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Aion Mods ([personal profile] aionmods) wrote in [community profile] aionooc2022-02-13 02:00 pm

TDM #1

TDM #1
DREAMING
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
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.]

CAPTIVITY
It seems that someone was waiting for you to arrive, and not in the most friendly of ways. Though the specifics of who comes to get you will vary according to which legacy shrine your character awakens at, there are certain commonalities: most notably, how they are ostensibly here to capture and imprison you. It's easy for them, all considered. You can barely stand, so fresh out of your chrysalis, and whatever powers or special abilities you may have had will not answer your call. Even worse, your would be captors are well equipped for the job.

Each group arrives with several 'whips' made of unknown materials. What makes them so special only become obvious when one of them inevitable snakes its way around your body. Whether it be your ankle or your neck, being bound by these cords puts you under the influence of whoever is holding the other end of your leash. Your mind remains untouched, but you will find yourself physically incapable of performing physical actions that go against their will. While the possibilities are frightening, thankfully they all just seem to want one thing: for you to come along as a good little prisoner and to not cause any of them too much trouble.

The rest depends on your character's legacy:

THE LOVER
The small island the shrine is built upon is approached by several modest boats with colorful sails. They carry what appears to be a collection of fearful fisherfolk and town guards. They are reluctant to speak with those being pulled out of the shrine or even look them in the eye. If they have their choice, the entire process will be done in silence. If you try too hard to upset them, the guards will sternly bring you to heel.

THE CELEBRANT
The infrastructure of an entire festival ground seems to be built around this shrine, and as a result, there are an usual amount of people present. While most keep their distance, a few will engage with the local guards that arrive to capture the Aions, complaining that this is going to interfere with their preparations for the upcoming Lover’s Festival. They are pushed aside in short order, and the rest of the retrieval will be done in a stern but business-like manner.

THE MARTYR
At first, those arriving to capture the Aions will be hesitant to even enter the barren crater this shrine is held within. Once the presence of the new arrivals becomes clear, however, they will run in as if crossing the no man’s land of a battlefield and complete their work with gusto. It appears to be mostly military folk and they seem to lack any patience or sympathy for those they capture.

THE SOVEREIGN
The captors here seem to be a mixed bag, almost as if two separate squadrons have arrived at the same time. One is a gathering of people who give off the impression of mountain folk, while the others are well armored soldiers. Though it will be hard to make out the specifics, there seems to be some manner of disagreement between these two parties over what should be done, but the ones kitted out in full military attire win out in the end. By then, they are completely out of patience for further resistance.

THE ARTISAN
The people here seem to have mixed feelings about your arrival. On one hand, it seems to be a moment of considerable trepidation, on the other, they seem unbearably curious about your nature. They will ask questions about any unusual features you have, or what your skills are, while others from the group try just as hard to shush them. Ultimately, they don’t seem that enthusiastic about having to capture you, but they also don’t seem to think they have much choice.

THE INNOCENT
Among rolling hills of flowers, at first it seems as if this shrine may not be visited at all. Before the arriving Aions can escape it, though - naked and weakened as they are - a group of fairly normal looking townsfolk will arrive. They pause as they spot you near the shrine, almost like they are hesitating about coming at all. In the end, they will converge upon you and ask for you to please cooperate. They won’t hurt you, as long as you come with them.

THE SEEKER
Armored soldiers are the ones to first pull you from the shrine, but as you arrive outside of it you'll see that it is situated at the edge of a great forest. An ancient observatory is build into the cliff face behind the shrine, and your captors are apparently in the process of negotiating with a series of robed individuals that have emerged from it. According to them, the soldiers kidnapping you are trespassing. Unfortunately, they are not the ones with weapons.

THE WANDERER
When you first emerge from the shrine, it will appear as if you have just missed a skirmish. There are a few bodies scattered about, all wearing woodland armor made of leather and fur. The victors, it seems, come in the form of fully armored soldiers. Thoroughly irritated by the fight that just happened, they will not waste time on niceties. If you try to ask them what just happened, the best you may get is a sneer about ‘those damn forest people.’ You may spot a couple more bodies on the trail leading out of the forest as well.

