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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.

sweetsong: do not take any. ty. (120)

[personal profile] sweetsong 2022-02-17 06:12 pm (UTC)(link)
Okay.

[ well nehan, your current companion does actually take the question to heart and is slightly emboldened to actually ask the question? as robin approaches, none of the guards actually look frightened by the pink haired boy, who still finds it within himself to smile as he inquires.

the guards shake their heads. they point the whips threateningly, and then robin immediately goes back to nehan and takes his seat back on the ground, back against the ruins. ]


... they told me to shut up, sit back down, and wait until it's time. Or they'll hit me.
insincure: (♚ sorrow)

[personal profile] insincure 2022-02-17 06:13 pm (UTC)(link)
[Unlike a Totally Canon event scene, there's no humor in this situation. Orwin flops his arm back to his side and slumps further down the log he's been using as back support. What happened is still very raw and heavy on his heart, and that's not even including the world-ending dream he just went through. He'd like nothing more than to not retell this story- to avoid talking about it at all costs. But that's not going to get him anywhere.]

You guys came to Toshimina lookin' for a way to get into the royal library, and I figured I'd lend a hand. [More like he got bullied into it to make up for being an asshole to Kanata, but details.] But that got put on hold, 'cause we had to deal with a monster breaking into the city at night and attacking people.

Naya, my wife, she- [His breath briefly catches in his throat getting to this part, but he soldiers on.] She was a monster that could maintain a human form. I stupidly thought...that it was her doin' all of this. I did everything I could to stop you guys from attacking her- said I could handle it myself. But it wasn't even her. It was someone like her.

She got mortally wounded protecting us from it, and wanted to die as herself instead of her monster form, so I... [He squeezes his eyes shut, fists tightening.] I honored her wish. I finished her off.

[And if that wasn't bad enough...]

My daughter saw it happen. She didn't know why it was happening, just that her worthless father killed her mother right in front of her. You can probably guess how it went from there.
sweetsong: do not take any. ty. (17e)

i

[personal profile] sweetsong 2022-02-17 06:14 pm (UTC)(link)
Nii-san?

[ no way, he must be dreaming? this all certainly has the makings of a very bad dream. waking up in some weird fleshy pod thing that also seems very solid--- to the point where one particular piece of it is sticking deep inside of his left shoulder. a place that isn't the floor of eve's room OR his own? or the couch downstairs, or sometimes even ange's room... ]

Nii-san! It's you!

[ sadly robin doesn't have the energy to pounce on his brother, but he'll do his best to... sort of collapse on him instead. ]

Do you know where we are?
salvageable: (pic#15344886)

[personal profile] salvageable 2022-02-17 06:30 pm (UTC)(link)
[ The corner of his lip drifts up at the slight laugh. It's silly to try and find anything funny about their current situation, but maybe they're both that desperate.

And if it helps any, Dokja's own body bears a multitude of scars, many of them scattered across his hands. To him, they're parts of a story, and while his gaze lightly touches upon the stranger's own, they pass over without question.

It's not a story that belongs to him. ]


By the way, I'm Kim Dokja.
hippocarnival: (✮ 221 ✮)

[personal profile] hippocarnival 2022-02-17 06:30 pm (UTC)(link)
Yuya starts feeling his face, like he's going to find some alarming growth or something he didn't realize was there. He hasn't exactly had any mirrors to look into. "I look human, don't I?"
lyorning: (Default)

Waiting

[personal profile] lyorning 2022-02-17 06:46 pm (UTC)(link)
[Spock was a curiosity. He clearly was not of a people Aerich recognized -- there was more than a little resemblance to Easterners, but the ears were far more characteristic of some of Aerich's own people, and something about his complexion suggested neither. The composure is also striking, especially for a person who is normally quite restrained himself (and is currently highly unsettled given events surrounding his arrival).]

[Spock himself might notice the man resembles a baseline human, save for a height that is extraordinary, some accompanying differences in physiology that make it likely he is not suffering from poor health due to his size, a lack of facial hair, and a rather different ear shape. And, despite a darker complexion, a skin tone that suggests he did not spend much time in sunlight.]

