aionmods: (Default)
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.

coerthantorment: (64)

[personal profile] coerthantorment 2022-02-14 12:30 am (UTC)(link)
The soldiers at least seem to be somewhat permissive of the prisoners who haven't been making trouble - Yuya's relative age and size also probably helps to present him as nonthreatening. As it is, no one moves to get in his way when he ventures over to Estinien's side. At least, not yet.

For Estinien's part, he takes only a moment to rouse from his exhausted stupor, cracking open one blue eye to see who it is. Ah. A boy... and one with poor choice in friends.

"I'll make due," he murmurs, his voice an indistinct rumble. The answer seems pretty clear: he didn't, but he also doesn't want to be seen begging by the guards.
lachtara: (Knowledge)

[personal profile] lachtara 2022-02-14 12:31 am (UTC)(link)
"One thing." He says, implying there are plenty others. What is worse, the crippling amount of exhaustion he feels or the incessant teasing at his expense? He can't quite decide.

The willingness of this hero to lend their aid after he's spent so long undermining their cause seems... strange...but he's in no condition to refuse help. Therefore, Emet-Selch stands up as straight as his strength allows and motions ahead with a tired hand. "Go on then, lead the way."
dancinglight: DNS (Default)

[personal profile] dancinglight 2022-02-14 12:32 am (UTC)(link)
Ouch. He had made that clear enough back then when she was struggling to hold in the light, but she'd be lying if she said she was completely coherent at that moment. She was having a hard enough time trying to keep the light trapped inside her at the time. But his answer was to be expected.

"To come up with a solution, we had to understand what happened in the past. All of our leads led to speaking to Hydaelyn once more. She was out of reach, but there was one person left we could contact that wasn't gone yet, just sealed up within the Tower at the First," she explained.

"Elidibus. He used what power he had left to transport me back to seek out a man named 'Hermes'. He also advised not to do anything to upset the balance of time but well...," a light sigh, "Venat was able to easily see to that upon seeing me. Said I was blessed with her magic."
affal: (116)

i'm just so happy to see he is recognized by someone!! ;w;

[personal profile] affal 2022-02-14 12:36 am (UTC)(link)
( makoto stares back at him just as readily, not once allowing a crack or lapse in his smooth, affable veneer. call it a habit left over from navigating the social hierarchy of demons, even if this stranger is as human as they come — he can tell easily enough, even with his sense that would be able to tell him without fail temporarily quashed.

why? because he reminds him of some of the kids he'd gone to school with, back when he had been human himself. they were not kind or enjoyable memories. it's with some effort that makoto keeps his smile from gaining more of a sharp, antagonistic edge. )


Hm. I thought as much, as well. ( though his tone of voice seems to disagree — that he's either conceding this to him or mocking him.

he's been keeping tabs on all of the other captives in the camp, but it's true that gen has drawn his attention more than others have. the aforementioned faux-familiarity aside, he's his own age, which is a similarity he rarely gets to enjoy in hell. this stranger had grappled with their untenable situation in a way that makoto had found as honest as it was stupid: fighting with the guards would only garner bruises and blood, as he sported now, or the embarrassment of one of those whips dousing the fire of your indignation. still, those actions had seemed more genuine than what he says now. really, the answer doesn't matter — it's all baseless speculation. he just wants to hear the first things that come to people's minds, allowing it to paint in their silhouettes with unique, individual context.

the perceived defensiveness of the question just makes his smile broader. )
Is curiosity a crime? ( he makes a show of shrugging his shoulders, sighing. ) It's not as though there's much we can do in this situation. Having some idea of what they intend to do with us is just about as much as we can.
vivificantem: (001. nearer to thee)

[personal profile] vivificantem 2022-02-14 12:37 am (UTC)(link)
[Perhaps that's why he offers, today - because in times like these, those that are without have a tendency to gravitate. And whether aether or faith, there's something about this place that lends itself rather well to feeling cut off.

Prayer over rations is something that comes easily; whether his mind is completely in it or not, whether he doubts, his heart remains as steadfast as it can. It isn't to consecrate, but rather just an expression of gratitude before he passes it on.]


It's good of you to ask. But no, I'm sure - I'll be fine for the time being.
epiprocta: (58)

ii

[personal profile] epiprocta 2022-02-14 12:41 am (UTC)(link)
[ He'd been staring out into the darkness of the woods, nursing his own bruises from tousling with the guards yet again, but Gen glances over the moment he hears footsteps approaching. And while Kim almost certainly can't see the reaction he elicits, he might be able to feel the quiet stare that fixes on him, so unsubtle that it prickles at the skin.