THE FIREBRAND
The first thing to be seen beyond the cavern entrance is a sheer drop into a raging canyon river far below you, with only a narrow path leading up the steep cliff face. It would be a difficult situation, even without black-cloaked warriors making their way down it to collect you. Struggle too much and you'll be at risk of being thrown into the chasm. These masked assailants are largely unmoved by your protests and will drag you the entire way up the cliff if you force them to. "Your soul will be claimed," they say.

THE VISIONARY
The view from the mouth of the cavern is awe inspiring, revealing the foreign shapes of a world you've never seen before. Unfortunately, the altitude of this shrine means you will also be greeted with sharp wind and biting cold. Fortunately, or not, a party of mountaineers and three black-cloaked warriors will arrive to collect you. Despite their seeming inability to defy the orders of the warriors, the mountaineers will toss you some shoes and blankets for the trek down, even if they are taken away from you later. If the warriors speak at all, it's mostly in the form of ominous utterances.

THE CHAMPION
Even if one were to stagger out of the shrine's cavern before being approached, the Aions arriving here will swiftly find themselves in a hopeless situation. Not only are there soldiers here to collect there is a moderately sized military barracks built around the shrine itself, and this particular squadron is not on your side. You will be swarmed before you can get far at all. There seems to be a mix of two squadrons here, some wearing heavy armor and red accents, while the others wear full face masks and dark cloaks.

Once you've been captured and pulled from the shrine, you will given a formless white gown made of moderately comfortable fabric, with sleeves reaching your elbows and its bottom reaching down past your knees. You will not be given pants or shoes. You're in for a journey, apparently - no matter who plucked you from the cave, most of the heavily armored soldiers in the prompts above will turn out to be 'Hylician soldiers', while the smaller number of black-robed warriors are referred to 'Achamites'. After the initial dealings with the shrines, all prisoners will be passed off to a squadron of Hylicians, though a few Achamites may follow along depending on the location.

Where are you all going? Back to Hylici, apparently.

WAITING
After you've been handed off to the the Hylician military, you have a long road ahead of you. Loaded up onto carts, and then eventually onto river borne boats, the people collected at the shrines will all be brought to a forest in the center of Horos. Along the way, the squadron ferrying you will combine with others from neighboring shrines, more and more captives arriving in your group the closer to your destination you get.

Along the way you will be fed and watered well enough (though only with military rations), and at night you will be given flimsy bedrolls to sleep around the fire with. Captives will be under constant watch by the Hylician guard, and anyone who shows any signs of resistance will be required to be bound by one of those magic whips, usually around the ankle or wrist. The rest of the trip is spent being pulled along in carts or the storage bays of boats. After the groups start converging, captives of the same legacy will not necessarily be kept together.

The final muster point of the Hylicians and their captives will be among forest ruins. For what purpose you have arrived they will not say, but the entire group will be camping there until preparations are complete. Sadly, you won't be allowed much space to explore - not without being bound and under watch. If you've behaved yourself it's possible to move about the central ruins, but only if the guards are confident they'll be able to wrangle you when necessary. It does allow for moderately private conversations along the pillars and walls of the ruins, but venturing out into the forest itself is definitely out of the question.

From beginning to end, characters will spent about two weeks in transit and waiting in the ruins. To what end is yet to be seen, but if you listen closely, you may hear whispers of a 'ritual space' being prepared.

QUESTIONS
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?
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 intial 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.

Can my character resist the influence of the whips?
Those possessed of particularly strong wills may be able to struggle with the whip's control in brief spurts, but not long enough to make a full escape attempt. They may be able to take an impotent swing at one of the guards or fight against being pulled along, though. Naturally, doing this will indicate to the Hylicians that you are a problem, and their handling of you will become harsher the more it occurs.

