account of your passing. Somewhere on your body, a shard of similar material remains embedded.
The cave itself looks almost like the inside of a geode, the walls and ceiling bedazzled with greyish crystal that shines with all the colors of the rainbow. While they vary wildly in size and shape, only a few have grown large enough to hold a form like yours, and you can see the one you just escaped isn't the only one bearing a passenger within. They may have already hatched, or they may still be lingering in stasis. Either way, there's enough time that you may have a chance to speak to yours unexpected peers, or to perhaps to struggle to find something to cover your naked body with. You feel the chill of the open air against your moisture laden skin, a distant light trickling in through the cavern's opening.
Make the most of this time. It won't be long before you're interrupted.
[Mod Note: If you don't want to deal with your character being naked in front of the others at that location, feel free to assume they emerge at a different time than the others of their legacy. Characters will be 'hatching' over a period of several hours.]
DREAMING (OLD CHARACTERS)
For those already in Horos, they will find themselves in the same dreamscape as the new arrivals, only, this time, it's familiar. You'll feel more cognizant of your surroundings as you reawaken in this psychedelic realm, more in control of your emotions. What's more, you recognize that light at the center and the darkness at the edge: it's the Pleroma and Kenoma respectively. The one you are attuned to will call our to your soul, and though you are technically free to wander as you please, the closer you get to the force of your opposite sect, the more it will grate against you spiritually. Pleroma attuned nearing the Kenoma will feel as if its presence is desperately trying to tear them apart, and Kenoma attuned nearing the Pleroma will feel as if its light is burning them from the inside out.
More importantly, you notice that entirely new souls are wandering here with faces you didn't see in the cavern. It gradually becomes clear that they are Aions in the same state you were prior to your rebirth, lost and wandering this stretch of the cosmos with no idea what's to come. Maybe this is your chance to ease the confusion of their arrival, or maybe you'd simply like to scope out what kind of people are on their way. It's also possible for you to run into Aions already in Horos, wandering just like you are. Unfortunately, things are a lot less neutral than they are the last time you shared this realm.
No matter what you do, eventually the cosmos above will begin to burn out, just as it did the first time you were here. As darkness swallows reality itself, you will wake with the visceral memory of your world corrupting and breaking apart.
More importantly, you notice that entirely new souls are wandering here with faces you didn't see in the cavern. It gradually becomes clear that they are Aions in the same state you were prior to your rebirth, lost and wandering this stretch of the cosmos with no idea what's to come. Maybe this is your chance to ease the confusion of their arrival, or maybe you'd simply like to scope out what kind of people are on their way. It's also possible for you to run into Aions already in Horos, wandering just like you are. Unfortunately, things are a lot less neutral than they are the last time you shared this realm.
No matter what you do, eventually the cosmos above will begin to burn out, just as it did the first time you were here. As darkness swallows reality itself, you will wake with the visceral memory of your world corrupting and breaking apart.
SEARCHING (OLD CHARACTERS)
Soon after the dreams begin, it will become clear that the Aion NPCs of either sect are also aware of what's happening. For those in Achamoth and Greentruth, the imminent arrival of new Aions will become a matter of official discussion. All able Aions will be called upon for their aid, in whatever way they can offer. Getting to the shrines themselves will be easily accomplished via teleportation. What's would be more complicated is ferrying any new arrivals back to a secure location. Thankfully, it seems this is something both sects have already prepared for. All characters will have the opportunity to acquire a 'returning stone'. In all cases, this will amount to an amulet made of the same shimmering material as the shrine monuments, though the stylization differs between the Pleroma and the Kenoma. While regular Aion teleportation can bring you to any of the shrines you know the sigil and location of, a returning stone is magically programmed to bring its wearer back to a specific destination to which it is attuned. Normally, these stones will only be able to store enough energy for one 'return' a month, but it turns out that the ambient power created by the shrines being active will temporarily super charge them. Though it's not guaranteed, this means they may generate enough energy to perform multiple returns for TDM purposes.
Spare returning stones will be issued to all Aions so that they can be used to bring back anyone they collect, as it's possible to bring someone alongside you if they are also wearing a returning stone. Where your stone leads will depend on your sect.