It's not like Gen's been keeping meticulous track of the other people in this miserable encampment, but Kim had left a bit of an impression on him that day they'd been dragged out of the cave. Not many others fought as ferociously as this guy did, after all, and Gen had held a very slight, grudging respect for that level of tenacity. And while it did mean he'd been disappointed to see the guy go quiet afterwards ... well, whatever. Figures most people here give up eventually. ]


Fat load of nothing is what it is.

[ Gen finally breaks his stare to give that muttered response, trying to see what's so great about the darkness of the forest. It's just trees. ]

You never seen a forest before?
lyorning: (Default)

[personal profile] lyorning 2022-02-14 12:48 am (UTC)(link)
Aerich nodded. His own thoughts were of the mist-clouded base of a waterfall, not one he had ever seen. "It was not what I was taught to expect of the Paths of the Dead. Nor was the company, if you will pardon me saying so."

And standing here, it is hard to disapprove.
coerthantorment: (42)

[personal profile] coerthantorment 2022-02-14 12:48 am (UTC)(link)
"Nay... It could not be..."

His stomach turns, leaving him feeling even more ill than he did when he first 'hatched'. Thinking about what he saw, even for a moment, brings it all rushing back - the despair of loss, more inescapable than what they faced in Ultima Thule.

It couldn't be real. Not after they were so close to finally having peace...

It's at this point that one of the warriors escorting them seems to tire of the delay. They pull on the cord binding Estinien, and in a moment of distress, he pulls back and growls. Of course, that resistance doesn't last for long. After the first tug, Estinien can feel the will of his holder channeled through the leash.

He's yanked forward, falling straight into Emet Selch.
aquaveiled: (himeka-396)

I GOT YOU BB

[personal profile] aquaveiled 2022-02-14 12:53 am (UTC)(link)
She gets more than a few grumbles in her direction for the sudden outburst, but given that she is running to the boats rather than away from them, the soldiers seem to only watch her next actions. That is until she tries to climb up onto them, once she sees how Estinien is restrained.

"Hold it there--"

One of the soldiers puts their arm out, sword in hand.

"You can go no further."

Himeka frowns, fists balled together as she glares up at the man.

"We're all going to these boats, aren't we? I want to ride in this one." A beat. "Please."

The solider exchanges at glance with another who is stationed on the boat. After a moment, they nod and the first lowers his sword. Himeka doesn't waste a moment, walking the small plank onto the boat. She pushes over to be at his side, seeing he is definitely worse off than she. No doubt Estinien has been resisting the entire way, as is his wont.

She shakes her head as she looks him over.

"I've not a damned clue," she says with a sigh. "I...can't heal you."
lachtara: (Finality)

[personal profile] lachtara 2022-02-14 12:58 am (UTC)(link)
Emet-Selch winces at that reaction, so exact to what he would remember his old friend would say and do. And what's more; to hear Hythlodaeus speak those words with a voice he's almost all but forgotten as thousands upon thousands of years marched onward is heartrending.

"As convincing as you may seem, it is nigh impossible for you - the real you - to be here." A spell so powerful is unthinkable when even he could only create a shade. He looks off, "Thousands of lifetimes have passed since the day you left for the sake of our star. You can not be of this world, as much as I wish it differently."
epiprocta: (07)

it's such a great series! i have an old journal for datenshou i'd love to dust off someday hehe 😌

[personal profile] epiprocta 2022-02-14 01:00 am (UTC)(link)
[ Gen meets Makoto's stare evenly enough -- probably a moderately respectable feat for a regular highschool student, a hint that as human as he is, it's not a completely mundane life he's led -- but his brow furrows when he hears that faux-amiable tone of voice the other employs. Lower eyelid tensing in a not-so-subtle show of distaste.

It pisses him off, that pretense at pleasantry. But even more than that, it reminds him of some of the shitty, manipulative people he knows (knew?) back home. People he knows he should be wary of, even if he'll die before admitting out loud that he's cautious of them. That glib shrug earns a low huff, equally tailored to seem casual, and Gen scuffs a hand through his hair. ]


Didn't say it's a crime, but it's pointless. Asking the people you've been asking. [ Gen very much gives off the impression of being a delinquent thug, which he is, but he's also just a little bit shrewder than the dumb muscle he looks like; it hadn't escaped his notice that Makoto had talked to a few other people before meandering his way. ] You think anyone who knows what's gonna happen to us would just be sitting around all quiet and obedient? If you really cared about what's gonna happen to us, you'd be asking them.

