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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!
no subject
But with a stranger whom he needs the trust of... it occurs to him that the most dangerous thing Childe could do is turn this into a discussion. He's not built to play with words or convince others. For the first time in his life, that actually feels like it might be a failing, and he half expects for Aerith to turn on him as Childe subtly attacks his character.
Except, that's not what happens. She doesn't even look daunted by Childe accusing him of violence, and Estinien finds whatever words he might have spoken in his own defense slipping away from him. For a moment, his struggles slow. If Childe intends to be true to his word, Aerith may already have this in hand.
If he doesn't... Estinien has already vowed to himself that he will not allow the Kenoma to hurt her.]
Not even those inclined towards the Kenoma deserve the treatment your Regent gave us. [He wonders, deep down, if Childe really believes in all of this. He remembers him holding out in the caverns, at least for a while. Does he truly seek the end, or has he only been manipulated into doing so?] You may flaunt your esteem for so-called freedom of choice, but does your master feel the same?
[There was no freedom at all in what the Regent had done to them, and he struggles to believe that the new arrivals will be treated any better. The only difference is in how casually the Regent will take them as prisoners.
That said, he falls silent, finding himself both interested in ascertaining Chide's loyalty to his cause and what Aerith will say in turn. He continues to squirm against his bonds, but he's decided that it may be more advantageous to allow Childe's attention to stray away from him. Even so, the humiliation of his position tickles at his face and ears.
Something to be repaid later, he assures himself.]
no subject
[ As for the comment about the Regent... the Kenoma speaks quietly, not so much as to be unheard by them, but as if it's difficult to tell who he is exactly wanting to say his words to. Maybe, he means it to be spoken to all three of them, maybe to himself, maybe no one at all.]
The Regent isn't here, though... so only my thoughts on freedom of choice matter at this time. Besides, right now, she's still neither, so she's not an enemy to me or the Regent. We were allowed to choose before things got out of hand, so she should be able to, as well.
[ Childe looks to Aerith again now, staring her down. Her eyes are admittedly entrancing, and to see so much life, light, and determination... it's so intoxicating he finds himself border-lining a headache.
Incredible. A strange radiance that neither he nor Estinien possesses. Is that faith? Faith in what, though?
For the three of them, they are of the same Legacy, and what they don't communicate with words, they can pass in terms of aura and feelings whether they like it or not. Estinien's aura is strong, both a testament of his conviction and his strength. Aerith's is ... also similar to Estinien's, he finds, but that strength for her may be something deeper in than merely displayed on the surface. He can't sense them perfectly, afterall, it's just a grazing passing at best, as if catching a scent of perfume as one passes by.
As for his own for them, it's... intense, but it's intense like a forest that is shrouded in heavy mist. It's hard to tell what the intensity actually is: strength, conviction, love, fear, doubt, or hate... It's as if everything and nothing exists at once, potentially, and the fog is just as lost as whom or what it engulfs. Mist of all, it seems impenetrable despite that sorry of chaos normally being a vulnerability. Nothing about Childe screams help so much as go away. He doesn't like it being shown, but it's hard to conceal from those with his Legacy, so whatever they are able to deduce he'll just have to live with them being aware of. He can always deny it, anyway.
Finally, Childe speaks up, acting as if he is only just now preparing to do as she has requested. ] You did. I'm Tartaglia, or Childe. [ Not that she asked nor does he feel she cares to know, but it's only fair in his opinion to present the information. ]
There's a lot we could talk about, but I'm just suddenly thinking it's a waste of time? Afterall, you just said you aren't leaving him. That'd potentially make you a pretty mean little liar if you weren't already set in your ways.
[ Now what?
He's supposed to bring them back, regardless, but doesn't that just enforce the concept the Kenoma has to be be "evil?" Is the Kenoma evil? Evil, villain, monster; he's so used to these words being thrown around that it almost becomes a resignation to them. It doesn't matter what is true when already labeled.
Not... that any of it really matters, he supposes, especially for him because he really is just a tool to be used in war. Childe has already surmised that the ones that will stay with the Kenoma are the ones that see no hope for themselves as much as the world— evil has nothing to do with it, even if they will be forced by the Pleroma to take hold of that mantle. The rest of the Kenoma will eventually make their way to the other side or disappear, one way or another.
I really ... hate this world, though. All I need to do now is be able to hate all of you in it, Childe admits, a drawn out sense of momentary emptiness and despair spiking that between them that may easily be felt by the other two before it's gone entirely.
With an almost exhausted sigh, Childe glances back at Estinien as the tendrils suddenly start to thin out despite clinging tightly to their target still, losing strength steadily until they're nothing more than slivers of light being caught by the sun to suggest they even once existed. ]
So, I guess you've heard everything you need to hear about both sides from him, already? Anything I can say that will make you think twice? [ it's strange that he can talk so much about nothing, but suddenly seems unwilling to do so where it might matter. It's clear he only thinks he'll be wasting his breath, and he's not interested in being shot down when there's no chance for gain or worse: having unexpected doubts pop into his head because one of them says something he hasn't considered.