[Aerich matched Spock's tone.]

This is not my world. The study of other planes is not my expertise. Thus, I can offer no guidance as to the intentions of our captors. But they spoke of a 'ritual space'.

[It could simply be superstition. It could be whatever passed for magic here, cloaked in local superstition. It could involve beings treated like gods on this plane. There were too many unknowns, and their captors were not forthcoming.]
Edited 2022-02-17 18:46 (UTC)
salvageable: (pic#15332055)

[personal profile] salvageable 2022-02-17 06:59 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Bossy...

But hey, isn't Dokja showing too much of his hand? He doesn't know what sort of world this is, and he's woken up with a complete stranger whose name still hasn't been told to him. Ah, he's too caught up in the strangeness of it all to keep his head straight, the dream from before still taking up an unreasonable amount of room in his unprotected mind. ]


Tell me your name if you want an explanation.

[ Two can play at the ordering other people around game!! ]
galdorleod: ([blond] leaving)

[personal profile] galdorleod 2022-02-17 07:06 pm (UTC)(link)
"Would that I could tell you," Howl answers gently. The twinge of discomfort that the stranger showed when he touched him did not go unnoticed; he keeps his hands to himself now as the man tries to get his bearings. Howl has his own discomfort to deal with now, anyway.

"We appear to be in some sort of... cave?" he says as he sits on the stone floor to check the bottom on his foot. It's still damp from his own hatching, but aside from some redness, the skin isn't broken. What a relief.

"Are you hurt," he asks as he sits back up. He'll try his first question again.
bloodsins: (💥 10)

[personal profile] bloodsins 2022-02-17 07:23 pm (UTC)(link)
Believe me, I'd have done it already if I could. Seems wakin' up here's caused all sorts of problems, though.

[He miss his powers so much...]
bloodsins: (💥 73)

[personal profile] bloodsins 2022-02-17 07:31 pm (UTC)(link)
[What the hell is a Toshimina. It must be a place but man, he knows nothing about locations. Maybe this is why it took him so long to find the Nation of Sin. But Orwin continues before he can even stop to wonder what the hell he was doing anywhere near the vicinity of a library, let alone a royal one, and the story Orwin lays out is all sorts of horrid. It's not even slightly surprising though, given the state of the world - it's why he's been so damn adamant about burning it all down.

But... it sounds like maybe somewhere along the line, things changed. The Nation of Sin isn't what he wants it to be and the people there aren't the matches he was so desperately seeking to start a fire, so maybe...

Well, that doesn't matter right now. What does matter is that he should probably say something in response to all of that.]


Yeah, I can. No need to explain that part.

[Orwin chose to own his sin. That's the most important part of all of this.]

What's the last thing you remember before... [vague gesture] wakin' up here, I guess. You don't have a damn clue how we ended up here either, do you?

[Expressing sympathy for what happened isn't his way. It'd be insincere and throwing a more generic "well that sucks" out there feels mocking. He understands the gravity of the situation, but that doesn't mean it's a unique one. Their world is a cruel and unfair one, and Orwin's story is just one of many. In some ways, he's luckier than a lot of people who have been condemned and never given another chance. So he'll leave it at that - he's heard, he believes it, and it's absolute crap, but he's not going to pretend like he understands when he really doesn't and probably never will.]
brutallyefficient: (Well)

[personal profile] brutallyefficient 2022-02-17 07:43 pm (UTC)(link)
[ The question earns a quizzical look of its own. Running into someone who doesn't have a grasp on androids is...jarring. Almost everyone knew about such details where he's from. ]

The most basic requirement is a substance called Thirium, but it doesn't need to be administered unless the android has received some kind of severe physical damage. If they manage to avoid being damaged, androids are self-sustaining throughout the entirety of time they are in use.
hippocarnival: (✮ 187 ✮)

[personal profile] hippocarnival 2022-02-17 07:54 pm (UTC)(link)
Yeah... maybe they will. [They can't be good, because he's still been deprived of his home. His family. But maybe they won't all get sacrificed on a rock or something.

