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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.

hurricaneofblood: ([teasing] anyway)

[personal profile] hurricaneofblood 2022-02-22 02:31 am (UTC)(link)
I guess that is the difference between us.

[ His eyes close. He had felt the moment when their King died, and it is something that all those connected felt and recognized. It's something difficult to explain to non-Sarkaz. It's why he could accept the world is gone with just a feeling, even if he did not yet see it destroyed. ]

Being stubborn is fine, but don't let it blind you to the path going forward. [ Heh. ] Ideals, hope... those are things that will cloud your vision. [ He opens his eyes, turning slightly to look to him. ] But it's probably not something I have to tell you, hm?

[ Another pause comes and goes. ] Flamebringer. I don't know if you knew my name, pup, and felt only right to give it since I can't give much else in the way of intel.
hurricaneofblood: ([arrogant] listen to you)

[personal profile] hurricaneofblood 2022-02-22 02:39 am (UTC)(link)
"Who's to say?" He feels there is a trap in the question of catering to his every need. Though, his pointed ears lift a little as he opens his mouth. His lips curl into a wicked smile before it fades. "You leave yourself open for more ridicule, sir. But as thanks, I won't rub lewd salt in open wounds."

Swallowing roughly, he muses over something before deciding on it. "Flamebringer. Consider it another thanks for the water." A laugh follows. "Should I live a few centuries more, I'll be sure to remember this kindness."

His shoulders shake in amusement then tremble in agony.

No, he isn't so old. His people can just live for centuries, but he doubts that he will have the same luxury. It's why he jokes and boasts about such a long lifespan. Like he actually desires to live that long.
boyoutoftime: (Default)

waiting ofc & u know tha dril me no got icons but u lov me anyway uwu

[personal profile] boyoutoftime 2022-02-22 02:41 am (UTC)(link)
Ekko was smart enough to know when to sit down and be still. He'd always been something of a troublemaker and he had a strong mischievous streak in him but this was not the time nor the place to test those limits and cause too much trouble. Instead, he had been going around and checking in on others and seeing what he could do to help - not that there was much he could do to help.

His eyes fell on Meteion and he had to stop. He wasn't expecting to find a vastayan here but any little piece of home was something he would welcome at this point. He wandered to her and crouched before her.

"I'm not sure there's much to do. I'd like to try to get out of here but the few who have tried were caught and brought back. There's too many of them to fight. I think our best bet is to sit tight for now. "
dragon_rider: (hiccup547)

dreaming

[personal profile] dragon_rider 2022-02-22 02:47 am (UTC)(link)
Yeah... Sort of, anyway.

[ There's really no 'sort of' about it. There's a feeling there, thrumming deep within. The one filled with light beckons — warm and vibrant. Like a feeling of youth, perhaps, which he can't quite parse. Like the first ride on a dragon's back, without worry or haste. ]

[ But for whatever reason, turning down, either way, isn't so easy. He hesitates, just in the middle, leans slightly to the well-lit path rather he realizes it or not. ]


But — isn't there something, you know, foreboding about it all?

[ It's grand and overwhelming. A looming feeling of loss. Well, why wouldn't there be after that after all? But no, some part of him, the part that's always hesitated and doubted himself it doesn't want to make the move forward at all. ]
salvageable: (pic#15344925)

what's the verdict am i dying

[personal profile] salvageable 2022-02-22 02:51 am (UTC)(link)
[ Dog ears and dog tail... A flicker of recognition passes through Dokja's face having met Ernesto before. He was nice... Not at all like the other animal-earred person he's met (shades Eustace). ]

My world...

[ It's hard to describe, especially now with everything Dokja's discovered about its origins. Before, it had been an average world filled with average happenings. Then one day, a story that only Dokja had read came to life... Everything had been downhill after that. ]

It was led by scenarios. It wasn't a normal world by any means.
dragon_rider: (pic#13011699)

ii b

[personal profile] dragon_rider 2022-02-22 02:58 am (UTC)(link)
[ The minimal area they've been allowed to explore he's certain that he's traced in its entirety — Even so, it doesn't stop him from doing so again and again during their days. As if he missed something or, perhaps, there would be some new change. At least he could pretend he was doing something if he did —

Like investigating the other side of a pillar when someone pipes up around it. Glancing back he shrugs with his hands as much as his shoulders: ]
You're just in luck, I've found this brand new, extraordinary —

[ He points down, salesmen style voice dropping as it deflates: ] Moss that's grown a whole inch since yesterday!
perfectlygoodbird: (Default)

ofc I do and it's not like I have all my icons either

[personal profile] perfectlygoodbird 2022-02-22 03:13 am (UTC)(link)
It's funny sometimes, when the younger set has more sense than their elders. Not that Meteion really fits that bill, considering she and her sisters have been hiding out at the end of the universe for a few hundred years or more.