Still, he has a gentle albeit otherwise neutral expression towards Aerith when he looks back to her once again to wait for her answers. There's no resentment or dismay that he already feels she is taking a side.
That's just how these things go, right? It's unfortunate. It's isolating, too. It's just how it is. ]
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Disappointment, or frustration... it's hard for her to tell. There's something she picks up on happening between the three of them, but she's admittedly a little used to it. The local empath has spent her life attuned to the Planet, protecting it at all costs. But first, something should be cleared up: ]
He told me to run. [ To leave him behind in an antagonist's grasp. They're both right to pick up on that faith in Aerith. It is not a blind faith; but Estinien has told her that they can protect the light in the world. That trumps everything. ]
Tarantula [ that is not his name ], get it together. [ Far be it from Aerith to say this to someone on the "opposing" side, so to speak, but she picks up on something, and clings to it. A little bit of her mother comes out of her as she speaks frankly. Though she struggles against the water-born tendrils he's raised, whether she breaks free enough to close the gap between herself and Childe is of no consequence to her point. It's merely how she is. Still, she wants to be closer. Something is imbalanced inside of him. It's not just burning; it is sinking. ]
Both sides? No. I got enough to... imply that this is how I can protect the Planet. [ This is of the utmost importance to her. The Planet cannot die. She won't let it. She could never let it. ]
I know Estinien and you have... history. [ She looks at the elf there, brow quirked in thought and intrigue. He's a mystery and a half to Aerith now, but still. He's someone she thinks has proven his capability. Whose to say that Childe's treatment isn't understandable? You can only do so much with brute strength. Now, the hard truth has to come. ]
But you don't get to pull us down here like that and not talk. If you care so much, then this is your chance to explain. So? Now what? You really had enough of us? Or are you going to tell me why you believe in choice so much?
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The water breaks and sloshes away, with Estinien leaping forward at speed and putting his wing between Childe and Aerith. It's not to block her view - no, he feels that she's making a point here - but simply to show that he isn't going to allow Childe to mess with her. After all, he's getting the impression there is much about Childe that he doesn't know.
Estinien glances back at Aerith as she gives him an inquiring look, frowning slightly. He honestly doesn't know where to start explaining all of this. For the moment, he's content to let her talk - maybe she'll actually get somewhere.]
Aye... say your piece.
[He levels his case at Childe, stern but no less sincere in his apparent demand. Childe's response to this was far more melancholy and noncommittal than he was expecting, which causes him to question what exactly he's seeing. Childe has seemed so willful in the cavern, as he challenged every Pleroma he set his sights on - what's the difference here?
Normally he might worry about allowing a Kenoma to proselytize, but he doesn't feel that will be a problem here. Not after what Aerith has said.]
here we go
Childe shifts his attention to stare up at Estinien, his expression flickering momentarily upon realizing the other is... joining(?) Aerith's cause. The sudden overwhelming feeling of his older brother and sister scolding him when he's done something wrong— especially after being found after he escaped from the Abyss—has his stomach twisting slightly.
Childe isn't feeling afraid, but it's a time of rememberance for him, where his father went from doting and coddling his timid son to being unable to handle his aggressive and troublesome behavior with others his age to the point he was surrendered to the Fatui with hopes it would instill proper discipline. He's never resented his father for it— afterall if he hadn't done so, Childe never would have been able to become one of Tsaritsa's true elites with a real opportunity to sell out the strongest and most talented to learn from and best — but it does frame a sense of beginning to being an automatic outcast from the good will of everyone outside of Snezhnaya. How does he feel outcasted with a Pleroma aion and a to-be Pleroma aion, now, when they are all aliens of this world?
It's simple; they seem to have themselves so damn together. They have themselves grounded in their decision on a principle of themselves. He doesn't understand Aerith's comment of protecting the Planet (her planet, this planet, is the Planet something bigger than either of those?) but it translates to him that it's a non-negotiable regardless. Estinien, too, seems to have a clear sense of where he wants to be and what he wants to do. How, though? They had a brief connection with each other, like they were something a little alike? They can't be alike. It all makes Childe hesitate now, because... why did he join the Kenoma, again? He had resisted for several days back then, but what made him stop?