❖ PLEROMA
Tehri will be the one to supply returning stones, based out of Greentruth. She will not travel to Godsblood to deliver returning stones to those that have not visited Greentruth, but it can be assumed that Greentruth's visitors can pass them along to anyone who has been staying in the city. The returning stones are apparently set to bring them to a secure location beneath the water of Godsblood's coast. From there, new arrivals will have to be allowed to rest and then brought up into the city when they're ready.
Greentruth is limited in its resources, but it will attempt to send troops to the Innocent, Seeker, Wanderer, and Firebrand shrines, all of which are close to the forest. Meanwhile, while no formal affiliation with the new Aions has been made, bands of guerilla fighters, most likely from Godsblood, will turn up at the Artisan and Sovereign shrines. Whether they have any affiliation with Greentruth will not be clear, but they do seem to have a beef against the Achamites. These reinforcements will struggle against powered Aions, but they might be able to delay any troops sent by Achamoth.
❖ KENOMA
Xishen will be handing out returning stones to all Kenoma the day after the dreams begin. She'll explain how to use them, and state that the Regent expects for them to head to the shrines once they become fully active. The Kenoma will have whatever mundane weapons or supplies they need at their disposal for this mission, along with some modest Achamite reinforcements. She'll warn not to rely too heavily on them however; after all, only the Aions are able to quickly move between the shrines and at the Citadel. The Achamites will have to be deployed by river or by land, and mobilizing them will take time. They will feasible be able to reach all of the shrines to some degree or another, but will more easily populate the shrines of the Martyr, Celebrant, Lover, Champion, Visionary, Sovereign, and Firebrand.
The Hylicians will apparently not be helping this time around, as the capture and holding of the first batch of Aions was already a lengthy venture. Xishen herself says she will be travelling to the shrines, however, while another Aion named Dionys remains in Achamoth to 'keep watch'. All Kenoma Aions will be given a familiar vial of black sludge, and are instructed to feed it to any Aions they capture at the shrines. It will cause the same effects it did in the cavern, though it will resolve in a few days rather than a week.
RETURNED (ALL CHARACTERS)
New characters that are found a the shrines will be brought back to one of two lodestones, depending on which sect they are taken by. This will be accomplished by their escort putting a 'returning stone' around their neck that will enable them to be teleported to a secure area in their sect's territory. It is advised for your character to be taken by whichever sect you'd like them to end up in.
❖ TO THE PLEROMA
In a dazzling flash of psychedelic light, you will find yourself brought to the Pleroma's lodestone: a monolithic rock set in the center of temple-like ruins. The entire cavern is hidden away beneath the ocean waves, just outside of Godsblood, and the ceiling itself is comprised of nothing but a barrier of water, as if held back from filling the space by some unknown force. The waters surrounding the lodestone are exactly body temperature, with swarms of tiny, violently iridescent fish darting through it. Crabs that look as if they're made of pure, clear crystal wander the sparkling, sandy shores.
There isn't much here in the way of accommodations, but it's comfortable enough that the new arrivals brought in by the Pleroma can take a moment to catch their breath. Some relatively plain but assorted new clothing will have been brought to the cavern to make sure they are actually clothed, as well as blankets and basic food items. It's a good time to ask your questions, or if you are an established Pleroma, to help out your freshly arrived peers. After all, their welcome at the shrine may have been a confusing one.
New arrivals will be permitted to leave the lodestone's temple when they are ready. Unfortunately, the only ways out of these place are through your choice of either swimming through pockets of water that eventually lead to the surface, or by spelunking through a series of tunnels to make your way the cliff faces near the city of Godsblood. More information about the city itself can be found on the setting page, though it would be preferable to keep TDM interactions to the lodestone area. As characters emerging from the shrines will start our as Untouched (more info about attunements here) they will not be permitted entry into Greentruth until they have attuned to Pleroma.
❖ TO THE KENOMA
As your returning stone activates, you will feel yourself thrust into a suffocating void, only to emerge just as quickly somewhere else. The most pressing thing on the minds of anyone taken by the Kenoma will be the vial of pitch black sludge they are forced to drink, whether it is before or after their arrival. Maybe their 'escort' from the shrine gave it to them, or perhaps another Kenoma does soon after they arrive. If not, one of the Achamite cultists wandering around definitely will. Dedicated servants to the Regent's will as they are, they are not afraid to gang up on the vulnerable new arrivals and force it down their throats.
