TDM #2

[aionmods]

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.

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.

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!

Comments

Gray | The Case Files of Lord El-Melloi II | Innocent

[gravings]

( A. dreaming: the dark outside )

[ Gray's feet take her away from the brilliance of the center with no input from her brain. She doesn't hate the light; in fact, she cherishes how the bright, warm people connected to her mentor have come to fill the corners of her everyday life.

But. Light, bright, brilliant. Those words don't describe her. Her comfort is in the periphery, the shade that bends under the sun, the audience that beholds the actor. It's only natural that she chooses the path that skirts around rather than cuts straight through the overbearing center.

Though it's dark here, she doesn't lower her hood. Her cloak is large, dwarfing much of her short frame, but the angle of her hood suggests a bent back. Her steps are slow and small, languid. So absorbed is she in her mental mire that she doesn't notice another traveler on the path — and somehow manages to bump into them despite her leisurely pace. ]


( B. rebirth: innocent shrine )

[ It's rough going from head-to-toe Hot Topic aesthetic to complete nudity in the blink of an eye, and even rougher when you happen to make complete coverage your fashion identity like Gray does. Despite the largely translucent quality of the crystal she emerged from, she becomes paralyzed for some time with shame and shyness behind it, especially when she occasionally catches hints of other people moving throughout the shrine.

But even she knows that she can't stay here forever, and so she eventually begins to skitter from cluster to cluster in search of something resembling clothes. Whenever she hears voices, she desperately makes herself as small as possible behind a crystal cluster. Whenever she sees another person, she immediately tries to backtrack out of sight.

However, she gets an F in Presence Concealment because it isn't long before she's found out... ]


( C. returned: kenoma )

[ A small figure sits huddled in a corner. It's Gray, swathed in a robe fashioned to cover her head so that her face is largely obscured by shadow. What's visible of her skin is pale; her breath is quiet but audible as she struggles against the weight of the Kenoma's influence.

When she senses that someone is near, whether because they're approaching her or just happening to loiter around her, she manages to speak up with a voice delicate enough to get lost in a breeze. ]

How... How do you live with this?

[ But still she remains with her hooded head down and her knees drawn to her chest. She hardly knows how to interact with the people here when even the people in her home world felt alien more often than not. ]

c

[stonemage]

[ She's tired of waiting around and tired of sulking. The longer they stayed there the more she felt trapped. Probably, they were, after all. It's just a really big cage, if you asked her, and thankfully no one was.

It's gaudy and mournful and the longer they stay down there the more she itches for open air, for the feel of a thousand stones to say hello to. She's a bit cagey, but she's no bad at talking to soldiers — so she does.

When she notices the other girl still wallowing in the feeling she cants her head. Was she speaking to her...? ]

What do you mean?

[ Accepting it hadn't been as hard as it should be for her, after all. And it was about survival, she doesn't feel the least bit guilty. (Or so she'd convince herself of). She tugs at her own sleeve, inspecting it as if it's the problem: ] I guess the clothes are pretty awful and itchy.

[gravings]

[ The unexpected reply gets Gray to lift her head with a tiny hum of confusion, a temporary distraction from her turmoil. It seems the person she's talking to is on such a different wavelength that she doesn't understand what Gray could possibly be talking about... That, or Gray's wording was so bad that it invited misunderstanding. Either way, she lacks the will to correct her companion and quietly prepares to accept the loss.

Truthfully, she doesn't even mind the quality of the cloth they've been given. Her upbringing in the remote countryside means her expectations in the realm of textiles are quite low. She feels that it's more appropriate to try to relate to her companion though, so after a moment of thought, she speaks up cautiously. ]

They don't feel very welcoming, do they...? I feel a bit like we're being treated like prisoners... ah. [ Her robes flutter vaguely as she gently lifts her hands. ] Not that I would know.

c

[battlevest]

[Gray practically blends in, but Yelena's senses are on high alert -- fraught with a nervous tension that's not helped by the Kenoma influence tugging at her senses. It gives her enough paranoia to check her surroundings, which means she immediately sees her.

The shard is still in her hand, but she doesn't point it at her. her voice is dry, heavy with a sort of bitterness,]

Apparently all we have to do is wait it out, and 'things will get better from there'.

[gravings]

... I see.

[ Gray answers in a voice with the volume and energy of a wrinkling flower. It would be generous to call the woman's answer reassuring, but she supposes they're all just as clueless as each other.

She hesitates to take up more of this stranger's time and attention, but she quietly musters up the courage to ask another question. ]

Um... have you been waiting for very long?

a

[undulatings]

[ Rengoku doesn't hear her footsteps, but he does feel the bump against his back, and turns around to gently place two hands on Gray's shoulders to steady her. ]

Young miss, if you don't look where you're going, it's much easier to get hurt! Try and keep your head up!