Her eyes widened as the boy crouched before her. She was listening to his words--but she was a bit fixated on both his hair and the mark on his face. Idly, she nods in acknowledgement--but when she asks questions, it's not about what they should do.

"I have been, yes. Listening. Watching. Is your hair white like that normally? Is that face paint?" Or maybe he'd put paint in his hair and on his face. It wasn't as if the Ancients hadn't had strange customs--like their masks. Meteion herself had never been given a mask, so she was still a little unclear as to why Hermes and the rest wore them.
salvageable: (pic#15332068)

[personal profile] salvageable 2022-02-22 03:21 am (UTC)(link)
[ Each and every single word wedges itself into the cracks formed along Dokja's heart to further splinter it apart. The pain is excruciating, and he tears his gaze away from the other man's, not allowing himself a glimpse of that softness.

He doesn't deserve it. Not Dokja. He's the reason for Yoo Joonghyuk's suffering, his eventual descents into madness, the torturous life that the regressor had led for almost two-thousand turns.

And so he pushes him away. ]


It is what I want, [ he says, voice shaking. His throat feels tight, there's a dampness around his eyes, and if the Fourth Wall was here, it would be mocking Dokja for crying again. ] Stay away from me.

[ This is for Joonghyuk's sake, he tells... no, lies to himself. He's a coward, and he can't fully admit that he wants the other man away from him for selfish reasons. Yoo Joonghyuk, Han Sooyoung, the story that he loves most, all of it... for someone as worthless as Kim Dokja...

He turns away, makes to leave. ]
inutilis: (✞ surprise.)

[personal profile] inutilis 2022-02-22 03:23 am (UTC)(link)
[ well, if there had been any doubt that the two of them were definitely from different worlds, or at the very least different timelines... that is the last nail in the coffin. there's no small amount of wonderment in Abel's eyes, and it isn't put-upon, either; while perhaps he might have been adding a little dramatic flare to his eagerness... it is rather amazing.

he's sitting here talking to a man from not only an entirely different walk of life, but from one of those infinite worlds he had touched upon in his surreal dreamscape. it's... amazing. ]


Ilus... [ he echoes the foreign name almost absently. not just a world discovered, but colonized-- the people of Amos's home had gone far beyond Abel's. ] What was it like? Was it already colonized when you made it there, Mr. Amos...? Ah, that's-- that's really awesome, you know that? You've not only lived in space, but... on colonies far and away from earth?!

[ ...ha. he'll let slide any further idiocy commentary regarding personal hygiene in space-- it seems he's a dog with another bone, for now. (poor Amos, his life has suddenly become A Thing, hasn't it--) ]
dragon_rider: (hiccup1198)

waiting

[personal profile] dragon_rider 2022-02-22 03:25 am (UTC)(link)
[ He's back to sketching on a patch of dirt, less with any more understanding than he did a few days ago and more of want for something to do. The half map long wiped away when a guard came by and now he just draws. Chin leaning against a palm that leaned against a knee.

He only half looks up when someone approaches, grin a touch playful but unable to hide other worries. ]


I'm impressed you think I might have the answers to your questions.

[ It's said light heartedly, dropping both arms and hands to lean against folded knees. ]

Don't you see the whole of everything from up there?

[ He tilted his head to the collapsed piece on which she once sat. ]
inutilis: (✰ pulls hair out PROFUSELY)

..........hm. hm. hm. you know, i can't help but feel you've stumped me purposefully here,

[personal profile] inutilis 2022-02-22 03:28 am (UTC)(link)
...You know? That-- that is actually quite a fair point, sir.

[ their whole situation really is so far beyond the norm as to be laughable, isn't it? if it weren't so utterly outrageous, one might believe it unbelievable... but whose mind could concoct something as abstract as this? ]

Then-- I don't suppose you remember anything, ah... anything about how on earth we ended up in this predicament, either? Just the dream, and then the...

[ flopping a hand out from behind his crystal cover, here, in gesture to everything... ]

Um. All this...? I can't say I even remember falling asleep, actually, now that I'm thinking about it...
salvageable: (pic#15344871)

[personal profile] salvageable 2022-02-22 03:29 am (UTC)(link)
[ What about Dokja is untrustworthy? Besides his entire vibe. ]

I am who I say I am.

[ Says the habitual liar. But he seems genuine enough in this moment? Probably because there's nothing in particular that he wants from Seonho... For now. ]

Do you want me to prove it? I didn't do so well during history classes, but I know a thing or two.
inutilis: (✞ but...)

it means............ (leans in, gesturing for u to come close so i can whisper)

[personal profile] inutilis 2022-02-22 03:30 am (UTC)(link)
[ oh...? that response isn't quite the sort Abel was expecting, and there's a quiet knit at his brow in confusion. ]

Led by... scenarios? I'm afraid I don't quite follow what you mean, sir.