Once in your mouth, the potion will slither down your throat as if it's a living thing. The effect takes hold quickly: as this darkness creeps through your insides, it will embolden your darkest and most despair inducing emotions, plaguing your thoughts with the worst sorrows of your life. What's worst, it simultaneously seems to awaken some form of enhanced psychic empathy within you, both projecting your thoughts for others to hear, and allowing you to receive those of the others around you in kind. Black ooze will begin to seep from orifices, or the space around your shard. The effects of this contamination bring out your worst, and its recipients will be forced to live with these effects until they accept the force corrupting them into their souls.
This world is not good enough, a voice speaks to your through the Kenoma. This suffering you feel, the cruelty that has birthed this darkness in you... it is simply the rot that is consuming this existence. A better universe awaits, one forged by your own hand, and all you need do is first bring about this broken reality's end.
How long this goes on will depend on how long the characters is able to fight it. Acceptance of the Kenoma can come as quickly as immediately, if your character is inclined towards it, or it could be drawn out to take a few days. In the meantime, they will have to stay in the barren halls surrounding the Regent's lodestone, and will not be permitted to exit into the greater Citadel as the current Kenoma are. All that will immediately be offered to them down there are stone slabs that can be used as beds and formless white robes that reach down past their knees.
Of course, that doesn't mean the characters that are already of the Kenoma can't do something about that. If they desire it, they will be able to bring food or other supplies to those suffering with their Kenoma infections, and it will be equally within their power to try anything from bullying them into accepting to lovebombing them. Once a character accepts the Kenoma and attunes to it, they will be permitted to leave, but for the sake of the TDM interactions should be kept to the lodestone area.
❖ TO THE PLEROMAIn a dazzling flash of psychedelic light, you will find yourself brought to the Pleroma's lodestone: a monolithic rock set in the center of temple-like ruins. The entire cavern is hidden away beneath the ocean waves, just outside of Godsblood, and the ceiling itself is comprised of nothing but a barrier of water, as if held back from filling the space by some unknown force. The waters surrounding the lodestone are exactly body temperature, with swarms of tiny, violently iridescent fish darting through it. Crabs that look as if they're made of pure, clear crystal wander the sparkling, sandy shores.
There isn't much here in the way of accommodations, but it's comfortable enough that the new arrivals brought in by the Pleroma can take a moment to catch their breath. Some relatively plain but assorted new clothing will have been brought to the cavern to make sure they are actually clothed, as well as blankets and basic food items. It's a good time to ask your questions, or if you are an established Pleroma, to help out your freshly arrived peers. After all, their welcome at the shrine may have been a confusing one.
New arrivals will be permitted to leave the lodestone's temple when they are ready. Unfortunately, the only ways out of these place are through your choice of either swimming through pockets of water that eventually lead to the surface, or by spelunking through a series of tunnels to make your way the cliff faces near the city of Godsblood. More information about the city itself can be found on the setting page, though it would be preferable to keep TDM interactions to the lodestone area. As characters emerging from the shrines will start our as Untouched (more info about attunements here) they will not be permitted entry into Greentruth until they have attuned to Pleroma.
❖ TO THE KENOMAAs your returning stone activates, you will feel yourself thrust into a suffocating void, only to emerge just as quickly somewhere else. The most pressing thing on the minds of anyone taken by the Kenoma will be the vial of pitch black sludge they are forced to drink, whether it is before or after their arrival. Maybe their 'escort' from the shrine gave it to them, or perhaps another Kenoma does soon after they arrive. If not, one of the Achamite cultists wandering around definitely will. Dedicated servants to the Regent's will as they are, they are not afraid to gang up on the vulnerable new arrivals and force it down their throats.
Once in your mouth, the potion will slither down your throat as if it's a living thing. The effect takes hold quickly: as this darkness creeps through your insides, it will embolden your darkest and most despair inducing emotions, plaguing your thoughts with the worst sorrows of your life. What's worst, it simultaneously seems to awaken some form of enhanced psychic empathy within you, both projecting your thoughts for others to hear, and allowing you to receive those of the others around you in kind. Black ooze will begin to seep from orifices, or the space around your shard. The effects of this contamination bring out your worst, and its recipients will be forced to live with these effects until they accept the force corrupting them into their souls.
This world is not good enough, a voice speaks to your through the Kenoma. This suffering you feel, the cruelty that has birthed this darkness in you... it is simply the rot that is consuming this existence. A better universe awaits, one forged by your own hand, and all you need do is first bring about this broken reality's end.