[ Despite being on the outside path, he has a bright smile on his face. ]

[gravings]

[ Gray gasps, a delicate intake of breath, when she unexpectedly bumps into someone in the middle of what was supposed to be an empty expanse. She flinches reflexively when she feels hands on her shoulders, but their weight is both firm and kind enough to keep her from trying to escape.

When she looks up, what she finds is... an unusual-looking man, and immediately she thinks that he might be a magus. If she has to guess why she feels that way, it's probably because he possesses the sort of intimidating magnetism that would make her feel cornered in an open field. ]

Y-Yes, I'll try... Please excuse me.

[ Here is where she'd shuffle off (and probably end up putting her head down again) but with his hands on her shoulders, she is trapped. And in fact, she's already lowering her gaze to the floor(?) again, unable to bear the brunt of the man's direct gaze. ]

c

[epiprocta]

[ He's mostly here to rubberneck at the newcomers and pretend he's being attentive, lurking by the doorway and idly smoking -- not actually planning on being helpful. But well ... when he hears that soft voice piping up, it's so pathetic and the (probable) solution to the problem is easy enough that he figures intervening is appropriate.

Gen pulls away from where he'd been leaning against the wall and grabs one of the extra cloaks from the pile the servants have prepared. Actually, he'll take two. He unfolds them as he steps towards where Gray's huddled, answering at a muffled deadpan past the cigarette between his lips: ]

You'll be fine.

[ Which doesn't answer the question at all???

There's the flump of fabric as he dumps both the cloaks on her, one after the other. There, now she won't be cold. That was the issue, right? ]

We all had to deal with that shit. Just takes time.

[gravings]

[ Gray's surprised squeak is immediately smothered by bountiful cloakery. She swims out of the cloth until she can breathe again, only to quickly pull her original cloak back close over head so that her face remains safely shrouded.

In the midst of that brief panic, it takes a moment for her to register what she's being told. Her timid gaze floats up to the man addressing her, then almost immediately skates away. Dimly, she notes the smell of cigarette smoke, which doesn't feel right at all. ]

If you don't mind my asking... how long did it take you?

the sludgening, i guess..............

[lockedon]

[ There's only one Innocent amongst their ranks and he's not about to let her go to her respective shrine alone.

They find one newcomer and usher him out of the cave, Eustace letting his fellow Kenoma take the lead and teleport back. He's about to follow when he picks up the a faint sound, the shuffle of something living rather than cold and artificial. His ears pivot atop his head, straining for the source of the noise, and he squints as he peers into the gloom of the cave. ]

The faster you come out, the quicker we can get you out of this place.

[ F for effort in trying to sound welcoming and kind. If Gray doesn't want to come out, literally no one will blame her. ]

[gravings]

[ She seriously doesn't want to come out.......

She thinks optimistically that he could be addressing any of the other Naked and Afraid individuals hiding out amongst the crystals — though her body feels thoroughly pessimistic in that it's frozen up like a trembling rabbit trying to melt into the dirt.

In the end, the venn diagram of her body and mind settle peaceably on her quietly staying put behind a chunk of crystal. She doesn't know where she is or why anyone would want to collect her, but when in doubt, stranger danger. ]

a

[expiera]

[Ah, this again.

It's a little funny, in hindsight. Ciel was so fixated on keeping to herself back then when she first found herself in this dreamscape, went out of her way to avoid anyone in her way even after. The hooded girl's huddled posture, how she keeps her head low as if doing her best to not be perceived, and the way she shies away from the light... It's strangely familiar and nostalgic, with a faintly bitter aftertaste.]

Miss?

[The voice that calls out is soft and gentle, at her side in the dark. She's bumped into something more adequately described as soft over hard. Maybe it's time to look up?]

[gravings]

[ Gray looks up slowly, as if awakening from a dream. She could have wandered this expanse forever without expecting to run into anyone else. The fact that she's literally bumped into someone is a minor shock to her system that shakes her consciousness awake.

The elements that make up the stranger's demeanor are kind piece by piece. However, all of those elements put together feel strangely overwhelming, like a pleasant picture blown up too large. Gray unconsciously backs away a couple steps, wariness slowing her movement and softening her voice. ]

Pardon...

[ Her eyes move to either side of the stranger as if calculating how she might best move around her. Of course, it's all boundless space around here, so it's silly to treat that like it would be a tricky maneuver — but to Gray, the weight of a stranger's attention can be more powerful than gravity. ]

b.

[emblazer]

[ Oh, he did find her but not on purpose. Mostly because he, too, was wandering around nakedly. How many naked prompts am I going to reply to? Anyway, he's keeping his eyes firmly glued to the ceiling out of respect and is also trying to use his hands to cover some of himself, which makes it hard to wave.