He rests his arms over his knees.]
Can I ask what happened when you woke up here?
insincure: (♚ neutral)

[personal profile] insincure 2022-02-17 07:57 pm (UTC)(link)
...Good.

[The way Vicious responds is honestly all Orwin really wants anyway. The less they linger on the subject, the better. There's no way for Orwin to express in words how Vicious saved his life in more ways than one that horrible night, but he's satisfied enough that Vicious at least knows the gist of things now.

He scratches at the back of his head as he searches his memories once again.]


Just fallin' asleep, really. We were on the run after everything that happened in the city, so it was a lotta campin' out in the woods. I figured I'd be havin' nightmares after all that, but this one was...way too realistic. I walked down a dark path, and in that darkness I saw our world was fallin' apart. There was nothing anyone could do about it.

[He figures that part's way more relevant to Vicious than the other things he experienced in that nightmare. Reliving his worst moments, all of his failures, the look in Aura's eyes when she saw what he had done...]
hippocarnival: (✮ 144 ✮)

[personal profile] hippocarnival 2022-02-17 08:22 pm (UTC)(link)
Yuya lets the silence fall between them, for a minute, chewing on bread while he watches Estinien... expectantly.

When nothing seems to be happening, he swallows what he's chewing. "Uh, what's your name?"
coerthantorment: (65)

[personal profile] coerthantorment 2022-02-17 08:35 pm (UTC)(link)
[He gives it serious thought before answering, which may come across as evidence that he's not simply blustering. He does truly believe that he could best the average soldier, even without armor or his powers. More than one, even, with a decent enough weapon. At full strength he could take on entire hordes of beasts far more savage than regular men, after all.

He's trained his entire life for this sort of thing, and for wilderness survival as well. It's what he'd been planning to do if he managed to escape any of the other times he's attempted it - find a weapon, hunt, and then follow the trail of their captors. His main concern here is that, were he alone to slip away, he wouldn't be able to come back fast enough to save the others from whatever is about to happen.

He would feel at ill-ease leaving anyone behind, though he's pragmatic enough to recognize a lost cause when he sees one.]


A sturdy enough length of wood would do, sharpened to a point. Not uncommon in woods like these, I'd expect.

[Far from ideal, and not enough to take on more than a subsection of their captors, but enough to make a tactical strike or two. His lack of armor and reduced agility is a concern, but he trusts in his skills.]

As for the fools... they're clearly on orders. If you could determine who they are working for, and how dedicated they are to the cause... it'd be a place to start, at least.

[He huffs softly.]

Though in my experience, they're not very talkative.
mountaindemon: (☯ DISCUSSION)

[personal profile] mountaindemon 2022-02-17 08:39 pm (UTC)(link)
Yes, it has. Still, they tempt fate by their own actions.

If they believe there will be no further resistence, they will be finding themselves regreting the thought the very day they die.

[ He too misses his powers greatly. To be bereft of them is incredibly agitating. ]
coerthantorment: (38)

[personal profile] coerthantorment 2022-02-17 08:40 pm (UTC)(link)
[Estinien scoffs, looking away from Nox dismissively. 'Not dead' is an oversimplification. It feels more like they were dead and have not been brought back to life. There's meaning to that, he feels.

He doesn't say anything for a while, but then:]


How is it that you speak of the Twelve? Do you hail from Eorzea? You have the face of a goblin, at least.
evilsong: (pic#)

[personal profile] evilsong 2022-02-17 09:02 pm (UTC)(link)
( She looks… like some kind of monster? It gives him a pause. As much as he’s dealt with the darker sides of life for the past ten years, he can’t say he’s ever seen something quite like her. Or is that just because vampires choose other forms when they feel like it?

Either way, he pauses, then shoves insistently at his food. )


This stuff’s gross. I don’t need it, so just don’t ask about that and take it, okay?