How long this goes on will depend on how long the characters is able to fight it. Acceptance of the Kenoma can come as quickly as immediately, if your character is inclined towards it, or it could be drawn out to take a few days. In the meantime, they will have to stay in the barren halls surrounding the Regent's lodestone, and will not be permitted to exit into the greater Citadel as the current Kenoma are. All that will immediately be offered to them down there are stone slabs that can be used as beds and formless white robes that reach down past their knees.
Of course, that doesn't mean the characters that are already of the Kenoma can't do something about that. If they desire it, they will be able to bring food or other supplies to those suffering with their Kenoma infections, and it will be equally within their power to try anything from bullying them into accepting to lovebombing them. Once a character accepts the Kenoma and attunes to it, they will be permitted to leave, but for the sake of the TDM interactions should be kept to the lodestone area.
QUESTIONS
Is this TDM canon?
Mostly! It's part of an in-game event. However, only threads with new players that app and are accepted will be considered game canon. Threads between old characters will all be canon, but threads involving new characters that don't apply or aren't accepted will either need to be tweaked to remove their involvement or made non-canon. New characters will also be able to decide TDM threads aren't canon if they end up changing directions.
Who can toplevel on this post?
Anyone, whether they are a new character or a current one. However, we do ask for current players to do their best to tag new characters. If you are bringing in a new character and want a current character to bring them into your sect of choice, post your request here! ICly, current characters are fighting to claim new arrivals, but it's up to the player of new characters where they ultimately end up going.
When is this TDM taking place chronologically?
The last few days of April. The shrines will be active and forming Aions during that time. The dreams will start around the 24th. All current Aions will be able to sense when it's time for the new arrivals to start emerging.
What are the shrines like?
Every shrine is comprised of the crystal-filled cavern character emerge inside and then the massive statue symbolizing the relevant Legacy built on top. More information about each shrine can be found in the "Aion Shrine" section of the setting page.
Are everyone's homeworlds really gone?
That's a complicated issue, and while the fate of their world is not without hope, they may certainly get the impression its been destroyed from the dream they had. Alternatively, they may refuse to believe what they felt and attempt to dismiss it as only a vision. More about this situation will be revealed as the game goes on.
Can I only experience one end of the dream sequence prompt?
New characters may experience one ending, both endings, or neither. If they experience both they will struggle to recall which came first or which feels the most 'true' to them, as both will simultaneously be the thought they are reborn with. If your character refuses to pursue either path they can simply linger in the middle until the infinite worlds above them start being extinguished one by one, eventually expelling them into darkness in a similar style to the light prompt. Which dreams they experience will not dictate their initial sect affiliation.
Is it possible to pull another character back from the end of the light or darkness dreams?
Yes! If your character is able to resist the pull of either end, they will have the chance to try to pull another character back from the edge of the abyss or the edge of oneness. Whether or not they succeed is entirely up to the other character, though.
Do you come out of the chrysalis wet?
For most intents and purposes it's the same experience as hatching out of a real butterfly chrysalis, so yes, a bit.
How does attunement to the Pleroma or Kenoma work for new characters?
More information about sect attunements can be read on their dedicated info page, but in summary: when new characters are brought to Horos, they will be in the state of being "Untouched" meaning they are not attuned to either sect. By the end of their first month in game it is expected they will either attune to Pleroma or Kenoma, though for those taken by the Kenoma's forces, the transition will be forced within the first few days. If taken in by the Pleroma, it may take then some time to attune to Pleroma, depending on the strength of their spirit, but it could also happen almost instantly if they are allowed to. How quickly it happens will depend on how strongly they align with the Pleroma's traits. Characters who have been taken by the Pleroma but that remain Untouched will not be allowed into Greentruth until their attunement to Pleroma is complete.
Can a character taken by one side end up attuning to the sect of the opposite one?
This is theoretically possible, yes: a person taken by the Kenoma could potentially resist the Kenoma's call, and someone taken by the Pleroma could end up falling to the Kenoma while staying with them. Generally, though, we recommend that you have your character be taken by whichever sect you want to end up in, as doing a switcheroo will cause narrative complications that might bog their introduction down in plotting that will need to be done with the mods. It can happen, but it is not to be done lightly!