— that's right. It was because of her, because he couldn't deal with watching her suffer and starve and freeze, so he accepted it because why not, it wasn't that far off from the Fatui. He could keep her warm and feed her if he was with the Kenoma because he knew she would never (and he would never allow her to, anyway) give in herself. He'd even said he was going to go with her once they figured out how to get out of the throne room caves that they had been trapped in, so... what changed? He hasn't forgotten, but it takes some actual effort to recall the situation and what his reasons were now that he's fallen into line with the Regent's demands. He didn't want to let Xishen know he had a weakness that everyone in the Kenoma would know and exploit in the form of Lumine. At least as one of the Kenoma, he could protect Lumine, even if only through threatening the others if they did anything to her.
—Why should he care what the Kenoma know? Normally, he is confident, but the dooming feeling reminds him that while he can fight, he's plenty powerful and no one even has the slightest idea of just how much yet that he only destroys things. Even the things he protects he does so at a distance and through a complete web of lies. This is the best way he can protect, or at least that's what he's come to believe.
His thoughts are rapidly swirling, some of it leaking in minor projection to the other two before he visibility flinches slightly as another voice overrides his own thoughts, smothers them even. It's like a hundred voices or more all together, suppressing, spilling black inky blotches like blood, slicking over his projections and convincing, persuading, soothing over everything. None of that matters, none of it matters. No one cares, and no one will care, he shouldn't either. At least he's needed by the Kenoma (the Pleroma wouldn't know what to do with him.) At least he can be a tool as a means to an end.
At least he can continue that existence as one of the most finely tuned instruments of war ever created in a human shell.
He laughs suddenly, and it's a forceful jerk back to full reality as everything cuts off between the three of them and it's an unsettling one. ]
Ha, you believe Estinien and I have a history, do you? It's not the case. We don't know shit about each other.
[ His friendliness has dissipated but not in the sense that it was insincere to begin. There's simply apathy that embellished in childish defensiveness at being perceived even the slightest bit (and he knows he's projected a little and a little is way too much, because even Estinien is tolerating him—why the hell dash;!
Childe moves to get up now, and steps back. This is probably the first time Estinien has seen any form of serious or defensive side of Childe. It's a stark contrast from his fun-loving and unnervingly playful demeanor about things that are very much not games, and the general over-friendliness that seems to smooth everything over in life as not so bad once one looks at it in the right perspective. He clearly has (at least) two sides, and which is real probably matters less (right now, anyway) than that more than one actually exists to begin with. ]
There's nothing to talk about. The only option I have now for you is to use force. So get out of here before I change my mind.
[ He wouldn't break a promise that he's explicitly stated, but neither of them have to know that. Besides, he's slippery enough to know how to manipulate things into being loopholes. He still has a vial on him, afterall. ]
back at it again at krispy kreme
Is this jealousy? No, it's complex. Much more so than that, something born out of necessity and cultivation. It's a delicately cared for flower, growing and growing, overtaking... overtaking what? Aerith throws another glance to her rescuer, brows raised but knitted. It might be something like are you seeing this right now, or maybe there's more we can do, isn't there? It'd be hard to tell which, but there's a blooming sense of concern. Whatever Childe's gone through over with the Kenoma seems unnatural, in some sense, or perhaps like it's stunted him in some way. Aerith's expression puckers— while she and Estinien wait for a response from him, it seems like he's submerged then forced out of the water, again. ]
... [ What leaves Aerith isn't a sigh or condemnation. The difference between the pair of them runs deeper than Pleroma or Kenoma, she thinks. He hadn't been wrong to posture her with a burning sense of faith, even now— even now, she believes in Childe's words. There's something more to unravel here, but it is sliced in half. Another time, she thinks, and she'll ask him about himself. Right now, she thinks he's been knocked unbalanced enough, and either he's had to work hard to set himself right... or someone else did. ]
You're not that slick, mister. [ It's an idle comment, accented with a turn of her head. She returns to Estinien, offering him help up onto his feet. They're not welcome here, anymore, and she's not one for dawdling where she shouldn't. He's already shown himself to be powerful. ] I'll ask about it all another time.
[ So there, is implied. She keeps the clothing in her arms, pressed to her chest. Everyone is a person made from circumstance. It's how you build yourself under those circumstances that matters; and even then, can't you always repot a plant? Roots can be saved, can be cleaned. Sometimes, all you need is a fresh start. ]
So remember me, got it? Aerith. And your buddy Estinien here. [ He can deny they have a history all he wants, but Aerith knows a bitter acquaintance when she sees it. ] Thanks for the clothes. I'll be keeping them.
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As he comes to Aerith's side he decides that, for now, the only reasonable option is to take her and get out of there before it turns into a fight again. After all, he's certain that he'll see Childe again - he doesn't seem like the kind of guy to leave them alone so easily.
His gaze lingers on Childe, searching, but he won't say anything more. His nonverbal message to Aerith also seems to be clear: they need to choose their battle, and this isn't it. Seemingly, she agrees.
Given the opportunity, he'll scoop her up into his arms again, and take to the sky once more, leaving their Legacy kin behind. They can decide how best to approach this later.]