( He hasn’t seen the red moon here, but he’s still afraid to say anything too direct. How to say you’re a vampire without saying it… )

Have you found out anything about what’s going on? I don’t even know where we’re going or why.
bloodsins: (💥 93)

[personal profile] bloodsins 2022-02-17 09:28 pm (UTC)(link)
I saw something similar. And then eventually it just... stopped. Like there was nothin' left.

[Even the anger and hatred was burnt out and without that... well, who the hell is he without that?]

Didn't see you, though. So I'm guessin' something happened and that's why my memories ain't matchin' up.

[Not that it'd be the first time his memories haven't been the most reliable, and given how unconcerned he is about the whole thing, Vicious can accept that.]

'Course, I saw the end of the world as I remembered it - so at the very least what I saw probably wasn't real, since it wouldn't match up with what you saw.

[Whether that's a comfort or not remains to be seen. It could be that all of this was fabricated... or it could be that it was just his version of events and the world is still destroyed. Who knows, he sure doesn't.]
bloodsins: (💥 13)

[personal profile] bloodsins 2022-02-17 09:29 pm (UTC)(link)
Wouldn't be surprised if they ain't thinkin' 'bout us at all. Most of us are pretty weak right now, so they probably think it won't come back to bite 'em. If you're gonna hunt 'em down after all this is over, have fun.

[That's not even sarcastic, legit have a good time with getting your revenge, revenge is fun!!]
intermingled: ([malagraphic]Nl8oBNz)

[personal profile] intermingled 2022-02-17 10:24 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Spock nods, but he is unfamiliar with this empire in particular. Still, there are many other empires he knows of that would likely do similar if they could, the Klingons in particular might wear it as a badge of honor to destroy a culture they see as lesser. ]

Perhaps we are not in a position right now, but things may change.

[ He doesn't know what is wanted from them, but he doesn't intend to allow himself to be used for ill nor will he lie down as others are used in that manner. ]
vivificantem: (040. there in my father's home)

[personal profile] vivificantem 2022-02-17 10:26 pm (UTC)(link)
[That gets a soft noise out of him, at least; again, if it's derisive at all, it isn't in her direction.]

If ever a circumstance warranted intercession, this would probably be it.

[The politest "this is a shitshow" he can muster right now.]

For now, I'm simply doing what I think He would want me to do in this situation. I can draw strength from that, at least.
vivificantem: (034. sun moon and stars forgot)

[personal profile] vivificantem 2022-02-17 10:30 pm (UTC)(link)
[Huh. Speaking of expecting a harsher response, he's somewhat surprised when this one isn't; he's not going to look a gift horse in the mouth, mind you, he'll take what he can get, even if he isn't explicitly one to demand gratitude.

Not quite the sort of person that would apologize if you dropped soup in his lap, but just from general demeanor, he's possibly getting up there.

The question, though...]


...I've been doing it when I can. So it's possible, yes.
intermingled: ([malagraphic]Nl8oBNz)

[personal profile] intermingled 2022-02-17 10:31 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Spock doesn't seem to get much attention from the guards until he's already returning with a stick that he's tested with his own weight. It seems firm enough and if it supports Spock's denser mass, then logic reasons that a human's weight shouldn't strain it.

A guard approaches him, hand on the hilt of his weapon, but Spock doesn't react to him at all.
]

It's a walking stick for my companion. If I wanted to be fighting you, I would not use a stick.

[ Perhaps it is not the most comforting thing he could have said, but it is the truth and the guard seems confused enough to leave him to it, so he brings it back to Viktor with his eyebrow raised. ]
vivificantem: (029. nearer my god to thee!)

[personal profile] vivificantem 2022-02-17 10:35 pm (UTC)(link)
[And that is disquieting - the answer, and the fact that everyone seems to have experienced something similar. The loss of reassurance that he wasn't even fully aware he was seeking hits hard; his eyes slide closed, and he finds his hand following the sign of the cross. Just quickly, and not pronounced, but it's definitely there.]

If that's true, then we've suffered far more than I'd hoped.