Mostly! It's part of an in-game event. However, only threads with new players that app and are accepted will be considered game canon. Threads between old characters will all be canon, but threads involving new characters that don't apply or aren't accepted will either need to be tweaked to remove their involvement or made non-canon. New characters will also be able to decide TDM threads aren't canon if they end up changing directions.
Who can toplevel on this post?
Anyone, whether they are a new character or a current one. However, we do ask for current players to do their best to tag new characters. If you are bringing in a new character and want a current character to bring them into your sect of choice, post your request here! ICly, current characters are fighting to claim new arrivals, but it's up to the player of new characters where they ultimately end up going.
When is this TDM taking place chronologically?
The last few days of April. The shrines will be active and forming Aions during that time. The dreams will start around the 24th. All current Aions will be able to sense when it's time for the new arrivals to start emerging.
What are the shrines like?
Every shrine is comprised of the crystal-filled cavern character emerge inside and then the massive statue symbolizing the relevant Legacy built on top. More information about each shrine can be found in the "Aion Shrine" section of the setting page.
Are everyone's homeworlds really gone?
That's a complicated issue, and while the fate of their world is not without hope, they may certainly get the impression its been destroyed from the dream they had. Alternatively, they may refuse to believe what they felt and attempt to dismiss it as only a vision. More about this situation will be revealed as the game goes on.
Can I only experience one end of the dream sequence prompt?
New characters may experience one ending, both endings, or neither. If they experience both they will struggle to recall which came first or which feels the most 'true' to them, as both will simultaneously be the thought they are reborn with. If your character refuses to pursue either path they can simply linger in the middle until the infinite worlds above them start being extinguished one by one, eventually expelling them into darkness in a similar style to the light prompt. Which dreams they experience will not dictate their initial sect affiliation.
Is it possible to pull another character back from the end of the light or darkness dreams?
Yes! If your character is able to resist the pull of either end, they will have the chance to try to pull another character back from the edge of the abyss or the edge of oneness. Whether or not they succeed is entirely up to the other character, though.
Do you come out of the chrysalis wet?
For most intents and purposes it's the same experience as hatching out of a real butterfly chrysalis, so yes, a bit.
How does attunement to the Pleroma or Kenoma work for new characters?
More information about sect attunements can be read on their dedicated info page, but in summary: when new characters are brought to Horos, they will be in the state of being "Untouched" meaning they are not attuned to either sect. By the end of their first month in game it is expected they will either attune to Pleroma or Kenoma, though for those taken by the Kenoma's forces, the transition will be forced within the first few days. If taken in by the Pleroma, it may take then some time to attune to Pleroma, depending on the strength of their spirit, but it could also happen almost instantly if they are allowed to. How quickly it happens will depend on how strongly they align with the Pleroma's traits. Characters who have been taken by the Pleroma but that remain Untouched will not be allowed into Greentruth until their attunement to Pleroma is complete.
Can a character taken by one side end up attuning to the sect of the opposite one?
This is theoretically possible, yes: a person taken by the Kenoma could potentially resist the Kenoma's call, and someone taken by the Pleroma could end up falling to the Kenoma while staying with them. Generally, though, we recommend that you have your character be taken by whichever sect you want to end up in, as doing a switcheroo will cause narrative complications that might bog their introduction down in plotting that will need to be done with the mods. It can happen, but it is not to be done lightly!
bhello bstranger
A horrified shiver running down her spine, she anxiously grips the crystal and freezes as she listens for a sign of whether or not the man heard her. ]
bwelcome friend....... ✨
there's a bout of silence as Abel's greeting goes unanswered; perhaps he's too late and whoever had woken here has already been collected by his allies...? it has a small furrow deepening at his brow in worry, consternation; he certainly hopes it was his allies that had gotten here first. there's no point in lingering over long, then.
but as soon as he begins taking a step back to retreat for the entrance to regather with his comrades, there's the distinctive clunk, the skitter of crystal being dislodged and, tragically for Gray, betraying that he isn't as alone as previously thought. his pace immediately seizes-- and he pauses in place, sending a perplexed look in the direction it had come from. ]
...Ah-- is someone... are you there?