How cruel will the Hylicians be to the player characters?
The Hylician military are not friendly people and come across as being a bit callous even at the best of times. However, unless you provoke them, they will be primarily focused on just getting the job done with as few interruption as possible. If your character makes a habit of pissing them off, either by constantly fighting back or just by being persistently obnoxious, their treatment will get worse. If driven to it, they may take the opportunity to take out their frustrations on particularly troublesome prisoners, via physical punishment, humiliation, or deprivation.

salvageable: (pic#15423511)

[personal profile] salvageable 2022-02-15 02:51 am (UTC)(link)
[ A brief look of confusion flits across Dokja's face before realization dawns. He remembers the way the path he'd been on had split into two. There hadn't been any time to investigate the other one.

... Isn't there an opportunity now? ]


But you did take one of the two paths?
skirka: (t.)

[personal profile] skirka 2022-02-15 02:52 am (UTC)(link)
[ He rises, and her flickering gaze rises with him: although he is unfamiliar to her in appearance as much as allegiance, he could do considerable harm to a man if he put his mind to it. Most men can, regardless of whether or not they were raised to. The fact remains, however, that he is unarmed, and so the displeasure is still plain on her face. They are both at a glaring disadvantage should anyone come upon them.

And that assumes, anyway, that he will ally himself with her. He does not seem, at any rate, in a hurry to oppose her, to demand from her anything which she cannot give, although when she has not even a wisp of silk to call her own, what could be asked of her? That he makes no such demands is proof abundant that he does not know who she is.

She heaves a sigh at his woeful lack of sword, but then her attention sweeps after the name he gives her. She knows neither the House nor the kingdom. Where, then? A duke, he proclaims, and she measures him again, unable still to reconcile the image of him with a man of any repute. It does not seem so farfetched, given their circumstances, to assume that he will be made to prove himself sooner rather than later.

Offering forth her hand, she keeps her chin lifted as she exchanges her name for his own. In the absence of her usual fine raiment, pride will have to suffice as evidence of who she is. ]


Cersei, of House Lannister. My father will be tremendously indebted to you should you prove yourself trustworthy.

( ooc: it's totally up to you! i'm happy to follow your lead for whichever feels best! c: )
giantanimal: (cuff)

Damianos of Akielos | Captive Prince | Champion

[personal profile] giantanimal 2022-02-15 02:54 am (UTC)(link)
I

Three things are immediately apparent about Damianos: that he is extremely large (by which I mean tall and muscular, but yes, he is large in all ways), that he has a lot of scars (one on his shoulder, one near his stomach, and then a whole horrifying tapestry of them on his back), and that he is completely indifferent to the fact that he's naked.

That isn't to say he's happy with the situation. He'd much rather have some armor and a weapon. But he's not self conscious. He moves with a fighter's grace, eyes sharp and wary. Any new person who approaches he sizes up as a threat, and while he won't attack unless provoked, he won't let his guard down either. He's naked, not stupid.

Mostly, anyway. Anyone who appears in need of protecting, he'll protect as well as he can and as long as he can. Things being how they are here, that might not be long, but dammit, he'll try. Do him a favor and assure him later that you're all right. He doesn't need the extra guilt.

II

Damen's been a captive before. He spent months as a slave and learned the hard way that going along with the captors who have you outnumbered and overpowered is much smarter than fighting them. You might get your chance to run if you cooperate. You won't if they keep you chained.

So he fully intends to go with the soldiers without a fight. Right up until he hears the crack of the whip and his vision whites out.

The next few moments are marked with a lot of violence, but when Damen comes back into himself, he seems hardly aware of what just happened. What's clear is that several soldiers are on the ground, and several more have whips around him. On his neck, on both arms, around his waist, on one leg. The soldiers are shouting, pulling on the ropes, but Damen isn't struggling. Not anymore. He can't. It's frustrating as all hell.

Later, he'll learn that his rage and panic kept him moving even when the magic whip first connected with him. The soldiers don't know whether they needed the extra whips or if it was just a matter of timing and letting him burn out.