[ It's punctuated by a jerk of the head towards the myriad soldiers scattered around -- a challenge and an accusation rolled into one. Calling Makoto cowardly, underhanded for only talking to his fellow prisoners, because the lack of bruises on that pretty face hasn't gone unnoticed, and Gen stares him down after making his point. Predatorily looking for a reaction, as most thugs are wont to do. ]
lifespanned: (pic#15470493)

misa amane | death note | the lover

[personal profile] lifespanned 2022-02-14 01:03 am (UTC)(link)
REBIRTH (THE LOVER)
I.
[ After gathering her bearings and realizing she's completely naked, helpless, and cold in a strange cave, Misa's taken every opportunity to try to find things to defend herself with. Which, all things considered, isn't much— the cave is bare, and she feels sluggish and weak on top of it.

What's worse: someone (or something??) starts hatching just as she had from one of the otherworldly crystals that litter this cave. With one of the last bits of her energy, she chucks a nicely sized rock that she found on the ground right at the forehead of the person emerging from the crystal (that's you!). ]


I'm... I'm warning you! Don't come out!!
WAITING
II.
[ Once most of the captured prisoners from the other shrines begin to converge at the beginnings of the ruins, it's clear that someone isn't having a good time. Not used to physically laboring (read: walking long distances), nor not getting her way, Misa's patience for being a good prisoner has just about run out. Earlier on in their trek, she'd genuinely been too scared to do anything like try to escape or lash out - now that it's been days, though? She becomes very "I need to speak with the manager" with the guards. ]

Are you listening?

[ Her shrill, obviously irate voice trills quite clearly above the general silence of everyone else walking in her small group to their campsite. ]

I'm asking how long we're supposed to be here!

[ The guards clearly have no intentions of responding to her, to which she only becomes more petulantly, more demanding. ]

Heeey! Stop ignoring us!! We're talking right at you, dummy!!

[ That's right, she's dragging you right into this. The guard in front of you and her turns around, about to retaliate if she keeps it up. ]

III.
[ Seeing as she hasn't been the most cooperative prisoner in the last leg of the journey, it's no wonder that she's basically been barred from leaving to go see the ruins. You know, for now. That is, until she spots an opportunity to leave: via hugging the arm of a stranger who looks like they've been on their best behavior. Even if she startles you - she doesn't let go, clinging quite like a vice. ]

It's okay if I go with you, right? They won't let me go by myself... I promise I won't get in your way.

[ Cue the big ol' doe eyes... she's putting on her best pretty-please face! ]

IV.
[ Guess who got their rations taken away by being annoying on the trip here: this gal. It does look like after enough punishment she's decided to fall in line, though not without a cross of her arms and an occasional sniffle. This is all just horrible! Treating someone as delicate as her so harshly... it's enough to make her shed a tear.

Almost. Rationless and simply sitting near the fire to stay warm, she decides to strike up conversation regardless, blinking away any semblance of distress over her current predicament. ]


Is that any good? [ She scoots a little closer to you, seeming simply curious. All things considered, she seems quite peppy despite the circumstances - whether she's putting on a brave face or has just accepted the situation for what it is remains to be seen. ] Or is it like sand?
Edited 2022-02-14 01:08 (UTC)
aquaveiled: (himeka-204)

emet-selch: suffering from success

[personal profile] aquaveiled 2022-02-14 01:07 am (UTC)(link)
It's in good humor, something she tends to have regardless of the circumstances, though it's not always warranted. Truth be told, finding comfort in the familiar does come with no small amount of guilt. Estinien is there as well and she would rather spare him this strange sequence of events if she could. Yet...Emet-Selch, as he is now, is something of a mystery.

Himeka gives a short hum as she nods in acknowledgment, curling her tail beneath herself as she adjusts, bending her knees so she can rest her arms on them. The initial shock of this place, of the visions and the chaos of being moved about has...settled. Mostly. But does not leave many pleasant thoughts in its wake.

His quip in turn is still welcome all the same, no small amount of judgment within. That she expects.

"I'm afraid I must disappoint," she says with a shake of her head. "Though...I wouldn't expect you to be here." For a multitude of reasons. "Does that mean that you can't--?"