[ but he makes no moves to approach, yet-- he knows this situation is an understandably disorienting and harrowing one. coming to encased in a crystal cocoon is not exactly anyone's expectation, especially not after enduring what is, no doubt, an emotionally taxing experience as they watch their world collapse into dark emptiness.
to say Abel gets his 'guest' might be... afraid? well, that's an understatement.
so he keeps his tone of voice exceedingly gentle, lifting his hands to demonstrate he isn't armed and means no harm should Gray manage the bravery to sneak a peek. ]
It's alright. I know you must be feeling out of sorts-- afraid, but... I don't want to hurt you. Okay...? I've brought you some clothes, and there's some water, simple supplies in this bag. See...?
[ slowly, as not to startle The Person, he lowers both the garments draped over his arm and the bag on his shoulder to the middle of the shrine floor. Abel retreats back from it, equally slow. ]
I'll stand over by the entrance with my back turned; if you'd like to get dressed and take what you need...? You're more than welcome, mm? Please help yourself. --It's normal to feel a bit weak, so-- um. If you need help... just-- just call out, also! I won't come closer unless you give me permission.
no subject
Though by the sounds of it, there are worse people she could have been found out by. She remains frozen as she listens to the man speak. She doesn't dare peek out until long after he's done talking, and even then it's only the barest of peeks from around the side of her crystal.
She gets easily lost when it comes to matters of politics and duplicity, but even she can be fairly sure that the man is being sincere. Maybe it's awkwardness recognizing awkwardness; she knows that all that stilted stumbling over words can only come from a place of spontaneity, difficult to fake in the same way that it's difficult to fake a reflex.
She sees that the man has acted according to his word by placing a small collection of items in the middle of the shrine and turning around. It looks a bit like a hunter laying out bait to catch an animal... but she can't deny both the temptation and necessity of having some of those things, especially the clothing.
Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, she speaks up. It's far from a shout; the tentative softness of her voice seems to imply that she's the one imposing on him rather than the other way around. ]
U-Um... Then if you don't mind, I'm going to come out... But please don't turn around until I say so!
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...so, to those ends-- he's immediately going stiff before making a good show of flinging his hands up to cover his eyes where his back is to the shrine - and Gray. ]
--O-of course not! I would never, s... so please, as I said, you-- ah. Take your time!! I'm only standing watch to make sure no one comes in, alright? --It isn't like I'm keeping you in here, just... just so you're aware! This whole experience is decidedly unpleasant and I'm quite sorry for that, miss, but... I promise we'll make sense of it all together as soon as you're ready. --Ready! And dressed. I'm not turning 'til then...!
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Satisfied that he isn't going to say sike and suddenly whip around, Gray steels herself and trots out to the item pile with a few more glances Abel's way... just in case. But once she gets her hands on the clothes, she forgets him in favor of quickly shrugging them on. They're on the large side thanks to both her smaller stature and the practicality of sizing up rather than down when on a rescue mission, but beggars can't be choosers. She also peeks into the bag and finds a thin blanket, which she naturally (?) throws over her head to make a makeshift hood. It all probably ends up making her look more like a stack of clothes than a human.
Much better. Gray sighs with relief before gathering everything left up in her arms and heading toward Abel. ]
... I'm done now. Thank you for waiting.... and for sharing all of these things with me.
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okay no he would never..... Abel is diligently stood with his back to Gray, hands firmly clasped over his eyes and fidgeting slightly in place in the way of one with too much energy to burn. or perhaps he's nervous? either way, he's not moving around and suppose that's all that matters, ]
Oh--! Finished, okay...
[ he slowly angles a glance over his shoulder, hands still over his face... but he's peering between his fingies. ]
Please-- don't think anything of it, miss! This is the least I can do considering the circumstances, so...
[ ...right! right, she is indeed well covered (the blanket is a nice touch, very warm and cozy)-- so he finally permits his hands to drop and faces her in earnest. he keeps his distance all the same, not wanting to spook his little guest. ]
You're probably more than a little overwhelmed, right...? I'm afraid I don't have all the answers, but-- I'm more than happy to try and explain what's going on. But first thing is first... are you alright? Waking up can be an, ah. Ordeal to say the least...
[ feeling weak, unwell, isn't unheard of. his eyes are patient, quietly concerned as he watches her; hopefully she isn't doing too badly...? ]
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I'm alright, thank you.
[ She is exhausted, confused, and extremely embarrassed, but she hates to complain. Or more accurately, she was raised not to complain. If she can still get up on her own two feet, then she's basically alright.