III

They aren't taking any chances, either way. They keep him tied up with at least one whip at all times, hands lashed together except when he needs to eat or bathe, and they keep him under heavy guard when that happens. When they move, he's lashed by his wrists or neck to keep moving behind the cart. From what he can see of other resistant prisoners, he doesn't need to be half this trussed up. He's been marked as a problem, and they're treating him as such. Great. At least it's nothing new. He can survive this. He survived Arles. How much worse could it be?

"I won't run away," he tells one of the guards as they bind his hands together again.

They give him a hard look. "We know. Because you can't."

He doesn't mind the army rations or the thin bedroll. He may be a king, but he's Akielon, and he's also been a soldier and a slave. He can make do without luxuries. He would very much like to not be tied up anymore, though.

When the guards aren't directly supervising him he trains himself to resist the power of the whip. It's slow going, especially as he can only do it when there's no guards paying attention but sometimes, sometimes he can break free, just for a moment.

A moment can be enough, though, if he picks the right one.
Edited 2022-02-15 03:54 (UTC)
coupris: (it's a shame)

[personal profile] coupris 2022-02-15 02:54 am (UTC)(link)
[Kim endures the berating from Gen as stoically as he has from the guards. He waits until it passes, not bothering to interrupt. As irritating as it was to listen to kids like this, sometimes it was all they really wanted.]

I don't know. But that's the problem. If more and more people fight back, we don't know how they're capable of retaliating.

[Home is a city where older buildings are still riddled with bullet holes from firing squads. His mind has slipped towards darker possibilities.

Some of the other captives are horrifically young to be going through this. They don't deserve a worse fate in order for him to fulfill petty revenge fantasies.]
coerthantorment: (70)

[personal profile] coerthantorment 2022-02-15 02:54 am (UTC)(link)
[The difference between justice and vengeance is fine and, sometimes, nearly immaterial. Yet, despite the wisdom he's fought so hard for, he needs something. Like a day far in his past, he again finds himself in the ashes, looking towards a future that may have nothing left for him but retribution. It's not certain yet, no - unlike before, he has not seen the bodies, and he does not yet know who to blame.

Yet, he has to have recourse, in the even that there is no solving this problem. He needs a reason to keep living, even if what is broken cannot be fixed. If he doesn't one, he may as well surrender now. He's learned, he tries to reassure himself. He's better now. He will claim only those responsible.

Even if he can sense the folly in his own thoughts, he can't bear to forbid himself this one indulgence. After all, she's right, isn't she? The conqueror thrives on the despair of the conquered.]


...These whips are what deny us. [He keeps his voice low as well. Rather than swear any oath, he will share his own thoughts of rebellion. It seems more meaningful, to him.] Yet, I see no reason they could not be blocked as any other weapon, were we to fashion defenses. That which could serve as a shield, mayhap.
immunisation: (pic#15473101)

[personal profile] immunisation 2022-02-15 02:55 am (UTC)(link)
[ 'Kind of green,' he says -- well, that answers that. That sucks; it's got to make a crap situation a lot harder to navigate when you're flying blind. He's handling it a lot better than most would, she thinks. Props to him. ]

Yeah? Kind of thinking the same thing right now.

[ It isn't particularly hard to imagine he's thinking of a city in particular when he says that, and she gets it. She misses Jackson; she misses home. She's guessing this guy is feeling the same sort of out of sorts she is after all the weird dream bullshit before their long journey across wherever the hell they were to wherever the hell they are, now. Home has never felt so far away. ]

Yeah, no... I'm good. [ A tentative, sidelong glance to get a good look at him, then: ] Are you? Those assholes have been extra asshole when you're around.
vivificantem: (023. nearer to thee)

[personal profile] vivificantem 2022-02-15 03:00 am (UTC)(link)
Believe me, I understand. I would say that I chose a terrible day to stop drinking, but they don't seem to be allowing any of us our vices. So I doubt I'm the only one.