Or do much of anything really. ]

Seems like a lot of us wound up in this place unexpectedly. I've been trying to find some information about how we even got here and where everyone's from, but–

[ It occurs to him that he'd just come up to her out of the blue while she's clearly still disoriented and acquainting herself with their present location. His mouth pulls into an awkward grimace. ]

Do you need a moment? I know you just woke up, so take all the time you need. I'll just be here not looking at anything until you're ready to talk.

[gravings]

[ Dear God,

She doesn't necessarily believe in You, but if You're listening, she'd like to know why You put her in this world just to suffer. If You are merciful, please strike her down with some form of unconsciousness so that she can escape this unbearable reality.

Amen.

A vague prayer of this nature crosses Gray's mind when a naked man suddenly appears and starts talking at her at length. She isn't sure if she's more disturbed by his sudden appearance or the confidence with which he's presenting himself. Though he's doing his due diligence by looking at the ceiling and covering his modesty, that isn't nearly enough to prevent Gray from becoming paralyzed with red-faced embarrassment. The most she can do is turn around and try to get her breathing under control. ]

I-I don't know anything about how we got here and I come from London, England!

[ She blurts this out in a rush as if he were a ski-masked gun-pointer. Which feels appropriate, because she might just die. ]

B. also naked uwu

[hildahilda]

[ Ah yes, Hilda can smell skittishness from a mile away. It's none of her business, and she has better things to do than to mettle with the affairs of a total stranger—but really, she doesn't. There is literally nothing to do here but to wander around naked and lost, and pester others in the same position. She's adjusted to her state of undress rather quickly, shedding what little shame she has for the sake of pragmatism. Hiding around won't get her out of here, and it won't do much for this girl, either.

And while Hilda isn't particularly inconspicuous (the exact opposite, actually, a moving blur of bright pink hair and bare skin), she's much too gregarious when she wants to be, and she catches Gray's hand before the other newcomer has a chance to retreat further. (Nonconsensual handholding!!) ]

Come on, let's ditch this place. If anyone tries something funny, I'll make sure they regret it.

[ Her supernatural strength may have been nerfed, but her personality unfortunately has not. She will annoy the absolute shit out of anyone who tries to get in their way. "Their," because Gray is stuck with her now sorry not sorry!! ]

[gravings]

[ Subjected to this dubcon handholding, Gray is handily snared with a small of squeak of surprise before she can skitter away. When she turns, her impression is of overwhelming pinkness, which triggers a certain response in her brain — namely, that it would be pointless to resist this person's force of nature. This isn't the obnoxiously pink-haired person she knows, of course, but there's just enough overlap that Gray applies her experience to the present.

Gray's surprise is such that she momentarily forgets her own nudity, her posture opening in preparation to be dragged along to who-knows-where. ]

Ah... alright!

[ Though they're both unarmed, it's easy to believe that Hilda can make good on her threat. Immersed in the world of magecraft as she was, she's used to seeing young, confident women wreaking havoc. ]

Um, if you lead the way, Miss, I should be able to keep up...

[ Just in case Hilda wants to let go of her hand now............. ]

c, you asked for it

[uproared]

[ Mordred walks the outside path, drinks the sludge, because of course she does. It's not a quiet affair in either case; she roars at the end of the world, kicks and bites as she's wrestled to the ground afterward, not so much a show of discontent as it is a simple act of rebellion. Strength respects strength, and even naked and weakened, she still won't just go along with what she's told.

(In the end, though, she laughs as the black ooze slides down her throat — at least as much as she can, before it starts to choke her lungs. She imagines being the one to feed it to her father, watching the glory and light fade from his eyes, and the darkness overtakes her all at once; as effortlessly as it had when the king turned his back on her.)

Eager to stretch her legs, she almost immediately starts to roam the halls... after tearing a wide strip off her robe to expose her midriff, using the missing fabric to belt the bottom half around her waist. Gray's comment would normally attract little more than a scoff and derisive remark, but when Mordred glances down at her, she instinctively stiffens; in spite of the shadows obscuring most of the other girl's features. ]

... You. Show me your face.

[ If Gray doesn't immediately acquiesce, there'll be a hand roughly shoving down her hood — and a girl staring back at her with an all too familiar face of her own, almost identical but for the roughness of her hair, the harshness of her expression. ]

just want u to be happy

[gravings]

[ Gray doesn't immediately acquiesce, if purely because the person talking at her is frightening on principle. The rough form of address makes her flinch and retreat further into her hood, though there's nowhere to escape. Bewilderment clouds her mind as well; she can't imagine why anyone here would be so interested in seeing her face, the one thing she's unwilling to comply with. Her fingers shoot up to clutch her hood tighter around her head, but Mordred is faster and stronger.