She snaps her fingers in the best mimicry she can of his flourish.
lachtara: (Knowledge)

[personal profile] lachtara 2022-02-14 01:07 am (UTC)(link)
There is a lot of information presented to him all at once. Of time, of Hermes, and instances he'd not heard about.

He repeats them back slowly with a tone of disbelief. "You're saying that Elidibus helped you." He rolls his wrist in the air. "And told you not to upset the balance of time, but you went and sought out members of the Convocation and let them see you? You had conversations with them?" His head rolls back and he lets out the heaviest of sighs before lifting his hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. "Do you ever do what you're told?"
epiprocta: (62)

i'd love to play an arknights but icons are a nightmare to wrangle haha, so all my respect!

[personal profile] epiprocta 2022-02-14 01:08 am (UTC)(link)
[ ... is that tail for real? Ernesto might notice the way Gen's gaze is immediately drawn to the wagging tail, squinting at it in scrutiny as if unsure of what he's even looking at. Everything about his gaze suggests a sort of baffled curiosity that Ernesto's probably unaccustomed to.

But Gen's also too riled up and wary to drop his guard for long -- he quickly returns his gaze upwards when the bread's offered forth once more, studying Ernesto's expression intensely for a good, long moment. Searching for some indication of malice or condescension.

There's no warning before he reaches forward to snatch it from Ernesto's hand. ]


I don't owe you anything.

[ A declaration, not a question. He refuses to feel any debt for something that was offered to him first. In truth, it rankles at him to accept any charity at all, but he has to grudgingly accept that he's pretty exhausted from spending every evening nursing fresh bruises. ]
coupris: (I see a thousand people)

[personal profile] coupris 2022-02-14 01:09 am (UTC)(link)
[There's little mistaking that kind of glare, even behind the bleary veil of farsightedness. Kim didn't work in the juvenile delinquency unit for as many years as he did to not immediately know when a punk is giving him the stink eye.

A punk kid now, though, is better company than a heel to the neck. Kim squares up a bit, instinctively, but his tone doesn't change.]


I've seen forests, yes. I just can't see this one.

[He waves in front of his face for emphasis. From a greater distance, he'd been able to make out slightly clearer details of the ruins, but he stopped trying once his efforts resulted in a migraine.]
dancinglight: DNS (Default)

[personal profile] dancinglight 2022-02-14 01:17 am (UTC)(link)
"It took some convincing, but yes," she'll mention what happened with Elidibus if he really wants to, but there's no relevance to this situation.

"Okay, hold on. I went back with the intention of seeking out Hermes, not to seek out members of the Convocation. You and Hythlodaeus just happened to arrive there when I was trying to find a way in. No one else noticed me because 'my aether was too thin' according to you guys," said with added air quotes.

Throwing in a shrug, "It was you who gave up some of your aether upon Hythlodaeus's suggestion. I never intentionally outted who I was and my real purpose there." Is she moping a little? Maybe.
goldendeceiver: (all these years later)

I comfort lie to myself by telling myself at least I'll never have to spend money on a paid

[personal profile] goldendeceiver 2022-02-14 01:21 am (UTC)(link)
[ It is a little strange to have something so commonplace for him scrutinized like this, but he's done a very rough headcount already. He realizes he's not exactly the norm with his extra set of ears and tail. He can deal with a curious look or two for now.

The abruptness of the bread snatch seems to surprise him though, and he lets out a startled laugh as he lets his hand drop.
]

I wouldn't dream of suggesting otherwise.
demoon: (Default)

Guren Ichinose ❁ Seraph of the End ❁ Firebrand

[personal profile] demoon 2022-02-14 01:23 am (UTC)(link)
I. ʀᴇʙɪʀᴛʜ
    [It takes time to adjust after he's fallen to the floor. Crystal shattered around him, he's left with only memories of a dark dream that he's not sure how to take. The feeling of a lost world... It's not so foreign as it should be. As weak as he is, all of his energy goes into standing. With a stumble, he catches himself on the wall closest to him and his gaze rises up to the assortment of other crystals.

    Some of them are large, like his own. Some of them have masses moving from within them, faintly visible from where he stands now. It's difficult to reach them, but that seems to be his goal now. Tiredly, he moves, grasping at chunks of broken crystals on the ground and chucking them up at the still-trapped members. If one falls before him, he reaches to offer a helping hand to the person who emerges from it.