[Not fully accurate, but it might as well be. Close enough, anyway.]

We don't seem much closer to this being resolved, either.
apathie: (015)

[personal profile] apathie 2022-02-15 03:01 am (UTC)(link)
Hmm. [nehan is unbothered by the way the human snaps at him in favor of examining his body, noting the injuries, the bruises. they really did a number on him, which means this man decided to use his teeth in a very overt way.

then the erune crouches down, unbothered by the way it makes his gown hike up his legs.]


People like that never do. And if they ever tire, they outnumber us. It's much more prudent to wait and see.
salvageable: (pic#15332068)

[personal profile] salvageable 2022-02-15 03:06 am (UTC)(link)
[ The deliberate calmness he puts on collapses for a moment, and Dokja's eyes shake at the question. The clatter of wheels, an empty subway, a guilt that had punctured his heart and eaten away at him, little bits at a time until—

It's the harsh sound of his own breathing that pulls him out of it. Trembling fingers reach up to squeeze at his eyes. Fuck, in front of a complete stranger too. He hates how vulnerable he is without the Fourth Wall. ]


I...

[ He'd been talking so well before. Get it together. ]

I was reading. On the subway. I was reading on the subway and then I think I fell asleep.
aquaveiled: (himeka-381)

[personal profile] aquaveiled 2022-02-15 03:06 am (UTC)(link)
The confirmation is exactly what she needs. Himeka's shoulders relax a little as she nods in agreement. They definitely would not have been dragged this far if only a portion of the people she's meet had access to their normal powers, Himeka not even included.

"We may be better off," she says, casting her gaze back across the room. Guards appointed about, but most choosing to ignore their charges unless someone decides to fuss. Considering the lengths they went through to bring everyone here, it does strike her as odd. What are they waiting for?

Instead, she shifts her attention back to Meteion.

"What have you seen?"
vivificantem: (016. there let the way appear)

[personal profile] vivificantem 2022-02-15 03:08 am (UTC)(link)
I'll keep that in mind. For now, our relationship is at about the level of "I comply when it matters." We seem to like it that way.

[It isn't serious, but neither is it derisive at her expense. A shared sort of understanding, perhaps; there's nothing in doing this for him, but neither is there anything in not doing it.]

Either way, you seem to be having a rougher time than I am.
coerthantorment: (14)

[personal profile] coerthantorment 2022-02-15 03:09 am (UTC)(link)
It's true that Estinien lurching towards her has the guards watching from a distance, almost as if it's a spectator's sport. Why they haven't stopped him already isn't clear. Maybe they wanted an excuse to give him another beating or to string him up for the night, all in the name of stopping a fight between prisoners.

She is succeeding, despite everything, if only because it's hard to keep being aggressive towards someone who looks and behaves as she does. She looks like a child, no matter how powerful she had become, and so far all she's done is express concern for him. He feels the tug of the whip still lashes around his ankle, and glances warily back towards the soldiers, no muttering amongst themselves.

Another pang of humiliation going through his chest, he looks back towards the firepit and sits. He can't keep weakening himself with such futile rebellion, no matter how much it hurts him to obey his keepers like a dog. He knows what the alternatives are - he's been living them.

"...Tell me," he says, after a moment. "Are you the Meteion we met?"
coupris: (I see a thousand people)

[personal profile] coupris 2022-02-15 03:10 am (UTC)(link)
They've been providing a thrilling revisit of the high school experience.

[It's so deadpan it almost doesn't sound like a joke at all. Kim shrugs; he hasn't bothered trying to explain what glasses are to them. The comfort of the captives seems to be the last thing on their minds.]

I fought them at first. [Kim doesn't look like much, but he can hold his own in a scrap. Before they caught him in the whip, he'd definitely managed to break a nose.] Though I suspect their egos were bruised by it more than anything else.

moiraine damodred | the wheel of time | the champion

[personal profile] velvetoversteel 2022-02-15 03:14 am (UTC)(link)
i. waiting
[ It is not an entirely unfamiliar feeling, being unable to touch the True Source -- but that does not make it a pleasant one. There is not, for a mercy, a sense of being entirely cut off -- saidar is there, but lingering just out of Moiraine's reach. She cannot channel even the simplest of weaves, and even if she could, what would she do? Her life is not in danger, at least not by any means she can sense; her captors are cold, but do not seem inclined to brutalize her.