Her hood is yanked down. In a flash, the overhead lights traitorously assault her face. And she sees... herself.

Of course, there are plenty of differences. The face across from her is crowned in violent blonde, and the expression she's seeing is twisted in ways Gray's face could never want or hope to achieve. But the revulsion in Gray's gut speaks the truth: it's the same face she's become accustomed to seeing in the mirror, but in precise reverse.

She recoils, her head thumping against the wall, horror drowning her expression. The bun she always keeps her hair in acts as a cushion, but she hardly notices. Her body shakes violently as she presses as close to the wall as possible, trying to avoid contact with Mordred on an existential level. ]

You... Why do you...?

[ Naturally, her voice trembles as well. Her throat is tight, choking off her sentence. ]

b... for belated bhello

[inutilis]

[ while scurrying from one outcropping of geode and crystal to the next, Gray might see the tall, lanky shape of a man as he steps further into the Innocent's shrine from the entryway and the commotion beyond, lowering the hood of his cloak as he makes his approach. he has what looks like some miscellaneous spare clothing draped over his forearm and a bag over his shoulder as he surveys the interior; is he looking for newly awakened Aions...? absolutely.

Abel halts before one of the yet-unborn prisoners encased in their chrysalis, looking up into a yet frozen face with a small knit of concern. but there is nothing he can do for them, yet-- and so, he's soon casting a gentle blue gaze over the others. ]

Hello? Is-- um... is anyone out there?

[ he sounds tentative, cautious; he doesn't want to startle any poor souls newly awakened to this rather cruel twist of fate... but suppose there's no helping it. this whole thing really is a mess, isn't it? ]

bhello bstranger

[gravings]

[ Hearing a voice suddenly echoing throughout the cavern, Gray hastily scurries toward the nearest sizable crystal and maneuvers to put it between her and the general direction of the voice. She's normally sure-footed, perhaps surprisingly so, but the labor of breaking out of her own crystal has left her exhausted; she stumbles on her way over and catches herself on what was supposed to be her cover, causing a chunk to break off in her hand with a high clink that becomes amplified by the traitorous cavern acoustics.

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. ]

c!!

[oomfies]

[ This is.. Hard to see.

Lottie has effectively forced herself to forget her own adjusting period, come Kenoma acceptance. It was awful and painful in a way she didn't think possible, a way that was almost as visceral as the pain she forces herself through when she overthinks something a little too hard. So come the question, she freezes. ]

It's only for a little bit! It isn't gonna last forever..

[ Is what she replies with, sounding less confident than she'd like once she really zones in on how she huddles to herself, looking small in every which way possible. A contrast to Lottie's tall stance standing, her servant hovering some distance behind her, waiting. ]

[gravings]

[ This is basically the equivalent of stopping by someone with four busted tires on the side of the road in your Ferrari with your manservant hanging out the other window, but instead of helping them change tires you shout "hey this happened to me once just change your tires" and then drive off

But luckily, Gray is used to people with rich energy who either lack empathy or regularly neglect to display it, so she doesn't think too much about it. In fact, she's grateful that such a person stopped to answer her in the first place. ]

I see... So it should be over soon...

[ She'll just sit here then... suffering..................... ]

C

[saklas]

[It's someone short and androgynous, lounging on a stone bench like it's a comfortable couch.]

Mm? Oh, drugs. Hard drugs. None of this Miller High Life kindergarten shit.

...

You're asking about the goo that gives you bad emotions, right? Yeah. The answer is drugs.

d! for doing our own thing (feel free to message me for changes!)

[dragon_rider]

[ Of course, it wasn't his first time being to the shrine of the Innocent. This time it doesn't give the sudden reprieve and freedom of fresh air — nor is there really time to go check out the winged animals they'd seen take to the sky earlier. Or maybe there was, since for the moment the shrine itself was quiet.

The open chrysalis is the only sign that anyone's been there and — for the moment — there's no outward sign of Achamite soldiers. So either they've found and scooped up the people who awoke there or... What? Quiet shrine should mean, logically, that there was nothing left around. Maybe it's instinct, an instinct borne from handling weak and injured dragons, that has him fail to believe as such. There wasn't any harm in any last-minute checks around both the premise of the shrine itself and the outskirts.

That's how Hiccup finds her some minutes later, a decent distance away from the shrine itself. A figure that appeared so small and huddled in on itself that she'd be easy to miss. He tucks the hilt of the dragon blade back into its place as he calls out, the same soft way he might a startled young dragon: ]

Hey there. [ A soft exhale and he offers: ] You must be hungry right?