    It's not much. He realizes this. But at the very least, if anyone can wake up in this strange place and not be alone... It might just help. Even if he doesn't have the friendliest face, and even if his actions might knock someone a little rougher off course on their path to the floor of the cave... It's still a little nice, right?]


    Come on, get up. [Again, his speech is rough, but his eyes are soft enough. He's trying to help.]


II. ᴄᴀᴘᴛɪᴠɪᴛʏ
    [Guren's silence might be mistaken for compliance. He's moving along with the ones who have captured him and others, keeping quiet and taking in the sights as they move. He's incredibly... quiet.

    Even as he watches someone else get wrangled in right in front of him. The most he offers as it comes to an end is a word of advice:]


    You should probably save your energy.

    [Hi.]


III. ᴡɪʟᴅᴄᴀʀᴅ
    [Of course, I am open to just about anything!! Feel free to PM me if you want to talk out ideas. I couldn't come up with the best top levels but I'd be happy to start personal starters for anyone who wants to talk it out. Or, assume anything reasonable.]
skirka: (d.)

cersei lannister | a song of ice and fire | the sovereign

[personal profile] skirka 2022-02-14 01:23 am (UTC)(link)
—rebirth

[ There is a scream in her throat - there has been, ever since she'd watched that black-velvet sky crumple and crush its diamonds to dust, collapsing on top of her. Or did it collapse around her, like water, leaving her standing? She isn't dead, she discovers, with a distinct lack of appreciation: if she were dead, she would be returned at this moment to her children, for they are dead, too. She'd felt it, hadn't she? When that gulf of darkness had swum up to meet her? Every memory chipped into a piece of flint, and driven into the frightened meat of her heart. She is frightened, for a moment, and only because she does not know by what means her children have been killed. Yet it had always come to this. She has lived no day that it hasn't been her first waking thought. That crone in the woods had told her so, had laid upon her the curse that crowds now into those waking thoughts - every discarding glance she'd received, every scoff, every measuring eye which had decided she would not rule. All of them gone, dead, and if her children must be dead, then there is some last glint of satisfaction in knowing all the world went with them.

That gloating is brief, and swallowed again by sorrow, and sorrow sends her into a fury. But her scream is mute, and she is trapped, drowning, treading a thick and choking sea made of honey. It cannot be a sea, for she is compressed in against herself, and only slowly reaching through that viscous prison. It melts gradually beneath her claws, tears like poor silk, and out she steps, shivering against the uninvited kiss of cool air against her skin.

Naked skin - she does not need to sweep her gaze down to find that she is wearing nothing. Gold hair whisks against the small of her back as she turns her head, at once more concerned with who may or may not be witnessing her this way than how it has come to pass. And there is someone, an unfortunate soul who seems to have stumbled into this cavern just as unwittingly as she has, and it is upon this stranger that she turns her rage, fangs bared, as if this nightmare is her personal domain. ]


What do you think you're doing here?


—in the woods somewhere

[ Two separate groups have arrived, and she recognizes neither one. One contingent seems to her almost Northern - by the rugged look of them, they hail from the mountains, or at least from some far-flung wasteland that she cares nothing for. The other is clearly from a notable city, though which, she cannot say: they are armored and disciplined, but wear no sigil that she knows. The distinction does not trouble her overmuch, because the insult they bring to bear against her is the same - they have come to take her captive. The groomed soldiers are not, then, from the capital; if they were kingsmen, they would not treat her so.

They are, to her mounting annoyance, entirely ignorant of who she is. They handle her as if she were no better than a common criminal, of no mentionable title; she is taken into custody as if she were a peasant. Her protests, she abruptly discovers, are met only with reprimands of waning patience. They don't hear her, they don't care, and she is shuffled along like chattel. Dressed in white, like a lamb for sacrifice, which only kindles resentful memories of earlier days when she was traded from one hand to another like an animal.

And they - for there are others, no matter how insignificant they are to her are present - are made to walk without the benefit of any footwear, though of course she should be carried, whether on a horse on in a wheelhouse. Not one of these fools seems to recognize her. This is the most dreadful realization of all; if there is no one to recognize her, who is there to protect her? Because her initial refusals and defiances were met only with the cruelty of whips, she takes instead to an indignant silence. Whomever they come to - whichever lord's keep - she will seek true justice from then.