She does what she is told after some initial resistance acquaints her with one of the whips, a binding akin to a Compulsion weave. Her Warder is not here to defend her with his blade, she is surrounded by armed soldiers, and Moiraine is herself unarmed and clothed in naught more than a thin white shift. She has never taken especially well to being ordered about, but allows it only now because it seems the most practical thing to do while she considers her options. This is not what she expected, but the Pattern weaves in many ways one does not expect. It is what she tells herself, to keep her mind off of the vision of her own world's destruction she witnessed before arriving here. (It cannot be true, she reasons; besides the fact that there might be many reasons to have her believe her world is dead, Moiraine has never been especially gifted in Foretelling.)

There are others, more white-clothed people in similar straits as herself, and perhaps in such a time it might do her well to make acquaintances, if not yet friends or allies. She approaches someone who looks as if they have been particularly ill-treated by their captors, or who even simply looks lost or distressed. ]


This will not last. [ She pitches the words to sound reassuring, a certainty in her voice and bearing that she only partly feels. ] I imagine we are of some value to them.

[ Or they would already have killed us are the words she leaves hanging in the air. ]


ii. wildcard
( hit me up! Moiraine is mostly TV canon with some book stuff sprinkled in for flavor/backstory. PMs are welcome for discussion if you like c: )
hurricaneofblood: ([teasing] anyway)

[personal profile] hurricaneofblood 2022-02-15 03:14 am (UTC)(link)
[ In response to the tone shift, he holds his hands up and wiggles his fingers but says nothing else. The gesture itself is non-verbally saying "someone's touchy" but also willing to let it go since it does seems to be a sore issue. ]

Not for you.

[ Flamebringer gives a smile. ] I'm going to die with a sword in my hand. [ Flexing his fingers a few times, he sighs at how empty they feel without the cold steel against his palms. ] But since they've deprived me of that much, I'm still gonna die how I see fit. [ A beat. ] And they'll get to know the horrors of being an Infected.

For worrying about me, I'm giving you this warning. It's the best I can do.
vivificantem: (023. nearer to thee)

[personal profile] vivificantem 2022-02-15 03:16 am (UTC)(link)
[Already, this is going well.

He can't say whether this is going to go terribly because of or despite her; either way, he bears no argument - it's a tone he isn't unfamiliar with, overall, the sort of thing that expects to be listened to. It's how he imagines Bev would sound if she didn't fear Hell quite as much as she does.]


Somehow, I imagine there's anything here we would stand a chance against, armed or otherwise.

[Seeing as, at present, it's difficult for him to deny that this is the equivalent of being revived and then immediately forsaken altogether by God.

Anyway. Path of darkness it is. Let's go.]
vivificantem: (001. nearer to thee)

[personal profile] vivificantem 2022-02-15 03:18 am (UTC)(link)
[This is going to be a mess, isn't it. He remains patient, in that way that someone would remain calm in the face of a storm, or perhaps just an impending shitshow.]

We have no such thing.
coupris: (just like me)

[personal profile] coupris 2022-02-15 03:18 am (UTC)(link)
[He might catch a smile ghost across Kim's face at that remark, like he's remembering it from someone else.]

For once, I may not turn that down either. Though I doubt they want me any more impaired.

[He murmurs in agreement, and looks around for any of the shapes he's learned to recognize as the guards.]

It would be nice to know what we're even resolving, at that.
sobored: (What a Hopeless Conversation)

waiting

[personal profile] sobored 2022-02-15 03:18 am (UTC)(link)
[...oh.