Of course, her stomach chooses this moment to start wailing for food. Gray's abundantly clothed form shrinks downward, her face lowering to hide the mortified blush racing to her cheeks. If she can't see him, then she can pretend he can't see her... Not. ]
P-Pardon me... Would it be too rude if I had a bite while we talk?
[ She thought she saw things resembling snacks in the bag, but maybe that was wishful thinking. ]
im that meme rn (if anything were to happen to gray, i will kill everyone and then myself)
--and hearing the high-pitched squeal of her stomach,
a sound he is very intimately familiarly with,
Abel rubs his chin thoughtfully, permitting her to rummage through the drawstring sack; there are indeed some jerky, some dried fruits, and a little cheese as well as a canteen of water for her perusal. ]
Miss...? You are absolutely entitled to whatever your heart so desires in that bag. All of it. --Under one condition, if you would...?
she is scared of ghosts, so as along as they are restful deaths....... :')
Yes, what is it...?
[ Based purely on his demeanor, she isn't expecting anything outrageous, but you just never know with some people... ]
..........haunts her. cutely
or almost always? he's going easy on her, it seems - perhaps 'stupid' more than 'outrageous,' because he's abruptly giving her an extremely dumb sort of smile. ]
Y-you'll, ah. Share? Please? I haven't eaten all day, s... so, we can split, right? --Please don't tell anyone, though, I'll surely be chewed out if I'm caught dipping into the provisions, okay?
[ hopefully it'll put her at ease, all this.
......and maybe he is hungry?? so wHAT ]
cruel.......
[ She wasn't even thinking of how he might fare if she ate his food... Always selfishly thinking of herself, that's her. ]
I don't need to eat much, so please feel free to take as much as you need! If anyone asks, I can say I ate it all...
[ She pulls up what food there is and picks out some dried fruit for herself before offering Abel the rest. ]
Though, um, who exactly would be chewing you out?
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Ah~! Well, any number of my companions, actually! They are exceptionally good people, but they don't really know how to relax, you know? Always a little too uptight and worrying about things like [ air quotes, rolling his eyes ] "running out of food" or [ air quotes in the other direction ] "not having enough money" for things, it's really quite dramatic if you ask me. --Ah! Thank you, Miss-- um.
Haa-- here we are sharing a floor meal and I haven't even gotten your name or made introductions! --Please forgive me, I'm terribly sorry for forgetting my manners!
[ and the hand not occupied in taking some fruit is now jutted out in enthusiastic greeting. for a shake. PAW, if you will. he knows this trick. ]
Abel! Father Abel Nightroad, at your service, miss~!
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But when he introduces himself, Gray blinks and straightens unconsciously. Father... So he's with the Church? Some kind of church, anyway. Abel is unlike any priest she's met (granted, she hasn't met very many), but the sensibilities pounded into her growing up demand that she treat him with respect. More respect than she's already been showing him, even. ]
Oh... Gray. My name is Gray. I'm a gravekeeper... Pleased to meet you, Father Abel.
[ She gives him her paw! ... Timidly. After glancing at his hand like it might be a trap. She understands what handshakes are supposed to be about, but in practice she puts her hand in his and closes her fingers gently so that it ends up more like she's holding his hand than getting ready to shake it. ]
T-Though, considering your station... I probably shouldn't lie on your behalf, should I...?
[ Probably shouldn't have told a man of the cloth she was prepared to spit lies literally ten seconds ago......... ]
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--Oh, don't you worry about that~! It's really nothing to be concerned with, Miss Gray. Things are quite different here than you're used to, I'm willing to imagine... um-- actually, that's why I'm here! Because you've ended up somewhere... strange, to put it lightly. Very strange, thrown right on into an especially difficult set of circumstances, I'm afraid...
[ and while there is an overwhelming amount of Friendliness and Cheer to borderline excessive, now apology joins the lot of it. Abel is sincerely sorry she's found herself in Horos - not simply because she's far from home, a seemingly young soul bereft of anything familiar or comforting to ease her into a new life. but because this means she, too, is undoubtedly sure to be swept up in the turmoil to come.
...ah, what he would do to save her from that... ]
I don't want to overwhelm you, but... if it's alright, maybe we could talk about it?
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That thought sends another wave of anxiety through her. She lifts a hand to her heart and feels how it pounds under her fingertips, willing its rhythm to ground her in the present. She takes a breath. ]
... Yes. Please tell me.