The waiting is a marvelously effective torture, more so than any lash of those impudent whips. Her prowling is contained by the guards and the ruins themselves, but she must have something to barter with. If she has on her person no wealth of any mention, then she will trade in words. Secrets and knowledge. A defender with a sword would be better, but this will have to do.

So when she overhears talk of a 'ritual space,' her heart leaps like a startled deer in her chest, just as it did in the witch's woods so long ago. Ritual, prophecy - these are dangerous words. She edges closer, despising her plain white robe, which can hardly be put to her advantage. ]


Do you know what this place this?


—wildcard

[ hit me with anything! pm if you'd rather chat in advance c: ]
couriering: (pic#14089938)

[personal profile] couriering 2022-02-14 01:24 am (UTC)(link)
Possibly. For good or for worse.

[ the hardest thing for courier to comprehend is the fleeting sense that... his home and all of those that he's known, all of the people that he's served, are gone. a lump forms in his throat and he swallows it down, letting loose one long breath. ]

We could've been saved. Or stolen. Either way...

[ he clenches his jaw. better to get the hard questions out of the way first. that generally pleasant smile leaves his face and it's not from feeling comfortable. no, it's from these unfortunate circumstances. ]

... I have a feeling that there's no home to go to.
coerthantorment: (89)

[personal profile] coerthantorment 2022-02-14 01:24 am (UTC)(link)
Estinien is glad that Himeka is better at handling people than he is, because he doubts he would have even half as much grace if their positions were reversed. In fact, he knows he wouldn't, given how haphazard his efforts have already been. It's become a cycle, since the moment he was captured - he resists, sees punishment for it, and then becomes only more desperate to escape.

It hasn't gotten him anywhere, and he feels like a fool as Himeka makes her way to him. He can only imagine she arrived here the same way he did. The thought had honestly crossed his mind that he would be the only one.

It works out in the soldier's favor that Estinien is too distracted by his friend's arrival to throw much of a fit, which is maybe why they end up tolerating it. Around them, the military men continue shuffling around supplies and prisoners. To Estinien, seeing her brings this all uncomfortably close to reality.

"I thought as much," he says. "When I... came out of that cave..." He shakes his head. "'Twas like being born anew. None of my strength arrived with me." There's something pleading in his eyes as he looks her over. "Did you feel the same?"
epiprocta: (39)

ii

[personal profile] epiprocta 2022-02-14 01:26 am (UTC)(link)
[ Yeah, he absolutely tried to sock a guard and only got a punch to the sternum and a whip around his ankles for his troubles. So the evening finds Gen wearily sitting as far away from the campfire as he can while still leeching from its warmth, stomach growling because of course they decided he doesn't deserve his rations tonight -- recoiling with a wary stare when some dude he doesn't know approaches him.

He treats that innocuous offer of rations like it's poisoned, looking from Paul, down to those paltry rations, then back again. And even when his stomach gives another gurgle, he snaps rudely as if trying to cover up that pitiful sound: ]


What do you want from me, old man.

[ Obviously, someone offering to give their food away has to be looking for something in exchange. ]
lachtara: (Thinking)

[personal profile] lachtara 2022-02-14 01:30 am (UTC)(link)
Whatever this elezen saw, it certainly disturbed them judging from their demeanor. A pity he divulged no details.

Even more unfortunate is that this newfound acquaintance manages to get pulled into his space at the behest of the guards, which sends him stumbling toward a concerningly precarious ledge. Emet-Selch pushes back against him to try and get Estinien to stand back upright, but his strength is not what it once was.

"On your feet." He orders with all the authority of someone who had once told soldiers to do the same. "Do what you must today, put aside the thoughts of illusions, so that you can see the 'morrow." And then plan their escape.
coupris: (a sailor trod this ground)

II - Martyr Bros

[personal profile] coupris 2022-02-14 01:34 am (UTC)(link)
[Though Kim is halfway to blind without his glasses, he's spent enough time with the group he's been corralled into to notice some things. He can't be certain the taller, dark haired man has eaten nothing, but he has given away all his rations any time Kim has been nearby him at camp.

He isn't one to talk, of course. Kim grew up not eating much, so it's still easy for him to share half of what he has whenever anyone seems particularly ravenous after a long day on the road.

So when it's his turn to receive the man's alms, Kim shakes his head, looking up at indistinct features. He understands why he's a candidate for charity. Despite taut muscles, he cuts a scrawny figure in the robes they've been provided, not to mention the way he has to shuffle carefully whenever they're made to walk.]


That's alright. I'm sure someone else needs it more.