This wasn't expected at all, so for a moment, Junko's emotions just kind of, not go every which way, but in one very particular way that's so very her. Of all the places to run into a familiar face even if Junko herself might not be the most familiar face, it's hopeless really, especially given...well, a number of things that she won't dwell on for too long because that'll just create more problems if she gets carried away with her thoughts.]


We can split it if you want, you probably need it too, right?

[She's not going to outright decline, then she gets the feeling it'll just end up with someone else, so this is really the best option, right? As much as it could be considered the best anyways, also kind of hopeless to expect a better outcome here.]

And it's like...not that they're really being generous, but it's not like either of us know when they might decide to cut back or stop handing out meals. So nobody should probably go without.
passio: (pic#6016918)

[personal profile] passio 2022-02-15 03:20 am (UTC)(link)
[ dextera naturally stoops a little when she whispers to him, since even with his poor posture he’s taller than her. having her speak to him normally, almost as if they’re already friends, goes a way in helping him to be less overwhelmed by her sudden presence. ]



[ he nods, and since he’s unable to tell her any words of reassurance, he… awkwardly pats her arm. ]
sweetsong: do not take any. ty. (31b)

[personal profile] sweetsong 2022-02-15 03:21 am (UTC)(link)
... it's a little scary, isn't it.

[ mostly mumbling to himself. this guy doesn't seem as intimidated by the situation. ]

Um. Sorry if this is rude, but... are those real?

[ those ears. nehan's ears. ]
vivificantem: (001. nearer to thee)

[personal profile] vivificantem 2022-02-15 03:25 am (UTC)(link)
I've heard murmurings of some sort of ritual or sacrifice, though I don't know about that one. But then, my own religion hasn't required physical sacrifice in quite some time, and it's not like I'm an authority on theirs.

[He shrugs a bit.]

It will be whatever it's going to be. Not that I like the whole sacrifice idea, but it would be an answer.
hurricaneofblood: ([thoughtful] it doesn't hurt)

:D

[personal profile] hurricaneofblood 2022-02-15 03:25 am (UTC)(link)
Me either.

[ He lets out a hollow laugh. Those blades were almost like an extension of himself, and he feels more naked without them than when he broke free. ]

They got no fondness for me, but it seems those feelings are only directed to me. [ Which is to say, he's somewhat impressed that they're "disciplined" enough to only directed their ire on those that have caused them strife and no one else. It might turn out to be some psychological mind game later, but for now, Flamebringer can appreciate the sins of one person is just one person's sins. ]

Still, don't worry about it. It'll heal eventually. [ He waves his hand slightly. ] Thank you. [ The thanks is directed more at the bread that he finally takes. It's soft enough that it won't hurt to eat, at least. ]

I hope that they'll let me test your skills before... whatever happens. [ Flamebringer had initially believed they are going to be recruited; it made sense to him. Why keep a band of misfits alive? Especially those that came from "nowhere?" It made more sense that they were being dragged out to be forced to enlist in their military. But maybe that's just the Sarkaz in him talking. ]
perfectlygoodbird: (I don't want to see)

[personal profile] perfectlygoodbird 2022-02-15 03:27 am (UTC)(link)
"Heard, more than seen," Meteion says. She isn't causing a fuss, letting both her smaller size and youthful looks to camouflage herself--similar to a little bird, hiding as the predator flies over. It's a deceit she's not truly used to, but whatever works.

She pitches her voice low, now. "There are those who keep whispering of a 'ritual space'. I do not entirely understand..." Not that that's a great surprise--the Ancients (or Ascians, if one prefers) were paragons of creation magick, but in their heyday, they needed no ritual.

"It does seem, though, that we have all been collected for...some purpose." What that was, however, the entelechy could not say.
coupris: (that will bring me luck)

[personal profile] coupris 2022-02-15 03:31 am (UTC)(link)
I've considered the possibility. [Morbid as it is.]

Their treatment of us doesn't add up, though. Not for something like that.

[Kim idly taps his foot against the ground, more nervous habit than anything.]

They seem afraid of us.