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You had a dream, didn't you? Just before you woke here. And... I know, because I had the same sort of dream you did.
[ ...the death of their worlds; the end of everything. the feeling of everything being swallowed up by an all consuming darkness; it is far from a pleasant recollection. but it is one every Aion shares. ]
While I can't tell you of what you saw was real, I can say that those who come with me-- we were in your shoes a little more than a month ago. There are other places like this one scattered across this world-- this land, called 'Horos'-- and I'm afraid that the complicated situation I mentioned before is also a rather dire one, because it also requires you making a choice. It isn't one I'll pressure you into, Miss Gray-- and I'm telling you this because I want you to come to your decision on your own terms, not because I want to pressure you. ...Ah, this sounds so cryptic-- I'm sorry. I'm really not the best at this, but-- I'm on your side, alright? I promise, we'll figure it out together.
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Regardless, the thought of the plump priest she knew fills her with a sense of both melancholy and tentative trust. Though she can't say she ever truly knew Father Fernando, she feels that his advice came from a genuine place -- as Father Abel's does now. ]
So there are a lot of us in the same situation...
[ Choices are difficult for her, so she puts that detail off for later. More importantly, a different thought occurs to her, and a light of urgency raises her face fully to him. ]
Then -- is it possible I might find someone I know? Has that happened for you?
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[ Abel answers this question with something tentative behind it; there is that thick layer of apology cushioning the words that leave him next. ]
But I'm afraid I have to temper your expectations, as much as I wish I didn't have to. Those who find familiar faces among our number are few and far between-- but that isn't to say it's impossible, alright? We can certainly look for them. It shouldn't be all too hard, once... ah. Once everything is settled.
[ he makes it sound so simple when it is anything but. but... he is trying so hard to avoid overwhelming her; she's little more than a child. how is it this girl had ended up in such a mess...? his heart is sick to imagine what hardship might lie in her future, to say nothing of her past.
everyone here shares something incredible between them, no matter how mundane they may seem on the surface, after all. ]
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The softness of her voice gathers, firming. The hand over her heart balls into a fist. ]
Once everything is settled. What do we need to do to get to that point?
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of course she would cling to the hope there's familiarity here - family or friends, someone to help her feel a little less alone and out of sorts in a foreign, dangerous world where she will quite literally make enemies by simply existing. he feels wretched, but he cannot help this.
he will pray there's someone here and waiting for her to come 'home' to. ]
I can't explain how it happened, and I know there is a frustrating lack of answers in all this, but... waking up in this place means you will inevitably have to choose between two 'forces' at work in Horos. And once you choose one, the others will treat you as the 'enemy.'
[ ...this is deplorable. she's but a child; is there really no choice but to involve her in all this...? ]
There is a ruling entity known as the 'Regent' that holds power, and some of us have followed their lead. But the rest of us... my friends and I-- we don't... ah. [ ...how does he even begin to explain? this is such a mess-- ] ...They wish for the end of everything, Miss Gray. And in order to get their loyalty-- something terrible has happened to some of the other who awoke with us. I don't mean to frighten you, I just-- I don't want to see you suffer the same fate.
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The end of everything. It sounds more like the plot of a movie than the creed of a real person. Even the most inhuman magus would surely never wish for such a thing. ]
Why does the Regent want that? A goal like "the end of everything"... That doesn't sound like the wish of a human.
[ It's a sincere statement with no derogatory undertone. If they were talking about a divine spirit, or an unfeeling construct, or even some manner of ghost, she could begin to see where that wish stems from. ]
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I don't know their reasons for sure, but I do know that some of those who have gone with them... the wishes they have-- the things they believe in are very human. Dreams of a better world remade after the old is gone. Maybe the Regent truly wants the same, or-- maybe they're manipulating the Kenoma into following them by promising such a thing, but either way...
[ it isn't good, right? ]
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Are things so bad here that people would want to restart everything?
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[ his eyes settle on hers, now; the question is gentle, but there is something firm behind it. hopeful, if also reluctant. ]
Could you see yourself committing to such a cause...? Not just undoing this world, but... every world? Everything.
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Father... Everyone I cared about was in the world I've left behind. Trying to think about saving other worlds... is terribly difficult right now.
[ She feels like that must be a disappointing answer. She should be more selfless and morally upright than that... but she also feels she shouldn't lie. ]
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