[ but by suggesting it wasn't a 'normal' world, Dokja insinuated he understood what 'normal' meant. so then... he was aware of this oddity? how strange! fascinating!!! tell him more!!!!! ]
coupris: (every time)

[personal profile] coupris 2022-02-22 03:34 am (UTC)(link)
[There hasn't been much laughter to go around since this all started, so even if it is a stupid anecdote, at least it had some use. Kim allows a small smile to spread across his face, just for a moment.]

Yes. Smaller charges are common for deconstruction. Or beach cleanup, in this case.
lumenar: (014)

rebirth

[personal profile] lumenar 2022-02-22 03:46 am (UTC)(link)
[if sandalphon were a more up-to-date angel, he would havemade comment about how the horned man just ruined a good joke. but he is not, he's taking a while to adapt to mortal culture and norms.]

Ugh. [he tries to shake the shards of crystal from his pitiful, brown wings, but can barely move them. and he can tell there are a number of them in his feathers, glimmering in the dull light.]

I can see you're on the floor.

[and so would he if he didn't keep himself up against the wall.]
regretsor: (pic#15339315)

[personal profile] regretsor 2022-02-22 03:51 am (UTC)(link)
[It's on impulse that he grabs the other by the wrist. He doesn't even realize he had done it with his body reacting before his mind even registered the movement. He doesn't have it in him to let go either.

He should. The other, lying or not, obviously wants them to part ways. Joonghyuk can't accept it though. And maybe his mind is screaming at him anyways. He had felt the man disappear right through his fingertips with his sword through their chest. He had woken up to the man gone and waited three years for now for their return.

He couldn't just willingly let go, he realized. If he let go, would they disappear again? He didn't want that. And Dokja's shaking voice and the refusal to look at him; it would be a mistake to let them go.
]

I can't. Do you think I can ignore the signs when you sound like that? [He sighs.] I'm not going to ask about the particulars and you can be mad at me, but it would be foolhardy not to try and stay together while we're here. Endure it for the time being.

[Joonghyuk sounded tired. Worst, it seemed that he was going to graciously take the blame for things he hadn't even done if it meant that they could reach a truce.]
perfectlygoodbird: (silly little clown)

[personal profile] perfectlygoodbird 2022-02-22 03:59 am (UTC)(link)
Meteion just tilts her head at Estinien for a few moments, back and forth. It would probably be comical--if he didn't know, intimately, just what the girl was capable of.

Though when he tells her about there being a better way, her expression is a happy one, and she claps her hands briefly. No need to call more attention to themselves.

"That's good! Very good! I hope they are happier that way..." Though there's a faint echo of melancholy on her face. Probably, she's thinking about the events that transpired on Ultima Thule. What she and her sisters had done. That there's no resolution yet in her memory--though the fact that Estinien is here is a...not good, but bittersweet thing. He's still alive. That means there's hope. Hope that the Final Days actually hadn't come about.

And while Meteion had never been a slave, ever--Though I gave you these wings to soar the heavens, I did not teach you how to walk the earth. So loath was I to bind another living being--she has to ask. "Did you learn how to free them? The primals and their thralls, then?" Since Estinien did say the primals subjugated those who worshipped and entreated them for aid. And her curiosity cannot be denied, even now.
epiprocta: (56)

[personal profile] epiprocta 2022-02-22 03:59 am (UTC)(link)
[ This guy's so ... uniquely frustrating to deal with. The fidgeting, the furtive glance away, then that serious look directed back at him -- it's all stuff that grates at his nerves, but not enough to overcome the fact that he'd feel ridiculous starting a proper fight with someone who hasn't (and won't) say a word to him. Especially when he's already feeling crummy.

Gen ends up squinting at Dextera for a long moment, trying to parse what that grimace means, before deadpanning, ]


Doesn't matter how long you stare at me, 'm not gonna just shut up and take it. [ Sorry Dextera, but he's mostly composed of reckless spite and anger at the moment. Although he does at least have the presence of mind to mull over things for a moment longer before adding at a quieter mutter, ] S'not like it'll affect you. They only seem to act shitty towards people who fight back. So it's my business, not yours.

[ Because he's sure that's the only reason this guy's even bothering to intervene. Most people here are just watching out for their own safety, he imagines. That's just how people are. ]
hurricaneofblood: ([playful] jk jk)

[personal profile] hurricaneofblood 2022-02-22 04:04 am (UTC)(link)
Just wanted to make sure that you didn't trip over me.

[ It is somewhat admirable how full of himself that he can sound given the circumstances. He rests his hands on his chest, lightly drumming his fingers. It's a clumsy motion and tells him that he's not yet ready and able to get up. ]

You're looking a little wobbly on your legs, birdie.
goldendeceiver: (where it all should be)

[personal profile] goldendeceiver 2022-02-22 04:12 am (UTC)(link)
[ Maybe so. There's nothing particular spiritual that comes with being a Perro; no real sense of being connected like that. Maybe Bolívar wouldn't being stuck in the middle of a prolonged civil war if there was.

The mention of being blinded to the path going forward has Ernesto letting out a weak laugh though. There's been so many times in his life when he comes to a crossroads, and can't figure out which way it is he wants to go. He let's himself be swayed too easily by the convictions of others, and that gets messy when he finds himself between two people with opposing beliefs. Even in the dream that led to that feeling of loss, Ernesto couldn't bring himself to pick a path on his own.

It makes him wonder just how much it matters for someone like him.
]

I can't actually pretend to be an idealist, even though I admire people who are. Maybe I'm just being delusional about this specific thing, but if that's the case I think I want to be delusional for a least a little while longer.

[ His smile is a little less wry for the introductions though. ]

I've heard your name, but I appreciate the proper introduction. If you want to go with what I was called at Rhodes Island, you can call me Tequila, but I'll answer just fine to Ernesto too. I'd be a little more cordial and shake your hand right now, but I think you should let it rest.

[ So instead, since he can't be friendly that way, his tail is wagging a little in a sign of good faith and warm beginnings to this acquaintanceship.

For however long the people guarding them allow it to last.
]
lumenar: (017)

[personal profile] lumenar 2022-02-22 04:21 am (UTC)(link)
[sandalphon scowls-- it's the word birdie really, because while he does liken himself to a tiny, plain sparrow every now and then, he doesn't appreciate similar comments from other people.

as if to attempt to make the horned man-- a fallen? but if he is, sandalphon wont be able to tell until he pulls out his wings-- eat his words, the angel pushes off of the wall and staggers a single, pathetic step, before dropping to his knees, wings noisily crashing behind him.

and then he huffs, skin flushing from the effort.]
goldendeceiver: (god knows you put your life)

[personal profile] goldendeceiver 2022-02-22 04:25 am (UTC)(link)
[ Ernesto has combed over these ruins pretty thoroughly himself at this point, but there's always the hope that someone will find some small trace of something that might tip them off on why they're here, or what the hell this ritual is that the guards keep "surreptitiously" whispering about.

He doesn't get his hopes up when the man in front of him starts with the salesmen pitch, but he still manages to feel just a slight pang of disappointment when the punchline of the obvious joke is finally delivered.
]

Aha...

[ His laugh is as weak as the slow wag of his tail, but it's not like he can really blame someone for not being able to find something useful, when he himself hasn't been able to either. ]

I want to say that's an impressive feat for moss, but I'll be honest, I don't actually know enough about it to say if it is or not.
hurricaneofblood: ([bored] whatever)

[personal profile] hurricaneofblood 2022-02-22 04:30 am (UTC)(link)
Ah, there, there --

[ Flamebringer reaches out so that he can rest his hand on top of the birdie's knee; he gives it a few affectionate pats. ]

You didn't hurt yourself, did you? [ He probably could do more if he could get up. ] Those wings sounded like they hit quite hard.

[ Noting the flushed skin, he adds: ] No need to get all embarrassed about it. All birds fall down before they fly.
coerthantorment: (13)

[personal profile] coerthantorment 2022-02-22 04:31 am (UTC)(link)
Estinien draws his own conclusions. If they were clothed they almost certainly weren't hatched in the shrine like the rest of them had been. Naturally, his first thought on the subject is of the darker side.

"Perhaps they had unexpected competition," he says. "Whatever we are to them, we must be of value for them to put in so much effort."

He wonders if the dead fighters she saw would have captured Himeka just the same, if only they'd been given the chance. It's far from a charitable guess, but he clearly isn't in the mood to be.

"Those monuments... they seemed like places of religious significance. Almost like a beast tribe's aetheryte."
epiprocta: (60)

[personal profile] epiprocta 2022-02-22 04:38 am (UTC)(link)
... great. [ He's not sure if it's better or worse to get confirmation that those features are weird; his voice goes muffled as he rubs his hand over his face. ] So they're real. Wasn't sure if those things were some ... bullshit hallucination.

[ Waking up crawling out of a rock to see people with dog ears. It's like getting stuck in some shitty anime made for those otaku types. ]

Can't even guess why the hell I ended up here, next to people like that.